Samsung's 2016 A-series is truly something. Retaining the slightly less-rounded rectangular shape of the 2015 A-series (compared to the flagship S-series), the new handsets have adopted a more gracious, sophisticated glass design. What's more, Samsung has added some additional size variations to choose from, the biggest of which being the Galaxy A9 – a 6" behemoth that impresses with both size and posture.
At a price ranging from $450 to $500, the Galaxy A9 is easier to acquire than Samsung's top-shelf Galaxy S7 edge, yet most consumers will probably have a difficult time finding the spots where the corner-cutting has been done. If you happen to love large... no, HUGE screens, this may be the phablet you've always wanted.
Design
Some say, with a somewhat negative connotation, that metal has become the new plastic when it comes to phone design. If you happen to second this view, then I'd assume you are going to like the Galaxy A9, with its elegant glass exterior. Yes, it'll be easier to crack; yes, it'll attract more fingerprints, but it sure as hell looks and feels fancy!
The design of the Samsung Galaxy A9 is among its main selling points: you can get it in three different colors: white, gold and 'pink gold', with the latter two having a black front. All three options are quite attractive. The metal side frame is colored appropriately for the three variations, and I'm pleased to say the company has excercised enough care so as to smooth out all the edges, making for a phone that feels genuinely good in the hand.
'Solid' and 'substantial' are two words I would definitely use to describe the Galaxy A9. The phone doesn't feel flimsy or plasticky like the Xiaomi Mi5, for example, but nice and solid – it makes you feel confident that it's not going to fall apart easily. And then, having in mind the imposing dimensions and scale-tipping weight of 7.05 oz (200 g), the A9 sure is substantial enough – so much so that it easily outweighs other big and heavy handsets like the iPhone 6s Plus (6.77 oz | 192 g) and the Galaxy Note 5 (6.03 oz | 171 g). However, considering there's a massive, 6" display mounted on the Galaxy A9, such figures are definitely to be expected.
Also worthy of note: as it's become the norm for recent higher-end Samsung handsets, the buttons (home, volume, power) are all clicky and easy to press, with a nicely defined tacticle feedback.
The Galaxy A9, being a higher-tier handset, comes with a fingerprint scanner built into its home button, just like the S7 or Note 5. The scanner also works in a similar fashion: it's mostly quick and responsive, though its accuracy tends to go south the more careless the user becomes with their finger positioning.
One feature the Galaxy A9 does lack, compared to Samsung's 2016 flagships, the S7 and S7 edge, is water-resistance. This is one area where we can say a corner has been cut in order to keep the price of the phone more accessible.
I've been looking forward to the X-Pro2, Fujifilm's flagship mirrorless camera, ever since switching over to the X Series 18 months ago. To understand why, you need to know a little about me. I've only really been taking cameras seriously for seven years. My first came in 2009, a slightly battered old Nikon D40. Three years, three Nikons (I upgraded twice) and three additional lenses (35mm, 40mm and 50mm fixed) later, I was tired of lugging around a giant camera, and even more tired of the small selection of good lenses available in my price range. I then tried out a mirrorless Sony camera, but Sony's lens selection at the time was pitiful if you weren't willing to spend big money.
It wasn't until an old colleague of mine showed me the Fujifilm X100T, a compact camera with a 35mm-equivalent fixed lens and an innovative viewfinder that's both electronic and optical, that I knew what I wanted. Within weeks I'd thrown my Sony in a drawer and bought an entry-level X-M1 and a pair of lenses to give Fujifilm a shot.
After an extremely successful trial run at CES 2015, I was convinced. All that was left to do was upgrade from the entry-level body to a model that did everything I wanted it to. I decided on an X-Pro1 -- despite a colleague advising me against it -- because it had the same viewfinder tech as the X100T I'd fallen in love with. The problem was, rumors suggested that a sequel, the X-Pro2, was just around the corner. So I waited.
And waited.
Fujifilm wouldn't announce the camera until January this year, and I didn't get a chance to touch one until last month. After all this time, was it worth the wait? On paper, the answer looked like a resounding yes: The X-Pro2 has an all-new third-generation X-Trans sensor, which ups the resolution considerably over the rest of the X Series, and a fresh image-processing unit (the "X-Processor Pro"). That means a 24.3-megapixel resolution and a native ISO limit of 12,800, a big upgrade from the previous cameras' 16.3-megapixel and ISO 6,400 limits. There's also an improved autofocusing system with phase detection -- not entirely new for the X Series, but new for the X-Pro.
But before we really get into what the X-Pro2 is, let's quickly cover what it's not. The X-Pro2 is not a compact mirrorless camera. At 445g (0.98 pounds), it's only 10g (a third of an ounce) lighter than the D3100 I tossed aside four years ago. The X-Pro2 is also not a DSLR replacement. The company's X-T10 and X-T1 fill that niche, and the X-Pro2 is closer in shape to the Nikon SP and Leica M3 rangefinders popular in the '50s and '60s. Finally, the X-Pro 2 is not cheap. It's $1,700, which puts it in the same price range as Nikon's and Canon's ultra-high-end APS-C DSLRs like the 7D and D500, or, closer to home, Sony's superb full-frame mirrorless A7 II. None of these cameras are directly comparable to the X-Pro2, though, and that's because of Fujifilm's unique viewfinder.
Like the X-Pro1, and the X100T that sold me on Fujifilm in the first place, the X-Pro2 has a hybrid viewfinder that takes the best aspects of optical rangefinders and electronic viewfinders and mashes them into a single unit positioned in the top-left corner of the camera. In optical mode, it gives you a wide field of view and projects more information on top of it. Rather than showing you what your lens is seeing and its focus, you'll instead have a white box indicating the area your lens will cover. For a more practical example: If you have a zoom lens, this box changes sizes depending on what focal length you've chosen. Above and below this view you'll find the usual information you'd expect from a viewfinder. This is customizable, but I have it set to show shutter speed, aperture, ISO, exposure and battery.
Looking through the viewfinder, you see guidelines showing you framing, and an EVF preview of your finished shot in the corner.
The limitations of an optical viewfinder -- namely, not being able to see what you're focusing on -- are mitigated by a tiny electronic viewfinder that sits in the corner of the optical window. This can either show you the whole frame (like you'd see on a regular EVF) or a tight crop of what you're focusing on. The setup is a modern-day take on the rangefinding concept -- using two separate image guides to take a single photo -- and I relied on it fairly often when using my favorite Fujinon lens (a 35mm f/1.4). With a telephoto, though, you're going to feel limited, because the boxed-in area will be tiny. Because of this, when shooting with a zoom lens I ended up flicking the lever on the front of the X-Pro2 and turning the optical viewfinder into a full-blown EVF.
The regular EVF is nothing to write home about. At 0.48 inches and 2.36 million dots, it's bested by cheaper cameras from other companies and even Fujifilm itself. It's definitely solid, and it provides some vital flexibility to make up for the optical view's shortcomings. As explained, it's great for shooting with telephoto lenses. That's not something I do often, but even so, I found the EVF useful for navigating menus and viewing photos when shooting at night (i.e., when I didn't want the LCD on the back lighting my face like a Christmas tree). Likewise, the main LCD -- a 3-inch panel with 1.62 millions dots -- is good enough, but it's fixed in place. When the X-T, X-M and X-A series all offer tilting LCDs, you have to question why the X-Pro2 doesn't have one.
Shot at f/4.0, ISO 12,800, with a 18-55mm f/2.8-4.0 lens. A high-res shot can be found here.
One of these three themes -- fantastic, flexible and good enough -- can be applied to every facet of the X-Pro2. The new image sensor and processor are fantastic, with great JPG handling, color reproduction (aided by Fujifilm's "film simulation," which lets you choose from various processing options), and usable images even at ISO levels as high as 12,800. Fujifilm provided me with an 18-55mm zoom lens (f/2.8–4.0 with optical image stabilization), which has been around for a few years. It's remarkably sharp around 27–40mm -- far more so than your typical kit lens -- but as you'd expect suffers at the extremes of its range with softness and distortion. I ended up leaving it at home for the majority of my testing, mostly because I'm used to shooting at fixed focal lengths.
When I paired the X-Pro2 with lenses I'm familiar with, I was very pleased with the results, if not with the ease with which they were acquired. There are a pair of dials atop the camera, one a basic exposure (to ±3) control, the other a dual ISO/shutter speed control. The latter is very unintuitive -- I literally couldn't explain how it's supposed to work despite having used it extensively. On the front and back of the camera are wheels whose functions change depending on what mode you're in -- shutter, aperture ISO, etc. -- which I only really used for fine-grain control of shutter speed, as my lenses all have aperture dials. Elsewhere you'll find dedicated mechanical buttons for auto-exposure lock, autofocus lock and a three-point switch for jumping between autofocus modes. There's also a tiny joystick by the LCD on the back of the camera that lets you set a focal point with ease. It's great, and every Fujifilm camera from now on needs to have it.
The X-Pro2 handles well, and with the kit lens, or smaller lenses like the 27mm or 35mm fixed, it's very easy to maneuver and hold steady. Put a larger lens on it, though, and it suffers; the grip is a little too shallow for supporting the weight of a 55–200mm zoom, for example.
The offending/offensive dial.
Despite a vast range of physical controls at my disposal, I found the X-Pro2 lacking. The problem really is that ISO/shutter dial. The X-T10 (Fujifilm's DSLR-like camera) breaks out shutter speeds and ISO into two separate dials, as do countless other cameras. Why the company's flagship does not is a mystery. Luckily, the X-Pro2 has three customizable auto ISO settings, so I set them up in reasonably tight increments (200–800, 800–3,200, 3,200–12,800, respectively) and jumped between them on the fly using the Fn button. That suits my current shooting style (I typically use manual mode with limited auto ISO as a safety net), but it's still nowhere near as quick or intuitive as it should be. What I was hoping for from the X-Pro2 was granular mechanical control over every facet of the camera. What I got instead was an irritating compromise.
Speaking of, one major pain point for Fujifilm cameras has been video. I specifically have a cheap Canon DSLR just to shoot the one or two things I need to per year, because Fujifilm's video is so poor. While no one is buying an X-Pro2 for its video capability, I'm happy to report that it can actually shoot passable video now, at 1080p and 60fps. One for the "good enough" column, for sure.
Autofocus, another spotty area for the X Series, is vastly improved over previous Fujifilm cameras. The original X-Pro had precisely zero phase-detection pixels. That's something that's been rectified by more recent models, but the X-Pro2 has by far the most phase-detection pixels of any X Series camera, covering roughly 40 percent of the frame. That leads to a big real-world improvement in terms of both speed and accuracy, although it should be pointed out that the actual pace of focusing will depend on the lens you have in front of that sensor.
After a couple of weeks of shooting, I've taken some beautiful shots. In case my origin story didn't clue you in, I am very much an amateur. My framing can be poor, my depth of field too narrow, my shutter speed too slow. No camera will fix that. What I can say is that the photos I've taken with the X-Pro2 have been better than the photos I've taken with other Fujifilm cameras. And I've had a lot of fun shooting them. I probably shouldn't be advising you to visit a competing website, but I'd recommend checking out Sam Byford's sample gallery over at The Verge. He's a far better photographer than I am (and, not coincidentally, the aforementioned colleague who introduced me to the X Series in the first place).
Shot at f/4.5, ISO 2000, with a 35mm f/1.4 lens. A high-res shot can be found here.
As great a time as I've had with it, I've come to the realization that the X-Pro2 is not what I want from a camera. And that sucks, especially after a year of waiting for it. Of course, I can't ignore the leaps forward it offers. Increased resolution without a dip in pixel-by-pixel quality, a native and usable ISO 12,800, improved autofocus, better JPEG rendering, a new film simulation mode (Acros, a black-and-white film, was used to capture the shot above), the new hybrid viewfinder -- these are all worthy and welcome improvements. But they're stuck inside a body that doesn't work that well as an everyday interchangeable-lens camera. That viewfinder, as flexible as it is, is much better suited to the company's fixed-lens offerings. The company's fantastic lens selection handles better attached to the DLSR-like X-T1 and X-T10.
But this sensor and processor will come to other Fujifilm cameras. And they'll be much, much better for it. As much fun as it's been to shoot with, and even though it's one of the best-performing cameras I've ever used, I'm not too sad to be saying goodbye to the X-Pro2. I am sad, though, to be stuck waiting again, this time for a refresh to another Fujifilm camera -- for, I guess, the "X-T2."
A largely solitary activity, PC gaming has never convincingly blended in with the household's most social environment: the living room. That could be set to change following lapboards such as the Razer Turret, Roccat Sova and now the Corsair Lapdog, which aim to replicate the feeling of using a desk while you're kicking back on the couch.
Thanks to Steam Machines, small-yet-mighty gaming PCs and even the falling cost of large 4K TVs, lapboards are about to make an honest play for the living room.
Corsair's Lapdog is the most hardcore of the lot. It even lets you use your own Corsair-branded mechanical K65 or K70 mechanical keyboard with it, unlike its rivals, along with the wired or wireless mouse of your choice.
The unit connects to your computer through USB, rather than wirelessly, eliminating any latency worries. That's great news for hardcore gamers, but does it make the Lapdog an impractical option?
Out now priced at £110 (around US$160, or AUS$224), the Lapdog is also being offered as part of a bundle with Corsair's non-RGB, K70 mechanical keyboard that's available with with Cherry's MX Blue or Red switches for £190 (around $277, or AUS$386).
Doing so cuts £30 (around $40 or AUS$61) from the total cost of picking them up separately.
Dog's dinner
The Lapdog is the biggest lapboard yet by a wide margin. If it were an actual canine, it would be one of those slobbery Great Danes that make you disappear into the couch when it lays across you.
The unit is also extremely sharp, both in looks and construction. The first time I went to pick it up without looking, I was given a centimeter-long cut in my finger that bled for a few hours. Guess what my next move was? That's right: I sanded it down, sanded it good.
Setting up the Lapdog was a frustrating experience the first time around, largely due to my own catalog of errors rather than anything to do with the unit's design. The first step is to remove the long backplate that covers the wires, which is done using a supplied allen key.
My keyboard, Corsair's tenkeyless K65 that uses Cherry's Rapidfire MX Switch, slotted in nicely; though strangely enough the first time I attempted this seemingly simple maneuver, the keyboard refused to cooperate.
No matter how hard I pressed it down, the rear of the K65 was raised too high, preventing the wire cover from screwing back on. Had I inserted it the wrong way? Or was it just a tight fit? As it happened, I'd accidentally left the K65's two elevation feet sticking out. Yes, I felt a bit stupid.
With the keyboard eventually tucked in, the K65's thick, braided USB cable snaked into the wiring compartment and connected to a vacant internal USB port. One tip here is to plug the cable into the USB port first and then feed the wire into the empty compartment, using the supplied cable ties to prevent it from springing back up again.
After screwing the various plates back on, all that's left is to feed the Lapdog's long USB cable to your computer. That cable is particularly conspicuous due to its thickness and length.
It doesn't look tidy and creates something of a trip hazard unless you tuck it under a carpet. So, if you're living with people who don't like cables lying around then you're going to have to find a way of hiding it out of view. One that involves duct tape, preferably.
The Lapdog requires power for its external USB 3.0 ports to work. As such, it comes with a charge plug that's on the end of a cable long enough to stretch to a nearby wall outlet. Those USB ports can be used for anything from charging smartphones to connecting USB mice, headphones or other accessories; even wireless ones, if they come with a receiver.
Prize performer
I used the Lapdog over the course of a week in my living room, which isn't exactly primed for PC gaming. My 32-inch TV is raised a good seven feet up the wall, which causes the occasional bout of neck pain after prolonged periods of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and League of Legends.
But, I didn't experience any pain using the Lapdog itself, bleeding finger aside. Despite being made from the same grade-A aluminum as Corsair's flagship keyboards, the Lapdog never feels heavy on the lap.
That's partly thanks to the memory foam cushion that magnetically latches onto the underside of the Lapdog, which absorbs the weight of the keyboard and lapboard rested upon it.
My only criticism of the memory foam cushion is that the bump on the underside is located in the center, which suggests that it should sit in-between your legs.
I find that doing this positions the keyboard too far to the left, resulting in an awkward, testing movement in my shoulders when it comes to typing.
Shifting the Lapdog slightly further to the left to position the keyboard directly in front of me (and stretching my right arm a little further toward the mouse) makes for a much more comfortable typing position, although this moves the bump directly over my left knee.
That isn't a huge problem, but, for a right-handed lapboard, it feels like the bump should have been positioned slightly further to the left. You can use the Lapboard without the foam bit, but I prefer it connected – bump and all.
Aiming at enemies and selecting units feels just as natural and smooth as it does when sat at a desk, although the mouse slips occasionally when I lean back on the couch due to the mouse pad's plastic, non-grip surface. Finding a sticky mouse mat with a textured surface might be one way to solve that.
I would suggest that Corsair make the mouse mat magnetic, like Razer has with its Turret lapboard. But, that would require the purchasing of a dedicated magnetic mouse.
Using your own kit is a huge part of the attraction here. Besides, my techradar colleague Kevin Lee didn't find Razer's magnetic approach all that convincing in his review of that product anyway.
We liked
The Lapdog is a well-built animal that comes the closest to providing a desk-like experience while kicking back on the couch. Being able to use a full-sized mechanical keyboard and gaming mouse is a real boon for both gaming and productivity work, and for the first time you could realistically swap your bedroom chair for the couch for all of your gaming and work activities.
Corsair has designed the Lapdog so that you can use its successive mechanical keyboards with it, so you won't have to buy a new lapboard each time. And, thanks to the three powered external USB 3.0 ports, you can chop and change USB peripherals as you wish. The Lapdog is a great big hound but won't hurt your knees, thanks to its generous-sized foam cushion, even if you have to shift it around a bit to find the ideal position.
We disliked
There's no escaping the fact that it's massive – almost unbearably so. It may not cause any physical pain due to its cushioned underside, but shaving a few inches from the Lapdog's thickness and length would go a long way to improving its overall comfort level.
Setting it up isn't difficult once you know what you're doing, but there's still a lot of fiddling around with screws and messing with wires and cable ties. If you're going to be switching between your bedroom desk and the living room couch frequently, then buying two keyboards is the only way to prevent a headache.
There's no left-handed option either, so tough luck there. And if you share a living room with others, you'd better hope they aren't fussy about tidiness, as that long snaking USB cable isn't the easiest to hide out of view.
Final verdict
Compromise is at the heart of the Lapdog experience. It's not the most convenient lapboard out there, but if you're looking to replicate the feeling of using a keyboard and mouse on a desk while you're sat on the couch then nothing else comes close.
The real draw is being able to use Corsair's mechanical keyboards with the lapboard, which makes lengthy casual and competitive play in the living room an honestly feasible option for the first time.
Lenovo has been a trailblazer in the hybrid laptop market. Its original Yoga ushered in a new era of portable computing with four modes of use - laptop, stand, tent, and tablet - meaning laptops and tablets were no longer separate entities.
The company's latest device, the IdeaPad Miix 700, is aimed firmly at Surface Pro 3 buyers - but there's plenty here to turn heads of Surface Pro 4 fans too. Here's the killer move: the Miix 700 with 256GB of solid-stage storage (SSD) comes bundled with both a pen and keyboard, making it a complete hybrid device, for £899 (around $1,313 or AUS$1,813).
The Surface Pro 4, on the other hand, can be had with a 256GB SSD and an Intel Core i5 processor for £1,079 (around $1,575 or AUS$2,176). While that includes a pen, the keyboard is an extra £109.99 (around $150 or AUS$222), which adds up to £1188.99 (around $1,753 or AUS$2,397). Yes - that includes a faster Intel Core-series processor, but if you don't need the extra power under the hood then the Miix is a compelling alternative.
With no hidden costs, it could be the clincher if you're after a Windows 10hybrid that just works straight out of the box. There's no fiddling round with purchasing peripherals here.
Another alternative to the Miix 700, Apple's 12-inch iPad Pro, is just sold as a tablet. It comes in at £1,019 ($1,229 or AUS$1,599) for the version with 256GB of flash storage. The keyboard accessory is an extra £139 (around $203 or AUS$280) and the pen is another £79 (around $115 or AUS$159), pushing the Wi-Fi-only model up to £1,237 ($1,547 or AUS$2,038). The iPad Pro runs Apple's tablet-friendly iOS 9 operating system, making it more of a consumption device than one geared for mouse-and-keyboard work like the Miix 700.
Design
With many laptops such as the Surface Book and XPS 13 opting for silver-inspired designs, it's refreshing to see Lenovo stick to 1980s-inspired black. Like Dell's XPS 12, another convertible, it looks positively executive rather than dated.
Tablets and hybrids tend to take a lot more life abuse than a traditional laptop. They're not just used in offices, but kitchens, public transport, cafes wherever, so the ability to look good whatever the weather is appreciated.
Design-wise it's a slightly blocky square shape which fits the 80s matte black look. There are stereo speakers, one on each side, which are a little tinny but functional - certainly decent enough for the odd Skype call. It's worth noting that the IdeaPad Miix 700 is also available in Champagne Gold, so if that tickles your tastebuds then quaff away.
Lenovo's famous Watchband Hinge-inspired design, which is borrowed from theYoga 900, lets the kickstand fold almost flat and is very discreet. While it's not as thin as an iPad Pro, the hinge means that in tablet mode it's slimmer by 0.02 inches than a Surface Pro 4 in tablet mode. However the large bezel around the screen makes it a little chunkier than the one on Microsoft's machine. The Miix 700's stand can be a little stiff to pull out but that does mean it's extremely sturdy.
There's a small eight-pin connector on the keyboard that neatly grabs onto the base of the screen with ease, latching on like a magnet. It's the same satisfaction to be had when flapping shut the smart case on an iPad, even sounds off a similar click.
The keyboard can be laid flat while featuring a clever little kink just close to where it attaches to the screen. This provides elevation at the back so there's a small slope that makes typing easier. Admittedly this adds a little bit of bounce when typing quickly, but it's not a deal-breaker. The back of the keyboard is decked in plush material with a leather effect that doesn't feel cheap and is hard-wearing.
Lenovo's placing of the keys on the right-hand side where the Enter and Shift keys are located is slightly different to a normal office keyboard. I tested its performance with a words-per-minute online app and found the results were only slightly less than when using a wireless Apple keyboard. The IdeaPad's keyboard is not backlit, which is reflected in the relatively cheap price of the unit.
Screen and pen
The display is bright and its colours are clear and defined. On the highest brightness the screen shines in even harsh outdoor light. The touchscreen is responsive, and because the resolution is so high it's good to have the pen handy for more intricate work.
The pen takes one AAAA battery (that's not a typo - they're one smaller than AAA). It's light and made of metal with two buttons on top. The upper of the two serves as a right click, or you can just hold down the pen to right click too. In the box is a small plastic clip with three holes which is designed to fit in either of the two USB slots (one on each side).
The pen can be placed downwards, so parallel to the screen. Or it can be perpendicular sticking straight out like a 1980s executive pen holder, so be careful you don't take your eye out with it.
