Latest Tech News

Realme has released an updated copy of its Android 14 Early Access program schedule, and the GT Neo 3 is next on the list. The smartphone's 80W and 150W variants are the only ones slated to upgrade via this channel in October 2023, with others such as the Neo 3T and the newer 11 Pro series to follow in November. The news is not so good for devices such as the Narzo N53, which have been left until 2024.

The AMD Strix Point APUs are expected to launch sometime in 2024. Just like the Ryzen 7040HS Phoenix APUs, these Ryzen 8000 APUs could also integrate dedicated AI hardware in addition to Zen 5/5c cores and RDNA 3+ iGPU. According to the latest information from All_The_Watts, the Strix Point APUs could be based on TSMC’s N4P process with a die size of 225 mm² and pack a total of 12 cores.

Samsung is now said to have CMOS sensors with more than double the resolution than the Galaxy S23 Ultra's main camera in the works. Furthermore, they are now believed to be the same size as the class-leading Sony IMX989 from the Xiaomi 13 Ultra. That combination could deliver unprecedented picture quality and detail should they be installed in next generation smartphones.

Sharge (formerly Shargeek) has made its name on accessories designed to appeal to the tech enthusiast with a transparent designs that pack advanced charging capabilities. Unfortunately, they often prove kind of expensive - until now. Their latest Prime Day sale takes 59% off their original prices, leaving even the highest-capacity Sharge 100 up for grabs at under US$200 off.

Cannondale has launched the Mavaro Neo SL e-bike range in Europe. Six variants are available across three frame types, each featuring a 350W Bafang motor and up to 67 miles (~108 km) range. Other features include a handlebar display, Suntour suspension fork and Schwalbe tires.

The Vivo V29 Pro is now official with a MediaTek Dimensity 8200 SoC, 8/12 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of storage. The phone packs a triple camera system on the back with a novel Smart Aura Light and a single selfie shooter on the front. Vivo has yet to disclose availability information.

SIGMA has just announced the new 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN, touted as the world’s smallest, lightest ultra-wide APS-C zoom lens for the L-Mount, Sony E-mount and Fujifilm X-Mount. It has also announced development of the new full-frame 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS sports lens. The former will be available on October 26, and the latter in December this year.

Tesla Model 3 Performance orders made shortly before the announcement of the Model 3 Highland refresh have been scheduled for anytime between March and July 2024, indicating the imminent launch of the as-yet unannounced Model 3 Performance Highland refresh.

Samsung has covertly announced its next flagship mobile SoC, the Exynos 2400. Details about its CPU and GPU are scant, but the former is said to be 70% faster than the Exynos 2200.

A recent rumour claims the upcoming Cybertruck Performance will sport the same tri-motor Plaid drivetrain as the Tesla Model X Plaid. There have been a number of claims made about what trims the Cybertruck will be offered, but it looks as though initial offerings will be dual-motor and tri-motor variants, with a single-motor trim coming later. It also seems as though Tesla has abandoned the bulletproof glass idea.

The new Nukeproof Megawatt Carbon electric mountain bike features SRAM's newly-announced Eagle Powertrain alongside improved suspension dynamics. The Megawatt Carbon will be available in two flavours, starting at US$9,899 with the Megawatt Carbon Pro.

After 7 years, Leica has launched the successor to its Sofort instant camera, the Sofort 2. The Sofort 2 is a hybrid camera – a 5 MP digital camera that can selectively print from its own memory or from a smartphone or other camera, via the Leica FOTOS app. It will be available from November 9, for US$389 or €379.

The most glaring issue of the sinfully expensive Model X Plaid appears to be the suspension, which might not be strong enough to deal with the 1,000-hp drivetrain of Tesla's flagship SUV. For German owners, this more or less minor weak spot can have major consequences due to the country's strict technical inspections.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is estimated to affect about one billion people worldwide, and is currently associated with the risk of developing severe cardiovascular and neurological disease. Samsung has announced that its Galaxy Watch series is now officially approved to detect symptoms of the disorder in users, thereby possibly increasing their chances of early diagnosis.

Huawei has opened orders for the Watch Ultimate Design, an 18K gold version of the Watch Ultimate. Previously known as the Watch Ultimate Gold Edition, the Watch Ultimate Design retails for nearly €3,000, making it one of the most expensive smartwatches around.

Xiaomi has confirmed that it has now started updating some of its product stack to Android 14. The company's Android 14 rollout begins with the Xiaomi 12T, Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro, which were all previously on its MIUI beta program.

The Redmi Note 12R and 12R Pro might have made for the ideal cost-effective Android smartphones in 2022 - were it not for their outdated charging technology. However, a new successor is now believed to outdo them in this regard, having been registered as a new Xiaomi device with faster speeds over USB.

Tesla's biggest EV competitor in the US market, The Hyundai Motor Group, will be joining the Supercharger bandwagon in 2024, with NACS becoming the default plug for Hyundai and Kia in 2025. Genesis has yet to make an announcement, but one is likely imminent, given the shared vehicle platforms.

Samsung is a little late to the party when it comes to foldable laptops at this stage. Nevertheless, the South Korean giant is said to join in, albeit possibly not until 2024 at the earliest. That event might see the launch of a markedly thin flexible-display device thanks to hinge technology already at work in the Galaxy Z Fold5 or Flip5 smartphones. Then again, there might be some drawbacks to its use in a full PC.

Amazfit has started selling the Active, a mid-range smartwatch with a 1.75-inch AMOLED display. Offered with up to 14 days of battery life, the Amazfit Active also supports GPS services and weighs less than 25 g before a strap is factored in.

Samsung has announced the Galaxy SmartTag2, a replacement for both the Galaxy SmartTag and Galaxy SmartTag+. Available later this month for US$29.99, the Galaxy SmartTag 2 has BLE and UWB connectivity with a redesigned housing and up to 700 days of battery life.

Google has become the first Android OEM to offer Android 14 across its entire product stack. Android 14 should be available to download now globally, starting with the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5. The release of stable Android 14 builds coincides with the October 2023 Feature Drop, which is also rolling out.

INIU has launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for its PowerNova portable power bank. The gadget has three ports and can charge devices at up to 140W via USB-C. Plus, a 27,000 mAh battery allows you to charge an S23 Ultra almost four times and a MacBook Pro 16” to 70%.

AMD skipped the Ryzen 6000G models last year, but there is a strong chance that the G-series will make a comeback later this year as the newest AGESA microcode update introduces AM5 motherboards support for Phoenix APUs.

The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro have landed and bring many new features largely delivered through AI software algorithms that are Google’s speciality. The Tensor G3, however, features pretty standard Arm-based architecture across the CPU and GPU, but the early testing isn’t promising in terms of either performance or efficiency with Samsung's nodes once again under scrutiny.

Anker has discounted both new and old versions of the 332 USB-C Hub (5-in-1, 4K HDMI), with deals available at the brand’s store and Amazon in the US and the UK. The refreshed model is reduced by up to 40%, while its predecessor has a more significant 49% price cut. The device has ports including 4K@30Hz HDMI, 5 Gbps USB-C and 85W pass-through charging.

The Garmin Venu Sq 2 smartwatch can now receive the Public Beta version 2.56 update. The software includes various improvements and bug fixes, alongside sensor hub and graphics updates. Version 2.56 is a Release Candidate, meaning an identical update will soon be available to all owners of the Venu Sq 2.

The LG A2 OLED 4K UHD Smart webOS TV is on offer at Best Buy and Amazon in the US. The 48-in model is now available with a 50% discount, reducing the price to US$649.99. Features of the cheaper TV include support for Dolby Vision IQ, Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa voice commands and built-in speakers.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Live price has dropped by a considerable 39% on Amazon. The ANC-capable earbuds rock a unique design with a bean-like shape and a glossy outer surface. Samsung claims the design results in an all-day comfortable fit. Additionally, the earbuds feature touch-controls and a battery life of up to 21 hours with the case.

Measuring just 124.8 x 112.2 x 43.9 mm, the Simply NUC Zircon packs an Intel Processor N95, 8 GB of DDR4 memory, and a 256 GB M.2 SSD, with buyers having the option to add a 2.5 inch SATA storage device.

Kia has announced that it will unveil two new concept vehicles at its EV Day event this October. The concept EVs are expected to be the EV3 crossover and the EV4 saloon. The company will also use the event, expected to become an annual tradition, to provide more details on the recently revealed EV5.

Noise has launched the Luna ring in India, though the wearable is currently out of stock. The lightweight gadget can measure your heart rate, SpO2 level and skin temperature and track your sleep and exercise. According to Noise, the device should typically run for around five days.

New benchmarks of the Exynos 2400’s Xclipse 940 GPU have emerged online. It scores 1,656 points in Powerboard 4.0’s Sacred Path Vulkan test.

SRAM's Eagle Powertrain is an e-bike battery, motor, and controller setup that aims to make riding an eMTB a seamless experience. The 250 W (nominal) system comes with two ride modes and is compatible with 630 Wh or 720 Wh battery units from Brose.

New details about the Pixel Watch 2 have emerged, following hands-on demos with Google's latest smartwatch. Surprisingly, the Pixel Watch 2 is compatible with existing Fitbit chargers, but not the original Pixel Watch charger. This year's Pixel Watch adds inertial scrolling too, a welcome improvement from the first model.

Google may have now revealed the Pixel 8 Pro, but it is still remaining quiet about the smartphone's temperature sensor. Nonetheless, the likes of 9to5Google and MKBHD have offered some insights, including a demonstration of Google's new Thermometer app.

Google is bringing improved face unlock support to its Pixel smartphones, starting with the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. While the pair lack the advanced hardware of the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, the new Tensor G3 chipset apparently has the capabilities necessary to open Android's BiometricPrompt API to their front-facing cameras.

Intel Arc A580 graphics cards from ASRock and Sparkle have been spotted, leading to speculation that the boards will soon be released. Intel revealed the A580 as part of its Arc series in 2022, but the SKU still hasn’t seen the light of day. Pricing for the Arc A580 will be crucial as there is fierce competition from both Nvidia and AMD.

Hisense asserts that its L5H 4K Smart Laser TV is the best gateway to the "big-screen experience" as delivered by a high-end short-throw projector with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos. For those with even more of a big home cinema budget, there is the L9H with the OEM's hallmark TriChroma technology. Both Laser TVs also support Google TV and NEXTGEN TV, and come bundled with large ALR screens in the US.

Google asserts that its computational photo and video upgrades for the Pixel 8 series are as powerful as those of its camera hardware upgrades. The Redmond giant has unveiled new editing tweaks that work on the vanilla 8 as well as the 8 Pro such as Audio Magic Eraser; then again, the new Video Boost with Night Sight and new Pro mode are only available on the higher-end model.

Nvidia plans to launch a cut-down version of the GeForce RTX 3050 sometime next year. It will feature a GA107 GPU, 6 GB of VRAM on a 96-bit bus and has a TDP of 75 Watts.

The Solé Bicycles e-24 electric bike is now available to pre-order in North America. The model is the first e-bike from the brand, boasting a top speed of 28 mph (~45 kph) and up to 40 miles (~64 km) of range. Other features include 3-in thick tires, hydraulic disc brakes and a motorcycle-style seat.

The Samsung Portable SSD T9 series is now on sale, with 1TB, 2TB and 4TB options. The device has a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 interface and offers read/write speeds of up to 2,000MB/s. Other features include Dynamic Thermal Guard and management via the new Samsung Magician Software 8.0.

Although over US$200 above its lowest Amazon price, which was reached on November 21, 2022, the massive 49-inch Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 G95NA curved gaming monitor with 240 Hz refresh and 1 ms response time is now available for an attractive US$1,390.28. This is 37% down from the US$2,199 list price.

Apple has issued a new software update designed to address overheating issues that some have experienced on their iPhone 15 series handsets. Available as iOS 17.0.3, the update also fixes two major security issues that had remained unpatched until now.

It seems that Google is finally ready to take on Apple's industry-leading software support for its smartphones. Until now, no Android OEM has got close to matching the six years of support that iPhones receive. All that changes with the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro though, which will still receive Feature Drops when 2030 rolls around.

Fresh rumours based on posts on Chinese platform Weibo suggest that the upgraded ‘P’ version of the Leica M11 will be launched in late October. This follows previous ones from June suggesting the M11-P will be launched by the end of this year. Leica’s P versions feature small upgrades and design changes for street photographers.

Google has brought fresh competition to the likes of the Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Arriving as the Pixel 8 Pro, the flagship contender builds on its predecessor with a brighter display, faster charging, a new Tensor chipset and optional 1 TB of storage.

Some new potential Nintendo Switch 2 release date clues have cropped up this week, with no less than three being provided by contrasting sources. Well-known tipster Tom Henderson has had something to say about the Switch 2, while Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has been discussing the “next console”. Wii U and 3DS software sunsetting has also come into play.

Google has now released the Pixel 8, an overhaul of its smaller flagship smartphone. Sporting a curvier design than the Pixel 7, the Pixel 8 is also smaller and lighter than its predecessor. Still, Google has packed plenty of hardware improvements from last year's model, including a new display, a larger battery and an updated Tensor chipset.