Review on 🎮 SofaBaton U1 Universal Remote Control: OLED Display, Multi-Command Macro Button, Harmony Replacement for 15+ Bluetooth & IR TV/DVD/Media Players by Kyle Hoes

I've tried many different universal remotes over the years and this is my new favorite! Its compact shape feels good in my hand, its keys feel crisp rather than squishy, and most importantly, the scroll wheel for selecting devices is a pretty cool concept that works well for my needs. It's also a lot easier to program than most (except for the quirky and overpriced Logitech Harmony series), and there's virtually no limit to what functions or macros you can assign to which buttons. So it's basically a compulsive tuner's dream. As much as I love it I still can't give it a full 5 stars but due to so many areas I feel there is room for improvement. These aren't major issues, but if you're considering purchasing, you might be aware of them. Here's my list: 1) It doesn't have as many buttons as most other models. That means you have to turn off many of the advanced features that your TV and other devices have dedicated buttons for (e.g. subtitles, display modes, smart features, DVD options, previous and next, etc.). [By the way, my workaround for this problem is to set up duplicate devices that work like the Shift or Fn keys on the number pad. For example, in addition to my regular "TV" device, I have a "TV#" device with some advanced features programmed into the number keys on the device. So I can swipe forward to the TV# device to access these advanced features, or back to the TV device to use the numeric keypad normally. (Of course, the difficulty lies in remembering which numbers correspond to which functions, especially since there really isn't enough space to put many labels.)] 2) Regarding problem #1 above, I'd like the wheel to scroll could be pressed like a button. in addition to scrolling. It would be really nice if you could scroll to the device you want to control and then just click to select the appropriate TV input mode, for example. 3) Speaking of keys, they are unfortunately not backlit, which is quite common, but I also have a hard time telling them apart by touch. It would be nice if some of the common ones (e.g. mute) had a different texture, raised camber or something, so you know your finger is in the right place even in the dark. 4) One last complaint about the keys: for the number pad, they are very small, making them difficult to use. 5) The remote control programming app isn't very well designed in my opinion, although it's certainly MUCH nicer than having to type in special programming codes. on the remote control itself, as is required on most other models. The biggest issue I've had is that your configuration isn't stored in the app (unlike the Logitech Harmony system, for example) but simply loads it from the remote every time you connect. So if your remote ever breaks and you need to replace it, I think you'll have to start over instead of just restoring a saved spare configuration. 6) Another problem with the programming app is the device database. While I had no problem finding all the devices I wanted to use, the feature list for some of those devices was confusing and missing some key features, and the default button mapping for the device seemed poorly thought out. So I had to spend a lot more time than I should have remapping buttons and learning about the new features that should have been included. (Luckily, the app makes it very easy to learn all the new features you need from your original remote.) 7) As mentioned earlier, the IR beam on this remote seems a bit weaker and/or narrower than many other models. , so you have to point it more directly at the device you want to control. 8) Finally, the remote itself might seem a bit cheap to me. For example, light from the display seeps through the sides a bit, which I think is a sign of the fairly thin plastic construction. It's not terrible by any means, but I'm just a little concerned that it might not withstand heavy use for a very long time. I think time will tell. Overall, despite these small flaws, I can highly recommend this remote control. I am very happy with it.