Now the pandemic seems to be easing and international travel seems to be getting back on track you may require a pocket translator and after reviewing the Pocketalk S a little the other year while writing for another magazine. I was glad to hear that they have brought out the Pocketalk S Plus. This handy gadget allows you to have a conversation with someone who does not speak the same language in real-time and with the addition of a rear camera allows you to translate documents, and sign basically anything.
First Impressions
The Pocketalk S Plus is not cheap normally costing £349 but there is a special offer on the Pocketalk website for £299. If you do a lot of travelling it will soon prove its value. The Pocketalk S Plus has 82 languages to select and comes with a 40% larger touchscreen that provides better clarity than previous models. They have also increased the battery life and you can also convert currency, length, width and even temperature which really does have its uses.
Pocketalk also provides a 2-year data plan that provides coverage in over 130 countries meaning this device can be used pretty much anywhere you plan to visit. In this review, I took it on a recent trip to Copenhagen in Denmark.
Design
The Pocketalk S Plus compared to the Pocketalk S is the larger of the two devices but still the right size to fit in your pocket or bag with ease. The build is made of plastic and comes in at 4.8 x 2.6 x0.5 inches (HxWxD) and weighs just 4.4 ounces which is super lightweight for the offering this device gives the user. Colour-wise they only offer it in white which is a little bit of a disappointment as the Pocketalk S came in 3 colours.
The front of the device is mainly the touchscreen that is 3.5 inches and 800×480 pixels. The screen is easy to see in both daytime and nighttime. We found the larger display is very useful when converting text from one language to the next. It also allows the touch screen navigation to be done with ease.
Under the display is a single backlit home button that you will need to press anytime you want a translation. Also on the device but this time towards the top is a 3W speaker and a pair of built-in microphones vital for picking up that language you wish to convert.
The built-in speaker performed well and was loud and easy to understand providing a max of 100dB. The built-in mics also did a fantastic job of picking up voices even in a loud office. Last but not least it also offers Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity if you want to put on the headphones while translating text.
At the base of the device is a USB-C charging port and the sim card slot is on the left side.
Last but not least on the right side of the Pocketalk Plus is the volume controller and power button which can be reached with the device in the palm of your hand. Now the plastic body should be able to handle the odd slip out of your hands without any issue. The only negative is the device does not have an IP rating so maybe avoid using it in the rain if you can.
Connectivity
So the Pocketalk Plus comes with a 2-year data plan that supports 3G or LTE connectivity and works in over 130 countries plus it also offers the chance to connect to dual-band Wi-Fi in places with poor cellular signal but strong Wi-Fi.
I found the option for both very useful especially when we went into other parts of Copenhagen where the cellular signal was not great but we could link up on Wi-Fi. There is also the option to use a nano sim that works well with a sourcenext global sim if you travel to a variety of places otherwise a regional sim if you travel to the same place for work on a regular will work just as well and may also save you on the data bills.
Set-Up
The Pocketalk Plus uses a customized Andriod operating system that is so customized to pocketalk you could completely miss it’s actually an Andriod system. The interface is intuitive and simple to use.
All you need to do is turn the pocketalk on and select the local network or connect to Wi-Fi. Then simply select your language which is set as the primary language on the list.
To use the translator simply hold down the home button and say what you want to translate to the language of your choice. It will automatically display the translation and will also read the translation aloud. You can also translate what you just said for an additional person by simply tapping the white arrow on the display and selecting the new language then pressing the microphone icon to say it in that other language and then tap ok.
Translation Quality
We tested the Pocketalk Plus on a recent trip to Copenhagen and I also tested it with a work colleague who is fluent in 7 languages helped me test the translation in the following languages:
- French
- German
- Italian
- Chinese
- Russian
- Croatian
Plus Danish when I went on my recent trip and after my testing the Pocketalk Plus I found worked well for short sentences but can provide the odd error on multiple sentences but without causing too much of an issue when it translated. The pocketalk Plus offers the following languages:
There is also an overflow icon on the top left of the screen that gives you access to things like text translation, currency conversion and that all-important camera.
Pocketalk Plus Camera
You are provided with an 8MP camera to the rear of the pocketalk and it’s designed to translate paragraphs of printed text or translate a road sign.
It worked better than using something like google translate and was much quicker as well. All you needed to do was scan the text with the camera and focus. Then tap the home button to see the translation like what we have done below.
When you take a picture of a road sign in a different language it will convert to your language in the white text above the image.
Under the bonnet/Battery Life
Open up the Pocketalk Plus and it sports an ARM cortex 53 quad-core 1.3GHz processor as well as 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. Moving to the battery life and you get just over 320 minutes of translation use due to the 1550mAH battery. When in standby mode the device lasted for a good few weeks without the need to charge.
When its time to charge the pocketalk plus you are provided with a 10W charger with a USB-A to USB-C charging cable. A full charge takes 2 hours from 0% to 100% It is important you only use the charger supplied otherwise this could damage the pocketalk plus.
Verdict
I have always been a fan of Pocketalk and think it’s a great handheld device that allows you to communicate when translation is a must. What I like about this device is they are constantly updating the software and improving the accuracy and also adding new languages. So if you are travelling a lot then this device is better than having to rely on something like google translate.
It’s also worth considering the cost of roaming charges on your phone using the Pocketalk Plus will help you save as it provides you with 2 years of free data. So when considering the cost of the Pocketalk Plus of £299 currently it will soon prove its worth.
Overall the Pocketalk Plus is hard to beat when you consider the rest of the market. The fact anyone can use this with ease and the fact you won’t have to worry about charging this device up every day is a blessing.
Considering the cost if you only travel once a year you might struggle to see the return on investment (ROI). However, if you travel regularly for work or just love a number of city breaks the Pocketalk S Plus offers real value for money and is a device that will because an indispensable tool when the requirement to speak to someone whose first language is not the same as yours.
Product Rating:
Design: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Set Up: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Translation Quality: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Battery Life: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Value for Money: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Overall Rating: 4.8 out of 5.0 stars – 4.8 Stars
Thanks for reading this review, please continue to support us and check out our other reviews and follow us on Social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin and don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter below.
Recent Comments