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37.99 35.88 From the Task Manager to the Event Viewer, you can use these utilities to
24.99 19.99 diagnose and hopefully solve issues yourself instead of paying someone
100 100 else to. And with many new PCs and laptops arriving stuffed with unwanted
125 125 software, we also show you on page 102 how to reinstall Windows without
W
elcome to another packed issue of PC Advisor. Just six months after
the OnePlus 3 launched, we now have the 3T. This is a relatively
minor upgrade, as youll read on page 28, but the latest CPU, more
storage, a better front camera and a few other tweaks make this one of the
very best phones you can buy right now, and it still costs less than 400.
With many flagship phones costing upwards of 600, its great value even if
its more expensive than its predecessor.
But theres even better value to be had if youre willing to go for a less
well-known brand. Xiaomi is one of the most popular phone makers in China
and uses many of the same components youll find in a big-brand flagship, but
at an unbelievably low price. Find out whether its right for you on page 37.
Theres almost too much choice, with Googles new Pixel (page 31), Lenovos
modular Moto Z (page 34) and a budget offering from Vernee (page 42).
If you use OneDrive in Windows or any other cloud storage service, youll
appreciate the ability to access your files from any internet-connected
computer (or phone). The cloud is great for small files, or even large files if
you have fast broadband, but there are times when you want a collection
of videos, music, photos and documents instantly available locally.
Thats when a NAS drive is useful. These mini PCs connect to your
router and offer a place to store everyones files. They can have separate
accounts, and many NAS drives now have phone and tablet apps that make
it really easy to listen to music, watch videos, browse photos, and more.
Smart TVs can see these files too, so you can watch the same videos on
the big screen, and at least one NAS in our group test on page 68 can
connect directly to your TVs HDMI input. Some NAS come with hard disks
already installed, while others are bare and you have to slide in disks of
your own. With the latest disks offering capacities up to 10TB each, you can
store a whole lot more than you can in the cloud.
In our Windows tips feature on page 78, we explain how to use Windows
built-in troubleshooting tools to fix any problems your PC might be having.
this bloatware. Those new PCs come with Windows 10, of course, but one of
its unique features is Cortana.
Cortana is Microsofts digital assistant and is similar to Siri on the iPhone
and Amazon Alexa, but its even more capable in the latest update on
Windows 10. Find out how to get the most from Cortana on page 82, and
dont forget that she is now available on iOS and Android and so can assist
you on the move even if you dont have a Windows phone.

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ISSUE 261 ON SALE 8 FEBRUARY 2017

March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk 3

003 Welcome 260.indd 3 21/12/2016 11:34

 CONTENTS

NEWS & ANALYSIS FEATURES & GROUP TESTS

6 Latest technology news

16 Bluetooth 5 boosts IoT

17 Cortana for iOS and Android

17 Skypes voice translator

18 Intel may use AMD GPUs

19 Apples self-driving cars

REGULARS & OFFERS

3 Welcome

20 Subscribe 68
116 Software downloads zone
68 GROUP TEST: NAS drives 92 Bookmark managers
146 Outbox 78 Windows 10 tips for Google Chrome
82 Get more from Cortana 96 Get more from Play Music
87 Linux terminal commands 100 Android gestures that
90 Linux encryption tools speed up everyday tasks

TEST
REVIEWS CENTRE
NAS DRIVES
22 Asus RoG G752Vm 70 Asustor AS1004T
25 15in Apple MacBook Pro (2016) 71 Netgear ReadyNAS RN212
28 OnePlus 3T 72 QNAP TS-251A
31 Google Pixel 73 Synology DS216+II
34 Motorola Moto Z 74 WD My Cloud Mirror 4TB
GET FREE
37 Xiaomi Mi 5s
SOFTWARE
40 Huawei Nova Plus
PAGE 116
42 Vernee Mars
45 Netgear Orbi
46 Netamo Presence
48 GoPro Hero 5 Black

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SAVE 50%
4K Dual Pro Pack
51 THieye i60e 4K
52 Epson EcoTank ET-3600
54 HiMedia Q10 Pro
SEE PAGE 20 56 Heat Genius
59 Philips SHB9850NC 28
60 Snugs Original S10
61 TP-Link AV2000 2-Port
Gigabit Pass-through
Powerline Starter Kit

8 62
64
Final Fantasy XV
Watch Dogs 2
66 Super Mario Run
25

4 www.pcadvisor.co.uk March 2017

004_005 Contents 260.indd 4 21/12/2016 14:12

 CONTENTS

WINDOWS 10 TIPS LINUX COMMANDS GOOGLES PLAY MUSIC APP

78 87 96
GET MORE FROM CORTANA LINUX ENCRYPTION TOOLS CHROME BOOKMARK MANAGERS

82 90 92
ON THE COVER TEST HOW TO
CENTRE

20 TOP 5 CHARTS: 104

78
BUYERS GUIDE
118 Laptops
120 Budget laptops
122 Chromebooks
124 Gaming laptops
125 Gaming PCs
126 Smartphones
128 Budget smartphones
130 Phablets
132 Best tablets 102 Reinstall Windows 10
134 Smartwatches
135 Activity trackers without any bloatware
136 Budget printers/Printers
137 Wireless routers/
104 Defer Windows 10 updates
Powerline adaptors
138 NAS drives/External hard drives
105 Download Windows
139 SSDs/Smart thermostats apps with a local account
140 Budget graphics cards/
Graphics cards 106 Add the Hibernate option
141 4K flat-panel TVs/
4K flat-panel displays 107 Change Windows 10s colours
142 e-book readers/Media streamers
143 Games console/ 108 Use Microsoft Excels
Budget portable speakers
date and time functions
144 Budget headphones/Headphones
145 Power banks/Desktop chargers 112 Collaborate in Dropbox Paper
114 Keep your kids safe online
28 45 68 115 Stop annoying animated GIFs

March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk 5

004_005 Contents 260.indd 5 21/12/2016 14:12

 NEWS

Intel, Microsoft renew Wintel

partnership with Project Evo
and VR specs for PCs
PCs future revealed at Microsofts Windows Hardware Engineering conference, writes Mark Hachman

Intel and Microsoft have reforged their

traditional Wintel partnership with a
collaboration called Project Evo in which
the two companies will work together to
improve how PCs think, see and hear. Their
initiatives include everything from improved
security and authentication to gaming
innovations and mixed reality experiences.
Microsoft made the announcement
at its Windows Hardware Engineering
Conference (WinHEC) in Shenzhen, China,
an event where the firm works with
hardware partners to define the future of
the PC and related devices.
Much of this collaboration involves Intel,
which helps provide the hardware reference
designs that inform computers and other
products made by manufacturers like Acer,
Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo. The conference
was held six months after Microsoft
declared its intentions to bring Windows 10
to virtual reality devices, and to help the
five aforementioned hardware companies Thats the firms bread and butter. But all-new ways for devices to light up with
develop inexpensive head-mounted VR other features, such as Hello, use hardware the latest in advanced security, artificial
displays. To this end, Intel used WinHEC 2016 innovations developed by Intel and others. intelligence and Cortana, mixed reality,
to unveil the PC specifications for those VR Project Evo is designed to marry software and gaming, Terry Myerson, the executive
devices, and also announced its Project Evo and hardware in much the same way. With vice president of the Windows and Devices
partnership with Microsoft. Project Evo, Microsoft and Intel will deliver Group, said in a blog post.
WinHEC was paused between 2008 and
2014, so its great to see Microsoft, Intel and
the PC manufacturers actively talk about
shared priorities. On one front, the industry
wants to redefine the PCs basic intelligence,
and how we interface with computersthats
Project Evo. As for Microsoft and Intels
virtual reality plans, this effort could have
significant financial payoffs: Just like gaming
PCs have helped drive high-end sales, we
can now look to VR to inspire a return to the
good old days of premium PC pricing.

Project Evo:
Many of the improvements Microsoft built
into Windows 10 have been software based.

Windows Hello uses a camera

to identify you and log you in

6 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news March 2017

006_009 News 260.indd 6 20/12/2016 15:21


Specifically, Project Evo includes:
Far-field speech communications, so
that users will be able to speak to their
connected PCs from across a room
Improvements to Windows Hello biometric
identification, which currently includes
fingerprint, iris, and facial recognition
Security intelligence from both Microsoft
and Intel
Gaming innovations such as 4K displays
with High Dynamic Range, Wide Colour
Gamut (WCG), spatial audio, and the ability
to broadcast games and e-sports
Improved mixed-reality experiences
through affordable PCs and head-
mounted displays (HMDs)
Whats needed for VR PCs
Microsoft and Intel can exercise their
influence in head-mounted displays. Though
they cant control what components a
Dell or an HP includes in these displays,
they can suggest a minimum hardware
specification for an enjoyable VR experience.
006_009 News 260.indd 7
NEWS
Keep up to date with PC Advisor news:
pcadvisor.co.uk/news twitter.com/pcadvisor
facebook.com/pcadvisor youtube.com/pcadvisor
CHRIS
MARTIN
The HMDs from Acer, Asus, Dell, HP
and Lenovo will be available later this year, Microsoft showed off the
integration of Windows 10
Microsoft said. Developer kits, meanwhile,
and virtual-reality devices
will be available at Februarys Game at Computex 2016
Developer Conference. And by the end of
2017, hardware partners will begin building
PCs that take advantage of the new HMDs.
According to Intel and Microsoft, these are Storage: 100GB+ SSD (preferred)/HDD
the minimum specifications: USB: USB 3.0 Type-A or USB 3.1 Type-C Port
with DisplayPort Alternate Mode
CPU: Intel Mobile Core i5 (7200U, for Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 for accessories
example) dual-core with hyperthreading
GPU: Integrated Intel HD Graphics 620 (GT2) Windows is the only platform unifying
equivalent or greater the mixed reality ecosystem, providing
RAM: 8GB+ dual-channel required for inside-out tracking for HMDs, a single
integrated graphics platform and standardized inputs for
HDMI: HDMI 1.4 with 2880x1440 at 60Hz, or developers, and a consistent interface with a
HDMI 2.0 or DP 1.3+ with 2880x1440 at 90Hz single store for customers, Myerson said.
Many of the improvements Microsoft built into Windows 10
have been software based, but other features, such as Hello,
use hardware innovations developed by Intel and others
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news 7
20/12/2016 15:21
 News
AMD reveals how Zen now renamed
Ryzen is its best chip family in a decade
AMD unveils more details of its latest chip, reveals Mark Hachman
AMDs Zen is finally here. In August 2016,
The firm stunned the hardware industry
by showing that its Zen architecture could
compete with Intels best. Now it has
revealed more details about what executives
call its most exciting processor in 20
years, including its brand name, its clock
speed, and the five underlying SenseMI
technologies that make the chip so efficient.
What AMD has previously referred to as
its Zen architecture now has a formal brand
name: Ryzen, which unfortunately sounds
like the title of a bargain-bin video game. The
first chip in the desktop family, codenamed
Summit Ridge, will be AMDs focus for 2017.
Using Handbrake and ZBrush
benchmarks, AMD recently demonstrated
that its octa-core Summit Ridge chip can
keep up with, or even potentially exceed,
Intels octa-core, 3.2GHz Core i7-6900K that
launched in May 2016. Thats due in part
to the Summit Ridge chips higher 3.4GHz
clock speed, according to AMD.
AMD declined to disclose two key Summit
Ridge details: the chips boost speed, or
maximum potential, and its price. In doing
so, AMD avoids revealing too much to Intels
marketing team, said analysts. Keep in mind,
although it didnt attract much attention at
the time, Intel executives said in August they
hadnt ruled out increasing the core count
of its Core i7-6900K just as it did with the
10-core Core i7-6950X. That could help Intel
maintain its performance edge over any
upcoming Zen chips. All these machinations
are to the consumers benefit, of course.
Benchmarks fuel anticipation
Heres where we stand right now: Intel has
begun shipping its first dual-core Kaby Lake
chips a third-generation 14nm chip, and for
the time being, strictly for notebooks. Intel
is expected to release its quad-core H-series
processors in January 2017, kicking off the
desktop PC race in earnest. AMD, meanwhile,
has slated its 14nm Summit Ridge chip for
the first quarter, its 32-core Naples server
processor for the second quarter, and what
Summit Ridges basics: eight cores at
3.4GHz-plus, 20MB of combined L2+L3
cache, and SenseMI underneath it all
8 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news March 2017
008_010 News 260.indd 8
it now calls its Raven Ridge notebook
chip for the second half of 2017.
Remember, youll need Windows
10 to run all of them.
AMD is aiming Ryzen
at three markets that
seem poised for growth:
PC gaming, which some
analysts say could see 35
percent growth from 2015
through 2020; virtual-
reality PCs, with expected
10X growth by 2020; and
e-sports, which is experiencing
a strong upturn in audience.
If you look at 2017, I dont
think weve seen anything this
exciting since, honestly, back towards
the 90s, said Jim Anderson, senior
vice president and general manager of
AMDs Computing and Graphics business, share components, but you also have all the
hearkening back to the AMD K6 series. functional units at the bequest of that one
AMD set out four years ago to design a thread. In a sense, they went back to square
clean sheet processor architecture that one, with the original Hammer processor.
could deliver 40 percent more instructions In three demonstrations using
per clock than the previous generation. It processor-intensive Handbrake, Blender and
seems the firm has achieved that goal. ZBrush benchmarks the 3.4GHz Summit
Previous AMD architectures were Ridge (with boosting turned off) either met
optimised for multicore performance. or exceeded Intels 3.2GHz 6900K, which
That just didnt work out because theres can boost to 3.7GHz. In Blender, AMDs chip
a lot of stuff that needs single-threaded consumed 187.6W under load, while the
performance, revealed Kevin Krewell, Core i7 consumed 191.8W.
principal analyst with Tirias Research. They The octa-core, 16-thread Ryzen chip
had functional units that were split between will also pack a far lower TDP than Intels
two different cores... With Zen, you get this octa-core, 16-thread chip, at 95W versus
very wide execution engine, and then when 140W, CEO Lisa Su said during Decembers
you want to run an extra thread on it, you AMDs New Horizon event.
21/12/2016 11:38

Gaming performance
We were shown Ryzens performance
running DICEs shooter hit Battlefield 1 and
the chip still held up, big time.
The 3.4GHz Ryzen system we saw
contained a custom AM4 motherboard
that will probably never see the light of
day, plus 16GB of RAM and a pair of Nvidia
Titan X cards. Yes, Nvidia cards AMD
representatives explained that they wanted
to show how AMD and Nvidia technology
could be mixed and matched, and that Ryzen
could handle any gaming configuration
you threw at it. On the other side was the
same Intel Core i7-6900K AMD used for the
Blender demo, with an Asus ROG X99 board,
and 32GB of quad-channel memory, just
to avoid claims that it was running with a
subpar memory configuration.
We were allowed to try a head-to-head
playthrough of the first chapter of Battlefield
1, comparing the two machines. The catch:
there was no onscreen overlay with frame
rates. Instead, we had to go on what AMD
product manager Jim Prior told us that both
systems were running at between 100- and
130 frames per second, at 4K resolution
under DirectX 11, using ultra settings.
There were no functional or visible
differences between the Ryzen and Intel
systems. Both felt and looked exactly the
same, whether playing on the PCs or peering
over the shoulder of another player to
watch the action side-by-side. In premium
gaming, Ryzen was great. By contrast, AMDs
current FX-6xxx/8xxx chips are slower than
comparable Intel budget parts in gaming.
Under the hood
In a way, AMDs Ryzen opens up another
vector of consideration when buying a chip:
008_010 News 260.indd 9
AMD set out four years ago to design a clean sheet
processor architecture that could deliver 40 percent
more instructions per clock than the previous generation
efficiency. Most PC enthusiasts consider
price, core count, the speed of the chip,
and the power each chip consumes before
buying. Chip manufacturers, meanwhile,
talk about the instructions per clock (IPC)
as a way to measure effectiveness. Ryzen,
though, proposes a new approach.
According to Mark Papermaster, AMDs
chief technology officer, AMD set out to
ensure that Ryzen had what he called the
best intelligent performance, an adaptive
technology that continually assesses the
processor to deliver the best performance
at a given power level. AMD calls this
SenseMI. This consists of five different
technologies: Pure Power, Precision Boost,
Extended Frequency Range (XFR), Neural
Net Prediction, and Smart Prefetch. The
technologies all work together, using what
AMD calls its Infinity Fabric an on-chip
network of connections to constantly loop
back and reassess how theyre doing.
Pure Power and Precision Boost, for
example, are like two sides of the same
coin. Pure Power monitors the chips
temperature using hundreds of temperature
sensors embedded in the chip and fabric,
constantly seeking to bump down the power
by milliwatts at a time while maintaining
the same level of performance. On the
other hand, Precision Boost is a fine-
grained frequency control that can nudge
performance up by 25MHz increments
(versus 100MHz for Intel) to boost
News
performance without consuming more power.
And if a user has a superior cooling system
installed, the chip can sense it, via Extended
Frequency Range (XFR), a fancy name for
auto detection that allows the Ryzen chip to
run at a higher frequency than normal.
If designing a chip was like training a
football player, than the first three SenseMI
technologies would be like hitting the gym:
improving speed, power and endurance.
Think of the latter two, Neural Net Prediction
and Smart Prefetch, as the mental aspects
of the game: anticipation and awareness.
Papermaster described AMDs Neural
Net Prediction capabilities as scary
smart branch prediction, intended to
remove pipeline stalls. A microprocessors
instructions typically work on conditions:
if this, then that. But executing those
instructions, then waiting for the next one,
can take several clock cycles where the chip
is essentially doing nothing. To compensate,
modern processors cheat by trying to guess
the way the conditional jump will go. If its
right, then the processor can save time
and improve the overall performance. If its
wrong, then everything stalls while a new
instruction is fetched. AMDs technology uses
a massive amount of data to retrain AMDs
branch predictor on the fly, minimising those
pipeline stalls, Papermaster said.
AMDs latest processor generations have
increasingly emphasised efficiency
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news 9
21/12/2016 11:38
 News
Likewise, Smart Prefetch makes that
same bet, but in a different manner it tries
to guess what data Ryzen will need next,
then grab it before the chip can act upon
it. Thats what we live for, Papermaster
added. This inspires every designer.
Battle for your wallet
After years of scratching and clawing to
stay afloat restructuring debt, leasing and
then moving its headquarters, layoffs AMD
is smartly doubling down on what it sees
as a winning hand. Naples is just the first
step toward a push back into the enterprise
market, where higher margins can help fund
future growth.
10 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news March 2017
008_010 News 260.indd 10
What isnt clear, though, is how AMD will
price its first Ryzen chip, Summit Ridge.
Typically, Intel has applied the screws,
forcing AMD to lower prices to gain market
share. In August, Intel executives predicted
that more than 350 new PC designs would
be predicated on the various versions of
Kaby Lake, beginning in January. For AMDs
part, Chief Executive Lisa Su predicted a
very, very strong line-up of motherboards,
hardware partners, and system builders, but
didnt disclose any numbers.
Will Intel up its core count? Drop prices?
Offer to assist with the marketing costs of
hardware partners who sell Kaby Lake? And
whats the boost speed of AMDs Summit
One of the secrets to Ryzens higher
performance is fine-grained clock control
Ridge? Will AMD be able to satisfy its
customer demand? Will there be (gulp) bugs?
All these questions remain unanswered.
One thing is clear, however: AMDs back
at the table, and it finally has a good hand
to play. 2016 was a very strong year; were
very pleased with all the progress that weve
made, Su said. But with 2017, the best is
truly yet to come.
AMDs Ryzen dynamically
examines its power usage and
makes adjustments on the fly
21/12/2016 11:38
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 News

Microsoft-Qualcomm deal finally puts

Windows 10 and Win32 apps on ARM devices
Think of it as Windows RT 2.0, but done right. Mark Hachman reports

In this photo from June 2012,

a Qualcomm chip powers a
tablet running Windows RT

Windows RT tried, and failed, to deliver a run apps like Photoshop, run efficiently on 2017, according to the chipmaker. The first
full-fledged Windows environment on top battery, and ship at consumer-friendly prices. Windows-on-ARM PCs are expected by the
of anaemic ARM microprocessors. Now, second half of next year.
Microsoft is trying again, with two major Backward compatibility For now, Microsoft is thinking of the
improvements: compatibility with the Sources at Microsoft and Qualcomm say Windows-on-ARM relationship strictly in
mainstream Win32 apps that PC users have the partnership is designed around the terms of enabling a new class of mobile
enjoyed for years, and a new generation of Snapdragon 835, a chip thats in production PCs with superior battery life. But backward
powerful ARM chips to run them. now and is due to ship in the first half of compatibility with Windows has also been
At its Windows Hardware Engineering
(WinHEC) conference in Shenzhen, China, This Atom-powered Asus
Microsoft said that it has partnered with Transformer Mini provides
Qualcomm to enable new, low-cost PCs. compact computing for
a low price, but with
These are intended to replace Windows
performance sufficient for
tablets built around Intels Atom, a chip the web browsing and little else
companys essentially discontinued.
Traditional Windows apps can only run on
X86 chips, not ARM thus, the failed RT. To
get around this, Qualcomm is working with
Microsoft to emulate X86 instructions, the
companies said.
Though the PC may be in decline, two
growth segments have been low-cost (priced
between 200 and 300) and two-in-one
laptops. This announcement promises that
upcoming Qualcomm chips will have the
chops to handle that kind of hardware,

12 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news March 2017

012_013 News 260.indd 12 20/12/2016 15:24


The original Google
Chromebook Pixel offered
integrated cellular WWAN,
but it was rarely used and
dropped in later models.
Microsoft reportedly
wants to change that
a holy grail of sorts for fans of Windows
phones, and reopens the door for a phone
that could run traditional Windows apps.
RT, which shipped with the original
Surface (and tablets powered by Qualcomm
Snapdragon processors) never managed to
escape the parched hinterlands of Microsofts
universal apps. Neither has Windows
Mobile (with the exception of HPs Elite x3,
which runs Win32 apps in a cloud-based
environment). Thats led to some frustration
within the Windows community as Microsoft
attempted to connect its various platforms.
Technically, there are really two things
that are unique about Windows Mobile,
Microsofts Terry Myerson, Executive Vice
President of the Windows and Devices Group,
answered, when ZDNet reporter Mary Jo
Foley asked him about the future of its
Windows Mobile operating system. One is
cellular connectivity and the other one is
the ARM processors that are there.
So were going to continue to invest in
ARM and cellular, he added. And while Im
not saying what type of device, I think well
see devices there, Windows devices, that
use ARM chips. I think well see devices that
have cellular connectivity.
The new Qualcomm-powered PCs will
be able to join corporate domains, making
them more than just consumer devices. The
message is clear: the line between Windows
10 Mobile and Windows 10 for desktop PCs
is blurring, but just not how we originally
thought it would.
Performance is priority one
Look back to 2008, when Asus and others
tried to market a range of Atom-based
PCs, and they largely flopped. Even recent
Atom-powered products like the Asus
Transformer Mini balk at heavy workloads.
Consumers have turned back to Intels Core
chips (or Core m) instead.
012_013 News 260.indd 13
Thats what makes X86 emulation, at
least on paper, a risky proposition. Emulation
takes an instruction written for an X86 chip,
intercepts it, and translates it into the chips
native instruction set. In practice, emulation
can slow the chips apparent performance
considerably, as Transmeta learned in 2008.
That startup challenged Intel with its
line of Crusoe chips, which emulated the
X86 architecture at slower speeds, while
offering considerable power savings. But
the chipmaker responded with its own line
of low-power chips, largely maintaining
its performance. That killed Transmetas
competitive advantage, and the company
eventually went under.
Now, Microsoft seems to believe the
performance of the Snapdragon 835 justifies
its investment. Qualcomm hasnt said
much about the 835 specifically, but the
company has said that simply shrinking to
a 10nm manufacturing process can improve
The Surface phone
has achieved mythic
status before it ships
News
performance by 27 percent and battery life
by 40 percent, compared to the companys
prior generation of 14nm chips.
Microsoft itself crafted the X86 hardware
emulator, according to industry sources. The
emulator software attempts to minimise
any CPU overhead by handling only CPU
calls. Instructions sent to any associated
storage, I/O, or GPU are all handled natively
by those components, the company revealed.
One source said Adobes Photoshop, one
application Microsoft is expected to show at
WinHEC, apparently runs well.
Unfortunately, we wont know how the
new class of Snapdragon PCs will actually
fare until Qualcomm ships the 835 and
reviewers can get their hands on devices
running the emulated software. The
emulator wont run on todays hardware,
meaning well have to wait until the end of
2017 to discover how well it works.
Surface phone
Microsoft also isnt saying anything about
the fabled Surface phone, which has been
an on-again, off-again proposition for many
months. The phone has been rumoured to
ship sometime this year. One of its flagship
features was supposedly Win32 apps, a
feature that looked increasingly doubtful
when Intel killed most of its Atom chips.
In light of Myersons earlier comments,
however, the Surface phone could in fact
be a small, Snapdragon-powered, cellular-
connected device not one you hold to
your ear, but one you can talk to on your
desk via Bluetooth or Skype.
Microsoft apparently sees Windows
on ARM as a game-changing technology.
But what that game actually will look like
is still intriguingly hazy.
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news 13
20/12/2016 15:24
 News
Watch Netflix content offline
Subscribers now able to download movies and TV shows onto a device for later viewing, writes Ian Paul
Netflix has announced that select TV
programmes and movies are available for
download on Android and iOS devices. In
other words, the subscription service now
enables offline viewing. Its not for all its
content, though. Most of the companys
original programming will be covered by
the new feature, but some titles may not be
available due to licensing restrictions.
The easiest way to see what shows can
be downloaded is to tap the menu in the
app, and then go to the appropriately titled
Available for download section. Otherwise,
tap on something youd like to watch offline,
and if its available for download there will be
a downward arrow icon next to each episode.
14 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news March 2017
014_015 News 260 .indd 14
For movies, this will appear
in the details section just
below the movie description.
Once youve downloaded
something, it will show up in
another section of the new
app entitled My Downloads.
People have been
waiting for Netflix to add
offline viewing for a very
long time, and it isnt the
first streaming service to
get the feature. Amazon,
for example, added offline
viewing for Prime Instant
Videos in September 2015.
20/12/2016 16:39
 News

TSMCs Fab 12 complex

in Hsinchu, Taiwan

Moores Law lives on with speedy

7nm mobile chips coming in 2018
ARM is equipping TSMC to manufacture faster and more power-efficient chips. Agam Shah reports

How do mobile devices keep get faster, a 15- to 20 percent speed boost compared infrastructures and at the right power
thinner, and more power efficient? Its to those made using TSMCs 16nm process. consumption levels. Many advances are
thanks to the quick advances in chip Manufacturers could tweak the architecture expected on the 7nm process, including EUV
manufacturing, which help churn out smaller to bring even better performance. (extreme ultraviolet) that allows for finer
processors packed with new features. ARM-based processors for servers and details to be etched on chips. Chips designed
The next round of premium smartphones IoT devices will also be made on the 7nm with the ARMs IP wont require designers to
early this year could feature chips such as process. Ultimately, only the chipmakers have deep knowledge about the underlying
Qualcomms Snapdragon 835, made using using ARM designs will be able to provide manufacturing technologies, Moore said.
the latest 10-nanometer process. Continuing metrics on performance improvements TSMCs rival Globalfoundries is also
with the Moores Law observation, its likely based on the tweaks they made, Moore said. moving to the 7nm process, and production
that two years after this, smartphones will New technologies such as virtual reality could start in 2018. Samsung hasnt publicly
get even faster and smaller chips will be are demanding more performance out of talked about its 7nm plans, while Intel says
produced using a 7nm process. chips. The ARM manufacturing IP provided it has visibility of 7nm, meaning it is on
Smartphone chipmaker ARM recently to TSMC solves some challenges around the companys roadmap, but hasnt talked
revealed it is working with prominent chip memory, power distribution, and moving about when it will be implemented.
manufacturer TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor data in and out of memory. For example, The next step beyond 7nm is the 5nm
Manufacturing Co.) to produced 7nm chips. many customers are planning multi-GPU process, which was discussed at the
Production is expected to start in 2018, configurations for servers in the cloud or recent International Electron Devices
explained Ron Moore, vice president of for machine-learning infrastructures. The Meeting. Participants also discussed
marketing for ARMs physical design group. chip IP provides data path optimisations, silicon replacement materials, such as
In ARMs trials, the 7nm processors provided so data can travel quickly within these silicon germanium.
Intel is already planning to use III-V
materials, based on elements from the third
and fifth columns of the periodic table,
The next round of premium smartphones early this year like gallium-arsenide, in forthcoming chips.
could feature chips such as Qualcomms Snapdragon Gallium arsenide is a better electricity
conductor than silicon, and it could add
835, produced using the latest, 10-nanometer process to the power efficiency of chips. J

March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news 15

014_015 News 260 .indd 15 20/12/2016 16:40

 NEWSANALYSIS
Bluetooth 5 to give home IoT a boost
The latest version of the wireless protocol is faster and goes farther, reveals Stephen Lawson
B
luetooth is aiming straight for
the Internet of Things (IoT) as
the fifth version of the wireless
protocol arrives with twice as much speed
for low-power applications.
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), which
gains the most from the new Bluetooth 5
specification, can now go as fast as 2Mb/s
(bits per second) and typically cover a whole
house or a floor of a building, the Bluetooth
Special Interest Group (SIG) announced
recently. Those features could help to make
it the go-to network for smart homes and
some enterprise sites.
The home IoT field is pretty open right
now because most people havent started
buying things such as connected thermostats
and smart door locks, ABI Research analyst
Avi Greengart argued. Bluetooth starts out
with an advantage over its competition
because its already built into most phones
and tablets, he added. Alternatives such as
ZigBee and Z-Wave often arent.
Its easy to predict that within
two- to three years, pretty much every
phone will have Bluetooth 5, Greengart
explained. Sometimes ubiquity is the
most important part of a standard.
As the new protocol rolls out to
smartphones, users should be able to
control Bluetooth 5-equipped devices
without going through a hub.
16 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news March 2017
016_019 Analysis 260.indd 16
Bluetooth is in a gradual transition
between two versions of the protocol.
The classic type is whats been linking
mobile phones to cars and mice to PCs for
years. BLE, a variant that uses less power,
works in small, battery-powered devices
that are designed to operate for a long
time without human interaction.
BLE devices now outnumber classic
Bluetooth products and most chips
include both modes, explained Steve
Hegenderfer, director of developer
programs at the Bluetooth SIG.
With Bluetooth 5, BLE matches the
speed of the older system, and in time,
manufacturers are likely to shift to the
low-power version, he said.
Range has quadrupled too, so users
shouldnt have to worry about getting
closer to their smart devices in order
to control them. Also, devices such as
home security systems one of the most
common starting points for smart-home
systems will be able to talk to other
Bluetooth 5 devices around the house, Parks
Associates analyst Tom Kerber explained.
Another enhancement in the new version
will help enterprises use Bluetooth beacons
for location. BLE has a mechanism for
devices to broadcast information about
what they are and what they can do, so
other gear can coordinate with them. Until
IMAGE; STEPHEN LAWSON
now, those messages could contain 31 bytes
of information only. Now they can be eight
times that size, making it easier to share
information like the location and condition
of enterprise assets, such as medical devices
in hospitals. Googles Physical Web concept,
intended to let users easily interact with
objects, is based on BLE beacons.
Bluetooth still needs to fill in a few
pieces of the puzzle, ABIs Greengart
added. The new, longer range is an
improvement, but a mesh would be better,
he explained. In a mesh configuration,
which is available in competing networks
such as ZigBee and Thread, each device
needs only to connect with the one closest
to it. That takes less power, and its better
than relying on each devices range to
cover a home, because walls and other
obstacles can keep signals from reaching
their full range, he said. The Bluetooth
SIG is at work on a mesh capability now.
Consumers are also waiting for a
high-fidelity audio connection to wireless
headphones, a need thats getting more
urgent as phone makers phase out physical
jacks, Greengart said. As with mesh, its
coming from Bluetooth but not here yet.
Although Bluetooth 5 makes strides that
could help drive IoT adoption, the field is
still open, he said. Theres room for almost
any solution to succeed, including Wi-Fi. J
21/12/2016 12:06

Cortana for iOS, Android features
quick access to common actions
Microsofts virtual assistant is launching in the UK on non-Windows platforms, writes Blair Hanley Frank
icrosofts Cortana virtual assistant
M is getting a facelift on iOS and
Android, aimed at making it more
useful for users, and also bringing a bit of
brightness to its dour interface.
The apps biggest change is the launch
of a button that lets users quickly choose
between a suite of common actions, such as
viewing their calendar at a glance, checking
reminders or getting a weather forecast.
The app itself looks friendlier, with a purple
gradient background (see right) replacing a
stark black, white and blue colour scheme.
On top of that, Microsoft has announced
that the iOS and Android versions of Cortana
are coming to the UK. The firm has been slow
to expand its virtual assistants geographic
reach until it has been set up to work with
local social norms and other expectations.
The Cortana app is a key part of
Microsofts strategy for its virtual assistant.
Skypes radical real-time voice translator
now works with normal phone calls
Multi-language calls are no longer limited to the Skype network. Ian Paul reports
S
kype has added an interesting
new feature to its preview build
of the Skype Windows Store
app. The latest version of Skype Preview
can now perform real-time spoken word
translations via Skype Translator when
calling landlines and mobile phones no
Skype required on the receiving end. This is
a huge deal, bringing it one step closer to
becoming a true universal translator.
To try out the new version of Skype
Preview youll need to be running the latest
version of the Windows 10 Insider preview
build on the fast ring Build 14986. Once
youre running this, download and install
the latest version of Skype Preview. If you
already have this installed just check the
Windows Store for any updates.
On top of that, the new feature requires
some Skype credits or a calling subscription
since calls to landlines and mobile phones
are not free. If youre an Office 365 Home or
016_019 Analysis 260.indd 17
NEWSANALYSIS
Windows smartphones
are an extreme
minority compared to
the iOS- and Android-
powered devices that
overwhelmingly dominate
the market. If Microsoft
wants Cortana to be
ubiquitous, its important
to invest in an app that
works on other platforms.
The virtual assistant
is a major feature of
Microsofts Windows 10
push, along with its larger
ambitions around powering
intelligent assistants. Cortana is competing version, which will be helpful for competing
in a crowded market, against the likes of against other assistants.
Siri, Alexa and the Google Assistant. The update is available to Android devices
In addition to the redesign, Microsoft now through the Google Play Store, and the
also said the app is faster than its previous iOS app will get updated early 2017. J
Personal subscriber, you
already get 60 minutes of
free Skype calling minutes
every month.
Prior to this
experimental feature
rollout, Skype Translator
required both people
to be using Microsofts
messaging app. Now, the
firm is looking to remove
that dependence by allowing at least one is still a preview feature, so expect some
side of the conversation to be Skype-free. teething troubles.
That will make the services real-time Using the new Skype feature appears
translation much easier to use since users straightforward: simply input the phone
dont need to work out a special time when number of the calls recipient, specify which
both people are on Skype. Instead, one side language each party is speaking, then hit
just makes a regular phone call from the the phone icon to connect the call. Skype
service on a Windows 10 PC. currently supports a number of languages,
Translation to landlines and mobiles including Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese,
sounds like a great addition, and we cant English, French, German, Italian, Mandarin,
wait to test it out. Bear in mind that this Spanish, Italian and Russian. J
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news 17
21/12/2016 12:06
 News: Analysis

Intel may use AMD GPUs to

challenge Nvidias rising power
Intel needs graphics power. AMD needs cash. Both need to fight Nvidia. Gordon Mah Ung reports

MD already owns the graphics

A market for games consoles, and

the next place it could plant its flag
could be the last anyone expected: Intel.
While rumours of a possible deal
circulated throughout 2016, something
firmer arose recently when Kyle Bennett,
longtime editor of enthusiast hardware
site HardOCP.com, posted that the ink on
the deal was already dry. The licensing
deal between AMD and Intel is signed and
done for putting AMD GPU tech into Intels
iGPU, he wrote on his sites forum.
He later added a little more detail. To
my understanding, Intel has a team of
about 1,000 engineers working on their
forwardlooking iGPU technology. Basically, however, is far more intriguing, if, as AMDs upcoming Zenbased APUs would
that work will be scrapped and that team Bennett believes, Intel uses Radeon graphics have over Intel chips. The firms Zen
and their work will be replaced with AMD inside of Intel CPUs. He argued that the deal core could equal Intels newest cores in
teams and technology going forward. There would give AMD some muchneeded funding. x86 performance. Combine that with
are also Apple implications here as well, AMD still has some significant financial its much more powerful graphics cores
and this deal is good for Apple assuredly. headwinds with its debt load and needs cash and youd have an instant winner.
As bizarre as such a partnership may to fund more R&D. The way Id rationalize Financial realities, however,
sound to outsiders, the timing makes it AMDs licensing of Radeon GPU tech to Intel overshadow any moral victories. Is it
more likely. Kevin Krewell, an analyst with is that Radeon would become the dominant better to make a royalty on 80 to 90
Tirias Research, laid out two possible graphics architecture of the PC market and percent of the PC processor shipments or
scenarios. First, Intel needs patent outflank Nvidia in graphics. If Intel then used fight it out for the remaining 10 percent
protection. Nvidia and Intel began suing Radeon GPUs for GPU computing, it would or 20 percent? Krewell asked. AMD can
each other in 2009 over Nvidias nForce help push back on Nvidia and CUDA. make a lot more money partnering with
chipsets for Intel CPUs. The suits were Such a deal wouldnt come cheap, but Intel rather than competing.
eventually settled in 2011: Nvidia agreed Intel was already cutting cheques of $200 For its part, Intel has plenty of reasons
not to build chipsets for Intels Core i7 to $300 million to Nvidia every year. Intel to stop sending money to Nvidia. As the
CPUs, and Intel was free to build graphics would have to pony up some significant GPU maker busily builds market share in
cores without getting sued by Nvidia. money to make this deal work, Krewell selfdriving cars, machine learning and more,
The price of Intels freedom was high, explained. The amount of extra cash its becoming more of a threat to Intel (which
though: the chip giant agreed to pay Nvidia AMD could make on royalties would be is trying hard to get its own chunk of these
licensing fees over the next six years very appealing to the shareholders. businesses). In AMD, Intel would have a
totalling $1.5 billion. After writing the last Fans may be concerned that such a deal partner that offered competitive technology
$200 million cheque in January 2016, would all but give up the last advantage to Nvidias and needed its money. J
the licensing deal is winding down, which
means Intel has to go shopping for patent
protection for its graphics cores. As AMD
and Nvidia essentially own the lions share
of graphics patents in the world, developing
graphics cores is nigh on impossible
without licensing deals.
Krewell said Intel could just ink a deal
and be done with it. The second scenario,

This forum post points

to a likely licensing deal
between AMD and Intel

18 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news March 2017

016_019 Analysis 260.indd 18 21/12/2016 12:06


Apple is excited about the
potential of self-driving cars
Maybe Project Titan isnt dead after all, writes John Ribeiro
A
pple has said in comments to
the US National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration that
it is excited about the potential use
of automated systems in many areas,
including transportation.
Steve Kenner, the companys director of
product integrity, wrote that it is investing
heavily in the study of machine learning
and automation, and is excited about the
potential of automated systems in many
areas, including transportation.
He did not specify whether the company
would design or make self-driving vehicles,
or perhaps only license some of its machine
learning software to car manufacturers,
reflecting Apples continued reticence on its
plans for the automated vehicles market.
The firm is already doing deals with car
makers in the area of iPhone integration.
A number of companies already support
Apples CarPlay technology, which lets users
integrate control of iPhone functions such
as directions, making calls, sending and
016_019 Analysis 260.indd 19
receiving messages, and listening to music
on the cars built-in display.
Apples plans in the area of self-driving
vehicles have been the subject of intense
speculation for some time. In September,
The New York Times reported that the
company had closed down a part of its
project for self-driving cars codenamed
Titan and also retrenched some staff.
One of the problems the project faced
was that people working on it struggled
to explain what Apple could bring to
self-driving cars that other companies
could not, according to the report, which
quoted people briefed on the move.
In its letter to the NHTSA, Apple stressed
the need for those developing and deploying
automated vehicles to follow rigorous safety
principles in design and production. However,
it cautioned that such principles should not
compromise safety or innovation.
Apple looks forward to collaborating with
NHTSA and other stakeholders, so that the
significant societal benefits of automated
News: Analysis
vehicles can be realized safely, responsibly
and expeditiously, Kenner wrote.
The company wants a level playing
field for new entrants with traditional car
manufacturers, particularly in areas such
as car testing for which current legislation
favours established makers. Apple agrees
with proposals that ask companies to share
data from crashes and near misses and said
it looks forward to collaborating with other
stakeholders to define the specific data
that should be shared. The company also
cautioned that data sharing should not be
at the cost of privacy.
A number of car makers and technology
companies, including Alphabet and Uber, are
testing self-driving cars. Startup NuTonomy
signed a Memorandum of Understanding
recently with the City of Boston and the
Massachusetts Department of Transportation
to begin testing its self-driving cars on
specific public streets in a designated area
of the city. In August, the company started
trialling self-driving taxis in Singapore. J
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news 19
21/12/2016 12:06
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 DVDRW. J Andrew Williams

REVIEWS
GaMInG lapTop

1,599 inc VAT Asus RoG G752VM

Contact
n asus.com/uk

Specifications
17.3in (1920x1080, 141dpi)
IPS LCD matt anti-glare;
Windows 10; 2.6GHz, up to
3.5GHz Turbo Intel Core
i7-6700HQ, four cores eight
threads; Nvidia GTX 1060
6GB GPU; 16GB RAM DDR4-
2400; 256GB SSD; 1TB HDD
(7200rpm); Gigabit
Ethernet; DVD multi-writer;
802.11b/g/n/ac 2x2;
Bluetooth 4.2; 4x USB 3.0;
1x USB-C 3.1; HDMI; mini
DisplayPort; SDXC card
slot; stereo Band & Olufsen
speakers; HD webcam;
Digital array mic; 3.5mm
headset jack; UK tiled
keyboard; 67Wh lithium-ion
battery non-removable;
428x334x43mm; 4.06kg
Build:
Features:
Value:
Performance: While not cheap, the G752VM is
22 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
The asus RoG G752VM is one of the
first laptops to offer one of nvidias
new generation of graphics cards,
which get much closer to offering
desktop gaming performance in a
normal laptop shell.
Its the second in this new class
weve reviewed, but this belongs in
a class above the Gigabyte p57 we
looked at couple of months ago.
a no-compromise machine that is
worth saving up those pennies for.
Price
The G752VM reviewed here
costs 1,599. It has an Intel Core
i7-6700HQ CpU, nvidia GTX 1060
GpU, 16GB RaM, a 256GB SSD and
a 1TB hard drive for all the files you
dont need to access at lightning
speed. Right now this is the only
spec widely available in the UK.
If youre after a machine with an
even faster graphics card, the model
number changes a bit. The G752VS
has a GTX 1070 GpU and costs
around 2,299. If you have money to
burn or are obsessed about frames
per second figures, the monster
G701VI has the top-end nvidia GTX
1080 card (2,889). If all of these
are too expensive for your budget,
then the FX502VM costs 1,399,
has a 3GB GTX 1060 card and some
lesser components including a less
adept cooling system. Its also a lot
lighter and slimmer.
Design
a new generation of graphics
hardware makes the G752VM
exciting, but the design is much like
the older G752 model we reviewed
before nvidias 10-series GpUs
arrived. You wouldnt mistake it for
anything but a gaming machine.
The angular two-tone keyboard
surround, Matrix-like keyboard font
and moody red keyboard backlight
tell you this isnt a laptop designed
to be used to check emails in
Starbucks. Its also far too big and
heavy to be taken far comfortably.
The G752VM is 43mm thick
and weighs 4.06kg. Just the 17in
screen footprint alone is enough
to make you want to groan every
time you have to take it room to
room. This isnt a criticism as such,
just a reminder of exactly the kind
of laptop were looking at. If you
want something to entertain during
a horribly long work commute,
consider getting something much
smaller and lighter. This is a
performance machine foremost.
like most gaming laptops,
its largely made of high-quality
plastic rather than the metal used
The colour strips and logo on the G752VMs lid
also light up, a classic gamer gear move, but
you can switch these lights off if you like
in light lifestyle machines. However,
its solid throughout and the lid is
topped with brushed aluminium for
a little show-off extra touch. The
colour strips and logo on the lid
also light up, a classic gamer gear
move, but you can switch these
lights off if you like.
one of the main positives of such
a large laptop like the G752VM is
that it can easily replace a desktop.
The screen is huge compared with
most laptops and the large frame
means asus has been able to fit in
many connections.
Connectivity
There are four USB 3.0 ports, two
on each side and a USB-C to let you
plug in your peripherals past and
future. In a couple of years we may
wish asus had sacrificed another
USB for a second USB-C, but at the
moment we just dont know how
much life is left in the full-fat plug.
other connectors include a
full-size HDMI, mini Displayport and
a Gigabit Ethernet socket. Theres
also an unusually good array of
audio connectors, with separate mic
and headphone 3.5mm jacks, plus

022_024 Asus RoG G752VM 260.indd 22 21/12/2016 11:47


a SPDIF output to let you plug in a
digital headset without using up a
USB. The G752VM has a tray-loader
optical drive too, in this case a DVD
multi-writer. Asus also offers a
Blu-ray drive in other configurations.
Display
Like a lot of gaming laptops, though,
the G752s screen spec may not
blow you away. Its a large 17.3in
display, but the resolution is only
1920x1080 pixels. Youll notice this
on the Windows 10 desktop, with
text looking pixellated just as it
would appear on a 1080p monitor.
However, our review units
GTX1060 graphics card is
perfectly-suited to 1080p gaming.
It has enough power to let you
For an extra shot of gaming cred, the G752VMs
keyboard uses anti-ghosting tech that means
it can register up to 30 key presses at once
max-out the visuals in current
games, where doing to at 4K would
be too much of an ask. If you must
have ultra-high resolution gaming,
check out the Asus ROG GX800,
which has an Nvidia GTX 1080
GPU and a 4K screen option.
Other than unremarkable
resolution this is a good screen.
Colour is solid and the matt screen
finish takes the edge off reflections.
Maximum brightness is excellent
too at 354cd/m2. Weve been
using the G752VM as our normal
work PC, and even at 40 percent
brightness it seems a bit too bright
with indoors lighting.
Looking a little deeper, colour
and contrast performance are
decent, but not at a level thatll
impress design professionals. The
G752VM hits 85 percent of the
sRGB standard, where at this price
you can often get 100 percent.
Coverage of the more demanding
Adobe RGB and DCI P3 standard
are relatively good given the
sRGB coverage, though, at 62.5-
and 71.5 percent respectively.
The slight weak point we
actually noticed with the naked
eye is contrast. At 569:1 its only
reasonable, and at higher brightness
youll see a slight bluish hint to
blacks. Its a good idea to play
around with the backlight level to
see what best suits your gaming
022_024 Asus RoG G752VM 260.indd 23
environment, but this is still a very
solid, satisfying screen for gamers.
The display also has G-Sync,
Nvidias hardware-powered
alternative to V-sync, which stops
ugly tearing in games. G-Sync gets
you the benefits of V-sync without
the performance hit.
Keyboard and trackpad
Its easy to think of the G752VM
as a pure performance laptop, and
in most respects it is, but theres
attention to detail paid in the
keyboard and trackpad too. As in
previous high-end G-series laptops,
the keyboard keys have greater
travel than the average laptop.
They are extremely comfortable
to type on, and have meaty
resistance that simply feels good.
Its about as far removed as you can
get from the ultra-shallow style of
Apples newer MacBook designs.
The G752VM also has a full
numerical pad and a series of
custom buttons up above the
standard key set. One boots up the
XSplit Gamecaster video streaming
software, and the other five are
customisable macro buttons. You
can set your own key sequence
for each, or make them launch
an app or website, which may be
of more interest to those not into
competitive gaming.
Aside from their programmability,
though, these are normal keys, so
you need to remember exactly which
button does what. Given how much
the OLED shortcut bar adds to the
price of the new MacBook Pro, well
take the extra brain work involved.
The last bonus button sits in the
numberpad: an ROG button that
launches the Gaming Center app.
This lets you see how hard the
CPU and GPU are working and
REVIEWS
how hot they are. It also lets you
turn off the light strip on the back.
For an extra shot of gaming cred,
the keyboard uses anti-ghosting
tech that means it can register up
to 30 key presses at once. Its techy
overkill, the sort of feature you can
only test by mashing the keyboard
with a palm, but does mean that
no keypress will be missed in the
heat of the action.
The mouse buttons match the
feel of the keyboard too. Instead
of being built into the pad they sit
below. Theyre oversized pads that
depress almost as much as the
keys but with a lighter feel, a bit
like miniaturized space bars. This
actually makes them easier to rapid-
fire tap than a normal mouse button,
and gets rid of the problem of
awkward-feeling mouse layouts that
a lot of larger laptops suffer from.
Its actual pad is large too, though
its disappointing to see a laptop
this high-end use a plastic surface
rather than a textured glass one.
Your finger doesnt coast over it
as smoothly, even if many people
may not notice the difference. This
seems to be a nod to the idea most
serious gamers will want to use a
mouse a lot of the time. This is one
of the G752VMs few weak points.
Its greatest strength is performance,
although its the GPU alone that
sets the laptop apart.
Performance
Arriving just before Kaby Lake CPUs
were available, the G752VM uses a
Skylake-generation CPU, which has
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 23
20/12/2016 11:30

Reviews
been around for quite some time. Its
an Intel i7-6700HQ, a quad-core CPU
with a clock speed of 2.6GHz and
a Turbo Boost of 3.5GHz. While we
havent tested a Kaby Lake laptop
yet, its unlikely to prove a good
reason to wait: we dont expect a
massive performance increase.
This CPU is paired with 16GB
of DDR4 RAM, a 256GB SSD and a
1TB hard drive for all the data that
doesnt need to be accessed too
quickly, like photos, video files and
music. The SSD reads at 757MB/s
and writes at 749MB/s, so is not an
entry-level drive, but also isnt as
fast as the quickest PCIe SSDs.
The companion hard drive reads
at 141MB/s and writes at 135MB/s, so
while nowhere near as fast as the
SSD, its a decent 7200rpm model
rather than the lumpen sort of drive
youd find in a cheap laptop.
With that out of the way, we
can tackle the G752VMs Nvidia
GTX 1060 GPU, the main reason
to get excited. The claim for this
mid-range graphics brain is that
its 30 percent faster than the GTX
970M, the model up from the last
generation of Nvidia laptop cards.
Its a good time for gaming laptops.
It can handle Alien Isolation
with all settings maxed-out and
resolution set to 1080p at an
average 75fps, and at 188fps
with the visuals dropped and the
resolution at 720p.
It sails through the more
challenging Thief too, managing
70fps with all the effects turned
up and the resolution at 1080p,
and at 80fps with the visual
quality dropped.
24 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
022_024 Asus RoG G752VM 260.indd 24
DVDRW. J Andrew Williams
This is an excellent 1080p gaming
laptop, with enough reserves to
ensure top-end games will be
playable for some time to come.
While there are smaller, lighter
laptops with this same CPU including
Asuss own FX502VM, the G752VM
has a cooling system designed to
take the heat produced with ease.
Its extremely quiet. Like almost any
laptop with a high-performance CPU,
the fans run constantly, but will be
drowned out by even minor ambient
This Asus is an excellent 1080p gaming laptop,
with enough reserves to ensure top-end games
will be playable for some time to come
noise when youre just browsing or
reading emails.
We were surprised by how well
the G752VM copes even after 30
minutes of gaming. Its a lot quieter
than we remember the previous
generation of G752 computers. If
youre looking for a laptop you can
play for hours without the keyboard
getting hot and fans sounding like
a Dyson hand-dryer, this is a great
option: the best weve reviewed
to date. You only need to look at
its back to see how it words. The
chunky rear of the laptop is all-grille,
giving the large internal fans room
to push out all the hot hair.
Battery life
One element of the G752VM that
was never going to be that strong,
though, is battery life. Despite using
a 14nm CPU, the core components
just arent designed for
battery-saving the way
other chipsets are.
Used as a normal
work PC, with
plenty of typing
and some
browsing the
Asus ROG
G752VM lasts just over four hours.
This is fair longevity for a laptop
with these brains, and a sign of the
effort Intel and Nvidia have put into
improving the efficiency of their
processors. But its still not going
to get you through a days work.
Playing a looped video at 120cd/m2
brightness, the G752VM lasts three
hours 23 minutes, giving you an idea
of what its capable of when working
at a low level consistently. Expect it
to last about an hour when gaming
flat-out: a reminder that this really
isnt a portable machine.
Audio
This laptop deserves to have some
speakers or headphones plugged-in,
rather than relying on the internal
speakers. While top volume is good
and theres a bass woofer driver
on the bottom to add some weight
to the sound, a coloured mid-range
leaves music and speech sounding
stilted and unnatural.
Verdict
The Asus ROG G752VM is a terrific
gaming laptop for those who want
top performance in a form designed
to handle that power with ease.
It doesnt get overly hot or loud,
making us confident that even
the step-up model with the Nvidia
GTX 1070 GPU will also be a joy to
use. As the prices of top-end style
laptops such as the MacBook Pro
and HP Spectre 13 increase, the Asus
starts to look like an even better
buy than 2015s models. And, as
hoped, the latest 10-series Nvidia
graphics cards blow away what
came before. Despite being two
rungs lower, gaming performance
is not all that far off the former
top dog GTX 980M, and similar
to that of the desktop-grade GTX
970. In other words, its perfect for
1080p gaming. There are just a few
issues. A textured glass (rather than
plastic) trackpad would have been
appreciated and wed like to see
Asus put a little more work into the
sound quality of the speakers, rather
than just trying to make them as
loud as possible. J Andrew Williams
20/12/2016 11:30

Laptop
2,699 inc VAT 15in Apple MacBook Pro (2016)
Contact apples new MacBook pro is here at
n apple.com/uk last. It comes in 13- and 15in screen
sizes, features sixth-generation
Specifications Intel Skylake processors, a slim
15.4in (2880x1800, 220ppi) new design and a cool customisable
LED-backlit display with touch Bar above the keyboard.
IPS technology; macOS
Sierra; 2.7GHz quad-core Design
Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost Externally, the design is similar to
up to 3.6GHz, with 8MB 2015s, albeit on a slimmer scale,
shared L3 cache; 512GB though there are numerous physical
PCIe-based onboard SSD; changes under the lid. the most
16GB of 2133MHz LPDDR3 obvious, and the flagship feature
RAM; Intel Iris Graphics that occupied much of the unveiling
530; 4x USB-C; 3.5mm event, is a touchscreen bar above
headphone jack; 802.11ac the keyboard that apple calls the
Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 4.2; touch Bar more on this later.
720p FaceTime HD as expected, apple has removed
camera; 76Wh the traditional USB ports on the
lithium-polymer battery; MacBook pro, and the MagSafe
349.3x240.7x15.5mm; 1.83kg charging port, and replaced them
all with USB-C/thunderbolt ports:
four on our review unit. plus, you
get a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Touch Bar
the touch Bar is a long slender
touchscreen that sits along the
top of the keyboard in place of
the old function keys. Depending
Build:
on the application youre running
and any customisation options
Features:
you may have selected it can
Value: display and enable a wide range of
Performance: functions and controls.
In Safari, for example, it shows
tab thumbnails, forward and back
buttons and the like; in Mail it shows
Quicktype typing suggestions and
an emoji button. (Mail also offers
more general predictive suggestions,
offering to move an email to a folder
that it thinks is suitable, based
seemingly on scanning the contents
and/or sender of the message.)
the touch Bar supports
multitouch, and there are some
applications (in areas such as
DJing) where youll be swiping and
tapping with two fingertips at once.
Weve found it admirably fast and
responsive, switching near-instantly
when changing apps or changing
function within an app. Losing the
function keys may occasionally be
annoying we must confess to still
not having found a replacement
shortcut for the handy old Cmd+F3
to temporarily clear the screen of
all open windows, but its wide and
customisable range of functionality
should make for this.
025_027 Apple MacBook Pro 260.indd 25
Touch ID
the one aspect of the touch Bar
thats had most effect on our day-
to-day use so far has been the little
touch ID sensor on the righthand
edge. Not for apple pay, which we
still rarely use even on iphone
although yes, this feature means
you can make apple pay payments
online, on your Mac, without having
to use a linked iphone but for
unlocking the device.
open the lid and as soon as the
screen lights up, the touch Bar does
too, with a bouncing arrow pointing
to the fingerprint sensor and an
instruction: Unlock with touch ID.
place your fingertip on the sensor
for the merest fraction of a second
and the MacBook will unlock:
theres a tiny delay (of perhaps
two seconds), but you dont need
to have your finger on the scanner
for anything more than the very
beginning of this period.
In terms of speed and reliability,
were definitely in the realms of the
second-generation touch ID on the
iphone 6s and later, rather than the
creakier first-generation touch ID
used in the iphone 6 and earlier.
Fingerprint login is very
convenient. But it becomes more
so still when you factor in multiple
user accounts. If youre on the login
window and multiple accounts are
logged in, touching your finger
to the scanner will automatically
select and unlock your account and
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 25
Reviews
ignore the others, reducing what
would ordinarily be a multi-step job
into literally a single tap.
Furthermore, if you place your
finger on the scanner and the
account its connected to isnt
currently logged in and requires a
password to unlock, the touch ID
scanner does at least recognise who
is trying to log in and jumps to the
appropriate password entry field.
QuickType
perhaps the second most significant
touch Bar feature for the average
user is going to be Quicktype. In
essence, and across a wide range of
features including Mail, Messages,
Notes, pages and textEdit, the touch
Bar brings the predictive typing
suggestions from the iphone and
ipad and dumps them just above
the keyboard of the Mac.
that might sound like a sensible
place for them, given that its right
next to your busily typing fingers,
but its actually not. Not at all.
Quicktype is supposed to be all
about saving time. When you start
pecking out an octosyllabic word
on an iphone SEs little portrait
keyboard, and Quicktype cleverly
works out what youre going for and
gives you a shortcut to complete it
and sticks that shortcut right in your
eye line, thats handy and a time
saver. When the same thing happens
on a MacBook, which has a full-size
keyboard and places the suggestions
20/12/2016 13:29

Reviews
well below your eye line, its saving
you quite a bit less time. And while
colleagues have noted that when
typing at a good lick, the QuickType
suggestions lag behind their fingers
and they have to consciously slow
down, weve never found that a
problem, because were already
having to slow down in order to
look down at the Touch Bar.
Sound touch-typing practice
stipulates that you look at the
screen and not at your fingers.
But the QuickType element on
the Touch Bar encourages and
requires precisely the opposite.
Then again, few people nowadays
have perfect typing form, and most
of us will find our own best way of
working with Touch Bar QuickType
after a little practice: that may
just mean waiting for the very
biggest words and saving yourself
the trouble then. And we do like
watching colourful emoji appearing
and disappearing while we type.
One thing we do love about
the Touch Bar when typing out
documents: formatting. Having
Notes basic formatting palette at
our fingertips is a small but crucial
convenience write a subhead, tab
the B and its bolded up. Features
like this are all about finding the
little things that work for you, and
theres already deep enough support
that youre bound to find a few.
Other features
This naturally leads to our final
thought, which is that nobody
knows yet how successful the
Touch Bar will be, because the
software developer community has
barely started to wrestle with its
possibilities. Half the stuff it will be
able to do by next summer hasnt
been thought up yet.
The Touch Bar reminds us a
little of the 3D Touch screen tech
introduced with the iPhone 6s (and,
to a lesser extent, the similar but
26 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
025_027 Apple MacBook Pro 260.indd 26
DVDRW. J Andrew Williams
slightly older Force Touch tech in
this very MacBook). For one thing,
it has the potential to go one of two
ways: it could remain a gimmick,
or it could shift the paradigm as
people say about these things. Its
far too early to say which.
Trackpad and keyboard
This is a vast trackpad: the one
on the 15in model measures an
astonishing 159x99mm. Apple says
these new trackpads are up to twice
the size of the ones on the previous
generation, and the extra space
really counts. Its easy to swipe clear
across the screen with one trackpad
gesture, without having to increase
the sensitivity to such a point that
its impossible to be accurate.
Desktop Luddites that we are, we
continue to maintain that trackpads
are an inferior choice to a decent
mouse, but the glorious trackpad
in the 15in MacBook Pro is almost
enough to make us doubt that.
Its a Force Touch trackpad too,
of course: once Apple commits to a
new tech it really commits to it, and
you can expect all new MacBooks
for the next few years to boast
Force Touch compatibility. For the
uninitiated, Force Touch is different
to traditional trackpad tech in both
mechanism (when you click the
trackpad it doesnt actually move,
instead simulating the feel of a click,
more convincingly than the solid-
state Home button on the iPhone 7
and 7 Plus, with a small haptic buzz)
and function (its sensitive to two
different degrees of touch pressure,
which means you can either click
things normally, or force-click them
to invoke secondary controls that
vary from application to application).
Like 2016s 12in MacBook models,
and 2015s MacBook Pro, these
laptops get Apples Force Touch
trackpad, which is sensitive to
varying degrees of touch pressure
and uses harder presses to activate
ancillary functions depending on the
application. You can do a Force-
click on a word in Safari to pull up a
dictionary definition, for instance.
The lack of physical movement
should in theory make the trackpad
less prone to part failure (a little
like more reliable flash rather than
moving-disc storage), albeit at the
expense of a tiny output of battery
power making those little buzzes.
More importantly, the fact that
this is simulated means its easier
to customise you can go into
System Preferences any time you
like and fine-tune the magnitude
of that click effect.
And more important still, the
addition of force-clicks holds
the potential to greatly expand
the MacBooks controls a
development as big in its way as
the right-click. There are some
nice little tricks and shortcuts at
the moment (force-click to look
up a words definition, fast-scrub a
video timeline, and so on), and the
longer the tech is out there, and the
larger the user base of people with
laptops that feature it, the more app
makers are going to come up with
clever Force Touch controls.
When it comes to the keyboard
some compromises have been made
in order to incorporate this large
and beautiful trackpad; principally
in terms of the keys, which have
been shunted up to make room.
For most keys the difference isnt
too noticeable. But the arrow keys
in particular are squeezed into a
skinny little rectangle of space. To
be frank, weve found them almost
unusable, having grown used to the
space around those keys on the 2015
MacBook Pro. The arrow up and
arrow down keys are now virtually
interchangeable whichever one we
aim for, there seems to be a 50/50
chance well get the other.
The keys are lower to the bed of
the keyboard than on 2015s model,
20/12/2016 13:29

with a shallower typing action. To
aid in the quest for slimness, and
like the 12in MacBook, the new
MacBook Pro features a low-travel
keyboard using one of Apples
butterfly key mechanism designs.
In this case, its a second-generation
design intended to provide a better
feel, but we found it harder for
our fingers to find the right keys
when touch-typing and preferred
the bouncier mechanism of Apples
old laptop keys.
We experienced a slight loss of
typing speed and accuracy, but this
is somewhat offset by the QuickType
text predictions that you get thanks
to the Touch Bar, and the more
pervasive auto-corrections that
arrived with macOS Sierra.
Other reviewers have observed
a lag between even average-
speed typing and the predictions
appearing/updating on the Touch
Bar, and this is fair comment; it is
on the slow side. But for the auto-
correct element of this equation
speed is less of an issue. Indeed, we
find it oddly satisfying whenever
we mistype a word in Notes, for
example, to see the red underline
appear a couple of words later and
the auto-correct kick in a couple
of words after that, like the OS is
dutifully working its way through
your errors while you carry on.
The keys also feel slightly rattly
under the finger, presumably as a
result of the new shallow-action
butterfly key-press mechanism
used to make the laptop thinner
than its predecessors, and theyre
noisier than wed like to boot. Mostly
that doesnt matter, but you might
be surprised how often you find
yourself typing next to your spouse
on the sofa while they try to catch
whats just been said on The Affair.
Performance
We tested the top of the range 15in
model with 2.9GHz i7 processor and
16GB of RAM, using the Geekbench
4.0.3 benchmarking suite. It
recorded overall speed scores of
4,232 in single core and 13,211 in
multi-core. Those are impressive
numbers by anyones standards.
For a rough comparison, we
looked at Geekbench 4 scores
for the nearest equivalent from
last years generation of Pros, the
2.8GHz 15in model, also with 16GB
of RAM. This test produced scores of
4060 and 12033 respectively for the
025_027 Apple MacBook Pro 260.indd 27
Cinebench
Geekbench
2015 model; but this one produced
4415 and 14627 the older laptop
actually beating this years upstart.
On the whole, the scores suggest a
small speed boost this year.
But for a more scientific analysis
we turn to the systematic tests
run by our colleagues at Macworld
US, who put three models of the
early- and mid-2015 MacBook Pros
and three 2016 models through
Geekbench 4.0.1. They found an
upward trend, but for general
processing it was small: between
1- and 5 percent in the single-core
tests, although the multi-core scores
were a little less predictable.
They also tested the MacBook
Pro models graphics capabilities
with the Geekbench OpenCL and
Cinebench OpenGL benchmarks.
In Geekbench, the new 13in
option with Touch Bar (equipped
with Intel Iris Graphics 550) scored
30,826, which is 59 percent better
than the last generation and 8.6
percent better than this years 13in
MacBook Pro with function keys
(with Intel Graphics 540).
The 2016 15in MacBook Pro with
Touch Bar (with AMD Radeon Pro
450 graphics and 2GB of dedicated
graphics memory) scored 42,827, up
38.7 percent on last year.
In Cinebench, the 13in MacBook
Pro recorded 36.8 frames per
second (fps), up 27.5 percent on last
years entry-level 13in laptop, while
Reviews
the 15in 2016 MacBook Pro scored
a stunning 70.4fps an increase of
13.7 percent on the 2015 model.
Verdict
Were rather in love with the new
MacBook Pro, but as with many love
affairs there are irritations.
The trackpad is huge and
wonderful to use; but its so big that
the keyboard has been pushed up
to make room, as well as flattened
down to make the laptop slimmer.
These factors together mean typing
on the new Pro is a little harder
than on previous models. And those
arrow keys are a nightmare.
The Touch Bar is lovely to look at
and fun to use. Its early days, both
for us and for app developers, who
will surely come up with reams of
clever Touch Bar features. Right now
its fun, but were confident that it
will become essential; the key will
be getting lots of users on machines
with Touch Bars.
This is a fast machine, of course,
but maybe not fast enough for some
tastes; its worth reflecting on that
maximum spec of 16GB of RAM,
which may hold this machine back
from a role in genuine pro settings.
Were somewhat hopeful for a spring
update to add the option of more
RAM and Kaby Lake processors.
All in all, this is a fast and
beautiful laptop but one with some
flaws to consider. J David Price
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 27
20/12/2016 13:29

Reviews
SmaRTphone
399 inc VAT OnePlus 3T
Contact The oneplus 3, launched summer
n oneplus.net/uk 2016, was a sublime blend of
design and performance for just
Specifications over 300, so its odd that around
5.5in (1920x1080, 401ppi) six months later the firm has
AMOLED display; Android ended production of that handset,
Marshmallow 6.0.1 with sticking to its motto of never
Oxygen OS 3.5.1; 2.35GHz settle and released this upgraded
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 version of the same phone, the
quad-core processor; 3T. The company that prides itself
Adreno 530 graphics; 6GB on listening to its fans reaction
RAM; 16Mp main camera, to its products has boldly dared
LED flash, support for to update a handset that people
videos in 4K and 1080p at have had for less than half a year.
60fps; 16Mp front camera; Will the move gain new fans while
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi; annoying existing ones, or both?
Bluetooth 4.2; 4G LTE;
Nano-SIM; GPS; NFC; Price
3400mAh non- The 3T is on sale SIm-free and
removable battery; unlocked directly from oneplus. It
152.7x74.7x7.4mm; 158g costs 399 for the 64GB version
and 30 more for the 439 128GB
version. Both are available in the
Gunmetal colour, which is slightly
darker than the Graphite version of
the oneplus 3, and Soft Gold.
Design
even the s iterations of iphones
have an s stamped on the back,
Build:
but in this case there is absolutely
no design change from the oneplus
Features:
3 to the 3T. The only change is in
Value: the darker colour option, the grey
Performance: of which on the rear is a tad darker
than the old model. The Soft Gold
option is exactly the same, and
visually indistinguishable from
the previous model.
This reinforces that oneplus sees
the 3T as a small tweak for the line,
hoping as it does to not frustrate
loyal fans that shelled out for a 3.
The phone retains an outstanding
design, with build quality to rival
any premium smartphone maker
in the land. It does what apple
has still failed to do and made a
5.5in screen phone slim, svelte and
usable with one hand (just).
apparently carved out of one
piece of space-grade aluminium
alloy the oneplus 3T measures
152.7x74.7x7.4mm and weighs 158g.
The frame of the handset houses
a power/lock button on the right
edge, a USB-C port, speaker, mic
and 3.5mm headphone jack on
the bottom and a volume rocker
and oneplus excellent alert Slider
on the left, leaving the top edge
flat, curved and smooth. With a
28 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
028_030 OnePlus 3T 260.indd 28
DVDRW. J Andrew Williams
front-facing fingerprint
scanner that
relies on haptic
feedback as
opposed to a
physical button,
this is a phone
that screams
use me from the
second you take
it out the box.
It also comes
with a screen
protector
pre-applied,
handy if you
want to use it
with one. The
only lines that
break the dark
gunmetal of our
review unit are
the aerial lines
and the oneplus
logo that sits
beneath a 16mp
camera that protrudes
ever so slightly from the casing.
The front-facing camera sits next to it runs this feels right; the handset
the earpiece and is also an amazing and feel of the software that the
16mp, something well explore later. screen runs is right at home with the
at the launch event for the popping colours and bright whites.
oneplus 3T, co-founder Carl pei Theres the option to calibrate
explained that the company is the colours to your tastes though,
always striving to do better; he used and this is one example of the
apples design as a benchmark and granularity of android helping the
the phone is one of the best looking 3T more than most become a truly
handsets on the market, rivalling the personal device.
matt black iphone 7 plus in the looks
department, which is no mean feat. Processor, memory and storage
It does, however, remain slightly The 3Ts upgrades are mostly
slippy, and is a phone that could be all internal, and while theyre all
destroyed with one drop onto the welcome, it took a few days of use to
pavement. We recommend one of see why its come to be. Weve used
oneplus subtle but grippy cases the oneplus 3 for a few months,
that fit both this and the older 3. so can draw decent comparisons
straight off, you need not upgrade
Hardware for fear of missing out on processor
much of the 3Ts spec sheet remains power, speed or battery life if you
the same as its predecessor but own the older model.
there are also some important having said that, the 3T is faster,
upgrades. Lets take a look. yet only noticeably so if you are
really hammering it at full pelt. It
Display joins the Google pixel (page 31)
The 3T has exactly the same display and pixel XL in having Qualcomms
as the oneplus 3. Its a 5.5in optic top of the line Snapdragon 821
amoLeD with Full hD (1920x1080) processor, the current pinnacle of
resolution and 401ppi. By its own smartphone chips. While only the
admission, oneplus continues to most graphically intensive games
ship a screen that recreates colours and busiest of multitasking days
more vibrantly than most, but with will make the 820 sweat, the 821 is
the oxygen oS skin of android that faster on the 3T. Going from the 3 to
20/12/2016 15:12

Geekbench 4
GFXBench Manhattan
GFXBench T-Rex
the 3T, the difference is noticeable
if incredibly subtle.
In a full week of use we
experienced no lag, slow app
changes or overheating. It is truly
like using a desktop at some times,
and even has more RAM than some
of those computers with 6GB on
board. Pair that with Adreno 530
graphics and you have an obscenely
powerful smartphone in your pocket.
Our benchmarks (see above)
show that the OnePlus 3T runs
equal with the best smartphones
out there, though remember these
benchmarks dont represent real
world use. The phones in this graph
are the absolute best you can get
right now, and broadly all perform to
the same unbeatable standards.
028_030 OnePlus 3T 260.indd 29
The handset is available with
64GB of internal storage, but bear
in mind theres no SD card slot. The
fact you only need to spend 30
more to get an impressive 128GB
shows you that Apple charging 100
more for that jump in storage for
the iPhone 7 is unnecessarily high.
For most, spending that extra money
will be well worth it.
Fingerprint scanner
and other specifications
The fingerprint scanner is on the
front bottom face of the device.
The button is non-moving and gives
the perfect level of feedback when
unlocking the device or using a
compatible app such as Android
Pay to verify your identity.
Reviews
Tapping the same sensor acts
as a home button, and is so good
that when we try phones with
physical buttons, it feels wrong. The
best devices change our habits for
the good, and the 3T has the best
fingerprint sensor/home button
combo of any current smartphone
on the market.
Battery life
The non-removable battery clocks
in at 3400mAh, a step up from the
3000mAh of the OnePlus 3. The
internals are the same dimensions
but the battery is denser, hence the
increase. In general use, the phone
will last a full working day, which is
about average. We left the house
most days at 8am with 100 percent,
and by the time we rolled in from
work at about 6.30pm the 3T had
about 30 percent left in the tank.
This was when using the device
as our primary email sender and
using apps such as Slack, Spotify,
and WhatsApp throughout the day.
The battery percentage chugs down
at the expected rate, and we didnt
experience any unexpected fall-off.
On one busy Google Maps day
out in Barcelona even after 12 hours
on the go the battery was sitting
at 15 percent, and that was with
the phone used to navigate, take
photos and video and more besides.
Obviously, it depends what youre
doing on the device, but for all but
the most intensive users, the 3T
will last the whole day no questions
asked and lighter users should be
able to get a decent chunk into a
second day with the 3T.
Included in the box is OnePlus
Dash Charger. The brick and cable,
only when used together (important
to note this point) charge the phone
to 60 percent in 30 minutes. This
is the firms claim, and it rings
true Dash Charge is excellent.
It means you need not charge
your 3T overnight, instead giving
it a quick boost when you get up
in the morning. Theres also a Dash
Charger for your car in the shop.
Not only does this encourage a
better way to charge your phone,
while allowing you to top up very
quickly, but also more importantly
means you wont panic about
running out of juice for all but the
most phone-focused of days.
The slight downside is that this
fast charging only works with the
included combo of plug and cable.
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 29
20/12/2016 15:12

Reviews
Image taken
in low light
Any other USB-C cable will charge
it, but at a slower rate. OnePlus sells
the Dash Power Bundle for 27.53.
Cameras
The 3Ts slim casing means the
camera protrudes slightly. This is
an acceptable pay-off for what is an
excellent sensor: a 16Mp lens with
f/2.0 aperture and an LED flash. Its
also capable of shooting video at
4K resolution or 1080p resolution
at 60fps. We used the camera
extensively in Barcelona, and the
results were very impressive.
The panorama mode stitched
together a mountain view
exceptionally well, giving full detail
to the scene. In a low-lit church
the camera reproduced colour
Panorama mode
30 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
028_030 OnePlus 3T 260.indd 30
DVDRW. J Andrew Williams
and shadow to a high quality level.
The front-facing 16Mp camera
is an upgrade on the 8Mp of
the OnePlus 3, and is one of the
highest resolution selfie cameras
on the market. Its an impressive
upgrade, but one that only the most
ardent of selfie fans will notice.
However, it did improve the quality
of video calling considerably, and will
benefit those into Snapchat stories
and similar services.
Software
Refreshingly the software update
that the 3T ships with changes the
user experience in all the right ways
to represent a clean, intuitive and
pleasant to use Android version that
is every bit as good as Googles own
version. By basing its Android skin
Oxygen OS closely to stock Android
Marshmallow 6.0, OnePlus has been
able to make small tweaks that dont
completely change the way we used
the phone, but enough to notice
positive improvements day to day.
Oxygen OS 3.5.1 is the new
version, compared to the 3.2.7 we
had installed on the older OnePlus
3 at the time of writing. Never
mind the decimals, here are the
differences. Menus, in settings for
example, look cleaner with no lines
between options, a neater top bar
and a bluer default font from the
green of the 3. To be honest, they
are minor changes, like the layout
of the notification bar that you pull
down from the top of the screen.
The OnePlus 3T cleverly
combines a physical slider with
profile changes to quickly switch
between modes. Here, the three-
position switch goes between
Silent, Do Not Disturb and Ring.
These are customisable and are
useful for putting your phone into a
quieter mode for meetings or when
you go to bed for example. This is
different to how the slider worked
on the OnePlus 3, where it went
between Silent, Priority Notifications
and All Notifications. The functions
are basically the same, but again
have some software tweaks within
the settings menu.
All in all, the alert slider is a
great idea, improving on Apple
iPhone silencer switch, and is a
button youll miss if you use other
phones afterwards.
The best thing about these
tweaks is the way they simply
blend into the OS and are intuitive,
thoughtful upgrades. At the time of
writing, both the 3 and the 3T were
due to receive updates to Android
Nougat 7.0 in December 2016. We
hope there is more of the same
incremental updates rather than a
full overhaul, because Oxygen OS
3.5.1 is very good indeed. Nor would
it make sense for OnePlus to work
so hard on an upgrade that most
users would only see for one month.
Verdict
The OnePlus 3T will be unfairly
compared, for now at least, to
the phone that came before it.
So lets ignore it. On its own,
the 3T is everything a modern
smartphone should be slim, fast,
and responsive, with above average
battery life and cameras that
produce stunning images. And then
theres the price. OnePlus may not
like being known for it, but 399
remains an amazing price point for
the phone on offer. As long as you
dont want an iPhone, this Android
handset stands side by side with
the Samsung Galaxy S7 as the best
example of a smartphone on the
market today. J Henry Burrell
20/12/2016 15:12
 Reviews

SmaRtphone

599 inc VAT Google Pixel

Contact
n google.co.uk
Specifications
5in (1920x1080, 441ppi)
AMOLED display; Android
7.1 Nougat; 2.35GHz
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
CPU; Adreno 530 graphics;
4GB RAM; 32GB storage;
13Mp main camera; 8Mp
front camera; 802.11 a/b/
g/n/ac Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 4.2;
4G LTE; GPS; NFC; 2770mAh
non-removable battery;
headphone jack;
143.8x69.5x8.5mm; 143g
Joining the ranks of the pixel C
and Chromebook pixel are Googles
new pixel phones. the new pixel
and XL take over from Googles
nexus phone range and like
other pixel devices isnt cheap.
But at 599 from Googles online
store its no more expensive than
flagships from apple and Samsung:
just dont expect the same kind of
unbelievable value you got from the
nexus 4 and 5 (and the similarly
unbelievably good-value and
oneplus 3t phone, page 28).
and unlike the lower
specifications in the nexus 5X
compared to the nexus 6p, Google
hasnt done that here: the pixel
is simply a shrunk down pixel XL
with essentially the same hardware
inside: cameras, processor and
connectivity are all identical.

Price
You may see the pixel as a sort of
successor to the nexus 5X, which
was released in october 2015 priced
at 339 for the 16GB model. Just
over one year on and the pixel
costs 599 for the base 32GB
Build:
model, and youll pay 100 more
for the 128GB version.
Features:
Value: Design
Performance: as youd expect from a premium
phone, the pixel is made from metal
and glass. Whats not obvious is
that the case tapers from top to
bottom: its thicker at the top. this
does avoid a camera bump though,
and until someone pointed it out,
we hadnt noticed. the front is
featureless aside from the front
camera and earpiece, which also
houses a stealthy notification LeD.
the top and bottom bezels are thick
like an iphone, but its a shame
Google didnt put a second speaker
in the bottom bezel for front-firing
stereo sound. In fact, theres only a
mono speaker in the bottom edge.
positioned in the centre
is a USB-C port and theres a
headphone jack off-centre in
the top edge. power and volume
keys are on the right and a single
nano-SIm tray hides in the left-hand
edge. theres no dual-SIm option
and no microSD expansion.
on the back is the opinion-
dividing glass panel, which is a
contrasting colour to the rest of
the phone (no matter whether you
choose Quite Black, Very Silver or
exclusive to the US Really Blue). It
surrounds the fingerprint scanner,
camera, LeD flash and microphone.
the finish is so smooth including
the metal that the pixel is a very
slippery phone, sliding off tables
and chairs and out of hands without
any persuasion. So a case is a good
investment: you can buy Googles
own clear or solid cases and several
third-party ones, too.
and a case can hide the glass
panel, so dont let the design put
you off. Do note, though, that if
youre a naked phone person, the the Snapdragon 821 (a tweaked
glass on the rear scratches easily.
Hardware
Display
the 5in screen is protected by
Gorilla Glass 4 and is an amoLeD
panel. Its half an inch smaller than
the pixel XLs and has a resolution of
1920x1080, which gives a density of
441ppi. thats fine for most people
and it has great colours, contrast
and viewing angles. It also looks
perfectly sharp from normal viewing
distances. however, full hD isnt
so great when you look at it close
up, such as when using a Google
Daydream headset. the pixel is one
of just a handful of phones including
the moto Z which are Daydream
ready, and its one reason to choose
it over its Daydream-incompatible
rivals. But the pixel XLs 534ppi
display is a good reason to opt for
the bigger phone if youre planning
to get Googles VR headset, even
though that phone costs 120 more.
Processor, storage and connectivity
even for 600 youd expect
top-notch components and the
pixel doesnt disappoint. theres
version of the 820 thats around 10
percent quicker), 4GB of Ram, Cat
12 Lte (up to 600mb/s downloads
when networks eventually support
it), 802.11ac with 2x2 mImo, GpS,
nFC and Bluetooth 4.2. Cameras
are top notch, too.
Storage is either 32- or 128GB,
and its not expandable. the base
599 model has 32GB and in line
with apple youll pay 100 more
for the 128GB version. Its a shame
there are no other storage options,
such as 64GB. But aside from the
microSD slot there is one other

March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 31

031_033 Google Pixel 260.indd 31 20/12/2016 10:42


Reviews
Auto settings
100 percent crop
missing feature: water-resistance.
The Pixel has none, so it doesnt
tick a crucial box for many buyers.
Samsung and Apples competing
phones the Galaxy S7 and iPhone
7 will survive an accidental drop
in the sink, but the Pixel will not.
And that is a shame.
The Pixel Imprint the circle
above is not just a fingerprint
sensor, you can swipe on it to
access notifications in a similar
way to Huawei phones. Sadly, you
cant swipe upwards to access to
the new app draw, but you can
double-tap to access the camera
and use it to take photos.
Performance
With this hardware, the Pixel is
quick. It unlocks in a fraction of a
second and Android 7.1 is highly
responsive. Apps load speedily and
theres plenty of grunt for games.
If you want figures, it scored 4116 in
Geekbench 4 (1565 in the single-
core test) and in GFXBench, it
managed a credible 20fps in the
32 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
031_033 Google Pixel 260.indd 32
DVDRW. J Andrew Williams
HDR mode
new Car Chase test. This increased
to 33fps for Manhattan 3.1, 47fps in
the original Manhattan, and 58fps in
T-Rex. All are better than the Pixel
XL, with the game tests benefiting
from the lower screen resolution.
The JetStream browser benchmark
returned 54.9, which is slightly
behind the XL, but not noticeably. If
performance is your main concern,
you can save a packet by going for
the OnePlus 3T, which uses the same
processor and has 2GB more RAM.
Battery life
The battery isnt removable, but
theres quick charge support using
the USB-C specification. You get a
quick-charge mains charger in the
box as well as USB-C to USB-C, plus
USB-C to USB-A cables. In practice,
we found the Pixel would charge
rapidly even when connected to our
in-wall-socket USB port, which was
nice. When used as our main phone,
we found there wasnt enough juice
to leave it overnight and make it into
work the next morning, so a nightly
charge is likely.
Cameras
We loved the cameras on the Google
Nexus 6P and 5X, and Google has
improved them for the Pixel and
Pixel XL, which share the same
snappers. On paper not much has
changed: the rear camera has a
12.3Mp sensor with 1.55m pixels
an f/2 lens. It focuses using a
combination of laser and phase
detection, and has a dual-LED
flash. Once again with Google
phones though, theres no optical
stabilisation, only EIS.
In use, however, this is a fantastic
and capable camera. It takes sharp,
well-exposed photos with loads
of detail. Above is a photo shot in
HDR+ mode, which does a good job
of keeping things relatively sharp
and increasing dynamic range.
In low light, you will end up
with a proportion of blurry photos,
especially if youre trying to
photograph kids or animals. But in
general, low light performance is
very good with virtually no noise.
Videos, too, are packed with
detail. The stabilisation works well
at 1080p, but less so at 4K and,
because its not optical stabilisation,
it can be jerk between positions if
you pan around slowly rather than
the more cinematic smoothness of
the OIS on Samsung phones.
And the good news is that you
can select 30- or 60fps at 1080p,
and either 120- or 240fps in the
slo-mo mode. This is the same as the
iPhone 7 offers, and many people
will appreciate being able to shoot
slo-mo at 1080p.
Around the front is another
capable camera, this time with
an 8Mp sensor. It will take decent
selfies and shoot 1080p video.
Dont forget, too, that Google
gives you unlimited free cloud
storage for original, full-resolution
photos and videos with the Pixel.
Thats a massive bonus that you
dont get with other Android phones.
It also mitigates the absence of a
microSD slot, since you wont have
to worry about hitting the free up
storage button as it will only remove
photos and videos that have been
backed up to Google Photos online.
Software
Android 7 is a triumph and even as
iOS fans, we can appreciate all the
20/12/2016 10:42

Geekbench 4
GFXBench Manhattan
GFXBench T-Rex
nifty features and improvements
the OS offers. Of course, since
this is a Google phone, youre
getting the interface as Google
intended it without the tweaks
and overlays foisted upon you by
other manufacturers. Plus, you get
a guarantee of the next version
and much sooner than other
manufacturers roll-outs.
One of the highlights is Google
Assistant. This will likely appear on
Googles older phones soon, but its
currently exclusive to the Pixels. Its
remarkably good at handling natural
language, and has no problem
following the train of a conversation.
Siri can also do this to an extent
but its where others such as
Amazon Alexa fall down badly.
You can say Will it rain today,
listen to the answer and then say
What about at the weekend or
031_033 Google Pixel 260.indd 33
What about in Manchester and the
Assistant will understand and give
you the information. However, her
capabilities are somewhat limited
compared to Alexa.
Google Home is on the way, but
the Pixels Assistant cannot yet
control your Philips Hue lights or
turn the heating up, simply returning
web searches or saying, I cant do
that yet. She also refuses to book
tables at restaurants, or arrange
an Uber to work.
Those functions will surely
arrive soon in the UK, but for now,
the Assistant can only do Siri and
Cortana-like tasks such as setting a
timer or alarm, sending a message
or email, launching apps, navigating
to a destination, playing music and
checking sports scores. And, of
course, searching Google. There are
a few Americanisms which need to
Reviews
be removed from the UK Assistant,
too, such as her warning that
Sidewalks may be slippery when
asked if it would rain later.
Another great Nougat feature
is the ability to long-press on an
apps icon to get shortcut menus. So
long-pressing on Messages brings
up recent contact, as it does for the
Phone app. Long-press on YouTube
and you get shortcuts to search,
subscriptions and trending videos.
Its a neat addition and doesnt
require a 3D Touch screen.
The launcher has a new look,
with round icons. We like them, but
as with the phones glass rear, they
are likely to divide opinions. There
are new navigation buttons at the
bottom, a new app dock and the
Google search bar is now a tab on
the left. You now have to swipe up
to access the app draw rather than
tap an icon. The Google tab at the
top takes you to the Google Now
section with a swipe to the right,
a gesture most Android users are
already familiar with.
There are all the features and
settings youd expect from a modern
mobile OS, and some are more
granular than in iOS. The ability to
set different Do not disturb times for
different days (or even events or just
for the next hour) is handy, and the
shortcuts for Total silence, Alarms
only and Priority only again give you
more control than you get in iOS,
where silent mode doesnt prevent
vibrations unless you turn them off
separately in the settings. In other
respects, the software is pretty
much the same as Marshmallow in
terms of the notification bar and
recent apps menu. Of course, youll
get the usual selection of Google
apps preinstalled, including the
new Duo and Allo.
Verdict
The Pixel has plenty going for it:
its small, well built, speedy and has
excellent cameras. It also supports
Googles Daydream VR headset and
runs the plain version of Android
7 complete with Google Assistant
and will get timely updates. But
it isnt waterproof, doesnt have a
microSD slot or stereo speakers
and wed have preferred a quad-HD
screen for VR use at this price. If
those downsides dont bother you,
and the OnePlus 3T is too large,
then the Pixel is a fine choice and a
great Android phone. J Jim Martin
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 33
20/12/2016 10:42
 DVDRW. J Andrew Williams

Reviews

SMaRTphone

499 inc VAT Motorola Moto Z

Contact announced back in June 2016, the
n motorola.co.uk Moto Z was launched alongside the
Moto Z Force, a phone with a screen
Specifications that is unbreakable. Motorola
5.5in (2560x1400, 535ppi) has no plans to launch the Z Force
super AMOLED display; in the UK, but the Moto Z is now
Android 6.0 Marshmallow; here, along with the Moto Z play
Qualcomm Snapdragon (reviewed last month).
820 processor; Adreno 530
GPU; 4GB RAM; 32GB Price
storage; microSD up to Motorola originally announced a
256GB; fingerprint sensor; price of 529, but the Moto Z now
802.11ac dual band Wi-Fi starts at 499 from Motorolas
with MIMO; Bluetooth 4.1; website. Its undeniably expensive,
A-GPS; NFC; USB-C; 13Mp especially when compared to the
rear camera, LED flash; 369 Moto Z play, but its cheaper
5Mp front camera; 4G LTE than plenty of other flagship phones,
(Cat 6); 2600mAh including the Galaxy S7, Google pixel
non-removable battery; XL and iphone 7, and the Moto Z is
153.3x75.3x5.19mm; 136g every inch a flagship phone.
however, to keep things in
context its 50 more than the
huawei p9 and 70 more than its
modular rival, the LG G5.
If you buy through Motorolas site
you can use the Moto Maker tool,
though you cant personalise the headphones if you have money as the three equally-spaced power
Moto Z like some of Motorolas other burning a hole in your pocket. and volume buttons are easy to
phones. Theres a basic choice of The other trade-off is a small confuse with one another.
black and white models, and internal battery. at 2600mah, it will (read, on the rear, the camera
Build:
storage is fixed at 32GB. all you might) get you through a day, but protrudes quite a bit, but a black
can really do is to add Mods, but you certainly not the two days thats Style Shell is supplied in the box
Features:
can buy these separately anyway. promised with the Moto Z play. For which like all other Moto Mods
Value: many, having a really thin phone uses magnets to attach. This
Performance: Design wont be a sensible trade-off for brings everything flush and hides
Modular is the name of the game limited battery life. the connector from view.
with the Moto Z. Its a new family no corners are cut on the screen, But even without this rear cover,
of 5.5in phones, which has a which is a 5.5in super aMoLeD with the Moto Z has a pretty attractive
special 16-pin connector on the a resolution of 2560x1440. Its just rear thanks to subtle horizontal
rear for accessories that attach as good as the Samsung Galaxy lines in the metal (these are more
with super-strong magnets. Well S7s, although there are no curved visible on the white model than the
get to those later. pinch and hold screen edges here. black model shown here). however,
the Moto Z between two fingers Theres no always-on option, both phones are prone to showing
and it feels both amazingly thin either. Motorola has, however, marks and fingerprints due to
and light. It weighs only 136g, so installed IR sensors which bring up their smooth surfaces. and that
it is exceptionally light for a 5.5in the date and time (plus notifications connector is pretty ugly.
phone, yet feels strong thanks to the and the ability to interact with them) If theres one missing feature, its
aircraft-grade aluminium frame. when you wave your hand over the water resistance. The Moto Z has a
adding to its flagship credentials screen. Its a great feature. water-repellent nano coating, but
is a Snapdragon 820 processor, Like the Z play, theres a square this means its really no different
4GB of RaM and well specified fingerprint reader at the bottom of from any other phone that cant
front- and rear cameras. the screen. Its instinctive to press it survive being submerged in water.
So what gives? Two things in like a home button, but a button this But, if you do want a waterproof
the main: there isnt room for a is not. It does work as a way to wake phone with similar specifications,
headphone jack, so there isnt the phone, though, which is handy youll have to spend a lot more.
one. Motorola beat apple in this
particular race to the future. In
the box is a short USB-C cable
which ends in the 3.5mm minijack We already know how the Snapdragon 820
youll need to use any standard
headphones. or, you could just
performs in other current flagship phones and
hook up some decent Bluetooth its no slouch in the Motorola Moto Z either
34 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017

034_036 Motorola Moto Z 260.indd 34 21/12/2016 11:53

 Reviews

Moto Mods
Its all very well having the thinnest Geekbench 4
phone in the world, but this is
rather negated once you snap on a
PowerPack. And you will from time
to time as the Moto Z really needs
that extra battery life.
There are various Power Packs
available, including the Incipio
offGRID and others. They cost
around 60, and can double the
phones battery life. Youll want to GFXBench Manhattan
carry one around at all times.
Much more interesting is the
Hasselblad True Zoom. This costs
199 and was developed by Motorola
and Hasselblad to counter the three
pain points of phone photography.
The first is, of course, a zoom. It
manages to pack in a 10x zoom
(25- to 250mm, 35mm equivalent)
in a package just 15.1mm thick, and GFXBench T-Rex
weighing 145g (note that this is
more than the Moto Z).
Second is the ability to shoot
in RAW, or RAW+JPEG if you
prefer. You can then process
images in Adobe Lightroom or
any other application which
supports the RAW files. Third is
low-light performance. Although phone and for some people this Performance
were not going to do an in-depth will make the Moto Z (or Z Play) a We already know how the
review on the True Zoom here, it very tempting phone indeed. Snapdragon 820 performs in other
significantly outperformed the Another fun Moto Mod is the current flagship phones and its
Moto Zs built-in camera in low light, Insta-Share projector (249). no slouch in the Moto Z either.
producing sharp-looking, almost Again, it lives up to its name by Everything feels silky smooth
grain-free images. We did notice instantly attaching and projecting helped no doubt by the excellent
that some images were a little soft whatever is on your phones screen. screen. Overall, performance is
towards the edges, and when we It has a built-in battery and stand, almost on a par with the new Google
reviewed images actual detail plus auto keystone correction to Pixel XL (which uses a Snapdragon
levels were on a par with the best give you a square (well, rectangular) 821), so in pure performance
smartphone cameras, rather than image no matter what angle you terms, youre getting great value:
rivalling a DSLR. hold or place the phone. All you that phone is considerably more
The Samsung Galaxy camera was need to adjust is focus. expensive than the Moto Z.
the first phone to have a built-in We tried the projector in a Also, its important to notice
zoom lens, but here you can remove well-lit room and found that if you how much more powerful it is
the camera when you dont need it limit the size to around 30 inches, than the cheaper Moto Z Play,
and use a different accessory. its possible to see bright content and this along with the higher
When attached, though, the without too many problems. resolution screen helps to justify
camera and phone work seamlessly Trying to watch a night scene in a that extra cost. But on the flip
together as one. We like the dual- video or a dark photo proved near side, the OnePlus 3 also uses the
stage shutter button with a zoom impossible so, as with most pico Snapdragon 820, and is even
rocker in front of it, and the fact that projectors, its best used in the dark. cheaper than the Moto Z Play. Plus,
it has a proper Xenon flash. The JBL SoundBoost certainly its lower-resolution screen means
The bad news is that, although adds volume compared to the it can offer higher frame rates in
theres optical stabilisation, only Moto Zs built-in speaker, but games. Here, the Moto Zs Quad
electronic is used when shooting its not as good as the best HD screen counts against it.
video. And that video is limited to portable Bluetooth speakers you
just 1080p at 30fps disappointing can buy. Still, you wont have Connectivity
when the 12Mp sensor is plenty for any problems with stuttering or The Moto Z has a Cat 6 LTE modem:
4K, and the Moto Z can shoot 4K going out of range as this isnt a the Qualcomm X12 built into the
using its built-in camera. wireless connection of course. Its Snapdragon 820. This supports
However, the key point here is particularly good for podcasts, but up to 450Mb/s or 600Mb/s on
that you can have a surprisingly is also good for games, videos and compatible networks. It has all
portable 10x optical zoom on your the occasional bit of music. the other ingredients a flagship

March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 35

034_036 Motorola Moto Z 260.indd 35 20/12/2016 15:18


Reviews
HDR mode
should have: 802.11ac Wi-Fi with
2x2 MU-MIMO, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC
and Assisted GPS.
The only disappointment is that
its a single-SIM model for the UK;
you can only get a dual-SIM Moto Z
in other countries. On the UK model,
the SIM tray takes one Nano-SIM,
plus a microSD card for expanding
the 32GB of on-board storage.
Theoretically, you can add up to
2TB, though no such capacity is yet
available in a microSD card.
Cameras
In good light, the Moto Zs f/1.8
lens and 13Mp sensor capture
great-looking photos. Plus, optical
stabilisation works effectively to
smooth out jerkiness when shooting
video, even when youre walking.
Note that it will default to 16:9
photos at 9.7Mp unless you swipe in
from the left and change it to 4:3,
whereupon you get the full 13Mp.
Theres laser-assisted autofocus,
and in general performance is very
good with very minimal shutter lag.
If you want to record video in 4K,
youre limited to 30fps (no surprise
there no phone can yet handle
60fps) but you can choose 60fps
if you select 1080p video.
Around the front is a 5Mp selfie
camera, which does an admirable
job of taking relatively detailed
and sharp pictures (in good light,
that is). Unusually, theres an LED
flash on the front, but youll only
benefit from the Colour Correlated
Temperature dual-LED flash when
using the rear camera.
Things fall down when light levels
drop, and the Moto Z finds it harder
to get focus lock. Also, theres
more noise than were used to with
36 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
034_036 Motorola Moto Z 260.indd 36
DVDRW. J Andrew Williams
Auto settings
100 percent crop
flagship phones in low light. Its not
terrible, but the Moto Zs camera
is not the very best you can get
on a phone right now. But stick to
using it during the day and youll be
pleased with the results.
Wed recommend avoiding the
HDR mode because of the chance of
ghosting. We tried to keep as still as
possible for the photo, but moving
subjects, such as the bus (top left),
ended up with ghosting from the
movement between exposures.
Software
If youve already owned a Motorola
phone, youll know that the firm
sticks closely to Googles version of
Android. It comes with Marshmallow,
and at the time of writing was set
to get Nougat by the end of 2016.
Android may look stock, but there
are tricks such as being able to
double-chop the phone to turn on
and off the LED flash, double-twist
to launch the camera app and hover
your hand over the screen to quickly
see the time and updates.
Theres also Attentive Display
(a feature absent from the Moto
Z Play), which keeps the screen
from dimming or turning off while
youre looking at it. This uses the
IR sensors in conjunction with
the camera, which could explain
why the Play doesnt have it it
doesnt have IR sensors. The Moto
Z is also compatible with Daydream
View Googles new VR headset.
Verdict
The Moto Z is a mixed bag,
successful in some areas and not in
others. As long as you can deal with
the jettisoning of the headphone
jack and carrying a Power Pack Mod,
the modular nature of the phone
makes it a compelling alternative
to other flagships. Battery life isnt
great though, and the Z Play is also
compatible with Moto Mods, has
much better battery life and is much
cheaper at 369. If you dont need
a modular phone, the OnePlus 3 T
is almost as good at the Moto Z for
way less money. J Jim Martin
20/12/2016 15:18

282 inc VAT
Contact
n xiaomi-mi.co.uk
Specifications
5.15in full-HD (1920x1080)
LED display; MIUI 8
International Edition
(includes Google Play and
services); 2.15GHz
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
quad-core 64-bit
processor; Adreno 530
GPU; 3GB RAM, 64GB
storage (4GB RAM, 128GB
storage model also
available); Dual-SIM Dual-
Standby (2x Nano-SIM); 4G
FDD-LTE B1/B3/B5/B7; dual-
band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi;
Bluetooth 4.2; GPS, A-GPS,
GLONASS; 12Mp rear
camera with PDAF, dual-
tone flash; 4Mp, f/2.0 front
camera; ultra-sonic
fingerprint scanner; 3.5mm
headphone jack; USB-C;
3100mAh non-removable
battery; 145.6x70.3x8.3mm;
147g
Build:
Features:
Value:
Performance:
037_039 Xiaomi Mi 5s 260.indd 37
SmaRtphone
Xiaomi Mi 5s
Weve long been fans of Xiaomi
products, but have always had one
problem with its phones: for UK
users who dont speak Chinese and
are familiar with Google services
they can be confusing. having to
install Google play and associated
Google apps such as Gmail yourself,
install an english keyboard and
uninstall or hide away into the
folders all the Chinese-language
apps preinstalled on the device is
too much of a push for less technical
users, and the Chinese notifications
that continue to pop up merely add
to the confusion. In fairness Xiaomi
phones arent intended to be sold
in the UK, and its not its fault if we
dont speak the same language.
however, with that in mind were
extremely pleased to see GearBest is
stocking the International edition of
Xiaomis flagship mi 5s on its site.
this version is preinstalled with
Google play and select Google apps
such as Gmail (any others that you
require can be downloaded from
the play Store), and it removes all
the Chinese-language apps and
notifications you dont understand.
this is an android phone just like
any other you would buy on the UK
market, but with the added bonuses
brought by the mIUI 8 user interface.
Price
Usually in a smartphone review wed
tell you the RRp, plus for how much
money you can currently buy it
SIm-free and the rough price of any
contract deals. Forget all that with
the mi 5s. If you want this phone,
you need to buy it through a Chinese
importer such as GearBest, and the
price you pay is the price you see.
at the time of writing the Xiaomi
mi 5s is available from GearBest for
282, which includes a 30 percent
discount according to the site, and
is available now. this is a SIm-free
smartphone, which means you
can connect it to any network you
like, and plump for the best pay-
as-you-go or contract deal to suit
your needs. SIm-free deals typically
are considerably cheaper, given that
the total price of the plan doesnt
include the cost of the phone, so
more savings can be made here.
UK buyers should note, though,
that the Xiaomi mi 5s does not
support the 800mhz 4G band (band
Reviews
20), which is the only
4G band supported by
o2 and Giffgaff in the
UK (other networks
that support this band
can also connect to
alternative 4G bands
that are supported
by the Xiaomi).
Design
We really liked the
design of the Xiaomi
mi 5, with its sleek
glass-coated rear
reminding us a little
of Samsungs line-
up. Xiaomi has now
moved away from that
design with a unibody
metal coat. as before
the sides are curved
at the rear, giving
the impression of a
device much smaller
than you would expect
in the hand, but its
newly matt surface makes the mi 5s this model still a 5.15in panel with
a lot more grippy, and less easy to a full-hD resolution of 1920x1080
drop on to the floor. thats a good pixels and a pixel density of 428ppi.
thing, given that for some unknown Its sharp, its clear, and its vivid with
reason there is now no Gorilla Glass colour. Xiaomi claims a brightness
protective screen glass. aside from rating of 600 nits, and its certainly
that the mi 5s feels tough and well- not going to cause any problems in
made, like a phone that will last as direct sunlight.
long as your contract. Should you buy the 128GB mi
Since metal bodies can cause 5s, the screen has been upgraded
problems with network reception, to recognise force-touch, which
new antenna stripes run across the works in much the same way as it
phones rear at top and bottom. a does on the iphone. Unfortunately,
mic is built into the top stripe, while our review model doesnt support
the camera sits flush just above it this feature, so we cannot comment
in the top-left corner. this is a new further on that.
camera, and youll also notice that From the front the mi 5s is quite
the dual-tone flash has now moved a departure from its predecessor.
from its right- to its left side. It has the same screen bezels,
the edges are largely unchanged, same size screen, same sensor and
though the speaker holes along camera setup above the screen
the bottom are now larger, and something is just missing. and
with a metal screw on either side were not referring to the mi logo.
of the USB-C slot it would appear as good as the fancy new
that there are more of them. as ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is, we
before youll find the volume have to say we much preferred the
rocker and power switch on the design of the old one, integrated as
right edge, a 3.5mm headphone it was into the home button with a
jack at the top and a slot-loading nice chrome surround. the space
dual-SIm tray on the left. allocated to the new fingerprint
Chamfered at the top the edges scanner is greater, and there is a
glide smoothly into the 2.5D screen, recess in the glass front so you know
causing the mi 5s to feel as well- where to press. But it just looks
made as it looks classy. the display like someone forgot to attach the
itself hasnt changed at least in home button, or like it fell off.
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 37
20/12/2016 10:52
 DVDRW. J Andrew Williams

Reviews

It feels strange to refer to this

as the home button when there is Geekbench 4
no physical button, but in fairness
wed also refer to the back and
multitasking software keys that sit
either side of it as buttons. (These
are much easier on the eye, lighting
up only in use, and their functions
can be changed to suit whichever
setup you prefer.)
As we all know, though, beauty is
only skin-deep. And this fingerprint
scanner is a vast improvement on GFXBench Manhattan
the old one, which is particularly
impressive when you consider that
the old one worked pretty well.
Whereas most fingerprint readers
scan a 2D image of your fingerprint,
this new ultrasonic model with
Snapdragon Sense ID uses sound to
more accurately analyse the ridges
and grooves of your fingerprint,
even when your finger is wet.
This allows the scanner to work
more better. And so it does.

Performance
For a phone you can buy
brand-new for less than 300,
performance from the Xiaomi Mi 5s
is breathtaking. In real-world use
it can do no wrong, and it sailed
through our benchmarks. We should
point out, though, that we are
testing the 3GB RAM version of the GFXBench T-Rex
Mi 5s, and the 4GB model should be
capable of more still.
The hardware is still pretty tasty,
though, with a brand-new Qualcomm
Snapdragon 821 processor clocked
at 2.15GHz. This is the same
processor used by the Google Pixel
and OnePlus 3T, both of which have
more RAM than our Mi 5s review
sample. Not that youd know it:
it beat the Pixel in nearly every
benchmark and came incredibly
close to the OnePlus 3T.
You can compare the results of
the Mi 5s against its rival flagships
below. Unfortunately we do not
have Geekbench 4 scores for the
Xiaomi Mi 5, Galaxy S7, HTC 10 and
iPhone 7 as these were all tested
using Geekbench 3, and you should
also take into account that the Mi 5s playable 59fps in T-Rex, 43fps in slot. This should be plenty of
has arguably been able to perform Manhattan, 31fps in Manhattan 3.1 space for most users.
better in graphics tests dues to its and 20fps in Car Chase. Even its 57.4 The battery capacity has also
full-HD screen. score in JetStream, the JavaScript been increased from 3000mAh
That aside, performance is benchmark, is a decent result. to 3200mAh, but given the more
excellent, with a staggering 4137 Storage is generous at 64GB powerful hardware its unlikely
points recorded in Geekbench 4 as standard (up from 32GB in its youll see a huge impact on
multi-core and a very high 141,433 in predecessor and most of its rivals), runtime perhaps an extra hour if
AnTuTu 3D. The Mi 5s flew through which makes up for the fact this youre lucky. This supports super-
GFXBench, turning in an easily phone doesnt have a microSD fast charging with Quick Charge 3.0,

38 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017

037_039 Xiaomi Mi 5s 260.indd 38 20/12/2016 10:52


HDR mode
and depending on your usage should
easily be good for a days use.
Connectivity
In common with so many of the
Chinese phones we review, the
Mi 5s is a dual-SIM model that
operates in dual-standby mode.
It takes two Nano-SIMs, and will
support Cat 12 4G LTE on one
of these provided your network
supports the 2100- and 2600MHz
bands (the other is restricted to
3G). Dual-SIM functionality is great
for managing your business and
personal calls from a single phone,
or perhaps managing local and
home tariffs when you venture
abroad. Connectivity hasnt changed
much in this model, aside from the
new ultrasonic fingerprint scanner.
That means as before you get
dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth 4.2, GPS and GLONASS.
Theres also NFC, OTG but sadly
no longer an IR blaster.
Cameras
The Mi 5s is fitted with the Sony
IMX378, which is also used by
the Google Pixel. At that phones
launch the company used DXOMark
Mobile data in an effort to prove
that it is the best camera ever seen
in a smartphone, with a very high
score of 89. Unfortunately, Xiaomi
hasnt done as much to optimise the
camera software as has Google, so
the Pixel is still arguably the better
model for smartphone photography.
The IMX378 is a 12.3Mp camera
with an f/2.0 aperture and phase-
detection autofocus, also capable
of shooting 4K video. With large
037_039 Xiaomi Mi 5s 260.indd 39
1.55m pixels and a 1/2.3in sensor
(previously 1/2.8in in the 16Mp Mi 5)
it can let in more light and capture
more detail. Unfortunately, this
camera lacks OIS which, according
to Google at least, isnt life or death.
EIS and OIS have very different
goals, so you cant compare
them to ask which is better/
worse. OIS primarily improves low
light photography by physically
compensating for hand shake within
each single frame, and EIS improves
shaky video by maintaining a
consistent framing between multiple
video frames. OIS is primarily for
photo, and EIS is only for video.
Where OIS helps is still low-light
photos. It compensates for hand
shake, allowing longer exposures in
low light, but this in turn increases
motion blur within the frame. And
it comes with all kinds of trade-offs,
starting off with its physical size,
Google said of the IMX378.
The camera app in MIUI 8 is
easy to use, with various real-time
filters and photography modes
available. We found the camera was
lightning-quick to capture shots,
and the results showed plenty of
detail and good colour reproduction.
And while its not the most amazing
camera for low-light photography,
the results are reasonable.
Above is just a taster of what
the Xiaomi Mi 5s is capable of (in
HDR mode). The selfie camera
hasnt changed, and the Mi 5s
is still fitted with a 4Mp camera
at the front. It offers the same
real-time filters as the primary
camera, plus modes including
Timer, Audio and GroupShot.
Reviews
Software
Whereas the Mi 5 ran MIUI 7 out of
the box, the Mi 5s is preinstalled
with MIUI 8. This is a custom version
of Android 6.0 Marshmallow with
some cool extra features. And this
is usually where youd get a big
BUT in one of our Xiaomi phone
reviews, but the phone doesnt
support Google services blah, blah,
blah. We dont wish to undermine
the importance of Google apps on
an Android phone for UK users of
course, but what it comes down to
is this one does. Preinstalled with
the International Edition of MIUI
8 (as sold via GearBest), the Mi 5s
reviewed here comes preinstalled
with Google Play and Gmail, and
you can install any other Google
apps you like. There are none of the
usual Chinese-language apps and
notifications UK users can just
pick it up and get started straight
out the box. There are a number of
changes in MIUI 8. The drop-down
notification bar is perhaps the most
obvious change, with new quick
access icons running along its top.
Xiaomi has also moved around a
few items in the Settings menu, and
introduced some new features such
as double-tap to wake, Second Space
(which creates a separate space on
your phone), Dual Apps (allowing
you to run a second version of an
app on the phone), individual App
Lock and Quick Ball (which places
anywhere you like onscreen a button
that lets you return to the home
screen or perform other functions).
Theres also support for Mi Wallet.
Other new features include an
energy saving mode, enhanced
video-editing tools plus some photo
features that allow you to add
doodles and stickers and quickly
share your snaps, the new and
supposedly easier-on-the-eyes Mi
Lanting font, updated QR scanner
and calculator apps, an enhanced
multi-tasking menu, brighter colours
and new lock screen wallpapers.
Verdict
We cannot recommend the
Xiaomi Mi 5s enough. This is the
smartphone every 2016 flagship
wanted to be, and it comes with
a price tag half that of theirs.
Fantastic build quality, fantastic
performance, fantastic storage,
battery and connectivity options:
the phone gets a big thumbs-up
from us. J Marie Brewis
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 39
20/12/2016 10:52

Reviews
429 Huawei Nova Plus
Contact
n consumer.huawei.com/uk
Specifications
5.5in (1920x1080, 401ppi)
IPS display; Android 6.0.1
Marshmallow; 2GHz
Qualcomm MSM8953
Snapdragon 625 octa-core
processor; Adreno 506
GPU; 3GB RAM; 32GB
storage (expandable up to
256GB with microSD card);
16Mp main camera with
OIS, dual LED flash; 8Mp
front-facing camera; 802.11
b/g/n Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 4.1;
4G LTE; Nano-SIM; GPS;
3340mAh lithium-polymer
battery, non-removable;
151.8x75.7x7.3mm; 160g
Build:
Features:
Value:
Performance: finishes on different parts of the
40 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
040_041 Huawei Nova Plus 260.indd 40
SmaRTphone
huawei is going from strength to
strength in the UK, with releases
including the flagship huawei p9
proving popular. Its latest release
is the nova plus, a 5.5in android
marshmallow smartphone.
Design
as you can see from our photo
(right) this is a premium device. It
has curved 2.5D glass, small bezels
and a metal unibody. The camera
protrudes from the back of the
nova plus, underneath which is a
fingerprint scanner.
The phone has a 5.5in display
(more on this later), although
you wouldnt be able to tell when
holding it in the hand. huawei uses
small bezels to fit a larger display
into a smaller-than-usual chassis
measuring 151.8x75.7x7.3mm. This
makes it smaller and easier to
hold than apples iphone 7 plus,
which also has a 5.5in display but
measures 158.2x77.9x7.3mm. This
means its comfortable to hold for
extended periods and its easy to
use one-handed.
The nova plus is a gorgeous
device, with the a brushed metal
finish on the sides and rear. all
the small details, from the slightly
curved unibody to the different
chassis, provide the look and feel of
a high-end, premium smartphone.
Display
The Full hD screen is bright, crisp
and vibrant. It also has a blue light
filter thats designed to make using
the smartphone in the evenings
easier on the eye. In testing,
however, we found it to be a little
too aggressive for our liking, leaving
a noticeably orange hue on our
display when activated. We prefer
apples night Shift offering, which
provides similar effects without
having a noticeably orange display.
Hardware
Inside the nova plus, users will
find a Snapdragon 625 processor
coupled with 3GB of Ram and 32GB
of storage, which can be expanded
thanks to the hybrid SIm tray that
allows you to use either one SIm and
a microSD card, or two SIms at once.
While we found that the nova
plus was snappy when browsing
DVDRW. J Andrew Williams
Google play and scrolling through
Twitter, it stuttered when trying
to multi-task (switching between
apps quickly, and so on) and also
when trying to play 3D games.
Basic 3D platformers such as
Faily Breaks perform fine, but the
phone cant handle graphically
intense mobile games. other
mid-range smartphones, such as
the oneplus 3, perform better
when it comes to gaming.
huawei was quick to point out
that the included Snapdragon 625
processor provides users with
around 30 percent better battery
life than the Snapdragon 615, and
when thats coupled with a large
3340mah battery, the company
claims that the phone will last
2.2 days on average. To compare,
apples similarly-sized iphone 7
Tapping on the screen gets the camera to
quickly focus on the photos subject, even
when positioned extremely close to the phone
plus features a 2900mah battery,
440mah less than huaweis nova
plus. Despite huaweis claims, were
yet to experience a full 2.2 days of
charge with standard use itll get
you through a day comfortably,
but usually requires charging at
some point during the second day.
Performance
To measure the nova pluss
performance, we ran a number of
benchmark tests. The first of these,
Geekbench 4, measures a phones
processing power. The huawei
scored 848 in single-core mode,
and 3177 in multi-core mode, a
disappointing score when compared
to the similarly-priced Xiaomi Redmi
pro, which scored 1764 and 4539,
respectively. huaweis processor
is fine for day-to-day tasks, but
there are certainly more powerful
handsets on the market.
GFXBench, tests a smartphones
graphical power and how well
(or not) it can handle gaming.
Unfortunately, the results were not
good. The nova plus scored 23fps
in T-Rex and 10fps in manhattan,
whereas the 329 oneplus 3
managed 59- and 46fps respectively.
as you can see there are much
better options out there.
our final benchmark is
JetStream. This tests the speed
of a phones built-in browser
which, in the case of the nova
plus, is Google Chrome. While ioS
devices run faster than android
counterparts (the iphone 7 scored
160.2, while the Samsung Galaxy
S7 recorded 61), its interesting
to see that even among android
devices, browser speeds can vary.
That said, huaweis handset scored
30.2, a distinctly average score for
a mid-range android smartphone.
20/12/2016 11:46

Cameras
The Nova Plus has a rear-facing
16Mp camera and uses Optical
Image Stabilisation (OIS), to help
capture sharper photos.
During testing, we found that
while our shots looked impressive
when viewed on the phone itself, it
was a different story when looking
at them on a Mac. Zooming in to
100 percent (1:1 pixels) revealed a
lack of fine detail, possibly due to
aggressive noise cancellation. Its
not a huge deal, but we wouldnt
crop photos taken on the Nova Plus.
What the camera does do well is
take photos quickly. Most cars in our
test shot of St. Pancras (below left)
were moving when the picture was
taken, though you cant tell. General
colour reproduction is good, too.
Macro photography is also
decent for a mid-range smartphone.
Tapping on the screen gets
the camera to quickly focus on
the photos subject, even when
positioned extremely close to the
phone. In the case of the bottom-
right photo, the Nova Plus easily
grabbed the focus of the closest
leaf, allowing us to clearly see the
finer details. While the focus could
have been slightly improved, we
feel this is more a reflection on
our photography skills, rather than
that of the smartphone.
On the flip side, the Nova Plus
has an 8Mp front-facing camera,
which is fine for taking selfies
and performs well in low-light
conditions, but wont light up
dark conditions for those, users
have the option of using the 5.5in
display as a forward-facing flash.
To test out the phones video
capabilities, we recorded a small
video clip in 1080p at 30fps (it goes
Photo taken with
16Mp rear camera
040_041 Huawei Nova Plus 260.indd 41
Reviews
up to 4K at 30fps) and walked a
Geekbench 4
few steps. When watching it back,
despite the video being clear and
decent quality, we noticed visible
shakiness from each step we took.
When compared to the software-
enabled OIS of the iPhone 6s,
Apples handset wins hands down.
Software
The Nova Plus comes with Android
6.0.1 Marshmallow and Huaweis
own Emotion UI (EMUI). If you are a GFXBench Manhattan
fan of Googles OS, you should note
that this is about as far removed
from stock Android as you can get
since Huawei has tweaked almost
every element of the interface.
Although this may be slightly
controversial, we love EMUI it
looks good and offers functionality
not available on standard Android
devices, such as tapping the screen
to take a screenshot and being
able to view your notifications in GFXBench T-Rex
a timeline-esque view. Yes, it may
take some time to get used to, but
we feel that the learning curve is
worth it. Theres no word yet as
to when, or even if, the OS will be
updated to Android Nougat.
Verdict
While the Huawei Nova Plus looks
the part, with a premium design and
a bright, crisp display, its internals
let it down. Despite featuring a JetStream
16Mp camera with OIS, the photos
are distinctly average. We could,
however, look past the camera if
it wasnt for the sub-par CPU and
GPU, which produce disappointing
results when compared to other
mid-range Android handsets. While
the Nova Plus isnt a terrible phone,
there are better options on the
market. J Lewis Painter
Close-up shot
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 41
20/12/2016 11:46

Reviews
198 inc VAT
Contact
n vernee.cc
Specifications
5.5in full-HD (1920x1080)
2.5D full in-cell LCD display
with Gorilla Glass 3;
Android 6.0 Marshmallow;
2GHz Helio P10 octa-core
processor; Mali-T860 MP2
GPU; 4GB LPDDR3 RAM;
32GB storage, up to 128GB
via microSD; 4G FDD-LTE
800/1800/2100/2600MHz,
Dual-SIM Dual-Standby
(choose second SIM or
microSD); dual-band
802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi;
Bluetooth 4.0; GPS, A-GPS,
GLONASS; USB-C; OTG;
fingerprint scanner; 13Mp
Sony IMX258 rear camera
with f/2.0 aperture, PDAF,
dual-LED flash; 5Mp
Samsung S5K5E2 front
camera; 3000mAh battery
with Vcharge;
151x73x7.6mm; 165g
Build:
Features:
Value:
Performance: Design
42 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
042_044 Vernee Mars 260.indd 42
SmARTphone
Vernee Mars
We were impressed with what
Vernee was able to offer with its
Apollo Lite at under 200, but
arguably more so with the mars.
While this octa-core smartphone
isnt as fast as the deca-core
Apollo Lite, it has a great build
at this price point.
Both the Apollo Lite and Vernee
mars are on sale at GearBest, which
offers free shipping to the UK. We
recommend selecting the option
to buy the Vernee mars from the
eU warehouse, because although
youll pay more upfront you wont
be liable for any import duty, so
there wont be any nasty surprises.
From the eU warehouse the Vernee
mars costs 198.
By comparison, there is currently
no eU warehouse option for the
Vernee Apollo Lite, so you must buy
from China. The price is lower at
144, but with import duty on top
the difference will be much less.
Both phones are sold SIm-free,
and support all three 4G bands
used in the UK. With a hybrid
SIm slot they can support either
microSD (up to 128GB) or a second
(nano-) SIm. The primary SIm is a
micro-SIm, although an adaptor is
supplied in the box.
Whereas the Apollo Lite majors
on performance and less so on
design, the Vernee mars is the
complete opposite. Its not a slow
phone by any means (and well
talk more about this
in the performance
section below),
but where it really
excels is in design.
From the rear,
at least, the Vernee
mars could easily
be mistaken for an
iphone 6 especially
in gold as per our
review sample. The
mars is built entirely
from 6000 series
aluminium, with a
camera sensor slightly
raised from the
surface in the top left
corner (though not by
enough that the phone
rocks when placed on
a desk). As with the
DVDRW. J Andrew Williams
iphone there are slim
antenna stripes visible
on the rear to help
combat the problem of
poor mobile reception
in all-metal phones.
But this is no
iphone, and viewed
from the front it has a
very clean appearance.
There is no physical
home button, and
the Android-standard
home, Back and
multitasking buttons
are software keys that
sit at the bottom of the
screen and are visible
only when it is awake.
All that breaks up the
jet black surface is a
speaker, selfie camera
and notification LeD at the top. 1000:1 contrast ratio, though wed
The mars is one of few phones like to see higher brightness. Again,
weve seen to sport a fingerprint at this price its difficult to complain.
scanner on its right edge The screen bezels are just
something weve seen on recent 1mm thick at the left and right
Sony phones, but here it sits below sides, which helps keep down
the power button rather than the overall size. Although this
integrated to it. This is a fantastic is strictly speaking a phablet, it
place to place the fingerprint certainly doesnt feel as unwieldy
scanner as it is where your thumb as some, measuring 151x73mm with
or middle finger (depending on a 7.6mm frame. however, there
whether you are a leftie or a rightie) is a fair amount of space top and
falls naturally as you hold the phone. bottom, resulting in a screen-to-
In our tests it worked well, living up body ratio of 81 percent.
to its claimed 0.1s recognition speed, In common with the Apollo Lite
and it looks right at home on the there is a mono speaker grille on
Vernee mars smooth metal edges. the phones bottom edge, which is
Thinly chiselled at the top, this a much preferable position than on
metal edge runs smoothly into the the rear (as is the case with many
2.5D curved glass sitting atop the budget phones) where sound is fired
screen. Theres no obvious join exactly where you dont want it. It,
here as you run a finger across too, sits beside a USB-C port, which
the surface, which adds to the supports digital audio. no USB-C
phones aesthetic appeal. (or other) headphones are supplied
The screen itself is a 5.5in full in the box, so we werent able to
in-cell LCD display, protected with test the improved quality such a
Gorilla Glass 3. It has a full-hD feature is expected to provide, but
resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, its good to know you can still use a
which is still not always a given standard pair of headphones with a
at this price point. everything on traditional 3.5mm jack also present.
screen seems crystal clear, while on the left side is a single slot-
viewing angles are very good and loading SIm tray. This is a hybrid tray
colours realistic. Vernee states a that can accept either one nano-SIm
In common with the Apollo Lite there is a mono
speaker grille on the phones bottom edge, which
is a much preferable position than on the rear
20/12/2016 11:11
 Reviews

and one Micro-SIM, or one Micro-SIM

and one microSD card up to 128GB in Geekbench 4
capacity. Not being able to use two
SIMs and microSD at once will be a
frustration for some users, but not
everyone needs both and its worth
pointing out that many UK budget
phones offer neither.

Performance
Performance from the Vernee Mars
is certainly adequate for daily tasks, GFXBench Manhattan
though its not really anything to
shout about. In real-world use we
found operation mostly fluid, which
is little surprise given the sheer lack
of bloatware and almost entirely
vanilla Marshmallow setup on this
phone a real bonus.
In terms of core hardware the
Vernee Mars runs an octa-core Helio
P10 processor, a chip building in
eight Cortex-A53 cores which is also
used by the Elephone P9000 and
Meizu M3 Note. In most respects it
is a touch faster than both those
phones, if not as fast as the deca-
core Vernee Apollo Lite. GFXBench T-Rex
We recorded scores of 2732 and
50,004 in the Geekbench 4 and
AnTuTu 3D general performance
tests, and 8- and 18fps in the T-Rex
and Manhattan components of
graphics benchmark GFXBench. In
JetStream, a JavaScript benchmark,
the Mars recorded 24.712, which is
about average for a budget phone.
You can see how its performance
compares to all those phones in
the charts right.
Weve already mentioned that the
Vernee Mars supports up to 128GB
of removable storage via microSD, supports quick charge. Thats not Theres no IR blaster or NFC
but arguably more impressive is its quick charge as in Qualcomm Quick support on this phone (ruling
32GB of internal storage. We still Charge, but Vcharge; using the out Android Pay), though it does
live in a time where many budget supplied adaptor you can get a 50 cover most other bases with
phones come with just 8GB, and percent charge in 30 minutes. dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi,
perhaps 16GB if youre lucky. Many Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, A-GPS and
users will find 32GB is enough for Connectivity GLONASS, and OTG.
their needs without expansion. It is in this section that we come The dual-SIM capability will be
The battery is a highlight, to the one departure from vanilla a real draw for some, and whereas
and we managed to get in excess Android Marshmallow for the some Chinese phones (notably
of a full days usage from the Vernee Mars: it supports Turbo Xiaomi) do not provide support
3000mAh cell. Of course, this is Download, which combines the for the 800MHz 4G band used by
difficult to measure exactly since power of cellular and Wi-Fi internet O2 and Giffgaff, the Mars can work
everybody uses phones differently, to speed downloads. How much with all UK 4G bands. The phone
so your mileage may vary. Whats that appeals really depends on how supports a Micro-SIM plus either a
more interesting though is that it often you download large files. Nano-SIM or a microSD card.

Cameras
Vernees Apollo Lite plumped for
One of the best things about this phone, other two Samsung cameras, but here it

than the build, is that its running an up-to-date has selected the 13Mp Sony IMX258,
which in our opinion is a reasonably
version of Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow good choice at this price. It has an

March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 43

042_044 Vernee Mars 260.indd 43 20/12/2016 11:11


Reviews
Auto settings
f/2.0 aperture, phase-detection
autofocus and a dual-LED flash, plus
support for full-HD video recording
at 30fps, but no image stabilisation
which became quite obvious when
trying to take photos from a windy
seventh floor roof terrace. At the
front is a 5Mp Samsung S5K5E2.
As with the Apollo Lite, the
camera app is very basic, offering
little more than normal, Panorama
and HDR modes. In the Settings
menu you also have options for
face detection, smile shot and
auto scene selection, plus a 40-
shot burst mode.
Here we have a couple of test
shots, taken in Auto and HDR modes.
HDR mode
44 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
042_044 Vernee Mars 260.indd 44
DVDRW. J Marie Brewis
Theres quite a lot of blurring visible,
while HDR mode overcompensated
for the dreary conditions outside.
However, the camera can do an
acceptable job given decent lighting.
Software
One of the best things about this
phone, other than the build, is that
its running an up-to-date version
of Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. And
better still, Vernee hasnt messed
around with the OS any more
than adding the aforementioned
Turbo Download mode. That does
mean you dont get extras such as
gestures, for example the ability to
double-tap to wake the phone, but
many users will be pleased to see
Android as it was intended.
Vernee has not preinstalled
Google apps such as Gmail, YouTube
and Maps, though installing these is
as simple as visiting the Play store.
Verdict
The Vernee Mars is a decent budget
smartphone with a great build and
adequate performance. With 32GB
of storage as standard and support
for quick charge, microSD and
dual-SIM operation, it may prove a
more attractive option than many
UK budget rivals especially when
purchased from GearBests EU
warehouse. J Marie Brewis
20/12/2016 11:11

350 inc VAT
Contact
n netgear.co.uk
Specifications
802.11ac wireless router
with satellite (tri-band); 6
internal antennas; 3x3
MU-MIMO; Gigabit Ethernet;
router, 1x USB 2.0; satellite,
1x USB 2.0; 26x170x79xmm
Build:
Features:
Value:
Performance:
045 Netgear Orbi 260.indd 45
WiReless RouteR
Netgear Orbi
Mesh networking is a bit of a
buzzword at the moment, with the
modular eero system getting rave
reviews last year, and the recently
announced Google Wifi getting in on
the act too. And now its Netgears
turn to provide a mesh networking
system with its attractively
designed two-piece orbi system.
using a single router for your
home Wi-Fi network often means
that there are dead spots, perhaps
on the upper floors of your home
or, in this reviewers case, the office
in the back bedroom where the Wi-Fi
signal is obstructed by a couple of
partition walls. Mesh networking
tackles the dead spot problem by
using multiple devices that are
placed in separate rooms in order
to provide more comprehensive
Wi-Fi coverage throughout your
home. the orbi system consists
of two devices a primary router,
and a secondary satellite which
Netgear claims can provide a strong,
reliable Wi-Fi signal for homes up
to 4,000 square feet in size.
Design
the orbi system is attractively
designed, with both the main router
and satellite looking more like
little air humidifiers than high-tech
pieces of networking kit. the main
router is actually a conventional
tri-band router, equipped with six
internal antenna that provide 3x3
Mu-MiMo connectivity for suitably
equipped computers and mobile
devices. tucked around the back of
the router there are three Gigabit
ethernet ports, along with a usB 2.0
port which, at this price, should be
usB 3.0 for connecting a printer or
external storage device. the router
doesnt include a modem though, so
theres a fourth ethernet/lAN port
that you have to use to connect the
orbi to an existing modem or router
in order to provide internet access.
the satellite is very similar,
although it lets you use all four
of its ethernet ports for wired
connections. Both units also have
a glowing leD on top that helpfully
changes colour to indicate signal
strength. However, the best part of
the orbis design is its sheer ease
of use. You simply connect the orbi
router to your existing modem
and router, then place the satellite
in another room (which Netgear
recommends should be roughly
in the centre of your home). the
router and satellite automatically
sync together glowing magenta
once the process is complete and
the orbis web browser controls
include a start-up wizard that
guides you through the process
in a few simple steps. the only
drawback here is that the orbis
keep-it-simple approach means
that it overlooks a few options
that more experienced users might
look for. You can change the name
and password for your network,
and set up parental controls.
However, the orbi creates
just a single network using the
combined 2.4- and 5GHz bands,
with no option for creating separate
networks on those two bands.
this means you cant force your
phone, tablet, laptop or other kit to
connect to one frequency or other.
theres no mobile app either,
although Netgear says that its
working on one for ios and Android.
Performance
Although the orbi is a tri-band
802.11ac system, it uses one of
its 5GHz bands as the backbone
that syncs the router and satellite
together. this means that the orbi
offers a theoretical maximum
speed of 3000Mb/s on the
remaining 2.4- and 5GHz bands, so
its not the fastest router currently
available. even so, our tests showed
that the orbi is still pretty fast,
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 45
Reviews
and also achieves its primary
aim of providing better coverage
throughout your home.
With two desktop computers
located just five feet away from
the main orbi router, the tamosoft
throughput test recorded a speed
of 435Mb/s. thats by no means the
fastest speed available from the
latest tri-band routers, but its more
than adequate for streaming music,
high-definition video, and online
gaming. And, more importantly,
with the orbi satellite set up in my
office dead spot, we were able to
get a steady, reliable Wi-Fi signal
on my iMac for the very first time.
the speed in our hone office did
dip to around 400Mb/s, but it
gave me perfectly usable Wi-Fi
in a room where wed previously
relied on powerline adaptors to
provide a wired connection.
Verdict
the orbi system is expensive, even
given the fact that it includes both
a router and satellite together. if
you only have one room where the
Wi-Fi doesnt work very well, then
you could save money simply by
buying an inexpensive powerline
adaptor or range extender for
that particular spot. But for larger
homes where you need to boost
your Wi-Fi to an upper floor, or
perhaps out into your garden, the
sheer reliability (and expandability)
of the orbis Wi-Fi coverage
will make it a very worthwhile
investment. J Cliff Joseph
20/12/2016 10:44
 DVDRW. J Andrew Williams

Reviews

SecuRITy cameRa

249 inc VAT Netatmo Presence

Contact
n netatmo.com

Specifications
4Mp sensor, video
resolution up to 1920x1080;
100 degrees field of view;
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz;
16GB microSD card
included, optional Dropbox
integration or FTP server;
12W, dimmable floodlight;
IR night vision up to 15m
(50ft); 50x200x110mm

The Netatmo Presence is the first
security camera weve tested that
doubles as a floodlight. Its easy
to install and it works well, too.
It will detect people, animals and
Build:
cars up to 65 feet away, sending
alerts to your phone and even
Features:
your apple Watch.
Value:
Performance: Price
The Netatmo Presence costs
249, which is relatively expensive
compared to some outdoor security
cameras, but bear in mind that
dimmable LeD floodlights arent
cheap. also, and more importantly,
theres no monthly subscription
charge: an SD card is built-into the
camera and stores the footage.
you can also set the Presence up
to save video to Dropbox, or your
own FTP server. If this is out of your
price range, consider the y-cam
Homemonitor HD Pro (199).
Design
The best thing about the Presence
is that it doesnt look like a ccTV
camera. The lens is at the bottom,
but at first glance you notice only
the light. If anything, the camera
is easily mistaken for a motion
sensor, so few people will realise
theyre being recorded. (Note that
the Protection of Freedoms act sets
out guidelines for using outdoor
cameras in a responsible way to
protect the privacy of others.)
unlike other outdoor cameras,
the Presence doesnt have an
inconvenient mains adaptor few
people have an outdoor socket,
let alone right where they would
want to install a camera. Instead,
the Presence is designed to replace
an existing outdoor light.
This makes installation a
breeze as long as you can drill the
two necessary holes in your wall.
Then its just a case of connecting
the three wires which powered your
old light to the chocolate block
on the Presence. Doing it this way
means there are no visible wires
a burglar can quickly cut, an no
adaptor that can be unplugged.
Before mounting it, though,
do check you have a strong Wi-Fi
signal in that position.
The only issue is if you have
multiple lights operated by the
same switch, as those which arent
replaced by the camera will be on
all the time (or your camera will be
switched off if you turn the other
lights off). Netatmo says it has no
plans to release a matching LeD
light without the camera.
youll need to install the Netatmo
Security app and sign up for a free
account to complete the installation.
and as with any Bluetooth-equipped
camera, this process is quick and

46 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017

046_047 Netatmo Presence 260.indd 46 20/12/2016 11:19


simple and can be done entirely
from your phone.
Performance
On the main screen of the app youll
see each of your Netatmo cameras
(including Welcome cameras) and
an up-to-date thumbnail. You tap
the play button to see the video
feed (rotating the phone to portrait
for full-screen) but below the
thumbnail is a timeline of events
(see bottom left screenshots).
These crop in on the subject
detected, and you can tap one to
bring up the full frame from the
video. Its a great feature, but if
you play back the video it will start
at the beginning rather than going
straight to the action.
However, its a minor quibble.
In general, the Presence reliably
records the motion you want and
doesnt give false alarms. Plus, you
can download any clip and save it to
your phones camera roll. Its best to
do this when youre at home on the
same Wi-Fi network for the fastest
speed, but you can do it remotely.
However, theres no progress
indicator and you cant leave it
downloading in the background
while you review other clips or
change settings.
Videos are stored on the built-in
16GB microSD card (but you can
replace this with a 32GB card if you
want more storage space). When the
card fills up, the oldest videos are
deleted automatically. If you want
to keep everything, you can link
your Dropbox account, but the best
option is to get the camera to send
046_047 Netatmo Presence 260.indd 47
video to an FTP server, such as one
running on a NAS drive. This way
you can easily access the full-HD
clips and the video will be safe even
if someone steals the camera.
As part of the setup, you can
name your camera and set up one
or more zones for motion detection.
You can create multiple zones,
but they can only be rectangles
and theres a minimum size. This
restriction is there because Netatmo
uses an intelligent algorithm to
detect whats creating the motion
in a bid to avoid false alarms. It can
detect people, animals and cars.
Not everyone can choose the
perfect mounting location and
when mounted on a shed in a back
garden we found we couldnt avoid
including a small tree in one zone
and had a fair few alerts telling us
a person had been seen, along with
thumbnails of said tree. In the end,
we deleted that motion zone and
relied on another one.
The floodlight is nice and bright
and theres a slider so you can
choose the brightness you want
(see above). The light can be set to
on, off or auto mode. In the latter,
you can set it to turn on whenever
people, cars or animals are detected.
You just enable the categories you
want. Theres also other motions
as a catch-all for anything else.
Alerts arrived on our phone within a couple of
seconds of motion being detected, and we were
impressed at the accuracy of the algorithm
Reviews
If you prefer, you can set it to
turn on whenever its dark. Whats
missing is a timed option so you
can have it on from, say, dusk until
10pm, so you dont annoy your
neighbours should it keep turning
on through the night.
Also, wed prefer the floodlight
power control to be on the main
screen rather than buried in the
settings, or in an iOS widget so
you can turn it on or off quickly.
As it is, the Security app offers no
iOS widget at all. Theres an Apple
Watch app, and this has just been
updated so you can add it as a
complication for quicker access.
Theres no sensitivity slider for
motion detection (theres no need
because of the intelligent detection)
but its a shame theres no way to
specify which type of motion you
want to watch out for in each zone.
These are set globally.
You can turn the camera on
or off by bringing up the settings,
though theres no scheduling to
record at certain times or by using
geofencing, so it disables recording
while youre home. For most people
this makes sense. Its also good that
you can choose when to receive
notifications. Two sliders let you set
from and to times. Theres also
an option to get notifications only
when nobody is home, and only for
certain types of motion.
We found that alerts arrived on
our phone (and Apple Watch) within
a couple of seconds of motion being
detected, and we were impressed
at the accuracy of the algorithm. It
correctly identified a person moving
in the garden roughly 60 feet away,
and picked up a surprising number
of animals roaming during the night
when using its infrared LEDs.
Verdict
It isnt perfect, it isnt cheap and it
lacks a few features wed like to see
added to the app, but overall we
really like the Presence. It doesnt
look like a security camera and the
LEDs do a good job of replacing an
existing outdoor light. Plus, its not
difficult to install and theres no
subscription to pay. J Jim Martin
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 47
20/12/2016 11:19

Reviews
AcTIon cAmeRA
249 inc VAT GoPro Hero 5 Black
Contact GoPro made fans wait a long time
n gopro.com for a new model, but the Hero 5
Black doesnt disappoint. Its an
Specifications all-new action camera that combines
12Mp action camera; max the best bits from previous GoPro
video resolution: models and adds some new features,
3840x2160 at 30fps; such as stabilisation and built-in
Electronic stabilisation; GPS, which make it the best yet.
built-in Wi-Fi and
Bluetooth; GPS; microSD Design
up to 64GB; Micro-HDMI A few millimetres bigger in all
output, USB-C charging; directions, the Hero 5 isnt going to
1200mAh battery; fit any housings designed for older
61.7x24x44.4mm; 118g GoPros, such as the Hero 4. But it
will naturally fit the firms new
drone, the Karma. It also works with
the Karma Grip, a handheld gimbal,
which can be bought separately.
The chunkier styling and rubbery
finish have a purpose, though: the
Hero 5 is waterproof without a
case to a depth of 10m you can
buy the optional Super Suit if you
want to go to 60m. Being water
resistant is almost expected from
todays gadgets, and the original
Hero Session was GoPros first
waterproof action cam.
But the Hero 5 packs in lots
more features, including a 1.95in
Build:
touchscreen on the back and
integrated GPS. It comes with a
Features:
frame, so you can attach it to all
Value: of GoPros usual mounts and a
Performance: handy feature is that the cover
that protects the micro-HDmI and
USB-c port is removable, so you can
connect cables even when its in the
frame. The microSD slot is right next
to the battery and its a little fiddly
For video
clips, go to getting the card in and out.
tinyurl.com/hwpfumq
48 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
048_049 GoPro Hero 5 260.indd 48
DVDRW. J Andrew Williams
The battery is removable
unlike the Sessions but its a new on top turns on the camera and
design, so your old ones wont fit.
GoPro claims it will last somewhere
between 1.5- and 2.5 hours,
depending on the resolution, frame
rate and whether eIS is enabled or
not. We couldnt find an option to
disable Wi-Fi in the menus.
This electronic stabilisation
has been a long time coming,
and it would have been a severe
disappointment had GoPro not
introduced it on the Hero 5. It
works effectively, but its a blow
that it doesnt work in 4K, which is
because there are no spare pixels
to crop off to stabilise the video.
It records 4K at 30fps only, just
like the Hero 4, though you can
choose up to 120fps in 1080p and
240fps at 720p. The field of view
is selectable in most modes and
restricted in some: have
a play and youll soon
find which works
best for you.
new on the
Hero 5 is time-
lapse video, which
is automatically
created in camera
and can then be
shared straight
away (via your
phone) to Facebook
and other means.
Controls
GoPro has adopted
a similar control
method as for the
Session, removing
the traditional front
button. one press of the big button
starts recording in the default mode,
which you can choose. The side
button can be used to instead turn
on the camera, so you can change
settings (or to mark a highlight if
youre already recording).
With the touchscreen, its really
easy to change the resolution,
framerate and field of view. It takes
a little while to learn how to get
to the other options: swipe right
to review and trim videos; swipe
down to see and change the general
settings and swipe left to access
other settings such as ProTune,
stabilisation, microphones and low
light. enabling the latter means the
Hero 5 will automatically reduce
the framerate in low light a very
handy function if you tend to record
everything at 60fps or higher.
our only complaint is that the
operating system is a little slow to
respond compared to what youd
expect from a modern touchscreen
device. Also, when in the frame, its
hard to swipe in from the edge and
the gesture isnt always recognised.
A new way to control the Hero 5
is with voice commands (it supports
seven languages at the moment).
Testing these indoors proved very
effective, such as GoPro start
recording, GoPro stop recording,
GoPro take a photo and GoPro
turn off. But its not as reliable
outdoors when theres lots of
background noise, and it can be
hard to know if your command
worked if you cant see the
camera. Also, you cant use a voice
command to turn on the Hero 5.
21/12/2016 11:57

The usual GoPro beeps are pretty
loud, although seemingly not as loud
as the Hero 4, but it would be better
to have vibration feedback like
certain other action cams have.
App
Another way to control the Hero
is via the free Capture app. The
name has changed, but overall
its basically what youre used to
with GoPros previous cameras. It
uses a combination of WiFi and
Bluetooth: WiFi for the live video
stream and Bluetooth to allow you
to turn on the camera remotely
when its in standby.
Videos can be streamed from
the camera over WiFi and you can
capture a still photo from a video,
which is a feature many GoPro
users have loved for a while now.
New is the Quik app. This is
available on the desktop as well
as mobile and allows you to pick
several video clips from which the
app will automatically create an
edited video. You can tweak which
portions of each clip are used, as
well as picking background music.
Obviously, if youve pressed the
Highlight button, it will use those
sections from the videos.
The latest update of the desktop
version includes the ability to
overlay the GPS data on your
video. You can choose to display
speed, altitude, distance, date,
time and elevation gain.
A new service is GoPro Plus.
Theres a free 60day trial if you sign
up on an Android device through the
Capture app, but iOS users should
048_049 GoPro Hero 5 260.indd 49
Reviews
use GoPros website as youll get
only 30 days via the app.
When set up, the Hero 5 can
automatically upload photos
and videos from its memory
card to GoPros cloud storage.
Unfortunately, 4K clips are
downsampled to 1080p, so its
not a great option if you mainly
shoot in 4K.
Quality
Before getting to video quality,
its worth talking audio. As with
the Session, the fact you can use
the Hero 5 without a waterproof
case all the time means the
microphones arent blocked by a
plastic case. This immediately has
huge benefits for sound quality.
Plus, there are two mics and the
processor will automatically switch The big difference comes
between them to try to eliminate from the stabilisation. Even with
wind noise. Alternatively, you can it turned off theres a noticeable
lock it to either wind cut or stereo improvement over the Hero 4
recording if you prefer. Stereo, as Black. But when you turn it on, the
the eagleeyed will have spotted, difference is like night and day.
is a first for GoPro even the older Ultimately, the Hero 4 Black already
Session with dual mics doesnt had topnotch image quality, so the
record in stereo. The Hero 5 will Hero 5 cant be criticised for being
even save a separate WAV file, so no better. But when you factor in
you can edit the file with an audio the excellent stabilisation and better
editor. Overall, audio quality is very sound quality, it is better overall.
impressive for an action camera.
Video quality isnt markedly Verdict
different from the Hero 4 Black The Hero 5 Black is the best action
since both max out at 4K30. camera weve tested and the fact
Comparing footage from both its cheaper than the outgoing Hero
cameras, its difficult to see any 4 Black sweetens the deal even
differences: they both offer further. With GPS, water resistance
the same amount of detail in each and video stabilisation, the Hero 5
mode and they have very similar is a fantastic upgrade from a Hero
colours and exposure. 4 Black. J Jim Martin
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 49
20/12/2016 11:16

Reviews
AcTIon cAmeRA
889 inc VAT Kodak Pixpro SP360 4K Dual Pro Pack
Contact With support on the likes of
n kodakpixpro.com/europe Facebook and YouTube, 360-degree
photos and videos are all the rage
Specifications and Kodaks action camera bundle
2x Pixpro SP360 4K has everything you need to create
cameras; 12Mp BSI sensor; your own 360-degree content.
2800x2800 pixels (round
video), 3840x2160 pixels Design
(flat video); Wi-Fi; NFC; The nature of having two separate
microSD; Micro-USB; Micro- cameras to create a 360-degree
HDMI; 48x50x52.5mm; 128g setup is fiddly and cumbersome. The
more user-friendly options out there
require little more than switching
on and hitting the shutter button.
Sadly that couldnt be further from
the truth here. For starters, youll
need to insert the batteries and
each camera requires a memory
card (not included). Plus, theres
just one battery charger another
annoyance as they will run out at
the same time being used as a pair.
Youll also need to make sure
youve fully charged the battery and
have enough space on the memory
card before screwing the cameras
onto the mount as theres no access
once they are in and it takes a while
to disassemble the whole thing.
The SP360 4K is a well-made
Build:
action camera and certainly looks
the business with that huge domed
Features:
lens on the front. on the side are
Value: four buttons, which control settings
Performance: such as resolution and stabilisation.
Be warned that the SP360 4K
camera is only splash- rather than
waterproof, so dont go dunking it
underwater. It doesnt come with a
case either.
In the box
50 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
050 Kodak Pixpro SP360 260.indd 50
DVDRW. J Andrew Williams
Performance
Setting up and using one of Kodaks
cameras on their own is easy, but
operating the two together is a
very different matter during
testing, the dual-setup took us a
long time to set up.
While its great that the cameras
have features such as Wi-Fi and nFc
for easy pairing, you can connect to
just one device at a time. We werent
to know this as the instruction
manual fails to mention this. Instead,
you need to connect each to the
smartwatch-esque remote control.
Thats easy once you know how,
but means you cant make use
of your smartphone to get a live
preview and adjust settings. The
remote only lets you switch between
photo and video and global or front
display modes, so youll have to
tweak anything more advanced on
the cameras themselves.
You can capture content with
just one camera, but the idea is to
unite the two for a full spherical
result. Unfortunately, combining
the files together with the Pc
software isnt easy.
Verdict
Although there are high quality
results on offer here, the high which will be too much for most
price will put many people off. consumers. Were still trying to
Plus, theres how complicated this get our head round it, which says
two-camera system is to operate, a lot. J Chris Martin
For video
clips, go to
tinyurl.com/jv93laa
20/12/2016 11:52
 Reviews

Action cAmeRA

44 inc VAT ThiEYE i60e 4K

Contact At 44, the thieYe i60e 4K is one
n thieye.com of the cheapest action cameras
weve seen, with a decent design
Specifications and a range of shooting modes.
4K at 30fps; 1080p at
60fps; slo-mo mode; Design
waterproof case brings it looks like a standard action
IP68 water resistance; camera, with a wide-angle lens on
59x41x25mm; 65g the front, a 2in display on the rear
and a smattering of buttons. theres
a slot on the side of the camera for
a microSD card, a micro-USB socket
for charging and transferring files,
and a mini-HDmi port.
the device is coated with
textured black rubber for extra
grip when not in the iP68-rated
waterproof case (also supplied),
and it certainly doesnt feel or For video
look cheap. the case allows you to clips, go to
tinyurl.com/h5sqoy2
submerge it up to 60ft underwater,
although it adds extra bulk to the
camera (an additional 75g).

Features
Unlike the GoPro Hero 5 Black (page
48), the i60e isnt touchscreen-
enabled one of the drawbacks
of a cheap action camera. Youll
need to use various buttons which,
Build:
despite reading the instructions, we
found confusing to navigate at first,
Features:
although we got used to them after
Value: some experimentation.
Performance: one plus for the i60e is that
it has an accompanying ioS and
Android app that provides you with
a live feed of the camera, along
with controls and the option to
browse recorded media via Wi-Fi.
Unfortunately, we ran into errors
when using the app, ranging from
general connectivity issues to
the 160e is coated with textured black rubber for
extra grip when not in the iP68-rated waterproof
case (also supplied), and doesnt feel or look cheap
problems accessing media. its
handy for starting and stopping
recordings, but wed prefer the
traditional method of accessing
the media via a micro-USB cable
and a computer.
the i60e doesnt come with
any built-in storage, but has a
microSD slot that accepts cards up
to 128GB. its worth investing in a
high-capacity microSD card if you
plan on frequently recording in 4K,
as the file sizes are much larger
than standard 1080p.
the camera has several shooting
modes, including 720p at 120fps,
1080p at 60fps, 2.7K at 30fps and
4K at 30fps, and is also able to
take 12mp 3:2 photos. the lens is a
170-degree wide-angle offering, with
an aperture of f2.2, and provides
clear video when well lit. Despite
the relatively large aperture, the
quality of both videos and pictures
decreases as light levels drop,
regardless of the video format. We
also noted slight distortion around
the edges of recorded video clips,
although it isnt prominent enough
to ruin them.
Despite the camera having 4K
capabilities, we werent blown away
by the quality of the video when
viewed on a 4K tV. in fact, were not
convinced that the thieYe actually
records in 4K we think its upscaled
from a lower resolution and as
such doesnt take in four times the
amount of detail as its supposed to.
its not horrendous, but it isnt up to
the standards of GoPro Hero action
cameras or even cheaper options.
the 1080p at 60fps mode, however,
provides clearer video and should be
enough for most users.
the i60e can also take time-
lapse or slow-mo videos (using the
720p at 120fps format) and, most
impressively, is able to double up as
a dash cam. Simply select this option
on the thieYe, connect it to your car
and whenever the camera registers
power it will start recording, only
stopping once the engine is turned
off (when turning off the ignition).
Verdict
the thieYe i60e 4K is a great action
camera for those who dont want
to spend hundreds on a GoPro, and
the included mount and waterproof
case sweeten the deal. the 4K
video quality isnt great, but in our
tests the 1080p at 60fps option
produced slightly clearer results and
should suffice for most. the extra
features, such as time-lapse, the
ability to double up as a dashcam
and accompanying ioS and Android
apps make the 44 price tag a
bargain. J Lewis Painter

March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 51

051 THieye i60e 260.indd 51 20/12/2016 13:50


Reviews
COLOUR INKJET PRINTER
399 inc VAT Epson EcoTank ET-3600
Contact
epson.co.uk
Specifications
1200dpi scanner/copier;
150 sheets A4; USB;
Ethernet; Wi-Fi;
Apple AirPrint;
489x300x169mm; 4.7kg
At first glance, the latest addition
to Epsons EcoTank range of
multi-function printers looks
pretty expensive in fact, at 399
the ET-3600 is one of the most
expensive inkjet printers weve ever
seen. But, like the previous two
generations of EcoTank printers,
the ET-3600 an A4 model turns
the traditional business model
for printers upside down. Instead
Build:
of selling the printer cheaply and
then hitting you with high costs
Features:
for replacement ink cartridges,
Value: the EcoTank approach is to charge
Performance: more for the printer itself, while
offering extremely low running
costs in the years ahead.
The EcoTank printers achieve this
by doing away with conventional
ink cartridges that can only print
a few hundred pages before they
have to be replaced. Epson then
bolts a large ink tank onto the side
of the printers, which you can fill up
using low-cost, high-capacity bottles
of ink. The ET-3600 makes some
amends for its high purchase price
by including two bottles of ink for
each colour cyan, magenta, yellow
and black (CMYK). This means that
the printer will allow you to print
around 11,000 pages in mono and
11,000 pages in colour before you
need to buy any new inks at all.
Thatll be overkill for most home
As well as USB and Wi-Fi, the ET-3600 also
includes an Ethernet interface for an office
network, and supports AirPrint for iOS devices
52 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
052 Epson EcoTank ET-3600 260.indd 52
DVDRW. J Andrew Williams
users, of course, but it does provide
extremely low running costs for
busy offices that need a shared
printer for daily use.
Running costs
The bottles of replacement inks are
much less expensive than traditional
ink cartridges, costing just 12.99 for
the black ink, which lasts for around
6,000 pages per bottle, while the
three coloured inks last for 6,500
pages and cost 8.49 each (25.47
for all three). That works out at 0.2p
per page for mono printing and
0.4p for colour, which is drastically
lower than the costs associated
with conventional inkjet printers.
Design
Those costs are in line with previous
EcoTank printers, but the ET-3600
also offers additional features and
performance that make it more
suitable for office use than its
predecessors. As well as USB and
Wi-Fi, the ET-3600 also includes
an Ethernet interface for an office
network, and supports Apples
AirPrint for iOS devices, along with
Google Cloud Print and Epsons own
iPrint app for everyone else. Its
the first EcoTank printer to provide
automatic two-sided printing, which
makes it a lot more useful for office
work, and the 150-sheet input tray
should be enough for most small
offices. Theres a 1200dpi scanner/
copier as well, which can scan an
A4 magazine cover in 25 seconds,
but no fax machine in this model.
Performance
None of the EcoTank printers seems
to be particularly fast perhaps
because of the more complicated
plumbing required by those large ink
tanks but the ET-3600 outpaces
the other EcoTank printers that
weve seen in the past. It turned
out 13 pages per minute (ppm)
when printing plain text documents,
with Epsons pigmented black ink
and 1200dpi resolution providing
near-laser smoothness on our test
documents. Colour printing is slower,
at around 6ppm for our mixed
text-and-graphics files, but that
should still be adequate for printing
presentations and marketing
documents. Photo printing is speedy
too, at 12 seconds for a 6x4in glossy
postcard, so itll be able to handle
product brochures and flyers too.
Verdict
The high purchase price of the
ET-3600 means its obviously
not suitable for home users who
simply need an affordable printer
for occasional use. And at its high
price it could also be a bit faster.
However, the EcoTanks low running
costs are unmatched by most
conventional inkjet printers, and
will offer genuine savings for office
users who need a workhorse printer
that can handle hundreds of pages
every month. J Cliff Joseph
20/12/2016 11:32
FOR EVERYTHING
ANDROID

DIGITAL
EDITION ON
ANDROID
& iOS
tinyurl.com/nk4osoh

Every issue is packed with the latest

reviews, features, tutorials & more.
 DVDRW. J Andrew Williams

Reviews

SeT-Top box

159 inc VAT HiMedia Q10 Pro

Contact
n himediatech.com

Specifications
Android 5.1.1 Lollipop;
HiSilicon Hi3798C V200
(Cortext A53) quad-core
64-bit processor; Mali-T720
GPU; 2GB DDR3 RAM; 16GB
storage; 3.5in HDD bay; SD
card slot; Imprex 2.0
processing engine with
HDR; 10-bit colour depth;
BT.2020 wide colour
gamut; dual-band 802.11ac
Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 4.0 + EDR;
SATA 3.0; 1x USB 3.0; 1x USB
3.0 Slave; 2x USB 2.0; 1x
Gigabit Ethernet; Optical &
Coaxial SPDIF; Composite;
HDMI 2.0a; H.265; 7.1 HD
Audio passthrough and
downmix: Dolby Digital
Plus, DTS-HD; 192K/24-bit
audio decoding and
output; IR remote control;
230x180x50mm; 920g
Build:
Features:
Value:
Performance: your TV over HDMI and allows it to
The Q10 pro brings together Kodis
excellent media management and
HiMedias insane format support
and 4K image quality in one
stylish Android TV box.
What it is, what it does
In its most basic form, the HiMedia
Q10 pro is a box that connects to
operate as a giant Android tablet,
though without the touchscreen
(you get a remote control instead).
You can install any apps you
might install on a phone or tablet,
whether that be games, social
media, catch-up TV or other.
one of the most commonly
installed apps on Android TV boxes
is the Kodi media-management
app, which is helpfully preinstalled
and fully integrated here. but the
Q10 pro sets itself apart from most
Android TV- and Kodi boxes with a
great deal of extra functionality.
Lets start with the obvious: the
HiMedia Q10 pro doesnt look like
your average Android TV box. Its
larger than most more so when
you factor in the rear-mounted
detachable Wi-Fi antenna and yet
its still easily one of the better-
looking examples weve seen.
It has a black premium brushed
aluminium casing (that thanks to
a rear cooling fan kept its cool
during our testing), with a glass
panel at the front revealing an
LCD display and a useful touch
panel. An IR sensor at the centre
pairs with a bundled remote that
would appear to do it all (except
Stop, though were told there is a
workaround). The chrome trim and
gently rounded corners are nice
finishing touches that will allow
this Kodi box to slip right into any
home-entertainment setup.
The reason for its size becomes
obvious when you slide the catch
on the right edge and open up the
lid: the HiMedia Q10 pro has a 3.5in
drive bay that allows it to support
up to a staggering 6Tb of storage.
Should you need more theres
also support for NAS reading,
simplifying sharing and backup
across a network, plus an SD card
slot. A USb 3.0 and two USb 2.0
ports on the left edge enable you
to attach USb peripherals or even
more storage. Its worth pointing
out, though, that with 16Gb Flash
storage built-in you can use this
Android TV device right out the box.
The aforementioned USb 3.0 port
is another highlight in this Android
box (theres also a USb 3.0 Slave
port), and when you factor in the
sheer number of connections on the
Q10 pro you begin to see another
reason why it is so large. With
support for SATA 3.0, USb 2.0, USb
3.0, Gigabit ethernet, optical and
Coaxial SpDIF, Composite and HDMI
2.0a, there are few devices you
wont be able to connect to this box.

54 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017

054_055 HiMedia Q10 Pro 260.indd 54 20/12/2016 11:48

 Reviews

Miracast, HappyCast and Bluetooth

4.0 +EDR are also available for
wirelessly connecting devices.
The Q10 Pros support for HDMI
2.0a is particularly interesting, and
something of a game-changer over
HDMI 1.4. Where HDMI 1.4 has a
transmission bandwidth of 10Gb/s,
HDMI 2.0a can handle 18Gb/s. This
enables it to deliver 4K streams at
60fps with no fuss. The box can also
support 3D, though UltraHD content
is really where its strengths lie.
Of course, its all very well
connecting any device you can
think of, but the hardware also
needs to be able to read the files
stored on them. The HiMedia
gets a thumbs-up here with very
strong audio and video file format
support: HiMedia says it will support
any format you can name.

User interface
Out of the box, the Q10 Pro runs
Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, though an
update to Nougat is promised.
However, you wouldnt necessarily
know that this was Lollipop, since
the custom UI makes it somewhat
unrecognisable. In fact, its colourful
tiled interface reminds us more of
Windows 10 than it does Android
(see right). But for use on a TV this
type of setup is essential, and the
HiMedia is easy to operate.
The largest tile on the home
screen is for Kodi, which is
preinstalled on this box. HiMedia
also includes in the software a
Kodi wrapper, which is in essence preinstalled here, though as weve HiMedias wide colour gamut, 10-bit
software that pairs Kodis media noted storage shouldnt be an issue. colour and HDR.
management expertise with If youre missing Android as We ran the Q10 Pro through
HiMedias format support and you know it, the one place it looks the benchmarks we use for all our
image quality, allowing you to take familiar is in the Settings menu. Android phone and tablet reviews,
advantage of 4K Ultra-HD, HDR, This is where youll find options though the differences in their
10-bit colour, 7.1 HD-Audio and 3D to upgrade the software, join a usage makes drawing comparisons
ISO support within the application. wireless network (which we werent rather unimportant. Nevertheless, in
Its more than just a Kodi box, prompted to do during setup) and Geekbench 4 it recorded a multi-
though: the HiMedia Q10 Pro is a full alter display and playback options. core score of 1891, and in GFXBench
Android system, and you can install it recorded 17fps in T-Rex and 7fps in
any apps you like to start streaming Performance Manhattan. In AnTuTu, its capable
content. From the home screen Our first impressions of the Q10 Pro of around 38,000. These are good
you can access a MediaCenter, were good, with the device booting scores for an Android TV box.
YouTube, Skype, Facebook and up and ready to go in under 20
Chrome, but remember that this seconds. With 2GB of DDR3 RAM, Verdict
is Android, so any app youd use the Mali T720 GPU and a HiSilicon The Q10 Pro prices itself out of
on your phone or tablet can be Hi3798C V200 quad-core processor range for those wanting a simple,
installed from the Play Store. (based on the Cortex-A53) inside, no-frills box that adds Android
Whereas a phone or tablet has our perceptions of its real-world functionality to their TV, but it offers
an app tray, the Q10 Pro has a My performance were also very good. so much more than this. Fantastic
Apps menu available from the Operation was fast and fluid, and format support, expansive storage
home screen that lists all the apps the Q10 Pro is easily capable of 4K options and good 4K image quality
downloaded to the box. We were streaming. The picture is good, and make this a great Kodi box for
pleased to find very little bloatware shown in the best possible light by enthusiasts. J Marie Brewis

March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 55

054_055 HiMedia Q10 Pro 260.indd 55 20/12/2016 11:48


Reviews
SmaRT heaTIng SySTem
From 249 inc VAT Heat Genius
Contact
n heatgenius.co.uk
Specifications
Genius Hub; TRVs; TRV
adaptors; manual switch;
smart thermostat;
smartplugs
heat genius offers smart heating
control that learns when you
use each room of your house. It
allows you to automatically and
remotely control each radiator. and
it lets you do so from any web-
connected device. Then you can
either set your desired temperature
for each room according to the
time of day, or let the system
watch and learn from your room
occupancy, and set temperatures
and timings appropriately.
In effect, heat genius makes any
Build:
home a smart home, allowing you
to remotely control the heating in
Features:
every part of the house, as well as
Value: the hot water. It also offers other
Performance: connected devices such as smart
plugs and sensors, all controlled
by a central hub and accessed via
a mobile app or web page. and it
lets you view historical usage. So
critically it should mean you
have a warm and comfortable house,
with hot water, without using any
more power than you absolutely
need. Thus, in principal, over time
heat genius will save you money.
Price
Thats important, because heat
genius isnt the cheap option in this
space. at 249 for the genius Kit
base system that comprises hub and
Thermostat, it compares reasonably
well with the 200 nest smart
thermostat, and 179 hive active
heating although the price goes
up to 294 if you want to control
the hot water. and the costs add
up as you add zones, with each
radiator valve costing 59, and room
sensors 34. you dont need a
sensor in every room as the radiator
valves can measure temperature,
56 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
056_058 Heat Genius 260.indd 56
DVDRW. J Andrew Williams
but the sensors are required to
measure room occupancy.
So it can soon add up. even
more so if you want smart plugs at
29 a pop, or you have underfloor
heating to control. The heat genius
website has a smart Create my
system tool that allows you to spec
up your home. Through this you
can see that to fully zone a four-
bedroom house with a separate hall,
kitchen and dining room (and with
one radiator and one sensor in each
room) will cost around 1,100 just for
the kit. In that instance installation
is free as there are more than six
valves, but heat genius will charge
99 to send it all out to you. (If you
fit it yourself postage and packing is
a more reasonable 20.)
Thats 1,200 inc VaT to get a
fully trained heat genius central
heating engineer in your house, who
wont leave before the system is
installed, tested and working to your
satisfaction. not a trivial amount
of money, but if you have a large
house and parts of it are regularly
unoccupied, heat genius estimates
it could save you 20- to 40 percent
on your annual heating bill. So at
some stage it will pay for itself.
and, in our experience, you dont
need to zone everything. you can
collect up into a Rest of house
quasi-zone all the rooms that are
incidental (like hallways) or rarely
used (guest bedrooms). These can
be heated only altogether or not at
all, but in the case of a guest room
you can just turn down the radiators
when no-one is in there. In our
current setup we havent got smart
valves in either the dining room
or several of the bedrooms, so we
have to control them all together.
Basically, if it is cold they need
to be heated, and they take their
temperature from the thermostat
in the dining room. So it is virtually
as good as separate zones.
How it compares to
alternatives systems
This is not a nest or a hive - it is
much more sophisticated, and
somewhat more expensive than
those products. hive or nest is, in
essence, a dumb on-off switch that
allows you to remotely switch on and
off your heating. It will let you set a
temperature, but only from a single
thermostat. For a smaller modern
house, that is generally sufficient.
and it is a lot more efficient than a
timer-based heating system.
heat genius is better, though.
For one thing the company tells
us it has yet to find the house
within which it wont work,
regardless of type of boiler.
a true IoT system, it creates
a network of connected devices
around your home. That in turn
allows you to zone off living
areas. Then you can set desired
temperatures for each based
on your occupancy of those
areas. Whats great is the modular
nature of heat genius.
you can get the hive or nest
experience by simply buying the
genius Kit base system at 249.
adding in valves and sensors as
you desire to zone off additional
areas of the house. So you are
paying only for the tech you use
not forgetting that you can move
the zones as your needs change.
The only system that offers
anything like the comprehensive
control of heat genius is that of
20/12/2016 13:33

Tado. Tado started with a bells and
whistles central controller and is
now adding networked control of
individual radiators. Heat Genius
has always been a network
product, and is now getting really
sophisticated and stylish with
the central hardware. And unlike
Tado, it does work with every type
of boiler. Honeywell EvoHome is
the other product that gives Heat
Genius a run for its money, and is
worth your consideration.
But, basically, if you have a
large property, with areas that are
regularly unoccupied, Heat Genius
is the ideal product for you.
Whats new
Late last year, Heat Genius started
shipping its new Genius Hub system
to consumers. This builds on the
existing zoned heating system and
offers some significant upgrades.
For one thing, the kit looks better:
the new thermostat is small and
stylish, and connects wirelessly. It
replaces an older thermostat that
was wired into the wall and didnt do
a lot other than confuse guests who
presumed it controlled the heating.
With the new thermostat you can
stick it anywhere in the house and in
effect create a new, movable zone.
As well as measuring the
temperature, it allows you to
manually set the temperature for a
particular length of time. So when
Granny visits it is trivial to make
things warmer. Going wireless and
being able to be placed anywhere
means you can measure ambient
temperature at a sensible point that
accurately reflects the feel of the
house, rather than a fixed point in a
drafty hallway or above a radiator.
(And it really is small: ours mostly
lives in the unzoned dining room,
056_058 Heat Genius 260.indd 57
behind a picture frame on a shelf.)
The Genius Hub itself is also
smaller and more attractive. This
matters as the previous model was
somewhat bulky and resembled
the mini PC that it truly was. Given
that it needs to be connected to
the router this wasnt ideal in terms
of space and the attractiveness of
your home. The new slimline device
is, if anything, an advert for Heat
Genius, as curious visitors may be
minded to ask just what is that slick
piece of digital home kit.
Critically, the improvements
arent skin-deep. The smaller Genius
Hub now has a longer wireless
range, coping easily with our old
house and its solid walls. In our
previous, smaller home the last-
generation Genius Hub needed a
smart plug to be in situ in order to
reach around the whole house. The
new system effortlessly reaches
throughout our current abode,
despite having to go further and
through thicker walls. (Its better
than our Wi-Fi network that is
still a little flaky with an extender
installed.) This is important, given
that Heat Genius core constituency
is large, older properties.
The app
The main improvement is in the app
via which you control your Heat
Genius network. In the past this
was functional without being pretty,
and some of the language was a bit
technical. Function is everything in
an app that controls a system, and
even the old Heat Genius app was
simple to use in terms of operating
the heating and setting a schedule.
If everything worked it was
great, but if a device dropped off
the network or wasnt responding
understanding how to fix it required
Reviews
support. And it looked pretty rough.
Plus it didnt scale well on mobile:
have more than a few zones and you
were doing a lot of scrolling. Finally,
although you could access some
pretty hard core installer settings,
you had to hunt to find them.
You can access the new app on
Android and iOS devices, and via
the open web. It looks great, and is
very easy and intuitive to use. Heat
Genius has managed to pull off the
clever trick of putting installer-
level settings into the app, but
making them easier to use. This is
principally because of the Settings
and Doctor areas of the app,
accessed from the main menu.
Settings gives you access to a
list of all the devices on the system.
It shows you when each device
last communicated with the hub,
and shows its battery life where
appropriate. It also allows you to
Ping the device, which will often kick
into gear a valve that isnt playing
for some reason. Other options
include configuration, updates and
removal of the device. Youre not
going to need this page often, if
at all, but knowing that this level
of control is available and easy to
understand is a good thing.
As is the Doctor. This is a series
of in-app wizards that allow you to
solve problems in natural language
and with no technical knowledge.
Simply by answering questions
about the issue you are looking to
solve, the Doctor points you in the
direction of a solution, taking you
through required remedial action
step by step. And the app alerts
you to issues that your system may
have via a large red Issues pane
at the top of the app home screen.
We used the Doctor to fix a
problem with a radiator valve that
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 57
20/12/2016 13:33

Reviews
had been incorrectly set up in the
factory. Simply by answering the
questions asked it showed us how to
reset the device and reconnect it to
the network. A really smart result,
that will give end users a lot of
confidence in the system (and keep
them off tech support phone lines).
Heat Genius does offer on the
phone tech support 24/7, however.
In use
We had Heat Genius in our previous,
three-bedroomed semi-detached
home, and we loved it. We just love
the level of control over heating
and via smartplugs lights and
the kettle, to the extent that any
money-saving aspect feels like
a secondary issue. Being able to
remotely control the heating is
useful and cool. And it definitely
reduces our power usage. Over
time you heat only what you need
to heat. And because you know
that you can set a temperature in
advance you dont waste time and
energy pre-heating spaces. (Plus,
with a burgeoning family being
able to heat the kettle at 5am
to make a bottle at 6am is a life-
and sleep saver.)
Aside from the cost, the only
negative associations we have
ever had with Heat Genius were
the relatively ugly, relatively big
and relatively bulky Hub, and
the fact that on the very rare
occasions on which things went
wrong the app wasnt particularly
helpful (phone-based support was).
Neither was a huge issue, but in
digital kit visuals matter, and as
you cant tune in a digital radio
you need to be confident that any
digital system will just work or be
fixable when it breaks.
58 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
056_058 Heat Genius 260.indd 58
DVDRW. J Andrew Williams
The only other thing to note was
that in a smaller house we needed
two smart plugs to ensure the
network was sufficiently robust. And
we had to use Powerline adaptors
to place the hub in the kitchen away
from the router, but closer to the
radiator action.
Moving to a bigger house at
exactly the same time as the
updated Genius Kit is launched
was serendipity, honest. But it was
great to get the new system up and
running, testing a beta of the new
app with the all-new hardware.
The (minor) issues with the old
system are all solved here. The new
hardware is discreet and stylish.
Being able to move the thermostat
around, and use it to set the
temperature, adds a new layer of
intuitive functionality. And the app
is as outlined above a massive
improvement in all aspects, but
in particular with the control and
problem-solving capability it offers.
The major improvement is
connectivity. Our house is a largish
four-bedroom house with playroom,
utility room, garage, front room
and dining room. Parts of it were
built in the 1880s, and parts in
the 1980s, so it is a connectivity
nightmare: for all but the Genius
Hub. It just works, and works well.
The future
One intriguing aspect of Heat Genius
is what the future may hold. Once
you have the central hub in place,
and you start adding valves, sensors
and smart plugs, you are creating
an IoT network around your home.
Heat Genius hasnt announced any
concrete plans to add to the main
heating focus of the network, but
says that the new setups use of
If This Then That (IFTTT) makes
it easy to set up recipes with
third-party devices.
It says you can easily set your
Heat Genius system to interact
with 376 other devices and online
services. So you could use your
location-enabled smartphone to
switch on your heating when youre
close to home and off when you
leave, or set up a sensor behind the
front door so that you know when
someone else walks in.
This gets interesting if, and when,
Heat Genius persuades hardware
manufacturers to make or adapt
other devices to its system. It cant
be long before customers with zoned
heating systems are able to set up
IP cameras, or other connected
devices that can be controlled
remotely and set to a timer. In our
house we use two smartplugs to
remotely control lights in the front
room and the kettle. So moving
forward it may be sensible to think
of Heat Genius as a true smart
home network in the making.
Verdict
Heat Genius is very good at a very
useful thing. It is easy to use and
efficient, and over time it will save
you the cost of installation. And
it is fairly priced. How long Heat
Genius takes to pay for itself will
depend on your circumstances,
and it may be that dropping 800
to 1,200 or more is too much of a
long-term investment for you. But
it is a great product, and if you are
looking to install in your home a
zoned smart heating system, we are
happy to recommend Heat Genius
not least because of its potential
as a true smart home network for
your house. J Matt Egan
20/12/2016 13:34

109 inc VAT Philips SHB9850NC
Contact
n philips.co.uk
Specifications
8- to 40,000Hz frequency
response; 40mm drivers;
Bluetooth 4.0; NFC; 3.5mm
headphone jack; noise-
cancelling; dual-mics; 230g
Build:
Features:
Value:
Performance:
059 Philips SHB9850NC 260.indd 59
OveR-eaR HeadpHOnes
If you aspire to own a pair of
Bose or sony headphones with
noise-cancelling technology, but
cant stomach the price, then
the philips sHB9850nCs are
designed for you.
Design
at this price, you cant expect the
kind of build quality and materials
that more expensive models offer.
These headphones have a distinct
plastic look and feel to them,
though not the kind that creaks
and makes you think theyll crack.
The advantage of using plastic
is that it keeps the weight down,
and 230g isnt bad for over-ear
headphones. We also like the
faux leather earpads, which are
comfortable to wear. Theres not
a great deal of airflow due to the
closed-back design though, so you
may find that your ears get hot if
you use them for a long time.
Over-ear headphones can
be difficult to transport, making
them more suitable for home use,
but these have a foldable design,
so will fit into a bag easily. You dont
get a carry case, though.
Most wireless headphones have
various buttons and controls on
the sides of the ear cups and these
are no exception. The left cup
houses the noise cancelling button
Reviews
and an nFC chip for easier paring. response, partly due to the design,
On the right is a power button, a is somewhat lopsided though, with
Bluetooth button, indication lights the bass end most prominent. That
and a headphone jack. Theres also may be a strategic move by philips
a touchpad for controlling playback as this kind of balance will suit a lot
you swipe up and down for volume, of general users listening to pop-
front and back to change track, and and dance music. There is still good
tap to pause/play. This is hit-and- definition in the mid-range, so tracks
miss and normally takes at least with acoustic guitars, for example,
two attempts to get the right result. sound lively, but theres a lack of
each cup has a microphone, so you top-end to provide clarity.
can make hands-free phone calls. Were not impressed with the
quality of the noise cancelling here.
Audio In fact, sometimes switching it on
setting up a wireless connection can make your music sound worse.
is easy: either use the Bluetooth For the price its not bad, but we
button or the nFC chip. as is usual, dont recommend buying them
wireless performance isnt as good simply based on this feature.
as wired, plus it will vary depending
on what device you connect to. Verdict
The philips sHB9850nCs have These sHB9850nCs are not for the
40mm neodymium drivers, which discerning listener, but for a little
combine with the closed-back over 100 they make a good choice
design to create a contained sound, for those looking for a combination
with very little leakage. of over-ear wireless headphones.
The overall audio quality is The touch controls arent great and
very good for the price and the the noise cancellation isnt overly
headphones produce a rich and impressive, but sound quality is
warm sound. The frequency decent for the price. J Chris Martin
Over-ear headphones can be difficult to transport,
making them more suitable for home use, but
these have a foldable design, so will fit into a bag
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 59
20/12/2016 13:56

Reviews
199 inc VAT
Contact
n snugsearphones.co.uk
Specifications
Medical grade silicone tips;
8mm drivers; 20- to
20,000Hz frequency range;
1.2m cable; 3.5mm jack
gold plated; in-line mic and
control; hard carry case
Build:
Features:
Value:
Performance:
60 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
060 Snugs S10 260.indd 60
In-eaR headphones
Snugs Original S10
If you struggle with in-ear
headphones that are uncomfortable
and keep falling out, then snugs
custom-fit s10 could be the answer.
Scanning
Buying a pair of snugs headphones
is different to purchasing a regular
set since theyre custom made
for your ears. Fortunately, long
gone are the days of filling your
ears with putty in order to create
an impression of your ear canal.
If you live in or near London, you
can visit one of the firms fitting
centres and have the inside of your
ears digitally scanned. For the rest
of the UK, a physical impression
is still taken. The digital scan is
a quick and easy process. Youll
need to wear a headband while the
engineer carefully makes a digital
impression of the ear canal (see
the image below). Youll receive
the headphones by post.
Design
They come with a small logo with
your name printed on the side in
different colours, so youll be able
to tell which is left and which is
right. If thats too subtle, you can
get each ear in a different colour
there are 10 to choose from.
The cable is 1.2m in length and
you get a compact hard carry case,
too. Theres an in-line control that
sits at chin level offering a mic for
calls and a play/pause button.
Comfort
If you havent worn custom-moulded
headphones before they will take a
little getting used to. The first thing
to do is get the ear buds facing the
correct way in relation to the mould
the wires need to point down.
Getting them into position is tricky
at first, but we got the hang of it
DVDRW. J Andrew Williams
within a week hint, the tip faces
far more vertically than you might
expect. If, however, youre struggling,
the headphones are supplied with
a small tube of cream to help.
Youll soon find that the s10
are exceptionally comfortable. We
typically find ourselves adjusting
in-ear headphones, but these
stay in place. as a reviewer who
has struggled to find a pair that
are well-fitting and dont fall out
every few minutes, the snugs are
a revelation. during testing they
stayed in place even when we
were doing something energetic
and remained comfortable after
hours of constant use.
Audio
The moulded fit brings audio-related
bonuses, too you get natural noise
isolation and minimal leakage, so
you wont need to pump up the
volume to hear adequately.
The earphones have 8mm
titanium composite drivers with
a frequency response of 20- to
20,000hz. You can also opt for
the firms Flare R2 drivers if
youre happy to pay an additional
100. Its important to note that
the moulds make a big impact on
the sound quality here, so were
writing about the package as a
whole, not just the headphones
inserted into the tip.
The audio is excellent. The cosy
fit helps with the bass and youll
feel more immersed because of it.
Its not the best weve heard from
in-ear headphones, but its decent
for everything from both dance
music, to the kick drum of rock or
the double bass of a folk band.
The mid-range is impressive too,
with bags of presence and clarity.
This means vocals sound intimate
and you can hear every pluck of a
guitar string as if you were playing
it. one downside is the high-end,
which isnt as pronounced compared
to the mid and low end. Its not a
huge problem but can, at times,
make the mix sound a bit muddy.
Verdict
If you have trouble with in-ear
headphones, snugs original
s10 are an excellent solution. The
new scanning tech is quick and easy,
and youll find it hard to go back
once you get used to the feel of a
custom tip. J Chris Martin
20/12/2016 13:39

PoweRline adaPtoR
99 inc VAT TP-Link AV2000 2-Port Gigabit Pass-through Powerline Starter Kit
Contact the tP-link aV2000 2-Port Gigabit
n uk.tp-link.com Pass-through Powerline Starter
Kit (tl-Pa9020P Kit) is one of the
Specifications fastest set of adaptors weve tested.
2000Mb/s max throughput; at 99, we think it represents
2x Gigabit Ethernet ports; excellent value. there are cheaper
pass-through socket; options out there, but none of these
128-bit encryption; match it for speed and features.
131x72x42mm
How it works
Powerline is a plug-and-play
technology that transforms your
home network, so you can near-
replicate internet router speeds in
more than one room of your house.
Plug one adaptor into a wall power
socket near your router, and connect
the aV2000 and router using the
supplied ethernet cable. in the
second room where you require fast,
wired internet access say for your
smart tV, set-top box PVR, PC or
laptop you plug the second adaptor
into a wall socket, and then connect
the devices via the ethernet cable.
Speed myths
Powerline adaptors come with
theoretical maximum speeds of
between 200- and 2000Mb/s.
Build:
there are, of course, environmental
factors that slow this. that doesnt
Features:
mean they are useless, just that you
Value: shouldnt expect the stated speeds.
Performance: in general, the 500Mb/s Powerlines
are faster than the 200Mb/s, and the
2000Mb/s adaptors are faster than
the 430Mb/s, so use the speeds as
a gauge of speed between models.
Speed
we thought Powerline speeds had
reached a plateau for a while with
the release of 1200Mb/s adaptors,
but now tP-link is claiming a
2000Mb/s maximum. on top of
the speed boost, the aV2000 has
more ports than the aV1200, as
well as a pass-through socket.
it uses the same 2x2 MiMo with
beamforming technology as the
1200Mb/s Powerlines, so the faster
speed must be due to the wider data
bandwidth (86MHz) it enjoys over
the 1200Mb/s adaptors 67MHz. aV2
Powerline transforms your home network, so
you can near-replicate internet router speeds
in more than one room of your house
061 TP-Link AV2000 260.indd 61
MiMo utilises all three wires in an
electrical cable, transmitting data on
any two pairs. it improves speed and
longer distances between adaptors.
at PC advisor we use real-
world tests to determine Powerline
speeds. Much is dependent on
the building it is tested in, and we
suspect our house slightly plays
down possible speeds, but having
one test environment means we
can compare different makes and
models of Powerline adaptor.
Performance
in our first test, we check speeds
when both adaptors are in the
same room. we use this to check
its top speed and the aV2000
did very well, scoring 432Mb/s by
transferring a 1GB file in 19 seconds.
when we positioned the second
adaptor in a room two floors down
and about 30m apart speeds
dropped. this time, the aV2000
scored 117Mb/s way below the
2000Mb/s on the box, but still the
fastest weve seen from a Powerline.
Remember that you might see
faster (or slower) speeds in your
home, but the aV2000 stands as
the fastest weve tested so far.
Features
the aV2000 comes with a pass-
through socket on each adaptor,
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 61
Reviews
which is great for not clogging
valuable wall power sockets. each
adaptor also boasts two Gigabit
ethernet ports older 500Mb/s
Powerlines used slower-grade 10/100
ethernet ports that limited any
transfer speed to 100Mb/s.
Having two ports is great if you
have more than one smart device
that requires a wired connection for
top speed. Many of us have three
or more such gadgets, and there
are adaptors that include up to
three ports. alternatively, you can
buy an ethernet Switch that will
include five or more ports that you
can attach to the device.
the aV2000 seats its ports at
the top, which is useful if your power
sockets are close to the floor, as it
gives the cables more space.
Some Powerlines can also create
an extra wi-Fi hotspot in the second
room handy if the wi-Fi in your
house is particularly weak. the
aV2000, however, doesnt have
this wireless booster function.
Verdict
we were impressed by the real-
world performance of the tP-link
aV2000, which is our top scorer in
our tests. the inclusion of pass-
through sockets and two Gigabit
ethernet ports per adaptor are
also welcomed. theres no extra
wi-Fi hotspot function, but if your
house wi-Fi is acceptable this isnt
the worst omission. if you want
a fast Powerline starter kit with
more than one ethernet port plus
pass-through, then this is highly
recommended. J Simon Jary
20/12/2016 11:35

Reviews
Game
39 inc VAT Final Fantasy XV
Contact
n ubisoft.com/en-GB
Specifications
Sony PlayStation 4;
Microsoft Xbox One
Final Fantasy XV has taken a long
time to hit the shelves, with fans
of the series waiting almost 10
years for the game. Set in the
open world of Lucis, gamers follow
Prince Noctis and his three friends
Ignis, Prompto and Gladiolus on
their quest to reunite the prince
with his bride-to-be Lunafreya,
and to seek out the Royal arms
and defeat the technologically-
advanced empire of Niflheim.
Plot
The main story is full of plot twists
and turns, vital for any game that
offers a story that takes over 40
hours to complete. There are 15
chapters, and once youve completed
the main quest theres an additional
140 hours of in-game content in
the form of side quests, hunts and
more to keep you occupied.
While the game is open world,
there are times when the story takes
a more linear approach. Youll be
told beforehand that youre about
to leave the open world for a while
a last warning to stock up on the
various weapons, medicines and
equipment available to you. While
this only happens for brief periods
in the beginning, the game becomes
more linear as you progress, with
much of the second half feeling
more like a traditional Final Fantasy
game. We love the open world and
although more linear chapters of
the game offer more intense drama
62 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
062_063 Final Fantasy 15 260.indd 62
DVDRW. J Andrew Williams
and gameplay, were not a fan of the
restrictions put into place during
those periods in the game.
Environment and transport
The open world of Lucis is vast
and varied, featuring elements
similar to the real world, with cars
and motorways alongside more
medieval and archaic elements such
as castles and armoured soldiers.
Theres even a huge meteor thats
said to be held up by a god, a
spectacular sight to come across
during Noctiss travels. everything
you can see in-game can be reached
by the player, adding an extra
level of depth. See a weird, twisted
mountain in the background? You
can go there. Huge glaciers of ice
protruding from the ground? Yes,
you can go there, too.
Theres also a weather system
and a full day-and-night cycle, which
bring out a varying number of
beasts. If youre wandering through
a forest on a rainy day, for example,
your chances of running into a
high-level giant toad are pretty high,
although the scariest and most
powerful monsters (or daemons,
as theyre known) only come out
at night. Its recommended that
low-level gamers avoid travelling
at this time as daemons can range
from level 20 to 54, and its also
worth noticing that Ignis will
refuse to drive at night, forcing
Noctis to take the wheel. The
dark environment brings its own
challenges, such as visibility and
being more prone to ambushes.
The main method of traversal
in-game is to use the Regalia, the
customisable vehicle of choice
for Noctis and his friends. This is
one of very few to integrate an
automatic driving mode where
fellow adventurer Ignis takes
the wheel and drives you to any
destination in real time, allowing you
to sit back and take in the variety of
vistas that the game provides. Weve
stumbled across many an impressive
view while exploring the game,
enhanced only by the stunning
visual effects employed by the
game. The environment is vibrant,
gorgeous and most importantly,
alive, featuring many a creature
some friendly, some not so much.
While its fun to sit back and
have somebody drive around for
you, it can become slightly boring at
times especially if youre travelling
from one side of the map to the
other, which can take up to 10 (real)
minutes. The good news is that if
youve been there before, youll
be offered the option to fast travel
there for 10 Gil (the games unit
of currency), an option we found
ourselves taking increasingly often
as we progressed through the game.
apart from the Regalia you also
have access to Chocobos, large
chicken-like creatures that you
ride to traverse areas that the car
20/12/2016 11:38

cant handle, such as forests and
mountains. Its faster and easier
than travelling on foot, and your
Chocobo will also give you a hand in
battle once its levelled up enough.
Battle system
This isnt your standard button bash
setup gamers need only hold the
attack button to unleash a chain
of attacks on the enemy, allowing
them to use the left analogue stick
to select various moves. Pointing the
stick upward may prompt an aerial
attack, while moving it down will
trigger a charging move, although
the moves available depends on
the type of weapon used.
The slightly automated attack
system also lets you keep an eye
on not only your attacker but
those around you too. You must
watch for small cues that suggest
the enemy may attack, and defend
against, parry and counter the
attacks. We must admit that this
took a lot of getting used to, but
once it clicked it was an extremely
effective way of battling, from taking
out groups of weaker enemies to
timing dodges and parries right
to weaken even the biggest and
strongest opponent.
Prince Noctis also has access to
abilities that let him warp, providing
an extra in-battle advantage. He
can warp to wherever his sword is
thrown and although the distance
travelled isnt much, it comes as
a great help when cornered. The
Warp Strike warps Noctis towards
an opponent sword-first, causing
huge damage when he hits, and can
become more powerful if performed
over great distances. You can also
warp to locations to recover health
points (HP) and magic points (MP),
while also providing a birds-eye
view of the battle below.
There are a variety of weapons
available too, each with unique
characteristics that make it more-
or less effective against certain
enemies. Weaponry is available
throughout the open world, with
Noctis responsible for not only
upgrading his own weapons but
those of his comrades, too.
Another powerful string to
Noctiss bow of weapons is magic.
There are three spell elements
thunder, ice and fire and these
can be crafted in the Elemency
menu and combined with items for
extra effects. While these spells
062_063 Final Fantasy 15 260.indd 63
are powerful when used in the
right situations, there arent many
areas from which you can collect
each element, so youll need to be
selective when you use magic.
Ignis, Prompto and Gladiolus
each have unique qualities, and
while you can only control Noctis,
your AI-controlled friends can be
called upon to unleash huge attacks,
although these require the Tech
Bar to be filled. Joint links allow
teammates to gang up on enemies,
and are usually triggered after a
successful block and counter, or
if you blind side an enemy. These
attacks can be devastating, and
show off some of the more complex
moves available in the game.
However, theyre nowhere near
as devastating as the Astrals that
you can summon once unlocked. In
essence these are gods that Noctis
can call upon for a favour to deliver
a crushing blow to the enemy. The
environment will determine which
Astral will appear, along with the
type of attack used. We, for example,
were scooped up by one gigantic
Astral before he unleashed a flurry
of thunderbolts on the battlefield,
which destroyed all the enemies
within it. While these moves are
uncommon, the fact you can
summon a god mid-match adds a
level of excitement unmatched by
similar open world games.
Theres a lot to think about in
battles, so the game features a Wait
Mode akin to earlier turn-based Final
Fantasy games, applied to real-time
gameplay. With this enabled, youre
able to pause the game and look
at the battle going on around you.
Youre able to scan enemies for
strengths and weaknesses, as well
Reviews
as plan who to attack next, without
the need to move quickly. There is,
of course, a Wait Mode timer and
once it runs out, you cant use it
again during that battle, but this
makes the system a lot fairer.
Havens and camping
The experience points (EXP) you
earn from battling and completing
quests arent automatically added
to each character. Instead, the game
requires you to camp in order to
tally up all your EXP since the last
time you slept. This makes it an
essential part of the game, as the
only way youll be able to level up is
by camping out or staying in a hotel.
The benefit to staying in a hotel is
that your EXP will be multiplied by
up to two, depending on the quality
of the establishment, although youll
have to pay to stay in them.
As a Chef, Ignis will take the
ingredients available to him and
cook meals that provide the team
with buffs that, for example,
increase damage or provide
immunity to poison.
Verdict
Final Fantasy XV is phenomenal,
in terms of the open world
environment and the engaging
storyline it provides. Theres so
much to do that it will take around
200 hours to complete, with 40-
to 50 hours being spent on the
main storyline alone. The Battle
Mechanics are different to similar
games and although it takes some
getting used to, its extremely
effective. The world of Eos feels
alive, and is a place we cant see
ourselves leaving for quite some
time. J Lewis Painter
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 63
20/12/2016 11:38

Reviews
Game
27 inc VAT Watch Dogs 2
Contact
n ubisoft.com/en-GB
Specifications
Sony PlayStation 4;
Microsoft Xbox One;
Windows 7 or later
(64-bit versions only)
Bear with us for a bit. Were going
to get around to Watch Dogs
2, but its going to be by way
of a semi-lengthy tangent into
assassins Creed particularly, what
assassins Creed II meant to that
now-juggernaut of a series.
Its easy to forget, with almost
a decade of sequels under our
belt, that there was a time when
assassins Creed could have
conceivably died off. early on, too.
after garnering quite a bit of hype,
the original game released in 2007
to middling reviews. Disappointing,
said many, or Repetitive. It
had some great ideas, but was a
boring mess of a game.
That might have been the
end, but no. assassins Creed II,
released in 2009, ushered in the
Ubisoft Formula that propelled the
publisher to new heights and then
became the butt of industry jokes:
1) Climb towers 2) Unlock a million
icons on the map 3) Grind out some
missions 4) Repeat. Sure, its trite
now, but at the time, it marked a
huge shift in the open-world genre.
One of those assassins Creed
II-alikes was Watch Dogs. Released
in 2014 following years of hype, it
adapted all the same assassins
Creed II tropes to the modern era,
with just a dash of hacking on top.
and it was incredibly boring.
So if youd asked us whether
Watch Dogs needed a sequel, wed
have said no. absolutely not. and
64 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
064_065 Watch Dogs 2 260.indd 64
DVDRW. J Andrew Williams
yet surprise of all surprises, Watch
Dogs 2 is just as big a comeback as
assassins Creed II. The irony? It had
to burn down the assassins Creed II
formula in order to do it.
A twist on old tricks
Okay, maybe were overstating
things a bit. We dont think Watch
Dogs 2 is going to mark the same
genre-shaking shift as assassins
Creed II, nor is it a perfect game.
There are still some dodgy bits to
this tale of marcus, San Francisco
Bay area hacker extraordinaire.
But it takes some meaningful
steps away from the formula.
The one Ubisoft publicized the
most prior to release is of course
No tower climbing, which also
equates to no more tedious
district reclamation and none of
those overdone Camera Pulls
Way Out and Swirls around The
Landscape scenes.
Tower climbing was an obvious
target. Its inclusion in the original
Watch Dogs was one of the first
times we really started to see
a homogenization across all of
Ubisofts games, because how
does tower climbing fit in the story
of an all-powerful hacker? and its
only got worse since.
Obvious or not, its a huge shift
in presentation, though. The San
Francisco of Watch Dogs 2 feel more
like a world and less like a series
of artificial hurdles to overcome.
as if to bring the point home, the
games second mission has you drive
from Sausalito across the Golden
Gate Bridge into San Francisco, as
if to say: See! No gates here! Go
wherever you want!
and without tower climbing to
rely on as a crutch, other pieces of
Ubisofts formula start to crumble.
Side missions must be introduced
in a logical manner, for instance
and are. They are couched in the
worlds fiction, with marcus hacking
peoples phones or being handed
missions by his friends at hacking
collective Dedsec.
Theyre creative, too. The
assassins Creed II formula was Do
the same tedious activity a dozen
times, but in different parts of the
city. In Watch Dogs 2, however,
each side mission has its own
story, and often its own unique
environment to explore be it a
robot assembly line or Ubisofts
own San Francisco studio.
even collectibles are covered
within the Watch Dogs 2 fiction.
ScoutX, for example an app
on marcuss phone that rewards
you for seeking out and taking
pictures of Bay area landmarks.
Its like Niantics real-life Field
Trip app mixed with Foursquare,
in other words an app that could
conceivably exist in our actual
reality. and each collectible is
technically unique, so youre not just
grabbing your hundredth feather
20/12/2016 11:13

from a rooftop, you feel like youre
exploring the city.
The result? Instead of feeling like
a straightforward story with optional
side activities, as in the Ubisoft
Formula of old, Watch Dogs 2 feels
more like a non-linear narrative.
Youve got a character (Marcus)
and an end goal (overthrow the
evil Blume corporation), but other
than that youre free to dabble in
the story wherever youd like. Weve
advocated for that style of open-
world storytelling in the past, and
while we dont think Watch Dogs 2
makes it all the way theres still
definitely a central thread to follow
it gets damn close.
It made us want to engage. In
Assassins Creed, weve long since
given up on grabbing every asinine
treasure chest or dumb MacGuffin
on my way to the finish line. But in
Watch Dogs 2, wed often see the
little ScoutX location nearby tag
pop up on the GPS, hit the brakes,
and jump out to take a picture on
the way to my next mission.
Sure, there are still issues. The
people walking down the street
dont seem particularly smarter
than Assassins Creeds mobs
strangle a guy in front of them and
half the time theyll forget to react.
Sometimes youll see pedestrians
act out scenes together, but then
youll see the same scene repeated
later and it loses the magic.
There are also still some
scattered holdovers from the
Lets just cram everything in
mentality. A series of race missions
are the worst offenders, standard
open-world fodder that we should
just let die already.
Overall though its an impressive
shift for Ubisoft. In recent years,
weve thought that Ubisofts output
feels more like a collection of
incredible art assets than a real
game a beautiful city, in other
words, brimming with some of the
most vapid content possible. Thats
not the case here. Theres more to
Watch Dogs 2 than a sometimes-
stunning recreation of San Francisco
and the surrounding areas.
And while this upturning of the
Ubisoft formula is in large parts
the reason we enjoyed Watch Dogs
2, wed feel remiss if we didnt talk
briefly about its improvements
within the context of the first game:
writing a character who matters and
making hacking a viable strategy.
064_065 Watch Dogs 2 260.indd 65
The first is pretty self-
explanatory. New protagonist
Marcus is simply a hell of a
lot more interesting than his
predecessor, the Forever-Grumpy-
And-Entirely-Forgettable Aiden
Pearce, a character whos only
memorable (get ready for the
paradox) because hes so generic.
Watch Dogs 2 ditches the dour,
clich tale of vengeance for a
lighthearted power fantasy where
the hackers are party-hounds
and outcasts fighting The Man
for reasons that come straight
out of a Marxist handbook. Its
pure bubblegum fluff, but at least
it remembers not to take itself
too seriously for the most part.
There is one embarrassing and
hackneyed series of missions in
Oakland mid-game, but its quickly
abandoned and afterward Marcus
and co. are right back to stupid
jokes and ridiculous slang.
As for the hacking, were pleased
with how its changed in the sequel.
Functionally, its not much different.
Youre still jumping camera-to-
camera, maybe distracting guards
with an incoming phone call or
stunning them with a jolt from a
convenient electrical panel.
But where the original Watch
Dogs felt like a shooter in which
you occasionally paused to hack
something, Watch Dogs 2 makes it
much more viable to ghost through
entire missions unseen.
One of our favourite examples: a
mission charged us with blowing up
some contraband hidden in a heavily
Reviews
guarded garage. In most games that
would mean shooting our way into
the garage, putting explosives on the
crates inside, blowing them up, and
then jumping into a car to escape my
pursuers. And sure, you could play
it that way in Watch Dogs 2. Or you
could hack a nearby forklift, direct
it to pick up a nearby petrol tanker,
drive that into the garage, and use
your phone to tell it to explode all
without the guards ever realizing
youre there. Then its just a leisurely
drive away from the scene of the
crime, no pursuit, and youre out.
Almost every mission seems
to have some sort of creative
path towards completion, and the
possibilities open up even more
once you unlock Marcuss RC Car
and Quadcopter, both of which can
be used for scouting or long-range
hacking while Marcus sits safely
outside the mission area.
The hacking is still completely
ridiculous and unrealistic, and the
guards a bit stupid what, nobody
suspects the guy using his laptop
in the woods outside their heavily-
guarded compound might be up to
something? But its a much better
proof-of-concept of the whole Watch
Dogs idea than the original game.
Verdict
We really enjoyed Watch Dogs 2.
More than just a pretty backdrop
for an average game, Ubisoft has
finally broken with its formula
and put out something fresh.
Hopefully, its the first in a new
trend. J Hayden Dingman
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 65
20/12/2016 11:13

Reviews
Game
Free (7.99 full game) Super Mario Run
Contact
n supermariorun.com/en-gb
Specifications
iOS 8.0 or later
Super mario Run is easily one of
the most anticipated iPhone and
iPad games to date. Nintendos
game takes the full-fledged Super
mario side-scrolling experience
that weve seen for the past 30-
plus years and streamlines it for
touchscreens and one-handed play.
Modes
The game is nominally split into
three modes, although the first,
World Tour, is sure to dominate
your play time, at least at first.
World Tour is mario as it would
ordinarily be understood: a series of
worlds, each divided up into three
conventional levels and a Bowzers
castle boss level to finish up. (In this
simple structure SmR harks back to
the very earliest mario games.)
The second mode, Toad Rally,
is a bit more unconventional and
social: it involves trying to beat
the performances of other players.
Youll be presented with a series of
high scores, in effect recorded by
real-world players, and if you see
one you reckon you can beat, and
have a spare ticket to pay for entry
(these are acquired in World Tour),
you can take it on. You play against
a ghost of the players performance,
as live as it were, and try to pick
up more coins, impress more
Toads and generally outperform
your rival in the time allowed.
(Its also possible to play Toad
Rally games against actual friends
66 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
066_067 Super Mario Run 260.indd 66
DVDRW. J David Price
you know in the real world, as
a sort of local multiplayer. This
doesnt cost tickets, but doesnt
earn you rewards either.)
The final mode is called Kingdom
Builder and is really just a place
to go to spend your ill-gotten
gains from the other two modes.
You gradually build up your own
little kingdom, adding decorative
elements and new buildings when
your acquired resources allow it;
some of the new buildings bring
with them bonus games and other
goodies. This is where impressing
Toads in Toad Rally is particularly
important: if you impress them,
theyll come and live in your
kingdom, and the more Toads
youve got of each colour, the
more other stuff you can unlock.
Gameplay
The essence of SmR across both
World Tour and Toad Rally, the
principle underlying every design
decision, is that it is played with
one hand. (entertainingly, Shigeru
miyamoto says this is to allow
players to eat a hamburger at
the same time, but it seems more
likely to be a decision made with
commuter gaming in mind.) Which
means its an endless, or rather
auto runner albeit nowhere near
as limited as that implies.
Whereas traditional mario
games occupy multiple buttons
and both hands at once the left
hand working the joypad on a Wii
controller, for instance, and the
right hand controlling one button
for jumping and another for
running, shooting fireballs, and so
on this game only ever requires
one button, and thats jump. That
button is most of the screen.
mario is automatically and
continuously with some exceptions
well discuss in a moment propelled
at maximum velocity to the right,
which instantly removes the need
for a joypad, a run button and the
rest. (There are no fire flowers in
the game, so theres no need for
a button for these; indeed, other
than the size-up mushroom there
are no power ups at all.) all you
need to do is decide when to jump,
and how high a longer press
produces a bigger jump.
This probably sounds rubbish,
barely a game at all. But the
surprising thing is how full a
game it feels, and how quickly
you stop missing the old control
method the one we had drilled
into us back in the last millennium.
mario has lots of different jump
and flip moves, depending on
what hes jumping off or the way
you time it, including the ability
to slide down vertical blocks and
jump off in the opposite direction
when you fancy. and the makers
have worked hard to populate the
game with other mechanisms for
stalling, halting or reversing marios
20/12/2016 10:37

progress: stop blocks, backflip
blocks, doors on ghost levels,
bubbles that take you backward,
special wraparound levels where
leaving the screen on the right
brings you out on the left and your
real aim is to progress vertically.
The backwards-drifting bubble
appears the first two times you die
on each level, although you can use
up a bubble voluntarily if you miss
something vital
If we mention theres a timer
that kills you if it runs out, youll get
an idea of how much control and
responsibility you have over Marios
forward progress. Its a game about
agency just as much as urgency. We
think theyve pitched it just right.
Indeed, at the same press event
where we first tried out Super Mario
Run, we also got to try out the
(much more traditionally controlled,
and very fun) Mario Maker on the
3DS, and it actually felt a little
pedestrian in comparison: with
no surging impetus to the right
we were able to bimble about and
think about everything, rather than
the manic hurtling that Mario is all
about at its best. Mario really, really
works as an auto runner. (We say
auto runner rather than endless
runner because, in World Tour at
least, these are proper levels with a
beginning and end, complete with
flagpole and little castle. There is
a planned arc to each level; youre
not just running until you die, like
in a Temple Run clone.)
And that initial batch of levels,
even though many of them seem
fairly easy to complete, offer plenty
of replayability. As well as the usual
gold coins, there are five pink coins
hidden on each level; get them all
in a single run-through and you
unlock a new version of the level
with five purple coins, this time
hidden in far more difficult places.
Finish the level with all five of
those and you unlock the black-
coins level, the hardest of all.
Always-online requirements
Since we first played Super Mario
Run at Nintendos offices (where
naturally there was a consistent Wi-
Fi connection), its become apparent
that the game requires an internet
connection to play even for the
non-social, single-player World Tour
Mode. This appears to be an anti-
piracy measure. (Yep, piracy, that
great scourge of the App Store.)
066_067 Super Mario Run 260.indd 67
Reviews
We tested this out for ourselves that on mobile is astonishing.
and, sure enough, whenever we However, the requirement that
turned on Airplane Mode, or went you have access to an internet
through a tunnel on our commuter connection in order to open and
train, or the office Wi-Fi was just run the app is hugely disappointing.
being spotty, we got an error This kind of thing caused annoyance
message. If there isnt a good when Diablo 3 came out in 2012,
connection you cannot start up the but that was a PC game, so a
app; and if youre in the level select consistent internet connection was
screen and choose a new level, you a reasonable expectation. But this
wont get anywhere. If youre in the is supposed to be a mobile game,
middle of a level and lose connection and there are numerous situations
youll be allowed to finish the level, when youll want to play the game
but at that point the error message but wont be able to because of this
will reappear, just before Mario absurd, unnecessary and infuriating
gets his points. (You can die and feature of the game.
retry a level several times with no If it wasnt for the always-online
connection. Its when you try to do requirement, this would have been a
something else that it falls down.) five-star review and if youre going
Clearly this is a concern. One to always play in locations with a
of the great advantages of SMRs secure and consistent connection,
single-button control method is and youre not worried about
the fact that you can play it easily Nintendos servers going down,
while commuting, but this means then you can continue to treat this
a wide range of commuters Tube as a glowing recommendation. But
passengers, and rail passengers for the rest of us, this is a hugely
going through a tunnel, and frustrating fly in an otherwise
anyone travelling through an charming ointment. J David Price
area with spotty 3G or using a
Wi-Fi-only iPad is out of luck. A
significant caveat now hangs over
would have been an enthusiastic
recommendation of this game.
Verdict
We went in with an open mind but a
degree of scepticism; could Mario be
transplanted into a modern mobile
game with his soul intact? But the
fun weve had with Super Mario Run
has put most of those fears to bed.
It may be free, but the pricing
model is fair and non-exploitative
(faint praise, perhaps, but by no
means assumed in the murky world
of in-app purchases). Some may
baulk at 7.99 to unlock the full
game, but its a one-off payment,
perfectly good value in our view for
a full and beautifully designed game,
and you get plenty of opportunity
to try out the early levels for free
before committing yourself. No one
is getting tricked out of their money.
And the auto running aspect
seems completely natural, thanks
to the sheer effort the designers
have put into making each level
work with the new control method.
This is the gold standard of level
design we have come to expect from
the Mario team over the years. The
greatest compliment we can pay
the designers is that this just feels
like another Mario game. To achieve
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 67
20/12/2016 10:38
 GROUP TEST
NAS
DR I V E S
Benny Har-Even reveals what to look for in a NAS drive and reveals our top picks
N
AS stands for Network Attached
Storage and it enables you to
have a large amount of storage
connected directly to the router, making it
available to all your devices. NAS drives are
designed to be left on permanently, which
means you can access your music, movies,
photos and documents without having to
make sure a computer is turned on.
One of their most popular uses is for
media playback, so files can be viewed on
your TV, without having to connect a PC. A
NAS drive also uses much less power than
a regular computer making them much
cheaper to run. For ease of setup and use, a
dedicated NAS drive is hard to beat.
Capacity
Its vital that you opt for a drive that has
enough storage to meet your needs both
now and in the future. Plenty of NAS drives
come with no disks these are known as
diskless or bare drives. Their advantage is
that you can choose the drives you want
and how much capacity you need.
68 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
068_077 GT NAS Drives 260.indd 68
You can now get disks up to 10TB in size, as TLER (TimeLimited Error Recovery)
though for each disk youll be paying at least and by Samsung and Hitachi as command
400 or so for the privilege. 4TB disks are completion time limit (CCTL). This optimises
arguably the sweet spot, at around 120. the error correction for drives when they are
installed in a RAID array (explained below) as
Disks for NAS drives is usually the case with NAS drives.
When you choose your disks, look for
ones that have been designed to work RAID
specifically with NAS boxes. NASoptimised RAID, stands for redundant array of
features include more secure construction inexpensive disks. It can be complex, but at
providing more resistance to vibration, a basic level youll want to use it primarily
which makes a lot of sense for a drive to provide redundancy, so if a disk fails your
You can now get disks up to 10TB in size, though for each
disk youll be paying at least 400 or so for the privilege. 4TB
disks are arguably the current sweet spot, at around 120
thats designed to be on the whole time. data is still safe. There are many variants,
They also offer power management, so but three of the most popular are known as
they can adjust performance based on RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 6.
their temperature. These drives also offer Most NAS drives offer at least two
special features in firmware known by WD bays, which means you can set them up as
TEST CENTRE
15/12/2016 14:50

RAID 1. In this scenario, the second drive
is a mirror of the first, so if one drive fails
completely all your data is safe on the other.
You then can replace the faulty disk and
rebuild the RAID array, though this will take
several hours.
RAID 5 requires at least three drives
and offers parity data. That means a RAID
5 array can withstand a single drive failure
without losing data or access to it. As data is
striped across three drives, reads are fast,
but at the expense of slower writes because
of having to also write the parity data.
RAID 6 requires four drives but offers
both striped and dual parity, so two drives
could fail and the RAID could still recover.
Whichever you choose dont consider
RAID to be your only backup. First, youre
relying on the RAID array rebuilding
successfully, and while from experience we
know that it does work, it is another point
of failure. If the box just dies, youll still lose
all your data. To mitigate this youll want
another external backup, preferably to the
cloud. Most NAS offer native applications
TEST CENTRE
068_077 GT NAS Drives 260.indd 69
for certain providers, but these will require
subscription to the service and wont
necessarily be from your preferred one.
Hot swap
Another feature to look out for is hot-swap
capability, which enables you to take out or
add a drive without having to power down
first, which could be important if youre
running business applications off your
NAS and want to maintain uptime when
replacing or adding a drive.
Remote connectivity
You should also consider whether youll
need remote access to the drive. Previously
this required signing up to a third-party
DNS service, but these days you can just
sign up for an account with your NAS
manufacturer as you set up the drive.
Login to the account and theyll handle
the connectivity to your box at home. If
privacy is a concern you many not wish to
go down this route, but for ease of use its
the way to go.
GROUP TEST
Photography by Dominik Tomaszewski
Transcoding
Its also worth considering how powerful
you need your NASs processor to be. The
dedicated OS that NAS drives use are
lightweight, but a faster processor and
more memory will enable features such as
transcoding. This means any media files
will be converted on the fly into a playable
format, so you dont have to rely on your
client device being able to play them
smoothly. For example, HEVC H.265 files
are becoming popular due to the small file
sizes, but devices that can play them back
natively are still uncommon. Transcoding will
deal with this for you if your NAS is powerful
enough. If, however, you have 4K files and
want to play these youll need a fast NAS.
Applications
Finally, you might want to consider to what
use youll be putting your NAS to. As well as
media a small business owner will want to
know what applications it has to offer, such
as setting it up as an email server, a VPN
server or using it to host a website.
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 69
15/12/2016 14:50
 Group test: NAS drives
ASUSTOR AS1004T
239 inc VAT asustor.com
Storage is a big deal these days, with most people storing much
of their movies, music, photos and documents in digital form. As
such, Asus has created a brand especially to cater for this market
in the form of Asustor. The AS1004T is a four-bay NAS drive
compatible with disks up to 10TB in size, enabling you to have up
to 40TB of storage, which should be enough for anybody.
Design
Removing it from the box we were impressed with its sharp angular
design and patterned black finish. We think this gives it a modicum of
style, so it wont stick out like a sore thumb if its visible in the home.
Its also quiet in operation, rated at just 19.7dB. This is due to
the use of a large 70mm fan, which helps it be a room friendly
device. That said, when a Time Machine backup was in progress
and the drives were whirring away inside, we measured it peaking
at a rather louder 71dB. Dont backup while watching a quiet movie
would be our tip unless you equip it with solid-state drives (SSDs).
We also liked the tool-less installation. Thumbscrews are used
both to remove the cover and to install the disks inside, so you can
get it up and running without needing to a screwdriver. To initialize,
the driver youll need to install the Control Center software, and we
were bemused to see that this was supplied on a CD. This was of
little use to us as the laptop we used for testing was bought in the
21st century, so didnt have an optical drive.
The quick start guide told us to go online if we couldnt use a disk,
but we were rather stumped when the web page to download the
software only produced a broken link. We had to resort to a search
engine to find the file we needed.
Once wed managed to downloaded the file, installation proved
straightforward, with the software detecting the drive and launching
the install process. If, however, you are using fewer than four disks,
make sure you start by installing the first disk in the first bay
otherwise the disks will not be detected. We didnt do this at first, so
had to open up the NAS and reinstall the disks.
With disks correctly in place, we were given the choice between
using the full capacity of both disks or going for RAID 1, giving us
backup protection for our data should one drive fail. We went for
the latter. Note you cant hot swap the drives, should you need to
replace or install a new one, so there will be downtime to do either.
Logging into the AS1004T for the first time and youre presented
with a grid of basic-looking icons arranged in a grid. Its not as
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sophisticated looking as what youll find from Synology or QNAP, but
in terms of available apps you wont feel shortchanged.
The App Center provides access to a wide range of applications
though you will need to register for an account first before you
can gain access. Staples such as an application for downloading P2P
files and photo browsing are all available, but its also possible to
find programs for business functions such as database management,
using it to host a WordPress website, or running virtualised operating
systems. You can even plug in security cameras, too.
Its also straightforward to configure rights access for different
users and create shared folders and Mac users will appreciate being
able to set up a Time Machine back up.
Multimedia-wise, it comes with a number of mobile apps such
as the AIVideo app for iOS. The Marvell processor allowed us
to play back an H.265 encoded MKV files on an iPhone 7 Plus
flawlessly. However, the same file was not recognised over DLNA
using our favourite AVPlayer app for iOS. Our other test files
played without issue, though.
Performance
With a Marvell rather than Intel processor and only 512MB of RAM,
some may have doubts as to the performance of the Asustor, but
it delivered for us in our tests. Playback of files over the network
and via PS4 was responsive. However, theres not enough grunt for
hardware transcoding on the fly, which meant that there was no
way we could play back our H.265 test file.
In terms of write performance, we saw a decent 110MB/s using
the CrystalDiskMark test for maximizing the throughput of a single
Ethernet connection. Read speeds meanwhile only peaked at
82.2MB/s, slower than other NAS drive, which can break 100MB/s.
Verdict
We liked the Asustor AS1004T for its ease of installation, its
relatively quiet operation in normal use and its decent performance.
It isnt fast enough for hardware transcoding though, so youll need
native support for all your files on all your client devices. Where
it trumps the completion is that if offer a four-bay chassis where
others at a similar price offer only two. If storage rather than
performance is the priority, then its a great choice and while the
ADM interface isnt as accomplished looking as some of its rivals
its got the apps youll likely need.
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15/12/2016 14:50

NETGEAR READYNAS RN212
250 inc VAT netgear.co.uk
Netgear virtually owned the market for NAS drives for the home and
small business markets a few years ago, but these days theres a lot
of competition, which is a great thing for consumers. This means
that the ReadyNAS needs to be good to stand out. Its a two-bay
diskless drive and at 250 its not a bargain basement option as
youll also have to find funds for disks too.
Its powered by a 1.4GHz ARM Cortex A15 Quad Core processor
backed by 2GB of RAM. ARM designed processors are what powers
most smartphones, but its unusual to see them used in a NAS
drive, so we were interested to see how this high-end ARM processor
performed. Connectivity wise there are two USB 3.0 ports, one on
the front and two at the rear. Also at the rear is a Kensington lock
to physical secure the unit.
As well as the power button and the indicator lights, theres
a Backup button, for manual backup activation. At the rear are
two Gigabit Ethernet ports. Two ports are theoretically useful for
increasing performance, but youll need compatible hardware, and it
will be more hassle than its worth for most users to get working.
If you are spending this much money you should expect solid
construction and thats what the Netgear provides. The metal
housing of the RN212 inspires confidence and its narrow design
means it might sneak into areas that other boxes wont. Netgear
says its tool-less drive installation is the easiest in the industry,
though that wasnt the case for us.
You should be able to just pop the drive into the tray, but our
8TB test disk hard disks didnt have a second securing hole, which
means removing the inner mechanism and affixing the drives into
the bay with old fashioned screws using a screwdriver. It was a bit
of faff, but not the end of the world as it should be a one-time job.
Just be prepared for it.
During installation, we were prompted to set up the Ready Cloud
Netgears system for remote access to the drive. However, during
installation, it kept throwing up a message that ReadyCloud had
lost communication with the device, but once we had completed
installation we were able to set it from there. It did the job as we
could login remotely, enabling us to access the drive and download a
movie when we were out of the house.
While the likes of QNAP and Synology tend to ape each others
operating system designs, the ReadyNAS interface is quite different.
Rather than a window system its a more simple series of tabs
running across the top. The system tab shows the health of your
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drive, fan and CPU temperature, and shares allows you to create
folders and assign them to users.
Compared to other rivals we found the number of third-party
apps relatively lacking. They arent placed into categories with just
a single page of app to choose from. There is a decent selection at
least, such as an anti-virus, a Dropbox connection, and a native app
for backing up to iDrive. You can also use the box as a Mac Time
Machine backup. We looked for a BitTorrent client, but our first
choice refused to install, which was baffling, our second was too
complex for us to quickly get to grips with, while the third was the
basic client we were looking for its interface opened in browser tab
and wasnt particularly appealing to use. We also found apps took
over the NAS while installing with a dialog box, so you couldnt do
anything else until it was done.
Our favourite Plex Media server app was available at least and we
set this up to test the Netgears media playing capabilities.
Performance
We found that the Netgear did a great job playing back all our media
test files to a Sony PlayStation 4 via Plex and was able to transcode
a 1080p H.265 file to play back smoothly. However, the Netgear
couldnt transcode the files to play back on an Oppo Blu-ray player.
We also tried playing back a UHD 4K file, and while Plex attempted
to transcode there was not enough horsepower in the Netgear CPU
to do so smoothly. We could stream to an iPhone 7 Plus, however, via
the AV player app, with the transcoding done by the handset, though
it took a while for the file to start playing back.
In our CrystalDiskMark test, the drive achieved a peak read speed
of 116.9MB/s, nearly maxing out the Gigabit Ethernet connection. The
write speed was slower though as 98.42MB/s, so copying to the drive
isnt the fastest weve seen.
Verdict
The Netgears physical design is very impressive, but we were
troubled by issues that meant it lacked the appeal of drives weve
tested from QNAP and Synology. Not all disks can be installed in
a tool-less fashion and the interface for installing and using apps
isnt the best weve seen, nor is the range of choices. Performance
is good, but the ARM processor doesnt quite have chops to handle
4K transcoding. Its a good drive, but it would need to be cheaper
for us to recommend it over the competition.
February 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 71
15/12/2016 14:50
 Group test: NAS drives
QNAP TS-251A
249 inc VAT qnap.com/en
QNAP is one of the major brands when it comes to network attached
storage disks for the home and the TS-251A is another strong
proposition. It offers a high-end specification for a home NAS,
powered by an Intel Celeron N3060 dual-core processor running
at 1.6GHz, with boost speeds up to 2.48GHz. That performance is
there for a reason it claims to offer 4K playback and decoding on
the fly, so you can watch high-quality files on your TV smoothly.
That power doesnt come cheaply, though. This model can be
picked up online for around 250 but that doesnt include any hard
disks, so youll have to purchase those separately. It comes in 2GB
or 4G variants our supplied model was 2GB.
Design
At the back are two USB 3.0 ports and two Gigabit Ethernet sockets.
Theres also an HDMI port, so you can even hook the QNAP up
directly to a TV and watch content direct from the drive on it. And
if your network is down for any reason you can also plug in a mouse
and keyboard and operate the NAS directly, like you would with a
conventional computer. A remote control is supplied, suitable for
basic operations.
There are two USB 3.0 ports on the front but one of these is an
unusual Micro-B connection. This is for hooking up to an external
drive, so you can back up or copy content from or to the drive.
This seems an unusual option to have, but has been designed so
that you can back up your files without having to worry about the
network. Bizarrely though, the necessary cable isnt included in
the box, though you can pick one up for a fiver, so its not the end
of the world. An SD card slot is also available, so you can transfer
the photos from your DSLR straight onto the NAS.
The drive bays slide out easily, but installation is not tool-less
getting the disks in will require the use of a screwdriver. When
you turn on the drive and its hooked up via Ethernet, you should,
in theory, be able to set it up via a Cloud Installation whereby
you scan a QR code with a reader app on your mobile and the drive
will be identified and set itself up. This didnt work smoothly for
us as it didnt detect the drive, so we went with a more traditional
approach. We downloaded and installed the QFinder Pro utility to
our computer and using this the drive was duly detected and the
latest firmware installed. In fact, youll need this utility installed to
be able to make use of the USB 3.0 Micro-B port on the front for
hooking up an external drive.
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Software
Once set up, and youve logged in to your NAS via a browser,
youll discover the TS-251A to be powered by one of the most
comprehensive NAS operating systems on the market. The simple
icon and window based interface is speedy and easy to use. QTS
offers a huge range of apps available to install. There are staples
such as a Photo Station, Music Station, and a Download Station,
from which you can search for P2P files without having to use a PC.
Theres also a wealth of choice in the App Center with a wide range
of categories, from surveillance apps to software that enables you to
run a WordPress site to an email server.
Theres also a Video Station app, though this has no support
for MKVs, which means it wont be much use to many. Of all the
apps available, the one that interested us most was Plex, the media
organisation software. Interestingly, you can run both the Plex
Media Server and the Plex client on the same box. It works very well
and with the QNAP attached to the TV we were able to browse and
play content using the supplied remote control. You can also access
it via a Plex client on an Xbox One or PS4.
One issue we found was the noise level. Our drive was filled by
two Seagate ST8000VN0002 8TB drives set up in RAID one. This
proved to be noisier in operation than we would have liked. This
could be corrected if we slightly moved the unit.
To test performance, we used CrystalDiskMark and with a 1GB
sequential test with saw read performance of 111MB/s and write
performance of 118.5MB/s very impressive indeed. You wont be
wanting for performance from this drive.
To test the port on the front we hooked up to a MacBook Pro
laptop and using BlackMagic Disk Test we saw speeds of 106MB/s
write and 107MB/s read very good indeed.
Verdict
The QNAP is an undoubtedly impressive NAS drive. Theres plenty of
power for virtually all tasks, and H.265 aside it will handle anything
you throw at it. The range of apps is very comprehensive and the
interface is excellent. The downside is the lack of support for MKV
from its native app, which will mean having to pay for Plex to play
files on mobile devices. The unit was also noisier than we would have
liked in operation and while its good value, its not cheap. If youre
willing to stretch to paying this much for a diskless system, the QNAP
TS-251A is the best featured NAS drive at the price.
TEST CENTRE
15/12/2016 14:50

SYNOLOGY DS216+II
231 inc VAT synology.com/en-uk
Synology is the first company that many people think about when it
comes to NAS, so we had high expectations for the DS216+II. Its a two-
bay device that supports drives up to 10TB in size, so providing 20TB
of storage or 10 B if you use either RAID 1 mirroring or the companys
own Synology Hybrid RAID, which wed recommend. Its powered by
Celeron N3060, part of a Braswell-based SoC, offering burst speeds
up to 2.48GHz. Synology says the DS216+II NAS can support fast
transfer speeds even with encrypted data and 4K UHD transcoding
on the fly, so it should make for a good solution for work and play.
At just over 230, the Synology is decent value, though the QNAP
TS-251A is even more so as it features an HDMI out, two Ethernet
ports and a USB port you can use to copy files to the drive, while the
Asustor AS1004T offers four bays rather than two for less money.
Neither can match the Synologys build, though. The design could
be described as classy with a more solid feel than most of the other
NAS units weve seen. At the front theres a power button Status and
LAN lights and a light to show the presence of activity on the two
disks. A curved plastic cover hides the two drive bays.
As far installation is concerned we liked the tool-less set up. You
push and slide out the mechanism and slot in the disks, which are
held in place by plastic pins that affix to the side. Sure, you wont be
installing disks often, but its a pleasing touch.
The software setup was also equally impressive readying the
disks quickly and installing Synologys DiskStation Manger (DSM)
6.0 software. The remote connect feature was particularly smooth,
suggesting we drag a shortcut to the desktop during set up for the
Easy Connect link, which provides remote access to the NAS.
DSM 6.0 is Synologys slick and very mature NAS OS. It has
detailed, looking icons and a clear layout making it a pleasure to
navigate. System Heath and Resource monitor widgets sit by default
in the bottom right with the main menu accessible at the top left.
The Package Center reveals the huge range of apps available
across a wide range of categories for media, such as streaming
apps such as Plex and audio and photo apps. Theres also business
features such as cloud syncing apps, mail servers and surveillance
apps. If you want to use your NAS for something the chances are
theres a Synology app for that.
However, it wasnt until we tried to install an app that we were
told we needed to set up our storage. We were a little surprised
thinking it was all done at this point, but it turned out that this is
where you choose how your disks are configured. With two disks
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we were going to choose the standard RAID 1, but we then noticed
the option for Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR). This lets you combine
hard drives of different sizes, which was moot for our tests with two
8TB drives, but in this NAS would give your more flexibility in the
future for upgrades. Either way we were pleased that the process
completed very quickly. Once set up, the drives are pre-populated
with Music, Photos and Video share, and USB share option if you
have a memory stick in.
Performance
Once set up we were keen to test the DS216+II multimedia prowess,
so we loaded it with our tests video MKV and MP4 files. Some of
these are encoded in H.264, while we also include two HEVC H.265
encoded files, once at 720p and one at 1080p. We installed Plex
Media server and tested on a PS4 only to initially find that both files
skipped and buffered. This was something of a surprise considering
the impressive-looking specs. After some head scratching and
investigation we found that video and audio transcoding must be
manually enabled in the Media Server app. This simple tick box did
the trick and our high quality 1080p H.265 test file played back with
no issue on our TV, via both a PS4 and an Oppo Blu-ray player.
The files couldnt be picked for some reason up by our favourite
DLNA AVPlayer Media iPhone app but we were placated by the fact
that using Synologys DS Video app on an iPhone 7 Plus we had no
problems streaming our files.
To test the hardware transcoding, we then switched to some
4K files. A 28.3GB HEVC encoded files would not play on our Oppo
and would only play stutteringly on a PS4 via Plex. However, using
Synologys Video Station on PC and DS Vide iOS app, we were able
to play it back flawlessly.
In use, the Synology always felt snappy and responsive. To get
some raw performance numbers we used CrystalDiskMark on a
Windows 10 PC and saw peak speeds of 118.3MB/s read and 117.9MB/s
write. This is close to the maximum youll see from a single Gigabit
Ethernet connection, so there are no problems on that front.
Verdict
With its fantastically easy installation, setup, app support and general
ease of use, the Synology DS216+II is a very solid choice. However, if
you like the idea of direct hook up via HDMI you may be swayed by
the slightly pricier QNAP TS-251A.
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 73
21/12/2016 14:14
 Group test: NAS drives
WD MY CLOUD MIRROR 4TB
239 inc VAT wdc.com
While many NAS drives, with their need for installing disks and
using screwdrivers, have a rather technical feel about them, the WD
My Cloud Mirror range is clearly aimed at the consumer. Its a very
compact unit with a pleasingly space age looking shell with curves
rather than the harsh angular lines of most NAS. It looks more like
WALL-Es futuristic friend EVE, rather than well, WALL-E.
It does, however, have a plastic feel to it and is less sturdy than
other units here. Its a two-bay model and this 4TB models comes
pre-populated with two 2TB disks preconfigured as RAID 1, so you get
1.96TB of usable storage capacity, which doesnt seem that much for
a NAS these days. You can buy one with 16TB, but that versions costs
over 750. The 6TB version could be the better value option.
If a drive does fail, or if you wanted upgrade you can access them
simply just by popping the lid off on the top. At the rear, there are
two USB 3.0 ports and a simply Gigabit Ethernet port. Make sure
your router and your computer have Gigabit Ethernet if you want to
ensure you get the maximum speeds you can. Theres also a cable
lock port for physically securing the drive and a reset button.
Set up was straightforward you type http://wdmycloud into
your browser and from there you create a login password and an
account for remote access. With no need to install disks or build the
RAID you are up and running very quickly.
The main user interface has a rather simplistic look to it, but is
designed to be easy to use. The remaining capacity is presented
in very large numbers and the range of functions is spread across
the top. You still need to click small arrows to view all the options
at the top though. This includes the Apps button from where you
can install third-party apps by clicking the icons below the list of
preinstalled apps. Of these the P2P downloads app was the only one
of interest. Oddly, when we first selected the list it appeared blank,
From the user interface, you can easily create
new users and extra shared folders and
perform backups to another external device
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and we had to reboot the device to solve this. Compared to the huge
number of options you find from the likes of Synology and QNAP the
choices are limited, but you will find essential such as a Plex Media
Server and even Dropbox, so you can sync all your files between the
web and the drive without having to take up space on your main
computer. Standard DLNA is also supported as is an iTunes server.
Remote access is possible via a dedicated app. You simply sign
into your My Cloud account and then you can access your drives
content. As the iPhone doesnt natively support test files the
app could not stream the videos direct to our phone. Instead, we
downloaded the whole file and from there could lunch it to our app
of choice to play the file.
From the user interface, you can easily create new users and
extra shared folders and perform backups to another external device.
What we really appreciated was that the My Cloud Mirror was quiet in
operation, hovering around 50db.
Performance
Testing video file playback via PS4 client, Plex worked as advertised,
playing our H.264 MKV tests files and an MP4, but it could not
transcode our test H.265 encoded files. However, these did stream
the files flawlessly to an iPhone 7 Plus and the AV Player app,
which handling the decoding without any issues.
In our tests, we were more than satisfied with the speeds
we say, hitting a read speed of 107- and 115.8MB/s with the
CrystalDiskMark, nearly the limit of the Gigabit Ethernet link.
Files copied from a USB key to the drive at a peak of 11.1MB/s.
Verdict
When it comes to ease of use the WD My Cloud Mirror 4TB is hard to
beat. Initial setup is very easy and even sorting our remote access
is simple too. For sharing music, movies, photos and documents
it works a treat and performance is fine. The downside is that
you dont get the huge range of apps that are available for other
brands. However, if you prioritise ease of set up and ease of use,
then the WD is worth looking at, and with 4TB of storage included
for the price, its a great value option.
TEST CENTRE
15/12/2016 14:51
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075 IPU115 AD.indd 75 15/12/2016 11:15
 Group test: NAS drives
Sequential read
Conclusion
The Netgear takes a left field approach with
its ARM-based CPU and it almost comes off.
The non-windowed interface is simple, but
its not as pleasant to use as app-based ones.
While it handles H.265 1080p files, it doesnt
have the power to transcode 4K, so for us,
its too expensive for what it is.
The QNAP was a contender for an
award, thanks to its exhaustive feature list.
Its a great NAS and the ability to plug it
into a TV or monitor via HDMI and use it
as a mini workstation is appealing. What
let it down was its noisy operation, and
Model name
Number of bays
Pre-populated
CPU
Memory
Ports
Transcoding support
Maximum capacity
Dimensions (wxhxd)
PERFORMANCE
CrystalDiskMark Read (MB/s)
CrystalDiskMark Writes (MB/s)
76 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
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Sequential write
the fact that it didnt match the Synology
for 4K transcoding.
The WD will appeal to anyone who wants
a NAS but doesnt want the hassle of having
to install their own hard disks. Its compact
and easy to use, and considering it comes
with two disks preinstalled, its a bargain,
earning itself a Recommended award.
If you are willing to install disks, go
for the Asustor, which also picks up a
recommended award. No, its not fast
enough for transcoding but it does
everything else very well, from set up,
ASUSTOR
239 (inc VAT)
AS1004T
4 2
1GHz Marvell Armada-385 (dual core)
512MB
1x USB 3.0 (rear), 1x USB 3.0 (front),
1x Gigabit Ethernet
Audio only
40TB
164x65x218mm
82.2
110.4
construction, ease of use and quiet
operation. What swings it though is that
it is a four-bay for the same price as
most two bays.
The Best Buy award goes to the Synology.
On paper, it loses out to the QNAP, but
in practice its class shone through, with
superbly simple set up, the best-looking
OS, the widest range of apps, and the most
power under the hood it was the only
one that comfortably transcoded our 4K
test files. Its also quiet in operation and a
stylish and well-made box. Its a winner.
NETGEAR
250 (inc VAT)
ReadyNAS 212
1.4GHz ARM Cortex A15 (quad core)
2GB
2x USB 3.0 port (rear), 1x USB 3.0 (front),
1x eSATA, 2x Gigabit Ethernet
1080p
24TB
220x101x142mm
116.9
98.42
TEST CENTRE
15/12/2016 14:51

How we test
Where NAS units were supplied with
disks, these were left in place for testing;
diskless drives were fitted with two 8TB
Seagate NAS drives (ST8000VN0002).
These are 7200rpm SATA 6Gb/s drives
and are well-suited to NAS apps.
All NAS units were configured to use a
RAID 1 array (mirrored), enabling us to test
performance in the most common setup.
QNAP
249 (inc VAT)
TS-251A
2 2
1.6GHz (up to 2.48GHz) Intel Celeron N3060
(dual core)
2 GB
2x USB 3.0 (rear), 1x HDMI, 1x USB 3.0 (front),
1x Micro-B, 2x Gigabit Ethernet
4K
16TB
102x169x219 mm
111
118.5
TEST CENTRE
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The only exception was the Synology, which
offers the firms Hybrid Raid and is the
option most users will choose upon setup.
We tested on an isolated local gigabit
network with a D-Link 890L router, and
read/write performance was measured
with CrystalDiskMark on a MacBook Pro,
using AFP for its improved large-file
sequential performance.
SYNOLOGY
231 (inc VAT)
DS216+II
1.6GHz (up to 2.48GHz) Intel Celeron N3060
(dual core)
1 GB
2x USB 3.0 (rear), 1x USB 2.0 (front),
1x eSATA, 1x Gigabit Ethernet
4K
20TB
108x165x233.2mm
118.3
117.9
Group test: NAS drives
Media playback and transcoding
performance was assessed using a basket
of files, including 4K videos, in various
formats, including MKVs and the latest
H.265 codec. We streamed these files
to a Sony PlayStation 4, Oppo BDP-
93EU Blu-ray player and an iPhone 7
Plus using several apps including the
manufacturers own and Plex. J
WD
239 (inc VAT)
My Cloud Mirror 4TB
2
1.33GHz Marvell Armada-385 (dual core)
512MB
2x USB 3.0 (rear), 1x Gigabit Ethernet
No
20TB
139.9x170.6x49mm
107.3
115.8
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 77
15/12/2016 14:51
 FEATURE
WINDOWS 10
TROUBLE
Mike Halsey offers some troubleshooting basics if your PC is running into problems
f you think back just 10 years or so,
I we lived in an era where we simply
couldnt rely on our PCs to work
consistently for long periods of time. Snarl-
ups and crashes would come with frustrating
regularity. And if a PC were used heavily,
reinstalls of Windows would usually need to
be performed every year, if not more often.
Since then, the reliability of Microsofts
operating system has improved significantly
and it needed to. Were used to buying
tablets and IoT devices, on which the OS is
embedded on a chip, not a volatile hard disk,
and where simply turning the thing off and
on again will fix most problems.
Yet, despite our PCs newfound reliability,
problems do still occur. And when they do,
theyre probably more frustrating than they
were a decade ago. This is for two reasons.
First, because we expect things to work, and
second because we are using our PCs and
computing devices more often and for more
things than we used to.
When you encounter a problem though,
how can you get going again quickly and
with as little fuss as possible? Nobody wants
to be without his or her PC for days on end
while its professionally repaired, usually at
great cost. Fortunately, as the reliability of
78 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/features March 2017
078_081 Windows 10 Tips 260.indd 78
Microsoft Windows has increased, so have Restore. System Restore can roll back
the number of bundled tools and utilities
you can use to fix problems. Wed like to
guide you through some of these, so you can
changes, driver installations or updates that
have made the computer unstable. If you
have created a full backup image of Windows
learn about what goes wrong, and what the manually, then the recovery media will
quick solutions might be. allow you to quickly restore it. In Windows
8.1 and 10, the latter of which keeps its own
Recovery Drive System Repair Disc up-to-date backup image on the hard disk,
Wed like to begin with prevention. All you can reinstall the OS without affecting
editions of Windows allow you to create your files, settings or accounts.
recovery media, and you can look for
Recovery in the Control Panel to create it. System File Checker
In Windows 8.1 and 10, you can create a USB Should there be a corruption with a
Flash Recovery Drive with Windows 10 also Windows operating system file, you can
allowing you to include a full backup copy run the System File Checker from a
of the operating system should something Command Prompt (Admin) window. Typing
go horribly wrong. Windows 7, meanwhile, SFC /ScanNow will scan the OS for file
lets you create a System Repair Disc on a corruptions, and if you have an up-to-date
blank CD or DVD. You can use this recovery installation DVD you cant use a USB flash
media to perform a variety of tasks, from drive for this you can reinstall the files.
Windows automatic Startup Repair, which You can download installation media for
will fix simple and common faults, to System Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.
In Windows 8.1 and 10, you can create a USB Flash Recovery
Drive with Windows 10 also allowing you to include a full
backup copy of the OS should something go horribly wrong
16/12/2016 14:59
 FE
VER ATURE
FEATURE
CO
BEsT
WinDoWs 10
Tips

shooTing
Tips
Reliability History
can be useful to
look for patterns in
crashes and errors

Reliability history
If youre not sure whats been going wrong
with your PC, you can search for Reliability in
the Start Menu to View (the PCs) Reliability
History. This will use red and yellow warning
icons to detail crashes and errors. Clicking
one will display information about the
problem, and include a Check for a solution
link. The Reliability History can be useful to
look for patterns in crashes. This way, youll
be able to see if a particular Windows service
or installed application is causing the issue.
Event Viewer
If you need more information about a
problem, search for the Event Viewer. This
will list all errors, warnings and critical
events, sorted by the date and time they
occurred and by their severity. You can click

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 Feature: Windows 10 troubleshooting tips

Event Viewer
lists all errors,
warnings and
critical events,
sorted by the
date and time
they occurred and
by their severity

any event to view detailed information. At its
most basic, this can include an error code (in
the format 0xA1234567), which you can use
to search for a solution online. You can also
export information about problems, so they
can be studied by tech support.
Task Manager, Performance
Monitor and Resource Monitor
If youre trying to diagnose a problem as
it happens, the Task Manager can be used
(in Windows 8.1 and 10) to view detailed
metrics of your processor, memory, disk and
network activity. This is done through the
Performance tab. In the Details tab in all
Windows versions you can right-click on any
running application to find out more details
about a problem online.
The Performance Monitor and Resource
Monitor (search for these in the Start
Menu) can provide even more fine-grained
information about whats going on with your
computer at that moment.
Problem Steps Recorder
If you still dont know whats going on, or person using the Windows Remote Assistance
if youre trying to assist somebody else
who cant find the technical language to
describe the problem theyre facing, the
Problem Steps Recorder can be invaluable.
Search for PSR in the Start Menu to launch
this tool. It records annotated screenshots,
detailing exactly whats been clicked or
changed whenever an action occurs. This
can be used to see exactly what someone is
doing on his or her PC, and exactly what the
resulting error or problem is.
Remote Assistance
and Quick Assist
You can even provide remote help to another
feature. This needs to be activated on both
PCs in the System > Remote Settings options
of the Control Panel, and it enables easy
remote control of another computer.
Windows 10 goes one step further with
its Quick Assist feature. If both parties are

Problem Step
Recorder shows
annotated
screenshots,
detailing
exactly whats
been clicked
or changed
whenever an
action occurs

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 Feature: Windows 10 troubleshooting tips

Quick Assist
goes further
than Remote
Assistance in
permitting PC
restarts and
live annotations
onscreen

using a Microsoft Account to sign into their
PCs, Quick Assist goes further than Remote
Assistance in permitting PC restarts and live
annotations on screen. If youre assisting
users in a corporate environment, then you
can get more control with Remote Desktop, in
which youll have complete control of the PC.
Identifying unknown hardware
Of the problems that are most annoying on
PCs, hardware devices that arent correctly
installed are one of the most frustrating. If
a device is listed as unidentified you can
double-click it, and view the Hardware IDs
section of the Details panel to view its VEN_
(Vendor) and DEV_ (Device) codes. A search
for these online can reveal what the device
is, so you can get the correct driver.
Repairing Windows Startup
By far the most frustrating problem,
however, is a PC that simply refuses to start
into Windows. Using your Recovery Drive
or System Rescue Disc, you can open a
Command Prompt window. From here, several
commands can rebuild the Windows start-up
system, and hopefully get you working again.
Bootrec /FixMBR will repair the Master Boot
Record on the hard disk.
Bootrec /FixBoot will write a new boot
sector to your hard disk, if your current boot
sector is corrupt.
Resetting Windows Update
If you find that Windows Update wont
download or install anything, then you
can reset it. To achieve this, restart the
computer and delete the contents of the
C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution folder.
However, note that any updates you have
previously marked as hidden will become
available to install again.
For everything else Windows
Diagnosing and troubleshooting problems
with PCs is usually a process of elimination
and investigation. Ask yourself whether the
problem has occurred before, is anybody
else experiencing the problem or a similar
one, and are any more of my devices
experiencing a problem?
Sometimes network and internet
connection problems come down to the PC
not being able to get a good enough signal
from the router. This could be because an
unshielded network cable is being used
close to a strong magnetic field, such as a
TV. It could be that you just live or work in a
building with thick brick or stone walls. Or, it
could be that the workmen next door have
run their gear through the phone line.
Problems with printers can often be
caused by a cable being snagged, or by
somebody else having filled the print
queue and clogged it up. Slow start-
up or performance could be caused by
something as simple as not uninstalling the
bloatware that came preinstalled when you
purchased the PC, or by having too many
applications running at startup.
For everything else, theres always the
good old-fashioned fix of turning it off and
on again. And if youre still struggling with
Windows and Windows 10 problems after all
this, try some of my Windows courses on
Pluralsight. They may be just the thing. J

Bootrec /RebuildBCD will rebuild the Boot
Configuration Database, in which Windows
stores details of installed operating systems,
and where it can find them.
If both parties are using a Microsoft Account to sign into
their PCs, Quick Assist goes further than Remote Assistance
in permitting PC restarts and live annotations on screen

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 FEATURE

WindoWs 10 quick tips:

Get more out of cortana

Microsofts digital assistant Cortana can make your life easier and more efficient
if you know how to really take advantage of it, explains Preston Gralla.

icrosofts Cortana is one of the When is [name of holiday]? Cortana knows How tall is [person]? It knows how tall

M major additions to Windows 10,

and its a winner. Turn it on and
the digital assistant alerts you to upcoming
when bank holidays fall on the calendar.

Who is [title of person]? Cortana can tell

most famous people are; for example, that
Barack Obama is six feet, one inch tall.

meetings; searches your computer and the you who are the CEOs of Microsoft, Google How long is [movie]? How long is The
internet; tells you about the weather, news and Apple, as well who is the prime minister Godfather? Just ask and Cortana will tell.
and sports; and a lot more. of the United Kingdom. However, it doesnt know every movie
To help you get the most out of Cortana, ever made, so sometimes youll need to
weve put together some of our favourite What time is it in [place]? Confused about search the web for an answer.
tips, including using it to manage your what time it is right now somewhere else
Google Calendar, identify the music youre in the world? Cortana knows. Connect your accounts to Cortana
listening to and track packages and flights. One way to extend the digital assistants
Convert [currency] to [currency] Want usefulness is to connect it to an account:
Get a direct answer to a question to know the current exchange rates LinkedIn, for example. To get started,
When you ask Cortana a question, it will between? Just ask. click in Cortanas search box and, when
typically show you the answer via a listing of
web links; you then open the search results
in your browser. Thats what happened, for
example, when we asked, What was the
coldest day of the year in 2015 in London?
Thats a useful but time-consuming
process, because you have to browse
through the search results, click one and
then look for information from the web
page that appears. But there are plenty
of questions that it can answer directly,
without first sending you out to the internet.
Instead, you get your answers right in
Cortanas pane. Here is a partial list:

Define [word] Want a definition for

absquatulate? Just ask Cortana.

Cortana can offer you answers directly

without sending you out to the web

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 FEATURE

the navigation panel appears, click the

notebook icon. Select Connected Accounts
and youll see a list of services you can link
to. Youll also see those to which you dont
belong but can connect to.
To link to an account, click it and then
the Connect button that appears. Enter
your login details and the assistant will do
the rest. The benefits you get vary. If you
connect it to LinkedIn, for example, it will
remind you when you have a meeting and
look to see whether any of the attendees
also belong to the service. If they do, the
digital assistant will look at their LinkedIn
profile. Youll then be able to view a photo,
see their job title and the firm they work for.
Note that the Office 365 integration
is available only if you have a business
Office 365 account, not a personal one.
system, and either come with it or can
You can link a variety of
Integrate Cortana be downloaded from the Windows Store. accounts to Cortana, enabling
with Windows 10 apps Theyre not desktop-based programs.) it to search for additional data
If you use Windows 10 apps, youll be pleased First, you need to find out whether a
with some of the tricks Cortana has up particular Windows 10 app integrates with Update, scroll to the Tips & Tricks section
its sleeve. You can, for example, use it to Microsofts assistant. After downloading the and click See more tips.) Scroll to the
find a programme and play it on Netflix or app, click in the Cortana search bar and then bottom of the screen that appears and youll
Amazon. (Note that Windows 10 apps are the question mark in the left-hand navigation see a list of the Windows 10 apps on your
those specifically written for the operating panel. (If youre using the Anniversary system that are compatible with Cortana.
At the moment, there arent that many,
but several popular apps do, including
Netflix, Fitbit and Uber. For example, if
If you connect it to LinkedIn, for example, it will remind you want to play the TV series Master of
you when you have a meeting and look to see whether None on Netflix, you can type Netflix find
Master of None. (Actually, you can type
any of the attendees are also belong to the service netflix find master of none as Cortana

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 Feature: Get more out of Cortana

Several popular apps, such as Netflix,

integrate with Cortana, allowing you
to use voice commands

is case-insensitive.) If you want to use a

voice command instead, you can say, Hey,
Cortana, Netflix find Master of None. Use
the same syntax for Amazon for example,
Amazon find The Grand Tour if you want
to find and play the motoring programme.
Other apps integrate with Cortana on
Windows 10 Mobile but not on Windows
10 for PCs, including Twitter, LinkedIn and
Wikipedia. (You can find out whether a
particular mobile app works with Cortana
in the same way that you find out if a
Windows 10 app will.)
Unfortunately, youll have to use the
precise syntax required for each app you get the assistant to integrate with that as Add account. From the Choose an account
cant type or speak using real-life, natural well, so you can use it to create and edit screen, pick Google. Youll be asked to sign
language. And its different for each app. appointments, and show you your schedule in with your Google account information.
For Netflix and Amazon, for example, with Google Calendar in the same way as you Follow the onscreen prompts.
the syntax is [name of app] find [name do with the built-in Windows 10 Calendar app. Thats all it takes. From now on your
of show]. You cant say, Play Master of To do this, youll need to integrate your Google calendar will sync with the Windows
None on Netflix or even Netflix play Google Calendar with the Windows 10 10s Calendar app. So if, for example,
Master of None and have it work. Calendar. First, launch the Calendar app. (Its you ask Cortana to create appointment,
Hopefully, more Windows 10 apps typically found on the upper left corner of youll be able to fill in the details using
will integrate with Cortana over time the Start menu. You can also launch it by the assistant, including the date, time and
as developers use Microsofts API. typing Calendar into Cortana, then clicking subject of meeting. It will add the event
the Calendar app icon that appears at the to the Windows 10 Calendar. To save it to
Manage your Google Calendar top of search results.) Next, click the Settings your Google Calendar directly, choose it
Windows 10 includes a built-in calendar icon on the lower left of the Calendar screen from the drop-down list just above the Add
app that works with Cortana. If, however, the icon is in the shape of a gear. When button. Regardless of which calendar you
youre a Google Calendar user, you can the Settings menu appears, select Account > add an event to, both Google and Windows

You can create

an appointment
in your Google
Calendar using
Cortana

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10 Calendar will remain in sync. Also, when
you ask to see your schedule such as
by asking Whats my schedule today?
Cortana will show you the events from
all of your calendars, including Google.
One downside is that you cant add
events to sub-calendars on Google Calendar
(such as home or work). Sometimes it youll see the results right in Cortana.
works and sometimes it doesnt.
Use Google rather than
Bing search with Cortana
When you ask Cortana to search the internet,
it uses Microsofts Bing search engine. If,
however, you prefer to use Google instead,
you can, with a little bit of work.
First, install Chrome and then set it as
your default browser. Open the Windows 10
Settings app and select System > Default
apps. Click the browser icon and choose
One of Cortanas most useful features is the way in which
it can remind you about tasks or upcoming events. Its
simple to set a reminder just say or type remind me
Google Chrome from the list that appears.
Next, open the browser, go to the Chrome
Web Store, search for the Bing2Google
extension and install it. From now on,
whenever you use Cortana to search the
web, that search will be redirected from
Bing to Google, and youll see your search
results in Google. In fact, even if youre on
Bing.com and search for something, it will
be done by Google, not Bing. (While we
didnt have any issues with this feature,
some have reported that it sometimes
gave results from Bing rather than Google.)
082_086 Get More From Cortana 260.indd 85
Note that this only happens when you
search the internet and not every time
you do a search in Cortana. The assistant
answers a lot of questions directly without
sending you to a web results page, as
explained earlier in this article. For example,
if you use Cortana to search for weather
Set and use reminders
One of Cortanas most useful features is
the way in which it can remind you about
tasks or upcoming events. Its simple to
set a reminder just say or type remind
me. From the screen that appears, fill in
the form with the person, place, time or
thing that you want to be reminded about.
If you prefer, you can bypass the form and
just say something such as: Remind me
about my tennis game today at 6pm.
Microsofts digital assistant can set
three general types of reminders: based
on location, time and contacts.
Well start with location. Lets say that
you always want to be reminded to buy a tub
of Ben and Jerrys Cherry Garcia ice cream
when youre near your favourite supermarket
Waitrose, for example. Say or type remind
me to get Cherry Garcia ice cream when Im
at Waitrose. A screen will appear, showing
the address of any nearby Waitrose stores,
asking you which one to set a reminder for,
or whether the reminder should show up
Feature: Get more out of Cortana
Cortana allows
you to create
reminders based
on location
when youre in any Waitrose. Then, the next
time you are there, Cortana will remind you
to indulge in your ice cream addiction.
Note that if the place isnt one that
Cortana readily recognizes, it will ask you
for more information or have you type in
the address yourself.
You can set reminders in the same
way for time and contacts. If you want to
be reminded to fill your car with petrol
tomorrow morning, for example, you say
or type remind me to get petrol tomorrow
morning. A screen will pop up asking for
more details, such as the exact time and
whether it should be a recurring reminder.
You can also tell Cortana to remind
you to do something when you interact
with someone in your contact book. So if
you want to remind yourself to ask your
friend Lydia about a dinner invitation, say:
Remind me to ask Lydia about a dinner
invitation. A screen pops up asking for
the contacts name if the assistant didnt
recognise it. Then the next time you send or
receive an email with that person, youll get
the reminder. If you have a Windows phone,
it will pop up when you talk by phone, also.
Windows 10
Anniversary Update tips
Microsoft introduced a few new Cortana
features in the Windows 10 Anniversary
Update. So if youve got it, here are a
few handy new tricks.
Use Cortana on the Lock Screen
You can now work with the digital assistant
on the Lock screen, which means you wont
even have to log into Windows to use it.
To get started, click in the Cortana search
bar and click the gear icon that appears
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15/12/2016 10:56
 Feature: Get more out of Cortana

Overall, Cortana is smarter in the Windows 10 Anniversary

Update because it lets you use natural-language queries
in other words, make requests of it using plain English
on the left side of the pop-up menu. This For example, to send an email to a
brings up Cortanas settings. Scroll down contact, you can now say Send an email to
to the Lock Screen section and move the Jane Doe. The assistant will look through
slider to On. Look just below that for the your contacts, find the person to whom you
setting, Let Cortana access my calendar, want to send the email, and then let you fill
email, messages and Power BI data when out a form onscreen to create and send the
my device is locked. Switch that on as well. email without having to go into a mail app.
If you dont, the assistant will be limited in If youve linked your Outlook account to
what it can do for you from the lock screen another, such as a Gmail, it will look through
youll be able to listen to music and find that as well. And if it finds multiple matches
out the weather from the lock screen, but for the persons name, it will ask you which
you wont be able to set reminders, send address you want to send the mail to.
emails or add events to your calendar.
From now on whenever you want to Check your calendar for
use Cortana from the Lock screen, simply Cortana-created information
say Hey Cortana and use it from the In the Windows 10 Anniversary Update,
Lock screen as you normally would, to set Cortana will automatically add events to
This setting lets you use Cortana on
reminders, play music, check your calendar your calendar based on emails you were the lock screen in the Windows 10
and more without logging into Windows. sent for example, it will add airline flight Anniversary Update
information to your calendar if you receive
Use natural-language queries a flight confirmation via email. Keep in A couple of our favourites: you can track
Overall, Cortana is a bit smarter in the mind, though, that it only does this with packages or flights by typing or saying the
Windows 10 Anniversary Update because it mail sent to your Outlook.com account. flight number or package tracking number.
lets you use natural-language queries in You can identify a piece of music by asking
other words, make requests of it using plain Miscellaneous cool stuff What is this song? and holding your phone
English (or whatever your language is), There are a variety of other useful and/ up to the audio source. Cortana will listen to
rather than having to use specific words. or fun things that Cortana can do for you. the music using the phones microphone and
(hopefully) tell you the name of the song.
To find out other things that Cortana
can do, type or say Help Me and youll get
Cortana will automatically add events to your calendar based a long list of other Cortana features.
on emails you were sent for example, it will add airline flight Click anything on the list Play music,
for example and the personal assistant
information to your calendar based on emails you were sent will do your bidding. J

There are a
variety of other
useful services
Cortana can
perform, such as
tracking flights

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 Feature: Linux terminal commands

5 terminal commands every

Linux newbie should know
Sometimes youll need to use the terminal, but its not as scary as you think, reveals Alex Campbell

ere big fans of the anime series the majority of the time. After all, placing an

W Neon Genesis Evangelion. One of

the quotes from it that stands out
in my head is, Man fears the darkness, and
so he scrapes away at the edges of it with
fire. For newcomers to the world of Linux,
the black screen of the terminal can seem
like a deep, foreboding darkness, which is
desperately replaced by a GUI whenever
possible. It doesnt have to be that way.
A graphical user interface makes modern
computing more enjoyable and easier to use
Amazon order using a text-mode browser in
a terminal sounds like an over-enthusiastic
exercise in masochism. We like our GUIs
and graphical browsers, but there are times
when youll find yourself in the world of the
command line. Like any new tool, knowing
a few basics can keep your blood pressure
in check when a GUI fails to start, or you
need to perform maintenance.
Here are five commands you should
become comfortable with as a Linux user.

1 SUDO
If there is one command that should be treated with equal parts
certainty and respect, its sudo. Sudos effect is simple: it runs any
command that follows it with superuser (or root) privileges. Running
commands with sudo is necessary when doing things such as
updating the system or changing configuration files.
If youre looking to edit or change any file thats outside of your
users home directory, theres a good chance youll have to use sudo
to do it. To be able to use sudo, your user needs to be in the sudoers
file or part of a superuser group (usually wheel or sudo). Ubuntu
offers a great guide on the sudoers file.
Since sudo carries so much power, it goes without saying that
you should not type it before a command if you dont know what
the command does. Theres an old prank online that instructs
newbies to type sudo rm -R /. (Dont do this.) The command
recursively deletes every file on your system, and your operating
system will happily do it without further prompting. As the lecture
file says, when using sudo, think before you type.

Since /mnt is owned by root, you have to

use sudo to create a directory in /mnt

Sudo also gives the user the power to destroy a system or

violate the privacy of other users. This is why youll see the
following lecture the first time you use sudo on a system:

We trust you have received the usual lecture from the local
System Administrator. It usually boils down to these three things:

1) Respect the privacy of others.

2) Think before you type. A look at a typical sudoers file, where the groups that allow
3) With great power comes great responsibility. root access are specified. It is very unwise to allow sudo
access to a user or group without requiring a password

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 Feature: Linux terminal commands

2 Your package manager tools (Yum, apt, or pacman)

The number one reason youll be using sudo is to add or remove
programs from your PC via your package manager. Although Upgrade the system:
the three major package managers we mention here all differ in yum update
their respective command arguments and grammar, they are all
capable of the same three basic functions: installing a package, apt (Debian/Ubuntu/Mint)
removing a package, and upgrading all the packages on the Install a package:
system. (Note: Unless youre logged in as root, you will need to apt install <package>
prepend these commands with sudo.)
Remove a package:
apt remove <package>

Upgrade system:
apt update
apt upgrade

pacman (Arch/Manjaro)
Install a package:
pacman -s <package>

Remove a package:
pacman -r <package>

Upgrade the system:

A system upgrade using pacman on Arch Linux. pacman -syu
Note the use of sudo before the pacman command
All of these package managers have many more features than
yum (Red Hat/Fedora/CentOS) what weve listed here, but these three functions are what youll
Install a package: use most of the time. Whatever Linux distribution you choose, you
yum install <package> should be comfortable with the package manager, and know where
to find its documentation.
Remove a package:
yum remove <package>

3 sYstemctl (sYstemd)

For a long time, background programs called daemons were started

using a series of scripts called initscripts. For newcomers, initscripts
were hard to read and interpret or change. More recently, initscripts
have been replaced by a service management application called
Systemd. If youre running a recent Linux distribution, theres a
good chance that Systemd is starting the services you need.
One of the chief complaints about Systemd is that it can do
too much. (Unix programs usually aim to do one thing, and one
thing very well.) However, there are five keywords you should
consider with systemd.
Disabling and re-enabling the
NetworkManager service to run at boot time
To start a service, simply use the start keyword:
systemctl start <service name>
To enable the service at boot, you can use the enable keyword:
Similarly, you can restart a service if it has failed or if systemctl enable <service name>
its configuration has changed:
systemctl restart <service name> To disable a service to keep it from starting at boot:
systemctl disable <service name>
To stop a service, use stop:
systemctl stop <service name>

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 Feature: Linux terminal commands

4 Is
The ls command is simple and straightforward, but it is more useful
than one might think. By default, it lists the files and folders in the
current working directory (usually the users home). You can find
the contents of a given path, too.
So what makes this Linuxy-version of the Windows dir so useful?
Well, for one you can look in subdirectories for configuration files.
Its also helpful for looking for file names in an environment without
a GUI. Since Linux filenames and commands are case-sensitive, its
handy to know exactly how something is spelled. In short, think of ls
as your scout that you can use to peek around the system.

There are several options to ls, but the most common

to use is -l, which shows file permissions and ownership

5 Man

Sometimes you need help. Sometimes you need help and you
dont have access to the internet. Those are dark times. In those
situations, man can save your bacon.
The command man is short for manual, and provides online
(stored on your computer) access to command documentation. If
you need reminding about what chmod does, you can simply type
man chmod into your terminal to read about the command. You
can scroll up and down in the man page by using the arrow keys or
PgUp and PgDn keys. When youve finished, hit Q to quit.
Though man can be useful when an internet connection isnt
available, Google is a better resources when you are online. Its
worth noting that the first few Google results youll get for a given
command such as chmod will be a web version of the man page.
The manual page for ls

Wrapping up
There are many, many more commands to learn, but dipping your
toes into the world of text-mode commands can help you understand
your system better and make it a bit less scary. While there are lots of
ways to accomplish things in a graphical desktop, console commands
are still the fastest way to update your system. Console commands
also have the added benefit of showing errors when things go wrong.
That means when an update fails, you can generally tell if something
was wrong with the package, or if you simply didnt have an internet
connection. With a bit of practice, anyone can start banging out
terminal commands with confidence and the skilful use of sudo.
For more information on Linux commands, there is a great
cheat sheet at Pixelbeat.org. J

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 FEATURE
33 encryption tools for Linux
that will keep your data safe
Alex Campbell reveals why everyone benefits from keeping data safe from prying eyes
ncryption is an interesting thing.
E The first time this writer saw
encryption in action was on a
colleagues Gentoo Linux laptop that
could boot only if the USB key with the
boot partition and decryption key
was inserted. Interesting stuff, from
a geek point of view.
Fast forward, and revelations
from Edward Snowden and
ongoing concerns about
government snooping are slowly
bringing encryption and privacy
tools into the mainstream. Even
if youre not worried about a Big
Brother or some shady spy-versus-
spy scenario, encryption can still
protect your identity and privacy if
your laptop is stolen. Think of all the
things we keep on our laptops: contact
information, financial details, and client
and company data. All of that is worthy of
protection. Luckily, Linux users have access
to several tools for free.
There are three main methods for
protecting the data on your laptop, each
with its own strengths and weaknesses.
1 OpenPGP and email encryption
Using Pretty Good Privacy (PGP)
encryption to protect email isnt anything
new. While the original PGP implementation
is proprietary, the OpenPGP specification
was written in 1997. OpenPGP uses public-
key cryptography, which means every
keypair comes with a private and public
key. You use a private key (that you keep
secret) to unlock and sign files, while a
public key (that you give to people) can be
used to encrypt files to you and verify files
youve signed.
In the context of email, your plaintext
email is encrypted with a public key into
either a file or ASCII cyphertext (which
looks random to people and machines)
that can only be read by someone with the
matching private key. In basic terms, this
means that the email is encrypted before it
leaves your PC, so no amount of snooping
on the email server youre using will allow
someone to see the contents of the file.
To create a GnuPG keypair using the
command line, use gpg gen-key
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090_091 Linux Encryption 260.indd 90
This is known as end-to-end encryption.
(Metadata, such as the subject line,
recipients, and time sent are all left in
plaintext, though.)
The most widely used implementation
of this standard (as far as Linux users
are concerned) is GNU Privacy Guard
(tinyurl.com/LL78vuc). Most modern
Linux distributions come with GnuPG
preinstalled. If it isnt, it can be easily
found using your distributions package
manager, usually with the name gpg.
While you can use GPG on the command
line, its often easier to create and
manage keys using a GUI program. The
GnuPG team provides the GNU Privacy
Assistant (tinyurl.com/jfr5c3m) GUI to
create and manage keys. If you prefer a
KDE-compatible interface, you can install
Kleopatra, while GNOME 3 users might
prefer GNOMEs Seahorse. GnuPG is also
available for Windows using GPG4Win,
which provides Windows versions of both
Kleopatra and GPA.
Before you can encrypt files or email
with OpenPGP, youll need to create
your first keypair. When you create
your key youll need to provide (at
least) a name and email address
to help identify the key. Youll also
need to provide a key strength.
While a 2048-bit key is considered
pretty safe, a 4096-bit key will
provide more protection, though
at the expense of slightly longer
times for key creation, encryption,
and decryption.
How you set up GnuPG for use
with your email will vary depending
on the client you use. If you use Mozillas
Thunderbird, youll need to install the
Enigmail extension (tinyurl.com/zsussLe).
Both KDEs KMail and GNOMEs Evolution
support OpenPGP natively. KDEs online
documentation provides a manual for GPG
integration with KMail (tinyurl.com/j728d5h),
and Fedora has a great how-to for Evolution
(tinyurl.com/ckzf9rw). There are a few
browser plugins such as Mailvelope (which
offers add-ons for both Chromium/Chrome
and Firefox) that work pretty well for those
who prefer webmail (tinyurl.com/bozjz8r).
GnuPG provides a great in-depth online
manual on how OpenPGP works and how to
use the GnuPG tools (tinyurl.com/6dktac).
2 Encrypted containers
Not everything you want to keep
secret or secure is a text file or email. To
secure groups of files, some people prefer
to use encrypted containers.
Containers are handy because theyre
portable. In its simplest form, a container is
15/12/2016 11:08

a lot like a zip file thats encrypted. That file
can be in your home folder, copied to a USB
drive, stored in the cloud, or put anywhere
else thats convenient.
The most basic container can be a zip
or gzipped tar file (.tar.gz) that you encrypt
using OpenPGP. The downside to such a
simple container is that you have to delete
the plaintext (decrypted) file once youre
finished with it. If you have to modify or add
files in the archive, you basically have to
delete the old file and encrypt a new one.
A simpler and more secure way to
handle containers is to use VeraCrypt
(the successor to TrueCrypt). VeraCrypt is
capable of creating encrypted containers
of fixed size, which can help obscure the
size of the files in the container. Theres a
good tutorial on VeraCrypts website that
explains how to create such a container
(tinyurl.com/ldqbj3p). The good thing
about using a VeraCrypt container is that
you can access its contents using VeraCrypt
on both Windows and linux.
Finally, theres a tool called Tomb. Tomb
is little more than a script, but it makes
creating and managing containers and
keys for dm-crypt really easy. The dm-crypt
090_091 Linux Encryption 260.indd 91
utility is standard to linux and is its built-in
disk encryption engine (Ill get to more
on that in a bit), but it can also be used to
create containers. Tombs usage is quite
simple, and the project website offers useful
guidance (tinyurl.com/ldywgf8).
3 Whole-disk encryption
Sometimes, it can be easier to encrypt
everything on your system. That way, theres
little need to worry (for the most part) about
what files are stored where. Everything is
protected, so long as your PC is off.
Windows users may recall that
VeraCrypt (or TrueCrypt) can encrypt
drive partitions and entire disks. This can
be done on linux as well, but most users
will likely prefer to use linuxs built-in disk
encryption tool, dm-crypt.
By itself, dm-crypt and its tool
cryptsetup are very basic and can be a little
cumbersome, since dm-crypt can only use a
single key. Most people prefer to use linux
Unified Key Setup (lUKS) to manage keys
for an encrypted device, which allows up to
eight keys to be used with dm-crypt, such
that any one key or passphrase supplied
can unlock the drive. When using dm-crypt
FEATURE
A partition tree viewed with lsblk.
Note that the encrypted partition /
dev/sda3 is host to the LVM partitions
that are mounted to the root directory
(/) and swap, while the boot partition
(/dev/sda2) is unencrypted
to encrypt a drive, a passphrase must be
entered at boot time to unlock it.
We should also note that lUKS and
dm-crypt are the underlying programs
that Tomb uses to work its magic.
Setting up dm-crypt, lUKS, and optionally
lVM (logical partitions) can be a messy task
for a newbie. For users who feel up to the
task, the Arch linux Wiki has a great guide
on using lUKS and dm-crypt to encrypt a
system (tinyurl.com/zubfxpw). For those
less inclined to get down and dirty with
terminal commands, theres an option to
use lVM and lUKS drive encryption when
you install Ubuntu or Debian.
There are a couple pitfalls when using
whole-disk encryption. First, the boot
partition (/boot) is usually left unencrypted,
since the system has to boot to an initial
ramdisk to get itself going. The system cant
do that if the ramdisk and boot partition are
unreadable. (You actually can encrypt the
boot partition, but it takes extra steps and is
a bit more tricky.) The consequence of this
is that it if someone got their hands on your
PC, they could theoretically install a modified
kernel that could harvest your passphrase.
Its an unlikely scenario, but technically
possible. This can be circumvented by placing
your boot partition on a USB thumb drive
that you keep separate from the system.
The minute you turn on your PC and
unlock the disk, files on the system can
be read as though it werent encrypted at
all. If your laptop is stolen and you dont
have a screen lock enabled, someone could
simply compromise your system as long
as it has power (which is very similar to
device encryption on an Android phone).
Finally, SSDs present special problems
because of the way they allocate and clear
(or dont clear) cells. You can still use an
SSD with disk encryption, but extra steps
should be taken when preparing the drive.
Even with a few pitfalls, we consider
using disk encryption on laptops to be
good practice. While encrypting desktops is
less common because they are stolen less
often, everyone has seen someone leave
a laptop at a coffee shop or on a seat on a
train. We rest a little easier knowing that if
our laptop is ever taken, were only losing a
device, not our privacy along with it. J
Setting up a container and key
using Tomb is really easy, if youre
comfortable with the command line
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/features 91
15/12/2016 11:08
 FEATURE

Best bookmark managers

for Google Chrome
Tidy Bookmarks and Popup My Bookmarks among the bookmark managers on offer. Howard Wen reports

ecently, while going through

R our bookmarks in Chrome to

determine which ones we wanted
to keep, this reviewer accidentally deleted all
of them. Rather than panic, we felt an odd
sense of relief after realising we had collected
several hundred of bookmarks over the years,
and that managing them was difficult.
So we thought it was a good opportunity
to discover which alternatives are available
beyond Chromes default bookmark manager,
and Googles optional extension for Chrome,
Bookmark Extension.
Both options open a tab and present
you with a user interface inside it for
you to manage your bookmarks. But we
wanted a manager that works without
having to open up a tab.
There are several, and they generally
work like this: you, click an icon on the
extensions toolbar (located to the right
of the URL box), which pops open a panel
that lists your bookmarks and bookmark
folders. Right-clicking on a bookmarks
name opens a small menu, which lists
choices to edit the bookmarks name or
URL, or to delete it. So which one of the
seven that we tested is the best overall?
Despite some misgivings about the
smoothness of their user interfaces, our necessary in order to effectively drag-and- of Chrome on two different Windows 10
favourite is Tidy Bookmarks, with Popup my drop bookmarks among folders. notebooks. According to its listing in the
Bookmarks coming in second. Both utilise Popup my Bookmarks has a few more Chrome Web Store, though, its far more
a panel that expands to the left to list your features, but its UI felt more unstable while popular than Tidy Bookmarks, so maybe
bookmarks inside a folder, which we found running on either the 32- or 64-bit versions your experience will be better.

1 Bookmarkie

A search box is located along the top of Bookmarkies panel, which

you can use to find a bookmark by entering keywords. Click a
folder and a list of the bookmarks youve stored under it expands
downward. Bookmarks can be moved to another folder or spot on
a list by dragging and dropping them.
Managing your bookmarks through this user interface works
well enough, but becomes difficult when youre having to drag a
bookmark vertically through a long, scrolling list of bookmarks
and bookmark folders. (We found this was the same problem with
the other pop-up bookmark managers we tested that used only
a single column layout to present your bookmark folders and the
bookmarks contained within them.) Theres no option to sort your
bookmark listings by alphabetical order.

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 FEATURE

2 Bookmarks menu
Move the cursor over a bookmark folder and another
panel automatically opens to the left, which lists your
bookmarks that are stored inside that folder. You can
reorder bookmarks by alphabetical order. But you
cannot drag-and-drop a bookmark to another folder.
This extension doesnt allow you to delete folders, and
it lacks a search function.

3 Chromarks

Clicking a folder opens a list of all the bookmarks inside it, which
branches down. A bookmark can be dragged and dropped from one
folder to another, but cant be moved to another spot on a list. You
can sort the order of your bookmarks alphabetically or by date, but
this can only be done through the extensions options settings. The
top of the Chromarks panel has a search box.

4 minimal Bookmarks tree

Click a folder and the bookmarks saved inside it scroll down in

an animated effect. You can drag-and-drop a bookmark from one
folder to another, or move it to a new spot on the list, though
theres no option to organise your bookmarks in alphabetical
order. This pop-up bookmarks manager doesnt include a search
tool. While the animation of the list of bookmarks scrolling down
looks appealing, it became unnecessary eye candy whenever we
simply wanted to get through deleting, editing or rearranging
our bookmarks as quickly as possible. You can adjust the speed
of this effect or turn it off.

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 Feature: Best bookmark managers for Google Chrome

5 PoPuP my bookmarks
Similar to the way the Bookmarks Menu extension works, hovering
the cursor over a folder will cause the panel to expand toward the
left to show the bookmarks inside the folder. Theres a search box
at the top of the panel. Bookmarks can be sorted alphabetically
or dragged from a folder and dropped into another, or to another
place within a list. This extension includes some other maintenance
tasks that the others lack, such as adding a horizontal line
separator to your bookmark lists. Everything sounds good, but
the responsiveness of the UI of this extension came across as a
little unreliable it didnt perform as smoothly as the other pop-up
bookmark managers in this feature, occasionally jamming up.

6 Tidy bookmarks

When you hover the mouse cursor over a bookmark folder, the Tidy
Bookmarks panel expands to the left to list the bookmarks saved
inside the folder. You can also manually adjust the panels width by
clicking-and-holding onto its left border and dragging it side-to-side.
When you open a folder, the top of the panel then shows the nested
path of the folder as a series of buttons representing any folders
that are containing it; you can jump to a folder in this hierarchy by
clicking the button with its name.
Theres a search box at the top of the panel, but it goes away
when you hover the mouse cursor over a folder. The drag-and-drop
functionality lets you move bookmarks to another folder, or spot on
a list, and this extension can sort your bookmarks alphabetically.
This extension was a little jumpy whenever we would open it and
click on a folder for the first time the panel that appears to the
left, to show your bookmarks inside a folder, slides out erratically
as an animated effect.

7 Vbookmarks

VBookmarks is a continuation of Neater Bookmarks, which hasnt

been updated since November 2014. Clicking a folder will list the
bookmarks contained inside it, which expands down. Like Tiny
Bookmarks, you can adjust the width of this extensions panel by
clicking-and-holding onto its left border and dragging it horizontally.
Like Popup my Bookmarks, you can add a line separator to your
bookmark lists. A search box is situated at the top of the panel.
Theres no option to alphabetize bookmark names, but you can
drag-and-drop a bookmark from one folder to another, as well as
move a bookmark to another spot on a list. J

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 Macworld magazine is the essential
guide for all things Mac-related
download the latest issue today

DIGITAL
EDITION ON
ANDROID
& iOS
tinyurl.com/kg776m8

Every issue is full of the latest news, reviews,

features, tutorials, buying advice & more
095 MWJAN17 AD.indd 95 15/12/2016 10:52
 FEATURE

9 Free ways
To get the most out OF
Googles
Play music
APP Even if you dont pay for Play Music, you can still upload your
music collection, create and save instant mixes, tweak your
equalizer levels, set a sleep timer, and more. Ben Patterson reports

ubscribe now blares the banner Google offers a downloadable Music streaming or download in the Play Music app

S at the bottom of Googles Play

Music control panel, and indeed,
everything about the just-revamped
Manager tool that will upload music from
your PC or Mac to your Play Music account,
or you can drag-and-drop music files into the
for iOS and Android, and even on Play Music
in a web browser and best of all, Google will
let you upload up to 50,000 tracks for free.
app seems to be singing the praises Upload window of Play Music for Chrome. Note: Any music youve previously
of its subscription streaming service, Googles Music Manager tool does its purchased from the Google Play Music
particularly the new auto-generated radio best to scan and match your tunes with store will already be sitting in your online
stations that sit in Play Musics Home tab. existing tracks in the cloud, but it will end music library, and they wont count
But even if you dont want to cough up uploading many of your songs, a process against your free 50,000 song uploads.
up 9.99 per month to play a streaming that could take hours or even days depending
shuffle on your phone (14.99 for a family on the speed of your broadband connection Create and save an instant mix
subscription), theres still plenty of free and the size of your music collection. Sure, the free version of Google Play Music
stuff to like in Googles Play Music app for Once youre done with all the uploads, will let you listen to streaming radio stations,
Android and iOS. though, your music will be available for but youll have to deal with some ads and
For example, you can bring pretty much
your entire music collection wherever you
go once you upload your tunes and create
and save instant mixes based on any of
your songs. Theres also an offline mode and
bandwidth settings to keep you from blowing
through your mobile data, an equalizer
for teasing the best sound out of your
headphones, and even a sleep timer so you
can doze off to your most soothing playlist.

Upload your music collection

One of the most powerful features of Play
Music namely, its ability to stream your
music collection to your Android or iOS
device demands a lengthy, tedious chore
on your desktop PC, but the results are You can upload up to 50,000 tracks
to Google Play Music for free
worth the time and effort.

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limits to how often you can skip tracks, and
downloading a station for offline listening
is out of the question.
If your music collection is in the cloud,
though, you can create instant mixes of your
tracks based on your favourite songs, albums,
and artists, and then save and download
those mixes to your Android or iOS device.
Just go to any song, album or artist in
your music library, tap the three-dot menu
button, and select Start instant mix. When
you do, Play Music will generate a mix
and start playing the first tune. Tap the
Tap Start instant mix to create
a mix of tunes based on a
specific song, album, or artist
096_099 Google's Play Music 260.indd 97
mini-player at the bottom of the screen, tap
the three-dot menu button again, tap Save
queue, then save the songs in the queue to
a new playlist.
Next, navigate back to the main Music
Library screen, tap the Playlists tab, tap
the three-dot menu button on the playlist
you just created, then tap Download to
save your mix for offline listening.
Switch to offline mode
Once youve saved a few instant mixes to
your device, youll be ready to tee them
FEATURE
up wherever you are, even if youre offline
and indeed, if youre intent on burning as
little mobile data as possible while listening
to your tunes on the go, your best bet is to
switch the Play Music app to offline mode.
Tap the main menu button in the top-
left corner of the screen, then toggle on
the Downloaded only setting. Once you
do, Play Music will only drop the needle
on tracks that are already downloaded
on your Android or iOS device, perfect
for listening on the train or keeping your
mobile data use in check.
Google Play Musics offline mode lets you
listen to downloaded tracks when youre
out of range of cellular or Wi-Fi, or simply
to cut down on your mobile data use
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/features 97
15/12/2016 11:13
 Feature: Googles Play Music app

You can get your music to sound

just right with a little help from
Play Musics equalizer settings

Google Play Musics offline mode lets you

listen to downloaded tracks when youre
out of range of cellular or Wi-Fi, or simply
to cut down on your mobile data use

Use as little mobile

data as possible
Lets say that youre out and about and
youre itching to play an album that you
forgot to download in advance. With the
right settings enabled, you can still stream
your music without taking too big a bite out
of your mobile data allowance.
Tap the main menu button in the top-left
corner of the screen, tap Settings, then
scroll down and tap Mobile networks stream
quality. Now, pick a setting. Low uses the
least amount of cellular bandwidth but leaves
your music sounding muddier than you might
like. Normal strikes a decent balance between
sound quality and mobile data use, while
High spares no expense when it comes to
delivering crystal-clear sound quality.
Tweak your equalizer settings
When it comes to audio quality, you can make
your own adjustment to how your tracks
sound by adjusting the Play Musics equalizer
levels, though only in you have an Android
device. If you own an iOS handset youll be
unable to access this feature. Tap the main
menu button, then tap Settings > Equalizer,
and toggle on the main Equalizer switch.
The drop-down menu in the top corner of
the screen lets you choose from 11 equalizer
presets, ranging from Normal and Classical
to Hip-Hop and Jazz, or you can pick User to
mess with the quintet of EQ sliders.
Below the main equalizer settings are
a couple more audio settings: one for Bass
Boost and another for Surround sound,
handy for giving Play Musics audio some
extra punch and presence. Note: If the Bass
Boost and Surround sound sliders are greyed
out, try plugging in a pair of headphones.
Tinker with your music queue
Just like the Music app on iOS, Play
Music has a queue of up next songs in
other words, a list of all the songs that
are queued up depending on the album,
playlist or artist youre playing.

You can change the order of songs

in your music queue by dragging the
little handles to the left, or just swipe
a track away to take it off the list

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When you are playing a track, tap the
miniplayer at the bottom of the display
to zoom it to fullscreen view, then tap the
queue button (the one with three lines and
a little music note icon) in the topright
corner of the screen.
Now that you can see your music queue,
time to tinker. First, tap and drag a handle
next to a song to shuffle its position in the
queue, or swipe away the song to nix it from
the queue. To jump any song, album or artist
in your music library to the front of the
queue, tap the threedot menu button next
to its title and tap Play next or, if you want
Google Play Musics sleep timer can help
you snooze to your most soothing tunes.
Tap the main menu button, tap Settings >
Sleep Timer, then select how many hours
and minutes youd like to snooze to
096_099 Google's Play Music 260.indd 99
Youll never be caught without
something to listen to thanks to
Play Musics cached music playlist
your selection to play after everything else
in your queue, tap Add to queue instead.
Check out your cached music
One of the tricks that Play Music has up
its sleeves is the ability to automatically
download a playlist of your recently played
songs. If you ever get caught offline
without having downloaded any music
manually, you can count on your cached
music to tide you over.
First, make sure youre in offline mode:
Tap the main menu button, then toggle on
the Downloads only switch.
Feature: Googles Play Music app
Back on the main menu, tap Home and
when you do, youll find a cached music
playlist, all downloaded and waiting for you.
If youre short on storage space and you
actually dont want Play Music automatically
downloading any music, tap the main menu
button, tap Settings, then toggle off the
Cache music while streaming setting (or
Cache during playback on iOS). Youll lose
your cachedmusic playlist, but at least
youll conserve precious storage space
on your handset.
Clear out old cached
data and downloads
Running out of storage space? Theres
an easy way to instantly zap all of Play
Musics downloaded tunes, along with
any autodownloaded cached music.
Head to the main menu, then tap
Settings > Clear cache. Thats a move
that could instantly free up hundreds of
megabytes of storage, depending on the
size of your cached music playlist.
Next, tap Manage downloads. Youll jump
to a screen that shows all the downloaded
music and podcasts on your device. Just
tap the little orange buttons next to each
track, album or artist to instantly wipe them.
Fall asleep to your tunes
Theres nothing like a mix of mellow tunes
to help you doze off, and Play Music has
a feature thatll help you get some sleep
without playing your music on all night. J
March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/features 99
15/12/2016 11:14
 FEATURE

8 Android gestures that

speed up everyday tasks
Ben Patterson shows how to cycle through Chrome tabs, go 3D with Maps, launch the camera and more

avigating your way around a

N new Android device will get a lot

easier once youve mastered a few
handy touchscreen gestures. For example,
you can switch between Chrome tabs with
a single swipe, while a two-finger swipe will
add a whole new perspective to Google
Maps. No sign of the virtual Home button?
Theres a gesture thatll bring it back. Read
on for all that and more.

1. A quicker way to
get to your Quick Settings
When you swipe down from the top of the
screen on your unlocked Android device,
youll see a small row of buttons sitting at
the top of your various notifications (or in
the very top corner of the screen, on pre-
Nougat handsets). These are your so-called
quick settings a series of one-tap buttons
thatll let you do things like turn Wi-Fi on
and off, switch on your phones flashlight 2. Swipe to get If your Android devices Home button
mode, or toggle Airplane Mode. the Home button back has deserted you, try this: swipe down
Swipe down again and youll see even It can be a little disconcerting when youre from the top of the display. The three
more quick settings, such as (depending on viewing a video or doing another full-screen main navigation buttons at the bottom of
your setup) the screens auto-rotate setting, activity on your Android device, and the the screen including the Home button
Bluetooth, and your devices hotspot feature. virtual Home button goes AWOL. will slide back into view.
If youd rather jump directly to all In many cases, the Home button will
your quick settings rather than having to reappear by simply tapping the screen. But 3. Double-click for the camera
swipe once and then again, try this: swipe that doesnt always work, depending on the Whether clicking a physical button on your
down from the top of the screen with two app youre using. With YouTube, for example, Android phone counts as a gesture may
fingertips instead of just one. When you tapping the screen while watching a video be a matter of debate, but this particular
do, youll reveal an expanded view of your in full-screen mode only pauses the clip, shortcut is so handy its worth mentioning
various quick settings. leaving the Home button hidden. here. Basically, you can jump to the Android

Swipe down with two fingers to

reveal all your Quick Settings Missing Home key? You can get it back
on an unlocked Android device with a simple swipe

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 FEATURE

You can jump to the camera at any Tugging down on a web

time by double-clicking the power page in Chrome for
button on your Android handset Android for a quick refresh

camera app anytime even when your
phone is unlocked and youre deep within
an app by double-clicking the power
button (assuming your Android device is
running on Lollipop or better).
Thats in stark contrast to iOS, which
lacks a camera shortcut in its unlocked
state meaning youll need to scramble
to the Camera app if that Kodak moment
arises while actively using your phone.
the main menu by tapping the button in
the top-right corner of the screen.
That said, theres an easy way to refresh
a Chrome web page in a flash: just pull
down on the page with your fingertip.
Bonus: If youre holding your phone
with your right hand, you can quickly open
the main Chrome menu by swiping down in
an arc with your thumb, starting from the
top-right corner of the display.

4. Get a new perspective in Maps 6. Swipe address bar

The Maps app for Android offers such
an eyeful of information that its easy to
forget the whole different way of looking
at the world or at least, the world according
to Maps. Just drag two fingertips down the
screen to make the view in Maps tilt for a
3D perspective, complete with 3D buildings
(depending on the city). To go back to a flat
view, slide two fingertips back up the screen.
5. Refresh Chrome will a pull
Theres no obvious way to refresh a page
when youre browsing in Chrome for
Android, or at least, not unless you open
to change Chrome tabs
Unlike the missing refresh button in Chrome,
there is a small Tabs button at the top of the
screen, but theres an easier way to switch
tabs than trying to tap that tiny target.
Just swipe one way or another across the
Chrome address bar. When you do, the next
tab will slide onto the screen. Keep swiping
to cycle through all your open tabs.
7. Slide across space
bar to move the cursor
When we were initially writing about our
own recent switch from iOS to Android, we
complained about missing the magnifying
glass that appears when you tap and hold a
word you want to edit.
Youll be pleased to know that Android
has its own answer to iOSs magnifying
glass. With the stock keyboard, you can
move the cursor by sliding your finger
back and forth across the space bar. Its
not as elegant as Apples magnifying glass,
but its far easier than trying to move the
cursor with your fingertip.
If you want to try Androids space bar
trick, youll need to have the right setting
You can cycle through all your open tabs
in Chrome for Android by repeatedly
swiping the address bar
enabled. Tap Settings > Languages & input
> Virtual keyboard > Google Keyboard >
Gesture typing, then make sure the Enable
gesture cursor control setting is toggled on.
8. Slide left from the
delete key to delete words
If tapping the Android backspace key or
selecting passages of text to delete feels
almost as tedious as dealing with the
cursor, theres another keypad gesture
that might make your day.
Tap the backspace key and then start
swiping to the left. As you do, Android
will start selecting more and more text
from the left of the cursor. When youre
ready to delete, just release the keypad.
To change your mind, slide your finger
back to the right before releasing. J

The Maps app for Android offers such an eyeful of information

Give Google Maps a little depth by
that its easy to forget the whole different way of looking at
swiping down with two fingers
the world or at least, the world according to Maps

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 HOW TO

Reinstall Windows 10 without any bloatware

Windows 10 has the ability to install just the OS without any additional software, writes Josh Norem

A colleague recently bought some laptops for his children, but they that was preinstalled. To his horror he discovered the factory reset
were so slow they stopped using them. This is a common issue with reinstalled all the bloatware, leaving him back where he started.
bloatware-laden consumer laptops, sadly. He performed a factory Luckily, theres a way to get a clean installation of Windows 10,
reset, with the hopes of reinstalling the OS without all the crap without all the apps that came with your PC. Heres how it works.

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 HOW TO

From Windows 10s Start menu, go

to Settings > Update & security >
Recovery. You can also get there
from the traditional Control Panel
by clicking Recovery. At the bottom of
that window, click the long hyperlink that
reads, If youre having problems with your
PC, go to Settings.

Either way, you end up in the

2 Recovery section of Settings. Under
More recovery options youll see a long
hyperlink that reads, Learn how to start
fresh with a clean installation of Windows.
Click that and this web page will open.

That web page has a tool you can

3 download, which will ...install a
clean copy of the most recent version of
Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro, and
remove apps that you installed or came
preinstalled on your PC.
Lets be completely clear here, as
Microsoft is in the further explanation
right: Using this tool will remove all apps
that dont come standard with Windows,
including other Microsoft apps such as
Office. It will also remove most preinstalled
apps, including manufacturer apps, support
apps, and drivers. Dont use this tool
unless youre ready to let go of everything.
Run the tool, and get some coffee or go
for a walk. When its finished youll have a
fresh installation of Windows 10, without
bloatware (or anything else). J

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 How to: Defer unwanted updates to a Windows 10 PC
Defer unwanted updates to a Windows 10 PC
Windows 10 Pro users can slow down feature upgrades if they want. Ian Paul explains how
Forced updates in Windows 10 have their appeal. For Microsoft, it
helps keep the majority of its users on the same build of Windows
10, reducing legacy support issues. For users, it keeps your system
up to date and reduces the chances of getting hit with malware
that takes advantage of unpatched systems.
But some people resent the idea of having updates forced on
them especially when some of those updates cause problems or
wont install properly. If youre running Windows 10 Home youre
at the mercy of Microsofts update schedule. Windows 10 Pro and
Enterprise users, however, have the opportunity to defer certain
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types of updates. Now, when we say that Pro and Enterprise users
can do this, we really mean Pro users. Most enterprise PC update
settings will be under the control of an IT department thats
probably deferring updates anyway. But there are undoubtedly
a lot of Pro users out there since Microsoft allowed people to
upgrade to Windows 8 Pro (and later to 10 Pro) from any version
of Windows 7 and XP.
How to defer Windows 10 updates
First, click on Start and select the Settings cog icon on the left side
of the Start menu to open the Settings app. Now go to Update &
Security > Windows Update; under the Update settings sub-
heading, select Advanced options. A new Advanced options screen
will pop up. From here, click the Defer feature updates check box.
What deferring Windows 10 updates means
Adjusting this setting puts you on a special update channel for
Windows 10 known as the Current branch for business. This
version of Windows 10 doesnt receive feature upgrades as
quickly as everyone else. Security updates, however, are delivered
on the same schedule regardless of branch.
Microsoft says that when you defer upgrades you wont be
forced to install feature updates for several months, which should
be enough time to make sure all the major bugs are worked out on
Windows 10 Home systems, though. J
12/12/2016 15:24
 How to: Get Windows Store apps with local account

Get Windows Store apps with local account

You no longer need a Microsoft account to use the Windows Store, writes Ian Paul

Its common knowledge that if you decide to go all Windows 7 in

Windows 10 and create a local user account, you get shut out of
the Windows Store. You can open the Store of course, but you cant
download anything without signing in with a Microsoft Account.
Thankfully, thats been changed recently.
Its not clear when the change took place: Microsoft could have
quietly added this ability over the summer with the Anniversary
Update, or only just recently just flipped the switch for everyone.
Whatever happened, you no longer need a Microsoft Account
to download free apps from the Windows Store. If this feature
doesnt work for you, try updating your version of Windows 10 to
make sure youre on the latest stable build.
Installing apps without a Microsoft Account works with most,
but not all, free apps. We had no trouble downloading Asphalt 8
and Cut the Rope 2, for example, but Microsofts free Halo 5: Forge
Bundle required a Microsoft Account sign-in.
Theres no trick to this process. All you do is create a local
user account, and then peruse the Windows Store. If you see a
free app you like, try to download it. Most of the time you should
be able to get it without a problem, but you may run across some
restrictions. This feature doesnt appear to exclude Windows
Store games that tie into Xbox Live, by the way.
Keep in mind that if you use the Windows Store without an are also impossible without a login. Nevertheless, if you want the
account, you lose out on a number of features such as the ability to thrill of free Windows Store apps without the hassle of tying your
maintain a list of previously owned apps across devices. Purchases desktop to a Microsoft Account, you can now do it. J

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 How to: Add Hibernate option to the Start menu

Add Hibernate option to the Start menu

Windows 10 doesnt offer Hibernate in the shut-down options by default. Ian Paul shows how to add it

At the end of every day do you still dutifully close every file
and program window before shutting down your PC? Thats
the standard way to handle things, but for quite a few versions
of Windows Microsoft also offered the ability to use Sleep and
Hibernate modes instead of just a regular shut down.
In Windows 10, however, Microsoft decided not to include
hibernate with the rest of the shut down options under Start >
Power by default. The good news is its easy to put the option back.
Hibernation is kind of a mix between a traditional shut down
and sleep mode primarily designed for laptops. When you tell
your PC to hibernate, it saves the current state of your computer
open programs and documents to your hard disk and then At the top of the next screen, click on the link that says
turns off your PC. Then, when its time to start it up again, all
2 Change settings that are currently unavailable.
your previous work is ready and waiting for you.
Plus, unlike sleep mode, it doesnt use any power, but it does
take longer to start up again.

To add Hibernate to Start > Power, click on the Cortana/search
box in the taskbar and type power options. The first result
you see should be a Control Panel setting of the same name.
Click on that. Once the Control Panel opens, select Choose
what the power buttons do from the left-hand panel.
Scroll down to the bottom and under Shutdown settings, click
3 the checkbox next to Hibernate. Next, click Save changes and
youre done. Go to Start > Power and you should now see Hibernate
among all the rest of the shut-down options. J

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 How to: Customise the colours in Windows 10

Customise the colours in Windows 10

Microsoft has hidden the Windows 10 colour mixer. Josh Norem reveals how to find it

A reader recently wrote in asking why she couldnt adjust the When that window
colours of her windows in Windows 10 like she could in Windows
2 appears, click Show
7. The simple answer is, because Microsoft has hidden it. Colour Mixer.
Before we show you where to find this hidden setting, know
that were talking about being able to adjust the look of the
colours included with Windows 10, not how to change the colours
themselves, nor are we referring to the cool new Dark Mode that
was included with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update.

Right-click the An array of sliders

Start button
3 will appear for you
and select to mix colours to your
Run, then type hearts content. J
Control Colour.

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 How to: Use Excels Date and Time functions

Use Excels Date and Time functions

JD Sartain shows how to go back and forth in time with retirement dates, expiration dates, and more

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 How to: Use Excels Date and Time

The Excel Date & Time functions were covering here EDATE,
YEARFRAC, EOMONTH, and NETWORKDAYS.INTL are four of
the many used for counting days. For each function listed below,
well define it first, then show the functions arguments, which
are the values that functions use to perform calculations. Then
well show a sample of the functions syntax how the formula
is arranged, which includes the functions name, parentheses,
comma separators, and its arguments.
Note that Arguments are always surrounded by parentheses,
and individual arguments are separated by commas.

EDATE()
EDATE is a practical function for returning a date some number
of months in the future or past, using a positive value for future
dates, a negative value for past dates. For instance, you can use
this function to calculate a retirement date or expiration date,
to calculate someones age from a birth date, or to add a given
number of years to a specified date.
The arguments for this function are:

start_date: specify a date to represent the start date (must be in

a valid Excel serial number format).
months: the number of months before or after the start_date.

The syntax looks like this: =EDATE(start_date,months).

1. For this example, lets calculate some retirement dates for our
colleagues at work. Open a blank worksheet and enter the following
field names as column titles in cells A3, B3, C3, D3, and E3: Name,
Birthday, Retirement Date, Time Left, and In Years.
2. Enter some names and birthdays in columns A and B.
3. Click cell C4, then go to Formulas > Date & Time, and select
EDATE from the list. You may also enter the EDATE() formula
manually in cell C4: =EDATE(B4,12*62). If you dont want to
calculate and enter the specific number of months, its lots easier
to multiply 12 times the retirement age (that is; 12 months per year
times the age of 62 years).
4. Copy the formula from cell C4 to cells C5 through C13, and
you get the date each individual can retire. See the next function
YEARFRAC() to calculate the time left for each employee.

YEARFRAC()
This function calculates the number of days between two dates
as a decimal number, which represents a fraction. This function
is particularly useful because other Excel Date & Time functions
return only a whole number. Use this formula to calculate
retirement dates, to get ones age from a birthday, to calculate
years between dates, to ascertain the percent of the year
thats complete (so far), and so on. Note that Excel uses whole
days between two dates to calculate the fraction of a year as a
decimal value. The arguments for this function are:

start_date: the start date.

end_date: the end date.
basis (optional): the type of day count basis (or code).

The syntax looks like this: =YEARFRAC(start_date,end_

date,basis).
Although Excel allows spaces between arguments, you
still cannot use spaces between the function and the opening
parentheses. Most old timers just remove all spaces from their
formulas to avoid any chance of such errors.
Enter this formula in cell D4: =YEARFRAC(TODAY(),C4,1). The
start_date in this formula is TODAY() as opposed to an actual
date. The TODAY() function returns todays date. The date in cell C4
is the end_date, and the optional basis is 1, which means the actual
days in the months and the actual days in the years.

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 How to: Use Excels Date and Time functions

This may seem confusing, but Excel provides five options for
calculating the days and years in this formula. Some accountants
in Europe and the US work on 30-day months and 360-day years;
other systems are set up for actual days in a month, but only 360
days in a year; and some are defined as actual days in each month
and year. The codes for each option are as follows:
0 = US NASD 30-day months/360-day years.
1 = Actual days in the months/Actual days in the years.
2 = Actual days in the months/360 days in the years.
3 = Actual days in the months/365 days in the years.
4 = European 30 days in the months/360 days in the years.
When the function is entered, if you press any key (such as the
space bar) after the last argument (C4), Excel provides a pop-up
menu that lists the five options above. Select the appropriate code
from the list and press Enter.
If you do not enter a basis number, the default is 0, which
means 30-day months and 360-day years not a good choice if
youre looking for real-time results. The last column (E) in this
spreadsheet shows how column D looks when its formatted as
a fraction using quarters. For example, E4 is a hair less than two
years, while E5 is a hair over one year. E6 is 1-1/4 years, E7 is
8-3/4 years, and so on.

EOMONTH()
Use this function to determine the date of the last day of the month
(in future or past months). Because when creating spreadsheets
with many dozens of calculations, poems and calendars cannot be
included in a formula thats needed to produce numeric results.
This function returns a serial number, which represents a specific
date in Excel. The arguments for this function are:

start_date: a date that represents the start date in a valid Excel

serial number format.
months: the number of months before or after the start_date.

The syntax looks like this: =EOMONTH (start_date, months).

For months, use a positive number for future dates and a negative
number for past dates.

1. Enter 10 dates in cells A4 to A13.

2. Enter the following formula in cell B4: =EOMONTH(A4,1). A4
is the date in that cell, and the number 1 means one month. This
means show the last day of the month for one month past the date
in cell A4. Notice that the program returns an Excel serial number.
3. Next, position your cursor on Cell B4 and press the function
key F2 (Edit). Cursor over to the letter A in the formula and press
function key F4 (absolute reference) three times, or until the
formula looks like this: =EOMONTH(A4,1).
4. For those unfamiliar with this feature, the dollar sign in front of
the letter A means that column reference will not change when the
formula is copied. Now, when we copy the formula in A4 down and
over, the cell rows change but the column remains the same.
5. Next, format the serial number in cell B4 to a medium-long date;
that is, Mon Feb 26, 2016.
6. Copy cell B4 down from B5 through B13. Note that the medium-
long number format also copies with the formula.
7. Next, copy the formula in B4 to C4, D4, and E4. Edit each formula
to reflect the new month numbers: Change the 1 in C4 to number
6. Change the 1 in D4 to 12 and the 1 in E4 to number 18. Now
copy C4 through E4 to C13 through E13.
8. Remember to widen the columns to accommodate the new
formats, then notice how quickly you can find out this information
using this valuable function.

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 How to: Use Excels Date and Time

NETWORKDAYS.INTL()
This function calculates the number of working days between
two specified dates, excluding weekends. This is useful if youre
counting work days (or school days) in a quarter, semester, or year.
The difference between this function and others like it is the
option to choose which days are counted as weekend days. Not
everyone gets Saturdays and Sundays off. Some get Mondays and
Tuesdays off, others Wednesdays and Fridays. With this function,
you can set the weekend days to your individual schedule.
In addition, this function allows you to select and set the
individual holidays in a specified timeframe. For example, in the
fourth quarter of the calendar year there are two holidays in
October, two in November, and two in December if you include
Halloween and Christmas Eve. If not, then you can set the holidays
to four in the fourth quarter instead of six.
These are the code numbers that correspond with the days of
the week needed to custom-define your weekend days.

Number Weekend days

1. Saturday, Sunday
2. Sunday, Monday
3. Monday, Tuesday
4. Tuesday, Wednesday
5. Wednesday, Thursday
6. Thursday, Friday
7. Friday, Saturday
11. Sunday only
12. Monday only
13. Tuesday only
14. Wednesday only
15. Thursday only
16. Friday only
17. Saturday only

If you leave this parameter blank (or unidentified), it defaults
to number 1.
Enter holidays as a range of cells where you have specified
the actual holiday dates (for example, F4:F10) or as a list of serial
numbers that represent the actual holiday dates.
The arguments for this function are:
start_date: the start date.
end_date: the end date.
weekend: setting for which days of the week should be considered
weekends (optional parameter).
holidays: a reference to dates that should be considered non-work
days (optional parameter).
The syntax looks like this: =NETWORKDAYS.INTL (start_date,
end_date, [weekend], [holidays]).
1. Enter the following field/column headers over columns A, B, C, F,
and G, respectively: Start Date, End Date, Number of Work Days.
Finally, enter Holidays (centred and merged over F and G).
2. Enter some random dates in columns A and B. Be sure the End
Date is not a date before the Start Date.
3. Enter some random holidays (names and dates) into columns
F and G.
4. Position your cursor in cell C4. Go to Formulas > Date & Time,
and select the NETWORKDAYS.INTL function.
5. In the Function Arguments dialog box, click inside the Start_Date
field box, then click your cursor in cell A4.
6. Press the Tab key down to the field box End_Date and click your
cursor in cell B4.
7. Press the Tab key down to the field box Weekend and enter
one of the defined weekend codes (remember, 1 = Saturdays
and Sundays).
8. Press the Tab key down to the field box Holidays, then select/
highlight cells G4 through G11. Click OK.
Before you copy this formula from cell C4 down to C5 through
C11, use the function key F4 to make the Holiday cells absolute:
=NETWORKDAYS.INTL(A4,B4,1,G4:G11), so the days in the
Holidays range are always G4 through G11. J

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 How to: Collaborate on a document in Dropbox Paper

Collaborate on a document in Dropbox Paper

If you havent tried Dropboxs writing tool, Michael Ansaldo explains how to get started

People have used Dropbox Paper to create more than a million particularly if youre already using Dropbox to store your files. You
documents since it launched in private last year. If you havent can share and co-author documents, enter comments and pull in
tried it yet, youre missing out on an impressive collaboration tool, images directly from Dropbox. Heres how to start using it.

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 How to: Collaborate on a document in Dropbox Paper

Create a new Paper document

Open Dropbox in your browser and select
Paper from the left sidebar menu on the
main Dropbox page. By default, this takes
you to the Docs page. (As you create
more projects in Paper, youll be able to
navigate between your Docs, Folders and
Favourites using the menu on the left.)
Click the Create new doc button on the
right. When your new document opens,
youll be prompted to give it a name and
a contextual description.

You can create a document

right within Dropbox Paper

To give other people access to the

document, tap the Share button at the top
right to open an invitation to collaborate.
Before you enter any names in the to:
field, click Link settings. Here you can
determine who can open the document
only the people you send the link to
directly, or anyone they share the link
with as well. You can also set editing
permissions for your invitees at this point,
allowing anyone with the link to edit the
document or only comment on it.
Once youre done with these settings,
enter the email addresses of your
collaborators in the field at the top. You
have another chance to decide if each
individual or group of collaborators can edit or just comment To start collaborating
on the document from the drop-down menu to the right. Add a on a document, set
message and click Send. Everyone youve invited will be notified editing permissions and
invite people via email
and be able to join Dropbox Paper beta and access the document.

Start collaborating
Depending on individual permissions,
your collaborators will be able to add or
delete text and/or add their feedback
on a document. Dropbox Paper offers
several powerful tools for working
together more efficiently:

@mentions: You can make any content

in your document visible to a specific
collaborator by typing @ followed
by their name. The person will get a
notification alerting them to the content.
Even if they arent already a collaborator
on that document, theyll be invited to
join and will have the ability to edit or
update the document.
Comments: Any collaborator can comment on a document by
highlighting the relevant line of text and clicking the speech
bubble in the toolbar that pops up. Include an @mention for
any collaborator you want to alert to the feedback. Comments
will be visible to all collaborators in the right margin.
Attribution: Any text in a Dropbox Paper document displays
its authors name next to it, so you can easily track each
collaborators contributions.
You can enter comments in
a document and alert the
appropriate person to address
them with an @mention
Task lists: You can project manage your document by creating
to-do items right inside it. Just highlight some text and click the
check-mark icon in the popup toolbar. Enter tasks and assign
them to collaborators using @mentions next to each one.
Once you have these basics down, youll be able to collaborate
on all kinds of documents both through the Dropbox web app and
on your Android or iOS device. J

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 How to: Keep your kids safe from unsuitable websites

Keep your kids safe from unsuitable websites

Michael Connell reveals how OpenDNS allows you to monitor websites on a home network

A reader has written in asking:

How do I use a router to monitor which websites are visited? I want

to see what URLs are visited through my router. Is there a way
to view who is going to which sites on my home network without
checking on my childrens laptops?

To start, set up an OpenDNS account (opendns.com) and change

your router settings to add the OpenDNS server. With OpenDNS,
you can easily monitor activity, block content, and set up extra
measures to fend off identity theft all with their free Family Shield
and Home options. This is a solid solution if you dont need to break
visits down by device its a little harder to monitor which laptop is
visiting which site than it is to see all traffic over the router.
If you simply want to restrict visits to websites that you consider you want to block. You can also use OpenDNS to log each URL
objectionable and not monitor the activity of each individual on visited, but the last time we used OpenDNS we couldnt see which
your network, you can also do this via OpenDNS. They have both device on our network was visiting the site. If you want to try it,
free and paid services, but free should do the trick if you just want just get OpenDNS and enable stats and logs, which should at least
to block a certain type of website, or if there are particular websites show you what sites are being visited. J

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Block annoying GIFs in your web browser
GIFs are fun... in small doses. Ian Paul shows how to gain some sanity amid all the animated madness
Some people find them annoying but animated GIFs can be a lot
of fun, at least the first few times you see them. After that they
tend to lose their appeal, especially when youre trying to read
something right next to them. Most of the major browsers dont
offer a built-in way to control them. For those who care, however,
you can take control of animated GIFs on Google Chrome and
Mozilla Firefox through the magic of add-ons and extensions.
Google Chrome
Google created
its own extension,
called Animation Policy
(tinyurl.com/zudxr3c),
to help Chrome users
gain control of GIFs in
their browser. Built as an
accessibility extension, Animation Policy lets you choose between
allowing animated images, allowing them just a single occurrence,
or disabling them altogether. Once youve installed the extension
from the Chrome Web Store, click on the lightning bolt icon
115 HT Stop Chrome GIFs 260.indd 115
How to: Stop annoying GIFs in your web browser
that appears to the right of the address bar. Now just choose
which option youd prefer. Personally, wed opt for allowing the
animation to run once. That way you get the joy of animated GIFs
without the annoyance.
Mozilla Firefox
Firefox has an even better add-on for stopping animated GIFs,
called ESCape From Them GIFs (tinyurl.com/ho7vcvd). All you do is
install it from Mozillas add-on catalogue and restart your browser.
The next time youre tired of seeing a GIF on a web page, hit Esc on
your keyboard and the GIF stops. This includes every GIF on a web
page. Even a page filled with animated GIFs, such as Giphy, will stop
with one key press. Hit Esc again and the GIFs start moving again.
Internet Explorer/Edge
Users can turn off GIFs completely by going to Internet options >
Advanced and unchecking Play animations in web pages. Once you
restart your PC, IE stops playing GIFs. Edge, Microsofts newest
browser, currently doesnt have a way to stop GIFs, but maybe
someone will make a browser extension for it in the future. J
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 Reader software downloads zone

DOWNLOADS ZONE
Download the latest software from the PC Advisor Software Downloads Zone
Available in print and digital formats,
and featuring latest news, reviews,
group tests, features and tutorials, PC
Advisor magazine is simply the best
technology magazine you can buy.
In every issue we bring you
software downloads through the
PC Advisor Download Zone.
All software downloads can be
found in a central location. To make
things as easy as possible, we have
removed the need for individual codes
to download or register each program.
The only code youll need is
DOWNLOAD1215, which you can
enter at the following page:

pcadvisor.co.uk/magazine/download

Once logged in, youll be able to

browse the software on offer or
search for something specific
using the search box, or click the
Downloads link at the top of each
page and browse by category.
The Downloads Zone has hundreds
of great programs and apps that are
just a click or two away.

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 TOP5CHARTS

TEST CENTRE

PC Advisors charts rank and rate the best products every month. If youre looking
to buy the latest and greatest kit, look no further than our 100-plus reviews

118 120 122 124 125

126 128 130 132 134

135 136 137 138 139

140 141 142 143 144

Prices listed are those quoted by the distributor

or manufacturer and include VAT. They are
intended only as a guide.
If youre interested in purchasing one of the
products reviewed here then please contact the
manufacturer or supplier directly, mentioning
145 145 both PC Advisor and the issue in which you saw
the product. If it wont supply the product as
reviewed, contact us at jim_martin@idg.co.uk.
Manufacturers are under no obligation to
feature reviewed products on their websites.
Our recommendations are for guidance only.
Star ratings are awarded at the time of
the original review and given in relation to the
market competition at that time.

March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 117

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Best laptops 1 2 3 4 5
Dell XPS 13 9350 Lenovo Yoga 710 (11in) Asus ZenBook UX305CA Dell Latitude 13 7370 HP Envy 13

Price 1,720 inc VAT 549 inc VAT 649 inc VAT 1,079 inc VAT 799 inc VAT

Website Dell.co.uk Lenovo.com/uk Asus.com/uk Dell.co.uk Hp.com/uk

Build rating

Features rating

Value rating

Performance rating

Overall rating

Processor 2.2GHz Intel Core i5-5200U Intel Core M3-6Y30 Intel Core i5-6300HQ Intel Core m5-6Y57 2.5GHz Intel Core i7

RAM 8GB DDR3 8GB LPDDR3 8GB 8GB 8GB DDR3

Storage 128GB SSD 128GB SSD 128GB SSD 256GB SSD 256GB SSD

Screen size 13.3in matt IPS 11.6in TN glossy 13.3in matt 13.3in InfinityEdge 13.3in matt

Screen resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080 3000x2000 1920x1080 1920x1080

Graphics Intel HD Graphics 5500 Intel HD 515 Intel HD 515 Intel HD 515 Intel HD 520

Video memory N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Wireless 802.11ac 802.11ac 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 802.11ac 802.11a/b/g/n/ac

Ethernet Gigabit Gigabit Gigabit Gigabit Gigabit

Bluetooth

USB 2x USB 3.0 1x USB 3.0 3x USB 3.0 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB-C 3x USB 3.0

FireWire

Thunderbolt

DisplayPort

HDMI

DVI

VGA

eSATA

Media card slot

Audio Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic

Optical drive N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Extras 720p webcam HD webcam HD webcam HD webcam HD webcam

Operating system Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Windows 10 Professional Windows 10 Home

Bundled software None None None None None

Gaming scores 24.5/17.9fps in Tomb Raider Not tested Not tested Not tested Not tested

Battery Not stated 40Wh lithium-ion 44Wh lithium-ion 34Wh 45Wh lithium-ion

Battery life Not tested 9 hrs 45 mins 8 hrs 8 hrs 23 mins 1 hr 24 mins

PCMark8 score Not tested 4712 1985 2942 2657

Dimensions 304x200x15mm 281x195x14.9mm 324x226x12.3mm 304.8x210.5x14.mm 326x226x13mm

Weight 1.3kg 1.04kg 1.2kg 1.12kg 1.3kg

Warranty 2-year return-to-base 1 year 1 year 1 year 1-year collect-and-return

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118 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
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Best laptops 6 7 8 9 10
Microsoft Surface Book Toshiba Chromebook 2 Apple MacBook Air 13in Apple MacBook (2016) Lenovo Yoga 900-131SK

Price 1,299 inc VAT 269 inc VAT 849 inc VAT 1,049 inc VAT 1,499 inc VAT

Website Microsoft.com/en-gb Toshiba.co.uk Apple.com/uk Apple.com/uk Lenovo.com/uk

Build rating

Features rating

Value rating

Performance rating

Overall rating

Processor Intel Core i5 Intel Celeron 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 1.1GHz Intel Core m3 2.5GHz Intel Core i7

RAM 8GB 4GB DDR3 4GB LPDDR3 8GB LPDDR3 16GB DDR3

Storage 128GB SSD 16GB SSD 128GB SSD 256GB SSD 512GB SSD

Screen size 13.5in PixelSense 13.3in IPS 13.3in glossy 12in IPS 13.3in IPS

Screen resolution 3000x2000 1920x1080 1440x900 2304x1440 1920x1080

Graphics Intel HD Graphics 520 Intel HD graphics Intel HD Graphics 6000 Intel HD Graphics 515 Intel HD 520

Video memory N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 802.11ac 802.11a/b/g/n/ac

Ethernet Gigabit Gigabit

Bluetooth

USB 2x USB 3.0 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0 2x USB 3.0 1x USB-C 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0

FireWire

Thunderbolt

DisplayPort

HDMI

DVI

VGA

eSATA

Media card slot

Audio Headphone jack, mic Headphone minijack Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic

Optical drive N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Extras Surface Pen Webcam 720p FaceTime 480p FaceTime 720p webcam

Operating system Windows 10 Professional Google Chrome OS macOS Sierra macOS Sierra Windows 10 Home

Bundled software None None None None None

Gaming scores Not tested Not tested Not tested Not tested Not tested

Battery Not stated Not stated 38Wh lithium-ion 41.4Wh lithium-polymer 40Wh lithium-ion

Battery life 12 hours 7 hrs 36 mins 12 hrs 49 mins 8 hrs 23 mins 5 hr 21 mins

PCMark8 score Not tested Not tested Not tested Not tested 2295

Dimensions 312.3x232.11x3mm 320x214x19.3mm 300x192x17mm 280.5x196.5x35mm 299x209x16mm

Weight 1.52kg 14kg 1.4kg 920g 1.3kg

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1-year return-to-base 1 year 1-year collect-and-return

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March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 119
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Best
budget laptops 1 2 3 4 5
HP 250 G4 HP 255 G4 Asus X555LA-XX290H Dell Inspiron 11 3000 HP Stream 11

Price 299 inc VAT 269 inc VAT 300 inc VAT 179 inc VAT 179 inc VAT

Website Hp.com/uk Hp.com/uk Asus.com/uk Dell.co.uk Hp.com/uk

Build rating

Features rating

Value rating

Performance rating

Overall rating

Processor 2.1GHz Intel Core i5-5005U 2.2GHz AMD A8-7410 1.9GHz Intel Core i3-4030U 1.6-2.1GHz Intel Celeron N3050 2.16GHz Intel Celeron N2830

RAM 8GB 4GB DDR3 4GB DDR3 2GB 2GB DDR3

Storage 1TB HDD 1TB HDD 1TB HDD 32GB SSD 32GB SnaDisk eMMc drive

Screen size 15.6in matt 15.6in matt 15.6in glossy 11.6in matt 11.6in matt

Screen resolution 1366x768 1366x768 1366x768 1366x768 1366x768

Graphics Intel HD GPU AMD Radeon 5 Intel HD Graphics 4400 Intel HD Intel HD Graphics

Video memory N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Wireless 802.11b/g/n 802.11b/g/n 802.11b/g/n 802.11a/b/g/n 802.11b/g/n

Ethernet Gigabit Gigabit Gigabit

Bluetooth

USB 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0

FireWire

Thunderbolt

DisplayPort

HDMI

DVI

VGA

eSATA

Media card slot

Audio Headphone minijack Headphone minijack Headphone minijack Headphone minijack Headphone minijack
Optical drive DVDRW DVDRW DVDRW None None
Extras Kensington lock slot, Kensington lock slot, Kensington lock slot,
Webcam Webcam
webcam webcam webcam
Operating system Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Pro Windows 8.1 Windows 8 Windows 8.1

Bundled software None None None None None

Battery 31Wh Lithium-ion 31Wh Lithium-ion 37Wh Lithium-ion 32Wh Lithium-polymer 37Wh Lithium-polymer

Battery life 5 hrs 5 mins 4 hrs 6 mins 5 hrs 17 mins 8 hrs 15 mins 8 hrs 45 mins

PCMark 8 Home score 2171 1863 1985 Not tested Not tested

Batman (Low/High) Not tested 28fps/Not tested 30fps/Not tested Not tested Not tested

Dimensions 384x254x24mm 385x255x24.6mm 381x257x26.3mm 292x196x19.9mm 300x205x20mm

Weight 2.1kg 2.1kg 2.1kg 1.39kg 1.25kg

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

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Best
budget laptops 6 7 8 9 10
Asus X553SA Toshiba Satellite C55-C-175 Dell Vostro 15 3000 Chuwi HiBook Pro Lenovo Yoga 300

Price 279 inc VAT 395 inc VAT 442 inc VAT 172 inc VAT 299 inc VAT

Website Asus.com/uk Toshiba.co.uk Dell.co.uk En.chuwi.com Lenovo.com/uk

Build rating

Features rating

Value rating

Performance rating

Overall rating

Processor 2.1GHz Intel Core Celeron 2.2GHz Intel Core i5 2.2GHz Intel Core i5-5200U 1.84GHz Intel Atom X5 2.16GHz Intel Pentium N3700

RAM 8GB DDR3 4GB DDR3 4GB DDR3 4GB DDR3 4GB DDR

Storage 500GB 500GB 500GB SSD 64GB 500GB

Screen size 15.6in glossy 14in matt 15.3in matt 10.1in matt IPS 11.6in IPS

Screen resolution 1366x768 19366x768 1366x768 2560x1600 1366x768

Graphics Intel HD Intel HD Graphics 5500 Intel HD Graphics 5000 Intel HD Graphics Intel HD

Video memory N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 802.11ac 802.11b/g/n/ac 802.11b/g/n 802.11ac

Ethernet Gigabit Gigabit Gigabit Gigabit Gigabit

Bluetooth

USB 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB 3.0 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 1x USB-C 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0

FireWire

Thunderbolt

DisplayPort

HDMI

DVI

VGA

eSATA

Media card slot

Audio Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic Headphone minijack Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic
Optical drive Super-Multi DVD N/A None N/A N/A
Extras Kensington lock slot,
VGA webcam 0.9Mp webcam 720p webcam None
webcam
Operating system Windows 10 Home Windows 8.1 Windows 8.1 Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Home

Bundled software None None None None None

Battery 48Wh lithium-ion 44Wh lithium-ion 40Wh Lithium-polymer 8000mAh 48Wh lithium-ion

Battery life 4 hrs 35 mins 5 hrs 4 mins 5 hrs 17 mins Not tested 6 hrs 34 mins

PCMark 8 Home score Not tested Not tested 2296 940 1457

Batman (Low/High) Not tested 27/30fps 29fps/Not tested Not tested Not tested

Dimensions 380x258x25.3mm 380x257x23.8mm 1378x259x24.5mm 262x167.5x8.5mm 299x209x22mm

Weight 2.2kg 2.2kg 2.4kg 550g 1.39kg

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

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March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 121
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Best
Chromebooks 1 2 3 4 5
Dell Chromebook 11 (3120) Toshiba Chromebook 2 Asus Chromebook Flip C100PA Dell Chromebook 13 (7310) Chromebook Pixel (2015)

Price 202 inc VAT 269 inc VAT 249 inc VAT 1,078 inc VAT 799 inc VAT

Website Dell.co.uk Toshiba.co.uk UK.asus.com Dell.co.uk Google.co.uk

Build rating

Features rating

Value rating

Performance rating

Overall rating

Processor 2.16GHz Intel Celeron N2840 Intel Celeron 1.86GHz Rockchip RK3288C 2.9GHz Intel i5-5300U Intel Core i7

RAM 4GB DDR3 4GB DDR3 4GB DDR3 8GB 8GB DDR3

Storage 16GB SSD 16GB SSD 16GB SSD 32GB SSD 32GB SSD

Screen size 11.6in HD 13.3in IPS 10.1in 13.3in 12.85in IPS

Screen resolution 1366x768 1920x1080 1280x800 1920x1066 2560x1700

Graphics Intel HD graphics Intel HD graphics Rockchip Mali T764 Intel HD graphics Intel HD 5500

Video memory N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 802.11a/b/g/n/ac

Ethernet Gigabit Gigabit Gigabit None Gigabit

Bluetooth

USB 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0 2x USB 2.0 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0 2x USB 3.0

FireWire

Thunderbolt

DisplayPort

HDMI

DVI

VGA

eSATA

Media card slot

Audio Headphone minijack Headphone minijack Headphone minijack Headphone minijack Headphone minijack

Optical drive N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Extras
Webcam Webcam Webcam Webcam Webcam

Operating system Google Chrome OS Google Chrome OS Google Chrome OS Google Chrome OS Google Chrome OS

Bundled software None None None None None

Battery life 9 hrs 46 mins 7 hrs 36 mins 9 hrs 33 mins 10 hrs 46 mins 9 hrs

SunSpider score 697ms Not tested 803ms 219ms Not tested

Dimensions 297x217.7x120.1mm 320x214x19.3mm 262.8x182.4x15.6mm 381.9x252.5x19.9mm 297.7x224.55x5.3mm

Weight 1.25kg 1.4kg 890g 1.72kg 1.5kg

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

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122 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
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Best
Chromebooks 6 7 8 9 10
Acer Chromebook 14 Acer Chromebook R11 Acer Chromebook 13 HP Chromebook 11 Asus C300M

Price 199 inc VAT 229 inc VAT 219 inc VAT 229 inc VAT 250 inc VAT

Website Acer.co.uk Acer.co.uk Acer.co.uk Hp.com/uk UK.asus.com

Build rating

Features rating

Value rating

Performance rating

Overall rating

Processor 1.6GHz Intel Celeron N3060 1.6GHz Intel Celeron N3050 2.1GHz nVidia Tegra K1 1.7GHz Exynos 5250 Intel Celeron N2830

RAM 2GB 2GB DDR3 4GB DDR3 2GB DDR3 2GB DDR3

Storage 16GB eMMC 16GB SSD 32GB SSD 16GB 16GB SSD

Screen size 14in LCD 11in IPS 13.3in 11.6in IPS 13.3in

Screen resolution 1366x768 1366x768 1920x1080 1366x768 1366x768

Graphics Intel HD graphics Intel HD graphics nVidia Kepler Intel HD graphics Intel HD graphics

Video memory N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 802.11a/b/g/n 802.11a/b/g/n

Ethernet Gigabit Gigabit Gigabit None Gigabit

Bluetooth

USB 2x USB 3.0 4x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0 2x USB 3.0 2x USB 2.0 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0

FireWire

Thunderbolt

DisplayPort

HDMI

DVI

VGA

eSATA

Media card slot

Audio Headphone minijack Headphone minijack Headphone minijack Headphone minijack Headphone minijack

Optical drive N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Extras
HD webcam Webcam Webcam Webcam 720p webcam

Operating system Google Chrome OS Google Chrome OS Google Chrome OS Google Chrome OS Google Chrome OS

Bundled software None None None None None

Battery life 11 hrs 13mins 9 hrs 30 mins 9 hrs 20 mins 5 hrs 9 hrs 28 mins

SunSpider score 638ms Not tested 660ms Not tested Not tested

Dimensions 340x236x17mm 19.2x294x204mm 18x327x227.5mm 297x195x17.4mm 339x230x20.3mm

Weight 1.6kg 1.25kg 1.5kg 1.03kg 1.4kg

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

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Best
gaming laptops 1 2 3 4 5
Asus RoG G752 Alienware 17 Schenker XMG U506 Asus RoG GL552VW-DM201T MSI GL62-6QC 065UK

Price 1,299 inc VAT 1,350 inc VAT 1,585 inc VAT 899 inc VAT 599 inc VAT

Website Asus.com/uk Alienware.co.uk Mysn.co.uk Asus.com/uk Uk.msi.com

Build rating

Features rating

Value rating

Performance rating

Overall rating

Processor 2.7GHz Intel Core i7-6820HK 4.1GHz Intel Core i7-6820 3.5GHz Intel Core i5-6600K 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-6300HQ

RAM 32GB DDR4 8GB DDR5, 16GB DDR4 8GB (2x 4GB) DDR3 8GB DDR3 8GB DDR3L

Storage 1TB HDD 512GB SSD, 1TB HDD 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD 1TB HDD 1TB HDD

Screen size 17.3in IPS 17.3in IPS 15.6in matt 15.6in IPS 15.6in IPS

Screen resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080 1920x1080 1920x1080 1920x1080

Graphics Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M Nvidia GeForce GTX 970M Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M Nvidia GeForce GTX 940MX

Video memory Not specified Not specified Not specified Not specified Not specified

Wireless 802.11ac 802.11ac 802.11ac 802.11ac 802.11ac

Ethernet Gigabit Gigabit Gigabit Gigabit Gigabit

Bluetooth

USB 3x USB 3.0 3x USB 3.0, 1x USB-C 3x USB 3.0, 1x eSATA/USB 3.0 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.0 3x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, 1x USB-C

FireWire

Thunderbolt

DisplayPort

HDMI

DVI

VGA

eSATA

Media card slot

Audio Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic

Optical drive None None None

Extras 1.2Mp webcam 2Mp webcam 2Mp webcam HD webcam HD webcam

Operating system Windows 10 Windows 10 Home Windows 8.1 Pro Windows 10 Windows 10

Bundled software None None None None None

Gaming scores Not tested Not tested 113/58fps in Tomb Raider Not tested 35.6/14.9fps in Thief

Battery 66Wh lithium-ion 31Wh lithium-polymer 82Wh lithium-polymer 48Wh lithium-polymer 48Wh lithium-ion

Battery life 4 hrs 37 mins 3 hrs 59 mins 2 hrs 23 mins 4 hrs 50 mins 3 hrs 55 mins

PCMark 7 score 4184 (PCMark 8) 3400 (PCMark 8) 4000 (PCMark 8) 3102 (PCMark 8) 2681 (PCMark 8)

Dimensions 428x334x43mm 430x292x34.4mm 387x266x37.5mm 384x257x34.5mm 383x260x27mm

Weight 4.4kg 3.8kg 3.4kg 2.6kg 2.3kg

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

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124 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
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Best
gaming PCs 1 2 3 4 5
Chillblast Fusion Catapult Wired2Fire Diablo Predator VR Yoyotech Warbird RS14 Overclockers Kinetic VR Gaming Palicomp i5 Matrix

Price 999 inc VAT 1,150 inc VAT 999 inc VAT 739 inc VAT 1,199 inc VAT

Website Chillblast.com Wired2fire.co.uk Yoyotech.co.uk Overclockers.co.uk Palicomp.co.uk

Build rating

Features rating

Value rating

Performance rating

Overall rating

3.5GHz Intel Core i5 6600K 3.5GHz Intel i5-6600K 3.3GHz Intel Core i5-6600 3.2GHz Intel Core i5-6500 3.5GHz Intel Core i5-6600K
Processor
(4.4GHz OC) (OC 4.4GHz) (3.9GHz Intel Boost) (3.6GHz Turbo) (OC 4.7GHz)

CPU cooler Corsair Hydro H55 ID Cooling SE-214 Silentium Spartan PRO Intel CPU BeQuiet Pure Rock

Memory 16GB DDR4 16GB DDR4 8GB DDR 8GB DDR4 16GB DDR4

Storage 1TB HDD 1TB HDD, 250GB SSD 21TB HDD, 128GB SSD 1TB SSHD 2TB HD, 256GB SSD

Power supply 750W FSP 750W FSP 600W Aerocool Integrator Kolink 600W 750W FSP

Motherboard Asus Z170-K Asus Z170-E MSI B150M Mortar Asus H110M-A micro ATC Asus Z170-Pro Gaming

Operating system Windows 10 Home Windows 10 (64-bit) Windows 10 Home (64-bit) Windows 10 Home Windows 10 (64-bit)

Screen None supplied None supplied None supplied None supplied None supplied

XFX AMD MSI GeForce

Graphics Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Asus GeForce GTX 970 Turbo KFA2 nVIDIA GTX 980
Radeon R9 390X GTX 980Ti Armor X2

Sound Onboard Onboard Onboard Onboard Onboard

Connectivity Gigabit ethernet Gigabit ethernet Gigabit ethernet Gigabit ethernet Gigabit ethernet

2x USB 3.1 Type-A, 6x USB 1x USB 3.1 (Type-A) 1xUSB 3.1

4x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 On
3.0, 4x USB 2.0, 1x USB 2x USB 3.1 Gen2, 6x USB 3.1 2x USB 3.0, 4x USB 2.0, 2x (Type-C) 4xUSB 3, 2x USB
Ports Motheboard I/O, 1x DVI, 1x
5Gb/s (Type C), 2x DVI, Gen1, 6x USB 2.0 dual-link DVI, 1x DP, 1x HDM 2.0, 1xPS/2, 1x DVI, 1x D-Sub,
HDMI, 3x DP
1x DP, 1x HDMI 1x DP, 1x HDMI

Optical drive None None None None None

Case Zalman Z11 Neo Aerocool QS240 M-ATX Phanteks Enthoo Pro Mid Kolink Satellite Cube Sharkoon VG5-W

Cooler Master Devastator Nemesis Kane Gaming

Keyboard & mouse None supplied None supplied None supplied
Keyboard and Mouse Keyboard and Mouse
PCMark 8 4832 5670 4818 4669 5911
2.0 Home score
Alien Isolation score 17.02/49.28fps 12.99/63.23fps 16.48/59.94fps 20.24/40.43fps 116.55/50.37fps
(4K)

Thief (4K Ultra) 21.5/32.9fps 36.2/42.1fps 35.4/42.5fps Benchmark failed to run 27.6/32.8fps

3DMark Ice Storm 212,222 227,383 183,814 145,866 230,982

Unlimited
3DMark Fire Strike 10,629 14,235 13,482 7,005 11,917

Power Consumption Not tested 56/385W 48/369W 36/235W 73/436W

2 years return to labour, 3 years RTB. first year parts and 2-year parts and labour C&R
Warranty 5 years labour, 2-year C&R 3 years C&R
3 years labour labour, 2 years labour only warranty

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 Top 5 charts

Best
smartphones 1 2 3 4 5
Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Samsung Galaxy S7 LG G5 Google Nexus 6P Apple iPhone 7

Price 639 inc VAT 569 inc VAT 529 inc VAT 449 inc VAT 599 inc VAT

Website Samsung.com/uk Samsung.com/uk LG.com/uk Google.co.uk Apple.com/uk

Build rating

Features rating

Value rating

Performance rating

Overall rating

OS (out of box) Android 6.0 Marshmallow Android 6.0 Marshmallow Android 6.0 Marshmallow Android 6.0 Marshmallow iOS 10

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 A10 Fusion

RAM 4GB 4GB 4GB 3GB 2GB

Storage 32GB 32GB 32GB 32/64/128GB 32/128/256GB

MicroSD support

Graphics Adreno 530 Adreno 530 Adreno 530 Adreno 430 Not stated

Screen size 5.5in 5.1in 5.3in 5.7in 4.7in

Screen resolution 2560x1440 2560x1440 2560x1440 2560x1440 1334x720

Pixel density 534ppi 577ppi 554ppi 518ppi 326ppi

Screen technology IPS IPS IPS AMOLED IPS

Front camera 5Mp 5Mp 8Mp 8Mp 7Mp

Rear camera 16Mp, LED flash 12Mp, LED flash 8/16Mp, LED flash 12.3Mp, LED flash 12Mp, LED flash

Video recording 4K 4K 4K 4K 4K

Cellular connectivity 4G 4G 4G 4G 4G

SIM type Nano-SIM Nano-SIM Nano-SIM Nano-SIM Nano-SIM

Dual-SIM as standard

Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.2 Bluetooth 4.2 Bluetooth 4.2 Bluetooth 4.2 Bluetooth 4.2

GPS GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass

NFC

USB OTG

Extra features Fingerprint scanner Fingerprint scanner Fingerprint scanner Fingerprint scanner Fingerprint scanner

Geekbench 3.0 (multi) 6469 6466 5404 3939 6088

SunSpider Not tested Not tested Not tested 636ms Not tested

GFXBench: T-Rex 53fps 53fps 53fps 34fps 60fps

GFXBench: Manhattan 27fps 27fps 29fps 14fps 60fps

Battery 3600mAh, non-removable 3000mAh, non-removable 2800mAh, removable 3450mAh, non-removable Lithium-ion

Dimensions 151x73x7.8mm 142x70x7.9mm 149x74x7.7mm 159.3x77.8x7.3mm 138.3x67.1x7.1mm

Weight 157g 152g 159g 178g 138g

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

FULL REVIEW TINYURL.COM/ZDKDRE4 TINYURL.COM/J5CQ9OU TINYURL.COM/JES3ZUD TINYURL.COM/NABSV4E TINYURL.COM/JKDLR6H

HEAD TO TINYURL.COM/PNWWW6X FOR OUR BUYING ADVICE

126 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
TEST CENTRE

117_145 New Top 5 Charts 260.indd 126 06/12/2016 16:42

 Top 5 charts

Best
smartphones 6 7 8 9 10
OnePlus 3 HTC 10 Huawei P9 Apple iPhone 6s Plus Samsung Galaxy Note5

Price 309 inc VAT 569 inc VAT 449 inc VAT 619 inc VAT 499 inc VAT

Website Oneplus.net Htc.com/uk Consumer.huawei.com/uk Apple.com/uk Samsung.com/uk

Build rating

Features rating

Value rating

Performance rating

Overall rating

OS (out of box) Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow Android 6.0 Marshmallow Android 6.0 Marshmallow iOS 9 Android 5.1.1 Lollipop

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 HiSilicon Kirin 955 A9 2.1GHz Exynos 7420

RAM 6GB 4GB 3GB 2GB 4GB

Storage 64GB 32GB 32GB 16/64/128GB 32/64GB

MicroSD support

Graphics Adreno 530 Adreno 530 Mali-T880 MP4 M9 Mali-T760MP8

Screen size 5.5in 5.2in 5.2in 5.5in 5.7in

Screen resolution 1920x1080 2560x1440 1920x1080 1920x1080 1280x720

Pixel density 401ppi 565ppi 423ppi 401ppi 518ppi

Screen technology AMOLED Super LCD IPS IPS Super AMOLED

Front camera 8Mp 5Mp 8Mp 5Mp 5Mp

Rear camera 16Mp, LED flash 12Mp, LED flash 12Mp, LED flash 12Mp, LED flash 16Mp, LED flash

Video recording 4K 4K 4K 4K

Cellular connectivity 4G 4G 4G 4G 4G

SIM type Nano-SIM Nano-SIM Nano-SIM Nano-SIM Nano-SIM

Dual-SIM as standard

Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.2 Bluetooth 4.2 Bluetooth 4.2 Bluetooth 4.2 Bluetooth 4.2

GPS A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass

NFC

USB OTG
Heart-rate sensor,
Extra features Fingerprint scanner Fingerprint scanner Fingerprint scanner Fingerprint scanner
fingerprint scanner
Geekbench 3.0 (multi) 5546 5132 6505 4407 Not tested

SunSpider Not tested Not tested Not tested 210ms 718ms

GFXBench: T-Rex 59fps 52fps 19fps 59fps 37fps

GFXBench: Manhattan 46fps 27fps 36fps 38fps 15fps

Battery 3000mAh, non-removable 3000mAh, non-removable 3000mAh, removable Lithium-ion 2300mAh, non-removable

Dimensions 152.7x74.7x7.4mm 145.9x71.9x9mm 145x70.9x7 mm 158.2x77.9x7.3mm 153.2x76.1x7.6mm

Weight 158g 161g 144g 192g 171g

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

FULL REVIEW TINYURL.COM/Z3HQ6BZ TINYURL.COM/HPEW53R TINYURL.COM/HJG8XCJ TINYURL.COM/OYRA5MX TINYURL.COM/OCQAJPL

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March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 127
TEST CENTRE

117_145 New Top 5 Charts 260.indd 127 06/12/2016 16:42

 Top 5 charts

Best
budget
smartphones 1 2 3 4 5
Motorola Moto G (3rd gen) Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 Vodafone Smart Prime 7 Vodafone Smart Prime 6 Xiaomi Redmi 3S

Price 149 inc VAT 125 inc VAT 75 inc VAT 79 inc VAT 121 inc VAT

Website Motorola.co.uk Vodafone.co.uk Vodafone.co.uk Vodafone.co.uk Xiaomi-mi.co.uk

Build rating

Features rating

Value rating

Performance rating

Overall rating

OS (out of box) Android 5.1.1 Lollipop Android 5.0.2 Lollipop Android 6.0 Marshmallow Android 5.0.2 Lollipop MIUI 7.5

Processor 1.4GHz Snapdragon 410 2.5GHz Snapdragon 615 1.2GHz Snapdragon 210 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 1.4GHz Snapdragon 4130

RAM 2GB 2GB 1GB 1GB 2GB

Storage 16GB 16GB 8GB 8GB 16GB

MicroSD support Up to 32GB Up to 128GB Up to 128GB Up to 64GB Up to 128GB

Graphics Adreno 406 Adreno 405 Adreno 304 Adreno 306 Adreno 505

Screen size 5in 5.5in 5in 5in 5in

Screen resolution 1280x720 1920x1080 1280x720 1280x720 1280x720

Pixel density 294ppi 401ppi 294ppi 294ppi 294ppi

Screen technology IPS IPS IPS IPS IPS

Front camera 5Mp 5Mp 5Mp 2Mp 5Mp

Rear camera 13Mp 13Mp 8Mp 8Mp 13Mp

Video recording 720p 1080p 720p 1080p 1080p

Cellular connectivity 4G 4G* 4G* 4G* 4G

SIM type Micro-SIM Nano-SIM Micro-SIM Micro-SIM 1x Micro-SIM, 1x Nano-SIM

Dual-SIM as standard

Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n 802.11b/g/n 802.11b/g/n 802.11b/g/n 802.11b/g/n

Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.1 Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.1

GPS GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS GPS, A-GPS A-GPS A-GPS GPS, A-GPS

NFC

USB OTG
Rear-mounted
Extra features FM radio, accelerometer FM radio FM radio FM radio
fingerprint scanner
Geekbench 3.0 (single) Not tested 649 Not tested 464 Not tested

Geekbench 3.0 (multi) 1628 2469 1098 1401 2848

SunSpider 1344ms 1545ms Not tested 1301ms Not tested

GFXBench: T-Rex 10fps 14fps 10fps 9.4fps 24fps

GFXBench: Manhattan 4fps 5.7fps 4fps 3.8fps 13fps

Battery 2470mAh, non-removable 3000mAh, non-removable 2540mAh, non-removable Not specified 4100mAh, non-removable

Dimensions 142.1x72.4x11.6mm 154x77x9mm 144x72x8mm 141.65x71.89x9mm 139.3x69.6x8.5mm

Weight 155g 159g 128g 155g 144g

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

FULL REVIEW TINYURL.COM/HTEFW7H TINYURL.COM/Q7Q9NXR TINYURL.COM/ZTLQLUZ TINYURL.COM/Q5DSNHE TINYURL.COM/J8HXZ49

* Locked to Vodafone. All other models here are unlocked

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128 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
TEST CENTRE

117_145 New Top 5 Charts 260.indd 128 06/12/2016 16:42

 Top 5 charts

Best
budget
smartphones 6 7 8 9 10
Vodafone Smart Ultra 7 Motorola Moto E 4G 2015 Cubot P12 Wileyfox Swift Xiaomi Redmi Note 3

Price 135 inc VAT 109 inc VAT 74 inc VAT 129 inc VAT 118 inc VAT

Website Vodafone.co.uk Motorola.co.uk Cubot.net Wileyfox.com Xiaomi-mi.com

Build rating

Features rating

Value rating

Performance rating

Overall rating

OS (out of box) Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow Android 5.0 Lollipop Android 5.1 Lollipop Cyanogen OS Android 5.0 Lollipop

Processor 1.8GHz Mediatek MT6755M 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6580 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 2GHz MediaTek MT6795

RAM 2GB 1GB 1GB 2GB 2GB

Storage 16GB 8GB 16GB 16GB 16GB

MicroSD support Up to 256GB Up to 32GB Up to 32GB Up to 32GB No

Graphics Mali-T860MP2 Adreno 306 Mali 400mp Adreno 306 Not specified

Screen size 5.5in 4.5in 5in 5in 5.5in

Screen resolution 1920x1080 960x540 1280x720 1280x720 1920x1080

Pixel density 401ppi 245ppi 294ppi 294ppi 403ppi

Screen technology IPS IPS IPS IPS Full HD

Front camera 5Mp 0.3Mp 5Mp 5Mp 5Mp

Rear camera 13Mp 5Mp 8Mp, LED flash 13Mp, LED flash 13Mp, LED flash

Video recording 1080p 720p 1080p 1080p Not specified

Cellular connectivity 4G* 4G 3G 4G 4G

SIM type Micro-SIM Micro-SIM Micro-SIM Micro-SIM Micro-SIM

Dual-SIM as standard

Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n 802.11b/g/n 802.11b/g/n 802.11b/g/n 802.11ac

Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.1 Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.0

GPS GPS, A-GPS GPS, A-GPS, Glonass GPS, A-GPS A-GPS GPS, A-GPS, Glonass

NFC

USB OTG
Double-twist launches
Extra features FM radio, accelerometer Gesture controls 3D G-Sensor Fingerprint scanner
camera, lockscreen alerts
Geekbench 3.0 (single) Not tested 464 Not tested Not tested Not tested

Geekbench 3.0 (multi) 3002 1463 1401 1456 4597

SunSpider Not tested 1301ms 1726ms 1760ms 907ms

GFXBench: T-Rex 13fps 13fps 13fps 10fps 122fps

GFXBench: Manhattan 5.3fps 6fps 6fps 4fps 8fps

Battery 2960mAh, non-removable 2390mAh, non-removable 2200mmAh, removable 2500mAh, removable 4000mAh, non-removable

Dimensions 152.2x78.1x8.7mm 66.8x5.2-12.3x129.9mm 141x71x9.4mm 141x71x9.4mm 150x76x8.65mm

Weight 150g 145g 71.5x8.1x143.9mm 135g 164g

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

FULL REVIEW TINYURL.COM/ZL3X7QG TINYURL.COM/Q7Q9NXR TINYURL.COM/JVEOZSF TINYURL.COM/PO9KG38 TINYURL.COM/JQNP2RB

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March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 129
TEST CENTRE

117_145 New Top 5 Charts 260.indd 129 06/12/2016 16:43

 Top 5 charts

Best
phablets 1 2 3 4 5
Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Google Nexus 6P OnePlus 3 Samsung Galaxy Note5 Apple iPhone 6s Plus

Price 639 inc VAT 449 inc VAT 309 inc VAT 499 inc VAT 619 inc VAT

Website Samsung.com/uk Google.co.uk Oneplus.net Samsung.com/uk Apple.com/uk

Build rating

Features rating

Value rating

Performance rating

Overall rating

OS (out of box) Android 6.0 Marshmallow Android 6.0 Marshmallow Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow Android 5.1.1 Lollipop iOS 9

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 2.1GHz Exynos 7420 A9

RAM 4GB 3GB 6GB 4GB 2GB

Storage 32GB 32/64/128GB 64GB 32/64GB 16/64/128GB

MicroSD support

Graphics Adreno 530 Adreno 430 Adreno 530 Mali-T760MP8 M9

Screen size 5.5in 5.7in 5.5in 5.7in 5.5in

Screen resolution 2560x1440 2560x1440 1920x1080 1280x720 1920x1080

Pixel density 534ppi 518ppi 401ppi 518ppi 401ppi

Screen technology IPS Quad HD capacitive AMOLED Super AMOLED IPS

Front camera 5Mp 8Mp 8Mp 5Mp 5Mp

Rear camera 16Mp, LED flash 12.3Mp, LED flash 16Mp, LED flash 16Mp, LED flash 12Mp, LED flash

Video recording 4K 4K Auto HDR 4K 4K

Cellular connectivity 4G 4G 4G 4G 4G

SIM type Nano-SIM Nano-SIM Nano-SIM Nano-SIM Nano-SIM

Dual-SIM as standard

Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.2 Bluetooth 4.2 Bluetooth 4.2 Bluetooth 4.2 Bluetooth 4.2

GPS GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass

NFC

USB OTG
Heart-rate sensor,
Extra features Fingerprint scanner Fingerprint scanner Fingerprint scanner Fingerprint scanner
fingerprint scanner
Geekbench 3.0 (single) 6469 Not tested Not tested 1497 2527

Geekbench 3.0 (multi) Not tested 3939 5546 Not tested 4407

SunSpider 53fps 636ms Not tested 718ms 210ms

GFXBench: T-Rex 27fps 34fps 59fps 37fps 59fps

GFXBench: Manhattan 27fps 14fps 46fps 15fps 38fps

Battery 3600mAh, non-removable 3450mAh, non-removable 3000mAh, non-removable 2300mAh, non-removable Lithium-ion

Dimensions 151x73x7.8mm 159.3x77.8x7.3mm 152.7x74.7x7.4mm 153.2x76.1x7.6mm 158.2x77.9x7.3mm

Weight 157g 178g 158g 171g 192g

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

FULL REVIEW TINYURL.COM/ZDKDRE4 TINYURL.COM/NABSV4E TINYURL.COM/Z3HQ6BZ TINYURL.COM/OCQAJPL TINYURL.COM/OYRA5MX

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130 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
TEST CENTRE

117_145 New Top 5 Charts 260.indd 130 06/12/2016 16:43

 Top 5 charts

Best
phablets 6 7 8 9 10
Google Pixel XL Huawei P9 Plus Xiaomi Mi Max LG G4 Xiaomi Redmi Pro

Price 719 inc VAT 629 inc VAT 212 inc VAT 500 inc VAT 256 inc VAT

Website Google.co.uk Consumer.huawei.com/uk Xiaomi-mi.co.uk Lg.com/uk Xiaomi-mi.co.uk

Build rating

Features rating

Valuee rating

Performance rating

Overall rating

OS (out of box) Android 7.1 Nougat Android 6.0 Marshmallow Android 6.0 Marshmallow Android 5.1 Lollipop Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 HiSilicon Kirin 955 Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 1.82GHz Snapdragon 808 1.55GHz Helio X25

RAM 4GB 4GB 6GB 3GB 3GB

Storage 32/128GB 64GB 32/64GB 32GB 64GB

MicroSD support Up to 256GB Up to 256GB Up to 128GB Up to 128GB

Graphics Adreno 530 Mali-T880 MP4 Adreno 510 Adreno 418 Mali T880

Screen size 5.5in 5.5in 6.4in 5.5in 5.5in

Screen resolution 2560x1440 1920x1080 1920x1080 1440x2560 1920x1080

Pixel density 534ppi 401ppi 342ppi 538ppi 401ppi

Screen technology IPS AMOLED IPS IPS IPS

Front camera 8Mp 8Mp 5Mp 8Mp 5Mp

Rear camera 12.3Mp, LED flash 12Mp, LED flash 16Mp, LED flash 16Mp, LED flash 13Mp, LED flash

Video recording 2160p 1080p 2160p 4K 1080p

Cellular connectivity 4G 4G 4G 4G 4G

SIM type Nano-SIM Nano-SIM Nano-SIM Micro-SIM Nano-SIM

Dual-SIM as standard

Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n

Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.2 Bluetooth 4.2 Bluetooth 4.2 Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.2

GPS GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass

NFC

USB OTG
24bit/192kHz audio,
Extra features Fingerprint scanner Fingerprint scanner Fingerprint scanner Fingerprint scanner
rear key, IR blaster
Geekbench 3.0 (single) Not tested Not tested Not tested Not tested Not tested

Geekbench 3.0 (multi) Not tested 6682 3825 3513 Not tested

SunSpider Not tested Not tested Not tested 715ms Not tested

GFXBench: T-Rex 55fps 44fps 34fps 25fps 15fps

GFXBench: Manhattan 30fps 20fps 15fps 9fps 25fps

Battery 3450mAh, non-removable 3400mAh, non-removable 4850mAh, non-removable 3000mAh, removable, Qi 4050mAh, non-removable

Dimensions 154.7x75.7x8.5mm 152.3x75.3x7mm 173.1x88.3x7.5mm 76x149x6.3-9.8mm 151.5x76.2x8.2mm

Weight 168g 162g 203g 155g 174g

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

FULL REVIEW TINYURL.COM/HBXFGXX TINYURL.COM/ZABGKKC TINYURL.COM/HPFLJ4M TINYURL.COM/QDGU48T TINYURL.COM/JV6ZMED

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March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 131
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117_145 New Top 5 Charts 260.indd 131 06/12/2016 16:43

 Top 5 charts

Best
tablets 1 2 3 4 5
Apple iPad Air 2 Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8 9.7in Apple iPad Pro Apple iPad mini 4 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4

Price 399 inc VAT 319 inc VAT 499 inc VAT 319 inc VAT 319 inc VAT

Website Apple.com/uk Samsung.com/uk Apple.com/uk Apple.com/uk Samsung.com/uk

Build rating

Features rating

Performance rating

Value rating

Overall rating

OS (out of box) iOS 10 Android 5.0 Lollipop iOS 10 iOS 10 Android 4.4 KitKat

Processor Apple A8X, Apple M8 1.9GHz Exynos 5433 Apple A9X, Apple M9 Apple A8, Apple M8 Exynos 5420, octa-core

RAM 2GB 3GB 3GB 2GB 3GB

Storage 16/64/128GB 32GB/64GB 32GB/128GB/256GB 16GB/64/128GB 16GB/32GB

MicroSD support Up to 128GB Up to 128GB

Graphics Apple A8X Not specified Apple A9X Apple A8 ARM Mali-T628 MP6

Screen size 9.7in 8in 9.7in 7.9in 8.4in

Screen resolution 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2560x1440

Pixel density 264ppi 320ppi 264ppi 326ppi 359ppi

Screen technology IPS Super AMOLED IPS IPS Super AMOLED

Front camera 1.2Mp 2.1Mp 8Mp 1.2Mp 2.1Mp

Rear camera 8Mp 8Mp 12Mp, LED flash 8Mp 8Mp, LED flash

Video recording 1080p QHD 1080p 1080p 1080p

Cellular connectivity 4G version available 4G version available 4G version available 4G version available 4G version available

Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.1 Bluetooth 4.2 Bluetooth 4.2 Bluetooth 4.0

GPS A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass GPS in cellular model only A-GPS, Glonass GPS, Glonass

NFC

USB OTG

Fingerprint scanner

Waterproof

Extra features None None Stereo speakers None Stereo speakers

Geekbench 3.0 (single) 1816 Not tested Not tested 1719 Not tested

Geekbench 3.0 (multi) 4523 4305 5257 3101 2765

JetStream Not tested Not tested 142 Not tested 1089ms (SunSpider)

GFXBench: T-Rex 48fps 26fps 60fps 52fps 14fps

GFXBench: Manhattan Not tested 11fps 34fps 25fps 3fps

Battery 7340mAh, non-removable 4000mAh, non-removable, Qi 7306mAh, non-removable 5124mAh, non-removable 4900mAh, non-removable

Dimensions 240x169.5x6.1mm 198.6x134.8x5.6mm 170x240x6.1mm 203.2x134.8x6.1mm 126x213x6.6mm

Weight 437g 265g 437g 304g 294g

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

FULL REVIEW TINYURL.COM/PLQXWSZ TINYURL.COM/P37QFDW TINYURL.COM/HFY7T4Z TINYURL.COM/PBMONMA TINYURL.COM/OUEM64Z

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132 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
TEST CENTRE

117_145 New Top 5 Charts 260.indd 132 06/12/2016 16:44

 Top 5 charts

Best
tablets 6 7 8 9 10
Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact Google Pixel C Amazon Fire Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet Xiaomi Mi Pad 2

Price 299 inc VAT 399 inc VAT 49 inc VAT 499 inc VAT 144 inc VAT

Website Sony.co.uk Google.co.uk Amazon.co.uk Sony.co.uk Mi.com/en

Build rating

Features rating

Performance rating

Value rating

Overall rating

OS (out of box) Android 4.4 KitKat Android 6.0 Marshmallow FireOS 5 Android 5.0 Lollipop Android 5.1 Lollipop

Processor 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 Nvidia Tegra X1 1.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 810 Intel Atom X5-Z8500

RAM 3GB 3GB 1GB 3GB 2GB

Storage 16GB/32GB 32GB/64GB 8GB 32GB 16GB/64GB

MicroSD support Up to 128GB Up to 128GB Up to 128GB

Graphics Adreno 330 Nvidia Tegra X1 Mali 450 Adreno 430 Intel HD Graphics

Screen size 8in 10.2in 7in 10.1in 7.9in

Screen resolution 1920x1200 2560x1800 1024x600 2560x1600 2048x1536

Pixel density 283ppi 308ppi 171ppi 299ppi 326ppi

Screen technology IPS IPS IPS IPS IPS

Front camera 2.2Mp 2Mp VGA 5.1Mp 5Mp

Rear camera 8.1Mp 8Mp 2Mp 8.1Mp 8Mp

Video recording 1080p 1080p Not specified 1080p Not specified

Cellular connectivity 4G version available 4G version available

Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.1 Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.1 Bluetooth 4.1

GPS A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass

NFC

USB OTG

Fingerprint scanner

Waterproof
PS4 Remote Play,
Extra features None None None None
stereo speakers
Geekbench 3.0 (single) Not tested Not tested Not tested Not tested Not tested

Geekbench 3.0 (multi) 2708 4048 Not tested 4573 3280

JetStream 1017ms Not tested Not tested 580ms (SunSpider) 454

GFXBench: T-Rex 28fps 48fps Not tested 37fps 30fps

GFXBench: Manhattan 11fps 28fps Not tested 16fps 13fps

Battery 4500mAh, non-removable 9000mAh, non-removable Not specified 6000mAh, non-removable 6190mAh, non-removable

Dimensions 213x124x6.4mm 242x179x7mm 191x115x10.6mm 254x167x6.1mm 200x133x7mm

Weight 270g 517g 313g 393g 322g

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1-year return-to-base 1 year 1 year

FULL REVIEW TINYURL.COM/NJ6VHEO TINYURL.COM/ZA79M7Z TINYURL.COM/J3LJP7T TINYURL.COM/JG34GZP TINYURL.COM/H7DYTTL

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March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 133
TEST CENTRE

117_145 New Top 5 Charts 260.indd 133 06/12/2016 16:44

 Top 5 charts

Best
smartwatches 1 2 3 4 5
Huawei Watch Apple Watch Series 2 Motorola Moto 360 2 Samsung Gear S2 Fossil Q Founder

Price 289 inc VAT 369 inc VAT 229 inc VAT 199 inc VAT 259 inc VAT

Website Consumer.huawei.com/en Apple.com/uk Motorola.co.uk Samsung.com/uk Fossil.com/uk

Overall rating

Operating system Android Wear iOS 10 Android Wear Tizen-based OS Android Wear

Compatibility Android iOS Android, iOS Android, iOS Android, iOS

38mm, 340x272;
Display 1.4in 400x400 AMOLED 1.37in 360x325 LCD 1.2in 360x360 AMOLED 1.5in, 360x326 LCD
42mm, 390x312, AMOLED
Processor Snapdragon 400 S2 Snapdragon 400 1GHz Exynos 3250 Intel Atom Z34XX

RAM 512MB Not stated 512MB 512MB 1GB

Storage 4GB 4GB 4GB 4GB 4GB

Waterproof Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Battery 300mAh 273mAh 300mAh 250mAh 400mAh

Dimensions 42x11.3mm 38.6/42.5x33.3/36.4mm 42x11.4mm 42.3x49.8x11.4mm 47x13mm

Weight 40g 28.2g/34.2g 53.6g 47g 156g

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

FULL REVIEW TINYURL.COM/PXV9PVX TINYURL.COM/HAT545L TINYURL.COM/GUJR9XX TINYURL.COM/P4UKB74 TINYURL.COM/Z3X6D6F

Best
smartwatches 6 7 8 9 10
LG G Watch R Asus ZenWatch 2 Motorola Moto 360 LG Watch Urbane Sony SmartWatch 3

Price 195 inc VAT 149 inc VAT 199 inc VAT 259 inc VAT 189 inc VAT

Website Lg.com/uk Uk.sasus.com Motorola.co.uk Lg.com/uk Sony.co.uk

Overall rating

Operating system Android Wear Android Wear Android Wear Android Wear Android Wear

Compatibility Android Android, iOS Android Android Android

Display 1.3in 320x320 P-OLED 1.63in 320x320 LCD 1.56in 290x320 LCD 1.3in 320x320 P-OLED 1.6in 320x320 LCD

Processor 1.2GHz Snapdrgon 400 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 TI OMAP 3 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 1.2GHz ARM V7

RAM 512MB 512MB 512MB 512MB 512MB

Storage 4GB 4GB 4GB 4GB 4GB

Waterproof Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Battery 410mAh 300mAh 320mAh 410mAh 420mAh

Dimensions 46.4x53.6x9.7mm 40.7x49.6x10.9mm 46x11.5mm 46x52x10.9mm 36x51x10mm

Weight 62g 50g 49g (leather band model) 67g 45g

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

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 Top 5 charts

Best
activity
trackers 1 2 3 4 5
Fitbit Charge 2 Fitbit Charge HR Apple Watch Series 2 Fitbit Alta Xiaomi Mi Band 2

Price 129 inc VAT 119 inc VAT 369 inc VAT 99 inc VAT 33 inc VAT

Website Fitbit.com/uk Fitbit.com/uk Apple.com/uk Fitbit.com/uk Mi.com/en

Overall rating

Compatibility iOS, Android, Windows iOS, Android, Windows iOS iOS, Android, Windows iOS, Android

Display OLED OLED AMOLED OLED OLED

Pedometer Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Heart-rate monitor Yes Yes Yes No Yes

Sleep tracking Yes Yes No Yes Yes

Alarm Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Third-party app synching Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Call notifications Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Waterproof Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Battery life 5 days 5+ days 18 hours 5 days 20-day

Weight 35g 26g 28.2g/34.2g 32g 7g (tracker only)

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Best
activity
trackers 6 7 8 9 10
Fitbit Surge Misfit Ray MyZone MZ-3 Microsoft Band 2 Fitbit One

Price 199 inc VAT 79 inc VAT 129 inc VAT 199 inc VAT 79 inc VAT

Website Fitbit.com/uk Misfit.com Myzone.org Microsoft.com/en-gb Fitbit.com/uk

Overall rating

Compatibility iOS, Android, Windows iOS, Android iOS, Android, Windows iOS, Android, Windows iOS, Android

Display Touchscreen No No AMOLED OLED

Pedometer Yes Yes No Yes Yes

Heart-rate monitor Yes No Yes Yes No

Sleep tracking Yes Yes No Yes Yes

Alarm Yes Yes No Yes Yes

Third-party app synching Yes Yes No Yes Yes

Call notifications Yes Yes No Yes No

Waterproof Yes Yes Yes Yes No

Battery life 5 days 6 months 7 months 2 days 10-14 days

Weight 51g 8g Not stated 159g 8g

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Best printers 1 2 3 4 5
Canon Pixma MG7550 Samsung Xpress M2835DW Brother HL-L9200CDWT HP LaserJet Pro M277dw HP OfficeJet 7510

Price 130 inc VAT 143 inc VAT 548 inc VAT 258 inc VAT 129 inc VAT

Website Canon.co.uk Samsung.com/uk Brother.co.uk Hp.com/uk Hp.com/uk

Overall rating

Technology Colour inkjet Mono laser Colour laser Colour laser Colour inkjet

Max print resolution 9600x2400dpi 4800x600dpi 2400x600dpi 300dpi 1200x600dpi

Actual print speed B=14.3ppm B=22.7ppm B=30ppm C=30ppm B=15ppm C=13ppm B=12.5ppm C=7.5ppm

1200x1200dpi scanner, 1200x1200dpi scanner,

Scan/fax facilities 2400x4800dpi scanner None None
300x300dpi fax 300x300dpi fax

Supported interfaces USB 2.0, ethernet, 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0, ethernet, 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0, ethernet, 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0, ethernet, 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0, ethernet, 802.11b/g/n

Cost per page B=2.4p C=8.1p B=1.5p B=1p C=5.9p B=2.2p C=9p B=1.7p C=3.3p

Media card/auto duplex

Input capacity 125 sheets 250 sheets 750 sheets + 50 sheet 150 sheets + 50 sheet 250 sheets + 75 sheet

Dimensions 435x370x148mm 368x335x202mm 410x495x445mm 420x417x322mm 613x725x287mm

Weight 7.9kg 7.4kg 28.3kg 16.3kg 13kg

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

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Best printers 6 7 8 9 10
Epson EcoTank ET-2500 HP OfficeJet 3830 Lexmark CS410dn HP Envy 5640 e-All-in-One Epson Expression XP-530

Price 229 inc VAT 60 inc VAT 268 inc VAT 69 inc VAT 92 inc VAT

Website Epson.co.uk Hp.com/uk Lexmark.co.uk Hp.com/uk Epson.co.uk

Overall rating

Technology Colour inkjet Colour inkjet Colour laser Colour inkjet Colour inkjet

Max print resolution 5760x1440dpi 1200x1200dpi 2400x600dpi 4800x1200dpi 5760x1440dpi

Actual print speed B=7.5ppm C=4ppm B=11ppm C=4ppm B=30ppm C=30ppm B=12.5ppm C=8.5ppm B=9.5ppm C=9ppm

Scan/fax facilities 2400x4800dpi scanner None None 1200x1200dpi scanner 2400x1200dpi scanner

Supported interfaces USB 2.0, ethernet, 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0, 802.11b/g/n, AirPrint USB 2.0, ethernet, 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0, 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0, ethernet, 802.11b/g/n

Cost per page B=0.2p C=0.4p B=6p C=7p B=1.8p C=9.5p B=2.2p C=9p B=3.8p C=5.2p

Media card/auto duplex

Input capacity 100 sheets 60 sheets 250 sheets 125 sheets + 15 sheet 100 sheets

Dimensions 169x489x300mm 222x454x362mm 291x442x407mm 454x410x161mm 390x341x138mm

Weight 4.6kg 5.8kg 20.5kg 6.8kg 6.2kg

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

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136 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
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117_145 New Top 5 Charts 260.indd 136 06/12/2016 16:47

 Top 5 charts

Best
wireless
routers 1 2 3 4 5
Apple AirPort Extreme TP-Link Archer VR900 BT Smart Hub Netgear Nighthawk R7000 TP-Link VR2600

Price 169 inc VAT 139 inc VAT 129 inc VAT 150 inc VAT 174 inc VAT

Website Apple.com/uk Tp-link.com Bt.com Netgear.co.uk Tp-link.com

Overall rating

Standards supported 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 802.11a/b/g/n/ac

Frequency modes 2.4GHz/5GHz (concurrent) 2.4GHz/5GHz (concurrent) 2.4GHz/5GHz (concurrent) 2.4GHz/5GHz (concurrent) 2.4GHz/5GHz (concurrent)

Antennas 6x internal 3x external 7x internal 3x external 4x external

Built-in modem

Manufacturers rating 1300/450Mb/s 1300/600Mb/s Not specified 1300/600Mb/s 1733/800Mb/s

WPS

Ports Gigabit WAN, 3x gigabit LAN, USB Gigabit WAN, 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0 Gigabit LAN, 1x USB 3.0 Gigabit WAN, 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0 2x USB 3.0, 4 x RJ11

Average power use 8W N/S N/S 9W N/S

Max speed (11n/11ac) 171/572Mb/s 146/622Mb/s 85/239.5Mb/s 171/592Mb/s Not tested

Dimensions, weight 98x168x98mm, 945g 245x181x90mm, 720g 240x155x65mm 285x186x45mm, 750g 263.8x197.8x37.3mm

Warranty 1 year Not specified Not specified Not specified Not specified

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Best
powerline
adaptors 1 2 3 4 5
TP-Link AV2000 TrendNet Powerline 500 AV2 TP-Link AV1200 Solwise SmartLink 1200AV2 Devolo dLan 1200+

Price 99 inc VAT 41 inc VAT 88 inc VAT 43 inc VAT 119 inc VAT

Website Uk.tp-link.com Trendnet.com Uk.tp-link.com Solwise.com Devolo.com/uk

Overall rating

No of adaptors in kit 2 2 2 1 (2 required) 2

Max throughput 2000Mb/s 600Mb/s 1200Mb/s 1200Mb/s 1200Mb/s

Near test result 432Mb/s 146Mb/s 500Mb/s 410Mb/s 357Mb/s

Far test result 117Mb/s 71Mb/s 200Mb/s 107Mb/s 126Mb/s

Ethernet ports 2x gigabit 1x gigabit 1x gigabit 2x gigabit 1x gigabit

Passthrough socket Yes No Yes Yes Yes

Wireless hotspot No No No No No

Encryption 128-bit 128-bit 128-bit 128-bit 128-bit

Dimensions 131x72x42 mm 55x87x58mm 230x190x100mm 62x122x41mm 130x66x42mm

Weight Not specified 90g 898g Not specified Not specified

Warranty 1 year 3 years 1 year 2 years 3 years

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Best
NAS drives 1 2 3 4 5
Synology DS115j Qnap HS-210 WD My Cloud EX2100 Synology DS216play Synology DS414j

Price 83 inc VAT (diskless) 190 inc VAT (diskless) 205 inc VAT (diskless) 190 inc VAT (diskless) 270 inc VAT (diskless)

Website Synology.com Qnap.com Wd.com Synology.com Synology.com

Overall rating

Drive bays 1 2 2 2 4

Processor 800MHz Marvell Armada 370 1.6GHz Marvell single-core 1.3GHz Marvel Armada 385 1.5GHz STM STiH412 1.2GHz Mindspeed Concerto

Memory 256MB DDR3 512MB DDR3 1GB DDR3 1GB DDR3 512MB DDR3

Remote access

eSATA 1x

USB port 2x USB 2.0 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 2x USB 3.0 2x USB 3.0 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0

Raid options None 0/1/JBOD 00/1/JBOD 00/1/JBOD 0/1/5/6/10/JBOD

Software DSM 5.1 HD Station My Cloud DSM 5.2 DSM 5.0

Dimensions 71x161x224mm 302x220x41mm 216x109x148mm 165x100x226mm 184x168x230mm

Weight 700g 1.5kg 3.5kg 1.8kg 2.2kg

Warranty 1 year 2 years 3 years 2 years 3 years

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Best
portable
hard drives 1 2 3 4 5
Adata SE730 Samsung Portable SSD T3 Transcend ESD400 SanDisk Extreme 500 Portable SSD Western Digital My Passport

Price 106 inc VAT 606 inc VAT 420 inc VAT 70 inc VAT 159 inc VAT

Website Adata.com Samsung.com/uk Transcend-info.com Sandisk.co.uk Wdc.com

Overall rating

Price per GB (at

46p 32p 39p 31p 4p
capacity tested)

Capacity tested 250GB 2TB 256GB 240GB 4TB

Capacity range 250GB 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB 120GB, 240GB, 480GB 1TB, 2TB, 3TB, 4TB

Storage MLC NAND Flash NAND Flash NAND Flash NAND Flash SSD HDD

Sequential performance 380.8/278.5MB/s 406.9/211.2MB/s 410.8/163.8MB/s 398.3/203.4MB/s 119.3/112.8/s

4K performance 19.8/38.9MB/s 21.9/2.3MB/s 16.1/2.7MB/s 19.8/3.7MB/s 0.5/1.6MB/s

Other interfaces USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C USB 3.0 USB 3.0 USB 3.0

Encryption None 256-bit AES None 128-bit AES 256-bit AES

Transcend Elite
Software None T3 Security Enabler SanDisk SecureAccess WD Backup, WD Utilities
Data Management
Dimensions 44x73x12mm 58x74x10mm 92x62x10.5mm 75.7x75.7x10.7mm 81.5x110x16.3mm

Weight 33g 51g 56g 79g 245g

Warranty 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 2 years

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Best
SSDs 1 2 3 4 5
Samsung 850 Evo (500GB) Toshiba Q300 (480GB) Samsung 850 Pro (1TB) SanDisk Extreme Pro (480GB) Kingston KC400 SSDNow (512GB)

Price 109 inc VAT 79 inc VAT 365 inc VAT 172 inc VAT 132 inc VAT

Website Samsung.com/uk Toshiba.co.uk Samsung.com/uk Sandisk.co.uk Kingston.com/en

Overall rating

Price per GB 23p 18p 36.5p 35.8p 28p

4K performance 36.3/106.2MB/s 29.8/65.1MB/s 36/89MB/s 32/88MB/s 29.4/98.2MB/s

Sequential performance 525.4/512.1MB/s 529.3/511.5MB/s 508/482MB/s 513/490MB/s 533.7/521.6MB/s

Memory cache 512MB DDR3 SDRAM Unknown 1GB LPDDR2 1GB Unknown

Controller Samsung MGX Controller Toshiba TC58NC1000 Samsung MCX Marvell 88SS9187 Phison 3110

Encryption AES 256-bit None AES 256-bit AES 256-bit None

Flash Samsung 3D V-NAND TLC NAND Samsung 40nm V-NAND MLC SanDisk 19nm MLC Kingston NAND

Connection SATA III 6GB/s SATA III 6GB/s SATA III 6GB/ SATA III 6GB/s SATA III 6GB/s

Power consumption 4.7W active/0.5W idle 3.6W active/0.3W idle 5.8W active/0.6W idle 3.5W active/0.15W idle 3.74W active/0.255W idle

Warranty 5 years 3 years 10 years 10 years 5 years

Dimensions 69.85x100x6.8mm 69.85x100x7mm 69.85x100x6.8mm 69.85x100.5x7mm 69.9x100.1x7mm

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Smart
thermostats 1 2 3 4 5
Honeywell EvoHome Heat Genius Nest Learning Thermostat Hive Active Heating Tado

Price (from) 249 inc VAT 249 inc VAT 179 inc VAT 179 inc VAT 199 inc VAT

Website Honeywelluk.com Heatgenius.co.uk Nest.com Hivehome.com Tado.com/gb

Overall rating

Zones controlled 12 6 1 1 1

Hot water control

Underfloor heating

Warranty 18 months 2 years 2 years 1 year 1 year

Heat Genius is very good

EvoHome is the best smart
heating system weve tested.
It isnt perfect though, and
its also very expensive,
Verdict
or can be. But if you value
convenience and comfort
above saving money, its
the one to buy.
If you need only a single Tado is the best smart
at a very useful thing. It is The Hive Active Heating
thermostat and dont need thermostat if you like the
easy to use and efficient. system is a great upgrade
control over hot water, the idea of presence detection
How long it takes to pay for for anyone that wants or
Nest is a good choice. The as it simply follows you and
itself will depend on your needs the ability to be able
Nest Protect smoke and your smartphone via GPS,
circumstances, and it may be to control their heating
carbon monoxide alarm also and turns the heating up or
that a full system is too much remotely. Its by no means
works with the thermostat, down as you get further away
of a long-term investment the most advanced smart
but its not cheap. Theres or nearer home. Theres also
for you. If you are looking to thermostat, but it will do
also the Nest Cam, but the hot water control, but the
install in your a zoned smart the job at a good price for
tie-in with the thermostat thermostat itself isnt the
heating system, we are happy a lot of people.
is minimal. best looking.
to recommend Heat Genius.

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Best
graphics cards 1 2 3 4 5
Asus ROG Strix GTX 1080 Nvidia GTX 1080 Founders Ed MSI GTX 1070 Nvidia GTX 1060 Founders Ed XFX Radeon RX 480

Price 659 inc VAT 619 inc VAT 419 inc VAT 275 inc VAT 249 inc VAT

Website Asus.com/uk Nvidia.co.uk Uk.msi.com Nvidia.co.uk Novatech.co.uk

Overall rating

Graphics processor Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 AMD Radeon RX480

Installed RAM 8GB 8GB 8GB 6GB 8GB

Memory interface 256-bit 256-bit 256-bit 192-bit 256-bit

Core clock/boost 1759/1898MHz 1607/1733MHz 1607/1797MHz 1506/1708MHz 1120/1288MHz

Memory clock 10,010MHz 10,000MHz 4006MHz 4006MHz 7000MHz

Stream processors 2560 2560 1920 1280 2304

Texture units 160 160 120 80 144

Power connectors 1x 8-pin, 1x 6-pin 1x 8-pin 1x 8-pin, 1x 6-pin 2x 6-pin 1x 6-pin

DirectX 12 12 12 12 12

Digital interface DVI, 2x HDMI, 2x DisplayPort DVI, HDMI, 3x DisplayPort DVI, HDMI, 3x DisplayPort DVI, HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4 3x DP 1.4, HDMI

Warranty 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 2 years

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Best
graphics cards 6 7 8 9 10
Sapphire Radeon R7 250X Asus GeForce GTX 980 Ti Zotac GeForce GTX 980 Ti MSI GTX 980 Gaming 4G Club3D Radeon R9 390

Price 65 inc VAT 639 inc VAT 532 inc VAT 404 inc VAT 288 inc VAT

Website Sapphiretech.com Asus.com/uk Zotac.com Uk.msi.com Club-3d.com

Overall rating

Graphics processor AMD Radeon R7 250X nVidia GeForce GTX 980 Ti nVidia GeForce GTX 980 Ti nVidia GeForce GTX 980 AMD Radeon R9 390

Installed RAM 1GB GDDR5 12GB 12GB 4GB 8GB

Memory interface 128-bit 384-bit 512-bit 256-bit 512-bit

Core clock/boost 950MHz 1216/1317MHz 1105/1140MHz 1216/1317MHz 1010MHz

Memory clock 1125/4500MHz 7200MHz 7010MHz 7010MHz 6000MHz

Stream processors 640 2816 2816 2048 2560

Texture units 40 172 172 128 160

Power connectors 1x 6-pin 2x 8-pin 1x 8-pin, 1x 6-pin 2x 8-pin 1x 8-pin, 1x 6-pin

DirectX 12 12 12 12 12

Digital interface 1x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort DVI, HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2 DVI, HDMI, 3x Mini-DisplayPort DVI, HDMI, 3x DisplayPort 2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort 1.2

Warranty 2 years 3 years 5 years 3 years 2 years

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 Top 5 charts

Best 4K
flat-panel TVs 1 2 3 4 5
Panasonic TX-50CX802B Samsung UE48JU7000 Sony KD-55X8505C Philips 40PUT6400 Finlux 55UX3EC320S

Price 1,299 inc VAT 1,200 inc VAT 1,200 inc VAT 449 inc VAT 799 inc VAT

Website Panasonic.co.uk Samsung.com/uk Sony.co.uk Philips.co.uk Finlux.co.uk

Overall rating

Screen size 50in 48in 55in 40in 55in

Panel type LCD (LED) LCD (LED) LCD (LED) LCD (LED) LCD (LED)

Native resolution 3840x2160 3840x2160 3840x2160 3840x2160 3840x2160

3D enabled

BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, All YouView with BBC iPlayer, ITV BBC iPlayer, Netflix, YouTube, BBC iPlayer, Netflix,
Apps All 4, Demand 5, Netflix, 4, Netflix, Amazon, YouTube Player, All 4 and Demand 5; Spotify Connect, Daily Motion, YouTube, Twitter,
YouTube, Amazon and apps store Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Philips App Store, Google Play Facebook, Viewster, Flickr

Networking Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct Ethernet, Wi-Fi

Inputs 3x HDMI, 3x USB 4x HDMI, 3x USB 4x HDMI, 3x USB 4x HDMI, 3x USB 4x HDMI, 3x USB

Dimensions 112.1x4.6x65.2cm 108.7x6.7x63cm 123.6x6x72.2cm 90.4x8.3x52.6m 123.3x10.6x71.3cm

Weight 18kg 11.1kg 19.9kg 7.8kg 17.2kg

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

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Best 4K
flat-panel
displays 1 2 3 4 5
BenQ BL3201PT Philips BDM4065UC Samsung UD970 Acer S277HK ViewSonic VP2780-4K

Price 699 inc VAT 600 inc VAT 1,400 inc VAT 499 inc VAT 699 inc VAT

Website Benq.co.uk Philips.co.uk Samsung.com/uk Acer.co.uk Viewsoniceurope.com/uk

Overall rating

Screen size 32in 40in 31.5in 27in 27in

Panel type IPS VA PLS IPS IPS

Native resolution 3840x2160 3840x2160 3840x2160 3840x2160 3840x2160

Pixel density 157ppi 110ppi 140ppi 163ppi 163ppi

Brightness 350cd/m2 120cd/m2 350cd/m2 300cd/m2 350cd/m2

Static contrast ratio 1000:1 5000:1 1000:1 530:1 1000:1

Response time 4ms 8.5ms 8ms 4ms 5ms

Ports DVI-DL, HDMI, DP, mDP HDMI, DP, mDP, VGA HDMI, DVI, 4x USB 3.0 DVI, HDMI, DP, mDP, 4x USB 3.0 HDMI, DP, 4x USB 3.0

Dimensions 490.2x740.3x213.4mm 904x512x88mm 728x427x62mm 614x406x113mm 642.7x469.7x347.8mm

Weight 12.5kg 8.5kg 10.3kg 4.9kg 11.7kg

Warranty 3 years 2 years Not specified Not specified 3 years

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 Top 5 charts

Best
e-book readers 1 2 3 4 5
Amazon Kindle Voyage Amazon Kindle Oasis Amazon Kindle (8th gen) Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Amazon Kindle (7th gen)

Price 169 inc VAT 269 inc VAT 59 inc VAT 109 inc VAT 59 inc VAT

Website Amazon.co.uk Amazon.co.uk Amazon.co.uk Amazon.co.uk Amazon.co.uk

Overall rating

Screen size 6in touchscreen 6in touchscreen 6in touchscreen 6in touchscreen 6in touchscreen

Screen technology E Ink E Ink E Ink E Ink E Ink

Screen resolution 1440x1080 1440x1080 600x800 768x1024 600x800

Built-in light Yes Yes No Yes No

Storage 4GB 4GB 4GB 2GB 4GB

Book store Amazon Kindle Amazon Kindle Amazon Kindle Amazon Kindle Amazon Kindle

Cellular connectivity Optional extra Optional extra No Optional extra No

Battery life Six weeks Eight weeks Four weeks Eight weeks Four weeks

Dimensions 162x115x7.6mm 143x122x8.5mm 160x115x9.1mm 117x169x9.1mm 169x119x10.2mm

Weight 180g 131g 161g 206g 191g

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

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Best
media
streamers 1 2 3 4 5
Roku Streaming Stick Roku 3 Google Chromecast 2 Amazon Fire TV Stick Google Chromecast

Price 49 inc VAT 99 inc VAT 30 inc VAT 35 inc VAT 30 inc VAT

Website Roku.com Roku.com Play.google.com Apple.com/uk Play.google.com

Overall rating

Type Dongle Set-top box Dongle Dongle Dongle

Ports HDMI, Micro-USB HDMI, USB, ethernet HDMI, Micro-USB HDMI, Micro-USB HDMI, Micro-USB

Processor 600MHz single-core 900MHz single-core 13.GHz dual-core Dual-core Single-core

RAM 512MB 512MB 512MB 1GB 512MB

Graphics Not specified Not specified Not specified Not specified Not specified

Storage None 512MB, plus microSD slot None 8GB (not user-accessible) None

Voice search No Yes No No No

Remote control Yes Yes No Yes No

Dimensions 78.7x27.9x12.7mm 89x89x25mm 52x52x13.5mm 84.9x25x11.5mm 72x35x12mm

Weight 18g 170g 39g 25g 34g

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

FULL REVIEW TINYURL.COM/OAP9QF9 TINYURL.COM/PT7MGUL TINYURL.COM/Q4B6B29 TINYURL.COM/NAQRNOC TINYURL.COM/QBGTCS2

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142 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
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117_145 New Top 5 Charts 260.indd 142 06/12/2016 16:49

 Top 5 charts

Best
games
consoles 1 2 3 4 5
Sony PlayStation 4 Pro Microsoft Xbox One S Sony PlayStation 4 Slim Sony PlayStation 4 Microsoft Xbox One

Price 349 inc VAT 349 inc VAT 259 inc VAT 259 inc VAT 349 inc VAT

Website Playstation.com Xbox.com Playstation.com Playstation.com Xbox.com

Overall rating

Processor Octa-core AMD x86-64 1.75GHz octa-core AMD x86 Octa-core AMD x86 Octa-core AMD x86 1.75GHz octa-core AMD x86

Graphics 4.2TFlops AMD Radeon GPU AMD Radeon GPU at 914MHz 1.84TFlops AMD Radeon GPU 1.84TFlops AMD Radeon GPU 1.31TFlops AMD Radeon GPU

RAM 8GB GDDR5 8GB DDR3 8GB GDDR5 8GB GDDR5 8GB DDR3

Storage 1TB 500GB, 1TB or 2TB 500GB 500GB 500GB

Optical drive Blu-ray, DVD, game discs 4K Blu-ray, DVD, game discs Blu-ray, DVD, game discs Blu-ray, DVD, game discs Blu-ray, DVD, game discs

Ports 3x USB 3.1, AUX, HDMI 3x USB 3.0, HDMI 2.0, Kinect port 2x USB 3.0, AUX, HDMI 2x USB 3.0, AUX, HDMI USB 3.0, HDMI

Connectivity Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n/ac Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n

Other 1 controller 1 controller, 4K, Kinect option 1 controller 1 controller 1 controller, 4K, Kinect option

Dimensions 327x295x55mm 3294x226x64mm 275x53x305mm 275x53x305mm 333x274x79mm

Weight 3.3kg 2.9kg 2.8kg 2.8kg 3.2kg

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

FULL REVIEW TINYURL.COM/HCNB3XP TINYURL.COM/HWO8PJU TINYURL.COM/HUL2J8Q TINYURL.COM/NBFLQK2 TINYURL.COM/M6J4KHS

Best
budget
portable
speakers 1 2 3 4 5
Denon Envaya Mini Sumvision Psyc Monic UE Roll Marsboy 5W Orb Lumsing B9

Price 99 inc VAT 37 inc VAT 99 inc VAT 38 inc VAT 23 inc VAT

Website Denon.com Sumvision.com Ultimateears.com Amazon.co.uk Lumsing.com

Overall rating

Speaker(s) Not specified Not specified Not specified Not specified Not specified

Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.1 + EDR Bluetooth 3.0 + EDR

Handsfree calls Yes No No No Yes

NFC Yes No Yes No Yes

Frequency response Not specified 90Hz to 20KHz 108Hz to 20kHz 80Hz to 18kHz 20Hz to 20kHz

Impedence Not specified Not specified Not specified 4 ohms 4 ohms

Extra features IPX4 splashproof None IPX7 splashproof MicroSD slot MicroSD slot, lanyard

Claimed battery life 10 hours 7 hours 9 hours 12 hours 25 hours

Dimensions 209x54x51mm 200x60x60mm 134x39x40mm 150x148x138mm 177x50x70mm

Weight 558g Not stated 330g 454g 300g

Warranty 1 year 1 year 2 years 1 year 1 year

FULL REVIEW TINYURL.COM/QDRNP3P TINYURL.COM/JC8CZM2 TINYURL.COM/O7T7ZUU TINYURL.COM/JJLOPCD TINYURL.COM/P623MK8

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March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 143
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117_145 New Top 5 Charts 260.indd 143 06/12/2016 16:49

 Top 5 charts

Best
headphones 1 2 3 4 5
Bose QuietComfort 35 Denon AH-D600 Sharkk Bravo Denon AH-MM400 Final Audio Design Sonorous III

Price 289 inc VAT 229 inc VAT 249 inc VAT 196 inc VAT 299 inc VAT

Website Bose.co.uk Denon.co.uk Sharkk.com Denon.co.uk Final-audio-design.com

Overall rating

Type Circumaural over-ear Circumaural over-ear Circumaural over-ear Circumaural over-ear Circumaural over-ear

Frequency response Not stated 5Hz to 45kHz 6Hz to 45kHz 10Hz to 40kHz Not stated

Nominal impedance Not stated 25 ohms 32 ohms 32 ohms 25 ohms

Sensitivity Not stated 108dB 118dB 96dB 105dB

In-line remote No Yes No Yes No

Mic Yes Yes No Yes No

Extra tips N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Carry case Yes Yes Yes Yes No

Cable length 1.2m 3m 1.35m Not specified 1.5m

Weight 310g 250g 294g 310g 410g

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

FULL REVIEW TINYURL.COM/JZWSSSQ TINYURL.COM/NBCFJW6 TINYURL.COM/Z5BGX9X TINYURL.COM/J7G56N9 TINYURL.COM/JQW529E

Best
headphones 6 7 8 9 10
Audio-Technica ATH-WS99 Bose QuietComfort 20 Denon AH-W150 Bowers & Wilkins P5 Kef M100

Price 79 inc VAT 259 inc VAT 59 inc VAT 249 inc VAT 119 inc VAT

Website Eu.audio-technica.com/en Bose.co.uk Denon.co.uk Bowers-wilkins.co.uk Kef.com

Overall rating

Type Over-ear In-ear Over-ear wireless buds On-ear, foldable In-ear

Frequency response 8Hz to 25kHz 20-21kHz 5Hz to 25kHz 10Hz to 20kHz 20Hz to 20kHz

Nominal impedance 37 ohms 32 ohms 16 ohms 22 ohms 50 ohms

Sensitivity 120dB 105dB 102dB 108dB -25dB

In-line remote Yes Yes Yes No Yes

Mic Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Extra tips N/A Yes Yes N/A Yes

Carry case No Yes Yes No Yes

Cable length 0.8m 1.3m N/A 1.2m 1.3m

Weight 250g 44g 23g 195g 18g

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

FULL REVIEW TINYURL.COM/QDRCCAT TINYURL.COM/OEAGFOF TINYURL.COM/O2CJV3R TINYURL.COM/NNRV6UT TINYURL.COM/Z384BD2

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144 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews March 2017
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117_145 New Top 5 Charts 260.indd 144 06/12/2016 16:49

 Top 5 charts

Best
power banks 1 2 3 4 5
Zendure A2 (2nd gen) Anker PowerCore 10000 CHJDG UltraCompact Xiaomi 10,000mAh Flux Card

Price 25 inc VAT 20 inc VAT 19 inc VAT 11 inc VAT 19 inc VAT

Website Zendure.com Anker.com Chargedpower.com Mi.com/en Fluxchargers.com

Overall rating

Capacity 6700mAh 10,000mAh 10,000mAh 10,000mAh 2500mAh

Input 1x 7.5W Micro-USB 1x 10W Micro-USB 1x 5W Micro-USB 1x 10W Micro-USB 1x 5W Micro-USB

Outputs 1x 10.5W USB 1x QC 3.0 USB 1x 10.5W USB 1x 10.5W USB 1x 10W Micro-USB

Auto-on/-off Yes Yes/No Yes/No Yes Yes/No

Passthrough charging Yes No Yes Yes No

Status indicator 4 LEDs 4 LEDs 4 LEDs 4 LEDs 1 LED

LED flashlight No No No No No

Carry case Yes No No No No

Dimensions 93x48x23mm 92x60x22mm 93x19x63mm 91x60.4x22mm 96x62x6.6mm

Weight 137g 188g 181g 207g 60g

Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 18 months

FULL REVIEW TINYURL.COM/NGCNO5F TINYURL.COM/ZSREH65 TINYURL.COM/JMOUUUO TINYURL.COM/NFQZOCB TINYURL.COM/JM593RM

Best
desktop
chargers 1 2 3 4 5
Tronsmart Titan Tronsmart U5PTA CHOEtech 6-port Charger Aukey USB Charging Station iClever USB Travel Charger

Price 25 inc VAT 22 inc VAT 25 inc VAT 17 inc VAT 20 inc VAT

Website Tronsmart.com Tronsmart.com Choetech.com Hisgadget.com Hisgadget.com

Overall rating

Max output 90W 54W 60W 54W 50W

Outputs: USB 1 QC 2.0 QC 3.0 QC 2.0 QC 2.0 12W USB

USB 2 QC 2.0 12W QC 2.0 12W 12W USB

USB 3 QC 2.0 12W 12W 12W 12W USB

USB 4 QC 2.0 12W 12W 12W 12W USB

USB 5 QC 2.0 12W 12W 12W 12W USB

USB 6 N/A N/A 12W N/A 12W USB

Colours available Black Black Black Black Black

Dimensions 160x81x28mm 165x156x56mm 71.5x29x88.4mm 94x60x25mm 100x69x27mm

Weight 292g 390g 158g 149g 180g

Warranty 1 year 18 months 1 year 1 year 1 year

FULL REVIEW TINYURL.COM/GMVDCHM TINYURL.COM/QG4X5D9 TINYURL.COM/QG4X5D9 TINYURL.COM/P2CZMCU TINYURL.COM/MPA4DWC

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March 2017 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 145
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117_145 New Top 5 Charts 260.indd 145 06/12/2016 16:49

 OUTBOX
goodbye MS-DoS
command prompt
M
y first technology article, back in 1987,
was about MS-DoS 3.30. almost 30 years
later, im still writing, but the MS-DoS is
being replaced as the default shell by PowerShell.
its possible that you have been using Microsoft
Windows for years decades, even without
realising that theres a direct line to Microsofts
earliest operating system or that an MS-DoS
underpinning has carried over from one Windows
version to another less extensive with every
revision, but still there nonetheless.
interestingly, though, there was not always
an MS-DoS from Microsoft, and it wasnt even
dubbed that at birth. Back in 1980, the ruling Pc
operating system was Digital Researchs cP/M for
the z80 processor. at the same time, tim Patterson
created Quick and Dirty operating System (QDoS).
this was a cP/M clone with a better file system
for the hot new processor of the day, the 8086.
until, that is, iBM decided to build an
8086-based Pc. For this new gadget, iBM needed
to settle on programming languages and an
operating system. it could get the languages
from a small independent software vendor called
Microsoft, but where could it get an operating
system? the obvious answer, which a 25-year-
old Bill gates seconded, was to go straight to
the source: cP/Ms creator and Digital Research
founder, gary Kildall. What happened next depends
on whom you believe. But whether Kildall was
really out flying for fun when iBM came by to
strike a deal for cP/M for the x86 or not, he didnt
meet with iBM and they didnt strike a deal.
So iBM went back to Microsoft and asked
it for help in finding an operating system. it
just so happened that Paul allen, Microsofts
other co-founder, knew about QDoS. Microsoft
subsequently bought QDoS for approximately
$50,000 in 1981. then, in short order, iBM made
it one of the Pcs operating systems, Microsoft
renamed QDoS to MS-DoS, and, crucially, it got
iBM to agree that it could sell MS-DoS to other
Pc makers. that concession was the foundation
on which Microsoft would build its empire.
late last year, in Windows 10 Preview Build
14791, the command prompt was put out to
pasture. Dona Sarkar, head of the Windows
insider Program, wrote, PowerShell is now the
de facto command shell from File explorer. it
replaces command Prompt (aka, cmd.exe).
that de facto suggests that its not all over
for the command prompt. and its true: you can
still opt out of the default by opening Settings >
Personalisation > taskbar, and turning Replace
command Prompt with Windows PowerShell in the
146 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/opinion March 2017
146 Outbox 260.indd 146
Steven J
vaughan-
nicholS
menu when i right-click
the Start button or press
Windows key+X to off.
PowerShell was
always going to be DoSs
replacement. it consists
of a command-line shell
and a .net Framework-
based scripting language.
over time, it has become
a powerful system
management tool for
both individual Windows
workstations and servers.
command.com and its nt-twin brother, cmd.exe,
were on their way out.
Its been fun
cmd.exe is still there, but its effectively been knowing you,
packed up in a cardboard box and shoved into MS-DOS. While
the loft. But command.com and cmd.exe had a you annoyed
good run. a good way to understand how they me at times,
held out for so long is to look at DoS as a house
under constant renovation. First, all there was
you were also
very useful back
the basic structure, the log cabin, if you will, of
Microsoft operating systems. that log cabin was in your day
given a coat of paint, which is what Windows 1.0
amounted to MS-DoS all the way, with a thin
veneer of a gui. over time, Microsoft completely
changed the facade in ways that made the old log
cabin completely unrecognisable. over the years,
Microsoft replaced more and more of MS-DoS
with more modern materials using improved
construction methods. today, after decades,
the last pieces of the antique structure are
effectively being removed. its way past time, too.
Still, its been fun knowing you, MS-DoS.
While you annoyed me at times, you were also
very useful back in your day. i know many
programmers and system administrators who got
their start with you on iBM Pcs and clones.
if you really, really love MS-DoS and still
want to run WordStar, the first popular Pc word
processor, or play Doom, the first great first-person
shooter game, you may want to look to FreeDoS.
this is an open-source version of DoS and its
compatible with most MS-DoS programs.
So, while Microsoft is keeping cmd around,
albeit on the back burner, if you still must have
the full MS-DoS and your floppy disks have long
since given up their magnetic ghosts, FreeDoS
will let you keep running your DoS programs for
years, maybe decades, to come.
if, however, you want to manage modern
Windows systems, its well past time that you
picked up PowerShell. Sooner or later, cmd.exe
is going to disappear. J
15/12/2016 10:45
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