Redmi 7A pricing, availability and more details announced in China

Redmi launched its flagship K20 series of smartphones at an event in China today. However, the company also made some announcements regarding its Redmi 7A smartphone, which it had first announced a week ago. The Redmi 7A is the company’s latest entry-level smartphone that is a successor to the Redmi 6A which launched last year. While the handset was already announced last week and all of its specifications and features were outed, its pricing and availability details were not revealed. Redmi has now announced the phone’s pricing and we can expect the handset to be priced around the same, or slightly lower, in India. 

Redmi 7A specifications

Since the Redmi 7A is an entry-level device, it’s no surprise that it runs on the Snapdragon 439 SoC, which is also used on the Nokia 4.2. The Redmi smartphone features a 5.45-inch HD display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a 1440x720 pixel resolution. The handset runs on Android 9 Pie with MIUI 10 on top and is backed by a 4000mAh battery that comes with 10W charging support. Additionally, the handset is equipped with a Family Guardian feature and a special mode aimed at senior citizens. 

The Redmi 7A comes equipped with 2GB RAM and in two storage variants of 16GB and 32GB. The handset also comes with a dedicated microSD card slot, which enables storage expansion of up to 256GB. Coming to the optics, it gets a single 13MP sensor on the back and a 5MP shooter on the front that also supports AI Face Unlock. The handset features a P2i splash-resistant coating and comes equipped with a 3.5mm audio jack. 

Redmi 7A price 

The 2GB RAM + 16GB storage version of the Redmi 7A is priced at CNY 549 (Rs 5,500 approx) in China. Its 2GB RAM + 32 GB storage version costs CNY 599 (roughly Rs. 6,000). The handset will soon go up for pre-bookings in the country and its first sale will take place on June 6. The phone comes in Matte Black and Blue colour variants. 

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COMPUTEX 2019: Intel unveils 10th Gen Intel Core mobile processors Ice Lake-U

At COMPUTEX, Intel announced the latest 10th Gen Intel Core processors based on the Sunny Cove architecture. These new 10th Gen Intel Core CPUs will be using Intel’s 10nm process node bringing with it frequency improvements and power savings. And to top it off, Intel is also bringing Gen 11 graphics in these new processors allowing it to reportedly provide twice the graphics performance.

“No one wants to compromise, people want it all: battery life, performance, responsiveness, connectivity and slick form factors. Our job is to come together as an industry and deliver incredible and differentiated PCs, purpose built to what real people want. 10th Gen Intel Core processors - our most integrated CPU - and Project Athena are great examples of how our deep investments at a platform level will help fuel innovation across the industry, “ said Gregory Bryant, Senior Vice-President and general Manager of the Client Computing Group.

Ultraportable laptops with the new 10th Gen Ice Lake processors will be out this June 2019.

Just for mobile platforms

The 10th Gen Ice Lake processors announced today are only for the mobile platforms and that too for the low-power use cases. Which means, you can only get the new 10th Gen Ice Lake processors in the U-series i.e. 15W variants. Intel did not mention when the higher end 10th Gen H-series processors would be announced just that these new 10th Gen processors will be available in Core i3/i5 and i7 SKUs. Since 9th Gen H-series processors only came out a few months back, it makes no sense for Intel to push out 10th Gen H-series processors this early. Not unless they don’t mind angering the thousands of consumers who’ve recently invested into the 9th Gen platform. Also, there is no word as to if 10nm H-series processors would be out any time soon. Pushing out “limited quantities” can still indicate issues with the 10nm process that Intel will have to work through in order to push the 10th Gen processors across all segments.

Faster AI on the desktop PC

Intel has a massive portfolio of AI software and hardware accelerators. With these new processors, Intel has added DL Boost instruction set and a Gaussian Neural accelerator which is a dedicated component for accelerating AI applications. As more and more software incorporate AI elements, it becomes essential to have some amount of hardware acceleration on a local machine before the data can be sent to the cloud for further processing. In low power systems, using the generic cores to perform intensive number crunching for AI workloads can have a marked effect of the performance that’s easily discernible to the user. A dedicated component for AI processing takes care of that.

Gen 11 - Twice the graphics performance?

The 2x graphics performance figure comes from an Intel Ice Lake (4+2) 15W processor running against an Intel Whiskey Lake (4+2) 15W processor. The Whiskey Lake processor used here is the Intel Core i7-8565U and the Ice Lake processor was a pre-production sample. Both are low-power 15W U-SKUs with 4 cores / 8 threads. However, the memory used with the Ice Lake-U processor was running at 3733 MHz while the memory attached to the Whiskey Lake processor was running at 2400 MHz. This would mean that this isn’t exactly an apple-to-apples comparison but if Ice Lake-U supports 3733 MHz out of the box, then you can consider this comparison to be fair from the perspective that they’re both running at out-of-the-box specs.

That being said, the new Iris Plus graphics can get more than 70 FPS in Counter Strike: Global Offensive at 1080p, about 60 FPS in Rocket League and a little over 30 FPS in Fortnite. This basically means optimised multiplayer games such as the ones mentioned above can easily run on ultraportable machines.

Wi-Fi 6 integration

A lot of the ultraportable devices tend to not have ethernet ports and instead have a USB-to-Ethernet adapter. So you need to have a reliable wireless solution. Reliable and bandwidth aren’t the same thing, so this Wi-Fi 6 integration certainly answers the bandwidth question but the reliability of the connection is a different ball game altogether. Most laptops tend to prefer Intel CRF modules so there shouldn’t be much fragmentation, which means you’ll probably end up with a consistent experience across brands.

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Dell unveils refreshed Alienware m15, m17 and G3 at Computex 2019

Computex 2019 is underway in Taiwan with a number of major gaming-related announcements. Dell has also joined the fray by announcing refreshed versions of its gaming laptops as well as the debut of some gaming accessories.

“Gamers across the globe have high expectations from Alienware and Dell when it comes to our gaming products and without a doubt, our latest announcements will exceed even the highest of expectations out there,” said Frank Azor, Vice-President, and General Manager of Alienware, G Series, and XPS at Dell. “To get to this point it has taken over two decades of uncompromising commitment to gamers, the collaboration of an incredibly talented and devoted team, and an ever-expanding group of top-tier partners.”

Alienware m15 and m17

Dell’s Alienware brand has introduced redesigned version of the Alienware m15 and m17 gaming laptops. The company claims that these are Alienware’s thinnest 15-inch and 17-inch laptops till date. Both laptops come with Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 16 and RTX Max-Q series of GPUs and are available with an OLED display with options of 144Hz and 240Hz refresh rates. The devices are powered by 9th Gen Intel Core processors.

The two also come with Alienware Cyro-tech 3.0, which is said to offer a new and optimised thermal module design. This is touted as improving the cooling performance and increasing airflow by 20% over the previous gen Alienware m15, and 15% over the previous gen m17 laptops. Other design features include an all-magnesium chassis, narrow-bezel design, a re-engineered keyboard, and SSD-only storage options. Gamers also get a precision-point glass touchpad and a per-key RGB LED AlienFX lighting. The two also come with Tobii eye-tracking technology.

Alienware m15 and m17 with optional 9th Gen Intel Core mobile and NVIDIA 16 series processors will be available in the U.S. beginning June 11, starting at $1,499 (m15) (approx Rs 1,04,400) and $1,499 (m17).

Dell G3 15

The Dell G3 15 laptop is aimed at gamers with a tighter budget who are looking for something more affordable. The 15-inch laptop offers an option 144Hz display as well as narrow borders. The device sports an S-Curve design which is said to accommodate larger components ports near the back. Other features include a 4-zone RGB backlit keyboard, and a Game Shift feature that enables maximum fan speed for optimal processor performance during intense gaming sessions.

The Dell G3 15 is powered by 9th Gen Intel Core series of processors and is available with Nvidia’s GTX 16 series of processors. 

The laptop with optional 9th Gen Intel Core mobile and NVIDIA 16 series chips will be available in the U.S. beginning May 28, starting at $799.99 (approx Rs 55,700).

Alienware 7.1 and Alienware Stereo Gaming Headsets

Alienware has also unveiled two new gaming headsets called the Alienware 7.1 (AW 510H) and Alienware Stereo (AW 310 H). Both headsets feature 50mm high-resolution drivers and feature the Alienware Legend Design. This includes non-exposed extenders and a retractable boom microphone. Both also offer a detachable 3.5mm cable that makes it compatible with a variety of gaming platforms.  

Headsets will be available in the U.S. beginning July 31. The Alienware Stereo Gaming Headset (AW310H) starts at $79.99 (approx Rs 5,500), while the Alienware 7.1 Gaming Headset (AW510H) starts $99.99 (approx Rs 6,900).

Dell also announced that it will be equipping US educational institutions with the ability to build “varsity-level” dedicated esports arenas. The company says that it will also help them start esports clubs, and build dual-purpose spaces to support teaching, learning and esports in a single environment. 

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Oppo Reno, Reno 10x Zoom launched in India: Specifications, price and everything you need to know

After launching it in China and Europe earlier this year, Oppo has launched the Reno and Reno 10x Zoom smartphones with shark fin-type pop-up selfie mechanism in India. While the standard Oppo Reno is powered by the Snapdragon 710 chipset, the Oppo Reno 10x zoom is a flagship device with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor. The Oppo Reno is priced at Rs 32,990 and will be available on Amazon. Meanwhile, Oppo Reno 10X Zoom will be available at a starting price of Rs 39,990. The Oppo Reno series will be available with a few pre-book offers. Customers who have HDFC credit/debit card can avail an instant discount of 10 percent on EMI transactions and consumer loans. Additionally, consumers can get a 10 percent cashback on exchange and assured buyback for a year, powered by Instacash.

“We’ve been steadfast in using technological innovations to solve customer problems in ingenious ways. True to Oppo's creative philosophy of developing artistic designs for its smartphones, the brand continuously strives to create new designs using the latest trends and its cutting-edge expertise. Reno is deeply rooted in creativity, spontaneity and youthful spirit and is undoubtedly set to satisfy high expectations in design, photography and performance through unique innovations. We are hopeful that Reno will not only serve as the catalyst for the future of Oppo’s smartphone development but will also fuel creativity, take our legacy of innovation forward and set a new benchmark in the premium segment,” Charles Wong, CEO, Oppo India, said in a statement.

Oppo Reno 10x Zoom specifications:

The Oppo Reno 10x zoom sports a Full HD+ 6.65-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels. The phone is claimed to deliver a 93.1 percent screen-to-body ratio, thanks to the shark-fin type front rising camera. The display is protected by a Gorilla Glass 6, and the phone sports a sixth-generation in-screen fingerprint sensor. On the back, the Oppo Reno 10x zoom has a glass finish. Under the hood, the phone comes with the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 platform along with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, which can be expanded via a microSD card. The phone houses a 4,065mAh battery with VOOC 3.0 fast charging support.

For an optimised gaming experienced, Oppo has included Game Boost 2.0 acceleration engine and Dolby Atmos support. The HyperBoost 2.0 includes GameBoost, SystemBoost, and AppBoost that brings performance improvements in terms of game experience, system speed and APP opening speed, respectively. The phone features a copper tube liquid cooling tech for heat dissipation. Oppo says that the tech includes a combination of Thermal Gel, a Graphite Sheet, Copper Pipe Liquid Cooling, and a Tri-cooling Control to manage the temperature of the smartphone. It runs Android 9 Pie-based ColorOS 6 and has an AI-powered Breeno virtual assistant.

The Oppo Reno 10x Zoom features a triple camera setup on the back. It has three sensors including a 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor with a lens having f/1.7 aperture and OIS, an 8MP secondary sensor with a lens having f/2.2 aperture, and a periscope telescopic lens with a 13MP sensor. The triple camera setup is coupled with dual-LED flash and laser autofocus tech. For selfies, the phone sports a 16MP sensor with a lens having f/2.0 aperture, and an LED flash. All this is housed in a shark-fin type camera.

Oppo Reno Specifications:

The standard Oppo Reno sports a smaller 6.4-inch full HD+ display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The company is calling the display as ‘Panoramic Screen.’ Just like the flagship, the phone comes with an in-display fingerprint reader and the panel is protected by Gorilla Glass 6.  Instead of the Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 855 processor, the Oppo Reno is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC, along with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The Oppo Reno features a dual camera system with 48MP and a 5MP sensors on the back. On the front, it features 16MP pop-up selfie camera with an LED flash. The handset includes a 3,765mAh battery with VOOC 3.0 fast charging.

Oppo Reno and Reno 10x Zoom prices:

The Oppo Reno 10x Zoom will be available for pre-booking from May 28 and sale will start from June 7, across all online and offline stores. The 8GB RAM + 256GB storage variant is priced at Rs 49,990. The 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variant will cost users Rs 39,990. Customers will have an option to choose from two colours: Ocean Green and Jet Black. The Oppo Reno is priced at Rs 32,990 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant.

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Quake II RTX Is the Classic Remastered by Nvidia, and It's Coming as a Free Download on June 6

Quake II RTX remade by Nvidia using ray-tracing technique called path-tracing.

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Redmi K20 Series launched in China: Specifications, price and everything you need to know

Redmi and the company's General Manager Lu Weibing have been teasing the Redmi K20 smartphone for weeks now, and today the company has finally launched the phones in China. While initially it was thought that the company would launch just one phone, recent reports suggested that the Xiaomi sub-brand is likely to launch two phones: the Redmi K20 and the Redmi K20 Pro. The Redmi K20 was recently seen with Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 processor on Geekbench, and the Redmi K20 Pro has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC under the hood.

The company had started the pre-booking of the device by paying CNY 100 (approx Rs 1,000). The rest of the sum can be paid after the company launches the phone next week. He added that those who pre-order the handset will get the benefit of priority delivery within 7 days. Weibing also said that the company has prepared enough stock for the phone keeping in mind the “the strong demand of the majority”.

Redmi K20 Pro Specifications:

The Redmi K20 features a Full HD+ 6.39-inch Super AMOLED display that offers 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution and Gorilla Glass 6 protection. It stretches edge-to-edge offering 91.6 percent screen-to-body-ratio, and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The display is free from any type on notch and comes with a pop-up selfie camera. The phone features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset clocked at 2.84Ghz. Redmi claims that the phone has scored 388,803 on AnTuTu benchmarking platform. The Redmi K20 Pro ships with Game Turbo 2.0 to deliver an enhanced gaming experience.

On its back panel, there is a vertically stacked triple camera setup. The primary shooter is the 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor with an aperture of f/1.75. There is a 13MP secondary sensor with a wide-angle lens with an aperture of f/2.4 and a field-of-view of 124.89 degrees. The telephoto lens comes along with an 8MP sensor with an aperture of f/2.4. The phone’s camera will be able to record slow-motion video at up to 960fps videos. The selfie camera has a 20MP sensor. It is not a wide-angle lens, however, it comes with a feature that will let users take a wide-angle selfie by just tilting the phone on either side while taking the image from the front camera.  

The K20 Pro is launched in four variants: 6GB RAM + 64GB storage which is priced at CNY 2499 (approx Rs 25,000), 6GB RAM + 128GB storage for CNY 2599 (approx Rs 26,000), 8GB RAM + 128GB storage for CNY 2799 (approx Rs 28,000) and 8GB RAM + 256GB storage that will cost buyers CNY 2999 (approx Rs 30,000).

Meanwhile, Redmi K20 is a watered down version of the K20 Pro. Under the hood, the phone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 processor, and a 6GB RAM variant scored 2,569 points in single-core, and 7,096 points multi-core Geekbench benchmarking tests. The handset sports the same 6.39-inch AMOLED display and will draw its power from a 4,000mAh battery that comes with an 18W fast charge. The camera setup is also the same as the Pro variant, however, the 48MP sensor is IMX582. The 6GB RAM + 64GB storage variant is priced at CNY 1999 (approx Rs 20,000) and the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant will cost buyers CNY 2099 (approx Rs 21,000).

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Lenovo, Qualcomm unveil Project Limitless, a 5G PC powered by the Snapdragon 8cx SoC

Qualcomm and Lenovo have teamed up to unveil Project Limitless, a 5G PC powered by the Snapdragon 8cx SoC. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx 5G compute platform is a 7nm platform purpose-built for PCs that offer 5G connectivity.

“Our collaboration with Lenovo will deliver transformative PC user experiences for both consumers and the enterprise thanks to the platform’s performance and power efficiency,  combined with the high speed, low-latency connectivity made possible by 5G,” said Alex Katouzian, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Mobile Business Unit, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “Bandwidth-intensive tasks that involve downloading and uploading large files over a wireless connection can be exponentially faster, 'making remote storage feel as seamless as local storage', this will change the way users create, collaborate and communicate with their computing devices.”

Qualcomm claims that the Snapdragon 8cx 5G compute platform is the most extreme Snapdragon platform ever designed, with extreme performance, extreme battery life and extreme connectivity. How all this translates to real-world performance is something we can comment on when we get the final device in for testing. 

The Snapdragon 8cx 5G platform includes the Snapdragon X55 5G modem, which integrates Category 22 LTE. The platform is compatible with all bands used globally. This should help the device stay connected even if it is carried from one location, to the other. 

The 5G-enabled Project Limitless is still a concept and will not be available to consumers till 2020 at least. How 5G infrastructure and connectivity emerges and evolves over the next year is something we will have to wait and see. 

In a country like India, which has seen a boom in mobile internet in the past 2 years, getting good 4G speeds can still be a struggle, even in some metro cities. So we'll just have to wait and see how well the new service works in the country.

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