Accessories

realme Buds T100 Review

Has one weird quirk

Published

October 17, 2022

GadgetMatch

realme has a rather confusing line of TWS earbuds. Just a while back we had the realme Buds Q2. And now here comes the realme Buds T100.

Both are priced relatively close to each other with the Buds Q2 selling for PhP 1,490 and the Buds T100 coming in at PhP 1,299. Other than the price, the obvious differences are the overall design and packaging.

The Buds Q2 has a rounder, more compact look to it. No stem whatsoever. Kind of like the Galaxy Buds Pro and, to a certain extent, the WF-1000XM line from Sony. The case also looks different and kind of premium for its asking price.

Meanwhile, the Buds T100 has a stem design – think AirPods Pro – for easier reference. Even the case is reminiscent of Apple’s own TWS earbuds.

We spoke glowingly of the Buds Q2’s sound considering its price. And the Buds T100 isn’t too far off, save for one real quirk. But we’ll get to that in a while.

First, here’s a look at everything inside the box.

To list, you’ll find:

The Buds T100 – Charging case and earbuds
A yellow USB to USB-C cable
Warranty Card
User Guide
Ear Tips (not in photo, but they’re there. Trust us).

Unbalanced sound?

Okay, so about that quirk. One thing we quickly noticed is how the left and right earbuds don’t produce the same sound. Granted, this truly is the case for some tracks. But even for some that aren’t, the left sounds significantly heavier than the right.

What we mean is that the lower frequencies all come from the left, while the higher one’s come from the right. This makes for a generally uneven listening experience. You’ll probably get used to it after a day or two, but it will remain noticeable regardless.

LE SSERAFIM’s Kim Chaewon sounds good no matter how you listen to her

We thought this could be changed in the settings on the realme link app. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. You only get basic equalizer changes: Balanced, Bass Boost, and Bright. As you may have guessed, changing the setting to either Bass Boost or Bright only increases the imbalance as it emphasizes the high and low frequencies difference on each earbud. So, if you end up grabbing these, it’s best to stick to Balanced.

Overall, the sound isn’t terrible. It just has that weird quirk. And it certainly beats buying the generic sub-par, wired ones for half the price.

Easy controls

This is where the stem design comes into play, we think. The controls consist of multiple taps or a touch and hold. You can customize this on the realme link app.

By default, you tap twice to play/pause, thrice to play the next track, touch and hold the right earbud to up the volume and do the same on the left to turn it down. There’s also an option to add a touch and hold both left and right. You can assign anything, but we left it blank since that kind of looks silly in practice.

The absence of a single tap makes sense because the sides of the stem seem to be pretty sensitive. This way, there won’t be any accidental taps that disrupt your listening sessions.

The volume control was a curious choice though. We thought for sure an up and down motion on either earbud would be the volume control. But that isn’t the case.

Battery as good as advertised

The charging case is standard issue for most TWS earbuds.

Each bud has a 40mAh battery and the charging case adds an extra 400mAh. It promises up to 28 hours of total playback. For the most part this is true. A week since receiving the unit, we haven’t really had the need to plug it in since juicing it up all the way to 100% prior to using it.

It’s still going strong after a few hours of jamming to some animé soundtracks and bouncing between TWICE’s Between 1&2 and LE SSERAFIM’s FEARLESS.

Battery life will depend, obviously, on your frequency of use. On our part, we probably averaged around an hour and a half for seven days. That’s pretty good.

Noise Cancellation and other features

The Noise Cancellation feature isn’t as pronounced as others in the higher end side of things. That said, it does a good enough job of making sure you hear what you’re trying to listen to even in a crowded environment. But on standby, you barely feel it.

Also worth noting is that it is IPX5 rated, meaning it is sweat and mini-splash proof. You can take this baby to the gym without worries.

Is this your GadgetMatch?

For its price, the realme Buds T100 is fine. The left and right sound quirk is odd but it’s not a deal breaker. And it works as advertised everywhere else. It’s just hard to pick this one over the Buds Q2 which is only a couple of hundred pesos more and without any of the quirks mentioned.

It’s neither excellent nor really bad. It’s just okay but not something that would be on top of our recommendations.

Accessories

Anker announces new Prime power bank, earbuds, stick vacuum

Redefining how people use gadgets

Published

December 2, 2023

GadgetMatch

Anker has announced its latest line of accessories that shall help people redefine the way they use their gadgets, particularly the iPhone 15.

In an exclusive event in Bonifacio Global City, new Anker, Soundcore, and Eufy products have been introduced.

The lineup includes the Anker Prime 12K mAh power bank that retails for just PhP 6,995, making it a perfect complement to the iPhone 15.

The power bank comes with a travel-friendly design and a high-speed charging capacity for those who are always on the go and need extra power for their devices.

Meanwhile, the Soundcore Aerofit Pro earbuds that costs PhP 8,495 ensures that users can fully enjoy listening to music while still being connected to what is happening around, with its open-ear design, waterproof rating, and long-lasting batteries.

Lastly, the Eufy MACH V1 Ultra simplifies household chores as the world’s first all-in-one cordless stick vacuum with a steam mop.

The general availability for these products shall be made known on Anker Philippines’ official pages soon.

Watch our Anker Prime unboxing.

@gadgetmatch

Top-up your gadgets with these new Anker Prime devices! #anker #ankerprime #powerbank #gancharger #ganprime #powerbankwithdisplay #techaccessories #techmusthaves

♬ original sound – GadgetMatch – GadgetMatch

Accessories

The GameSir G8 Galileo is great for PS Remote Play

While we wait for the PlayStation Portal

Published

November 30, 2023

Rodneil Quiteles

We happen to be in a region where the PlayStation Portal has yet to be released. Good thing, PS Remote Play is available and GameSir has a controller you can hook up to your smartphone that’s readily compatible. Enter the GameSir G8 Galileo.

You might not see it right away, but the biggest difference with the G8 Galileo compared to other smartphone controllers (even the ones GameSir made themselves) is it’s actually full size.

Watch our unboxing.

@gadgetmatch

Unboxing the Gamesir G8 Galileo. Best smartphone controllers right now? #gaming #mobilegaming #remoteplay #RemotePlay #remoteplayps5 #mobilecontroller #controller #controllers

♬ original sound – GadgetMatch – GadgetMatch

Most smartphone controllers prioritize portability. Thus, they’re more compact. That means smaller face buttons, smaller thumbsticks, and generally smaller overall profile.

Usable, sure. But not exactly ideal for people with chubby hands like yours truly.

BackBone One | GameSir G8 Galileo

This is also one of the primary reasons why, despite owning a Backbone One, I’ve rarely used it for its intended purpose. And the reason why the PlayStation Portal is appealing to me.

The GameSir G8 Galileo changes all of that because of its size. It’s also not just larger. Its ergonomics are great too. Your hands will sit nicely on the nice, curved handles for a more comfortable, more enjoyable handheld gaming session.

PS Remote Play

Another big area of convenience is you don’t necessarily have to have the GameSir app to make it work. Simply download the PS Remote Play app, register, and fire it up.

To make sure it’s on PS Remote Play compatible mode, just press the Share and Options buttons simultaneously. Those are the tiny buttons on the left and right hand side of the controllers right above the left thumb stick and the face buttons.

Upon pressing simultaneously, make sure the color on the GameSir logo on the lower right part of the controller is white. That’s how you know it’s on PS Remote Play mode.

Currently green so you have to press the buttons for Remote Play.

Once done, just easily plug-in your smartphone with a USB-C port on GameSir’s signature flexible USB-C plug and off you go.

Actual play time

Here’s a quick Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 gameplay using the GameSir G8 Galileo along with the HONOR Magic5 Pro with Remote Play:

Playing #SpiderMan2PS5 via Remote Play using an HONOR Magic5 Pro and the new @mygamesir G8 Galileo. pic.twitter.com/q6eDBYAq1E

— rodneil (@rodneilquiteles) November 30, 2023

This under a minute clip, naturally, isn’t representative of the entire Remote Play experience. Anyone who has tried it before knows that with extended play time, you’ll likely experience a few hiccups here and there. That’s just the nature of the beast.

That said, this whole set-up has been generally great. Other than Spider-Man 2, I’ve managed to play a handful of quick NBA 2K24 games like this. I still racked up a handful of wins despite suffering from occasional latency trouble.

The feel of the controller is fantastic and is easily the most enjoyable out of every other smartphone controller that I’ve tried before. And I’ve tried a few other than the Backbone One. There’s the GameSir X3, GameSir X2 Pro-Xbox, and the Razer Kishi V2.

Compatible games, mapping

Depending on the platform you’re on, the GameSir G8 Galileo will work on multiple other games. If you’re an iPhone 15 Series user, Remote Play, select Apple Arcade games, and even the AAA games set to release for that iPhone will work with this controller.

For Android users, it’s the usual handful of controller supported games that will work with this. For everything else, you’ll have to resort to mapping — a task for those with patience.

If you need more tutorials on how to get it working, just follow GameSir on Facebook or YouTube. They constantly post tutorials.

You can buy the GameSir G8 Galileo here: https://bit.ly/gsg8galileo

Use G8Creator on the Coupon Code for 10% off.

Accessories

iPhone 15 series will get the first Qi2 wireless chargers

More chargers are coming by Christmas

Published

November 17, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

While wireless chargers are already viable charging solutions today, the technology is still clawing its way to upending wired charging as a universally accepted solution. The technology is constantly growing, though. After announcing the new standard at the start of the year, the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has confirmed that Qi2 wireless chargers will start appearing in time for the holidays.

Today, the WPC announced a lineup of brands which will rock Qi2 first. Coming by Christmastime, the first chargers will come from Belkin, Mophie, Anker, and Aircharge. Additionally, over a hundred devices are already in the process of getting certification for the standard.

Besides the usual suspects of charger manufacturers, the WPC has also confirmed that the iPhone 15 series will start the train of Qi2 chargers for the holidays. That doesn’t come as a surprise, though. According to the WPC’s announcement months ago, Apple lent its MagSafe technology to help develop the Qi2 charging standard.

Naturally, the promise is faster charging than the current generation. By how much is still a question that will also depend on manufacturers. Additionally, the standard will have a better magnetic system. Like in Apple’s MagSafe chargers, devices will automatically snap into the optimal position when connected with Qi2 chargers.