Latest Tech News

There have been multiple reports from Galaxy S20 Ultra owners of their phones developing cracks on the huge camera glass. Some claim it happens even without dropping the phone or any such impact. While the veracity of such claims remains in doubt, Nillkin is already selling a case for the S20 series that offers a dedicated slider for the camera glass.

A footnote in a press release published last month, the ZenBook UX425 will feature up to AMD Ryzen 7 4700U and Intel Core i7-1065G7 processors in a 13.9 mm thin chassis. Paired with a 1 W FHD display capable of reaching 450 nits and a 90% screen-to-body ratio, the Renoir ZenBook UX425 sounds like an excellent ultrabook for 2020.

Dell has upgraded the entry-level G3 15 laptop with 10th gen Intel H-series CPUs and GPU options up to the RTX 2060. The Dell G3 15 3500 now also comes with an optional 144 Hz display and an optional 4-zone RGB backlit keyboard. The G3 15 3500 will be available from May 21 at prices starting from US$779.99.

PS5 fans craving for some next gen gaming footage can finally rejoice as Epic Games chose to run the impressive Unreal Engine 5 tech demo on the upcoming Sony console. Problem is there will be no UE5 games when the next gen consoles launch, since the new engine will only launch in mid-2021. Nevertheless, gamers can look forward to improved global illumination and ray tracing, along with unparalleled detail levels with hundreds of billions of polygons displayed at once.

Some OnePlus 8 Pro handsets have been downgraded to DRM Widevine L3 by a recent OxygenOS update. There is no fix in sight despite being confirmed by OnePlus and fans have been voicing their dissatisfaction about it.

Some diligent users on Twitter and Reddit discovered that the OnePlus 8 Pro's camera could see through some thin plastic objects. One simply needs to navigate to the camera app and switch the 'Photochrom' mode on for the magic to happen. The trick, however, works only on a handful of materials that do not have IR shielding.

Realme has let it be known that it is to launch up to 8 new devices or accessories on May 25, 2020. Therefore, speculation is now rife that this event may debut the rumored X3 series. One of them is also now thought to be a gaming phone code-named "Blade Runner".

Rumour has it that a "Lite" Samsung Galaxy foldable smartphone will be arriving later this year. A blend of parts from the last three years, the Galaxy Fold Lite or Galaxy Z Flip Lite will apparently retail for US$1,099.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been linked to the depression of the mobile-device market worldwide over the first quarter of 2020 (1Q2020). However, new official figures from China show that this sector of the same had recovered to a degree by April.

Dell has finally launched the XPS 15 9500 laptop powered by 10th gen Intel Core H-series chips and the NVIDIA GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q GPU. This year's XPS 15 comes with a much needed re-design including a 16:10 display, top-firing speakers, absence of USB Type-A ports, and finally, a proper webcam placement. The Dell XPS 15 9500 is available from today with prices starting from US$1,299.99.

Migrate is a new addition to Dell's consumer services portfolio. It allows a user to transfer their files and settings from an old PC to a new. This is not really anything new; however, the OEM claims that it is more effective in finding and applying data that makes a machine one's own.

The Alienware Area-51m R2 is here, and it is not an all Intel and NVIDIA affair. Sporting up to a Core i9-10900K processor, Dell has equipped the Area-51m R2 with an array of NVIDIA GPUs and even an AMD Radeon RX 5700M. Complemented with up to 64 GB of RAM, 4 TB of SSD storage and a 300 Hz IPS display, the Area-51m R2 will be available from June 9 starting at US$3,049.99.

Alienware has updated their popular m15 and m17 gaming laptops to revision 3 (R3), giving them the requisite upgrade to Intel’s 10th gen processors. They also boast several new features which help keep Alienware at the forefront of enthusiast gaming laptops.

The Dell XPS 17 9700 is a return to the 17-inch market for the XPS series, and it packs a punch. Featuring up to a Core i9-10885H processor, 64 GB of DDR4 RAM, a 4 TB SSD, and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, the XPS 17 9700 is a big upgrade over the XPS 15 7590. Starting at US$1,499.99, the XPS 17 9700 features Dell's latest advanced cooling features too and retain the 97 Wh battery of previous XPS 15 models.

AMD has taken wraps off the Radeon Pro VII workstation GPU aimed at industrial applications such as broadcasting, 8K video editing, and computer-aided engineering. The Radeon Pro VII is based on the same 7nm Vega 20 GPU as the Radeon VII and is being positioned as a cost-effective alternative for the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000, with two such Radeon Pro VII cards being comparable to the Quadro GV100 at a price of US$1,899.

A tweet from GameStop Italia has PlayStation fans wondering if a next-gen console reveal is on the cards. Apparently, the COVID-19 pandemic has not adversely affected production plans in regard to both the PlayStation 5 and games. A Sony executive has been offering up cautious words about potential PS5 success and sales.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has reportedly certified a new phone from the Xiaomi brand Redmi. This device, with its standard connectivity and 10 watt (W) charging, is currently thought to be called the 9 on its launch. It may do so with a 5000mAh battery, at least.

The "vivo V2002A" is a new device that has landed on Geekbench purporting to run on the Exynos 880 SoC. This heretofore-unknown chipset has 8 cores and has conferred mid-range scores on this apparently upcoming phone. Its model number has also reportedly appeared on the 3C database.

iQOO's upcoming iQOO Z1 managed to get a score of 530,000 on AnTuTu. The phone is powered by MediaTek's newest Dimensity 1000+ SoC, and is expected to launch on May 17th.

Huawei is set to launch its next mid-range phone, in the form of the Enjoy 20 Plus. The Huawei Enjoy 20 Plus will pack in a total of five cameras, but the real star of the show will be the MediaTek Dimensity 800, a 5G-capable 7nm SoC that rivals the Snapdragon 765G.

Motorola has confirmed that the Motorola Edge+ will receive two major software upgrades. The phone was initially promised only one update, much to the annoyance of everyone. Since the device launched with Android 10, it is guaranteed to receive Android 12.

Samsung will continue to step up its display game with the Note 20 series, according to a new report. However, the entry-level Note 20 will be limited to 60 Hz, and there will be no Note 20 Ultra. Instead, Samsung will position the Galaxy Fold 2 as its new "Ultra" smartphone.

It seems that AMD has confirmed that Ryzen processors are coming to Chromebooks. Lenovo may be one of the first OEMs to release a Ryzen-powered Chromebook too.

For months, a problem has been lingering around Lenovo's expensive ThinkPad multimedia-flagship: The keyboard of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2 does not recognize keyboard inputs reliably. For a ThinkPad laptop, a brand known for great keyboards, an especially frustrating problem. Now, Lenovo might have solved the bug with a firmware update.

To promote the launch of SpaceX's new Crew Dragon space shuttle, SpaceX has released an online simulator. The simulator plops prospective pilots into the captain's chair of the Crew Dragon and let's them attempt to dock with the International Space Station.

The Honor X10, an upcoming budget phone from the Huawei sub-brand, may start at less than ¥2,300 (~$325). That would make it one of the cheapest 5G-compatible phones on the market, thanks to its HiSilicon Kirin 820 5G. However, this price is still just a rumor.

Sony has launched the HT-G700, a new partially-wireless 400 watt (W) soundbar system rated for up to 7.1.2-channel audio reproduction and effective room coverage. It supports standards such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X while using its HDMI eARC, and also incorporates a standalone sub-woofer for bass.

The Motorola One Vision launched as this OEM's first smartphone with a punch-hole display. Now, it seems it is getting a new variant. Known as the Plus, it has the same size screen as the original, but may not be the same on the inside.

Sony has announced new additions to its SRS-XB line of wireless speakers. Their generation features programmable lighting strips in their IP67 housing and are engineered for "deep, punchy bass" and a 3D surround effect. There are 3 models in this line-up that are available to pre-order from today.

NVIDIA is hyping up its GTC 2020 keynote by getting its CEO to literally pull a graphics card from an oven. Dubbed the "world's largest graphics card", the system is the first to be based on NVIDIA's upcoming Ampere architecture.

The OEM Vivo has announced a new smartphone, the V19, for its Indian customers. This Snapdragon 712-powered device has a 6.44-inch FHD+ display with dual punch-hole cameras. It starts at the equivalent of ~US$370 (INR 27,990), and will be available from May 15, 2020.

Asus has launched a new alternative to the Raspberry Pi. Called the Tinker Edge R, the single-board computer is well suited for AI applications thanks to its powerful components.

Huawei wearables will no longer work unless you download HMS via the AppGallery instead of the Google Play Store. Unintentional or not, people are unhappy about it.

Dell China has jumped the gun and has listed the XPS 15 9500 early. Starting at CNY 10,999 (~US$1,549), the XPS 15 9500 will come with minuscule bezels, modern internal components and even an Arctic White version.

Poco finally lifted the veil off the Poco F2 Pro. It is a rebranded Redmi K30 Pro that comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC, a quad-camera array at the back, a pop-up selfie camera, 4,700mAh battery, and more. Prices start at €499 for the base variant with 6/128GB of RAM/Storage, and €599 for the one with 8/256GB.

The list confirms some 5 nm lineups that were previously rumored to launch in the next few years including the AMD Zen 4 CPUs plus the RDNA3 GPUs, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 875 mobile SOC and Nvidia’s Hopper-based GPUs, yet it also mentions that Intel may start a collaboration with TSMC by next year.

An advert on a Japanese website has stated that the PlayStation 5 is scheduled for release in October 2020. The job listing is for a role within SIE’s materials department and would see the successful applicant undoubtedly working with the PS5. However, Sony has stated that the published launch date is a mistake.

LG has been trying for years to make a buck out of smartphones but the company’s mobile division continues to generate losses. A report out of Korea indicates that it is working on a new smartphone with a literal twist where the main screen rotates into a horizonal position with a hidden secondary vertical display offering additional functionality.

The OPPO Reno3 series was among the first to introduce new Snapdragon and MediaTek 5G SoCs to the market in 2020. Now, a new leak from IceUniverse may show that at least 1 of its successors is in the works. It consists of an image of a phone in which the rear cameras are divided into separate circles, like those of LG's latest release.

Thanks to the information compiled by Tom from Moore's Law Is Dead, we now have an almost clear picture of the RTX 3080 Ti, complete with specs and estimated performance gains over Turing GPUs. Furthermore, Tom reveals additional info on AMD's upcoming RDNA2-based "Big Navi" high-end GPUs, which looks to be ready to go head to head with the high-end Ampere GPUs.

As promised, the Huawei P30 Pro New Edition is now officially available for purchase in Germany. The device is now a generation old, but it has been freshened up with the official version of Android 10 with full Google services support.

Motorola released its new kind of Razr at the start of 2020. Despite its groundbreaking foldable screen, it was stuck on Android 9.0 (Pie) from its launch. Now, the OEM has finally announced a major software upgrade, custom-designed to suit its form-factor.

Rumoured to be launching for US$349, Apple's first over-ear headphones are also said to be jam-packed with advanced features. Sporting Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Transparency Mode like other AirPods, the AirPods Studio will apparently support custom EQ settings in macOS and iOS too.

It has been reported that both Xiaomi and Redmi are working on new monitors. A planned 23.8-inch Redmi Display is expected to be even cheaper than the new Xiaomi Mi Display 1A external monitor. Xiaomi’s upcoming range will include gaming and 4K displays, which apparently includes a potential 29.5-inch 4K monitor.

An AMD Ryzen 7 Extreme Edition APU has been spotted on 3DMark revealing some of its secrets. The chip appears to have a base clock of 1.8 GHz and is an 8-core part that can utilize 16 threads. It has been speculated that the Ryzen 7 Extreme Edition could eventually find its way into a future Microsoft Surface device.

A new Sony patent for an "In-game Information Platform" has surfaced detailing some of the assistive technologies that may eventually make it to the PlayStation 5. According to the patent, the console will be able to provide an estimate of the game-completion time and tell how it clashes with real-world scheduling. It also helps in providing handy in-game walkthroughs and directions to specific resources or collectibles.

A Weibo user recently tested the Comet Lake S Intel Core i9-10900K with an AIO 240mm liquid cooling setup. The user found that, even under high-end cooling, temps soared as high as 93 degrees on Intel's latest flagship.

Realme has finally taken wraps off its Narzo lineup that is comprised of the Narzo 10 and the Narzo 10A powered by the MediaTek Helio G80 and G70 SoCs respectively. Realme is aiming Narzo at gamers and performance enthusiasts on a budget and has plans to offer more such phones in the future.

Lenovo introduced the latest ThinkPad X1 Carbons with up to 10th-gen Intel Core i7s at CES 2020; however, they have not been available in some regions thus far, Germany included. This has now been addressed on the OEM's webstore.

The faint glimmer of Core i7-1068G7 laptops arriving this quarter is seemingly no more. Removed from Intel's ARK database, the Core i7-1068G7 has been replaced by the Core i7-1068NG7, the 28 W processor found in the new MacBook Pro 13. The Core i5-1038NG7 has been added too, Intel's other 28 W Ice Lake processor.