Latest Tech News

The Redmi Note 10 draws closer to launch. More details of the upcoming Xiaomi mid-range phone has now been revealed, with a notable takeaway being the presence of a 48 MP camera, same as on the Redmi Note 9 and the Redmi Note 8 before it.

The ZX Spectrum Next issue 2, a modern remake of the classic personal computer has almost achieved their final £1.5 mil (US$2.0 mil) stretch goal with only four days remaining on the campaign. Earlier goals included new games and improved hardware specifications.

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card has been spotted being put through its paces on CompuBench 2.0 Desktop. The Ampere device demolished the RTX 2080 and also put the RTX 2080 Ti to the sword. With a price starting at US$699 for the RTX 3080, Nvidia has thrown down the gauntlet to AMD and its Navi range to counter this challenge.

A Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra smartphone with an under-display camera has seemingly been leaked in a comparison video. Xiaomi has already revealed the technology in a recent promotional clip; however, it has now been speculated that the under-display camera variant of the Mi 10 Ultra could be launched sooner than what was previously anticipated.
The original source and a longer hands-on video have surfaced.

Huawei's mobile platforms have been notable by their absence from IFA 2020. It transpires that the OEM has decided to delay the launch of its Kirin 1000 platform (which is to be the first of its series to be based on a 5 nanometer (nm) architecture), in order to focus on taking delivery of as much of the silicon it is based on before it is blocked from doing so by US restrictions.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 series phones are nearly 7 months old now. Nevertheless, leaks about their possible successors have already emerged. One of them concern 2 new batteries from their OEM freshly approved for use by the Chinese regulator 3C and now tipped as meant for an S21 variant apiece.

The anticipated first-gen T15g is currently thought of as the "gamer's ThinkPad", due to the RTX 20-series graphics that, as some leaks have attested, is destined for this machine. Its maker Lenovo may have put this beyond a doubt with a full product specifications reference (or PSREF) for the device, including a raft of SKUs with specific processor and graphics options.

Oppo appears to be taking a proactive approach to Android 11. The phone maker will reportedly start testing a beta version of its Android 11-based ColorOS ROM on phones including the Find X2 and Reno3, starting on September 7th.

CD Projekt Red has announced that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition will be released in an enhanced form as a standalone purchase for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or PC. On top of that, the new and improved next-gen edition of The Witcher 3 will be offered as a free update to those who already own a copy of the game.

This is how not to design a laptop. If using one port blocks access to an adjacent port, then you know your engineers screwed up somewhere along the process.

A new PlayStation 5 price rumor has been making the rounds on social media lately, with the all-important figures being considerably higher than those that have been generally predicted for the next-gen console. A likely fake but quite convincing example of the PS5 hardware has also turned up in a TikTok video.

The HP 250 G7 offers a current Ice Lake processor, a GeForce graphics core, 8 GB of RAM, and an NVMe SSD for just under 500 Euros (~$592). The built-in display is a disappointment.

Skullcandy has announced the latest addition to the Crusher series of personal audio products. The Evo headphones are equipped with Haptic Bass, which reinforces this range with physical feedback. They also offer the option of building an Audiododo personalized audio profile, which may tailor the headphones' sound delivery to each individual user.

TCL has launched its second-gen AiPQ Engine at IFA 2020. It is a platform rated to enhance this OEM's big-screen TVs, particularly those made with mini-LED or quantum-dot LED (QLED). The Engine allows for "real-time audiovisual optimization" based on the content to be reproduced. It is rated to distinguish between different types of AV media thanks to its machine-learned features.

Evan Blass has leaked a promotional video for the Xperia 5 II, confirming yet more aspects about the device, including its 120 Hz display. Sony will launch its next flagship on September 17 with a Snapdragon 865 chipset, three 12 MP rear-facing cameras, a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a 4,000 mAh battery.

Samsung fans rejoice, for a Snapdragon 865 version of the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition will be launching in Europe. There will also be a 4G Exynos 990 model, but there may well be a huge difference in performance between the two editions. The Galaxy S20 Fan Edition, shortened to the Galaxy S20 FE, will be available in six colours and will have a 120 Hz display too.

The TCL 10 TABMAX and 10 TABMID are 2 new slates launched at IFA this year. They feature their brand's in-house NXTVISION technology for "the most vibrant colors and rich details", as well as reduced blue-light emission. They may also go well with the OEM's new MOVEAUDIO S200 TWS earbuds.

TCL has unveiled its latest form of display technology as part of its IFA Special Edition 2020 presentation. NXTPAPER is an alternative to e-ink that, as its maker claims, "repurposes natural light" to prevent eye-strain while still producing a convincing range of colors. These panels are also touted to improve on contrast, power-efficiency and thickness compared to more conventional screen materials.

The more relevant discussion points include new details on the HDMI 2.1 connectors, the new RTX IO feature that relies on SSDs, how the new Ampere architecture effectively doubles the performance of the Turing CUDA cores, PCIe 3.0 vs PCIe 4.0 performance difference, DLSS 2.1 features, power cable recommendations, new decoder capabilities and Nvidia Reflex compatibility for older cards.

Zhiyun is known as a maker of smartphone-videography aids. The Smooth XS is the latest product in this line. It, like its recently-launch DJI counterpart, is a motorized gimbal with an optional tripod. However, unlike the OM 4, the XS has a telescopic arm for selfies and also costs under US$100.

The new 15.6-inch Polaris gaming notebooks feature AMD Renoir or Intel Comet Lake processor options, and users can add up to 64 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM plus up to 4 TB of NVMe or SATA III SSD storage. As far as discrete GPU options go, users can only choose between the GTX 1650 Ti and the RTX 2060 Refresh.

Speaking in the Triple Click podcast, Bloomberg analyst and tipster Jason Schreier stated that Ubisoft plans to announce a Prince of Persia remake at its Ubisoft Forward event in a week’s time. If confirmed, this would be the first new mainline Prince of Persia entry after Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands.

Initial 4K benchmarks of the GeForce RTX 3080 have been posted, and things are looking good for NVIDIA's new Ampere architecture. NVIDIA's latest US$699 card can outperform the GeForce RTX 2080 by around 80% in games like Borderlands 3, Control and Doom Eternal, which is a huge leap in one generation.

Logitech has taken a further step into the esports market with the launch of a new piece of PC software called Playmaster. The skill-based training program is designed to help improve game performance in Counter Strike: Global Offensive giving gamers a customized performance improvement program.

With the HiPad X, Chuwi has created a new tablet aimed at Android fans. The 10.1-inch device runs Android 10, supports pen input, has a detachable keyboard and includes an LTE modem. Chuwi will launch the HiPad X on September 15, but it is already available to order on AliExpress.

Marketing renders of the Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro have been leaked ahead of its likely launch later this month. The Watch GT 2 Pro is somewhat of an iterative update over last year's Watch GT 2 with a more refined design and the adoption of wireless charging.

US carrier T-Mobile has announced what is a more powerful variant of the LG Velvet. The new version of the device eschews a Qualcomm chip in favor of the new MediaTek Dimensity 1000C which features four high-performance Cortex A-76 cores versus just the two in the normal Snapdragon 765G-powered devices.

AnTuTu has been busy compiling its August price-performance charts for Android phones, and there are new leaders in two out of the five tables. The iQOO 3 and Meizu 17 Pro have scored highly enough to remove the Redmi K30 Pro Zoom and Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro from their respective positions, although Redmi still has an incredible 11 smartphones in the charts.

The Honor MagicBook Pro is a 16.1-inch laptop with a modern AMD Ryzen 5 4600H processor with a starting price of 749 Euros. We already have a sample of the new device and share our initial impressions of the new MagicBook Pro.

Honor has released its first rugged smartwatch, the Watch GS Pro. With an AMOLED screen, over 100 workout modes and GPS, the €249.99/£249.99 smartwatch should be suited for most eventualities. The Honor Watch GS Pro will be available in three colours and also includes a heart rate monitor, along with a SpO2 sensor.

Honor's answer to the Huawei Watch Fit has arrived. Called the Honor Watch ES, the device features an elongated AMOLED screen, an optical heart rate sensor, a SpO2 sensor and a 6-axis IMU sensor. The Honor Watch ES retails for £99.99/€99.99 and comes in three colours.

MSI has upgraded the Modern series of laptops with new 11th gen Intel Tiger Lake processors and the NVIDIA MX450 discrete GPU. The Modern 14 and Modern 15 now come with improvements such as Thunderbolt 4, faster RAM, 52 Wh battery across all models, and optional True Color 3.0 displays with 100% sRGB coverage.

Xiaomi has announced that the 98-inch Redmi Smart TV Max will soon be available in yet another flash sale for the immensely popular big television. However, it seems yet again that it will be buyers in China that will be getting great deals on the Redmi Max 98 (19,999 yuan; about US$2,924), as Xiaomi hasn’t revealed any plans to release the device outside of its domestic market.

A company spokesperson has revealed some critical OnePlus 8T specs. It will be the first non-Pro variant to come with a 6.5-inch AMOLED panel clocked at 120Hz. The phone will also ship with a 48MP quad-camera setup. We can expect OnePlus to release the phone sometime in October.

Sony has yet to announce official PlayStation 5 pre-order plans, leaving fans gnashing their teeth in frustration, to the extent that even a PS3 in disguise and a dishonest cake have led to some brief PS5-related respite for anxious gamers desperate for next-gen console news. A PS5 event is rumored for September 9.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro remains on MIUI 11 but not for much longer. An official source at Xiaomi Indonesia has finally cleared the air on when the MIUI 12 update will arrive for Xiaomi's current Pro mid-range phone. Variants like the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max and Redmi Note 9S should also get the update at the same time.

The low-priced Samsung smartphone makes the world take notice, because it comes with a very impressive specifications sheet. However, the Galaxy A21s has some weaknesses…

The fourth-generation iPad Air has been linked to a new design that would leave it looking more like its Pro sibling. SvetApple has posted new renders based on its latest leaks. They include support for Touch ID, which is found embedded in the slate's power button. The images also depict a sizeable camera hump despite the presence of just one lens, as well as a USB type C port.

Intel should use real-world retail laptops to represent their Core i7-1165G7 benchmarks instead of in-house kits that will likely never make it onto store shelves. Their initial benchmark scores don't mean very much if the average Core i7-1165G7 can potentially run much slower on final OEM designs.

The One UI 2.5 update is making its way to Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10 phones in Germany. It adds new functions to Pro Video Mode, Single Take Mode, and Samsung Keyboard. Users can also wirelessly cast their phones to select smart TVs via Wireless DeX. Its global rollout is expected to commence soon.

Razer has released a wireless version of the Naga Trinity, its modular gaming mouse. Called the Naga Pro, the mouse supports Razer HyperSpeed and up to 150 hours of battery life. The Razer Naga Pro comes with three interchangeable side plates and retails for US$149.99.

Alongside the new Prestige 14, MSI has also introduced the Prestige 14 Evo edition that complies with Intel Evo specifications. The Prestige 14 Evo is in many ways similar to the non-Evo variant except that it features a 1 W display and does not come with discrete NVIDIA graphics.

The Poco X3 will be unveiled on September 7, but the device has already been leaked online courtesy of a hands-on video. A Poco X3 Premium Version also appears to be on the cards.

The revised MSI Prestige 15 comes with up to an Intel Core i7-1185G7, Iris Xe Graphics and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q GPU. The 15-inch machine has two Thunderbolt 4 ports too, along with an 82 Wh battery, dual SO-DIMM slots and two M.2 drive bays.

The new MSI Prestige 14 has been announced in a choice of Intel Tiger Lake processors. The refreshed 14-inch laptop retains the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q GPU of its predecessor and its 52 Wh battery. MSI has unveiled a Prestige 14 EVO too, which has a 1 W display but no dedicated graphics.

The MSI Stealth 15M thin and light gaming laptop comes with Intel's 11th-generation Tiger Lake hardware. GPU options include the Intel Xe, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, and GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q. The notebook can be configured with up to 64GB of RAM and 2TB of solid-state storage. Its base variant will retail at $1549 and will be available online starting October 2020.

MSI has unveiled its new line of business laptops. Dubbed the Summit Series, the new machines pack Tiger Lake CPUs and optional Nvidia GeForce or Intel Xe graphics cards. The laptops are specifically designed for business professionals with plenty of security and business features onboard.

Nintendo has pushed nostalgia into overdrive with the announcement of Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy remasters for the Nintendo Switch. The three games are joined by upgraded versions of Super Mario All-Stars, Super Mario 3D World and a mixed-reality game called Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit. Nintendo has unveiled a limited edition battle royale version of Super Mario Bros too, along with a Super Mario Bros edition of the Game & Watch.

MIUI 12 is still yet to arrive for the Pocophone F1, months after Xiaomi started rolling out the OS upgrade to numerous devices. Apparently, the reason for the delay centres on overheating issues, which occur even during simple tasks like recording a 4K video or running the screen at full brightness.

Active noise cancellation (ANC) has been found to be of interest for 71% of consumers planning to buy true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds. However, the feature does require physical seals and a fit that some users may find less tolerable over time. Qualcomm claims that its new Adaptive ANC solves these problems.