From God of War Ragnarök to Starfield: 45 Most Anticipated Games of 2022

2021 appears to be a promising year for gamers, with big titles set to launch during the year, including Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Hogwarts Legacy, Rainbow Six Extraction, Ghostwire: Tokyo, Elden Ring, Stray, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Gran Turismo 7, Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl, Forspoken, Redfall, Saints Row, Starfield, and God of War Ragnarök.

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Tomb Raider Trilogy is currently free on the Epic Games Store

In a move that is sure to make PC gamers happy, Epic Games will offer all three of the latest Tomb Raider trilogy for free. The Tomb Raider trilogy on Epic Games Store includes Tomb Raider Game of the Year Edition, Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration Edition, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. As an added bonus, these titles come with all of the DLCs that have been released. 

 

Let’s go out with a bang. For the final day of 15 Days of Free Games, we’re giving you… not one, not two, but three (3!!) Tomb Raider titles!https://t.co/1bzgT8Rlyy pic.twitter.com/G83gfAhncb

— Epic Games Store (@EpicGames) December 30, 2021

 

How to get the Tomb Raider trilogy for free via the Epic Games Store

All you need to do is head over to the Epic Games Store to claim the free games. In order to do so, you need to have an Epic Games account. But getting that isn’t too hard. All three games are available separately, so make sure you get all of them. It should also be noted that the games will only be free till January 6. After that, the games will go back to their usual prices. 

To recall, Tomb Raider is one of the most well-known and well-respected gaming franchises. The game’s protagonist, Lara Croft, stands right up there with Samus Aran and Chun-Li when it comes to the first women in gaming. This particular trilogy was developed by Crystal Dynamics and re-tells the origin of Lara Croft. All three games are set in different locales. The first game, Tomb Raider, is set on an island off the coast of Japan, while the second game, Rise of the Tomb Raider, is mostly set in the frozen wastes of Siberia. The final game, the Shadow of the Tomb Raider, is set in the jungles of South America.

Also read: Netflix announces Tomb Raider Anime and Kong animated series on the platform

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Gaming in India in 2021: We Discuss Everything From Best Games to Limited Next-Gen Console Availability

On this week’s episode of Gadgets 360 podcast Orbital, we talk about all things games and speak on what’s the best gaming titles of 2021 as well as what all we can expect in 2022.

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Battlegrounds Mobile India Data Transfer: Today Is the Last Day to Copy PUBG Mobile Data

Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) data transfer deadline ends today, and Krafton’s option to bring over data from the PUBG Mobile game which is banned in India will no longer be available from tomorrow. Gamers who have signed in to the game with their Twitter ID will be able to transfer some of their data to the new version until 11:59pm UTC on December 31 (or 5:29a...

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BlackBerry calls it a day after announcing that its OS will be disabled after January 4

Oh Blackberry, you had a good run. Once considered ‘the’ smartphone to own, the company has fallen hard and it seems that the end is closer than most of us think. By January 4, all important services on phones running BlackBerry 10 or BlackBerry 7.1 OS or earlier will be disabled. So this means no texting, calling etc. Even emergency numbers will be unavailable. It truly is the end of BlackBerry. The company has also stated that Wifi services may be affected as well.  Applications such as BlackBerry Link, BlackBerry Desktop Manager, BlackBerry World, BlackBerry Protect, BlackBerry Messenger, and BlackBerry Blend will also have limited functionality. 

Phones running BlackBerry 10 or BlackBerry 7.1 OS or earlier will be disabled

In fact, we earlier reported that Blackberry revealed its launch plans for the new 5G phones in 2021. The announcement was made by OnwardMobility - the company which had acquired the license to sell Blackberry phones towards the end of last year. But clearly, that hasn’t happened and now this news seems to signal the end of the company. The second revival of Blackberry, which was first revived by TCL in 2016. Under TCL, we have seen the company launch a few smartphones with midrange specifications that focused on productivity. Aimed at enterprise category users, these phones from Blackberry failed to make much of a mark as they did not offer enough to sway buyers. And this time OnwardMobility has failed to make a dent in the market. 

For the uninitiated, Blackberry's current, OnwardMobility, is a US-based company that was founded in 2008. As mentioned above, it took over Blackberry in 2020 after the company ended its partnership with TCL in August of 2019. 

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Battlegrounds Mobile India ‘Login Failed’ Error Resolved, Krafton Asks Players to Login Again

Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) developer Krafton has resolved the issue which did not let players login to the battle royale game. It has not revealed the cause of the problem. Similar problems were also faced by the players of Fortnite as well as on the Epic Game Store during installation and purchase of items.

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Samsung Exynos chip powered by RDNA 2 launching on January 11

Samsung has finally announced the date when we will see the RDNA 2 powered Exynos Chip. AMD teased the launch of the RDNA 2 based Exynos chip back at Computex 2021. The SoC is expected to bring raytracing and variable rate shading to smartphones. “AMD has partnered with industry leader Samsung for several years to accelerate graphics innovation in the mobile market and we’re happy to announce that we will bring custom graphics IP to Samsung’s next flagship SoC with raytracing and variable rate shading capabilities,” said AMD CEO Dr Lisa Su during the keynote address at Computex 2021. You can learn more about the announcement here. 

When will Samsung Exynos 2200 with RDNA 2 graphics launch?

Samsung has taken to Twitter to announce the launch date of the new Exynos chip presumed to be the Exynos 2200. In the tweet Samsung says, “#PlaytimeIsOver. The gaming marketplace is about to get serious. Stay tuned for the next #Exynos with the new GPU born from RDNA 2. January 11, 2022”.

#PlaytimeIsOver. The gaming marketplace is about to get serious. Stay tuned for the next #Exynos with the new GPU born from RDNA 2. January 11, 2022. pic.twitter.com/5V547CpDkP

— Samsung Semiconductor (@SamsungDSGlobal) December 30, 2021

Little else is known about the upcoming chip and considering how popular mobile gaming has become, it makes sense for Samsung to introduce an SoC with some dedicated gaming features to enhance the mobile gaming experience. 

We already have Apple’s A15 Bionic chip powering the iPhone 13 (review) which is an extremely good chip for those looking to game on their smartphone. 

MediaTek has announced the Dimensity 9000 while Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC. We can expect to see devices powered by the new MediaTek and Qualcomm Chips launching soon. 

With devices like the Nintendo Switch cementing the demand for a dedicated portable gaming console, and Valve launching the Steam Deck, it's a no brainer that Qualcomm also showed off the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 Gaming Platform to power dedicated portable gaming hardware. You can learn more about the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 Gaming Platform here. 

It will be interesting to see how the newly launched chips elevate the mobile gaming experience especially when you consider dedicated portable gaming devices like the Steam Deck and the upcoming successor to the Nintendo Switch.

Also Read: Samsung announces first PCIe 5.0 SSDs with up to 13GBps read speeds

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Xiaomi 12X to launch in India soon, pricing and variants tipped in new leak

Xiaomi 12X will launch in India soon and its pricing and variants have been tipped in a new leak. The Xiaomi 12X was recently launched in China alongside the Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12 Pro phones which are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen1 chip. Meanwhile, the Xiaomi 12X brings in the Snapdragon 870 chipset along with a high refresh rate display and more.

According to an exclusive report by 91Mobiles that cites “industry sources”, the Xiaomi 12X is all set to launch in India. The report goes on to reveal that the Xiaomi 12X will be available with 8GB RAM and 128GB/256GB storage options to choose from. The Xiaomi 12X will be offered in purple, blue and grey colours and is expected to be priced under Rs 40,000

Xiaomi 12X specifications

The Xiaomi 12X measures 8.2mm in thickness and weighs 176 grams. It features a 6.28-inch Full HD+ display that supports upto 120Hz refresh rate with Dolby Vision and HDR10+. The screen is topped with Gorilla Glass Victus.

Xiaomi 12X is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chipset with an octa-core CPU and Adreno 650 GPU which is paired with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. It runs on MIUI 13 which is based on Android 12.

There is a 50MP primary camera with an f/1.9 aperture and OIS, a 13MP ultra-wide camera with 123-degree FOV and a 5MP macro camera. The rear camera is capable of recording in 8K at 24FPS and 4K UHD at upto 60FPS. On the front, there is a 32MP selfie camera. 

The phone has stereo speakers tuned by Harman Kardon and has an in-screen fingerprint reader. The Xiaomi 12X is equipped with a 4,500mAh battery that supports 67W fast charging. It is priced starting at RMB 3199 (~Rs 37,500) in China.

Also Read: Xiaomi 11i series confirmed to feature MediaTek Dimensity 920 chip ahead of India launch

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New Covid-19 breathalyser test can detect the virus much quicker than a nasal swab

As the world continues to grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic, researchers at Brown University have now developed a test that could help easily detect Covid-19. The test is a sort of breathalyzer called the Bubbler. Patients have to blow into a tube for about 15 seconds, after which a combination of enzymes then reverse transcribes the RNA into DNA, making it much easier for healthcare workers to detect an infection. The test essentially measures the viral particles through a patient's breath without the need for an invasive nasal swab. In fact, we earlier reported that Researchers have developed a chewing gum that could possibly prevent Covid-19. You can read more about that here. 

We’ve all gone through a nasal swab and know how uncomfortable it can be, so something like this could make detection easier and less traumatic. Measuring the particles in a patient’s breath could also be more meaningful as Covid-19 is generally transmitted through an airborne method. Testing a patient’s breath may also provide more information on issues with the lower respiratory tract, which could lead to more serious symptoms such as pneumonia. William G. Fairbrother, a researcher from Brown University stated, “Involvement of the lower respiratory tract is often a precursor to severe COVID-19, so there is an argument for a more direct sampling focused on the exhaled breath. Such technology could be useful in restoring service to industries such as hotels, cruise ships, and casinos. There is also an epidemiological benefit to routine testing of air at early warning sites such as transportation hubs and hospital emergency departments.”

New Covid-19 test could speed up detection

So, what do you guys think about this new test? Could we actually see a breathalyzer test for Covid-19? If this test does make it to the mass market, we could see it being used in airports and other areas where a ton of people gather. And, even though we’re still going through the pandemic, new innovations like this test could propel us into a brighter, virus-free future. 

Also Read: Researchers have come up with a chewing gum that could potentially reduce and prevent Covid-19 infection

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Xbox Game Pass to Bring 31 Day One Titles to Xbox Consoles, PCs in 2022

Xbox Game Pass is set to add 31 new day one titles in 2022, bringing anticipated titles including Total War: Warhammer 3, Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl, Redfall, Starfield, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Slime Rancher 2, Atomic Heart, Hello Neighbor 2, Weird West, and Sniper Elite 5, among others. Many of the games do not have confirmed released dates and will arrive over th...

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Apple, Google Asked by South Korea to Remove Crypto-Based Play-to-Earn Games From App Stores

The South Korean government has taken steps to prevent access to play-to-earn (P2E) games and has demanded that prevailing P2E games be taken down from Apple’s App Store and the Google Play store.

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Vivo V23 Pro pricing and specs tipped ahead of India launch on January 5

Vivo V23 and Vivo V23 Pro are slated to launch on January 5 in India. Ahead of its launch, the pricing and specifications of the V23 Pro have been leaked online. Vivo has been teasing some key features of its upcoming V23 series on social media handles and the official website. So we have an idea of what to expect from the V23 lineup.

According to a tweet by popular tipster Yogesh Brar, Vivo could price the V23 Pro between Rs 37,000-Rs 40,000. The Vivo V21 currently retails starting at Rs 29,999 and the standard V23 is likely to replace the V21 when it launches on January 5 in India. The tipster also revealed some key specifications of the phone, some of which is corroborated by the official Vivo India website. Here’s everything you need to know about the Vivo V23 Pro.

Vivo V23 Pro expected specifications

The Vivo V23 Pro is expected to arrive in two colours: Sunshine Gold and Stardust Black. The Sunshine Gold finish has a layer of AG glass that changes colour when light falls at different angles on the back.

The V23 Pro is expected to feature a 6.56-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display that supports a 90Hz refresh rate and HDR10+. It has a wide notch cutout that houses two selfie cameras.

It is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chip as revealed on Vivo’s website. This will likely be paired with 8GB RAM + 128GB storage and 12GB+256GB storage options to choose from. It runs on FunTouch OS based on Android 12.

The V23 Pro has triple cameras on the back headlined by a 108MP camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera with 120-degree FOV and a 2MP macro camera. On the front, we get a 50MP selfie camera along with an 8MP ultra-wide camera with 105-degree FOV.

Vivo has equipped the V23 Pro with a 4,300mAh battery that supports 44W fast charging out-of-the-box.

Also Read: Digit Zero1 Awards 2021: Best Flagship Smartphone

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Krafton investigating login failure error plaguing BGMI players

Some Battlegrounds Mobile India players are reportedly unable to login and play the game. Thankfully, Krafton is already aware of the issue and is working to fix the problem. According to a post on the company’s official website, some players started experiencing login failure from 9:00pm, December 29. These players faced an error message that stated, ‘Server authentication error, Login failed.’

The developers noted that they are currently working to fix the issue and will inform players of the same as soon as possible. As of 12:05am, December 30, the team was still trying to fix the issue.

As mentioned by Krafton, the issue does not seem to affect all users. So some players should be able to play the same as usual without much hassle. However, those players that are facing the problem have little choice but to sit tight till the problem is resolved. 

Battlegrounds Mobile India: Player data transfer between PUBG Mobile and BGMI

In related news, BGMI players should note that they only have a few days to link their old PUBG Mobile account with their Battlegrounds Mobile India account. By linking accounts, players will be able to transfer all in-game items that they may have purchased in PUBG Mobile. However, players only have a couple of days to link the same. The data transfer feature between PUBG Mobile and Battlegrounds Mobile India will no longer be available after December 31, 2021, 23:59:59 (UTC). This is roughly January 1, 2022, 5:30am IST. Any player that does not link their account will lose all items they purchased or acquired with their previous account. It should be noted that data transfer can only happen if PUBG: Mobile players linked their accounts with Twitter. Those who use guest accounts are out of luck as this means their progress from the previous game will be lost forever and they will have to start all over again. 

Also read: How To Transfer Your PUBG Mobile Account To Battlegrounds Mobile India

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Xiaomi 11i series confirmed to feature MediaTek Dimensity 920 chip ahead of India launch

Xiaomi 11i series is now confirmed to be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 920 chipset, ahead of its India launch on January 6. Xiaomi has been teasing some of the key specifications of its upcoming Xiaomi 11i lineup in India and has revealed that the phone(s) support 120W fast charging, making it one of the first phones to arrive with super-fast charging speeds.

As per the latest tweet by Manu Kumar Jain, MD, Xiaomi India, the Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge is confirmed to be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 920 chip. The new Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge will be the first phone with Dimensity 920 in India at launch. The Xiaomi 11i lineup could likely consist of two phones: the standard Xiaomi 11i and the Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge, however, it’s unclear if both phones will be powered by the Dimensity 920 SoC.

According to an exclusive report by India Today, the Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge will be priced under Rs 30,000. The Xiaomi 11i lineup is expected to be based on the Redmi Note 11 Pro and Redmi Note 11 Pro+ which launched recently in China. Here’s everything we know about the India launch of the Xiaomi 11i series.

Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge expected specifications

The Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge is confirmed to feature a 120Hz refresh rate display along with support for 120W fast charging. The company has also confirmed the Dimensity 920 chip as the SoC of choice for this phone.

The Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge is expected to feature a 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display that is topped with a layer of Gorilla Glass 5. It could have triple cameras on the back headlined by a 108MP camera followed by an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP macro camera. There is a 16MP selfie camera on the front as well.

The Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge could come equipped with a 4,500mAh battery that can go from 0-100% in just 15 minutes.

Also Read: Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge will bring 120W fast-charging to India on January 6

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PlayStation Plus Free January Games’ Lineup Includes Persona 5 Strikers, Dirt 5, Deep Rock Galactic

PlayStation Plus games for January 2021 include Persona 5 Strikers, Dirt 5, Deep Rock Galactic. These games will be available starting January 4. Users can also add three bonus PS VR games: The Persistence, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Standard Edition, and Until You Fall until January 3.

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Battlegrounds Mobile India ‘Login Failed’ Error: Krafton Investigating Issue Affecting Some Gamers

Battlegrounds Mobile India users have been experiencing a “login failed” error, developer Krafton announced on Wednesday. The publisher is currently investigating issues faced by some users, who are unable to login to the game. However, the issues only appear to be affecting a subset of users, and Gadgets360 was able to login to the game and initiate a match with ...

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Best Games of 2021: Gadgets 360’s Favourite PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Games

Gadgets 360’s favourite video games of 2021 include the likes of Deathloop, Forza Horizon 5, Fortnite, Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, It Takes Two, and Halo Infinite. These are the games that we couldn't stop playing in 2021.

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Samsung Galaxy S21 FE detailed in a hands-on video prior to official launch

Prior to the official unveiling, a complete Samsung Galaxy F21 FE unboxing and hands-on review have surfaced online. The review showcases the design of the upcoming fan edition phone and reveals several key specifications. 

Samsung’s Fan Editions aren’t necessarily the best-specced phones but aim to offer premium Samsung experience at a value price. This is achieved by making a few compromises that Samsung believes that consumers can look past and live with (polycarbonate back instead of glass, slow charging adapter in the box, etc.). 

Samsung Galaxy F21 FE specifications

The video was posted by a Reddit user u/UnknownWon who confirms that the phone will be powered by Snapdragon 888 chipset, have a 4500mAh battery, and have support for fast charging and fast wireless charging. 

Out of the box, the software is Android 11-based OneUI 11 which was to be expected as the OneUI 12 is still in the early rollout phase. 

Also Read: 10 Cool Bixby Routine examples to automate your Samsung Phone

The phone appears to be using the same rear camera sensors as on the Galaxy S20 FE and you can check the camera samples shared by the user here. Previous reports claim that the phone will upgrade the selfie camera to a 32MP sensor. 

The display will allegedly be a 6.41-inch (1080p) AMOLED panel with a centrally aligned punch-hole cutout. The single tone design on the back panel is more similar to what Samsung offers for its Galaxy A series phones unlike the S21 flagships, and that’s completely fine by us. 

Samsung Galaxy F21 FE price and availability

The unit in the hands-on video has an Olive colour, and the Samsung Galaxy F21 FE will allegedly also retail in Black, White, and Purple colour options for a starting price of $699. India pricing and availability will hopefully be revealed close to the official launch that is pegged for January 11. 

Source | Via

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Xiaomi 12 series with Snapdragon 8 Gen1 and MIUI 13 launched in China

Xiaomi 12 series has officially launched in China as the latest flagship phones powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen1 chipset. The Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12X and Xiaomi 12 Pro have made their debut in China, bringing a slew of new features and upgrades over the previous generation. The Xiaomi 12 series supports upto 120Hz refresh rate display along with fast charging support of upto 120W. Here’s everything you need to know about the latest Xiaomi 12 series phones.

Xiaomi 12 specifications and price

The Xiaomi 12 features a 6.28-inch Full HD+ OLED display that supports upto a 120Hz refresh rate with Dolby Vision and HDR10+ certification. The screen is also protected by Gorilla Glass Victus and has a punch-hole notch cutout in the centre for the 32MP selfie camera. The Xiaomi 12 measures 8.2mm in thickness and weighs around 180 grams.

Xiaomi 12 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen1 SoC with an octa-core CPU and Adreno 730 GPU. This is paired with upto 12GB RAM and upto 256GB storage options to choose from. It runs on the latest MIUI 13 which is based on Android 12 out-of-the-box.

There is a 50MP primary camera with an f/1.9 aperture, a 13MP ultra-wide camera with 123-degree FOV and a 5MP macro camera. The rear cameras can record in 4K UHD at upto 30FPS with HDR10+ and are backed by OIS and EIS stabilization systems.

The Xiaomi 12 has stereo speakers tuned by Harman Kardon with support for Hi-Fi audio playback. There’s an in-screen fingerprint reader and the phone comes equipped with a 4,500mAh battery that supports 67W fast wired charging and 50W fast wireless charging.

The Xiaomi 12 is priced starting at RMB 3699 (~Rs 43,000) for the base variant with 8GB+128GB, RMB 3999 (~Rs 46,900) for 256GB version and RMB 4399 (~Rs 51,600) for the 12GB+256GB variant.

Xiaomi 12 Pro specifications and price

The Xiaomi 12 Pro features a 10-bit 6.73-inch QHD+ (3200x1080 pixels) resolution AMOLED display that supports a 120Hz refresh rate with Dolby Vision and HDR10+. The screen is topped with a layer of Gorilla Glass Victus and has a centre punch-hole notch cutout. The Xiaomi 12 Pro measures 8.2mm in thickness and weighs around 205 grams.

Like the Xiaomi 12, the Xiaomi 12 Pro is also powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen1 chip and is paired with upto 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, running on MIUI 13.

There is a triple camera array on the back headlined by a 50MP camera with an f/1.9 aperture and OIS, a 50MP ultra-wide camera and a 50MP telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom. On the front, there is a 32MP selfie camera.

The Xiaomi 12 Pro also has stereo speakers and comes equipped with a 4,600mAh battery that supports 120W fast wired charging and 50W fast wireless charging.

The Xiaomi 12 Pro is being offered in three variants- 8GB+128GB, 8GB+256GB and 12GB+256GB priced starting at RMB 4699 (~Rs 55,000), RMB 4999 (~Rs 58,600) and RMB 5399 (~Rs 63,000) respectively.

Xiaomi 12X specifications and price

The Xiaomi 12X shares some of its features with the Xiaomi 12. It measures 8.2mm in thickness and weighs 176 grams. The Xiaomi 12X features a 6.28-inch Full HD+ display that supports upto 120Hz refresh rate with Dolby Vision and HDR10+. The screen is topped with Gorilla Glass Victus.

Xiaomi 12X is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chipset with an octa-core CPU and Adreno 650 GPU which is paired with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. It runs on MIUI 13 which is based on Android 12.

There is a 50MP primary camera with an f/1.9 aperture and OIS, a 13MP ultra-wide camera with 123-degree FOV and a 5MP macro camera. The rear camera is capable of recording in 8K at 24FPS and 4K UHD at upto 60FPS. On the front, there is a 32MP selfie camera.

The phone has stereo speakers tuned by Harman Kardon and has an in-screen fingerprint reader. The Xiaomi 12X is equipped with a 4,500mAh battery that supports 67W fast charging.

The Xiaomi 12X is priced starting at RMB 3199 (~Rs 37,500).

Also Read: Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge will bring 120W fast-charging to India on January 6

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Heres how NASA will let you know if aliens exist

Humanity, as we know it, has always existed in a cosmic vacuum. The cold darkness of space has always been a mystery. We’ve had our hypotheses and conspiracies but for the most part, we’re still wondering, is anyone out there? The existential threat of universal loneliness looms large over the collective psyche of mankind. We’ve even managed to set foot on the Moon but as far as space travel is concerned, that is as far as we’ve gotten. This is why the launch of the James Webb telescope could be a boon for astrophysics and humanity, in general. Scientists hope that the telescope will give them a bit more insight into the mysteries of the known universe. Another side-effect of these deep space studies is that we could potentially discover actual alien life!

NASA has outlined a plan to reveal information of alien life

That is a very real possibility. If you do believe that extraterrestrial life exists, the James Webb telescope could be our best bet of finding it. To this end, NASA has outlined a plan on how it plans to break the news to the public regarding the discovery of alien life. In the document, NASA states, “Our generation could realistically be the one to discover evidence of life beyond Earth. With this privileged potential comes responsibility. The magnitude of the question of whether we are alone in the Universe, and the public interest therein, opens the possibility that results may be taken to imply more than the observations support, or than the observers intend.

The researchers propose a progressive system where evidence would be presented on a scale of one through seven, starting with the detection of a biological signal and ending with definitive confirmation of the presence of alien biology.”

You can check out the image below of how NASA plans to go about it.

NASA is right, our generation could be the first to find life outside our planet and what we do with that information is critical. Going even further, what would we do if we came in contact with a sentient, intelligent alien lifeform? Does NASA also have protocols for a situation that could potentially change the world? These are fascinating questions that do not have any answers, as of now. But as FBI agent Fox Mulder’s poster states “I Want to Believe”.

Also Read: A huge asteroid is moving toward Earth's orbital path

 

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Alexa challenges 10-year-old to touch a live plug with a coin

The act of touching a coin to half-exposed live plugs has been making rounds on the internet for about a year. It is called “the penny challenge”. A 10-year old was unfortunately issued the challenge recently by Alexa. 

The girl's mother, Kristin Livdahl shared a screenshot of the challenge on Twitter. Kristin Livdahl says that when her 10-year old asked Alexa for a challenge, the speaker responded with “Plug in a phone charger about halfway into a wall outlet, then touch a penny to the exposed prongs”

According to the BBC report the mother said, “We were doing some physical challenges, like laying down and rolling over holding a shoe on your foot, from a [physical education] teacher on YouTube earlier. Bad weather outside. She just wanted another one.” This is when the Alexa-enabled speaker suggested the challenge that it found on the web.

As we’ve said above, the penny challenge isn’t new and has been making the rounds on the internet for the past year. 

In a separate Tweet, Kristin Livdahl shared a response from Amazon which reads, “We are currently working with our developers regarding your Alexa concern. As soon as we receive further information, we’ll contact you with an update. In the meantime, please feel free to reply to this email with any questions or concerns you may have”.

Amazon told the BBC in a statement that “it had updated Alexa to prevent the assistant recommending such activity in the future”. The statement reads, “Customer trust is at the center of everything we do and Alexa is designed to provide accurate, relevant, and helpful information to customers. As soon as we became aware of this error, we took swift action to fix it.”

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PUBG: New State Anti-Cheat Update to Target Gamers Who ‘Intentionally’ Play With Cheaters, Says Krafton

PUBG New State has implemented new measures to prevent cheating in the popular battle royale game. The anti-cheat system in the game has been updated to target players who intentionally play in a Squad with cheaters in the game. Krafton has also updated the in-game anti-cheat measures and added new detection measures to prevent cheating in the game, which has already ...

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Acer boundless 50-inch TV Review: Lost in the crowd

The Acer Boundless 50-inch TV does little to transcend the boundaries of the budget TV segment. It is yet another budget TV with good SDR performance, average HDR output, and a decent smart TV experience. To put things into perspective, its HDR performance is better than what we saw on the Blaupunkt Cybersound TV. The audio output is acceptable for everyday content and the gaming experience is decent as well on the Acer Boundless TV. But then again, the overall experience is slightly better on the Redmi TV 50-inch, which is slightly more expensive than the Acer. The Redmi TV also supports Dolby Vision. You can also check out the AmazonBasics 50-inch TV as well as an option, however, the AmazonBasics TV does not support ARC but it supports Dolby Vision. For Rs 3000 to Rs 5000 more you can get a 50-inch TV with a smoother UI and better sound output along with a few more features.

In our experience, the 50-inch TV space has a very specific audience. It’s for those that feel a 43-inch TV is too small while a 55-inch TV might be too big for their entertainment setup. That’s why the LG 48-inch CX (review) or even the C1 works so well as a gaming monitor/TV in the premium space and we have 50-inch TVs from Redmi, AmazonBasics, iFFALCON, TCL and more trying to fill the void for those looking for a 50-inch TV. Today we have the Acer 50-inch Boundless TV with us for review. As of writing this review, the TV is available online for Rs 32,999 but you can get it for as low as 29,999. The TV boasts of a 4K resolution and support for HDR 10 but misses out on Dolby Vision. Is it a good option to consider, or is it lost in the sea of budget 50-inch TVs?

Acer 50-inch Boundless TV specs at a glance

Panel Size: 50-inch (available in 43 and 55-inch screen sizes)  Panel Type: VA with D-LED backlighting Panel Resolution: 3840 x 2160 - 4K Panel Refresh Rate: 60Hz HDR 10 support: Yes HDR 10+ support: Yes Dolby Vision Support: No Weight: 9.9 kgs HDMI Ports: 3 USB Ports: 2 Bluetooth: Yes Wi-Fi: Yes Ethernet: Yes Speakers: 24W  Built-in storage: 16GB Price: MRP: 32,999 (Price on Flipkart)

Acer 50-inch Boundless TV Display Panel and Picture Quality

The Acer 50-inch Boundless TV has DLED backlighting and no dimming zones. In our tests, we found the TV has a peak brightness slightly above 300-nits, which isn't impressive when it comes to HDR content. However, as we said in our Realme 43-inch 4K TV review, HDR performance on budget TVs has reached a point where the experience can get acceptable, especially if it is your first experience, but it is recommended to consume content in SDR as much as possible on these TVs. Also, as we said in our OnePlus U1 (review) and Samsung QN90A reviews, not supporting Dolby Vision isn't necessarily a con as long as the HDR performance is good. With a peak brightness of slightly more than 300 nits, we can’t expect to see detailed specular highlights in HDR content, but the content isn’t very dull either. We will elaborate below. 

Above: Peak brightness of the Acer Boundless TV via Portrait Display Calman

Above: ColorChecker Analysis in the Movie preset

Above: ColorChecker Analysis in the Standard preset

An interesting thing to note is that in the movie preset the 2pt greyscale delta error is quite low but the RGB balance for this is all over the place. In the ColorChecker Analysis, the average Delta error is quite high in the movie preset and that translates to real-world performance as well, but we will talk about some settings that can help you get the best experience from the TV. 

4K and HDR performance

Starting with the 4K and HDR performance, like we said above, the TV does not support Dolby Vision so our suite of content from Netflix, Apple TV and more played back in HDR 10. The performance from HDR 10 lacked the punch one would expect from the movie preset, with the content looking slightly duller than I’d like. Switching to the Standard or Dynamic preset punched up the colours, and the backlighting but changed the colour temperature to show a slightly cooler bias. This can easily be fixed by changing the colour temperature to Warm. For HDR content I recommend using the Standard preset with the warm colour temperature to get a slightly brighter image with decent colours. One more thing we noted was that for a lot of content the Standard and Dynamic preset has the same performance. 

For the movie preset, the backlighting is bumped down to 60 and while we did try and bump it back to 100, the performance wasn’t the same as the Standard preset with the warm colour temperature. Just so you know, the backlighting is at 100 in the standard preset. 

All the content we consumed in HDR looked decent enough except for content like The Dark Knight Rises and Altered Carbon, where the details in a lot of the dark sequences were lost especially if there were some specular highlights in these dark sequences. So, if you feel the HDR performance in the TV lacking, I recommend connecting an external device like the Fire TV Stick (review) and switching HDMI settings to 1.4 and consuming content in SDR for a better experience. 

SDR playback

Speaking of SDR content, the TV can do a good job of representing it. Put simply, use the Movie preset for movies as it does a decent job of representing the colours well. So, in movies like Spider-Man Homecoming and Mission Impossible Rogue Nation, you get good colours and skin tones. In some cases, it may look a tad warmer than required, but that’s ok considering the price. We have seen TVs like the Philips PUT8215 (review) give very good performance in SDR for colours, especially with skin tone reproduction.  

In some SDR content like Young Sheldon and other TV shows, the Standard preset with a neutral colour temperature does a better job. So, if you watch the news and everyday TV shows, then the Standard preset works better. 

Gaming

The Acer Boundless TV does not have a dedicated game mode in the picture settings, but the TV recognised when a PS5 (review) was connected to it. For the picture preset, I recommend going into the settings, choosing the 'Personal' profile and switching off all forms of post-processing and switching the colour temperature to warm. In my opinion, this made the colours in the games look the best, albeit slightly warmer than I’d like. But the overall performance of the TV can be described as decent. 

In a game like Spider-Man Miles Morales (review), you miss the punchy highlights found on slightly more expensive TVs, but the experience isn't bad on this TV. However, it has weak contrast. So, if you are swinging towards the sun in-game, and dark shadows are being cast, the shadows look darker than they should. But then again, in a game like Ghost of Tsushima (review), there are slightly elevated black levels to make the content in the dark easier to see, which for this price, is ok. 

The TV may not be ideal for gaming, but gets the job done for casual gamers. 

Audio Performance

If there is one place the TV suffers, it is with the sound output. You have 24W of sound output and while vocals are clear mixed audio and high octave chance sequences or even the orchestral scores in movies left me wanting more. For everyday activities like news and TV shows, you should be fine. The channel separation is also weak, especially if you watch the race at the 12-minute mark in Ready Player One. The TV supports ARC output from HDMI port 1, but it isn't labelled which is also a miss. 

UI

Let’s get the worst out of the way. There were many times the TV randomly restarted on me when consuming content from streaming services. This happened often enough for me to mention it. Apart from this, the UI worked as intended. Running on Android TV 9 out of the box the TV gives you access to the Play Store for all your streaming needs. Switching between apps worked well enough and we faced the standard slew of stutters and slowdowns one would expect from a budget TV but nothing that broke the experience (except for the random restarts).

There is a dedicated button for the Google Assistant on the remote control and while it did take a heartbeat longer than I’d like to respond, it’s in line with what we’ve experienced from TVs in the 30K price range. 

Remote control

The remote control that comes with the TV has a slightly concave design giving it a good grip. The remote control is compact and easy to use with dedicated OTT hotkeys for Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube and TikiLive. You get the standard directional buttons, Google Assistant, Home and more. There is a volume rocker as well and I wish the mute button were closer to the rocker, but hey, at least there is a dedicated mute button.  

Build and design

Considering this is a budget TV, I didn't expect anything outstanding from the build. It has 2 plastic feet that hold it in place. It has a plastic shell and relatively slim bezels on three sides. All the ports are facing the side. For connectivity, the TV has three HDMI ports, two USB ports, optical out, ethernet port, antenna port, 3.5mm audio and an AV in port. The port may not be easy to reach when the TV is wall mounted so cable management is something to consider in advance. The TV is held in place by 2 plastic feet.

Bottom Line

The Acer Boundless 50-inch TV does little to transcend the boundaries of the budget TV segment. It is yet another budget TV with good SDR performance, average HDR output and a decent smart TV experience. To put things into perspective, its HDR performance is better than what we saw on the Blaupunkt Cybersound TV (review). The audio output is acceptable for everyday content and the gaming experience is decent as well on the Acer Boundless TV. But then again, the overall experience is slightly better on the Redmi TV 50-inch which is slightly more expensive than the Acer. The Redmi TV also supports Dolby Vision. You can also check out the AmazonBasics 50-inch TV as well as an option, however, the AmazonBasics TV does not support ARC but it supports Dolby Vision. For Rs 3000 to Rs 5000 more you can get a 50-inch TV with a smoother UI and a better sound output along with a few more features.

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Xiaomi 12 series key specs and pricing leaked ahead of launch later today

Xiaomi 12 series has leaked yet again, giving us a brief look at the specifications and pricing ahead of its launch on December 28. Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12X and Xiaomi 12 Pro are expected to launch later today and the key specifications of these upcoming phones have surfaced online. Xiaomi has additionally confirmed that the standard Xiaomi 12 supports 67W fast charging while the Xiaomi 12 Pro comes equipped with a Surge P1 chip as it supports 120W fast charging.

As per the leak which was posted on Weibo before making its way to Twitter, the Xiaomi 12 is set to get a new design on the back along with a vertical triple camera module. The leak also suggests that the Xiaomi 12 Pro will be offered in four colours to choose from. Moreover, a separate leak revealed some alleged hands-on pictures of the Xiaomi 12 series.

Full Xiaomi 12 Pro Specs and Images leaked on Weibo 1/2 Source: https://t.co/CArMq6mkTW pic.twitter.com/1DJyFLMuOX

— Snoopy (@_snoopytech_) December 26, 2021

According to a tweet by Ishan Agarwal, the Xiaomi 12 is expected to be priced starting at CNY 4299 (~Rs 50,000) for the base variant with 8GB+128GB storage, CNY 4599 (~Rs 54,000) for the 256GB storage option and CNY 4999 (~Rs 59,000) for the maxed out variant with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. The Xiaomi 12 Pro, on the other hand, is expected to start from CNY 4999 (~Rs 59,000) for the base variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage followed by the 256GB storage option that could retail at CNY 5299 (~Rs 62,000). The maxed-out version with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage is expected to be priced at CNY 5699 (~Rs 67,000).

Exclusive: #Xiaomi12 Series China Prices [Unconfirmed] Xiaomi 12X 8+128: ¥3499 ($550/₹41K) 8+256: ¥3799 12+256: ¥3999 Xiaomi 12 8+128: ¥4299 ($675/₹50.5K) 8+256: ¥4599 12+256: ¥4999 Xiaomi 12 Pro 8+128: ¥4999 ($785/₹58.8K) 8+256: ¥5299 12+256: ¥5699 Very interesting.  pic.twitter.com/XCGcj0DqEH

— Ishan Agarwal (@ishanagarwal24) December 27, 2021 Xiaomi 12 leaked specifications

The Xiaomi 12 is tipped to feature a 6.28-inch Full HD+ (2400x1080 pixels) AMOLED display that supports a 120Hz refresh rate. The display has a 20:9 aspect ratio and is certified for HDR10+ playback. It is likely to be protected with a layer of Gorilla Glass Victus.

It is expected to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen1 chip and is paired with upto 12GB RAM and 256GB storage options to choose from. The phone will likely run on the latest version of MIUI that’s based on Android 12.

The Xiaomi 12 is expected to have a 50MP primary camera, a 13MP ultra-wide camera with 123-degree FOV and a 32MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. On the front, there’s expected to be a 20MP selfie camera.

Xiaomi 12 is equipped with a 4,500mAh battery that supports 67W fast charging, 30W fast wireless charging and 10W reverse wireless charging.

Xiaomi 12 Pro leaked specifications

Xiaomi 12 Pro features a 6.73-inch QHD+ (3200x1440 pixels) resolution AMOLED LTPO display with support for a 120Hz refresh rate. The display panel is likely sourced from Samsung and has curved edges with a punch-hole notch cutout for the selfie camera up front.

The phone is expected to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen1 and will run on MIUI 12 based on Android 12.

The Xiaomi 12 Pro is rumoured to have a triple camera array headlined by a 50MP Sony IMX707 camera, a 50MP ultra-wide camera with 115-degree FOV and a 50MP telephoto camera. The Xiaomi 12 Pro is expected to feature a 4,600mAh battery with support for 120W fast wired charging and 50W fast wireless charging.

Also Read: Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge will bring 120W fast-charging to India on January 6

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Riot Games Agrees to Pay $100 Million to Settle Gender Discrimination Lawsuit

Tencent's Riot Games said it has agreed to pay $100 million (roughly Rs. 750 crore) to settle a 2018 gender-based discrimination class-action lawsuit with California state agencies and current and former women employees.

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Battlegrounds Mobile India Publisher Krafton Bans Nearly 60,000 Accounts for Cheating

Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) publisher Krafton has banned nearly 60,000 accounts in a week’s time. This ban is put as a part of the strict countermeasures taken against illegal activities in the game. Recently, Krafton announced that it will ban devices used by players to cheat in the battle royale game.

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5G will finally be rolled out in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Gurugram and other Indian cities in 2022

It looks like India will finally receive 5G services in the country. After a long wait, 5G networks are set to hit cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Gurugram, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Jamnagar, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Pune, and Gandhinagar. In fact, we’ve earlier reported that Airtel had started 5G trials in Gurgaon, back in June of this year. So, it looks like 5G will be rolling out in full force across major cities in the country. Airtel has earlier demonstrated a 5G network in Hyderabad back in January, so this launch does line up with various trials that telecom companies have taken part in. 

5G services will finally hit cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and more

For the uninitiated, 5G, the 5th Generation of Wireless Technology, is the next big thing in mobile technology. Just like its predecessors, 5G promises faster data speeds, lower latency, and higher bandwidth, which will make your current mobile networks feel sluggish and outdated. Theoretically, 5G can offer speeds up to 20 Gbps but in the commercial world, 5G carriers are expected to support speeds up to 1Gbps which is 10x the speeds offered by the current 4G LTE networks. The faster data transmission is also accompanied by lower latency. Compared to 4G, which was limited to a ping of 50ms, 5G can theoretically go as low as 1ms! Commercially, one can expect a latency of around 10ms from the 5G carriers.

The Indian government has also launched the ‘Indigenous 5G Test Best project’ which will see agencies such as IIT Bombay, Delhi collaborating on testing and development of 5G services in the country. In a statement, the Department of Telecom said, “ costing Rs 224 crore, the project is likely to be completed by December 31, 2021, paving the way for end-to-end testing of 5G User Equipment (UEs) and network equipment by 5G stakeholders developing 5G products/services/use cases, including indigenous start-ups, SMEs, Academia and Industry in the country.” The Department of Telecom has also allocated the 5G spectrum to telecom giants Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea, and MTNL for 5G trials. 

Also Read: Everything you need to know about 5G in India

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PS5 India December 28 Restock: How to Pre-Order PlayStation 5 on Amazon, Flipkart, Croma, More

PS5 India December 28 restock — for the Rs. 49,990 Blu-ray PlayStation 5 — available at Amazon, Croma, Flipkart, GameLoot, Games The Shop, Reliance Digital, Sony Center ShopAtSC, and Vijay Sales.

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OnePlus 10 Pro launch date to be revealed on January 4, pre-orders go live in China

OnePlus 10 Pro launch date will be revealed on January 4, the company has confirmed. OnePlus has also started accepting pre-orders for the OnePlus 10 Pro in China. The OnePlus 10 and OnePlus 10 Pro flagship phones are expected to launch in China in January followed by a global launch in March/April. Last week, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau confirmed that the OnePlus 10 Pro was indeed launching in January. The phone has leaked previously giving us a brief look at the specs and early renders.

OnePlus took to Weibo to announce that it has started accepting pre-orders for the OnePlus 10 Pro via JD.com. Furthermore, the timeline on the official website suggests that the OnePlus 10 Pro launch date will be revealed on January 4. The OnePlus 10 Pro is likely powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen1 chipset and will be amongst the first few phones to launch with the said SoC.

OnePlus 10 Pro leaked specifications

The OnePlus 10 Pro features a 6.7-inch LTPO AMOLED display that offers QHD+ (3216x1440 pixels) resolution and supports a 120Hz refresh rate.

The phone has a thickness of 8.7mm as per a previous leak by OnLeaks, and the full dimensions are 163.2 mm x 73.6 mm x 8.7 mm, which is the same as the OnePlus 9 Pro. 

The OnePlus 10 Pro is said to feature three cameras on the back which consists of a 50MP main camera with OIS and laser autofocus, a 48MP ultra-wide camera and an 8MP ultra-wide camera with 3x optical zoom. On the front, there is a 32MP selfie camera. The OnePlus 10 Pro will come equipped with a 5,000mAh battery.

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Vivo V23 series with colour changing back glass to launch in India on January 5

As we exclusively revealed a few days earlier, Vivo V23 5G and Vivo V23 Pro 5G will launch in India in the first week of 2022, January 5 to be precise. These phones will retail online on Flipkart as is evident from the teaser page that’s already live on the e-commerce platform. 

Vivo V23 Pro 5G and Vivo V23 5G Design 

 

Celebrate every moment with the beauty of change. Presenting India’s first colour changing smartphone that compliments your every look perfectly. ​ Coming Soon.​#vivoV23Series #DelightEveryMoment pic.twitter.com/PtaD8iwjKj

— Vivo India (@Vivo_India) December 24, 2021

 

These are slim phones and Vivo says that their back panel will be able to change colours when the glass interacts with sunlight or other sources of artificial UV light. This feature will however be exclusive only for the Sunshine Gold colour variant. 

At the front, these phones will have wide notches to accommodate dual selfie snappers. 

Vivo V23 Pro and Vivo V23 Rumored Specifications 

As is also confirmed in the teaser images, the Vivo V23 5G will have a 64MP triple-camera system. The Pro model will allegedly include a 108MP primary sensor. According to reports that have surfaced online, Vivo V23 5G and Vivo V23 Pro 5G will flaunt an “ultra-slim 3D curved display”. 

The vanilla Vivo V23 5G will reportedly be powered by Dimensity 1200 SoC paired with 8GB RAM. These phones could be the rebranded variants of Vivo S12 Pro and Vivo S12 that were earlier launched in China. If true, we can expect the V23 series phones to include UFS 3.1 storage, high refresh rate AMOLED screens, under-display fingerprint sensor, and up to 44W fast charging.  

For more details, we will have to wait till January 5 when Vivo officially presents the V23 series in India. Of course, more leaks might surface in the days building up to the launch. Stay tuned. 

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Apple AirPods 3 Review: A step up over its predecessor

The Apple AirPods 3 are, no doubt, a big step up in terms of performance, features and build from their predecessors. Priced at Rs 18,500, they offer a wide array of enticing features, especially for Apple users, including Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, hands-free Siri, IPX4 rating, Audio Sharing, and more. The earphones miss out on Active Noise Cancellation, so if that is something you'd like your earphones to have, there are numerous options on the market in the same price range that do offer ANC.

Apple is often credited as the company that ushered in the era of truly wireless earphones, and for good reason. The original Apple AirPods, launched in 2016, exploded a segment in its infancy to massive levels of popularity. Since then, audio companies have been coming out with their own iterations of truly wireless earphones in several price brackets. Nevertheless, the AirPods lineup continues to be one of the most ubiquitous, if not the most, across the globe. In October this year, Apple launched the third generation of its AirPods lineup - the Apple AirPods 3 complete with an upgraded design, Spatial Audio support, wireless charging compatibility, and a host of other features. Priced at Rs 18,500, the earphones compete against the likes of the Sony WF-1000XM3, Jabra Elite 7 Pro, and a few others. But are the 3rd-Gen AirPods worth their price tag or are there better options in the market? We're going to find out that and more in this review. 

Apple AirPods 3: Performance – Sound quality, Spatial Audio, Microphone and Wireless Connectivity

Equipped with custom-made, low distortion drivers and high-dynamic range amplifiers, the Apple AirPods 3 is packing spanking new tech compared to its predecessor - the AirPods 2nd Gen. The earphones also come with the Apple H1 chip that was previously present on the AirPods Pro and AirPods 2. Due to the improved hardware, the earphones are a definite step up from their predecessors - the AirPods 2 - when it comes to sound quality. 

Not just that, the earphones also boast of a feature dubbed Adaptive EQ that uses computational audio and an inward-facing microphone to adjust sound playback in real-time to compensate for losses in the mids and highs due to an inadequate fit. Another trick the AirPods 3 has up its sleeves is Spatial Audio that has previously been seen on the AirPods Pro. Spatial audio technology takes 5.1, 7.1 and Dolby Atmos content and applies audio filters to it to place the sound in a 3D soundscape making it feel more like it’s coming from around you. This is coupled with dynamic head tracking to make you feel like you're always in the centre of tracks and scenes. So, what do all of these new features and hardware translate to? Pretty impressive performance, for the most part.

Let's start with the sound quality. The AirPods 3 has a bright sound profile with recessed bass notes and pronounced mids and highs. The earbuds are semi-open, so due to this design, they do struggle to form a seal that can effectively produce the punch and rumble of low bass. So, you may find the earbuds a bit lacking when it comes to that front and may find that the bass response isn't as hard-hitting as one would expect. The rest of the frequency range, however, is well-balanced and detailed. The mids are present and clear so vocals and lead instruments sound quite pristine in the mix and the highs are also well-produced with ample detail. 

Uncompensated frequency response graph of AirPods 3 (Gray) vs Flat response (Dark Green)

The sound signature of the AirPods 3 is especially good for podcasts, audiobooks, and even films and TV shows. Although, if you're watching an action-packed one, you may miss some of the rumble and roar in those sequences. Unfortunately, there are no EQ customisations features, so you're pretty much stuck with what you get on both Apple and Android devices. 

The earphones, however, have excellent imaging performance with accurate placement of voices and instruments within the stage. The soundstage is also pretty good for TWS earphones, primarily due to the design. Do note that Adaptive EQ remains turned on constantly and there's no way to turn it off, so we couldn't test the earphones without the feature activated.

Uncompensated frequency response graph of AirPods 3 (Gray) vs Sony WF-1000XM3 (Orange) vs Jabra Elite 85t (Green)

Now, moving on to Spatial Audio, the technology is accessible not just on Apple phones but also Android smartphones as long as your phone supports Dolby Atmos and you use a source capable of playing Spatial Audio music such as Apple Music. The effect produced is pretty impressive. The positioning of the vocals and instruments in the 3-dimensional space make tracks come alive and make you feel like you're in a room listening to the band play around you. 

Each instrument has its own space to shine and the AirPods 3 convey the sense of space convincingly. The whole experience is very enjoyable and coupled with pretty accurate head tracking, the immersiveness just goes up a couple of notches in comparison to regular stereo sound. As for codec support, the earbuds support SBC and AAC codecs, so they can't really handle hi-res audio which is a bit disappointing since Apple Music does offer lossless audio. 

Onto the microphone performance, the AirPods 3 are equipped with dual beamforming microphones that do a great job at capturing the speaker's voice while reducing environmental sounds such as wind. In our tests, the microphone recorded clear sound with minimal distortions. 

As for connectivity, the AirPods 3 are, of course, optimised to work most seamlessly with Apple devices. The buds have a one-touch setup that auto pairs them to Apple devices instantaneously. There were absolutely no connection drops or stutters during our 2-week testing window.

Apple AirPods 3: Features 

Priced at Rs 18,500, the AirPods 3 are definitely on the higher-end of truly wireless earphones even though they are the company's latest entry-level option. So, at this price, they compete against industry heavyweights such as the Sony WF-1000XM3. Most TWS earphones in this price range sport Active Noise Cancellation, but you won't find that feature on these buds since they're the lower-priced TWS offering from the company and the ANC feature is reserved for the higher-end Pro variant. 

However, the fact that these earphones do not have ear tips to seal the fit does mean that ANC is a feature that is sorely missed mainly due to the lacking passive isolation. If you're in a noisy environment, ambient sounds will definitely make their way through probably prompting most of you to increase the volume levels as we did, which isn't exactly the best for your ears. There's a degree of sound leakage as well due to the semi-open design of the AirPods 3. 

The lacking Active Noise Cancellation feature aside, the AirPods 3 do come with an array of features, some of which we did cover in the performance section, namely Adaptive EQ and Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. Aside from these, the earphones and the charging case are also rated IPX4, so they are resistant to light splashes of water, making them safe to use during workouts and light rain. However, the fit is another topic altogether when working out, but we'll come to that later, so stick around. The case can be wirelessly charged on a Magsafe charger or any Qi-enabled wireless charger. 

Next, the buds come equipped with a new skin-detect sensor that automatically pauses the music when an earbud leaves your ear and resumes it when it's back in. You also get force-sensitive capacitive controls that allow you to register music controls by squeezing the stem. This feature worked supremely well in our testing and we prefer force-enabled controls far more than traditional touch controls that are often marred by mistaps. There are, however, no volume controls, which is disappointing. 

Nevertheless, you can ask Siri to lower the volume on Apple devices handsfree by simply saying Hey Siri. The earphones come with handsfree Siri, exclusive to Apple devices, of course, so you can simply say Hey Siri to make a call, play music, get directions and more. Apple users can also have Siri read out all their notifications through their AirPods 3, which is convenient. 

There are also a bunch of other Apple-exclusive features such as Spatial Audio with head tracking in Group FaceTime calls, Audio Sharing with other AirPods so you and your friend can listen to the same song or show simultaneously on any sets of AirPods, Fast Pairing, and Apple's Find My network integration. These extra features set these earphones apart from the competition and if you're using an Android phone, you will miss out on these features, so keep that in mind.

Apple AirPods 3: Battery life

The 3rd Gen AirPods come with improved battery life rated at 6 hours on the buds alone, and a total of 30 hours with the charging case. In comparison, the AirPods 2 offered up to 24 hours of total wireless playback time and 5 hours from the earbuds alone. However, with Spatial Audio enabled, you really end up with the same or slightly worse battery life as compared to the Gen2 AirPods. In our tests, the earphones lasted 4 hours and 20 minutes with Spatial Audio active at all times. The case provided about 4 additional charges to the earbuds. 

Since most users would use the earphones with Spatial Audio enabled since it is a pivotal feature in getting the full AirPods 3 experience, we would say this number is a better indicator of battery life. So, the battery life, when compared to competitors such as the Sony WF-1000XM3 with 6 hours of playback with ANC on and the Jabra Elite 85t with 5.5 hours of playback with ANC on is pretty ordinary. Nevertheless, the AirPods 3's battery life is good enough that it should easily get you through about 5-7 days' worth of usage.

You also get wireless charging via Magsafe or any Qi wireless chargers. Additionally, the earphones come with quick charge, where a 5-minute charging session will net you an hour's worth of playback. All in all, the AirPods 3 come with good battery life but with Spatial Audio enabled it is about the same as the previous-gen model.

Apple AirPods 3: Build, design and comfort

The AirPods 3 continue the design language popularised by the original AirPods with some key changes. These are all-white, minimalist earphones with protruding curved stems. They offer a new contoured design that allows for better fit and comfort as compared to its predecessor. The stem is also 33 per cent shorter than the AirPods 2's stem, which makes them more compact and inconspicuous. The shorter stem, contoured earbuds and brushed aluminium accents also give these new AirPods a more streamlined look. 

The force-sensitive capacitive sensors are housed at the bottom of the stem and they work exceptionally well. They also provide some audio feedback when pressed that lets you know the control has registered. The earphones are also pretty lightweight and the case is pretty pocketable. The case is slightly bigger than the AirPods 2's charging case but not by too much. It feels pretty robust like it can take a drop or two with ease. The case has a battery indicator light on the front and a Lightning port for charging. 

As for fit and comfort, this is where the AirPods 3 can be a bit polarising. Unlike the AirPods Pro, you don't get ear tips on these buds and they have a semi-open design like the AirPods Gen2. While this will appeal to those who don't like the earbuds pushing too deep into the ear canals, the fit does feel less secure especially when working out or jogging. 

Also, if you have smaller ear canals, you may find the fit even less secure since the housings are pretty broad themselves so they may not nestle in your ears as securely. Nevertheless, the earbuds are lightweight at only 4.28g each so they are comfortable to wear over long periods of time. We urge you to visit a store and try out these earbuds before buying them to get an idea of the fit and if it works for you since all ears are shaped differently.

Apple AirPods 3: Verdict

The Apple AirPods 3 are, no doubt, a big step up in terms of performance, features and build from their predecessors. Priced at Rs 18,500, they offer a wide array of enticing features, especially for Apple users, including Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, hands-free Siri, IPX4 rating, Audio Sharing, and more. The earphones miss out on Active Noise Cancellation, so if that is something you'd like your earphones to have, there are numerous options on the market in the same price range that do offer ANC. 

However, if ANC isn't a concern for you, the AirPods 3 make a pretty strong case for themselves with decent sound quality, immersive Spatial Audio support, good battery life, and more. Moreover, if you're an Apple user, you will get access to even more quality of life features. So, if you're looking for solid Apple ecosystem support without having to shell out 7500 rupees more for the AirPods Pro while still having access to Spatial Audio, these earphones are your best bet.

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Samsung announces first PCIe 50 SSDs with up to 13GBps read speeds

Samsung has announced its next-generation PCIe 5.0 Nvme enterprise SSDs (PM1743) that almost double the performance compared to PCIe 4.0 drives while improving power efficiency by 30 per cent. To keep with the additional PCIe 5.0 bandwidth, these drives come with a new controller and the latest sixth-generation 128-layers V-Nand. 

Samsung confirms that it has been working with Intel to test these next-gen SSDs, presumably with 12th gen Alder Lake CPUs which are also the first mass-market products to support 16 lane PCI 5.0. 

“For over a decade, Samsung has been delivering SATA, SAS and PCIe-based SSDs that have been recognized for outstanding performance and reliability by leading enterprise server customers including corporations, governments and financial institutions,” said Yong Ho Song, Executive Vice President and Head of the Memory Controller Development Team at Samsung Electronics. “The introduction of our PCIe 5.0 SSD, along with PCIe 6.0-based product developments that are underway, will further solidify our technological leadership in the enterprise server market.”

Also read: Intel Core I9-12900K Desktop Processor Review - Hybrid architecture works wonders

PCIe 5.0 SSD performance

PCIe 5.0 drives will be twice as fast as the fastest PCIe 4.0 drives. Samsung claims a peak sequential read speed of 13GBps and a peak sequential write speed of 6.6GBps. 

Here are the performance figures Samsung claims:

Sequential Read Speed: 13 GB/ seconds Sequential Write Speed: 6.6 GB/ seconds  Random Read speed: 2.5M IOPS Random Write speed: 250K IOPS Power Efficiency: 608 MB/s per watt (30 per cent boost over PCI 4.0 based Samsung 1733 drives)

Samsung also aads a separate security processor and root of trust to the drive controller to enhance security. 

Apart from Samsung, Adata will also be presenting PCI 5.0 based SSD drives at CES and claims 14GBps sequential read speeds and 12GBps sequential write speed for its Project Nighthawk SSDs. 

Samsung PCIe 5.0 SSD availability 

Samsung’s PM1743 will be offered in 1.92TB to 15.36TB capacity and will hit mass production in the first quarter of 2022. 

Samsung will offer the drives in two form factors - conventional 2.5-inch U.2 form factor, as well as in 3-inch EDSFF (E3.S), a new enterprise and data centre form factor. Samsung says that customers deploying 7.5 mm E3.s drives will be able to double the capacity for the same servers as compared to those using 15mm 2.5-inch form factor.  

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Samsung is bringing HDR 10+ gaming to its 2022 TVs and gaming monitors, heres what you can look forward to

Samsung has announced that its 2022 gaming monitors and TVs (Q70 and higher variants of 2022) will support HDR 10+ gaming. Currently, we have Samsung TVs that support gaming in HDR 10. HDR 10+ gaming will introduce a host of features that will enhance the gaming experience. 

“We are extremely proud to announce that the new HDR10+ GAMING standard will be adopted by Samsung’s 2022 Neo QLED line up with the Q70 TV series and above and gaming monitors, allowing users to enjoy a game-changing experience through cutting-edge visuals and richer, life-like images,” said Seokwoo Yong, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D Team, Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung will continue to invest in users’ viewing experiences as technology continues to advance and provide enhanced new features and capabilities.”

What to expect with HDR 10+ gaming on Samsung TVs and monitors

As mentioned above, Samsung has confirmed that its Q70 TV and higher models will support HDR 10+ gaming. Samsung hasn’t revealed the gaming monitors models that will support HDR 10+ gaming and we can expect the announcement to come in January 2022 when CES Kicks off. 

Speaking of some of the features of HDR 10+ gaming, Samsung says that its 2022 TV and gaming monitor lineup will “support the HDR10+ GAMING standard by allowing automated HDR calibration that provides stunning picture quality to meet game developers’ demand”. We are interested to see how this automatic calibration works as it will eliminate the need for manual HDR calibration removing the problem of human error. To date, we have experienced automatic HDR calibration for the PS5 (review) on the Sony A80J TV (review) and you can check it out here. 

HDR 10+ in gaming is expected to offer optimized “brightness and contrast scene-by-scene or frame-by-frame, with more accurate colour expression”. Gamers can expect features like Low-latency, VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and over 120Hz. The over 120Hz is interesting as it means PC gamers with capable hardware will be able to game in frame rates higher than 120Hz in HDR 10+ with supported hardware. 

“NVIDIA GeForce gamers can enjoy a brighter, more vivid and consistent HDR gaming experience on their monitors or TVs from the support of the new HDR10+ GAMING standard,” said Vijay Sharma, Director of Product Management at NVIDIA.

It will be interesting to see how HDR 10+ translates to the consoles. As of writing this story, the PS5 supports gaming in HDR 10 only while the Xbox Series X (review) supports Dolby Vision gaming on popular titles like Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5 (review), Gears 5 (review) and more. 

Dolby Vision gaming supports all the features touted by HDR 10+ gaming with the only catch being Dolby Vision gaming is limited to 120Hz on the LG C1 (review) and G1 (review) when connected to an Xbox Series X. It will be interesting to see how HDR 10+ gaming and Dolby Vision Gaming compare and what advantages HDR 10+ gaming brings by surpassing the 120Hz mark.

Source

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Krafton introduces device bans in order to curb cheating in BGMI

Krafton has announced that it will be taking even stricter measures to control hacking or cheating in Battlegrounds Mobile India. The developers will now ban the device itself, instead of just the associated account. 

In its official announcement, the developers stated, “ If the use of illegal programs is detected with a mobile device by the newly applied security logic, the device will be permanently banned from using BGMI.”

Up until now, any hacker who was caught using illegal programs would get their account permanently banned. However, they were still free to simply create a new account and continue cheating. With the device ban in place, anyone caught using illegal software will no longer be able to play the game using the same device. This should ensure that players who get caught cheating will no longer get the chance to cheat again unless they get a new device.

Battlegrounds Mobile India: The hacking problem

Hacking and cheating have become a serious problem in Battlegrounds Mobile India. Almost every week, the developers end up banning hundreds of thousands of accounts. In fact, Krafton recently announced that it banned nearly 100,000 accounts almost a week. The developer notes that 99,583 accounts were permanently banned in the period between December 13 and December 19. This was most evident in the period between October 1 and November 10 when the developers claimed to have banned 2,519,692 accounts. At the time, Krafton noted that it was taking four steps to try and curb cheating and will be doubling down on the same. This included the introduction of stronger cheat detection and banning mechanisms. It also stated that while initially, it used to hand out temporary bans for first-time offenders, it will now issue permabans. Further, the developers will now manually verify and ban any account that is used to promote illegal programs among high-rankers in real-time. Finally, it will be working with YouTube to block channels that promote the use of illegal programs.

Also Read: Here’s What Can Get You Banned In Battlegrounds Mobile India

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Battlegrounds Mobile India Introduces Permanent Device Ban Policy to Deter Cheaters

Battlegrounds Mobile India will begin banning devices used by players to cheat in the game, publisher Krafton announced on Thursday. These devices will be permanently banned from playing in the game, blocking cheaters from creating additional accounts on the same device. Krafton recently announced it had banned nearly one lakh accounts in a six-day period, for cheatin...

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Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate launched in India: price, specifications and availability

Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate has officially launched in India. It is the second phone after the ROG Phone 5 in the Asus gaming smartphone range. The ROG Phone 5, ROG Phone 5 Pro and ROG Phone 5 Ultimate launched in March, earlier this year and is one of the best gaming phones available in India right now. The ROG Phone 5 Ultimate edition brings in features like a customizable monochrome display on the back called ROG Vision and has a whopping 18GB of RAM to go along. Here’s everything you need to know about the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate.

Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate pricing and availability

The Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate is priced at Rs 79,999 and comes with 18GB RAM and 512GB storage. It will go on sale from December 26 on Flipkart.

Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate specifications

Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate features 6.78-inch Full HD+ (2448 x 1080 pixels) resolution display that uses an AMOLED panel, supports upto 144Hz refresh rate, 300Hz touch sampling rate and offers upto 1200nits brightness. The display is also HDR10+ certified and is topped with a layer of 2.5D Gorilla Glass Victus for protection from scratches.

It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor with an octa-core CPU running at upto 2.84GHz with Adreno 660 GPU. It runs on Android 11 based ROG UI out-of-the-box. This is paired with 18GB LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB UFS 3.1 storage.

The ROG Phone 5 Ultimate has triple cameras on the back headlined by a 64MP primary camera based on an IMX686 sensor with an f/1.8 aperture, a 13MP ultra-wide-angle camera with 125-degree field-of-view and a 5MP macro camera. For selfies, the phone has a 24MP camera on the front. The rear cameras can record in 8K UHD at 30FPS and 4K UHD at upto 60FPS with support for EIS.

Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate has a 6,000mAh battery that supports upto 65W fast charging and there is a 30W adapter bundled in the box.

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