Launch

Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 flagship processor is projected to be on the market in the form of new smartphones by 2023. However, those who would like it in something more like a reference platform for purely AI applications are in luck. The OEM will also offer the SoC as part of a new Innovators Development Kit to academic and research entities.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is official with one Cortex-X3, four Cortex-A715 and three Cortex-A510 CPU cores, an Adreno 740 GPU, a new Spectra ISP, support for UFS 4.0 memory and Wi-Fi 7. Devices using the chipset will be commercially available by the end of 2022.

AiDot, a universal software platform shared by multiple smart home device and accessory brands, has announced that it is now compatible with Google's new Matter standard. To this end, the first wave of smart light-bulbs that support both protocols are now in their pre-sale period. They start at US$13.99 for a threaded unit that can fit seamlessly into an existing network of existing IoT devices and sensors.

Morefine is now offering the M600, a mini-PC powered by the AMD Zen 3+ architecture. Starting at US$438 as a barebones system, the Morefine M600 is available with a choice of Ryzen 6000 APUs and up to 64 GB of RAM with 1 TB of storage.

DIZO may have the Watch D Plus in the pipeline, but the company has also just started selling the Watch R Talk Go. Available globally, the Watch R Talk Go ships in three colours, each with matching watch bands. The DIZO Watch R Talk Go should offer long battery life too, among other features.

MediaTek has announced the addition of a new flagship variant for its Pentonic chipsets specifically for TVs. The Pentonic 1000 is pitched at the 4K/120Hz screens of the near future, and is rated for on-board support for broadcast standards worldwide as well as high-end TV features such as ALLM, VRR up to 144Hz and multi-split-screen views.

Hardkernel is now offering a new single-board computer (SBC) powered by the Amlogic S922X chipset and up to 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM. Sold as the ODROID-N2L, the SBC is actively cooled, supports eMMC flash storage and has a 40-pin GPIO header, among other features.

Realme has unveiled the Realme 10 5G, a smartphone that arrives a few days after the Realme 10 4G. Already orderable in China, the Realme 10 5G has a Dimensity 700 chipset, 8 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of storage. The Realme 10 5G has a 50 MP primary and a 5,000 mAh battery too, among other features.

Leica has introduced the Leitz Phone 2, a flagship smartphone that it will only sell in Japan. Announced globally, the Leitz Phone 2 borrows heavily from the Sharp Aquos R7 while staying true to its predecessor.

Polar has announced the Ignite 3, a successor to the Ignite 2 that improves upon the outgoing smartwatch in many areas. Not only does the Ignite 3 have a more modern design, but Polar has also included an AMOLED display and a larger battery, among other changes.

Xiaomi has prepared a new Imaging Limited Edition gift-box for the 12S Ultra, which presents the super-premium smartphone alongside compatible filters. They can be screwed onto the smartphone thanks to a case with threads for its circular rear camera hump, and, according to the OEM, can get the best out of the device's main 1-inch Leica-branded camera sensor.

Realme has revealed the Realme 10, a 4G smartphone that combines the MediaTek Helio G99 with a 90 Hz display. Available with up to 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, the Realme 10 also has a 50 MP primary camera and a 5,000 mAh battery that supports 33 W fast charging.

Philips claims that its new crowdfunding campaign for the Screeneo U5 took just five minutes to achieve its goal. The new successor to the U4 (also launched on Indiegogo) upgrades to a 4K UHD resolution and an image of up to 150 inches. It has an impressively high max brightness rating and has a UI based on Android 11.

Infinix has announced the Zero 5G 2023 as its latest Android smartphone. It has a large FHD+ 120Hz display is driven by MediaTek's new mid-tier Dimensity 1080 SoC, and an up-to-date camera hump with a 50MP main camera. The new Zero-series variant also has a large battery with fast-ish charging - however, it runs software that looks slightly outdated next to its new name.

Qualcomm Technologies and Renault Group have announced that they will team up to deliver new platforms for next-gen electric vehicles from the latter. The resulting new "Software Defined Vehicle Platforms" will take over from the Snapdragon Digital Chassis, and may thus deliver new advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), "connected car" experiences and generally many more of a vehicle's controls than ever before.

Garmin has unveiled the Instinct Crossover, a new hybrid smartwatch series that comes in Solar and Tactical variants. Available from US$499.99, Instinct Crossover Solar models boast 'Infinite Battery Life', according to Garmin.

Sony has announced that the image sensors usually known as the IMX line are to be released under a new brand name going forward. The OEM believes that the new LYTIA moniker will reflect the quality and experience it aims to confer on its CMOS for the cameras found in the mobile devices of the near future. Its release may or may not coincide with the 20-year anniversary of Sony's presence in this business coming up in 2023.

MediaTek has unveiled the Dimensity 9200, its latest flagship chipset and the first with ARM's Cortex-X3 GPU. Based on the TSMC N4P node, the Dimensity 9200 promises to deliver better performance than the Dimensity 9000 with significantly reduced power consumption, among other advantages.

The T8 Pro is a low-powered and inexpensive mini-PC powered by Intel Jasper Lake hardware. Also equipped with two Ethernet ports, the T8 Pro is available with 8 GB of RAM and up to 1 TB of storage.

The PowerCombo Pro 40W is the latest release from the brand Baseus. It has debuted as the latest in a line of power accessories that is a combination between a power brick rated for up-to-date gallium nitride (GaN) charging technology and a power strip. To this end, it has full AC outlets in addition to USB type-A and -C ports.

Schenker has introduced new versions of the Key 15 and the Key 17. Now available with Intel Alder Lake-H series processors, the Key 15 and Key 17 also feature NVIDIA's powerful RTX 3080 Ti GPU. The Schenker K15 and Key 17 are blessed with panel options too, including 4K OLED, 4K IPS or a QHD IPS panel that outputs at 165 Hz.

EZVIZ has launched the DB1C as a new option for those interested in a teched-out doorbell. It is compatible with 2.4Ghz/5Ghz Wi-Fi, which can stream FHD video to a user's personal device. The new smart home component also has AI that can tell when there is a human in front of it, so as to avoid blowing the same device up with unnecessary or inaccurate alerts.

AMD has officially announced the Radeon RX 7900 XT graphics card with 20 GB VRAM, 84 CUs, 80 MB of Infinity cache and 300 W TGP. One can buy it for US$899 on December 13.

AMD has officially unveiled the Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics card. Key specs include 24 GB of 20 Gbps VRAM on a 384-bit bus, 2.3 GHz game clock, DP 2.1 support and 96 CUs. It costs US$999 and will be available for purchase on December 13.

AYA NEO has brought two of its AMD Ryzen 7 6800U-based gaming handhelds. Arriving as the AYA NEO 2 and the AYA NEO GEEK, the gaming handhelds come with 800p and 1200p displays, plus a variety of colours.

SEGA has finally started selling the Mega Drive Mini 2 in Europe. Also available as the Genesis Mini 2 in North America, the newer retro gaming console is smaller than its predecessor but contains more games to boot, like Sonic the Hedgehog CD.

HMD Global has announced the Nokia 2780 Flip, a new feature phone based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 platform. Equipped with two displays and a 1,450 mAh battery, the Nokia 2780 Flip also has a microSD card reader and an LTE modem, all for US$89.99.

Huawei has unveiled the Smart Screen V 2022, a new model that contains several upgrades over its predecessors. With an improved processor and graphics chip, the Smart Screen V 2022 also has a brighter display panel, a Devialet-branded speaker system and a 12 MP camera that attaches magnetically to its body.

DJI has announced the Mavic 3 Classic, a cheaper starting point in the Mavic 3 series. Equipped with the same 4/3 CMOS sensor as the Mavic 3, the Mavic 3 Classic also matches its sibling's 46-minute flight time. However, the Mavic 3 Classic lacks the Mavic 3's telephoto camera, an omission that lower's the former's starting price by nearly US$600.

Huawei has presented the MateStation X 2023, an all-in-one (AIO) desktop powered by the Intel Core i9-12900H. Arriving with 16 GB of RAM and up to 1 TB of storage, the MateStation X 2023 also has a 28.2-inch display and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity.

Huawei has introduced the Pocket S, its latest foldable smartphone. Lifting many features from last year's P50 Pocket, the Pocket S utilises the lesser Snapdragon 778G chipset and is available in multiple colours. Accordingly, the Huawei Pocket S is cheaper than the P50 Pocket too.

Huawei has presented the Watch GT Cyber, a smartwatch unlike any other. Built around a 1.32-inch AMOLED display, the Watch GT Cyber has a unique design that allows people to swap the watch shell out for another when needed. Launching in China before other markets, the Watch GT Cyber retails for CNY 1,288 (~US$177) in Huawei's home market, with its replacement shells priced at CNY 199 (~US$27).

Unihertz has revealed the Jelly 2E, a compact smartphone that the company claims is the size of a credit card. The Unihertz Jelly 2E has a 3-inch display, weighs 110 g and is based on the MediaTek Helio A22 chipset, among other features.

Dere has introduced the T30 Pro, a Windows tablet that supports a detachable keyboard and pen input. Considering the T30 Pro's price, it is surprising to see Dere include a high-resolution and fast OLED display, as well as a keyboard cover and up to 1 TB of storage.

Onyx BOOX has presented the Nova Air2, an Android 11-based tablet with a large E-Ink display. Available to order for US$339.99, the Nova Air2 also has a 2,000 mAh battery, a Snapdragon 662 chipset, 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage.

FriendlyELEC has introduced the NanoPi R6S, a new single-board computer that it based on the Rockchip RK3588S SoC. Also equipped with three Ethernet ports, the NanoPi R6S is available for US$119 with 8 GB of RAM, eMMC flash storage and multiple USB ports.

Ulefone's latest rugged smartphone boasts the "latest" Lepton 3.5 thermal imaging tech from FLIR in one of its rear-facing shooters. It is joined by a 108MP sensor as a 'normal' main camera, and also steps up to an FHD+ 120Hz display kept on with a 9,600mAh battery that even has fast charging in this generation. The rugged device has a 5G MediaTek Dimensity chipset - then again, it still runs Android 12.

Gigabyte asserts that its new AORUS TACHYON motherboard, made for Z790-compatible processors such as Intel's Raptor Lake line, has broken records on Cinebench. They apply to an overclocked version of the high-end Core i9-13900K CPU. The OEM now pitches the board as "exclusively for extreme overclocking" on the back of this new achievement.

ViewSonic has presented the VA3209-MH and VA3209-2K-MHD, two 32-inch monitors with differing native resolutions. Prices for the pair vary too, with the VA3209-2K-MHD priced at €60 more than the VA3209-MH.

Huawei has now started selling the Mate 50 Pro in Europe. Still the company’s current flagship, the Mate 50 Pro has arrived in Europe for €100 less than Huawei advertised it for last month. Arguably one of the best camera flagships released this year, the lack of Google Mobile Services still presents the same issues for most audiences outside China.

Xiaomi has launched a new pair of headphones in China. Already available globally via third-party retailers, the headphones use bone conduction to transmit sound, rather than traditional drivers. The Xiaomi Bone Conduction Headphones also offer Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, IP66 dust and water resistance, plus up to 12 hours of battery life.

UGREEN's latest multi-port is called a docking station, although it has more of a tower format for easy USB type-C-to-C connection to an ever-growing list of powerful ultrabooks. It supports external monitors of up to 8K/30Hz, albeit when used as a hub for Windows machines only. A triple 4K/60Hz display option is open to MacBooks, however, with some caveats.

The G60 is one of Nokia's first Android smartphones to upgrade to a 120Hz display in 2022. Now, its appearance on the HMD Global brand's official Indian website hints that it will bring that spec with it to its new market. The device may be available in 2 colorways on its new launch, and already promises "longevity" in terms of software support.

The fifth-generation Sony alpha 7R (the alpha 7R V, or a7R V) has finally been unveiled as a new interchangeable-lens mirrorless unit with an updated build and the highest-res Exmor R image sensor available to it. However, the OEM also touts it as the first ever alpha-series camera with an "AI processing unit" rated to boost the camera's ability to identify and, thus, accurately track human and animal subjects in moving shots.

Huawei has introduced the MateBook D 14 SE 2022, a slightly updated version of the outgoing Intel Tiger Lake-powered model. Now equipped with Intel Alder Lake processors, the change sees the MateBook D 14 SE jump from 4 to 10 processor cores.

Xiaomi has launched the Redmi Note 12 Racing Edition in China, a limited edition Redmi Note 12 series model. Available for CNY 2,599 (~US$362) in Xiaomi's home market, the Racing Edition sports a unique-looking back panel amid a few other design changes.

Xiaomi has announced the Redmi Smart TV X86, a Smart TV that is available in China for CNY 5,299 (~US$739). Equipped with an 86-inch panel, the Redmi Smart TV X86 delivers a 4K native output at 60 Hz, 20 W stereo speakers and an impressive 97.3% screen-to-body ratio.

Xiaomi has launched the Book Air 13 in China, where it retails from CNY 5,999 (~US$836). Available with a choice between the Core i5-1230U and the Core i7-1250U, the Xiaomi Book Air 13 combines a 2.8K OLED display with a 58.3 Wh battery, 16 GB of fast RAM and a 512 GB SSD.

Redmi has introduced its 2022 budget tablet in its native market of China today (October 27, 2022) alongside the new Note 12 series of smartphones. The metal unibody slate has a 10.6-inch 2K 90Hz display, quad speakers and up-to-date MIUI Pad 13 software, yet will be released for less than US$160 as a special offer for the upcoming 11.11 sales event.