Yeah I kept it. Wasn't going to through the process of returning a monitor unless it was to RMA it, which is why I waited so long to decide on one. The MSI 321URX was never in stock and I always question the RMA process, customer service, and QC of brands like ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI, etc. to varying degrees. Dell, I knew, was going to be a smooth process if I had to RMA now or in the future. I got the 4 year warranty with Geek Squad which makes it even better for me. It was $849 out the door with warranty with Best Buy credits. Really can not complain.
I got the FEs a few months back with a trade in of an old wired headset. It no longer worked after 11+ years lol. It was the Logitech UE 6000s and the right side had died. I hadn't used it in 5+ years either when I made the switch to wireless. I did get the Sennheiser HD 560Ss as well for use at home.
I used the FEs on a recent travel and the ANC was awesome. That's my first time using ANC in a situation where it was actually needed, to take out the droning your hear on an airplane and not necessarily when you want quiet time in a library or at home. But the FEs were great and they felt a lot like my Buds+. I think they sounded a tad bit better, too. They were $60 after trade in to Samsung, so well worth the upgrade. I didn't trade in the Buds+ and still have them but they're a pair I'll throw in my bag and not worry about. Maybe I'll sell it but that seems like a hassle.
Some people swear by it on Reddit but it seemed to be a loud, vocal, minority that did. Most suggested that if I spent Buds FE money, it'd beat other TWS stuff from those cheaper brands. They also said if I was spending FE money and wanted better sound and similara portability, I should look to good IEMs lol. Still not looking to go wired on a portable set of buds, no matter what Crinacle says.
Just got back from India and Xiaomi was mentioned on radio ads quite a bit. It was mostly for phones but I know they make other stuff like appliances. Like Samsung or LG. I should've looked around and found a reputable store to see what Xiaomi had to offer there and bring it back here to the states lol.
I feel the same about my S22U. We've really hit a wall with phone tech and the next frontier should be pricing. Should have been pricing years ago. I'm not upgrading to get better camera features and more lenses since I'm find with the pics I take now. And "AI" is the new buzzword in the tech world but Galaxy AI probably isn't what Samsung thinks people will think it is. If it was so imperative to have and life-changing, I'd know its features inside and out by now. But it's also a subscription based thing, so forget it.
I still have a bias against brands I am not familiar with and that are not as popular/mainstream as Apple and Samsung, regardless of country of origin. When I see the Xiaomis and Oppo phones that look very futuristic and put Samsung and Apple to shame aesthetically, I worry about durability and support of devices like that. I know Pixel is Google which is American but I wouldn't even get their boring-looking phones because of QC issues and software bugs I read about on Reddit. But I can still respect what these companies are doing in the name of innovation. Doesn't Xiaomi have some ridiculously fast-charging phone tech? 90% in 10 minutes, or something like that? RIP battery health though lol
These tariffs and fear of China are definitely stiffling options for consumers and let the big players rest on their laurels. I have some paranoia of companies East-of-Europe and their products but not to the point that I don't want them sold here. Let people make their own choices.
