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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. 

Apple AirPods 3 review

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. 

Apple AirPods 3 review

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.

Apple AirPods 3 review

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. 

Apple AirPods 3 review

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. 

Apple AirPods 3 review

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. 

Apple AirPods 3 review

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. 

Apple AirPods 3 review

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

Apple AirPods 3 review

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. 

Apple AirPods 3 review

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. 

Apple AirPods 3 review

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. 

Samsung Q70 series

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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Edit videos on your mobile phone using the YouTube Create App

YouTube has introduced its new mobile app called ‘YouTube Create’. This app offers an easy way for creators to edit their videos right from ...