Review: Gear IconX (2018) software update brings meaningful additions

Samsung's original Gear IconX wireless earbuds were driven by solid ideas, but the implementation wasn't the best. Battery life, in item, left much to be desired, and the audio quality wasn't bang-up, either. Merely like Samsung's other wearables, the Gear IconX received an upgrade less than a year subsequently, and the new model brought numerous improvements and a few new features. The bombardment life got a pregnant boost, Samsung built in support for accessing Bixby (or the voice assistant of your choice) through the IconX for devices like the Milky way S8, and the already comfortable design was improved farther with the 2nd-generation earbuds.

At present, Samsung has gone ahead and released a software update to heighten the value offered by the Gear IconX (2018). The update brings the option to lock the touchpad on the earbuds, adds an blaster with diverse modes, and improves on the ambient mode characteristic (which allows exterior dissonance to filter through even when the IconX is existence used for listening to music and other media). We were given early access to the updated software and were able to test the new features and improvements, and this is our quick review of what the update adds to the visitor'southward multipurpose wireless earbuds.

Blaster lets you lot customize audio output

Samsung's smartphones come with an equalizer feature built in (along with many other sound quality customization options), but the Gear IconX isn't supposed to work only with the company's devices. That's where the new equalizer option for the IconX comes in. It'southward not a full-blown equalizer that lets you modify individual frequencies; instead, it comes with 5 presets: Bass Boost, Soft, Dynamic, Clear, and Treble Heave.

The Dynamic preset offers a balance between bass-heavy and treble-heavy sound, while the Bass Boost and Treble Boost options maximize the bass and treble respectively (just as their names suggest). The Soft and Clear presets are what you lot employ to get slightly higher bass or higher treble than the Dynamic setting, assuasive for audio that isn't every bit extreme in either end of the spectrum as the Bass Boost and Treble Boost presets.

Now, while there's no option to manually adjust frequencies, the equalizer presets offer clear differentiation from each other when information technology comes to the audio output. These presets also don't impact the volume output as manually adjusting frequencies does, only at the highest volume level, these presets may not always work too nifty. For example, in the guitar and pulsate-laden Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams, I preferred keeping the blaster off, as none of the presets were able to make the guitar riffs less uncomfortable to heed to at total volume.

But, over again, that's at full volume, and the not-so-awesome default sound quality of the IconX is besides to blame. At a couple of levels below maximum volume, though, these presets make a positive difference. The blaster option really should have been in that location from the start, but hey, it's available now, and it's possibly the almost useful feature introduced by the update.

Ambient Sound mode can focus on human voices

The Ambient Sound mode was one of the IconX's best features, and it worked pretty well, also. With the update, Samsung is giving the user the ability to decide only how much of the outside audio filters into the earbuds. Also new is an option – Vox Focus – that enhances human voices more than other sounds, which can be very handy when you are, say, at home and desire to be able to hear when someone in the family phone call out your name while y'all're listening to your favorite tunes. This doesn't just enhance homo voices; rather, it seems to by and large increase the amount of sound that filters in, which is why I tin also hear more than clearly the sound of the keys on my mechanical keyboard at home equally I type this review.

Voice Focus, in fact, lets you partly get around the main upshot with Ambient Audio mode: You have to exist listening to music at moderate levels to exist able to hear the outside globe. At high volumes, the feature naturally doesn't work that well, then Vocalization Focus might be a godsend if you tend to become out running with the IconX or ride a wheel to work and have been put off by the fact that you have to continue the volume level besides low to be aware of your surround.

Annoyed past the touchpad? You tin now disable information technology

Here'due south another characteristic that lets you avert one of the IconX'south pitfalls, one that Samsung didn't consider of import plenty to mention in the press release. Having impact control on both the right and left earbud is a great idea in theory, just it can ofttimes exist a nuisance in practice. Information technology's like shooting fish in a barrel to bear upon the touchpad by blow and cause unintended actions, similar pausing the music or skipping to the next runway when you're trying to set your hair with your hand, and it was surprising the company didn't think of adding an pick to disable the touchpad in the beginning place.

Samsung is fixing that with the new update with the Impact Lock feature. Touch Lock disables the touchpad when y'all need it – you tin can set the lock to come on automatically later thirty seconds without whatever touch input or when you lot are working out. The latter didn't seem to work very well, so the thirty-second timer is the improve option here. In one case the touchpad is locked, it can be unlocked by tapping and belongings the touchpad for a few seconds.

Audio tin can be transferred over Bluetooth

This is a minor all the same significant part that, for some reason, wasn't introduced to the IconX (2018) despite the increment in bombardment life over the original IconX. Thanks to the update, you can now transfer music files to the IconX over Bluetooth, removing the need to connect to a PC or utilize a USB dongle. It'southward a slow thing as expected, and the earbuds don't play annihilation when the tracks are beingness transferred, but it's however a necessary feature since you can't have a PC or USB connector with you when you're out for a run. It will also exist handy for lazy bums who don't desire to bother with wired transfer at home and desire to get things over sitting on your couch.

---

The Gear IconX (2018) update is a big one, merely it's difficult not to wonder why most of this stuff wasn't bachelor on the earbuds in the first place. If yous can set those questions aside, however, the features and improvements included in the update combine to improve the overall experience offered by Samsung's latest wireless earbuds. It'south likewise bad the update isn't being released for the original IconX, though. The bombardment life on the first-generation earbuds might have been abysmal, merely at least the equalizer could have been added equally it wouldn't really affect battery endurance. The same goes for the option to disable the touchpad, and we're guessing it's more the fact that the first IconX came out more than a year and a half ago than its ability to handle the new functionality that Samsung has chosen to keep the update exclusive to the 2nd iteration.

In any case, if you happen to own the Gear IconX (2018) and use the earbuds often, grab the update direct abroad from the Samsung Gear app. Let the states know what you think of the new features once you've tried them out!

Source: https://www.sammobile.com/news/review-gear-iconx-2018-software-update-meaningful-additions

Posted by: depaulleat1997.blogspot.com

Share this post