Latest Tech News

A PlayStation-related patent has been doing the rounds on social media with many suspecting it could point to full PS5 backwards compatibility (BC) with the PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4. Although the mystery around the patent has likely been solved, there are still some who question why Mark Cerny’s PlayStation 5 BC graphic looks incomplete.

A report states that MediaTek is on track to release its newest Dimensity 600 chip in the coming weeks. It is intended for low-cost 5G smartphones and is expected to make its debut in Q3 2020.

The "easy-to-clean" 11.6-inch rugged tablet comes with three-year warranty as standard and a relatively bright 500-nit 1080p touchscreen designed for outdoor use and environmental abuse.

Responding to the United Kingdom's decision to remove Huawei-made equipment from its 5G networks, Chinese ambassador Liu Xiaoming said that the shift in policy would "send a very wrong message." The decision has drawn ire from China, but reversing course may anger the United States. Either way, Britain is in a hot spot.

Samsung is currently working on a new device: the Galaxy S20 FE. The new phone is expected to be a more affordable flagship for the masses and is poised to take on the upcoming OnePlus 8T with a Snapdragon 865 and the very impressive 50 MP ISOCELL GN1 sensor.

A Twitter tipster has claimed that the upcoming Galaxy Note 20 series will not be capable of a 120 hertz (Hz) refresh rate when their displays are set to a QHD+ resolution, according to someone currently in possession of these devices. Therefore, they may be restricted to the higher rate at FHD+ only, as with the current S20 flagships. This contradicts an earlier rumor on the subject.

Shengchang Chiang - also often known as Charles Chiang - has been reported dead. He had taken over as the chief executive officer (CEO) of MSI in January 2019, having served as the company's head of its desktop division prior to that. Chiang reportedly fell to his untimely demise at the OEM's Taipei headquarters.

According to a report by a South Korean media outlet, some upcoming Samsung phones might come without a charger in the box. Samsung says that most smartphone users already have a charger and don't need a new one every time they buy a phone. The move will also help Samsung save a few extra bucks and pass the savings on to the customer.

Google has revealed the planned launch date for Android 11, its next-generation OS. Currently undergoing public beta tests, Android 11 will arrive "everywhere" on September 8. This is probably only true for Pixel smartphones though, as have proven the case with past releases of Android.

Xiaomi has confirmed that the Mi Smart Band 5 and Mi TV Stick will both retail for €39.99 (~US$45). The company has also teased that the two devices will be launched on July 15. Xiaomi has enabled Camera Shutter Control for the Mi Smart Band 5 too.

The eufyCam 2 Pro improves on its previous generation in that its image sensor's resolution steps up to 2048x1080 (or 2K). It also incorporates night vision (color and IR), 2-way audio and a battery life of up to 12 months. This new indoor/outdoor home-surveillance kit is available through Best Buy in the US.

Ryzen 4000 desktop processors will be launching this year, AMD CEO Lisa Su has confirmed. Codenamed "Vermeer", the processors are based on the company's Zen 3 architecture and an improved 7 nm process.

HarmoniQLabs is a company that has an in-house 3D-printing process to make its new TWS earbuds. The OEM claims that the resulting unique shape created is better for prolonged wear and for passive noise cancellation. These new accessories will launch via Indiegogo on July 13, 2020.

In what looks to be a pro-consumer move, purported Microsoft guidelines prevent publishers from selling “next-gen upgrades” as paid DLC. This means that Xbox Series X owners might not have to double-dip on cross-gen titles to get enhanced visuals and features.

The new 15.6-inch Lavie N1585 laptop is currently the only model equipped with the unannounced Ryzen 7 Extreme Edition APU, which appears to have identical specs to the Ryzen 7 4800U model. Other specs include 16 GB of RAM plus 1 TB NVMe SSD, and NEC recommends it for light gaming.

The Ryzen Threadripper PRO CPUs are supposed to integrate more business/workstation-oriented features along with server-oriented features borrowed from the Epyc-series like the 8-channel memory support for up to 2 TB of RAM capacity, and possibly even more cores and threads.

MIUI 12 has arrived on the Xiaomi Redmi K30i 5G. The device, which most people would struggle to tell apart from the regular Redmi K30 5G, is the latest smartphone to receive Xiaomi's new OS. The company has already pushed MIUI 12 to other K30 series devices, along with other handsets like the Redmi K20 Pro and Mi 9.

Redmi 8A users will be pleased to know that they don't have to wait long for the MIUI 12 update. A Mi Community Forum moderator has stated that the device will get the software in August. It shouldn't be long before Xiaomi makes a beta version of the software available to the general public.

Qualcomm has now unveiled its newest flagship SoC, the Snapdragon 865 Plus. The Snapdragon 865 Plus offers 10% better graphical performance and a higher peak CPU performance versus the Snapdragon 865, as well as significantly better Wi-Fi hardware, and will debut on the Asus ROG Phone 3.

Xiaomi has launched new versions of the RedmiBook 14 II and RedmiBook 16. Available with either Core i5-1035G1 or Core i7-1065G7 processors, the Intel editions of the two laptops have also been paired with an NVIDIA GeForce MX350 GPU. The two laptops will be available to pre-order from today for CNY 4,699 (~US$670) and upwards.

Intel has announced the Thunderbolt 4 protocol and new Thunderbolt 4 controllers, which build on the capabilities of Thunderbolt 3 and also form the basis for the USB4 spec. Thunderbolt 4 offers the same throughput as Thunderbolt 3 along with additional platform and security features while also expanding the Thunderbolt dock ecosystem. Thunderbolt 4 will be compatible all existing USB Type-C and Thunderbolt 3 standards and will be first seen in Tiger Lake-powered laptops later this year.

Akasa has released the Gem Pro, having announced the case in May. Available for £24.75 or US$30.95, the Gem Pro features apertures for the GPIO and microSD card slot of the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, along with full access to its other ports.

LG has brought a host of changes to the V50 ThinQ. The new update follows the introduction of a desktop mode to the dual-screen device earlier this year.

A Geekbench 4 OpenCL benchmark surfaced last week pitting the Tiger Lake Core i7-1165G7 against the NVIDIA GeForce MX350. The Gen12 Xe iGPU in Tiger Lake manages to not only put up a convincing performance but also beats the MX350 in the test. We also get to see that the 80 EU Core i5-1135G7 is about 13.5% slower than a Core i7-1165G7 in the same benchmark.

Samsung is expected to launch its next generation of Galaxy S flagships, the S21 series, sometime in Q1 2021. New information, however, claims that all the Galaxy S21 phones will feature Samsung's in-house Exynos 1000 chipset instead of having some Snapdragon 875-powered models as is typical.

Logitech is back this time with a new keyboard and mouse specifically customized for use with Apple’s Macs and iPads. The new MX Keys keyboard for Mac and MX Master 3 mouse incorporate pre-set functionality and features that even Apple’s own accessories don’t offer, making them well worth a look.

Native call recording is coming to the Poco F2 Pro. The feature has arrived for the Mi A2 Lite and Mi A3 too, although it may not be ready for prime time quite yet. The feature is embedded within the stock Phone app.

NVIDIA and its partners are continuing to release TU106 and TU116 versions of the GeForce GTX 1650. At least three new partners have now released new GTX GeForce 1650 models. All include the Turing NVENC encoder, which promises to encode videos up to 15% more efficiently while minimising artefacts.

A couple of leaked images of the upcoming Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 global activity tracker have offered up some clues of what a Pro model of the wearable could deliver. According to the poster of the images, the global Mi Smart Band 5 does not feature NFC functionality, Alexa assistant, or the SpO2 pulse oximeter sensor for blood oxygen monitoring.

The FCC has confirmed that the Mi TV Stick is on its way to the US. The device will be available in the EU too and will support a host of current connectivity standards. Xiaomi is expected to release the Mi TV Stick in two editions and to include a multi-function remote in the box.

Samsung has confirmed that its next Galaxy Unpacked event will take place on August 5. The event, the first from the company to be held online only, will be streaming from 10 a.m. ET where it is expected that the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Fold 2 will debut.

AnTuTu has published its latest Android smartphone price-performance charts, and they make for good reading for Xiaomi in particular. The Chinese OEM and its subsidiary Redmi top four out of five charts. The Redmi Note 8 Pro leads the cheapest range while the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro heads the pack in the 4,500 yuan (US$641) and above table.

Xiaomi released the Redmi K30 phones in China back in December last year. Since then, the phones have sold reasonably well, with Xiaomi announcing that it has sold three million units in the Chinese market, and temporarily slashing prices of the Redmi K30 4G by up to US$85.

A report on Weibo has revealed the Lenovo Legion smartphone racking up a huge score on AnTuTu in part thanks to its still apparently non-existent Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus processor. The score of 648,871 points puts the Lenovo Legion way beyond any of the average scores of devices in the Snapdragon 865-dominated AnTuTu flagship performance chart.

This $40 USD 4-in-1 adapter is as small and light as most single-purpose adapters. If you want to make your USB-C ports more useful, then the IOGEAR GUD3C460 will be a boon to your home office or workspace.

Regardless how well or badly the manufacturers of tablets and convertibles design their screens, most of them keep the glass surface, which is very reflective and not always suitable in everyday usage.

OnePlus has been celebrating incredible sales for its recently launched smart TV series. According to the Chinese OEM, all of its new units were sold as part of a flash sale in just one minute. The recently launched OnePlus TV Series starts from ₹12,999 (US$174) for the slimline 32-inch device.

Samsung has announced that the latest firmware updates for the Galaxy A51 and A71 port some features that had heretofore been exclusive to the OEM's flagships to these mid-rangers. They mainly consist of camera-app upgrades such as the addition of Live Focus, Single Take and Smart Crop.

Sony asserts it has broken new ground with its latest FE G Master lens. Its zoom does indeed go down to 12 millimeters (mm) while maintaining a 2.8 aperture. This means it can summon an impressive field of view while retaining its level of brightness at all times. The OEM claims it can thus outdo the human eye in wide-angle perception.

Rumour has it that the OnePlus Nord will be leading with a 48 MP primary camera, not a 64 MP sensor. The device will be rocking five other camera sensors too, including an ultra-wide-angle lens. A retailer has published a listing for the OnePlus Nord too, but it is likely just a placeholder.

The Kingdel NC980 is compact yet still manages to include a 45 W Core i7 processor and a dedicated GPU. The Mini-PC is available in multiple configurations and features nine USB ports among other ports.

Sega has unveiled another retro console. Called the Astro City Mini, the mini arcade machine comes with 36 games pre-installed, including Altered Beast and Virtua Fighter among others.

Vizio has announced new additions to its collection of soundbars, which are available either now or later in 2020. They are headlined by the Elevate 5.1.4, which stood out in its category at CES 2020 due to its Adaptive Height Speakers. These rotating parts activate to deploy content with the high-end audio tech it supports.

The 3 Pro is Black Shark's Snapdragon 865-powered 2020 flagship that boasts a 7.1-inch OLED 1440p display. The Xiaomi gaming brand has declared international pre-orders for this device open as of today (July 7, 2020). Its price is set at just under US$900 on its new platform.

Details about the overclocking potential of the AMD Ryzen 7 4700G have been revealed online. The Zen 2 APU, which is reported to have a 4.4 GHz boost clock and a 65 W TDP, has been shown to reach over 4.7 GHz at 1.425 V. The APU is also thought to include an 8 CU GPU and will support SMT.

8BitDo has presented a new controller for Microsoft's upcoming Project xCloud gaming platform. The controller is based on the popular SN30 Pro and features fully customisable buttons. 8BitDo has announced a Mobile Gaming Clip for Xbox controllers too, which will come bundled with the controller and will be available to purchase separately.

Some CAD renders purporting to be the Google Pixel 5 have appeared online. Bearing an uncanny resemblance to the supposedly cancelled Pixel 4a XL, the design would see Google abandoning its Project Soli radar system after just one generation. We are not the only ones to have our doubts about the veracity of these renders, though.

Huawei will reportedly start making the EMUI 11 update available to eligible devices in Q3 2020. Owners of the Huawei Mate 30, P30, P40, and Nova 5 series will receive it first. Alternatively, it is also expected to make its way to a host of Honor phones in the form of Magic UI 4.0.

Apple is planning to equip all 2021 MacBooks with ARM-based CPUs designed in-house and it looks like this switch could also happen for GPUs. Currently, most AMD laptops come equipped with AMD dGPUs, but, starting with the 2021 MacBook models, we could see Apple solely using in-house GPUs derived from the A Bionic SoCs.

The Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz institute recently announced the new H.266 video codec standard as a successor to H.265. The new codec promises equivalent image quality at half the bit rate. This could make 8K and 4K content accessible to wider audiences.