mifone l58 smartwatch review

The smartwatch market is becoming more and more affordable with the recent influx of budget devices. Those who don’t want to spend upwards of $300 have the option of sacrificing features for a lower price. Smartwatches have matured to the point that even cheaper options like the Mifone are viable.

Basic/entry level smartwatches sometimes make the mistake of sacrificing design when trying to cut costs, and most of the time, this is a mistake. Without killer specs to push the product to the forefront, a low cost just isn’t going to cut it. Something that is cheap, doesn’t have killer specs and doesn’t look elegant definitely isn’t going to attract any attention at all.

Enter the Mifone L58 smartwatch. It doesn’t have killer specs, but it is “killer cheap”. Starting at just $17, it costs the same as two Venti lattes. And it looks pretty good. So without further ado, let’s get into the review of the Mifone L58 smartwatch.

Design and Materials

The online photos that the Mifone released actually look a tiny bit different than the product does in real life. The online photos taken do look better than the product in real life, mainly because the glass is more domed than the photos suggest. It does give it a kind of retro 1920s UFO look, but regardless it still looks a lot better than your average fitness band and looks like an actual watch. It’s pretty well made, the watch body is made out of CnC’ed aluminum and feels pretty decent. The watch band is fluoroelastomer, which is the default rubber material for watch straps, but feels pretty good. It’s also IP67 waterproof, which means dust tight and waterproof up to 1m underwater, as the entire watch is fully sealed without any need for flaps to cover ports. I didn’t have a 1 meter deep bucket, but I dropped it into a cup of water and it still functions. The charging port is located on the bottom of the watch and there is a charger included in the package. The charger is magnetic and snaps on to the watch without a need for plugging in, which is a really nice touch by the manufacturer. There is no power button, and just one capacitive area right around here that cycles through all the required info. Overall this smartwatch is one of the few smart devices that is decent looking, and it’s well made.

This watch is incredibly light, weighing in at around 30g, mostly due to the relatively lightweight aluminum and rubber strap. I don’t find weight to be that much of an issue but as someone with smaller hands and wrists, high end smartwatches are mostly too big for me, and that includes the Apple Watch, the Huawei Watch and the LG G Watch Urbane. This watch fits me perfectly, but if you are a petite person, I suspect this might still be a little too large for you.

Display

 The panel is a little misleading. While the entire watch face is black, only the middle square is the actual OLED panel. I had hoped the entire thing was a screen, but big round OLEDs probably cost too much for the $16 price tag. You can see the screen in almost all conditions, except in bright sunlight, in which case you almost can’t see the screen at all. Resolution also isn’t that high, but it’s high enough to form icons. I doubt many people will be impressed by the screen at all, as this screen just isn’t that good, but it’s justified for the low price tag.

Battery

We have a Li-polymer battery with a capacity of 120 mAh, that can be charged to 100% around 2 hours. Battery life is good. I tried running down the battery and it took me about 4 days of intensive use before the battery died. A week of normal use seems attainable, however the manufacturer’s estimate of 1 month of standby, that seems a little farfetched. Let’s move on to talk about the software.

Features

Everything software related is taken care of by the companion app which you can download and install from the Apple App store and Google play store . The app itself is a mix of Chinese and English, but should be easy enough to figure out. Even the Bluetooth pairing is done within the app, and if you kill the app the Bluetooth connection breaks. Once paired, you can receive notifications and transfer fitness data to the phone.

Functionality here isn’t groundbreaking and definitely doesn’t measure up to a full featured smartwatch, and just remember that we’re talking about a $16 smartwatch. However, you can expect something on the level of fitness band functionalities.

First off, we have the health/sport related functions, this function set is a standard feature in any smartwatch/fitness band. This group of features consists of the calorie tracker, a pedometer, and the trajectory record; this will help you out a lot when you’re done with an exercise session, allowing you to know how many calories were burnt in that session and, in case that you were using the treadmill, it will tell us the exact distance that we traveled. I found the pedometer pretty accurate, but the calorie tracker, not so much.

It also features sleep monitor; but I don’t sleep with smartwatches so I didn’t use it then.

This smartwatch will let us know when we’re being called, and thanks to the caller ID, we can see the name of the person who’s calling us as long as we have them in our phonebook. It will also let us know when we have an SMS or any other kind of message on our phone. However, the info on each notification is pretty sparse, it only shows you who messaged you and does not show you the message itself.

There is also a remote camera feature where tapping on the watch snaps a photo on your phone, not that useful, but pretty cool.

Specifications

Hardware	Brand: MIFONE Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 4.0 RAM: 64MB ROM: 128MB Waterproof: Yes IP rating: IP67
Functions	Bluetooth calling: Caller’s name display,Phone call reminder Messaging: Message reminder Health tracker: Pedometer,Sleep monitor Remote control function: Remote Camera Notification: Yes Notification type: We-chat Anti-lost: Yes Alert type: Vibration Locking screen : 1 Other function: Alarm
Screen	Screen: OLED Screen resolution: 64 x 48 Screen size: 0.66 inch Operating mode: Touch Screen
Battery	Type of battery: Li-polymer Battery Battery Capacity: 120mAh Charging time: About 2hours Standby time: About 30 Days
General	People: Female table,Male table
Dial and Band	Shape of the dial: Round Case material: Aluminum Band material: Fluoroelastomer
Features	Compatible OS: Android,IOS Compatibility: Android 4.0 – 6.0 and iOS 7.0 – 9.3 system Language: Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch,English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian,Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese,Romanian,Russian,Simplified Chinese,Slovak, Slovenia, Spanish, Swedish, Thai,Traditional Chinese,Turkish,Ukrainian,Vietnamese Available color: Black,White
Weight and Size	Dial size: 4 x 0.68 cm / 1.57 x 0.27 inches Band size: 22.8 x 1.8 cm / 8.98 x 0.71 inches Product size (L x W x H): 22.80 x 4.00 x 0.68 cm / 8.98 x 1.57 x 0.27 inches Package size (L x W x H): 8.50 x 8.50 x 4.50 cm / 3.35 x 3.35 x 1.77 inches Product weight: 0.030 kg Package weight: 0.090 kg
Package Contents	Package Contents: 1 x MiFone L58 Smart Watch, 1 x Magnetic Buckle Charging Cable, 1 x Chinese-English User Manual

iphone 6S review

Apple's tagline for the iPhone 6S is 'the only thing that's changed is everything', highlighting that the brand knows this is a phone that looks an awful lot like 2014's model.

It makes sense that Apple would try its hardest to show that, despite the handset looking identical to the iphone 6, there have been loads of changes under the hood that make this an attractive phone in its own right.

The chassis is stronger, the camera sharper – with a new Harry Potter-esque way of capturing your snaps – and there's even a completely new way of interacting with the screen. On paper, it's an impressive upgrade.

But when it looks identical to the iPhone 6, people will be desperate to know if the iPhone 6S is enough of an upgrade to justify the price. While the upgrades seem great, is it worth going all the way up to the iPhone 6S, or would the 6 do?

In terms of raw price, we're in a weird situation now. Samsung and the rest of the Android crew have been slowly ratcheting up the price of their high-end phones to the point where they're actually eclipsing the iPhone 6S at launch.

While Apple put its phone into a market where the Galaxy S6 was significantly cheaper there are new boys on the block in the form of the Galaxy S7, LG G5 and HTC10. Either way, the iPhone 6S has a lot to live up to.

In the UK you'll likely have to part with between £50 and £100 upfront to get the phone for £36-£38 per month (if you want a decent slug of data and minutes) with the 6S starting at £539 (US$649, AU$1,079) for the 16GB model, £619 (US$749, AU$1,229) for the 64GB model and £699 (US$849, AU$1,379) for 128GB.

It starts at $649 if you're looking to pick it up off contract in the US, with the new $32.45 monthly cost if you're thinking of getting locked into Apple's yearly upgrade plan.

In reality though, the question of who this phone is aimed at isn't that hard to answer: for most people stuck on the iPhone 5S it's clearly the upgrade they're considering, although the recent arrival of the iphone se will surely tempt some of those users who want to stick with the smaller form factor.

Beyond that there's the disgruntled Android owner who's tired of looking at the slicker app experience Apple offers and seeing their own handset looking sketchy in comparison.

(Of course, there are a few people that tried Windows Phones as experiments, but they'd probably be happy with just about any other phone if they're still using a nokia lumia).

The issue Apple is trying to solve with the iPhone 6S (and the 6S Plus) is how it can convince users, especially in a market saturated with really rather brilliant smartphones, that the 'S' variant of the impressive iPhone 6 is a worthy phone to upgrade to in its own right.

When something is so visually similar, the onus is on the brand to show that the upgrades are really worth the extra cash.

The iPhone 7 is just months away too, so unless you must have the very latest iPhone right now you might want to hold out just a bit longer. Why? The iPhone 7 is set to bring an updated design, more power and an improved camera. And if that doesn't float your boat the 6S will drop in price too, so it's win win!

Design

The iPhone 6S is almost identical to the 6 in every way when it comes to the chassis. There are some very subtle differences, such as a slightly thicker frame and a little more heft, but it's so slight that I kept getting the two mixed up when doing side by side comparisons.

All cases fit both phones just fine too so, apart from a small S logo on the back of the phone, nobody is going to notice you've got the latest iPhone.

But there will be lots of you upgrading from the iPhone 5S, and in that case you'll need to be ready for a really big design change. The metallic chassis feels really nice in the hand, with a ceramic-like feeling on the outside (although if it's anything like the 6 then this can scuff over time if you keep it in a pocket with keys, so you'll need to think about the kind of case you'll want to keep it safe).

If you're not ready to take the leap to the new, bigger form factor, Apple has the new iPhone SE to satisfy your 4-inch cravings.

One of the things that Apple is touting is the fact the iPhone 6S is made of 7000 series aluminum, which is the strongest thing it's ever used in iPhone construction. The obvious connection people will make is with 'Bendgate', when some users claimed their new phone had developed a slight curve in their pocket without much pressure.

The common belief was that these phones began to twist when placed in a rear pocket and sat upon. While it was proven that other metal phones actually were worse when it came to bending Apple didn't come out of the controversy well.

So it's no surprise that, while the company won't admit the real reason, the new iPhone is strong and never going to bend with such pressure. However, I feel like that we shouldn't feel happy our phones no longer bend – this seems like one of the minimum expectations I'd have of a smartphone, not a compelling reason to buy it.

The front of the phone is now covered in a new level of strength, with a glass that's far less prone to shattering when dropped on the floor – now that's something I can get behind. We've not drop tested it - we'll leave that to some other, braver reviewer - if the screen is stronger the responsiveness hasn't dropped.

In the hand, the iPhone 6S still feels like a dream. Even with the extra 14g over the iPhone it feels lightweight, easy to manipulate and really warrants the price. Samsung's new Galaxy s7 edge invokes the same kind of feeling, and with it you don't mind spending the extra money over a more budget phone.

In terms of design, if you've seen the iPhone 6 then you've seen the 6S. The volume buttons, the power key, the silencer switch and the speaker are all in the same place as its predecessor, with the grille at the bottom very easy to cover when you're watching videos or playing games in landscape.

If you're using the 5S, this is leagues ahead. The construction is good, the materials solid and there's no wiggle in the buttons at all. While you probably never bent your 5S, the idea that the iPhone 6S is stronger will probably please you, however unnecessary the claim is.

Apple's not done anything great with the design of the iPhone 6S, but the iPhone 6 was such a well-created phone that using the same chassis isn't going to harm its chances of success.

However, combined with the higher price and the continued presence of the iPhone 6, I wish we were at least seeing some retooling of the phone to make it seem more attractive.

Screen

The screen on the iPhone 6S seems to be identical to the iPhone 6's: we're talking a 4.7-inch affair with 750p resolution, which keeps it firmly in the 'Retina' range that the firm debuted all the way back with the  iPhone 4.

It's hard to rate the display, as while it fails on resolution (quite spectacularly actually - phones a seventh the cost of the iPhone 6S offer 1080p screens, Samsung's cheaper phone has four times the resolution of the 6S and Sony has, inexplicably, launched a 4K phone) it doesn't drop too badly on performance.

The iPhone 6S display is clear, bright, laminated to the glass and insanely colorful. The first time I saw it on the iPhone 6 I thought it was a fake picture stuck on top of a dummy unit, such was the clarity on offer.

So to use the same thing on the iPhone 6S makes sense - after all, the lower pixel count means it can be thinner and the battery can last longer, thanks to having fewer pixels to drive.

But there are some things missing: for instance, the contrast ratio (the difference between the brightest and darkest parts of the screen) is still poor, with the black areas looking a little grey. Samsung's Galaxy range predominantly uses OLED technology, which offers 'true' blacks and high brightness and packs a much better visual punch, and would have suited the iPhone down to the ground.

The sharpness in side by side tests is clearly lower too - the 326 pixels per inch is very low even compared the 401ppi of the iPhone 6S Plus - and most other models are over 500ppi to bring really, really clear displays.

Given OLED technology is used in the Apple Watch - and admittedly it looks brilliant - it's a shame the same thing couldn't have been done with the iPhone 6S.

It's important not to get too hung up on screen resolution in a phone - after all, if it's not serving a purpose (hey, Sony?) then it's just wasting battery. But the industry has moved on, and the higher pixel densities on offer are starting to really bring something to the table, with apps and general use looking pin sharp.

Here's hoping the iphone7 makes a massive jump forward to join the rest of the pack.

review Xbox One S

When Phil Spencer told a small panel at Microsoft's Build Developer Conference he wasn't "a big fan of Xbox One and a half," I had almost given up hope on a smaller console coming our way in 2016 despite the mountain of evidence that pointed to its existence.

The Xbox One S – or Xbox One Slim, as it's more colloquially referred to – has been a rumor for some time, but it wasn't until E3 2016 that we got all the details on Microsoft's mini machine.

At first glance, it's a radically different console, almost to the point that it'd be unrecognizable without the signature Xbox One jewel. It's a thin, angular box the size of a Blu-ray player with a porous white exterior and a reconfigured button arrangement that's more pragmatic than its predecessor.

We knew it'd be smaller, and that turns out to be true. To quantify that point, it's actually 40% smaller than the original. The system can now stand upright, a feat that you'd never want to try with the first one.

And, the touch-capacitive eject and power buttons have been replaced with more logical – and accident-proof – physical ones.

We had hoped it'd be able to stream 4K High Dynamic Range (HDR) content, which it does. And, we hoped that it'd replace the already obsolete HDMI 1.4 port with a new HDMI 2.0a connector, which it did.

What that means is you'll be able to stream Netflix and Amazon Instant in 4K HDR, while using the upgraded internal Blu-ray player to read the next generation of physical media.

Even better, we recently found out that the Xbox One S can actually upscale games from 1080p to 4K.

What we didn't see coming was the Xbox One S's ability to play games in HDR and at slightly higher framerates – something no other game console on the planet is currently capable of – or that it'd cost just as much as the original Xbox One, starting at $299 (£249).

However, all of these features that we've been craving for have come with a trade-off: the new Xbox One S forgot – or forgoed – a standard Kinect port on the console. In order to use the Kinect, the Xbox One S requires you to pick up a USB adapter, which Microsoft has said it will provide to anyone who asks for one.

While the lack of Kinect capabilities will affect very few gamers, the removal of a Kinect port is one last kick in the pants for all the gamers forced into buying the more expensive console bundle two short years ago.

But, the latest update coming to the Xbox one platform – also coming in August – ensures that for whatever the Xbox One S is lacking in hardware, it will make up for with software.

Design

Advanced electrical engineering. Moore's Law. A miracle. Call it whatever you want, but the Xbox One S defies what we thought was possible, integrating a massive power supply and an expansive 2TB hard drive into a chassis one-fourth the size of the original.

How Microsoft pulled it off, I'll never know.

Well ... actually, I might. Something tells me it has to do with porous siding that allows for better airflow. This would enable Microsoft to use a smaller fan – in tandem with the repositioning of the hard drive directly behind the disc tray, instead of in the back right corner.

Moving the hard drive allows the power brick (essentially a power supply unit that you'd find in a desktop PC) to be seated inside the console instead of sitting next to it, creating unnecessary clutter on your entertainment shelf.

While components have shifted on the inside of the box, the shell of the system has undergone a transformation of its own.

Again there are two physical buttons in place of the capacitive touch buttons for power and eject on the face of the console, and the sync and USB 3.0 ports have been brought from the side of the unit to the lower half of the front face.

There's an IR blaster on the front of the console that allows you to turn on other devices, like your TV, audio/video receiver and cable/satellite box.

The only thing missing is that standard port for Kinect, which I mentioned earlier.

Also, if you like your consoles in loud color schemes – or anything other than white – you're out of luck. Microsoft has only announced one color so far but, thanks to the new Xbox Design Program, at least you can make controllers in any fashion that you'd like.

Performance

What's slightly odd about the Xbox One S is that Phil Spencer recently said Microsoft would only move forward with a new console if it did so in "big numbers".

Now, not to poke holes in what Spencer says or dwell too much on an off-handed remark, but – from everything I've seen – the Xbox One S is more than a minor improvement, but less than a full-on upgrade.

What I mean is that 4K streaming and HDR gameplay are large enough updates to upset anyone who's bought an Xbox One in the last six months, but not enough of an upgrade to warrant a casual Xbox One owner to run to the store and buy it.

That said, alongside the HDR compatibility, the One S also features a more powerful CPU and GPU than the standard Xbox One, which may result in higher frame rates in some games. Whether this performance boost becomes widespread is unclear at this point, but Gears of War 4 apparently benefits from the upgraded hardware.

The takeaway here is that some games will be HDR capable, others will not, and it will be up to developers to enable the feature on a game-by-game basis.

Whether the improved processor and graphics drastically alter gameplay hasn't been fully explained at this point, and it's something that could potentially splinter the Xbox One audience. Some games might play amazingly on Xbox One S, with HDR running at 60 frames per second, while on the original Xbox One they'll jitter and display poorer colors.

It's not necessarily going to happen, but it's certainly a possibility.

Also, it's worth noting that the Xbox One S should not be confused with Project Scorpio , which was announced by Microsoft at E3 and given a late 2017 release window. The company is promising that the new console will be the most powerful ever when it launches, with six teraflops of graphical performance, nearly five times that of the current Xbox One.

The Xbox One S also ships with a slightly refined version of the standard Xbox One gamepad that features a textured grip, built-in Bluetooth and increased range for those sitting a bit further away from the screen.

The controller looks like it will feel fairly similar to the Xbox One gamepad you already know and love. I say "looks" because, at a private event held after Microsoft's keynote, journalists weren't allowed to actually touch and hold it for themselves.

The major and most immediate change will be the textured back that you might have seen on the Xbox One Elite Wireless Controller. The upgrade to the S would've made for the perfect time to switch the controller's power source from batteries to a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery, but that's not in the cards this time around.

Early verdict

It's hard to find anything wrong with the Xbox One S. By all accounts, it's a slimmer, sleeker and sexier console than what we see on store shelves today. Given all the advancements, it's hard to fathom how Microsoft plans on selling it for the same price as the current hardware.

Of course, the obvious downside is that anyone who recently bought an Xbox One is now faced with a difficult and expensive decision: is the upgraded performance, 4K HDR streaming and 2TB of storage worth re-buying the system?

Thankfully, there's time to think about it over a few matches of non-HDR Halo 5, as the first round of 2TB consoles won't start shipping until an undisclosed date in August.