Nacon, now both a games publisher and peripheral maker, has been making gamepads for consoles for a while. It was one of the companies that Sony chose to make its wired ‘pro” PS4 controllers before Sony announced its own ‘pro’ controller for the PS5.
Not that it stopped Nacon. It has introduced two mobile controllers, including, most recently, an iPhone-compatible model that lands in the middle of smartphone gamepad pricing. It’s cheaper than Backbone and Razer’s technically impressive gaming peripherals, and unfortunately, Nacon made some sacrifices to get to that price.
The MG-X Pro is light, even with its built-in battery. Compared to some smartphone controllers, the grips are more substantial and closer to typical console gamepads. This is the most comfortable smartphone gamepad I’ve ever tried by a wide margin. It feels controller-sized, with similar spacing between the d-pad and analog controls and full-sized trigger buttons at the back, making it far more comfortable during long gaming sessions.
Photo by Mat Smith / Engadget
The buttons are responsive but a little too squishy. I couldn’t notice any latency difference between wireless and wired smartphone controller options when playing through several Apple Arcade titles, Into The Breach, and some Overwatch 2 streamed on PS Remote Play. The buttons don’t wobble around in their housing, but the d-pad feels a little doughy and loose. The two analog sticks are made of sturdier stuff, fortunately.
Between the two controller halves, the vice part of MG-X Pro has a ridged rubberized surface to keep your iPhone locked in, with a little lip on both sides to keep everything in place. The vice works on every iPhone I have, from the Mini to the Max models. And, unlike some other vice controllers, even with a protective case, my iPhone 14 Pro fits in fine.
It’s easy to while away the hours with the MG-X Pro – until your phone battery runs out. Unlike more expensive options like the Backbone, this is a wireless model. There’s no lighting cable plug to connect your iPhone into) which means there’s no power throughput.
This problem is compounded when you’re using cloud gaming services, like Xbox Cloud and PS Remote Play, which need a lot of power to stream games. If you want to play for extended periods, you’ll have to be prepared to take similarly extended breaks. Other shortcomings include a companion app that doesn’t offer enough to warrant its download. There’s the ability to calibrate the two analog sticks – which makes me worry that they could drift in the future – and walkthroughs of what the MG-X Pro is capable of. That’s not all that much.
Photo by Mat Smith / Engadget
The MG-X Pro is the most comfortable smartphone gamepad I’ve ever used. Still, the ability to offer comfortable gaming over time is limited by its inability to keep your smartphone powered up. For more money, you could go for the Backbone or the Razer Kishi, which offer pass-through charging. Or, a little more inelegantly, you could swap the vice-style controller for a more comfortable Bluetooth controller (I rate the 8bitdo controllers) and keep your phone propped up, but plugged in.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nacons-mg-x-pro-smartphone-gamepad-is-comfortable-but-a-little-too-basic-130045626.html?src=rss
Google’s annual developer conference not only delivers on the software and web-based announcements but also on whatever hardware it’s been cooking up. In the past, that included smart speakers, phones, Chromebooks and everything else. For I/O 2023, we’re expecting lots of Pixel things. Rumors (and subsequent official teasers) point to Google’s first foldable smartphone, the Pixel Fold, as well as the latest midrange Pixel, the Pixel 7a.
The Pixel Fold will open like a book, similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold. Rumors suggest a 5.8-inch external screen and a foldable 7.6-inch 120Hz internal display. It has thicker bezels than the Z Fold, but it’s supposed to feature a durable, almost-gapless hinge and a battery that lasts 24 hours in normal use. It could cost up to $1,700.
At the other end of the “how much?!” spectrum, the Pixel 7a doesn’t appear too different from its predecessor; it might have a faster 90Hz display and a 64-megapixel main camera. Google reportedly plans to price the new phone at $499 – a little more than last year’s Pixel 6a, but still a fraction of the price of the Pixel Fold.
That’s not all. There is also the Pixel tablet, previewed at Google I/O last year, Android 14 (in testing since February) and maybe even a tease of the Pixel 8? Or even another smartwatch? Just two days to go…
– Mat Smith
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Tesla has unveiled a $20,000 track package for its Model S Plaid, finally allowing it to reach the 200MPH top speed. The Model S Plaid vehicles the company delivered after they became available could only reach around 163MPH, which is fast, but not 200MPH fast. Turns out Tesla put a limitation on its software to prevent it from reaching its full potential. According to Electrek, the company wanted the vehicle to have bigger brakes first, so they could slow down better. The automaker first started offering the ceramic brake kit for $20,000 back in 2021, but it has yet to start installing it on customers' vehicles.
You may recall rumors about the iPhone 15 Pro featuring touch-sensitive solid-state buttons. It now looks like Apple won’t replace the iPhone’s physical buttons for at least another year. In a shareholder letter spotted by MacRumors, Apple supplier Cirrus Logic said, “A new product that we mentioned in previous shareholder letters as being scheduled for introduction this fall is no longer expected to come to market as planned.” Cirrus already provides components for the iPhone’s Taptic Engine, so it’s got the Apple relationship. Cirrus previously told investors it was working on a new high-performance component that would arrive in smartphones sometime in 2023. That’s now less certain, apparently.
Arachnophobic Harry Potter fans, rejoice. A new feature in Hogwarts Legacy removes spiders entirely from the game. The update coincides with the title’s arrival on PS4 and Xbox One. The Hogwarts Legacy update (build 1140773) launched Thursday adds the new Arachnophobia Mode to the game’s accessibility options. It changes all enemy spider appearances to a floating meanie with glowing red eyes surrounded by hovering roller skates. (Arguably more terrifying?)
The mode also “reduces and removes spider skitters and screeches,” “removes small spider ground effect spawners” and “makes static spider corpses in the world invisible.”
Sure, ereaders aren't exactly the kind of devices you replace every year, but if you're looking to get a new one right now, Amazon is selling a few Kindle models at a discount. The Kindle Paperwhite Signature with no lockscreen ads in black or denim will set you back $145, or $45 less than its retail price. That would make it just a little more expensive than a regular, undiscounted Paperwhite. The Signature edition has 32GB of storage, four times larger than a regular Paperwhite's, which makes it much more suitable for your needs if you want to download lots of audiobooks to your Kindle.
In addition, the Signature edition Paperwhite can automatically adjust its brightness levels to suit ambient lighting conditions. Plus, it supports Qi wireless charging aside from having a USB-C port. Take note that there's an option to get the device with three free months of Kindle Unlimited for the same price, so don't forget to choose it if you regularly read books through Amazon's subscription service.
If you don't need the Signature edition's larger storage, auto-adjusting backlight and wireless charging capabilities, you can also purchase the regular black Kindle Paperwhite for $30 less at $110. You can get it bundled with three free months of Kindle Unlimited at no extra cost, but the version on sale for $110 does come with lockscreen ads. Removing those ads will add $20 to its price, and the 16GB version also costs a bit more at $115.
Meanwhile, the 2022 Kindle with lockscreen ads is currently listed for $80, which is $20 less than its typical price. You can choose from denim or black and add three months of Kindle Unlimited without having to pay more. The 2022 Kindle has a smaller display size than the Paperwhite, but it still has a 300 ppi resolution and comes with front LEDs, as well as 16GB of storage.
Finally, if what you need is a Kindle with parental controls, the 2022 Kindle Kids and Kindle Paperwhite Kids are also both on sale. The Paperwhite version will cost you $110, or $50 less what you'd usually pay for it, while the regular Kindle for kids will set you back $80 instead of $120. Both ereaders come with a kid-friendly cover, a year-long subscription to Amazon Kids+ and a two-year guarantee that Amazon will replace the device if it breaks.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-sale-discounts-kindle-ereaders-by-up-to-33-percent-094913156.html?src=rss
Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro are among the best Bluetooth earbuds you can pair with an iPhone – but at $250, they’re expensive. Thankfully, you can frequently find them on sale on Amazon and other retailers. Following a $50 price drop at the start of April, the 2022 AirPods Pro are once again on sale for $200.
Engadget awarded the second-generation AirPods Pro a score of 88 in 2022. They feature one of the best transparency modes of any wireless earbuds on the market, and improved active noise cancellation performance over the original AirPods Pro. They also sound better than their predecessor. Of course, the reason to buy a pair of AirPods Pro is for their hands-free Siri support and tight integration with iOS and the rest of Apple’s ecosystem. Pairing any set of AirPods with an iPhone is easy, as is switching between different Apple devices. About the only area where the 2022 AirPods Pro disappoint is when it comes to battery life. Engadget Senior Editor Billy Steele found the earbuds offer little over six hours of use on one charge, or less than many other premium wireless earbuds.
If the AirPods Pro are out of your budget, it’s worth noting Amazon has discounted other Apple audio products, including the third-generation AirPods. After an 11 percent discount, they’re $150, down from their usual $169 starting price.
Earlier this week, a handful of retailers discounted Seagate’s Xbox Series X/S Expansion Cards to new all-time low prices. Now, Microsoft is making those price cuts permanent (via Polygon). As of Friday, pricing for the Expansion Cards starts at $90 for the 512GB model, while the 1TB and 2TB variants will set you back $150 and $280, respectively. That’s 32 percent and 30 percent off the $220 and $280 the 1TB and 2TB models started at previously.
Think of all the new games you’ll be able to download and play now 👀
While you could (accurately) argue Microsoft’s proprietary storage solution for the Xbox Series X and Series S is still too expensive, a permanent price cut is a step in the right direction for the company’s ninth-generation consoles. It means those Expansion Cards will cost less with subsequent sales, making them more competitive with the regular NVMe drives you can buy for Sony’s PlayStation 5. Moreover, further price relief could be on the way. In April, Best Buy briefly listed a 1TB expansion card from Western Digital. At the time, the listing suggested the NVMe would cost $180 (now more expensive than Seagate’s 1TB model), but more competition could push prices lower.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-permanently-drops-the-price-of-xbox-series-xs-storage-192456920.html?src=rss
If you’ve been following the Apple rumor mill since last year, you may recall the iPhone 15 Pro has been widely expected to feature a set of touch-sensitive solid-state buttons. It now looks like Apple won’t replace the iPhone’s physical buttons for at least another year. In a shareholder letter spotted by MacRumors, Apple supplier Cirrus Logic said “a new product that we mentioned in previous shareholder letters as being scheduled for introduction this fall is no longer expected to come to market as planned.”
Cirrus is best known for producing a handful of components that go into the iPhone’s Taptic Engine. Apple is the firm’s largest customer, accounting for 79 percent of its revenue in 2022. In November, Cirrus told investors and analysts it was working on a new high-performance mixed-signal (HPMS) component (that’s the same category of part as the Tapic Engine), and that it would arrive in smartphones sometime in 2023. This week, Cirrus said it had “limited visibility” into the product’s future.
Reports suggesting the iPhone 15 Pro would feature a set of solid-state buttons originated from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said last fall the company was planning to replace the physical volume and power buttons on its next flagship phone with touch-sensitive buttons. Last month, Kuo revised his forecast, noting Apple had decided to change plans due to “unresolved technical issues before mass production.” If nothing else, the development is a reminder to treat smartphone leaks with skepticism, particularly those that circulate months and sometimes years in advance of a product’s announcement.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-iphone-15-pro-probably-may-not-feature-solid-state-buttons-as-previously-rumored-174416328.html?src=rss
Android users looking for a solid pair of wireless headphones should seriously consider Google’s Pixel Buds Pro. Now, you can pick them up for the best price we’ve seen — Wellbots has the buds for $145 when you use the code 55ENGAD at checkout, which is $55 off their regular price.
We gave Google’s earbuds a score of 87 in our review and they earned a spot in our best wireless earbuds guide. Since they have many Android-specific features (and even a few perks reserved for Pixel phone users), they are almost like a foil for Apple’s AirPods. They have a dedicated Android app that you can use to customize features, check battery levels and turn on automatic audio switching between Android devices. You can also use it to fine-tune Google Assistant features, and the buds support hands-free access when you say “Hey Google.”
As far as hardware goes, the Pixel Buds Pro are the best iteration thus far of Google’s wireless earbuds. They have a small, comfortable design, reliable touch controls and good active noise cancellation. While transparency mode isn’t as great as you’d get on competing models, it’s still competent and will let you jump in and out of conversations easily.
Battery life is solid as well: you’ll get seven hours on a single charge, plus an additional 20 hours with the buds’ charging case. The case also supports wireless charging, making it convenient to power them up with various pads and stands you may have around your home. It’s worth noting that Google I/O is right around the corner, however, we have not heard rumors of an updated version of the Pixel Buds Pro coming any time soon.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/googles-pixel-buds-pro-drop-back-down-to-a-record-low-price-of-145-133001706.html?src=rss
Starting today, it should be easier to find what you're looking for on Steam. When you type something in the main search field on the Steam web store or desktop or mobile apps, the suggestions will include tags, developers, publishers and franchises if it seems like there's a good match.
For instance, type in "Sony" and you may see the PlayStation Studios publisher page among the suggestions. Punch in "free" and the quick results could include the free-to-play tag and the Freedom Games publisher page. If you want to see all the Final Fantasy or Star Wars games on Steam, you should be able to access those franchise pages more quickly from the search panel.
Valve has rolled out another handy update to search, which should now be more forgiving of typos. That should come in useful if you're looking for a game but can't quite remember how to spell it or you simply mistype a word. Steam will know what you're looking for if you type "Call of Doo," for one thing. While these updates are overdue and welcome, they could help Valve empty out more of your wallet when the Steam summer sale rolls around.
Sony and Microsoft also made useful updates to their game storefronts recently. Xbox's PC app now enables you to look for games based on accessibility features and estimated playtimes. Last month, Sony added accessibility tags to PS4 and PS5 games on the PlayStation Store.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/valve-just-made-steam-search-much-more-useful-172721892.html?src=rss
The second-gen Apple Pencil is back on sale for $89, matching the lowest price we've tracked. That's $40 below Apple's list price and about $15 below the iPad stylus' average street price on Amazon in recent months. We recommend the latest Pencil in our guide to the best iPad accessories. It's a consistently accurate tool for digital artists and heavy note-takers, and it's the only stylus to offer pressure sensitivity across iPadOS. Since it can attach to the side of an iPad magnetically, it's also easy to charge and pair. Just make sure your iPad will work with the device before you buy.
Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X/S
For better or worse, the only way for Xbox Series X/S owners to fully expand their console's storage for current-gen games is to use a proprietary storage card. Seagate's Storage Expansion Card remains the only official one of those, but right now both its 1TB and 2TB models are down to all-time lows. The former is available for $150, which is $45 below its typical street price, while the latter is $80 less than usual at $280. While that's still pricey compared to traditional (and PS5-compatible) SSDs, it's at least some savings for those tired of uninstalling games to save space. Recent leaks suggest that cards from other manufacturers are on the way, but it's unclear if they'll cost less than these discounts at launch.
Anker Soundcore Life Q30
Anker's Soundcore Life Q30 is one of the few sets of wireless noise-cancelling headphones worth recommending that cost less than $100, and currently they're down to $68 at Amazon with an on-page coupon. While this isn't the absolute lowest price we've seen, it's $12 below the pair's typical going rate. The Life Q30's active noise cancellation isn't as comprehensive as our favorite wireless headphones, but for a fraction of the price, it's strong enough to be useful. The whole thing is comfortable to wear for hours at a time, and it can last a superb 40 to 50 hours on a charge. Be warned that the pair is extremely bass-heavy by default, but it's possible to even out its sound through Anker's companion app. Call quality and the included transparency mode are just so-so, however.
Samsung Evo Select
The 256GB model of Samsung's Evo Select microSD card is down to $18, which is an all-time low and roughly $6 below its typical street price. This isn't the fastest microSD card on the market, but it's performant enough for devices like the Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck, and this deal gets you a good chunk of storage space for relatively little cash. Samsung backs the card with a 10-year limited warranty, too. If you need more room and want something with faster read and write speeds, the previous-gen Samsung Pro Plus is a solid value at its current deal price of $47.
Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen)
The latest Amazon Echo Dot is down to $30, which is $5 more than its all-time low but still $10 to $15 below its usual street price. The Dot is the top budget pick in our guide to the best smart speakers: It delivers surprisingly clear and well-balanced sound for its size and remains an accessible entry point for anyone looking to use Alexa to stream music, control smart home devices and do other smart assistant things. The Google Nest Mini remains a worthy alternative for those who prefer the Google Assistant, but the Dot sounds better. If you'd like an LED display that can display the time, weather and other bits of information at a glance, the Echo Dot with Clock is on sale for an all-time low of $40.
Samsung 980 Pro SSD
The 2TB model of Samsung's 980 Pro SSD is on sale for $140, which is within $5 of its lowest price to date. The drive has typically sold between $150 and $160 in recent months. While it isn't the newest PCIe 4.0 SSD Samsung offers, the 980 Pro is still a decent value for those looking to expand the storage of a PlayStation 5. You'll just need to grab a heatsink along with it for another $10 or so. (Samsung sells a version of the 980 Pro that comes with a heatsink in the box, but its 2TB model currently costs $170.) If you only need 1TB of space and want a faster PCIe 4.0 drive, SK Hynix's Platinum P41 is good alternative at its current deal price of $90, which is a new low. If you just want to upgrade an older PC, meanwhile, a less expensive PCIe 3.0 drive like the ones in our best SSDs guide will still work just fine.
Samsung T7 Shield
Samsung's T7 Shield is a ruggedized version of our favorite portable SSD, and right now its 1TB model is down to a new low of $75. That's about $10 less than this model's average street price over the last few months. Alternatives like the SanDisk Extreme can squeeze out a bit more performance, but the T7 Shield is fast enough for most needs, and its thick rubber shell should provide some extra peace of mind if you ever want to take the drive on the road. It's also water-resistant with an IP65 rating.
iPad deals
It's a decent time to be in the market for a new iPad, as the iPad Air, iPad Mini and 10th-gen iPad are all at or near the lowest prices we've tracked. The Air is down to $500, which matches the best price we've seen outside of a brief drop to $479 last year, while the Mini and 10th-gen iPad are each at a previous low of $400. As we note in our iPad buying guide, the Air should provide the best blend of price and performance for most people, but the Mini is still worth buying if you'd prefer a more compact tablet. The 10th-gen iPad is more of a compromise, as it doesn't support the latest Apple Pencil and lacks a laminated display, but the broad strokes of its design are similar to the Air, and its landscape-oriented front camera is convenient. We gave the Air a review score of 90 last year, the Mini a score of 89 in 2021 and the 10th-gen iPad a score of 85 this past October.
Anker PowerLine III USB-C cables
If you need to stock up on USB-C cables, this two-pack of Anker's PowerLine III is worth a look at $13. Both cables are six feet long and rated for up to 100W charging, so they can charge many beefy laptops at, or at least close to, full speeds. Anker covers them with a lifetime warranty as well. The one hang-up is that they're limited to USB 2.0 data transfer rates, so they aren't the quickest for moving large files around. But if you already own a fast charger and need some backup cables for the road, this is a nice value. This deal marks the bundle's lowest price to date and comes in about $5 below its usual price.
Samsung S95B OLED TV
The 55-inch version of Samsung's S95B OLED TV is down to $1,279 at Amazon, which is the lowest price we've seen outside of special discounts for education customers. Though we haven't reviewed this TV, other siteswe trust have consistently praised the S95B for delivering the high contrast expected of any good OLED set without sacrificing too much in the way of brightness. Samsung has replaced this 2022 model with the new S95C, but the upgrades don't appear to be massive, and the S95B is a much better value at this price for those willing to pay for a premium TV. (The 55-inch S95C currently retails for $2,500.) Note that Samsung TVs do not support Dolby Vision HDR, however.
Apple Music 4-month subscription
We recently named Apple Music the most well-rounded music streaming service thanks to its extensive library, lossless streaming support, ability to upload local files, helpful curation and not-overly-cluttered UI. If you've been thinking of switching over, Best Buy is running a promotion that gives new subscribers four months of the service for free. If you've subscribed to Apple Music in the past and are now looking to come back, you can get a three-month trial. For reference, Apple normally gives new members one month of Music for free, then charges $11 a month for an individual plan. Just be aware that the subscription will be set to auto-renew after the trial period ends.
MasterClass
MasterClass has rolled out a Mother's Day promo that brings the price of its annual Duo and Family memberships down to $180. Normally, a year of the Duo plan (which makes the service accessible on two devices) costs $240, while the Family plan (which bumps the device limit up to six) goes for $276. The standard Individual plan, which normally costs $180, is not part of the offer. MasterClass itself is far from essential, but it still offers a wide range of specific celebrity-taught courses, from cooking with Gordon Ramsay to songwriting with John Legend. If you and a loved one (or five) have been curious to try it out, this is a nice chance to save; just note that the membership will auto-renew by default.
Shark robot vacuum sale
We recommend a couple of Shark devices in our guide to the best robot vacuums, and right now a handful of similar robovacs from the company are heavily discounted. Of note is the Shark AV2501AE, which is about $250 off its usual street price at $350. Like the top midrange pick in our guide, it offers LiDAR navigation sensors to more precisely map out your floors and a bagless, self-emptying base that can hold up to 60 days of debris. It can also work with Alexa or the Google Assistant. If you want to save a few bucks, the Shark AV911S is another solid buy at $300, though it has a simpler mapping system by comparison and a smaller self-emptying base.
Amazon Kindle Scribe
Amazon's Kindle Scribe is down to $283 for a 16GB model, which is $57 off its normal price and a new low. Higher-capacity models are also on sale. The catch is that each deal is only available to Amazon Prime members. Either way, the Scribe is Amazon's highest-end Kindle and the first to support note-taking with its included stylus. With its 10.2-inch display, it's also the largest e-reader Amazon makes. While this isn't the most advanced e-ink tablet for writing, being able to mark up e-books and jot down to-do lists has its conveniences, and it still offers all the same reading benefits of any other Kindle. Amazon has steadilyupdated the device in recent months, too. The downside, besides the extreme cost, is that it's not waterproof. We gave the Kindle Scribe a review score of 85 last November.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-second-gen-apple-pencil-drops-to-89-plus-the-rest-of-the-weeks-best-tech-deals-163008694.html?src=rss
When it comes to earbud innovation, these days advances typically come in reduced size, longer battery life and improved audio. Rarely does a company offer something truly unique. But JBL seems to think there’s room for improvement in the charging case. With the Tour Pro 2, JBL has installed a touch screen display, giving you access to settings and tools without having to dive into its app. On top of that, these are a feature-packed set of true wireless earbuds, with a ton of options for sound customization, hearing assistance and more. But with everything the $250 set offers, JBL might’ve been too ambitious.
Design
JBL’s product range features a mix of “traditional” earbuds, stick buds and sport models with an over-the-ear loop. The Tour Pro 2 fits in that middle category with a design akin to Apple’s AirPods. These certainly have a more refined look, though, with a mix of matte and gloss black plastic. The shape of the inner part of the earbud is ovular, which is, again similar to the AirPods Pro.
The curves here combine with lower weight to make for a comfy fit. The Tour Pro 2 are one of the few sets of true wireless earbuds I can wear for hours at a time without it becoming a chore. There’s a touch panel on the outside of both buds that can accept single, double and triple taps, in addition to long presses, for a variety of on-board controls. Plus, you can reconfigure those to your liking inside the JBL Headphones app.
The headline feature though, is undoubtedly the case. Most earbuds come with a charging case, the feature list basically ends at charging. Some companies have added wireless transmission for use on planes, but nothing too crazy. The Tour Pro 2 comes with a “smart case,” complete with a touch screen on the outside. As you might expect, it’s larger than what we typically see, but it’s not huge by any means. It’s equipped for wireless charging and there’s a USB-C port on the button for wired top ups.
Software and features
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget
The Tour Pro 2 offers a ton of features for audio setup, convenience and customization. All of which are accessible inside the JBL Headphones app and some are available via the charging case display. When you pair the earbuds to the app for the first time, the software will prompt you to complete a few steps for initial setup. Those include an ear tip fit and ear canal tests for ANC performance, voice assistant setup and a quick feature tour. The main section of the app displays battery status for both earbuds individually and the case right up top.
Everything else is situated on that main screen, accessible with a simple scroll. Ambient Sound Control is up top, giving you the ability to choose between active noise cancellation, Ambient Aware (transparency mode), TalkThru for IRL conversations and off. There’s the option to further tweak ANC by opting for Adaptive, automatic adjustments or by enabling leakage and/or ear canal compensation. Ambient Aware allows you to adjust the level of environmental sound the earbuds pick up with a slider.
Next on the list is Personi-Fi. This is JBL’s take on personal audio profiles. After completing a hearing test, the app creates a sound profile that also takes into account your listening preferences. Personi-Fi considers gender, age and more to build its custom preset. Before completing the process, the audio on the Tour Pro 2 was… fine. After the five-minute bout with tones at various volumes and frequencies, my sound profile produced improved bass response from the earbuds and what felt like a slightly wider soundstage. However, the tailored setting did lose some detail in things like softer background vocals, guitar distortion and subtle noise.
Sound options follow Personi-Fi. Here, JBL gives you a collection of audio presets as well as the ability to manually adjust the EQ curve. Any tuning you create can be saved for future use. You also have the option of enabling Spatial Sound on the Tour Pro 2, JBL’s take on spatial audio. Once you turn it on, the company offers three options based on what you’re listening to: movie, music and game.
The app gives you the ability to change the gestures for the on-board controls from this menu too. There’s a limit to the fine-tuning here as JBL has grouped all the options under Ambient Sound Control, Volume Control or Playback & Voice Assistant Control. Those are self-explanatory and you can choose to put one on the left and a different one on the right. The only consistent behavior is that a long press will summon your voice assistant on all three gesture options.
Three of the most useful features on the Tour Pro 2 are VoiceAware, SilentNow and Personal Sound Amplification. VoiceAware is an adjustable tool that allows you to tweak how much of your voice you hear during calls. JBL describes SlientNow as a quiet bubble, a feature that disconnects Bluetooth and turns on ANC. The company goes a step further by allowing you to schedule when the mode will turn on, how long it will be active and if you want an alarm when it ends (in case you’re planning to nap). Personal Sound Amplification is designed for hearing assistance, boosting environmental sound by 15-20dB and helping with conversations. When it’s enabled, you can adjust left/right balance and gain to fit your needs.
The smart case
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget
While the main purpose of the smart case is to give you easy access to the Tour Pro 2’s features. I’m happy to debate the utility of putting everything on the charging accessory instead of leaving it in an app – software that takes only a couple more taps to open. But, if you find the entire concept convenient, I’m happy to report that the touch screen works well. You swipe from side to side to scroll through the myriad options available on the case and that panel is receptive to taps without issue. Plus, JBL decided to put battery levels, a clock and handy icons on the top edge, giving you crucial info at a glance. What’s more, when you’re on a call, those controls pop-up on case too.
The JBL Headphones app includes a section for customizing the smart case. Here, you can adjust the display brightness, select a screensaver, enable message notifications/previews and choose which features will be accessible on the touch screen. By default, the case shows Ambient Sound Control, Spatial Sound, EQ presets, VoiceAware and auto play/pause (when you remove the buds from your ears). That’s in addition to the lock screen wallpaper selector, screen brightness, timer, volume, playback controls, flashlight and Find My Buds that can’t be removed. The only additional feature that isn’t enabled by default that you can add to the case is SilentNow.
Sound quality and noise cancellation
The default tuning on the Tour Pro 2 is pretty average. There’s some decent clarity and detail, but the soundstage feels compressed despite a good amount of bass and a smidge of punch in the treble. Overall, things converge on the midrange, leaving the extra oomph on the table with tracks like Better Lovers’ “30 Under 13” and boygenius’ “$20.” Personi-fi helps open things up a bit, but as I mentioned, it comes at the cost of lost detail. You lose some of the texture of the vocals and guitars in that boygenius song, for example.
Another prime example of the lack of space in the sound profile is on Nickel Creek’s Celebrants. That album was recorded in a way that sounds like you’re in the room getting a private performance. Guitar, fiddle, mandolin and bass surround you with vocals sprinkled around to complete the vibe. On the Tour Pro 2, you lose the sense of the virtual room, so the songs just become music in your earbuds instead of capturing the atmosphere and energy of the tracking session. Personi-fi makes no noticeable difference here.
While there are a number of audio customization options in JBL’s app, they don’t do much to improve things. In fact, some make the sound worse. Spatial Sound’s effectiveness can vary depending on the genre. Sometimes there’s a noticeable improvement in the immersive nature of the audio. But with some content, like that Nickel Creek album, it seems like positioning is just moved up slightly, like it's trying to simulate up-firing drivers in a soundbar. In those cases, the sound is just relocated, not improved. I found it best to leave Spatial Sound off.
In terms of ANC performance, the Tour Pro 2 does a solid job in most circumstances. They’re very good at blocking the constant roar of a dishwasher, clothes dryer or white noise machine – things that conspire for the daily droning at my house. However, the earbuds struggle with human voices, especially if the person is closeby. Listen to anything relatively quiet and you’re sure to hear the chatty person behind you.
One note on noise isolation that’s worth pointing out. Despite the ear tip fit test determining that all was well with the Tour Pro 2, there was a lot of sound leakage so the people around me could clearly hear what I was listening to. My wife was the first to notice, and while she says it happens occasionally while I’m testing, it has never been this bad. Sure enough, when she popped in the earbuds, I could clearly hear the tunes at volumes above 60 percent or so. It’s something to consider if you like to blast heavy metal in the office.
For calls, the Tour Pro 2 is a mixed bag. Confusingly, the TalkThru option in the Ambient Sound Control menu can’t be activated here. You can enable ambient sound mode, but that doesn’t pick up a considerable amount of your chatter. Instead, there’s that separate VoiceAware feature and it only works during calls. Again, it’s adjustable, so you can select the amount of your speech you want sent back through the earbuds. It works okay, but it’s nowhere near as natural sounding as what you get on the AirPods Pro. While TalkThru is meant for in-person conversations, it doesn’t pipe in much more of your voice than the transparency mode Ambient Aware. So, even if you could use it for calls, it’s not a great option for them. In the end, it just feels like different features here do variations of the same thing. Overall, call quality is just okay here, despite JBL’s promise of “perfect calls” via six on-board mics.
Battery life
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget
JBL says you can expect up to eight hours on a charge with ANC on, plus another three full charges in the case. Turn noise cancellation off and you could muster two additional hours on both the buds and per charge in the case. During tests consisting of “normal” use – a mix of ANC, transparency mode, calls and leaving the buds to power off automatically – I got seven hours before having to dock the Tour Pro 2 in the case.
Oddly, I started getting low battery notifications when the case was still showing 25 percent left on both earbuds. Power plummeted quickly from there and after less than 30 minutes the pair was dead. I mention this to point out that the battery estimates on the case don’t seem to be entirely accurate, especially when you hit 25 percent. If you unexpectedly encounter a faster-than-expected drain, there is a 15-minute quick-charge tool that will give you up to four hours of use.
The competition
When it comes to premium true wireless earbuds, Sony’s WF-1000XM4 are the best you can buy right now. The company includes just as many features as JBL, if not more. You won’t find a smart case, but you will find handy tools like Speak-to-Chat automatic pausing when you start talking and the ability to automatically change sound settings based on location or activity. Plus, the M4s offer better sound quality and more effective noise cancellation on top of all the conveniences. They’re starting to get some age on them as they debuted in mid-2021, but that means you’re currently privy to a discount: they’re currently going for $200.
Wrap-up
JBL threw every feature it could at the Tour Pro 2. And that’s without even considering the smart case. That touch-screen-enabled accessory is the main draw but I’m not sold on the concept just yet. Sure, there’s something to be said for easy access to settings, but that only works if you leave the case sitting out on your desk. Otherwise, you can probably get your phone out just as quickly. JBL isn’t the only company putting a display on a charging case, so who knows, maybe it will become standard. Tour Pro 2 do offer handy tools like VoiceAware, SilentNow and Personal Sound Amplification. But overall they’re an average set of earbuds with okay sound, decent ANC and so many features you might not use some of them more than once.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/jbl-tour-pro-2-review-130009659.html?src=rss
