ARM

A report on Weibo has revealed the Lenovo Legion smartphone racking up a huge score on AnTuTu in part thanks to its still apparently non-existent Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus processor. The score of 648,871 points puts the Lenovo Legion way beyond any of the average scores of devices in the Snapdragon 865-dominated AnTuTu flagship performance chart.

Apple is planning to equip all 2021 MacBooks with ARM-based CPUs designed in-house and it looks like this switch could also happen for GPUs. Currently, most AMD laptops come equipped with AMD dGPUs, but, starting with the 2021 MacBook models, we could see Apple solely using in-house GPUs derived from the A Bionic SoCs.

Initial benchmarks of the Huawei Kunpeng 920 ARM processor in a desktop PC do not seem to paint a rosy picture. This particular PC was powered by an 8C/8T Kunpeng 920 soldered onto a Huawei motherboard and running custom Chinese Linux distro called UOS. The Kunpeng 920 was originally designed with server applications in mind, and it looks to be an indication of China's ongoing efforts to reduce reliance on major CPU players such as Intel and AMD.

The Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite are two-years-old now and have both received two major OS updates. While owners of the phones may reserve some hope over their prospects of getting Android 11, new information clarifies that such hopes are pointless.

The Redmi 8 has received yet another price increase in India, bringing the total to four price hikes in that market since it was released in October 2019. While one of the hikes was due to the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the other three increases for the Redmi 8 suggest that Xiaomi is milking the smartphone’s incredible popularity.

An alleged roadmap was posted on the Mi Community forums detailing Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4 rollout of the MIUI 12 stable ROM in China. While this does list all the Xiaomi and Redmi devices likely to be covered in each phase, it does not indicate any definite timeline. Interestingly, this roadmap also includes older devices such as the Redmi 4X and the Redmi Note 4X.

Nine months after release, the Redmi Note 8 is yet to receive a major OS update, even though the Redmi Note 8 Pro got its Android 10 update months ago. That is set to change, however, with new information giving Redmi Note 8 owners around the world an idea of when the Android 10 update will finally arrive.

The smart-glasses company Vuzix has announced that it has 3C certification for its M400 model. Therefore, it may now target the market in question with this IP67-rated, drop-resistant smart viewer. As with many other products in this category, it is directed at professional and industrial applications.

A post on Weibo by Redmi boss Lu Weibing has sparked speculation that either Xiaomi or Redmi is planning on releasing a small phone. A small-screen flagship variant of the rumored Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 was suggested by many of his post’s commentators. Weibing shared an image showing a size comparison of the Apple iPhone 4 and Redmi Note 8.

Microsoft’s hardware chief Panos Panay has taken to Twitter to once again tease the Surface Duo ahead of its impending launch. The device in Panay’s hands features a clear and white plastic case which is the first time it has been shown in any protective armor.

Huawei is now expanding its EMUI 10.1 rollout. The company is currently sending out the EMUI 10.1 update to owners of the Mate 20 X 5G in Europe, as well as owners of the P30 and P30 Pro in South Africa, North Africa, South-East Asia, and the Middle East.

The Meizu 17 Pro has managed to squeeze its way into an increasingly tight AnTuTu flagship smartphone performance chart. The table for June shows the Meizu 17 Pro beating out the OnePlus 8 Pro, while a total of just 23,453 points separates the first place device with the last place device in the Snapdragon 865-dominated chart.

A potent combination of Redmi and MediaTek has made some waves at the top of the latest AnTuTu midrange smartphone performance chart. Both the Redmi 10X Pro 5G and Redmi 10X 5G devices have snatched up first and third places, respectively, with the help of their MediaTek Dimensity 820 processors.

An anomalous Geekbench 5 listing of a Xiaomi Redmi K30 shows scores that are many times more than even a Ryzen 9 3950X. The fact that such a record exists in the official Geekbench database is the reason why buyers should exercise due diligence when considering synthetic benchmarks as a sole yardstick for overall device performance.

Motorola has started the global rollout of its new mid-range Fusion+ and Fusion smartphones. The new smartphones will appeal to value hunters looking for a good balance of price and performance.

The Xiaomi Mi TV Stick appears to be getting closer to an official launch, as details about the gadget have been appearing via Geekbench, Google Play Console, and on official Google certification. It is the 1080p (FHD) Mi TV Stick model that has been spotted recently, although there is evidence of a 4K (UHD) device too.

The Mi 10 Pro has earned plenty of positive reviews for its excellent rear cameras and audio performance, as well as for being competitive across the board. It would seem, however, that the phone has one major weakness, and one that may be a dealbreaker for some in the social media era.

A project has transformed the Raspberry Pi, some LEGO, an Arduino and a few other components into a working microscope. Presented by IBM Research, the project can deliver results that are accurate enough for reports, papers and presentations.

A project has transformed the Raspberry Pi into a portable synthesizer. Called the nanoPi, the project utilizes a Raspberry Pi Zero W, a KORG nanoKEY and FluidSynth.

Google has officially discontinued the mid-range Pixel 3a and 3a XL smartphones. The news comes ahead of what is expected to be the imminent launch of the single replacement device, the Pixel 4a.

Xiaomi has issued an important warning about the Redmi Note 8 Pro in regard to the current MIUI 12 global stable beta update rollout. The Chinese OEM is concerned that Redmi Note 8 Pro owners who are not part of the Mi Pilot program may damage their smartphones by installing the MIUI 12 update via another unofficial route.

The 2021 iPhone SE might continue sporting the same A13 Bionic SoC as the current iteration, according to information from known leaker Mauri QHD. This makes perfect sense as the A13 is a pretty powerful chip and gets hardly pushed in the iPhone SE. The 2021 iPhone SE is also expected to sport an design similar to the iPhone 8, but that is not clear at the moment.

The NanoPi NEO3 is another small single-board computer (SBC) produced by FriendlyELEC. The NEO3 includes a quad-core ARM processor, up to 2 GB of RAM, Gigabit Ethernet and a microSD card reader.

Geekbench has presented a possible upgraded Microsoft Surface Pro X. Paired with 16 GB of RAM, the device appears to be based on Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 8cx Plus chipset. The mystery device is running Windows 10 Enterprise 64-bit too.

It turns out that the Apple Developer Transition Kit and the A12Z Bionic stand up well against the Microsoft SQ1 in the Surface Pro X too. With both powered by eight-core custom ARM chips, the Transition Kit has the edge in single-core performance, while the Surface Pro X wins out in multi-core work.

The project was slightly delayed by the pandemic, but it is now up on Kickstarter offering the tablet for just under US$200, along with a microSD card and cables for the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3+ Lite. The tablet itself integrates an 8-inch IPS touchscreen with 1280 x 800 resolution and even features an attachable handle that acts as a stand.

After sending out stable MIUI 12 updates to its premium phones, Xiaomi has now set its sights towards the mid-range. MIUI 12 is now in the second round of seeding, beginning with the Redmi Note 8 Pro—which has now received a limited global beta build with the designation "MIUI 12.0.0.4 QGGMIXM".

The Xiaomi TV Master Series has only just been announced, with a 65-inch 120 Hz OLED making up the range so far. Now some specs for the upcoming smart TV have been leaked by a Xiaomi manager on Weibo. The Xiaomi TV Master will apparently offer users HDMI 2.1, MEMC image-smoothing technology, variable refresh rate (VRR), and much more.

The Redmi K30 duo was launched six months ago, which means it's about time we got a successor to the phones. New information has now surfaced about the upcoming Redmi K40, with notable takeaways including battery capacity, display design/features, and main camera specifications.

Facebook’s Reality Labs has teased a working prototype of a VR ‘headset’ that shrinks the technology down into something akin to a pair of sunglasses. To make this possible, Facebook’s researchers have combined holographic optics and polarization-based optical folding which would replace the traditional refractive lens approach.

Xiaomi has now started rolling out Android 10 to its last-gen Redmi series, beginning with the Redmi 8 in China. The Android 10 update for the Redmi 8 is based on MIUI 11 and carries the build number "MIUI 11.0.1.0 QCNCNXM". It weighs 2.0 GB and doubles up as the June security patch.

MediaTek has unveiled two new gaming-centric chips for entry-level smartphones. The Helio G35 and Helio G25 come with eight Cortex-A53 cores, a PowerVR GE8320 GPU, and support for MediaTek's HyperEngine technology. The former will allegedly make its debut alongside the Realme C11, while the latter will be featured in the Redmi 9A.

The first Geekbench 5 results of the Apple Mac Mini Developer Transition Kit (DTK) powered by the A12Z Bionic running macOS 11 Big Sur Developer Beta 1 have surfaced despite Apple's developer NDA being in force. The benchmark is running under a Rosetta 2 emulation and the performance deficit, though significant compared to the Core i5 MacBook Air 2020 and the iPad Pro, is understandable and in many ways, encouraging.

The first indications of an RDNA3-based Navi 31 GPU have surfaced in the macOS 11 Big Sur Developer Beta 1 driver code. The driver also contains references to upcoming AMD APUs such as Van Gogh and Cezanne along with HPC accelerators such as the MI100 and M200. With the MI200, AMD could be looking at a multi-chip module (MCM) approach and that could trickle down to Navi 31 as well.

2020 flagships have been incredibly expensive, in part due to the high cost of the Snapdragon 865. It seems things aren't going to get any better either, as new information claims the Snapdragon 875 will be over 50% costlier than the already pricey Snapdragon 865.

Apple could be working on an iPhone prototype running a full-fledged macOS, according to insider information cited by Mauri QHD. While there is no way to confirm this, such a possibility is not a distant dream given that Apple has begun transitioning its entire lineup to ARM. If this news is indeed true, it remains to be seen how effective would be its implementation considering that previous such attempts by competitors haven't been too successful.

Astell & Kern has taken the wraps off its latest high-end portable audio play and it comes with a unique twist. Instead of having a single high-quality DAC, the new A&futura SE200 comes with two high-end DACs from different manufacturers for a higher level of customization.

Specifications for a possible 5G variant of the Redmi Note 9 smartphone have been shared on Chinese social media. It’s rumored the device will sport an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G and boast of a 120 Hz display. However, it’s believed the Redmi Note 9 5G might end up being a China-only release.
Update: It seems one leaker was referring to the iQOO Z1x.

Apple Glass looks like it could be many different things if a series of Apple patents points to what is in store. Rather than focusing entirely on an augmented reality experience, Apple Glass could offer different functionality according to the task at hand thanks to modular componentry.

Huawei is now sending out the EMUI 10 update to P20 Pro and Mate 10 Pro around the world. The update is rolling out to owners in the UK, rest of Europe, and South America. This means that all Mate 10 Pro and P20 Pro models should be receiving the update. Bar, of course, the North American Mate 10 Pro, BLA-A09.

Xiaomi's Redmi A series typically offers some of the best-selling smartphones in the world every year, and the company is set to launch the next device in the lineup. The Redmi 9A will succeed the Redmi 8A, and details of the phone have now been revealed.

Lightweight case, very long battery runtime, and integrated LTE: You should have a closer look at the Samsung Galaxy Book S if you are looking for a mobile companion and you do not want to rely on public Wi-Fi networks. You should definitely be aware of the limitation to 32-bit apps before you buy the notebook.

Qualcomm will reportedly unveil the Snapdragon 865 Plus sometime in July, according to a Weibo post by Ice Universe. The chip is expected to make its debut alongside the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Galaxy Fold 2, and the ASUS ROG Phone 3. It is billed to power most flagships released in the latter half of 2020 as well.

According to new reports, Samsung is working on a new phone, the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition. The phone is said to be slated for a October launch, after the release of the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Fold 2, and will be a more affordable Galaxy S20 offering.

Apple made waves at its 2020 WWDC when it confirmed that Macs were to be powered by non-Intel SoCs going forward. This transition may have many advantages for the company, not to mention the PCs involved. However, self-professed Intel expert François Piednoël claims that there were other reasons for this move.

Most of the newly-leaked specs seem very similar to the non-5G version, except for the SoC that is now supposed to be a Snapdragon 865 Plus. The leaker also seems to be confusing the selfie cam with one of the rear sensors, so the accuracy of this leak is a bit dubious.

Xiaomi has now launched its latest budget phone, the Redmi 9, in China. The phone delivers an impressive feature list, including five cameras in total, a MediaTek Helio G80, a 5020 mAh battery, and a FHD+ display. Starting at just over US$100, the Redmi 9 appears to be a solid upgrade on last year's Redmi 8.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8T are now receiving new updates. No, the updates don't bring Android 10 to the phones, but that isn't far away either as Xiaomi is expected to begin the Android 10 rollout after fixing the bugs it discovered in an early firmware.

Xiaomi has been slashing the price of its Mi 10 flagship smartphone again as a special Dragon Boat Festival offer. Three RAM + storage variants have been reduced during the holiday period, by 200-300 yuan depending on the model (US$28-US$42). The offer is expected to start on June 25, but unfortunately it is only for the Chinese market.

A simple project has demonstrated how to utilise a Raspberry Pi as an Ethernet bridge for the Nintendo Switch. The project can yield dramatic improvements in internet performance and may reduce online multiplayer lag too.