Author: angel

Does the Redmi 9A reveal too many compromises in the test compared to the Redmi Note 9?!

In our test, the Redmi 9A presents itself as a successful low-budget smartphone that can be purchased already for significantly less than 100 Euros (~$118). The workmanship is good, the battery life very long, and the equipment is convincing for a very affordable smartphone. In addition, the IPS panel offers solid viewing angles and a good color reproduction.

However, compared to the Redmi 9 and Redmi Note 9 sibling models, you have to accept some compromises. While customers in China have the choice between various models with up to 6 GB of RAM, in this country (Germany) users have to be content with the Redmi 9A with the small amount of working memory. In this regard, the Redmi 9 and Note 9 are able to score with twice as much RAM, which becomes positively noticeable in everyday usage. In addition, Xiaomi has equipped its low-budget smartphone with a fairly weak MediaTek processor, the new Helio G25.

The system of the 9A model does not always run smoothly and there are often some delays. Due to the slow eMMC storage, the load times are also significant. Particularly the Mali-G52 MP2 of the Helio G80 or G85, which is inside the Redmi 9 and Note 9 sibling models, offers significantly more GPU performance and ensures considerably more gaming fun and higher frame rates in combination with the 1080p panel. 

So you have to take a critical look at the question whether the slightly lower purchase costs of the Redmi 9A are worthwhile when possibly using it for several years. A Redmi 9 or Redmi Note 9 would offer a noticeably better overall package for the extra amount of currently 20 or 40 Euros (~$24 or $47) respectively.

If you would like to get a more detailed impression on the Redmi 9A, we recommend our review of the Xiaomi smartphone.

The Surface Pro 3 has 1 more year of official support

Microsoft has made its firmware and driver update schedule for Surface devices public. It shows how long each individual product still has in terms of official support. Some, such as the RT ot Pro 2, have already seen this end-of-service date come and go.

Others are yet to see the next upcoming date for their obsolescence. This is November 13, 2021, on which the Surface Pro 3 to Pro 5/2017 will cease to receive updates. This means that the 3 will get a total of 7 years of support. This is slightly confusing, as its immediate successor, the 4, also ends its life cycle on the same date, as does the first-gen Surface Book.

Howver, most devices on the list get a more constant 4 years of updates. They include the Surface Pro 6 and 7; the Go 1 and 2; the Laptops 2 to 3 and the Pro X. Microsoft has stated that it has posted this information in response to feedback from customers who want to plan upgrades for their devices in accordance with the new list.

ZTE Blade V2020: Smartphones don’t need to be expensive anymore

If a smartphone isn’t launched with the latest technology, it has little impact on the performance behind it. The reason for this is SoCs that may be significantly older than a year but belonged to the mid-range at the time and, therefore, still deliver enough performance for modern applications even today.

This is also the case with the ZTE Blade V2020, since it’s equipped with the MediaTek Helio P70 that was released in April 2019, which in turn is accompanied by an ARM Mali-G72 MP3 graphics unit. For under 300 Euros (~$355), the manufacturer also packs 128 GB of storage space and 4 GB of RAM into the smartphone. A hybrid slot allows the choice between using two nano SIMs or a microSD card.

In addition to solid WLAN and camera performance, the Blade V2020 also shows good results in our benchmark tests. Here, the strongest competitor is the Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC, which scores better in almost all aspects. Compared to the rest of the competition in this price range, however, the ZTE smartphone manages to assert itself.

Thanks to its large and bright display, it can be used comprehensively. Even users with sensitive eyes may be happy here, as PWM is limited to a very high frequency of 63,290 Hz and only kicks in at brightness levels below 23%. This makes the built-in IPS panel much easier on the eyes than most current OLED panels. More details and further information can be found in our review of the ZTE Blade V2020.

Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Gen 2 & L13 Yoga Gen 2 combine Intel Tiger Lake with business-design

Like in the last years, Lenovo is updating certain budget models ahead of other ThinkPads. E14 and E15 Gen 2 with Intel Tiger Lake were already updated a few weeks ago. They are followed up now by the most compact ThinkPad of the budget enterprise series: Without a real announcement, the new Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Gen 2 and ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 2 enter the market.

With this update, Lenovo finally ditches the Intel Comet Lake platform for the 10 nm CPUs of the Tiger Lake series. Alongside the new CPUs come the Intel Xe GPUs and Thunderbolt 4.

This makes ThinkPad L13 Gen 2 and L13 Yoga Gen 2 the first models of the L series with Thunderbolt. Different from their predecessors, these new models will be compatible with eGPUs. Also, the supported resolution for external monitors is higher as well.

Apart from the platform update, there are no new features. The Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Gen 2 and Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 2 use the same chassis as the first gen ThinkPad L13 and the ThinkPad L13 Yoga. This is nothing out of the ordinary, as Lenovo often uses designs for at least two generations. The 2019 models L390 and L390 Yoga still used a different chassis, which lacked features like the mechanical dockingport or the Smartcard reader.

Since ThinkPad L13 Gen 2 and ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 2 are already listed in Lenovo’s PSREF database, it probably will not take long until they are available.

Cheaper OnePlus Nord smartphones will only get one OS update and two years of security updates

OnePlus is known for its excellent software support, but it has apparently chosen to treat its Nord sub-brand differently. OnePlus was long one of the only Android OEMs to release three OS upgrades to its smartphones, while newer handsets like the OnePlus 8T should receive Android 14 whenever that comes around. OnePlus will abandon the Nord N10 5G and Nord N100 long before then, though.

To recap, OnePlus announced the Nord N10 5G and Nord N100 as budget options in its portfolio, following the release of the OnePlus 8T and OnePlus Nord. OnePlus launched the OnePlus 8T on Android 11 but the Nord N10 5G and Nord N100 on Android 10, which seemed like an odd move. However, OnePlus is reported by Android Central as having confirmed the following about software support for the two devices:

The Nord N10 5G and N100 will receive one major Android update and a total of two years of security updates. The plan for these two devices aligns with industry standards for smartphones in more affordable price ranges. As always, we will continue listening to feedback from our users and looking for ways to improve the software experience for all OnePlus devices.

So, the Nord N10 5G and Nord N100 will receive fewer security updates than other OnePlus smartphones, too. To clarify, Android OEMs typically afford two OS updates to their smartphones, not one. In fact, companies like LG and Sony have been called out for failing to support some of their smartphones after one software update. OnePlus is not really offering one major Android update with the Nord N10 5G and Nord N100, either. Clearly, the company had OxygenOS 11 and Android 11 ready for the OnePlus 8T, so it seems that the company may have released its two new Nord smartphones on Android 10 to offer the bare minimum of software support.

Ultimately, OnePlus’ ‘Never Settle’ mantra wears a little thin when applied to the Nord N10 5G and Nord N100. We cannot understand why OnePlus has effectively announced that it has already abandoned the Nord N10 5G and Nord N100 before it has released them, though.

Intriguing 2021 iMac concept pushes Apple’s all-in-one into the modern world with thinner bezels

3D Designers over at Svetapple created a set of detailed concept renders of Apple’s upcoming 24-in and 32-in iMacs, based on accumulated design rumors. The renders indicate that the upcoming iMac lineup will feature significantly thinner bezels as well as round display corners, strongly evoking the design language used in the current generation of iPads. 

According to Svetapple, both the smaller 24-in iMac and the larger 32-in iMac will feature ultra high-resolution monitors. The 24-in model will feature a 4K panel, in line with the current generation variant. The 32-in, on the other hand, will feature a significantly higher resolution panel. This is due to the much larger screen-size relative to the current-generation 27-in iMac model. The upgraded display would offer significantly more real estate without compromising on pixel density. The slimmer bezels could even mean that the 32-in iMac’s footprint isn’t that much bigger. 

There’s very little to go on, right now. However, apart from the rejigged design, these new iMacs will likely feature 5nm Apple ARM-based CPUs. We should know more in the months to come. 

Rumor | The Redmi Note 9 5G will start at just US$150

Xiaomi is now thought to have new 5G variants of the Redmi Note 9 and 9 Pro in the works. Should some new TENAA listings truly pertain to these phones, they may have quad rear cameras, 6-inch-plus displays and large batteries with possible 22.5-watt (W) charging speeds. However, a new leak claims that they will fall into a relatively low price-tier on their launch.

This new tip comes from a Weibo account that insists the Note 9 5G will start at just 1000 yuan (~US$151). Furthermore, its Pro counterpart – which may have a 108MP main sensor and the new Snapdragon 750G processor – might have a base model worth about 1500 yuan ($226).

This would make the new series extremely competitive in the 5G space, even possibly giving the Realme V3 a run for its money. One of these phones (probably the Pro version) is also projected to have a 6.67-inch LCD display with what may be a form of variable refresh rate that allows it to range between 30 and 120 hertz (Hz).

New M1 MacBook Air smokes Core i9 16-inch MacBook Pro in Geekbench

Yes, you read that headline correctly: according to a new listing in the Geekbench 5 database, the M1 MacBook Air absolutely destroys the Core i9 16-inch MacBook Pro in both single- and multi-core tests. 

The scores apparently come from the MacBook Air 10,1. According to the Geekbench post, this MacBook Air runs macOS 11.0.1 and uses an “Apple Silicon” processor. The laptop posted an impressive 1687 and 7433 in the single- and multi-core tests, respectively.

Comparatively, the top-of-the-line 16-inch MacBook Pro with a Core i9-9880H performs about 35% worse in Geekbench 5’s single-core test and about 15% worse in the multi-core test. Average scores for the Core i9 16-inch MacBook Pro hover around 1100 for single-core and 6000-6500 for multi-core. 

This is quite the performance gap, especially considering this MacBook Air looks like the baseline model with 8 GB of RAM. Also, keep in mind that the M1 MacBook Air is fanless, suggesting that the new M1 13-inch MacBook Pro will perform significantly better than the best MacBook Pros currently on the market. The M1 MacBook Pro has active cooling, which should allow for longer sustained load operation.

The Geekbench post also shed some light on an M1 specification many have asked about: clock speed. According to the listing, the M1 has a base clock of 3.2 GHz. The Core i9-9880H, for comparison, has a base clock of 2.3 GHz. 

If this listing is legitimate, Apple has worked wonders with the M1 chip. That kind of performance in a passively cooled system with a TDP of 10 Watts is incredible, especially compared to an 8 core/16 thread 45 Watt monster like the Core i9-9880H. 

Apple’s statement that the M1 is the fastest CPU in the world may have been more than marketing fluff after all.

Apple announces the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with up 20 hours of battery life and 2.8x faster CPU performance

Most companies wait at least a year to refresh their laptops, but Apple has unveiled another 13-inch MacBook Pro, six months on from the release of the last model. The design of the new edition remains unchanged, but Apple promises big things from its new M1 processor. As we have covered separately, the M1 has eight CPU cores and eight GPU cores, while Apple claims that it will offer the following performance improvements over the current 13-inch MacBook Pro:

Build code in Xcode up to 2.8x faster.

Render a complex 3D title in Final Cut Pro up to 5.9x faster. 

Fluidly design intricate game scenes in Unity Editor up to 3.5x faster. 

Perform ML tasks in Create ML up to 11x faster.

Separate out beats, instrumentals, and vocal tracks from a recording in real-time in djay Pro AI.

Play full-quality, 8K ProRes video in DaVinci Resolve without dropping a single frame. 

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro will replace the two cheaper Coffee Lake SKUs that Apple had been selling. The entry-level model starts at US$1,299 and comes with 8 GB of RAM, along with 256 GB of storage. 16 GB of RAM is a US$200 upgrade, as is a 512 GB SSD. 1 TB and 2 TB drives can also be configured, but these are US$400 and US$800 upgrades over the 256 GB option.

All SKUs will begin shipping in the US from November 17/18. Apple has included two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports on all M1 models too, while all SKUs are rated for up to 20 hours of battery life.

MediaTek announces the Dimensity 700, a 5G chipset for next-gen mid-range phones

MediaTek has just announced new chipsets specifically optimized for Chromebooks. However, it has not neglected its Dimensity line of SoCs for 5G phones, introducing a new variant called the 700. It, like the rest of its siblings, is 7nm, and has 8 cores. Of these, 2 are “big” ARM Cortex-A76s clocked at 2.2GHz, whereas the rest are “LITTLE” A55 cores at up to 2.0GHz. Its GPU is a 950MHz Mali-G57 MC2.

The OEM notes that this complete package supports 5G-CA 2CC, a type of carrier aggregation rated for a throughput layer coverage of over 30% more compared to other solutions, as well as “faster average speeds” and smooth handovers between different 5G connections.

The new 700 also has MediaTek 5G UltraSave, which is rated to save battery while using this latest radio standard. It also supports a number of potentially key specs that consumers may look for in its ideal tier of the smartphone market.

Accordingly, OEMs could make a device with an FHD+ 90Hz display and multiple rear cameras with a 64MP main sensor capable of AI features such as bokeh or beauty mode and advanced low-light capabilities.

A Dimensity 700-powered phone could also be powered by up to 12GB of 2133MHz LP-DDR4X RAM, and have dual SIM slots, both of which support 5G, voice over 5G and dual standby.

The chipset can also support multiple voice assistants, Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1. Therefore, MediaTek is confident the Dimensity 700 can bring 5G to the masses in the form of new, probably mid-range phones, soon.