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Huawei's latest tablet is the MatePad 10.4, a slate with a 2K display with the diagonal length it is named for. It is powered by the Kirin 810 and has 4GB or 6GB RAM options, which come in Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi or LTE SKUs. The OEM has revealed that its starts at 1899 yuan (~US$269).

Qualcomm launched the Snapdragon 855+ last year as a better-performing refresh of the Snapdragon 855. There's unlikely to be a repeat with the Snapdragon 865, however, as an OEM exec has confirmed that Qualcomm will not release a Snapdragon 865+.

The latest Portégé X slim and light business laptops come with a host of improved security features along with upgrades like the Intel gen 10 Comet Lake-H CPUs, Wi-Fi 6 support, Sharp IGZO displays, Thunderbolt 3 connectivity and military-grade durability.

New trademark details for an Xbox Series X logo have been spotted, with the filing date being recorded as 16 April. The new logo is surprisingly simple, featuring the word “SERIES” running vertically by the side of a large “X”, which has been deliberately stylized in an incomplete form. It’s not yet known if Microsoft will actually use the logo with the Xbox Series X console.

Xiaomi's last tablet was the Mi Pad 4 that was released back in 2018. That has left fans of the series in the lurch, making Samsung's Galaxy Tab and Huawei's MediaPad lines the only viable Android alternatives. Things may be about to change, however, as Xiaomi is rumored to launch a new tablet, the Redmi Pad 5G, next week.

OnePlus is a smartphone OEM with a tendency to focus on just 1 or 2 phones per launch. However, a new report from the Chinese media points to the possibility that it will expand its operation so as to release more new handsets per year. These devices, which are said to have either 5G or 4G, will be supplied by ODMs to keep costs down.

A Samsung executive has written a piece on where this OEM's image sensor technology is headed. It includes claims that it is working on new components with qualities that beat those of the human eye. This includes estimated resolutions of about 500MP, whereas the Korean giant is aiming for 600MP.

Global hardware sales figures for major consoles have been shared online, and it appears that the PlayStation 4 is still far and away the most popular console in the world at the moment. Over 325,000 units of the PS4 were sold in the sales week starting April 11, which is almost seven times as many Xbox One units that were sold.

The Poco F2 is coming, and it's touted to be rebranded Redmi K30 Pro. Interestingly, it's also said to eschew 5G support entirely, which could help Xiaomi keep the phone's pricing even below the already impressive Redmi K30 Pro. Perhaps, at US$400?`

Xiaomi botched the first Android 10 update to the Mi A2 Lite. A new update "V11.0.4.0.QDLMIXM" was sent out last week in an extremely limited rollout, but now appears to have headed global, with users around the world confirming receipt.

The Indian government had released new guidelines that allow online shopping sites to get up and running in the country once again. These measures, which permit order fulfilment as usual nationwide with certain necessary caveats, were to take effect from today (April 20, 2020). However, the authorities have now chosen to reverse this decision.

PlayStation 5 consoles will apparently start being assembled as part of the mass-production process in June. With the huge E3 trade event now cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, it has been claimed that there will be next-gen console or game showcases to fill the gap. PlayStation boss Jim Ryan wants the PS5 made globally available at launch time.

Holiday 2020 is gearing up to be a true battle of the console giants: PlayStation 5 vs. Xbox Series X. Gamers have been discussing specifications, components, power, exclusive titles, backwards compatibility and more to decide which console could be classed as the better prospect. But if Sony doesn’t take a hit on the initial PS5 console run then Microsoft could utilize its superior financial strength to make sure the XSX wins the next-gen console contest.

Prices for the 400-series of motherboards from MSI have been leaked online, with the cheapest board costing €200 (US$217) and the most expensive board costing €960 (~US$1,044). These new components will support the LGA 1200 socket that is required for Intel’s upcoming Comet Lake-S series of desktop processors.

The Xperia 1 II was unveiled back in February, virtually alongside the LG V60 ThinQ and Samsung Galaxy S20 series. While those phones have since gone on sale, the Xperia 1 II is biding its time, and new information points towards the phone remaining unavailable for a while yet.

Late 2019 saw rumors that Google was developing a type of Apple Card-competitor in partnership with certain financial institutions. Now, there may be more evidence that this new instrument is indeed nearly a reality. It is to be a debit card rather than a credit card, and will be tied into and controlled through an app.

Lenovo's innovative ThinkBook Plus is now up for pre-order on JD.com, prior to general sales starting from April 24, 2020. To recap, this 13.3-inch notebook has a 10.8-inch e-ink display on its lid. The user can thus write or doodle on the device without opening it with its included Precision Pen.

UserBenchmark has received a significant blow today with the news that it has been banned from a major subreddit. The moderators of r/hardware, which has over 1.1 million members, have made the decision that threads regarding the oft-maligned benchmark have no value and simply generate drama. Posts or links in regard to UserBenchmark will no longer be allowed.
UserBenchmark has now also been banned by r/Intel, while r/AMD has issued a restriction.

Qualcomm has launched the 212 modem, a new chipset for NB2 bands that needs as little as 2.2 volts (V) to function. This may be advantageous for internet-of-things devices that need to keep going on ultra-low power in the long term. It is also small enough to allow for connectivity modules measuring 100 square millimeters or less.

The display specialist TCL has reported its sales performance for the first quarter of 2020 (1Q2020). This company sold 6.73 million of its TVs during this period. This figure was down by approximately 20% year-on-year (YoY), however, which was attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic situation.

It has been reported that sales in China of the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro smartphones have exceeded over 100 million yuan in just one minute. At the current exchange rate, that is equivalent to over US$14.1 million. The new flagship smartphones have only just been launched and look set to be the smartphone world’s current hottest item.

Huami has confirmed that the Xiaomi Mi Band 5 is still on course to launch later this year and that the working relationship between the two companies is as strong as ever. Recent rumors had suggested that Xiaomi was considering taking its considerable investment out of Huami, which could have scuppered plans for the Mi Band 5 wearable.

OnePlus has now launched the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro in its home country of China. Unsurprisingly, the phones cost quite a bit less than they do in the US. Over US$130 less, to be exact. That differential can be explained, though.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite has now officially made its way over the US with a not-so-insignificant US$650. Seeing it steps on the toes of the regular Galaxy S10, some may be wondering why exactly the phone exists at all, but there appears to be some logic to it.

It never feels good to drop a couple thousand dollars on a fancy new business laptop only to find stuck pixels or noticeable backlight bleeding. Even high-end laptops can have panel imperfections that should be discovered sooner rather than later.

A new study of consumer attitudes in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in findings that 53% of its participants (US households with broadband internet services) were prepared to agree with a statement to the effect that their regard for technology had improved compared to that prior to the public health crisis.

CD Projekt Red has once again commented on the highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077. The company is likely to disappoint potential buyers of a next-generation console, though.

HP says the ultra-thin 15.6-inch workstation will be the fastest in its size class per unit volume when it launches this August. It will also be the first mobile workstation to incorporate recycled plastic retrieved from oceans to promote sustainability.

A new report has stated that Sony is considering a limited production run initially for the PlayStation 5. Apparently, 5-6 million units could be made available by March 2021, with the figure being affected by the cost of the console’s components that will in turn influence the eventual retail price. A high price would likely reduce demand for the PS5.

BOE has announced that it will make more displays that support Qualcomm's 3D Sonic fingerprint sensor technology in the future. These panels will also be of more types and for more use-cases than ever before. This includes flexible OLEDs and internet-of-things (IoT) components.

The Surface Pro 7 is one of Microsoft's latest 2-in-1s. Some people who have bought it have subsequently gone back to the Redmond giant's product forum reporting a bug in which the tablet shuts off without warning. The issue may be addressed with some work-arounds, but the OEM is apparently yet to issue an official fix.

Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and Journey are now free to download, no PS Plus required. Part of the Play at Home Initiative, the two games will be free from April 15 20:00 PDT through May 5 20:00 PDT. Sony has earmarked US$10 million to support indie developers, too.

Rumour has it that Google has already received working versions of its custom Exynos SoC, developed in partnership with Samsung. Codenamed Whitechapel, the 8-core ARM chip is said to be based on a 5 nm process. While there has been talk of the 5 nm chip making its way into the Pixel 5, Google may have even bigger plans for Whitechapel.

The Xperia 1 II, Sony's most expensive flagship, is edging ever closer to being released. Due this quarter, Sony has hinted that we could be just days away from a proper unveiling. The device's €1,119 (~US$1,227.40) launch price may be a sticking point for most people, though.

The latest market research from the Gartner group indicates that the market for PCs has experienced its "sharpest decline" since 2013. However, it seems this year-on-year drop in shipments, which applies to the first 3 months of this year (1Q2020), is related more to the Covid-19 pandemic rather than to demand for this category.

Lenovo has launched the A7 in China. It is a considerable departure from your average smartphone, in that the processor here is from Unisoc. Not only that, but it has a swappable 4000mAh battery. It does not have a sale price as yet, but is likely to exhibit an ultra-budget one on its announcement.

A tech blogger has managed to get hold of some price lists that could be for the upcoming Microsoft Surface Book 3 devices. The listings also included prices for various related accessories and possibly the Surface Go 2. It has been opined that the “Surface Project T” could be the 13.5-inch Surface Book 3 while “Surface Project U” could be the 15-inch model.

Rumour has it that Huawei is planning on entering the server GPU market. The news comes as Huawei has attacked critics about its involvement in the UK's 5G infrastructure.

Lu Weibing, Xiaomi executive and general manager of Redmi, has been pondering the subject of Ingress Protection ratings on the Chinese social media site Weibo. The Redmi boss declared that IP53 was enough for the Redmi K30 Pro but was soon convinced by his followers that IP68 should be considered in regard to future smartphones.

A Canadian retailer has published the prices for the upcoming Comet Lake-S processors Intel Core i9-10900, Intel Core i7-10700K, and Intel Core i7-10700. The parts are similarly priced, at least with this particular outlet, to their Coffee Lake predecessors. However, it seems AMD Matisse processors could still offer users a decent price/performance edge.

Facebook has recently introduced a new group of settings to help the user manage the time they spend on its mobile app. Now, it has been augmented further with Quiet Mode, a set of toggles that allows notifications to be silenced for all or a specific part of the day. They may be followed by even more granular controls in the future.

European prices for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite have been leaked online. The prices relate to the 64 GB Wi-Fi variant and the 64 GB LTE model, although more SKUs with 128 GB storage are expected. Samsung has started publishing support pages for the upcoming Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, which suggests the tablet will soon be released.

The Sony Xperia 10 II was unveiled back in February but is unlikely to hit store shelves until June at the earliest. When it does, it's expected to carry a price tag in the region of US$400, which places it in competition with the upcoming Pixel 4a and iPhone SE 2.

With little fanfare, LG has released a new phone, the Style3, in Japan. It has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of fixed storage, but also rocks a 1440p display and Qualcomm's 2018 flagship SoC. This phone is only available through the carrier NTT Docomo in black or white.

Rumour has it that we will not be seeing the Surface Neo or Windows 10X this holiday season after all. Thought to be because of the pandemic, the delay means that there will be no Windows 10X devices this year, either. Are we surprised? Not really.

Google's upcoming Pixel Buds 2 are billed for a spring release. The true wireless earbuds were put on pre-order at a third-party retail store a while ago, but it would appear that all orders have now been canceled, the implications of which are unknown.

A blog has presented a new infographic showing the effect of the "coronavirus crisis" on gaming habits. It shows that 36% of causal gamers reported spending more time on this pursuit due to this situation, compared to 53% of non-casuals. In addition, it appears that, amidst a general market decline, stocks in gaming companies are up.

Online Chinese retailers are selling the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max at significant discounts. Retailers hope the cuts will spur Chinese consumers to buy an iPhone. However, many Chinese people are delaying the purchase of their next smartphone due to the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus outbreak.