Launch

Xiaomi has introduced the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, its latest flagship. Usurping the Xiaomi 13 Pro, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra features a fourth rear-facing camera, among other changes, as Xiaomi looks to take on the best Android flagships going.

The Indiedroid Nova is a new single-board computer, albeit one that is heavily based on the Pico Pi V2.0. The Indiedroid Nova features a Rockchip RK3588S SoC, up to 16 GB of RAM and upgradeable eMMC 5.1 flash storage, among other features.

Huawei has announced updates to the MateBook D line of laptops for 2023. The PCs are powered by 13th-gen Intel processors, and are joined by new smart TVs. Each Smart Screen S3 Pro also has triple HDMI 2.1 ports and a 120Hz display rated to scale up to 240Hz in a gaming mode.

Huawei has just made the latest generation of its Band official in both NFC- and non-NFC form. The fitness tracker is mainly touted as a lighter version of its predecessor with more band options that are more user-friendly this time. The fitness tracker has launched alongside the Enjoy 60X, a new smartphone that brings top-end Mate-series design and a massive battery to its mid-range segment.

Volkswagen has finally announced full specs, configuration options and launch dates for the ID.7 today (April 17, 2023). The all-electric sedan aims for the upper mid-range of the automotive market with a new power unit for increased output and torque, fast charging and a quality-focused interior with an enlarged infotainment screen and a Harman Kardon-tuned sound system.

Tim Cook is headed to India to open two new retail stores in the country. The new locations are found in 2 different cities, and will start to welcome customers from April 18, 2023. Apple touts them as sources of "excellent" customer service and experience in advance, and indicates that they underpin the country's increasing importance to it as a source of both sales and production.

DiDi Global is one of the best-known sources of ride-hailing on Chinese streets. Now, it has announced its intention to give its service a next-gen overhaul by putting its own self-driving taxi on those roads in the near future. The vehicle's current concept integrates a lot of LiDAR, radar and cameras to deliver its autonomous functions.

Cool Pi has launched the Cool Pi CM5, a Rockchip RK3588 powered system-on-module. To be available with numerous memory options, the Cool Pi CM5 also supports an evaluation board with plenty of I/O.

Garmin has introduced the Edge 540 and Edge 840, a pair of bike computers also available as solar versions. While the Edge 540 and Edge 840 are compatible with regular bikes, Garmin provides compatibility with e-bikes too.

The ROG Phone flagship mobile gaming devices is back in 2023 with a new series. It starts with the vanilla 7 with rear-facing RGB logos set into a new two-tone finish – and then goes right up to the 7 Ultimate with a rear-mounted OLED “ROG Vision” secondary display and an AeroActive port to augment the series' new GameCool 7 thermal management system for its “no-compromises” internals. The 7 and 7 Ultimate have debuted alongside the new AeroActive Cooler 7 accessory that integrates a sub-woofer for the first time.

DJI has announced the Inspire 3, its latest professional-grade drone. Capable of shooting 8K videos, the DJI Inspire 3 has a Zenmuse X9 full-frame camera, a lens mount and can fly at up to 94 km/h for nearly 30 minutes between battery swaps.

Dasung is now selling its Link E Ink smartphone companion on Indiegogo, where it starts at US$299. Available in wired or wireless variants, the Dasung Link has a 6.7-inch E Ink display that is suited for note-taking, drawing or reading.

MSI has started selling the Cubi N ADL, an Intel Alder Lake-N-based mini-PC series. Available with the Processor N100 or the Processor N200, the Cubi N ADL also comes with DDR4 RAM, plenty of ports and expandability options.

Volkswagen has unveiled the latest drive compatible with its MEB electric vehicle platform. It is rated to enable some next-gen ID family members to launch as rear-wheel drive e-cars with the potential for increased range and efficiency. The APP550 is also touted to deliver "significantly more" power and torque to boot.

LG has announced that it has re-vamped its signature logo with a "a new visual identity" that "smiles back" at an increasingly digital audience. It involves an upgrade for the basic 'face' made of the electronics giant's name to a solid "Active Red" background and the ability to become a GIF at any opportunity. This, according to the OEM, will turn it into an engaging and lively mascot for its "human-centered" business.

ZTE has previewed the Axon 50 Ultra, which shares a few features with the company's Nubia Z50 Ultra. While the Nubia Z50 Ultra surpasses the Axon 50 Ultra in a few areas, the latter is one of the first smartphones with two-way satellite messaging support.

Garmin has unveiled the Instinct 2X Solar and Instinct 2X Tactical Edition. Arriving as larger versions of the Instinct 2 and Instinct 2S, the Instinct 2X series has integrated solar cells for practically limitless battery life, as well as a few unusual features.

Depending on where you live, April could mean cooler weather ahead, or the beginning of the warmer part of the year. Either way, here are a few games that released on Steam in early April that might pique your interest if you're looking for something to distract you from the changing weather.

Syntech pitches its new 6-in-1 Dock at the Steam Deck owner "on the go". The accessory is designed to "expand" the console with ports for Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 via type-C and HDMI 2.0 for 4K/60Hz external monitor support, as well as triple type-A ports. It is available on Amazon with generous launch-day discounts for a limited time.

Honor has launched the Magic5 Pro in the UK, the company's latest premier smartphone. Available for under £949.99 with various pre-order discounts, the Magic5 Pro is considerably cheaper than the Galaxy S23 Ultra or the Xiaomi 13 Pro, despite featuring a 1-inch camera sensor, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and a large battery.

AOHi has upgraded its Magcube series of multi-USB port "GaN+" power bricks with a new, up-to-140 watt (W) version. It has been released with a recommended retail price of about US$150 - however, initial launch deals bring that cost down to just under US$100 for a limited time.

LG's new Portable Tower Speaker takes the RGB lighting of its XBOOM series and re-imagines it in a whole new way. The "ring-light" around its main forward-facing driver is joined by a Matrix LED display that can show a range of animations, text banners or other effects, some of which can be customized in its app. It is now available on the US market.

POCO has revealed the C51, its successor to the entry-level POCO C31. Equipped with a 720p display, the POCO C51 also has a 5,000 mAh battery, an 8 MP primary camera and a MediaTek Helio G36 chipset, among other features.

The Beelink EQ12 is the company's first Intel Alder Lake-N-based mini-PC. Offered with the Intel Processor N100 and up to 16 GB of DDR5 RAM, the Beelink EQ12 also comes in a choice of four colours and has ports aplenty.

Pocketbook has launched the InkPad 4, which features display and design changes compared to the InkPad 3 or InkPad 3 Plus. Available for US$289, the Pocket InkPad 4 has a 7.8-inch E Ink display that resolves at 1,404 x 1,872 pixels with touchscreen support.

Rakuten Kobo is now selling the Kobo Elipsa 2E, a 10.3-inch E-Reader that supports touch and pen input. Available in the US for US$399.99, the E-Reader comes with an improved stylus and offers adjustable colour temperature, unlike its predecessor.

Motorola has previewed a new version of the Moto G Power. Sold as the Moto G Power 5G (2023), the handset features a 120 Hz display, a 5,000 mAh battery and a MediaTek Dimensity 930 chipset, among other mid-range hardware. The Moto G Power 5G (2023) will launch in the US on April 13.

PINE64 has started selling the Star64, its RISC-V-based single-board computer (SBC). Available in 4 GB or 8 GB of RAM variants, the PINE64 Star64 comes with plenty of I/O and should be about as powerful as competing Rockchip RK3566-powered SBCs.

The Redmi Note 12S has arrived and will be available in Europe for €289 in three colours. However, it appears that Xiaomi has re-badged the Redmi Note 11S, with the same display, SoC, battery and charging capabilities.

Xiaomi has brought the Redmi Note 12 Pro 4G to Europe following its launch in Malaysia and Turkey. While Xiaomi has pitched the Redmi Note 12 Pro 4G as a new device, it is just a re-branded Redmi Note 10 Pro that supports faster wired charging, right down to its reliance on Android 11 and MIUI 13.

The SF2000 is a new retro gaming handheld, albeit one that is priced particularly aggressively. Shaped like a Super NES controller, the SF2000 has a 3-inch IPS display, 1 GB of RAM and is said to be powerful enough to emulate GBA and GBC games, as well as other game libraries.

Cable Matters has released a desk mount to accompany the new Microsoft Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock. Designed to work exclusively with Microsoft's new Surface Dock, the desk mount should prevent it from moving around on a desk and will allow you to connect or disconnect cables with one hand.

Microsoft has refreshed the Surface Dock with a new model that supports Thunderbolt 4. However, Microsoft has removed the Surface Connect port in the process, among other changes, making the Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock compatible with non-Surface devices.

ESR has introduced the world's first accessory that combines what might be the most popular and practical uses of MagSafe for the iPhone 12 to 14 generations. It consists of a 5,000mAh power bank that can also hold some cards for the user and act as a kick-stand at the same time. The HaloLock Power Bank Wallet will be available to buy from tomorrow (April 6, 2023).

The new OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite will be available from April 11 in India and from April 25 in Europe. The smartphone features the same Snapdragon 695 SoC as its predecessor but now features a 108 MP camera and increased RAM. OnePlus also announced the Nord Buds with ANC support.

XGIMI has announced pricing, availability and all specifications for the MoGo 2 and MoGo 2 Pro, its latest 720p and 1080p projectors, respectively. Capable of creating up to 120-inch projections, the MoGo 2 series runs Android TV 11, delivers excellent colour accuracy and starts at US$399, although XGIMI is offering a US$50 discount on pre-orders.

Powkiddy has launched the X55, a 5.5-inch gaming handheld equipped with a Rockchip RK3566 chipset, 2 GB of RAM and a 4,000 mAh battery. The Powkiddy X55 starts at US$139.99 and has a 720p display, among other features.

Philips has started selling the 45B1U6900CH, a 44.5-inch VA monitor with a 1440p resolution and a 75 Hz refresh rate. The monitor also has various ports and a 5 MP webcam with Windows Hello certification.

The Nord Buds 2 have now been unleashed to bring active noise cancellation (ANC) and the latest Bluetooth standard to its line of mid-range OnePlus audio accessories. They are also touted to get the user in the groove with software-based BassWave optimizations, "all-day" battery life and large drivers with "titanized" diaphragms. They have been released for sale in multiple markets, with availability in more to follow.

Motorola's most potential-laden - and "Wi-Fi 7-ready" - Android flagship to date has finally arrived in Global Edition form. The Edge 40 Pro has brought its class-leading pOLED display and top-end internals with it to international shores. It also outstrips most of its competition with 125W TurboPower charging technology, and features triple rear-facing cameras, two of which are 50MP.

Sony has introduced a new pair of wireless earbuds. As expected, the WF-C700N has arrived ahead of the expected WF-1000XM5. Building on the WF-C500, the WF-C700N features active noise cancellation and is available in multiple colours.

AYA NEO is now selling the AIR Plus, a gaming handheld series that is available with a choice of AMD and Intel processors. All SKUs come with the same 6-inch IPS display, as well as a 46.2 Wh battery, hall-effect joysticks and front-firing speakers, among other features.

RedMagic has unleashed a number of its PC gaming range alongside the latest colorway for its 8 Pro Android smartphone on markets such as the US and Canada for the first time. The accessories include the brand's Gaming Mouse and Keyboard as well as its 4K Monitor. Most of them are available to order from the OEM's website.

Realme has now finally debuted its much-awaited mid-range phone in China. The Realme GT Neo5 SE arrives as Realme's answer to the Redmi Note 12 Turbo that launched a week ago, sporting the same Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 and identical specs and pricing.

Huawei has released the Watch Ultimate in Europe, roughly two weeks after launching the smartwatch in China. Equipped with an LPTO AMOLED display and a huge battery, the Huawei Watch Ultimate is also suitable for diving and should be a more hardy alternative to Huawei's other smartwatches. Its flagship two-way satellite messaging system is missing from the global model, though.

Chuwi has refreshed the CoreBook X again, just over a year after introducing an Intel Comet Lake-U-based model. Now, the Chuwi CoreBook X is available with a modern Intel Alder Lake-U series processor, as well as 16 GB LPDDR5 RAM, 512 GB of storage and a 14-inch IPS display that outputs at 1440p in a 3:2 aspect ratio.

Asus and the apparel brand Acronym assert that their new version of 2023's ROG Flow Z13 is for creators and style icons as much as it is for gamers. Its heavy re-design adds a lot of extra metallic casing to the Core i9-13900H-powered 2-in-1's back-plate and kick-stand. The Z13-ACRNM RMT02 is also now the PC's highest-end SKU with RTX 4070 graphics, and is modded so as to act as its own bag at need.

Meizu has unveiled the vanilla and Pro variants of its new 20 series of Android smartphones today (March 30, 2023). The devices are now poised to take on others such as the Xiaomi 13 series and OnePlus 11 with Qualcomm's new top-end processor, at least 12GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The 20 Pro also boasts fast wireless charging and triple rear 50MP shooters.

DJI has introduced the Goggles Integra, which has launched alongside the RC Motion 2 remote control. Both are arriving as accessories for the DJI Avata, the pair should be more comfortable to use than their predecessors and cheaper than previous accessories to boot, despite the inclusion of 100 Hz Micro-OLED panels in the DJI Goggles Integra.

Insta360 has joined its rival OEM DJI in being an action-cam company that now also sells its own gimbal. The Flow comes with its own AI to augment its in-built stabilization, and also to confer a third-gen Deep Tracking mode on the accessory. Its motors also act to "Rapid Deploy" the accessory from its compact, unfolded state for "1-step" set-up prior to shooting.