Storage

Western Digital's largest 16 TB and 18 TB Ultrastar and WD Gold drives can now be sold to smaller customers, including system integrators and those that service small/medium business. Could start to appear in pro-grade NAS equipment.

Leica has posted a new YouTube link to go live later in July 2020. It will broadcast the launch of the next addition to the M10 series of cameras. According to recent leaks, it will be called the M10-R, and will be capable of ~40MP stills. It is also touted to come in black or silver colorways and have a 3-inch TFT rear screen.

Lenovo's first gaming phone has been implicated in a Geekbench leak before. Now, this has happened again - although this time, the purported device in question has double the RAM compared to before. Its specs point to the Snapdragon 865, although it is now thought to have the Plus variant of this SoC.

Canon has finally unveiled the long-awaited 2020 EOS R series of mirrorless cameras. The OEM has confirmed the former has a 45MP sensor, whereas the latter is 20MP. They also have DIGIC X image processor and 5-Axis image stabilization. 4 new RF lenses have also been launched alongside the new units.

GPD's goal-based Indiegogo campaign for its 8-inch Win Max console-control-enabled mini notebook has ended in triumph, raking in about US$2.8 million from over 3,000 backers. However, the device is still available on this platform for the next few days at a price closer to its eventual retail cost. It's not all good news for the OEM, though: some early adopters claim that its speedy 65W charger has failed on them.

iQOO has launched the Z1x as the world's latest Snapdragon 765G-powered device. It also has the 120Hz refresh rate in its FHD+ LCD screen, as promised in its hype-phase. The phone also offers a 5000mAh battery that charges at 33 watts (W) and "PC-grade" cooling for as little as 1598 yuan to its new Chinese audience.

Samsung has announced that the latest firmware updates for the Galaxy A51 and A71 port some features that had heretofore been exclusive to the OEM's flagships to these mid-rangers. They mainly consist of camera-app upgrades such as the addition of Live Focus, Single Take and Smart Crop.

Sony asserts it has broken new ground with its latest FE G Master lens. Its zoom does indeed go down to 12 millimeters (mm) while maintaining a 2.8 aperture. This means it can summon an impressive field of view while retaining its level of brightness at all times. The OEM claims it can thus outdo the human eye in wide-angle perception.

Samsung promised to deliver 128 TB SSDs by 2018, but it looks like the demand for such large drives is not there yet. Nevertheless, Nimbus Data thinks that we are ready for 100 TB SSDs, unleashing this model upon us for US$40,000. There is also a 50 TB model in case your budget is only limited to US$12,500.

The iQOO Z1x is set to launch on July 9, 2020 and to rock the Snapdragon 765G processor on this date. However, the OEM has yet to confirm any more details on the new phone's internals. A new Master Lu listing for a device with an unfamiliar model number is now linked to the upcoming mid-ranger, however, and may show what it can do with 8GB of RAM.

Huawei's best SuperCharge wired power adapter can charge a compatible device at up to 40 watts (W). However, a leak points to a new generation of these accessories that is capable of 66W. The OEM has reportedly had it approved for use by the regulator 3C, which may make it available for the Mate 40 series.

The Panasonic RZ-S300W are new TWS earbuds with a non-AirPod-clone form-factor and a unique finish. A further variant of the same (the RZ-S500W) have "Dual Hybrid Noise Cancelling Technology" with an ambient mode for "best-in-class" audio isolation. The OEM also has a 3rd pair of new buds launched under its high-end Technics brand.

Samsung India has reportedly posted a support page for a phone called the Galaxy M01s (or SM-M017F/DS), despite the fact that this phone is not on sale in the same country yet. This official leak shows that the upcoming device has 3GB of RAM. However, additional tips show that it may not be a brand-new product on its launch.

Move over, Galaxy M31: it looks like your title of "battery monster" will go to a newer phone soon. Samsung has apparently made a new mobile power-pack with a rated capacity of no less than 6800mAh. It has leaked out thanks to a few official certifications for this component from Korean and Chinese regulators.

MSI presents its new notebooks that, while being powerful enough for many enthusiasts and creators, retain decently portable dimensions. The series consists of 15.6- and 17.3-inch machines that feature up to Intel Xeon processors and NVIDIA Quadro GPUs across the board. They are available to buy now from platforms such as Newegg.

Some recent leaks have raised the possibility of a successor for the Samsung Galaxy M30s. Now, the OEM has certified a battery that could conceivably have been made for this phone. However, those hoping for even more screen-on time between charges may be slightly disappointed in its specs.

POCO has confirmed the existence of the M2 Pro, and is currently teasing it on Twitter and Flipkart ahead of its July 7, 2020 launch. These official leaks show some inextricable links between it and the pre-existing Redmi Note 9 Pro. For example, both phones are now known to have quad rear cameras and 33 watt (W) charging.

The HBM2E memory chips offer up to 460 GB/s bandwidth, plus they are 50% more energy efficient and come in a 30% smaller package compared to the HBM2 models. With such an improved bandwidth, the HBM2E chips are expected to significantly improve performance for Exascale computers and high-end GPUs.

Honor has launched a pair of new Dimensity 800-powered phones today (July 2, 2020). Despite this, the 2 phones are quite different, particularly in terms of their displays. The 30 Youth Edition has a 6.5-inch 90 hertz (Hz) panel, whereas that of the X10 Max exceeds 7 inches. Both devices can be pre-ordered today.

Samsung launched the quad-camera Galaxy A31 less than a month ago (in June 2020). Nevertheless, the phone is getting a discount already. It is now INR 1000 less than its original price, which brings it down to the equivalent of US$278.

A new patent added to the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) database shows that Samsung has developed a foldable battery to power phones of the same nature. It is constructed of layers in a way that allows one of its cells to connect to another via a flexible commisure that crosses the hinge-portion of the device in question. This removes the need for 2 separate solid batteries and their potential drawbacks.

At just over 40 grams, the SL200 is looking to be one of Lexar's lightest external SSDs yet with 256-bit AES encryption and drop, shock, and vibration resistance.

The Snapdragon Wear 3100 was Qualcomm's latest dedicated SoC for smartwatches - until today. It has been supplanted by the new 4100 - as well as the 4100+. Both feature a new processor, paired with an ultra-low-power co-processor. The 4100+ distinguishes itself with an exclusive chipset for enhanced always-on displays.

The eminent TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's latest round of Apple predictions include a rough launch date for an upcoming iPad with a 10.8-inch display. They also allude to another tablet of this series that would involve a re-imagining of the Mini variant for 2021. Both of them may get the OEM's rumored new 20 watt (W) power brick in the box.

Two new devices with what could be model numbers from the OEM OPPO have emerged on Geekbench 4. They both have 4GB of RAM, run Android 10 and have a heretofore-unseen code-name associated with their processing platform: bengal. Could this, then, be a brand-new upcoming SoC?

The gaming component and peripherals company GALAX has launched a new product called the GTX 1650 Ultra. However, its GPU is not that of the original non-ray-tracing Turing variant, but of underpowered chips left out of other cards such as the RTX 2070. Then again, its TDP is higher than some others of its name.

The a7S II is a member of Sony's Alpha series of full-frame cameras lauded for its low-light and 4K video performance, even though it has been several years since its release. Now, an executive from this OEM has confirmed that a successor for the unit is on the way. According to this source, every aspect of the 7S has been completely re-designed.

There are many products on the market that claim to convert M.2 NVMe SSDs into fast portable external storage. However, OWC claims that its own such housing is the first to come certified for Thunderbolt 3 speeds. Accordingly, it may achieve 1.533 gigabytes per second (GB/s) in "real-world performance".

A recent edition to the Moto E series of affordable smartphones exhibited several discrepancies in our review, not the least of which was launching with Android 9.0 (Pie) in 2019. However, a new Geekbench 5 listing suggests that this issue, at least, may be resolved soon. It shows that a phone with the E6 Plus' specs, but running an updated OS.

Samsung refreshed its popular Galaxy A71 smartphone with a 5G-enabled SoC in 2020. Now, a new Geekbench listing hints at a further variation on this device. It is known as the SM-A716V on this platform, and may thus have the product name of A71s should it launch soon.

The latest Windows 10 Game Ready driver for NVIDIA GeForce cards unlock DirectX 12 Ultimate features on RTX GPUs. This may bring attributes such as hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading to certain games. The new driver also supports 9 more G-SYNC-enabled monitors from AOC, Dell, LG and other OEMs.

Olympus has officially confirmed it has signed an agreement to relinquish the imaging division of its company. This means that cameras such as those of the OM-D series will no longer be available under their original maker's name. However, there are plans for a new, separate entity that will make and sell their successors.

QNAP's latest TS-x53D series of network-attached storage (NAS) products have 2, 4 or 6 bays and 4 to 8GB of RAM. They are also equipped with a PCIe Gen 2 expansion slot and 2 2.5 gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports. The user can also play videos at up to 4K thanks to its HDMI port.

Recent leaks have pointed to the release of a second variant for the Galaxy A01, a budget phone debuted by Samsung in 2020. A new entry on the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) website now confirms its existence. It also shows that the phone's product name will have a novel twist: it will be the Galaxy A01 Core.

The flash memory company wants to start out small in the RAM market before moving up to 3200 MHz options for gamers and enthusiasts.

The A100 is the first GPU based on NVIDIA's state-of-the-art Ampere architecture. It is available in NVLink and (as of today) PCIe-enabled cards intended for high-performance computing (HPC) use cases. Its maker has also announced details on over 50 new servers based on these new graphics solutions.

The Redmi 8's long-awaited successor launched in Spain as a device with 3 or 4GB of RAM. However, the noted tipster Ishan Agarwal now claims that some of its China-only SKUs will go up to 6GB. Furthermore, some others will have 128GB of internal storage, whereas its current European units have half that at best.

Some upcoming variants to the Samsung Galaxy Tab line of premium slates are currently believed to have a markedly large battery capacity. This spec might help them earn their rumored 'Plus' moniker. A leaker has posted new images, allegedly taken by official regulators, that may confirm this theory.

The Motorola Razr was announced in 2019 as the first foldable clamshell phone on the market. Therefore, the OEM set its price at US$1499.99 on its launch. Those who find this outlay for a phone powered by the Snapdragon 710 SoC off-putting may be interested to know that it has a special reduced price on its US website until June 21, 2020.

The Find X2 phones are OPPO's premium, Snapdragon 865-powered flagships for 2020. The OEM has launched it in India. However, it appears the country only gets the vanilla variant, which has 12GB of RAM, 256GB of internal storage and is priced at INR 64,990 (~US$853).

Samsung's highest-end tablet series is thought to branch into additional Plus versions for its late-2020 generation. More evidence of this has allegedly leaked onto Geekbench 4. They show what may be Tab S7 and S7+ variants with the same amount of RAM and running on the Snapdragon 865 processor.

A start-up called Brandeis has put its inaugural smartphone, the Prometheus, up for crowdfunding. It purports to offer a Snapdragon 865 SoC, 16GB of RAM, a uniquely-shaped QHD OLED screen and a 108MP main camera for as little as US$499. But is it just too good to be true?

The ZenBook UXn25 series is a compelling line of Thunderbolt 3-enabled ultrabooks, although you'd hardly know it from Asus' press releases thus far. Accordingly, its 13-inch variant has sneaked its way onto the OEM's Bulgarian website. It has also been spotted on various retail sites throughout Europe.

LG has announced the latest model in its line of CineBeam projectors. The PH30N is rated for images of up to 100 inches from 10.8 feet away. It has also been designed to be light and portable so as to generate a theater-like experience in various settings.

Sony has announced its latest line of BRAVIA monitors directed at professional environments and use-cases. This BZ40H series has many attributes from this OEM's high-end TVs, as well as Ethernet connectivity in order to set up its own WLAN/WWAN. They also feature an Android Pie (9.0)-based OS with various on-board wireless options.

The new Basix Pro Wireless Power Bank from Aukey has an innovative design, in that it combines the ability to act as a phone stand in addition to the function that gives it its name. It does so by integrating a kickstand into its slim 10000mAh form factor. The bank also has a USB type C port for relatively higher Power Delivery speeds.

The Galaxy M30s was a considerable success for Samsung in 2019. Now, it appears the OEM may be looking to replicate its success this year. Some evidence of a device that may conform to this description has surfaced on a benchmarking website.

The Lamborghini Edition of the OPPO Find X2 Pro is a version of this phone with an appropriately car marque-themed finish and accessories. It has been released onto the German market via this country's Amazon site. It is in apparently extremely limited supply, but is available to order now.

Google has started the Android 11 beta program. This initial preview ROM should contain changes such as notification bubbles, enhanced permission controls and wireless ADB debugging. It is compatible with newer Pixel-series devices, although other OEMs have announced some of their phones will also get this beta soon.

Asus is currently said to introduce its third-gen ROG Phone in or around early July 2020. A new leak suggests this event may fall sooner in this time-frame rather than later. It concerns a new document that indicates the mobile-gaming device has been approved for sale in Russia.