new MERCEDES GLE COUPE

Performance

AMG-enhanced V6 biturbo power

Thoroughbred power, from the place where horses are raised.

Exclusive AMG enhancements create power with a pedigree. From its stronger turbo boost to a dynamic exhaust system, the 3.0L V6 biturbo in the AMG GLE43 heightens horsepower, torque and the emotions they inspire in true enthusiasts. An exclusive red engine cover insert celebrates the 362 hp and 384 lb-ft of torque awaiting within.

AMG chassis dynamics

Pure sports coupe response, in a genuine SUV.

AMG's motorsports know-how comes to life in every element of the GLE Coupe chassis. AMG DYNAMIC SELECT's five modes let the driver choose from sublime Comfort to the highly athletic Sport+. Each setup dials in the adaptive AIRMATIC® suspension, steering, throttle, transmission, exhaust note and more to suit the road, or your driving mood.

9 speeds performance awd

The right gear for any adventure.

The AMG-enhanced 9G-TRONIC transmission collaborates with AMG Performance 4MATIC® all-wheel drive to put the GLE43's ample torque to the best use at each wheel, on any road. A 40:60 front/rear torque split and torque-vectoring Curve Dynamic Assist team up for sharper, flatter handling and quicker response in corners. (Disclaimer)

mercedes - amg GLE63 S coupe

The strength of a Mercedes SUV, the seduction of an AMG coupe.

"Driving Performance" shifts more than its shape in the most powerful GLE Coupe. AMG Performance 4MATIC turns 577 handcrafted V8 biturbo horsepower into unparalleled control and unrestrained joy. And from its AMG brakes, suspension, steering and 22-inch wheels to its AMG SPEEDSHIFT® transmission, it might be the most agile SUV on earth.

desing

bold suv shap true coupe soul

Its most alluring line is the family it comes from.

Sleek, sensuous and self-confident. What defines a Mercedes-AMG coupe is not just its body but its soul. And among SUVs, nothing reveals true depth of character with an unmatched breadth of capabilities like the Star in its grille. From its aggressive stance to its muscular shape, the GLE Coupe is a rare breed of thoroughbred performance.

sport seats 21 inch wheels

Inside and out, it's designed for big wheels

In the AMG GLE43, deeply bolstered front sport seats make you feel like you're king of the road anytime you grip the beefy, leather-wrapped sport steering wheel. And where the GLE grabs the road, the bond is just as tight. Its standard 21-inch wheels are by far the largest in its class. But why stop there? You can also opt for 22s.

Room for five or 60 cubic feet

Class-leading comfort, record-setting cargo room.

Four-door coupe design stretches the imagination and the GLE's very real comforts. Generous rear doors welcome three passengers into the widest rear seat in its class. Fold the split seatbacks down for up to 60 cu ft of carpeted luggage space, the most of any coupe in the world. The standard Panorama roof brings in the sun and stars, too.

NEW STYLE NUMEROUS LOOKS

If you have an eye for design, all eyes will be on you.

The chiseled muscle, athletic poise and undeniable power of the GLE will draw admiring glances. Up close, the GLE proves that style can equal substance. Outside, there are numerous wheel designs and dramatic gloss black accents. The spacious cabin is exquisitely tailored from up to 11 upholstery options and six distinctive trim choices.

Read More

iPad Air review

The original iPad Air told us all we needed to know about Apple's changed approach to tablets – with a 43% thinner bezel and a 28% lighter body than the iPads that came before it, the Air champions the 'easier to live with' ideal.

Although the iPad Air's successor, the iPad Air 2, has now been out for a while it doesn't mean the original iPad Air isn't worth considering if you're after a tablet, especially since the price has dropped now that there's a newer Air on the block.

• Buy Apple iPad Air (16GB) at Amazon for $287.39

The original iPad Air took many of its design cues from the iPad mini 2. It's got the same smooth back design, thinner bezel and more attractive speakers at the bottom of the slate for more of a family likeness with the cut-down tablet from Apple's stables.

While the Air is a clear copy of that smaller device I'm not going to hold it against Apple, as the mini already had a stunning design, and the Air takes that design ethos and brings it to the big leagues. It's a design Apple stuck with for the iPad Air 2, for the most part, so it must be good.

It also has machined buttons that don't feel loose if you shake the device, adding to the premium feel.

On top of the improved design the Air also got Apple's A7 chip, bringing with it 64-bit processing power and heaps of battery-saving features to keep your tablet going even longer in day-to-day use. That's also been superseded, by the A8X chip in the Air 2 and the A9X in the iPad Pro, but you still get a decent slug of power here.

And the greatest thing about the iPad range in my eyes is the price – Apple originally started the 16GB Wi-Fi-only model at the same cost as its rivals, and while that outlay does spiral up as capacity and connectivity increase, for an Apple device to not charge an (unnecessary) premium is something I'm really happy to see.

Even better, since the arrival of the iPad Air 2 prices for the original iPad Air have fallen.

You're looking at a price range of £319 - £459 ($399 - $579 or AU$499 - AU$709), going from the 16GB version (Wi-Fi only) to the 32GB cellular option.

Apple has discontinued the 64GB version of the iPad Air, so if you're after a larger-capacity slate you'll want to invest in the iPad Air 2.

You could also scour the internet for a second-hand iPad Air 64GB model. With the launch of the iPad Air 2 many people have put their perfectly good original iPad Airs up for sale, so with a bit of careful shopping you could net yourself a bargain.

Apple has lobbed in a lot of useful free software, as well as bringing a more refined experience with iOS 8 and now iOS 9, and you can see that it's put a lot of effort into making the iPad Air a tablet that's still relevant in the market, even if it's now getting on a bit in tablet terms.

On that latter point, if you're thinking about buying the iPad Air right now it would be remiss of us not to point out that the iPad Air 2 offers a number of enhancements over this model.

What's more, the iPad Air 3 could be right around the corner if reports are to be believed, which would likely see the iPad Air dropped from the range altogether, with the iPad Air 2 slotting in as the entry-level 10-incher.

It may not seem particularly future-proof from a certain perspective, then, but I'd wager that the iPad Air will remain a solid, and well-supported, runner throughout 2016 and beyond.

The keynote for the launch of the iPad Air talked a lot about Apple's dominance in terms of tablet usage, but since then a large number of users are starting to warm to the idea of an Android model as their main device.

Samsung is currently the big name in Android, with its Galaxy Tab S line offering an improved screen and better ergonomics for those preferring the Android experience in a tablet. Google's Nexus 9 is another to have impressed with its performance and UI.

• Want the best of Android in a tablet? Try our Samsung Galaxy Tab S review!

It's worth noting that the 16GB option of the iPad Air is nigh-on useless as a purchase if you're thinking of pulling in all the free apps Apple is slinging your way; this was an issue when the Retina display landed on the iPad 3, and has only got worse as more HD apps from developers have been slipped onto the App Store.

The fact that the original iPad Air now only comes in 16GB and 32GB configurations may make you reconsider your purchase if you're looking at storing a large number of photos, music, videos and apps.

Even so, the iPad Air remains a tempting purchase on paper – but how does it perform in the hand when subjected to rigorous daily use?

Design

The iPad Air is an odd device when you pick it up for the first time. When you hear all the numbers being bandied about you'd understandably assume that you'd experience something that was almost ghost-like in the hand, a tablet that could almost get blown away.

And I'm absolutely not disputing that – the iPad Air remains one of the most balanced tablets on the market even now, with great precision going into the engineering throughout.

However, if you've touched an iPad mini (pick a number, any number), or just haven't held an older iPad for a while (and, going by the reaction of some people we tested with, even some that had) you won't feel as much of a difference as you might be expecting.

It's only with the significantly slimmer iPad Air 2 that a tangible gap between the feel of the old and tablets was really established, even though it was the iPad Air that really carried the look of Apple's full-sized tablet range to the next level.

The design of the iPad Air is, as I've mentioned, very impressive. Yes, it's totally based on the iPad mini, and the smooth aluminium back is really great to feel in the hand. It's a shame that most people feel the need to slap a cover on an iPad as soon as it's bought – while I get the notion of protection, it hides away some cracking design.

That said, at least it keeps the fingers away from the chassis, and the iPad Air is a real magnet for prints. The back cover isn't too bad, but the mirrored Apple logo sucks down finger oil and is loathe to give it up, even after hard scrubbing with a cloth.

It might not sound like a big deal, but it makes your premium tablet look a little unkempt right from the start.

In actual operation, though, the design of the iPad Air complements the impressive innards superbly. It's unsurprisingly not possible to wrap your hand all the way around the edges of the Air, but then again it's sufficiently light (and comes with the ability to disregard stray thumbs encroaching on the screen, again like the iPad mini) to not make a big difference.

The rest of the buttonry – the top-mounted power key and the silencing rocker switch and volume buttons at the side – haven't moved far, but protrude nicely to make them very easy to hit no matter where you're holding the device. Such user-friendliness is often sacrificed in the quest to make tablets look sleeker, so I'm happy Apple has gone the other way here.

Having since switched to the iPad Air 2, I can also say that I miss the original Air's slider switch for either muting or locking the screen's orientation. Yes, you can achieve the same functions using Control Center, but there's nothing like a good dedicated button, is there?

I do have one note of criticism in terms of design for such a premium (and still expensive for its age) piece of kit: the screen has a plastic thud to it when tapped, on account of the smaller and lighter innards.

It's most noticeable when grazed with a fingernail – although with the addition of a case the effect is lessened – and I'm surprised Apple let this go. It may be that, in making the design thinner and removing part of the inner cage the overall strength of the chassis is somewhat reduced; but then the iPad Air 2 doesn't share the same problem, and it's significantly more svelte.

It's not a major issue by any means, and certainly one that you'll only pick up on sporadically, but it's still enough to irk at times when you're expecting a truly premium experience.

Many of you will also be wondering why there's no Touch ID onboard the iPad Air when it was such a big selling point for the iPhone 5S, which launched a month or so before it.

We're in the same boat. The architecture is there. It surely can't be an issue of space, seeing as the technology fitted into the iPhone 5S.

Turns out Apple held it back as one of the 'big upgrades' for the iPad Air 2, which certainly raised a few eyebrows. Still, in my experience with the iPad Air 2 I don't tend to use it much anyway – certainly nowhere near as much as I do on the iPhone 6S. It's not a massively galling omission on the iPad Air, then.

Read More

Nikon D7200 Review

One of our favorite DSLRs in the past few years is the Nikon D7100, which was introduced way back in February 2013. The D7200 isn't a radical upgrade by any means, yet it still adds some important features, most notably a larger buffer, improved autofocus performance in low light, 60p video, Wi-Fi with NFC, and 15% better battery life.

The D7200 is Nikon's high-end APS-C camera, and is the only DX format camera in the company's current lineup to support autofocus on screw drive lenses. It finds itself in the same class as the Canon EOS 7D Mark II, Pentax K-3, and Sony SLT-A77 II DSLRs as well as the Fujifilm X-T1, Olympus OM-D E-M5 II, Samsung NX1, and Sony Alpha 7 II mirrorless cameras. In other words, it's a very crowded field

nikon D7200 key features

• 24.2MP CMOS sensor with no optical low-pass filter
• Multi-CAM 3500DX II 51-point AF system, all sensitive to -3EV
• 2,016-pixel RGB metering sensor, used for 3D subject tracking in AF-C
• ISO 100-25,600, with ISO 51,200 and 102,400 black and white modes
• 6 fps continuous shooting (7 fps in 1.3x crop mode) with increased buffer depth
• 1/8000 sec maximum shutter speed
• 3.2", 1.2M dot RGBW LCD display
• 1080/60p video (1.3x crop only) with clean output over HDMI and Flat Picture Control
• Dual SD card slots
• Wi-Fi with NFC
• Magnesium alloy weather-sealed body

One of the most important features on the D7200 is its improved AF system. Nikon has updated the D7200 to its Multi-CAM 3500DX II system, which still offers 51 AF points (the central 15 of which are cross-type), but now all of those points are sensitive to -3EV, while the D7100's were limited to -2EV.

The most obvious improvement in the D7200 compared to the D7100 will be noticed by anyone who shoots continuously. The buffer size on the D7100 was tiny and filled up almost instantly, which not only affected burst shooting but bracketing as well. You can now fire away with the D7200 for up to 18 14-bit lossless compressed, 27 12-bit compressed Raws, or 100+ JPEGs. The maximum burst rate remains the same: 6 fps at full size and 7 fps in 1.3x crop mode.

The D7200 can now extend its ISO higher than on its predecessor, but with a catch. Seeing how little color detail would be left at ISO 51,200 and 102,400, Nikon has chosen to make those two sensitivities black and white only.

Two other new features of note are 60p video (with Flat Picture Control, also available for stills) and Wi-Fi. While the addition of 60p video is nice, it's only available in 1.3x crop mode. The D7200 also has Wi-Fi with NFC, which Nikon has branded 'SnapBridge', which allows for remote camera control and image transfer

	Nikon D7100	Nikon D7200
Pixel count	24.1MP	24.2MP
Processor	Expeed 3	Expeed 4
Optical low-pass filter	No
ISO range (expanded)	100-51,200	100-102,400 (51,200 and 102,000 black & white)
AF system	Multi-CAM 3500DX	Multi-CAM 3500DX II
AF sensitivity	-2EV	-3EV
Maximum frame rate	6 fps (7 fps in 1.3x crop mode, 5fps with 14-bit Raw)
Buffer depth *	6 Raw, 50 JPEG	18 Raw, 100 JPEG
Maximum video quality	1080/60i (1.3x crop mode)	1080/60p (1.3x crop mode)
Flat picture control	No	Yes
LCD display	3.2" 1.2M dot RGBW
Wi-Fi	No	Yes, with NFC
Dual memory card slots	Yes (SD/SDHC/SDXC)
Battery used	EN-EL15
Battery life	950 shots	1110 shots
* Raw files are 14-bit lossless compressed, the default setting

It's interesting to note that the sensor has a slightly difference pixel count to its predecessor, which suggests a new sensor. This can only be good news since, although it performed well by many measures, the Toshiba sensor in the D7100 would exhibit pronounced banding once you hit its noise floor. We've seen Nikon's continued use of Sony sensors in many of its other models, including the APS-C D5500; however, a close inspection of the D7200's sensor, and furthermore lab results, both suggest it's not using the same sensor as the D5500. We'd venture to guess an updated version of the Toshiba sensor used in the D7100 makes an appearance in the D7200 and, with it, comes an improvement in dynamic range due to a complete lack of banding in shadows of base ISO files.

The basic AF layout is the same on the D7200 as it was on the D7100. There are 51 points, with the center 15 being cross-type. On the D7100 though, AF points were sensitive down to -2EV. On the D7200, they're all sensitive down to -3EV, which will be a boon for low light shooting.

As mentioned above, the D7200's new autofocus system is a big deal. You can focus in conditions a full stop dimmer, and our tests with the updated Multi-CAM 3500 II sensor in the D750 showed that it continued to focus in significantly darker conditions than the Multi-CAM 3500 sensor in the D810 (a DX variant of which was used in the D7100). What this means is that the camera will focus a whole lot better in low light conditions, across the entire frame. In other words, its non-central AF points will likely focus in dimmer conditions than any other DSLR out there, save for Nikon's own D750.

Cross-type points remain limited to the central 15 though, and the RGB metering sensor used for TTL metering is unchanged at a resolution of 2,016 pixels. It's a shame that this number isn't higher. The recently released Canon 7D Mark II itself offers a 150,000-pixel RGB+IR metering sensor which, like Nikon's cameras with 91k-pixel sensors, has enough resolution to even detect faces and focus on them during OVF shooting. But Nikon'salgorithms for 3D tracking just seem to be better (Canon's iTR in the 7D Mark II is imprecise and laggy in comparison, despite its higher resolution metering sensor), so we're fans of Nikon's subject tracking algorithms in combination with their higher resolution metering sensors.

If you want to control your camera without laying a hand on it, then you'll appreciate the D7200's built-in Wi-Fi. Naturally, photos can be transferred and shared, which is extra-easy if you have a NFC-compatible smartphone.

Lastly, there's battery life. Perhaps its due to the more efficient Expeed 4 processor, but whatever Nikon has done, it's managed to squeeze another 160 shots per charge out of the D7200 compared to the D7100.

Pricing and Availability

The D7200 is available with and without a lens, in the USA. For the body only it will be priced at $1199.95, and if you throw in the 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6 ED VR lens the price rises to $1699.95. 

Review Timeline: • March 2nd, 2015: Original First Impressions Review published • April 1st, 2015: Samples gallery added • April 30th, 2015: Operation & Controls, Menus, Studio Test Scene and Raw Dynamic Range pages added. • June 2nd, 2015: Shooting Experience, Video & Wi-Fi, Autofocus and Conclusion pages added

Read More

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge review

We can't decide if the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are incredibly easy or incredibly hard to review. They get so many things right that it's easy to sing their praises, but because they're so good and polished, lacking the kinds of gimmicks that used to define Samsung phones, they almost make for a boring review (after all, problems and conflict are the root of all storytelling). We'll do our best to keep things interesting, despite the lack of drama in these two near-perfect flagships

Display quality, build quality, performance and camera quality ... the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are so good in these respects that there isn't much to say about them (okay, we will say something about them in a minute, but you get the gist). Expect the very best among today's smartphones in all of these categories.

The phones are a lot like Samsung's 2015 flagships, only with some subtle external and not quite as subtle internal tweaks. You get the same general glass back with aluminum-frame build – our pick for the best-looking smartphone design to date – only now with a curved glass back that makes them slide more naturally into your palm (that is, if you aren't just going to slap a bulky plastic case onto it). And of course the S7 edge also has that curved glass on its front

One of the biggest differences between these two and Samsung's early 2015 phones is that the standard flagship (S7) and curved flagship (S7 edge) are no longer the same size. The Edge is now a phablet – not quite as big as Samsung's end-of-year 5.7-inch phablets, but still standing tall with a 5.5-inch screen. The smaller S7 has a 5.1-incher, just like last year's S6.

Samsung may be taking a cue here from Apple, releasing standard- and phablet-sized flagships at the same time, but it's a good idea no matter where it came from. Regular-sized flagships early in the year and big flagships late in the year doesn't make much sense, but regular and large side-by-side gives customers a wider and better variety of the very latest tech.

There are two key features onboard that aren't exactly new per se, but that we didn't see in last year's Samsung flagships. Samsung wisely brought water resistance (rated IP68, or "continuous immersion") and expandable storage, both last seen in theGalaxy S5, back from the dead. Both help to further differentiate the Galaxies from Apple's latest iPhones, which have neither.

This is the first time Samsung has married water resistance to a premium build. If you remember the GS5, it was plastic all around, with a port flap that you needed to close to protect its microUSB port. This time Samsung made the water resistance internal so you get the best of both worlds.

Storage has become a major perk for Galaxy buyers over the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, which each start at 16 GB with no way to expand that once you bring it home. For similar prices, these Galaxies start at double that (32 GB internal) along with those microSD slots. As app, photo and video file sizes have grown, Samsung's approach is better adapted to today's digital world – not to mention friendlier to customers' wallets.

Display quality is incredible – Samsung has been a leader in this category for the last few years. The smaller S7 has the slightly higher pixel density, but both look terrific. And, for the first time, they now have always-on displays, so you can leave your phone sitting on your desk and see this white on black view, showing you the time, date, battery life and number of recent messages.

Both phones are incredibly fast, with both benchmarks and real-world performance that are as good as any phones we've tested.

The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge have awesome cameras with amazing low-light photography. You hear that kind of hyperbole too often among today's sycophantic tech news, but in this case there's no better way to describe them.

Just look at this extremely low-lit shot taken with the iPhone 6s:

and now the exact same shot taken seconds later with the Galaxy S7 edge:

That isn't a minor difference. The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus had one of the best smartphone cameras of 2015, but Samsung's 2016 flagships beat them here by a widemargin. This is outstanding low-light photography that raises the bar for all smartphone cameras (and yes, Samsung's handsets are tops in less extreme settings as well).

... and with the microSD slot, you can pop in a card and shoot to your heart's content, with no worries about running out of internal storage.

Battery life is also outstanding. In our test, streaming video over Wi-Fi with an absolute brightness measured at 25 lux in a dark room (the same level we set for all phones we battery-test), it only dropped 9 percent per hour. For some perspective, the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ (our top scores from 2015) all dropped 13 percent per hour under the exact same conditions. Extending that hourly average out, that's more than four extra hours of video streaming for the S7.

Read More