Latest Tech News

The new entry-level SKU is $300 to $400 cheaper than the current UX331UN SKU by axing the dedicated GPU and halving both the LPDDR3 RAM (16 GB to 8 GB) and internal M.2 storage (512 GB to 256 GB).

The gen 9 Core CPUs from Intel were rumored to be launched this October, but it was not clear if they will only work on the new Z390 motherboards. A recent Gigabyte clarification post revealed that the upcoming CPUs will also be supported by the current gen 8 Z370 / H370 / B360 / H310 motherboards, which will get BIOS updates as soon as Intel launches the new processors.

AMD has announced that its latest HEDT CPUs, the Ryzen Threadripper 2, are available for pre-order starting today for a retail launch on August 13. The second generation Ryzen Threadrippers come in multiple SKUs targeting different segments of the enthusiast gaming and content creation market with prices starting from US$649 for the Threadripper 2920X and going all the way up to US$1,799 for the Threadripper 2990WX.

A developer has turned up yet another icon that may represent another new Apple device. This one may correspond to the putative iPhone XI Plus. It may also be larger than its nearest predecessor, and retain some of its main front-panel features.

Ryzen is possibly the most prominent form of competition for the Coffee Lake family of chipsets. However, the Intel CPUs have dominated the market since the release of both lines. Now, however, Ryzen appears to have opened a lead on them (if a very slim one) in these terms.

T-Mobile has just added the US$350 LG Q7+ to its portfolio, but only the Moroccan Blue variant. This 5.5-inch, Qualcomm Snapdragon 450-powered handset comes with Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box, 4 GB RAM, and 64 GB internal storage. Those interested can also acquire it for 24 monthly payments of US$14 each (plus tax).

AMD France prematurely published benchmarks of the yet unreleased 2990WX, a 32 core flagship Ryzen CPU. The results look daunting for Intel, as it's highest core count CPU is just 18 cores. Until their 28 core workstation CPU is released in Q4 of this year, it seems AMD will be back on top once again with Ryzen Threadripper.

Alleged pictures of what is likely to be the PCB of the upcoming NVIDIA GTX 1180/2080 GPU have cropped up online and reveal quite a few interesting details. The new GPU will feature either 8 GB or 16 GB of GDDR6 VRAM, an 8+2-phase VRM, an NVLink connector, and a USB-C out.

Blackberry released a new duo of devices, the Evolve and Evolve X, a few days ago, and while they're solid devices on paper, we can't seem to shake off the feeling that they're irresponsibly priced.

Apparently, Motorola has two mid-range devices in the works. One is the Motorola One, and the other is the Motorola One Power. Both are Android One devices but it remains unknown what actually separates them.

The biggest headline from Counterpoint Research's newest report on the smartphone market may have been Huawei's dethroning of Apple to become the second-largest smartphone company in the world, but equally impressive is HMD's showing in the global market.

Sony has released its sales numbers for the first quarter of its fiscal year. According to the report, the company's PlayStation division saw sizeable rises in income and profit but the reverse was the case for the floundering mobile division.

Fitbit seems to be preparing the launch of a new smart wearable that is supposedly going to debut at IFA 2018 as the Fitbit Charge 3. The leaked images reveal a few interesting details, such as the replacement of the physical button with a touch area that could bring in the tap actions currently available for the Alta and Alta HR.

LG has launched the latest mid-range smartphone in its lineup to feature a stylus. The new LG Q8 (2018) takes its design cues from LG’s 2017 flagship, the LG G6, and also features a Hi-Fi Quad DAC for hi-res audio.

With less than a week to go until its August 9 launch, the Galaxy Note 9 is already all over the web, including an official product video that was unleashed — apparently by mistake — by Samsung itself. Now, an image of a Russian Galaxy Note 9 retail box confirms most details that we bumped into so far.

The quad-core 3 GHz Ryzen CPU will integrate a 1.3 GHz Vega-based GPU with 24 Compute Units connected to 8 GB of GDDR5 VRAM. This particular SoC will debut on a gaming console designed specifically for the Chinese market by PC maker Subor. Prices are still unknown.

Microsoft has been avoiding giving away the battery capacity of the new Surface Go and now we can see why. The small 26 Wh battery of the Surface Go has us wary about battery life as this is almost half the capacity of last year's Surface Pro.

Microsoft MVP Susan Bradley has written an open letter to top management at Microsoft about the quality of Windows 10 patches. She has also pointed to results of her survey of IT admins who are admittedly not very happy with shoddy patches and that the Windows Insider program isn't helping in identifying issues. Microsoft, however, thinks otherwise.

The much anticipated Fornite Mobile for Android will require a fairly powerful smartphone to run. The minimum requirements to run the game were found by XDA Developers while querying the entitlement API. Based on the resulting JSON output, an Adreno 530, Mali-G71 MP20, or a Mali G-72 MP12 or higher GPU is needed.

Smartphone users in India are reporting seeing an entry for a contact in their phonebook that purportedly belongs to a Government authority. The number apparently was added without users' consent and Google has now issued a clarification that this contact entry was 'inadvertently coded' in Android releases seeded to Indian OEMs. Google's statement, however, creates more questions than answers.

A new OTA update is rolling out to Asus Zenfone 5Z, which focuses on improving the camera capabilities of the smartphone. This update adds support for RAW capture, Panorama mode, and a host of other camera-related improvements, improved Wi-Fi stability, and bug fixes.

The Razer Phone 2 has not been officially confirmed yet. However, speculations about the second generation of this gaming phone already abound. They include hints at a late Q3 release for the device.

The processor supplier MediaTek have posted an increase in second-quarter profits; however, its sales may have been unchanged compared to last quarter. Accordingly, the company's CEO has predicted a slight downturn in MediaTek's main market for the rest of 2018.

Fortnite for Android is coming (eventually), but when it does, you won't be able to find it on the Google Play Store. Instead, Epic (the developer of the game) will distribute the APK on their own website in an effort to both re-establish a direct relationship with gamers and retain more revenue.

Initially rumored to be called GTX 20xxx, the next gen Nvidia GPU series seemed like it could actually use the 11xx suffix in the past few months. However, a new Russian ECC certificate for Manli's upcoming Nvidia GPUs informs that the series could use the 20xx denomination after all. Additionally, it mentions that the GPUs use the Ampere architecture.

Laptops with the GeForce GTX 1060 will always be more expensive than the same model with the slower GeForce GTX 1050. Price mistake or not, the Dell G7 15 with the GTX 1060 Max-Q is suddenly cheaper than the GTX 1050 Ti option. The sale extends across the entire G5 lineup, but the price cut is steeper on the GTX 1060 Max-Q SKU for one reason or another.

Acer now offers premium builds for the Chromebook lineup. The latest Chromebook 13 and Spin 13 come with all-aluminum chassis and 13.5-inch IPS displays supporting 2256 x 1504 resolutions. Spec-wise, these notebooks come powered by Intel's gen 8 Core i3 and i5 CPUs coupled to up to 16 GB of RAM and up to 128 GB storage.

HMD may be set to open up shop in the US, with the Finnish OEM said to be sending out ads for a number of job positions based in the US. This move may mean we get to see more of the company's high-value devices in the US soon.

Samsung may be the biggest smartphone brand in the world but the company's policy on software updates is far from the best. According to a notice sent to users of Galaxy devices, a number of Galaxy A, J, and C smartphones will not receive the Oreo update till December—four months after the release of Android P.

OnePlus overtook Samsung and Apple to become the biggest smartphone brand in India's premium smartphone segment, with the OnePlus accounting for 30% of sales of premium devices in Q2.

HTC's smartphone sales have floundered globally over the past two years, and the company has finally closed shop in India. This is only relevant for smartphone sales, though, as the company's VR division still holds strong.

Motorola's 2018 flagship, the Moto Z3, will have an optional 5G add-on modem in the form of a Moto Mod that will connect to Verizon's upcoming 5G network. The Z3 uses last year's Snapdragon 835, but this helps to keep costs down.

The latest approved patents show full color rear displays that could be integrated on future entry-level and mid-range smartphones form LG and Samsung. Samsung's rear screen patent depicts a display half the size of the main one, while LG would only implement a smaller one above the rear camera. The flagship models would get flexible OLED displays that fold into dual screens.

The first Artifact public demo will be held at PAX West 2018 in early September, and participants at that event will be able to get beta keys to spread around. Artifact will launch on November 28 for US$19.99 on Steam and will feature two 54-card pre-constructed decks plus 10 sealed card packs with 1 guaranteed rare card.

Almost three years since its launch as a closed beta game for Windows PCs, Armored Warfare is finally available for Xbox consoles. The Xbox One version succeeds the PlayStation 4 variant by only a few months and joins World of Tanks and War Thunder, both already available on Microsoft's game console.

Although World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth is not going to bring any major changes in the graphics department, NVIDA recommends a GeForce GTX 1060 to fully enjoy the game in high detail and 60 frames per second at 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. The GTX 1070 and GTX 1080 are required to properly run the game at 2,560 x 1,440 and 3,840 x 2,160.

AMD will be supplying new Wraith Ripper coolers designed by Coolermaster that will allow the Threadripper 2990X to hit 4 GHz on all 32 cores on air. This was demonstrated during an AMD event recently held in Maranello, Italy. Getting all 32-cores to boost to 4 GHz on air is a commendable feat, which implies much higher boosts on single and fewer cores.

A hidden asset in the latest iOS 12 beta appears to confirm rumors about the next-generation iPads from Apple. The icon shows an iPad that has much thinner bezels and no Home button, which aligns with leaked details about the devices.

Samsung has introduced the Galaxy Tab S4, which is aims to satisfy those who swear by Android tablets for personal and professional use. The Galaxy Tab S4 comes with the S-Pen, Snapdragon 835 SoC, and DeX support. The asking price of US$650 gets you the S-Pen but doesn't include the Book Cover Keyboard.

Origin's new EVO17-S is the thinnest and lightest 17-inch laptop from the custom retailer. That said, the device is still comparatively hefty at 0.98-inches thick and 6.6. lbs. However, crammed into the case are an Intel Core i9-8950HK, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Max-P, and up to 6 TB of NVMe and SATA storage. Expect to pay out the nose for all that tech, though.

Samsung's new Galaxy Tab A 10.5 may play second fiddle to the Galaxy Tab S4 on paper, but the tablet is specifically marketed at families with children who may be more budget-conscious. The tablet's specs are fairly mid-range for 2018, but the inclusion of a "Kids Mode" and multi-user support makes the tablet well-suited for families.

Turing is back with a futuristic concept that might get launched in 2020, but most likely will not because the company has already filed for bankruptcy. The new HubblePhone would integrate all sorts of advanced technologies, including dual flexible OLED displays, one of which can swivel around to facilitate shooting videos and pictures.

Its still not clear when Lenovo will announce the upcoming ThinkPad P1 – but an official release might be in sight, as two new official renders of the ThinkPad P1, a thinner 15-inch workstation laptop, have appeared on the internet.

Thanks to record-breaking P20/Pro smartphone sales and additional support from the secondary Honor brand, Huawei snagged Apple's second place for most handhelds sold in Q2 2018. The Chinese company also aims to break into the U.S. market, a move that could pose some serious problems for Samsung's leading position.

An article on a Taiwanese news site states that Apple is in fact releasing a new MacBook Air in 2018. These rumors suggest that the Cupertino company now intends to fast-track its release. However, is it all good news for fans of this device line?

With its unique build and features, the Oppo Find X is a potential wave of the future. For example, it features a unique motorized pop-up camera However, it also rivals the iPhone X in terms of cost. Can its build quality justify its price tag?

The 3 and 3T were the OnePlus flagships two years ago. Despite this, their manufacturer appears to have committed to update them to the latest version of Android. The phones currently run stock Oxygen OS (OOS) based on Oreo 8.0.

Turns out that the recent XFastest leak about the 9th generation Intel 'Coffee Lake-S Refresh' was a bit outdated. New slides have emerged that confirm the 9th gen CPU launch in Q3 2018 itself. Adding credence to this is another roadmap via HKEPC that confirms an October 2018 launch window. This will also be the time when the Basin Falls Refresh is expected to launch.

Logitech and Blue Microphones have both announced the collective agreement for Logitech to purchase Blue and add them to their family of companies. Logitech's wider portfolio already includes Ultimate Ears, Jaybird, and Astro Gaming so Blue's range of microphones will complement existing audio products.

Approximately 23 percent of all current smartphone users in the United States are using a Samsung model. Sales of the latest Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus smartphones, however, have been sluggish with a worldwide userbase that is less than one-third of the iPhone X.