Wear OS formerly Android Wear is continuing to evolve as Google attempts to improve the platform. With this new update comes a lot of visual changes as well as functional. Wear OS appears to be making a shift to focus on being smarter, more useful, and I can’t wait.
Wear OS is getting smarter and more practical gestures
First up the UI and gestures are getting a bit of an overhaul. Swiping to the left or right no longer changes your watch faces and instead becomes more practical. From now on, swiping to the right now brings up Google Assistant.
The new revamped Google Assistant has gotten smarter and will provide you with helpful info based on your location. For instance, if you’re on the way to the airport it would show your flight status or hotel reservation. It might even give you the weather forecast for your destination, and the more you use it the more relevant the information will become.
Swiping to the left brings up the all-new Google Fit putting a larger focus on using your watch as a fitness device. The recent upgrade to Google Fit brought the addition of Move Minutes and Heart Points.
Google worked with the AHA and WHO to provide better ways to track your health. It only makes sense to give you quicker access to your health information. Which is why your health info will only be a swipe away from now on.
Improved notifications and shortcuts
With the world being so connected now and more information flying at us than ever, Google has revamped the notification system as well. Swiping up still reveals your notifications except now you will see them in a continuous stream.
In order to manage them better, Wear OS makes it easy to reply by simply tapping one and providing you with smart replies. All of this without ever leaving your stream. Talk about streamlining your communications.
Swiping down has always revealed shortcuts and that hasn’t changed. However, the shortcuts you see will be changing. Find my phone and Google Pay have both been added making it quicker than ever to locate your phone or make mobile payments.
When can you expect the change
Over the next month, these changes will be rolling out to Wear OS watches. However, some of the features may vary by phone OS, watch, or country.
Just in time for Labor Day, it looks like Honor is having a sale on two of its most popular phones, the Honor View10 and the Honor 7X. The latter starts its sale on August 31st and ends September 5th, while the former runs from September 3rd through the 30th. Both are getting a pretty significant discount: the Honor View10 will drop down to $429 (from $499) while the 7X will cost just $179.99 (down from $199.99). Great deals, all around.
Honor 7X
The Honor 7X is a value phone, and as such your expectations for its specifications should be tempered somewhat. It features a 5.93″, Full-HD LCD display, a Kirin 659 CPU, 3/32GB RAM/ROM (expandable), a 3340mAh battery, and a 16+2MP dual sensor rear camera. While its WiFi (802.11n) and Bluetooth (4.1) specs are a little outdated, it comes preloaded with Android 7.0 – not bad for a budget phone. It can be had for just $179.99 from August 31st to September 5th – a great bargain.
The Honor View10, by comparison, is more of a traditional flagship-style phone. It features a 5.99″, Full-HD display, a Kirin 970 CPU, 6/128GB RAM/ROM (expandable), a 3750mAh battery, and a 16+20MP dual sensor rear camera. It won’t compete with the true flagships – or even the so-called Flagship Killers – on the market, but it can handle pretty much anything you can throw at it admirably, and save you a pretty penny in the process. The Honor View 10 will cost $429 from September 3rd through the end of September, which is significantly less than any other flagship-style phone on the market.
Don’t miss out! Honor is a brand of phones made by the massive Chinese OEM Huawei, and as such is one of the better-made phone brands out there. Huawei’s run into its own problems Stateside lately, but the quality of its phones has never been in question. Don’t miss out on a pair of great phones at even better prices.
Whether you’re at home or at the office, it can be a pain to sit at your desk all day long. The pain is not only figurative but also literal, as you may end up sitting for more than 8 hours a day.
It’s recommended that you take a few breaks throughout the day, but what if you have a big project due? Well, that’s where a company like UPDESK comes into play.
The company has been around for a few years and specializes in standing desk solutions. Just last week, UPDESK introduced its new Home desk, which is for the more budget-minded folks.
This is priced at just $595 and includes everything you want in a motorized standing desk. To help celebrate the launch of the Home desk and Labor Day, UPDESK is holding a pretty awesome sale.
Between now and September 4th, those interested in purchasing a (fully-priced) desk or desktop workstation will receive a FREE anti-fatigue floor mat. But the fun doesn’t stop there, as some popular accessories are being deeply discounted.
In addition to offering some deep discounts, UPDESK has also announced a few changes to its financing program. Starting now, you can use Affirm and UPDESK to finance your desk for up to 36 months.
This is a pretty awesome sale overall, and one that you should check out if you are in the market for your first standing desk. Oh, and stay tuned to AndroidGuys as we may have something awesome in the works from UPDESK!
Let us know if you have any questions, and we’ll be more than happy to help in any way possible.
The S-Pen is what truly makes the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 stand out from all other phones on the market. Without the S-Pen it would just be like any other large screen flagship and cost quite a bit less. Therefore if you’re going to get a Galaxy Note phone it’s best to put the S-Pen to use. Check out these tips and tricks below to get the most out of your S-Pen.
We’d like to thank AT&T for providing this loaner unit.
App Actions
This year the S-Pen got its biggest update ever in the form of Bluetooth LE. With the addition of Bluetooth, it also learned some new tricks. One of these is App Actions which allow you to use the button to perform certain actions within select apps.
For instance, you can use a long press to launch an app, by default this is the camera. Once the camera is opened you can take a picture using the button and a double press switches between the front and rear camera. It can also be used to control media playback by playing/pausing with a single press and skipping tracks with a double press.
Samsung also allows you to customize shortcuts. For now, the app selection is rather limited but Samsung will open the SDK soon allowing it to support even more apps.
Unlock Your Phone
Another new trick the S-Pen gained from Bluetooth LE connectivity is the ability to unlock your phone. Unlocking your phone this way is not as secure as using biometrics, a PIN, or a password but it is convenient. Just be aware with this enabled anyone who removes the S-Pen can access your phone.
Customize Air Menu
Most of us probably never dive deeper than the original shortcuts presented in the Air Menu. However, if you were to scroll down and click the plus button you would see there are several other apps you can add.
Whether or not those are worth adding is up to you, but they are some handy features for the S-Pen in there. While you’re in that menu the current shortcuts can also be edited, either by removing ones you don’t use or rearranging the default ones.
Bixby Vision
Bixby Vision is one of those features hidden from the default Air Menu. In order to use Bixby Vision, you’ll have to first add it like we discussed above. After it has been added you can access it and all of its features from the Air Menu.
Thanks to Bixby Vision’s image recognition features it allows you to extract text from images to easily copy and paste it. As well as recognizing objects to perform a search or shop for the item online. If you happen to come across a QR code it can help you out there as well.
Translate
The translation option can really come in handy for all you travelers. Not only will it translate but if you tap the little speaker it will pronounce it as well. After you launch it from the Air Menu, all you have to do is hover your S-Pen over a word on the screen to get started.
Create Gifs
The internet loves gifs even if we cannot agree on how to pronounce it. Using the power of Smart Select from the Air Menu the Note 9 turns you into a gif making machine. Depending on how much you use this it could be a blessing or a curse to your friends.
After you launch Smart Select from the Air Menu, look in the upper right for the gif option. Once this has been chosen a square will appear on screen allowing you to resize, change the quality, and start and stop the recording. This is a lot of fun, but I’m sure my friends are quickly growing tired of my gif making.
Hover View in Gallery
When navigating the stock Gallery app from Samsung the S-Pen can help you locate that perfect photo even quicker. By only hovering over the thumbnail it will show you a blown up version of the photo. This saves you from a lot of incessant clicking or swiping. What makes it even better, is with the zoomed in view it also provides you buttons to perform actions such as sharing or editing saving you even more clicks.
Live Message
Live Message is a fun little feature the Note series gained not too long ago. It is along the lines of the gif maker where it’s not essential, but it sure is fun. With Live Message, you can write or draw an animated message using different colors on your screen. After you’re satisfied with it the Live Message can be shared as a gif with friends, family, or the whole internet. I wasn’t wowed by this when it was first announced but I have to admit after playing with it I found it a lot of fun.
Magnify
Even on a screen as large as the Galaxy Note 9, sometimes things are just too small. Not if you add Magnify to your Air Command menu though. Using Magnify allows you to hover over your screen to get a zoomed in view. For the optically challenged out there this can be a real lifesaver. It’s also perfect for checking all that fine print in contracts.
Screen Off Memo
Screen Off Memo is another one of those ingenious features Samsung added a while back to the Note series. Sometimes you just need quick access to write something down. Whether it is an item for your grocery list or a phone number you’re going to need later. It just makes things quick and simple. No unlocking your phone, no launching any apps, just remove your S-Pen and start writing. It couldn’t be simpler and yet it is so useful.
Glance
The Glance feature is another one buried in the Air Command menu that you would need to add manually. This specialized feature would be useful for those times when you need to continuously reference information. Glance minimizes a window into a thumbnail in the bottom right corner allowing you to hover and “glance” at the information without leaving your current app.
Everyone wants to save money, whether it’s on phone bills, clothes or simply apps and games. Android developers regularly put apps on sale, or even make them for free for a limited time, to attract more attention. But sometimes you won’t know an app has been discounted until it’s too late.
Fortunately, there are ways to find the latest apps and games on sale. You’ll simply need a monitor app like Apps Sale. You can get it from the Google Play Store for absolutely no cost.
The first time you’re using the app, a set of quick instructions will pop up for your convenience. Although, you probably won’t really need those, because the app is super intuitive to use.
Get access to all the discounted apps
Once inside the app, you basically get a long list of apps that are currently discounted or available for free. The developer also lists the date when the deal is set to expire, which is super convenient. Simply tap on the app in question and you’ll be redirected to the Google Play Store where you can immediately download it.
On top of that, the app also offers you promo codes for particular apps. There’s a dedicated section for that, which you can access by tapping the App Promo codes option in Settings (the hamburger menu in the top left corner). However, you will have to download App Giveaway Pro in order to claim the promo codes. This time it will cost you $0.99.
There’s also a Google+ community around the app. Here you can suggest apps to the developers and they will do their best to get promo codes deals for you. And you can interact with the other members of the community too.
The app can also send you notifications with the top 10 new deals, which you can schedule at a time that is convenient for you. The developers claim they don’t include apps with lower ratings than 4 and during our testing, we didn’t find the statement to be inaccurate.
Bottom line is, we definitely encourage you to give this app a try if you’re looking to save some money on your app purchases.
When it comes to using phones instead of computers, things are fairly seamless. What’s more, we live in a digital age where we don’t print things out all that often. Getting a physical copy of an email, movie ticket, or school paper is virtually a thing of the past.
This hardly means we can toss the printer out the window. There are still going to be times where it’s those vital times to have something printed. In the era of keeping everything in the cloud or on a device, it’s then that it’s really important to have a printer.
Printing from a mobile device was a terrible experience in its first few years of existence. There were very few standards and not many of the printer manufacturers had embraced the technology.
So Much Better
Today, thanks to the Mopria Alliance, we hardly think about printing and printers. If we need a physical copy of something, it’s straightforward and simple. We don’t have to think about whether it’s going to work.
Formed in late 2013 with help from players like Canon, HP, Samsung, and Xerox, members of the Mopria Alliance now account for 97% of the global printer business. Take a look, and you’ll find that nearly every major printer brand offers Mopria-certified printers. Alliance membership also includes OS providers, cloud solution providers, and chipset and software developers.
The Android Experience
First integrated in Android 8.0 Oreo last year, the Android Default Print Service, with core technology from Mopria, is ready to go out of the box. The core capabilities are built into the platform and you essentially have nothing to mess with; there are no apps or print services to install. Mopria also contributed to the Android 9 Default Print Service by providing the technology to add Wi-Fi direct printing.
Even though Android 8.0 has been around for over a year, only around 12% of active Android phones run 8.0 or higher. For those devices that run an older version of Android, there is a plugin app you can you can always download the Mopria Print Service from Google Play, to get a similar print experience, on Android devices running an older version of Android.
With the Default Print Service on Android 8.0 and newer devices, or the Mopria Print Service app on Android 4.4 or newer devices, you can print to all Mopria certified printers regardless of brand. This eliminates the need for the user to set up an app/print service for each printer brand.
What Can You Print?
There are plenty of applications you can use to print on Android. Not only can you print instantly from standard Google apps like Gmail, Chrome, Drive, and Photos, you can also print from any app that has added a print button. Such apps include Microsoft’s suite of Office apps, Adobe Reader, Dropbox and many more. So, feel free to open up your favorite app and print away!
More Than Print
The price for a decent multi-function device has dropped to a point where consumers no longer really care about a simple inkjet printer. It’s no longer a big deal for us to purchase an all-in-one which allows for scanning and copying, too.
To that end, we have something really cool to look forward to from the Mopria Alliance later this year. According to the organization a Mopria Scan app will roll out in 2018 and will allow for mobile scanning capabilities. A beta version of the Mopria Scan app is available now on Google Play if want to get a preview.
Our team was provided with a smartphone (Google Pixel 2) and Mopria-certified all-in-one printer (Brother MFC-J985DW) for review purposes. While we were allowed to keep them after our testing this did not color our experience in any capacity.
As indicated above, phones which run Android 8.0 or later come with all of the necessary tools and settings for mobile printing.
We unboxed the printer and set it up on our computer, installing the basic drivers from the PC. Keeping an eye on the clock, we found that it took about as much time to open and load the ink cartridges and paper as it did to ready the printer on the computer. At this point we also added the wireless printing option, going through the menu on the printer itself.
Switching over to the phone, we first ensured the default print service was set to “on.” We then opened up a picture in Google Photos and tapped the drop-down menu. Selecting print, we simply had to select our Mopria certified printer from the list. The whole process was quite simple, as shown in this video from the Mopria Alliance.
It didn’t take but a few minutes for the entire process, and that factors in the full-size color photo being printed. We wager that the longest amount of time spent was tapping out the password to the Wi-Fi connection on the printer.
After this first setup we tried a few more printouts. Emails, pics, and other items were a breeze and we found nearly zero lag in the process of sending from phone to printer. Things move swimmingly when you don’t have to select the printer from a list and you just stick with the one you last used.
Each time you print from your phone or tablet you have the same options that you’d normally have on the desktop. This includes printing a specific page, changing orientation, two-sided stuff, and much more.
One of the biggest pain points of setting up printers in the early days was the process of installing drivers. In previous years, we thought nothing of installing files from a CD or downloading from a website. Now that a lot of us are mobile first, we expect things to work differently.
It might have taken a few years but printing from an Android phone is incredibly easy. Moreover, it’s intuitively integrated into the platform and we’re more than happy to not have to be hassled.
There’s nothing more required for mobile printing than there would be for a desktop experience. That is, of course, unless you’re using an older version of Android and need to install the Mopria Print Service plug-in. Even then, it’s a process that you only have to go through once.
At IFA in Germany this morning, Acer announced a ton of new products: the Acer Swift 5 (an ultralight 15″ notebook), OJO 500 (a Windows-based mixed reality headset), Predator Thronos (a fully integrated gaming chair platform), Z 24 (an all-in-one), Swift 13 (13″ notebooks), updates to the Aspire 3,5, and 7 notebooks, a 27″ Acer Nitro gaming monitor, and a brand-new Chromebook – the Chromebook 514.
While all those other products are personally exciting, that Chromebook is somewhat related to Android – so we’ll focus on that. The Chromebook 514 has a number of appealing features, including a Corning Gorilla Glass touchpad (though Acer doesn’t say which type of GG), USB-C charging, a 12-hour battery life, and narrow bezels on the (touchscreen-optional) Full-HD LCD display.
Acer also updated the look and design of its Chromebook line. The 514 features a full aluminum frame, making it at once stylish, light and durable. Its backlit keyboard makes it easy to type even in dim conditions, and the Gorilla Glass touchpad makes for a smooth, durable component that’s often overlooked in Notebook design. As a huge fan of Apple’s MacBook touchpad, I can’t wait to see how Acer’s stacks up.
We don’t have any details on RAM or processing power yet. Those are two very important aspects of a Chromebook, and aspects that could easily make the 514 a must-buy or a hard pass at its price point. We’ll keep you informed on that front, as always.
Speaking of pricing, the Acer Chromebook 514 will go on sale in October in North America for $349. That’s pretty inexpensive when you look at the excellent design and hardware. Hopefully Acer made the right choice and squeezed some decent specifications into the 514, too.
LG fans we have some good news for you! Your favorite company is celebrating 40 years in America. And to make the occasion even more special, the smartphone giant has kicked off a sweepstakes to let you win prizes every day until October 5, 2018.
You will need to be a US resident to enter the contest and be at least 18 of age. There are two ways to participate. The first one requires you to complete an entry form on LG’s official website. Or you can go on Twitter, look for the daily trivia questions posted by the @LGUS account and answer them, while also using the #LifesGoodat40 and #sweepstakes hashtags. You can use both methods to enter the sweepstakes, but you’re limited to once a day.
So what can you win? LG is giving you the chance to win one of the 40 prizes including thirteen unlocked G7 ThinQ smartphones. The first on will be up for grabs on August 30, which is tomorrow. So if you wish to get a free smartphone, don’t forget to join the celebrations either via LG’s website or through Twitter.
The G7 ThinQ is one of LG’s current flagships. The phone comes with a notch and takes advantage of a 6.1-inch LCD display. It also features a powerful Snapdragon 845 with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The company has also recently introduced the LG V35 ThinQ flagship, but this particular model is not included in the sweepstakes.
Other prizes include electronics like:
LG 4K HDR Smart OLED 55” TV with AI ThinQ
LG A9 CordZero Stick Vacuum
LG 2.1 ch High Res Audio Sound Bar with Dolby Atmos
LG Portable Bluetooth Speaker with Meridian Audio & Dual Tweeters
You can check out the full list of prizes by checking out the contest’s rules page. Don’t forget! You have until October 5, 2018 to join LG’s sweepstakes in order to win great prizes!
At MWC 2018 back in February, Alcatel announced it will be joining Google’s Android Go program with a device of its own. The phone called Alcatel 1X landed on the US market a few months afterwards with a $99 price tag attached to it.
And now Alcatel has unleashed a second Android Go smartphone, that’s even more budget than the previous. It’s called the Alcatel 1 and it’s currently available for purchase for $79.99 on Amazon.
In case you don’t already know, Android Go is Google’s lightweight mobile platform that aims to run on lower system specifications than usual. It’s aimed at devices with poor processors that have small amounts of RAM on board.
Alcatel’s second Android Go phone is now available in the US
So obviously the Alcatel 1 comes with really basic specs. Nevertheless, it features a modern 5-inch display with 18:9 aspect ratio, but with inferior 480 x 960 pixels. In comparison, the Alcatel 1X has a slightly larger 5.3-inch to offer.
Other than that, the handset is powered by a quad-core MediaTek MT6739 processor that’s backed up by 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. Fortunately, there’s also a microSD card slot on board which can be used to enhance memory up to 32GB.
Alcatel is also throwing in two 5-megapixel cameras, one on the back and one on the front. On top of that, you’ll find a 3.5mm headphone jack on board and a 2,000 mAh battery. According to the company, it can sustain up to 12 hours of talk time on 3G.
The Alcatel 1 is sold unlocked and is compatible with GSM carriers like T-Mobile and AT&T. The device also comes with a US warranty. We should also note that even though the phone can be ordered right away, it might not ship immediately.
Anyway, if you’re on the market for a super affordable handset, the Alcatel 1 might be exactly what you need.
It’s been a couple years since we’ve looked at the best from Sennheiser with regard to in-ear headphones. The petite IE 800 were an original take on a high-end earphone, deviating from the current trend over-the-ear design and multi-driver configurations. It was surely understated, but the attention to detail is what set it apart, from the elegant, ceramic casing to the super crisp sound.
Well, it’s about that time for a successor, and Sennheiser has debuted it in the form of a IE 800 S. Following in the footsteps of Apple’s naming convention, the “S” means that we’re looking at a refresh of the original flagship rather than something really new. And naturally, that begs to question: Are the tweaks worthy? It’s crucial to note that this update pushes the price back up to the original $999. Let’s find out.
Design
As expected, we’re presented with a very similar form and design as before. That is, tiny tapered earpieces with stubby nozzles and unique dual bass exhaust ports at the rear. Nothing has changed with regard to mechanics. To the disappointment of many, the cable still isn’t removable from the earpieces (which is often a feature in higher-end earphones). You still have that interesting break on the cable’s Y-split, where it detaches via a 2.5mm jack. However, this time, that feature is more functional.
Sennheiser updated the wiring so that the new headphone can be used with Balanced output. And what’s more, the Balance cable isn’t an extra purchase. Sennheiser includes two common standards in the box: 2.5mm (TRRS) and 4.4mm (Pentacon) terminations. The cable detachment now serves as a cleverly quick way to switch cable types.
The three different terminations that you can choice from: top and bottom are Balanced standards and middle is the typical, Unbalanced 3.5mm jack.
Styling has been given an impactful update, for better or worse. Starting with the earpieces, they’re still made out of durable ceramic, but with now a matte finish instead of glossy. We usually agree with this kind of move. Glossy typically invokes a cheap feel. However, coupled with the ceramic, it gave the original IE 800 a luxurious sense. The new matte finish moves to “understated”, but at a close look, you can see a high quality sheen to it. And we can’t ignore the practically of it. The earpieces aren’t nearly as slippery as before, and fingerprints are no longer a bother either.
The cable got a similar makeover. Instead of the textured, green accented styling from before, the IE 800 S comprehensively pushes the stealthy aesthetic with a more understated, basic smooth black sheathing. Again, it feels higher quality than the standard rubbery plastic used on most earphones, but we can’t ignore how basic it looks for such an expensive unit. We prefer the unique look of the original.
Usability
The box contents with the new IE 800 S have minimally changed from before, Such is the case with the design of the leather case, to our dismay. It’s unnecessarily large (relative to the size of the earphones), and you have to wrap the cord around the sides to utilize it.
A positive is that Sennheiser is now offering a set of foam ear tips (customly made by Comply). Those take place of the oval silicone tips that have quietly disappeared for an unknown reason. Then there’s the new inclusion of two types of Balanced cables that we’ve discussed.
As far as we can tell, Sennheiser hasn’t messed with the shape, angle, or size of the earpieces, so ergonomic-wise, the fit experience is just like I’ve seen with the IE 800.
Their compactness results in a deep insertion. The tips (standard silicone ones) are firm but plenty mold-able. A seal is no problem in my case, but it isn’t the most secure you’ll find. On that subject, we still wouldn’t recommend these for working out, not just because of the delicate fit but also because microphonics noise is still a concern when the cable rubs against you with movement. This is a headphone for sitting still and listening.
Not all of the gripes from before have gone unaddressed. Many users disliked the short length of the cable. Sennheiser listened and added a little length.
Sound
I adored the sound of the original IE 800. Its sub-bass was captivating and treble detail/extension was extraordinary. Sennheiser also has this skillful cleanness and clarity unaccomplished by many. But not everything in its reproduction was as brilliant. Namely, it was lacking a bit too much energy in the mid-range, and thus, some of that pleasurable fullness found in some of the competition.
This is one of the qualities I can hear that Sennheiser tweaked in the IE 800 S. Mind you, it’s not a big change. Nothing with the IE 800 S is a big change, just refinements. In other words, if you’re pondering the upgrade, know that this is still very much a IE 800 sound. It’ll be the same experience for the most part.
The IE 800 S paired with the Android-powered, HiFi Onkyo DP-X1 in Balanced mode is wonderful.
So where the original IE 800’s frequency response could be deem V-shaped, Sennheiser pushed the mids up to what could be considered U-shaped. It doesn’t sound like much, but is an impactful difference. Vocals, in particular, have more breathing room (rather than being pressed down). It also adds a touch of musicality and fullness that the drivers’ excellent dynamics benefit from. That said, the update doesn’t get the mids even near the rockin’ level of the SE846.
Sennheiser also made tweaks to the sub-bass and treble regions. In contrast to the mids, these changes brought more control to the strongest areas of the IE 800’s sound. Some users found the past sub-bass to be a tad overbearing. Likewise, while the treble output was magnificently detailed and crisp, it could be fatiguing.
The result of taming these regions is an easier listen, while still being able to pick up the high-caliber acoustics. However, on the same token, these critical details aren’t as catching and distinct as they previously were, taking away from the “specialness” of the output. That aspect is important when considering how much you’re paying.
The IE 800 S sounds more “ordinary” in comparison to its predecessor, and it’s harder to make out the benefit of the high cost. It’s totally a game of give and take. It’s apparent that Sennheiser is trying to even out the frequency response for the sake of trueness. The better approach may come down to preference.
All-in-all, the IE 800 S is still a masterful in-ear solution. Articulation and clarity are first-rate. It’ll be hard to go back to ordinary earphones after this. Somehow, these little guys manage to pump out an able soundstage. It’s not the widest, but the 3D space is beautifully perceived and worked within. You’ll excellently identify varying range of depth as different notes hit. It’s still amazes me what these little earpieces can do, with their tiny drivers. The IE 800 S’s output can still stand with today’s best.
Final Thoughts
Very tough decision at $999.
If you’re nit-picky like I am (and I’d argue that at this price range, you’re allowed to be), you may be plentiful content with this update. My strongest point, especially for IE 800 users, is that the updated sound is more of a tweak than an upgrade. It’s totally on you if that’s worth putting down the dough for the “upgrade”. I honestly wouldn’t say so at this point in time that the originals are at half the cost.
As for interested non-IE 800 owners, I’d recommend being cautious. Get your hands on them for a test listen if at all possible. The sound quality is exquisite, no doubt, but it can be seen as an acquired taste. However, if you’re someone that can appreciate qualities like clarity and detail more than energy and booming bass, then you may recognize the magic within. And once you do, you’ll be hooked.
