Month: September 2020

The iPhone 12 is possibly (although unlikely) only hours away from being unveiled, but whenever it finally arrives it seems its screen won’t be as good as we hoped. According to noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via MacRumors), Apple’s new iPhone will have a 60Hz refresh rate, not 120Hz.

That would make it inferior in terms of display response and smoothness compared to the Samsung Galaxy S20, Note 20, the OnePlus 8 Pro and a handful of other high-end Android handsets.

A higher refresh rate makes fast-moving images like gaming and action movies look smoother. The iPhone 12 range was expected to have a variable refresh rate, meaning it could switch from the standard 60Hz to 120Hz as required. This was expected to feature on at least the pricier model(s) of iPhone 12. But if Kuo is correct, none of the new iPhones will have this ability.

Kuo reckons the feature won’t come to iPhones until 2021.

In the same research note, Kuo says that the 5.4in iPhone 12 will have a slightly narrower notch in order to adequately show info at the top of the screen like signal strength and the time. The other iPhone 12s, he adds, will have the same size notches as the iPhone 11 range.

There’s a chance we will see the iPhone 12 revealed today, although some industry watchers have poured doubt on that, saying that Apple’s Time Flies event will focus on the new Apple Watch and iPad Air instead.

Microsoft has launched dedicated webpages for both the Xbox Series X and its little sibling, the Xbox Series S. 

The difference in marketing language is stark, billing the Series X as “the fastest, most powerful Xbox ever” while pitching the Series S as packing “next-gen performance in the smallest Xbox ever” and calling it “the best value in gaming.” In creating two distinct pages for each console, Microsoft seems to be differentiating between the two consoles in an effort to clear up any confusion surrounding its next-gen hardware strategy.

The two updated pages for Microsoft’s next-gen consoles share a lot of similar language about Game Pass, the new controller, and some of the new hardware innovations like 3d audio and the storage expansion card. But it’s the big bold messaging at the top Microsoft wants you to hear: The Xbox Series X is the massive, powerful brute you need if you want the best of the best, and the Series S is the cute, compact alternative if you’re budget-minded and don’t care about 4K.

For the uninitiated, the Xbox Series S is Microsoft’s smaller, less powerful, all-digital next-gen console. While the Xbox Series X runs games in 4K resolution, the Series S caps out at 1440p. The Series S also has less internal storage and generally doesn’t match up to its bigger sibling in power, but will only cost you $299 / £249.99 compared to the Series X at $499 / £449.99. Regardless of which console you choose, rest assured in knowing that both will play all of Microsoft’s next-gen games.

South Korean tech firm LG has unveiled a smartphone with a larger screen which swivels out to reveal a second, smaller one underneath.

The Wing’s second screen can either act independently of the larger screen while it is displaying a film, for example, or can complement it as a controller for gaming and media.

However, some of this functionality relies on using pre-installed browsers.

One expert said it was one of the “more radical designs” he had seen.

“It’s a very tricky design to evaluate without using it – it is reminiscent of some of the designs we saw from Japan back in the late 2000s,” Ben Wood from the consultancy CCS Insight said, noting it was unlike any of the folding-screen designs that several of LG’s rivals have recently focused on.

“You have to applaud LG for experimenting. Ultimately it will be up to consumers to decide whether its an approach that works.”

The 5G device also has three cameras on the back and a fourth pop-up lens.

LG said the Wing phone would initially launch in South Korea next month.

North America and European launches would follow, it added, but the handset price has yet to be revealed.

The firm has taken some steps to reduce potential damage to the amount of moving hardware on the device.

The internal accelerometer, which monitors motion, detects if the smartphone is being dropped and the pop-up camera will retract if it is in use, LG says.

The hinge of the swivel screen is equipped with a hydraulic shock absorber, and the back of the main screen has a coating to prevent it scratching the smaller screen underneath.

LG claims the hinge is “still reliable” after 200,000 swivels, although it’s not clear how much time this would be likely to take.

The Chuwi Hi10x is, in our opinion, the best alternative to Microsoft’s Surface Go 2 – the recently released Windows-based tablet that goes head-to-head against the iPad with its 10.5-inch form factor.

The follow-up to the Chuwi Hi10 is a huge improvement on the original, which we reviewed it back in 2016, and makes for an enticing proposition indeed.

Including a capacitive stylus pen and original keyboard docking station, the Hi10X comes in at under $250 (£200/AU$350), which is still far lower than the 64GB version of the Surface Go 2 (which, as a reminder, comes without additional accessories).

For your money, you get a Gemini Lake-based Intel Celeron N4100 that is significantly faster than the Surface Go’s Pentium 4415Y (based on CPUBenchmark and Geekbench numbers).

The Hi10X also features a 10.1-inch Full HD display, 6GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD – twice the storage capacity of the Microsoft’s cheapest tablet. Using the keyboard dock makes the device thicker, but also provides two USB ports.

The Surface Go has a larger display size but a more petite footprint, which means the Chuwi device is slightly heavier. The camera sensors on Microsoft’s tablet also have a higher resolution, but the Hi10X has more connectors – including an HDMI port, which means you won’t need a docking station to connect up to a monitor.

Earlier this year, I was able to spend some time testing the Razer Blade 15 Advanced (2019) gaming laptop, featuring an RTX-2060 and an older Intel processor, and thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. For the past few weeks, I’ve been testing the 2020 version of the Blade 15 Advanced, with a 10th Gen Intel processor and an RTX-2080 Super w/Max-Q tuning. Razer Blade 15 Advanced (2020)

The updated internals have added to the overall cost of the Blade 15 Advanced, with the model I’ve been testing normally priced at $2,999 (however, it can be found on sale for $2,799).

Does the sum of the new parts justify the new cost? It depends. Let’s take a closer look.

Specs

Here are the specifications of the Razer Blade 15 Advanced I’ve been testing:
Model: Razer Blade 15 Advanced (RZ09-0330)

Display: 15.6-inch 300Hz FHD (1920×1080)

Processor: 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10875HK 2.3GHz (16M cache, 5.1GHz Max Turbo)

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q (8GB GDDR6)

Memory: 16GB 2933Mhz DDR4

OS: Windows 10 Home

Storage: 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD

Webcam: 720p

Ports: 1 x SD card reader, 1 x HDMI 2.0b, 3 x USB 3.1, 1 x USB Type-C, 1 x Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), 1 x 3.5mm headphone jack

Connectivity: WiFi 6 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.1

Dimensions: 13.98 x 9.25 x 0.70-inches (WxDxH)

Weight: 4.73-pounds

Price: $2,799

The model I’ve been testing is the middle configuration. Other models include an RTX 2070 Super-equipped build with a 512GB SSD currently priced at $2,399 on the low end, while at the top of the pack you’re looking at $3,099 for a QLED 4K 60Hz touchscreen with the same specs as the model I tested.
Design

True to the company’s standard approach, the Blade 15 Advanced has a minimalist design. The black housing is broken up only by the bright green USB ports on either side, matching the color of the Razer logo on the lid. That same approach carries over to the inside, with a black keyboard that features white lettering to allow for the individually lit RGB keys to shine bright, along with an all-black trackpad, speakers on either side of the keyboard, and the power button.

If you like all black everything, then Razer’s traditional design aesthetic is made for you. It’s a look that I enjoy, even if it does feel a little boring when compared to some of the more colorful and geometric designs I’ve seen on gaming rigs.

The 15.6-inch 300Hz HD display has impressively thin bezels on either vertical side, with the top bezel slightly larger due to the Windows Hello compatible camera setup, and 720p webcam. Signing into the Razer is as simple as opening the lid and looking at the camera, thanks to the Hello integration.

On the left side of the deck is where you’ll find the charging port, two USB 3.1 ports, a USB C 3.2 Gen 2 port, and a 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo port. On the other side of the deck, you’ll find an SD card reader, a Thunderbolt 3 port, another USB 3.1 port, and an HDMI 2.0b port.

It’s a respectable mix of ports and connections for a gaming laptop, giving you plenty of options to connect most of your accessories to it without the need for a USB hub.

In total, the Razer Blade 15 Advanced looks and feels smaller than it should as a 15-inch laptop. It measures 13.98 x 9.25 x 0.70-inches and weighs 4.73-pounds.

Performance and Gaming

Inside the Blade 15 Advanced is a healthy list of components sure to make your mouth drool. Starting with the 8 core, 16 thread, 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10875H with a 2.3GHz base clock speed, and a max turbo of up to 5.1GHz. Combine that with the Nvidia RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q, 16GB of DDR4 2933MHz memory, and 1TB of NVMe SSD storage, and you have a well-rounded machine for work and play. Well, mostly play. This build will handle pretty much any kind of work you throw at it.

Speaking of what you can throw at it – I put the Blade 15 Advanced through its paces with IGN’s new suite of benchmarking tests. The Advanced did pretty well for itself – have a look at the results:

As you can see, it didn’t quite keep up with the MSI GE66 Raider, but that was to be expected. The Raider has an Intel Core i9-10980HK processor, while both the Blade Advanced and the Acer Predator Triton 500 have an Intel Core i7-10750H. All three models were equipped with a RTX-2080 Super with Max-Q tuning.

As for real world use, the Blade 15 Advanced and its 300Hz display were a joy to game on. I played a great deal of Warzone during my time testing, as well as falling into the Fall Guys gaming trap for a few days. That’s a lightweight game that most PCs can handle without issue, so I won’t opine about that experience.

Instead, I can say that playing Warzone was smooth and responsive, with an average frame rate of 106 with RTX enabled. I got that number by using Xbox Game Bar to monitor the fps rates, jotting down random 60-second averages, and then averaging those readings.

That compares less than favorably to the GE66 Raider’s average of 133fps, but I’m not sure I could truly tell a difference. Obviously 106fps doesn’t come anywhere close to taking full advantage of the 300Hz display, but it’s quick and crisp and plenty enjoyable to play.

Those numbers are with every setting on high, at 1080p. You can surely finesse them with some tweaked settings to get a higher FPS if you want to push it.

When testing previous Razer laptops, the housing near the hinge has always gotten warm, if not downright hot. With the Blade Advanced’s vapor chamber cooling, however, the housing only ever got to what I’d call the “warm” phase. It really did make a difference.

The keyboard keys don’t have a lot of travel, nor do they have a mechanical feel and click, but they offer a solid mix of a feeling that’s both easy to type on and good to game on.

The stereo speakers offer plenty of volume and depth, overpowering the fans as they spun up during extended gaming sessions. Music and Twitch streams had plenty of range, as well.

As for storage, I was able to install my standard lineup of testing, benchmarking apps and games, and still have some room left over on the 1TB drive.
Battery Life

One of my favorite parts about testing more recent Razer laptops is the ridiculous battery life they come with. IGN recently reworked our battery benchmark testing, switching from a video on loop to PCMark 10’s Battery Test.

Running the test on the Blade Advanced, the battery powered through 6 hours and 14 minutes. Out of the handful of gaming laptops we’ve tested thus far, that’s good enough for second – with the Acer Nitro 5 lasting 9 hours and 40 minutes.

Both are equally impressive, given that battery life and gaming laptops are usually not two phrases you use in the same sentence; at least in a positive manner.
Software

The only pre-installed program I found on the Blade 15 Advanced after unboxing was Razer’s Synapse software. As is usually the case with Razer’s laptops, you won’t find any bloatware or anti-virus software here. Instead, you’ll find only the apps necessary to control key aspects of the laptop.

For example, Razer’s Synapse software is used to control lighting on your keyboard, connect to third-party services like Alexa, Philips Hue or Nanoleaf, and create profiles for your installed games.

Outside of Microsoft’s standard Candy Crush and a few other odds and ends that you can easily remove, that’s all you’ll find on the Razer Blade 15 Advanced. And for as much as you pay for this build, that’s exactly the way it should be.
Purchasing Guide

The Razer Blade 15 Advanced comes in three main variants: $2,399 for an RTX 2070 Super Max-Q GPU, 300Hz 1080p screen, and 512GB SSD; $2,899 for an RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, 300Hz 1080p screen, and 1TB SSD; and $3,199 for an RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, 4K OLED Touch display, and 1TB SSD. All three models have an 10th-gen Core i7-10875H CPU.

Verdict

If you’re absolutely in love with the Razer design and approach, then the Blade 15 Advanced is made for you. That said, there are other laptops, like the MSI GE66 Raider, that offer a little more power for around the same price.

Meet the new MAG B550 TORPEDO. For the 3rd Gen Ryzen processors & Ryzen 4000 G-series processors, the new MAG B550 TORPEDO motherboard is designed to be the best choice in its class.

 The MAG B550 TORPEDO has the same military theme as all the other members in the MAG family. The 10 Dual Rail Power System with smart power stages and the stunning extended heatsink allow the MAG B550 TORPEDO to stably supply the power needs for multi-core processors. It supports up to AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 16 cores processors.

Besides the heatsink on the power stage components, the MAG B550 TORPEDO also has the M.2 SHIELD FROZR that maintains the temperature of the PCI-E Gen 4 SSDs that it also supports. Support of the PCI-E Gen 4 graphics card is the next highlight of this motherboard. The PCI-Express signals are strengthen and protect against electromagnetic interference for stutter-free user experience by the steel Armor PCI-E slot. Be ready to enjoy the superior bandwidth with MSI lightning Gen4 solution. Lastly, both front and rear Type-C connectors are ready for the latest USB Type-C devices. 2.5G LAN with LAN manager provides gamers incredibly fast data transfer speeds and low latency connection to the internet. The pre-installed IO shield makes the build process even easier than before. None of the features that modern motherboards have is missing. It can be seen with half an eye that MAG B550 TORPEDO will lead players to dominate the battlefield and conquer the enemies.