Business Articles

The Mi 65W Fast Charger. (Source: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi certifies a new, 67W fast-charging power brick for mobile devices

Xiaomi launched a 65-watt (W) power brick in late 2020. Now, it has submitted a newer one rated for slightly faster 67W charging to the TUV safety-testing authority. This has led to speculation that it is intended to accompany the...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 05 Feb 2021 17:44

The new Mac Mini and DTK are practically indistinguishable. (Image source: Apple)

Apple to offer developers a US$200 in exchange for returning US$500 Developer Transition Kits; cheapest M1 hardware starts at US$699

Gone are the days when Apple would give developers an iMac to return a Developer Transition Kit (DTK). Instead, the company now expects developers to return its latest DTK for a US$200 coupon off an M1 Mac, the cheapest of which r...

Alex Alderson, 05 Feb 2021 17:11

The first publicly available leaked image of Intel's Sapphire Rapids server platform (Image source: YuuKi_AnS)

First pictures leak of Intel's upcoming Sapphire Rapids Xeon CPUs, but 2022 release date could make it a tough sell in the face of Zen 4 EPYC Genoa

Chinese tipster @YuuKi_AnS released what appear to be the first leaked images of Intel's upcoming Sapphire Rapids Xeon server processor. Featuring up to 56 Golden Cove cores, Sapphire Rapids would be Intel's first server processor...

Arjun Krishna Lal, 05 Feb 2021 11:10

Apple has been using unfair tactics to sell iPhones in South Korea. (Source: Apple)

Apple agrees to pay South Korea US$89 million to end a legal dispute with the country

Apple has accepted a ruling from South Korea's national Fair Trade Commission that it has abused its dominance of the smartphone market in that country to skew conditions in its favor when it came to selling and supporting iPhones...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 04 Feb 2021 23:02

Android TV is getting more like Google TV. (Source: Google)

The latest Android TV update makes it look more like Google TV

Google launched a new smart screen interface in 2020, which it may intend to roll out across all devices that run its UI going forward. A new software update may bring that to fruition, with a new look for Android TVs that bring f...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 04 Feb 2021 21:57

The Mi 11 will be €50 cheaper than the vanilla Galaxy S21. (Source: Xiaomi)

Mi 11 tipped to launch with €799 base MSRP on the global market

The Mi 11 will make the trip from China to the global market on February 8, and it appears that the most important question about that launch event has now been answered. Going by new information, the Mi 11 could launch in Europe ...

Ricci Rox, 04 Feb 2021 20:08

The BenQ ScreenBar Plus fits snugly on external monitors. (Image source: BenQ)

BenQ ScreenBar Plus Hands-On: Easy to use, and with plenty of features, but cables galore

The ScreenBar Plus is BenQ's most expensive computer monitor light, retailing at US$129 in the US or £119 in the UK. The ScreenBar Plus has a desktop dial, is USB powered and supports auto-dimming, along with a Hue adjustment.

Alex Alderson, 04 Feb 2021 19:02

The Mi 10i has proven a real hit in India so far. (Image source: Xiaomi)

The Xiaomi Mi 10i has sold over 200,000 units in India alone so far with its 108 MP camera and 120 Hz display

The Xiaomi Mi 10i is proving popular in India, where it has already been purchased almost 200,000 times. The Mi 10i starts at INR 20,999 (~US$288), for which Xiaomi includes 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage to complement the devic...

Alex Alderson, 04 Feb 2021 18:47

IKEA & Asus ROG gaming-focused furniture (Source: VideoCardz)

Asus ROG teams up with IKEA for gaming-focused furniture, Japan will get it first

The list of products that IKEA designed in collaboration with Republic of Gamers, the well-known Asus sub-brand, includes over 30 products, including gaming desks and chairs, a drawer unit, as well as various small accessories suc...

Codrut Nistor, 04 Feb 2021 11:20

Apple is rumored to be involved in designing its own car. (Source: YouTube)

Apple Car dreams might be closer to reality with a new investment in Kia Motors

Apple is currently rumored to be involved in the design of its own-brand electric cars to rival other brands such as Tesla. This might now be bolstered with reports that the Cupertino giant has invested ~US$3.6 billion in Kia, a s...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 04 Feb 2021 00:29

MSI Summit E15 review: An advance into the premium business segment

MSI Summit E15 - A challenger for the Dell XPS 15 and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme

The Summit E15 is supposed to make life difficult for the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme and Dell XPS 15 top dogs. To do this, MSI uses the most current technology: Tiger Lake, Turing, USB 4.0, Thunderbolt 4, and PCI Express 4.

Sascha Mölck, 03 Feb 2021 21:15

The HTC-made Pixel 2 XL has some thick bezels. (Image source: Calyx Hikari)

Pixel 2 XL prototype unit appears online, offering an insight into why Google chose LG over HTC for its flagship smartphone of 2017

Someone has got their hands on the Pixel 2 XL 'muskie', the cancelled version of Google's flagship smartphone of 2017. Produced by HTC, the muskie went big on bezels, so it is no wonder that Google eventually went with LG for the ...

Alex Alderson, 03 Feb 2021 19:33

Can the Xperia 1 III save Sony Mobile? (Source: Voice)

Sony sold 4.5 times more PlayStation 5 consoles than phones in the last quarter of 2020

Sony has released its financial performance report for October to December 2020. They show that the company shipped approximately 4.5 million PS5 units during that time, compared to about 1 million phones. It also posted 208% grea...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 03 Feb 2021 19:26

Intel could greatly benefit from spinning off its fabs in the long term. (Image Source: Extreme Tech)

Industry insiders believe Intel can spin off its fabs with a solid long-term plan that involves acquiring even more fabs

Even though certain investors continue to pressure Intel into spinning off its fabs, the new CEO is adamant that the company will continue to function as an IDM and only outsource select lineups to third-party foundries when neede...

Bogdan Solca, 03 Feb 2021 18:13

A new report by Counterpoints Research tells us about the global semiconductor market

TSMC has the largest market share in the global semiconductor manufacturing industry: Counterpoints Research

A Counterpoints Research study has determined that TSMC has 28% of the market share in matured nodes (40nm and below), making it the world leader in the global semiconductor manufacturing market. UMC, SMIC and Samsung take second,...

Anil Satyanarayana, 03 Feb 2021 14:46

Apple has a huge range of best-selling products, including the MacBook Pro. (Image source: Apple/Pinterest - edited)

Apple is the world's most admired company according to Fortune while Microsoft, Nvidia, and Samsung are all ranked as leaders in their industries

Fortune magazine has published its “World’s Most Admired Companies” list and it is headed by Apple. Tech companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, Cisco, and Samsung all find places as the #1 ranked firm in their industry. Well...

Daniel R Deakin, 03 Feb 2021 12:59

The 1100 may be out in its first phone soon. (Source: MediaTek)

Vivo's MediaTek Dimensity 1100-powered phone is slated to launch in March 2021

The Dimensity 1100 is an SoC MediaTek has introduced as a one-step-down option from its new flagship, the 1200. The OEM Vivo is rumored to be one of the first, if not the first, to produce a phone based on it. According to a new l...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 03 Feb 2021 00:44

The pink Xperia 5 II has a glossy finish. (Image source: Sony)

Xperia 5 II: Sony brings the pink model to Europe and throws in WF-1000XM3 earbuds to sweeten the deal

Sony loves its limited edition colourways of Xperia smartphones, as the Frost Black and Mirror Lake Green versions of the Xperia 1 II have shown. The company has now brought a pink version of the Xperia 5 II to Europe, which is av...

Alex Alderson, 03 Feb 2021 00:03

Best avoid using mods and custom saves in Cyberpunk 2077 for the time being. (Image source: CDPR)

Cyberpunk 2077 security vulnerability exposed that leaves PCs open to malicious code; CDPR promises a quick turnaround for a fix

People have discovered a new issue affecting Cyberpunk 2077, and it is one that could allow the execution of malicious code on your PC. CDPR blames external DLLs and claims that it will fix the problem soon. However, people appare...

Alex Alderson, 02 Feb 2021 23:49

Google has abandoned game development just 14 months after Stadia's launch. (Image source: Google)

Google closes its Stadia Games & Entertainment Studio less than 14 months after launching its streaming platform

Google Stadia has already proven itself as a video game streaming service, with triple-A titles like Cyberpunk 2077 having made the jump to the platform. However, its big breakthrough remains a long way off, and the closure of the...

Alex Alderson, 02 Feb 2021 21:20

2021 Lenovo ThinkPad leak: X13 Gen 2 with 16:10 aspect ratio, T14/T14s Gen 2 stay with 16:9

The ThinkPad X1 series has already been updated by Lenovo, but not the regular T & X series ThinkPad laptops. A listing at the TCO certification site reveals the first details about the upcoming ThinkPads: The X13 Gen 2 adopts the...

Benjamin Herzig, 02 Feb 2021 18:49

The X3 might get a Pro variant soon. (Source: POCO)

A supposed POCO X3 Pro is cleared by the FCC for launch

The brand POCO has certified a new device with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and a number of other regulators. There is some evidence that this phone will be revealed as the Pro version of the X3 on its launch. To da...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 01 Feb 2021 22:01

Microsoft's next-generation consoles will remain hard to come by for a while yet. (Image source: The Verge)

Xbox Series X and Series S stock will remain lean until summer 2021 at the earliest, Microsoft confirms

Microsoft has now confirmed that stock levels of its next-generation Xbox consoles will not be getting better anytime soon. According to the company, it will be at least June before the Series S, and Series X are easier to purchas...

Alex Alderson, 01 Feb 2021 21:40

Stealth intends the WPC-905 for those who need a computer in challenging weather conditions. (Image source: Stealth)

Stealth WPC-905: A robust mini-PC that is waterproof and runs silently

Stealth has unveiled its latest robust machine, which is also waterproof. The WPC-905 mini-PC runs silently too and comes in four processor configurations. The Stealth WPC-905 starts at US$3,195, which is extraordinarily expensive...

Alex Alderson, 01 Feb 2021 20:39

The Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite have no outsold the Nintendo 3DS family. (Image source: Andrew Te)

Nintendo reaches 80 million Switch sales, but there will be no Switch Pro or Super Switch announcement 'anytime soon'

Sales of the Nintendo Switch family are close to eclipsing the lifetime sales of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with 79.87 million Switch consoles having been sold since March 2017. Sadly, Nintendo has confirmed that it does not ...

Alex Alderson, 01 Feb 2021 20:34

Future Powerbeats, powered by MediaTek. (Source: Apple)

MediaTek scores an order from Apple for new audio components

MediaTek has posted an arguable win by securing a contract with Apple to supply it with components for next-gen audio accessories. Then again, these products are not future AirPods, but those of the Beats series instead. This woul...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 01 Feb 2021 19:19

AMD EPYC Milan will offer higher boosts than EPYC Rome. (Image Source: AMD)

AMD Zen 3 EPYC Milan leak reveals nomenclature and specs, up to 200 MHz higher boosts compared to EPYC Rome

A new leak pertaining to AMD's upcoming EPYC Milan server lineup has revealed more information about the processor's naming scheme and also a list of SKUs that are like to launch in the coming weeks. The Milan lineup will start wi...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 01 Feb 2021 16:03

The POCO M3 is finally coming to India. (Source: Twitter)

The POCO M3 is to launch in India "with 6GB RAM only" on February 2, 2021

The POCO M3 is the global version of the impressively successful Redmi Note 9 4G/LTE that launched in China in 2020. Now, it is finally coming to India, and in its 6GB RAM flavor no less, whereas it sells as a 4GB phone in some ot...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 31 Jan 2021 22:46

PS5 restock attracted a crowd in Japan but the Switch is still the sales champion. (Image source: @AJapaneseDream/WorldGrain/Nintendo)

PS5 restock ruckus results in disappointment and Nintendo Switch weekly sales figures in Japan hit over 1,000 times more than those of the Xbox Series X|S

A PlayStation 5 restock and sale in a Tokyo retailer has ended in disappointment for many as crowd disturbance forced police to shut down the event. Sales figures for the PS5 in Japan have been reported at being over 44 times grea...

Daniel R Deakin, 31 Jan 2021 13:04

A Samsung rollable device render. (Source: LetsGoDigital)

Samsung confirms it will develop slideable and rollable displays in 2021

Samsung's Display division recently held its earnings call for the last quarter of 2020 (4Q2020), which apparently involved profits that grew nearly 800% year-on-year and revenues equivalent to about US$8.9 billion. It also announ...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 30 Jan 2021 20:03

MediaTek stakes an important claim in the Wi-Fi 6E market. (Source: MediaTek)

MediaTek announces the inclusion of its hardware in the Wi-Fi Alliance's latest testing array

The Wi-Fi Alliance has only just begun to validate hardware with the newest 6E wireless-data standard. This is good news for MediaTek, which has had its latest access point and client-side wireless solutions picked up for use in t...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 30 Jan 2021 19:18

Xiaomi goes to Washington over its US Administration blacklisting

Xiaomi has lodged a complaint with a US court against the same country's government for placing it on an investment blacklist earlier in 2021. The company asserts that the action against it is unwarranted, as it is based on an ass...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 30 Jan 2021 17:53

The Taj Mahal-inspired workspace features art by local artisans (Image source: NDTV)

Microsoft's ultra-luxury India Development Center is heavily inspired by the Taj Mahal's interior design

Microsoft recently opened up a 90,000 square feet IDC (India Development Center) in Delhi. The new location is set to a hub for AI and cloud computing research and highlights the increasing relevance of India-based R&D efforts for...

Arjun Krishna Lal, 30 Jan 2021 13:43

An AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U chip was tested inside an HP EliteBook 845 G8. (Image source: HP (G7 model)/AMD - edited)

AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U in HP EliteBook 845 G8 laptop turns up on UserBenchmark as HP also accidentally reveals Ryzen 5 PRO 5650U model

An AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U and Ryzen 5 PRO 5650U have made their first appearances thanks to a benchmark and a manufacturer. The Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U was spotted in an EliteBook 845 G8 laptop on UserBenchmark while it seems HP managed ...

Daniel R Deakin, 30 Jan 2021 11:06

PS5, Xbox Series, and PC gamers will continue to be impacted until 2H 2021. (Image Source: AMD)

AMD feels supply shortages will affect PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC gaming until at least 2H 2021

Supply shortages for desktop CPUs, GPUs, and game consoles such as the Sony PS5 and Xbox Series X/S are likely to continue up to 2H 2021, according to AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su. Dr. Su expects gaming hardware and low-cost PCs to have su...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 30 Jan 2021 03:51

Intel Ponte Vecchi Xe HPC die shot. (Image Source: Raja Koduri on Twitter)

First Intel 7 nm wonder comes to life, Raja Koduri reveals full die shot of the Ponte Vecchio Xe HPC 2-tile GPU with 8,192 cores

Intel's Raja Koduri showed off a die shot of the 2-tile Ponte Vecchio Xe HPC GPU, which is said to feature seven advanced silicon technologies including the 16 compute units that are fabbed on Intel's own 7 nm process. The other k...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 30 Jan 2021 02:34

A 2020 PC market infographic. (Source: Canalys)

Chromebook and tablet shipments break records in 2020

The latest market research report from Canalys shows that the PC market enjoyed success not seen in years during 2020. It posted shipment volumes not seen since 2015, hitting 143.7 million units (a 35% year-on-year (YoY) increase)...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 29 Jan 2021 23:36

The new US administration could give Huawei a new lease of life. (Image source: Huawei)

The new US administration is considering relaxing sanctions against Huawei

The new US administration has only been in office for nine days, but it is apparently already reconsidering Huawei's position on its economic blacklist. The Chinese company may still be prevented from accessing US telecommunicatio...

Alex Alderson, 29 Jan 2021 22:27

Motorola allegedly demos its remote wireless charging system. (Source: YouTube)

Motorola claims to have its own version of Xiaomi's Mi Air Charge in the works

Xiaomi has just gone public with its working prototype of groundbreaking over-the-air (or remote) wireless charging. However, it seems Motorola is hot on its heels with its own take on this "Mi Air Charge". A YouTube demonstration...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 29 Jan 2021 17:18

iPhone 12 series sales numbers have been almost ridiculous. (Source: NextPit)

Apple regains crown as biggest smartphone maker in Q4 2020 thanks to bombastic iPhone 12 series sales

Apple ended 2020 on a historic high by shipping over 90 million smartphones in the quarter. That achievement—an all-time record—saw the American company overthrow Samsung to become the number one smartphone maker in the world acro...

Ricci Rox, 29 Jan 2021 14:08

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga: Ultrathin 3:2 convertible hits US market

The thinnest ThinkPad laptop ever is available for purchase: The ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is orderable in the USA since yesterday. The mark-up for early adopters is hefty however, as the 3:2 convertible with its Titanium top cove...

Benjamin Herzig, 29 Jan 2021 13:55

The EPYC 7643 Milan processor has a 225 W TDP. (Image source: AMD/Masterdc - edited)

48-core AMD EPYC 7643 server processor flexes its Zen 3 Milan muscles on Geekbench 4 and benches a mighty multi-core result

The 48-core, 96-thread AMD EPYC 7643 server chip has been tested on Geekbench 4 and has come up with a gigantic multi-core score of 121,080 points. The Zen 3 Milan part also wields 256 MB L3 cache and has clock rates of 2.30 GHz t...

Daniel R Deakin, 29 Jan 2021 11:14

The Zen 3 Milan server chips should be launched within the first quarter of 2021. (Image source: AMD - edited)

Two 32-core AMD EPYC 7513 Milan chips working in tandem gain +8% over Ryzen Threadripper 3990X on Geekbench without even breaking into a sweat

An HP Enterprise dual processor server with a couple of 32-core AMD EPYC 7513 Milan chips inside it has been spotted on Geekbench. The upcoming Zen 3 parts teamed up to produce a huge result that was +8% over the average recorded ...

Daniel R Deakin, 29 Jan 2021 08:04

The Iris Xe desktop graphics card has an elaborate cooling solution for its 30 W TDP. (Image source: Intel)

Updated | The Intel Iris Xe DG1 is here with 4 GB of VRAM and a 30 W TDP, but only for OEMs

Intel has unveiled the Iris Xe desktop graphics card, better known by its codename of DG1. The Iris Xe Graphics has a 30 W TDP, 4 GB of VRAM and will only be available via OEMs. The Iris Xe DG1 will probably compete against NVIDIA...

Alex Alderson, 29 Jan 2021 01:03

Realme hypes its TechLife event. (Source: Twitter)

Realme will launch its first laptop in mid-2021: new leak

Realme is mostly known for its phones and audio devices; however, like Xiaomi and Huawei before it, it is now rumored to get into the laptop game as well. According to a well-known leaker, the first of these new products will debu...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 28 Jan 2021 19:47

The Vivo V2072A may be more interesting on the inside. (Source: Google Play Console)

Vivo might be the first OEM to launch a Dimensity 1100-powered phone

MediaTek invented a whole new tier of its high-end mobile chipsets with the introduction of the Dimensity 1100 alongside its outright flagship counterpart the 1200. A new leak indicates that Vivo has a device with this new premium...

Deirdre O'Donnell, 28 Jan 2021 19:03

Intel has reportedly outsourced some of its CPU production to TSMC

A new report suggests that Intel has outsourced a good chunk of its future manufacturing to TSMC. Production is expected to kick off when TSMC's 3nm node is fully operational, which is expected to happen sometime in H2 2022. Intel...

Anil Satyanarayana, 28 Jan 2021 15:27

The Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G. (Source: Xiaomi)

Redmi Note 10 series likely set to emulate Redmi K40 and Mi 11 by shipping without a charger

The Redmi K40 series has been all but confirmed to ship without a charger by default and it appears the Redmi Note 10 series could also tow that path. Redmi executive Lu Weibing has now heavily hinted as much, which could pave the...

Ricci Rox, 28 Jan 2021 10:55