Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have both the VSITOO S3 Pro and the Ember 14oz. Here is a comparison and review. CAPACITY: VSITOO says it can hold 360ml which should be 12.2oz but actual measurements show that it can hold just slightly more than the Ember 14oz. It is also bigger physically, and so is it's charge coaster. BUILD QUALITY: The outside of the S3 Pro feels very similar to the Ember's ceramic shell. The Ember beats the S3 Pro in that the inside of the Ember is also ceramic coated while the S3 Pro's is more like an enamel finish. Both of them have this thin uncomfortable handle. The Ember charge coaster is all metal (maybe except for the bottom that is covered with a rubber pad). The S3 Pro's coaster is metal on top and looks and feels like the Ember's. The bottom is plastic and has this ring texture that makes it difficult to clean. POWER: The S3 Pro coaster uses a USB-C port and I would assume you can use any power supply that is rated "USB PD" (power delivery) that can supply similar amperage (2.1A on the supplied adapter) to power the coaster. The Ember on the other hand, uses it's own 19V power supply with a barrel connector. Both coasters are always on, meaning even without the mugs resting on them there is 19V at the "pogo" pins you see on the coaster. This means that if you rest a metal object across those pins you'll cause a short circuit most likely damage the adapter. CHARGE CAPACITY: In regular use, I've found the Ember to be able to keep working for almost 2 hours on a full charge keeping my coffee at 140F. In it's ads, the S3 Pro says it can keep going from 4-8 hours but so far I have yet to see it make it to 2 hours. APP: The Ember app is very basic. You're supposed to be able to set a color for the LED to identify your mug when there are other Embers around but that function has never worked for me. The LED is always white. The Ember app also never connects to the mug reliably or consistently. I've had to delete and reconnect my Ember at least 4 times since I got it. I've just given up and just let the mug keep my beverage at whatever temperature it remembers. The S3 Pro app has a lot of potential. BUT why does a smart mug app need so many permissions??? For it to work, first it needs permission to access phone functions. Then you need to give it your phone number to which it sends a verification code. Then it needs access to media storage and, strangest of all, location! I denied all permissions and it wouldn't connect to the S3 Pro. Within 24 hours of installing this app I got a text message saying "XEsn acrazygirl.???.*567". (I replaced some stuff with question marks for safety.) Coincidence? Maybe. But when something that just needs to connect to a mug to tell it what temperature it should be at needs access to so many unrelated functions it makes me very suspicious. Also, I live in the US and I'm used to having my temperatures in Fahrenheit. I switched the units to F and now the scale switched from increments of 5 deg Celsius to increments of 9 deg Fahrenheit. Yes, they are regular increments but they seem arbitrary on first glance. Why not just use 5 degree increments in both C and F? CONCLUSION: Despite the build quality of the S3 Pro's coaster, it's inner coating, and lackluster charge capacity, I think I'll be using it more. That means it'll be the mug I leave at the office because I'm there more than I'm home. If I ever travel, the S3 Pro will be what I take with me. The fact that you can adjust the temperature on the mug itself without having to open an app is a big plus. (I've uninstalled the VSITOO app.) At a cost of $30 less than the Ember I think this is a great value and something I should've given as presents last Christmas instead of the Ember. UPDATE: 10 months later, my S3 Pro is completely dead. The LED started blinking red and then it stopped. Now it no longer turns on. I was hoping it would come back to life if I left it to discharge completely before recharging it but it no longer charges. I used the S3 Pro and the Ember about the same duration every day and the Ember still works. I'll update this review again when the Ember dies.