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Oppo Find X10 Pro Max Review: Stunning Imaging, Well-Balanced Flagship, Big Price
PROS:
- Industry-first triple 200MP camera system
- Natural, consistent photo colors across all cameras
- Strong video capability
- Bright, immersive AMOLED display with thin bezel
- Excellent battery life
CONS:
- High price
- Optional teleconverter kit limits lens options while in use
In 2026, nearly every major phone maker is eager to add “Pro Max” to their flagship lineups. Oppo is now joining this trend with its Find X10 Pro Max. Whether you see the naming as bold or just another industry move, one thing is hard to ignore. Even when manufacturers like Oppo pack their phones with leading-edge hardware and arguably superior imaging, they still face the ongoing challenge of measuring up to Apple’s influence at the top of the market.
This device brings a massive 6.78-inch AMOLED display and debuts the industry’s first trio of 200-megapixel cameras. Its battery is also among the largest found in any mainstream smartphone. Oppo claims this phone stands out for both design and capability. After spending time with the Find X10 Pro Max, I set out to discover if this “Pro Max” truly lives up to its name or simply chases a label.
Designer: OPPO
Aesthetics
The Oppo Find X10 Pro Max carries forward some of the Find X9 Pro’s most recognizable design elements, including its signature square camera bump, now paired with an oval accent for the color sensor and LED. Oppo offers this flagship in two finishes. The Titanium Grey edition features a single sculpted piece of glass with contours that flow seamlessly into the camera area, softening the visual impact and giving the phone an understated, professional vibe. The grey itself is subtle, with hints of mauve appearing under certain lighting conditions.
For this review, I received the Luna White edition, which channels inspiration from classic cameras and reimagines the look for a contemporary audience. The camera island sports a matte silver metallic finish with knurled detailing, highlighted by Hasselblad’s signature orange accent ring. The back showcases a subtle fabric-inspired pattern, with Oppo and Hasselblad branding on the side. While both colors exude sophistication, those who prefer darker tones or bolder shades may find themselves wishing for greater variety in the color lineup.
Ergonomics
Despite its impressive size and powerful hardware, the Oppo Find X10 Pro Max manages to feel thoughtfully balanced in hand. My review unit is the global version, which comes with a substantial 8000mAh battery and weighs 235 grams (about 8.29 ounces) in Titanium Grey or 233 grams (about 8.22 ounces) in Luna White. The EU version features a slightly smaller 7150mAh battery and is a bit lighter at 228 grams (about 8.04 ounces) for Titanium Grey and 226 grams (about 7.97 ounces) for Luna White. Measuring 161.32 x 76.57 x 8.40 mm, or approximately 6.35 x 3.02 x 0.33 inches, this phone clearly fits into the large flagship category, yet its slim profile keeps it manageable.
The weight of the Find X10 Pro Max is certainly noticeable each time you pick it up, although the distribution helps maintain comfort during longer use. Both color options have a matte back and frame that do an excellent job resisting fingerprints and smudges, while also offering a velvety texture that is genuinely pleasant to touch. The device maintains a clean look throughout the day and feels luxurious with every interaction. The edges are only slightly curved, almost flat and straighter than on many other flagships, so they do not dig into your hand but may affect comfort depending on how you hold the phone over time.
Performance
The Oppo Find X10 Pro Max delivers the kind of fluid, responsive experience you expect from a flagship. Powered by the Dimensity 9600 Pro, the phone handles daily tasks, multitasking, and demanding apps without any noticeable lag or slowdowns. ColorOS 17 brings a polished feel with more refinement than revolution, ensuring that every interaction is smooth and intuitive. Everything from app launches to switching between tasks happens with impressive speed and reliability.
The large 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display stands out with a sharp 2772 × 1272 resolution and vibrant colors, thanks to BT.2020 coverage and 10-bit color support. Bezels measure just 1.15mm and are perfectly symmetrical, which makes the screen feel even more expansive. With up to 3,600 nits peak HDR brightness, visibility outdoors is excellent. The adaptive refresh rate ranges from 1 to 120Hz for smooth scrolling, while 144Hz is available in select gaming scenarios for extra fluidity. The speakers provide plenty of volume, though sound quality does not really stand out.
Hasselblad Hi-Res (50MP) mode, main camera, 1x
Main Camera, 1x
Over the past few years, smartphone cameras have leaned heavily on computational processing to overcome the limitations of small lenses. Sometimes the results are impressive, but too much digital magic can leave photos looking punchy or even artificial. With the Find X10 Pro Max, Oppo takes a different route by aiming for images that genuinely match what you saw in real life. The brand continues its collaboration with Hasselblad to fine-tune color science, and this generation introduces the LUMO True Image Engine, which keeps colors believable and resists the urge to overdo sharpening or saturation.
Oppo debuts the industry’s first triple 200-megapixel camera system in the Find X10 Pro Max. You get a 200MP main camera (Samsung ISOCELL HPC, 1/1.3″, f/1.5 with OIS), a 200MP ultra-wide (Samsung ISOCELL HP5, 1/1.56″, f/2.2 with autofocus), and a 200MP periscope telephoto (Samsung ISOCELL HP5, 1/1.56″, f/2.1 with OIS). Flip the phone around and you’ll find a 50MP front camera (Samsung ISOCELL JN5, 1/2.75”, autofocus, 100° FOV).
Ultrawide, 0.5x
Telephoto, 3x
Telephoto, 6x
The headline megapixel count is only part of the story. The main sensor leverages DeepPix technology, redesigning each pixel to improve light-gathering efficiency and preserve detail even in challenging conditions. It delivers up to 17 stops of dynamic range for images full of nuance from shadow to highlight. Daylight photos are crisp and vibrant, and low-light shots stay clear and accurate.
Most flagships treat ultra-wide cameras as a weak spot, but Oppo breaks that trend by using the same large sensor in both its ultra-wide and telephoto modules as in the main camera. The ultra-wide’s 13mm-equivalent focal length provides an expansive 124-degree field of view and captures sharp images across the frame. There is still some noticeable lens distortion at the edges, which is common for lenses this wide, but overall image quality remains impressively crisp. Color consistency is another area where Oppo truly excels. Tones stay remarkably uniform across all three lenses, so your shots always look cohesive.
Ultrawide, 0.5x
Main Camera, 1x
Main Camera, 1x
Telephoto, 3x
Personally, I love shooting with the telephoto camera on the X10 Pro Max. It is genuinely a treat for anyone who enjoys zoom photography. Hasselblad Master mode is another highlight because it delivers a more natural, less processed look that gives images a classic photographic character rather than an overdone “smartphone” feel. For those who want total control, Pro mode within Hasselblad Master mode allows for granular manual adjustments.
For users seeking more flexibility, Oppo offers a Hasselblad Teleconverter Kit in Luna White that includes a MagSafe-compatible case, lens adapter plate, teleconverter lens, lens bracket, shoulder strap, and pouch, all in silver or white with orange accents to match the Luna White phone version. While I love how visually unified the kit appears, attaching the lens adapter plate blocks both the main and ultra-wide lenses at once, just like on the Find X9 Pro teleconverter. This can limit your photo options when using the kit.
Telephoto Converter, 20x
Telephoto Converter, 40x
Oppo’s camera app supplies a nice set of filters. The selection is not as broad as Vivo’s catalog but still offers plenty of creative and customizable choices. Each filter lets you tweak tonality, saturation, and intensity to match your style preferences. My main gripe is with how OPPO lays out these filters: instead of small thumbnails along the bottom edge like most brands use, you only see one filter preview filling the UI at a time. This makes it tougher to quickly browse options and can slow down creative experimentation.
Filter UI
Open Gate Mode
Video performance keeps pace with stills. All three rear cameras support up to 8K at 30fps, 4K at 60fps, and even 4K at 120fps for dramatic slow motion. The front camera supports up to 4K at 60fps for sharp selfies and vlogs. If you apply creative filters during recording, output is capped at 1080p at 30fps. Open Gate recording is available on all rear cameras as well, so creators can leverage every pixel for flexible cropping in post-production.
My global review unit features a massive 8000mAh battery, while the EU version is equipped with a still-impressive 7150mAh cell. Both models support fast charging, with 80W SUPERVOOC wired charging making it easy to top up quickly and 50W AIRVOOC wireless charging for added convenience. Battery life is outstanding. It easily lasts more than a full day of heavy use and can reach two days with moderate usage.
Main Camera, 1x, Night
Sustainability
Oppo positions the Find X10 Pro Max as a durable and future-proof flagship, but most of its claims align with what’s now expected at the high end. The phone comes with IP66, IP68, and IP69 ratings, so it stands up well to dust and water in a wide range of scenarios. Both the front and back are protected by OPPO Crystal Guard Glass, co-developed with Corning, promising solid scratch and drop resistance. SGS Five-Star Drop Resistance Certification adds further reassurance, though these certifications have become standard for premium smartphones.
Oppo also states that the battery should retain over 80% of its original capacity after five years of typical use, which is consistent with leading brands but does not set a new bar. The promise of five years of major Android OS updates and six years of security patches is definitely good news for long-term owners and matches current flagship expectations. That said, it would be great to see Oppo take additional steps in sustainability, such as using more recycled materials in construction and offering easier repair options, to truly stand out in this space.
Value
Official pricing was unavailable at the time of writing this review, but the Oppo Find X10 Pro Max is rumored to launch at €1,799 (about $1,900) for the 16GB+512GB EU version. This firmly places it among the highest-priced flagships on the market and marks a clear jump from last year’s Find X9 Pro (€1,299, or around $1,370) and even the Find X9 Ultra (€1,699, or about $1,790). A significant part of this price hike likely comes from soaring RAM and storage costs, driven by increased demand from the AI boom and broader tech trends.
If these figures are correct, Oppo will face an uphill battle. Even with top-of-the-line hardware and some of the best mobile imaging features available, nearly two thousand dollars is a serious investment, especially as many consumers are feeling economic pressure. The EU version of the Find X10 Pro Max is even more expensive than both the iPhone 18 Pro Max with 512GB of storage and the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 512GB model in the U.S. For Oppo to justify this price point, buyers will need to be truly convinced by its unique camera system and design philosophy. Otherwise, many may find more value in established alternatives from Apple or Samsung.
Verdict
The Oppo Find X10 Pro Max stands out as a well-balanced flagship that gets almost everything right and, at times, feels nearly flawless. What really sets it apart is its excellent mobile photography, from the industry-first triple 200-megapixel camera system to the natural color science developed in partnership with Hasselblad. Everyday performance is smooth, build quality is unquestionably premium, and battery life ranks among the best available in any flagship.
On the flip side, the high price tag puts the Find X10 Pro Max in direct competition with industry giants. While it delivers top-tier hardware and leading imaging capability, buyers must be willing to stretch both their expectations and their budgets. For those who put a premium on cutting-edge camera features and want an alternative to Apple or Samsung, Oppo’s latest is a compelling choice. For everyone else, especially those mindful of budget, there are several strong alternatives on the market that may offer a more accessible fit.
The post Oppo Find X10 Pro Max Review: Stunning Imaging, Well-Balanced Flagship, Big Price first appeared on Yanko Design.
Huawei Watch D3 Review: A Game Changer for On-Wrist Blood Pressure Monitoring
PROS:
- Cuff-style blood pressure reading with 24-hour ambulatory monitoring
- Quiet measurement that didn’t disturb my sleep
- Streamlined ensign and comfortable everyday fit
- Good battery life
- Comprehensive health and fitness tracking alongside everyday smartwatch features
CONS:
- Limited third-party app selection
- Not suitable for swimming or showering
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major cause of premature death worldwide and increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney damage. Nearly half of U.S. adults have it, according to the CDC. Yet it often causes no noticeable symptoms, so feeling fine does not necessarily mean your blood pressure is where it should be.
The Huawei Watch D3 puts blood pressure measurement on your wrist, using an inflatable airbag built into the strap and offering scheduled readings throughout the day and night. That sounds like a recipe for a bulky, rather clinical accessory, but the watch I received looks nothing of the sort. More importantly, it is comfortable enough that I was happy to keep wearing it, including overnight. Huawei has squeezed some unusual hardware into a familiar package, and after living with it, I am impressed by how little fuss it adds to my day.
Designer: Huawei
Aesthetics
Huawei has made the Watch D3 surprisingly discreet, and that is one of its biggest design strengths. This is a health-focused smartwatch with more going on under the surface than most, yet it does not look overly technical or awkwardly bulky. Instead, it comes across as clean, polished, and easy to wear, which helps it feel like a proper everyday smartwatch rather than a specialist device.
Visually, it sits somewhere between the clean familiarity of an Apple Watch and the more assertive presence of an Apple Watch Ultra, giving it a look that feels both familiar and slightly more rugged. Huawei offers the Watch D3 in three color options: White, Black, and Mocha Gold. I received the Mocha Gold version, and it gives the watch a warmer, slightly more elevated look than the other finishes. The rectangular-shaped case is paired with a color-matched fluoroelastomer strap, which also houses the airbag used for blood pressure measurement.
Ergonomics
For a smartwatch with a tiny airbag tucked into its strap, the Watch D3 is surprisingly easy to wear. On paper, it is not a small device at 1.83 x 1.61 x 0.44 inches, but it never feels ungainly or overengineered once it is actually on your wrist. The 1.92-inch rectangular display fits well and doesn’t overwhelm the wrist, keeping the overall look streamlined. Huawei has also trimmed the thickness down from 0.52 inches on the Watch D2 to 0.44 inches here, and that slimming makes a real difference. The D3 feels less like a specialist gadget and more like a smartwatch you can throw on in the morning without a second thought.
In practice, the bigger surprise is how quickly it stops feeling unusual. The Watch D3 feels like an ordinary smartwatch on the wrist in the best possible sense. The strap is inevitably thicker than a conventional smartwatch band because it contains the inflatable airbag, but I never found it cumbersome. If anything, that unusual construction fades into the background faster than expected, which is not something I would have assumed before wearing it.
The weight helps here too. At around 1.41 ounces without the strap, the Watch D3 feels substantial enough to come across as a proper piece of hardware, but not heavy enough to become annoying over the course of a full day. Fit matters more on the Watch D3 than it does on a typical smartwatch. Huawei accounts for that with a paper measuring guide and two strap sizes. A watch built around blood pressure readings needs to fit properly, and the D3 feels better for that extra attention.
Performance
Blood pressure monitoring is the main reason to consider the Watch D3, but what surprised me first was how quiet it is. It makes virtually no sound during a reading, with the increasing pressure around my wrist providing the only obvious sign that anything is happening. The sensation is noticeable, as you would expect from an inflatable strap, but the process feels discreet enough that taking a reading does not become a bother.
There are medical credentials behind the feature, too. According to Huawei, the Watch D3’s blood pressure measurement has obtained NMPA medical device registration in China and CE certification under the European Union’s Medical Device Regulation, commonly called CE-MDR.
The Watch D3 also supports ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, or ABPM, which schedules repeated measurements over a 24-hour period, including while you sleep. Rather than giving you one isolated reading, it builds a record of how your blood pressure changes throughout the day and night. Huawei Health brings those results together into a report showing daytime, nighttime, and overall averages, which you can save or share with your doctor.
That does not mean you can forget about the process entirely. During waking hours, you still need to pause, keep still, and hold the watch at heart level, following the positioning instructions. You can adjust the measurement schedule rather than stick with the default intervals. Overnight, the watch takes readings automatically without requiring you to assume the daytime posture. Thankfully, those nighttime readings did not bother me or wake me up.
There is also a dedicated feature for measuring blood pressure before and after six workout types, covering indoor and outdoor running, walking, and cycling. You take an initial reading before starting, then begin another measurement within two minutes of finishing. There is a reason those changes are worth studying. Research using clinical exercise tests has linked certain blood pressure responses during exercise and recovery with a higher risk of developing hypertension or experiencing cardiovascular events later on.
Beyond blood pressure, the D3 covers heart rate, sleep, blood oxygen saturation, and skin temperature, with ECG available in supported regions. Fitness tracking is solid too, with more than 80 workout modes. It works well as an everyday companion for keeping an eye on activity, workouts, and daily movement without making every walk feel like homework.
The everyday smartwatch features are more familiar. The D3 runs HarmonyOS and works with both Android and iOS, although the experience is not identical across the two platforms. Bluetooth calling and music playback are supported, but the limited third-party app selection leaves less room to expand beyond the built-in tools.
With a compatible Android phone, you can respond to supported messages using quick replies or the on-screen keyboard. Message replies are not supported when the watch is paired with an iPhone, which is worth knowing before you buy. Offline maps are available for supported models, while NFC payment support depends on your region and the available payment service. Having NFC hardware does not automatically mean it will work with your usual cards.
Battery life has been good in my use, too. Huawei quotes up to six days under typical conditions, dropping to around one day with ABPM enabled. My typical-use results were close to that six-day claim, while I comfortably passed a day with ambulatory monitoring enabled. Measurement frequency matters here, since Huawei’s ABPM battery test uses 15-minute intervals, so your results may differ depending on your settings.
Charging speed is okay rather than especially quick, but outside ABPM sessions, I was not constantly looking for the charger. The supplied charger uses a USB-C rather than USB-A, which is a welcome change. That is one less reason to keep an older USB-A power adapter around.
Sustainability
The Watch D3 has an IP68 rating, but that is not an invitation to take it swimming or into the shower. Huawei advises against both because of the air openings used by the blood pressure system. The watch is not water- or dust-resistant while taking a measurement, so those openings need to stay clean and dry. It requires a little more care around water than you might expect from an everyday smartwatch.
The strap feels durable, although Huawei does not provide wear-test figures to put that impression into context. It is removable, so a tear would not necessarily mean replacing the whole watch, provided Huawei makes compatible replacement straps available. That is useful for keeping the D3 in service, but the broader sustainability picture remains unclear. I would have liked more information about recycled materials, repair options, and long-term software support.
Value
The Watch D3 costs £399.99 (roughly $533) in the UK and €449 (roughly $505) in Europe, so it is not exactly an impulse purchase. Whether that feels expensive depends on what you want from your watch. The D3’s appeal is having cuff-style blood pressure readings and 24-hour ambulatory monitoring in something you can wear throughout the day and overnight.
If those are features you will use regularly, the price becomes easier to justify, especially given how comfortable I found it. I am also impressed by how streamlined the whole package feels, considering the specialized hardware tucked inside the watch and strap. You are getting more than an extra health metric on a screen, without having to wear something that feels like medical equipment. If you mostly want notifications and workout tracking, though, I would be less inclined to pay for blood pressure hardware that rarely gets used.
Verdict
The Watch D3 impressed me most by making its unusual hardware so easy to live with. Blood pressure readings are quiet, the strap never felt cumbersome, and overnight measurements did not wake me up. Battery life was good, too, particularly outside ambulatory monitoring sessions. I never felt I was putting up with an awkward gadget just to use its blood pressure features.
I would still like a broader selection of third-party apps and clearer information about repair options and long-term support. The price also makes more sense if blood pressure monitoring will be a regular habit rather than an occasional curiosity. It is a tool to use alongside professional care, not a reason to diagnose yourself or change medication based on your readings. With that understood, the D3 earns my recommendation for combining useful blood pressure features with the comfort and discretion of an everyday smartwatch.
The post Huawei Watch D3 Review: A Game Changer for On-Wrist Blood Pressure Monitoring first appeared on Yanko Design.
Clevetura S Keyboard Review: Swipe Across the Keys Instead of Reaching for a Mouse
PROS:
- Innovative combination of keyboard and touchpad in one
- Compact, lightweight design
- Customizable gestures and sensitivity
- Supports 3 Bluetooth and 1 USB-C connections
CONS:
- Has a bit of a learning curve for accuracy and speed
- Premium price tag
Keyboards and mice have shared our desks for decades, but our hands still have to travel between them whenever typing gives way to clicking. That familiar shuffle becomes especially noticeable when there’s barely enough room for a laptop, let alone another accessory. The Clevetura S offers an interesting solution by turning the keys themselves into a touchpad, giving your fingers another way to get around without leaving the keyboard.
Also known as the CLVX S, this compact, 78-key keyboard brings Clevetura’s TouchOnKeys technology to a more portable design. The Windows version reviewed here can handle familiar gestures without additional software, although there’s plenty to customize if you want to. More importantly, it makes an unusual interaction surprisingly useful, even if sliding across letters and keeping resting fingers from triggering gestures take a little getting used to.
Designer: Clevetura
Aesthetics
Upfront, the Clevetura S looks almost like someone forgot to leave space between the keys. The flat keycaps sit unusually close together, giving the 78-key layout a tidy, almost tiled appearance. There’s a practical reason for that, of course. Fingers need to travel across the surface as comfortably as they press down on it, and generous gaps would make that second job considerably less inviting.
An anodized aluminum base gives the keyboard its silver lower half, while polycarbonate covers the top and ABS plastic forms the keycaps. Both black and white versions retain that silver body, which is particularly noticeable against the darker finish. I would have preferred an entirely black option for a simpler look, though the contrast does make the thin profile a little more obvious when viewed from the side.
Otherwise, there isn’t much to distract from that continuous field of keys, save for the extra markings explaining their secondary functions. Two buttons below the spacebar provide physical left- and right-click controls, recalling the arrangement on older laptops. Then there’s the per-key RGB lighting, which can turn this relatively understated keyboard into something considerably more colorful. Fortunately, those lights also have practical roles beyond decorating your desk.
Ergonomics
At roughly 403g, the Clevetura S doesn’t ask for much commitment when you’re packing a laptop bag. Its body measures approximately 11.5 inches wide, 5.12 inches deep, and just 0.49 inches (12.4mm) thick, making it easy to accommodate on smaller desks, too. The closely fitted keycaps don’t leave many edges sticking out, although I’d still use the included fabric pouch rather than let them rub against everything else.
The scissor switches feel familiar if you’re coming from a decent laptop keyboard, with around 1.2mm of travel. Typing is perfectly serviceable, though it probably won’t steal the attention of someone devoted to mechanical switches. Folding feet let you raise the back, but there’s only one elevated position. That keeps setup simple, provided you’re comfortable with either the flat profile or the available incline.
The more interesting benefit shows up when you need to scroll through a reference or reposition the cursor between sentences. Instead of reaching sideways, you can make that movement right where you’ve been typing. Your chair and screen position still matter, of course. The Clevetura S simply reduces the back-and-forth, although its flat, closely fitted keys take some getting used to when finding your usual typing rhythm.
Performance
The central key area doubles as the touchpad, automatically switching between recognizing finger movements and registering keypresses. Sliding across letters feels a little peculiar at first, but my fingers didn’t catch on the edges, and pointer control worked well. Scrolling through a document becomes especially convenient when you’re jumping back into writing every few moments. A light tap handles clicking without requiring you to press a letter.
That automatic switching does have to contend with personal habits, however. Mine involves keeping fingers on the home row, which happens to sit inside the touchpad area. This frequently triggered three-finger gestures when I hadn’t intended anything of the sort. Sensitivity adjustments and the option to disable unwanted gestures provide useful flexibility, though finding the right balance is something to budget time for rather than expect immediately.
Clevetura’s Adaptive Intelligence, or AI, can help by selecting a sensitivity level after studying 10,000 typed characters. Training requires the TouchOnKeys app and a USB connection, with touch recognition disabled while it runs. A separate mouse is handy during that process, although you can pause training if necessary. Thankfully, this particular AI has a fairly modest assignment: learning when your fingers mean to type rather than swipe.
The lighting makes that second role easier to follow, and a little more entertaining, too. In my setup, a white trail followed my finger across the keys, almost like leaving a trace of magic behind. Checking the battery dims the surrounding lighting and uses illuminated number keys to show the remaining charge. Even the function row gets involved, with touch sliders for volume and backlight brightness.
Windows recognizes supported touchpad gestures without installing additional software, but TouchOnKeys opens up more settings, including profiles for different apps. Three Bluetooth slots and a USB-C connection let you select between up to four devices, one at a time. That’s useful if your desk serves more than one computer. The cable also handles charging and provides the wired connection required for firmware updates.
Clevetura advertises up to 44 hours of continuous use without backlighting, which is an important qualification for anyone drawn to those colorful effects. That’s the manufacturer’s estimate rather than a result measured here, so it shouldn’t become a promise of weeks between charges. Wired operation remains available at a desk, while wireless endurance deserves particular attention if you’re planning to travel with the lighting switched on.
Sustainability
The aluminum and plastic construction follows a fairly familiar recipe, and there’s no documented recycled content to give the CLVX S a particular advantage on materials. Clevetura rates its keys for 3 million presses, although that remains a manufacturer specification rather than a prediction of service life. The more useful question is how easily this unusual keyboard can be maintained once everyday use starts leaving its mark.
Here, the same integration that makes TouchOnKeys possible also limits what owners can replace. Clevetura warns against removing or swapping keycaps because doing so can damage the keyboard, and the battery isn’t easily user-replaceable either. Routine surface cleaning and manufacturer support therefore matter more than they would on a board designed for tinkering. It’s worth understanding that arrangement before expecting mechanical-keyboard levels of customization or straightforward repairs.
Value
At $199, discounted from $209, the Windows model sits well above the price of many conventional compact keyboards. The extra cost is easier to understand when you consider what you’re paying for: typing and pointer control in the same footprint. Separate devices offer more freedom to choose each component, but they also need more space. Clevetura’s appeal is having those everyday functions share one portable object.
That could be particularly attractive when you’re writing code, checking references, or moving between shortcuts and controls in creative software. Quick navigation stays close, even if detailed drawing or extended pointer work still calls for a separate mouse. The Clevetura S doesn’t have to handle every task equally well to be useful. Its value depends on how often you make those small trips away from the keys.
Verdict
Combining a keyboard and touchpad sounds simple enough until your fingers have to tell the two jobs apart. Clevetura gives that idea a thoughtful physical form, from the closely fitted keys to lighting that explains what’s happening beneath your hands. My habit of resting on the home row made gesture sensitivity especially important, but the pointer control itself worked well and gave the unusual surface a practical purpose.
The Clevetura CLVX S makes the strongest impression when space is limited and typing is regularly interrupted by a scroll or a click. Its price deserves consideration, and the flat surface won’t replace everyone’s favorite keyboard feel. Still, there’s something pleasing about editing a sentence, sliding across the letters to move the cursor, and carrying on without sending a hand off to find another device.
The post Clevetura S Keyboard Review: Swipe Across the Keys Instead of Reaching for a Mouse first appeared on Yanko Design.
VZMORE AX9 Max Mini AI PC Review: Local AI Without Surrendering Your Desk
PROS:
- Compact, minimalist design with automotive-inspired detailing
- Effective cooling system for sustained heavy workloads
- Impressive performance for local AI use, graphics work, and light gaming
- Great price value for its size and features
CONS:
- Fan is clearly audible during high-performance tasks
- USB-C ports are all at the back
A desktop computer shouldn’t have to dominate the desk it sits on, particularly when that space also holds a drawing tablet, reference books, and the occasional coffee cup. The VZMORE AX9 Max takes that idea in a promising direction, pairing an understated enclosure with hardware capable of running local AI models and tackling extended workloads. Its vapor-chamber cooling gives this small machine an appropriately serious engineering focus.
Of course, fitting ambitious hardware into a compact box doesn’t automatically make a great desktop. Our review configuration combines AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 processor with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. After testing local models, extended heavy tasks, display connections, and Fortnite, the more interesting story is how VZMORE balances those capabilities with everyday practicality, including a fan that makes its presence known.
Designer: VZMORE
Aesthetics
There’s a familiar language to the AX9 Max’s silver enclosure, rounded corners, and square footprint. Comparisons with the Mac mini are understandable, although VZMORE’s interpretation is boxier and taller, giving it a slightly more substantial presence. It remains compact enough to share a desk comfortably, without adopting the angular styling that often makes performance-focused hardware look as though it belongs beside a gaming chair.
The aluminum chassis and metallic finish provide the visual restraint, while the shield-shaped badge on top supplies a little personality. There’s something faintly automotive about it, like an emblem borrowed from a luxury car rather than a computer. It’s a playful detail on an otherwise straightforward design, and it keeps the AX9 Max from looking completely anonymous among the many silver boxes competing for desk space.
That restraint also makes the design easier to live with beyond a dedicated office. It wouldn’t look particularly out of place beside a living-room display or on a shared worktable. The darker base and ventilation openings supply some visual separation from the metal body, but they don’t turn the cooling hardware into decoration. Most of the personality stays on top, leaving the rest pleasantly businesslike.
Ergonomics
Measuring 5.31 x 5.19 x 2.27 inches and weighing approximately 1.71 pounds, the AX9 Max is easy to relocate between workspaces. The included VESA mount and screws also let it disappear behind a compatible monitor. That’s a kind of flexibility that you’ll want to have when the desk serves several purposes, although the external power adapter still needs a home. Small computers don’t magically make their cables disappear, much as we’d like them to.
The front panel is refreshingly generous with four USB-A ports, a headset jack, and a power button. A side-mounted SD card slot adds another practical convenience for a photography desk. USB-C, however, stays around the back, so regularly connecting a portable drive or another USB-C accessory involves a little reaching. It’s a workable arrangement, though a front USB-C port would have made those frequent swaps easier.
Those rear connections include two 40Gbps USB4 ports and dual 2.5GbE networking, giving a compact workstation useful flexibility for storage and wired connections. Placement still deserves some thought, especially behind a monitor. The bottom intake and rear exhaust need breathing room, so this is a machine to give a clear, firm surface rather than tuck into a fabric-lined corner just because it happens to fit.
Performance
Inside, the Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 brings 12 CPU cores, 24 threads, and boost speeds up to 5.2 GHz. Its integrated Radeon 890M has 16 compute units, while our configuration pairs that hardware with DDR5 memory and PCIe 4.0 storage. These are substantial ingredients for a compact desktop, but their usefulness depends on how effectively the enclosure handles the heat generated once work gets demanding.
That’s where the vapor chamber earns its attention. Inside this sealed heat spreader, a working fluid evaporates near the hot area, carries heat across the chamber, and condenses in cooler regions. The process helps distribute concentrated heat across the cooling assembly, where fins and a fan can release it. It doesn’t eliminate the need for active cooling, but it gives that cooling system a more useful surface to work with.
During our extended heavy tasks, the AX9 Max maintained performance without an observed sustained slowdown. The fan was clearly audible, although we wouldn’t describe it as exceptionally loud. That’s a trade-off worth understanding rather than disguising: this machine lets you hear some of the work going into keeping it running. For longer processing sessions, that steady output is more valuable to us than pursuing silence at any cost.
For a creative desk, that balance makes the AX9 Max an interesting candidate for editing footage, preparing graphics, or CPU-based rendering. We haven’t measured a specific video export or rendering project here, so there’s no promise that every creative application will behave alike. The appeal is a compact platform with useful processing headroom; demanding GPU effects and large 3D scenes still need expectations appropriate to integrated graphics.
Local AI gave us something more tangible to explore. With up to 24GB of system memory allocated to graphics, a 27-billion-parameter Qwen model at Q4 quantization produced about 16 tokens per second in our setup. Quantization reduces the model’s memory requirements by storing its weights at lower precision. The result makes experimenting with a larger local language model practical, without having to accommodate a separate graphics card.
A smaller nine-billion-parameter Qwen model reached about 22 tokens per second at Q4, with multi-token prediction enabled, 16GB allocated to graphics, and a configured 32K-token context window. These are setup-specific results, not a guarantee for every model. That allocated memory is shared with the rest of the computer, too, so leaving room for other applications remains part of the balancing act when building a local AI workspace.
Our display testing revealed a useful distinction between the available connections. The 5K and 6K monitors worked properly over USB-C DisplayPort, giving us the high-resolution workspace we’d wanted. HDMI was less cooperative with those setups, producing flickering before the image disappeared. We haven’t established the cause, so it wouldn’t be fair to declare a universal HDMI problem. USB-C was simply the reliable option with our tested displays.
Gaming fits into the picture as an enjoyable extra. Fortnite ran in the neighborhood of 80 fps at 1080p in our testing, and 1440p also delivered a very playable experience. At 4K, however, frame rates sometimes dropped into single digits. Settings matter, and these results shouldn’t become a blanket performance promise. The practical takeaway is to enjoy its gaming ability at sensible resolutions rather than chase maximum pixel counts.
Sustainability
The metal enclosure is a welcome starting point for durability, although plastic remains part of the construction, particularly around the airflow base. We don’t have verified recycled-content figures or a life-cycle assessment to attach to it. Its more convincing sustainability argument concerns keeping the computer useful, rather than treating a metallic finish as an environmental credential. That’s a less glamorous story, but a more meaningful one.
Replaceable SO-DIMM memory and two internal SSD slots give the AX9 Max room to grow. The storage slots use different sizes, M.2 2280 and M.2 2230, so an upgrade needs the appropriate drive. That flexibility can extend usefulness as projects expand. VZMORE also provides a three-year limited hardware warranty for official-site purchases, although upgradeable components and warranty coverage don’t establish that every part is equally repairable.
Value
At $1,499 for the 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD configuration, the AX9 Max belongs in the premium mini PC conversation. Its price makes sense when the cooling system, local AI capability, connectivity, and compact design all serve your work. A cheaper office computer or a larger graphics-focused desktop answers a different brief. Here, the attraction is having several useful capabilities gathered into one fairly unobtrusive object.
Discounts, when they’re available, make the package more appealing, but the full-price argument rests on what you need. I’d consider it worthwhile for a compact local AI and content-creation setup, with the creative-work qualifications already noted. Silence-first buyers have another calculation. VZMORE lists 45W, 54W, and 65W profiles, giving users alternatives to selecting the most aggressive performance setting for every task.
Verdict
The VZMORE AX9 Max’s most appealing quality is how little its appearance tells you about the work it can attempt. Under that restrained exterior sits a computer that ran substantial local models and kept going through our extended heavy tasks. The cooling system is central to that experience, even when it’s audible. There’s a coherent relationship between the small enclosure, the airflow design, and the machine’s practical ambitions.
USB-C proved the better partner for our high-resolution monitors, and gaming made more sense below 4K. Those boundaries leave plenty of room for a capable everyday workstation, particularly if local AI is part of the plan. I can see the appeal of keeping a machine like this beside a drawing tablet and a good display. The desk stays available for the work, rather than being surrendered to the computer.
The post VZMORE AX9 Max Mini AI PC Review: Local AI Without Surrendering Your Desk first appeared on Yanko Design.
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