Reviews

Sony Bravia A9F OLED TV Review: All the small things

Sony are just really good at making TV’s. That’s the takeaway from every Sony TV review I’ve ever conducted. The A9F, one of the company’s more recent OLED offerings, is a great example of this. It takes its technical cues from last year’s A8F and cherry-picks the best aesthetic choices from the premium A1 line….

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Tech Review: Bang & Olufsen refresh the E8 with “Late Night Blue”

Every now and again Bang & Olufsen reach back into their ever-growing catalogue of high-end audio devices and iterate on what they’re most renowned for: design. Aesthetics in tech has always been hovering over the industry, but it’s only within the past few years that a sharp focus on exquisite looks has really shifted into…

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Nikon Z6 Review: Full Frame, Fast-Shooting and Fantastic 4K

Full frame, fast-shooting and 4K – that’s a great combination. Nikon’s new Z series mirrorless body the Z6 offers all of these things, while still being light enough to carry around and powerful enough to perform in low light. It’s not without its quirks, but they certainly aren’t enough to hold it back as a…

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Tech Review: Nikon’s New Mirrorless Full Frame Z7 Camera changes the game

I love the idea of “going mirrorless” – having a smaller and lighter camera body without compromising on full frame image quality or high end features is essentially the dream, and it’s exactly what the Nikon Z7 is offering. Mirrorless, full frame and sporting 45.7 megapixels for your high resolution pleasure, as well as 4K…

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Tech Review: Elgato Stream Deck Mini makes levelling up your Twitch stream a breeze

You’d have to look pretty far and wide to find a serious streamer that doesn’t use one of Elgato’s Stream Deck devices. The desk-mounted broadcast enhancement device allows users to bind custom functions to its face buttons, making certain tasks like activating overlays or switching between cameras while streaming that much easier. One of the…

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Tech Review: The HyperX Alloy Core RGB is a great gaming keyboard under $100

I really like HyperX’s keyboards. I’m on record as a fan of their gear. The thing is, I’ve really only had experience with their top-of-the-line mechanical boards. The HyperX Alloy Core RGB gaming keyboard is not one of these top-of-the-line boards. But just because it isn’t a mechanical board doesn’t mean it isn’t worth your…

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Tech Review: The HyperX Fury RGB SSD is beautiful but outclassed by the competition

On paper, the HyperX Fury RGB SSD sounds like a really impressive little hard drive. Up to 550/440MB/s of sequential read/write, and lots of lovely, fully customisable onboard LEDs for those who like their desktop lit up like Dutch new year. In practice, however, it leaves quite a bit to be desired. The Fury RGB…

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Tech Review: One month with the Surface Laptop 2 – the good and the bad

Microsoft haven’t taken such a big leap from the Surface Laptop to its sequel, but they haven’t really had to. Released in 2017, the Surface Laptop was a strong entry for the company, and also a surprising move given that they’ve become such a dominant force in the realm of tablets and 2-in-1 devices. It…

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Tech Review: HyperX Alloy FPS RBG Mechanical Keyboard gives you speed and accuracy in the colours of the rainbow

I like the HyperX Alloy FPS range of mechanical keyboards, that much is fairly Well Documented by now. It’s also getting harder to review them because, to be perfectly honest, there isn’t exactly a ton of variation model-to-model. Part of this is that HyperX already make a bloody solid board. It isn’t broke, so there…

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Tech Review: The Nespresso Barista is the best thing the company has done this year

Frothed or flat; hot or cold. Those were the limited options you always had with your milk every morning if you were using any Nespresso machine with its included Aeroccino frother. The company’s tech has come such a long way that the smaller, more niche details wouldn’t have bothered the majority, but for those wanting…

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Tech Review: One month with Google Pixel 3 XL – the good and the bad

Google are in the ideal position to make the Pixel 3 XL the best Android phone on the market, they just haven’t quite done that yet. Current users of the phone, which is mostly excellent but has a few substantial downsides, have been divided over the product since it was released, from the strangely intrusive…

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Tech Review: Nikon’s Coolpix P1000 Shoots for the Moon… But Not Much Else

What’s big, black, weighs almost a kilo and a half, looks like the alien from the Alien movies and still calls itself a “compact” camera? Nikon’s very zoomy bridge offering, the Coolpix P1000. This is definitely not the camera I’d recommend to the next friend who asks me what to take on holidays with them…

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Tech Review: Sony’s WH-1000XM3 Wireless Headphones are our new favourite cordless cans under $400

Sony’s WH-1000XM2 wireless headphones are some of my all-time favourites. The perfect storm of comfort and great sound that I look for in any pair of headphones I own, they have become a constant companion on my daily commute. This is why, when a pair of Sony’s new WH-1000XM3 wireless headphones arrived on my doorstep,…

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Tech Review: The Razer Kraken Tournament Edition Wired Gaming Headset is Music to our Ears

I have a very delicate head, I really do. Princess and the Pea style, in fact. Every set of headphones I’ve tried has squashed and squeezed my little noggin every which way, giving me headache upon headache as I’ve searched in vain to find the answer. It’s appropriate that we’re coming into the holiday season,…

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Tech Review: The Razer Mamba Wireless Gaming Mouse + Goliathus Extended Chroma will complete your burgeoning Twitch setup

Over the last month or so I’ve been roadtesting two of Razer’s top tier PC gaming accessories. The Razer Mamba Wireless gaming mouse and the Goliathus Extended Chroma soft mouse mat.  Together, they provide the kind of aesthetic that most Twitch streamers fall over themselves for — the cool, industrial black suffused with customisable LED…

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Tech Review: The Huawei Mate 20 Pro boasts three cameras and the clearest screen to date. But is it worth all the hype?

As is typical of this time of year, the last few months have seen a stack of new smartphone releases. Huawei‘s newest release is not only a competitor to other top brands, but it excels far beyond most recent handsets. From its in-screen fingerprint scanner to having three rear cameras (that consist of a 40-MP…

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Tech Review: Ultimate Ears finesse and flex with the Megaboom 3

In the realm of portable speakers Ultimate Ears remains one of the biggest names for food reason. Their cylindrical Booms and Megabooms have been amongst the most popular Bluetooth speakers for the past few years, and that’s not changing anytime soon now that lucky number 3 has rolled around (at least in name). UE recently…

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Tech Review: DJI’s Mavic 2 Zoom will have you soaring into quiet, compact & professional film capturing

DJI announces a new series of drones quite regularly, but their new Mavic 2 series are their most satisfying technical jump yet when it comes to consumer drones. Don’t be mistaken, using the word “consumer” for these ranges doesn’t mean you’re missing out on any of the tech and quality when it comes to capturing…

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Tech Review: Oppo take a big step forward with the Find X, but is it enough?

We’re now over a month on from the release of Oppo’s new Find X, and from rave reviews and reactions, it’s very clear that the Chinese brand’s consistent evolution has lifted them high enough to face competitors Apple and Samsung head-on. Remarkably, they’ve done so by still sticking to their affordable (well, relatively) aesthetic, putting…

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Tech Review: I Had A Steamy, Weeklong Love Affair With the Microsoft Surface Go

For a long time, tablets have existed in a nebulous space – not quite as practical as a phone, and not nearly as capable as a laptop. The Microsoft Surface Go exists somewhere in the space between, filling a much needed niche in portable computing. For just over a week, I had the chance to…

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JBL’s new Endurance and Reflect headphones favour practicality, price and every workout

Whilst they still sound perfectly fine, these headphones aren’t designed to fulfill your audiophile desires and that’s okay because thanks to their cheap price point and practicality, JBL’s new range of workout headphones successfully become your workout partner – no matter the activity. From running to jumping and aerobics to swimming, the Endurance and Reflect…

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Tech Review: Xbox Adaptive Controller is remarkable tech made for remarkable people

Gaming and physical disabilities have a long history of not working well together. Back in the early days of arcade joysticks and two-button controllers, the hurdles disabled players had to overcome in order to enjoy a video game were fewer. Even if you didn’t have great dexterity in your fingers, you could rest your palm…

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Tech Review: Hisense are a Smart TV pack leader with their 65P9’s stunning picture and sound

Hisense has boldly made a convincing case as to why they should be considered one of the TV companies that deserve your consideration when buying top-of-the-line, premium smart TV’s with the release of their 65″ Series 9 range. Also available in a 75″ option, the Hisense 65P9 was so large it blocked artwork we had…

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Tech Review: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is a Great All-Rounder But…

Canon’s EOS 5D Mark IV is now two years old, but it’s still holding its own in the professional photography world as a high performance stills camera for the discerning stills shooter. With a 30.4 megapixel sensor, ISO range 100-32000, 4K video, 61-point autofocus, wifi and NFC to work with the Canon Camera Connect App, and…

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Tech Review: Razer Core X is a gaming device for a very specific audience

On paper, the idea behind the Razer Core X might sound like the pinnacle of PC Gaming Master Race wank. At first blush, it seems like Razer took the PCMR drive to squeeze every last ounce of power out of one’s gaming rig, no matter the cost, and made it a physical device. I sound…

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Tech Review: The Sony A8F 55″ 4K HDR OLED TV is the kind of TV you want to tell your friends about

I have a hard time justifying the cost of a new pair of shoes, much less $4,000 AUD on a television. It seems insane. $4,000 is a lot of money to spend on anything, but a tele? What might be crazier is that, having used the Sony A8F 4K HDR OLED TV for just over…

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Tech Review: Razer Blade Stealth 13.3″ Gaming Laptop is a beautiful nexus of form and function

Razer have made a real name for themselves in the gaming hardware industry. Their aggressive look combined with a brand that courts the hardcore gamer has seen them rocket to stratospheric success within the industry. It didn’t come as much of a surprise when the company moved from peripherals to actual gaming hardware, specifically ultra…

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Tech Review: Razer Nommo Pro Gaming Speakers are all about that bass

The Razer Nommo Pro is a hefty beast of a sound system, featuring dual satellite speakers and a subwoofer to emulate cinematic 5.1 surround sound. The system is compatible with a variety of sources including home consoles and PCs, and though it is optimised for PC gaming, it’s also packaged with an aux cord for…

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Tech Review: Jaybird Freedom 2 Wireless Headphones feature good sound and the same problems

My experience with the Jaybird Freedom 2 was decidedly up and down, often in the same ways my experience with the original Freedom model was. I would use them for a while, and be happy to do so even though I knew I had another pairs lying around that were quantifiably better. Its not even…

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Tech Review: BenQ ZOWIE XL2546 Esports Monitor is a strong contender in a crowded market

The BenQ Zowie range of esports monitors has become something of a quiet achiever in the world of PC gaming. They represent a viable alternative to bigger, sometimes much more well-known brands and place a higher premium on user consideration than any of them. The Zowie XL2546’s full name, the “BenQ Zowie XL2546 240Hz DyAc…

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