The device has no moving parts, with just a 3.5-inch touchscreen covering its front and a few buttons on either side. These include power and volume buttons, as well as the now-standard pair of “talk” buttons, one to recognize your partner’s voice and one for your own. However, in many modes you won’t need to use them. Like most portable translators, the device includes a preloaded 4G SIM card which gives it near-global usage. (Vasco says it works “in almost 200 countries,” which is a lot, since there are only 195 widely recognized countries today.) 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi are also available when you’re within range of a hot spot or in a hotel.
The 2,500 mAh battery charges via USB-C. Vasco claims the Q1 offers “many hours of heavy use” and up to 160 hours of standby time, but note that the battery will drain faster than expected, even when idling. The “number of hours” in my testing was less than eight, but the 160 hours standby measurement was about right.
Language support is robust, but details vary depending on how you use the device. For voice-to-voice translation, it supports 86 languages. For text-based translation, this goes up to 108. Interestingly, photo-based translations work with 113 languages. Finally, real-time call translation only supports 53 languages. I’ll come back to each of them in a moment.
After a quick setup, the Q1 drops you into a simple interface that aligns its six functions with each other. In addition to the four modes mentioned above, the system offers a group chat function for up to 100 participants in their own language, as well as a basic learning mode that simply quizzes you on vocabulary, Duolingo style.
Cathy chatters
Photography: Chris Null
Most users will likely spend the majority of their time in chat mode, which allows you to conduct a one-on-one voice chat with a real-life partner, each in the language of your choice. As is often the case with portable translators, holding down one of two buttons (either the pair on the side mentioned earlier, or another pair that appears on the touchscreen) allows you to tell the Q1 who is speaking.
