Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S Review: An Insignificant upgrade

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S is a compelling phone to buy in the sub-Rs 15,000 price segment. It offers performance gains over the Redmi Note 10, but the camera performance left us asking for more. Then again, it is a solid phone to buy if you are looking for a decent daily driver and you cannot extend your budget by much. It can run apps, games without breaking a sweat and the MIUI 12.5 offers more personalization options than ever. That being said, if you are specifically looking for a phone that can offer great gaming performance and can go through demanding tasks then you can check out its elder sibling, the Redmi Note 10 Pro. The Redmi Note 10S is perfect for those that sit at the intersection of normal use and casual gaming.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S is the fourth smartphone in the Redmi Note 10 lineup that already includes the Redmi Note 10, Redmi Note 10 Pro and the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max. With the Redmi Note 10S, Xiaomi wants to further narrow down the gap between the Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 price segment. Starting at Rs 14,999, it sits comfortably between the standard Redmi Note 10 and the Note 10 Pro, but costs Rs 2,500 more than the standard version. The Redmi Note 10S is a slight upgrade over the Redmi Note 10 (review) as it brings in the MediaTek Helio G95 processor and a new primary camera to the mix. Otherwise, it is the same phone as the Redmi Note 10 and both are visually indistinguishable from each other. So, what do you get exactly by shelling out that extra money for the Note 10S, here’s what we found out.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S Performance review

The Redmi Note 10S is powered by the MediaTek Helio G95 processor that has an octa-core CPU and Mali-G76 graphics. The CPU has two performance cores clocked at 2.05GHz and six power-efficient cores running at 2.0GHz. This is paired with up to 6GB LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB UFS 2.2 storage options to choose from. The Helio G95 first debuted with the Realme 7 and has since powered phones like the Narzo 20 Pro and more. We received the 6GB + 128GB variant for the review and it runs on MIUI 12.5, which is based on Android 11. The phone also has a micro-SD card for storage expansion. 

In our daily use, the Redmi Note 10S offered a stable performance and we did not encounter any lags or slow-downs caused by stressing the system. We were easily able to browse online, check our social media handles, play games and more but the phone showed little signs of stress. 

The Redmi Note 10S scored 327219 points on AnTuTu benchmarks, defeating the Narzo 30A and even the Redmi Note 10. However, the Note 10S received some of the lowest scores in Geekbench tests that awarded it 200 and 991 points in single-core and multi-core benchmarks. For some reason, our unit of the Redmi Note 10S did not run 3DMark, GFXBench and Gamebench.

Having said that, games like Call of Duty: Mobile, Asphalt 9 and Free Fire ran smoothly on the Redmi Note 10S at high graphics. We played multiple rounds of COD Mobile on the phone and it ran smoothly without any major setbacks. It consistently offered between 50-60FPS when playing COD Mobile. Though, you should not expect anything more from the phone as it will begin to stress under intensive tasks. For example, in COD Mobile, we had to revert to the default graphics settings as having it maxed out for one round really taxed the performance of the phone. In between our gaming sessions, the phone did get warm to some extent but it is perfectly normal under such graphics-intensive tasks. 

The MIUI 12.5 running on the Redmi Note 10S is snappy and easy to navigate around. It offers tons of personalisation options like themes, always-on display, gestures support and a Game Turbo mode. The Redmi Note 10S has dual stereo speakers that are fairly loud but nothing out of the ordinary. The power button on the phone doubles up as a fingerprint reader which lets you unlock the phone in a jiffy.

We think that the Redmi Note 10S performs the best under balanced workloads that also ensures sustained performance over time. It works smoothly in day-to-day activities such as listening to music, watching videos, browsing the internet, checking feeds on social media and also offers a smooth gaming performance. 

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S Battery review

The Redmi Note 10S is equipped with a 5,000mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging out-of-the-box. On regular use case without much gaming in the way, the Redmi Note 10S was easily able to last for over a day and a half. If you are someone who is into mobile gaming, you should reasonably expect around a day’s worth of juice or less if you like to play for hours at a stretch. The 33W charging adapter provided in the box can fully charge the phone in 75 minutes.  

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S Camera review

The Redmi Note 10S has a quad-camera setup on the back much like the standard Redmi Note 10. However, the primary camera has received an upgrade from 48MP on the Note 10 to 64MP on the Note 10S. The Redmi Note 10S has a 64MP primary camera that uses an OmniVision OV64B sensor and offers an f/1.8 aperture. The remaining three cameras are the same as on the regular Note 10 including an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera with 118-degree field-of-view, 2MP macro camera and 2MP depth sensor. 

Over on the front, there is a 13MP selfie camera housed within the punch-hole notch cutout in the centre. The rear cameras can record in 4K UHD at 30FPS and 1080p at upto 60FPS with features like macro video mode and pro-time-lapse mode.

The Redmi Note 10S produces decent pictures during daylight that have natural colours but is unable to provide much clarity if you look at the images closely. Some of the images also looked overexposed and slightly oversaturated but overall, the primary camera produced good and usable pictures in daylight. The phone also takes good close up pictures with details, textures and natural bokeh. 

The 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera produces images that are less detailed and suffer from distortion around the edges. The ultra-wide-angle camera, though picks up accurate colours was unable to produce sharp images and only the centre of the frame remained visibly clear when zoomed in.

During the night or in low-lit environments, the camera produced pictures filled with noise and fewer details. The images were not as sharp even with the night mode which is a bummer, though the 64MP mode did give marginally better results at night. That being said, the low-light performance of the Note 10S cameras is unremarkable and it is best used to capture pictures during daytime or in well-lit conditions.

The Redmi Note 10S also has a fixed-focus macro camera that produces average pictures and is a lot of hit and miss affair with this one. You will have to go really close to your subject in the frame for any chance to get a decent macro picture. Then too, it will often be quite grainy, but with somewhat decent colours.

One pain point that bugged us constantly was the sluggish camera app that took forever to capture one picture. We encountered an apparent delay in shots from when the shutter button was pressed and overall, the camera app was laggy. However, when it comes to pictures, we liked the daylight performance of the cameras on the Note 10S even though we feel it is a minor upgrade in the larger scheme of things.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S Design and Display review

Being an affordable phone, the Redmi Note 10S has a plastic build and is being offered in three colours: Shadow Black, Frost White and Deep Sea Blue to choose from. It measures 8.3 millimetres in thickness and weighs 178 grams. 

The phone feels solid in the hand with its curved back design and a gradient finish if you go for the blue colour. It is not a fingerprint magnet but does retain smudge marks. The volume rockers and the power button are fairly clicky with a flat design for the power button that doubles up as the fingerprint reader. The Redmi Note 10S has also received an IP53 rating which shields it from regular splashes of water and dust ingress. 

The Redmi Note 10S features a 6.43-inch Super AMOLED display that offers a Full HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels) resolution. It has a punch-hole notch cutout in the top centre with narrow bezels on three sides and a slightly wide chin. The screen does not support a high refresh rate but is topped with a layer of Gorilla Glass 3. 

The display on the Redmi Note 10S can get bright and produces good colours. There is an option built-in to the display menu that lets you change the colour scheme of the display according to the preference. In our display test, the screen was able to offer 416 nits brightness and 3 nits of minimum brightness. The screen offers decent sunlight legibility and has good viewing angles. Overall, the AMOLED display is pretty good and can easily be used to watch videos on YouTube or binge-watch Netflix as it does support Widevine L1.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S review Verdict

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S is a compelling phone to buy in the sub-Rs 15,000 price segment. It offers performance gains over the Redmi Note 10, but the camera performance left us asking for more. Then again, it is a solid phone to buy if you are looking for a decent daily driver and you cannot extend your budget by much. It can run apps, games without breaking a sweat and the MIUI 12.5 offers more personalization options than ever. 

That being said, if you are specifically looking for a phone that can offer great gaming performance and can go through demanding tasks then you can check out the elder sibling Redmi Note 10 Pro. The Redmi Note 10S is perfect for those that sit at the intersection of normal use and casual gaming. That’s where it really shines and one should not expect anything beyond. 

 

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/3vPx9Cc

Intel Core i9-11900K, Core i5-11600K, and Asus ROG Maximus XIII Hero Review

Intel's 'Rocket Lake' 11th Gen Core i9-11900K and Core i5-11600K are targeted at gamers and enthusiasts, but will this interesting new architecture be able to take on AMD's many-core Ryzen family, or has the company actually taken a step backwards?

from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/3fRmOQS

PUBG Mobile and Free Fire might reportedly get banned in Bangladesh:

According to a report by Bangladesh-based publication, Daily Manab Zamin, PUBG Mobile and Garena Free Fire are planned to be suspended due to the increase in gaming addiction among the youth in the country. The decision was reportedly made by several government bodies including the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission and the Ministry of Education. 

A report from AFK Gaming states that the subject has also been discussed with the Bangladesh Mobile Phone Users Association and the Parliamentary Standing Committee in the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications calling for immediate steps to restrict the addictive nature of Free Fire and PUBG Mobile.

It's important to note that Garena has announced exclusive Free Fire servers for Bangladesh. Garena has already kicked off pre-registrations for the new server and the Bangladesh servers are scheduled to go live on June 8. 

The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications has recognized the gaming addiction among young adults and teenagers. The government has stated that it will take mandatory steps to prohibit the games in a healthy manner to avoid extreme reactions. Government authorities are also informed of the matter that players can use a VPN after these games get banned as players from India have been playing PUBG Mobile since the ban using methods like VPN. The Bangladesh government hasn't made a statement as to how they will stop players from using VPN.

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/3fL91Ll

Nintendo wins piracy lawsuit against RomUniverse

Nintendo filed a lawsuit against RomUniverse.com, a website involved in hosting pirated versions of Nintendo games, in September of 2019. Nintendo claimed that the site facilitated the infringement of its intellectual property. Its initial complaint said that the site reportedly offers memberships of up to $ 30 a year, allowing subscribers to download games faster than non-subscribers. This was seen as an act of profiting from Nintendo's copyrighted works, and it sought $15 Million in potential damages.

Matthew Storman, the site’s operator, did not take down the site until last summer, even after repeated DMCA takedown notices. He decided to defend himself in the court of law without an attorney and claimed that he did not upload pirated games. He asked the court to dismiss the case. However, Nintendo picked his defence apart and found itself in the court’s favour.

After winning a lawsuit against RomUniverse, Storman was charged with copyright and trademark infringement and was ordered to pay over $2 Million in damages to Nintendo. 

Storman was penalised $35,000 in statutory damages for each of the 49 copyright violations. He was also punished $400,000 in statutory damages for each of the 29 trademark violations to Nintendo, amounting to the $2.1 million figure.

Nintendo is well known for suing those that infringe its intellectual proper and has previously won similar cases in US and UK courts, including a $ 12.2 million settlement with illegal ROM distributors. There are several ongoing lawsuits against the creators and distributors of Nintendo Switch hackers. 

Litigation is not limited to civil litigation. In 2020, two hackers, one of them named Gary Bowser, were arrested and charged with 11 felonies. Nintendo also filed a lawsuit against Bowser this year, accusing him of creating and selling Switch hacks similar to copyright infringement.

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/2RZ1YWD

Dream admits he might have accidentally cheated on his Minecraft speedrun record

The popular Minecraft youtuber Dream who claimed to have the world record on speedrunning Minecraft, has been allegedly cheating his speedrun streams, and here’s how:

The Java Speedrunning team issued a bulky analysis paper accusing Dream of having cheated on his speed runs. Dream claims to have been “accidentally” doing his speedrunning streams while having some illegal mods on. Dream apologizes for being unaware of the mods being active, and takes it to clarify the situation from his perspective.

Given the odds of getting the substantially greater drops rates he had in those speedruns is quite meagre, let alone at such streaks; we are talking about very (veryyyyy) rare here, and it’s just too hard to justify it with sheer luck *shrug*.  Although he had been denying cheating allegations since December, last year, but now, nearly five months later, Dream posted his full perspective of the incident and what he thinks went wrong after digging into it further. It appears he has had enough of the hassle, and finally came forward with admitting that he might have “unintentionally” used mods during the speedrun, as a reply to the lengthy analysis paper by the Java speedrunning team.

“As much as I was confident that I didn’t cheat, I had never explored the option that I possibly did,” Dream said. “Due to the way I reacted to the mods and perceived everything going on I was convinced that they were out to get me. I tunnel visioned and was paranoid and didn’t think straight. I had plenty of valid reasons to believe that they weren’t impartial, and had the mod team and I been completely friendly from the beginning I believe it never would have gotten to the point that it did.”

According to him, these were mods used for making videos that were being developed by someone he hired alongside fellow content creator GeorgeNotFound. He claims to have apparently ignored any potential problems because the mods, at the time, weren’t affecting gameplay and he thought they were disabled or only impacted server-side gameplay. 

“When I realized this, I felt an extreme sense of guilt and I took down my response video not believing in what I said in the video at all anymore,” Dream said. “This was a couple months ago at this point I believe. When the drama first started I cared more about defending myself and being right, then about figuring out what was actually going on and I shot myself in the foot by doing it.”

Finally, Dream urges his fans to not send hate to the mod team or anyone involved in the situation and also to avoid causing further drama. He claims to plan on clarifying the situation more in the near future too.

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/3yZS3AE

Riot Celebrates Valorants One Year Anniversary by giving out in-game Goodies to players

Riot Games’ 5v5 Shooter ‘Valorant’ completed its 1 year anniversary on 2nd June 2021 and they are celebrating by rewarding the players in multiple ways.

They have brought back the night market on the occasion for players to buy skins at a discount on their actual price if the skins you get in your night market appeal to you.   The second Give Back bundle will be coming to the stores and the players get to vote on which skins come in it. In order to vote, you can go to the official Instagram page of Valorant and get further details under the Give Back Bundle post announcement. Purchase the bundle from June 22–July 8, and 50% of the proceeds from Weapon skins and 100% from accessories in the Give Back Bundle, will go towards the Riot Games Social Impact Fund.

All players will also be able to receive two exclusive cards featuring artwork from the first two acts of the game which were seen while the game started in the duration of the beginning of the game.     Alongside all other things, Riot will also be giving all players a free YR1 pass which will have seven levels and have exclusive items speculated to be sprays and gun buddies or even more as teased on their instagram post about the one year anniversary.   Last but not least, Riot also announced the Squad Boost event which will reward players with a higher percentage of XP depending on how many players they queue with. It is said to have a max limit of 20% more XP which makes us think that the percentage ratio might be 5% per player. Regardless, playing with a squad has never been more rewarding in the game before.

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/3fOzAzo

Riot Gamess Valorant FPS set to make its way to mobile

Valorant looks set to enter the mobile gaming space. The announcement comes when the game celebrates its one-year anniversary since launch. However, we still do not know when it will be launched. This information was revealed by the game’s executive producer, Anna Donlon during a chat with Polygon. 

Donlon notes that the team at Riot Games is focused on delivering an uncompromised experience for Valorant Mobile. The idea is to ensure that the game is not just a port of Valorant PC, but a unique mobile experience. 

Donlon also noted that they are not working on cross-play between PC and mobile. This makes a lot of sense as valorant is a first person hero shooter and the PC players will have a definite advantage over mobile players.

Donlon also stressed that the PC version will not be affected by the development of the mobile version. “The same way that we’re not going to deliver a subpar mobile experience for mobile players, we’re not going to compromise the PC experience either,” she said. “We’re not trying to convert Valorant PC players into Valorant Mobile players or vice versa. [...] We’re absolutely just as committed to keeping the PC experience at the quality level it is or higher, and we’re not going to compromise it in order to address the mobile market.” Donon told Polygon.

It was also revealed that Riot plans to create a console version of the game. However, that is something that will happen after mobile. 

Valorant isn’t the only AAA title set to make its mobile debut. Riot’s own League of Legend: Wild Rift is already up for pre-registration and the game should launch soon. Besides Riot, EA is set to launch a new version of Battlefield for mobile. We also have Apex Legends coming to mobile phones soon. You can learn more about our first impressions of the game here.

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/3vNyFF6