Latest Tech News

The hissing or static issue with the latest Pixel Buds remains, despite the release of a firmware update that supposedly addressed the problem. In fact, the hissing issue is noticeable even on units released after Google claimed to have fixed it.

The LG V60 ThinQ has impressive hardware on paper, including a 6.8-inch OLED panel and a Snapdragon 865 SoC. However, its 64 MP primary camera sensor has been found wanting, with noisy images and a general lack of detail a theme of LG's US$800 smartphone.

Halo: Infinite's campaign gameplay demo was actually shown off not on the Xbox Series X but on a similarly specced PC. Microsoft has responded to some of the criticism regarding the gameplay preview and assured that the graphics was in a very early preview stage and fans can expect even better quality at launch. Microsoft will treat Halo: Infinite as a platform and no sequels are likely for the foreseeable future.

The reliable tipster Digital Chat Station claims that Nubia has a refresh of its Red Magic gaming phone flagship in the works. Called the 5S, it will apparently be capable of GPU overclocking. This means that, even though it is slated to run on the Snapdragon 865, the user can make its Adreno 650 exceed standard clock speeds by an appreciable margin.

Oppo has released an animated trailer for a Wear OS device that will reportedly launch worldwide on July 31, 2020. It is most likely for its first-gen smartwatch, which has been released in China but runs a variant of ColorOS in that region. This device is Apple-esque in its design and has a Qualcomm processor for wearables.

The GW16 is another budget smartwatch, and one that looks surprisingly like the Huawei Watch GT 2. The device can be purchased for under US$25 and features a large touch IPS display, a thermometer, a heart rate monitor and is IP67 certified.

Razer has refreshed its Cynosa series RGB gaming keyboard. Built for those on a budget, the Cynosa V2 has individually backlit keys, supports macros and has media controls.

MIUI 12 has made its debut on the Mi 9 SE, Xiaomi's diminutive mid-range smartphone. The update is rolling out to handsets now amid claims that the Pocophone F1 could be the next device to receive Xiaomi's new OS upgrade following the recent rollout to the Redmi Note 8 Pro.

The Galaxy M31 is affordable and offers a large battery as well as a bright display. We took a closer look at the device and summarize our test results for you here.

EMUI 10.1 may have introduced multiple features to Huawei's roster of devices, but there are reports of the OS update removing some functionality too. According to frustrated users, EMUI 10.1 has removed call recording and camera resolution options, although not all devices are affected.

UK based company Truly Exquisite has jumped on the PS5 bandwagon with claims that it plans to release 24K Gold, Platinum and 18K Rose Gold of Sony's next generation-console. Up to 100 versions of the console will be available, although the company is yet to reveal how much it will charge for the experience of owning a 24K or 18K PS5.

While Intel is yet again postponing the launch of its 7 nm processors, Chinese chip makers like Phytium are rising with big dreams of providing decent competition for AMD in the next few years. Phytium currently specializes in server-grade CPUs with 64 cores, but, by the end of 2021, the Chinese company intends to ready 128-core server chips built on TSMC's 5 nm nodes, along with 14 nm desktop and embedded CPUs.

The OnePlus Nord is yet to start retailing in stores but has already received a couple of updates that improve camera functionality and bring the phone up to date with the latest Google Android security patches. Also, the Nord along with the OnePlus 8 series will be getting dual 4G+5G SIM support in a future OTA update.

The Realme X50 5G is finally available for purchase outside of China, but only in Thailand. It comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G SoC, 6.5-inch 120Hz screen, 4,200mAh battery, and a slightly different camera configuration compared to the Chinese version. The phone costs 12,990 THB (US$410) for the base variant with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

The Microsoft Surface Duo has passed through the Bluetooth SIG and FCC, signalling its imminent release. The dual-screen device would be Microsoft's first smartphone since the Lumia 650, which the company released over four years ago. However, the Surface Duo appears to be running on last-gen hardware.

Xiaomi has announced that the MIUI 12 beta global stable update has started being pushed out for owners of the flagship Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro smartphone. The software, which is version V12.0.1.0.QJAMIXM, will allow randomly chosen Mi 10 Pro users to access the full delights of MIUI 12, including Super Wallpapers.

Details about a new mid-range LG smartphone have leaked. The device, called the LG Q92, has 6 GB of RAM, a Snapdragon 765G processor and 5G connectivity. The LG Q92 is thought to clock in at around 6-inches, with LG opting for a punch-hole display instead of the notch that it used in the Velvet.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 is launching next month, with the 60 Hz device to set to be launched alongside the Note 20 Ultra on August 5. While the Note 20 Ultra is the more feature-packed of the two devices, the Galaxy Note 20 will have an exclusive colour. It may not be to everyone's tastes, though.

The Huawei TalkBand B6 wearable fitness tracker and Bluetooth headset combination has leaked in some live images and short video clips. The dual-function accessory looks to be a step up from the previous generation, with the TalkBand B6 bearing a larger display and utilizing a Kirin A1 processor.

Realme has released yet another mid-range smartphone for the Indian market. The Realme 6i comes with a 6.5-inch FHD screen clocked at 90Hz, a MediaTek Helio G90T SoC, a quad-camera array at the back, and a 4,300mAh that supports fast charging for 30W. All of this can be had for as little as INR 12,999 (US$173) starting July 31 on Flipkart and Realme's website.

The launch of the new OnePlus Buds means Xiaomi has to up its game in the TWS segment and it's done so spectacularly with the Haylou T16 TWS earbuds that offer active noise cancellation, 6 hours of playback, and wireless charging just for US$40.

In the latest Galaxy Tab S7 leak, it appears the Korean company could be taking one step forward and two steps backwards with its latest slate. While the panel might now sport a 120 Hz refresh rate to match the iPad Pro ‘Pro Motion’ tech, it looks like it will step back to a cheaper LCD panel to deliver the new feature.

If you've been looking for an alternative to the HP Spectre or Dell XPS, then the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 is now a little bit cheaper with essentially the same or even better processor performance than more popular Core i7 laptops costing a few hundred dollars more.

Intel’s chip fabrication woes continue according to statements from the company in a report to investors. While its 10nm process is finally starting to gain momentum, its transition to the 7nm node is facing issues and is now running around 12 months behind schedule pushing out production to 2022.

A device called the "Google Pixel 4a" has appeared on Geekbench 5 for the first time since January 2020. It contains a code-name repeatedly linked to the device, as well as plausible specs for the device. They include 6GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 7-series processor.

A well-known Twitter leaker claims to have found a new Korean safety approval for a battery that may go to an Apple device with the model number A2431. Therefore, it may pertain to an iPhone 12 variant. If so, it may be much smaller than those of the 11 series.

The 5th generation of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga laptop series offers new Comet Lake U processors, Wi-Fi 6 and brighter displays. With a price tag of 2300 Euros, the convertible is no bargain, but offers a well-rounded packages.

Movano wants to revolutionise the way people measure their glucose levels. Instead of the invasive or expensive methods that diabetics currently use, Movano is developing a solution that could be embedded within a conventional smartwatch.

The next iPad Air may not only have a larger display and a more powerful chipset than the current model, but it may be cheaper too. The iPad Air 2020 is believed to feature a 10.8-inch or 11-inch display and an A13 Bionic SoC, which would both be improvements over the 10.5-inch display an A12 Bionic in the current model.

Huawei's next smartwatch has appeared at the CCC, prompting speculation about its release. The so-called Mate Watch will succeed the popular Watch GT 2.

If Nvidia manages to buy ARM, this would immediately trigger regulatory scrutiny since ARM is licensing many of its IPs to an entire portfolio of companies that are considered competitors for team green.

Asus has announced the much awaited ROG Phone 3 flagship gaming smartphone that comes with a host of new features targeted at serious mobile gamers. The ROG Phone 3 sports a 144 Hz AMOLED HDR10 display with a 25 ms latency, a Snapdragon 865+ SoC, and comes with up to 16 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. Asus is also offering a bevy of accessories and also a three-month trial of Google Stadia Pro in applicable countries.

Dell has launched the Alienware M15 R3, G5 15 Special Edition, G5 15, and G3 15 gaming laptops in India. The laptops can be configured with a variety of Intel and AMD hardware. The Alienware M15 R3's price starts at a whopping INR 1,99,990 (US$2,673), while the Dell G5 15 Special Edition retails at INR 74,990 (US$1000). Similarly, Dell G5 15 costs INR 82,590 (US$1,103), and the Dell G3 15 will set you back by INR 73,990 (US$ 998)

Many users have been asking why OEMs are not providing dGPU options above the RTX 2060 for the Ryzen 4000H laptops. Would this latest reveal regarding the limited PCIe 3.0 lane access add to the conspiracy theories? They really should not, as the issue barely affects performance even for more powerful dGPUs. Tinfoil hats aside, AMD is most likely imposing these restrictions in order to keep laptop prices in the US$1,000 range.

Logitech has partnered with Herman Miller to create what they think is the ultimate gaming chair. Herman Miller is known much more for making sought-after office chairs, but it appears that the advent of COVID-19 has created a new niche that it wants to target.

It’s a combination of the Redmi 10X, 10X Pro, and OPPO Reno3 5G with MediaTek Dimensity chips that rule the roost in AnTuTu’s midrange smartphone performance chart for the first half of this year. The Kirin 985 processor has made a decent showing in the table too, but it seems the midrange market in terms of performance is currently MediaTek’s domain.

The sequel to the Oculus Quest has leaked on Twitter. The revised VR headset looks to have addressed some of the ergonomic issues of the first gen model based on its appearance, but we can only speculate on which Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset powers it.

A disturbing Apple patent indicates that upcoming versions of the Face ID biometric technology could generate a map of the veins in a user’s face. While Face ID already has a one in a million false-positive rate, vein mapping could dissuade hackers from attempting to use life-like masks to bypass Face ID.

After the AMD version, Xiaomi has now also introduced an Intel version of the RedmiBook 16, which comes into stores with current 10th generation core chips and a GeForce MX350 for the equivalent of 633 Euros (~$733)

Xiaomi has slashed the price of its Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 in India to counter the upcoming threat from the recently launched OnePlus Buds. The Xiaomi earphones are now priced at ₹3,999 (US$53), which should help the Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 take on the OnePlus Buds that have an advertised price of ₹4,990 (US$67).

Tipster @momomo_us revealed what appears to be pricing for AMD’s upcoming Renoir Ryzen 7 PRO 4750G, Ryzen 5 PRO 4650G, and Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G. The upcoming APUs slot neatly within AMD’s existing Ryzen lineup, offering enhanced graphics performance for a moderate price increase.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro and Redmi Note 9S are two sides of a coin, and both phones are currently receiving new updates in different regions. Sadly, the updates don't bring MIUI 12 as most owners would expect, but there's official confirmation that a rollout isn't far off.

AnTuTu has published its flagship smartphone performance chart covering the first half of 2020, and it is the OPPO Find X2 Pro and Find X2 devices that claim the top two spots. Every phone in the top 10 features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC and the only non-Chinese device is the Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G in 10th place.

Realme has been sharing some impressive statistics with its followers on social media. Not only has the Chinese company managed to hit a figure of 40 million smartphone users worldwide in just over two years of existence but the brand has also been celebrating sales of 150,000 Realme C11 smartphones in 120 seconds.

Well-known for the Retro Classic Line of stylish mechanical keyboards, AZIO is back with a new antimicrobial and waterproof line of products to help mitigate the COVID-19-related health concerns. These new accessories are rated IP66 for protection from liquids and use an antimicrobial agent that keeps away bacteria, molds, and so on.

Specifications of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra have leaked in full and they indicate that these will be the first smartphones to support Microsoft's Project xCloud game streaming service. European variants of the Note 20 series are expected to still sport the Exynos 990 SoC. Looking at the specs, it seems as if Samsung has cut a lot of corners with the Note 20 including using just a 60 Hz display and a plastic back.

The mysterious Xiaomi Redmi K30 Ultra smartphone has turned up again, this time in a series of images from the TENAA agency. The phone, which is possibly codenamed “cezanne” and also once rumored to be a Redmi K40 device, still hasn’t been officially named by Xiaomi. The Redmi K30 Ultra may feature a MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ chipset.

(Update: A replacement unit works as intended with no further issues.) Our sleek and ultralight external drive is marred by random disconnects and general unreliability. We can only hope that our experience was an isolated incident and not representative of Lexar's brand new SL200 series.

MediaTek has released a new 5G-ready SoC called the Dimensity 720. It consists of two Cortex-A76 cores clocked at 2.0GHz, six Cortex-A55 cores and an ARM Mali-G57 GPU. The chip supports two carrier aggregation and sub-6GHz 5G networks. We can expect to see it debut alongside some mid-rangers later this year.

Lenovo has announced its first gaming phone, which is now officially the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel. It is powered by the refreshed Snapdragon 865+ (or Plus) SoC, and has 12 or 16GB of RAM. It is also now confirmed to have the unique landscape-oriented pop-up rear camera set-up shown in numerous leaks, and has a 64MP dual main camera.