The GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a substantial performance boost to the high-end $500 market, basically matching the previous gen RTX 2080 Ti. Let’s just hope supply comes a bit closer to meeting demand this round (don’t hold your breath).
For
Excellent performance
Reasonable price (for now)
Runs cool and quiet
DLSS 2.x continues to impress
Against
Only 8GB GDDR6 14 Gbps
Concerns about supply
We need to see AMD’s Big Navi
No bling (could be a pro for some)
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition Review
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition is here — or at least it will be on October 29, and we can provide a full review today. Following in the footsteps of the GeForce RTX 3080 and GeForce RTX 3090, this is the third of the new Nvidia Ampere architecture GPUs. In terms of performance, price, and features, these new GPUs rank at the top of our GPU benchmarks hierarchy and are some of the best graphics cards right now. Except, they’re still almost impossible to find in stock. Will the RTX 3070 suffer the same fate at launch, and how does it stack up against the other current and previous-gen GPUs? That’s what we’re here to find out.
Fundamentally, the GeForce RTX 3070 will be similar in a lot of ways to the RTX 3080 and 3090 … except, not really, because changes to the core counts, memory capacity, and memory speed can all have a pretty significant impact on performance. Nvidia claimed during the Ampere reveal in September that the RTX 3070 was “faster than the RTX 2080 Ti,” which would be an impressive result if it’s true. It has more cores and higher TFLOPS ratings, but less memory and bandwidth. Here’s the block diagram for GA104 along with the full spec sheet for the Ampere GPUs, along with the RTX 2070 / 2070 Super that the newcomer replaces.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
GPU Specifications
Graphics Card
RTX 3090
RTX 3080
RTX 3070
RTX 2070 Super
RTX 2070
Architecture
GA102
GA102
GA104
TU104
TU106
Process Technology
Samsung 8N
Samsung 8N
Samsung 8N
TSMC 12FFN
TSMC 12FFN
Transistors (Billion)
28.3
28.3
17.4
13.6
10.8
Die size (mm^2)
628.4
628.4
392.5
545
445
SMs / CUs
82
68
46
40
36
GPU Cores
10496
8704
5888
2560
2304
Tensor Cores
328
272
184
320
288
RT Cores
82
68
46
40
36
Base Clock (MHz)
1395
1440
1500
1605
1410
Boost Clock (MHz)
1695
1710
1725
1770
1710
VRAM Speed (Gbps)
19.5
19
16
14
14
VRAM (GB)
24
10
8
8
8
VRAM Bus Width
384
320
256
256
256
ROPs
112
96
96
64
64
TMUs
328
272
184
160
144
GFLOPS FP32 (Boost)
35581
29768
20314
9062
7880
TFLOPS FP16 (Tensor)
142 (285)
119 (238)
81 (163)
72
63
RT TFLOPS
69.5
58.1
39.7
27.3
23.8
Bandwidth (GBps)
936
760
512
448
448
TDP (watts)
350
320
220
215
185
Launch Date
Sep-20
Sep-20
Oct-20
Jul-19
Oct-18
Launch Price
$1,499
$699
$499
$499
$499-$599
The RTX 3070 is both a big step up from the previous-gen cards it replaces, as well as a relatively large step down from the RTX 3080. On paper, it has about 32 percent less compute than the RTX 3080, and 41 percent less bandwidth. For comparison, the 2070 had 25 percent less compute than the 2080 but had the same bandwidth. Compared to the RTX 2070, however, the 3070 should be a significant jump in performance. It has over 150 percent more FP32 compute and 67 percent more RT TFLOPS, though it still only has the same 448 GBps of bandwidth. Going into the review, we were very curious to see how the 3070 would stack up against the previous-gen cards in real-world benchmarks, and Nvidia’s claims of beating the RTX 2080 Ti seemed unlikely.
It’s also interesting to note the massive difference in power requirements compared to the RTX 3080. There’s a 100W gap in TDP, and we know from our testing that the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 can use every bit of their power budgets. This is the first Ampere GPU where we have a basically direct TDP comparison point with the previous-gen Turing GPUs. Both the RTX 2070 Super and RTX 2080 have 215W TDPs, so this will finally be Nvidia’s chance to prove that, yes, Ampere actually can be significantly more power efficient than Turing.
Meet the GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition
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The design and aesthetics of the GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition are similar in many ways to the RTX 3080 and 3090 Founders Editions — it’s just nowhere near as large. You get the finned radiator look on the main body, with dual fans that include a built-in rim to improve static pressure, all in a dark gray color with silver highlights. There are several noteworthy differences between the 3070 FE and the 3080/3090 FE, however.
First, both fans are on the same side of the cooler (the side that normally faces down in a typical ATX case). There’s also no ‘X’ silver cross on the side that faces up. Instead, a large grooved rectangular piece with a cutout at the back of the card allows the air to still flow through the radiator fins. Nvidia talked a lot about redesigning the 3080/3090 to handle the higher TDP. Obviously, the 3070 isn’t in the same category of power and heat, and being a smaller card, it perhaps wasn’t as beneficial. The card still runs cool and quiet, as we’ll see later.
The other big change in terms of aesthetics is that there’s no lighting at all, RGB or otherwise. The GeForce RTX logo on the top of the card is pretty tame compared to some graphics cards, though for some people, this would be a positive change. There’s also only a small RTX 3070 logo on the side of the card, which is a bit weird to me as there’s a ton of room for a larger logo. All of Nvidia’s previous-gen 20-series Founders Edition models at least had a green GeForce RTX logo on the top edge, and the 3080 and 3090 have RGB logos (though the tool to configure the RGB lighting still hasn’t been released). The RTX 3070 eschews all such nonessentials and just provides the basics as far as looks go.
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There’s not a lot to say about the rest of the card. It has the same triple DisplayPort 1.4a outputs and a single HDMI 2.1 port and can drive four monitors without trouble. The rest of the IO bracket is for the front fan’s exhaust, but the bracket is silver instead of the matte black finish used on the 3080 and 3090 FE cards.
The RTX 3070 Founder Edition also uses Nvidia’s new 12-pin power connector, but this time, instead of a y-combiner that takes dual 8-pin PEG connectors, it’s just a single 8-pin port that’s converted to a 12-pin port. Was this really necessary? I mean, I sort of like the extension cable because it’s far easier to leave it connected and just detach the 8-pin connector. But then again, I swap GPUs pretty much daily, so my usage is not at all like a typical user. Also, the 12-pin connector is basically the same length as an 8-pin connector and is only a few millimeters narrower, but the orientation is such that putting on an 8-pin connector instead wouldn’t have been a problem.
We haven’t had time to do a full teardown of the 3070 Founders Edition yet, as we wanted to finish benchmarking before taking it apart. We’ll update this section with additional images and commentary in the near future.
MORE: Best Graphics Cards
MORE: Desktop GPU Performance Hierarchy Table
MORE: All Graphics Content
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Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition Review
In the first week of the new year, once again numerous exciting articles went online on Hardwareluxx.de. We not only tried nerdytec’s Couchmaster Cycon² or AverMedias GC 311 Live Gamer MINI Streaming Capture-Box subjected to a practical test, but also the SilverStone Fara B1 Pro, the MSI MPG Z 490 Gaming Carbon WiFi and the Crucial Portable SSD X6 and X8 tested. A first look at the new ATX 12 We threw the VO standard as well as the SXFI Gamer from Creative, the Chieftronic PowerUp 850 W or the EIZO FlexScan EV 3895. Finally, our critical looks checked the MSI MPG Sekra 100 R for his Practical suitability.
At this point we have summarized all the articles from the last week and provided them with a small sample. With this in mind: Have fun reading!
Wednesday, 30. December 2020: C-Gaming in the living room: nerdytecs Couchmaster Cycon² tried out
That due to the currently ongoing corona pandemic the gaming industry is enjoying an increased influx should not be a secret. Whether handheld, console or gaming PC, more and more video games are finding their way into Germans’ own four walls. Since the majority of gamers do not have their own “man cave”, mostly due to lack of space, the extensive game sessions take place in their own living room. As is well known, it is usually difficult to use a mouse or keyboard on the couch at home, which is why gamers primarily use consoles here. But this is exactly what nerdytec wants to change …
Thursday, 31. December 2020: SilverStone Fara B1 Pro in the test: A-RGB housing with elegant supply air design
SilverStones Fara B1 Pro actually offers the typical mix of A-RGB- Fans and a transparent front, which can lead to cooling problems. At least visually, this midi tower has larger side air inlets. But the four case fans can really treat themselves to enough fresh air …
Saturday, 02. January 2021: A first look at the ATX 12 VO standard
At the beginning of the year there were indications that Intel would use the Single Rail Power Supply Desktop Platform Form Factor ATX 12 VO wants to introduce more broadly. It is already used in many complete systems by numerous manufacturers. But such systems are rarely screwed on and so the contacts with this type of power supply are rather few and far between …
Sunday, 03. January 2021: MSI MPG Z 490 GAMING CARBON WIFI in the test – carbon look incl.USB 3.2 Gen2x2
MSI’s GAMING- (PRO) -CARBON mainboards from the MPG product range (MSI Performance Gaming) are of great interest to many who are willing to upgrade, because they Models in most cases meet the balancing act between good equipment and an acceptable price. So we didn’t miss it and went through the MSI MPG Z 490 GAMING CARBON WIFI our LGA 1200 – Mainboard test course sent …
Monday, 04. January 2021: Crucial Portable SSD X6 and X8 in the test: memory in small format
After we have recently tested several external storage media from the gaming sector with the Crucial X6 Portable SSD and X8 Portable SSD, two external SSDs with USB-C connection in the test, which come very modestly in black and without lighting. Both have a storage capacity of 2 TB and are available on the market in different housing designs. In our article, you can find out why both are different in speed and whether simple and practical housings are still convincing today …
Tuesday, 05. January 2021: Gaming headset with battle mode: SXFI Gamer from Creative in the test
Next With the right keyboard or mouse, audio playback also plays a crucial role for a large number of gamers and can even make the difference between victory and defeat. With shooters in particular, it is important to react to ambient noise. The movement noises of an opponent usually give an indication of where he is currently. In addition, clear and fast communication with your own team members is vital. So it is not surprising that a headset is indispensable for multiplayer. For this reason, Hardwareluxx took a closer look at the new SXFI Gamer headset from Creative and subjected it to a detailed test …
Wednesday, 06. January 2021: Chieftronic PowerUp 850 W in the test – compact gold power supply with good features
With the PowerUp series, Chieftec has now, after PowerPlay, the second series of gaming Power supplies brought onto the market with powerful technology, 80 PLUS gold Efficiency and fully modular cable management should convince. How the PowerUp do, we took a closer look at the 760 W strong top model of the series …
Thursday, 07. January 2021: EIZO FlexScan EV 3895 in the test: Docking station with 38 Customs
Long had to wait, now the time has finally come: with the EIZO FlexScan EV 3895 – BK is the manufacturer’s first ultra-widescreen monitor a curved panel available. The Japanese directly skip the 34 – Customs Format and put on a large 38 – Customs Panel. In addition, a wide range of equipment including an RJ 44 connection is offered . In our review we will clarify whether the entry into the field of curved monitors is successful …
Friday, 08. January 2021: MSI MPG Sekira 100 R in the test: A-RGB-Schick at a tempting price
The MPG Sekira 100 R is one of the most attractive gaming cases from MSI. The E-ATX model is presented with glass and aluminum and illuminates both a strip in the front and four fans with A-RGB LEDs. Nevertheless, the price is pleasantly moderate at around 100 euros …
Friday, 08. January 2021: The smallest of the bunch: AVerMedias GC 311 Live Gamer MINI Streaming Capture Box in the test
If you believe the manufacturer AVerMedia, you can go along with it the GC 120 Live-Gamer MINI-Game-Streaming-Capture-Box fast and simply climb the streaming Olympus. In addition to an HDMI input and passthrough for full HD gameplay, said box should transmit the image without latency and also have PC and Mac connectivity. After we already got the Live Gamer EXTREME 2 GC 551 and the streaming capture box Live Gamer Ultra GC 553 from AVerMedia, we are now also taking a look at the cheapest model of the Trios …
Lypertek is a small Chinese manufacturer of personal audio products. Last month, we reviewed the Lypertek Levi, the company’s latest TWS earbuds at an affordable price. The Levi offered great performance for the price and quickly became one of our favorites in their price category.
Today, however, I am checking out the product that put the company on the map. The Lypertek Tevi are the popular TWS earbuds that received a ton of critical acclaim since their release. The Tevi feature graphene drivers, along with features such as aptX TWS+ and IPX7 rating for water-resistance. They have received a lot of praise for their audio quality and I was really looking forward to trying them.
So after a month of use, here are my thoughts on these popular earbuds.
Design
The Lypertek Tevi have a fairly standard earbud design. The left and right earbud are nearly identical, with only a very slight angle to the ear tip to separate them from each other. However, this would be barely felt in your ear if you wear them wrong and you can also just put them inside any slot in the charging case. There is also no way to tell them apart in the dark.
The earbuds have a single physical button on the outside on each side. This one button handles all the playback and volume control duties, which can be customized through the companion app.
The earbuds come with four sets of ear tips, three of which are silicone in different sizes. The fourth is made out of foam, which isn’t super common in this $90 price range.
The case design is also fairly standard but with a fabric covering the plastic shell. It comes with a little artificial leather strap attached but can be removed. The front has LED indicators to show the status for the battery inside the case. On the back is a USB-C port for charging.
The Lypertek Tevi case does not support wireless charging like its newer and cheaper sibling, the Levi.
The Tevi case is not well built, even though it looks and feels nice to the touch thanks to the fabric cover. The lid feels a bit loose around its hinge and slides around when closed. The case is also unbelievably finicky to open; there is no lip or proper gap on the front to dig your thumb in and it keeps sliding off the smooth fabric cover. It’s also one of those annoying lids that doesn’t open wide and gets in the way while trying to pull the earbuds out.
Getting back to the earbuds, the Tevi have IPX7 water-resistance, enough for a bit of rain or sweat. The earbuds aren’t too big, so they don’t visibly stick out a lot from your ears but they are big enough that you can’t wear them in bed and lie on your side.
Comfort
I found the Lypertek Tevi to be quite comfortable. I tried them with both, the silicone as well as the foam ear tips, and found that they were equally comfortable.
I would rank the silicone comfort to be a bit on the higher size; if you find one that fits you perfectly, then it will always feel great and you can barely even tell that you are wearing the earphones anymore. With foam, the advantage is that they expand to fit your ears. While this achieves a good seal, once the foam has fully expanded it can put some pressure on your ear canal. It’s not uncomfortable but it doesn’t let me forget that I’m wearing them.
Overall, I think the Lypertek Tevi should be comfortable for most people.
Features and software
The Lypertek Tevi have a single 6mm graphene driver. Graphene is known for being strong relative to its weight, which means you can have a sturdy driver that’s relatively lightweight, an advantage when it comes to moving objects.
The Tevi support Bluetooth 5.0 but no multi-device pairing. Audio transmission uses SBC, AAC, or aptX.
The Tevi supports Qualcomm TWS+, which allows both earbuds to connect directly to the phone instead of a master-slave configuration where one earbud connects to the source and the other to the first earbud. Having both connect directly to the source reduces latency and uneven battery discharge. It also prevents the issue where rapidly increasing or decreasing the volume causes it to happen in one ear first and the second ear after a short delay.
Lypertek also offers a companion app, available on iOS and Android. The app does basic things, such as being able to EQ the sound or upgrade the firmware. You can also change the control scheme for the buttons on the earbuds.
Lypertek Tevi app
One thing I wish the app did was let you disable or turn down the announcements when the earbuds pair with your device. Every time the earbuds pair, you get a loud announcement in each ear saying “Connected”. It is genuinely one of the loudest announcement sounds I’ve heard on any Bluetooth product and makes you think the people at Lypertek are partially deaf for thinking this would be acceptable. Now every time I pull them out of the case, I let them sit for ten seconds for them to pair and make the announcement before putting them on.
Performance
Audio
The Lypertek Tevi have excellent audio quality for their price and product category. You get fantastic tonal balance and personally one of the most pleasing tunings I’ve heard in this price range. The Tevi can be paired with a wide variety of content and they always come out shining.
Starting with the low-end, the Lypertek Tevi have a well-balanced and enjoyable bass response. Frequencies are boosted in the mid-bass region by a few decibels, which isn’t enough to make them overpower the mids or the upset the tonal balance but lets you get that extra kick and slam out of percussion instruments and bass drops.
The bass is a lot more rounded and potent with the silicone ear tips. However, switching to the foam tips made the low-end response more restrained in my experience. Personally, I preferred this as it made the sound even closer to neutral than it already was without making it anemic or analytical. It’s worth experimenting with the different tips to see what sort of sound you get.
The mid-range is the highlight of the sound for me. With budget earbuds, more often than not it’s a given that the mid-range is going to be either overshadowed by the mid and high-bass or just dialed back artificially for that V-shaped sound. However, the mids on the Lypertek Tevi are out in full force, with excellent presence and clarity throughout the mix. String instruments and smaller percussion instruments have a wonderful timber and sound full-bodied. Vocals have natural tonality that lets you appreciate the voice as it stands proudly in the mix.
Fortunately, the good news doesn’t end there, as the Tevi also have a very good high-end response. Getting a good treble performance is a tightrope walk as it’s a much harder region to tune precisely and slight deviations can cause the sound to either lose detail or become too bright. The Lypertek Tevi manage this tightrope walk quite well, with the high-end having sufficient resolution and detail, along with a bit of sizzle and air at the top without sounding harsh or sibilant. Higher pitched female vocals, guitar strings, and high hats all have a good clean sound without overpowering the mix or having a metallic tinge.
But what impressed me in particular was the imaging and soundstage. Neither of these are strong suits of in-ear earbuds as they don’t quite engage the outer ear to give you the sensation of listening to a good pair of speakers. However, it seems there is some audio processing magic going on with the Lypertek Tevi, as they produce some of the best imaging and soundstage performance I’ve heard on wireless and on par with good wired earbuds.
The earbuds also have the uncanny ability to disappear in the sound sphere. Now, to be fair, the soundstage isn’t as wide as good open back headphones, let alone loudspeakers, but it extends a good bit outside the confines of your head and the imaging is able to place the objects exceedingly well around this little virtual sphere.
If this really is audio processing magic, it’s one of the best I’ve heard and at no point comes across as artificial sounding or over-processed. That it sounds like good wired audio is the best compliment I can give it.
Overall, I was really impressed with the audio quality on the Lypertek Tevi. If these were $200-300 full-sized wired headphones, the audio quality would have been good, if somewhat unremarkable. But the fact these are not just in-ear earbuds but also truly wireless earbuds at $90 is crazy. This is pure technical brilliance on display here that too at a scarcely believable price.
Microphone
The Lypertek Tevi have mediocre recording quality. The audio resembles that from an old landline telephone. It’s audible and your callers won’t have issue discerning what you’re saying but the sound itself has a tacky, compressed quality to it. Background noise isolation is also average at best. Adequate for short calls but not if voice calls are super important to you.
Latency
The Lypertek Tevi have good latency performance when used with aptX and TWS+. When testing with AAC, the latency was still acceptable. The delay was more noticeable to me but wasn’t experience breaking and most people won’t notice it. Overall, the Lypertek Tevi are perfectly viable for watching video content and some casual gaming but serious gamers may still want to invest in a wired headset, especially if they also plan on using voice chat.
Noise-cancellation
The Lypertek Tevi don’t have active noise-cancellation. However, they exhibited excellent passive noise isolation, especially when using the foam ear tips. The earbuds alone, with nothing playing, can drown out most ambient noise in a typical home or office environment.
With audio playing, you really need something loud to happen right next to you for you to be able to notice it. This level of isolation, however, may not be safe if you plan on wearing them outdoors and there’s also no passthrough mode that some earbuds have.
Connectivity
The Lypertek Tevi had reliable connectivity throughout the test period, which was just over a month at the time of writing. While I’d like to say this is the norm, it really isn’t and even modern Bluetooth products from large manufacturers often exhibit some hiccups every now and then. So for the Lypertek Tevi to remain rock solid throughout was something of an achievement.
Battery
The Lypertek Tevi have a promised battery life of 10 hours of continuous usage when using SBC. My testing was conducted using aptX and so I managed 8.5 hours of continuous playback. For TWS earbuds, this is a good, if not exceptional result.
What’s somewhat disappointing is the fast charge time. After 10 minutes of charging from flat, the earbuds only played for an hour before shutting down, which is easily the lowest result I’ve had so far. No wonder Lypertek doesn’t make any fast charge claims.
As mentioned before, the Lypertek Tevi case doesn’t support wireless charging so wired charging is your only option.
Conclusion
The Lypertek Tevi are priced at $90 and are now my favorite budget wireless earbuds. Whatever engineering/incantations Lypertek had to do to make them sound the way they do was worth it, because they sound incredible for the price.
They are also comfortable, have good design, build quality, battery life, latency, and passive noise isolation. The only thing that sticks out is the microphone performance, and even that should be adequate for most people.
If you are still in the wired audio camp, that’s understandable. For around the same price, you could get something like the MoonDrop Starfield, or pay a bit less and get the Tin T3 or BLON BL-03 and you’d be very happy with those. But products like Lypertek Tevi show that you can now have technically great sound that is still affordable but without any wires. It’s quite impressive and I can’t wait to see how much better wireless earbuds get in the future.
I’ve personally really enjoyed using these for the past several weeks, even when I’ve had other, more expensive things lying around. I plan on getting a pair of my own as soon as I hand back the review unit and using them as my daily driver for the foreseeable future.
Thermaltake is back with a fresh look to their TOUGHRAM RGB memory. The new white edition TOUGHRAM RGB memory features the same performance and trademark profile giving consumers even more customization options. Let’s dig into this 2×16 GB 3200 MHz CL16 sample and see how the new finish stacks up!
Asahi Linux starts to take shape, a project led by developer Hector Martin who aims to bring Linux to Macs with Apple M1 processor. The project is collaborative, but complex and therefore very intriguing.
by Manolo De Agostini published 09 January 2021 , at 10: 01 in the Operating Systems channel Apple MacBook iMac Linux
In recent weeks Linus Torvalds had expressed his interest in the new MacBooks with Apple M1 processor (review of the Air), complaining however of the impossibility of being able to run Linux natively. The community was not watching and the developer Hector Martin, also known in the world as “Marcan”, had launched a Patreon to raise funds and please not only the creator of the Linux kernel, but also all fans of the open world. source.
The project is slowly taking shape with the name Asahi Linux (GitHub repository), defined as “an Arch Linux ARM remix designed to include state-of-the-art M1 chip support and practical installation instructions”. “All Arch Linux users should feel at home,” added Martin, explaining that development is open to anyone (and the code can also be used by other projects), so much so that he will be helped in the enterprise by Alyssa Rosenzweig , developer who is already working on Panfrost, a free and open source graphics stack for ARM Mali GPUs used in Android devices.
The entry into the scene of Rosenzweig is very useful, in fact the support of ARM Mali GPUs in Linux has always been complicated by the closed nature of official drivers: the same is true for the GPU integrated into the Apple chip . “This custom GPU from Apple has neither public documentation nor open source drivers. Some speculate that it could descend from PowerVR GPUs, such as those used in older iPhones, while others believe the GPU is completely custom,” said Rosenzweig.
The approach to the object of mystery started by applying the same reverse engineering processes used for Mali GPUs , but there are some hitches to resolve. “Although standard Linux / BSD system calls exist on macOS, they are not used for graphics drivers. Apple’s IOKit framework is used for both kernel and user space drivers, with the critical entry point being IOConnectCallMethod, an analog of ioctl “.
The first of the M1 chip-based Apple products being worked on is the Mac Mini , then we will proceed to support the other models (and future generations, time permitting). “Apple allows unsigned / custom kernels to boot on Apple Silicon Macs without jailbreaking. This is not a hack or omission, but an actual feature that Apple has built into these devices. This means that, unlike iOS devices, Apple does not intend to dictate which operating system you can use on Macs (although they probably won’t help us with development) “, underlines Hector” Marcan “Martin.
The enthusiast also stated that there should be no problems with legal character , as reverse engineering to ensure interoperability is a possibility guaranteed by law in many countries. “As long as no code is taken from macOS in order to create Linux support, the end result is legally distributable and usable by end users, as it would not be a macOS derivative work.”
Today the OnePlus Nord N10 5G and the OnePlus Nord N100 have gone up for pre-order in the US, following the announcement of their landing across the ocean, which came a few days ago. These are the first members of the Nord family to ever be officially sold in the US, because the original Nord has for some reason stayed out of that market.
If you’re excited about the two new mid-rangers, you can pre-order one starting today, with shipping set to begin in a week. If you’re wondering why you’d pre-order, well how about some freebies?
If you purchase from the OnePlus website, you’re getting a pair of OnePlus Buds Z for free with the Nord N10, and a pair of OnePlus Buds Wireless Z for free with the Nord N100. On the other hand, if you buy from B&H, you’ll receive either a $50 gift card (for the N10) or a $30 gift card (for the N100). Incidentally, the value of the gift card for each phone is identical to the value of the free set of earbuds you would be getting from OnePlus directly.
The Nord N10 can be yours for $299, while the Nord N100 is priced at $179. You can read our review of the former to get acquainted with it better.
Last year, AMD released the Ryzen 5000 series desktop processors in one of the most monumental hardware launches of the modern era. This final step completed the Red brand’s ascent back into the forefront of the desktop processor market that began with the launch of the first generation of Ryzen CPUs. While Intel prepares its next move, Z490 and the 10th generation are here to hold the line.
While the 10th Gen Intel Core processors will not support PCIe 4.0 connectivity due to signal integrity issues, many of the Z490 motherboards are designed to support the PCIe 4.0 specification. This is accomplished by adding clock generators to help clean up the signal. Generally speaking, when it comes to long-term platform support, AMD has been the trendsetter. Has AMD’s long support of the AM4 socket on its newer generation processors inspired Intel to take similar steps?
So what is Z490 offering right now? For starters, there has been a large focus on VRM and VRM cooling design. With the top-level Intel Core i9-10900K featuring 10 cores along with HyperThreading, the ability to deliver clean, continuous power is going to be one of the primary factors that separates a good Z490 board from the competition. With the introduction of HyperThreading on Intel’s mid-range line-up, power delivery is going to be vital in all segments.
The AORUS line from Gigabyte spans a broad range of products—laptops, peripherals, and core components. Across the enthusiast spectrum, the AORUS name denotes Gigabyte’s gaming-focused products. The AORUS motherboard range features a consistent naming scheme that includes the Pro, Elite, Ultra, Master, and Extreme motherboards. Within this line up, the Master serves as the high-end mainstream option offering prime features at a high, but attainable price point.
The Gigabyte Z490I AORUS Ultra features a robust VRM utilizing 90 A power stages, along with Q-Flash for a redundant safety net for ambitious overclocking. The Gigabyte Z490I AORUS Ultra also offers a full-coverage aluminium backplate for added rigidity and additional VRM cooling. This little board should pack a punch, so let’s see how the Gigabyte Z490I AORUS Ultra stacks up against the competition.
2x Antenna ports 1x Q-Flash Plus button 1x DisplayPort 1x HDMI port 1x LAN (RJ45) port 1x USB 3.2 (Gen2) Type-C port 4x USB 3.2 (Gen1) ports 1x USB 3.2 (Gen2) Type-A ports 2x USB 2.0 ports 3x 3.5 mm audio jacks
Audio:
1x Realtek ALC1220 Codec
Fan Headers:
4x 4-pin
Form Factor:
ATX Form Factor: 6.7 in x 6.7 in, 17.0 cm x 17.0 cm
NZXT, maker of PC accessories and cases, has revised its Mini-ITX case, and it’s now available for purchase. In November, we broke the news that the H1 was being recalled for safety concerns. This was due to a number of reports of motherboards being shorted out and potentially starting a fire, due to two screws that attach the PCIe riser assembly to the chassis.
This issue has reportedly been corrected in a new revision of the case. NZXT ensures that this new revision will not suffer from the same issue as before.
“The H1 has been updated to address the safety issue and is once again available for sale. Thank you for your patience and understanding while we resolved this matter,” it said in a blog post.
Those who already own the H1 case can request a free repair kit by going to NZXT’s H1 recall website. The repair process is straightforward, and there’s also a video that explains the steps to apply this repair kit. These repair kits started shipping out as of December 28.
The H1 case is up for sale again, but now in its revised version, over on NZXT’s website. However, we’ve yet to see go back up on Amazon or Best Buy, two online retailers who sold the original H1 case.
NZXT’s H1 comes in both matte white and matte black and retails for $350. If you’re wondering why this case is so expensive, it is equipped with a 650w SFX PSU and 140mm AIO liquid cooling.
On a personal note, I’m glad to see that this case is going back on sale, as I’ve wanted one for quite some time. Our NZXT H1 review praised the chassis’ small build, premium cooling and easy use, landing it on our Best PC Cases page. I originally planned to pull the trigger on an H1 and rebuild my PC over the 2020 holiday season, but the recall made that impossible.
If you’re looking for a slick-looking Mini-ITX case with decent airflow and don’t mind the premium, the H1 is worth a glance now that it should be safe to use.
Have you ever seen a food photo in black and white? Probably not. Food needs color! See which color scheme works particularly well.
Food photography does not work in black and white. If you now object that the world-famous photo “Pepper No. 29 by Edward Weston is very successful, we oppose that this is not a food photo, but a nude photo. The black and white peppers only became so famous because reminds her of two tightly embraced lovers.
A wonderful photo that looks at a lot Whet the appetite, but not paprika. Food needs color!
(Image: Edward Weston, “Pepper No. 30 “, 1936)
Our lead story with the tarte flambée lives from the colors – more precisely from the complementary contrast.
Background: Die Color circles Left: Modern red-green Blue-based color wheel, right: red-yellow-blue-based circle according to Goethe and Itten. Creative people still like to use the older Itten color wheel to determine color harmonies. Adobe’s color tool also uses this color wheel.
Depending on the color wheel, either the three colors red-green-blue or the colors red-yellow-blue are used. The two color circles differ from each other. If you choose two complementary colors via Photoshop’s color selector dialog via Hue + 180 Degrees, you end up with different values than if you set “complementary” in the color themes.
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Ah, Vortex! I haven’t shied away from my interest in the brand in the past and won’t now, especially given their magic mushroom-induced keyboard packaging done recently. We have covered four of their keyboards here thus far, none of which conform to the popular full-size or TKL form factors, and I have been looking forward to their new creations first seen at Computex last year. What came up to my doorstep instead was unexpected. As it turns out, the company is 10 years old now, which they are celebrating with a special edition of the Poker, their most famous keyboard, in the form of the new Vortex 10. Thanks again to them for sending a review sample to TechPowerUp!
The POK3R V2 came out last year, and the company was already working on the Poker 4 at the time. So in the absence of the latter, they clearly decided to revamp the system and add new features to the all-new Vortex 10. A look at the image above shows some of it already, be it the front-printed legends for a stealth look or sand-blasted aluminium case. There are a few more twists in here though, including under the keyboard itself, which we will go through in detail, but let’s begin with a look at the specifications in the table below.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ended a year-long review of claims that some Tesla vehicles were accelerating without warning, saying there is not enough evidence to open a full investigation. While NHTSA received 246 complaints about this “sudden unintended acceleration” phenomenon, the agency says that “pedal misapplication” was the cause of the problem in every case in which it had data to review — user error, in other words.
“There is no evidence of any fault in the accelerator pedal assemblies, motor control systems, or brake systems that has contributed to any of the cited incidents,” the agency wrote in a summary published Friday. “There is no evidence of a design factor contributing to increased likelihood of pedal misapplication. The theory provided of a potential electronic cause of SUA in the subject vehicles is based upon inaccurate assumptions about system design and log data.”
Claims of so-called “sudden unintended acceleration” have dogged Tesla for years. The company settled most of a purported class action lawsuit in 2018 over the issue. NHTSA says it collected crash data and video from cars’ “black box” event data recorders and from Tesla itself. While 246 cases were reported, the agency did not specify the amount of cases for which it collected data. The issue was thought to affect some 662,000 vehicles across Tesla’s lineup.
The review was opened in January 2020 in response to a “defect petition” by Brian Sparks, an investor who was shorting Tesla’s stock (or betting that the price would go down). He corralled more than 100 complaints about the issue that had already been submitted to NHTSA as well as similar events that had been covered in the press, and asked the agency to investigate.
“I believe Tesla vehicles have a structural flaw which puts their drivers and the public at risk. I further believe Tesla must know of this flaw and be unresponsive to it,” he wrote in December 2019. Sparks also took issue with Tesla’s reluctance to provide data about these acceleration events to owners. “This petition will show that, based on publicly available information, it appears Tesla vehicles have a Sudden Unintended Acceleration Problem and Tesla must know about this problem.”
Tesla responded to the review with a blog post that claimed there was no merit to the idea. “We investigate every single incident where the driver alleges to us that their vehicle accelerated contrary to their input, and in every case where we had the vehicle’s data, we confirmed that the car operated as designed,” the company wrote.
When Franz Pöter looks out over his city from the 192 meter high Rotenberg, then In addition to the Stuttgart TV tower, he discovers many unused areas – roofs of apartment buildings. The managing director of the Baden-Württemberg interest group Solar Cluster sees great development potential in this for the solar generation of tenant electricity.
When Andreas Schmitt drives through Ostwestfalen-Lippe, he looks at rotors, which are also the most influential Opponents of wind power could not prevent it. Because the managing director of WestfalenWIND managed to win the broad acceptance of the local residents – with a community wind tariff for local residents. Two models of how citizens can contribute to funding. What’s behind this?
Local tenant electricity The landlord produces electricity from renewable sources locally on the house and sells it to his tenants. According to the law, this current may not exceed 90 percent of the Standard tariffs of the local energy supplier. “With tenant electricity, citizens are financially relieved of their participation in the energy transition,” says expert Pöter.
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(Pocket-lint) – Phone-makers have been getting creative when it comes to selfie cameras. We’ve had the notch, the punch-hole, the pop-up. Now it’s the turn of the under-display camera, with the ZTE Axon 20 5G the first phone to launch to market with such a design (despite Oppo showing off the technology first).
“ZTE?” we hear you say. Yep, the tech giant has been floating around in the peripheries in recent years, launching some phones – but they’ve rarely been available to easily purchase outside of its native China. The Axon 20 5G, therefore, represents not only a first from a technological point of view thanks to that camera, but a renewed push for the company to appeal to a wider audience.
Design & Display
6.92-inch OLED ‘True Full’ display
1080 x 2460 resolution
Under-display camera
90Hz refresh rate
Dimensions: 172 x 78 x 8mm / Weight: 198g
Glass front & rear, aluminium frame
Finishes: Black, Gold, Blue, Purple
Under-display fingerprint scanner
On the face of it the ZTE Axon 20 5G is one of the more exciting phones to launch in 2020. The very idea of an under-display camera has been talk of the town for some time now, so it wasn’t expected that a lesser-known brand in the West would be the one to lead the charge.
Thing is, the Axon 20 5G isn’t really a flagship phone. It’s got a middling spec overall and a design that, in some respects, doesn’t really benefit the presence of the under-display camera to its fullest extent.
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Take the flat screen’s side bezel, for example. Now, we’re not saying it’s mega-bezel by any means, but when curved-screen devices help to hide the apparent presence of the black border from line of sight it makes the screen look more full.
The Axon 20 5G might well have its selfie camera hidden under the panel, but it’s the entire screen’s bezel that gives the screen a boxed-in and ‘framed’ look – so it has a lower screen-to-body ratio compared to many devices that carry a notch of punch-hole camera. That takes away from the under-screen camera’s potential somewhat.
Nonetheless, in the dark of winter in the UK (where we’re sat reviewing this device) you would initially think there’s no camera present under that screen at all. It’s convincingly hidden away, which is something of a revelation. Closer inspection, however, shows that you can see the lens beneath – if any light catches the screen, for example, so brighter days it may appear less accomplished.
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Furthermore, while images do successfully overlay where the selfie camera lives, they are partially disrupted, almost as if transformed into some 16-bit image of old (scroll through the gallery above to see close-ups). The resolution is lesser in the oblong area surrounding the camera. You’ll need to look fairly closely to care about it, though, but open a full-screen game and you’ll see a criss-cross effect over that small camera area.
Given phone design, however, most apps and user interfaces don’t utilise the top centre section of a screen (or fullest side section, if in landscape orientation). Thus much of the time this camera area will be blacked out anyway and you can more or less forget that it’s even there. Especially as here it’s tricky to see without eyeballing it up really close.
So while there are improvements that can happen in future iterations, as a first attempt the Axon 20 5G’s hidden under-screen camera is convincing, with the highlighted caveats above being part and parcel of such an implementation.
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Otherwise the Axon 20 5G’s design is generally inoffensive. It’s easy to become blasé about phone design when there’s such a normal format these days. A chunky rear camera unit with excessive numbers of lenses? Check. A glass rear that’s almost magnetic to fingerprint smears? Check. No 3.5mm headphone jack, a single base speaker, a smattering of branding including (unnecessarily) the product name? Check, check, check.
From the right angle, however, the Axon 20’s finish has this almost rippling-like way of catching the light, as you can see in our photos. It rarely looks as much like this to the eyes, but it’s a cool effect nonetheless.
Performance
Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor, 8GB RAM
Android 10 operating system, MiFavor 10.5 re-skin
4,220mAh battery capacity, 30W fast-charge
Liquid Cooling with carbon nanofiber
128GB storage, microSD expansion
5G connectivity
As we said above, the Axon 20 5G isn’t aiming to topple flagships with best-in-class internals. This phone’s approach is to bring new technology to the mid-range, competing with other models that utilise the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 platform.
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In reality, however, this step-down Qualcomm platform is a great success. It caters for 5G as and when you’re in a network area (the Axon 20 has specific controls to disable this if you prefer, for the sake of battery savings). It’s more than capable of handling a plethora of tasks, including gaming to a relatively high level – we’ve had zero problems playing South Park: Phone Destroyer.
Indeed, the use of the 700-series platform is something many phone-makers are opting for, from LG with the Velvet to Vivo with the X51. All of which have proven to put in decent performance with solid battery innings. The ZTE follows a similar suit, capable across the board and long-lasting too. The 4,220mAh battery is capacious enough to easily crunch through a day – we’ve been using about 50 per cent over a 14 hour period, so it’s close to a two-dayer.
That said, ZTE’s MiFavor user interface (UI), which is built over the top of Google’s Android 10 operating system, doesn’t half go excessive when it comes to trying to save battery. The autobrightness is obsessed with seemingly trying to make you think you’ve gone blind, dimming the screen levels excessively in any conditions – we’ve been frequently frustrated with manually adjusting it time and again. The screen also suffers from ‘black crush’ at these lower intensity levels.
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The software isn’t otherwise disruptive like on some competitors’ systems though. MiFavor has swipe controls which are a little finicky, but help to give the screen more real-estate with the absence of Android soft-keys taking up the bottom row. There’s no duplication of app stores like you’d find in a Xiaomi phone, for example, as ZTE is Google Play Store only. There’s no ads that try and promote other apps when you’re downloading an update. There’s generally little fuss at all, with a mostly Android-like experience.
Sign-in benefits from that under-screen selfie camera, too, should you wish to activate face unlock, or there’s an adept under-display fingerprint scanner too. It’s a reasonably fluid experience, one that’s massively let down by the overzealous autobrightness adjustment.
We’ve covered the selfie camera in more detail up top, but no doubt you’ll be wondering just what the quality is like given that it can “see” through a display.
Best smartphones 2021: The top mobile phones available to buy today
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: Portrait modePortrait mode
The answer: not that great. This 32-megapixel optic doesn’t use multi-pixel processing to obtain improved quality, as such there’s quite a lot of grain even in daylight, particularly in shadow areas. The images are far larger than you’ll need too, while colour consistency seems to vary shot-to-shot – with a greener balance sometimes rearing its head.
Pop it into Portrait mode, however, and the camera does scale things down (to 5-megapixels, for whatever reason), adding the over-soft background blur and, well, making everything just look soft and blurry.
So while ZTE is first to getting a selfie camera under a display, its results aren’t a revelation.
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What about the main camera unit to the rear? This is a bit of a mixed bag. There’s a trend in 2020 to lump together a bunch of cameras for no real reason: here there’s a 2MP depth sensor that’s not needed; a 2MP macro camera that’s low resolution and can’t autofocus and is hard to use; and an 8MP wide-angle camera that’s of sub-par quality compared to what else is on the market.
It’s the main 64-megapixel sensor that steps in to save things somewhat. Keep your attention on this one and there’s some reasonably good results, because it does use four-in-one pixel processing to output 16MP shots as standard. There’s still some grain and the fidelity isn’t class-leading, but with a steady hand you’ll be able to get shots with enough detail and balance. Even the night mode works well in low-light conditions.
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The ZTE isn’t the only culprit to oversell its cameras, it seems to be the flavour of 2020. Stick with the main rear optic and you’ll be plenty happy, it delivers what’s needed at this price point. The addition of depth, macro and wide-angle cameras add disappointment though. And that selfie camera ought to be more adept rather than high-resolution, because the selfie camera is the premier point of this phone’s existence.
Verdict
The ZTE Axon 20 5G shows that under-screen cameras will be the future. But it also shows that details matter – and the selfie camera here ought to be better quality to show off the premier point of this phone’s very existence. The rear cameras, too, fail to hit the mark overall.
Elsewhere we think the design doesn’t highlight the hidden camera appeal quite enough; a curved screen with almost invisible bezel would push that point to the fore even more than this flat screen and dark bezel surround.
As a day-to-day phone, however, we’ve found ZTE’s software to be humble to Android in its approach, meaning it doesn’t outwardly busy things like some competitors like to do. Its main issue, however, is the overzealous autobrightness which descends into darkness in all conditions unlike any other phone we’ve used this year.
It might be an outlier, as a little-known brand in the West, but the ZTE Axon 20 5G shows its worth, while delivering a long-lasting and ample performance in a fairly affordable package.
Also consider
Pocket-lint
Google Pixel 4a 5G
squirrel_widget_2709684
Google goes big on computational photography, but the results are great – and there aren’t an abundance of unwarranted cameras to be found here. Yes, there’s a punch-hole rather than an under-display camera. And no, the battery life isn’t as good as the ZTE. But as a rounded package – one that’s a bit smaller than the ZTE too – we think it’s one of the best 5G phones in and around this budget.
Hey there, if you’ve been keeping up with our video situation you should know we’re back in action (and if you haven’t – surprise!). So over the next few days and weeks we’ll be uploading our back-logged videos at a faster-than-normal rate.
Next up in the list is the Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 5G, which we reviewed at the beginning of December. The Mi 10T Lite 5G has a Snapdragon 750G 5G chipset, 6GB of RAM, a big 4,820mAh battery, 6.67-inch IPS LCD with fast 120Hz refresh rate and more.
Here’s its full video review. And here’s its written one for further details.
(Pocket-lint) – Lenovo’s Legion brand is a regular on the PC gaming front, so it’s perhaps no surprise that the company set forth under these auspices with its dedicated gaming phone.
It’s a segment of the market that’s seen plenty of activity in recent years, with Asus using its ROG brand to the same end, and Razer, Black Shark and Red Magic all attempting the same thing.
But can the Lenovo Legion dominate the gaming battleground?
Designed for gaming
Dimensions: 169.2 x 78.5 x 10mm / Weight: 239g
In-screen fingerprint scanner
Pop-up side camera
Stereo speakers
Rear RGB logo
There’s nothing subtle about the Legion Phone. Lettered with the words “stylish outside, savage inside” the complex finish to the exterior of the phone is designed to catch the eye. It shimmers when the light catches it, centred around a central LED decoration, much in the same way as a gaming PC flaunts its wares with RGB lighting.
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The Legion branding can be set to illuminate and that rear logo can be set to pulse when gaming, as a notification or when charging. Thankfully, you get full control, so you can turn off the red flashing when charging at night.
The Legion is a big phone, with a flat display and healthy bezels, giving you somewhere to grip without obscuring the display and risking accidental touches, while the front-facing camera is a pop-up unit on the landscape side of the phone. Yes, to save you from notches or punch-holes – and to ensure face time in-game – the camera has moved completely.
There’s some texture to rear sections of the phone to provide a modicum of grip, while the cameras, again, sit in the centre of the rear rather than at the top. That means you’re not putting your fingers all over them when gaming.
From a design point of view, therefore, this phone was built to serve people who spend most of their time playing games in landscape orientation.
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Many of these decisions serve that market in a way that other phones cannot: there’s no camera bump to get in the way; the wide speakers at either end of the display are hard to obscure with a hand; and there’s even a charging port on the side so you can charge and play at the same time.
And much about this we love. We spend several hours of every day gaming, so many of these things appeal directly to us. The Legion Phone feels clean to hold and play, there’s grip, the sound quality and volume is excellent. Normal phones compromise on gaming, but this device does not.
But there’s a cost to this gaming-specific design and that’s in the day-to-day experience. The other 7 or 8 hours of the day when you’re not head-down in the latest shooter, you have to live with compromises that have been made to support gaming.
Those rear cameras that are out of the way when playing are covered by your hands the rest of the time. Open the camera to take a shot and invariably you’ll have a hand in the way. The same applies to the pop-out front camera – if you’re gripping the phone and want to take a selfie, it opens into your fingers or hand.
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There’s also no denying that this is a hefty phone at 236g and pretty chunky by design too. It’s bigger and heavier than the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra – but the Samsung phone has a larger display. Again, some of the Legion’s additional bodywork can be a bit of a drawback during daily use, even if it will be acceptable to seasoned gamers.
Performance was put at the fore of the Legion Phone experience and that explains many of the decisions behind this phone. But while there have been moves made to accommodate higher demands, it doesn’t hang together quite as well as you might think.
At the heart of this phone is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 856 Plus, 5G enabled, with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. It’s a monster loadout and given how much phone you’re getting, it’s good value for money compared to a lot of the rest of the market.
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And we can’t fault much of the performance, although we’re not convinced by the heat dissipation and cooling system. Lenovo has talked this up a lot, but you can feel the heat from the Snapdragon 865 under your fingertips towards the centre of the phone. Having come from reviewing the Sony Xperia 5 II and the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, both on Snapdragon 865 and both subjected to similar long periods of gameplay, the Legion Phone feels noticeably hotter under load.
That makes us question how much is really effective here and how much is just part of the marketing package to push the gaming angle. Certainly, the in-game experience isn’t hugely different from a performance point of view when put alongside rival flagship devices.
Lenovo does have more accessories for the Legion phone, including a cooling unit, but do you really want to add more weight? At the same time, that sense of heating might just be down to the fact that your fingertips are always resting on the hottest part of the phone.
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The huge 5000mAh battery capacity is appreciated too. It’s split into two cells, the sell here being that you can charge super-fast – at 90W using the two USB inputs at the same time. There’s a charger in the box that will give you two USB connections too, so you don’t need two separate chargers (although that also works). When connected you’ll get one or two charging logos appear depending on how you’ve hooked it up and we have to say the charger on the side is convenient for charging while playing games or watching movies.
But the battery life isn’t hugely strong. It’s driving a big display, it’s driving up to 144Hz refresh rate too, there’s big volume and brightness, so there’s plenty to drain the battery. It’s not hugely different to the S20 Ultra in that sense (also a 5000mAh cell), but we’ve had smaller devices offer better overall endurance.
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Step out of gaming and yes, it will get you through the day easily enough, but this is still a big phone and it can suffer from big phone problems. With all that said, the Legion Phone is very much on a par with other Snapdragon 865 devices – it’s fast and fluid, with very little sign of any slowdown.
Display
6.65-inch AMOLED, 2340 x 1080 resolution
144Hz refresh rate, 240ms response
Lenovo’s big play with the display is offering a 144Hz refresh rate – the same as you’ll find on many gaming PCs. Smartphones have been pushing faster refresh rates – 90Hz, 120Hz – but 144Hz is less common. Is it a big difference? Not really, but it’s there for bragging rights.
What you also need to consider is the games you’re playing, as not all support those higher frame rates. Some, like Real Racing 3, will run at 144Hz – and looks glorious – but PUBG Mobile is 40Hz, while Call of Duty Mobile is 60Hz (even though it’s available at higher frame rates on other devices).
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What’s more encouraging is that you can check the refresh rate you’re getting thanks to Lenovo’s software and make sure that when you make changes to the game’s settings, you’re actually getting that performance.
Step aside from that and the 1080p resolution isn’t a surprise given that frame rate is the target rather than absolution resolution, not that Full HD+ on a 6.5-inch display is bad per se. The display itself is bright and vibrant – everything you expect from an AMOLED panel – and that plays through into other content too, like watching movies.
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Overall, it’s hard to fault the display’s performance. Although there is one quirk: the display settings page was completely blank. It’s not the end of the world as you can adjust the brightness from the quick settings and you can adjust the frame rate within the Legion Realm settings – but it’s one of a number of cracks in Lenovo’s software that shows it’s not on a par with the experience offered by, say, Samsung or OnePlus.
Cameras
Dual rear camera:
Main: 64-megapixel, f/1.9 aperture
Wide: 16MP, f/2.2
20MP front camera, f/2.2
There are two cameras on the rear of the Legion Phone, a 64-megapixel main camera and a 16-megapixel ultra-wide camera. It’s nice that Lenovo has spared us the trash lenses that are so common – there’s not a depth sensor, monochrome sensor or macro camera in sight (although there is a macro mode on the main camera that works better than any dedicated macro lens we’ve seen elsewhere.)
That gives a couple of sensible cameras, the main 64-megapixel pixel combining to give 16-megapixel results. It’s actually a capable camera, able to give some great shots, but it favours good lighting, unable to lift the images as you might get from something like the Google Pixel when the light drops.
Samsung’s new TV tech, ZTE Axon 20 5G reviewed and more – Pocket-lint Podcast 85
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That said, there is a night mode that enables longer exposures and it works well enough. Photography isn’t this phone’s primary focus, but you don’t have to feel left out, because in most cases you’ll get a decent photo.
There’s an AI mode that will add HDR contrast and boost colours to give more pleasing shots, and the portrait mode works pretty well too.
There’s one slight fiddle, which is the zoom button. It jumps from 1x to 2x (entirely digital), then back to 1x and then to 0.6x (the ultra-wide angle) on repeated presses. How anyone thought this was a good user experience escapes us. We’d much prefer a 0.6x button all the time to access that lens. You can of course pinch to move through the entire range from 0.6x out to 8x digital zoom.
The front camera can be a bit of a fiddle when it comes to selfies because it needs to deploy pushes you toward landscape orientation – so portrait selfie fans might find it’s just a little odd on the side of the phone. There’s some beauty treatment that’s on by default and needs turning off as it strips out contrast, resulting in lacklustre images. It’s also worth finding the camera’s watermark feature and turning it off unless you’re really keen on pushing the fact you’re using the Legion Phone Duel.
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We also have doubts about the long-term reliability of the front camera. Throughout the time we’ve been using the phone, we’ve found dust getting in and around that camera is a common thing. We’ve also had the camera fail on one occasion, opening and trying to take a picture, but then making a few griding noises and crashing the camera without saving the image.
Software for gaming and life
Android 10 with ZUI
Legion Realm
The Legion Phone Duel runs Google Android 10, at the time of writing, but is skinned with Lenovo’s ZUI. That’s something we see less often in the US and Europe where Lenovo phones are now rare – and Motorola’s phones (the company also owned by Lenovo) shipping with a close-to-stock Android offering.
Much of what you get in ZUI is themed to suit the Legion Phone. There’s the choice of an aggressive gaming theme or Android theme that you’re presented with on startup – but the Android theme, in our opinion, doesn’t ever get close enough to a stock experience. There’s some fun animated wallpapers, some meaty sound effects to match the flashing lights on the rear, to round out the sense that this device is something special.
The software is a little hit and miss, with some oddities. For example, most of the time the phone seems to wake with the lockscreen in landscape, even when you’re holding it in portrait. There’s very little home screen control either – you can’t stop new app icons being added and creating new pages as a result, and we’ve had Google Discover appear and disappear from the slot to the left of the home page as if it’s got a mind of its own.
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We mentioned the blank display settings page previously and if it wasn’t for duplication of settings in the Legion Realm app – or the option to change some settings via the quick settings panel – then you’d be stuck.
You also have to be really careful to accept permissions you’re asked for – because much of the Legion Realm experience, like the swipe-down in-game control panel, will just vanish if you don’t grant permission the first time you encounter it (seriously, we spent several weeks wondering why it wasn’t there until we reset the phone and tried again).
There aren’t many additions and very little duplication of apps, with the mainstay of the additions here to add to the gaming options. The aforementioned swipe-down panel gives you access to features like power boost, brightness controls, screenshots and recording, as well as stats at a glance – like the frame rate and temperature, with a swipe down from the top of the screen.
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Thanks to these details, you can see what frame rate you’re actually getting compared to what you expect – and you can see how much the phone is warming up. It’s interesting to note that many games vary the refresh rate between lobby and in the game itself.
The Legion Realm app automatically adds games and runs when you start those games, allowing you to define some parameters – you can disable auto-brightness, for example, you can block calls and notifications and other options for games.
The good thing that Legion Realm does is provide tighter control of gesture navigation, needing a double swipe upwards from the bottom to exit a game. That’s great, because it avoids the accidental swipes that can sometimes see you leave a game on other phones.
Unfortunately, Legion Realm is really guessing when it comes to adding apps – like Google Lens or the Alexa app appearing – and think they are games. When Realm mis-identifies a game, it means you then need to double swipe to exit something like Alexa. You can manually remove those apps, but we found they creep back in again, so it seems an ongoing problem.
One of the abilities you have is to deploy the front camera while you’re gaming and have your face in the game. You can blur out the background, apply masks, hats and other fun stuff. It’s pitched as a streamer mode, but it doesn’t actually record. You can access the built-in screen recorder, however, with a simultaneous press of standby and volume up if you want to record it, as below.
There are various other in-game options, like back record, which will let you save recent clips, so you can save your memorable moments, as well as the Y Triggers on the top of the phone. These are pressure sensitive areas that you can use to launch Legion Realm, like a shortcut to the games, and can also be mapped to locations on the screen.
Like shoulder buttons on console controllers, the Y Triggers could be used as main controls, perhaps for acceleration and brake, to keep your fingers off the display or for other controls. Of course, you’ll have to adapt to using them which is our biggest barrier – you have to overcome muscle memory for those games you’ve already put a lot of time into, so you might never use them.
Verdict
The Lenovo Legion Duel is very good at what it sets out to do. The combination of a big display, specific gaming features and amazing sound quality make for a phone that’s excellent at gaming.
There are some quirks – it seems to get hotter than it’s rivals – and there are some software oddities around the gaming feature. But on the whole it’s a great experience when playing.
Where the phone really struggles is in the everyday job of being just a phone. It’s bulky, it has a preference for landscape orientation use, and we’re not convinced the pop-up camera will be totally reliable – which is going to be a downside for those wanting a phone to last them the next couple of years of daily use.
Ultimately, however, the Legion Duel offers a lot for your money. There are downsides, but there are decisions to be made: if you spend most of your time gaming, there’s a lot here for you; if you’re a more casual gamer then there are lighter phones with more software refinement and just as much power.
Writing by Chris Hall. Editing by Mike Lowe.
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