Latest Tech News

The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 is all set to receive a new software update on April 21. It updates the watch's security patch to March 2021, improves the Snapdragon Wear 4100's performance, and more. The rollout will be staged, so only a few users will receive the update initially.

It is unclear what this new Diamond OLED trademark refers to since there are so many devices mentioned in the patent. The two best guesses would be TV screens for the upcoming QD-OLED models launching in the second half of 2021 or an upgraded foldable OLED display with Diamond pixels for foldable smartphones like the Galaxy Z Flip 3.

Xiaomi has unveiled seven TVs for 2022, although it will begin selling them on April 25. The Mi TV EA series starts at CNY 999 (~US$153) for the 32-inch model and is also available in 40-inch, 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch and 75-inch screen sizes.

A recent Geekbench 5 record has been dug up for the Sony Xperia 5 III that shows the Snapdragon 888-powered compact-ish smartphone producing very healthy results, especially over its Xperia 5 II predecessor. The Xperia 5 III outgunned powerful rivals such as the Samsung Galaxy S21+ and Asus ROG Phone 3 in the single-core and multi-core tests.

PINE64 has revealed the Quartz64 Model B, a single-board computer that the company teased earlier this year. The Model B uses a Rockchip RK3566 SoC that features ARM Cortex-A55 cores and is configurable with up to 8 GB of LPDDR4 RAM. The Quartz64 Model B will be available with up to 128 GB of eMMC flash storage, too.

Digital Chat Station and multiple news agencies report that MediaTek could launch its first 4nm chipset by the end of the year or in Q4, 2021. OEMs such as Samsung, Vivo and Xiaomi have already expressed interest in the hardware. The chipsets will allegedly be manufactured on TSMC's 4nm node.

XDA Developers discovered a new app auto-hibernate feature that automatically deletes temporary files and cached storage for unused apps. The feature also retains the auto-revoke functions of Android 11, which automatically revoke privileges for unused apps.

Realme has announced that the Q3 smartphone (or possibly smartphones) will debut on April 22, 2021. The line has also been confirmed to be the OEM's first to feature the new MediaTek Dimensity 1100 SoC. Their maker has also strongly hinted that the new Q-series devices will have 120Hz displays, even though it might start at the ~US$150 level.

Unlike the usual fanless mini PCs that are restricted to ULV processors, the Atlast! Sigao Model B includes a desktop-grade Intel Core i9-10900T CPU coupled with up to 64 GB of DDR4-2666 RAM and NVMe storage solutions like Samsung's 970 EVO SSDs, which are notorious for high temperatures in full load. These components can get quite hot without proper ventilation, but the Atlast! passive cooling solution still manages to keep internal temperatures at around 46 degrees C, even without a venting system.

Despite an announcement last month that commerce functions would cease on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and PS Vita this summer, Sony has reversed course and will keep the PS3 and PS Vita's respective PlayStation Stores open for the time being.

According to a new leak, the Galaxy Z Fold3 has obtained an actual certification for ingress-protection. The new tip fails to mention the exact IPxx number in question; nevertheless, it will still be the first time a foldable phone has had such a spec. Meanwhile, the Z Fold3 is also now rumored to be lighter than its predecessor.

Sony’s promotional efforts for the upcoming release of its Xperia 1 III flagship smartphone is now in full swing. The company has published a new video to YouTube depicting its Alpha camera engineers discussing how they developed its new camera system.

Described as "the best all-round quality gaming headset," the new EPOS H3 is a closed acoustic gaming headset that targets PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox gamers. Its highlights include a sound pressure level value of 124 dB, 10 to 30,000 Hz frequency response, as well as 20 Ohm impedance.

With the Redmi Note 10 Pro, Xiaomi has managed to create an all-around successful mid-range phone with a focus on the display. The mid-range competition will have a hard time beating this package of features at an MSRP of less than 280 Euros (~$336).

With Intel 11th gen right around the corner, these 10th gen models will need to go. MSI is cutting 12 percent to 27 percent off MSRP depending on the model all equipped with Comet Lake Core U-series or H-series CPUs.

The multi-platform Recon 70 is the best headset option available for around US$40, according to its maker Turtle Beach at least. The company also offers a steadily-growing range of different colors and styles for the 70, the latest of which is a pale silver with camo earcups. This new Arctic Camo SKU is available from now.

Sony has announced pricing and availability for its 2021 TVs. They include the BRAVIA XR MASTER Series A90J, which, as the OEM asserts, integrates its best OLED panel to date. It also has new LED models with 4K and 8K options, including the 100-inch BRAVIA XR X92 now set at US$20,000.

The ASUS TUF Dash F15 has been listed on Amazon Italy with an Nvidia RTX 3050 mobile graphics card with 4GB of VRAM. It is coupled with an Intel Core i5-10300H processor, a 15.6-inch FHD 1080p 144Hz screen, 8GB RAM and 512GB storage.

A Basemark GPU Vulkan run of the Asus Xe DG1 GPU shows that it is within striking distance of an AMD Polaris Radeon RX 550. This is the first benchmark to be discovered after the card was officially announced earlier this year. The score is decent considering this is Intel's first attempt at a mainstream discrete GPU solution.

Another Sony Xperia smartphone could be in the pipeline for a 2021 release, with a noted leaker hinting at a further device launch for later in the year. A single letter mentioned by the tipster has created speculation that either a budget Sony Xperia phone could be coming or there might even be a return to the Ultra variants, possibly under a different model name.

Augmented reality applications may have been boosted Apple's adoption of LiDAR sensors in iPads and iPhones. However, rumour has it that Samsung will not include 3D ToF cameras in the Galaxy S22 series. Samsung started equipping DepthVision cameras in its flagship Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series, starting with the Galaxy S10 series in 2019.

Xiaomi's official MIUI 12.5 device list is rather lacklustre; only eighteen devices are confirmed to receive the OS update so far. Reportedly, Xiaomi is testing MIUI 12.5 on over three dozen handsets, including the Mi 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro.

On first glance, the ThinkPad X12 Detachable looks a lot like the ThinkPad X1 Tablet Gen 3. Despite the similarity, the X12 is no direct successor, as it is not an X1 ThinkPad anymore. This is not necessarily a bad thing: Since it is not a flagship model anymore, the ThinkPad X12 Detachable is much more affordable and thus more competitive.

Samsung has reportedly applied to trademark the phrase "Armor Frame" in the EU, US and South Korea. Its new American IP application specifically indicates that it applies to smartphones, inviting speculation that it refers to a new engineering or design tweak for its upcoming flagships, particularly those of a foldable nature.

The upcoming iPhone 13 could come with a smaller notch compared to its predecessors. A new leak on Twitter shows an iPhone 13 screen protector with an iPhone 12. Most of the sensors have been smooshed closer together, while the earpiece has been moved upwards.

Many Android phone owners use apps that mirror or "wrap" the mobile Facebook interface rather than use this company's app. However, the social media giant has started to deprive them of this option. It has already had the apps Simple Social and Swipe taken down from Google's Play Store.

Xiaomi has updated the Mi A3 to the April 2021 security patch, a patch that addresses 18 critical or high CVEs for the Android One handset. However, V12.0.8.0.RFQMIXM also reportedly fixes a few bugs on the Mi A3, including DPI and charging status indicator issues.

The Sony PS5 may still be hard to find, but apparently enough people managed to buy one over the first five months it has been on sale. According to market research firm NPD, Sony now holds the record as the fasting selling console platform ever in the US.

Tipster Ice Universe has targeted the second half of 2021 for a breakthrough of smartphones with under-display cameras (UDCs). Devices expected to feature the technology include the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold range, Xiaomi MIX 4, an Oppo foldable, VIVO and ZTE.

The Urban T1 will sport Android 10 and a MediaTek SoC while the Urban N3 will be a full-fledged Windows 10 laptop with 11th Tiger Lake CPU options. Both models are expected to ship this June.

A young artist has produced a stunning concept render of a potential 2021 iMac powered by the Apple M1 Silicon. The striking design will have fans hoping something similar is unveiled by the Cupertino company in the upcoming Spring Loaded event. The same designer also recently created an M1X MacBook Pro 14 concept based on numerous rumors.

Samsung will release the Galaxy M42 soon exclusively through Amazon India. This device is most likely the Indian-market rebrand of the pre-existing A42. The OEM has confirmed that this version still runs on the Snapdragon 750G processor, and is thus a 5G smartphone.

The Android OS should upgrade to its latest 12 version in just a few months. There are some preview builds around, the latest of which is now reported to have a new and powerful feature. It is a service that translates app contents to a phone's system language. Some pre-existing third-party apps are capable of this, although it seems Google may want to bake it into their new UI.

Chia is an eco-friendly cryptocurrency that operates on high-speed storage instead of power-hungry graphics cards. Early adaptors in China are already buying up high-capacity solid-state drives in bulk. If the coin is successful, it has the potential to cause mass SSD shortages.

ViewSonic asserts that its upcoming monitors address the needs of those who work at home. The OEM's new 24- and 27-inch models have inbuilt webcams and the ergonomic stands to keep them at comfortable eye levels. There is also a 34-inch ultra-wide flagship with a USB type-C docking station for charging and connectivity.

Yet another device has gone up in flames. Again, it's a Xiaomi phone, this time the Poco X3. Supposedly, the device spontaneously combusted while charging, but Poco has claimed it was down to the customer puncturing the battery beforehand.

Sony has launched its latest 4K projectors aimed at the home cinema market. The two new SXRD units are rated for native 4K resolutions and have the same X1 processor found in many high-end BRAVIA TVs. The higher-end model has an ARC-F lens for image quality that goes right to the edge of the window it throws.

The iQOO 7 was the cheapest phone to launch with the top-end Snapdragon 888 SoC on its Chinese-market launch. Now, the OEM has announced that it will venture into its first international market soon. It will be joined by a "new" vanilla variant with a different processor in India later in April 2021.

Popular YouTube tech channel ZONEofTECH has produced great-looking renders of how the Nintendo Switch 2 (Pro) could end up looking. Utilizing the numerous rumors that have already appeared in regard to the widely expected Switch sequel, the content creators came up with a device that is instantly recognizable as a Switch but with Pro modifications.

The Legion C7 can run all current titles smoothly at 1080p. It comes with the Core i7-10875H, RTX 2070 Max-Q, 32 GB of dual-channel RAM, 1 TB NVMe SSD, and a Thunderbolt 3 port. What is so special about it is that it never becomes too hot or too loud.

HP's latest gaming laptop is a significant improvement over the older Omen 15 model. For just over $1000 USD, this is a well-rounded deal save for the measly 8 GB of system RAM that's thankfully user upgradeable.

OPPO will launch a new pair of audio devices called the Enco Buds soon, according to a new tip from the leaker Evan Blass. Their new alleged renders show a fairly standard TWS form-factor very similar to a product the OEM has already launched. However, the new versions apparently upgrade to Bluetooth 5.2.

LG has announced that it is out of the Android smartphone game; on the other hand, the cutting-edge Rollable mobile device is apparently being readied for launch. The latest step in this process is having it certified to use NFC, as the leaker Mukul Sharma has discovered.

It's a hefty price to pay if you want an 11th gen Intel CPU. The integrated Iris Xe offers much faster graphics performance than most older NUCs.

Twitter leaker L0vetodream speculates that Apple will bedazzle the world with its new ARM-based iMacs at the Spring Loaded event on April 20. While the tipster has been fairly accurate about previous Apple-related predictions, the chances of this one being true are grim.

New computer processor performance ranking charts for the first quarter of 2021 have been published by the Chinese benchmark Master Lu. The tables reveal a familiar tale: AMD dominates in performance thanks to chips like the Ryzen Threadripper 3990X, Ryzen 9 5950X, and Ryzen 9 5900HX, but Intel is still far ahead in market share.

The noted Chinese benchmark Master Lu has published a chart of what it considers to be the best mobile phone user interfaces for the first quarter of 2021. ColorOS from Oppo heads the table followed by Realme UI and Huawei’s EMUI. There is no space for MIUI from Xiaomi in the top 10 positions.

Voice is an 'alternative' social media platform that claims to be about "real" users, their communities and their content. It has announced that it will "upgrade" itself with a new feature: the ability to issue NFTs for the digital artwork posted thereon. They will apparently be integrated with the EOSIO blockchain basis Voice has taken up to drive its tokenization model.

An eagle-eyed Facebook user has photographed what appears to be a mother lode of MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Ventus 3X OC graphics cards. An entire pallet of said hardware is en route to the U.S., where it is expected to hit shelves after its tentative launch sometime in mid-May.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite will launch soon with Android 11 out of the box - based on its latest leaks, that is. The latest tip relating to this possible budget slate indicates that it will debut in a silver colorway as well as the darker gray hinted at earlier. This option has a white front panel that may make its bezels more pronouced in real life.