When my old Logitech Harmony One remote died years ago, I just assumed I would be stuck with basic remotes from that point on. Until I got one of these. While it is not perfect, neither was my old Harmony One and this is an excellent remote either way. The build quality is very nice, aluminum with a leathery backing. The backlit buttons is also something I think should just be standard in remotes. The touch screen is also responsive, which is necessary for this kind of use. The list of devices it works with is quite extensive and, for IR, teaching it new commands is quick and painless. For this part, the only issue I had with it is that for some reason when I tried to use it to control a FireTV Cube 2 with Coreelec installed, every button would work except for the OK button for some reason. No matter what I did. I have no idea if it was something with this remote or with Coreelec (though normal remotes like the FireTV remote or the Shield remote both worked fine), but it did happen. I haven't had any issues with it staying in my hand, despite some people saying it was slippery. The buttons click satisfyingly and the charging dock is something I think any expensive remote should come with (looking at you, Apple TV remote). If I had to change things, and this is being nitpicky, I guess I would change the slide mechanism to change Activities to a standard button press like how every other thing on the touchscreen works. I am sure they have their reasons for it but having a single action being different from everything else on the touch screen just feels wrong to me. Aside from that, the remote has even improved with firmware updates in the month I have had it. It has dropped connection with my Apple TV once or twice... but it always automatically reconnects after a short period so no big deal really. All in all, I like it. I really do. If you don't have the uses for it that I do, controlling different devices, even those outside of normal "entertainment" purposes (like a tv, standalone media box, a/v receiver, etc)... I imagine you probably shouldn't spend the money on it. It becomes hard to justify at that point. But if you might want to be able to turn on an activity that dims/turns off your lights, lets you control an ambient lighting strip behind the tv, switches your tv/receiver/media box on and sets the inputs and so on... and then be able to control things with a customizable setup of buttons and macros... well, then I am not sure you can do better. Great remote. Read more
Sofabaton has come a long way since its early remotes and is now a serious replacement for the Logitech Harmony Elite. The build quality is excellent and the remote feels solid and well designed. Setup is done through the app, and adding devices and creating activities is actually easier and more intuitive than Harmony’s software. IR performance is outstanding. Both the hub and the remote itself have strong, reliable IR output, and Bluetooth control works flawlessly even with components in the next room. It also supports RF, though I did not need to use it. The touchscreen is a major upgrade over the X1S and makes daily use much more efficient. It’s not cheap, but if you’re a former Harmony Elite user whose remote is failing and you want the closest modern replacement, this is the best option I’ve found. Highly recommended. Read more
I want to begin this post with full transparency. I was asked to test the product by Sofabaton. That said, I am still going to give my honest feedback after using it for the past 3 weeks and give you my pros and cons. Pros: - This is a premium feeling and working remote. It is probably the best universal remote that you will find on an upgraded platform since many of the other manufacturers have decided to stop making them. This does not feel like cheap plastic at all. It is made of a heavy, dense metal and it is much thinner than I thought it would be. In fact, it feels so premium that I want to be more delicate with it if that makes any sense at all. - The lithium charger and charging cradle are a huge plus. The remote has lasted me for 2 weeks already for my first use and I appreciate the fact that I can rest it on the cradle and have a place to store it without losing it. - The touch screen is a HUGE upgrade over the click wheel. The click wheel on the X1 kept malfunctioning for me and that became tiresome. I like the functionality of the touchscreen much better. - It has fantastic range, but that is a Sofabaton stable. - It has added more functionality when it comes to setting up video game systems and delaying presses on activities which is great! Cons: - I wish that there was an option to get button click feedback sound. That might be me being picky, but I like to know when I click things because when they do not react fast enough, sometimes I push buttons 2 times prematurely. I'm kind of impatient. - I wish it had the option to "learn" functionality from other remotes. That would make the set-up time much faster because... - The set-up time takes too long. This has been my complaint with the advanced Sofabaton remotes. It takes me 45 minutes to over an hour to get these remotes set the way I want them over the course of a day and that's just too long. Maybe it is just me, and I am very impatient, but the instructions given aren't very detailed, then I start to have to figure things out, then I get bored and stop. I inevitably always end up using only 70% of what the remote can do because I just get it to where it's good enough. I wish the set-up process were more intuitive so that I could take full advantage of the remote. Suggestions for future: - Add a "call" button on the base so when you misplace the remote you can push the button and it makes a sound until you find it. - Replace the "Hub with either something smaller or lose it altogether. That thing is big and it feels like it is more in the way than anything else. - Give it "magic remote" capability since many TVs and cable boxes have moved in that direction. All of these things said, I do enjoy the X2 because it turns the 4 remotes that I typically have to use into 1 which is a win regardless of the fact that I do not use all of its capabilities. Read more
