Accessories

Do you need the DJI Mic 2?

A coveted mic set

Published

May 17, 2024

The DJI Mic 2 released to plenty of hype especially with the massive boom of content creators on multiple platforms. More and more people are making content with the need for a mic and DJI jumped right in to take advantage.

Previously only reserved for a handful of production specialists, all kinds of microphones have sprung up. And it’s not just DJI. Brands who have been offering production equipment all now offer their own lav mic. So, what edge does DJI have over the rest of the pack? And is it the right mic for you? That’s what we’ll attempt to answer here.

Design and inclusions

Inside the packaging, you’ll get a carrying case housing the DJI Mic 2 package. Inside you’ll find a charging case,two transmitters, one receiver, an audio cable, phone adapters for USB-C/Lightning, two windscreens, two clip magnets, and a charging cable.

It looks daunting at first with these many inclusions. But if you sit down and make sense of it all, it’s easy to figure out which one goes where and when to use what.

The grooves on the receiver will easily let you know where the phone adapters fit. And the two transmitters are fairly straightforward to use both on their own or with the transmitter.

All that aside, the DJI Mic 2 is bulkier than other options out on the market. But if you’re the type who likes to show-off the mic they’re using (which we’re learning are a lot of people), then this shouldn’t be an issue at all.

Ease-of-use is top-notch. The DJI Mic 2 is literally plug and play. When using it with a camera just plug the right holes and you’ll be ready to go in no time. When using it with a smartphone you have the option to use the receiver or connect the transmitter directly to the smartphone via bluetooth.

Additionally, the transmitter can record audio all on its own. That’s great for quick, unexpected, soundbite/interview opportunities. You can literally run and gun with the DJI Mic 2.

Sound quality

DJI said the Mic 2 will feature clearer audio capturing. It can now capture audio at 48kHz 24-bit audio and 32-bit float quality. It also supports a higher acoustic overload point at up to 120dB. We can confidently say it absolutely delivers.

Just take for instance this mini-rant I recorded while we were scenario photos of the mic. We were inside a fairly noisy cafe and I was talking in my inside voice in an attempt to not be a nuisance.

@rodneil

Like mic.

♬ original sound – Rodneil – Rodneil

Despite me close to just whispering and not projecting my voice at all, the mic still picked up my voice really clearly. The noise cancellation also kicked in as you can barely hear the background chatter inside the cafe.

If you’re not convinced, here’s a follow-up recording with pretty much the exact same conditions.

@rodneil

I promise to talk about something else next mic test

♬ original sound – Rodneil – Rodneil

These two quickfire examples alone should give you confidence in the DJI Mic 2’s capabilities. We’ve used our fair share of rather cheap but wired lav microphones before but they were never near this level of quality.

If much of your content involves filming and talking (discreetly) in public, often noisy, spaces, then the DJI Mic 2 would be a dream gadget to have.

More formal recordings

Naturally, we used the DJI Mic 2 in more formal recordings for actual content that we published on our platforms.

Here, I used it for a voice over recording. Other than the quality of the mic, I was most pleased with how easy it was to set-up and how I could record practically wherever I wanted to. Prior to this, I would always use my desktop mic wired to my laptop.

While that’s fine in most cases, my desk isn’t exactly the least cluttered space in the world. So much so that I often end up opting to work elsewhere. But that’s on me.

Here’s the video:

In another video we produced, we had our News Editor Luigi record on-camera spiels in another noisy cafe. Play the video below and you’ll hear how crisp and clear the audio is.

@gadgetmatch

Huawei Pura 70 Pro: The photography king is better than ever #Huawei #HUAWEIPura70Series #HUAWEIPura70Pro @HUAWEI Philippines

♬ Chill and gentle lo-fi/10 minutes(1455687) – nightbird_bgm

The best thing? We didn’t have to tweak anything. In both examples shared above, it was literally plug and play… errr… plug and record in this instance, I guess.

Other things of note

A few other features we didn’t get to directly test are its promised longevity. The DJI MIc 2 sports an 18-hour battery. Each transmitter and receiver will last six hours apiece.

We only used the mic in spot instances and never in prolonged recording sessions. That said, interviews we were part of during the review period only lasted an hour and a half at most. That’s well under the promised battery life.

Aside from that, the DJI Mic 2 charges relatively quickly too. Each time we use it, we would charge the thing at the end of the day with a 65W GaN charger and it would juice up long before you finish a standard length TV/Streaming show.

There are more settings that you should take note of. For instance, the LED indicators on the transmitter will let you know if it’s recording on its own or if it’s connected to the transmitter. It can also tell you whether or not noise cancellation is active or otherwise.

These are things you will learn as you use the DJI Mic 2 more, but it pays to read the user manual which is also available online.

Is the DJI Mic 2 your GadgetMatch?

It’s easy to look at all the DJI Mic 2’s benefits and say it’s literally for each and every content creator. Features-wise, that may be true. However, you have to factor in its US$349/ PhP 19,000 price tag.

This will depend a lot on the kind of content you put out and where you are in your content creator journey.

As mentioned earlier, if your content requires a lot of speaking, you’ll likely squeeze out great value on the DJI Mic 2. Your viewers/followers will appreciate the improved audio quality and you’ll have more flexibility on where and how you record.

Regarding your creator journey, when it comes to buying new equipment, it’s best to consider the price. Is the DJI Mic 2 something you can buy two of without batting an eyelash? If yes, then by all means, it’s a worthy investment. But if buying just one will have you wiping beads of sweat, perhaps it’s best to wait and save up a little more.

Ultimately, the DJI Mic 2 is a great piece of equipment and one that’s worth its asking price. You just have to make sure you’re making the most of it.

Accessories

Going ‘back to school’ as an adult with the HP Smart Tank 580

Cost-efficient, high-performance printer for tangible memories

Published

July 15, 2026

Manila Connoisseur

Make memories, keep them

I’ll be completely honest: I can’t recall the last time I held art materials for a creative workshop. Living in a digital world today, it’s been quite a while for sure.

I do write greeting cards for my partner every month — a habit I’ve had from way back and a way of keeping the old school tradition alive at the same time.

So HP inviting us for a hands-on workshop proved to be a welcome “throwback” as it brought us “back to school” for an afternoon arts-and-crafts session.

The HP INKredible Learning Day collaborated with visual artist and storyteller Geloy Concepcion, a photographer known for expressing thoughts through the creative use of images and other elements.

HP Smart Tank 580

At the heart of the event is the HP Smart Tank 580 printer, which helped reproduce high-quality HP Printables made exclusively available for the participants during the day.

Think of these as activity sheets, as if I really went back to school for art class. Coincidentally, I was part of my elementary school’s art club about two decades ago. DIY-ing stuff for journals, diaries, or just for displaying on a desk has been my thing.

Funny enough, we were handed out these plastic envelopes with sheets of paper, crayons, and more materials. It’s like completely going back to the first day of school and making sure all your stuff is complete.

Anyway, the four sheets each had a theme: To-Do List, My Family, How Are You Feeling, and Concepcion’s “Bad Days Are Temporary” artwork.

The cost-efficient, high-performance printer quickly prints the sheets, and users are assured of high-quality detail. That’s as the Smart Tank 580 is designed for such purposes and even small businesses that require high-volume printing.

I personally think they’re a great fit for schools for reproducing quizzes or short activities especially for the lower levels.

With crayons and colored markers, participants all had their take on the sheets, adding life and their own personal identities on each.

Make memories, keep them

With the right devices at home, you can definitely turn digital memories and even just everyday creative ideas into tangible forms.

Especially in this era, it’s easy to overlook photos that we have on our phones. Ironically, our handsets’ storage spaces fill up fast, but after a few years or so, we usually either lose such media.

So what Concepcion is also trying to get across is if there is the opportunity to turn these moments into tangible print-outs we can always look back at, then that would be better. It’s how the world has been anyway since the invention of the camera.

We all brought home the sheets, some art materials, and even a personalized postcard only available for those in attendance.

Accessories

Nothing launches the Ear (3a)

It has a lot of new features for such a small device.

Published

July 7, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Today, Nothing launched the Phone (4b). The new smartphone isn’t the only star sharing the spotlight, though. The iconic brand has also launched the Ear (3a).

A follow up to the brand’s earbuds lineup, the Ear (3a) packs in a lot of features in so small a device. For one, the earbuds have a bigger 12mm custom driver. Nothing says that this results in a punchier bass and a unique sound signature. Naturally, it supports Hi-Res audio playback.

For noise cancellation, the Ear (3a) comes with three mics to filter out background noise. It can reach up to 45dB of active noise cancellation. Additionally, it can amplify your voice for much clearer calls.

The Ear (3a) adds the same functionalities as the Essential Button. A pinch on the stem lets the earbuds record up to 32MB of audio natively. Plus, the new Audio Snapshot can rewind and clip up to 30 seconds of media. Finally, you can record up to two hours of a single phone call.

For its battery, the earbuds tout up to 42 hours of playback on a single charge. Plus, a five-minute charge is enough to power the earbuds by up to an hour.

Connectivity is also seamless with Bluetooth 6.0 support. The earbuds can keep themselves connected even in crowded locations.

Finally, the earbuds also boast durability with IP54 water and dust resistance. Nothing also tested the case by opening and closing it 20,000 times.

The Ear (3a) comes in black, white, pink, and yellow. It retails for US$ 99.

Accessories

UGREEN x Honkai: Star Rail is a complete charging kit

More than just a collab

Published

July 6, 2026

GadgetMatch

Most brand collaborations usually lean on one thing: aesthetics.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. If you’re already a fan of the franchise, seeing your favorite character on something you use every day is reason enough to pick it up.

The UGREEN x Honkai: Star Rail collection certainly delivers on that front. Inspired by Yao Guang, each accessory gets a distinct look without sacrificing the clean, minimalist design UGREEN is known for.

After spending some time with the collection, however, another idea stood out.

Rather than treating each accessory as a standalone product, the lineup makes the most sense as a complete charging kit.

Built around everyday carry

Inside the limited-edition gift box are four of UGREEN’s everyday essentials: the MagFlow Air Magnetic Power Bank, Nexode Air 65W Charger, Nexode Retractable USB-C Cable, and FineTrack Mini 2 tracker. The package also comes with exclusive Yao Guang collectibles, including an acrylic stand, badge, holographic ticket, and a matching pouch.

UGREEN also sent over the Nexode Pro Power Bank Honkai: Star Rail Edition. While it isn’t included in the collector’s gift box, it naturally rounds out the entire collection. Its built-in USB-C cable, compact size, and smart display make it feel like it belongs alongside the rest of the lineup.

Looking at everything together, the collection already covers most everyday charging needs.

There’s a compact GaN wall charger for laptops and tablets. Two power banks for different situations. A retractable USB-C cable that cuts down on cable clutter. And a tracker for bags, keys, or anything else you don’t want to misplace.

It’s a practical combination before the collaboration artwork even enters the conversation.

Familiar products with fresh personalities

That familiarity is also part of what makes this collaboration work.

We’ve already spent time with the standard versions of both the Nexode Air Charger 65W and the MagFlow Air Power Bank. Their biggest strengths weren’t flashy gimmicks. They were reliable accessories that earned a place in an everyday carry setup.

That doesn’t change here.

The Nexode Air remains a compact 65W GaN charger that’s easy to slip into a backpack or travel pouch. Meanwhile, the MagFlow Air continues to offer the flexibility of wired and wireless charging in a compact package.

Instead of reinventing the hardware, UGREEN simply gave the products a little more personality.

For Honkai: Star Rail fans, that’s probably exactly what they’re looking for.

The little things make a difference

Another pleasant surprise is how cohesive everything feels.

The included pouch makes it easy to keep most of the essentials together, whether they’re headed into a backpack, messenger bag, or carry-on luggage.

Even the color ended up being more practical than expected.

Most chargers, cables, and power banks tend to disappear into a sea of black accessories inside a bag. The light blue finish used throughout this collection makes each item surprisingly easy to spot at a glance.

They’re small details.

But they’re the kinds of conveniences that make these accessories feel like they’re meant to be used every day instead of staying inside the collector’s box.

More than a collector’s item

There’s no question that Honkai: Star Rail fans are the primary audience here.

The artwork alone gives the collection plenty of appeal.

What makes it interesting, though, is that the collaboration doesn’t rely on aesthetics alone.

Instead of creating a single themed accessory, UGREEN assembled products that naturally complement one another. Whether it’s charging a laptop, topping up a phone during the day, carrying a single cable, or keeping track of everyday essentials, each product has a clear role within the lineup.