Month: September 2020

Intel launches two new Comet Lake-H processors.

Meet Intel Core i7-10870H and Core i5-10200H

There were no official announcements, but Intel has added two SKUs to the Comet Lake-H lineup. A fourth 8-core high-end processor has been launched according to Intel’s own website.

Interestingly, the processor was allegedly launched due to supply issues of the higher-end model, the Core i7-10875H. This processor is very popular among high-end gaming notebooks. After all, this is the fastest Core i7 processor in the lineup.

Compared to the 10875H, the 10870H offers a 100 MHz lower base clock. This does not sound like a huge difference, but it might be something worth considering as many enthusiasts are often encouraged to disable Intel Turbo. This is due to the fact that turbo does not provide significant performance improvement, but it comes at the cost of much higher temperatures.

On Reddit, the Schenker XMG team today announced the upcoming supply issues of the higher-end CPU model (10870H). It’s worth noting that XMG laptops (Neo 15/17) should not see supply issue for the next 2-3 months:

[…] there is a CPU supply bottleneck on i7-10875H on the horizon. This situation is similar to the Desktop space where the Intel Core i9-10900K is out-of-stock everywhere and is being replaced in most sales channels by the new Intel Core i9-10850K which has almost the same performance (same cores, threads, cache etc.) but 0.1GHz lower clock rating. […]

Meanwhile, we seem to have secured enough CPU supply so we can continue to deliver i7-10875H in XMG NEO for the next 2~3 months. Not sure yet what happens after this, we’ll see.

XMG Schenker announcement on Reddit

Additionally, Intel also launched a new quad-core CPU, which is the slowest processor in the ‘H mobile Series’ – the Core i5-10200H. This CPU has a 100 MHz lower base clock than 10300H and a 400 MHz lower turbo clock.

Apple is lining up its next flagship with the upcoming iPhone 12, but despite news of an improved A14 processor giving the innards an overhaul with a 15% boost in performance, and 30% less power draw, the chassis leaves a lot to be desired. 

Still touting the candybar design, and a sizeable notch, not a lot has changed with Apple’s aesthetic, but its classic form factor is beginning to look outdated compared to Android competitors, and Samsung’s plans for its own future flagships will either force Apple to rethink its approach, or see it left in the dust.

Samsung made waves with the Galaxy Fold last year, despite some major teething problems, and followed up with the Galaxy Z Flip clamshell, which did away with the issues that plagued its predecessor. 

The company has just unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 2, with the foldable ‘Z’ branding taking centre stage, representing Samsung’s “commitment to expanding the category to offer a variety of experiences.” 

But it looks like that commitment will see Samsung’s foldables take precedent as the Korean tech giant’s new flagship, pushing aside the S and Note series. 

Noted Samsung leaker, Ice Universe, has indicated that the Galaxy S21 might not be as powerful as fans anticipate, adding that the Note and S Series won’t see specs on a par with Samsung’s future foldables; the next iteration of the Galaxy S20 and Note 20 won’t be as impressive, with the Z series becoming Samsung’s “true flaghip”.

Combined with some of the more elaborate smartphone designs that are emerging, like the LG Wing, Apple’s rectangular iPhones with their thick bezels and large notches are quickly slipping from iconic to archaic. 

Apple has filed foldable smartphone patents of its own, and may simply be perfecting its tech so it doesn’t run into the same problems Samsung faced; but either way, it needs to catch up soon before its iPhones are abandoned for more radical options from its competition.

There’s yet another OnePlus 8T leak today, and this time there’s a render of what the forthcoming Android phone will look like as well as the all-important specs.

This new OnePlus leak, however, is different from the recent outing of the 8T and 8T Pro, which was seemingly confirmed by the OnePlus website. The source, PriceBabain collaboration with reliable leaker @Onleaks, suggests that there’s no Pro version coming, contradicting what we heard just hours ago.

We’ll note that at least one rumor previously called into question the existence of the higher-specced OnePlus 8T Pro. Our theory? It may come down to availability, with the Pro only coming to certain regions. This wouldn’t be the first time that OnePlus has done this (the OnePlus 7T Pro didn’t launch immediately in the US).

The leak goes on to say that the OnePlus 8T will have a 6.55-inch 120Hz display – that’s the same size than the OnePlus 8 but with a snappier refresh rate. 

The included render suggests the display will be flat all the way to the edges, not curved as the OnePlus 8 models were. It’s a curious design downgrade, given the OnePlus 8T is meant to be a specced-up version of the OnePlus 8.

The unexpected design tweaks extend to the camera bump, which according to the images, is a chunky rectangular array at top right of the device, resembling the rear cameras on the Samsung Galaxy S20. Given the last few generations of OnePlus phone have had vertical and central camera strips, this again seems like another strange change.

It’s what’s inside that counts

Apparently the OnePlus 8T will have the same processor as the OnePlus 8: the Snapdragon 865. This is despite the existence of the superior Snapdragon 865 Plus. Given the OnePlus 7T had the Snapdragon 855 Plus, it seems curious the company wouldn’t opt for its 2020 equivalent.

There is some information provided that didn’t throw us for a curve ball. It’s said to have two storage options, one of which is 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, and the other which is 12GB / 256GB.

Similarly, the camera specs seems on-point. The leak suggests the phone will have a 48MP main, 16MP ultra-wide, 5MP macro and 2MP portrait snapper, with a 32MP selfie-cam. That’s a small step-up from the OnePlus 8, which had the same first two cameras but no portrait, a 2MP macro, and 16MP front-facing camera.

The battery will apparently be 4,500mAh, over 4,300mAh in the OnePlus 8, with a 65W charging speed which is faster than the 30W of the predecessor.

The OnePlus 8T, from the looks of things, is shaping up to be a minor upgrade, and maybe not the premium phone with a curved display you were expecting. But that could pay off is OnePlus is planning to position it as a more mid-range equivalent to the OnePlus 8. It’s a strange move, but maybe one that works in 2020.