In office environments, a significant amount of waste is generated daily, including cardboard cups, wooden teaspoons, and coffee grounds. These materials make up most of the trash produced in such settings. Fortunately, these waste materials are excellent for composting, and with the rising trend of indoor plants in offices, individuals can utilize compost to nourish their plants. However, composting has not been a popular choice in enclosed spaces due to various challenges, including the long processing time, space constraints, and unpleasant odors. To address these issues, the innovative Homepost composting station has been designed.

Designer: Alp Çakın

Homepost is a composting station specifically created to accelerate the composting process, prevent the spread of odors, and offer additional storage space. By utilizing this system, individuals can quickly produce nutrient-rich compost at home or offices, which can be used for various activities such as growing fruits and vegetables.

It can compost a wide range of organic waste materials. The compostable waste items include biodegradable plastics, paper waste, nutshells, teabags, coffee grounds, fruits and vegetable scraps, and eggshells. This comprehensive list ensures that all common office waste can be effectively transformed into nutrient-rich compost.

The composting process in Homepost is accelerated by an efficient acceleration module. The waste materials are shredded by a built-in knife and crushed between the crushing head and the bottom base. Through the gaps in the bottom base, the crushed material falls into the storage compartment of the acceleration module. The bottom chamber has a generous volume of 4.5 liters, while an additional compost tank with a capacity of 8.5 liters provides extra storage space.

To prevent any potential odor issues, Homepost is equipped with an active carbon filter. This filter effectively neutralizes any unpleasant smells that may arise during the composting process. This feature ensures that the composting station can be conveniently placed in office environments without causing any disturbances.

One of the notable features of Homepost is its environmentally friendly construction. The composting station is made from green polyethylene, a sustainable material derived from Brazilian sugarcane. This material not only provides excellent durability but also has the advantage of being 100% sustainable. The production process of green polyethylene involves the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by the sugarcane plant. For every kilogram of green polyethylene produced, approximately 3.0 kg of carbon dioxide is removed from the air, thereby minimizing the greenhouse effect. This is a revolutionary material to dig deeper into and its uses as the usual trend is to stop producing or reduce the production of certain objects/ materials to help the environment which limits our day-to-day usage but with this material, it is a noticeable advantage that does not restrict us from our use at all in fact encourages us to produce more useful objects in order to save our planet. It’s a win-win!

In terms of practicality and convenience, Homepost boasts a rotating arm that serves multiple purposes. Firstly, it allows the product to be easily transported, as the arm can be folded, reducing its volume. Additionally, the arm is fixed with ducts on the arm shaft, allowing for proper ventilation within the composting system.

Considering the importance of efficient transportation, the modules of Homepost have been thoughtfully designed to nest and occupy minimal space during transit. This feature enables easy distribution and ensures that the composting stations can reach their destinations with maximum efficiency.

Homepost revolutionizes composting in office environments by providing an efficient and odor-free solution to organic waste management. With its sustainable materials, accelerated composting process, ample storage capacity, and odor prevention mechanisms, Homepost empowers individuals to produce their own high-quality compost at home. By repurposing waste materials, Homepost encourages sustainable practices and contributes to a greener future. This is a great product for larger companies and offices where there is enough staff assigned for such tasks because it will be essential to separate the compostable waste from the plastic bottles and other materials. However, it would be an added task in a smaller firm with limited employees and would tend to overlook the product’s advantages.

Although probably not as numerous as smartphones, laptops are still a common sight in almost any situation that calls for a computer. Sales of PCs have even skyrocketed in the past two to three years thanks to the rush to buy new portable computers for working and studying at home. This, of course, means that we will also see a rise in the e-waste and total carbon emissions of laptops, especially as they become older and get broken over time. While smartphones and tablets are still closely guarded walled gardens, laptops have slowly started to open up their secrets, but just enough to upgrade memory and storage or replace a battery. They still lack the flexibility and freedom offered by desktop computers, but the new Framework Laptop 16 is proving that you can go big in size and power while also providing an upgradable, repairable, and sustainable laptop.

Designer: Framework

The Framework Laptop 16 is the brand’s biggest attempt at a modular laptop in more ways than one. As the name suggests, it breaks into 16-inch territory, up from its standard 13-inch models. More than that, however, it also brings in the big guns in terms of silicon, providing top-of-the-line AMD processors, including optional discrete AMD Radeon graphics. The clincher is, of course, the fact that you won’t be stuck with that GPU forever and can even remove it if you want to go light for a bit.

Modularity is the name of the Framework game, and the Framework Laptop 16 seems to pull all the stops with this newer and larger offering. You can, for example, remove the discrete graphics module altogether and replace it with the Expansion Bay module, letting you, not the manufacturer, decide on the configuration you want or need at a given moment. And although there isn’t any other GPU module available, it’s not hard to imagine Framework making an upgrade available in the future. After all, that’s one of the benefits of a modular design, allowing owners to not only replace broken parts but also upgrade outdated ones.

Being a bigger laptop means it has more space to use, which also means more configuration options that owners can change at any time, presuming they have the right modules. For example, they can choose between a centered keyboard flanked by two spacers, or an offset keyboard with a numeric keypad to the side. The number of Expansion Card slots is now 6, providing more possible combinations of input and output ports that won’t be limited to just USB-C. Of course, all these modules are available from Framework itself, so you don’t have to sweat over where to get them.

The Framework Laptop 16 is definitely not cheap, but it’s surprisingly near the same figures as non-modular laptops with similar specs. The design and engineering done on this product prove that there are very few technical restrictions on a modular laptop. It’s simply an industry practice that has existed for decades, one that will hopefully change as more manufacturers become even more aware of their effects on the environment and their responsibility in ensuring the future of the planet that their customers live on.

Windows laptops are a dime a dozen, and those that turn into tablets have also become quite numerous. That includes the laptops that fold over backward, a.k.a. “convertibles,” as well as those that split into two parts or the 2-in-1 laptops. The latter category tries to smash together the productivity of a laptop with the portability of a keyboard-less tablet, but being Windows devices, a lot of them are hampered by hardware considerations, from weight to battery life. Microsoft’s solution was to put Windows on a hardware platform known exactly for its compactness and longevity, but Windows on ARM seemed almost dead on arrival, or at least on life support. Most of the devices that came out from well-known OEMs, including Microsoft, turned out more like duds, so imagine our surprise when a fresh new name blazed into the scene, bearing a new Windows on ARM 2-in-1 laptop that promised to change your perception of this kind of portable productivity machine. Naturally, we couldn’t resist giving the Robo & Kala a test drive to see if it can deliver “New Ways to Inspire.”

Designer: Robo & Kala

Aesthetics

Right off the bat, the Robo & Kala Computer grabs your attention with its handsome design that you might not have come to expect from a lesser-known brand, especially after you hear about its price tag. The anodized aluminum feels solid yet light, giving you confidence whenever you hold it in your hands. Moving away from the common and rather drab silvers and blacks of most tablets, the laptop’s greenish tinge adds a distinct visual character to the device, making sure you’ll remember it as being a one-of-a-kind product.

In many ways, the Robo & Kala is taking aim at the Microsoft Surface Pro 9, which also comes in a Windows on ARM variant. That’s immediately evident when you see the built-in kickstand that has become the hallmark of the Surface Pro line. There are also a few similarities here and there, both in design and hardware, but those are minimal and incidental at best. It’s almost too easy to write it off as a Surface Pro 9 clone, but you’ll definitely be missing out on the key selling points of the device.

The sometimes subtle differences, however, do have significant implications. At only 690g light and 7.3mm thin, the Robo & Kala is quite possibly the thinnest and lightest Windows on ARM 2-in-1 laptop in the market, squarely beating not only the Surface Pro 9 but even the Surface Go 3. The edges of the tablet are slightly curved, unlike the current flat design trend, giving it a more pleasant appearance and softer hold. The bezels around the display are also quite narrow, noticeably more than Microsoft’s flagship. All in all, Robo & Kala’s design and build quality punches above its price point, an unexpected yet very pleasant surprise right off the bat.

Ergonomics

Being light and thin isn’t just a bragging point for Robo & Kala. It means that the device is more comfortable to carry and hold, especially as a tablet. Even with the optional keyboard that brings the total weight to around 1.04kg, the device doesn’t get exceptionally heavy, at least compared to a regular laptop or even the Surface Pro 9 5G with a keyboard (1.19kg). That said, it’s definitely no iPad Air, and the large size will still bear down on your arms if held for long periods of time.

The Robo & Kala Computer has an optional keyboard cover, not unlike the Surface Type Cover, that magnetically attaches to the tablet and connects using those golden pogo contact points, also not unlike the Surface Type Cover. Where the two clearly differ is that Microsoft’s design allows the keyboard to rise just a little bit near the hinge, creating a more ergonomic inclined angle for typing. There’s none of that here, but R&K makes up for it with a rather ingenious feature. When you detach the keyboard, it switches to a Bluetooth connection so you can continue typing using the same keyboard but perhaps in a more comfortable position.

This versatility of design makes 2-in-1 laptops like Robo & Kala truly unique and appealing. It’s a laptop when you need to be productive but a tablet when you want to detach, figuratively and literally. That said, the disadvantage of this kickstand-based design is that you need a lot more space to place the device on when it’s in laptop mode, whether it’s on a table or on your lap. In fact, the Surface Pro and similar 2-in-1 devices have been criticized for being “un-lappable” in this manner, though you can still make do when push comes to shove. Fortunately, the kickstand is steady and rigid, ensuring that the device stays in place no matter how hard you rock that keyboard.

Performance

What sets Robo & Kala apart from the vast majority of Windows 2-in-1 laptops is the hardware that runs inside, particularly the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 silicon, an ARM-based processor that is closer to the ones running on your phone or tablet than the Intel or AMD chips powering most Windows computers. This is pretty much the same “Microsoft SQ3” used on the Surface Pro 9 5G, just without whatever exclusive magic Microsoft and Qualcomm cooked up behind closed doors. This is a powerful processor, closer to benchmark performance to last-gen Intel Core i3 chipsets, and with 16GB of RAM, it would theoretically cover all your computing needs, including some light gaming.

There is a slight catch, however, when it comes to the world of Windows. Windows on ARM has grown up a lot compared to its earliest years, but software compatibility is still a thing. While it’s definitely possible to run “regular” Windows software on this device, it will be running on top of a software layer that affects performance, depending on what type of application it is. Some light games from Steam and image editing apps will do fine, but video editing software will be a hit or miss. That said, Windows 11 has support for running Android and Linux apps, and you might ironically get better performance from some of those apps. In short, while Robo & Kala can handle many tasks without breaking a sweat, some creative applications might not work well or at all on a case-to-case basis.

Robo & Kala comes with a 12.6-inch OLED touchscreen with a resolution of 2560×1600, a more normal widescreen 16:10 aspect ratio compared to the Surface Pro 9’s square-ish and bigger 3:2 LCD screen. Size isn’t the only difference, though, and the Robo & Kala computer surprisingly outdoes its Microsoft counterpart in vividness and brightness. OLEDs, after all, are known for their deep blacks and sharp colors, and although this 2-in-1 laptop doesn’t break through 2K resolution, it still delivers quite a punch. It does cap the refresh rate at 60Hz, which sounds almost outdated in today’s 120Hz world, but it is still decent and smooth, even with some games.

One of the advertised perks of switching from an Intel or AMD to an ARM-based processor like the Snapdragon 8cx or Apple Silicon is battery efficiency and long battery life. As always, manufacturers tend to be a tad too generous about their estimates, but our experience with Robo & Kala almost comes close to the promised 20 hours of uptime. On a single charge, we were able to get through two work days totaling about 17 hours. That’s actually impressive considering it only has a 41.4Wh battery, compared to the Surface Pro 9 5G with its 47.7Wh battery and advertised 19 hours of life, which is actually a lot lower in practice especially when you turn on 5G.

That last bit is actually one of the Robo & Kala Computer’s few big missed opportunities. Its only wireless connection is Wi-Fi 6, at least if you don’t consider Bluetooth 5.2. That means it has no cellular connection, whether 5G or even 4G, so you’ll need to be within an access point’s range to do anything that requires the Internet. That does dampen the device’s portability prospects, though that is also not that different from Wi-Fi-only iPads or most Windows laptops that don’t have built-in cellular modems either.

The overall package that Robo & Kala offers is quite decent and, in some aspects, even downright impressive. The keyboard accessory, although lacking some travel, is usable and, more importantly, backlit. Windows Hello authentication works like a charm. The dual stereo speakers are serviceable but you’d be better off putting on your favorite wireless headphones. The included Smart Pen, which magnetically docks to the right side for charging, is a pleasure to hold and use for scribbling notes or quick doodles. And the easily accessible SSD takes the pain away from one of the most common upgrades you’d want to make on this kind of device. Robo & Kala delivers a well-rounded set of features with very few compromises, which makes its price and value all the more mouth-watering.

Sustainability

Before we get to that point, however, we’ll have to discuss the design elephant in the room. Consumer electronics, given their sheer numbers, have a massive impact on the environment, from the moment they are manufactured to the day they are thrown out. Every little bit that turns the scales toward sustainability helps in the long run. Unfortunately, there’s not much we can say about the Robo & Kala Computer that would be in its favor in this aspect.

Using aluminum instead of plastic for the chassis is good but quite a small factor. Compared to regular laptops, 2-in-1 tablets like these are also more closed off, making repairs harder and more expensive. Given the small size of the company, it might not be surprising that Robo & Kala doesn’t yet have a strong sustainability effort in place. Hopefully, the success of their first product will let them steer the ship in the right direction sooner rather than later.

Value

Although they are far and few in between, Robo & Kala is not the only Windows on ARM game in town. There is, of course, the juggernaut that is the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 5G, but there are other contenders from major OEMs as well. On the surface, this 2-in-1 computer might not have much going for it, but the narrative quickly changes when you take the current price tag into account. At the current discounted price of $599.99, which includes the device and the detachable keyboard, Robo & Kala easily outmatches the competition, no matter the brand. Even if it goes up to Kickstarter prices, it’s still nearly or more than half of the Surface Pro 9 5G with similar specs.

Of course, it’s not a complete steal at that price, even if you’re getting a quality piece of tech. It is, after all, Windows on ARM, and for all the battery-saving and lightweight benefits, it might come up short when it comes to meeting the needs of some users, especially designers, video content creators, and gamers. At the same time, however, Windows 11 has opened up a lot more possibilities compared to older generations of Windows on ARM, providing access to more software from different platforms that could fill in the gap. The Robo & Kala Computer is definitely a tempting Windows device to have, especially if you find yourself spending more time away from your desk.

Verdict

Although it’s still not popular as Microsoft would like it to be, Windows on ARM has come a long way, especially with Windows 11’s more expansive software compatibility. But more than software considerations, what turns Windows users off more are the options available in the market, particularly their prices. Given how much they might be sacrificing in terms of raw power and app compatibility, it’s almost laughable that they would be expected to pay the same price, sometimes even more, as an Intel or AMD equivalent. Sure, you’ll have a longer battery life, but that might not mean much if you don’t get much use out of the device anyway.

The Robo & Kala 2-in-1 Laptop is a surprising newcomer that came at the right time with the right price. Even though it’s considerably more affordable than its peers, it makes very few compromises that would ruin the overall experience. Its design and build quality are almost unbelievable at its price, and its performance, though not top-notch, is still quite adequate. It’s far from perfect and still has the same software problems that haunt all Windows on ARM devices. But considering what you’re getting for so little, you’d almost be willing to forgive those minor flaws.

Ford sold over 650,000 F-150s in the U.S. in 2022, 653,957 to be exact. That’s a remarkable number of vehicles of any sort — Toyota only sold less than half that many Camrys. It’s that volume that made the release of the F-150 Lightning in early 2022 so significant. This truck truly has the potential to be a game-changer, taking millions of the most environmentally unfriendly vehicles off the road and replacing them with emissions-free successors.

That was the promise, and with a sub-$40,000 initial asking price the Lightning was a very tempting release. Now, though, the scales have changed dramatically. As of this writing, the cheapest Lightning, the Pro, starts at $59,974 — $63,474 if you want anything other than the stripped, fleet special. The truck you see here, meanwhile, cost just over $100,000. Given that, is the Lightning still the world-changing uber-truck that it was supposed to be?

It is, but the financial equation is sadly a lot more complicated than before.

Exterior Design

The design of the F-150 Lightning doesn’t offer much in the way of nuance or progressive thinking. This thing looks, very much, just a truck. A big one at that. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as buyers in this segment don’t tend to want anything radical, but you’d certainly be forgiven for not picking a Lightning out of a crowd of F-Series trucks in a parking lot.

In motion it’s a little easier to spot thanks to the distinctive running lights front and back, which span up around the headlights on the nose and between the tail lights at the rear. Those details are far and away the biggest visual differentiator between Lightning and a more pedestrian F-Series. But, look a little closer and you can spot some other cues.

Where the grille should be is just a wide swath of black plastic. Instead of a fuel filler cap on the rear fender, there’s a charging port on the front fender, and a few Lightning badges are scattered here and there.

For every nuance that’s subtly different in the Lightning there are a dozen elements carried over wholesale from the regular F-150. The mirrors still stand out wide and proud, each with roughly the same aerodynamic finesse as a shoe box. Body and bed are still split by the same, vertical, inch-wide gap and there’s even the same number pad on the B-pillar for keyless entry of the old-school variety.

Most significantly: the F-150 Lightning is huge, just like a regular F-150. Trucks in this category have been putting on weight for generations now and this current implementation is positively obese. At 231.7 inches, the Lightning is a whopping 33 inches longer than a Tesla Model X SUV, 45 inches longer than the Mustang Mach-E. It’s 96 inches wide and 78.3-inches tall — too tall even to fit into my garage, as it turns out.

It’s hard to argue with the outright capabilities, and it makes sense for Ford to come out of the gate with a top-shelf electric truck instead of something a little smaller and more manageable (more expensive cars have higher profit margins, after all), but I can’t help wishing this were a little more Maverick and a lot less massive.

Interior Design

That size does create a truck with an expansive interior. Five adults, even those of a generous girth, will fit comfortably here with adequate headroom and shoulder room and every other kind of room, too. Rear-seating isn’t exactly luxurious, but it is perfectly acceptable, with heating, a pair of USB ports (one A and one C) plus a 12-volt outlet and even a straight-up, three-prong 120V outlet.

In the Platinum trim, the two seats up front add on ventilation plus the usual power adjustments including lumbar. The giant arm-rest flips up to reveal a chasm big enough to store a couple six packs of your favorite beverage. Or, you can fold out the cushioning on top to create a perfectly serviceable workspace. Another pair of storage cubbies cut in on the sides of what would be the transmission tunnel if this thing had a transmission, plus another compartment ahead of the shifter with wireless charging and a pair of USB ports.

The doors are similarly riddled with storage space and there’s not one but two glove boxes. Plenty of places to lose plenty of things, but also a generous place for working. The USB-C ports in the center will keep your laptop charged while you work if you forgot your adapter, and the truck’s integrated WiFi will ensure your kids in the back can keep on streaming on the way to school.

In terms of visual appeal, there’s a lot going on in the interior, contrasting and clashing patterns and subtly different dark shades. White wouldn’t be my first upholstery color for a work truck, but it does provide a bit of nice contrast when entering the Lightning.

Once seated, you’re confronted with a sea of black plastics, some gloss, some textured, some knurled, some embossed with a fake leather pattern, some with a faux brushed metal appearance, and some wrapped with pseudo woodgrain. This mix of materials is a bit jarring and a bit disappointing in any vehicle costing this much.

Technology

The best part of the interior is the massive, 15.5-inch, vertically oriented display sitting right in the middle of the dash. This gives plenty of real estate for everything from climate controls on the bottom to quick access to settings along the top, with numerous tiles slotting in through the middle depending on what you’re doing.

That said, I do wish it had a few of the more subtle tricks from the Mach-E’s implementation of SYNC, like a persistent button on the top for quickly getting back to Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, both of which work wirelessly here and both also serve turn instructions to the gauge cluster.

That cluster is 12 inches, massive compared to that on the Mach-E and is configurable, displaying everything from charge status to pitch and roll for off-roading. The 360 cameras are also useful when you’re hitting the trail, but they’re far more helpful when trying to slot this thing into a parking spot. That can be a bit of a challenge, but with self-parking the Lightning is happy to handle that for you – if you’re not in a hurry.

Other active features include adaptive cruise, lane-keep assist, and automatic emergency braking with evasion. The hallmark here, though, is BlueCruise. This is Ford’s hands-off driver assistance system, capable of handling steering and speed on highways. It’s only available on certain, mapped and divided roads. When you get to one, there’s nothing to do but let go of the wheel.

BlueCruise will do two things: pilot the Lightning and watch you. An infra-red camera built into the dashboard is always studying your eyes to ensure that you’re paying attention, because even if your hands are off the wheel you’re still responsible for taking over. Let those eyes wander too long on a curious roadside sign or a particularly cute dog frollicking in someone’s front yard and the truck will chime at you. Do it again and it’ll chime again, more insistently. Eventually, the system will disable itself and you’ll be on your own.

BlueCruise works well, but the one in the F-150 Lightning isn’t the most advanced flavor of this technology, unable to perform automated lane changes. You’ll still need to handle that yourself.

But the truck can handle itself in a number of other ways, like the recently released Dynamic Hitch Assist system. Just back the car up somewhere near the hitch on your trailer and the Lightning will use the rear-view camera to automatically identify where the ball on your hitch needs to be, then line back itself up perfectly.

Ride and Dynamics

The F-150 Lightning has a traditional look and that very definitely continues to the traditional feel. This thing drives like a truck through and through, but a very comfortable and compliant one. The Lightning is still built on the same ladder-frame design as the normal F-150, but with independent suspension here instead of the traditional live-axle.

That surely helps to increase the ride quality and comfort. The Lightning is compliant on broken roads and surfaces, soaking up railroad crossings and separation joints without complaint. That said, body control is a bit lacking, the big rig having a tendency to float and bob a few moments longer than you might like after a major compression.

Steering is relaxed but acceleration is not. This dual-motor Lightning with the Extended Battery gets to 60 mph in less than 4.0 seconds, which is quicker than many sports cars. It scrabbles off the line with only a bit of a whir and a massive amount of thrust. More importantly, it can tow up to 10,000 pounds in XLS or Lariat trim, which isn’t too far from the maximum 14,000 on a regular F-150. That said, payload is down from 3,325 to 1,952 if you get the larger battery, 2,235 without.

To test that, I loaded the truck up with a couple cubic yards of mulch, just short of the maximum payload, and the truck was still extremely easy to drive, accelerating strongly and braking just as well.

In terms of range, the F-150 Lightning with the larger battery pack is rated for an impressive 320 miles. This Platinum truck, with the bigger wheels and extra goodies, still rates 300 miles per the EPA.

Perhaps more importantly, the Lightning will serve up that battery capacity in many different ways, from the onboard USB-C ports to keep your laptop juiced to outlets in the bed and even more integrated in the frunk for charging tool batteries. Opt for the bidirectional Ford Charge Station Pro, and Ford estimates the Lightning can power an average home for three days.

Whether you use the Lightning as an emergency backup or a jobsite generator, the practicality is real. The one shame is charging. The Lightning tops out at 150 kW charging rate, which is undeniably slow considering the massive, 131 kWh battery pack here. That’s significantly slower than many other EVs that cost less and have far smaller packs.

Pricing and Options

The F-150 Lightning you see here is the top-shelf Platinum trim, outfitted with 22-inch wheels, $495 for the Rapid Red Metallic paint, and $595 for the spray-in bed liner. However, a few things were deleted due to supply constraints, like the onboard scale, which knocked the price down by $650.

Total price, after a $1,895 destination charge is $100,609. That is one expensive truck.

All those price hikes since the Lightning’s initial release are a shame. The Lightning was simply a compelling option for anybody looking to buy a truck. Now, buyers will have to do some math. For contractors, being able to power a job site without a generator rental will surely be compelling. For homeowners, using the truck as a whole-home power source helps make the price sting a little less.

And then of course there are the fuel savings over a traditional truck, which could be substantial.

The math is a little more complicated than before, but that doesn’t change the final result. The F-150 Lightning is a superb truck and a wildly versatile EV. I only wish it were smaller.

The mid-range smartphone segment used to be filled by dull designs, subpar build quality, and sluggish performance. Gone are the days when budget-friendly vanilla smartphones would save you money but also leave you disappointed. Today, you can find plenty of mid-range smartphones that are nearly indistinguishable from top-of-the-line devices costing twice as much, offering a satisfying user experience without breaking the bank. While they may lack some standout features such as a big camera sensor or super sharp display, these smartphones strike a favorable balance between features and affordability.

The newest number series from Realme is one of the best-looking mid-range smartphones we’ve seen on the market so far. The Realme 11 Pro+ 5G offers more than just the looks, though, boasting a 200MP main camera, a 6.7-inch 120Hz refresh rate curved display, and a 5,000mAh battery, among other things. We took a close look at this fashionable mid-range phone to see what other boxes it checks and if it’s worth your hard-earned money.

Designer: Realme

Design

Designed in collaboration with Matteo Menotto, a former print and textile designer for Gucci, the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G sets itself apart with its unparalleled style. Drawing inspiration from the streets of Milan at sunrise, Menotto designed the Realme 11 Pro+ with a circular camera module symbolizing the rising sun. The yellow and white vertical line running through the middle represents a road extending into the distance, according to the brand. The 3D woven texture vertical line is sealed with transparent plastic, and while it does not provide tactile satisfaction, adds a charming accent to the design of the device. The prominent circular camera module houses a 200MP main camera highlighted by a golden ring design. The main camera is accompanied by an ultrawide camera on its right, a macro camera on its left, and an LED flash on top of it.

The phone has a vegan leather material on its back with a lychee-like texture that delights the fingers, while the stitching in the middle and around the camera reminds you of luxury handbags or car interiors. These design elements are seamlessly integrated, evoking a sense of luxury and sophistication. The Realme 11 Pro+ is definitely one of the most striking mid-range phones I’ve ever come across to date.

In addition to the Sunrise Beige variant, the Realme 11 Pro+ also comes in Oasis Green and Astral Black color options. The Oasis Green variant maintains the same design as the Sunrise Beige, featuring the same distinctive elements but with a different color. On the other hand, the Astral Black variant shares only the circular camera module with the two other colorways, instead distinguishing itself in terms of overall appearance with a plain matte finish that has no vertical line running through the middle of the device, leaving a clean and unbroken surface.

Ergonomics

For a 6.7-inch smartphone, you’ll be surprised how thin and light the phone is, measuring just 8.7mm thick and weighing only 189g (or 8.2mm thick and 183g for the Astral Black variant). The phone manages to impress with its lightweight build, making it feel comfortable to hold in your hand.

The leather finish of the phone not only adds a touch of luxury but also provides a better grip, preventing the phone from easily slipping from your hand or sliding off of surfaces. Additionally, the textured back panel prevents smudges and fingerprints. You can snuggle 11 Pro+ nicely in your hand thanks to the vegan leather back and the slightly curved – 61 degrees to be precise – back panel and display.

The plastic frame has a glossy finish at the sides and accommodates the power button and volume button on the right side. In contrast, the top and bottom plastic frames have a matte finish. The top houses a speaker and a microphone while the bottom houses a speaker, microphone, USB-C port, and a dual-SIM tray.

The in-screen fingerprint scanner works flawlessly, delivering consistent and accurate performance. However, one aspect to note is its placement close to the bottom edge of the screen. While it effectively unlocks the phone, it occasionally requires you to adjust your grip afterward, which can become a somewhat bothersome experience over time.

Performance

Aside from its design, another standout feature of the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G is the 200MP main camera, the highest megapixel count for the mid-range segment, that sits in the center of the circular camera module on the back. The phone boasts a triple-camera setup on its back and a single selfie camera at the front. The main 200MP camera features a Samsung ISOCELL HP3 with a 1/1.4” sensor size, 2.24um pixel size, a f/1.69 aperture, and OIS. Realme promises lossless 2x and 4x zoom, achieved by sensor cropping the massive 200MP main sensor. This enables you to shoot telephoto-like digital images. Accompanying the 200MP main camera is an 8MP ultrawide camera with f/2.2 aperture. Finally, a 2MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture makes up the device’s triple camera setup. On the front side, there is a 32MP selfie camera with f/2.45 aperture.

By default, the main camera takes 12.5MP, 16:1 binned photos for enhanced quality. In daylight or under good lighting conditions, the Realme 11 Pro+ takes excellent photos at 1x magnification, capturing good details, contrast, and dynamic range. The colors are nicely saturated, occasionally resulting in slightly too vibrant for lighter greens, but not over-the-top at all.

The daylight 2x zoomed photos are great as well. Although the images taken with 4x zoom are not lossless, they capture a fair amount of details with a nice dynamic range. The main camera captures great low-light photos at 1x magnification. 2x photos, while not completely lossless, still offer enough sharpness and retain some detail with good dynamic range. When zoomed to 4x, the photos remain acceptable, although some noticeable noise may be present.

The 8MP ultrawide takes excellent images in good lighting conditions, while the low-light photos on ultrawide are satisfactory. For low-light images, there is a tendency to overexpose bright spots, and at times photos may appear somewhat undersaturated. However, overall, the results are still good. Macro photos taken with the 2MP camera are subpar, not capturing much detail. However, this will not be a dealbreaker for most people unless you have a specific interest in macro photography. The selfie camera takes good photos, but it has a tendency to render a slightly orange tone to the skin color.

You can choose HI-RES mode to shoot 200MP or 50MP photos. However, keep in mind this is achieved at the expense of loss in detail and dynamic range. There is street mode with different focal lengths. The street mode comes with a neat auto-zoom feature where you can tap on the subject that you want to zoom in on and it automatically adjusts the zoom level and try to achieve the best framing.

As for the video, you can shoot 4k 30fps stabilized video with the main camera. Dropping the resolution down to 1080p will let you take 60fps video. The ultrawide and selfie cameras, however, are limited to shooting 1080p 30fps videos. The Realme 11 Pro+ does offer a pleasant video shooting experience across the main and ultrawide camera for what you paid for.

The Realme 11 Pro+ 5G is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7050 5G chipset backed by 8GB or 12GB RAM and 128GB or 256GB of memory. RAM can be expanded an additional 4GB using the Dynamic RAM Expansion. It is quite capable of handling any tasks, including watching videos and light gaming. In terms of software, Realme 11 Pro+ boots Android 13 with Realme UI 4.0, which offer pretty solid customization options.

The mid-range smartphone features a 1080p 120Hz OLED display with HDR10+ capability and 950 nits local peak brightness. The flagship-grade display is smooth, vibrant, and bright enough to use under broad daylight. The stereo speakers of 11 Pro+ deliver good audio quality with a good amount of volume.

As for the battery and charging, the Realme 11 Pro+ houses a 5000mAh battery despite its slim body, and it comes with a 100W superVOOC charger. While it lacks wireless charging capabilities, its super-fast charging requires a mere 3 minutes to boost the phone’s battery up to 17%, and a full charge can be achieved in just 26 minutes. The battery life of the Realme 11 Pro+ is indeed impressive, and the phone can easily last a full day with moderate use.

Sustainability

The glass protecting the display from scratches and damages is what Realme calls double-reinforced glass. Realme does not provide any specific details regarding the durability of the double-reinforced glass, and we can only hope it is tough enough to safeguard the screen in the event of accidental drops on rough surfaces like concrete.

Another thing you have to be careful about with this sleek phone is that it comes with no official IP rating for water and dust resistance. So you want to be mindful of using the phone outside when it’s raining or at the beach.

While the vegan leather back is a nice touch, it barely steps away from the typical plastic materials used on this tier of smartphones. The plastic frame is also an unfortunate choice in terms of sustainability, though it does save up on the build costs that consumers eventually have to pay for. Unlike some of its higher-end models, the Realme 11 Pro+ doesn’t exactly make a conscious effort to be more eco-friendly, which is still something that mid-range phones like it have to grow out of.

Value

The Realme 11 Pro+ is currently available in China and India only. Its price ranges from roughly equivalent to 300 USD to 390 USD, depending on RAM and storage. Global availability doesn’t seem to be on the table, though that could still change in the near future.

While there are some great mid-range phones available on the market, the Realme 11 Pro+ has some unique features that could set it apart from the competition. With a remarkable 200MP main camera, a sizable battery, and 100W fast charging, this device undoubtedly offers exceptional value for its price. Its stylish design adds a significant bonus to its overall appeal, especially for people who want a smartphone with a personality right out of the box.

Verdict

The Realme 11 Pro+ definitely punches above its price bracket. Its stylish design, capable main camera, and excellent battery life make this mid-range phone a great choice for budget-conscious consumers. Sure, it doesn’t come with the fastest chipset, water and dust resistance rating, or wireless charging, but you cannot expect to have it all at this price point.

If you are looking for an affordable yet powerful smartphone with stunning design and imaging capabilities, the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G is a great option. With its remarkable features and competitive pricing, this smartphone offers excellent value for money. That is, if you can actually get your hands on one.

While the four-wheeled EV industry is robust at this point, nearly every major manufacturer offering a selection of great options with stellar performance and looks, the electric motorcycle market is lagging behind.

And that’s despite getting something of a head start. Zero Motorcycles launched its first bike back in 2009, three years before Tesla brought the Model S to bear and really split the automotive EV market wide open. Since then, things have been slow to develop on two wheels.

That’s finally changing. Zero’s total sales topped 20,000 last year, volume enough to enable launching more bikes for more types of riding. Their latest is the DSR/X, a dual-sport motorcycle meant for adventure, but can it deliver the kind of silent ease that we’ve come to expect from electric cars?

Design

The DS in DSR/X stands for Dual Sport, a category of bike meant to do anything and go anywhere. Think of this as the SUV of motorcycles, a tall profile meant to facilitate better off-road performance, but with a stance and ride characteristics perfectly suited for long stretches of asphalt, too.

Seen head-on, the DSR/X has an almost insectoid look for it, four rectangular headlights arranged such that the outer two are slightly higher than the inners. They’re like eyes on a spider, only squared.

Its face is certainly distinctive, far wider than your average motorcycle’s mug, but that’s due to aerodynamics as much as style.

When it comes to EVs, range is crucial, and the biggest enemy to range is aerodynamics. You might be surprised to learn that a motorcycle, tiny as it is, has significantly more drag than a car, even a big one like an SUV. Why? By and large it’s thanks to us. Human beings aren’t exactly aerodynamic when traveling face-first, and that’s exactly where a motorcycle puts us.

A wide fairing, like that on the DSR/X, helps to bend the wind around the rider rather than hanging them out in it. That means a wide nose with pronounced bulges, plus a tall, clear windscreen designed to duct air up and over.

The result is a clean, organic shape that’s a bit simple, maybe a little boring, but effective, especially in the DSR/X’s hero color of green, which Zero calls Sage.

Below the bike’s belt line, though, all thoughts of aerodynamics seem to have gone out the window. Here you get a clear look at the bike’s tubular frame construction, battery pack fully exposed for maximal cooling and slung down low for optimal handling. Behind it, the tiny electric motor is directly inline with the mounting point for the swingarm.

Positioning the motor and battery low has benefits from a handling standpoint, but it also has some benefits for convenience. What you’d normally think of as the tank of a motorcycle is actually a giant storage cubby here, not quite big enough for a helmet (not if your head is as big as mine, anyway), but offering plenty of volume for gloves, a rain suit, and even a nice picnic lunch.

That cubby locks with the ignition key. Just above that you’ll find the J1772 charge port, then the handlebars.

Those bars are perched up high on risers, giving you an upright posture when seated. Controls are traditional and good quality, with the only odd addition being a sort of horizontal jog dial next to your left thumb. It’s with this that you toggle through drive modes and settings on the bike’s bright, five-inch LCD that’s easily viewed even on sunny days. More on that in a moment.

Above the LCD is that windscreen, which can be raised a few inches thanks to a set of chunky twist knobs, one on either side. It lacks the power elevation of some luxury touring bikes, but it’s so easy to adjust with one hand that you’ll never miss it.

On the road

The DSR/X is a bit on the tall side, seat height at 32.6 inches, which is just ever so slightly higher than my inseam. That means a bit of a flex to swing my leg up and over the wide seat, but it’s not a strain like climbing on to some other dual sport bikes(An optional low saddle drops seat height by 0.9 inches, while a tall one brings it up 1.5.)

That wide saddle is just soft enough to be comfortable, still firm enough to satisfy your typical adventure rider. The pegs situated far enough below that my knees are at a comfortable extension. In keeping with this bike’s DS aspirations, those pegs are more aggressive than your average motorcycle, wide and open to allow for mud and muck to fall through but with sharp serrations to grab the soles of your boots through it all.

Those, plus the tall bars, make standing up on the DSR/X a breeze. Getting up and out of the saddle is a common thing for dual-sport riders. When you’re off-road, standing up further lowers the bike’s center of gravity, boosting stability on loose terrain. It also gives you a better look at the trail ahead and, if you’re getting a little warm, lets you air things out a bit, too.

Over that kind of rough terrain, scrabbling up over rocks and dirt, the DSR/X is a delight. It’s a heavy bike, 544 pounds, but it feels incredibly easy to manage. That low center of gravity imparts stability but, more so, the power delivery is perfectly tuned for loose conditions.

The DSR/X has 100 horsepower and 166 pound-feet of torque from its electric motor. That power figure isn’t world-conquering, but the torque number is impressive. Most impressive, though, is how smooth and easy it is to deploy that power. This is a bike just as stable when inching over gravel as it is flying down the interstate.

Helping that is a series of five on-road drive modes and five more for off-road, settings designed to ensure that the rear wheel keeps turning exactly as you want it to, regardless of conditions. Likewise, ABS is standard to ensure neither wheel locks under braking.

If that’s not enough, you can customize your own riding modes and, yes, you can turn off all the safety systems if you really want to let it rip.

My favorite ride mode by far is called Canyon. This gives the bike maximum power but also maximum regen, which more or less gives a motorcycle equivalent of one-pedal EV driving. Here, though, it just means I don’t need to reach for the brake, letting me carve through twisty roads at speed, adding throttle when I need more speed, releasing when I want to slow down.

The silence, the torque, and the surprisingly nimble character of this big bike make spirited riding like that a real joy.

The Showa suspension too has a good amount of compliance for off-road use without feeling too soft on the road, though it’s easy enough to dial in exactly how you want it, adjustable for preload, compression, and rebound front and rear.

If there’s a catch, though, it’s that riding in a spirited fashion will end the fun quickly. Officially, the DSR/X is rated for 180 miles in the city, but you’d have to use the bike in a very conservative way to get that far. Range drops to just 85 miles on the highway going 70 mph.

As I mentioned above, aerodynamics are not your friend. Likewise, you can’t tap into all that torque, meaning you’ll want to use the bike’s Eco mode.

Ridden in this way I still struggled to get close to the bike’s maximum rated range. In my average, more spirited riding, I’m seeing estimates closer to 120 miles.

That’s a bit of a shame as a bike this fun and this comfortable would be ideal for longer rides. Thankfully, charging is a possibility if you don’t mind some longer pit stops. It’ll take 2.7 hours to fill the 17.3 kWh battery pack from empty, but dropping down to two hours for a 95-percent charge. And that’s on a level two charger. Even on a typical wall outlet, the DSR/X charges overnight.

Pricing and Options

The base DSR/X starts at $24,495 and that’s really all you need. In fact, that’s exactly how the bike you see here is configured. But, if you want a little more range, you can drop an additional $3,200 for the Power Tank, which slots a few extra cells in that storage compartment in the tank. That should boost the bike’s longevity by about 30%.

Another option is the $3,000 6 kW Rapid Charger, which also slots into the tank — meaning you can’t have that and the bigger battery pack. Go for this and charge times drop by half, meaning just 60 minutes for a 95% charge on a level 2 charger.

Other accessories are more for style and, indeed, lifestyle, including things like storage bags and phone mounts.

We’ll actually be spending a full year with this DSR/X and I’ll report back with more detailed range testing as the weather improves and the riding season gets swinging in earnest. Regardless, Zero’s latest bike is a real joy, fun and nimble on the road, stable and easy to ride off.

If you’re looking for a place to dive into the wonderful, peaceful, maintenance-free world of electric motorcycles, this is it.

The market for foldables is still marginal, but the demand for foldable phones is steady, backed by the number of sales. 2023 seems to be a year for foldables phones, with iterations of foldable phones from familiar brands and inaugural foldables from big and not-so-big brands. Vivo released its first clamshell foldable Vivo X Flip in China along with the second generation of book-style foldable Vivo X Fold2. We checked out the Vivo’s first attempt at a flip phone.

Designer: Vivo

Aesthetics

Vivo X Flip sports a large 3.0-inch horizontal cover display. With bezel extended to the entire back of the device horizontally, the cover display is nicely integrated into the design, rather than the vast cut-out of display we’ve seen in the OPPO Find N2 Flip. The design also gives you the illusion of the cover display being bigger than it actually is.

On the left upper corner, sitting atop the cover display, is a circular camera bump adorned with a Zeiss logo. The circular camera bump design echoes Vivo’s other foldable released on the same day, the Vivo X Fold2. Vivo did not compromise aesthetics for the form factor. Unfortunately, the rather big, attention-seeking Vivo logo placed on the bottom spoils the sleek and premium design of the phone.

X Flip comes in three color options: Rhombic Purple, Silk Gold, and Diamond Black. While each colorway offers unique charm and character, the eye-catcher of three is Rhombic Purple, with its quilt-like vegan leather cover inspired by luxury bags.

More subtle Silk Gold and Diamond Black variants feature a glass back cover. The Diamond Black we got is beautiful with a small diamond pattern reflecting light, but we find the shiny, glossy glass attracts fingerprints and smudges. The phone comes with a transparent plastic case, but that, too, is a fingerprint magnet.

Ergonomics

Vivo X Flip size varies slightly between the colorways, but the largest Rhombic Purple measures 86.40mm x 75.25mm x 17.56mm when folded or 166.42mm x 75.25mm x 8.19 mm when flipped open. It is practically the same size as the OPPO Find N2 Flip. The Vivo X Flip closes all the way flat and has absolutely no gap when closed. When unfolded, the phone looks and feels like a regular smartphone. The crease is barely noticeable for the eyes and very subtle for the fingertips thanks to the 5.3mm waterdrop hinge structure.

The phone feels comfortable to hold in your hands. The build quality of X flip feels premium and gives you satisfaction each time you open and close the phone. The Vivo X Flip is certified by TUV Rheinland to endure up to 500,000 folds, so there is no need to worry about durability.

The X Flip can stay stand steadily on its own at the range of somewhere between 60 to 120-degree angle. Try to sit the phone at an angle wider or narrower than that, and it will slowly close or open.

Performance

Vivo X Flip is powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and comes with 12GB of ram that can be expanded by up to 8GB and either 256 GB or 512 GB of storage. It’s not the latest high-end Qualcomm chip, but plenty powerful. The clamshell runs Origin OS 3 on top of Android 13.

The X flip features a 6.74-inch screen with a 2520 x 1080 resolution. It has a 21:9 aspect ratio and an LTPO 120 Hz refresh rate. No official peak brightness figure is provided, but the main screen is bright enough under harsh sunlight. Unlocking the phone can be done using the impressively fast and accurate fingerprint sensor on the side.

As for the 3.0-inch cover screen, it offers a broader range of possibilities compared to Samsung Z Flip4 or OPPO Find N2 Flip. You can swiftly access quick settings, check notifications, make and receive calls, take pictures and videos, record audio, check the weather, and set a timer. You can use WeChat with full keyboard input, use a navigation app, watch videos, or even lock/unlock your car on the cover screen. But these are limited to Chinese apps. Vivo didn’t give X Flip the freedom to run any app on the display screen, and it may not be a big issue since this is a China-only phone, at least for now.

However, it feels like a missed opportunity for the phone to have a large 3.0-inch of canvas to play with, yet we’re limited in what we can do with it. If Vivo wanted it, we could run the entire phone without ever having to open it.

It’s no secret that foldable phones lag behind premium camera phones when it comes to mobile photography. But Vivo’s well-regarded improvements in imaging software in recent years are present in X Flip, and the clamshell can produce excellent pictures. X Flip boasts 50MP main camera that employs IMX 866V with 1/1.149”. It has an f/1.75 aperture and features OIS. The 12MP ultrawide camera with f/2.2 aperture also is equipped with autofocus. And there is a 32MP selfie camera.

X Flip’s main and ultrawide angle capture images with nice details and great dynamic range. The color rendered is on the warmer side, but nothing unnatural. Green, notably lighter green, tends to be more vibrant than it actually is. Zeiss mode produces images with softer green.

Low-light photos the X flip capture are impressive too. Vivo employs aggressive shadow brightening while ensuring good white balance and color saturation. Different light sources are adequately exposed, and the details are retained. It seems Vivo is proud, and rightly so, of its night mode and decided to apply it to low-light photography by default.

One advantage of a flip phone is that you can prop it up as its own tripod or let your subject see the framing as you take photos. And you can see Vivo puts significant consideration and care in this area. The preview mode shows the cropped view of the framing. Vivo added a dual-preview letting your subject see the cropped picture along with the entire framing by splitting the cover screen into two. This lovely function allows your subject to check the whole composition of the photo and not just the zoomed view of the photo you usually get with flip-cover displays.

You can take selfies with the rear cameras by launching the camera directly from the cover screen or switching to Rear HD Selfie mode from internal camera mode. You can access camera settings like camera timer, aspect ratio, and shutter release mode. For Portrait and video, filters and beauty modes can be applied via the cover display. What’s fun is that you can pinch in to access the ultrawide’s 0.6x on Portrait and Photo via the cover display.

Of course, you can shoot selfies with the internal camera. But with the ability to take selfies with the superior rear cameras, the internal camera will likely be left for video calls only.

As for video recording, Vivo X Flip can shoot up to 4k 60fps with the main camera and up to 4k 30fps with the ultrawide. Both the main and the ultrawide camera are equipped with stabilization. Weirdly, the preview on the cover screen is not available for video. And what is more puzzling is that recording selfie videos with the cover display is limited to 1080p 30fps, and no stabilization is available.

Vivo X Flip packs the largest battery for a flip phone at 4,400 mAh and supports 44 W wired charging. The battery is more than enough to get you through the day. Unfortunately, it does not come with wireless charging capability or an IP rating.

Sustainability

While many smartphone manufacturers are putting efforts into being environmentally responsible, it seems they throw it out of the window when it comes to foldable smartphones. Sadly Vivo is no exception here. For example, Vivo makes no mention of using sustainable or recycled materials on the flip phone or its package.

That said, the X flip is built well and rated to withstand at least 500,000 opens and closes, so it won’t die on you too early. At least if you’re careful. No formal IP dust and water resistant rating is given, though, so you’ll need to take extra measure to keep it away from risky environments. It would be great to see Vivo leading the area of sustainability in this form factor segment, but that doesn’t seem to be on its radar yet.

Value

Currently only available in China, Vivo X Flip is priced at CNY 5999 ($838) for 256GB of storage and CNY 6699 ($936) for 512GB storage. The X Flip has a lot to offer as there are only a few competitors for flip phones out there, and X Flip can be one of the top picks when it was launched. But now, with Motorola Razr+ and its larger, fully functional display, as well as the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip5, the competition is getting stiffer. No global availability and limitations on cover display functionality are major drawbacks that won’t help the situation.

Verdict

Even though the limitation on what apps you can run on the cover screen has left us disappointed, Vivo has done so much right with X Flip. With its sleek design, highly customizable Origin OS 3, excellent camera experience, bright main screen amongst flip phones, beefy battery, and a large and responsive cover screen, Vivo certainly left a mark on the clamshell segment. It’s timing, however, leaves something to be desired, and it will be facing tough rivals in the coming months, even in its exclusive Chinese market.

As foldable phones start to become a little bit more common, it will also become harder for brands to stand out from the growing crowd. There’s definitely still a lot of room for improvement, of course, but many of the features have started to become more standard these days, especially those surrounding the all-important foldable screen. The challenge is even higher when trying to put out a successor to a successful first attempt, with the stakes now higher and the competition even tighter. That’s the difficult task that Vivo had to face in coming up with a successor to its notable first foldable phone, and so we take the Vivo X Fold 2 for a good run to see if it manages to overcome the odds or if it is a victim of the brand’s own success.

Designer: Vivo

Aesthetics

At first glance, the Vivo X Fold 2 immediately sets itself apart with its distinctive and elegant looks. Circular camera bumps seem to be the new trend, but not all styles are as pleasant to look at. Normally, one that isn’t centered would look a bit awkward and unbalanced, but Vivo manages to pull this one off thanks to a neat visual trick.

The non-screen backside of the phone is made from two materials. There’s a vertical strip on the side of the hinge that’s made of glossy glass, serving as an accent to the rest of the surface, which uses that oh-so-familiar faux leather material. Beyond giving the phone a unique visual, it also gives the illusion that the camera enclosure is sitting in the middle rather than off-center. That said, that camera design is a bit of a mixed bag. Its stepped design and textured ring make it stand out a bit less despite its height, but that small LED flash ring sticks out like a sore thumb and breaks the visual flow of the design, not to mention the necessary ZEISS branding that sits like a blue wart below the camera.

The Vivo X Fold 2 is definitely quite a looker, especially in the eye-catching red unit we were given for this review. Compared to its predecessor, it’s supposed to be thinner and lighter, though you won’t be able to easily tell even if you have both devices at hand. It’s definitely on the thin and light side compared to other foldables, but it’s certainly not the top of the pack in that aspect. What it is, however, is large, and it is possibly one of the largest in the foldable market, especially when it comes to screen size.

Like many other foldable phones outside of Samsung, Vivo uses a well-known water drop hinge to help make the crease less visible while also allowing the phone to fold shut completely. In both cases, the Vivo X Fold 2 doesn’t disappoint, but it’s not exactly a groundbreaking feat either. It would be more shocking if it actually did worse since it’s a more or less established technology at this point. Fortunately, you really don’t notice the crease that much unless you intentionally look for it, and the bright and large 8.03-inch inner display will be enough to distract you with the way it shows your content in vibrant and crisp colors, even outdoors under the sun.

Ergonomics

Now that the once ridiculed “phablet” has become the standard smartphone size, even for Apple, it is nearly impossible to use smartphones these days with a single hand. That is especially true for foldable phones, which transform into small tablets that you really need two hands for. When folded closed, however, the phone’s doubled thickness makes it even less comfortable to use with a single hand, no matter how large your hands might be.

This is probably truer for the Vivo X Fold 2 simply because it is larger than any other foldable phone. When folded, the 6.53-inch external display makes the surface area even less unwieldy. Fortunately, the phone’s textured back gives it a better grip than others of its kind. If you’re the type to still worry, though, Vivo includes a protective back case in the same color and, amusingly, the same vegan leather material as the phone itself.

The one thing that’s a bit easy to do with one hand is to unlock the phone. Thanks to housing an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor in the middle of the screen, you don’t have to fiddle with power buttons located on just one side of the phone. This is already a rare sight on foldable phones, but even more impressive is the fact that the Vivo X Fold 2 also has a similar in-display sensor on the inner display.

Performance

The Vivo X Fold 2 is equipped with top-of-the-line hardware you’d expect from a premium flagship this time of the year. That means a beefy Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB or 512GB of storage. What all these figures mean in practice is that it won’t be lacking in power, handling anything you throw at it with aplomb. There is, however, one caveat where the phone gets quite warm when playing graphics-intensive titles. It’s not hot enough to burn your skin, but it might make you want to pause the game a bit, especially since it would eventually affect frame rates.

The phone is equipped with a dual battery that totals 4,800mAh, quite a generous capacity as far as foldables go. Given the power and the two displays, however, you are going to see a shorter uptime compared to normal slabs with the same battery size. Vivo makes up for it with a 120W ultra-fast charging capability that’s one of the fastest in the industry, foldable or otherwise. Unfortunately, that may have come at the price of Vivo downgrading the USB-C port from version 3.2 of its predecessor to an older 2.0 technology. Not only does this mean it has a slower data transfer rate, it also loses the ability to output video through that part. The latter is probably less important to most people compared to faster charging times, but it’s still an unfortunate downgrade nonetheless.

The crowning glory of the Vivo X Fold 2 is, of course, its foldable screen, which is currently the biggest in its category. It has quite an impressive performance, especially when it comes to brightness, but its size does come with a price. It has an overall lower pixel density, and while you won’t be able to make out individual pixels, more discerning eyes might notice the step down in quality compared to other foldables. Fortunately, that doesn’t take away from the enjoyable viewing experience, whether you’re watching videos or reading documents.

Foldable phones haven’t exactly been at the height of mobile photography, mostly because of the sacrifices that have to be made in terms of design and price. Vivo, however, is quite known for its smartphone cameras, especially with its flagship X family, so you’d expect that the X Fold 2 would rise above the rest in this regard as well. Just like the rest of the phone so far, however, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. It definitely takes impressive photos and videos, but they won’t sweep you off your feet, especially when it comes to close-up shots.

The main 50MP camera might not sound like the greatest, but it gets the job done without breaking a sweat. Images have plenty of details, and colors are bright, perhaps even too vibrant for some tastes. Vivo has again partnered with ZEISS for the optics as well as some special camera modes, and those turn out to be more color accurate. The main camera delivers plenty of detail, even in low light, to the point that the dedicated Night Mode might look redundant as long as there is enough illumination from the surroundings.

Unfortunately, the other cameras are less impressive. The 12MP ultra-wide is so-so, and it’s no better nor worse compared to other 12MP ultra-wide cameras you’d find on most smartphones these days. Things take a rather sad turn with the telephoto camera, though. Where there were once two, there is now only one, and Vivo removed the one that was actually more interesting. There is no longer a periscope telephoto camera, leaving only a 12MP shooter in its stead that is capable of doing a measly 2x optical zoom. Many “main” cameras are capable of that much, which makes this camera feel redundant. As for output, it’s decent enough to be usable, but it’s a few steps short of what fans have come to expect from Vivo.

As for software, the Vivo X Fold 2 comes with Origin OS based on Android 13, which is the China-exclusive flavor that Vivo ships on its phones. This means that there is no Google Play Store pre-installed, though you can definitely install it through other means and get access to your favorite apps. Alas, Origin OS is also filled to the brim with other pre-installed apps, but that, too, is the norm for phones coming from that market. The even bigger concern, however, is how the custom Android experience feels a little rough around the edges as far as support for foldable features is concerned. Given it’s just the company’s second stab at the form factor, it’s a bit understandable, and it will hopefully push out improvements quickly while the phone is still actively supported.

Sustainability

While the Vivo X Fold 2 is able to set itself apart from the others in terms of design, it isn’t that different when it comes to its effects on the environment. The choice of vegan or eco-leather is definitely a good one, but its positive effects are quite minimal compared to the other materials that make up the phone and its packaging. Vivo’s super-fast charging requires a proprietary charger, so it’s unavoidable to ship one in the box.

Sustainability wouldn’t be so bad if the product is made to last, but even then, this foldable might raise some concerns. There is no formal IP dust and water resistance rating, not even a formal assurance of its durability under the most common accidents. Granted, there are few foldable phones aside from Samsung and Huawei that can make such promises, but it is also an opportunity for brands like Vivo to step up their game and prove that they’re no small fry when it comes to providing their customers with peace of mind.

Value

The Vivo X Fold 2 is a bit of a mixed bag. It has a striking design that makes it memorable and attractive, and it also has the power to support all your mobile needs, from browsing to photography to gaming. The larger screens leave plenty of room for your content, or even two of them for the inner foldable screen. There are special features you won’t find in other foldable phones, like an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint scanner and a physical switch to silence notifications, ala the iPhone. We have a few complaints, of course, but nothing so glaring as to make the phone something to avoid.

That said, the biggest deal breaker for this stylish foldable is the fact that only a select number of people will be able to buy one in the first place. Never mind the roughly $1,300 price tag, the Vivo X Fold 2 isn’t even available in markets outside of China. Whether that situation will change, Vivo isn’t saying, but it will definitely need a more polished Funtouch OS experience to improve its reception in international markets.

Verdict

At this point, almost all the major smartphone players except Apple have entered the foldable smartphone market. The competition will soon be just as fierce as it is in the “normal” smartphone arena. With many of them having nearly the same hinges and almost crease-free displays, manufacturers will have to find ways to differentiate their products in other ways that create better value for their customers. That doesn’t always have to be new hardware or gimmicky features. Sometimes, just having a powerful and beautiful device is enough to get people to buy. Just ask Apple!

The Vivo X Fold 2 clearly tries to reach those goalposts. Its elegant design actually makes the off-center circular camera bump work in a simple yet memorable way. In addition to its powerful hardware, the foldable phone offers unique features as well, like larger screens and in-display fingerprint sensors that even industry leaders failed to offer. Unfortunately, Vivo seems to also have cut a few corners in the process, and while they’re not deal-breakers on their own, they make the experience less than ideal altogether. As a successor, the Vivo X Fold 2 definitely rises to the challenge, but Vivo will need to step up its game to really leave a lasting mark in this growing market.

Aki Ukita and JC Torres contributed to this review.

It’s hard to put a price on poise, on stateliness and presence. I can quantify cargo space and performance figures until I’m blue in the face, but some vehicles offer something a little bit more, something a lot less substantial though no less important.

The Range Rover is absolutely one of those vehicles. Though it has evolved incredibly over the generations, the position it has earned as a posh all-roader has remained strong over the last few generations. What you see here is the latest, fifth generation installment, the most refined and luxurious Range Rover yet and, under the skin at least, the most advanced.

Understated elegance

Take a passing glance and you might not even notice that anything has changed, but closer examination shows that this new Range Rover is quite radically evolved, controversially so. Everything here is smooth to an extreme, winged eyeliner on those now narrower headlights extending mid-way back over the front fenders while the rest of the nose details have been minimized.

The nose is smooth, as is much of the rest of the car, with very little detailing applied to break up the giant swaths of bodywork that cover this 17-foot-long, six-foot-tall SUV. Many have called it too understated, but to my eye at least it looks far from boring.

About the only highlight on that long, gentle journey from nose to tail is the vertical slat detailing on both front doors, a seeming reference to the fender vents on the third-generation L322 Range Rover. Beyond that, even the flares over the giant 23-inch rear wheels are slim.

Above the belt-line, the Range Rover is entirely blacked out, dark tint paired with black paint on roof and pillars creating a simple, clean look. In fact, much of the brightwork on this First Edition Range Rover is darkened, part of a $1,000 options package.

The SUV terminates with a set of taillights that are Lilliputian in comparison to the rest of the Range Rover’s proportions, curiously sized and positioned. It’s a bit odd, much like the new Defender’s tails seem mis-sized, but again like on the Defender somehow it all works. The whole package is stately and sophisticated, especially in the Champagne-like matte Sunset Gold Satin hue here. Even covered in winter road salt it looked good, and that’s not something you can say for most cars.

Interior appointments abound

I’m not convinced that the interior would look so good with similar amounts of muck and grime. The warm, white leather that extends from headliner to floor definitely defines this particular Range Rover as more of a limousine than a proper utility vehicle, but given the extent of the comfort appointments here, that’s appropriate.

This Rover has the Executive Class Comfort package, offering proper executive seating in the rear with massaging for both second-row passengers and even an extending footrest for the right-rear. Shame, though, that there just doesn’t seem to be quite enough legroom to really enjoy it in this short wheelbase model. With the seatback-mounted display units, which can stream media from HDMI, sitting in the back can feel just a little bit claustrophobic despite the generous headroom.

The seats pose another problem should you actually want to carry anything in your Range Rover: they don’t fold flat. Yes, they do fold, automatically even, going through a carefully choreographed sequence of motions and clicks as various latches engage and disengage, but at best they only fold to about a 30-degree angle. Worse, with those seatback displays protruding, they won’t fold without awkwardly pushing front seat occupants forward. Yet more evidence that this particular Range Rover configuration is designed for hauling people.

Up front, driver and passenger have similarly appointed thrones, with five separate massaging routines, each with customizable direction and intensity. Seat heaters are likewise intense and the heated armrests a nice touch on cold days. There are physical, tactile controls for seat heating and cooling, Lang Rover’s dual-purpose knobs that also control HVAC settings, but to fiddle with the massage settings or any of the other hundreds of options here you’ll need to dig into the 13.1-inch touchscreen that floats above the dashboard.

Tech and infotainment

Land Rover’s Pivi Pro infotainment system feels quite solid and responsive, offering plenty of configurability as well as quick access to things you’ll need quickly, like parking cameras — bolstered here by a neat feature that turns your car transparent to let you see what you’re driving over. Though I found the voice recognition infuriatingly obtuse, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay obviate that to a good degree.

Behind the steering wheel is a 13.7-inch, dynamic gauge cluster with three different views: a barebones Focused mode, the traditional Dials mode, and a full-screen nav view. That’s controlled by a touch-sensitive pad that rests beneath your left thumb, while a similar pad on the right handles cruise control. There is at least a physical roller for volume on the left and a rocker on the right for adjusting cruise-control speed, but in general these touch surfaces are hard to use without looking down, a big step backwards from previous tactile controls.

In fact the cabin is remarkably free of buttons and knobs. Yes, there’s still a tactile volume knob down in the center between seats, and a drive mode knob as well that pops up if you want it, but just about everything else has been consumed by the touchscreen and various other touch surfaces. Even the seat adjustment controls have capacitive touch pads for setting memory.

Other than the on-wheel controls it all works well enough, and it looks good, too. Again I fear the longevity of leather interiors of this color in an SUV, but then the people who buy these are rarely too concerned about long-term viability, and in the moment everything looks stark, clean, and sophisticated. It all feels good, too. Materials everywhere are top-notch, even the headliner and the insides of the pockets in the doors, doors which must be the heaviest portals known to man. Park on an incline and be prepared to throw your weight behind these things to get out.

Ride quality

On the move, everything is quiet and calm and composed. Part of the appeal of those giant rear seats is that they’re actually positioned ahead of a sort of rear bulkhead. That’s I’m sure partly why the rear legroom is a bit compromised, but it does help to cut out the excessive road noise that SUVs can offer. That makes for a fine soundstage for the 29-speaker Meridian sound system, which doesn’t shout for your attention like some premium audio systems, but it deserves respect just the same.

Ride quality is similarly relaxed, with just a hint of stiffness on bigger bumps to remind you that this is indeed a very capable off-roader. Locking differentials front, center, and rear help keep the power moving where it’s needed, while eight separate modes ensure you’ll have just the right amount of throttle response and suspension compliance for whatever you need. There’s even automatic wade sensing for those everyday fording opportunities, an off-road specific heads-up display mode, and the ability to make four different custom configurations. This is, as ever, the perfect companion for posh off-roading.

In its most aggressive on-road mode the Range Rover is certainly willing in this, the P530 engine configuration, the 523-horsepower, 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 not offering much in the way of throttle response. But, give it a moment to build boost and this massive machine surges forward. This is the sort of car that will usher you up to speed quickly and just keep piling on velocity if you’re not careful. It’ll just keep drinking more and more fuel, too. The P530 is rated for 16 mpg city, 21 highway and 18 combined. I netted 20.5 mpg in my testing, most of which was spent on the highway.

Best to use the cruise control, then. It’s adaptive, of course, and works quite well at maintaining speed smoothly in traffic. Sadly, the active lane-keep system doesn’t work so well. It had a tendency to wander in the lane, sometimes jerking the wheel abruptly, which is unpleasant in a big SUV. It seemed to frequently confuse asphalt snakes for line markings, especially at dusk, which left me turning the system off unless visibility was pristine.

Other active safety systems include active blind spot monitoring, automatic emergency braking front and rear with pedestrian detection, and occupancy alerts to ensure nothing (and nobody) gets left behind.

Pricing and Options

This First Edition Range Rover was well optioned and priced appropriately, $158,200 to start but stickering at $169,900 with $7,450 for the Sunset Gold Satin paint (exorbitant but worth it), $1,000 for the blacked out detailing, another $1,000 for the blacked out roof, $900 for the 23-inch wheels, and another $1,350 for delivery.

For that money you could cross-shop this with something like a Mercedes-Benz GLS or even an Alpina XB7. That’s some luxe competition, in many ways even more posh and comforting.

But then they’re not Range Rovers, without the presence, off-road capability, and frankly the dimensions of this thing. There aren’t many SUVs out there with true pedigree, and above all else that’s what the Range Rover delivers in spades.