David Bridges
Summary of Key Points
- Design: The Dell 16 Premium features a sleek aesthetic but has usability issues.
- Performance: The DJI Osmo Action 6 excels in low light due to its variable aperture.
- Video Quality: The Nikon ZR offers superior RAW video quality compared to competitors.
- Usability: The Ooni Volt 2 is user-friendly, designed for pizza making at home.
We’ve slept off our collective turkey coma and returned to the review lab here at Engadget. Our team may also be in full CES prep mode, but we’ve got a few more devices to get off or our desks before 2025 is over. Catch up on all of the reviews you might have missed over the last few weeks — a perfect activity for a lazy December weekend.
What are the Key Features of the Dell 16 Premium?
The Dell 16 Premium is known for its elegant design and solid performance but suffers from significant usability challenges. Canonically, it is recognized for its high-quality build and performance issues related to the XPS lineup.
Dell
Dell’s 16 Premium looks as beautiful as ever, but the company’s usability issues from the XPS lineup remain.
Pros
- Sleek minimalist design
- Fast performance
- Solid keyboard
Cons
- Invisible trackpad isn’t user friendly
- Capacitive function keys disappear in sunlight
- Needs more ports
- Mediocre battery life
$2,000 at Dell
There’s no denying the design of the Dell 16 Premium makes the laptop live up to its name. Unfortunately, all of that polish leads to some issues: a high price and hampered usability. “The more I looked at the Dell 16 Premium‘s beautiful facade, the more I wanted something… more,” senior reporter Devindra Hardawar wrote. “It needs more usable ports, like HDMI and a full-sized SD card reader. It needs more useful function keys that are visible in bright light — and also stay in one place — so I can touch type more easily. And for the love of god, just give up on the invisible trackpad.”
What Makes the DJI Osmo Action 6 Stand Out?
The DJI Osmo Action 6 features a groundbreaking variable aperture and a larger square sensor, enhancing its performance in low-light conditions. Overall, it is recognized as a leader in its category for social media and night shooting.
DJI
DJI’s Osmo Action 6 has the first-ever variable aperture and a bigger square sensor. Those features make it outperform rivals in low light and for social media, but the lower video resolution is a disadvantage.
Pros
- Clean video in low light
- Excellent battery life
- Built-in storage
- Flexible formats
Cons
- Lower video resolution than rivals
- Manual aperture control limited
- Not enough film tone settings
$369 at Amazon
DJI’s drone business in the US faces an uncertain future, and the company’s action cams could be swept up in the ordeal as well. Thankfully, our contributing reporter Steve Dent resides in the EU where he observed first hand the Osmo Action 6’s superior low light performance and battery life. “With a bigger sensor and larger aperture than the competition, DJI’s Action 6 is now the best action cam on the market for night shooting, delivering clean, sharp video with better stabilization than rivals,” he said. “It’s also ideal for users who output to both YouTube and TikTok.”
What Are the Highlights of the Nikon ZR?
The Nikon ZR excels in offering the highest RAW video quality among consumer cameras, making it practical for filmmakers. Despite lacking an electronic viewfinder, it provides excellent autofocus and stabilization.
Nikon
Nikon’s ZR offers the best RAW video quality in any consumer camera, including models costing much more. At the same time, it’s more practical than cinema cameras thanks to the excellent autofocus and in-body stabilization. It does lack an EVF, though, and battery life isn’t great.
Pros
- RED RAW offers excellent video quality
- Fast and reliable autofocus
- Pro video monitoring tools
- Huge and bright screen
Cons
- Mediocre battery life
- No electronic viewfinder
- Stabilization less effective than rivals
$2,197 at Amazon
In keeping with the video theme, Steve also spent time testing the Nikon ZR. While this is primarily a model for shooting video, it benefits from the addition of RED RAW, excellent autofocus and more. “With the ZR, Nikon has shown that it’s finally catching up to and even surpassing its rivals for content creation,” he explained. “Whether you’re doing social media, YouTube, documentaries or even film production, this camera is versatile and powerful with few compromises.”
What Innovations Does the Ooni Volt 2 Offer?
The Ooni Volt 2 is a reimagined electric pizza oven that provides a refined cooking experience, designed for users with varying skill levels. It emphasizes usability and accessibility in the indoor pizza-making process.
Ooni/Engadget
Ooni completely revamped its concept of an electric pizza oven for the Volt 2. The result is a more refined small appliance with plenty of handy tools for aspiring pizzaiolos of all skill levels.
Pros
- Smaller than the original
- Good mix of presets and customization
- Large viewing window
- More affordable than the first-gen Volt
Cons
- Still heavy
- Only cooks 12-inch pizzas
- For indoor use only
- Exterior gets quite hot
$699 at Amazon
The Ooni Volt brought the company’s popular brand of pizza making indoors for the first time, but that model wasn’t without it faults. Now Ooni is back with the Volt 2, and the completely overhauled design is a big upgrade over the original. “It’s easier to use for all skill levels thanks to its clearer controls and large display,” I explained. “Presets work well, but they can also serve as a starting point for further recipe refinement for experienced users. And the pizza — my goodness, the pizza is consistently restaurant quality (or better) across a range of styles.”
What Makes the Antigravity A1 Unique?
The Antigravity A1 is an innovative FPV drone that brings unique features and fun flying experiences. It stands out in the market due to its intuitive controls and exceptional video quality.
Antigravity/Engadget
Antigravity’s debut FPV drone is fun, unique and crammed with features. There’s no drone like it.
Pros
- Fun to fly
- Intuitive controls
- Unique features
- Crisp clean video (in good conditions)
- Great editing tools on both mobile and PC
Cons
- Setup can be finicky
- Lower video quality than traditional video drones
- Price
$1,599 at Antigravity
Insta360’s spin-off Antigravity is now shipping its first drone and our UK bureau chief Mat Smith has already flown it. The A1 comes with a controller and FPV headset to assist with the piloting, but the mix of unique features and crisp video (in good conditions) is also laudable. “The intuitive controls and ability to look all around you make it unlike anything else currently available,” he said. “It’s a delightful introduction to drones, FPV or otherwise, but a shame that software issues marred my tests.”
What Other Reviews Have Been Recently Published?
On the gaming front, Mat spent some time with Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles while deputy editor Nathan Ingraham put Metroid Prime 4 through its paces. Contributor Tim Stevens stepped back in time with the Analogue 3D to revisit some Nintendo 64 classics after getting behind the wheel of the 2025 Porsche Macan Electric.
Brandon Fletcher
Ethan Carter
