Welcome to another edition of Trusted Recommends, where we round up the best performing technology from the last seven days.
It’s been a good week for Sony as it got two five-star ratings for its WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones and VW230ES 4K projector, while elsewhere there was a very expensive and impressive 4K projector from JVC and good scores for Asus, Honor and Treblab.
All products mentioned have been tested by the team of Trusted reviews to provide an in-depth look at their performance, as well as how they compare to other products on the market.
Tile sticker (2021)
The Tile Sticker does what it says on the box. It’s a device designed to stick to things and keep track of them. Seen in this context, it is a success. However, it’s disappointing that the battery can’t be replaced by the user as that would prolong its life, and the notification chime is a bit quieter than we would have liked, which rather goes against of its goal.
Trust rating: 4/5 stars
Treblab Z7 Pro
The Treblab Z7 Pro are affordable noise canceling headphones with water resistance, which means they can do double duty and also be used for exercise. They are comfortable to wear, offer a balanced sound and should appeal to bass lovers. Considering the price, there are more good ones than bad ones, making them good value headphones.
Trust rating: 4/5 stars
Asus ZenBook Pro 14 Duo OLED
With the Asus ZenBook Pro, we have rarely seen a laptop with so many features. The Intel H-series chip is ideal for heavy workloads, the OLED display dazzles with photos and videos, and the intriguing secondary display opens up the laptop for multitasking. All of that comes at a price, though, with poor battery life and a cramped keyboard knocking this laptop down a few points. This Asus won’t be for everyone, but it’s an impressive effort nonetheless.
Trust rating: 4/5 stars
Honor Magic 4 Pro
Honor’s Magic 4 Pro smartphone is a capable all-round smartphone, delivering in all key areas for a top device. It produces excellent camera results, the screen is great for displaying content, the battery is good, and it has exceptional fast charging capabilities. The chunky design may put some people off, but it’s not just about looks, there’s a lot of substance to this phone’s performance.
Trust rating: 4.5/5 stars
Shark Premium WV270UK Handheld Vacuum Cleaner
This vacuum from Shark is a definite improvement over the original as it offers more power, more flexibility around the house and longer battery life. For those who need a handy vacuum for smaller jobs, the Shark is currently the most powerful model we’ve tested. The option of a motorized pet tool would have been nice, but that’s a minor complaint in light of the performance offered by the Shark.
Trust rating: 4.5/5 stars
JVC DLA-NZ8
The JVC is the first of two projectors to appear on Recommends this week, and while its asking price will likely make your wallet scream in despair, you’ll get what you pay for with this 4K projector. And you get stunning native 4K images that benefit from class-leading black levels and excellent HDR. It’s also capable of 8K processing, has a laser light source that extends its lifespan compared to lamp models, and includes HDMI 2.1 connectivity, which brings some future-proofing. One of the best projectors we’ve tested.
Trust rating: 5/5 stars
Order the JVC DLA-NZ8 from Audio Visual Online for £15,799
Sony VPL-VW290ES
Technically, the VPL-VW290ES projector has actually been discontinued by Sony, but you can still find it elsewhere online and if you’re looking for a 4K projector at relatively affordable levels, you might want to look up this one. £3999 might not sound like a bargain to most, but the native 4K image delivers the exceptional sharpness and detail we’ve seen at this price, while its HDR performance is pretty fantastic for a projector.
Trust rating: 5/5 stars
Sony WH-1000XM5
We thought the WH-1000XM4s couldn’t be beat, but it seemed like Sony thought otherwise. The 1000XM5 sports a new design that improves noise-canceling performance, but also means it’s no longer foldable. The noise cancellation and ambient sound modes are downright impressive, making all sorts of environments spooky while the audio has undergone a number of tweaks, further improving audio performance. As an overall proposition, the WH-1000XM5 set a high benchmark.
Trust rating: 5/5 stars
