How secure is your data connection at home? Do you trust the Wi-Fi at your local coffee shop or library to keep your laptop safe? Have you ever worried about malware, injections, or other issues for your browsing experience? If you aren’t fully certain that you’re protected and safeguarded against hacking and malicious websites, it’s time consider a VPN service.
Fortunately for you, we’re in the middle of a semi-annual sale at the AG Deals Store which lets you save an additional 30% on the already-low prices. That’s right, an extra 30% just because you came around at the right moment!
We’ve gathered up ten of the most popular VPN services and solutions in the store with short descriptions and prices. To save that extra money, simply enter coupon code ANNUAL30 at checkout. Use that money to thank yourself for taking the right steps today.
Enhance your browsing, content viewing, and gaming experience with BulletVPN. BulletVPN servers provide a reliable and secure service to protect your traffic from eavesdroppers at home or while on the move.
With industry-standard encryption protocols, they offer high-quality connections and use premium grade carrier lines to provide the fastest possible speeds online. BulletVPN is compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. $38.99$27.29
Disconnect VPN Premium: Lifetime Subscription
The internet is crawling with trackers designed to harvest your personal information – sometimes for things as innocent as understanding what ads to display on the web for you, sometimes for far more nefarious purposes. Regardless, web tracking ranges from innocuous to deeply serious, and it’s more important than ever to take precautions to ensure your internet security.
Disconnect blocks trackers and malware across your entire device, allowing you to browse up to 44% faster, using up to 39% less bandwidth, and greatly improve battery life. $19.99$13.99
FastestVPN: Lifetime Subscription (10 Devices)
In today’s age of hackers and spies, it’s absolutely essential to protect your browsing activity by using a VPN. FastestVPN offers a smart, easy-to-use service for all devices including Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Smart TV, and your router. As the name implies, this high-powered VPN operates with 99.9% uptime and gives you access to more than 200 high-speed servers around the globe. Plus, with a NAT firewall, ad blocker, anti-malware software, and a strict no logging policy, FastestVPN is extremely committed to your online security. $24.99$17.49
Ivacy VPN: Lifetime Subscription
These days, we keep so much of our personal information stored in accounts we log into on our computers. While quick and convenient, this luxury also brings with it vulnerability. Keeping your bank accounts, credit card numbers, photos and videos, and so much more sensitive information safe should be a top priority.
Cybersecurity has never been more important than it is now in our digital world. How do we make sure all of our information is secure? With a solid VPN. Ivacy VPN allows you to browse with ease and without the stress of worrying about a cyber attack. $39.99$27.99
SlickVPN: Lifetime Subscription
Offering HYDRA protection, SlickVPN provides you the most secure connection possible, completely masking your traffic from anyone, anywhere who might try to observe your online activities. You’ll go anonymous and nobody will see your real IP address.
In addition to encrypted connection and privacy, SlickVPN gives you unthrottled speed so you can enjoy your online freedom in the smoothest and most reliable level possible. SlickVPN has gateways in over 45 countries, with over 125 gateways available. No matter where you are, SlickVPN is nearby to keep you safe. $19.99$13.99
Each year the Pixel smartphone from Google tends to leak far in advance of the official reveal. This year we’ve already learned plenty about it, including how it will look, before Google has even officially revealed when it will be announced.
Now, in a strange twist, Google has taken to its blog to confirm most of what we already knew in what seems to be an effort to set our expectations for the Pixel 6.
As for the specs, not much was disclosed in the Google blog post, but The Verge was able to shed some light on a couple of bits of information from its visit to the Google campus last week.
Without further adieu, there will be two Pixel smartphone models. The Pixel 6 Pro will feature a 6.7-inch QHD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate and three cameras on the back. Housed in the massive camera bump will be a new wide-angle main shooter, an ultra-wide camera, and a 4X optical zoom lens.
As for the Pixel 6 smartphone, it will feature a 6.4-inch FHD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate and only two cameras, the new wide-angle shooter and the ultra-wide camera.
Next, both Pixel 6 phones will use Google’s custom-made Tensor system on chip to power them. That was the main focus of Google’s post today, however, it failed to mention clock speeds, cores, technical details, or benchmarks. Instead, Google chose to focus on its favorite buzz words, “artificial intelligence” and “machine learning.”
One can assume from the lack of technical details that the Tensor SoC will most likely not wow us with clock speeds or cores, but will instead look rather bland on paper. It almost seems as if Google is priming us for this and keeping all of this info close to the vest until the official reveal. It is there we’re likely to see real-world examples of how the speed of the chip doesn’t matter, and how artificial intelligence and machine learning have made it more efficient than just throwing raw power at everything.
The article from The Verge goes into some detail about examples it was shown at Google’s campus, where the TPU chip was able to snap clearer photos of a moving toddler, or how it was able to take a better-exposed video of a setting sun with more natural colors than the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
These are areas where Google’s AI and ML have always excelled and a large part as to why the Pixel smartphones always have such impressive photography skills. Although, the video side has always needed some work and it looks like the Pixel 6 may be the phone to finally correct that.
Along with the Tensor teaser, Google also shared some official images of the new Pixel 6 smartphones. As you can see, the massive camera bump is present and a clear focus of the phone. However, on the smaller Pixel 6, Google has gone for a more fun two-tone look with a fun stripe of color at the top, while the larger Pixel 6 is rather monotone in comparison.
Beyond this, all the other info is up in the air. We don’t know the amount of RAM or storage options, battery capacity, megapixel count of the cameras, or most importantly the price.
We could be in a surprise when it comes to pricing though, as Google’s hardware chief Rick Osterloh mentioned to The Verge that, “it will certainly be a premium-priced product.”
Looks like we’ll have to wait for more leaks or until this fall to find out more about Google’s first smartphone to feature its own silicon.
Selecting the perfect username for your social media account can be a tricky affair. Unless you go with your personal name or some professional brand, you’ll likely create something that’s related to one of your favorite topics.
While you may have loved being xRickMortyFan69x for a few years, it’s understandable if you might like to change things up a bit. Fortunately, Instagram makes it possible for you to change your username.
Whether you want to switch things up to show your appreciation for a new hobby, artist, character, or movie, or if you’d like to just go with your actual name, it’s a pretty change to make.
Select social media platforms may limit the number of times you can change your username; however, Instagram doesn’t care to place that sort of restriction. Indeed, you can hop from one name to another as often as you want.
Here, we’ll show you two ways to go about changing your Instagram username; via the mobile app and through the website on a desktop.
It’s worth pointing out that you can select any username you want so long as it is 30 characters or less and is comprised of letters, numbers, underscores, and periods. Sorry, you can’t use special characters or emojis.
Your username must be unique, but the display name can be whatever you want. And should you wish to revert back to your previous one, Instagram will hold onto it for 14 days before allowing anyone else to use it.
If your account has a large following, your username change may need to be reviewed by Instagram before it’s finalized. Should that be the case, you’ll be notified when the review is complete.
How to change your Instagram username using the Android app
As of mid-2021, you can find change your Instagram username in the mobile app by following these simple steps.
Log into your Instagram account on your phone
Tap on the icon for your account in the bottom right corner
In the middle of your screen, select the dropdown for ‘Edit Profile’
Under the Username section, delete or revise the name to your liking
Tap the check mark in the top right corner
That’s it, you’re all set!
If you want to change your username from a PC, you can log into the website and make the adjustment in a few short steps. While you don’t have all of the functionality of the mobile app experience, the desktop does allow for managing your account.
How to change your Instagram username using the website
Navigate your web browser to instagram.com and log into your account
Click on the icon for your account in the top right corner
Click on ‘Settings’
Under the Username section, delete or revise the name to your liking
When it comes to working from home or in a dorm, space can sometimes be a precious commodity. Every inch matters and having the space for large PC tower isn’t always feasible. And while laptops are nice to have, a full-fledged computer is often more suited to our needs.
The HP 705 G3 Mini, available for just $180.99 in the AG Deals Store right now, is a mini PC that packs all of the hardware and performance you need for school, work, and other needs.
This refurbished HP mini PC runs Windows 10 Pro and boasts a generous 500GB SSD hard drive for storing files. Indeed, it’s more powerful than a laptop or Chromebook, and has all the flexibility of a desktop. It even packs a ton of ports for plugging in a monitor, network cable, and more.
Features
AMD A10 Quad-Core 2.8GHz Processor: Ensures high speed performance to cater to your needs
8GB DDR3 RAM: Reduces lag in applications to work more effectively
500GB SSD Storage: Provides enormous room to store your office files & documents
Windows 10 Prof OS: Enables smooth navigation and wide compatibility
Media ports
2x USB 2.0
4x USB 3.1
1x RJ-45 LAN port
1x Audio out jack
1x VGA port
1x HDMI port
Ethernet: 10/100/1000
About the Refurbished Rating
This product is listed with a grade of “A.” It arrives in a near-mint condition and may have very minimal to zero amounts of scuffing on the case. The unit also comes with an aftermarket 90-day parts and labor warranty from third party.
Order Yours
Supplies are limited for this refurbished HP mini PC, so act fast if you’re interested in scooping it up. Grab yours for just $180.99 while they’re available.
With so many of us spending more time at home lately, we’re all looking to make our living and workspaces more comfortable and hygienic. One of the ways we can accomplish this is by ensuring we are breathing the freshest air. Fortunately, our friends over at Proscenic make an air purifier and they agreed to send us one out for review.
Design
The first thing I noticed about the Proscenic A9 Smart Air Purifier is the size. It stands at nearly 21 inches tall and is a little over 10 inches wide. It’s really quite large, but the A9 isn’t meant for small rooms. Due to its dimensions, the A9 Smart Air Purifier can purify a room up to 968ft squared.
Besides being able to handle large rooms, another benefit of the A9’s size is how quiet it is. By using a large fan, it can move more air without needing to increase the speed of the blades and become noisy.
The A9 is practically silent while running on auto, even quieter than the fan in my laptop. Don’t let that fool you into thinking the A9 can’t move some air when it needs to though. When manually increasing the power to the max level, it sounds more like a typical floor standing fan.
Beyond the size, what truly stands out on the A9 Smart Air Purifier is the LED screen on the front. The screen allows you to quickly and easily see the quality of your air. First, with a color system–green for excellent, yellow for good, orange for lightly polluted, and red for heavily polluted air.
Of course, you can also disable the display if you don’t want to see the glowing lights, and check these readings with the Proscenic app.
The way the A9 detects the particles in the air is by using an infrared sensor. It’s difficult to know how accurate this is, but from my own experience, I did see it react a few times while I was cooking and the house got a little smokey.
This usually happened when I was pan-frying some chicken and I’d see a little smoke in the air. The display on the A9 would reflect this by changing colors to orange or sometimes red with a reading of 100 or more and I’d hear the fan rev up as it kicked into action. I must admit, that really impressed me and gave me more faith in the A9 and its capabilities.
User experience
Setting up the A9 was quick and simple. Just make sure you remove the plastic bag around the filter on the inside, and then it only takes a couple of steps to get it connected to your WiFi and the app. Fair warning, there was an unpleasant chemical smell at first but it dissipates over a few hours.
The A9 offers several different modes it can run in, such as auto, manual, and you can even set it to a quieter sleep mode that turns off the lights or put it on a timer. Additionally, there is a child lock if you want to prevent the little ones from accidentally changing the settings.
While the Proscenic A9 Smart Air Purifier includes buttons on the top to operate it, my favorite way of taking control was by using the app. If opening the app is a little too old-fashioned for you, then it also has built-in support for Alexa and Google Assistant.
However, you’re limited to powering it on or turning it off using voice commands. For that reason, I prefer the app which allows me to check on the status of the air quality, set timers, disable/enable the display, put it into sleep mode, and more.
What does it filter?
The A9 Smart Air Purifier uses a four-stage filter, including a primary filter, a silver ion sterilization filter, H13 HEPA filter, and a granular activated carbon filter. With all of these combined, Proscenic says the A9 is capable of filtering out hair, human and pet dander, reduces residual ozone in the air, and collects dust while killing bacteria.
When you’re looking to replace the filter then Proscenic has several different options for you ranging from $49.00 to $69.00 in price.
Final thoughts
In the end, the Proscenic A9 Smart Air Purifier checks a lot of boxes for me. It’s quiet, it uses a HEPA filter, it has an easy-to-use app, and the display shows the number of particles in the air. There was only one downside to the A9, and that’s the size.
The A9 has a bit of a commanding presence in your home, and if your room is on the smaller side, you may want to look into Proscenic’s more compact A8 model. Other than that, the A9 Air Purifier makes a great addition to your smart home, and currently, you can purchase one for about $180 on Amazon.
Motorola on Thursday announced its latest flagship series of phones for a global audience with the debut of the Edge 20, Edge 20 Pro, and Edge 20 Lite. As one might expect, the trio have a number of features in common but each speaks to a different demographic.
The threesome run Android 11 out of the box with two OS upgrades promised. Additionally, the handsets come with 6.7-inch displays with high refresh rates and support for sub-6GHz 5G. All three devices also boast a 108-megapixel rear camera and have IP52 ratings against water splashes.
Edge 20 Pro
At the high end of things, the Edge 20 Pro is priced €699 (about $830 USD) and comes with higher-end features and specifications, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor.
Included here are a 144Hz refresh rate for the screen, 12GB RAM, and a 16-megapixel ultrawide/macro camera. The Edge 20 Pro houses a new 8-megapixel 5x telephoto periscope-style camera with optical image stabilization.
A 32-megapixel front-facing camera snaps selfies while the 4,500mAh battery can be charged quickly using the 30W charger. Gorilla Glass 5 protects the generously sized screen.
Edge 20
The Edge 20 runs €499 (about $590 USD), is the middle or standard version, and has the same screen and high refresh rate. The chief difference being that it’s protected by Gorilla Glass 3. Internally, things are taken down a notch with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778 processor.
In the area of cameras, things are largely the same save for the telephoto shooter. Here, the experience is centered around a stabilized 8-megapixel 3x telephoto camera.
Edge 20 Lite
The budget-friendliest Edge 20 Lite, priced at €349 (about $415 USD), opts for a MediaTek Dimensity 5G-B processor. And while it includes the same 6.7-inch screen size, the OLED panel comes in at a still-respectable 90Hz refresh rate.
Unlike the other two versions, this one skips the telephoto camera altogether. On the other hand, it brings along a larger 5,000mAh battery with support for the 30W fast charging.
Availability
The Edge 20 line of phones heads to Europe, Latin America, and Asia as soon as August; Motorola indicates that a 5G Edge model will also come to North America in the fall.
Verizon on Thursday introduced a number of new mobile hotspot plans for subscribers, gathering them into four options with pricing that starts at just $20 per month.
As one might expect, subscribers get a bigger data allowance as the price increases; however, it’s more than just extra gigabytes of usage. Data streaming, for instance, is one of the things that changes from plan to plan. Also, the barebones “Essential” plan does not include access to Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network.
Here’s a breakdown of the major features for each of Verizon’s mobile hotspot plans.
Essential – $20
Includes 15GB of premium mobile hotspot data, then unlimited 600 Kbps data
720p HD streaming on 5G Nationwide/4G LTE
Plus – $40
5G Ultra Wideband access
50GB of premium mobile hotspot data, then unlimited 3Mbps speed data
4K UHD streaming on 5G Ultra Wideband network
720p HD streaming on 5G Nationwide/4G LTE network
Pro – $90 (Standalone) or $60 (w/ phone on an eligible Unlimited plan)
5G Ultra Wideband access
100GB of premium mobile hotspot data, then unlimited 3Mbps speed data
4K UHD streaming on 5G Ultra Wideband network
720p HD streaming on 5G Nationwide/4G LTE network
Premium – $100 (Standalone) or $80 (w/ phone on an eligible Unlimited plan)
5G Ultra Wideband access
150GB of premium mobile hotspot data, then unlimited 3Mbps speed data
With the days slowly getting shorter and July drawing to a close, it’s time to look ahead to back-to-school season. And while shopping lists used to be about paper, pencils, and crayons, today’s classes often call for a laptop or tablet.
If it’s time for you to upgrade your laptop, but you don’t have the budget for something brand new, consider a refurbished model. Doing so gives you much more bang for your buck.
The AG Deals Store has a wonderful offer on a refurbished Dell Latitude 5480 14″ laptop which features a big screen, plenty of performance, and a price tag that’s budget-friendly.
The Dell laptop is a perfect option for high school students, college students, and families who may need to split time with the device. Moreover, there’s enough power to last casual users a few years of usage and buy time before needing to go all-in with a new model.
Key features
Windows 10 Pro
Intel Core i5-6200U 2.3GHz processor
8GB RAM
256GB SSD
3 USB ports
14-inch display
Wi-Fi 5 (IEEE 802.11ac)
The refurbished Dell Latitude 5480 is graded as an “A” which means it has a near-mint condition and may have very minimal to zero amounts of scuffing on the case.
For more than a decade now, much is made about the various iterations of Android. Not so much the specific release number or name, but the general approach to Android. That is to say, a fair amount of people care whether it’s the standard, or “stock”, version that Google releases or if it’s skinned, or otherwise modified.
As a platform, Android has gone through numerous changes over the years with some of them being more obvious than others. Further, device makers have done quite a bit with their respective approach to Android, too.
Let’s take a look at the different builds of Android. From the vanilla, “Android as Google intended” stuff to the skinned and customized approach that phone makers employ.
What is Android?
This seems like a no-brainer, but it’s well worth explaining for the purposes of the article. Android is a mobile operating system (like iOS) that is produced by Google and runs on most mobile devices in the world. In fact, Android has the biggest market share, even beating Microsoft’s Windows.
What is Stock Android?
AOSP vs Consumer Android
Android in itself is an open-source operating system that runs on a modified version of the Linux kernel. Open source means, of course, that anyone can view and modify its source code. This makes Android a collaborative platform that everyone can have a say in.
The Android stack
This official collaboration is called the Android Open Source Project, or AOSP. However, AOSP and the consumer version of Android that ultimately ends up on your phone are not the same.
The consumer version of Android comes with proprietary or non-free components including device firmware (the stuff that makes it so the operating system can actually play nice with your device hardware) and the Google Mobile Services (GMS). This includes Google Play Services, the Google Play Store, and Google apps such as Chrome and YouTube.
Stock Android
This basic version with only the firmware and Google Apps constitutes what is commonly referred to as “Stock Android”. In essence it gives you only the basic functionality needed for your device to work within the Google ecosystem.
The main benefits of stock Android include a clean UI, with no extra apps. Perhaps more importantly, devices with stock Android receive quicker software updates. Largely, they can get updates pretty much as soon as a new Android version is released
Manufacturer Skins
Many manufacturers make their own customizations on top of Android, producing so-called “skins.” Examples include OnePlus’s OxygenOS, Samsung’s One UI, and Xiaomi’s MIUI. In the past we also had HTC Sense UI and Motorola’s Motoblur.
These experiences include a different user interface (UI), bundled apps such as browsers or messaging apps, and some features that you wouldn’t see in stock Android. Depending on your perspective these customizations can sometimes be viewed as bloatware or bloat.
All of these extras take up more memory and storage than a stock version of Android would. In the earlier days of Android this would be more of an issue as it taxed the hardware more than the bare bones approach.
On top of the OEM touches your wireless carrier might include more apps, services, and customization on the phone. This is about as far as it gets from the stock Android look.
Some people may prefer these customizations because they implement far more features. Done right, these are truly valuable touches and tweaks.
Stock Android of the Past
Beyond the very first generations of Android phones, there have been various iterations of stock Android phones. Notably, there were two defunct versions known as “Google Play Edition phones” and the “Nexus” devices. Here’s a quick breakdown of the two.
Google Play Edition (GPE)
Google offered Google Play Edition versions of select handsets.
Google Play Edition phones were a program that ran for about two years, between 2013 and 2015. These were versions of popular consumer phones that, instead of running the manufacturer’s skin, ran a stock version of Android. Furthermore they were sold by Google through the Google Play Store and received software updates rather quickly.
Nexus Series
Google’s Nexus phones were similar to Google Play Edition phones; however, the Nexus phones weren’t simply rebranded versions of existing smartphones. Instead, Nexus phones were developed through a collaboration between Google and mobile manufacturers.
These devices were marketed as developer-centric devices as they were unlocked and came with an unlockable bootloader by default. In short, one didn’t have to deal with carrier software or extra OEM apps.
Nexus phones also received updates directly from Google and were often first in line to pick up Android beta releases and developer previews.
The end of the Nexus line came with the Nexus 5X and 6P, both released in 2015. The Pixel line would pick up the mantle and see a nearly identical approach to software.
Motorola and Essential
Google announced its intention to purchase Motorola Mobility in 2011 and then sold it to Lenovo a couple of years later. In the interim Google revamped Moto phones and the devices in that era featured an essentially stock version of Android. This software experience continued once ownership moved to Lenovo.
Android founder Andy Rubin, who had left the Google team and started his own Essential brand would also lean on stock Android for its PH-1 handset. As he envisioned it, this would be the perfect Android phone.
Stock Android of Today
Where do you find stock Android in 2021? Surprisingly enough, it’s in quite a few places. Considering how the early years of Android saw device makers adding many customizations and enhancements, things have tightened up as of late.
Google Pixel
The Google Pixel line is the successor of the Nexus phones and represents the ideal hardware experience to run its software. Pixel devices are designed and manufactured by Google, but may their genesis had help from the last remnants of HTC.
It’s worth making the distinction that Pixel phones don’t run an explicitly stock Android, but more of an enhanced approach. The UI is essentially untouched, but Pixel phones enjoy features no other Android offer. Consider it more of an early look at things that could come to the general Android experience at a later date.
The Android One program got started in 2014, and was initially designed as being a reference platform for low-end devices and emerging markets. Think dirt cheap smartphones with lesser-known device makers in countries with very little data infrastructure.
Android One has since expanded to target more territories and include mid-range and high-end devices. Android One handsets see software updates fairly soon after a new version is released. More importantly, they also pick up two years of Android updates and up to three years of security updates.
Nokia phones, manufactured by HMD Global, are pretty much the face of this program, but it’s not without the occasional hiccup. Motorola is also a fairly big participant in the Android One program as is the increasingly popular Xiaomi brand.
Android Go
Android Go, or as it’s more officially recognized, “Android (Go Edition)”, is a stripped-down version of Android for low-end and budget handsets. Intended for smartphones with 2GB of RAM or less, it was first made available in 2017 with the Oreo release.
Android Go platform has optimizations designed to reduce mobile data usage, and includes a suite of Google Mobile Services and apps that require fewer resources and less bandwidth.
The interface is largely the same as the standard version of Android, but it does have easier access to quick-settings for features such as battery, mobile-data limit, and storage.
More importantly, there are a few modifications such as limiting to four apps in recent applications and disabling access to other settings. This is all in service of squeezing more performance out of the low-end hardware.
Most devices running Android Go have the stock Android user interface but it’s not a full requirement. Several manufacturers still employ customizations.
‘Almost’ Stock Android
As the unlocked phone market continues to evolve and brands emerge in new territories, we’re seeing more device makers taking a relaxed approach to Android.
Some phone makers, like Blu, have long designed handsets with a stock-like approach. That is to say things look generally untouched and free of overt customization. Save for the occasional extra settings, these look like Android as Google intends. On the other hand, this doesn’t mean the phones are free of bloatware or pre-installed apps.
Other companies who employ a stripped-down Android to various degrees include OnePlus, Sony, Xiaomi, Poco, TCL, Alcatel, NUU Mobile, and assorted international brands.
Focal has been making high-quality audio equipment for 40 years now and recently we were lucky enough to be sent the Focal Sphear Wireless Earbuds for review.
Design
At first glance, you may look at the Focal Sphear Wireless Earbuds and think, how retro. These days, in a world of mostly true wireless earbuds, the Focal Sphear stands out by having both buds connected by a wire.
Hanging from the left bud are the in-line controls that allow you to adjust the volume and control music playback. It’s also where the micro USB charging port resides. I’ve never been a fan of the micro USB port and it’s unfortunate that Focal didn’t go with USB-C instead. However, on the plus side, at least all the buttons are clicky and work well.
Comfort
Since the battery and other components are housed on the cable portion of the Focal Sphear Wireless Earbuds, it helps take a lot of pressure off your ears that you typically experience with true wireless buds. This makes them comfortable to wear and Focal includes a set of silicone and memory foam ear tips in the box giving you even more options when it comes to comfort.
It’s not all good news though, since there is more weight on the cable, I found it tugged on the earbuds and kept pulling them out of my ear. To solve this, I used the included handy magnetic clip to hold the wire in place. It was the first time I’ve ever seen a magnetic clip like this and I really liked the extra bit of design and how premium it felt compared to boring plastic clips that other headphone makers usually use.
User experience
Unlike many other high-end Bluetooth headphones, Focal doesn’t have an app for its earbuds. I was really disappointed there was no way to customize the equalizer and no Google Assistant or Alexa support built-in.
While I know Focal focuses mostly on providing high-quality audio in its products, at this price point I’ve come to expect more from the user experience, such as a fully-featured app or active noise cancellation.
Sound quality
Focal puts a focus on precision sound and makes use of the aptX codec from Qualcomm for a high-quality connection between the Sphear Wireless and your phone.
I’d describe the sound signature of the Sphear Wireless as neutral, bright, and crisp. These aren’t buds for bass lovers, although the Sphear Wireless does provide a nice tight punch of bass. There’s even a different sound profile you can enable by long-pressing the volume up and down buttons with a bit more in the low-end.
However, overall, I found the bass to be lacking in both modes for my tastes, but if you prefer your audio with a flatter more neutral sound then the Sphear Wireless won’t disappoint.
Battery life
Focal rates the Sphear Wireless Earbuds for up to eight hours of continuous playback. In my experience, that was very close to accurate, however, I wish it were longer. Many true wireless earbuds these days offer several hours of listening time, some matching the eight hours of the Sphear Wireless, with even more when combined with the charging case.
Final thoughts
While the Focal Sphear Wireless sound good for those who prefer a more neutral sound signature, I felt they came up a little short for the $250 asking price. I wish there had been a way to tweak the EQ with an app and that they offered longer battery life.
When you can get a pair of true wireless pair of buds with similar acoustics for $200 or less, along with having more battery life and more features–such as the Klipsch T5 True Wireless II–the Focal Sphear Wireless is a bit of a hard sell. And for a little more, you can also snag a pair of Sony’s fantastic WF-1000XM4 ANC earbuds for $280.
Taking that into account, it makes the Focal Sphear look like not much of a bargain and you really have to be a Focal fan to choose them above some of the true wireless competition.
