Expert reviews and news on laptops, smartphones and tech innovations

Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) gets Android 10 with One UI 2.0 as of late March 2020

Quad-rear camera Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) gets Android 10

Samsung's first phone to sport four rear cameras has just received its second major update. The Android 10/One UI 2.0 update arrives one year after the Galaxy A9 (2018) got the Android 9.0 Pie update. The changelog is not official yet, but all the One UI 2.0 and Android 10 goodies should be present.

Codrut Nistor, 30 Mar 2020 13:09

A fan-made PS5 concept design with wireless charging for the DualShock 5 on the top. (Image source: Reddit - u/ruddi2020)

Latest potential PS5 price and release date offered up by Canadian retailer suggests the PlayStation 5 could be a bargain

Although nobody knows the exact PS5 price yet there have been quite a few retailers creating placeholders offering up details in regard to the cost and release date of the next-gen console. The latest offering, which comes from Play N Trade Vancouver Island, suggests that the PlayStation 5 could end up being quite a bargain.

Daniel R Deakin, 30 Mar 2020 12:50

ZTE: Provider leaks another 5G smartphone

To the surprise of all, ZTE recently presented the Axon 11 5G not as a flagship smartphone but as a mid-range model. Now it seems that another 5G midranger from ZTE will soon join the club. A Japanese provider has put a render image and the specifications of the new smartphone online.

Christian Hintze, 30 Mar 2020 12:26

Hearthstone Laptop Benchmarks

Enjoyable card game. Even though Hearthstone has low system requirements, there are still laptops out there that cannot run the game smoothly. In our performance analysis we try to find out what the absolute minimum system requirements are.

Klaus Hinum, 30 Mar 2020 11:47

What new Surface device is hiding behind this UserBenchmark listing? (Image source: Microsoft)

Ice Lake Microsoft Surface device powered by an Intel Core i5-1035G1, 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD spotted on UserBenchmark

A new Surface device has appeared on UserBenchmark, which could well be a new product altogether. The Ice Lake-powered device has a 3:2 display, 16 GB of dual-channel LPDDR4 RAM and the same SSD found in the Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Pro X. Its processor has us scratching our heads, though.

Alex Alderson, 29 Mar 2020 23:55

Several Sony businesses are to be restructed. (Source: Sony)

Sony will consolidate 3 areas of its business into a new corporation

Sony has announced a plan to take its existing Electronics Products & Solutions (EP&S) divisions, which includes its Mobile Communications business, and combine them into 1 intermediate holding entity. This new corporation is intended to streamline and optimize these areas for the Japanese giant.

Deirdre O Donnell, 29 Mar 2020 23:32

The Huawei FusionServer Pro 1288H V5. (Source: Huawei)

Huawei introduces servers with Intel Cascade Lake Refresh compatibility

Intel recently refreshed its Cascade Lake server-grade processors. Huawei has announced that its latest servers can support these Xeon chipsets. They are members of this OEM's FusionServer Pro series, and include the 2298 V5, 1288H V5, and 2288H V5 rack variants.

Deirdre O Donnell, 29 Mar 2020 22:38

The alleged Meizu 17 Pro 5G identifier material. (Source: Weibo)

Rumor | The upcoming Meizu 17 5G flagship series is designed to look like the Samsung Galaxy S10+

Meizu is expected to release flagships called the 17 5G and 17 Pro 5G in 2020. A new leak suggests that their rear cameras will buck recent trends in that they are arranged in a horizontal line. They are also thought to have AMOLED screens with integrated selfie cameras.

Deirdre O Donnell, 29 Mar 2020 19:40

The full gamut of leaked new OnePlus color options. (Source: WinFuture)

OnePlus 8 Pro: full camera specs & new features leak out, along with more color options

The Pro variant of the upcoming OnePlus 8 series may already have been revealed to be a quad-camera flagship in prior leaks. Now, some eminent tipsters have teamed up to unleash the nature of all 4 sensors. The main shooter here is thought to be the new Sony IMX heretofore only found in the OPPO Find X2 Pro.

Deirdre O Donnell, 29 Mar 2020 18:18

Early renders of the supposed LG G9 ThinQ. (Source: OnLeaks)

The LG G9 ThinQ may now be dead with LG touted to kill off the series in favor of a new sub-premium phone; 4000 mAh, 6.7" display, sub-$800 price tag, and a Snapdragon 765G?

Last week, there were reports claiming that LG would move the LG G9 ThinQ downmarket by pairing it with a Snapdragon 765G. Apparently, though, those reports may have been misguided. New information claims the Snapdragon 765G-powered phone won't be called the G9 ThinQ at all, with LG opting to kill off its original LG G-series entirely.

Ricci Rox, 29 Mar 2020 15:54

World War Z was released in April 2019 for Windows, PS4, and Xbox One. (Image source: Epic Games Store)

World War Z free until April 2 on the Epic Games Store; refunds being issued for those who bought the game after February 13

World War Z is currently available to be had for free at the Epic Games Store for a limited time only. Other games that are free at the moment include Drawful 2, Figment, and Tormentor x Punisher. If you paid full price for World War Z after February 13, 11:00 AM ET, then you can expect an automatic refund coming your way soon.

Daniel R Deakin, 29 Mar 2020 13:38

The 4800H-powered TUF gaming laptop is selling for just US$1199 (Image source: Amazon)

Amazon has world's cheapest AMD Ryzen 7 4800H and RTX 2060-powered Asus laptop for pre-order at an incredible US$1199

Amazon recently put up an AMD Ryzen 7 4800H and RTX 2060-powered Asus TUF Gaming laptop for the remarkable price of US$1199. This undercuts i7-9750H notebooks and delivers incredible value in the sub-US$1500 price bracket.

Arjun Krishna Lal, 29 Mar 2020 13:36

The Pixel 4 XL, the most-convenient flagship smartphone that you probably overlooked. (Image source: Forbes)

Weekend Discussion | Is the Pixel 4 XL an unfairly overlooked flagship?

With Google offering sizable cashback on the Pixel 4 series right now, we thought we would give the Pixel 4 XL a try. After a few weeks of use and ahead of our full review, the Pixel 4 XL is the most-convenient flagship smartphone that you probably overlooked.

Alex Alderson, 29 Mar 2020 13:20

The i7-10875H sports eight cores and sixteen threads (Image source: Intel)

AMD Ryzen 7 4800H forces Intel to build 8-core i7-10875H: scores 8369 in leaked Geekbench listing

Intel was spotted prepping the eight-core sixteen-thread i7-10875H, most likely in response to AMD's Ryzen 7 4800H. The Comet Lake part effectively renders both the i7-9750H and i9-9980H redundant. Success or failure, however, depend on pricing relative to the Ryzen competition.

Arjun Krishna Lal, 29 Mar 2020 13:09

The Intel Core i3-10100T could be popular with gamers looking for a budget processor. (Image source: nichepcgamer)

Intel Core i3-10100T chip's performance on UserBenchmark gives hope for Comet Lake budget options

A Comet Lake-S desktop processor in the form of the Intel Core i3-10100T has been discovered being tested on UserBenchmark. The upcoming CPU was part of a Dell Precision 3640 Tower that featured 32 GB RAM and a fast SSD. The i3-10100T’s performance in the 1-core and 2-core tests could help make Comet Lake-S competitive in the budget sector.

Daniel R Deakin, 29 Mar 2020 12:54

Logic Pro X gets a free three-month trial. (Source: Apple)

Apple Logic Pro X and Final Cut Pro X go free to use for 90 days

Apple is giving creative pros and others the opportunity to use the full versions of Final Cut Pro X and Logic Pro X to users for 90 days. Final Cut Pro X had previously been available for a 1-month trial period while this is the first time users have ever been able to give Logic Pro X a trial before buying.

Sanjiv Sathiah, 29 Mar 2020 10:47

The Acer Chromebook 715 is a premium, but expensive, Chromebook. (Image via Acer)

Acer Chromebook 715: Chrome OS comes of age

The Acer Chromebook 715 is a well-crafted Chromebook that offers one of the best Chrome OS experiences on the market. In addition to an excellent case, the Chromebook also flaunts the new features of Chrome OS. Linux and Android integration are smooth and easy on the machine. However, a high price tag ultimately holds the machine back from a recommendation.

Sam Medley, 29 Mar 2020 00:05

The Mi 10 Pro costs an overwhelming €999 in Europe. (Source: Xiaomi)

Opinion | The Xiaomi Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro mark the end of the era of affordable Xiaomi flagships

Yesterday, Xiaomi launched the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro globally. While the phones are solid offerings, some would consider them to be priced inappropriately, with the Mi 10 Pro carrying a hefty €999 MSRP. But are the phones overpriced? Well, the numbers seem to say so.

Ricci Rox, 28 Mar 2020 21:12

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 with laughable 4 GB RAM on sale for $599 (Image source: Best Buy)

Deal | Microsoft Surface Pro 7 with laughable 4 GB RAM on sale for $599

It's 2020 and high-end Windows PCs are still shipping with 4 GB of RAM for some reason. Do yourself a favor and avoid this one if you intend to do more than just web browsing with a few open tabs.

Allen Ngo, 28 Mar 2020 21:05

This may be the Redmi 9. (Source: Twitter)

The Redmi 9 will turn out looking much like the K30: new leak

The prospect of a Redmi 9 has not been heard of since late 2019, whereupon it was slated for a MediaTek processor rather than the Snapdragon one found in its predecessor. Now, a Twitter leaker purports to know which one. In addition, the 9 is now alleged to have quad cameras in a familiar circular housing.

Deirdre O Donnell, 28 Mar 2020 20:32

Xiaomi started rolling out Android 10 to the Redmi Note 8 Pro in January. (Image source: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi extends Android 10 rollout for the Redmi Note 8 Pro

Have you been waiting for Android 10 to reach your Redmi Note 8 Pro? Well, the wait should now be over as Xiaomi has issued new updates for three more variants. Released as OTAs, the updates are available to download manually too.

Alex Alderson, 28 Mar 2020 20:20

The new 27-inch LG UltraGear. (Source: LG USA)

LG announces US pricing and availability for the latest 27-inch UltraGear gaming monitor

The LG 27GN750 is a CES Award-winning monitor of the UltraGear series. Its almost-bezelless IPS panel has a 1 millisecond (ms) response time, has HDR10 and is compatible with NVIDIA G-SYNC. The OEM has released it for sale at US$399.

Deirdre O Donnell, 28 Mar 2020 20:04

Asus ZenBook Flip 15 UX563FD in review: Multimedia convertible for content creators

Lots of power below the hood, good battery life, digital pen - Asus ZenBook Flip 15 UX563FD in review

The Asus convertible shines with powerful hardware, a sleek metal chassis, a backlit keyboard, good battery life and a Pantone validated 4K touchscreen display. The latter responds to both fingers and the included Active Pen.

Sascha Mölck, 28 Mar 2020 19:35

The "Reno Ace 2" on TENAA. (Source: TENAA via GizmoChina)

OPPO is preparing what may be a 2nd-gen Reno Ace for the Chinese market

The Reno Ace is an OPPO phone in which this OEM's ultra-fast 65-watt (W) charging tech was debuted. Now, some leaks assert that a new device from the same company is its successor. With what looks like the Snapdragon 865 SoC and 8GB of RAM in a base model, it does looks like a convincing candidate.

Deirdre O Donnell, 28 Mar 2020 19:33

A Samsung Galaxy M11 promo(?). (Source: YTechB via SlashLeaks)

A new leak may reveal color options and confirm specs for the Samsung Galaxy M11

The M11 may be one of the next 2020 mid-range Samsung Galaxy-series phone to see a launch date. A new tip posted to SlashLeaks purports to show which colors this phone will come in. It also includes a full spec list for this device.

Deirdre O Donnell, 28 Mar 2020 18:58

The Motorola One starts updating to Android 10

Motorola introduced its latest entry- to mid-range One series of phones in late 2018 with an eponymous variant. Therefore, it may have disappointed many of its fans that it has taken it this long to get a build of Android 10. This update has been reported in the Brazilian market thus far.

Deirdre O Donnell, 28 Mar 2020 18:30

The Mi 10 Lite 5G will start at €349 (~US$389). (Image source: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite: 5G connectivity but the cameras from the Redmi Note 9S?

The surprise announcement of yesterday's Xiaomi Mi 10 series event proved not a new flagship, but a new mid-ranger. Succeeding the Mi 9 Lite, the Mi 10 Lite not only packs a 6.57-inch display and a 4,160 mAh battery, but also 5G connectivity. Starting at €349 (~US$389), the Mi 10 Lite will come in a choice of three colours.

Alex Alderson, 28 Mar 2020 18:01

Realme X2 gets Android 10-based Realme UI update

Android 10 update for Realme X2 is now available for download

Realme X2 owners will be pleased to know that they'll receive the much-awaited Android 10 update soon. It comes to the Realme X2 in the form of Realme UI and brings forth a host of new features such as a three-finger screenshot gesture, a 'smart sidebar', and more. The update is rolling out now and will be available to eligible devices in the coming days.

Anil Satyanarayana, 28 Mar 2020 16:33

New PS5 fan-made concept design has a nostalgic effect. (Image source: u/ruddi2020)

PlayStation 5 news: Danish retailer offers eye-watering price and release date; nostalgic fan concept; poll shows PS5 is still the most wanted

The website for a Danish chain of supermarkets called føtex has created a placeholder for the upcoming PlayStation 5 that offers an astonishingly high price and a release date for the console. A new fan-made concept design will fill gamers with nostalgia, and a poll by IGN has shown that the PS5 is still the most-wanted next-gen console.

Daniel R Deakin, 28 Mar 2020 13:14

The entry-level RTX 2060 Asus laptops offer tremendous value (Image source: Amazon.com)

AMD Ryzen 7 4800H laptops with RTX 2060 being sold in China right now at under US$1000: priced to compete with Intel 9th gen i5s

Chinese electronics retailer jd.com is already selling Renoir Ryzen 7 4800H-equipped laptops in China. The Asus laptops are retailing for less than US$1000 for RTX 2060/4800H configurations, a remarkable value.

Arjun Krishna Lal, 28 Mar 2020 11:58

Standard Fitbit Charge 4 and Special Edition model. (Image source: WinFuture/edit)

Fitbit Charge 4 fitness tracker promo video and prices for Europe leaked; built-in GPS module included for first time

A promo video showing off the upcoming Fitbit Charge 4 fitness tracker has been shared online. Prices for the European market for both the standard edition of the Charge 4 and the special edition of the fitness tracker have also been revealed. It seems Fitbit has also decided to install a GPS module in its latest Charge model.

Daniel R Deakin, 28 Mar 2020 11:12

The Ryzen 4000 laptop from Asus also comes with 16 GB RAM and a 1 TB PCIe SSD. (Image source: Asus)

AMD Ryzen 7 4800H APU offers desktop CPU-like performance on Cinebench R15 in combination with Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 inside an Asus TUF Gaming laptop

An Asus TUF Gaming laptop has been put through its paces on Cinebench R15 utilizing the power of its AMD Ryzen 7 4800H processor and its Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 GPU. The new 8-core Renoir chip scored 1,743 points, which puts it not too far behind the Ryzen 7 2700X. The latter is a fast desktop processor that scored 1,801 points in our tests.

Daniel R Deakin, 28 Mar 2020 10:24

We compare dozens of laptops with the same GeForce MX150 GPU and the Razer Blade Stealth comes out on top

The performance difference between the slowest and fastest GeForce MX150 laptops is startling at roughly 60 percent. The Blade Stealth GeForce MX150 is essentially on par with the more expensive GeForce MX250.

Allen Ngo, 28 Mar 2020 04:21

MSI Optix MAG251RX, G241, and G271 1080p monitors now shipping for budget-conscious gamers

The 23.8-inch, 24.5-inch, and 27-inch monitors are now shipping from $190 to $340 all with high native refresh rates and either G-Sync or FreeSync to reduce tearing even further.

Allen Ngo, 28 Mar 2020 01:19

Apple: Retina Macbook Air suffers from the staingate problem

The staingate has plagued Apple's laptops for years. Now the manufacturer has confirmed that yet another newer Macbook is exhibiting this problem: The Macbook Air with Retina screen does sometimes develop the typical staingate symptoms.

Benjamin Herzig, 28 Mar 2020 00:48

OnePlus may also be working on cases in new materials. (Source: Twitter)

OnePlus hints at an Always On Display and new case types for its upcoming flagships

An always-on display is often a sought-after software feature in Android phones. The increasingly popular OEM OnePlus has classically resisted this trend, offering a less consistent Ambient mode instead. However, it has announced that they are finally working on one for the future of its devices.

Deirdre O Donnell, 27 Mar 2020 22:44

Raspberry Pi: Create a Raspberry Pi-powered quad NAS with the Radxa SATA HAT

Radxa has introduced new accessories for the Raspberry Pi and the Rock Pi. Designed for those looking to build a NAS on a budget, the Radxa SAT HAT allows you to connect up to four 3.5-inch drives to a Raspberry Pi simultaneously.

Alex Alderson, 27 Mar 2020 22:30

The new iMac has been imagined in 24.2 and 29.4-inch variants. (Image source: ALTRD Studio)

Apple should take a look at this proposed design for a new iMac

As chic as the Apple iMac is, its design has remained unchanged since 2013. While it is no getting long in the tooth, two designers have created an extremely detailed concept that shows what the next iMac could look like. They have made some compelling suggestions for what hardware should be included, too.

Alex Alderson, 27 Mar 2020 22:24

The Oppo Watch and Find X2 Pro Lamborghini are now available to purchase in China. (Image source: Oppo)

Oppo Watch and Find X2 Pro Lamborghini celebrate sales launch

Oppo launched its first smartwatch, predictably called the Oppo Watch, on March 6. Now, the Apple Watch clone with an EKG sensor is now celebrating its sales and market launch in China alongside the Find X2 Pro Lamborghini.

Alex Alderson, 27 Mar 2020 22:19

Apple halts iPhone production in India: No iPhone SE 2 anytime soon? (Image source: Apple)

iPhone SE 2: Apple halts production in India, inevitably impacting the release of its US$399 budget smartphone

Following the lockdown of India owing to the coronavirus pandemic, Apple has ceased production in the country until at least April 14. With Foxconn and Wistron closing their production facilities, it seems unlikely that any upcoming hardware like the iPhone SE 2 will be released anytime soon.

Alex Alderson, 27 Mar 2020 22:14

Control has been added to GeForce NOW. (Source: NVIDIA)

NVIDIA's GeForce NOW to get new games every week

GeForce NOW is NVIDIA's cloud-gaming service. Its streaming library may be bolstered by a new announcement that it will have new titles added by the week going forward. The first batch debuted as a result of this initiative includes Epic Games' Control.

Deirdre O Donnell, 27 Mar 2020 22:10

This is the second sighting of new Pixel Buds listings this week. (Image source: Google)

Second-generation TWS Google Pixel Buds hit FCC ahead of anticipated Q2 2020 release

Following the Taiwanese regulator NCC certifying a new set of Google TWS earbuds, they have now been cleared by the FCC. The second-generation Google Pixel Buds will feature 12 mm dynamic drivers, USB C charging and up to 24 hours battery life.

Alex Alderson, 27 Mar 2020 22:06

OPPO's VP denies some new leaks that point to new Find X2 variants

PriceBaba has produced some new renders for phones called the Find X2 Neo and X2 Lite. They appear to be rebranded versions of some existing mid-rangers from this OEM. However, the company's vice president, Shen Yiren, has reportedly said that the Neo, for one, does not exist.

Deirdre O Donnell, 27 Mar 2020 21:35

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