Latest Tech News

Samsung Electronics has posted a news item to announce the fact that mass production has started on its 1 TB embedded Universal Flash Storage (eUFS) solution. The 1 TB eUFS has been measured producing a sequential read speed of 1000 MB/s and a sequential write speed of 260 MB/s. As Samsung carefully points out, this makes it faster than a typical SATA SSD.

As the demand for OLED displays continues to grow, Taiwanese manufacturers are stepping up to the plate and adjusting their business structures for increased production. Many companies, such as AU Optronics and Novatek Microelectronics, are expecting a massive boom in OLED sales and are more than willing to provide the necessary supply.

A recent report in the South Korean outlet ETNews has asserted that the G8 ThinQ will be the first flagship to be released by LG this year. However, it will be passed over for 5G compatibility in favor of the V50 ThinQ, which will be launched a month after the G8. The report also speculated that LG will discontinue the G ThinQ series next year.

Prices for RTX 2060 laptops are reasonable, but be prepared to pay well over $2000 for anything with an RTX 2070 GPU. As expected, both MSI and Asus have the widest selections of RTX laptops available.

The Austrian company Noctua has issued a press release to announce the introduction of the new NT-H2 thermal compound. The award-winning cooler manufacturer claims the second generation of its “enthusiast-grade” paste managed to deliver up to 2 °C lower temperatures in the firm’s tests than the predecessor NT-H1. The thermal paste will be available in 3.5 g and 10 g packages.

The Lenovo Z5 Pro GT is the first phone to be released with the 2019 flagship Snapdragon 855 chipset. It had its first general release today (January 29) in China. The OEM claims that it took only 32 seconds for the Z5 Pro GT to sell out online.

TSMC confirmed that around 10,000 wafers were compromised, but the Taiwanese company has yet to make an official statement about the full extent of the damages and the exact circumstances of the incident. The unfortunate event could create AMD / Nvidia GPU shortages and artificial MSRP increases in the coming months.

Besides integrating UHD Blu-Ray players or DVD writer drives, the new VivoMini HTPCs come with internal PSUs and generous room for storage expansions. These mini PCs are powered by Intel's 35 W Core T CPUs that bridge the gap between the ULV chips and the desktop processors. Additionally, there is support for up to 32 GB of RAM and up to 4 HDDs.

The mobile versions of Fortnite (those that work on the Android and Apple platforms) now allow the use of Bluetooth controllers rather than on-screen controls. This new level of support comes with the 7.30 patch update, which also adds the 60Hz support for select Android devices. It also offers the Chiller grenade, a new, seasonal, ranged weapon.

The Razer Phone 2 could be a solid option for fans of mobile gaming on Android. However, it may be less attractive to those who also like to have root access. This could lose them one of the Phone 2's main unique points: the Chroma LED logo. A senior XDA member has addressed this with his non-proprietary version of the app needed to control it.

A pair of patents filed with the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) indicate that OPPO intends to release a phone with an on-trend punch-hole selfie camera. In this case, however, it seems the OEM plans to disguise this next-gen feature as an icon in the phone's UI. This icon may also be accompanied by others in a row at the top of the screen.

Some alarming reports of a serious error in Group FaceTime associated with iOS 12.1 or later, have emerged. This bug allows an iPhone user to activate the call microphone of a second iPhone, whether its own user is aware of this or not. Apple has announced that they are working on a solution, and has also addressed it in the interim by shutting the video-call service down on their end.

Last year's Mercury White Blade 15 was so successful that Razer will be toying with new color options to gauge user interest. Past Razer laptops have been shades of black, gray, and white and so the color pink will naturally spark the most excitement and discussion amongst the Razer fanbase.

The iPhone has had a bumpy couple of months. iOS 12.1.2, released last month, broke cellular connectivity for some users. The problem got so bad that Sprint issued a warning to its customers to wait on updating. There doesn't seem to be any relief in sight; not only does iOS 12.1.3 not bring a fix for the cellular issues, but the latest update has actually broken WiFi for several users in addition to cellular connectivity.

Intel has applied for a patent showing a unique take on the folding smartphone concept. Intel’s approach would see the device fold in three places allowing it to be used in multiple configurations.

The two may look similar, but they're actually quite different. The cheaper MateBook 13 is surprisingly the faster model by more than a wide margin while the MateBook X Pro has the larger and higher resolution display. Users should choose carefully depending on which features are more important.

Artificial Intelligence is getting better, but can humans stay ahead of the machines? Unity thinks so and is offering $100,000 in prizes to any developers that can code an AI to beat Obstacle Tower, a new game designed to specifically test AIs. The game features procedurally generated levels that change with each playthrough, presenting a major challenge for programs that thrive on repetition.

Samsung today officially announced its new Galaxy M10 and M20 smartphones, which are specifically designed for the Indian market and are pretty affordable. With these models, Samsung will be hoping to take back the lead in the rapidly growing Indian smartphone market.

A 13-count indictment has been announced against Huawei and the company’s CFO, Meng Wanzhou, mostly in relation to fraud. Two of the Chinese manufacturer’s affiliates, Huawei Device USA and Skycom Tech, have also been included in the charges. A separate 10-count indictment against the same firm was also unsealed, charging Huawei with theft of trade secrets among other things.

Nintendo has been mum on the development of Metroid Prime 4 since its announcement at E3 2017, but it looks like development has not been going well. In a video announcement, Shinya Takahashi stated that Nintendo has decided to restart development of Metroid Prime 4 and hand over the reins to Retro Studios, the development house behind the first three Metroid Prime games.

Nvidia has announced that the financial guidance for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2019 has been lowered. A forecast revenue figure of US$2.70 billion had previously been given, but this has now been reduced to US$2.20 billion. One of the reasons given for the disappointing update was the apparent sales figures for the RTX series based on Turing microarchitecture, which were weaker than expected.

While most people around the world are still waiting to get 5G access, T-Mobile and Metro are back with an accessory for their 600 MHz LTE network. The Coolpad Surf hotspot is capable of connecting up to 15 devices simultaneously and its 2,150 mAh battery can last for up to 5.3 hours of continuous use or 48 hours on standby.

The Nokia 1 Plus is a potential refresh or successor to the 1, an ultra-budget Android Go device. Images and specs purportedly associated with this new phone have surfaced online. According to them, the 1 Plus may gain a faster SoC and a more modern design compared to the 1. However, the two may remain similar in many aspects.

The widely respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has reduced his expectations for iPhone shipments in the first quarter of 2019 (1Q2019). However, he also projects that these numbers will pick up in 2Q2019. Kuo believes that up to 35 million iPhones will be sold in this quarter; however, this is still less than the general consensus on the same figure.

Huawei had previously outlined plans to update its late-2016 and early-2017 flagships - the P10 and Mate 9 series - to Android 9.0 (Pie) by March 2019. It appears the OEM is finally ready to make a start on these commitments with an update for Mate 9 users in China. This version of Pie includes new features such as Huawei HiVision.

Casio has updated its line of digital pianos with the Privia PX-S1000 and PX-S3000, 2 variants of what the company claims is the "world's slimmest grand piano". The new models use Smart Scaled Hammer Action to replicate the tactile feedback of real grand piano keys. This up-to-date type of digital keyboard also has Bluetooth and an iOS/Android app.

Although more images shot in various scenarios would be needed for a final decision, the image showing the same night scene as captured by the iPhone XS and the Pixel 3 that was posted on Twitter by Google's Marvin Chow has a clear winner. However, Apple still has to add a dedicated night mode to its handsets and, once that happens, things might change.

The significantly reduced base clock rate and TDP allow the mobile RTX 2080 to fit into a wider range of gaming laptop designs. Fortunately, memory bandwidth and number of CUDA cores remain unchanged.

Samsung has announced in a press release its intentions to become considerably more environmentally friendly. The company will ditch product plastic packaging and replace it with various alternatives, including paper, pulp, and other recycled materials. The smartphone manufacturer’s revised policy also means that phone chargers will lose their glossy finish.

Further leaks of Android Q, which can be run on devices such as the Pixel 3 line, may have uncovered more detail on the coming OS upgrade. It appears that Google has prepared a new font, called Arvolato, for the update. In addition, users may be able to roll back apps after they update, as well as block them from reading the contents of a clipboard.

Cricket Wireless can now offer the Nokia 3.1 Plus as a result of a new deal made with HMD Global. The budget smartphone will be sold at US$159.99 in its stores. However, it will have competition from the Alcatel Onyx, an equally budget device available at $119.99 through the same carrier.

XPS 15 9570 owners rejoice. We can confirm that Dell has finally fixed the NVIDIA GPU issue that has been plaguing some 9570 laptops for months with BIOS 1.7. Unfortunately, the update has introduced some fan peculiarities though.
Update: Dell has commented on the fan behaviour in BIOS 1.7.

Motorola released the Moto G4 Plus back in 2016 and promised it would receive two major updates. A while later, the company went back on its word and claimed the mid-range phone would not get the update, prompting a media outcry which forced it to once again promise to deliver Oreo. It's been 16 months since then, though, and the G4 Plus is still on Nougat.

Since early last year, there have been rumors of HMD Global's plans to launch a flagship phone with five rear cameras. The rumor mills may finally stop grinding, though, as the company is set to unveil the device next month in Barcelona.

Chinese underdogs Meizu are set to launch a high-value budget device next month. The Meizu M9 Note will feature a 48 MP Samsung sensor and will be powered by a Snapdragon 675. These, coupled with a US$150 price tag, ensure that it competes effectively against the Redmi Note 7.

Lenovo's lineup of ThinkPad laptops has not been updated at CES as in the last years. Thanks to a leak coming from China, we now know Lenovo's plans for 2019. The ThinkPad roadmap 2019 includes informations on when which models are to be released and which models will merely receive CPU updates.

PUBG Lite has been announced, and it is currently in beta testing but for players in Thailand only. The concept behind the battle royale title is to bring the PUBG experience to gamers who may not have the hardware requirements to play the full game. The developer team has also revealed that the game will be free to play.

Huawei has officially confirmed that it has a foldable 5G mobile device to show off at MWC this year. However, it appears that its sub-brand Honor is less enthusiastic about the new trend in phone design. Speaking at the View 20's international launch, the brand's president, George Zhao, could not say what a folding phone can offer just yet.

The well-regarded leaker Steve Troughton-Smith claims to have found references to unfamiliar iPads while diving into the code for the iOS 12.2 update. It suggests that new 11-inch iPads, as well as an iPad Mini, are on their way. The code also specifies an iPod Touch that could be of the rumored upcoming 7th generation.

The next Google I/O event is scheduled for May 7 to 9 2019, at the Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, California. These details were uncovered as part of some code relating to a cryptic Tweet on the subject. This conference may focus on the release of Android 10 (Q).

If you were hoping to pick up a Nintendo Switch but have waiting patiently for the price to drop, we have some bad news for you. Nintendo president Suntaro Furukawa has told Japan’s Sankei News that the company currently has no plans for either a price cut for the console or even a successor in the near future.

It seems that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S10 flagship smartphones could feature reverse wireless charging. Thanks to a photo of what looks like a demo booth controller, speculation has risen that the South Korean manufacturer will take a leaf out of Huawei’s book and include the capability to wirelessly charge other phones with its much-anticipated devices.

The specifications and renders of the upcoming Xiaomi Redmi Go smartphone have been leaked online. Teenage leaker Ishan Agarwal tweeted a spec sheet and some images of the budget-level device that had initially been spotted by Philippines-based tech site Revü. It is expected the smartphone will be released on the Indian market soon.

Intel’s current interim CEO, Bob Swan, has stated in an earnings call that he expects the company’s chip shortage to ease by the middle of the year. However, focus is expected to be on producing high-performance processors whilst the supply of “value end” silicon will remain limited. Intel also reported revenue of US$70.8 billion for 2018, up by 13% from 2017.

The first 5G smartphone made by LG will be revealed at MWC on February 24. It will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855 SoC and will feature a bigger vapor chamber, suggesting the SoC will probably run at overclocked frequencies. Additionally, it will come with a 4,000 mAh battery, so there is a possibility of seeing a larger screen, as well.

The LG G8 ThinQ has leaked in the first official press renders of the device ahead of its official unveiling at Mobile World Congress next month. Despite a previous CAD render that was virtually identical to this latest leak being shot down as erroneous by LG’s head corporate communications, the latest leak confirms fears that LG has essentially rehashed the design of last year’s LG G7 ThinQ.

Some of the new features integrated in the 8 nm Exynos 9820 SoC include a better NPU for AI tasks, desktop-like performance via new octa-core tri-cluster and the Mali-G76 MP12 GPU, LTE Cat 20 modem, 8K video recording, HDR / 4K screen resolution plus support for up to 5 image sensors, and a new PUF security system.

HMD Global has announced new collaborations with North American carriers to bring Nokia phones to users in that continent. The Finnish company has made deals with Verizon and Cricket Wireless in the US and Rogers Communications in Canada so that the carriers will start offering their customers products from the Nokia range. The Nokia 3.1 Plus and the Nokia 2 V will be the first offerings from HMD.

In order to promote the capabilities of the iPhone XS camera Apple teamed up with Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke to make a film that was entirely shot on an iPhone XS. The result is the short film The Bucket, which was released today.

Will there finally be a Rose Gold or bright pink Razer Blade laptop? The OEM has been teasing pink mice, keyboards, and headphones for weeks and a pink gaming laptop would essentially complete the collection.