Business Articles

MediaTek has had great success with its new Dimensity chipsets. (Image source: MediaTek)

MediaTek leapfrogs Qualcomm as the world's largest smartphone chipset vendor thanks to huge growth in India and Latin America

MediaTek has overtaken Qualcomm to become the world’s largest smartphone chipset vendor in terms of market share for the third quarter of 2020 (Q3 2020). MediaTek has been busy this year with its Dimensity series appearing in numerous budget and midrange smartphones. Qualcomm has remained strong in the 5G and high-end segments though.

Daniel R Deakin, 24 Dec 2020 21:07

Razer Book 13 vs. Dell XPS 13 9310: Same CPU, Same Display, Big Differences

The latest Intel Evo laptops from Dell and Razer have a lot in common and yet one of them offers significantly faster performance than the other. The Razer Book 13 costs a lot more than the Dell, but its benefits are tangible.

Allen Ngo, 23 Dec 2020 23:15

Better than the PS4 version? Cyberpunk 2077 "appears" on the PS1. (Image source: Anders Lundbjörk/YouTube)

Cyberpunk 2077 gets trolled in fan-made PS1 demake but 13 million sales should ease the pain

Cyberpunk 2077 has appeared in a fan-made video as “cancelled footage” from the PS1 version, bringing some light relief to those who have worked their way through the buggy PS4 and Xbox One versions. It’s not all gray clouds for CD Projekt as a silver lining has come in the form of 13 million sales, which factors in returns.

Daniel R Deakin, 23 Dec 2020 21:47

DJI responds publicly to its US blacklisting

The drone-maker DJI is one of the latest companies to be placed on the US Administration's Entity List. The OEM has reacted with a bemused message posted to its official Twitter account, in which it denies doing anything to warrant this action, and to do all it can to limit its effect on its customers, suppliers and other business partners.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 23 Dec 2020 18:21

The Tesla Model 3 is the world's best-selling electric car. (Image source: Tesla)

Tim Cook apparently refused to meet with Elon Musk in regard to potential Apple takeover of Tesla during Model 3 production

Elon Musk has been sharing an interesting moment he claimed took place during the difficult production of the Tesla Model 3 electric car. According to the tech executive, he “reached out” to Apple’s Tim Cook with an eye on Tesla being acquired by the iPhone maker but couldn’t even land a meeting. Rumors of the Apple Car (iCar) launch have been flying around lately.

Daniel R Deakin, 23 Dec 2020 00:41

Dell aims to recycle one XPS laptop for every unit purchased and more by 2030 in the name of sustainability

Currently, Dell averages 30 to 35 percent of closed-loop recycled materials for more than 125 different products. The manufacturer has a new goal of over 50 percent by 2030 to reduce reliance on virgin materials.

Allen Ngo, 23 Dec 2020 00:37

The Motorola Edge is, of course, one of the first devices on the list. (Source: NextPit)

Motorola releases list of 23 devices to receive Android 11 "in the coming months"

Motorola has now officially released a list of its devices that will get the Android 11 update. The list makes mention of 23 devices in total, but it's unknown when any of the phones will receive the update exactly, with Motorola choosing to leave things as vague as possible.

Ricci Rox, 22 Dec 2020 21:47

Vermeer Ryzen 5000 desktop CPUs were launched in November 2020. (Image source: AMD)

AMD processor usage reaches new levels of popularity in Steam hardware survey as gaming laptops with Ryzen 5000 APUs are just around the corner

The November 2020 Steam Hardware & Software Survey shows AMD reaching a new level of popularity in regard to processor usage. Team Red’s latest share was recorded as 26.91%, and with numerous Ryzen 5000 gaming laptops already coming out of the woodwork, it seems the upward trend will continue for the foreseeable future.

Daniel R Deakin, 21 Dec 2020 22:50

80 percent of TSMC 5 nm chips going to Apple in 2021

Apple secures 80 percent of TSMC's 5 nm production capacity for the coming year

Apple's top supplier of chips for multiple purposes, TSMC, will reserve no less than 80 percent of its 5 nm production capacity to the tech giant headquartered in Cupertino. In addition to the existing chips, TSMC is also going to make the upcoming A15 Bionic that will power the upcoming iPhone 13 series.

Codrut Nistor, 21 Dec 2020 12:41

Apple Car concept (Source: iDrop News on YouTube)

Rumor | Tesla, watch out: The Apple Car, less than a year away

Although older rumors placed its launch around 2023, unnamed executives from Taiwan claim that their companies are getting ready to ramp up the production of various components for the upcoming electric vehicle by Apple. It also seems that the Cupertino-based giant is already testing the cars in California.

Codrut Nistor, 21 Dec 2020 11:39

4K and 120 Hz gaming is not straight forward on Sony's premium TVs. (Image source: Sony)

Sony's struggles with 4K/120 Hz image blurring on the XH90, XH900H, X9100H and XH92 TVs continue, despite issuing a firmware fix

Sony claims that it has fixed the image blurring at 4K and 120 Hz on the XH90, XH900H, X9100H and XH92, months after it released its high-end TVs. Vincent Teoh of HDTVTest has demonstrated otherwise though, suggesting that a hardware issue is the cause of the blurriness at high refresh rates and 4K.

Alex Alderson, 21 Dec 2020 01:27

DJI and SMIC join Huawei on the US' Entity List

SMIC is a chipmaker that recently reported the development of its own 7 nanometer (nm) node. However, its plans for this silicon may have become somewhat limited, as the outgoing Trump administration has followed through on a threat to place the foundry on its trade blacklist. The drone OEM DJI is another big name in the latest rounds of these sanctions.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 21 Dec 2020 01:00

You can now get a refund for Cyberpunk 2077 on Xbox. (Source: Microsoft)

Cyberpunk 2077: Microsoft confirms it will refund digital purchases as CD Projekt Red faces possible legal action

Microsoft has stated that it is in the process of reimbursing customers unhappy with the performance of their digital Cyberpunk 2077 copies on its consoles. Meanwhile, investors are reportedly mulling a class-action lawsuit against the game's maker, CD Projekt Red, for misrepresenting the success of the game on relevant platforms.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 21 Dec 2020 00:23

Is this OnePlus' future? (Source: OnePlus, Leica)

OnePlus x Leica? A leaker claims this collaboration will kick off with the OEM's 2021 flagships

The OnePlus 9 series is expected to launch with triple to quad rear cameras in its higher-end variants. Now, a new tip suggests that these sensors will also be enhanced with Leica technology. This will represent a new brand-partnership for the OEM that could lead to coveted critical acclaim in the area of mobile photography.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 20 Dec 2020 23:22

The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is capable of 5G connections. (Image source: Xiaomi - edited)

Mexican telecoms provider Telcel accused of physically blocking Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro dual-SIM tray with glue and plastic insert

A Mexican telecommunications company called Telcel has been accused of unethical practices in regard to blocking the dual-SIM capability of the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro. A user has claimed that the provider used glue and a plastic insert to physically prevent dual-SIM usage with the Mi 10T Pro and has also blocked the function via software too.

Daniel R Deakin, 20 Dec 2020 22:01

Two AMD Ryzen Vermeer processors with 65 W TDP allegedly headed for OEMs (Source: AMD)

Two Zen 3 CPUs — Ryzen 9 5900 and 7 5800 — with 65 W TDP headed for OEMs

Not confirmed by AMD yet, the Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 7 5800 processors are apparently headed for OEMs with 12 and 8 cores and twice as many threads, as well as 6/64 MB and 4/32 MB of L2/L3 cache. Both will feature a TDP value of just 65 W, but their names and clock speeds are not final yet.

Codrut Nistor, 20 Dec 2020 18:09

Intel Core i9-11900 engineering sample (Source: Wccftech)

Intel Core i9-11900 matches the Intel Core i9-10900K in single-threaded tests according to leaked benchmarks

With a base clock of just 1.8 GHz and a single-core boost speed of 4.4 GHz, the upcoming Intel Core i9-11900 processor with a TDP of 65 W can deliver the same level of single-threaded performance as the 5.3 GHz Intel Core i9-10900K. Tested on the Z490 platform, this chip should be unveiled in early 2021.

Codrut Nistor, 20 Dec 2020 17:12

The revolutionary DualSense controller has helped spur sales of the PlayStation 5. (Image source: Sony)

PS5 vs Xbox Series X|S vs Switch launch sales estimates depict the PlayStation 5 as the fastest-selling and best-selling console of them all

The PS5 vs. Xbox Series X|S vs. Switch launch sales contest has been definitively won by Sony’s console according to recently published estimates. Global sales for the PlayStation 5 have topped 3.3 million units within its first four weeks of launch. Microsoft’s consoles have also sold well in the US and Europe but flatlined in Japan.

Daniel R Deakin, 20 Dec 2020 01:39

Microsoft branding on Arm-based silicon is going to become more common it seems. (Image: Microsoft)

Microsoft jumps on Arm bandwagon with reports it is designing its own chips for servers, Surface

Microsoft is working on its own in-house design for a server chip as it jumps on the Arm CPU bandwagon. The in-house design effort could also lead to custom Arm-based silicon for its own Surface line of computers, some of which already feature Arm designs co-developed with Qualcomm.

Sanjiv Sathiah, 19 Dec 2020 08:21

Fastweb is the first European ISP to offer FWA. (Source: Fastweb)

Fastweb announces its new 5G-powered home broadband solution will be powered by Qualcomm

The Italian telecomms company Fastweb is one of a number of European firms that are early adopters of 5G mmWave-based fixed wireless access (FWA) as services for customers. It has announced that the consumer premises equipment (CPE) that delivers this new kind of "broadband" will be based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 modem.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 18 Dec 2020 23:14

NVIDIA will partner with Samsung for its next generation of GPUs. (Image source: NVIDIA)

Samsung tipped to manufacture NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 SUPER GPUs next year

NVIDIA looked to Samsung rather than TSMC for the production of its RTX 30 series GPUs. The decision to go with Samsung has caused issues though, not least poor yields on its 8 nm process. Nonetheless, NVIDIA will continue to use Samsung for its RTX 30 SUPER GPUs, according to a new report. The RTX 30 SUPER series is due next year.

Alex Alderson, 18 Dec 2020 20:02

The Snapdragon 888 will arrive in flagship smartphones from as early as this month. (Image source: Qualcomm)

Official Snapdragon 888 benchmark results detail generational performance improvements in AnTuTu, Geekbench and GFX Bench

The first official benchmark results are in for the Snapdragon 888, and they show a healthy uplift from the performance of the Snapdragon 865 and Snapdragon 865+. The results are informative, but there are too many variables at play to compare the Snapdragon 888 against one of its main rivals, the Apple A14 Bionic.

Alex Alderson, 18 Dec 2020 18:50

The AI-powered chips could help preserve battery life. (Image Source: Intel)

Intel reveals low-power Clover Falls AI companion chip for EVO-certified laptops

The new Intel Visual Sensing Controller codenamed Clover Falls is coming to Evo-certified laptops and should help preserve battery life by performing some low-power semi-passive system monitoring tasks normally executed by the CPU. It is also supposed to enable PC systems to sense and adapt to their surroundings by connecting to webcam sensors.

Bogdan Solca, 18 Dec 2020 16:53

Samsung is really hamming it up after the mess of the Exynos 990. (Image source: Samsung)

Samsung announces the Exynos 2100 as it issues a lengthy apology to fans

Samsung has finally announced the arrival of the Exynos 2100, and it is just two days before the expected launch of the Galaxy S21 series. The Exynos 2100 is believed to feature eight cores built on a 5 nm process, with an ARM Cortex-X1 core the most powerful of the eight. The Exynos 2100 will go head-to-head with the Snapdragon 888 when the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+ and Galaxy S21 Ultra arrive next month.

Alex Alderson, 18 Dec 2020 15:11

Dell Latitude 3510 review. Core i3 models have to make do with a 40 Wh battery.

Dell equips its Latitude 3510 with a disappointing display

Dell's 15.6-inch business notebook offers decent battery life, low noise emissions, and a backlit keyboard. Unfortunately, its dim low-contrast FHD IPS display is disappointing.

Sascha Mölck, 18 Dec 2020 13:51

Experts remain unsure about the extent of the damage caused by the cyber attack (Image source: Panda Security)

Alleged Russian cyber attack allegedly exposed US deep state secrets through "Orion" data breach

Multiple US government branches, including the Department of Commerce, and an unknown number of private sector players have been hit by a massive cyber attack. Experts still remain uncertain about the volume of sensitive information that's been secreted beyond borders by hackers with alleged ties to the Russian government.

Arjun Krishna Lal, 18 Dec 2020 13:07

The OnePlus Watch might be based on this OPPO product. (Source: OPPO)

The OnePlus Watch is likely to run WearOS after all

Some recent leaks have pointed to a first-gen smartwatch from OnePlus, for which the OEM might develop a proprietary UI. However, a new interview with this company's CEO indicates that it will use Google's WearOS - then again, it may be heavily modified so as to fit in with its device ecosystem.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 17 Dec 2020 23:53

OPPO launches a new version of the budget A53 smartphone with 5G

The OPPO A53 emerged in 2020 as the first phone to have the Snapdragon 460 SoC. Now, the OEM has announced a new version of this device. It is much like the original, except it exchanges its platform for a 5G-capable MediaTek Dimensity 720. It also starts at the equivalent of US$199 in China.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 17 Dec 2020 22:55

Cities: Skylines is available for free on the Epic Games Store until Dec 18. (Image source: Paradox)

Epic Games Store Holiday Sale is on with 15 days of free games and up to 90% discount - get Cities: Skylines free or GTA V: Premium Edition at half price

The Epic Games Store Holiday Sale has started and there will be 15 days of free games incorporated into the offers available. Cities: Skylines is the first free game that is now available for download until Dec 18. Big titles such as Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Immortals: Fenyx Rising, and the Premium Edition of GTA V are available to buy with attractive discounts.

Daniel R Deakin, 17 Dec 2020 22:23

Leaked image of the Huawei Nova 8. (Source: Abhishek Yadav)

Huawei Nova 8 details revealed ahead of December 23 launch

Huawei is set to launch its Nova 8 series in the near future and details of the Nova 8 have surfaced. Notable takeaways include a Kirin 985, a quad-camera setup at the back, and a disappointing battery relative to the competition.

Ricci Rox, 17 Dec 2020 18:09

Cheap MSI GF65 Thin is down to $699 with decent Core i5 CPU, 512 GB NVMe SSD, and GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics (Source: Walmart)

Deal | Cheap MSI GF65 Thin is down to $699 USD with decent Core i5 CPU, 512 GB NVMe SSD, and GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics

We recommend upgrading to 16 GB of RAM down the line to improve the gaming performance and multi-tasking capabilities of the laptop. The GTX 1660 Ti continues to be a respectable GPU especially in the mobile space.

Allen Ngo, 17 Dec 2020 05:22

Qualcomm announces a new TWS platform. (Source: Qualcomm)

Qualcomm announces its new QCC305x SoCs for future mid-range TWS earbuds with high-end specs

Qualcomm has unveiled the new QCC305x series of chipsets for TWS earbuds. The OEM claims it can be used to make new products in this category that are cost-effective yet have some current or upcoming premium specs. They include audio-sharing between multiple earbud sets, Adaptive ANC and Bluetooth LE Audio

Deirdre O'Donnell, 16 Dec 2020 23:09

Xiaomi has been holding another flash sale for the Redmi Max 98. (Image source: Xiaomi)

Redmi Smart TV Max stats from Xiaomi reveal the 98-inch set has monthly sales 30 times higher than its rivals and has found a home in 290 Chinese cities

The 98-inch Redmi Smart TV Max from Xiaomi has apparently taken China by storm. Xiaomi has revealed some statistics about the giant television, including that its monthly sales are 30 times higher than its rivals in the same-size segment. The Redmi Max 98 has been incredibly popular since launching at a bargain price of 19,999 yuan (US$3,061).

Daniel R Deakin, 16 Dec 2020 20:57

Bitcoin historical maximum value of US$20,735.61 recorded on December 16 2020 (Source: Coin Stats)

Bitcoin breaks the US$20,000 barrier for the first time in history

Today was a very interesting day for Bitcoin, which jumped from an early minimum of US$19,321.08 (reached at 2:30 AM) to the day's — and all-time — highest value of US$20,735.61. With two weeks left until the end of the year, remains to see how high the world's most popular cryptocurrency can go.

Codrut Nistor, 16 Dec 2020 17:57

The iPhone 12 mini has not gone down well with people so far, unlike the rest of the iPhone 12 series. (Image source: Apple)

The Apple iPhone 12 mini may be a one-hit wonder

Only Apple currently sells a compact flagship smartphone, but new research suggests that the iPhone 12 mini has not been a success so far. Based on the initial uptake of the iPhone 12 mini, it seems that spending US$100 more on an iPhone 12 is a more attractive proposition for people in the US.

Alex Alderson, 16 Dec 2020 14:24

Google has acquired Neverware. (Image: Neverware)

Google acquires Neverware, a company that turns old laptops into Chromebook-like devices

Google has confirmed that it has acquired Neverware, a company that specializes in turning old laptops and desktop computers into Chromebook-like devices. The acquisition follows a previous investment by Google into the company’s operations and offers Google a strategic opportunity in both enterprise and education.

Sanjiv Sathiah, 16 Dec 2020 11:22

"S21 Ultras" with S Pens. (Source: LetsGoDigital)

The latest Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra renders show the phone with the S Pen and in new post-launch colors

The Galaxy S21 Ultra is expected to launch in just 2 colors, as its predecessor did before it. However, the latest leaks suggest that Samsung will add further options throughout the year. Meanwhile, other new tips purport to provide more evidence that it will be compatible with a new S Pen in 2021.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 15 Dec 2020 23:43

Team Group is working on DDR5 products. (Source: Team Group)

Team Group reports the development of its own DDR5 memory

Team Group, the OEM behind the gaming-oriented T-Force memory products, has announced it is working on consumer-grade DDR5 memory. They are to be 16GB in capacity per module and to have a high 4800MHz clock-speed. This project is at a stage at which it is working with companies such as Asus and Gigabyte to see if it can work with their motherboards.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 15 Dec 2020 23:00

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 has been a favorite target for scalpers. (Image source: Nvidia)

Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 series scalping generates over US$22 million in sales via eBay as AMD's Big Navi GPUs and Zen 3 CPUs also fall victim to profiteering

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 series, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 series, and the AMD Ryzen 5000 range have all fallen victim to scalping activities, with an analysis report detailing just how much profit scalpers are making from these new GPUs and CPUs. Sales of just the GeForce RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 have raked in over US$8 million profit for scalpers and eBay.

Daniel R Deakin, 15 Dec 2020 02:41

PS5 console buyers using scalpers have paid way over the MSRP for the console. (Image source: Sony/Michael Driscoll - edited)

PlayStation 5 scalpers made more than US$19 million profit on the console via eBay with the PS5 Digital Edition reaching over 350% MSRP

PlayStation 5 scalpers have made over US$34 million in sales via eBay resulting in profits of over US$19 million according to research carried out by a data engineer. The Digital Edition of the PS5 has been particularly exploited in regard to scalping, with the console being sold at over 350% of its MSRP at various points during the research period.

Daniel R Deakin, 14 Dec 2020 23:56

The price tag for the upcoming RX 6900 XT variant from Gigabyte will also likely be an eye-opener. (Image source: Gigabyte/VideoCardz)

Gigabyte Radeon RX 6800 series prices are a big oof for gamers compared to AMD's MSRPs: US$250 more for an RX 6800 XT-based AORUS Master variant

Gigabyte has just held a launch event for its AORUS brand of products where the prices for its AMD Radeon RX 6800 Series-based boards were revealed. Unfortunately for gamers, there seems to be a high premium between Gigabyte’s prices and the MSRPs offered up by AMD, with the AORUS Radeon RX 6800 XT Master board costing a hefty US$899.

Daniel R Deakin, 14 Dec 2020 22:35

Best Buy claims it will re-stock on PS5s and Xbox Series X/S consoles on December 15, 2020

2020's consoles have been linked to chronically low stock since their launch. This might cause some concern among buyers wishing to have one ordered prior to the winter holidays. However, Best Buy has announced that it should have stock of the PlayStation 5 and new Xboxes available to buy online from December 15.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 14 Dec 2020 22:25

Vivo will launch the X60s soon. (Source: Weibo)

Vivo officially sets a date for the X60 series' launch; announces new Zeiss collaboration for its cameras

Vivo has announced that the X60 and X60 Pro smartphones will be unveiled later in December 2020. These devices will be powered by SoCs provided by Samsung, and have cameras augmented by Zeiss technology. The OEM will also hold a conference that outlines the latter prior to its new hardware launch.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 14 Dec 2020 17:57

Apple is now slated to get back on track with 2021's iPhone launch

Apple left the debut of the iPhone 12 series unusually late in the year in 2020, for arguably understandable reasons. However, the leading industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo now predicts that this situation is not to become a regular thing going forward. Therefore, the next-gen flagships may appear by September 2020 as usual.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 14 Dec 2020 17:17

Cyberpunk 2077 has received a lot of negative reviews from last-gen console players. (Image Source: Cyberpunk)

CD Projekt Red apologizes and offers to refund Cyberpunk 2077 players on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One; last-gen consoles will still have limitations despite new incoming patches

CDPR has apologized for Cyberpunk 2077's lackluster performance on last-gen consoles such as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 and said that new patches are forthcoming to fix a majority of reported issues. The company is also offering to refund these players via PSN and the Xbox Store.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 14 Dec 2020 09:46

Intel's Gregory Bryant says only the paranoid survive, welcomes competition from AMD, Apple, and others

Gregory Bryant, Intel EVP and GM of the Client Computing Group, felt that Intel's growth in laptops and desktops will continue. In a talk, he said that Intel is paranoid about the competition from AMD, Qualcomm, Apple, and MediaTek and takes all of them very seriously.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 14 Dec 2020 06:42

The 16:10 ThinkPad X1 Nano's European pricing is revealed

The ThinkPad X1 Nano is a recently-released Lenovo laptop with a 16:10 aspect-ratio display and a weight of under 1 kilogram (kg). It has just been spotted on a German e-tail website in various configurations. They start at prices approximately translating to US$2300 on their new platform.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 13 Dec 2020 20:25