Latest Tech News

The XDA has gotten its hands on what appears to be the most recent beta for Android 9.0 (Pie) on the Samsung Galaxy S9. This build does not exactly introduce new features, but is reported to have fixed the significant bugs of the previous beta. They include failing navigation gestures and incomplete native night theme.

Although both were supposed to enter production in the second half of this year, it looks like the next-gen UFS storage solutions and LPDDR5 will not hit the market as soon as expected. While the UFS 3.0 memory will arrive in the first half of next year, the LPDDR5 DRAM chips will only roll out — if everything works as planned, obviously — in 2020.

The new H133W-MY 2-in-1 convertible integrates a Snapdragon 835 SoC, as Weibu was unable to get hold of Intel's Gemini Lake ULV CPUs due to the ongoing shortages. Apart from the not-so-well-received SoC, the compact laptop packs 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage and a 13.3-in IPS screen with touch capabilities.

With prices starting at just US$229, the Asus Chromebook C223 and C423 both use the Intel Celeron N3350 processor and feature USB Type-C connectivity, dual-band WiFi, a microSD slot, 4 GB of memory, and 32 GB eMMC internal storage. The 11.6-inch C223 is one of the thinnest Chromebooks on the market, but lacks a touchscreen option.

The first smartphones to use the Helio P70 are set to debut in November. MediaTek is promising numerous improvements over the P60 especially in regards to AI and deep-learning facial detection (DL-FD) for better camera performance.

The 10 nm process gave Intel quite a bit of a headache in the past few years. It was supposed to arrive in 2017 initially, but the fabrication process had to be delayed because of design problems, and it looks like Intel may not be able to launch the 10 nm CPUs come 2H 2019 in large amounts either.

iFixit has announced that it has partnered with Motorola to supply users with official DIY repair kits for its recent smartphones. The kits include either a battery replacement or a screen digitizer assembly replacement and give users the ability to extend the life of their device considerably.

Samsung may have completed work on the graphene battery with which it have been linked over the last few years. This next-gen power-storage technology may improve significantly on its lithium-ion counterpart in some respects. A well-regarded leaker believes that the Note 10 may be in line for these enhancements.

A renowned supply chain analyst has predicted that Apple will soon update the iPad Mini series, with a fifth generation of the popular tablet possibly coming out in 2019. The iPad Mini 4 was released in 2015 and featured the now dated A8 SoC. It is expected an Apple iPad Mini 5 will come with “an upgraded processor and a lower-cost panel.”

War Thunder 1.83 "Masters of the Sea" introduces the British Royal Navy tech tree (in Closed Beta), but also brings in new German, Soviet, and American vessels. The naval forces of these three nations can now be played by everyone, but there is even more to this update, such as German helicopters, new planes, and new ground vehicles.

The new model will be 0.9 mm thicker than the previous generation with the promise of improved cooling, longer battery life, and reduced throttling for a 13 percent increase in 3DMark 11 performance. A new design inspired by professionally cut gems puts the charging port at a unique 45-degree angle on the rear corner of the chassis.

Talk about a short life cycle. While Kaby Lake-G is nowhere to be found, the chassis has been updated with even narrower bezels (5.55 mm vs. 6.3 mm) and a visually unique 45-degree USB Type-C port. A new configuration with an Intel Coffee Lake-H CPU and GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q graphics will supplant the experimental Core i7-8705G CPU and Radeon RX Vega M GL GPU configuration released earlier this year.

HP says it will be the smallest and lightest 14-inch business convertible with a quad-core processor and also the world's first with gigabit 4G LTE for its class. The convertible is set to directly supplant the Elitebook Folio 1040 G4 with many new features inspired by the successful 13.3-inch EliteBook x360 1030 G1.

Misfit, the American wearables manufacturer, has unveiled official details about the upcoming Vapor 2 smartwatch. The wearable will come in two different sizes and feature a phone-free music player, a standalone GPS, and it will have a built-in heart-rate sensor. This useful device is currently advertised at a starting price of US$249.99.

HTC has launched its Exodus 1 smartphone, which features blockchain technology and a built-in cryptocurrency wallet. Those interested in getting their hands on an Early Access Edition of the device can sign-up now and pay with either Bitcoin (0.15) or Ethereum (4.78). HTC will start shipping the phone in December.

Since most major brands should be working on their first 5G handsets already, the fact that Carl Pei has recently confirmed that OnePlus is also set to release its first 5G phone next year is not a surprise. However, the co-founder of this popular brand is apparently not sure if the device will be ready in time for the first 5G wave.

The 13.3-inch Samsung Notebook Flash features a retro-looking keyboard, Gigabit WiFi connectivity, and has been optimized for the network of the South Korean carrier KT. Priced at the equivalent of US$715, this portable will probably not reach other markets, but this is something that remains to be seen.

The new Asus Chromebook C523 comes with a full HD display with a touchscreen option, Intel Celeron N3350 or Intel Pentium N4200, and 4 GB or 8 GB of memory. This portable has no price and release date yet, but it should hit the market soon for around US$400 (considering the prices of similar models by Acer that have been around for a while).

The new 14-inch systems are notable for their updated CPUs and lighter designs that won't impact MIL-STD-810G performance. Expect to drop at least $1400 USD for the entry-level 5420 or upwards of $3500 USD for the flagship 7424.

Although virtually no flagship from a major brand comes with just two cameras nowadays, one of the three upcoming Galaxy S10 models is expected to feature a single camera on each side. On the other hand, the top-of-the-line variant apparently has a total of five cameras. In the end, this might be just another partially accurate rumor.

Qualcomm has taken the covers off the successor to its Snapdragon 670 for mid-range smartphones. The new Snapdragon 675 focuses on bringing features typically found in flagships to more affordable devices, particularly in the areas of gaming, imaging and AI.

Companies such as Qualcomm and Samsung may believe that devices like the Galaxy Book 2 are the immediate future of the laptop. This is because they can leverage the power of 5G for data transfer and cloud functions. However, some company representatives believe that 5G can supplant even more aspects of computing.

Google and Apple can celebrate because the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and its non-Pro sibling will not give them a hard time in the US. Unfortunately for Huawei's US fans, the Chinese company has just confirmed that these two devices will not be available locally. However, European and Asian variants might be imported.

A leaked image from a private business event held by Samsung in China recently has shown off some of the display technologies that the South Korean company is working on. The four technologies mentioned in this instance are Fingerprint on Display (FoD), Haptics on Display (HoD), Sound on Display (SoD), and Under Panel Sensors (UPS).

With a 6.2-inch full HD+ display and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor, the Lenovo S5 Pro also brings two dual camera setups (one on each side) in the sub-US$200 price range, something that no major brand managed to do so far. Sadly, this handset might remain exclusively available in China.

Supermicro has sent out a letter to its customers to reassure them that the tech company will be carrying out a thorough internal review of its hardware in regard to allegations made by a Bloomberg article. The news item argued that products from Supermicro had been compromised by tiny spy chips, supposedly planted by Chinese intelligence officers.

Google Chrome users who run the browser on Qualcomm Snapdragon-driven Windows 10 ARM laptops are facing performance problems due to the fact that these machines have to emulate this piece of code. Qualcomm has confirmed that an ARM port of Chrome is in the making, but it might take almost a year until it becomes available.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 is still competitive at the sub-US$400 price bracket. It was originally released with 6GB of GDDR5 memory. A change to its product page on its maker's website now suggests that there are GDDR5X versions of the card.

Only available for Pixel devices until now, the Digital Wellbeing app is finally ready for Android One handsets. The problem is that it only works on Android 9.0 Pie, so only Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 6.1 Plus users can enjoy this piece of code until additional Android One devices receive the update.

At first glance, the Dell XPS 15 9570 is a good choice for those who are looking for a powerful yet portable machine to use for music production. Sadly, a DPC latency issue makes it unsuitable for this task, but Frank Azor has just confirmed that the company is working on fixing this issue, so it should be patched soon.

Lee Min-cheol, who works as a vice president at marketing in Samsung's PC division, stated that the Korean giant is indeed working on a laptop with a bendy display. This move, as Min-cheol claims, is intended to keep the notebook category relevant in an increasingly mobile-tech world.

The Honor Magic 2 is likely to be released soon. It has been slated to come with an OPPO Find X-like sliding mechanism to hide its front-facing sensors behind a notch-free screen. Recent leaks and teasers from Weibo and TENAA indicate that it will also have next-gen camera technology

The second installment of Red Dead Redemption has been announced as launching soon. However, this news is not great for PC gamers, as the game is thought to be only available for consoles. A recent listing by an e-tailer appears to have given some hopes that this may be wrong, then snatched it away again.

Although the technical details are shady at this stage, it seems that Samsung is working on an in-house GPU for its upcoming gaming handset. Sadly, there is no release date to talk about yet, but given the increasing popularity of this segment of the market, there is no doubt that Samsung will join the gaming phone sector as soon as possible.

Some pictures of Samsung’s clamshell phone, the W2019, have been leaked online. The images show a hefty-looking flip-phone that has two displays and dual rear cameras. Its high-end predecessor, the W2018, was only released in China and it did not come cheap. The basic variant of that W-series handset cost over US$2,400, and it’s likely the W2019 will also command a similarly high price.

In-house tests by 3DMark show Oppo falsifying performance scores for its latest Find X flagship smartphone and more. The news further damages the reputations of Chinese smartphone OEMs at a time when the U.S. government is already suspicious of telecommunication devices from China.

The newest Windows 10 update (1809, or October update) has been plagued with teething issues. Most recently, some users have documented one of them on Reddit. This bug results in the failure to bring up dialogs that prevent the loss of data through conflicts or duplication during transfer.

Last year, the Pixel 2 was hailed for its Samsung display while the Pixel 2 XL was heavily criticized for its LG panel. This year, though, it would appear that tables have turned, with the more expensive phone opting for the traditionally better display.

Sony sent out the Pie update to the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact and has gone a step further by announcing exact dates for the XZ1, XZ1 Compact, XZ Premium, XZ2 Premium and XA2 phones' Android Pie rollout.

Even available for old-school coin-operated machines, Soulcalibur VI is now out for Windows PCs, as well as Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles. With a roster of returning fighters and newcomers, this title is set in the 16th century and aims to "uncover hidden truths" about the events of the first Soulcalibur game.

Some Pixel 2 and 2XL units do not save the pictures taken using Google Camera properly, so that they do not show up in Photos or in the phones' storage. This is now apparently happening to some newer Pixels as well. This issue may be linked to the HDR modes and how it processes photos.

OnePlus had announced some time ago that its next product launch would take place in New York on October 30th. However, Apple has just taken that same date to release the new Macs and iPad Pro. The Chinese company has responded by moving its own event up by one day.

The European Union (EU) has been planning legislation to curb the at-least perceived tax-dodging practices of big tech firms with bases within the union. It involves taxing revenues from online ads at the per-EU point of target. This, as politicians such as Bruno Le Maire assert, will ensure that companies such as Apple pay a more proportionate tax burden.

Most smartphone users know of his or her bad smartphone habits, but they just don't seem to care. More than half admit to texting while driving with many even pulling out the smartphone during job interviews.

The new device-as-a-service program from HP is limited to select customers for the time being and it targets creative professionals like photographers, video editors, graphic designers, and CG artists. Each professional group gets a specific hardware bundle with included accessories and a monthly "rent," plus access to the 24/7 Concierge program for streamlined setup.

With a lighter and thinner design than the Alienware 13, the new Alienware m15 is the brand's most compact gaming notebook so far. Frank Azor has just confirmed that this new machine for gamers on the go will hit the market on October 25, just as expected. The starting price will be US$1,300, but high-end SKUs are expected to hit US$2,000.

Intel may be implementing in-silicon solutions against Spectre and meltdown attacks, but not all threat variants can be identified this way. MIT's DAWG solution can detect all variants plus similar speculative attacks, and it can easily be integrated in operating systems without serious performance hits.

As if the various taxes already in place are not enough, Android users in the EU will end up paying more for their phones starting next year due to the licensing fees that Google will start charging for devices that are activated starting on February 1. These fees will start at US$2.5 per device and can hit US$40, depending on the pixel density and market.

Samsung has shut down services in the past and will surely do the same in the future, so the fact that Family Square is going down is nothing out of this world. This app came with the 18.4-inch Galaxy View and its goal was to enable users to put images on a virtual wall, including from other devices connected to the local network.

As previously announced, the Ubuntu 18.10 release comes with the GNOME 3.30 desktop and Yaru — the new default theme that has been developed by the community. The new kernel and updated graphics libraries now support the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B/B+, the AMD Vega M-powered Kaby Lake G series, as well as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845.