Introduction –
While I started Everyday Listening as an audio review website, I occasionally like to share other technologies that have had an impact on my lifestyle. Archeer are a well-reviewed company that produce some really nice products and some really cheap products, generally mutually exclusive. While I admire their diverse range of products, I sometimes feel that they need to focus more on quality rather than quantity; the same goes for a lot of companies.
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That being said, If Archeer have a speciality, it’s their great grasp on audio and wireless technologies; their Bluetooth headphones and earphones are great performers for the asking price and their higher range speakers such as the A320 offer almost unbeatable cost/performance ratios. So when Archeer offered to send me a review unit of their latest IP Camera, I was more than excited to give it a go but also sceptical as a reviewer. Archeer are actually no stranger to IP cameras with several models currently on offer, but their new camera is both their most feature rich and expensive camera yet. While I can assure that it is a very versatile camera, let’s see if it’s worth the premium over competing models.
*Again Archeer persist with their confusing naming scheme, please designate your products with catchy model names! I have will put the Amazon linke below for reference:
http://amzn.to/1T7XoJp
Disclaimer –
I would like to thank Lucas from Archeer very much for providing me with a review sample of their latest IP Camera. There is no monetary incentive for a positive review and despite receiving the camera free of cost, I will attempt to be as objective as possible in my evaluation.
Accessories –
For their more premium products, Archeer have mixed up the packaging a bit, with a large box coated in clean graphics.
Sliding off the top cover reveals the camera and accessories nestled within foam moulds. Archeer include:
- IP Camera
- Wall Mount
- Screws and gyprock sleeves
- Ethernet Cable
- 3dB Wi-Fi antenna
- Power adapter
- Various power plug adapters
Design –
I like the design of the camera as a gadget but not as a professional tool. It’s clear that this camera was intended more for personal use, maybe pet watch device, rather than a dedicated security device for large scale professional application. While it has all the features of a good security camera, the fully plastic build does not quite feel substantial enough to survive even a modest drop and the bright silver colour scheme lacks subtly, the camera will really stand out in pretty much any home.
That being said, for a home gadget, it is a charming and fun design that will be approachable and not overly intimidating for younger users/residents; it won’t scare off guests and doesn’t look too serious. While the feel in the hand still leaves much to be desired, the camera is solidly constructed and all mechanisms are without play or creeks which is most important at the end of the day. The glossy finish looks a bit toyish, but it resists smudging better than most, I still think that a matte black option would be ideal.
All connectors are tight and reliable and the motors operate quietly when panning, audible but not distracting during recordings and barely audible otherwise. All of the cutouts for the IR LEDs and camera are well moulded. The camera has modest weight, it’s not particularly light but the included stand is more than solid enough to support it.
The base has rubber feet should you want to place it on a desk or shelf instead. The camera is quite compact considering its feature set, the design could have been streamlined a little more, but the look never bothers me in daily usage, I usually keep it out of the way where it has a nice view over the first floor of my house.
The rear of the base contains all of the interfaces, the power port, Ethernet port for wired connection, a micro sd card slot and connector that enables the use of an external wireless antenna. A grill along the top of the base contains the in-built speaker and microphone, there are also two 3.5mm audio input and output jacks that enable the speaker to be used with an external mic or speaker system should the in-built ones be inadequate for your usage. At the front is a transparent window that protects the three status LEDs denoting WiFi, Ethernet and Power.
Archeer’s IP camera is inherently an indoors camera due to a lack of any ruggedizing features. This is also reflected by Archeer’s choice of a 720p sensor over a 1080p one, in theory translating to superior low light performance when combined with a low aperture lens, but also less detail in bright lighting (which is less consequential indoors). While I still would have liked to see a nice large 1080p sensor for the $100 USD asking price, Archeer’s flagship IP Camera still produces really nice image and video quality for a wireless camera. In addition, a quick perusal of multiple competing models reveals that Archeer’s offering provides a lot more range of motion than most other IP cameras, offering 350 degrees of horizontal panning and 95 degrees of vertical panning. This is essential in tight indoor spaces and, in culmination with the very wide-angle 3.5mm lens (for reference, I shoot my reviews with a 50mm lens and ~10-16mm is generally considered quite wide), somewhat justifies the higher price of the camera as it can scan a larger area, hence omitting the need for multiple fixed cameras or several cameras with less FOV. I can easily see this camera as a nice store or pet monitor in addition to a home security device.
Usage –
The camera was far easier to set up than I expected, Archeer streamline the process through a simple, well-translated manual in addition to various QR codes for the dedicated app and pairing of the specific camera. Simply install the MiPC app from the app store on your device, available for both Android and IOS, create an account for the app (the account will unify all of your cameras if you have more than one) and scan the QR code on the IP Camera itself to register it within the app. You can also manually enter the cameras ID code into the app to pair.
The camera does require a wired Ethernet connection to first connect to you smart device, but is easy to connect to your Wi-Fi network through the MiPC application once initial pairing is complete. The camera connects via a 3Db external antenna. It’s a solid gain, not too high and thus, not too directional, but also high enough to receive a strong signal capable of streaming 720p/25fps video to my smartphone from almost every location in my house, I didn’t notice obvious degradation in quality or framerate from a wired Ethernet connection though the application does enable you to stream in lower resolutions should you have a slow connection. At its highest setting, the Archeer IP Camera will record 1280×720 video with H.264 compression.
Once connected, the camera only requires a power cable and will remember its settings if unplugged, allowing for quick relocation. The camera can actually cover a very large area due to it’s 350 degrees of horizontal rotation. The wide angle lens comfortably captures about half of a medium-large sized room and panning allows the camera to view the opposite side. When placed in a corner, the camera easily secures an entire room, but if your house is more open, you could probably cover an entire storey with just two cameras. The cameras supports 3X digital zoom (two finger gesture in the app) and although the 720p resolution might sound meagre in our 4K adopting society, there is still plenty of resolution to read text on book covers and identify thieves should something like that occur. While 1080p cameras might resolve slightly more detail in ideal lighting, Archeer’s camera provides relatively clean images and preserves a lot of detail when light gets scarce.
The smartphone application has various other features, in addition to viewing a live feed from the camera. The Camera supports up to a 32GB micro SD, it has no internal storage but can upload photo and video to your smartphone over Wi-Fi. Inserting a card enables a few other features such as motion detection, the camera will sound an alarm or start recording when it senses movement, and schedule based recording which is self-explanatory. While these features sound very enticing, I was unable to get SD card functionality to work, every time I removed the SD card, it would corrupt, requiring formatting in windows. It seems that the card must be kept within the camera and can only be sent to another device via a wireless connection.
The camera has 12 Infrared LEDs that enable night and low-light usage. They are mostly invisible to the human eye when activated, you will notice a small red glow, but will adequately illuminate a medium sized room on camera. Arhceer claim up to 10M of night vision, to test this, I placed the camera outdoor in my back yard and took some quick photos at night. The camera did well to light up my back yard and the 10M claim seems accurate.
So I’ve mentioned that the camera has an outstanding horizontal FOV due to its 350 degrees of rotation however, vertically, the camera is limited to just 95 degrees, understandable since this was limited by the design of the camera itself. Archeer include a wall mount with the camera that places it horizontally on the wall. While the camera is perfectly usable just sitting vertically on a table or shelf, the camera is unable to look down, it can only look up at the ceiling.
Placing the camera horizontally using the included mount enables the use to take full advantage of that 95 degrees of vertical panning, granting 47.5 degrees down and 47.5 degrees of upward mobility, it’s clear that this is how the camera was intended to be used. Still, if you are unable or rather, unwilling like I was, to permanently attach the mount to a wall, the camera is comfortable in a waist height location such as on a desk which will also take advantage of that upward panning.
The camera also supports 2-way audio, especially nifty if you want some simply multi-storey communication. For reasons unknown to me, I could only use this feature on the IOS app as the Android app would only allow 1-way audio. That means that you can either listen through the cameras in-built microphone though your smartphone speakers or speak through your smartphones’ mic though the in-built speaker in the camera. On IOS, it works more like a phone call and you can do both at the same time. As far as audio goes, the speaker on the camera is upper mid-high frequency dominated as expected, but is luckily very loud and clear (measured just over 80dB on my HTC 10 using soundmeter). Voices are easily discerned, I never struggled to understand the speaker on the other side and there was plenty of volume for me to either hear the person perfectly or to gain my attention when some distance away. The microphone quality is similarly impressive, through my HTC 10 and iPod Touch 6, the mics offered plenty of gain to hear what the other person was saying, even when not directly near the camera. The mics are also less directional than most and will pick up voices from almost any direction at the cost of slightly more ambient noise. All in all, even with the clunky android app, I couldn’t be happier with the audio features.
Image Quality –
On a whole, image quality was on the higher end of the IP Cameras I’ve seen. All images suffer from compression artefacts but are otherwise quite clean, especially in low light. The camera meters exposure quickly and the sensor has adequate dynamic range to resolve plenty of shadow detail without blowing out the highlights. All of these scenes had vastly differing ambient light levels yet they are all similarly exposed. In the lower light images we can see the advantages of using a lower resolution, higher sensitivity sensor for indoor shooting. Video quality is almost identical to still image quality, there is plenty of resolution to resolve text in medium and bright light, but things get a bit too fuzzy in lower light situations unless night mode is used (black and white, uses the 12 Infrared LEDs to illuminate the scene). The following images were taken in my room lit by a large window to the left. I artificially simulated varying light levels by adjusting the blinds and shutters, closing off all light sources for the night test. The camera was about 1.5m away from the bookshelf to give you a reference of the camera’s FOV. As seen in the night image, the IR LEDs are too bright for close subjects, overexposing the books, the LEDs are also quite
The following images were taken in my room lit by a large window to the left. I artificially simulated varying light levels by adjusting the blinds and shutters, closing off all light sources for the night test. The camera was about 1.5m away from the bookshelf to give you a reference of the camera’s FOV. As seen in the night image, the IR LEDs are too bright for close subjects, overexposing the books, the LEDs are also quite focused to illuminate the centre rather than evenly across the image, suitable when tracking a subject in detail. Sharpness, exposure and contrast can be adjusted via the application, all were left on their default setting in the following images. The sharpness could have been turned a little higher to resolve more detail on the text though I am pleased with the results.
Of note, I’m guessing that the camera doesn’t support autofocus as the text on the books looks to be out of focus and there is no tap to focus function on the smartphone application. When placed further from the subject, the camera achieves a sharper image, these images are more for noise and processing. See the bottom right corner for crops.
- Considerable colour noise and processing artefacts in the shadows, text is barely legible if at all.
- Shadows are still just as noisy but the text on the books is more legible if still not ideal.
- Shadows clean up considerably, text is completely legible but a little fuzzy.
- Very clean image, text completely legible but out of focus due to fixed focus tuned for further subjects.
- Focused IR LEDs overexpose centre of the image, exacerbated by reflective subject. Text is legible and noise is surprisingly hardly prevalent at all. Great low light performance.
Verdict –
As a technology, IP Cameras are one of the most useful home tech products out there, existing not to bring convenience or aesthetic appeal, but rather security and communication. In this sense, most of these IP cameras are quite alike, they all provide the same basic features and are controlled/viewed through a smartphone application over a wired or wireless connection. Among these cameras, a few stand out with superior optics, higher resolution, night vision, weather proofing and enhanced mobility that suit the differing uses of their clients.
Overall, I think everyone should own at least one IP camera to watch over their house. It doesn’t have to be as expensive as this one, Archeer themselves have a few models that are about a third of the price, but this one, in particular, is especially versatile. Setup is easy and usage after that is even simpler, the camera is pretty much automated. It can record throughout the day and overwrite older footage when the card is filled, it can automatically record when motion is detected and can easily stream to a network-connected smart device (you can access the camera as long as you have an internet connection even from data and when overseas). I was recently overseas and having this camera gave me just that little extra comfort knowing I was able to check in on the house every now and then. The extra mobility allowed me to scan almost the entire first floor of my house and the night vision was adequate enough to illuminate about half of it. The audio features are also a highlight of this camera, while not nearly an exclusive feature, they do work very well here with a loud, clear speaker and sensitive mics. I would probably recommend the camera more for IOS devices as the app is better optimised with generally lower latency and better 2-way audio support, but apart from that, every feature works perfectly on android too. Archeer’s newest IP camera is a winner!
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed my review, pease have a look at my website for more articles just like this one:
https://everydaylisteningblog.wordpress.com/2017/02/11/archeer-ip-camera-review-safe-and-sound/
Related
This is a Review of Astell & Kern AK120ii Digital Audio Player (DAP). http://www.astellnkern.com/eng/htm/ak120/ak120_2_feature01.asp , also available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Astell-Kern-AK120II-Resolution-Player/dp/B00L3NAW42/
Either if you are a novice audio enthusiast or a seasoned audiophile, you are probably familiar with a name of "Astell & Kern". It’s like a fashion brand name or a luxury vehicle known for their stylish looks, durable design, and top of the line performance. Nevertheless, for a number of people A&K products are still an intimidating mystery because of their premium price and somewhat exclusive review coverage. I've read some of those reviews and still had a few unanswered questions, especially what makes this DAP so special at a premium price? As you can see, I've already mentioned “premium price” twice, and I'm only a few sentences into my review. Unfortunately, premium price quite often clouds are judgment since we have high expectations when in reality we are looking at diminishing returns. In the last few years I covered close to a dozen of DAPs priced between $50 -$700, and as a reviewer when you focus on a performance and features it makes it easier to judge a product without a biased opinion clouded by its price, though you still have to consider it. So let me proceed with my review, to share with you what I found, and to let you be the judge if this amazing piece of electronics (oops, a biased slip!) is worth your hard earned money.
People, who appreciate the art of sound or just educated enough to understand that free earbuds supplied with your smartphone or endorsed by celebrities just don’t cut it, are usually in constant search of new headphones to get closer to their ideal sound signature. Unfortunately, a lot of the times we neglect an important variable in this sound signature equation - the audio source. No matter how good you think your iDevice or Android phone sounds, it’s not an ideal source even if you manage to load it with lossless audio files. It will not substitute a dedicated DAP designed with one specific functionality in mind - playing audio without compromises or interferences from 3G/4G radios, noisy power supplies, social media updates, and a ton of apps running in the background. I always looked at DAP as anti-smartphone, and perhaps that’s why I was happy with small screens, hardware buttons, and other mechanical scrolling options. Now, I made a full circle and came back to a product which you can almost call a smartphone without a “phone”.
Arrived in a formally dressed silver carton sleeve, A&K wanted to keep an element of surprise without any revealing glossy pictures or too much of an artwork beside a stamped logo and a company name with a sticker of DUAL DAC on the front. AK120ii is their dual CS4398 DAC version, very similar in looks to AK100ii - a single CS4398 DAC version with a slightly shorter body and a few other cut down specs. On a back side of the packaging you will find a very comprehensive device specification that resembles a typical compact smartphone spec. We are talking about 3.31” AMOLED touch screen display with WVGA 480x800 resolution, 3,250 mAh li-polymer battery, 128GB of internal NAND memory with microSD expansion supporting up to 128GB flash card, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, MTP media device connection, micro USB input, and OTA (over-the-air) firmware upgrade. Yes, we are still talking about DAP, and to reassure that – I removed the sleeve and opened an impressive black gift-box to reveal AK120ii inside of it.
Unboxing.
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I have seen pictures of AK100ii/120ii before, but the first hand experience of opening the box and taking a glance at this DAP is priceless. Out of the box I found AK120ii to be surprisingly compact with dimensions of approximate 118mm x 55mm x 15mm and very lightweight at only 177g. Along with AK120ii, included accessories were a high quality usb to micro-usb charging/data cable, clear screen protectors for the front display and the back, a comprehensive quick start guide (printed on a quality paper like it was a wedding invitation), a warranty card, and a fancy leather case. And by fancy, I mean a designer quality "Made in Italy" case with perfect cutouts to reveal all the hardware controls and ports, and to provide a full access to touch screen where only a microSD port was covered. Btw, once fitted, the case is not easy to slide out, but I found a little trick by pushing it out with an eraser tip of a pencil through micro-usb port opening at the bottom. Could A&K have included additional accessories? I certainly would be happy to see more considering the asking price, but optional color leather cases, cradles, and some cables are available for purchase directly from Astell & Kern website.
Accessories.
As I already mentioned, the unit itself felt very compact and rather lightweight despite its solid build and alloy metal housing with a front touch screen. If this would have been a smartphone, I would have already proceeded to power it up, but I was still hesitant holding it in my hand while examining design details. I think the experience of testing and reviewing other DAPs made me appreciate this design even more, including how thoughtfully it was crafted. The ergonomics was perfect for use with one hand, and it felt very comfortable to reach hardware transport controls and volume knob as well as touch screen - not bad considering I have just an average size hands. The transport control buttons are located on the top left side, and you have Play/Pause in the middle between Skip Next/Prev where single click skips a track and a long press fast forwards/backwards. Buttons felt solid, no rattling or shaking, with a very nice tactile response. At the bottom of the same left side you will find microSD slot with a card sitting flush once fully inserted. The bottom of AK120ii has micro-usb connector for charging (impressive battery life of up to 12hrs) and connection to a computer (for a file transfer and use as USB DAC). The top has 3.5mm TRS headphone output (HO which also doubles as electrical/optical Line Out) and 2.5mm balanced output with a 4-pole TRRS connector (for a balanced wired output).
The upper right corner of AK120ii is protruded with a small power button at the top and a dedicated volume knob facing to the right. There is no denial it looks and feels like a real authentic scaled down hardware volume knob you can find in high end desktop systems. The rotation of the knob felt well controlled with a nice feedback, and I was able to adjust it even with a roll of a thumb. I was kind of wishing this volume knob would also function as a push-button control, but it didn’t. I mean, the whole look of the knob design with a cap just screams to be pushed, maybe with some hidden functionality like a quick mute. At the same time, I can understand it would be too easy to accidentally trigger it in your pocket, so this volume knob can only rotate.
Design.
Finally, I was able to tear myself away from pushing the buttons and turning the knob, and went ahead to power it up. Greeted by a glowing “A” logo, it took a little while for the player to boot up. From what I understand, previous AK versions were Unix/Linux based, and the new AK100ii/120ii/240 are Android based for a better support of wireless connection with OTA updates. As a matter of fact, as soon as I booted up and connected to Wi-Fi, within a minute I had a message in notification bar informing me about downloading a system update. It felt like at home with familiar smartphone functionality, especially with touch controls and notification bar. Touch screen was very responsive with every move/slide/touch registering without a lag or a delay, thus suggesting a well optimized custom OS on top of Android. The main screen was well laid out with tiles for Songs, Albums, Artists, Genres, Playlist, and Folder – all corresponding to a specific sorting method of accessing your song library. On top of that there were also tiles for MQS Streaming and Setting. Also, there was an “invisible” Home touch button at the bottom in the middle which took you back to a playback screen. From playback screen, where you have access to touch transport controls and song/album artwork, you can also create a Playlist by clicking on the screen and selecting "+".
The Setting menu was my first stop where you have toggle switches for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, EQ, Gapless playback, Line Out and Balanced Out selection, L/R Balance, Brightness control, and Theme selection. There was also system settings related to Date/Time, Language, Power management, USB Connection, and Downloads folder. Further in System Info you can keep a track of model and firmware, internal storage management, and SD card management. But I think the greatest feature of A&K OS is how you can access most of these settings from one place in pull down notification bar. It was simply brilliant how you get a bird eye view of all the important settings where you enable/disable it with a simple touch and get into a detailed setting menu by touch’n’hold of the corresponding control. With notification bar accessible from any screen, this was the best and the easiest way to change settings on the fly.
One of the settings I found quite interesting was EQ where you can create a numerous custom presets. Also, you can draw EQ curve on the screen with a finger, and every EQ-band slider will self-adjust in animated fashion following a drawn curve. It was great to see a complete set of 10-band EQ (30Hz/60/120/250/500/1k/2k/4k/8k/16k), but I found it a bit frustrating to adjust individual bands since they were too close to each other to zero in with a finger touch. I would suggest for A&K to implement a zoom-in feature to expand EQ screen for a more precise selection of the EQ band.
In general, it was a pleasure to be able to see song names and artwork, and effortlessly control the playback and selection from a large and clear touch screen without straining my eyes. But it's not only the size of the screen, but how logical everything is laid out and utilized, from pull-down notification bar with access to all the settings, to a "home" button to get back to the playback and the rest of the controls and settings. I also liked how cool it was to adjust the volume once you turn the volume knob and get on-screen volume-arc graphics to slide your finger up/down and also to quickly enable/disable Balanced output. It takes a little bit of time to figure out controls, but afterwards it becomes a second nature to navigate. Going back to my other DAPs after using AK120ii was a painful experience using small screens and clicking buttons to navigate around.
GUI/Interface.
Having an ample storage is very important when you are dealing with high resolution audio and lossless formats, where AK120ii supports everything under the sun. And despite the fact that AK100ii/120ii doesn’t support native DSD decoding (only 240 does it natively while 100/120 converts it internally to PCM), you still will be tempted to load this DAP with your DSD files. Depending on the size of your lossless library, even 128GB of internal storage and another 128GB of external one might not be enough. Or perhaps when you are at home you want to listen to a few other songs/albums without going through a hassle of copying them to a DAP. To expand your storage capacity while you are at home connected to your local Wi-Fi, AK120ii supports MQS Streaming from your local computer. All you have to do is to download a small lightweight MQS Server program to run on your laptop or PC/MAC, select your shared directory, and within seconds it will be mirrored and ready to be accessed from your AK DAP. It’s insanely easy and efficient, and there is no delay or buffering stutter as you streaming the music – sounds just like you are playing it from internal NAND memory. Of course, with a full Android based OS on my smartphone I can also stream anything from the cloud (Pandora, Spotify, Tidal, etc.), but unfortunately you can’t run any 3rd party or even native Android apps with AK120ii. Furthermore, you can also play music directly from your laptop/PC/MAC through AK120ii by utilizing its USB DAC functionality like an external soundcard.
MQS Streaming.
Obviously, AK120ii has an excellent design and one amazing GUI with hardware buttons to complement touch controls, but how does it sounds? Here, I found a few surprises. Keep in mind, the intent of my review was to test AK120ii as a standalone portable DAP rather than a puzzle piece of the equation that requires another $2.5k DAC/amp and $2.5k pair of IEMs to complete a picture in order to make it sound good. I found that it was absolutely not necessary to stack up AK120ii with other portable Amps or to use it exclusively with TOTL multi-driver IEMs in order to enjoy the sound. To my surprise, it paired up quite well with a lot of my headphones straight out of HO, but you have to be VERY selective which headphones to use - everything comes down to finding headphones with a perfect synergy to work with sound signature of AK120ii.
I had a bit of a rough start when I began testing AK120ii only to realize that warm, bassy, and generally v-shaped headphones are not a perfect match for this DAP. I found sound signature of this DAP to be neutral-smooth with a slight touch of warmth. It made my bright and revealing IEMs and Headphones to sound lush and organic while retaining clarity and high level of details. I would even go as far as saying this DAP shapes a sound to be more smooth analog rather than cold-analytical. The background was perfectly black, and I didn't experience any hissing or high level of noise, though my headphones are not that sensitive either. With a help of it's Dual DAC architecture, soundstage had a great level of width/depth, though it wasn't too airy in my opinion. I wasn't able to quite reach that precise level of detailed analytical layering and separation. Don't take this as a negative comment, actually AK120ii was able to breath in a new life into some of my brighter tuned headphones, adding more body and texture making them sound more natural and less fatigue.
As expected, once you switch to 2.5mm Balanced Output and if your headphones can support wide imaging, balanced output did improve soundstage width/depth by further expansion and even some treble enhancement. The difference wasn't exactly night'n'day, but after closer listening it was definitely noticeable, especially with my UM Pro 50 (advantage of replacement cable to go between 3.5mm and 2.5mm was priceless). To get the most out of the balanced output you really need to look into aftermarket quality replacement cables for your headphones. Just a stock OFC or cheap silver plated wires won't be enough. For example, I noticed a better margin of improvement once I switched to low impedance Linum Balanced BaX cable. A balanced wired Whiplash Pure Silver cable (part of modular system) did introduce an improvement as well, but hearing my UM Pro 50 or W40 or A83 with Linum Balanced BaX took it a notch higher, which I attribute to lower impedance of Linum Litz cable.
Speaking of headphones I used for testing, I picked Pro 50 since it has a darker/warmer signature, while W40 is smoother and brighter, and A83 hybrid delivers revealing bright upper mids/treble thanks to BA drivers balanced out by dynamic driver covering low end. I also used ATH-MSR7 since these full size cans deliver a high-res extended and detailed sound and not as forgiving when it comes to bright recording. With AK120ii a performance of all these headphones was very consistent and sound became very smooth and organic in upper mids and treble while still preserving high level of detail retrieval. It's very interesting how with the same CS4398 DAC used in Hidizs AP100 DAP and FiiO X3 2nd gen as well as AK100ii/120ii, due to variations in low path filter and voltage/current amplification there is a difference between colder analytical bright sound of AP100 vs smother warmer sound of X3ii vs analog-smooth detailed sound of 120ii. Of course, you do need to try different pairs of headphones to find a match with a better synergy. When it comes to low end (bass), AK120ii favors headphones with more quality than quantity. A sound with headphones that have a typical v-shaped signature and exaggerated bass spilling into lower mids will become muddy. Even a more controlled low end of UM Pro 50 with stock cables (or Pure Silver cables) wasn't shining until I went through cable-rolling to find a better match which turned out to be Linum Balanced BaX. In there I found Linum to be a better match to open up the sound with even more details and soundstage expansion, while their new prototype of Super Balanced BaX impressed me a lot with a smoother balance of low end.
Even so I'm not a fan of EQ tweaking and hate how other DAPs usually have one custom preset option, being able to have numerous custom presets you can name according to your pair of headphones was very convenient with 120ii. I was actually pleased with sound shaping after EQ adjustment where frequency boosting didn't introduce any unnatural harsh artifacts. YMMV since its a matter of a person taste, but I just wanted to make a point that you can sound-shape any pair of headphones to make them work with AK120ii.
Another great way of sound shaping is to pair up AK120ii with your favorite portable amp while bypassing the internal one. I really felt like a mad scientist playing with all these combinations of headphones, cables, and amps - but it turned out to be quite a rewarding experience. I know I already mentioned that my review intent was to see how it performs standalone without any external stack up, but I was actually able to shape a sound other than with EQ by pairing it up with two of my favorite amp (FiiO E12A and Cayin C5). These both amps did take a bit of an edge off analog warmth in comparison to 120ii internal amp, but they also introduced more byte to the sound with a different texture at low end and brighter crispiness at top end. Especially C5 added more analytical clarity to upper mids and a touch more details while brightening the treble, though I personally liked the "looks" of 120ii stack-up with E12A.
I'm sure a lot of you will be curious how does $1.7k DAP compares to other cheaper DAPs I tested in the past. I know the sound quality is very important, but when it comes to A&K DAPs you have to look at the whole picture where overall experience plays a significant factor. It probably sounds very cliché and some of you might think I got spoiled by having access to test and to compare different DAPs, but it's an important point where you can forget for a minute a price tag and just focus on the product's sound, ergonomics, flexibility, and control interface. All I have to say is that experience of testing and reviewing AK120ii ruined the enjoyment of my other favorite DAPs. Maybe it's a temporary infatuation since I spent the last few weeks mostly using this A&K DAP, but I felt that a touch screen interface made such a perfect sense in song browsing, playback control, and overall settings - I actually became a bit frustrated with a button clicking or a wheel scrolling to get to where I wanted in other DAPs. And this touch screen interface was not a reminder of a "smartphone", absolutely not! It enabled me to be in full control of how I wanted to listen to my music, and I found that to be quite liberating.
Nevertheless, if you compare it to other DAPs like for example Cayin N6, those who are after a lush organic sound will prefer A&K sound signature, while if you want a more analytical detailed sound - N6 is a better candidate. In my opinion, they both are relatively neutral, but AK leans more toward neutral-smooth with a touch of warmth, while N6 leans more toward neutral-bright with a slightly better retrieval of details. With something like FiiO X5, I hear X5 being thinner, more neutral, less dynamic (sound is a bit flatter), and soundstage being narrower. Especially with X5 (single DAC architecture), you can hear an advantage of dual dac design of AK120ii and N6 where the width/depth of soundstage along with airiness and improved separation/layering becomes more apparent.
Next to N6, X5, and X3ii
Conclusion.
I mentioned early that I took a pricing out of the equation, just focusing on design and performance. I guess in a conclusion with my traditional "Overall" statement, I should put this variable back in and look from a perspective of the overall AK120ii value. I have reviewed a lot of DAPs and various stack up combos of my Note 4 with portable Amps or usb otg DACs, thus I tend to believe I have a good base for comparison. With that in mind, I still feel that Astell & Kern delivered a product that took the best out of all that audio equipment and encapsulated it in a very compact Digital Audio Player with the most logical touch and hardware controls I have experienced to date. It looks solid, it feels solid, and with a right pair of headphones it sounds solid! I know some people expect $1.7k DAP to sound 2x as good as $800-$900 DAP, but you have to keep in mind that with TOTL audio equipment (just like with multi-driver IEMs) you are in a territory of diminishing returns. Can Astell & Kern keep this crown forever? Only time will tell since we are facing a number of new TOTL DAPs from other manufacturers planned for this summer, and I know that competition will heat up! But I can tell you with certainly, A&K set a very high bar (and not just in pricing) where all my upcoming reviews will be measured against this little masterpiece!
LEAGOO ALFA 2 MTK6580A
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Highlights:
- 5.0-inch screen 2.5D, 1280 * 720 pixels
- MTK6580A 1.3GHz Quad Core
- 1 GB RAM + 16 GB ROM
- Supports fingerprint sensor on the back
- 13MP main camera + 5MP front camera
-Android 5.1 system
-Network: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, WCDMA 900 / 2100 MHz, supports 2 G & 3 G network
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Other Images:
Specifications:
Review:
Sorry guys, my written review is in italian language. I don't post it here ...
While the video review is Italian SUB ENG. Hope you appreciate it...
Mod edit by @Darth : Link to video containing selling site links removed. No more like this please.
Review from me too
Hey everyone,
I bought my own Leagoo Alfa 2 too, in golden color. A few things and thoughts which you should know before buying:
Pro
- backplate Ion Touch Technology: you can turn it off at all, if it disturbs you, but its worth using it to shoot photos (selfies mainly). However, when using the phone for general stuff, it can be quite disturbing. Waking with double tap on it work crappy, it doesnt recognize double tap many times. I like the function however.
- front side LED flash: its not very strong, but it certainly helps a lot when you have low lights around.
- Leagoo Xender app: you can connect the phone with a PC, Mac, or WP in less than a minute. I dont even understand, why this app is not part of the marketing, it's one of the best apps, I've ever senn. You get a complete file manager through your browser on PC. I dont use cables since I found this app.
- Leagoo OS 1.1: based on Android 5.1 its quite fast until you download all your favourite apps, and pack a lot of things on the phone. Then it can start thinking quite a lot at more hardware demanding operations. For example, when you have more apps running in the background, and you press home button, first you see no app icons, then it starts loading them on the screen one by one. This takes about 2 seconds at most, but still. Otherwise the OS is quite nice, I like it.
- Nice screen, sensitivity and colors.
- No SIM-plate, so you can use 2 microSIM cards and a microSD card at the same time.
- 16GB ROM.
- its cheap
Contra:
- weak battery: screen on time is only a few hours at most.
- very bad camera quality on both sides. However there is a flash on the front side to make selfies, the cameras shoot quite low quality photos.
- Weak hardware, high consumption compared to this.
- Backplate feels crappy and weak.
Conclusion: I'd still recommend the phone, if you need a front side flash, or dont want to buy a more expensive one, or if you like new things like Ion Touch Technology, and the Xender app. Some photos of my stuff:
You can reach the whole album here. And a few previews here:
Good job man
Inviato dal mio Nexus 5 utilizzando Tapatalk
Review
Introduction
Low-End smartphones are nowadays common in the Chinese market, but LEAGOO with the Alfa 2 managed to create a nice compromise by adding some features that almost all other low-end smartphones are missing.
This is the LEAGOO Alfa 2.
Hardware
The device features a low-end SOC, MT6580, that is just enough for basic tasks and for ultra-light gaming. Also the RAM isn’t high, just 1 GB, reducing multitasking efficiency. But, there is also something that can’t be considered as low-end. Rear Camera is a Sony IMX219 (13mpx), Soft-Touch keys are retroilluminated and there is a nice TouchPad on the back. Maybe we shouldn’t consider it a real low-end device, should we? Follow my next paragraphs to know more.
Unboxing
Packaging comes with some accessories: 1x Screen Protector (Plastic) with Wipes, 1x SIM/MicroSD tray Eject Tool, 1x Headset (not in-ear, but still better than nothing), 1x Micro-USB Cable, 1x 5V/1.5A USB Charger, 1x Quick Start Guide, 1x Warranty Certificate and the Smartphone (of course).
LEAGOO choose to give to the device a nice and clean design, similar to devices with Metal chassis, but this is made of Plastic. It feels pretty solid though, even better than my Galaxy S4.
The Alfa 2 is 14.4x7.3x0.7cm and weights 149 g. A compact device that can be handled easily in your hands.
On the front side there is the 2.5D Curved Display. On 5 inches smartphones this feature is now becoming pretty common. The glass is enclosed in a Plastic Frame, while on the upper front side of the device features a Front-Facing Camera supported by a Flashlight, an Earpiece and the Sensors hole that includes Light, Proximity and Gesture Sensors.
The lower front side of the device there are the Soft-Keys Navigation Buttons (retroilluminated), and the Home Button (circle key) works as a Notification LED. Sincerely i love this feature, I hope that also other smartphones from LEAGOO will have it.
On the back side, there is the Plastic back cover. The upper rear side of the device features a slightly protunding Camera supported by a dual-tone flashlight, and a particular TouchPad used to interact with the UI.
The lower rear side of the device features a noticeable Brand Logo and a large Speaker hole.
Chassis is Slim and well-built with all keys on the right side. There is no key rattling here.
Device
Screen
The device has an IPS Screen made by Himax, and it seems to be pretty good. Screen Brightness is decent, good enough to be used under direct sunlight.
I have used my Galaxy S4 Light Sensor to measure its maximum brightness. I don’t have a professional Lumen Meter, so this (Lux) is the only value that I can provide you.
About Viewing Angles the screen behaves pretty well, one of the best screen I have ever tested as regards this area.
Image Contrast and Saturation are accurate, you can use the MiraVision menu to customize this values.
Camera
Back Camera (Sony IMX219) seems to work pretty good, but, just like almost all Chinese Smartphones, the noise level is a bit high. As I always say, if a company works a bit on the Camera Software this issue can be easily fixed.
With (left) & Without HDR (right), photos under direct sunlight aren’t pretty bad.
Flashlight works pretty well on both sides. Yes, this device has also a front flashlight.
Back Camera
Front Camera
About Videos, there is no Optical Stabilization here. Maximum Supported Resolution is 1080p (named as Video Quality – Fine). Even if it reaches 1080p, quality isn’t good, the software needs to be optimized a lot.
Audio
Speaker isn’t extremely loud, lacks low-frequencies but there are no issues with Sound Clarity.
Unfortunately, it is positioned on the back, and, as I have already said for many other devices, if you place the device on a table you could experience volume issues, but this doesn’t mean that it is a bad thing. As always, what matters here is the quality.
Nothing negative to say about the in-call/telephony quality.
Telephony, Mobile Network & WiFi
Being a low-end device, there is no 4G support. 3G Signal Reception is accurate though, with no issues at all with Mobile Data speed or Signal Stability.
Built-in Wi-Fi supports 2.4GHz networks, and using my Home internet connection I managed to get decent speed. (I have a 100/20 VDSL connection, WiFi gets connected to 135mbps – probably not real -)
Battery Life
Battery seems to be enough to get at least one day of medium-usage, unfortunately PCMark crashes after a long while (probably due to low RAM).
This is the GeekBench Battery Benchmark result: https://browser.primatelabs.com/battery3/298994
Anyway, built-in Battery Real Capacity seems to be a bit lower than declared value (2600mAh vs 2313mAh).
Software
Almost everything has been customized. LEAGOO OS, based on Android 5.1, seems to have some nice features that help users to enjoy Android even better. (just like Xiaomi does with its MIUI ROM). I’ll show you some customized parts of the system with some screenshots.
Just like other last-gen Mediatek Devices, there are some typical features such as Gestures, Scheduled Power On/Off, etc…
The UI is always responsive, but there is a serious software issue. Screen Refresh rate has been set to 43hz, so the device doesn’t fell smooth at all. I have already asked LEAGOO to fix this bug, because using the device with this Refresh Rate causes headaches. It is like slow motion.
As regards the Rear TouchPad management (called Ion Smart Touch), it can be configured via the Settings apps and its configuration is extremely user-friendly.
Even LED Notification Light can be configured easily. You can even disable the Hall Sensor if you are using a Flip Cover.
Benchmarks
I have used 3DMark, Antutu Benchmark, Epic Citadel, GeekBench 3, GFXBench, AndroBench and PCMark (Work) to stress the device to the limit. I won’t test Games or Video Playback because there are already some related tests included in these Benchmark suites. I won’t be able to show you Vellamo benchmarks because this device isn’t able to handle it. (low RAM issues, it keeps crashing after some minutes)
3DMark – GPU Performance isn’t too bad, but you have to consider that there is no OpenGL 3.0 support here so only OpenGL 2.0 tests can be executed.
AndroBench – eMMC Performance is much better that expected, pretty good considering the low-end SOC.
Antutu Benchmark – I won’t say a lot about this benchmarks, this isn’t as reliable as others. I’m providing this just for benchmarks lovers.
Epic Citadel – As you can see, Gaming performance isn’t extremely low, there is enough power to handle games without major issues, you just won’t get ultra-high framerates. Consider also that there is the screen refresh rate bug that limits FPSs to 43 maximum.
GeekBench – CPU Performance is as good as other CPUs with the same configuration (4x Cortex-A7).
GFXBench – GFXBench result is….ultra-low. You have to forget heavy games on this device.
PCMark – Except for Video Playback Score, it isn’t pretty bad.
Summaring all results, I would have expected lower performance but I was wrong. Device’s performance is good enough for basic tasks, and it can be used also for some light gaming without having to deal with major issues.
Conclusions
This is my first time that I have to express an opinion about a low-end device. LEAGOO managed to add some mid-range features on a cheap device, something pretty rare to find nowadays.
I can recommend it if you want a cheap, but complete, device for basic usage.
Pros:
Sharp and Bright screen
Thin bezels
Decent Sound Quality
Lightweight
Cheap
Cons:
Declared battery capacity doesn't match real capacity
Serious Software bug regarding Screen Refresh Rate
It doesn’t come with Android 6.0
Camera Software needs huge improvements
Rating: 8.2
Packaging and Accessories: 8.5
Design and Materials: 7.5
Performance and Heat Dissipation: 6.5
Screen: 8
Camera: 8
Sound: 8.5
Battery Life: 8.5
Software: 8.5
OEM Support: 8
Price: 9.5
You can find full-res images (I know, Quality isn't excellent) here:
http://imgur.com/a/Q8n7P
Official Website
http://www.leagoo.com/mobile/Alfa_Series/Alfa_2.html
The device is now on sale on many e-shops.
Very informative review Alberto96. Have you had a chance to hear if Leagoo fixed the screen refresh rate? Latest firmware is from July 15 but as usual there's no information on what has been fixed. Would also like to hear how you experienced the RAM issues, say if all a user will do is take photos, calls, text and really not much else the RAM will be fine? Thanks for feedback.
tangoviking said:
Very informative review Alberto96. Have you had a chance to hear if Leagoo fixed the screen refresh rate? Latest firmware is from July 15 but as usual there's no information on what has been fixed. Would also like to hear how you experienced the RAM issues, say if all a user will do is take photos, calls, text and really not much else the RAM will be fine? Thanks for feedback.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately no, it seems that it has been abandoned leaving more space to new devices such as the T1.
RAM Issues are here while running benchmarks or using heavy websites with Chrome. Normal usage doesn't seem to be affected too much.
Alberto96 said:
Unfortunately no, it seems that it has been abandoned leaving more space to new devices such as the T1.
RAM Issues are here while running benchmarks or using heavy websites with Chrome. Normal usage doesn't seem to be affected too much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, yes I've been wondering why it never seemed to really get off the ground. Thanks.
Introduction –
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Archeer return with another astonishingly affordable Bluetooth speaker whose approachable aesthetic caters towards the younger buyers out there. And yet again, Archeer persist with overly complex designations; WJ-C1 doesn’t roll off the tongue with ease, I would like to see some creative product names in the future. What does impress is the speaker’s surprisingly rich feature list and intuitive controls, both culminating to create quite an appealing package. Of course physical design aside, the function of a Bluetooth speaker remains to playback audio and despite the WJ-C1’s very economical $9.99 USD asking price on Amazon, I would still expect a modest performance. Let’s see if Archeer’s latest speaker honours the impressive performance offered by their other budget speakers.
Disclaimer -
I would like to thank Archeer very much for providing me with a review sample of the QJ-C1 in exchange for my honest opinion. There is no monetary incentive for a positive review and despite receiving the product free of cost, I will attempt to be as objective as possible.
Accessories –
The WJ-C1 comes packaged within a small cardboard box with a render of the speaker on the front, specs on the side and operating instructions on the rear.
I wish Archeer would have included a dedicated manual with the speaker, as the controls are a hard to navigate at first, but deciphering the rear is a simple affair.
Opening up the box reveals the speaker within a plastic bag, a micro-b charging cable and matching colour lanyard to hang the speaker and prevent drops.
The overall unboxing experience is unremarkable on a whole and pretty similar to Archeer’s other products, I wouldn’t expect more for the price.
Design –
The WJ-C1 has a simple design that will no doubt appeal to the younger buyers out there, in-line with the similarly modest price tag.
The star shaped, smoothly formed design is pleasing to the eye as is the soft-touch matte finish to the hand. The main housing is an inviting white which glows in the hue of the RGB LEDs housed within.
Unfortunately the plastic used feels a little brittle and the moulding of the main housing is a slightly off with a small and inconsistent seam that runs through the middle. It doesn’t quite match Archeer’s own A106 rugged speaker, but for the price and intended market, the design and build quality is more than adequate.
In the centre is the grill protecting the upwards firing 40mm speaker driver. It’s a more solid plastic than the rest of the chassis and is perfectly formed in a pastel blue, at present no other colours are offered. Perforations line the grill in ascending size from the centre granting a nice visual effect. Quite a strange choice, a “W” logo adorns the centre, perhaps indicative of the model number rather than the Archeer brand? I’m not too sure. One thing to note is that the speaker is quite light, hopefully indicative of resistance to drops.
Running over the physical features of the speaker, the right side reveals the micro sd card slot whilst the top left corner is outfit with a slot for the installation of a hand strap. The sd slot is spring loaded for easy removal but the plastic surrounding the slot was malformed on my unit.
The speaker has a rubber base that provides some grip and stability when seated on a surface, it also prevents the speaker from rattling when playing at higher volumes. The base doubles as a control pad, containing the various controls arranged in a simple grid. Of note, the buttons don’t protrude to prevent accidental presses. Each button has a double function, the first activated by a regular press and the second by holding the button. Having the buttons on the bottom of the speaker is a little inconvenient but keeps the look more consistent, especially with the internal lighting, most aspects can simply be controlled by the source device anyway. A conventional micro-b charging port lies in the centre next to the charging LED.
The WJ-C1 is a nice, fun speaker that definitely holds appeal to certain audiences. Kids will love the simple look and pastel colour scheme along with features such as the glowing body. The small dimensions are ideal for portability as is the ability to attach a wrist strap. The inclusion of a micro sd slot is pretty neat for younger children who might not have a Bluetooth enabled device. Archeer have told me that he $9.99 price is temporary and whilst the original price is listed at $40, I suspect the speaker will rise to around $20. At that price the flaws in the build quality are small enough to be excused and the added features over other similarly priced speakers may justify the price. Personally, I find the build quality to be very disappointing given that Archeer’s own A106 had an essentially flawless build for just $22 even if it lacked coloured LEDs and a micro sd card slot.
Usage –
The RGB LED system in the WJ-C1 is no doubt one of it’s most defining features. From power on, the speaker illuminates with a soft glow that radiates very evenly across the white body, it’s a nice effect. The speaker automatically cycles through the colour palette but can be manually set to a certain colour using the secondary function of the play/pause button. The lights aren’t super bright, they won’t act as a room light for instance, but I could see the speaker acting as a suitable night or atmosphere light.
Onto the controls, the buttons have no definition besides the printed icons on the rubber base but they have a clicky press and work reliably enough. On the bottom is the power/mode button and at the top is a play/pause button that can be held to toggle the light function should you want to save some battery. The left and right buttons skip tracks but can be held to adjust the internal volume of the speaker.
The Bluetooth function is pretty standard but only remembers one device, if you want to pair another you’ll have to reset the speaker. Archeer don’t specify the Bluetooth protocol but connection was reliable during my testing even if range was pretty average, stretching across just 1 room (double brick walls) before audio became intermittent. The controls worked reliably too with skip functionality working with my HTC, iPod Touch and Windows laptop using Foobar. The same applies when using the speaker for micro sd playback. I didn’t detect any difference in sound quality and controls were similarly responsive. Upon inserting a card, the speaker automatically switched to SD playback but can be toggled using the mode button. Through the micro sd slot, I tested the following files:
-MP3 (320kbps)
-FLAC (16 bit 44.1khz)
-M4a (256kbps)
-WAV (1411 kbps)
The speaker played the WAV and MP3 fine but didn’t recognize the FLAC or M4a. It’s a little disappointing that the M4a didn’t play but I suppose basic MP3 and WAV support is fine.
Sound –
The sound quality aspect is definitely a lot more polarizing and it’s pretty clear that tonality and quality weren’t given too much thought during the design process. From perusing the spec sheet, I wouldn’t expect the 3w 40mm speaker in the WJ-C1 to sound particularly stellar and like the aforementioned A106, the WJ-C1 has a pretty lean sound with minimal bass and a generally brighter tonal balance. However with no rugged features, and no waterproofing, the WJ-C1 doesn’t have as much excuse to sound this mediocre, in fact my HTC 10, albeit above average for a smartphone, sounds almost as good quality wise. I’ve attached some audio recordings from the WJ-C1, HTC 10 and Envaya Mini from my Blue Snowball so you can compare.
Now from my more subjective listening, I can’t recommend the WJ-C1 for any discerning listener. The WJ-C1 essentially sounds like a decent laptop speaker with just a little more low end and treble detail but a similar lack of bass body and midrange warmth. Sub-bass and mid-bass are mostly non-existant whilst upper bass sits behind the lower midrange. Mids are better and generally well portrayed with decent balance. Lower mids are clear if slightly thin whilst upper mids have above average clarity without being harsh, sibilant or hollow. Vocals sound pleasing as do certain kinds of music and the richer mastering of modern pop is well suited towards the WJ-C1’s lean lower end response. The treble response is also pretty good just rolling off at the top. Otherwise quantity is neutral and high notes don’t sound too raspy. Detail retrieval is also better than anything you would fine built into a laptop or smartphone.
Being a mono speaker, there’s no soundstage and minimal instrument separation. Only adding fuel to the fire, maximum volume is very poor for a Bluetooth speaker, the WJ-C1 gets perhaps 10% louder than my 14″ ultrabook which is unsatisfactory for outdoor use but enough for almost any home environment; it’s louder than just about any smartphone. The A106, although offering a sound that is just slightly better, at least offered a lot more volume which I could vouch for; the WJ-C1’s sound really doesn’t have any redeeming features besides vocal discern-ability which is above average on account of the clear midrange.
Verdict –
As you can probably tell already, the WJ-C1 is quite a disappointing product. The design is nice as is the implementation of a few other features uncommon on even premium speakers. But mediocre build quality in addition to below average sound quality paint a grim picture for Archeer’s newest portable speaker. The fun features and looks are thoughtful and I understand that the speaker isn’t intended for the highly critical audiophile audience, but rather something for parents to stuff their children’s stocking with in the upcoming holidays. But even then, just marketing a product towards a less critical crowd doesn’t make the speaker’s physical and sonic shortcomings acceptable.
Accessories – 7/10, Enough for the price, quality of accessories is good.
Design – 7/10, Pleasing design with a lot of features for the price. LEDs are well implemented and lighting effects look great. Controls work well, sd slot functions simply and supports majority of popular codecs. Bluetooth is reliable but range is poor. Build quality still leaves a lot to be desired.
Bass – 2/10, Essentially non-existant, what is there is barely more extended than the in-built speakers on most portable devices.
Mids – 4.5/10, Clear, slightly bright mids, lower midrange is too thin for my liking. Fine for vocals but doesn’t flatter many genres of music.
Highs – 4/10, Reasonably extended with average detailing and shimmer. Rolled off at the top and slightly thinner body can sound raspy with certain songs.
Value – 7/10, At the current $10 asking price, the speaker is still a decent buy on the lighting and micro sd support alone, it’s also hard to find a Bluetooth speaker for such a low price. At any high price, say $20, these features start to become more prevalent and competitors offer superior audio quality as well.
Overall – 4.5/10, I can’t discount the fact that products like this still hold a place in the portable speaker market but it certainly has no place on my recommendation list. Your $20 is best spent on Archeer’s own A106 or Xiaomi’s brilliant Bluetooth speaker, which offers much more volume and far more low end kick for just $10 more. The WJ-C1 favours features and design over both build and audio quality, it's a great speaker at the current $10 asking price but for upwards of $20, the market is too saturated with more competitive offerings.
Hi there!
Below is adapted from my original review on gadgetvictims.com
Mi A1 is definitely a good phone for the price but the noise-cancellation bug, well know in MIUI devices is also present in this Android One version .
-----------------
Nobody was fooled by Xiaomi's efforts to explain that MI A1 is not a rebranded 5X, and it is obviously the same device (with possibly a better thermal dissipation plate for countries with hot climate, like India).
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The A1 is all about the Android One experience out of the box.
An Android One device basically complies with Google standards, which include some (unclear) minimum hardware requirements, and the provision of security and system updates by Google. The device should also receive the Oreo update around Christmas, if you've been good!
Possibly also -but I'll believe it when I see it- we can expect to get the next Android P (Pancake?) when it comes out.
Features:
5.5-inch FHD display,
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 @2.0gHz,
4GB of RAM, and 64GB storage + microSD slot
SIM/SD tray for 2 SIM's or 1 SIM+1 microSD
Dual rear cameras:
Main: Omnivision OV12A10, 12MP, f2.2.
Second OmniVision OV13880 12MP f2.6
Front camera: Samsung S5K5E8, 5MP, f2.2
Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 4.2, LTE with VoLTE,
3080 mAh battery.
2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
3G: Band B1/B2/B5/B8
4G: FDD-LTE B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20 TDD-LTE B38/B40
IR blaster
Back lit soft keys
Notification LED (white)
Unpacking
The Global version comes with a standard 5V2A charger, a USB type C cable, a tray pin and the usual leaflet that nobody bothers reading.
As usual with Xiaomi, no accessories are provided. Since the Mi A1 and 5X are identical, there's already a large choice of covers and tempered glass filters to choose from.
It's curious to see a product targeted at the Indian market without any water proofing, (and that factor is equally important for Irish users). So, while the Corning Gorilla 3 should not need further protection, a phone case it always a good idea to protect at least the back side. It won't make it waterproof, but that should help a bit.
While waiting to try a smart flip case, I found the inexpensive ASLING Protective Back Cover to be a nice fit for the black version.
Setting up
The hybrid SIM tray allows either
2 SIM's together
or
1 SIM + 1 MicroSD
So if the 64GB of storage don't suffice, an additional 128GB extension is possible.
Android One experience: so simple it's boring!
The recently reviewed Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A Prime could have been my everyday phone if it wasn't for the MIUI ecosystem, but I must admit that I did enjoy taking time to fine-tune all the customization options.
The Android One experience is the opposite: You're all set just a few minutes!
The initial setup is straightforward, particularly if you had a previous Android device from which apps and settings can be restored.
After that, you're pretty much ready and there's very little fiddling around the system options, even with the System UI Tuner enabled (activated by holding the gear icon in drop down menu for a few seconds).
Suddenly I regret the absence of the wallpaper carousel, the integrated call recorder, some smart gesture options like turn the phone over when busy, or swipe down 3 fingers for screenshot, ...
I wanted a pure vanilla Android experience... I have it!
There's virtually no bloatware (only 2 Xiaomi Feedback and Mi Remote apps which can be uninstalled, at least in the Global edition). The collection of pre-installed apps is kept to the bare minimum, to the point it feels incomplete: for instance, there no FM radio app despite the presence of the hardware (which can be verified in the Hardware Test Menu *#*#64663#*#*)
That's not an acceptable solution and none of the FM radio apk's I tried worked, so it's down to Xiaomi to resolve this in a future update.
Cameras:
The A1 is really a snapper I could live with! The Omnivision sensors may not be prestigious like Sony and Samsung are, but they deliver some nice pictures, with fast focus for sharp pictures, even with HDR.
I normally avoid using the flash at all cost with a smartphone, but the dual tone LED's have proven to be usable, as seen with the shot of the white orchids below, taken in almost complete darkness.
See here for the full picture sample
The manual mode offer a good range of controls and the manual focus is particularly well thought with the assistance of a focus peaking function.
While low cost brands like Bluboo, Doogee, Oukitel, will probably never be able to use their dual camera unless Google releases a camera API supporting them, Xiaomi (and other big players like Huawei, and HTC, ...) can afford to develop their own camera software!
As a result, the A1 dual camera phones can achieve an authentic Bokeh / depth effect (enabled via the Portrait Mode icon) rather than just layer of blurred circles.
The 5 megapixel camera on the selfie side does a decent job despite the absence of a flash and offers a large collection of creative filters. The results lack the level of details offered by the selfie-centric Redmi Note 5A, but are still quite good.
Video recording: not the A1 strong point!
Videos can be recorded in SD, HD, FHD and 4K.
Slo-mo initially didn't work at all but the bug has been fixed with the September Security update.
There's no "focus hunting" problem as such, just a quick but noticeable back-and-forth move each time the focus adjusts to a different subject.
In any case, the videos fail to impress, due principally to the lack of stabilization. A post-recording stabilization can be applied afterward via the embedded editor but the result is terrible!
Adding to it, the deteriorated sound recording quality contributes further in making the A1 a pathetic camcorder.
Sound quality: very good and very bad!
(I know how it sounds but please read on!)
The very good:
Since USB Type C can also output audio, it is often a good excuse to ditch the old 3.5mm earphone jack but Xiaomi kept both! Great!
The music playback through the internal speakers or via the headphones is clear and loud enough, and Xiaomi products are usually good at this.
The very bad:
The troubles start when recording your own sound with either the camera or an audio recording app.
Although it should only be active during phone calls, the dedicated noise cancelling microphone keeps fulfilling its duty during video and audio recordings, adding a weird flanger effect while trying to cancel the "noise" surrounding the voice!
https://youtu.be/6IPtygXJbjk
I discovered this popular Xiaomi noise cancellation bug first with the Redmi Note 5A, but only after a while because my first videos where made in a quiet environment. Then I came to record a public ceremony with loud rounds of applause, and discovered that the sound track had been almost completely muted!
It's quite a bid deal to me as I like to record some excellent bands performing in local pubs. In such typically loud environment, that bug is disastrous!
I hoped that it was confined to MIUI but the A1 is not spared and the bug is so widespread that it's becoming a Xiaomi trademark!
Until Xiaomi eventually acknowledge and fix the problem, I'll have to use other ways for that kind of task (like an Android watch, they make excellent sound recorders).
Battery life, Encryption and Performance
Embarking a 3050mAh battery would have been probably presumptuous with a Mediatek processor, but with a Snapdragon 625 it's a different story.
I could stretch it up to 48 hours of mixed use on a single charge, taking pictures (a lot), playing video games (a little) and watching videos. Of course this varies with each other lifestyle but most users should comfortably achieve a full day without having to keep an eye on the battery indicator.
In this Global Edition, the accompanying charger is a standard 5V2A and the phone definitely does not support Quick Charging.
In any case, it takes 2 hours to fully charge the battery.
The phone storage is encrypted by default, but this had no visible impact on performance when launching apps.
I can't think of an app that would give hard time to an 8-core 2016MHz processor with 4GB RAM.
Some benchmark scores:
Antutu: ~63000,
Geekbench 857/4167
Generous set of sensors, but no NFC
The list of sensors is quite complete with magnetometer, accelerometer, gyroscope, step detector, and Hall (for smart covers).
The fingerprint sensor is lighting fast just as expected after trying the lower range Redmi 5A. It also conveniently double as a way to scroll down the notification bar.
The picture below should tell enough about the GPS, no surprise.
Screen
The bright and vibrant [email protected] is protected by a Gorilla Glass 3.
It feels very smooth and does not keep the fingerprints too much.
The viewing quality and contrasts are very good but maybe I'm not the best judge as I felt the same with the HD-only screen of the cheaper Redmi Note 5A.
There's still a good 1.5cm at the bottom of the screen just dedicated to the soft keys, which is a bit old-fashionish in this bezel-less era, but at least they're back lit.
IR Blaster: (and yes, this is a copy/paste from my previous review)
The A1 can be used as an IR remote controller. The native Mi Remote application mostly supports the smart home devices from Xiaomi but also some popular brands of TV and set top boxes. However I could not get it work with any device, even my LG TV.
As an alternative, I've installed "Universal TV Remote" from Twinone which works great, even with my old X10 IR relay.
Conclusion
According to a poll on miui forum, the preference between the 2 models is evenly balanced:
Xiaomi and Google may have achieved a mutually beneficial deal with this phone by combining the quality of Xiaomi hardware and the authentic Android experience in the first convincing implementation of the Android One project.
You're it, until you're dead or I find someone better! [J. Rasczak, Starship Troopers]
None of the recently reviewed Android phones could decide me to finally put my good old Xperia Z1 to rest.
With its solid performance, large storage, latest Android and excellent camera, the A1 did this!
It is not faultless however and I'm not done with Xiaomi about the noise-cancellation bug!
The Mi A1 (like the Mi 5X) is priced around 200€.
If, like me, you want an unspoiled Android experience but are not willing to sell a kidney but still get a stable, well built phone with a great camera, this may be the Android you're looking for!
Good:
Fast and straightforward setup
Great dual camera
Notification LED
Back lit soft keys
Not good:
Noise cancelling bug
FM Radio present but app missing
Limited customization options
No stabilization for video recording
No NFC
AGM G2 Guardian5G Unlocked Rugged Smartphone | Thermal Monocular Long Detection Range: 500m/yd
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Main Features
* Qualcomm QCM6490
* Long Range Thermal Monocular
* 6.58' FHD+ 120Hz Display
* 108MP Rear Camera
* 7000 mAh Battery
* Waterproof, shock and dust proof. Certified IP68/IP69K/MIL-STD-810H
* 109dB Loud Speaker
* 8/12GB + 256GB Storage
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Source: AGM Mobile Website
Stay tuned for further Information
5G
Band: n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n28, n41, n66,n71, n77, n78,n79
NSA: Support, Option 3x/3a
SA: Support, Option 2
MIMO: n1/n2/n3/n7/n66/n77/n78/n79 Four Downstream, Single Upstream, n41 Four Downstream, Dual Upstream
SRS
SA SRS: n41:2T4R，n77/n78/n79：1T4R NSA SRS：n41/n77/n78/n79 1T4R
HPUE: n41/n78/N79： Total Power 26dBm
EN_DC
CA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ChipsetChipset: Qualcomm QCM6490
CPU: Kryo 670
GPU: Adreno 643
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
StorageCapacity: UFS2.2, 8G+256G & 12G+256G
Expandable Storage (TF Card):Support , 512G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ScreenSize: 6.58'
Resolution: FHD+
Refreshing Rate: 120HZ
Cameras
Pixels
108MP Rear Camera
20MP Infrared night vision Camera
2MP Macro Camera
256*192 Thermal Camera (10mm lens)
sensor: TBD
Flashlight: Support
Front Camera
Pixels: 32M
sensor
Sound
MIC: Dual-mic
PA: 3.5W Speaker
Stereo: Not Support
Motor: Support
Speaker Effect: Default algorithm
Headphone Effect: No
Speaker: AGM Iconic Speaker
Direction: Back
WLAN agreement: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax
Battery
capacity: 7000mAh
installation method: built-in
Fast Charging: Support, 18W
Dock Charging: Support
Durability requirements
Operating temperature: -20°C~60°C
Degree of protection: IP68/IP69K/810H
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I pre-ordered the G2 Guardian and received it 4 days ago. I charged it to 100% when I received it and have not since charged it again...4 entire days of pretty heavy usage, still I have 30% battery. Just about to fill the MicroSD up with music. Hopefully by the time it's fully charged again my battery usage metrics will be calibrated and I can work on some proper usage figures for everyone.
Why did I make this purchase/ My use case:
I work in forestry in Northern Australia. It's sweaty as hell, storms develop quickly and whatever I use will get wet multiple times per week through one or the other. Overall I look after my gear with great care, but some things are unavoidable: water, dust, plant matter slowly filling all of my pockets and getting into my gear through whatever orifice is available. Much like Eels, it finds an entrance where it can. I spend much of my week smashing around in the undergrowth. Being able to wash my devices periodically is important, good quality port covers are equally important.
Another must-have for me is a battery that won't let me down. If I manage to hike to the furthest point from my vehicle within a given parcel of land then it's a major problem for me if my battery runs out and I lose the GPS track that I am running, or cannot collect the remainder of my data taking a different path back to my vehicle. My time is wasted, my sweat and exertion are wasted and I've got to climb a bunch of 35+ degree slopes back to the car for no gain. For this reason, the company iphone and ipad are in the bin where they belong. Both devices constantly let me down one way or another, neither of them are designed to do what I do, even in a lifeproof case.
To solve these issues, I ran the Ulefone Power Armor 13 for over a year. It was a great device, I customised the hell out of it but eventually I got tired of carrying a 498gram brick in my pocket. At home without a belt, it would pull my pants down. It was JUST fast enough not to annoy me, and I really enjoyed how deeply I had customised it but I became annoyed with how poor the camera could be sometimes, and with just how heavy it was, but moreso how cumbersome the form factor was and how cheap it looked and felt.
In a flash of brilliance, I replaced the Power Armor 13 with a Galaxy Xcover 6 pro. Paid outright for the device, bought a couple of spare batteries and rubber port covers for the 3.5mm and USB-C ports, and patted myself on the back for being the smartest man alive. The extra speed of the Snapdragon 778G was just what I had been looking for, the retention of an IP68 rating even with a replaceable battery and the moderately rugged construction seemed to be more than enough for my workday, and I could much more easily slip this thing into the pocket of my jeans before heading to the bar on the weekend. No more laughter when producing my phone from my pocket, no more having to explain how I could possibly need a half kilogram phone...I just looked like a normal person, with a normal life.
It lasted 2 months. I got caught in a storm, the Xcover 6 pro was in my backpack. That IP rating is not worth the paper it is written on. Not only did it fail spectacularly, I'm pretty sure it almost caught fire doing so. It got indescribably hot to the point that I knew it was absolutely dead. No amount of time spent in bags of rice would resurrect it, and after a last ditch effort trying to dry it out in direct sunlight I could see that constant exposure to heavy sweat during my work had also managed to penetrate whatever miserable water ingress protection it had. There were literal salt crystals falling out from near the battery terminals: this thing had been getting moisture past the rubber gasket whilst in my pocket for the entire 2 months I'd owned it.
At this point, Samsung can go and boil their bums. I had been a militant supporter of their Galaxy Active lineup, simply unable to understand why anyone would choose their regular lineup when the Active line existed. Once they dropped the Active I had to look elsewhere, but I was over the moon to see that they had done an xcover device that wasn't completely and utterly under powered so I caved. Fool me once... they're dead to me, and so is the possibility of me owning a 'normal' phone. It's just not going to work for me.
After drying my tears I set about scouting out a new rugged phone that would meet all of my needs without pulling my pants down. I have also recently had to start doing koala spotting again, and even though we have a $2400 thermal scope available at my office, there is only 1. I can't carry it with me all the time in case somebody else needs it, and to be perfectly honest I've found it pretty inadequate once the sun rises. Once there's sunlight on the trees it's pretty much useless, and having to peer through a monocular makes it dangerous walking through the bush. The hardware specs of the scope are so low that it is ridiculously clunky to use, and it is endlessly refreshing the sensor. I wasn't happy with it, and I always had to drive back and get it, so the presence of a thermal camera on my everyday phone became appealing. Imagine my joy when I got home to find that pre-orders for the AGM G2 guardian were just about to start. BOLD claims in the promo literature, but I decided to roll the dice.
Initial impressions of the AGM G2 Guardian after 4 days:
I had some serious trepidation about this purchase. I know that AGM have been around for 14 years or so, and I have come really close to buying several of their devices over the years. The AGM X3 was right up my alley, but for $1000USD in 2019, it was a much easier choice to grab a second hand S8 Active for a few hundred bucks.
The purchase experience through AGM's official eBay store felt sketchy. They shipped me an AU power adapter on the day I pre-ordered, marking the device as shipped. Once the adapter was delivered my buyer protection started counting down. Honestly, in spite of their constant assurances I felt like I was about to get scammed especially since I got it for such a comparatively low price as a pre-order.
I was also nervous about the price I had paid for a rugged phone made in Shenzen. Even though AGM have always positioned themselves as the premium offering in this space, often choosing absolute top of the line Snapdragon SOC's rather than poxy mediatek chips, and having a European design team for their entire range it still seemed like an awful lot of money given the competition.
As soon as I held the G2 Guardian in my hands the reason for the additional price tag compared with the competition became obvious. Even before I turned it on this thing felt TIGHT. Not a rattle in sight, and whilst the 400 grams is still very heavy for a phone, it carries the weight well and manages to feel extremely high quality, reliable and a little bit sexy all at the same time. I'm not sure how to describe this, because it's only 98 grams lighter than my Power Armor was, but I barely notice this thing in my pocket. It feels great to hold and even though I acknowledge that I am part of a very small and very weird group of customers...I think it looks cool as hell and the ergonomics are great. Everything is where you want it to be including the fingerprint sensor. Every time I pull it out of my pocket, I get that nugget feeling. It feels built to last and extremely high quality.
Once I powered it up and started going through the setup process I really started smiling. The first thing that really brought home that nugget feeling was the quality of the haptic feedback. I assume a decent quality motor combined with just how solid the body of the device is has given a fairly nice result here.
Overall an absolute 10/10 for satisfaction on the physical characteristics of this device.
Chipset
Qualcomm QCM 6490 industrial processor.
2.7Ghz, 8 cores, 6nm process. 5G, Wifi6/6E. 8 or 12GB ram.
There's not much to say here. This thing absolutely flies, and sips battery whilst it's doing it. It's faster than the competing 778G by a decent margin and has far better multithreaded performance. It also destroys even the best Mediatek Dimensity chipsets in competing rugged phones clocking in at just under 600,000 Antutu score in V9. No, it's not as fast as a snapdragon 8 Gen1, but it also won't get overly hot or need a purpose built animation to see your battery empty whilst playing games or doing demanding processing.
Display
120hz refresh rate (though I have to assume it is adaptive given the battery life and lack of manual setup options) and a very tasty 2408x1080 400ppi results in a fast, flowy and vibrant display. Let me be clear, this absolutely bashes the pants off my previous 2 phones, but I have to assume it wouldn't be in the ballpark of the latest S23 or anything like that in terms of image quality. The 120hz display is a massive bonus here, and a great implementation. I've never seen this thing lag or skip. It's a really rewarding user experience that looks and feels great and is always buttery smooth. AGM have not provided customisation options here. There's no ability to lock it to 60hz or change the resolution. Ordinarily I wouldn't be happy with this, but given the battery life and quality of experience it seems like they've dialed it in exactly where it needs to be.
Cameras
The main camera is a 108mp Samsung lens. Obviously this lens is extremely capable of taking good photos. Plenty of depth and colour, and it is extremely fast. Unfortunately the combination of a lack of image stabilization and a very basic camera app implementation lead to a lot of dud photos unless you get lucky with the natural lighting conditions being absolutely perfect. I find myself having to take 5 or 6 photos of the same scene or subject to guarantee 1 good shot. It is really reliable up-close on stationary objects, and in this use-case it seems to thrive, producing consistently good images.
There is work to do here for AGM. At present, this high-quality and perfectly capable lens is going to waste a lot of the time because the camera app is so basic. You can tell that the hardware is infinitely capable, but it is absolutely screaming for a port of GCAM or a LOT of development on their in-house app. I don't think it even has HDR at present and configuration options are extremely limited.
Front camera is a 32mp unit that provides a really smooth video calling experience, quality is good. Not sure how good it is at selfies because selfies are for children.
There's also a 20MP Sony night-vision camera. This works well, and I believe it is activated by choosing 'infrared detect' in the camera app and probably plays some role in the thermal function I guess (?).
Finally, the last 'normal' camera is a 2MP Macro Camera. This works really well for Macro shots but I have to wonder what kind of insanity led to the inclusion of a macro lens rather than a decent wide-angle sensor in an outdoor focused device. 90% of my photos on my last few phones have been taken with the wide-angle sensor and it is going to take some serious getting used to not having one. Obviously I knew this before purchase, but I miss my wide-angle lenses already.
Thermal Module
Here is the big daddy, and obviously the focal point of this device. A 10mm lens paired with 256x192 thermal image resolution and 25hz video resolution.
AGM have knocked this out of the park. With zero exaggeration, this is the best thermal scope I have ever used. I have used devices with higher thermal detector resolution (384 x 288), but even in devices that cost over $2200AUD, these sensors are paired with absolute garbage processing power. This leaves you with a really clunky user experience. These specialist devices are also often plagued with really terrible battery life, and having to hold it up to your eye is downright dangerous given the understory you are more than likely walking through if you have a use for such a device.
Combining a decent sensor and a 10mm lens with the very respectable hardware at the heart of the G2 Guardian eliminates all of the problems inherent to a standalone thermal monocular. They say the best camera is the one you have with you, and this applies double to thermal scopes. To ALWAYS have this thing available in my pocket is a massive advantage.
Thermal Range (Detection Range VS Recognition Range) and performance
I was pretty dubious of the claims made by AGM here. Well, I was wrong. At night, there is a very comfortable recognition range of around 100 to 200 metres depending on the size of the animal, and a detection range (how far out you can actually identify a heat signature is present) well over 500 metres, again, depending on the size of the object.
The thermal app interface is fast and responsive, and there is an entire galaxy of configuration options including the ability to set up your own custom thermal ribbon colour modes to suit your use. The timelapse function will be awesome for monitoring wildlife, and the analysis tools are crazy good. Both auto-focus and manual focus modes are brilliant, and I find myself wishing they had put a similar amount of effort into the main camera app.
Temperature measurement range is disappointing in the Guardian variant which I believe is only capable of 0C to 150C with accuracy. I believe this was a necessary compromise to allow such an amazing long range thermal camera experience. The G2 Pro variant does not have such impressive long-range thermal capability, but has accurate temperature measurement between -20C to 550C. This was an easy choice for me, it's far more useful for me to be able to detect an animal or heat signature at long range, than to tell the exact temperature of that object up close.
I have had a FLIR sensor previously on the very first CAT phone, and it was not even in the same universe of what the G2 Guardian is capable of. Hands down, this is the best bit of thermal gear I've ever used and I have access to several very expensive standalone units - the implementation on the G2 Guardian is genuinely impressive. They have made the jump from what is a cool gimmick on most phones, to a genuine work or hunting tool. I am blown away here.
The most impressive feature of the thermal experience is how well it works in daylight conditions. Many extremely expensive scopes are completely useless in daylight. As soon as sunlight starts to hit tree trunks, it's time to give up and go home. I'm not exactly sure how AGM have overcome this challenge, and obviously it will always work better at night or in the early morning, but even at 10am in full sun I have been able to ID animals very easily.
Firmware and customization potential
The Android implementation here is completely and utterly bloat free. The only non-google apps AGM have installed is their camera app, their thermal camera app and the AGM service app, where you can input the particulars of your device and purchase date, and submit a help or service request. There is also a third party launcher, but I never touched it - I installed Lynx launcher from my google backup before I even made it to the homescreen...i know what I like at this point.
The remainder of the UI experience is practically untouched, sharing most similarities to the latest Pixel devices including some of the fancier features including the ability to screenshot beyond the current display area of a web site, the juicy larger sized quick settings menu, extra dim mode, bedtime routines etc etc. There are extra settings menus present for the user defined key (though very basic, can't even set a vibration
I have to commend AGM here for providing such a beautiful stock android experience and not going ham with some janky over zealous skin.
Whilst I have not unlocked the bootloader or rooted this device, I have verified that flicking the OEM Unlocking switch in developer options does have the desired result, and that you are able to gain access to the bootloader via ADB reboot bootloader. This is good news for the future, with many devices from mainstream manufacturers now shipping without even the ability to access the bootloader.
It seems like there is potential here, but at present I do not have a reason to proceed any further down this path. Time will tell how well AGM support these devices long term with incremental updates but so far all they have promised is that they will provide regular Android security updates, and that their camera and thermal apps will be developed on an ongoing basis. I would not be surprised if we never see Android 13 or 14 here, but I could be wrong.
It would be a massive roll of the dice to flash a GSI or custom rom here given the amount of device specific, niche hardware. In all likelyhood, unless AGM decide to expend the resources to support this type of development in-house (and why would they?), any attempt to install a non-factory rom will result in the loss of your thermal camera, infrared camera and probably the sick flashlight as well.
At some point in the future I may attempt to root this phone but for now most of the reasons I have for doing so have already been solved in-house.
The battery optimisation and power management is absolutely killer and unobtrusive, giving an outstanding result for daily use. All of the bluetooth codecs you could possibly want are there including APT-X, APT-X HD, LDAC, AAC - so i've no need to force these in via magisk modules.
Activating the amazingly handy 100 lumen flashlight on the top of the phone via hardware key on the side is a default feature...this is one of the big reasons I usually root my phones. If they would add haptic feedback when it's activated, I'm happy and probably won't root at all.
Connectivity
3G and 4G signal reception on this device is better than anything I've owned previously. I was sweating bullets about VoLTE and VoWifi working on this out of the box because I have been completely reliant on wifi calling at home on all my other phones, which generally only manage 1 bar of cellular signal at best.
The great news is that VoLTE and VoWifi did work immediately out of the box, but given that I now have consistently better coverage with the G2 I'm less reliant on it. When it does kick in, it seems to do so seamlessly. All I could really ask for here is clear visible delineation between Wifi calls and HD voice/ VoLTE calls.
Wifi reception is also very good with very little degradation even at considerable distance from my router. Unfortunately I do not have access to 5G or Wifi6 to truly test it. On the previous 5ghz wifi standard it is easily able to hand me the full capacity of my starlink connection. Overall I feel like they really prioritized antenna location and design in this device. All of the other features are cool, but first and foremost this is a GREAT phone.
Tiny touches
AGM G2 Guardian is one of those cases where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I assumed the 3.5watt speaker on the rear would be a gimmick...wow. This little speaker is worth its bulge. It's loud, clear and gives even the simple act of unlocking the device some serious presence. For podcast listening when I'm out in the shed or out in the bush and don't want to risk headphones masking the early warning signs of any slithery surprises it is absolutely fantastic. For music, I own several small bluetooth speakers that do not have this quality or volume. They have tuned the output in such a way that even at max volume there is no distortion, it's just loud and clear. I thought being on the rear of the device would be a disadvantage but they've overcome this with pure power.
The torch is one of my favourite features. I'm a total torch nerd but this is one less thing that I have to worry about having on my person, and the output is more than enough for most simple tasks at night. To have this with me at all times is a huge boon, and it is a million times better than even the brightest LED flash style flashlight on most phones, and emits from the top so is much more usable.
Bluetooth implementation here is INCREDIBLE. Stability of all bluetooth codecs has been fantastic, with no skipping and fantastic range. Even on my tiny earbuds, I am able to walk to the other end of my house with no skips or disconnects. This is about 25 metres. For comparison, my xcover 6 pro would constantly skip just from facing the wrong way in my pocket, and would give me about 10 metres unobstructed in the house. That's some serious power from the AGM, and decent thought put in to location of the antennas.
Best of all, when connecting any bluetooth audio device, a quick popup appears to inform you which codec is active! This is such a great little touch that saves me jumping through 3 layers of developer options to ensure that I am actually using the codec I want when my headphones connect.
A labour of love
In one of their recent long-form videos on youtube, an AGM representative claims the Bill of Materials cost for parts and labour to bring the G2 Guardian to completion is $740USD owing mainly to the expense of the thermal module.
If this is true, this leaves AGM with a very slim profit margin on this device. It seems their motivation here is purely to grow their brand, get more AGM devices into the hands of users in this small segment of the market and really make a great device to be proud of. You can feel it.
If you have ever considered a rugged device, or are sick of destroying your expensive mainstream ones this may well be the halo product you have been waiting for. The attention to detail here is hard to put into words until you've used one for a few days.
Concerns
-Even the large RAM X-Grip can only just hold this device in a vehicle owing to the bulge on the rear. It is secure in there, but only just. If AGM were to release a purpose built vehicle mount for these, I'd absolutely buy one.
-AGM Specs on their website still claim 10W wireless charging even now. It appears that either A) this is a lie B) it uses some non-standard wireless charging standard or C) They are claiming their dock accessory as wireless charging which I suppose would technically be true...but I have not yet received my dock and seems a bit disingenuous
It turns out there is wireless charging present, it's just very difficult getting it to pick up given the shape of the rear and the thickness of the case. Presently charging at 10W after some very careful balancing. I eagerly await the charging dock!
-Thermal module is fairly exposed and picks up every smudge imagineable. This does not impact use, and I do not have any scratches yet. AGM claim hardness of this glass is very high, but I can't think of a way to protect this lens when it is not in use.
-Main camera software needs some help. As detailed previously, you can get great photos out of this hardware combo, but it doesn't happen often enough. Maybe the in-house team can pull something together, but I can't help but think it would be a better outcome to get a port of GCAM running well, and enjoy all of the software processing and HDR trickery that comes with it. I may start having a mess around here myself.
That's about it. 99% of people won't read my wall of text, but for those seriously considering this purchase I hope this goes some way to helping you make your decision.
I have used rugged devices from every major player in this space. This is by far the best experience I've had with any of them. This phone absolutely slaps.
Camera samples attached with some compression from google photos.
Daylight closeup outdoors under cover
Daylight outdoors closeup subject
Daylight indoors close-up
Daylight sneaking distance, medium size eastern grey kangaroo
Outdoors 9am daylight photography sample
Night. Termite mound in foreground. Cow approx 60m away
Night. Small kangaroo @ 70-75m
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Alright I'm off to the races.
Shamim's Gcam port opens and appears to take photos, doesn't lag. It's night here right now, but this is where I will be starting my customisation journey.
Shamim: SGCAM_8.7.250.XX.44_STABLE_V4FIX
Download SGCAM_8.7.250.XX.44_STABLE_V4FIX by Shamim.
www.celsoazevedo.com
Have you got the gcam port working? And if so how is image quality?
davecotefilm said:
Have you got the gcam port working? And if so how is image quality?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it's working and very stable with both main camera and front camera stills + video all good.
Image quality is great but I need to figure out how to make a config file for this device, never done one before. HDR is a little too extreme on both HDR modes.
I'll put a couple of comparison images together over the weekend. That link I posted is a great base to start building from, and stability seems to be zero issues so this is already a win.
I did some up-close shots and GCAM really made them pop. Landscape stuff looking a little alien with HDR effect at present.
Anyone got a good resource for getting started with GCAM config? Seems like the hardware is fully compatible with this build so shouldn't be too many barriers.
Okay yes I'm thinking this will be my next phone :-D Just need price to drop a bit!
bandario said:
Yes it's working and very stable with both main camera and front camera stills + video all good.
Image quality is great but I need to figure out how to make a config file for this device, never done one before. HDR is a little too extreme on both HDR modes.
I'll put a couple of comparison images together over the weekend. That link I posted is a great base to start building from, and stability seems to be zero issues so this is already a win.
I did some up-close shots and GCAM really made them pop. Landscape stuff looking a little alien with HDR effect at present.
Anyone got a good resource for getting started with GCAM config? Seems like the hardware is fully compatible with this build so shouldn't be too many barriers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll try to get into the configs, but does gcam give it any image stabilization?
bandario said:
Yes it's working and very stable with both main camera and front camera stills + video all good.
Image quality is great but I need to figure out how to make a config file for this device, never done one before. HDR is a little too extreme on both HDR modes.
I'll put a couple of comparison images together over the weekend. That link I posted is a great base to start building from, and stability seems to be zero issues so this is already a win.
I did some up-close shots and GCAM really made them pop. Landscape stuff looking a little alien with HDR effect at present.
Anyone got a good resource for getting started with GCAM config? Seems like the hardware is fully compatible with this build so shouldn't be too many barriers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay awesome, I'll get it as my next device and follow this thread I suggest contacting the dev from the gcam link, he can help with configs if he can ask you for files etc. Then once built just attach the apk here!
I installed "SGCAM_8.7.250.XX.44_STABLE_V5_ENG_PACKAGE" on G2 Guardian and it is working fine on the main camera and the front camera and has software based image stabilization option. However, I don't see any option for Night vision and macro cameras. May be proper config is required.
bandario said:
Yes it's working and very stable with both main camera and front camera stills + video all good.
Image quality is great but I need to figure out how to make a config file for this device, never done one before. HDR is a little too extreme on both HDR modes.
I'll put a couple of comparison images together over the weekend. That link I posted is a great base to start building from, and stability seems to be zero issues so this is already a win.
I did some up-close shots and GCAM really made them pop. Landscape stuff looking a little alien with HDR effect at present.
Anyone got a good resource for getting started with GCAM config? Seems like the hardware is fully compatible with this build so shouldn't be too many barriers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the review and mentioning of GCAM software. I installed it and It has many more options then the stock AGM G2 Guardian app. Thanks
vicki20july said:
I installed "SGCAM_8.7.250.XX.44_STABLE_V5_ENG_PACKAGE" on G2 Guardian and it is working fine on the main camera and the front camera and has software based image stabilization option. However, I don't see any option for Night vision and macro cameras. May be proper config is required.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You never will. It's a small miracle that it works out of the box with main and front cam for stills and video. To get any other lens involved would require huge input from AGM on a non-sanctioned project messing with google code. It won't happen. I'm just grateful they used standard enough hardware calls that we can build from a stable base on main cam.
davecotefilm said:
I'll try to get into the configs, but does gcam give it any image stabilization?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, AI image stabilisation standard to GCAM. To be honest I actively avoid phones with hardware OIS because vibrations when mounted to my motorbike kill the mechanism leaving me with a dead camera. I'm super happy to have GCAM fake OIS.
Thinks you for all this informations about agm guardian, I want to buy from ebay agm store, I want to ask you about zoom quality of the main camera? Can you post image and videos with zoom at least x8 or x10
samienemy said:
Thinks you for all this informations about agm guardian, I want to buy from ebay agm store, I want to ask you about zoom quality of the main camera? Can you post image and videos with zoom at least x8 or x10
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does not have a telephoto lens. Max zoom is 8X and it looks as bad as you imagine. If this feature is important to you, buy something with a telephoto lens.
GCAM
AGM Stock CAM
It cost over 1200$ I will wait for less price
samienemy said:
It cost over 1200$ I will wait for less price
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Click to collapse
$859USD on Ebay. AGM web shop is wild, changes price if you view it multiple times getting more expensive every time.
bandario said:
It does not have a telephoto lens. Max zoom is 8X and it looks as bad as you imagine. If this feature is important to you, buy something with a telephoto len
bandario said:
It does not have a telephoto lens. Max zoom is 8X and it looks as bad as you imagine. If this feature is important to you, buy something with a telephoto lens.
View attachment 5889529
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is an option in SGCAM to increase zoom capability. I am able to get it working up to around 35x
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To what end? At 8X it already looks like a psychedelic cartoon.