I am a much more practical person than I am into aesthetics. That said, that router does "look" fancy. But is "fancy" a good thing? Does "fancy" improve performance?
I like and don't like the Batman ears. I think they "look" silly and "gimmicky". HOWEVER, as a radio tech for most of my career, I will say from a technical aspect, the Batman ears allow for the antennas to be vertically oriented. Vertical orientation is typically better when seeking optimal "
omnidirectional" RF propagation and reception - which most do and why WAPs (wireless access points - typically integrated into wireless routers) typically work best when centrally located in the building.
In wifi networks where an omnidirectional pattern is desired, more than one antenna is almost always better. That said, more and more does not automatically mean better - there just are too many variables to make that absolute statement true. So 8 antennas does not necessarily mean better coverage than 6. But it is probably safe to say 8 won't hurt - especially if there are many wireless devices on the network that need to connect simultaneously and the router is "intelligent" enough to use different antennas for different devices - depending on signal strength.
I generally like movable, removable antennas so I can orient them for the best signal strength - including mounting them high above the router. But the configuration on this routers seems effective too.
Do note that more antennas has zero effect on effective range. But it does typically provide better, more complete coverage within the effective range.
Also note antenna length is "cut" for the frequency (or frequency range) of the RF frequency or "wavelength" it will be used for. The higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelength and therefore the shorter the antenna (or antenna "element") needs to be. My point is, "triband" routers use 3 frequency bands; 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz. So the 8 antennas we see will be cut to 3 different lengths and used for the frequency bands (wavelengths) they support. In other words, if you only have 2.4GHz wireless devices in your home, the router will only use the longer antennas. In multiband WAPs (dual band, 2.4GHz and 5Ghz, for example) where all the antennas are the same length, the antennas lengths are cut to a compromising length so it will support both bands. So different lengths is good.
On the second image from the bottom, is that a fan? I hate fan noise. I mean I REALLY HATE fan noise. It is distracting, big time. If the marketing hype touts chimney effect cooling, why is a fan needed? The ONLY sound I want to hear from computer is the music from my surround sound speaker system - and the reassuring clicks of my keyboard presses (if Led Zep is not drowning them out).
Did I mention I hate distractions? RBB lighting is distracting and does absolutely nothing for performance. Its a waste of money. I would disable it immediately. One small power on indicator light is enough.
If I were shopping for a new router today, I would go for wi-fi 7 even though I don't currently have any wi-fi 7 wireless devices. But I might next month or next year so it makes sense to buy for the future.
I also avoid anything that says "gaming"
We agree on this one. When something is marketed as "gaming", that to me is like slapping a racing stripe on the car in order to jack up the price. Like RGB lighting, it does nothing for performance and may even be distracting. Not to mention fancy facades tend to go out of style.
Looks like the MSRP is $600 and
Amazon has 3 left for $528.34.
