Initial reports claimed that Samsung’s first dual foldable will arrive this year. However, GizmoChina and leakster Yogesh contradict this info, saying that the actual launch will take place in the first three months of 2022.
The more interesting bit of this leak is that the device in question will be Samsung’s first foldable tablet – Galaxy Z Fold Tab. Devices like the Galaxy Z Fold2 already blur the line with tablets with its 7.6” display, but the Tab will be even bigger.
It makes sense that a triple foldable will be a tablet. Current models are already on the large side even when closed – getting a larger internal screen without increasing the folded size requires another fold. But will it be an internal screen? The form factor is as yet unknown.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2
There’s a lot of time between now and Q1 2022. An important step along the way will be the July/August event that will bring the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip2. The Z Fold3 in particular will be a testing ground for the Z Fold Tab.
It will bring a hybrid S Pen that will also be used on the tablet. We don’t know what makes it a hybrid, but chances are that it will be similar to the S21 Ultra S Pen Pro – with Bluetooth but no stylus slot built into the phone.
The Z Fold3 will also introduce an improved Ultra Thin Glass (UTG), which will be thicker and more durable. Both the S Pen and UTG will be featured on the Galaxy Z Fold Tab as well.
Naturally, the lessons learned from building the Z Fold3 may lead Samsung to change its plans for the tri-fold tablet, so details may change.
Christina Munro 1 day ago Featured Tech Reviews, Mouse, Reviews
Today we’re checking out ASUS’ latest lightweight wireless gaming mouse. The ASUS ROG Keris Wireless supports wired, Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless connectivity, while also sporting a PixArt PAW 3335 sensor with 400 IPS tracking and up to 16,000 DPI. Not only does it have hot-swappable switches, with spares included, you can also change the colour of the side buttons. Let’s see if this mouse is really worth the £89.99 asking price.
Watch via our Vimeo channel (below) or over on YouTube at 2160p HERE
Specifications:
Ergonomic, right handed design
Connectivity: USB 2.0
Bluetooth: RF 2.4GHz
Sensor ; PAW3335
Resolution ; 16000DPI
Max Speed ; 400IPS
Max Acceleration ; 40G
USB Report rate ; 1000 Hz
RF 2.4G Report rate:1000Hz
L/R Switch Type: ROG 70M Micro Switch
Button: 7 programmable buttons
Battery Type: 500mAh
Battery Life: 78 hours without lighting 52 hours with default lighting(Breathing)
Cable: 2.0m type-C ROG Paracord
Dimensions: 118(L)x62(w)x39(H) mm
Weight With Cable: 79g
Colour: black
You can purchase the ASUS ROG Keris Wireless from Overclockers UK for £89.99 HERE!
Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.
Pros
Lightweight.
Different coloured side buttons and spare switches included.
Built-in storage space for the USB dongle.
On the fly DPI adjustment.
Very comfortable in all grip styles.
Cons
Plastic attracts grease.
Not suited for those with larger hands.
KitGuru says: At £90 the ASUS ROG Keris Wireless certainly isn’t cheap but if you want a lightweight, wireless ergonomic mouse it’s definitely worth buying. Wireless performance is great, the shape is excellent for those with medium to small hands, and we love the hot-swappable switches.
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South Korean brand HiFi Rose has launched in the UK and Ireland, and you can now pick up two of its products from select stores, supplied by Henley Audio.
Both products are premium networked streamers. The HiFi Rose RS201 E (pictured) is a music streamer, DAC and amplifier in one. Its minimalist design might be a little industrial for some, but it’s a good size to fit on a desk and boasts an 8.8in touchscreen display.
It supports audio up to 32-bit / 384KHz (PCM) and DSD256 (Native DSD), and you can stream digital music from your network or attached devices using the Rose OS Music app. It’s compatible with Apple AirPlay, Roon Ready and Spotify Connect, and comes with integrated apps for Qobuz and Tidal.
It’s MQA certified and has 100 watts of amplification. It connects online using Wi-Fi or Ethernet, or you can stream offline using Bluetooth 4.0. There’s also an HDMI output to connect to a TV. A Bluetooth remote control comes as standard.
This is joined by the RS150 network streamer which shares many features. It’s bigger than its sibling, though, with a 14.9in touchscreen, and benefits from a speedy Hexacore CPU and Mali-T864 GPU. It features an Asahi Kasei VERITA AK4499EQ DAC with support for Velvet Sound technology, and benefits from what HiFi Rose claims is “industry-leading technical measurements for exceptional sonic integrity”.
You can manually adjust the input/output settings to your liking, and it has HDMI-ARC and AES/EBU connections.
The RS201 E costs £1749, and the RS150 £3899. Both are on sale now from your local Henley Audio stockist.
MORE:
These are the best music streamers around
Find out how to add a streamer to your hi-fi system
Nowadays there are loads of small form-factor (SFF) systems featuring fairly high performance, there are also fanless PCss that can offer performance of regular desktops. Unfortunately, SFF and fanless worlds rarely intersect and passively cooled compact desktops are extremely rare. Yet, they exist. Recently Atlast! Solutions introduced its Sigao Model B, which packs Intel’s 10-core Comet Lake CPU into a fairly small fanless chassis.
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The Atlast! Sigao Model B is based around Intel’s 10-core Core i9-10900T processor as well as an Asus H470-I Mini-ITX motherboard. The CPU features a 35W TDP and has a base clock of 1.9 GHz as well as a maximum turbo frequency of up to 4.6 GHz, though we would not expect the processor to hit very high clocks in a fanless system powered by a 200W PSU. The motherboard comes with all the essentials, including Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth module, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, three display outputs (DisplayPort, HDMI, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C), one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A connector, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, and 5.1-channel audio.
The Sigao measures 12.6 x 12.6 x 3.4 inches (320 × 322 × 87.5 mm) without feet, so while it is definitely not as compact as Intel’s NUC or Apple’s Mac Mini, it can still be considered a small form-factor PC.
Atlast! builds its fanless systems to order, so it can equip its Sigao Model B with up to 64GB of DDR4-2666 memory, one Samsung 970 Evo Plus M.2 SSD with a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface and up to 2TB capacity, and two 2.5-inch HDDs or SSDs.
The motherboard has a PCIe 3.0 x16 slot and the system can accommodate a single slot wide add-in card using a riser, though finding a decent mini-ITX 75W single slot graphics card with passive (or even active) cooling is close to impossible, so it is unlikely that the system can be equipped with a standalone AIB. Unfortunately, the motherboard also lacks a Thunderbolt 4 port for an external graphics solution, so it looks like the Sigao Model B has to rely on Intel’s built-in UHD Graphics 630 based on the previous-generation architecture. Meanwhile, if the Asus H470-I motherboard gains Rocket Lake-S support, it should be possible to install a more up-to-date CPU with Xe Graphics featuring leading-edge media playback capabilities.
The Atlast! Sigao Model B is not cheap at all. Even the basic model featuring a Core i9-10900T, 16GB of RAM, and a 250GB SSD costs €1,922 ($2304) with taxes and €1,602 without ($1,920), which is quite expensive even by SFF standards. But a desktop PC that brings together compact dimensions and passive cooling is hard to come by, so its price seems to be justified for those who want both features.
“… perhaps the most well-featured all-in-one desktop system you can buy right now,” is what we said of the Ruark R5 when we reviewed it in 2019, and that is no less true today. Now, Ruark has launched a special Signature Edition version that benefits from a performance boost and aesthetic upgrade.
For the Ruark R5 Signature, the signal paths have been revised and the cabling upgraded in an effort to make it sound cleaner than the standard R5. While the R5 comes in a a ‘rich walnut’ wood or light grey lacquer, the Signature model basks in a luxury piano lacquer finish with rose gold metal detailing.
Ruark says that each layer has been carefully built and hand sanded between coats. Once the final coat has been applied, the lacquer was wet sanded with a fine grit abrasive before being hand buffed and polished to a glass-like finish.
(Image credit: Ruark)
Of course, the Signature is just as well equipped as the original, featuring an integrated CD player, Spotify Connect, built-in access to other popular music services such as Amazon Music, Deezer and Tidal, Bluetooth, DLNA streaming and multi-room functionality.
We can also expect a sound that’s as likeably warm and organised (and hopefully clearer) than the R5, whose biggest talent is a lush and coherent midrange.
The Ruark R5 Signature will be available in a limited production run from June, priced £1250 (a not-insignificant premium over the £995 R5).
Project Connected Home over IP (CHIP), the awkwardly-named-but-interesting smart home partnership between Apple, Amazon, Google, and over 170 other companies that’s supposed to make everything more compatible should finally start showing some results later this year. According to a webinar hosted by the Zigbee Alliance earlier this week, companies participating in the program will be able to get smart home devices certified for the standard by late 2021, which means we might see some things on shelves for the holiday shopping season. That first wave of devices will include things like lighting, blinds, HVAC controls, TVs, door locks, garage door openers, security systems, and Wi-Fi routers.
The CHIP standard is built around three technologies: Bluetooth LE for setup, WiFi for high-bandwidth use cases, like streaming video from a security camera, and the still-nascent Thread mesh network protocol for low-bandwidth devices such as motion sensors. (Thread has been a work in progress for a while, but it’s now on the Apple HomePod Mini, the newest Google Nest Hub, and Eero routers, so maybe it’s finally going to happen.)
Manufacturers will be able to bring CHIP support to older products through bridges, as well, so there’s a chance that devices you already own might work with CHIP products in the future.
The program, which was first announced back at the end of 2019, has had some delays due to the pandemic. It was originally supposed to have products within the CHIP standard by the end of 2020, but then the group announced last September that we wouldn’t see anything until sometime in 2021. That time apparently is the end of 2021, so it’s very possible this launch could slip even further into 2022.
The goal of CHIP is to offer a unified standard for smart home products so that customers don’t have to worry if a device they buy will work with the other devices they already own. Its technologies replace older smart home protocols such as Zigbee and Z-Wave and are designed to work with whatever voice assistant you prefer. Of course, a new standard isn’t a guarantee to solve any confusion, and it’s very possible that the CHIP program will just add yet another option to the list of standards already out there.
Stacey Higgenbotham at Stacey On IOT has a deep dive on all the announcements made by the Zigbee Alliance this week, including how it plans to improve smart home security through… the blockchain, so I suggest reading her analysis for more on the subject.
Apple has officially announced its “Spring Loaded” event for April 20th, its first major product announcement of 2021.
Unlike a lot of Apple’s events, its spring events tend to be a bit more scattershot: one year might see high-end iPads, another a more education-focused event, or a launch of a comprehensive service strategy. This year, rumors are pointing to a refreshed iPad Pro lineup, potentially with Apple’s first Mini LED panels — which would bring a big jump forward for the company’s tablet displays. But we could also see new AirPods, the company’s long-rumored AirTag trackers, a new iPad Mini, and more.
The proceeding should kick off at 1PM ET on Tuesday, but if you’re looking for an early preview, here’s what you can probably expect to show up.
iPad Pro
It’s been over a year since Apple’s last refresh of the iPad Pro, and the 2020 model — a fairly iterative update to the 2019 version — is starting to get a little long in the tooth, especially compared to the beefed-up specs on Apple’s latest iPhones and M1 Macs.
Like last year, Apple is expected to launch both 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models; but the larger iPad Pro is expected to make a big switch in screen technology to debut Apple’s first Mini LED display. Additional rumors indicate that supply of the Mini LED panels might be hard to come by, that stock of the larger model may be limited at launch, or that Apple might delay the release of the 12.9-inch version until availability is better.
Photo by Brennan King / The Verge
A report from Bloomberg sheds more light on what to expect, too: while the overall design of the two tablets is expected to stay largely the same as last year’s model, Apple is expected to swap out the A12Z chip for a newer processor that’s said to be on par with its more recent M1 chipset. The new iPads are also said to upgrade to a Thunderbolt port (with faster data speeds and a wider peripheral selection than the standard USB-C port) and feature upgraded cameras.
Apple could also potentially have a new Apple Pencil accessory in the works to go with the new iPad Pros. Images of a new, glossy version of the stylus have been circulating on Twitter, and the “spring forward” teaser could imply that Apple might offer a spring-loaded tip, similar to what Wacom offers on its pens.
AirTags
Image by Guilherme Rambo / 9to5Mac
One of Apple’s worst-kept secrets in years, Apple’s Tile-like AirTags have been rumored to make an appearance at nearly every Apple event and announcement since early 2019. Said to be small, circular tags with Bluetooth and ultra-wideband radio chips, AirTags would rely on Apple’s existing Find My app and network of iPhones, iPads, and Macs to allow users to track and find missing objects (similar to how users can currently track lost phones).
AirTags would also potentially work with recent iPhone models’ U1 chip to allow for AR-based ultra-wideband tracking in local areas — something that Samsung has recently also began to offer with its Galaxy SmartTag Plus.
There have been references to AirTags (or Apple Tags) in iOS code leaks, endless rumors, and even in an official support video that explicitly revealed the “AirTags” name as part of its offline finding feature last year. The only thing left is for Apple to officially announce them.
iPad Mini
Also long overdue for an update is Apple’s oft-neglected iPad Mini, which was last refreshed over two years ago in March 2019. (Given that that update came after a four-year drought for the iPad Mini, a refresh this year would actually be beating par.) The current model features the exact outdated design that Apple’s been using for nearly a decade, with an older A12 processor to boot, so there’s plenty of room for Apple to improve things, too.
Adding fuel to the fire is that both Bloomberg and noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo have pointed at a larger iPad Mini (potentially with an 8.5-inch display, which could come from eliminating some of the chunky 2012-era bezels) for 2021.
AirPods 3
A third-generation version of Apple’s AirPods has been rumored for months, set to feature shorter stems and replaceable ear tips, similar to the current AirPods Pro design. The updated AirPods are also said to feature better battery life than their predecessors. Apple has also been rumored to be working on a refreshed AirPods Pro design that would eliminate the earbud stem entirely, but as Bloomberg’s report notes, that redesign is further out — so they’re unlikely to make an appearance here.
Apple TV
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
The Apple TV 4K sits at a strange place in Apple’s lineup. Released in 2017, it’s one of the oldest Apple products still being sold. At $180, its price has since been lapped by Roku, Amazon, and Google, all of which offer comparable 4K streaming boxes at a fraction of the price.
Apple is rumored to be working on a refreshed model for 2021, which would add a faster processor and a new remote to replace the infamous Siri Remote. Support for HDMI 2.1 and 120Hz refresh rates could also be in the cards. But more than new features, the Apple TV 4K is in dire need of a price cut — something that Apple is historically more reticent to provide.
iOS 14.5
Given the pace of both developer and public betas, it’s all but certain that Apple will officially release iOS 14.5 either at or immediately following the event (especially if it has new iPad hardware). The new software promises to add the ability to more easily unlock an iPhone while wearing a mask through an Apple Watch, new emoji, and Apple’s highly debated App Tracking Transparency feature that has drawn particular ire from Facebook.
MacBooks and iMacs and Mac Pros (oh my!)
After the shockingly great debut of Apple’s first wave of Apple Silicon-powered computers last fall with the M1 MacBook Air, Pro, and Mac Mini, all eyes are on Apple’s next steps in its ARM transition. The company is rumored to be working on plenty of new Macs as it looks to achieve its ambitious goal of switching fully from Intel’s chips within two years. That includes more powerful MacBook Pros that would ditch the Touch Bar, bring back MagSafe and additional ports, and feature an improved M-series chip. A new iMac and a smaller Mac Pro (also featuring M-series chips) are said to be in the works as well.
With WWDC around the corner, though, it’s likely that we won’t hear more about new Mac hardware until then, especially if Apple is planning on debuting more developer and professional-friendly Apple Silicon-powered laptops and desktops.
Something surprising
Of course, with Apple, you never quite know what to expect — which means that there’s always room for a surprise announcement or two at the Spring Loaded event that not even we saw coming. Could Apple tease its long-rumored VR headset? A refreshed iPhone SE? A first look at the Apple Car? Whatever happens, stay tuned to The Verge for all the details.
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The words “Swiss design” conjure images of luxury watch movements and delicately sculpted eyeglasses, not hulking e-bikes with thickly welded frames and face-melting power. Stromer is here to challenge those assumptions and force a rethink of how its Swiss-made electric bikes, with top speeds of 45 km/h (28 mph), can disrupt urban transportation for the benefit of residents. I’ve certainly seen the light after testing a new 2021 edition ST2, Stromer’s first e-bike with a carbon belt drive.
Broadly speaking, US cities have all of the fast e-bikes and no bicycle infrastructure, whereas European cities have all of the protective infrastructure and few fast e-bikes. It’s exceedingly rare to see fast e-bikes known as speed-pedelecs in my Amsterdam home, for example, where half of all new bikes sold are electric, and bicycles outnumber people by a lot.
It’s not that EU bike makers are an effete bunch of cheese-eating milquetoasts; they manufacture slow, underpowered e-bikes to avoid the draconian measures triggered by EU Directive 168/2013. It states that any e-bike that goes faster than 25 km/h (15.5 mph) with a continuous rated power above 250 watts is to be treated the same as a gas-guzzling moped. Makers of s-pedelecs like the Stromer ST2 are subjected to a grueling certification process that then requires owners to hold a moped-class driver’s license, liability insurance, and registration. By contrast, a similarly specced Class 3 e-bike in the US usually requires… nothing, other than a helmet.
To make matters worse, speed pedelecs are banned from riding on the vast majority of the ubiquitous bike lanes that famously protect helmet-less Dutch bicyclists in cities like Amsterdam. Why? Because mopeds are banned, and the law doesn’t differentiate. Fuck that. I wasn’t going to put my life at risk for this review by riding alongside heavy (and dangerous) automobiles just because European regulators can’t get their shit together.
Over the entirety of March, I spent my days fawning over the sophistication of the Stromer ST2 while fuming at lawmakers for holding back s-pedelecs from their full potential as car replacements. While I’ll be reviewing the ST2 on its own merits, it’s nigh impossible to recommend to Europeans without first considering the operational rules by which it’s constrained.
Before diving too deeply into why European rules suck, let’s start with what makes the new Stromer ST2 so good.
The ST2 is Stromer’s all-rounder model in a range of s-pedelecs that run from the entry-level ST1 to the ST5 (there is no ST4), with prices ranging from $4,199 / €4,628 to $11,699 / €11,428 and higher depending on configuration and options. Stromer’s motors range from 670W and 35 Nm of torque to 850W and 48 Nm. All Stromers are pedal-assisted e-bikes without throttles.
The ST2 starts at $5,699 / €6,128 and is fitted with a 750-watt Stromer CYRO Drive IG motor mounted on the rear hub. It produces a modest 40 Nm of torque to accelerate the bike up to 45 km/h (28 mph) from a standstill as safely and effortlessly as possible. A torque sensor ensures that power is delivered just as soon it detects a harder press on the pedal. The Gates Carbon belt drive linked to an internal five-gear hub propels the sturdy aluminum-framed bike forward on 27.5-inch wheels sporting high volume Cycl-e ST tires custom-designed by Pirelli.
My ST2 with the large-sized sport frame options came standard with fenders, a kickstand, and a mini rack; it did not come with the optional front and rear suspension. It weighs just shy of 33 kgs (72 pounds), which is undeniably heavy for an e-bike. But that mass makes the ride feel rock solid at top speed, without any worrisome wobble or flex when riding over bumps.
Safety is also boosted by custom front and rear hydraulic disc brakes, an electric horn, daytime running lights, and a Roxim Z4E Pro headlight that can produce between 600 and 900 lumens at night. (A dazzling 1600-lumen option is available.) There’s also an integrated brake light around back. The required rearview mirror is useful to see overtaking motorists on roads, but it makes the bike quite wide. This resulted in a few slapped car mirrors before I got a feel for the added width. Fortunately, the mirror folds to make it a bit easier to walk the bike through narrow hallways.
The keyless battery makes a pleasant “thunk” when ejected after a touchscreen and button combo.
My ST2 review bike came fitted with a 48V, 618Wh removable battery rated for up to 120 km or 75 miles, though I’d estimate real-world range for an aggressive rider like me is about half that. I managed just shy of 50 km (31 miles) with 10 percent charge remaining, according to the Stromer app, before deciding to top up. The ST2 has a customizable regenerative braking feature to make the most of the battery. That flat terrain I tested on didn’t benefit from the extended range allowed by the recuperation that’s possible on long steep declines.
I did about half of my testing while illegally riding on bicycle lanes because responsible individuals can regulate their speed for the slower flow of congested city riding. If a powerful Ferrari can share city roads with slower Hyundais, then certainly a powerful e-bike can share a dedicated lane with traditional bicyclists. Putting the ST2 into low-power mode makes this easy. My riding was an even mix of max power (setting 3) at max speed (up to 47 km/h, according to the integrated display) when commuting outside the city center, and lazy 20 to 30 km/h jaunts at low power (setting 1) around town. A beefier battery with a stated range of up to 180 km (110 miles) is also available.
The + and – buttons on the left grip make it easy to toggle between the three power modes, while the right grip is home to the shifter. The excellent 5-Speed Sturmey Archer shifter is smooth and reliable and conveniently works from a standstill.
The display washes out even on an overcast day.“,”image_left”:{“ratio”:”*”,”original_url”:”https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22445516/DSC_4195.jpeg”,”network”:”verge”,”bgcolor”:”white”,”pinterest_enabled”:false,”caption”:null,”credit”:null,”focal_area”:{“top_left_x”:0,”top_left_y”:0,”bottom_right_x”:4928,”bottom_right_y”:3264},”bounds”:[0,0,4928,3264],”uploaded_size”:{“width”:4928,”height”:3264},”focal_point”:null,”asset_id”:22445516,”asset_credit”:null,”alt_text”:””},”image_right”:{“ratio”:”*”,”original_url”:”https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22445517/DSC_4196.jpeg”,”network”:”verge”,”bgcolor”:”white”,”pinterest_enabled”:false,”caption”:null,”credit”:null,”focal_area”:{“top_left_x”:0,”top_left_y”:0,”bottom_right_x”:4928,”bottom_right_y”:3264},”bounds”:[0,0,4928,3264],”uploaded_size”:{“width”:4928,”height”:3264},”focal_point”:null,”asset_id”:22445517,”asset_credit”:null,”alt_text”:””},”credit”:null}” data-cid=”apps/imageslider-1618567556_3085_133009″>
The display washes out even on an overcast day.
The touchscreen display integrated into the top tube is the interface to a bike OS that’s overwrought, in my opinion, though some might like having access to every configuration option (and there are a lot) right on the bike. I do not, especially not when all that overhead makes the bike take 20 seconds just to boot, an eternity if you’re in a hurry. My bike was also configured to boot into a lock screen that was frustratingly slow to respond to the five taps required to enter my secret passcode. The display also easily washes out in sunlight.
In my experience, it’s rare to make any changes once a bike is set up to your liking, meaning it’s best to offload more advanced features to an app. I prefer simple displays that boot fast and serve as a simple dashboard for basics like power setting and battery remaining. Stromer’s app is already very complete, offering lots of ride statistics and bike diagnostics in addition to options to tune the ride to your preferred balance of speed, torque, and agility. (I rode exclusively with the default “standard” setting.) The Stromer OMNI app is one of the best e-bike apps I’ve used.
The ST2 is as high-tech as they come, fitted with Bluetooth to auto-lock / unlock the bike when in range, GPS tracking, and 3G data for over-the-air software updates. An anti-theft mode shuts off the motor and starts blaring the horn to scare off thieves.
S-pedelecs can nearly reach the 50 km/h speed limit of most European cities, which is why they’re often pitched as true car replacements. Traditional e-bikes can already replace car commutes for many, but their top speed of 25 km/h means you’ll have to accept an extended travel time (while getting outside for some exercise). To test this theory, I “raced” a friend to a golf course to the north of Amsterdam; he in his new Tesla Model 3, me on the Stromer ST2 with a six-club pencil bag slung over my shoulder. His 30-minute trip took me just 27 minutes, and I had to wait 5 minutes for a ferry to arrive. Technically, I cheated by occasionally riding at top speed on deserted bike lanes I wasn’t allowed to use… but should have been.
Speed pedelecs are forbidden on Dutch bike lanes like the one above and must share roads with cars instead.
Now, about EU directive 168/2013. As the name implies, it was conceived years before it was fully enacted on January 1st, 2017, which is part of the problem. It failed to anticipate the explosion of electric personal mobility devices we’ve seen over the last four years, especially in countries like the Netherlands where half of all new bicycles sold last year were electric. The directive splits e-bikes into two categories of “type approvals”: type L1e-A includes electric cargo bikes like the Carqon, while type L1e-B includes s-pedelecs like the Stromer ST2 and gasoline-powered mopeds. Any e-bike maxing out at 25 km/h and 250 watts of continuous power is exempt from the directive and treated exactly like a regular bicycle.
Type L1e-B vehicles are limited to a maximum speed of 45 km/h and maximum continuous rated power of 4,000 watts. It requires mopeds and s-pedelecs to be fitted with a rearview mirror, horn, brake light, and prominent license plate; while the owner must be at least 16 years of age, wear a moped-rated helmet, possess a moped (type AM) driver’s license, be covered by liability insurance, and pay to have the vehicle registered.
Critics like the European Light Electric Vehicle Advocacy group LEVA-EU argue that because it was designed primarily for mopeds with combustion engines, the current type L1e-B approval process is unnecessarily complex and burdensome for bike makers. S-pedelec manufacturers are required to comply with 1,036 pages of text, much of which is about moped safety and emission concerns that simply don’t apply to speed pedelecs. The result is higher costs passed onto consumers and curtailed adoption and innovation because… why would any company bother?
Because Europe is Europe, there’s often variance in how regulations are set into law in each member country. While I complain about s-pedelec access to bike paths in Amsterdam, at least some bike lanes still allow them, unlike other European countries. Conversely, Belgium gives owners the choice to ride their s-pedelecs on any bike path or any road with a maximum speed limit of 50 km/h. It’s policy is informed by an effusive in-country study from 2019:
The speed pedelec has the potential to be a sustainable alternative for cars with internal combustion engines for commuting purposes. For the Belgian case, commuting with a speed pedelec can solve problems regarding congestion and air pollution.
At the close of 2020, Stromer bikes registered in Belgium (4,061) were more than double that of my Dutch home (1,558), according to Bike Europe. And despite being the market leader for s-pedelecs throughout Europe, Stromer produced just 12,417 s-pedelecs in 2020, which is the same number of slow e-bikes Amsterdam-based VanMoof makes in a month. European S-pedelec demand is clearly being stifled.
So, what’s to be done?
The good news here is that the European Commission seems keen to address the regulations that currently govern e-bikes. In October, the EC asked TRL, a UK-based mobility researcher, to initiate a review of the EU’s type approval process required by EU directive 168/2013. TRL recently concluded its findings and recommended that s-pedelecs be moved out of the L1e-B moped category and into the far less restrictive L1e-A category. L1e-A type approvals currently cover 1,000-watt e-cargo bikes capped at 25 km/h and some vehicles with throttles.
It’s a positive sign but still “unfortunate” for s-pedelecs from the perspective of LEVA-EU. The advocacy group has been pushing for an entirely new set of vehicle regulations for zero-emission vehicles like e-bikes, standing scooters, and electric skateboards based upon weight and speed only, not maximum continuous power. LEVA-EU believes that vehicles with similar levels of kinetic energy should be subjected to similar rules. It would therefore distinguish between vehicles with a maximum speed of 25 or 30 km/h and those capable of 45 or 50 km/h, instead of trying to bend the current regulations dictated by Directive 168/2013 (and the related Machinery Directive) to the realities of modern transportation. While the TRL did recommend to “create a dedicated approval process for PMD [personal mobility devices] separate from Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 and the Machinery Directive,” it capped this at a max speed of either 25 or 30 km/h, thus excluding s-pedelecs from the PMD category.
The EC isn’t bound by TRL’s recommendations so we’ll have to wait until 2022 for it to reveal its legislative proposal. Even then, any proposal would have to be negotiated with the member states; a process that could go on for years before new legislation is enacted.
The Stromer ST2 is also available in dark gray.
As much as I’d love to call for revolution and demand that urban commuters act on the moral obligation to disobey the unjust laws governing s-pedelecs in Europe, I can’t really apply the logic I used for a short-term review to long-term ownership — especially not with ST2 prices starting at $5,699 / €6,128.
If you’re in the US, then no problem. But anyone in Europe interested in owning the ST2 or any speed pedelec that falls under the current L1e-B type designation had better do their homework. Not only do you need to factor in local laws that might differ from EU rules, but also the costs to register and insure yourself for such a nascent and confusing transportation category.
The Stromer ST2 is easily the most sophisticated and thrilling e-bike I’ve ridden since I began reviewing the category back in 2016. It also did the rarest of things by letting me glimpse a better future that’s just out of reach.
S-pedelecs could help accelerate European initiatives to green our cities and reclaim all of that space allocated to idling cars. But that won’t happen until EU regulators first remove the barriers to adoption and then create incentives to get city-dwellers out of their cars, even the electric ones, and onto bikes like the Stromer ST2.
With an expected price between $400-$450, the Biostar Z590 Valkyrie is up against stiff competition on Intel’s new Rocket Lake platform. But outside of a lack of integrated Wi-Fi and some teething issues, the Valkyrue ticks all the boxes.
For
+ Robust 90A VRMs
+ Two USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 ports
+ Three M.2 sockets
Against
– VRM fans loud under heavy load by default
– Poor memory performance
– Style may be polarizing
Features and Specifications
With Intel’s new Rocket Lake CPUs and new chipset hitting the scene, Biostar took the opportunity to step up its game developing new motherboards for Z590, including the Valkyrie that we have on the test bench for review. Expected to be an upper-midrange option, it comes with high-end power delivery, three M.2 sockets, along with several fast USB ports and a price tag somewhere between $400 and $450. A company rep told us US pricing still isn’t final yet.
Biostar’s current Z590 product stack isn’t as robust as most other board partners. Currently, it consists of three boards: the flagship Valkyrie we’re looking at here, the Z590I Valkyrie (ITX), and the more familiar and budget-oriented Z590GTA. In addition to these three, the company also has a B560 board, the B560GTQ, and two H5120 based boards in the H510MH/E 2.0 and H510MX/E 2.0. While Biostar doesn’t have as many SKUs as the competition, the company still provides mid-range, budget, and ITX-size options.
On the performance front, the Valkyrie was generally on the slower side of testing, albeit not by much in many tests. Our DDR4 3600 memory kit defaulted to Gear 2, which increases latency and reduces bandwidth. The latest BIOS at the time of this writing (5.19 according to CPUz) added the ability to switch gears. However, I could not quickly get our board to work at Gear 1 running DDR4 3600, as I could with ,ost other Z590 boards. Hopefully, another BIOS update will address the bandwidth/latency shortcomings and allow the board to get close to the expected memory bandwidth.
Early performance aside, Biostar brought a solid board to the table. From its flagship-class VRMs, three M.2 sockets and premium audio (albeit from the last generation), the Valkyrie is a step up from its Z490 offerings. Curiously, a Wi-Fi antenna is included, but the board does not come with Wi-Fi. You’ll need to add a card (up to 6E capability) or stick to Ethernet. There are plenty of USB ports on the rear IO, with six USB 3.2 Gen 2 or greater. We’ll cover all the features the Valkyrie has to offer below. But first, here are the full specifications from Biostar.
LED on/off, LN2 mode, BIOS switch, Start/Reset, Clear CMOS
SATA Controllers
✗
Ethernet Controller(s)
(1) Realtek RTL8125B (2.5 GbE)
Wi-Fi / Bluetooth
✗
USB Controllers
✗
HD Audio Codec
Realtek ALC1220
DDL/DTS Connect
✗ / ✗
Warranty
3 Years
Starting with accessories, Biostar includes what you need to get started and not much else. All that comes in the box along with the motherboard are four SATA cables, a DVD with drivers, a User Manual and Smart Connector.
User’s Manual
Driver DVD
(4) SATA cables
Smart Connector
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(Image credit: Biostar)
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(Image credit: Biostar)
In looking at the Z590 Valkyrie for the first time, the jet black PCB and overall styling give off a mid-range vibe with all the shrouds and neatly organized headers across the bottom. The left side of the socket behind the rear IO is covered by a large shroud reaching over the left VRM heatsink. A small heatsink covers the top set of VRMs, along with two tiny fans that actively cool the power bits underneath. Another pair of fans are hidden under the rear IO shroud as well.
The PCIe area is covered in heatsinks/shrouds, with only the three full-length PCIe slots poking through. There is red highlighting in this area that gives way to gold highlights on the chipset heatsink. A second RGB lighting zone illuminates the chipset heatsink and Valkyrie symbol/branding. Overall the motherboard looks good and has a unique color scheme. For the most part, users should have few issues working this board in with their builds, as the red and gold highlights don’t stick out too much. That said, at the expected price, there are more refined boards available.
(Image credit: Biostar)
Focusing on the top half of the board, we get a close-up look at the louvered shroud covering the rear IO and left VRM bank. The right side uses a piece of acrylic that the RGB lighting shines through brightly. Just above are two 8-pin EPS connectors (one required) for the CPU. To the right is the top VRM heatsink. To the right of the heatsink are the first two (of five) four-pin fan headers. CPU_Fan, CPU_OPT and SysFan1/2/3 support both three and four-pin fans. The manual doesn’t mention output, so it’s best to assume each supports 1A/12W.
Continuing right are four unreinforced DRAM slots supporting up to 128 GB of RAM. Biostar lists RAM speed up to DDR4 5000(OC), but as always, your mileage may vary. In our case, this board didn’t like to run our DDR4 3600 memory kit at 1:1 to the memory bus and was using Gear 2. I’m no memory overclocking expert, but if other boards are working 1:1 with DDR4 3600, there are few reasons this one shouldn’t be. We also had trouble running our DDR4 4000 sticks as well. But we’re still early days on this platform, and this board isn’t even available for sale in the US as of this writing, so we’re hopeful an update will improve these compatibility issues.
On the right edge are several items, including all three RGB lighting headers. The Valkyrie comes with two 3-pin ARGB headers and one 4-pin RGB header. Most boards come with four RGB headers (two of each), but I’d imagine few would run into problems with three. Below are three onboard buttons; Power, Reset and Clear CMOS, each backlit with red, orange and blue LEDs, respectively. Next is the 24-pin ATX connector that feeds power to the motherboard. Finally, just below that is the front panel USB 3.2 Gen2x2 header.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
One of the places Biostar upped its game is with power delivery. The Valkyrie sports a 20+1+1 phase (CPU, System Agent, Graphics) VRM designed to run Intel’s flagship CPUs. The two 8-pin connectors feed power to a Renesas ISL69269 multi-phase controller (X+Y=12) through 10 Renesas ISL6617A phase doublers on its way to 20 90A ISL99390B MOSFETs. Some quick math yields 1800A of total power for the CPU. You won’t have any concerns with power delivery when overclocking.
(Image credit: Biostar)
Moving on to the bottom half of the board, we’ll start by looking at the audio section on the left side. Hidden under a plastic shroud is the Realtek ALC1220 codec. While this is a premium audio codec that most find plenty acceptable, it isn’t the latest and greatest (4000 series) that many other Z590 based boards use. Poking through the shroud are four Chemicon brand audio capacitors. We don’t find any fancy opamps or other audio features, but most users should be happy with the sound output by this board.
In the middle of the board, we spot three reinforced full-length PCIe slots mixed in with three M.2 sockets. The top and second slot are both wired to the CPU, yielding a PCIe 4.0 setup on both. The top slot is x16, while the 2nd slot runs at a maximum of x8. When both slots are populated, they run at x8/x8 speeds. Biostar mentions AMD Crossfire support, but not SLI (even though they have the required amount of PCIe lanes). The bottom full-length slot is connected to the chipset with PCIe 3.0 x4 capabilities.
The Biostar Z590 Valkyrie has three M.2 sockets, all of which have heatsinks to help keep the modules underneath running cool. The top socket is CPU-connected, supporting up to PCIe 4.0 x4 drives up to 80mm. The bottom two M.2 sockets support PCIe (3.0 x4) and SATA-based modules up to 110mm. When using a SATA-based M.2 module on the middle socket, SATA_5 is disabled. When using the bottom M.2 socket with a SATA-based M.2 module, SATA_6 is disabled. In short, if you have two SATA-based M.2 modules, that still leaves four SATA ports available and the primary M.2 socket for PCIe-based modules if needed. RAID support for M.2 devices wasn’t listed.
To the right is the chipset heatsink, you’ll see the Valkyrie symbol and additional RGB lighting. On the right edge of the board is a USB 3.2 Gen 1 header, while just below that are the six SATA ports (supports RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10). Finally, just below that is a BIOS switch that swaps between the dual BIOS – an excellent value add for a board equipped for overclocking.
The bottom edge of the motherboard is usually a mess of headers and ports, and while the Valkyrie has those, all headers (that aren’t fans) have plastic around them, which cleans up the look quite a bit. Below is the complete list of headers and switches, in order from left to right.
Front Panel Audio
(3) System Fan headers
Thunderbolt
COM
(2) USB 2.0 headers
Front Panel
2-character debug LED
LN2 switch
TPM SPI header
(Image credit: Biostar)
On the USB front, there are a total of eight ports — enough for most users. One USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C, five USB 3.2 Gen 2, and two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports. Just above the two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports is the Realtek 2.5 GbE port. If you plan on using the integrated graphics, you have a choice between HDMI (2.0) and DisplayPort (1.4) connections. There is a combo keyboard/mouse PS/2 port if you’re still hanging on to PS/2 based peripherals as well. Finally, we see a gold-plated 5-plug plus SPDIF audio stack.
Last but certainly not least, the rear IO area. Biostar uses an integrated IO plate that gives the board a more premium look and feel. It’s black, along with the Valkyrie branding written in gold above the Wi-Fi antenna connections. There are also vents cut out designed to bring cool air through the IO plate and through the fans to cool the left VRM bank. Remember that this board does not include Wi-Fi out of the box, so if you just look at the pictures and not dig down in the specifications, you could easily be misled. In order to get Wi-Fi out of this board, you will need to purchase a Key-E Wi-Fi card.
This is Bang & Olufsen’s latest wireless speaker. The B&O Beosound Emerge is wedge-shaped, making it resemble a slightly open book. Or a doorstop, if you were being uncharitable.
Here’s a video showing it in more detail.
Like the firm’s 2020-released Beosound Balance, the Emerge was created in collaboration with Benjamin Hubert from London-based design agency Layer. Its similarity to a book was intended; it’s meant to sit alongside books and other objects in the home, blending into the living space rather than standing out as a piece of hi-fi kit.
The side panels wrap around the speaker like a book’s cover sleeve, while the front of the speaker features the B&O logo where the author’s name would be. Very literary indeed.
It also continue’s the company’s current trend for longevity. Its modular design means you can swap out parts if they wear out or need to be upgraded. As with the Beosound Level, you’ll find the replaceable connectivity module inside. This has been front-loaded with enough processing power and connectivity technology to receive new performance updates and features for years to come. And should the connectivity and streaming technology ever become outdated, you can swap out the module for one with the latest technology updates. In other words, it’s future-proofed up the wazoo.
Inside is a 4in woofer driver, 1.45in mid-range driver and 0.6in tweeter, which B&O says can cover a frequency range of 45Hz – 22,000Hz. Google Assistant is onboard for voice control, while Apple AirPlay 2 and Chromecast headline its wireless, multi-room streaming spoils. There’s Bluetooth onboard too.
The Beosound Emerge is available now in select European markets, and globally from the autumn. It comes in gold tone or black anthracite finishes, with the former costing £669 ($899) and the latter priced at £539 ($699).
MORE:
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In the race to extend the battery life of wireless headphones to limitless proportions, Urbanista believes it has found a way to offer audio lovers “virtually infinite” playtime while helping the environment at the same time.
The Swedish audio brand has announced the release of the Los Angeles self-charging headphones using Powerfoyle solar cell technology (by fellow Swedish firm Exeger), which it says can convert both natural and artificial light into power.
Urbanista claims that the over-ears will constantly charge when exposed to light: an hour of sunlight will supposedly generate three hours of playtime, while even an hour in cloudy conditions will yield two hours of playback. They also have conventional USB-C charging and a hefty 50-hour battery reserve in the off chance you spend a lot of your time in the dark.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of a brand developing solar-powered headphones – JBL, Sola and Helios have all attempted crowdfunding campaigns for similar products.
The Los Angeles headphones have Bluetooth 5 connectivity and feature both active noise cancellation as well as an Ambient Sound Mode that allows you to stay more aware of your surroundings. On-ear detection pauses audio when the cups are removed and restarts it when they are put back in place, too.
The Urbanista Los Angeles wireless headphones cost £169 ($199).
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Bang and Olufsen’s latest connected speaker is the Emerge. Its thin form-factor should blend right in to most bookshelves, and that’s no accident. In a press release announcing the speaker, the company says its design was “inspired by the compact form factor of a book” with side panels that wrap around like a cover, and a logo on the front that’s meant to evoke a title printed on the spine.
It’s a nice contrast from some of Bang and Olufsen’s previous speakers, which have had huge, hulking form-factors that are hard to imagine in any normal home. Instead, the Emerge takes a similar approach to Ikea’s Symfonisk speakers, which have pulled double duty as lamps or shelving to help them blend in with the rest of your furniture.
Get it? Like a title on a book spine?Image: Bang & Olufsen
B&O says the Emerge speaker’s small form-factor shouldn’t make it a slouch in the sound quality department, however. “The vision for Beosound Emerge was to create the slimmest speaker possible that could still deliver full range, ultra-wide sound despite its size through its revolutionary driver configuration,” says the company’s head of product management Christoffer Poulsen. Internally there’s a triple-driver configuration consisting of a 4-inch woofer, a 1.45-inch mid-range, and a 0.6-inch tweeter.
In terms of connectivity, the Emerge supports all the standards you’d expect out of a modern connected speaker. There’s Spotify Connect support, Bluetooth 5.0, Airplay 2, and Chromecast streaming, as well as a built-in microphone with Google Assistant support. Physical connections include a line-in/optical jack, Ethernet, and a USB-C port for power. And yes, you can pair two Emerge’s together to create a stereo pair.
B&O says the speaker uses the same replaceable connectivity module that appeared in its recent Beosound Level, which will allow it to receive “new performance updates and features for years to come.” Eventually this module can be replaced if it gets outdated, B&O says.
The Bang and Olufsen Emerge is available in select European markets starting today, and will release globally this autumn. Pricing starts at £539 / €599 9around $717) for the black model, while the gold model which has an oak wood cover costs slightly more at £669 / €749 (around $879).
Urbanista’s new wireless noise-canceling Los Angeles headphones have a solar panel integrated into the length of the headband, allowing them to draw power from both indoor and outdoor light, Wired reports. Although its built-in 750mAh battery can be charged traditionally via USB-C and offers up to a respectable 50 hours of battery life, the real appeal to these headphones is the solar charging. They’re due to ship in early summer for £169 (around $232), according to Wired.
Although Urbanista’s site promises “infinite playtime” from the headphones, the exact amount of power these headphones can generate while solar charging varies. One hour spent in the sun should generate enough power for three hours of playtime, but on a cloudy day that drops to just two hours, the company says. In a worst case scenario on a long-distance plane flight, Wired notes you’d need around eight hours of light exposure to get an hour of listening.
The solar panel is built neatly into the headband.Image: Urbanista
Beyond their solar-powered smarts, the Urbanista’s Los Angeles headphones are similar to its existing Miami range. They’ve got built-in microphones for use with voice assistants like Siri or Google Assistant, on-ear detection, an ambient sound mode, and they wirelessly connect over Bluetooth 5.0. In the box you get a carrying case, audio cable, and in-flight adaptor.
JBL announced a very similar pair of solar-powered headphones back in December 2019, which was subsequently crowdfunded on IndieGoGo. However, the Reflect Eternal headphones aren’t yet available. In December 2020 the company posted an update on the project’s page saying the headphones were facing “major delays” due to the pandemic, and that it would be offering refunds to its backers.
Both JBL’s and Urbanista’s headphones rely on the same Powerfoyle solar charging technology developed by a company called Exeger. “JBL were a bit unlucky with Covid hitting, and so Urbanista became lucky because we’re in the same city,” Exeger’s CEO Giovanni Fili told Wired. “We’re looking forward to picking it up with JBL as soon as they can.”
A potential new Raspberry Pi competitor will soon be announced, according to a post on embedded systems blog CNX-Software. Based on the open-source RISC-V instruction set architecture, the Allwinner D1 development board is a credit-card-sized single board computer with a single core XuanTie C906 64-bit RISC-V CPU running at 1GHz along with 1GB of DDR3 RAM.
(Image credit: CNX-software)
The board has a lot in common with the single-board computers we already know and love, though seems to be aimed at the less powerful end of the spectrum. The Raspberry Pi 4 has this board beat for pure computational power. There’s the familiar 40-pin GPIO which we assume is compatible with layout used on the Raspberry Pi but that remains to be seen. Also present on the board is a single full size HDMI 1.4 port, Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth, two USB Type-C ports and a single USB 2.0 Type-A, a Micro SD slot, Gigabit Ethernet, a 3.5mm audio jack, plus camera and display connectors which look to be the same format as the CSI and DSI connectors found on the Raspberry Pi. Interestingly, there’s 256MB of onboard flash storage, and a four-pin UART header for debugging.
Allwinner is positioning the board as a ‘multi-media decoding platform’, and CNX’s figures show it’s good for H.265 up to 1080p60 or 4Kp30, and H.264 up to 1080p60 or 4Kp24. The display header can run a touchscreen at up to 1080p60, and the HDMI port hits the 1.4 standard.
The Allwinner D1 Linux RISC-V has the same dimensions as a Raspberry Pi 4 at 3.3 x 2.2 inches (85 x 56 mm) but the overall layout is different enough to prevent Raspberry Pi cases from being used. Beyond its video engine, the Allwinner D1 Linux RISC-V development board doesn’t have much in the way of graphics processing. A quoted Coremark score of 3.8/Mhz doesn’t compare well with the Raspberry Pi 4’s 15.1/MHz, but we’d expect this board to be considerably cheaper, and it could be interesting for use in smart displays or networked cameras. Allwinner has its own Debian-based Linux distribution, Tina OS, though its Github page was last updated in 2017, so we’re hopeful for a newer kernel to go with this new board.
Right now that is all we know, but we are hopeful that this board will introduce the RISC-V platform to more makers and lead to more powerful machines coming in the near future.
Microsoft today announced the next iteration of its Surface laptop, the Surface Laptop 4. It will start at $999 when it goes on sale on April 15. Perhaps its biggest selling point is choice, with options for both 11th Gen Intel Core processors or an 8-core AMD Ryzen (again called the Microsoft Surface Edition).
Both the 13.5-inch and 15-inch version of the Surface Laptop 4 will offer Intel and AMD options. This is a change from the Surface Laptop 3, which offered Intel in the 13.5-incher and
AMD in the 15-incher
(with the exception of business models).
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (13.5-inches)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (15-inches)
CPU
Up to AMD Ryzen Microsoft Surface Edition R5 4680U (8 cores), Up to Intel Core i7-1185G7
Up to AMD Ryzen Microsoft Surface Edition R7 4980U ( 8 cores), Up to Intel Core i7-1185G7
Graphics
AMD Radeon RX Graphics or Intel Xe Graphics
AMD Radeon RX Graphics or Intel Xe Graphics
RAM
Up to 16GB (AMD), Up to 32GB (Intel), LPDDR4X 3,733 MHz
Up to 16GB (AMD, DDR4, 2,400 MHz), up to 32GB (Intel, LPDDR4, 3,733 MHz)
Storage
Up to 256GB (AMD), Up to 1TB (Intel)
Up to 512GB (AMD), Up to 1TB (Intel)
Display
13.5-inch PixelSense display, 2256 x 1504, 3:2
15-inch PixelSense display, 2496 x 1664, 3:2
Networking
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.0
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.0
Starting Price
$999 (AMD), $1,299 (Intel)
$1,299 (AMD), $1,799 (Intel)
The design of the Surface Laptop 4 is largely unchanged, with a 3:2 touchscreen display with 201 pixels per inch, options for Alcantara fabric or a metal deck. There is, however, one new color, ice blue, which debuted on the Surface Laptop Go last year.
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(Image credit: Microsoft)
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(Image credit: Microsoft)
Many of the biggest changes can’t be seen. For the first time, Microsoft is offering a 32GB RAM option on the Surface Laptop (with an Intel Core i7 at 1TB of RAM on both sizes). The company is claiming up to 19 hours of battery life on the smaller device with an AMD Ryzen 5 or 17 hours with a Core i7. On the bigger size, it’s suggesting up to 17.5 hours with an AMD Ryzen 7 and 16.5 hours with Intel Core i7. Microsoft is also claiming a 70% performance increase, though it doesn’t say with which processor.
The new AMD Ryzen Microsoft Surface Edition chips are based on Ryzen 4000 and Zen 2, rather than Ryzen 5000 and Zen 3, which is just rolling onto the market. We understand Microsoft’s chips are somewhat customized, including frequencies similar to the newer chips. But these new processors should, in theory, lead to increased stability and battery life.
While Microsoft is being more flexible on allowing both Intel and AMD options on both size machines, you won’t find them with identical specs when it comes to RAM and storage. The 13.5-inch laptop will offer Ryzen 5 with 8GB or 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, while the Intel 11th Gen Core process range will include a Core i5/8GB RAM/512GB SSD option to start, as well as both Core i5 and Core i7 models with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage and a maxxed out version with a Core i7, 32GB of RAM and 1TB storage drive. The Ryzzen versions only come in platinum, while all but the top-end Intel model also include ice blue, sandstone and black.
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(Image credit: Microsoft)
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(Image credit: Microsoft)
On the 15-inch model, you can get a Ryzen 7 with 8GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage, or an R7 with 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD. For intel, You can choose between an Intel Core i7 with either 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage or 32GB of memory and 1TB of storage. These only come in platinum and black.
Commercial models will add more configurations for businesses, including a 13.5-inch model with 512GB of storage and a Ryzen processor. Overall, there are a lot of configurations, so hopefully people are able to find what they want. But there are definitely more options on the Intel side of the Surface fence.
The port situation is largely the same as last year, including USB Type-A, USB Type-C, a headphone jack and the Surface Connect port. Microsoft still isn’t going with Thunderbolt, and will be using USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 on both the Intel and AMD models. The replaceable SSD is back, though Microsoft continues to state that it isn’t user serviceable, and that it should only be removed by authorized technicians.
It’s been a long wait for the Surface Laptop 4. The Surface Laptop 3 was introduced at an event in October 2019 and went on sale that November. Last year, Microsoft revealed the cheaper, smaller Surface Laptop Go but didn’t update the flagship clamshell. We’ll go hands on with the Surface Laptop 4, so let’s hope the wait was worth it.
Microsoft is also revealing a slew of accessories designed for virtual work. They include the $299.99 Surface Headphones 2+ for Business, which is certified for Microsoft Teams with a dongle, shipping this month; Microsoft Modern USB and wireless headsets ($49.99 and $99.99, respectively, releasing in June); the Microsoft Modern USB-C Speaker ($99.99, releasing in June); and the Microsoft Modern webcam, a $69.99 camera with 1080p video, HDR and a 78-degree field of view that will go on sale in June.
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