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Xiaomi Mi 6 review: The best phone you can't buy (for now)


Xiaomi Mi 6 review: The best phone you can't buy (for now)

I love the Mi 6 for what it is -- an amazing device with the same speedy processor as the Samsung Galaxy S8 and a beautiful design that stands out on its own. It also comes with dual-cameras, and takes portrait pictures like the Apple iPhone 7 Plus and now, the OnePlus 5. You get Android goodness with some Apple-like features. And it costs a lot less than your typical flagship phone. What's not to like?

Well, how about the fact that it's still only available in China two months on from its launch. Xiaomi said it would reach other countries "soon", but it couldn't tell me when exactly it's going to start rolling out.

While eager beavers could order a Mi 6 from China, take heed that the LTE may not work in countries such as the US -- you'll have to compare to your carrier's network bands to be sure. And there are no Google Play services in China so until the company releases a global ROM, you'd have to sideload it if you want native apps such as Google Maps.

The lack of global availability means Xiaomi may be missing the boat in most markets that would have loved to grab a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 powered phone on the cheap. The cheapest version of the phone retails for about $365, £280 or AU$485 converted, and that model gets you 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. Step it up to the 6GB RAM version with 128GB onboard storage and you'll pay 2,899 Chinese yuan -- about $420, £330 or AU$560.

A premium ceramic version with 18K gold finish and 128GB of storage space sells for just a little more at 2,999 Chinese yuan. That's about $435, £340 or AU$580.

If you're lucky enough to get and use the Mi 6, you'll find an affordable flagship that matches the Galaxy S8 where it counts. Though it's missing some features, including wireless charging. It makes you wonder just how much of a premium you're paying for other high-end flagships such as the Galaxy S8 or the Sony Xperia XZ Premium. If you live outside China, keep reading to see what the Mi 6 will bring you -- but hold out for the international version before committing.

The power and volume buttons are located on the same side -- and the only problem with that is that I can't use it with my car mount -- the clamps press down on the power button, turning it off.

 Aloysius Low/CNET

All the bling in the world

The Mi 6's glass and stainless steel frame stand out. The phone comes in the standard shades of black or white, plus a much snazzier blue-and-gold version that's visually stunning.

I particularly loved that color, and it's a great conversation starter as well. I can't tell you how many people looked at it and said, "Wow." That said, the glass rear can be a tad slippery to hold at times.

The Mi 6 has a 5.15-inch screen with a 1080-pixel display that looks good to the naked eye. Pixel density isn't as sharp on paper as the Galaxy S8, but my eyes didn't strain trying to read news stories or social media updates. Colors pop, and while it has a maximum brightness of 600 nits, it goes all the way down to one at night, helping you not strain your eye. The phone won't take a long dunking like the Galaxy S8 or LG G6, but it is splash-proof, so you shouldn't worry too much about small spills.

Like other Xiaomi phones, the Mi 6 runs MIUI, a customized version of Android 7.1.1.

Double the cameras

One of the Mi 6's key features is its dual 12-megapixel camera setup, which is a hot trend these days. While it's not the first time Xiaomi has used it on phones, it's the first time a Xiaomi phone has added portrait mode similar to the one found in the iPhone 7 Plus (Xiaomi even calls it the same thing).

Portrait Mode works the same way as it does on the iPhone 7 Plus: you stand in front of the object and let the phone apply the effect. It's much simpler than the effect on previous Xioami models such as the Redmi Pro, which let you tweak the depth of field after shooting the picture. As for the quality, well, that's trickier. The Mi 6's Portrait Mode feels very finicky; half the time it detects the object properly, the other time you're either too close to apply the effect or the picture winds up being too out of focus.

The dual-cameras of the Mi 6 can take Portrait Mode pictures just like the iPhone. 

 Aloysius Low/CNET

But when it does work, the subject remains in focus while blurring everything else. Results are pretty compelling. Check out the picture below for an example.

Portrait mode gets you good looking shots.

 Aloysius Low/CNET

Aside from Portrait Mode, the Mi 6 takes great pictures, especially in bright light. It isn't as capable as the Pixel XL or the Samsung Galaxy S8 in low light, but then again, which phone is? The quality of its low-light shots is similar to the iPhone but more saturated, giving images a nice pop, even if they're not 100 percent realistic.

Besides Portrait mode, the Mi 6 also does 2x lossless zoom -- again like the iPhone. Xiaomi's features here are good, but the Mi 6 does lean on the iPhone for a lot of its inspiration, a critique I had of its past phones, too.

HDR shots really pop, though the sky is slightly washed out.

 Aloysius Low/CNET

Interestingly, the Mi 6's HDR function now has its own dedicated button you'll have to manually switch on and off. It doesn't seem to turn on HDR automatically the way many other phones do.

Selfies came out looking good, but the 8-megapixel Mi 6's front-facing camera ran into the same problems as a lot of other phones when it comes to bad lighting. You just can't get around terrible backlighting. It also comes with a beauty mode, which made my face look baby smooth (it's really not).  

The selfie camera doesn't do well with backlit backgrounds (like most phones).

 Aloysius Low/CNET

Where's the jack?

The Mi 6 joins the list of phones with no dedicated headphone jack. Instead, you'll have to use the USB-C charging port for wired headphones, or use a set of wireless Bluetooth headphones. However, the phone does come with a USB Type-C to 3.5mm audio jack converter in the box. Honestly, I'm not as bothered by the lack of an audio jack, since I prefer using wireless headphones to cut down on loose cables anyhow. You may feel differently, of course.

The phone uses Type-C USB and has no audio jack.

 Aloysius Low/CNET

Smooth performance and long battery life

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 836 processor keeps the Mi 6 buttery smooth. You won't notice any lag when switching between apps or playing 3D games such as Dynasty Warriors: Unleashed. You'll love how snappy everything is. Battery life is superb as well. It lasted 17 hours 35 minutes in our lab tests and chugged through a full day of relatively heavy use without dying on me. For reference, the Galaxy S8 lasted an average of 16 hours in our video drain tests, and the S8 Plus went 18 hours.

Hardware specs comparison


 Xiaomi Mi 6 Apple iPhone 7 Plus Samsung Galaxy S8 OnePlus 5
Display size, resolution 5.15-inch; 1,920x1,080 pixels 5.5-inch; 1,920x1,080 pixels 5.8-inch; 2,960x1,440 pixels 5.5-inch; 1,920x1,080 pixels
Pixel density 428 ppi 401 ppi 570 ppi 401 ppi
Dimensions (Inches) 5.69x2.7x0.28 inches 6.2x 3.1x0.29 inches 5.86x2.68x0.32 inches 6.1x2.92x0.29 inches
(Millimeters) 145x70.5x7.5mm 158.2x77.9x7.3mm 148.9x68.1x8mm 154.2x74.1x7.3mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams) 5.93 oz,168 grams 6.63 oz; 188 grams 5.5 oz; 155 grams 5.4 oz; 153 grams
Mobile software Android Nougat 7.1.1 Apple iOS 10 Android 7.0 Nougat Android 7.1.1 Nougat
Camera Two 12-megapixel 12-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (wide) 12-megapixel 16-megapixel standard, 20-megapixel telephoto
Front-facing camera 8-megapixel 7-megapixel 8-megapixel 16-megapixel
Video capture 4K 4K 4K 4K
Processor Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 (2.45GHz+1.9GHz) Apple A10 chip (64-bit) Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 (2.35GHz+1.9GHz) or Octa-core Samsung Exynos 8895 (2.35GHz+1.7GHz) 2.45GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Storage 64GB, 128GB 32GB, 128GB, 256GB 64GB 64GB, 128GB
RAM 4GB, 6GB N/A 4GB 6GB, 8GB
Expandable storage None None Up to 2TB None
Battery 3,000mAh (nonremovable) 21 hours talk time on 3G, 16 days standby, 13 hours internet use LTE 3,000mAh 3,300mAh
Fingerprint sensor Home button Home button Back Home button
Connector USB-C Lightning USB-C USB-C
Special features Dual-SIM, fast charging Water and dust-resistant, portrait mode mode Water-resistant (IP68), wireless charging, Gigabit LTE-ready Portrait mode, notifications toggle, dual-SIM, Dash Charging
Price off-contract (USD) Converts to $365 (64GB), $420 (128GB) or $435 (ceramic,1288GB) $769 (32GB); $869 (128GB); $969 (256GB) AT&T: $750; Verizon: $720; T-Mobile: $750; Sprint: $750; U.S. Cellular: $675 $479 (64GB), $539 (128GB)
Price (GBP) Converts to £280 (64GB), £330 (128GB) or £340 (ceramic,1288GB) £719 (32GB); £819 (128GB); £919 (256GB) £689 £449 (64GB), £499 (128GB)
Price (AUD) Converts to AU$485 (64GB), AU$560 (128GB) or AU$580 (ceramic,1288GB) AU$1269 (32GB); AU$1419 (128GB); AU$1569 (256GB) TBA Converts to AU$636 (64GB), AU$715 (128GB)
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Paving stones: DIY a paver patio in 6 easy steps


Paving stones: DIY a paver patio in 6 easy steps

Paving stones are a powerful tool you can use to create unique and beautiful areas in your home's outdoor spaces. Available in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and materials, they're a relatively simple way to add extra style to your front or back yard.  

For instance, paving stones are great for sprucing up patios, walkways and firepit areas. They offer a good range of design aesthetics, too. Are you partial to natural stones? Perhaps you prefer uniform patio stones? Maybe traditional cobblestones or shaped concrete blocks are more your speed. Whatever direction you go, there are pavers available for creating pathways, patios, borders and even driveways. 

If you're considering a paving-stone project like that, then you've come to the right place. This guide lays out what you need to know to use pavers well. We'll also provide guidance about how to select the right ones and we'll give pointers on how to install your paving stones properly, too. Do it right and your designs will last for years to come.

Some types of paving stones can be used to create striking driveways.

 Belgard

Paving stone materials

The first phase of your project is to decide the look and feel of the stone you'd like to use. Paving stones come in three main material types: natural stone, concrete and brick. Keep in mind that the thickness of the stone and its material composition contribute to its overall strength. This variation means that some types of paving stones are better suited than others for certain purposes. 

For instance, most pavers are strong enough for basic use, say in a garden or for a patio with regular foot traffic. However, pavers that are used to build a driveway must be able to withstand the weight of vehicles -- you'll need to make sure to select stones that are specifically designed and graded accordingly. Most home improvement stores such as Lowe's and Home Depot specifically list whether a type of paving stone they sell is up to this task.

No matter how simple or elaborate your paving-stone project is, having a plan always helps.

 Construction Photography/Avalon/Getty Images

Step 1: Make your project map

Creating a clear depiction of the scale of your plan is a must. Start by marking the edges of your project with string, a paint line or another outlining method. Next measure the length and width of these edges. Multiplying these measurements will give you the total area you'll need to cover. From that you can determine the number of paving stones your project calls for, depending on their size.

Step 2: Create a solid base

You might get away with dropping patio stones down into an existing landscape without digging up any soil. Your best bet, though, is to excavate the target area first, then fill it with a base material. Commonly used items include crushed concrete, crushed shell or limestone. These substances will ensure that the stones sit level. 

You don't need to dig too deep. Digging and removing a few inches of earth is often all that's required. The goal is to unearth roots or other items that would have otherwise made your pavers settle unevenly over time. 

If you do plan on a deeper excavation, it's a good idea to check with your local utilities first. The last thing you want is to hit a buried gas or electrical line by accident. 

Once excavation is complete, you can start laying down a thin layer of your base material.

Step 3: Even out your surface

To avoid any stones sitting or settling higher than others, you'll need to even out your base layer. A tamper tool comes in handy for small areas. Larger projects such as driveways may require you to use a plate compactor.  

Also, consider that in some cases you might want to add a gentle slope to your patio to provide drainage away from your home and avoid the pooling of rain water.

Step 4: Put down your pavers

After you've covered your project area with base material, it's time to deploy your paving stones. Drop them as close together as possible. Keep in mind that you may need to trim a few stones if they don't fit exactly to your plan. 

If you just need to trim a few oddly fitting stones, you can use a hammer and chisel. Any more than that and you'll have to rely on a specialized saw or other power tool. 

Step 5: Consider restraining edges

For patios and larger installations, a concrete restraining edge, aka an edge restraint, might be necessary. It acts as a barrier and prevents the pavers from moving as the earth settles over time. There are also special pavers that serve as edging stones. As an alternative, you can buy hard plastic edging pieces that can hold your patio stones in place. Those will also help to keep out weeds and grass.

Step 6: Seal to preserve

As a final step, think about adding a sealer to your paving stones. Doing so will create a weather barrier and help preserve the finish of your patio, walkway or driveway. A sealer can also help to guard against color loss from exposure to the sun. 

Acrylic- and water-based sealers are available in a variety of gloss levels. Be sure to follow the directions on your sealer packaging carefully to ensure that it adheres properly.

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Streaming Means You'll Never Own Your Favorite Movies or Music. Here's Why That Matters


Streaming Means You'll Never Own Your Favorite Movies or Music. Here's Why That Matters

Growing up, it was always exciting going to a friend's house for movie nights and sifting through their physical collections. As a kid, some of the most memorable gifts I received were DVDs of my favorite films, like Shrek and Lilo & Stitch (still absolute classics, in my opinion). It was exciting to know I now owned a physical copy of the film I saw in theaters and loved so much, and that I could play it any time I wanted. It wasn't going anywhere.

Today, the media landscape has drastically shifted. Most of us watch movies and TV shows on streaming services like Netflix or Hulu or Disney Plus. We don't tend to buy DVDs or Blu-rays or even digital versions of films as much as we used to, because we pay so much for all these streaming services and expect to find anything we'd want to watch on them. 

But if there's one constant truth about the world of streaming, it's that it's always changing.

You might sign up for a Netflix account so you can watch a show everyone's been talking about, only to soon find out it'll now only be on Peacock. Streaming services are always shifting their offerings in a highly competitive space. That means that, unlike the days when we all owned physical copies of movies, TV shows and music, you can't always count on your favorite media to be available on the platforms you subscribe to. 

"You have a gigantic library at your fingertips, but you don't have a lot of control over what goes in and out of that library," CNET's Joan Solsman told Sophia Fox-Sowell in an interview, embedded above. "Sometimes things can disappear, and privileges can disappear at a moment's notice. The great thing about it, though, is that you have so much more access to other things without having to pay discreetly for every single thing you want to listen to or watch."

While it's great not having to pay for each individual album that drops, I do miss the days of going into Target and buying physical copies of CDs and leafing through the accompanying booklets. You can still do this, of course, but it seems less practical if you're already paying for music subscriptions like Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube Music. They're just so much more convenient. I mean, I'd struggle to even find somewhere to play a CD these days. (My colleague Erin Carson might fight me on this.)

There are a host of reasons why owning physical copies of media can be advantageous, though. Not only can a platform's offerings change, but movies, TV shows and songs themselves can be edited and altered even after their release. If you don't own a physical copy of something, you won't be able to go back to that first version, if that's something you want. (Take, for example, when the creators of Game of Thrones went back and removed a Starbucks cup that accidentally made its way into a shot. You'll never see that version again on HBO's platforms.)

Check out the video above on the advantages and disadvantages of our shifting media landscape.

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Laptops are adapting to our new normal in 2022


Laptops are adapting to our new normal in 2022

This story is part of The Year Ahead, CNET's look at how the world will continue to evolve starting in 2022 and beyond.

The years 2020 and 2021 served as a reminder of just how central computers are to work, school, home and just about everything we do. It started around March 2020, when many people took their work laptops home, and then didn't return to the office for over 18 months, if at all. 

During that time, we changed how we attended meetings, collaborated on projects and learned new things. But, for the most part, our work-from-home and learn-from-home tools were the same as the ones we had before the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Unfortunately, that work laptop just wasn't designed for all-day video meetings, or for sitting in a virtual classroom. Case in point: Most laptops during this time still had lousy webcams and merely adequate microphones. You could always tell when someone had a hard-to-find full-HD standalone webcam (or better) with a good eye line and clear image. Many people were stuck with something like a MacBook Air, with a tilted up-the-nose shot and soft and blurry image. 

It's not that we didn't know that turning every home office into a primary office would mean more people would want better cameras, mics, displays and more. But reacting to that need -- by designing a new product or new features, then getting something manufactured and into stores -- is a multi-year process. That's why it's only as we step into 2022, at CES and beyond, that we're starting to see even simple features like full-HD webcams go mainstream. 

The pandemic also made one-laptop-per-person even more of a rule than it already was. That's because every single household member, adults and children, needed their own full-time system. You might have your office laptop with you -- but it might be old and junky enough (or so corporate) that you'd want something else. You or your spouse might be a freelancer and need their own laptop. Meanwhile, every school-age child in the family suddenly needed a separate laptop for remote schooling -- no more sharing a system for the kids or having a centrally located family PC. 

Here's how these trends, pushed into high gear by the pandemic, are going to be reflected in the new PCs and laptops of 2022 and beyond.

hp-elite-dragonfly-g3-workspace-1

HP's ultralight Elite Dragonfly laptop.

 HP

Easy fix: Betters webcams and mics

For years, the 13-inch MacBook Air was the single most universally useful laptop most people could buy. With one significant flaw – the mediocre 720p webcam. See enough of these and you could almost tell who in your Zoom meeting was on a MacBook, just as some experienced radio DJs can tell which microphone someone is using just by the sound. 

To its credit, Apple started rolling out better cameras right away, starting with the 2020 version of the 27-inch iMac. I appreciated its 1080-pixel camera so much I ended up dragging it from one corner of my house to the other just to use the webcam and mic in meetings and TV appearances. The trend continued in the 24-inch iMac and the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops. 

Now, and into 2022, you can expect many more full-HD cameras in laptops from Lenovo, Dell and others. It won't be in every model, as it's still an additional expense and frankly may require a larger camera unit, but it gets closer to becoming the universal standard every day. And whether you're working from home, in an office or both, that's a good thing. 

Macbook Pro 2021

The latest MacBook Pro laptops already have upgraded 1080p webcams. 

 Dan Ackerman/CNET

New recycled ideas 

Everyone wants their product to be green, and sometimes it's even for non-publicity reasons. I've heard about laptops and accessories that used a certain amount of recycled plastic, or recycled paperboard in computer packaging, but 2022 means even more laptops will be built around recycling materials and reusing parts. 

Dell impressed me recently with a new concept demo called Luna. The idea is that your laptop will have many more user-accessible parts, not so much so that you can upgrade them later on (although I'd still like to see that), but more so you can swap out old or defective parts and Dell can reclaim the unused ones without junking the whole laptop. It also makes it easier to trade in a used laptop so the hard drive, CPU, RAM and other components can be stripped out and slotted into new machines. 

The Luna is just a concept project, not a real laptop line, but I'm hoping some aspects of it will make it into real products sooner than later. 

What you can look forward to from computers in 2022 is more recycled material in laptop packaging and even power adapters, even if that's tougher to do with the laptop body itself. 

img-7289

The new Dell XPS 13 Plus also sported a few cutting edge upgrades, including a capacitive touch function key row and an all-glass front lip.

 Dan Ackerman/CNET

New ways to work 

Some upcoming innovations promise to ease a little of the awkwardness that remote work brings. A few of these have already been announced, like Dell's Flow concept, which automatically connects and disconnects a laptop from a secondary display based purely on proximity. I also liked Dell's Pari webcam prototype, which is wireless and able to stick itself anywhere on your screen to get the perfect eye line. Or you could just pick it up and aim it anywhere, from the whiteboard across the room to the brilliant idea you sketched out on a cocktail napkin. 

These developments are still in the concept or prototype stage, so don't expect them any time soon. But I think we will see more innovative helper apps and features this year, like laptops that can alert you when someone is peeking over your shoulder or that can log you in with facial recognition, even when you're wearing a mask. 

The final frontier may be the smart desk. What will it look like and what will it do? I don't think there's universal agreement on that yet, but I suspect it'll start with wireless charging and may move into secondary displays, ergonomic adjustments and more. 

Wider chip choices 

Two big forces are helping laptops and other computers move away from being so dominated by Intel chips. One is that wide adoption of Chromebooks, especially from students engaged in some level of remote learning, is opening the door to more ARM-based laptops, which were previously nonstarters in the Windows world. 

Second, Apple's aggressive timeline for shifting the entire Mac lineup from Intel to its own M-series chips has shown that laptops that skip Intel or AMD chips don't have to skimp on performance. In fact, the latest M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBooks are miles faster than most of the Intel models they replace. Google is said to be prepping its own chip, specifically for Chromebooks, as well. 

Still, Intel controls roughly 75% of the computer market, and this widening of the playing field may be affected by many factors, including ongoing chip supply shortages. And since so many people had to splurge for an emergency upgrade to a new laptop over the past 18 months, those people may be reluctant to upgrade again so soon. 

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Asus ZenBook Pro 15 review: A second screen under your fingers


Asus ZenBook Pro 15 review: A second screen under your fingers

There's a lot going on in the new 15-inch ZenBook Pro from Asus. It's one of the first laptops to get a top-tier Intel Core i9 processor. Then there's the 15-inch 4K touchscreen. It even has a halfway-decent graphics card for gaming (the Nvidia GeForce 1050Ti). But there's got to be something else besides all that to justify a hefty $2,299, right?

The thing you really want to hear about is the second screen built into the touch pad. Asus calls it the ScreenPad, and it's a full-color 1,920 by 1,080 touchscreen built into the wrist rest of the laptop. Several different modes allow you to use it as a secondary display, a control panel for media or office apps, or just as a regular old touchpad.

This touchpad is a touchscreen.

 Sarah Tew/CNET

Seeing double

In practice it whips between straight up gimmick and occasionally useful tool, but is just as often frustrating in its seemingly arbitrary limitations. The ScreenPad is at its best when showing off the handful of built-in tools it ships with. Swipe down from the top of the pad and a small line of launch icons appear. There's a music player and calendar, both of which require external Windows software to run, a number pad and a calculator, which might actually be pretty handy, and a well-designed Spotify helper app. Other apps can be added from Asus' app store, and the core icons can be rearranged and changed in the settings menu.

That Spotify hook is the closest I've found to a killer app for the ScreenPad. To use it, you need to have the Spotify app installed and be signed into it. After that's all set up, the touchpad will display the name and cover art of whatever track is playing and provide basic transport controls. There's also a way to navigate to some other parts of Spotify, but I found that to be awkward at best. 

You can control Spotify's music right from the screen.

 Sarah Tew/CNET

Asus ZenBook Pro 15

Price as reviewed $2,299
Display size/resolution 15.6-inch 3,840x2,160 touch display
CPU 2.9GHz Intel Core i9-8950HK
Memory 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 2,400MHz
Graphics 4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
Storage 512GB SSD
Networking 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 5.0
Operating system Window 10 Pro (64-bit)

A handful of other apps are available, including controls for YouTube playback via the Chrome browser and for menu shortcuts in Microsoft Office. Both of those end up being more frustrating than anything else, but for different reasons.

The YouTube helper offers only basic playback controls on the touchpad screen, and doesn't display the video itself. If you're genuinely flummoxed about how to play, pause or mute a YouTube video from within the browser, well, then this may be the app for you. For everyone else, the added value is minimal, especially considering it takes the touchpad out of action for actual on-screen navigation while in use.

Sarah Tew/CNET

There actually is a way to play a video from YouTube or elsewhere on the ScreenPad, but it's a hassle. You have to switch the pad's function from ScreenPad mode to extended display mode, then you can manually move a YouTube or other video window down onto the second screen. Like most of the ScreenPad functions, this works better if you have a mouse hooked up.

Microsoft Office also has ScreenPad functions, and in this case, it works much the same as Apple's Touch Bar. While working on a Word doc, for example, you can use the menu shortcuts on the touchpad to make text bold or italicized, play around with font colors and even save files. The nice part here is that the bottom two-thirds of the touchpad still work as a, you know, touchpad, so an external mouse isn't a must-have.

If all this sounds like I'm knocking the ScreenPad, it's not as bad as all that. It can be a fun conversation piece, but like the Touch Bar on MacBook Pro laptops, I can't see it being used regularly outside of a couple of shortcuts. That said, it's cool-looking to have a light-up touchpad, and more amazingly, it seems to work fine as a touchpad, whether the screen is on or off.

Beyond the pad

If this ZenBook Pro was just a gimmicky second screen attached to a boring basic laptop, it'd be a hard pass from me. But, putting the ScreenPad aside for a moment, it's actually a pretty solid midsize performance laptop. The Intel Core i9 CPU is more for bragging rights than anything else -- a good six-core Core i7 will probably work just as well for most high-end tasks (or a Core i5 for everyday computing). That's paired with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, which are both standard for a premium-priced laptop.

The laptop runs quite well, regardless of the special touchpad.

 Sarah Tew/CNET

There's also the very nice 15-inch 4K touchscreen. It's surrounded by a bezel that frankly could be thinner and is (according to a sticker on the wrist rest) "Pantone Validated," which according to our display guru Lori Grunin just means it meets some basic standards for color reproduction.

While you may not need the extra power of a Core i9, or even a 4K display (which can have a negative effect on battery life), one feature that could get a lot of use is the Nvidia GTX 1050Ti graphics card. That's currently the standard for laptops not specifically sold as gaming machines, but that need the extra graphics power for games, video editing and other visual tasks. Any current game (such as Far Cry 5) will play fine, but you may need to drop the resolution down to 1,920 by 1,080.

Screen time

If you really, really want a laptop with a second screen built in, then this is one of your only options. But it's not the first time we've seen this -- the original Razer Blade laptop had a similar touchpad/screen hybrid, and one could call Apple's Touch Bar a second screen for MacBook Pro laptops. It's a fun showoff feature, but didn't really make me more productive. Having an easier way to play videos on the second screen would make a more compelling case. 

There are trade-offs, too. This is heavy for a 15-inch laptop, at 4.4 pounds, and battery life is short, at just over four hours, which I'd blame more on the 4K display than the ScreenPad. 

If the touchpad display doesn't sound like your bag, take a look at options in the same premium price range, like the new 15-inch Razer Blade or even the MacBook Pro. Ironically, with a powerful CPU/GPU combo, an excellent display, good selection of ports and the great keyboard with its touchpad, the ZenBook Pro doesn't really need any add-on gimmicks.

Geekbench 4 (multicore)

Asus ZenBook Pro 15 20221 Acer Predator Helios 500 19794 Razer Blade (2018) 18015 Acer Nitro 5 14220 Lenovo Legion Y530 14171 Asus TUF Gaming FX504GD 11548
Note: Longer bars indicate better performance

Cinebench R15 CPU (multicore)

Acer Predator Helios 500 1119 Asus ZenBook Pro 15 1043 Razer Blade (2018) 926 Acer Nitro 5 851 Lenovo Legion Y530 815 Asus TUF Gaming FX504GD 599
Note: Longer bars indicate better performance

Streaming video playback battery drain test

Razer Blade (2018) 473 Lenovo Legion Y530 437 Acer Nitro 5 333 Asus TUF Gaming FX504GD 300 Asus ZenBook Pro 15 253 Acer Predator Helios 500 127
Note: Longer bars indicate better performance (in minutes)

3DMark Fire Strike Ultra

Acer Predator Helios 500 4102 Razer Blade (2018) 3431 Acer Nitro 5 1873 Lenovo Legion Y530 1825 Asus ZenBook Pro 15 1753 Asus TUF Gaming FX504GD 758
Note: Longer bars indicate better performance

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (fps)

Acer Predator Helios 500 80.1 Razer Blade (2018) 72.2 Acer Nitro 5 37.7 Asus ZenBook Pro 15 32.4 Asus TUF Gaming FX504GD 31.2 Lenovo Legion Y530 28.4
Note: Longer bars indicate better performance (FPS)

System configurations

Asus ZenBook Pro 15 Microsoft Windows 10 Pro (64-bit); 2.9GHz Intel Core i9-8950HK; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 2400MHz; 4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti; 512GB SSD
Acer Predator Helios 500 Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 2.9HGz Intel Core i9=8950HK; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM; 8GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070; 512GB SSD + 2TB HDD
Lenovo Legion Y530 Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-8300H; 8GB DDR? SDRAM 2,660MHz; 4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti ; 1TB HDD + 128GB SSD
Razer Blade (2018) Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-8750H; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 2,660MHz; 8GB Nvidia GeFroce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design; 512GB SSD
Acer Nitro 5 Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-8300H; 8GB DDR4 SDRAM 2,660MHz; 4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti Graphics; 256GB SSD
Asus TUF Gaming FX504GD Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-8300H; 8GB DDR4 SDRAM 2,660MHz; 4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Graphics; 1TB HDD
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Met Gala 2022: Start Time Tonight, Theme and How to Watch the Red Carpet Livestream


Met Gala 2022: Start Time Tonight, Theme and How to Watch the Red Carpet Livestream

If you're not yet prepped to watch the world's biggest celebrities get dressed to the nines for the annual Met Gala (while sitting at home in your sweats or PJs -- no judgment here), we've got your cheatsheet to getting ready. 

Given that last year's event was a more intimate affair than usual due to pandemic restrictions, we're expecting a triumphant return to big looks, bigger moments and plenty of huge stars on the red carpet.

What is the Met Gala?

On the first Monday of May each year, big names in fashion, music and the arts come together in an effort to raise money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. 

Organized by iconic Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, the Met Gala is an annual event that aligns with the opening of the museum's latest fashion exhibit. This particular Met Gala is celebrating the second instalment of the current fashion exhibit on display, titled, "In America: An Anthology of Fashion," which will open on May 5th, 2022. 

Oh, and did we mention that it's easily the most exclusive fashion event of the year? Unless you're a big name, it's incredibly hard to get a look-in -- so it's lucky we can be a part of the experience by watching it from our own homes.

How do you watch the Met Gala?

The 2019 Met Gala Celebrating Camp: Notes on Fashion - Arrivals

Harry Styles at the 2019 Met Gala. The theme was "camp."

 Dia Dipasupil

We all know the most eye-catching part of the Met Gala is the red carpet, as all the celebrities brush shoulders in their most daring and avant-garde looks. The red carpet is livestreamed each year by Vogue, with celebrity hosts interviewing attendees as they walk up the steps to the Met. 

Broadcast on Vogue.com, the livestream will kick off at 6 p.m. E.T. on May 2, and will also be available across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter via the Vogue channels. 

This year the red carpet will be hosted by Vogue editor-at-large Hamish Bowles, Vanessa Hudgens and La La Anthony. 

What's the theme of the 2022 Met Gala?

To coincide with the exhibit's launch, the Met Gala has a dress theme each year. The last few Met Galas have been themed around concepts like "American Independence," "Camp," and "Heavenly Bodies," so there's historically been a lot of scope and opportunity for celebrities and guests to set the fashion world aflutter with a particularly daring look.

Despite some fashion critics suggesting that many of the looks showcased over the past few years haven't really exemplified the theme, this year's theme of Gilded Glamour may well turn the tide. 

The Gilded Age era of US history was roughly between 1870 and 1900, and featured a time of rapid economic growth -- with the fashion to match. We're talking opulence, big ruffles, lots of ornamentation and attention-grabbing looks. 

All in all,exactly what the Met Gala is all about. 

Who is chairing the Met Gala this year?

One of the biggest honors in fashion, the co-chairs of the Met Gala are tasked with setting the tone for the entire evening. This year the event is being co-chaired by Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Regina King, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. 

In previous years, this honor has gone to everyone from socialites and magazine editors to designers, actors and musicians. In 2021, the event was co-chaired by Billie Eilish, Amanda Gorman, Naomi Osaka and Timothée Chalamet.

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