OPPO Enco X3s - Looks the Same. Sounds Extraordinary

2025 has been a weird year for earbuds.

For starters, I haven't actually reviewed that many. Usually, I'm up to my eyeballs, overwhelmed with screeds of tiny cases containing even tinier buds, desperately trying to find a way to differentiate one set from the next.

Not this year though. As far as I can tell I've only been sent five pairs to stuff in, on or over my ears. Which brings me to the other weird trend... Some of these buds have themselves been weird.

What's more, I've gone from being adamantly a sealed fit, all ANC, wireless charging zealot, to being quite open-minded about new form-factors and innovative design.

So when I was sent some fairly traditional-style buds to review, I suddenly had to change gear again. It was almost refreshing.

When I call the OPPO Enco X3s earbuds traditional, I don't mean they're not new, just that we've seen this kind of hybrid sealed-fit-with-a-stem form factor plenty of times now. The reason it's so popular is it provides good stability along with plenty of points of contact which helps with a comfortable fit.

The process of selecting the correct sized eartips had me a bit confused at first. Lately I've opted to go a size smaller in my left ear because that seems to result in a properly snug seal on both sides. However, the Enco X3s only comes with a choice of three different sizes (other brands have started providing at least five) and it turned out the Small was a bit TOO small.

This was backed up by the evidence of OPPO's own size test in the Hey Melody app you use to set these earbuds up with. Once I went Medium in both ears, the test confirmed I now had a good seal left and right and everything certainly felt more secure too.

The Enco X3s has an IP55 rating for water and dust resistance. Combine that with the snug fit and you've got a decent option for exercise.

During setup, you can also opt for the Hey Melody Golden Sound test. This is a two-step process that firstly scans your ear canal then guides you though an actual hearing test to figure out which frequency ranges need boosting to achieve your optimal personal listening experience. This only takes a couple of minutes and depending on your own circumstances, it can produce some pretty stark results.

With the Hey Melody app you can also tweak the EQ manually or select a preset one. Even more pleasingly, you can customise the controls to your preference; single, double and triple taps, along with log presses and stem swipes on either earbud can be used to play/pause, skip tracks, summon your voice assistant, adjust volume and toggle ANC settings. That's a lot of choice, which is how I like it.

You can even activate Game Mode using the onboard controls - opting for a low-lag connection - without having to select it in the app.

There's an option called Alive Audio which is OPPO's take on spatial audio or 360 audio or whatever anybody else calls it. Essentially, it's an effect that widens out the soundscape to give the impression the music is coming from all around you, rather than from the earbuds themselves. I've found this works better with some tracks than others.

On Buster Moe's "Im so Sick," the tight, pizzicato strings in the verses contrast brilliantly with the giant bass boost in the choruses. Alive Audio definitely adds a sense of space to this clever dynamic contrast.

But on the jangly guitar pop groove, "Entwined" by Sydney band Pocketwatch, the 360 effect just made everything sound muddy and blurry. Changing back to non-Alive Audio (Undead Audio? Zombie Audio?) fixed this up straight away. Listening to podcasts and other talk-based content is definitely more suited to the less-alive option too, otherwise the hosts all sound they recorded in an empty water tank.

I mentioned the bass just now and I'm going to mention it again because what OPPO has achieved here is frankly award-worthy. The richness and sheer power of the lower frequencies produced by the Enco X3s is something I've only ever heard from much larger woofers in over-ear headphones. The combination of a dedicated 11mm diaphragm woofer with a separate 6mm high-frequency unit means a fairly monotonous song like "Birds of a Feather" by Billie Eilish really comes alive, from the highest highs to the lowest basement-dwelling lows.

You getting the impression I like the way these earbuds sound? Oh, daddy.

And that's before we cover off the four-step Active Noise Cancellation. It's very good - perhaps not quite the top of the noise-cancellation table but certainly at the party. And unusually you don't only get adaptive and transparency options, but also the choice to simply turn ANC off completely and leave it to the passive cancellation provided by the seal of the eartips. Choice is good.

Battery life is confusing. OPPO claims you can get up to 45 hours (including the charge in the case of course) but that's if you don't use ANC or listen to Hi-Res audio via the LHDC 5.0 codec. In my real-world testing, I got up over 5 playback hours on a single charge and I can confirm, the case itself takes a long time to go flat. Which is just as well, because it only charges via USB-C - not wirelessly.

That's usually a red line for me. I want all my gadgets to be as wireless as possible. What's the point of your earbuds being wireless if the case isn't? However, these ones sound so good, I'm prepared to make an exception.

Which has kind of been the story of my year; I keep thinking I won't like a gadget then it does something so crazy, or innovative or... or just really good - that it wins me over.

And that's what happened with the Enco X3s. The excellent sound quality - especially the best earbud bass I've ever heard - more than makes up for any frustration I have re: no wireless charging. ANC is excellent, battery life is good - the Bluetooth 5.4 connection is strong and reliable. They even made my ears feel symmetrical again.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the OPPO Enco X3s.

HONOR Watch 4 - Does What it Does Very Well

When HONOR launched itself to the New Zealand market recently, I was surprised and excited to learn it wasn't just trying one or two handsets to see how they go. No, in addition to two fantastic HONOR phones, we also got the CHOICE Earbuds Clip, the Pad 10 tablet and the Watch 4.

This gave me a chance to do a deep dive into the HONOR ecosystem, experiencing how well some of these devices work together for the first time.

In saying that, there's nothing stopping you pairing the HONOR accessories with your existing phone, so if you're considering a new smartwatch for 2026, I'm here to give you my first-hand experience.

There's no escaping which other popular smartwatch the HONOR Watch 4 looks like, with its rectangular face and rounded corners and yet the HONOR option is priced hundreds of dollars cheaper.

The Watch 4 is available in Black or Gold and while the bands are technically swappable, I found sliding the little lug across to remove and replace them was a bit fiddly for my fat fingers and what's more, I haven't managed to discover any alternative straps for sale - not locally, anyway.

Not to worry, the Watch 4 is attractive enough in its default configuration. The aluminium alloy casing on my black review unit has a pleasing matte metallic finish and both the watch and its durable silicone rubber strap are light and very comfortable - essential if you're planning to wear it overnight for sleep tracking.

In fact, there's another feature that makes the Watch 4 a leading contender if sleep tracking is a priority; battery life. This is not a watch you need to put on the charger every night. Or every second night. Depending on how you use it, you might get a whole week on a full charge. HONOR claims up to 14 days on its website but I think you'd have to disable a lot of the real-time monitoring and run it in power-saving mode to do that. Still, compared to many other watches that barely make it through a full day, I'm very impressed to be able to sail through several days and nights in a row.

The proprietary magnetic charging cradle is included in the box and juices the Watch 4 up pretty speedily - assuming you've plugged it into a reasonably powerful wall charger.

Once charged, you'll need to have downloaded the HONOR Health app to pair and set up the watch and here's the really good news; you can do that on either Android or iOS devices - vary rare to find a smartwatch that'll happily talk to both.

I say "talk to" - but there are limitations. While the Watch 4 does a fast and reliable job of receiving messages and notifications from any or all apps on your phone, it's a one-way arrangement. You can't reply to texts, emails or other messages - not even with a pre-programmed quick reply or emoji.

You also won't receive so-called "rich" notifications. Certain apps, like home security monitors for example, often give you the option of a thumbnail snapshot when one of your cameras notifies you of any movement. The Watch 4 will definitely show you the notification, but not the picture.

Which is a shame because the 1.75-inch AMOLED display is quite excellent, bright and clear in all lighting conditions, even outside in the sun. When working out, you get a lot of information on screen, set out simply but effectively. On a walk or run, GPS locks on in seconds, then you'll be shown your duration, pace and distance and what workout zone you're in; aerobic, anaerobic, etc.

The HONOR Health app helps you set parameters for your workouts, like optimal heart-rate range. I've found the low heart-rate notifications really motivate me to keep my pace up when out walking.

Once your workout is complete, you'll see a basic summary on the Watch 4 but if you want more details, you'll have to refer to the HONOR Health app. Same deal for stats like sleep tracking. Sleep and heart-rate aside, the Watch 4 also watches for stress, blood oxygen level and breathing patterns. This in turn, enables HONOR Health to calculate things like your VO2 max and your Fitness Age. I felt obliged to mention that last one because right now I'm showing 6 years younger than I actually am. Not-very-humble brag.

While you can take bluetooth calls on the Watch 4, there's no option to set up an addon eSim so you can keep connected even if you're out of range of your handset, although GPS still works so you're welcome to leave your phone at home when you're out for a ride, walk or run.

The Watch 4's greatest limitation is its OS - there's no facility to download any apps onto the watch other than those which are already pre-installed. Obviously you have versions of the usual suspects; stopwatch, countdown timer, camera remote, compass etc... But if you thought you might be able to pay with Google Wallet using NFC, think again.

Funnily enough, the Watch 4's greatest strength is also its OS. You have access to over 300 different faces and widgets like the media controller work quickly and consistently.

It also has a 5ATM waterproof rating, so it's safe to swim with and will definitely survive the shower.

If you're new to the world of smartwatches, or you don't have the desire to answer your emails on a 1.75-inch screen and you just want the notifications, then you could do much, much worse than the HONOR Watch 4. It's a reliable, useful, comfortable watch with genuinely impressive battery life. I fact, I've found it hard to take off. Then again, with such a good battery, I don't have to do that very often anyway.

    

Click here for more information on the HONOR Watch 4.

Norton Neo - Safety First. Speed a Close Second

Have you ever changed browsers?

Or are you too scared to?

I get it. This is perhaps the one part of the internet you use more than any other. Unless you're old and decrepit like me, you literally spent your whole life curating your browser - saving some logins, keeping others private, maybe designing your own theme... you've certainly favourited a long, long list of websites and bookmarks.

When you think about it, changing browsers is potentially more stressful than changing phones.

But I'm here to tell you it doesn't have to be - and there are alternatives out there you probably haven't even heard of, let alone considered.

I've been giving the Norton Neo AI browser a decent go lately and today I actually made it my default.

You may have encountered browsers from other cyber security firms before. The general idea is they can keep you safer from all the perils of the internet if they control the portal you access it from - a bit like getting into your car in your internal garage, then driving to your basement carpark at work, never really coming into contact with the outside world.

The trouble is, from what of seen of some of those "integrated" efforts in the past, they were pretty terrible. They looked bad and were often behind in functionality compared with other, modern browsers. Some I've seen are even weighed down with advertising for their own company's products. Ick.

Norton Neo is kind of the opposite of all that.

To begin with, don't resist trying it because you think it will take forever to set up. Whatever browser. you're currently using, you can transfer all your bookmarks, logins and extensions across to Neo in moments, just by following the simple prompts.

Norton Neo claims to use AI to anticipate your every move, which is kind of a weird thing to say but if it can, that'd be quite a boost to your productivity.  And here's what's crazy, when it comes to visiting my regular pages and sites so I can pin the most important ones to the top of my list of vertical tabs, it really does seem like Neo knows what I'm trying to do. The pages load so quickly it's almost as thought they were already open. I think this might be the fastest browser I've ever used.

It helps that there are no ads.

In the name of protecting your privacy, Neo blocks advertising by default - which obviously some sites get a bit angsty about so it's easy enough to make them an exception if you really need to. If you've been weighed down by the constant bombardment of popups and intrusions every time you're just trying to read a quality article like this one, that could be reason enough to try Neo.

Because of Norton's built-in cyber vigilance, you should be well protected against phishing attempts too. In fact, Neo is so focused on protecting your privacy, most of it's AI functions happen on your device, with no personal information being sent anywhere else. This is quite different to how the other money-for-data-driven big tech browsers operate. And again, it just makes using it faster.

You'll find a Neo Chat prompt in the top right-hand corner of the screen and any time you need help with - well, anything really - all you have to do is ask. This can range from spell-checking the excellent review you're currently working on, to reminding you to stop working soon and get dinner ready. And of course, Neo Chat knows quite a bit about how to use Neo.

As I mentioned, I like to use vertical tabs - although you don't have to. This is the only part of the way Neo is set out I wish is a little more flexible. The vertical tab column takes up quite a bit of space and the option to auto-hide the side panel is greyed out when you use vertical tabs - it only works when your tabs are messily spread across the top of the page.

Tabs can be grouped by AI using Smart Tab Management - I'm not a serial tab-opener like some people but I can see how this can be useful for those of you who are. If you ARE one of those people, you'll know that having dozens of tabs open simultaneously is a great way to slow down both your browser and even your whole computer. Neo isn't into that so will shut down tabs you haven't visited for a while to maintain processor power where you need it, rather than playing ads and videos in the background where you're not even looking at them.

Meanwhile, everything else is wonderfully stripped back. Even the welcome page (mysteriously, Neo calls this the "Magic Page") can be kept to the bare minimum - a search box obviously, a small weather widget, a clock, a prompt to invite friends to use Neo and a news feed based on your interests. Surprisingly, all this can be switched off leaving you with a lone search box. Bliss.

The theory is, the more you use Norton Neo, the more it learns your habits and preferences. I haven't been using it long enough to confirm how effective this is but it's still early days. You even have the option to "Manage" Neo's memories, if you feel uncomfortable about your own browser building up a personal dossier on your work habits so it can be more helpful to you. You shouldn't be worried; remember, that information is staying on your device (and being synced to other devices where you're using Neo and have signed in under the same profile).

Unfortunately, when I click on the Mange Memories setting to "view or delete" I'm told I need to sign in to do that. I have signed in. Oh well, like I say, early days.

I've been so impressed with the speed, security and lack of clutter Norton Neo offers, I'm keen to use it on all my devices but alas, at this moment it's only available for MacOS and Windows PCs - although when I asked Neo if there were Android or iOS versions available, it told me they were "coming soon."

For now I'm more than happy with what I've got and if you've become frustrated with your slow, ad-bloated and possibly dangerously unsecured browser, I suggest you take the plunge and give Norton Neo a go. It's a powerful, legitimate alternative.

    

Click here for more information on Norton Neo. 

Tineco FLOOR ONE S7 Stretch - The Hard Floor Specialist

Over the years I've become quite the floor-cleaning expert. It's not like it's something I'm passionate about - quite the opposite, in fact. Being the designated vacuumer/mopper in our household means I'll try just about anything to make the job easier.

Which, it turns out, dovetails nicely into something I AM passionate about; gadgets.

I have now trialled a long list of stick vacuums and robot cleaners - many of which are excellent products and have the ability to clean both carpet and hard floors.

The high-end robots generally do a great job of mopping as well as vacuuming, while the odd stick vacuum comes with some kind of mop-head attachment.

However, at this point, when it comes to mopping, the robots win. They generally achieve a more consistent, quick-drying, streak-free result than the labour-intensive addon attachments for the manually-operated vacuums.

But what if I've had my priorities all wrong?

While the Tineco FLOOR ONE S7 Stretch is for hard floors only, it still vacuums as well as mopping, although the focus is clearly on the "wet work" side of the equation.

It comes pretty much ready to go, straight out of the box, other than you having to install the handle into place on the head of the device.

Right away, I appreciated how the FLOOR ONE S7 Stretch can be left standing on its own in the middle of a room, with the handle clicking easily in and out of its upright position. This just makes things that much more convenient when it comes to filling and emptying the tanks.

There are two tanks - a clean water reservoir that slides into place on the top of the cleaning head and a dirty water chamber that slots into the handle. The latter is actually a three-chamber container, which ingeniously separates solids from liquids and prevents any moisture getting anywhere near the motor.

These tanks have a capacity of one litre and 0.8L respectively, which I've found is plenty to do an entire clean of the hard floors in my home - both wooden and tiled. And if you're worried about pushing the weight of all that water around, because the clean tank sits on top of the cleaning head, it carries the majority of the load, not the handle.

There's an app - because of course there's an app - called Tineco Life. The main purpose of this, as far as I can tell, is to install any firmware upgrades although you can also view a log of the dates and durations of your cleaning sessions (not sure why) and you can set the volume of the voice notifications - which of course, most normal people will immediately turn off completely.

What is far more useful is the large colour LED screen on the top of the waste bin. This gives you an accurate display of remaining battery life and tells you what mode you're in; Auto, Max or Suction. The FLOOR ONE S7 Stretch also utilises the Tineco iLoop Smart Sensor which automatically detects how much of a mess it's dealing with and adjusts the water flow and suction accordingly - this is also represented on the screen; Red means dirty. Aqua is clean.

Most of the time you can get a dazzlingly clean floor just in Auto mode, but for major emergencies, you may need the extra attention Max offers and if you're cleaning up a particularly wet mess, it might pay to resort to Suction mode to eliminate any actual puddles before proper cleaning can commence.

There's a bottle of Tineco Floor Cleaning solution included in the box, which will probably go a long way (if you use any at all) because you only need to add capful with every full tank of clean water. I'm not sure how much extra cleaning power it provides but I feel like it leaves behind a faint "you've-just-given-everything-a-really-decent-going-over" smell.

Remember, this is a vacuum as well as a mop and if there's one thing I've come to detest when cleaning a house inhabited by two long-haired ladies and a perpetually moulting doggo, it's hair tangled around the cleaning brush. That's where the DualBlock Anti-Tangle system comes in; a combination of straight and comb scrapers de-shed the roller brush as it spins at 450rpm.

The roller brush also extends right to both edges, getting you to within half a centimetre of your baseboards which is very helpful in tight areas like the space between the toilet and the wall, where no robot ever dares to go. And this is where the "Stretch" component of the FLOOR ONE S7 comes in; the handle can actually fold down completely flat without impeding the suction power into the dirty water tank at all. That means you can get right under furniture and cabinetry with a clearance of just 13cm or more, as you'll see me demonstrate in the video below.

Battery life is impressive, given how much is going on with the cleaning head. You'll get around 50 minutes cleaning in Auto mode. Any longer than that and you're just skiting about how big your mansion is.

The result is a shining floor which is dry to walk on in a matter of seconds - not minutes, with no streaks or stray water drops lying around.

Then the dirty water tank easily unclips, with the hair and other solids trapped in their own, dry compartment while the waster water can be easily tipped out of another. 

But perhaps the feature that has impressed me the most is the FlashDry self-cleaning system, all built into the charging station. This is a similar process to what the more advanced robot vacuums I've reviewed do to clean and dry their mopping systems; thoroughly rinsing the mopping roller with clean water heated to 85° then drying it out to keep it fluffy and avoid any unpleasant odours. Except, with those other systems the drying process takes hours. 

With the FLOOR ONE S7 Stretch it takes 5 minutes. Done. Sure, it gets a little loud as hot air is forced through the whole system, including the filter and all the tubes, but you're literally home and dry in just 5 minutes. Incredible. 

The Tineco FLOOR ONE S7 Stretch is currently on special for NZ$899.00 including shipping, with a spare filter, a spare roller and a cleaning brush included in the box.

That may seem a lot for a mop - but if your whole house is hard floors or you just hate the streaks, splashes, puddles and drying of doing it manually, I can assure you, this is one of the best cleans I've seen. I just wish I could use it on my carpet too.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Tineco FLOOR ONE S7 Stretch.

HONOR CHOICE Earbuds Clip - Not for Me But Might Be for You

At the risk of repeating myself, in fact, by now, it's basically a mantra, there are certain things I'm looking for in a set of wireless earbuds.

Fit. Wireless charging. Battery life. Sound quality.

I've put them in that order because that's how I prioritise those qualities.

Some people might find it curious that for me, sound quality is only the fourth most important thing. In fact, some people may forgive a lot of other shortcomings as long as their buds produce the most amazing hi-fi experience possible.

But for starters, I'm pretty deaf - well, probably about normal for a 52 year-old male - and also I mostly listen to podcasts, not music. That's why I'm more interested in earbuds that are comfy and stay in, that I can just pop on a wireless charger when I'm not using them and that will never go flat while I am.

Then along came something weird and unusual and I've had to rethink my whole list.

This month, alongside a couple of very impressive phones, HONOR launched a few other things for the first time New Zealand, including the CHOICE Earbuds Clip.

I've read about similar form-factors but have never had the chance to review something like this until now. To be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to it.

When it comes to earbuds, people tend to fall into two categories, open fit or tight seal. I've always considered myself a tight seal kind of a guy. The benefits are myriad; better passive noise cancellation which, in turn, leads to better Active Noise Cancellation. Buds with a tight seal tend to stay in - especially when exercising. And due to the laws of physics, a tight seal is also far better at delivering powerful bass response, essentially using your own ear canals as speaker chambers for the longer, lower wavelengths.

As for those open fit people, all they seem to care about is how comfortable they are and sure, if you're not wedging something down into your ears, it's probably going to feel a bit nicer.

The HONOR CHOICE Earbuds Clip is almost the epitome of open fit philosophy. Unlike some other designs that rely on a stem to sit lightly ON instead of IN your ears, or perhaps the hook-over style many athletes and cyclists seem to favour, the CHOICE Earbuds Clip is literally somewhere in-between. Each bud or "Clip" simply slides into place, almost on its own, cleverly suspending the apple-shaped speaker half of the Clip (known as "Melody Pearl") in exactly the right position, over your ear canal, barely even touching it.

The instant I had them in place - and I literally had to check in the mirror because I couldn't believe how easy they were to position - I realised these were quite simply the most comfortable earbuds I'd ever worn.

Then I shook my head around a bit. And I jumped. And I did a workout. And I walked the dog. And I spent all day digging in the garden. And the CHOICE Earbuds Clip just never moved. Not a millimetre. Making them perhaps the most secure earbuds I'd ever worn too.

With around 7 hours playback on a full charge and a total of 36 hours with the charging case, they're up there with the longest-lasting buds I've ever worn too. I've had them for nearly two weeks and I've charged them a grand total of once, when I first took them out of the box.

So by now you might be thinking, these sound like the best buds ever. And for you, they may well be.

However...

There's no noise cancellation. There's no passive noise cancellation because there's no seal and at that point, HONOR obviously decided any attempt at ANC probably wasn't worth the effort either. Well - except for phone calls. There are two mics on each Clip and if you activate it in the app, ANC will be applied to your voice so your callers won't hear any background noise.

Like I said at the top, I prefer the rest of the world to go away when I'm listening to podcasts or music, so being able to hear every truck that passes by and the confounded plovers squawking away in their annoying Aussie accents is a bit of an issue. And yet, for some users - cyclists especially - being able to hear those trucks is a safety bonus, not a hinderance.

Despite all that, the sound delivered by the 10.8mm dual-magnet driver units is incredibly focussed and remarkably accurate. As I expected, there's no real bass boom to speak of here although there's nothing tinny or thin about how my favourite tracks sound. In fact, the more acoustic, less dancey numbers come across much better than I would have thought possible.

I do have one quibble I just can't ignore though; no wireless charging. This very first-world inconvenience is somewhat annulled by the HONOR Choice Earbuds Clip's stellar battery life, but I really do hate having to plug in to charge, even infrequently.

Then I put them on again and once again the comfort and stability blows my mind and I'm almost ready to forgive the no-wireless-charging thing.

These are definitely pretty great buds. They're light but durable, with an IP54 water and dust resistance rating and the bridge part made of titanium. That's important, because that's the arch you tap for the limited on-board controls; play, pause, answer, etc. These can be customised to a degree via the HONOR AI Space app, where you can also update the firmware and fiddle with the EQ.

I thought I'd wear these earbuds a few times, not enjoy the experience and then move on as quickly as I could. But I just love wearing them too much. With no ANC and no wireless charging, they were never going to be my favourite but I tell you what; they're not all that not far off.

    

Click here for more information on the HONOR CHOICE Earbuds Clip.

Logitech G515 Rapid TKL - I'm In Over My Head

In the world of pro-level gaming, fractions of a second can mean the difference between life and death.

Obviously, I don't know that from personal experience. I'm no pro. In fact, my usual approach to any kind of virtual combat is repeatedly and randomly mashing any and all keys and controls as fast as I can in the hope I'll kill or disable my opponent or opponents before they can do the same to me.

This method can be effective up to a point. But not a pro-level point.

Or maybe I've just been using the wrong keyboard.

Here's what I know about people who take gaming seriously, they seem to prefer a combination of keyboard and mouse over any kind of handheld controller. So the Logitech G515 Rapid TKL is probably more for them than me.

The first indication this keyboard is for the upper echelons of the gaming elite is how boring it looks. Black and dark grey. How striking. Oh - wait, you can also get it in white and grey. Hold me back. In saying that, the W, A, S and D keys are a contrasting colour; a different shade of grey.

In fact, even as minimalist industrial design goes, the G515 Rapid TKL is pretty restrained - and I mean that physically. It's incredibly thin - especially for a mechanical keyboard - just 22mm tall. And this is how clever the Logi team have been, combining low-profile keys with magnetic analogue switches to give you the full travel feel without a lot of extra height.

To demonstrate just how out of my depth I am with this device, I didn't even know what TKL stands for. Hey, don't judge me. I happen to like number pads and I actually use them quite a bit. But I have recently started using a much larger mousepad and so I'm beginning to appreciate the ergonomic benefits of a more narrow layout. If your keyboard is "Tenkeyless," then the distance your right hand has to travel to get to the mouse and back is drastically reduced - and like everything to do with pro-level gaming, fractions of a second can mean the difference between life and death.

There's a nice, long 1.8m USB cable in the box but oddly, it's USB-C to USB-A. I thought the world had moved on from USB-A? Certainly many of the devices I might choose to plug this keyboard into have, which frustratingly meant I had to find a dongle to adapt that larger USB back into a small one. It's a minor niggle but when they're asking you to shell out NZ$389.95 already, I would have like to have at least seen an adapter included in the box.

However, once you do plug it in, things instantly get more exciting.

All customisations happen through the Logi G HUB app - and thankfully this seems to work just as well in its MacOS incarnation as it does for PC, which is not always the case for high-end gaming peripherals.

Obviously there's the obligatory RGB backlighting. While I'm not massively into this stuff, the options on offer here are close to infinite. There are both static and dynamic lighting presets, all of which can be customised to your preference. Or you can just go through the whole keyboard key by key and assign lighting on a whim. LIGHTSYNC allows you to match up with any other compatible RGB accessories and components too.

The G515 lets you assign pretty much any action to any key. So for example, if you are using it with with a Mac like I am right now, you can create a profile that swaps Windows shortcuts for Apple ones - most importantly, turning the Alt key into the Command key. Very difficult to cut and paste on a Mac without a Command key.

What is probably even more useful for gamers is how you can actually assign TWO actions to a single key - depending on how hard you press it. Perhaps a light push fires a single shot while holding it all the way down reels off a whole magazine. Like everything to do with pro-level gaming, fractions of a second can mean the difference between life and death.

Speaking of how hard you push the keys, being a mechanical keyboard you can adjust how each key physically works too. Customise the attenuation point - or how far the key has to travel to work - from 2.5mm all the way down to 0.1mm if you really want a genuine hair-trigger. There's a Rapid Fire option which is more to do with how far you have to lift off between presses and you can even set the priority between keys. This is very handy for a klutz like me who has a tendency to do things like try to shake hands instead of executing a roundhouse kick.

Different games require different controls, of course, so it goes without saying you can create any number of profiles and switch to them accordingly. And remember, all these settings can be applied to the whole keyboard, or just certain, crucial favourites. 

There's also a standalone Game Mode button at the top left-hand corner. When pressed, it deactivates certain keys you definitely don't want to tap by mistake mid-game. Like the Windows key; the last thing you need as you're entering the home straight or returning to base to complete your mission is to accidentally exit out to your desktop.

Basically, if you've ever done something stupid with your keyboard, the G515 can probably be configured in a way to avoid you doing it again. And if you've ever wished your zombie head-shot count per second could go a bit higher, have I got the keyboard for you? After all, like everything to do with pro-level gaming, fractions of a second can mean the difference between life and death.

Is this starting to sink in?

But now I have a quandary; I'm starting to really like using this keyboard. Although I've only had it plugged in for a week or so and I've definitely been using it more for typing articles like this than any kind of gaming, I feel like I've become a much better typist.

I know that's not the point of this device at all and yet... After the initial learning curve when I found myself typing way too many extra letters in every sentence because the G515 is just so damn responsive, I quickly got used to it and began typing much faster simply because that's what this keyboard physically enables you to do.

I have absolutely no qualms about its durability and lifespan either. The stainless steel top plate lends a heft and rigidity to the whole setup that you can really feel with every consistent keystroke. Even the rear foldout legs seem solid and reliable.

I'm struggling to find a way the G515 Rapid TKL could offer any more and if it's made this noob's life a little easier, just imagine what it can do for the legit gamers out there.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Logitech G515 Rapid TKL.

Lenovo Legion Go 2 - The Heavyweight of Handheld Gaming

When it comes to mobile gaming, how far are you prepared to go to get the best experience possible?

Some people might be happy enough tapping and swiping away at their phone.

But you're not those people. You're a real gamer.

You have a console. Or perhaps a proper gaming PC souped up with extra RAM, lots of cooling and a high-end GPU.

So how are you going to replicate that when you're out and about?

The Lenovo Legion Go 2 takes all that and squashes it into a handheld that weighs in well under a kilo.

And I do mean all that.

Although it's small enough to fit into any backpack, briefcase and most handbags, the Legion Go 2 comes with its own padded, soft-shell case, with an internal pocket just big enough to accommodate the 65W USB-C fast charger.

Depending on how long you expect to be gaming on the move, you may not even need to take the charger with you; battery life should good enough to last at least a couple of hours or so, depending on how hard you run the device.

And you can run it pretty hard.

The Legion Go 2 is commanded by an AMD Ryzen Z2 or Z2 Extreme processor, comes with 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of internal storage, with the option to add still more storage via microSD.

Packed with cooling measures to keep things running at their optimum, the updated Legion ColdFront thermal system utilises a combination of larger radiators, bigger fan blades and improved dual heat pipes.

So it's fast. And it's powerful.

It connects via Wi-Fi 6E - which I've found to be plenty quick enough to stream games like Call of Duty Black Ops 7 via Xbox Cloud Gaming and you can connect bluetooth accessories like mice, keyboards and external controllers using Bluetooth 5.3.

However, as we all know, serious gamers often prefer to connect via cables, and here's where the Legion Go 2 designers have let themselves down a bit.

I get that these days it's not super unusual for laptops and the like to be a bit miserly when it comes to the number of I/O ports they have. But with the Legion Go 2, Lenovo seems to have taken this to the extreme. You get just two USB-C ports, one of which you'll probably need to leave free for plugging in your charger and of those two ports, one's in a dumb place.

There's a USB-C on the top edge, with a power indicator LED next to it. You'll also find the power button up there which doubles as a fingerprint reader for quick, secure logins.

Bizarrely, the other USB-C slot is on the bottom edge - and so is the headphone jack.

Now, admittedly, if you're using this handheld as a handheld, putting those two plug-holes down there doesn't matter so much. But if you want to make use of the Legion Go 2's very sturdy, flip-out kickstand to play on a desk or table top - perhaps with a mouse and keyboard rather than the attached control paddles - plugging things like headphones and power supplies into the bottom edge makes no sense whatsoever. If they couldn't put all the ports on the top, how about the back? 

That niggly design flaw aside, not only can you use external, 3rd-party accessories to control the Legion Go 2, you also have the option of detaching the controllers and converting the right-hand one into a joystick mouse with the attachments included in the box.

Apparently, this is something FPS experts like to do - in effect, it enables you to hold the controller more like a gun, creating a more immersive First Person Shooter experience.

An experience enhanced even further by the 8.8-inch PureSight OLED gaming display - a screen far superior to most other mobile gaming devices. You're getting the pure black contrast only OLED can deliver along with vibrant colours that really do pop, at a 144Hz refresh rate. It's this premium display that really makes the Legion Go 2 feel like a desktop or console you can hold in your hands.

The only downside is it's quite reflective - so the 500 nits of brightness is somewhat cancelled out if you try to game in the sunshine.

But as a gamer, you're allergic to sunshine, so that shouldn't be an issue.

Aside from the usual dual joystick, D-Pad, A B X Y button configuration and even a small touch-pad, there are heaps of other controls placed just where you need them.

Although I never used one myself, I understand a major criticism of the original Legion Go was it was a bit boxy and uncomfortable to hold. The Gen-2 version has been rounded off a lot more and although it can start to feel a little heavy after a while, I haven't found myself cramping up trying to reach the top or rear buttons.

The pre-installed Legion Space app is essentially your one-stop-shop for tweaks and customisations. You can access this at any time with a single button press. Then you can adjust power settings, reassign certain controls and access your game library - regardless of what platform it's on; Xbox, Epic, Rockstar, whatever.

In fact, there's literally nothing you can't do on this device you can do on any other Windows 11 PC... Other than the fact some things look weirdly tiny on this form-factor. I mean, it's technically possible to check your emails and review spreadsheets but apart from anything else, where's the fun in that?

I recommend pairing a keyboard and mouse for your initial setup but the on-screen keyboard is usable enough for logins etc.

After that, you should have everything you need to play most games right there in your hands. There really is no limit - from triple-A new releases to retro favourites, the Legion Go 2 is the PC in your pocket you've been waiting for.

You'll need pretty deep pockets - it's larger than some portables and perhaps the most expensive - but if you want serious gaming in a mobile package, it 's probably a price well worth paying.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Lenovo Legion Go 2.