Latest news with #ArcUltra
Mint
6 hours ago
- Mint
Top 5 gadget reviews of July 2025: Smart rings, soundbars, and surprising firsts
July turned out to be a packed month for reviews, cutting across categories and price ranges. From the first smart ring I tested to an ultra-premium sound system and budget-friendly 4K TV, the line-up had one thing in common: each product tried to carve out its own space with unique features and experiences. Pebble's Halo smart ring brought style and novelty into the wearable game. Lightweight and fashionable, it scores high on comfort but leaves room for improvement in accuracy and tracking depth. It's a product that signals where smart rings might be headed, rather than what they can fully achieve today. A solid smartwatch with a premium feel, reliable tracking, and a display that's easy on the eyes even in sunlight. Battery life stretched past five days, and its subtle design makes it ideal for working professionals who want functionality without the flash. Compact and stylish earbuds with decent ANC and balanced bass that shines only in certain tracks. Comfortable for daily use, though serious audiophiles will find the performance flat. A good choice for casual listeners, commuters, and anyone who values the Skullcandy brand style. A true premium experience. The Arc Ultra soundbar paired with the Sub 4 impressed with deep, precise audio and an immersive setup, especially noticeable at lower volumes. The steep pricing and heavy build may limit its reach, but for first-time Sonos buyers, the performance speaks for itself. Read the full review here Budget brilliance in a 4K package. The Acer VPro 55 stood out for its bold design and sharp display, making it a strong contender in the entry-level big-screen category. Great value for those who want size and clarity without overspending. From a new category like smart rings to premium audio and value TVs, July's reviews proved how diverse tech can be. Each device had its own USP, whether in design, portability, or sheer performance. August already looks promising, expect more reviews that dig into fresh launches across wearables, laptops, and beyond.
Tom's Guide
12-08-2025
- Tom's Guide
Wi-Fi headphones are coming: Here's why they'll change how you listen to music, and how they're going to work
The Sonos Ace are notable for a few reasons, but there's one feature that stands out amongst the rest. Sonos' ability to switch audio seamlessly from a compatible soundbar to the headphones is interesting not in its function, but in how it works. Rather than a simple Bluetooth connection between the headphones and, for example, an Arc Ultra soundbar, it uses a form of Wi-Fi to get a better sound and greater bandwidth for spatial audio. Wi-Fi has greater potential in the headphones space than audio swap, of course. Imagine better battery life, improved sound quality, and better gaming performance, to name but a few examples. But why haven't we seen it take off in the headphones space after Sonos proved you could fit a Wi-Fi antenna in your cans? As you might expect, the answer is fairly complicated — although there is plenty of evidence to show us that Wi-Fi headphones are coming. Bluetooth is getting older and older by the year, and its weaknesses become ever-more evident. The future, then, looks Wi-Fi-flavored. But what does that mean? Bluetooth, while very useful and infinitely improved thanks to years (decades) worth of updates, still has many limitations when it comes to a wireless connection. It has to carry loads of information over a very dated system, with more strain than ever, thanks to ever-increasing bit rates and features like aptX. You can see it in action — go and listen to some music on your laptop, and then boot up a Google Meet call. You'll notice the quality of the music plummets, because the connection now has to handle both the music and the signal the microphone built into your headphones is sending to your computer. Wi-Fi looks to negate these issues with a more robust connection method. Even older versions of Wi-Fi are capable of sending much larger data packages, without any kind of hiccups or issues. For internet connections, that means 4K YouTube videos piped to your phone or laptop, and for headphones, it could mean lower latency for gaming, better sound for audiophiles, and potentially even better battery life as well. At the moment, we've little reference to go from when it comes to how a Wi-Fi connection could work with headphones and earbuds. It would likely use the Wi-Fi chips inside your device to connect, although it's more likely to be through dongles and other devices at first. While Sonos has found a way to use Wi-Fi for a connection between its headphones and soundbars, that's only available for compatible devices, built with this specific feature in mind. Perhaps in the future, we'll see headphones that connect via Wi-Fi just as your current best headphones connect over Bluetooth. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. OK, so it's very unlikely that we're going to see a new pair of Sony, Bose or Apple headphones land with a Wi-Fi connection right away. The technology just doesn't seem to be all that well-formed yet, and those are firms that only release features that are fully fledged. If they're going to make any products with Wi-Fi, it's going to have to work out of the box. Instead, our attention should shift to smaller brands, particularly those from China. That's where some of the biggest innovation tends to happen, as these firms stay as up-to-date as possible with different features so they can stand out in an increasingly busy space. It's likely here, alongside Bluetooth 6 and other new tech, that we'll see Wi-Fi connected headphones. There have been some models that look to Wi-Fi that aren't out yet. Most notably, we saw the 1More Sonoflow Max at CES 2025, which look to make your music sound better with the new connection. We've also got the AKG N9, which use a 2.4GHz dongle for a Wi-Fi-like connection. As yet, however, there's nothing on the way that says "look at me! I'm a pair of Wi-Fi headphones you can buy and use!" Wi-Fi headphones, we are told, are coming. But the question is not if, it's when! Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Yahoo
11-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sonos Confirms Tariff-Driven Price Hikes Are Coming Later This Year
If you've been eyeing a Sonos speaker, now might be a good time to buy. In its latest earnings report, the company has announced plans to raise prices across its product range later this year. The price hikes, as Bloomberg reports, are in response to incoming reciprocal tariffs on Vietnam and Malaysia. These countries manufacture most US-bound Sonos products, and they were hit with 20% and 19% tariffs, respectively, last week. Sonos also relies on China for a few accessories, such as speaker stands and Sonance co-branded products, but they "are a very small part of our total business," the company says in its earnings report. The exact names of impacted products or the extent of the hike are yet to be revealed. Sonos products are already priced at a premium, and the planned hikes might just push them further up the high-end bracket. "I think the best way to think about what we're trying to do here strategically is to craft a pricing plan that supports our goal of optimizing growth profit dollars," CEO Tom Conrad said, while responding to an analyst's question. Notably, the company hasn't released a product since the Arc Ultra soundbar in October, much thanks to the mobile app disaster it had last year. An app update had caused significant problems with features like adding songs to a queue, volume sliders, sleep timers, alarms, Wi-Fi connectivity, and more. Former CEO Patrick Spence initially believed reviving the old app would sort the issue, but soon realized that it "would make the problems worse, not better." The prolonged issue forced him to step down from his position in January and continue as an advisor until June 30. Sonos initially named board member Conrad as interim CEO before giving him the permanent role last month. Meanwhile, President Trump, in his push to bring manufacturing back to the US, has threatened to impose a 100% tariff on foreign chips and semiconductors. Sign in to access your portfolio
Indian Express
10-08-2025
- Indian Express
I tried the Sonos Arc Ultra and Sub 4, and here's why they are the peak of acoustic engineering
I still remember visiting one of my dad's friends when I was a kid. He had a big bungalow, and I was awestruck by his high-end, elaborate home theater setup. This was in the late '90s. Back then, setups like that were everywhere, even in high-street retail shops in Delhi. Cut to 2025: neither do we have big bungalows anymore, nor do we see home theater systems that require massive space. Today, with compact apartments and space being a luxury in metro cities, Sonos' Arc Ultra soundbar and Sub 4 seem like the ideal surround sound system for anyone looking to recreate a home theater experience in a modern living space. The Arc Ultra is Sonos' flagship soundbar and serves as a complete audio setup on its own. While the Sub 4 subwoofer is technically optional, the two work together to deliver a truly immersive home theater experience. I had the chance to review both over the course of a few weeks and here's what I found. What: Sonos Arc Ultra and Sub 4| Price: Rs 99,999 and Rs 84,999 I always tell my readers to visualise how speakers and soundbars will look and feel in their own homes, even while experiencing them at a store. After all, the demo units you see in stores are placed in controlled environments, which makes a big difference. The Arc Ultra carries Sonos' signature design language through and through. At first glance, it's almost indistinguishable from the original Arc I reviewed last year. The only notable differences are its larger size and the rectangular rear section that houses the ports. Compared to the original, the Arc Ultra is noticeably wider and heavier. That said, the soundbar is beautiful to look at…very minimalist, yet premium, much like an Apple product. You can place it on a TV stand or mount it on a wall, but since I had a reasonably large space, I preferred to keep it on a TV stand. Like all Sonos speakers, the Arc Ultra comes in classic black or white. It features a solid, premium build, with a grille on the front and top that covers a total of 14 drivers, including seven tweeters, six midrange drivers, and a new 'Sound Motion' woofer for bass. The rear houses the ports along with a set of physical controls, including Sonos' latest touch interface for play/pause, track skipping, voice activation, and a granular volume slider that mirrors the one in the app. The Arc Ultra supports all major Dolby audio formats, including lossless Dolby Atmos, and also offers DTS surround support, though notably, there's no support for DTS:X, the 3D Atmos rival. Additionally, you get an Ethernet port for network stability and a single HDMI eARC port (sorry, no extra HDMI input). While the single input might seem limiting, most people today use an external hub or rely on their TV, Apple TV, or PS5 for connectivity. The lack of a remote might not sit well with some users, but since it's Sonos, that's part of the trade-off. On the plus side, Bluetooth support is finally here, along with compatibility for Wi-Fi 6 and Apple AirPlay 2, allowing for multi-room audio setups. It's also compatible with the Sonos Ace headphones which, by the way, are my favorite pair of headphones. For me, the biggest difference between the original Arc and the Arc Ultra is that the latter produces noticeably richer, fuller bass. I used the Arc Ultra to stream content from Netflix, JioHotstar, and YouTube, and also listened to music on Apple Music. You may or may not check its specs but trust me, they don't matter when you are in front of the TV, watching something, and hearing the Arc Ultra in action for the first time. That experience itself is on another level. No matter where your couch is in the room, the sound reaches every corner, and not once did I feel that dialogue articulation dropped. I put the Arc Ultra through various tests, including watching Dolby Atmos content and it was impressive. You can feel the action, thunder, explosions, and cars zooming past as if you are sitting in a movie theater. The Arc Ultra is a major upgrade over the original Arc. It not only delivers an impressive soundstage but also brings out more nuanced and subtle audio details without losing the important ones something movie aficionados definitely don't want to miss. If you ask me, the Arc Ultra doesn't try to mimic actual ceiling speakers like those in a traditional home theater setup. Instead, it creates an intense, immersive environment that pulls you into the content and delivers the best experience one could ask for in a living room. I think it's the peak of acoustic engineering that makes the Arc Ultra so effective at what it does. This holds true especially when listening to dialogue: it maintains the original experience and stays true to the creator's intent. The new dynamic Speech Enhancement tool with four different levels (Low, medium, high and max) to choose from also helps the Arc Ultra shines. I also spent a lot of time listening to music on the Arc Ultra. The audio sounds rich and clean, with excellent stereo imaging and track separation. The big difference between listening to music on the Arc Ultra versus other speakers (including my Apple HomePod) is that it truly sets the mood, especially when you are playing a track like One Night Love Affair by Bryan Adams. That said, audiophiles still prioritise perfect stereo separation, and the Arc Ultra may not reach that level. But for casual listening, it's more than good enough. Don't expect the Arc Ultra to deliver earth-shattering bass or overly dramatic effects, but every time I watched a movie, I found myself appreciating those Sound Motion woofers. They are super flat and compact, yet capable of deep excursion for maximum air displacement. That's Sonos for you. As I mentioned earlier, the Arc Ultra is a complete soundbar on its own: you don't need to add another speaker or a set of speakers to get that home theater feel in your living room. But the advantage with Sonos is that you can always add more speakers to enhance the experience even further. It's optional, of course, but if you can afford to invest in additional speakers, even without having a large space, it's always nice to have that extra depth and immersion. That's when you realise how much value the Sub 4 subwoofer brings, despite its price. While the Arc Ultra's Sound Motion technology is very effective, especially in producing better bass: it primarily operates in the upper bass and lower midrange region, around 250Hz and above. Simply put, the Sub 4 adds that extra muscle, delivering low-frequency reproduction that the Arc Ultra alone can't quite reach. It's also smaller and it doesn't take up much space. You can even slide it flat, if you want. Sonos has faced criticism for its app in the past, but things seem to be improving. I launched the app on my iPhone 16 Pro, and setting up the Arc Ultra and Sub 4 was a seamless process. As part of the setup, I connected the soundbar to my network and added it to my existing Sonos system. While the app's layout is still somewhat unintuitive, it's easy to control the speaker and explore its features. The app includes an EQ, but it's fairly basic: only allowing you to adjust bass and treble levels. However, it does let you set up Sonos' Trueplay technology, which uses built-in microphones to tune the audio to the specific acoustics of your room. The Arc Ultra also supports Sonos Voice Control and Amazon Alexa, both of which can be configured directly within the app. The Arc Ultra is the best soundbar Sonos has ever made and possibly one of the best soundbars currently on the market. I genuinely feel that way. It sounds magnificent and stands strong on its own without needing any additional speakers, not even the Sub 4. However, if you can afford the Sub 4, go for it. The integration between the subwoofer and the soundbar is seamless, and together they create an experience that only Sonos can deliver. It's an expensive soundbar: the Arc Ultra alone costs around Rs 1,00,000, and the Sub 4 adds another Rs 84,999. That's definitely pricey, but you are buying into the Sonos ecosystem for a reason. That level of experience doesn't come cheap and carries a premium price tag, for good reason. Anuj Bhatia is a personal technology writer at who has been covering smartphones, personal computers, gaming, apps, and lifestyle tech actively since 2011. He specialises in writing longer-form feature articles and explainers on trending tech topics. His unique interests encompass delving into vintage tech, retro gaming and composing in-depth narratives on the intersection of history, technology, and popular culture. He covers major international tech conferences and product launches from the world's biggest and most valuable tech brands including Apple, Google and others. At the same time, he also extensively covers indie, home-grown tech startups. Prior to joining The Indian Express in late 2016, he served as a senior tech writer at My Mobile magazine and previously held roles as a reviewer and tech writer at Gizbot. Anuj holds a postgraduate degree from Banaras Hindu University. You can find Anuj on Linkedin. Email: ... Read More
Mint
01-07-2025
- Mint
5 top gadget reviews in June 2025: HP Omnibook 5, Sonos Arc Ultra and more
Not every product I write about comes from a full review cycle. Some I spend days with, others just long enough to form a clear opinion. But each of these stood out in June either for getting something surprisingly right, or trying something different in an otherwise predictable category. Here are five products that left a mark. This one's all about restraint. At a time when AI laptops are tripping over themselves to look futuristic, the Omnibook 5 focuses on being reliable. Its standout feature? Cool, quiet, and consistent performance even under load, paired with surprisingly good battery life. The AI additions are there, but they don't scream for attention, and that's precisely why they work. HP Omnibook 5 Precision, warmth, and a lot of emotional pull. This system doesn't just sound good, it feels immersive. The Arc Ultra and Sub 4 make a case for sound that doesn't overpower but surrounds. What stood out most is how well it handled low-volume detail, and how naturally it blended into daily life once you stopped treating it like a gadget. Sonos Arc Ultra and Sub 4 Dell's Pro 14 isn't trying to be a statement piece, but it gets one thing right: it adapts well to serious work across different environments. The 16:10 screen ratio, the thermals, and its solid productivity performance make it a dependable business-first device. It doesn't cut corners on essentials, even if it slightly overpromises on its premium positioning. Dell Pro 14 (PA14250) Premium This was the surprise package of the month. At under ₹ 10,000, the Super ZX, it becomes one of the most affordable 5G smartphones on the market. This phone delivers just enough power, polish, and display quality to feel usable and not compromised. It's rare to find a phone in this segment that doesn't feel like it was built purely to meet a price. The Super ZX tries to raise the floor instead of chasing specs. Acer Super ZX smartphone The Primebook S is an Android laptop at ₹ 14,490, which sounds like a joke until you actually use it. What it nails is the classroom-first mindset: easy for students, fluid enough for basic tasks, and designed around Google's education tools. It's not trying to be a Windows replacement, it's carving out its own niche. Primebook S Wi-Fi June was an interesting month for reviews. These were the ones that left a lasting impression after use. Stay tunes for the July roundup of such interesting products.
