I think my colleague Cherlynn Low jinxed us in the last installment with her mention of a slower than usual October. The last week of the month was jam-packed with news, especially from Apple, so we’re in for a busy few weeks of reviews to finish out the year. This week, we tested Amazon’s long-awaited color E Ink ereader, a DJI action cam that’s finally a worthy GoPro rival and Google’s latest tv-streaming device. Here’s a quick round-up of the week’s in-depth reviews, and a quick preview of what’s to come in the post-Halloween deluge.
Kindle Colorsoft review
by Valentina Palladino
Engadget / Amazon
The Kindle Colorsoft (finally) brings color to Amazon’s ereader lineup. It’s a solid premium ereader that will be ideal for those who primarily read things like comics, graphic novels and other material best experienced in full-color glory.
- Color on a Kindle, finally!
- Quick page-turns and load times
- Pinch-to-zoom feature lets you get closer to details
- Auto-adjusting front light
- No lock screen ads by default
- Expensive
- Screen has a noticeable blue skew to it when the warm light is off
- Slight reduction in sharpness and contrast when reading black-and-white text
$280 at Amazon
After years of users clamoring for a color E Ink option, Amazon finally obliged with the Kindle Colorsoft. This model fills a key gap in the company’s ereader lineup, with swift performance and a host of conveniences. The key problem is that it’s expensive at $280, plus there’s a blue tint to the display when warm light it off. What’s more, text isn’t as sharp when reading in black and white. Still, this new model will be great for things like graphic novels and other material where you really need to see things in full color. “While it’s very late to the color E Ink party, the Kindle Colorsoft is a solid premium ereader that provides an excellent experience both in color and black and white,” Valentina notes.
DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro review
by Steve Dent
DJI
With the Action 5 Pro, DJI finally has a worthy rival to GoPro and Insta360 action cams thanks to excellent battery life and solid image quality.
- Best action cam battery life
- Good in low light
- Unique subject tracking feature
- DJI Mic 2 compatibility
- Built-in memory
- Oversaturated color
- Video is less sharp than rivals
$349 at Amazon
Our camera expert Steve Dent put DJI’s new action cam through its paces to see if the company did enough to catch up to the likes of GoPro. The short answer is yes, as the Osmo Action 5 Pro has the best battery life of any model in the category on top of good low-light performance, useful subject tracking and built-in memory. Color quality and video sharpness could be better, but DJI has finally given the competition something to worry about with this model.
“It’s one of the best action cameras I’ve used, with battery life well above rivals, a solid waterproof construction and full support for DJI’s Mic 2,” Steve writes. “If low-light performance is key, head straight for DJI’s Action 5 Pro.”
Google TV Streamer review
by Amy Skorheim
Google/Engadget
While a couple of missing features make the price feel steep, the Google TV Streamer is a great device, combining speed, an excellent UI and useful smart home control.
- Excellent interface is adept at organizing content from disparate streaming sources
- Attractive set-top design with a remote that feels great
- Switches between apps and loads content quickly
- Smart home control panel has hub-like utility
- Double the price of its predecessor
- Lack of support for Wi-Fi 6 or 6E makes it less futureproof
- Required HDMI cable is a separate purchase
$100 at Google
Another streaming device from Google? Yep! The Google TV Streamer isn’t a perfect option for your living room, but according to buying advice reporter Amy Skorheim, there’s a lot to like about this tiny gadget. Google doubled the price compared to the previous option, which isn’t great, and the company didn’t include an HDMI cable or support for Wi-Fi 6 or 6E. Once you dive in though, the mix of great UI, attractive design, speedy performance and smart home compatibility make the TV Streamer a handy device.
“Yes, the extra RAM and storage is great, but there are a few features — like Wi-Fi 6E support, true assistant capabilities, screaming processor speeds — that Google could have packed in to make the $100 price tag unassailable,” Amy explains. “The Google TV Streamer is responsive and quick, packing the best streaming interface out there with smart home features that are useful and properly integrated.”
Upcoming reviews: All the Macs, Sonos Arc Ultra and PS5 Pro
Over the course of three days this week, Apple announced a new iMac, Mac mini and MacBook Pro, all of which are powered by the company’s M4 chips. The biggest design overhaul came in the Mac mini, which truly lives up to its name now that it’s a five-inch by five-inch box that’s two inches tall, which isn’t much bigger than an Apple TV 4K. Of course, the changes to iMac and MacBook Pro warrant a new slate of reviews, so we’ll be putting all three machines to the test in the weeks to come.
Sonos’ follow-up to the Arc soundbar started shipping this week, and I’ve received our review unit for testing. Dubbed the Arc Ultra, this model should offer better bass performance from the soundbar itself, before you connect a separate wireless subwoofer. It’s the debut for the company’s Sound Motion tech, which increases that low-end tone without the need for larger components inside the living room speaker. Look for my review on this unit as early as next week.
Gamers have likely been anticipating a barrage of PS5 Pro reviews, and ours is coming soon as launch day is November 7. As our gaming guru Jessica Conditt shared in her preview last month, it’s not a console you need, but rather one that you’ll definitely want. Stay tuned for our in-depth thoughts on how the combination of increased power and added tricks factor into that $700 price tag.
