Business Articles

Sony remains the number one supplier of camera sensors to smartphone OEMs globally, according to Strategy Analytics. Coming in a distant second place is Samsung with Omnivision in third place followed by other vendors.

The latest high-end video cards from NVIDIA are priced really high and the prices of custom designs make the US$2,999.99 tag on a GeForce RTX 3090 Founders Edition that has just been sold on eBay look like a bargain. For example, a German seller is down to the last ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 ROG STRIX, after selling 11 for over US$3,900 each.

The manufacturer is fighting pollution in the most Razer way possible: by selling green and black apparel to fund the recovery of floating plastics in the ocean. So, when are we getting a pair of Razer underwear?

Huawei is now thought to have a new smartwatch on the way. A Weibo-based leaker now asserts that it is to be called the Watch 3 and is not to be a 'sports' model. This source also believes that the OEM will install a "full" version HarmonyOS. The wearable might also support eSIMs and more third-party apps compared to its predecessors.

An unboxed copy of the game Super Mario Bros for the legacy Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) console has reportedly sold at auction for US$660,000. This is the largest final asking price for a video game yet. The item in question was a 1986 release in rare condition and packaging.

A well-known leaker now claims that OPPO is working on a prototype mobile device with that ever-popular "port-less" design in mind. However, it seems the OEM has struck a unique balance between function and looks in this concept, as it does in fact have a USB port (albeit one a user might have trouble finding). It is also said to integrate electrochromic glass and under-display tech in order to deploy its cameras at need.

A new report tells us that Qualcomm has secured a deal with TSMC to manufacture some parts on the latter's 5nm and 6nm process node. Whether this is for bolstering existing Snapdragon 888 capacities or for an entirely different line of products remains to be seen.

Atari announced the creation of two new divisions under the main Atari Group. Atari Gaming will continue to manage the company's gaming division, including game development, the VCS console, and the licensing of recognizable Atari games. The new Atari Blockchain division will focus on blockchain and cryptocurrency opportunities, primarily Atari's Atari Token cryptocurrency.

Sony is launching the Xperia 1 III and Xperia 10 III in a few days, but a case manufacturer is already selling cases for both devices. The listings reveal the designs of both devices too, confirming the revised rear-facing cameras for this year's Xperia 1.

Nokia has reportedly posted a new job listing for a UX designer. This position's remit will apparently involve producing an optimal user experience both for mobile devices and online. The OS in question is not mentioned; however, the call for applicants has led to speculation as to the future of this brand's smartphones.

LG's mobile division is coming to an end, but new sightings of the V70 and Rollable suggest that the pair were at late stages of development. Hands-on photos of both have surfaced, while a benchmark listing has confirmed that LG had developed the V70 ThinQ with a Snapdragon 888 and at least 8 GB of RAM.

Recent rumors of Huawei's planned entry into the electric vehicle market seem to have been given more weight today thanks to the well-known leaker @RODENT950. It seems that the first car developed in partnership with the OEM will launch on April 17, 2021. Then again, it may be that Huawei has only provided the smart system for this product, which is likely only to be available in China.

The April 2021 security update for the Google Pixel series comes with connectivity, camera, and stability improvements for the entire lineup, but the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G get a noticeable gaming performance boost. However, the new patch arrives after the first stable Android 11 update which unfortunately came with a decline in performance.

Introduced in early March 2017 with a price tag that read US$699 and discontinued in the meantime, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is now apparently being produced again. For now, it looks like older units that were sent for RMA are being replaced with brand-new ones, so we might see them on the free market as well.

The Huawei MatePad Pro 2 is currently touted as an upcoming rival to the iPad Pro or Samsung Galaxy Tab S7-series slates. According to a Weibo-based tipster, it might launch with HarmonyOS in China, at least. This new leak includes screenshots indicating that this UI will provide a "Dual Dock" when in tablet mode.

Although the brand-new OnePlus 9 Pro flagship is available for purchase from multiple retailers, only the ~US$1,000 model with 12/256 GB of memory/storage can be ordered right now. The version with 8/128 GB is nowhere to be found and there is no official information regarding its date of arrival.

Although the data breach in question today apparently took place back in 2019, it is quite disturbing to find out that more than 500 million Facebook accounts are now in danger since the database has surfaced online in a freely accessible low-level hacking forum. Thankfully, the vulnerability exploited back then has been patched.

LG Electronics has officially shut down its smartphone division, with its closure date set for July 31. Existing LG smartphones and peripherals will be available for purchase via regular channels until stocks last. Software support for eligible devices will remain unhindered too.

The idea of a more portable refrigerator styled after the latest Xbox Series X console - one that you might be able to buy soon, moreover - sounds like the most April Fool’s Day thing ever. However, a Microsoft executive still states that it is real and will be available soon.

The concept of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold is innovative, but neither the hardware nor the software are ready for a foldable convertible. Our review reveals even further problems, and above all, the X1 Fold is simply not fun to use on a daily basis.

The US' Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has conferred a Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge Award (Gold Tier) on the electronics giant LG. It has earned this accolade thanks to the recycling programs instituted by the OEM's division in this country. They are credited with keeping tons of old devices out of landfill and, thereby, preventing the concomitant carbon dioxide emissions.

AMD will reportedly improve the supply of its much-desired Ryzen 5000 chips during the second quarter of 2021. Huge demand has overwhelmed the chip designer, leading to price premiums being placed on SKUs like the Ryzen 9 5900X and Ryzen 9 5950X. The supply bump comes just in time to counter Intel’s Rocket Lake series availability.

According to a new report, the upcoming PlayStation Store closures for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and PlayStation Portable will result in the removal from purchase of over 2,200 digital-only games. Ironically, some of these titles will become Xbox exclusives due to this contentious decision by Sony. Even worse, apparently some games will be permanently lost.

The electronics giant Huawei launched its first PC display in 2020. This 23.8-inch peripheral has an FHD IPS panel, and is mostly directed at enterprise-grade customers. It is also now available in a new market: the UK.

TSMC is ready to implement a solution for the ongoing global semiconductor shortages that will require $100 billion in investments. The plan is to build new production facilities in the U.S., Europe and Taiwan and have these ready by 2023. In order to implement the plan, however, TSMC is asking all of its customers to accept full production costs with no wafer price discounts throughout the entire 2022.

According to a new report, LG has decided to close its smartphone mobile division. LG will publicly announce its decision on April 5, bringing to an end a smartphone company that innovated where others did not. Unfortunately, the LG Wing could prove to be the final flagship LG smartphone that comes to market.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and Mi 11 Pro are already proving themselves to be big sellers for the Chinese manufacturer, by collectively raking in more than 1.2 billion yuan in sales in just one minute. The price tag for the Mi 11 Ultra in India, where it is being promoted as the SuperPhone, has apparently been leaked a few weeks before launch.

The Analogue Pocket is, arguably, one of the most exciting retro consoles thanks to its ability to play cartridges natively. Unfortunately, the ongoing chip shortage has delayed the console's release again, this time until October 2021.

According to a new report, Foxconn believes that the current chip shortage will continue until at least the middle of next year. Foxconn, which supplies parts to Apple, Dell, Nintendo, and Sony, expects the situation to worsen between now and then.

The new E13 Flip and E16 Flip come with thin and light CNC-cut aluminum chassis and feature 16:10 touchscreens complete with an MSI Pen. These are among the fist models to feature the Wi-Fi 6E standard and also come with up to an i7-1185G7 CPU, up to 32 GB LPDDR4-4246 RAM and PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD storage. The 16-incher is supposed to integrate an RTX 3050 dGPU, and both variants feature 2x Thunderbolt 4 connectors.

CD Projekt has revealed its 2021 update roadmap for Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher franchise. Revealed is stretching it somewhat in the case of Cyberpunk 2077 though, as its multiplayer modes and expansions are out of scope for 2021.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 1 is the lightest ThinkPad laptop to this day. With a new deal in Lenovo's US store, it is now more affordable than it has ever been before.

The ubiquitous chip-design IP-holder Arm perceives the future as one in which processing demands will trend strongly towards AI and data-security needs while moving away from general computing. The company aims to meet it with its latest v9 architecture, packed with advanced support for pursuits such as machine learning (ML) and digital-signal processing (DSP).

Xiaomi has confirmed its entry into the electric car industry with a new Smart Electric Vehicles company. According to an official announcement, Xiaomi will invest US$10 billion dollars in its new venture over the next decade.

The FE is a popular and well-priced variant of Samsung's Galaxy S20 range. New leaks suggest that the OEM is not quite done with its release cycle yet, as it now has a 4G/LTE-only version of its Snapdragon 865-powered SKU ready to go. Should they prove true, it might represent a bargain for many consumers.

OnePlus has contributed to what is already an action-packed day for the mobile device market by releasing its new 9 flagship series in China. It has announced that the 2 phones combined raked in 300 million yuan (nearly US$46 million) in the first 10 seconds of this event. This performance outdoes that of the 8 series this time last year by a considerable margin.

A report from a Taiwanese media site has revealed that both Acer and Asus appear to be planning on implementing price hikes on their popular laptop ranges. The continuing high demand for notebooks and mobile workstations has led to a situation where Acer and Asus are likely to increase product prices in the second quarter of 2021.

Although the full review is not live yet, the final scores are public, and one thing is certain: the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra is DxOMark's new king. The overall score of 143 is the result of the following areas: 148 (photo), 100 (zoom), and 117 (video), enough to grab first place from the Huawei Mate 40 Pro+.

The full specs and price tags for both the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra have been leaked just a few hours before they are officially launched. The Mi 11 Pro apparently starts at 4,999 yuan (US$763) while the Mi 11 Ultra has a base model for 5,599 yuan (US$854). International fans will be looking at paying over US$1,000 for the Ultra phones.

ZA/UM's remarkably political RPG is set to receive a major upgrade on March 30th. The Director's Cut of Disco Elysium will include new narrative content as well as full voice acting, fleshing out hundreds of thousands of lines of in-game text.

According to some recent leaks, Huawei is about to launch a new series of TVs. The OEM is also now said to have partnered with the sound specialist Devialet for these putative 2021 smart screens' audio solutions. This collaboration has, apparently, results in inbuilt speakers that might make the user forget about an external set-up.

The flagship OnePlus 9 series initially encountered a stumbling block on its launch in the US market: it was not compatible with Verizon's 5G service. However, the new Android phones now have a better shot at attracting those who use this carrier, thanks to a new certification to use its bands, as well as those of its pre-pay subsidiary Visible.

The Ricoh Theta Z1 is this brand's latest miniature camera for 360-degree, spherical captures. It can achieve these in a single shot at a resolution of 6720x3360, and can also be used for all-around 4K/30fps video. Furthermore, it is the first of its series with an internal storage spec of 51GB, which may overcome the limitations of previous Theta models.

The laptop is barely four months old and retailers are already heavily discounting the model. The ThinkPad X1 Nano is an even smaller version of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon equipped with Thunderbolt 4 and an Intel Tiger Lake CPU.

Xiaomi is slated to launch the Ultra version of the Mi 11, not to mention the latest generation of the Mi Mix line, on March 29, 2021. It now seems that another kind of product might take the stage alongside them: a new Surge SoC. This in-house chipset might be intended to power the next generation of the OEM's connected ecosystem devices.

AMD Ryzen CPUs have taken parts of the market by storm since Ryzen 4000 came out. One area that has been left largely untouched: Mobile workstation. Too bad, as the Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 1 shows that AMD Ryzen and workstation could go great together.