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Intel has traditionally held the single-core performance crown for many generations. AMD did get close to Intel 9th gen Coffee Lake, but Comet Lake once again showed good leads in single-core and gaming. With Ryzen 5000 Zen 3, Intel may not be in a comfortable position any longer.

User /u/losh11 (@loshan1212) first posted CPU-Z results of the Ryzen 5 5600X on Reddit. The OP had since deleted the post, but the results were shared quickly to other subreddits. CPU-Z screenshots and product packaging of the Ryzen 5 5600X were subsequently reposted by @GawroskiT on Twitter.

In the CPU-Z single-thread benchmark, the Ryzen 5 5600X scored 643 points leading the Core i9-10900K by 10% and the Core i7-10700K by 15%. The Zen 3 processor also seems to be 23.4% faster than a Ryzen 9 3900X in single-core, which shows that AMD is leaving no stone unturned in the quest to extract the maximum possible peak performance from the new architecture.

The Ryzen 5 5600X seems to be no slouch in the multi-core either with the processor amassing 4,814 points — 12% faster than the Core i5-10600KF and 14% faster than the Ryzen 5 3600XT.

This is not the first demonstration of AMD’s new found single-core leads, though. Previously, we saw the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and the Ryzen 5 5600X posting impressive single-core results beating Intel’s flagship Core i9-10900K by a significant margin.

While it is always advisable to wait for final reviews before coming to conclusions, these initial scores do indicate that AMD may have a definite winner on their hands with Zen 3 that does not compromise either in single-core or multi-core workloads.

The Dell XPS 13 is the best laptop on the market, but its success has caused the XPS 13 2-in-1 to be somewhat overshadowed. It doesn’t help that early versions of the laptop/tablet hybrid suffered from poor battery life and a clunky chassis. The 2020 model, however, should help the XPS 13 2-in-1 step out of the shadows of its sibling and into the spotlight. 

The new XPS 13 2-in-1 is without question among the best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy. That shouldn’t come as a surprise. Dell smartly used the XPS 13 as a blueprint for the XPS 13 2-in-1, an almost identical laptop, but with the ability to transform into a tablet. 

New features to this year’s edition make the XPS 13 2-in-1 more appealing than before. Intel’s 11th Gen Tiger Lake CPUs with Iris Xe Graphics deliver a solid performance and graphics boost from the previous chips. The XPS 13 2-in-1 also received a quality-of-life improvement in the way of an IR camera, so you can stop typing in passwords. And although the design is unchanged, a new Frost lid matches the white color option. 

There are still a few shortcomings you should consider before buying the XPS 13 2-in-1, like its shallow keyboard and lack of legacy ports. However, with a bright 13.4-inch screen, long battery life and stunning design, the XPS 13 2-in-1 makes it hard for us to recommend anything else. 

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1: Price and configuration options

The XPS 13 2-in-1 starts at $1,078 for a base model with an Intel 11th Gen Core i3-1115G4 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. 

We recommend upgrading to a Core i5-1135G7 model, which gets you Iris Xe Graphics for $1,225. I would personally spend $1,421 to double RAM to 16GB and storage to 512GB SSD if your budget allows for those upgrades. Our $1,617 review unit has those same specs but uses an upgraded Core i7-1165G7 CPU. 

Photo and video editors needing the best picture can spend $1,912 on a 4K model with a Core i7-1165G7 CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Alternatively, you can customize the aforementioned models to have a 4K display, but it’ll cost you an extra $294. 

Splurging on the top-end model will set you back $2,205 but the upgrades include a 4K display, a Core i7-1165G7 CPU (with Iris Xe graphics), 32GB of RAM and a 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD. 

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1: Design

The XPS 13 2-in-1 was given a full-blown makeover last year. This year, it receives some makeup and a few accessories. 

Almost identical to the previous model, the XPS 13 2-in-1 has a sleek aluminum design with modern elements. You don’t get the four-sided bezels on the clamshell model, but the convertible still has thin display borders, resulting in a screen-to-body ratio of 84.9%.

The build quality is superb. Dell took painstaking measures to make the XPS 13 2-in-1 feel as premium as it looks. To that end, the XPS is CNC cut from two blocks of aluminum then bonded with Corning Gorilla Glass 6 for extra durability. Diamond-cut edges with a brushed finish give the convertible luxurious accents and the chrome Dell logo on the lid mirrors XPS branding underneath. 

The only change made to the 2020 edition is a new Frost aluminum lid, which compliments the Arctic White palm rest better than the previous Platinum Silver tone. If only wish Dell had sent me that color so I could marvel at the contrast. Fortunately, I’ve seen the Frost lid in person on the XPS 13, and it’s gorgeous. 

And let me ease any fears from you neatniks out there; the interior surfaces are covered in a stain-resistant coating to prevent them from yellowing or staining. I don’t dare test this with my morning Starbucks but the lack of complaints online is reassuring. Traditionalists can opt for the Platinum Silver model with a black carbon fiber palm rest. It looks stylish, if a bit stale. 

Of course, the main advantage the XPS 13 2-in-1 has over its clamshell sibling is the ability to convert into a tablet. You can also position the laptop in tent mode or fold the keyboard away when you’re watching shows and movies. The hinge has just the right amount of resistance; the screen doesn’t wobble when I tap on it yet rotating the display back doesn’t take much effort.

What impressed me most about the XPS 13 2-in-1’s design is how thin the base is. It is nearly the same thickness as the lid. As a result, the convertible is only 11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches and 2.9 pounds, which is thinner (but slightly heavier) than the HP Spectre x360 13 (12.1 x 7.7 x 0.7 inches, 2.7 pounds) and more compact than the Lenovo Yoga C940 (12.6 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches, 3 pounds). Its clamshell sibling, the Dell XPS 13, has an even smaller footprint (11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches, 2.8 pounds).

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1: Security

On the carbon-fiber deck is a fingerprint sensor embedded in the top-right corner of the keyboard underneath a pair of silver hinges. 

Along with the new IR camera, the fingerprint scanner makes logging into the XPS 13 2-in-1 quicker and easier than ever before. Neither the IR camera nor fingerprint sensor were 100% reliable, but between the two of them, I was signed into the laptop quicker than I could type my password.

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1: Ports

No bezels equals fewer ports. This calculation almost always proves true and it certainly does with the XPS 13 2-in-1. 

On the right side of the laptop are a Thunderbolt 4 port and a headphone jack. Flip over to the left side and you’ll find a second Thunderbolt 4 input alongside a MicroSD card slot. It doesn’t replace having on-board legacy ports, but Dell does include a USB-C-to-USB-A dongle in the box.

I know, another charging input to add to the long and confusing list. This one isn’t so bad. In short, Thunderbolt 4 is identical to Thunderbolt 3 except that it supports two 4K monitors and at least one port must be used for charging thin-and-lightweight laptops. Maximum data transfer speeds remain at 40GBps but can now be achieved using a 2 meter-long cable. 

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1: Display

You can upgrade to a 4K screen, but I’m perfectly happy with the 13.4-inch, 1920 x 1200-pixel panel on our XPS 13 2-in-1 unit. 

The FHD+ screen with a 16:10 aspect ratio looks great. Although it isn’t the most colorful on paper, my eyes feasted on a vibrant, crisp and bright panel as I watched videos and browsed the web. The screen is so sharp that I could see each cigarette butt sticking out of the mouth of a skeleton in the trailer for The Kings Man. Even the grain of the darkened wood bunker panels was visible in a freeze frame. The colors were also rich; each of the commander’s ribbons popped off his dark uniform and the golden Aiguillette trimmed his attire. 

Our lab results surprised me. According to our colorimeter, the XPS 13 2-in-1’s display covers only 70% of the DCI-P3color gamut, making it less vivid than the panels on the Spectre x360 13 (77%), Yoga C940 (74%), XPS 13 (81%) and the premium laptop average (83%). 

That doesn’t tell the whole story. The XPS 13 2-in-1 rebounded by outshining the competition with a peak brightness of 488 nits. The XPS 13 was the closest, hitting 471 nits, while the Spectre x360 (369 nits) and Yoga C940 (339 nits) weren’t nearly as bright. The premium laptop average is 386 nits.

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1: Keyboard and touchpad

Oh no, I’m getting flashbacks of typing on Apple’s doomed Butterfly keyboard. 

Unlike the traditional keys on the XPS 13, the XPS 13 2-in-1 has a Maglev keyboard that feels eerily similar to the now-extinct Butterfly keyboard. The keys have practically no travel — they barely descend before actuating, which creates the feeling of tapping on a flat surface. Bottoming out is inevitable and these magnet-driven keys are rather loud compared to traditional spring-operated ones. 

While not the most comfortable to type on, the backlit keyboard spans from one edge of the deck to the other, resulting in keys that are large enough for big hands. My chubby sausage fingers never hit more than one key at a time, and the wide spacing between each letter helped with accuracy.

The generous spacing also prevented me from tapping the power button inconveniently positioned in the top-right corner of the keyboard. Why so much hatred with this placement? I will direct you to my rant on power button positioning before I get heated. 

As a speedy typer, I appreciate how little force is needed to actuate each key. I typed at 114 words per minute with a 96% accuracy on the 10fastfingers.com typing test, which is about as fast and accurate as my usual 119-wpm at 95% accuracy averages.

The comfort of a keyboard is subjective. I prefer keys with more travel and springier feedback than those on the XPS 13 2-in-1. The keyboard is fine for when you’re traveling, but I’d switch to a proper gaming keyboard or a wireless solution (like Lenovo’s ThinkPad TrackPoint Keyboard II) in the office or at home. 

The massive 4.4 x 2.6-inch touchpad is one of the best I’ve used. The silky surface feels great against my fingers, and it quickly executed Windows 10 gestures, like three-finger swipe to switch apps and two-finger scrolling.

Dell doesn’t include a stylus with the XPS 13 2-in-1 so you’ll need to spend an extra $99 on the Premium Active Pen to get the most out of the touchscreen.

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1: Audio

The stereo speakers on the XPS 13 2-in-1 push sound out from grilles in the sides of the chassis. As a result, your mileage will vary based on how the laptop is positioned. 

As a clamshell laptop, the dual speakers were loud enough to be heard throughout my townhouse. But when I listened to Jessie Reyez’s “Apple Juice” in laptop mode on a desk, the vocals were slightly muffled and the treble sounded sharp. Flipping the laptop into tent mode improved the audio considerably; the midrange was more crisp and the subtle bass sounded refined. 

The sound certainly isn’t bad in clamshell mode but it goes from fine to very good when music isn’t being absorbed by a surface. 

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1: Performance

An Intel EVO-certified laptop, the XPS 13 2-in-1 is armed with 11th Gen (Tiger lake) Intel Core processors and Iris Xe graphics. Our review unit, outfitted with an Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU and 16GB of RAM, handled a heavy workload with ease.

I loaded 20 Google Chrome tabs, which included my favorite tech websites along with more demanding pages, like YouTube and Twitch. Despite multiple videos and streams playing simultaneously, the XPS 13 2-in-1 had no problems launching new pages with photos and graphics rendering almost instantly.

The XPS 13 2-in-1 impressed on our benchmark tests, crushing the competition in most categories thanks to the new 11th Gen chips. On the Geekbench 5 overall performance test, the XPS 13 2-in-1 scored a 5,571, which is significantly more than what the Spectre x360 13 (4,074, Core i7-1065G7), Yoga C940 (4,074, Core i7-1065G7) achieved, and a notch above the XPS 13 (5,254, Core i7-1165G7). The category average on this test is 4,115.

It took 15 minutes and 52 seconds for the XPS 13 2-in-1 to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution using the Handbrake app. The XPS 13 (15:40) crossed the finish line a few seconds earlier but the Yoga C940 (19:32), Spectre x360 13 (21:13) and the average premium laptop (18:14) needed more time.

With a score of 659 on the Puget Photoshop benchmark, the XPS 13 2-in-1 topped the XPS 13 (588) and the category average (606).

The 512GB PCIe NVMe x4 SSD in the XPS 13 2-in-1 duplicated a 5GB multimedia file in 10 seconds for a transfer rate of 503.1 megabytes per second. That is quicker than the Spectre x360 13 (318.1 MBps, 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD) and the Yoga C940 (391.5 MBps, 512GB PCIe SSD) but a few paces behind the XPS 13 (642.5 MBps, 512GB M.2 PCie NVME SSD) and the 568.5 MBps category average.

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1: Graphics

This is a new era for integrated graphics. Previously only capable of playing less graphics-intensive titles at low frame rates, the new Iris Xe graphics are hyped by Intel to run some AAA games. 

Unfortunately, our graphics benchmarks tell a different tale. The XPS 13 2-in-1 played Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm at 21 frames per second, which is better than the XPS 13 (16 fps, Iris Xe) but short of the category average (27 fps) and our 30-fps playability threshold. 

Our synthetic benchmarks tell a more promising story. The XPS 13 2-in-1 hit 3,847 on the 3DMark Fire Strike test, topping the Spectre x360 13 (2,615, Iris Plus), Yoga C940 (2,138, Iris Plus), and XPS 13 (3,598) but falling short of the category average (5,393), which is inflated with scores from laptops with discrete GPUs.

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1: Battery life

Our primary complaint with the original XPS 13 2-in-1 was that its battery life lagged behind the competition. When Dell relaunched the convertible after a lengthy hiatus, the runtime issue had been properly addressed. 

The newest XPS 13 2-in-1 doesn’t move the needle, and that’s OK. The laptop endured for 10 hours and 52 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test (continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits), powering off 5 minutes before the 2019 model. 

The competition is fierce in this area so before making comparisons, I want to reiterate: 10:52 is an excellent runtime. That being said, the Spectre x360 13 (13:20), Yoga C940 (11:46) and XPS 13 (12:39) all outendured the XPS 13 2-in-1 even though it added an extra hour to the premium laptop average (9:52). 

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1: Webcam

The miniature (2.25-millimeter) 720p webcam located on the narrow bezels above the display takes grainy photos and videos. 

A selfie I snapped in my office was colorful but my disheveled beard was a collective brown blob instead of a nest of individual hair strands. The burnt-orange color in my Texas Longhorns hat would have made Bevo (our mascot) proud and I could make out the brown-to-transparent gradient in the frame of my glasses. 

I went outside on an overcast day, but the sunlight streaking through the clouds didn’t expunge the visual noise completely. I could see more details, like creases around my eyes, but the graininess remained. The photo wasn’t helped by the overexposed sky, which blended in with the top of my gray hat. 

My advice? Buy one of the best external webcams, like the Logitech HD Pro C920, once they go back in stock if you Skype, Zoom or Hangouts regularly. 

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1: Heat

Overheating can be an issue for ultrathin laptops, especially those made of metal. Fortunately, the XPS 13 2-in-1 has sufficient cooling even under a heavy workload. 

After playing a 15-minute, Full HD video in full-screen, the hottest part of the laptop, on the deck near the PrtSc key, warmed to only 92 degrees Fahrenheit, a few degrees below our comfort threshold. You won’t have problems typing or using the cursor as the keyboard peaked at 81 degrees and the touchpad reached 75 degrees. With the underside reaching 88 degrees, you can use the XPS 13 2-in-1 on your bare lap without any red marks forming. 

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1: Software and warranty

Dell doesn’t package its pre-installed software into one app as some vendors thankfully do, but it doesn’t overwhelm the XPS 13 2-in-1 with bloatware, either. And actually, most of what’s here is useful. 

Dell CinemaColor, for example, makes it easy to adjust the screen colors based on the content you’re viewing. The Animation preset ramps up the color vibrancy while Movie mode seems to emphasize details and color accuracy. There is also an Evening mode to give your eyes a break after a long day of staring at screens. 

Dell also launched its Cinema Guide app, which puts all your streaming subscriptions (Hulu, HBO, Disney+, Netflix, Prime Video, and more) in one place for you to easily access. Searching for a movie or TV show in the search bar shows you a “Where to watch” section that lists all your streaming options and how much you’ll pay to rent or buy. 

Utility apps include the self-explanatory Dell Customer Connect and Dell Power Manager. As an XPS 15 owner, Dell Update is the app I probably use the most. Here, you can install the latest BIOS and drivers to keep your laptop running smoothly. 

Third-party apps include Dolby Access, Killer Control Center (for Wi-Fi) and MaxxAudioPro for adjusting the speakers. You also get your typical Windows 10 programs, including Your Phone, Groove Music and the Snip & Sketch for taking screenshots. 

The XPS 13 2-in-1 comes with a one-year warranty. See how Dell fared on our Best and Worst Brands and Tech Support Showdown special reports.

Bottom line

I’ll keep this simple. The XPS 13 2-in-1 is an excellent 2-in-1 laptop. I’m not quite ready yet to declare it the best on the market, but it certainly earns a spot among top rivals, like the Spectre x360 13 and Yoga C940.

Largely unchanged from the previous model, the 2020 XPS 13 2-in-1 benefits from 11th Gen Intel Tiger Lake CPUs and accompanying Iris Xe graphics. The updated components result in class-leading performance for ultrathin laptops. Along with fast speeds, you get a bright 13.4-inch FHD+ display, long battery life and useful security features, including a fingerprint sensor and new IR camera. 

As is the case each year, what makes the XPS 13 2-in-1 stand out from the competition is its design and build quality. There are very few laptops with such a sleek yet premium chassis as the XPS 13 2-in-1. It exudes class and will make you better about the hefty fee you plunked down to buy one. 

That said, the XPS 13 2-in-1 isn’t perfect. If you need legacy ports, this isn’t the laptop for you. Instead, consider the Spectre x360 13, which uses a clever drop-jaw mechanism to fit USB Type-A ports in a slim chassis. And while it’s clicky, the Maglev keyboard on this 2-in-1 laptop is very shallow, and won’t be for everyone (myself included). 

But these shortcomings are easily overlooked for a laptop that nails the basics, and looks stunning doing so.

If you want a nice new shiny OLED TV, but you don’t want it to a) be massive and b) sound rotten, especially when you compare the quality of its sound to the quality of its pictures, you’ve been bang out of luck. Until now, that is.

Philips has stridden in where other TV brands apparently couldn’t be bothered to tread, and the result is the OLED+935. Oh, you can have a massive version if you want: the OLED+935 is available in both 55in and 65in screen sizes. But it’s also yours in a relatively titchy 48in version if you fancy – which is a much more realistic screen size for plenty of people. And regardless of the size you choose, the OLED+935 features an off-board (yet integrated) speaker array designed and specified by loudspeaker guru Bowers & Wilkins.

So suddenly, you’re covered. A small-ish OLED TV with sound quality to match the picture quality. Well, that’s the theory anyway.

DESIGN AND BUILD: DEEP AND MEANINGFUL

Like any worthwhile new TV, the OLED+935 looks ideal from the dead-ahead – basically, it’s all screen. There’s a staggeringly brief bezel holding it in place, of course, but it’s so narrow it may as well not be there at all once you’re sitting an appropriate distance away.

Viewed from the side, the Philips is as mildly disappointing as every other OLED TV you ever saw. OLED promises otherworldly slimness, doesn’t it? And it’s true, in some places OLED TVs are so slim it almost seems unfeasible – but then they all have to keep their inputs and outputs, their electronics and what-have-you somewhere. And that ‘somewhere’ generally turns out to be a bulge or an extrusion on the rear panel of the screen, which pretty much ruins the whole ‘super-slim’ vibe. And that’s the case here: in places, the OLED+935 is tremendously slim – but in practice, it’s 47mm deep. Which is, to be fair, hardly a catastrophe.

The bespoke Bowers & Wilkins soundbar also functions as a stand, if you’re not wall-mounting your new OLED+935. It attaches to the TV using a chunkily decorative bracket – and it, like the rest of the package, looks and feels solidly made and built to last. Unless you scour the bargain basement it’s hard to find a new TV that isn’t properly made these days – and the Philips OLED+935 is impressively built and flawlessly finished. For a product that’s trying hard to be as minimal as possible, it certainly seems built to last.

FEATURES: THE GIFT OF SOUND AND VISION

If the Philips OLED+935 isn’t quite as svelte a TV as we’d all hoped, the fact that it is absolutely packed with features and functionality might go some way to explaining why.

From the top, then: this is a 4K HDR OLED TV. And, unlike the majority of its competitors, the Philips covers each and every HDR base, from broadcaster’s favourite HLG to HDR10+ and Dolby Vision dynamic metadata. Some unlike equivalent screens from LG, Samsung or Sony, you’ll never find yourself in a situation where the Philips isn’t able to give you the full HDR-driven story.

There are four HDMI inputs, all ARC-enabled and all at HDCP2.3 standard. There are a couple of USB inputs too, aerial posts for the integrated terrestrial and satellite tuners, an Ethernet socket and a CI card slot. It covers wireless connectivity with Bluetooth 4.2 and dual-band wi-fi. There are digital optical, analogue 3.5mm outputs and a pre-out for a subwoofer. And, because this a Philips TV, the OLED+935 also features Ambilight – here, on all four sides.

(Briefly, for the uninitiated: Ambilight is a series of LEDs arranged on the rear of the chassis that beam light (coloured to mimic the on-screen tones) onto the surface the TV is standing in front of. It’s meant to offer both a more immersive watch and suggest a screen that’s considerably bigger than it actually is – and though it looks gimmick written down, it works an absolute treat. Genuinely unique selling points are thin on the ground where TVs are concerned, but Ambilight most definitely is one.)

The whole show is run by Philips’ most recent picture-processing engine, the 4th generation P5. Here it’s a dual-chip arrangement, and incorporates both AI and machine learning to assist with picture balance and upscaling accuracy. And it also offers protection against that OLED nemesis: screen-burn. The P5 engine is constantly on the hunt for static on-screen images, and having identified them will turn down their brightness in order to guard against image retention.

And then there’s that speaker array. In a clean, relatively compact enclosure that’s partially covered in the obligatory Kvadrat acoustic cloth, Bowers & Wilkins has positioned three forward-firing 19mm titanium-some tweeters (one in the ‘tweeter on top’ arrangement the company’s so fond of) and four 50mm midrange drivers – they form the ‘left/right/centre’ channels. There’s a rear-firing, vented ‘racetrack’ subwoofer (100 x 65mm) delivering low-end substance, and firing from the top of the soundbar are two more 50mm midrange drivers – they are intended to offer some Dolby Atmos-style ‘elevation’. Using this nominal 3.1.2 arrangement, Philips and Bowers & Wilkins is attempting to make the OLED+935 a complete, self-contained audio/video solution.

That’s a lot of features, sure. But there’s no HDMI 2.1 compatibility here, which makes the OLED+935 a) no friend of next-gen gamers and b) deficient in an area where you might least have expected it.

INTERFACE: SET UP. AND SET UP SOME MORE

The smart TV interface here is Android 9.0, which is your classic game of two halves. On the plus side, it’s comprehensive (along with catch-up TV via Freeview Play, every service you could want is here – except Apple TV, naturally). On the downside, it occupies the whole screen, is slightly sluggish in responding and fancies itself altogether too much.

Navigation is via a very agreeable, beautifully finished (how many other TV remotes feature leather trim?) and mercifully logical remote control. And along with buttons that aren’t too small and aren’t too numerous, there’s a mic for Google Assistant-powered voice control.

Philips has never been shy of making its set-up menus as long as a Russian novel, and you could easily grow old while investigating every one of the OLED+935’s options. In truth it’s not all that difficult or time-consuming to get the balance you want, but if you like to fiddle around the edges of your television’s performance you can’t go wrong here.

PERFORMANCE: ALL OF THIS AND MORE

If your new TV can deal with both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, then that’s the place to start. And as far as a 4K Dolby Vision/Dolby Atmos stream of Ratched on Netflix goes, the Philips absolutely knocks it out of the park.

The colour palette is vibrant but never lurid, and the OLED+935 is capable of seemingly limitless subtlety of tone. Primaries are strong and assertive, but the nuances – whether they’re the result of shadow, or texture, or a combination of factors – are described with just as much positivity.

This holds especially true where skin tones are concerned. The Philips has the ability to look deep into complexions and deliver the finest details, making faces look as natural and convincing as can be. And it does this without being in any way aggressive or forceful about it. And as a result, the OLED+935 is a confident, absorbing watch.

And while it’s far from the brightest OLED TV around, white tones are kept so clean, and loaded with so much detail, that peak brightness (or the lack thereof) is hardly an issue. Combine these with those OLED-tastic deep black tones, which are equally varied and detailed, and the Philips is capable of wide and potent contrasts.

Detail levels are high, and for once with a Philips TV they’re really well controlled – even a complex, intricate pattern is described securely, with no shimmering or dor-crawl. Edges are crisply defined, but not aggressively so – so there’s no impression of layering that can afflict less capable TVs.

Spend enough time getting the balance just so, and motion is dealt with persuasively too. At its most testing – which is generally with broadcast sport, of any and all kinds – the Philips can betray exactly how hard it’s working. But get into the depths of the set-up menus and its possible to strike a balance between smooth motion, strong edge-definition and high detail levels. TV nirvana, in other words.

As an upscaler, the OLED+945 is no less impressive – at least as far as 1080p, Full HD content goes. It’s not as lavishly detailed or as boundlessly coloured as 4K stuff, naturally, but nevertheless it’s a strong performer. Step down to the level of 4:3 content from the pre-flatscreen era and the Philips doesn’t exactly throw in the towel – but you’re left in no doubt as to just how much work needs doing to fill this huge pixel-count with information.

In terms of sound, it’s probably easiest to say that there’s no other TV on the market with an integrated audio system that sounds as wide, as accurate, as focused or as dynamic as this one. The world isn’t short of soundbars with this sort of scale, that can fling effects as high as this or offer as much low-end grunt as this – but they’re all pretty expensive, and none of them integrate with your TV as smoothly as this.

Bowers & Wilkins has done quite a job with its end of the OLED+935 package – the sound is tonally balanced, expansive, chunky, distinct and dynamic. It’s difficult to know what else you could reasonably demand.

PHILIPS 48OLED+935 4K HDR OLED VERDICT

£1799 for a 48in TV is no one’s idea of a bargain. But when you consider the level of audio/visual fidelity this money buys, the ingenuity of the packaging and the degree of convenience, it’s hard to suggest the 48OLED+935 isn’t worth every penny.

Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) technology is expected to enable rather massive increase of hard drives capacity in the coming years. It took the industry several decades to develop this technology and its mass roll-out was delayed several times. In fact, Western Digital even decided to use energy-assisted perpendicular magnetic recording (ePMR) and microwave-assisted (MAMR) technologies before moving on to HAMR. Yet, its rival Seagate is on track to introduce HAMR-based HDDs this year. 

At its earnings conference last week Seagate reiterated plans to ship its 20 TB HAMR HDDs this December. Initially, the drives will be available to select customers as well as inside Seagate’s Lyve modular storage systems. Seagate appears to be so confident of its HAMR technology that it also reiterated plans to introduce 50 TB hard drives in 2026. 

“We remain on track to ship 20-TBHAMR drives starting in December, which is an important milestone, as we believe HAMR technology will be the industry’s path to scaling a real density and increasing drive capacities,” said Dave Mosley, CEO of Seagate. “Seagate will be the first to ship this crucial technology with a path to deliver 50-TB HAMR drives forecast in 2026.” 

At present, Western Digital offers its Ultrastar DC HC650 20 TB HDD, but this drive uses energy-assisted shingled magnetic recording (SMR) technology with all of its peculiarities when it comes to re-writing data. Therefore, Seagate’s 20 TB HAMR drives will offer numerous performance advantages when compared to their direct rival, at least for customers who can get these HDDs. 

Since HAMR HDDs will use new heads and new platters, it will take some time for Seagate to fully ramp up production of new hard drives. Furthermore, technology transition will cost money as Seagate will have to upgrade some of its manufacturing equipment.

The Sony Xperia 1 II is already out in a special 12GB RAM configuration in Taiwan. Now we get a Geekbench listing for the device which shows out the small performance gains compared to the regular 8GB RAM model.

The 12GB RAM Xperia 1 II manages a 908-point single-core run and 3387 points in the multi-core department. For comparison, the standard 8GB RAM model pushes around 895 points in the single-core test and just over 3,225 in the multi-core department.

The 12GB RAM Xperia 1 II is expected to launch in more regions on October 30.

Microsoft is “experimenting” with a new feature – called start-up boost – that could increase the speed with which its web browser Edge is able to launch from the Windows 10 desktop or taskbar.

The speed gain will be achieved by activating select Microsoft Edge processes when a Windows 10 machine is powered on. With these processes already running in the background, using up minimal computing resources, Edge will exist in a state of readiness that should improve launch times.

The start-up boost feature is already available as an option in Edge version 88, which was recently released to the Dev Channel but is not expected to launch as a stable build until mid-January.

Early users can activate the feature via Edge settings and administrators can also put in place a blanket policy for all devices running the appropriate browser version.

Microsoft Edge for Windows 10

With the latest Windows 10 update, Microsoft’s Edge browser has become much more tightly integrated with the operating system. This means the browser is now impossible to uninstall via traditional methods, which could be a frustration for some users, but also paves the way for improvements like start-up boost.

According to a Microsoft Q&A, start-up boost will be available to all Windows 10 users, but the firm could withdraw the feature from certain devices “that do not see expected positive impact”.

The firm also warned it is “in the process of experimenting with the feature, so it may be a little while before you see it in your respective channel and build.”

In recent months, Microsoft has not been shy about its ambitions for Edge, which is now indisputably the company’s flagship browser.

As of this week, for example, users of now defunct Internet Explorer will be redirected automatically to Edge when they visit certain websites. A recent Windows 10 update also saw the new browser force-installed onto users’ devices.

The company has also delivered a host of new upgrades to the browser of late, including a secure password generator, in-built price comparison tool, screenshot capture facility and scrolling tab bar.

Microsoft Edge still has a meagre share of the overall market (2.16%) when compared with leading browser Google Chrome (66.34%), but its userbase has more than doubled since June and Microsoft will hope recent improvements will help claw back users lost with the decline of Internet Explorer.

For many people, WhatsApp has become the conversation platform of choice, with over 2 billion people using the Facebook-owned app to keep in touch with friends and family. In addition to offering encrypted messaging, WhatsApp boasts several features that appeal to a variety of users. And it’s about to expand its bag of tricks.

Specifically, WhatsApp is gaining two new capabilities that figure to broaden its appeal — the ability to mute conversations with others indefinitely, and a way to shop directly from within WhatsApp.

The ability to simply mute some conversations for the foreseeable future is probably WhatsApp’s most radical change. Up until now, WhatsApp has only ever offered muting for 8 hours, one week, or a full year. Now, you can make the decision to effectively ghost someone by never seeing their messages again with the option to mute a conversation forever.

You must have the most up-to-date version of WhatsApp to accomplish this— and even then, it seems like the muting feature is getting updated on a staggered basis — but it’s a useful capability that’s been a long time coming. On either iOS or Android, choose the conversation you want to mute, long press on its icon, and then you’ll see a few options pop up in relation to muting the account. 

To keep the conversation out of sight and out of mind forever, tap the check box next to “Always” and then ensure “show notifications” remains unchecked. You’ll remain in the chat, but you won’t receive pings night and day from the various members within. This should (mercifully) cut down on the amount of messages you get, especially from groups. 

But not-so-subtly butting out of conversations isn’t all that’s coming to WhatsApp. Users will also soon be able to go shopping from right within the app. According to the WhatsApp blog, prospective buyers will be able to purchase items directly from within chats. This means shopping can potentially take place in the same manner as a conversation would. 

A WhatsApp user could text a video game retailer looking to purchase a certain title, then receive product information and a link to seal the deal, adding items to a virtual shopping cart and checking out right from within WhatsApp.

WhatsApp calls the process “business messaging,” as lined out in a special video the company made to demonstrate the concept. It looks as though it could potentially be a vehicle for Facebook Pay, which the social media network utilizes as part of Facebook Shops, but this hasn’t been totally confirmed — it’s just a safe bet.

There’s also no confirmed rollout date for the new shopping-centric features. WhatsApp users in Brazil were able to test drive a pilot program to purchase items from local vendors, but the country’s Central Bank put the kibosh on the experiment, citing potential compliance with rules and regulations regarding cash. 

Little by little, WhatsApp continues to evolve. You may want to check your own download to see if you’re able to mute that noisy group chat without leaving forever right now. As far as shopping goes, that could certainly take a while. 

Preliminary benchmarks are starting to appear, and they paint a good picture for AMD’s upcoming RX 6000 series GPUs.

Multiple leaks purported to be for the unreleased AMD Radeon RX 6800XT graphics card have appeared online—although the results are far from definitive. Claiming to show performance for a high-end RDNA 2 graphics card, multiple sites and leakers are reporting the AMD RX 6800XT toppling the RTX 3080 in 3DMark test, Firestrike, while falling behind in ray-traced workloads.

These figures are all unverified at this time, and it’s unlikely we’ll receive any concrete information regarding the RX 6000 series graphics cards until AMD’s announcement stream on October 28, 2020. Beyond that, it’ll be down to whenever the review embargo is up.

Until then, we can at least paw over these preliminary results. 

Results from Igor’s Lab (collated over at Videocardz) claim to show Nvidia’s RTX 3080 falls some 18.2% slower than AMD’s RX 6800 XT (an unconfirmed SKU as of today, but likely) in 3DMark Firestrike Extreme running at 4K and not its default 1440p. WCCFTech confusingly reports the same percentage difference for FireStrike Ultra, which is a native 4K benchmark, reporting a score of 12,871 for the AMD card and 10,531 for the RTX 3080.

Either way, it sounds like both have received similar information for the most part, purported to be from an AIB partner testing an engineering sample (EVT stage), and likely one with the Navi 21 XT GPU within.

Both also suggest the RX 6800 XT leads the way in the DX12 benchmark, Time Spy Extreme, also at its default 4K setting.

It’s hardly an open and shut case, however. CapFrameX on Twitter suggests much closer scores at FireStrike Ultra, with Big Navi at 11,500 and the RTX 3080 at 10,600—a difference of nearly 9% in favour of an RDNA 2 GPU. It has been suggested that newer drivers are causing the significant uplift between these scores and the aforementioned results.

Further benchmarks have also been put forward by Twitter leaker KittyYYuko once again suggesting a Navi 21 XT GPU lead in Fire Strike Ultra, although this time reporting slower performance in Time Spy and Time Spy Extreme. 

What appears to be fairly consistent across results is that AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture will fall short of Ampere in ray-traced workloads, which isn’t all that surprising considering Nvidia’s focus on the burgeoning rendering tech. 

It’s certainly going to be interesting to see how Radeon’s ray tracing solution shapes up in the final shipping product, however. What’s perhaps more important will be the impact AMD’s adoption of the tech may have on ray tracing development and adoption.

It’s all a little confusing, to say the least. What is promising is that AMD next-gen card is trading blows with the RTX 3080 in rasterised gaming workloads—which makes up the bulk of your GPU’s day-to-day efforts—and that’s a great sign for a competitive GPU market to come. AMD has already confirmed strong performance in a handful of 4K games at high settings, over 60fps in the results offered, and that means we should be looking at much more attainable 4K gaming across the board with the latest graphics cards—even if these exact numbers don’t end up coming to pass.

WINDOWS 10 fans may find themselves in a nightmare scenario following the release of the latest update to the operating system, which seems to break a few essential parts of the software.

Windows 10 users might be having second thoughts about downloading the recently released Windows 10 October Update. That’s because the latest software updates from Microsoft seem to have caused some pretty serious issues with the hugely-popular operating system, including breaking the File Explorer, which is used for, well, just about everything. The updates, known as KB4579311 and KB4577671, were s’posed to fix security issues with Microsoft Office.

Windows 10 users who are still running the May 2020 and November 2019 updates can update to the new version, October Update. Unfortunately, users that have installed these patches have reported it breaks a key feature of the Microsoft OS – the File Explorer.

File Explorer is an absolutely pivotal part of Windows 10 which, as the name suggests, lets users access and arrange files on their hard drive. And as reported in a post by Windows Latest, the October update has caused the crucial programme to break and crash for plenty of users.

Highlighting the issue on the Feedback Hub, one Windows 10 user wrote: “Taskbar constantly appearing and disappearing, obviously explorer crashing. Happens for about 30 seconds, then finally the desktop comes up and Explorer starts working”.

While on Reddit another posted: “Explorer keeps restarting after login. After some 5 minutes it stops and system becomes responsive. Doing a restore, hopefully it will help.”

And these File Explorer problems are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to issues with the Windows 10 October update. Windows Latest has also reported that the most recent Windows 10 patch also causes major issues with Action Centre.

They wrote: “Earlier this week, we experienced a strange Windows 10 problem that prevented our Action Center from opening. Every time we clicked on the Action Center or used Win+A key, we were served with a completely blank Action Center. Unfortunately, fixing the problems with Action Center isn’t simple at all. I tried rebooting File Explorer and signout out and back in again, but nothing worked. After multiple systems reboot, I was able to access the Action Center again, but the same problem reappeared.”

While on the Feedback Hub one Windows 10 user affected by the Action Center bug added: “October 13, 2020—KB4579311 update is causing Explorer to be unresponsive after rebooting. It’s causing my start menu and notification screen to be irresponsive for at least 20 mins before they were operating normally”.

Windows 10 users have also reported that the cumulative update is causing printer issues, while others have reported screen flashes and black screen problems.

Other Windows 10 users have noticed issues with their internet connectivity since downloading the October Update.

If you’re experiencing issues with the Windows 10 October update then you can rollback to a previous version of the OS. But make sure you have important files backed up before you do this in case anything goes wrong.

If you do decide to remove the Windows 10 October update then you’ll be missing out on the security fixes it brings to the table as well as the other improvements to Microsoft’s flagship OS.

Intel’s Raja Koduri is slated to present a “1000X More Compute for AI by 2025” presentation at Samsung’s Advanced Foundry Ecosystem (SAFE) Forum next week, which comes as Intel mulls its strategy for outsourcing some of its production to third-party fabs. The presentation comes after Raja Koduri tweeted an image of a visit to Samsung’s Giheung plant in Korea last year, sparking rumors that Intel would use Samsung to produce components for its Xe graphics solutions. Those rumors seemed spurious in the past, but Intel’s recent announcement that it will outsource some chip production, and this week’s revelation that the company still hasn’t decided just what or where it will outsource, makes Koduri’s latest interaction with Samsung’s foundry all the more interesting. 

Intel is certainly at a crossroads. After a decade of dominance fueled by the company’s own process tech, the company announced that problems with its 7nm node had forced it to consider outsourcing some components built on leading-edge process tech to third-party foundries, a first for the company. But the company still hasn’t developed an outsourcing strategy, as evidenced by Intel CEO Bob Swan’s comments in the company’s Q3 2020 earnings call. Hence, it’s possible we could see the company use either TSMC or Samsung foundries to produce its next-gen flagship chips, or even both.

Swan said that even though Intel will now engage third-party foundries as strategic partners, it will continue to develop its own leading-edge nodes and has deployed a “fix” for its own 7nm node (though that fix has led to an untenable delay). For now, Intel’s problem is deciding just where it will build its chips that will come to market in 2023. 

Swan said that Intel hasn’t decided which chips it will use external foundries for, but did note that “we feel confident in the ability of us being able to port to TSMC,” marking the first time the company has mentioned a specific third-party foundry in the context of using it for leading-edge production. That makes it clear that Intel is already working with TSMC, at least in some form.

But there are still plenty of questions to be answered, and that uncertainty is crystal clear in the snippet above from Intel’s Q3 earnings deck. Intel says that it is “confident in 2023 product leadership on either Intel 7nm or an external foundry or mix of both.” 

Intel will likely leverage its packaging tech to reduce the number of externally-sourced components required to build a full chip. Swan says that Intel will decide if it will turn to outside foundries as a stop-gap or invest in its own 7nm equipment, and also where and what to outsource, by “really early next year.” 

Even though Intel’s chips built with externally-sourced components won’t come to market until 2023, long lead times require Intel to make a decision soon so it can allow its future partners to build enough production capacity. 

But therein lies the problem – any third-party foundry that accepts a contract will likely have to build out significant capacity just for Intel. TSMC is already capacity-constrained and tends to command a premium for leading-edge wafers. Swan also noted that Intel is confident that it can “port back in” from TSMC to Intel’s own process tech, meaning the company could move back to its own foundries once it has fixed its own 7nm node. (We imagine those architectures would still require significant re-tuning that wouldn’t necessarily classify as a traditional ‘port.’)

The idea of Intel moving back to its own 7nm probably doesn’t seem like an attractive possibility to TSMC, which already has plenty of demand for its 7nm tech. It likely isn’t interested in short-term or sporadic business – especially given the large upfront investments required. That means Intel will likely have to commit to procuring a significant amount of capacity from TSMC to secure a contract, much like AMD did with its wafer supply agreement (WSA) with GlobalFoundries.

Meanwhile, Samsung’s wafers are relatively less expensive. The company also currently doesn’t have as much demand as TSMC, meaning it could have more available production capacity – or at least be willing to dedicate more capacity to Intel’s orders. 

That leaves plenty of room for Intel to secure at least some of its future chips from Samsung. It certainly doesn’t have to be a TSMC “or” Samsung decision: Targeted designs can defray some of the disadvantages of using Samsung’s nodes, which are generally less performant than TSMCs, and not all chips have to be on the highest-performing node. 

Intel could also seek a licensing deal that allows it to build chips based on an external foundries’ process, but in its own facilities. GlobalFoundries employed a similar strategy when it licensed Samsung’s 14nm process technology back in 2014, and it’s possible the company would be open to a similar deal in the future. Conversely, Intel could also approach TSMC with a similar request, so anything remains possible.

The one thing we do know for sure is that Intel will announce its decision early next year, and it certainly has several options at its disposal. In fact, that’s the beauty of embracing the third-party foundry approach: The ability to source different nodes from different vendors based on each product’s specific needs affords plenty of flexibility. If Intel fully embraces the third-party model, we could likely see the company source from both TSMC and GlobalFoundries.