LG has new gram notebooks in its luggage for the virtual CES. As before, they should be relatively light for their respective format. LG also relies on new designs: 16: 10 – Displays and Intel Core processors of the 11. Generation.
There are five new models in total. The two “2-in-1” models with 16 – inch screen (16 T 90 P) and with 14 – inch screen (14 T 90 P) will not come onto the market in Germany, at least for the time being. For this, buyers in this country should gram the three notebooks 17 (Model 17 Z 90 P), gram 16 ( 16 Z 90 P) and gram 14 (14 Z 90 P).
The grief 17 of the last generation (with Intel Core processor of the 10. Generation) we tested a few months ago. The new edition makes the leap to the current Intel mobile processors. The main memory also increases, namely to 16 GB LPDDR4x. Intel Iris Xe Graphics or Intel UHD Graphics serve as the GPU. It remains at a weight of 1. 350 g. The 16: 10 Display continues to solve with 2. 510 x 1. 600 pixels. M.2 SSDs can be configured as mass storage.
Also gram 16 and gram 14 receive the update to the 11. Generation of Intel Core processors and 14 GB RAM. The 16- Inch model weighs 1, 19 kg, the 14 – inch model even only 999 g. While the display is at gram 14 also with 2. 560 x 1. 600 dissolves pixels, you have to grieve 14 with 1.920 x 1. 200 pixels. However, all displays should 99% of the DCI-P3 -Cover the color space. All models support Wi-Fi 6 and offer a fingerprint sensor. Enlarged keyboards and touchpads should make it easier to use. The two larger models come with a 80 -Wh battery equipped that 14 – inch model receives a power storage with 72 Wh.
Buyers will have the choice between silver and black color variants. Precise information on availability and prices is still missing.
Xiaomi announced two new smartphones for the German market in the run-up to the CES. The more interesting of the two models is the Redmi Note 9T: At prices starting at 230 euros, it offers comparatively cheap access to 5G mobile communications. The 5G modem is integrated in the SoC MediaTek 800 U.
sits on the back of the Xiaomi mobile phone a triple camera whose main module can shoot photos with 48 megapixels. The 6.5-inch display has FHD + resolution, and the fingerprint sensor is integrated into the side of the Redmi Note 9T. With a capacity of 5000 mAh, the battery of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T is quite large.
The RAM is included all variants of the Xiaomi smartphone with 4 GByte, with internal storage space the buyer has the choice: For 230 euros there is the smaller version with 64 GByte storage space, the variant with 128 GByte costs 270 euros. There is no way to expand the memory using a microSD card. Xiaomi does not provide any information about the Android version. The Redmi Note 9T is from 18. January available in Germany.
Redmi 9T in March Not until 15. March the Redmi 9T (without “Note”) comes to Germany. The entry-level smartphone costs in the cheapest version with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage space 170 Euro, the variant with 64 GByte is available for 200 Euro.
Like the Note 9T, the 9T also has a 6.5-inch FHD + screen. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 works inside the budget smartphone. Thanks to the large 6000 mAh battery, the Redmi 9T could last longer than many more expensive smartphones before it has to be plugged in.
With its Redmi mobile phones, Xiaomi usually targets the entry-level segment. The Chinese manufacturer launched the Redmi 9 product line, which also includes the Redmi 9A and 9C, on the German market in the summer of last year. The predecessor, the Redmi 8, was one of the best-selling smartphones of the past year.
In the run-up to the CES, Panasonic gave a preview of its upcoming OLED TV top device JZW 2004, which has screen diagonals of 55 and 65 inches to not yet mentioned prices should come on the market. The final specifications for the device will not be published until March, but the manufacturer has already presented some highlights.
Above all, this includes the new “HCX Pro AI” processor, which is supposed to recognize whether the current content is a film, a sports broadcast, a music video, a news program or a game. On the basis of this scene-by-scene analysis, according to Panasonic, the processor is then able to independently select the most suitable picture and sound settings.
According to the manufacturer, the AI was developed with more than a million Reference excerpts fed with the various contents.
Panasonic demonstrated in the video conference that the “Master HDR OLED Professional Edition “panel sets standards in the market in terms of brightness and color fidelity. c’t will of course check this on the living object.
Finally HDMI 2.1 on board The JZW 2004 will also be Panasonic’s first television with an HDMI 2.1 port. The device can accept 4K content with up to 120 Hertz and increased contrast range (High Dynamic Range, HDR). Additional HDMI 2.1 functions support a variable frame rate (VRR) and automatic selection of the mode with the lowest latency (ALLM) for games. Speaking of games: A new “Game Mode Extreme” is intended to significantly reduce the input lag. During a demonstration with the current model, the value of 14, 7 fell on 14, 4 ms.
Panasonic already supports the HDR formats HDR 10, HDR 10 +, HLG and Dolby Vision – with the current top model including ambient light sensor. At the JZW 2004 the recently presented “HDR 10 + Adaptive “are added. Finally, its speakers also radiate to the side in order to envelop the viewer more closely.
Mad Catz, company specialized in peripherals gaming, adds to its catalog a new wireless mouse in line with wired models for design and performance.
by Carlo Pisani published 08 January 2021 , at 10: 31 in the Peripherals channel Mad Catz
Mad Catz , a company specializing in gaming peripherals, adds a new wireless mouse to its catalog in line to wired models for design and performance.
It’s called RAT DWS and has the same style already seen on the mice of the popular Mad Catz RAT series, size equal to 113 x 87 x 38 mm and a weight of 40 g , AA battery included which offers an operating autonomy up to 200 hours with 2.4 GHz connectivity and up 300 hours in technology Bluetooth 5.0 .
Under the particular body instead we find Dakota mechanical switches characterized by an actuation time of only 2 ms and a sensor PixArt PAW 3335 DB from 16. 00 0 DPI , acceleration up 40 G and 1 ms polling rate.
The accessories included with the peripheral make this wireless gaming mouse one of the most ergonomically customizable on the market: i adjustable wrist rests and the interchangeable little finger support guarantee a perfect adaptation of the device to any size and handle style. I 14 buttons are completely customizable with the Mad Catz software and on 4 different profiles that can be stored directly on the peripheral.
Click to enlarge
Mad Catz RAT DWS will be available during the month of February 2021 , for the moment no information about the price at which it will be offered; for more images and information about it, please visit the page dedicated to this device.
(Pocket-lint) – Samsung is going to be launching its latest series of Galaxy S smartphones on 14 January, giving us a fresh new set of devices for 2021.
There’s been some heavy leaking for these new phones, so we wanted to run up the specs of the incoming S21 Ultra and outgoing S20 Ultra to see how they compare based on the rumours so far.
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Design
S21 Ultra: 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9mm, TBCg
S20 Ultra: 166.9 x 76 x 8.8mm, 220g
There’s been no shortage of leaks showing off the design of the incoming S21 Ultra so we’ve got a good idea of what to expect. Based on leaked dimensions, it looks like it will be close in size to the S20 Ultra.
The defining characteristic of the S20 Ultra was the huge camera unit on the rear of the phone. The biggest design change for the new phone appears to be moving that camera housing to the reach the edge of the phone.
It’s more of an integrated design on the new model and less of an island, with the edge of the camera housing integrated into the side of the phone – but still a huge cluster of cameras, likely to trigger trypophobia.
Otherwise we’d expect the build to be much the same, with a glass back and metal frame, with IP68 waterproofing too.
Display
S21 Ultra: 6.8-inch, Infinity-O, 120Hz, S Pen support
S20 Ultra: 6.9-inch, Infinity-O, 120Hz
We’re expecting the S21 Ultra and the S20 Ultra displays to be close in spec and performance, although it’s said that the new model will be just a little smaller than the S20 Ultra.
While both will have Quad HD+ resolutions – 3200 x 1440 pixels – the big change for the S21 Ultra will be adaptive motion smoothness. This will mean you can have 120Hz at maximum resolution which wasn’t possible on the S20 Ultra, which would only do 60Hz at the top resolution.
That’s going to please those who want the best of both worlds, but the big advantage of the adaptive setting is that it will adjust the refresh rate to suit the content and save you battery life in the process.
There’s another trick that the S21 Ultra is expected to offer – and that’s support for the S Pen. While the phone won’t physically accommodate it like the Note does, it will support S Pen input, making it a lot more versatile.
Outside of that, we’d expect excellent performance as we’ve seen from Samsung displays in the past.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is expected to come with the latest hardware. While some will get the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 – others are expected to get the to-be-announced Exynos 2100.
The new Exynos hardware for the S21 Ultra is expected to be announced on 12 January, with Samsung saying “Exynos is back” – so there are high expectations.
The other notable change on the spec sheet might be the omission of the microSD card. This has been a stalwart of Samsung spec sheets for many years, so we’re not entirely convinced it will be removed – it would be a shame if it is.
The RAM and storage options aren’t expected to be hugely different and it looks like the battery will stay at 5000mAh battery. It’s not thought that everyone will be getting chargers in the box, but we’re expecting 45W charging support again.
Then Ultra model from Samsung is all about the camera and there’s huge range of spec to plow through here. So let’s clear out the easy stuff – it looks like there’s a single 40-megapixel front camera is going to be the same – and it looks like the ultra-wide is likely to be the same too.
There’s been talk about the changes to the main 108-megapixel camera, with reports that this is a new generation of sensor which might bring some performance improvements. But the addition of laser autofocus – as seen in the Note 20 Ultra – aims to address the focus pain points of the S20 Ultra, so that’s likely to be a better experience.
There’s also a shift in the arrangement of telephoto lenses, with the S21 Ultra thought to offer two telephoto cameras rather than one on the S20 Ultra. That aim here will be to improve zoom performance, likely with a 3x optical, and 5 or 10x optical offering.
Big zoom was one of the features of the S20 Ultra and it looks like the S21 Ultra is going to up the ante for better long-range shooting, but giving dedicated lenses for mid and far range shooting.
Of course, some of the big improvements will come from computational photography, but from a software point of view this could be equally applied to both devices.
Conclusion
A shift in design gives the S21 Ultra a refresh in a device that appears to be much the same size and build as the previous version. There are clear improvements targeted on the camera and they’re very welcome, because the S20 Ultra was just a little oversold in its capabilities.
New hardware internally will bring a performance boost with a new generation of hardware, while the display changes will make for a more versatile device thanks to S Pen support – and please those wanting faster refresh rates.
The experience of using these phones is likely to be similar – and we still have no idea on pricing. Yes, the new phone will be more attractive, but the biggest real change to the experience is likely to come from S Pen support.
We’ll update this feature once we have confirmed spec following the Galaxy Unpacked launch on 14 January – until that time, the S21 Ultra details remain unconfirmed.
Ladies and gentlemen, we’re back! On YouTube, that is. The saga of our channel being hijacked is now finally resolved (you can read more about that here if you weren’t aware of what was going on). And now we’re back in business.
Like we mentioned before, we never stopped recording review videos during the past few weeks when our channel was out of our hands, so now it’s time for an absolute bonanza of video content coming your way in the next few days.
Starring today is the Samsung Galaxy A42, a phone we reviewed in writing last month. Here is our video take on this mid-range smartphone with its interesting and unique back design, 5G support, and quad rear cameras (although of those one is macro and one is a depth sensor – surprise surprise).
So sit back and enjoy the ride, Angie will tell you everything you need to know about Samsung’s cheapest 5G phone yet in a sweet and short video review.
The video app TikTok has introduced the first augmented reality filter that uses the lidar sensor of the iPhone 12 Pro. Using Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging), the camera system can detect distances by laser and thus reproduce the immediate surroundings three-dimensionally – this allows superimposed virtual objects to react to physical objects.
Bridge between the virtual and the physical world The lidar technology in the iPhone enables effects that interact with the environment instead of just overlaying it, as TikTok explains. The sensor makes it possible to “build a visual bridge between the digital and the physical world”. In a video provided by the service, a virtual glitter bomb empties its contents, which land both in real time on a person’s outstretched arms and on the couch. According to TikTok, this is just the beginning, further AR effects of this kind are to follow Depth interface of Apple’s augmented reality framework ARKit 4, making it available to a wide range of users. Other social media platforms are now also experimenting with it: Snapchat integrated the option into its Lens Studio last fall in order to enable artists and developers to use the technology for their own “lenses” or filters.
Lidar so far only in a few model series Currently Apple only uses lidar sensors in iPhone 12 Pro, Pro Max and the iPad Pro 2020. According to rumors, however, the group plans to equip all model series of the iPhone 12 with lidar, which would make the technology available to an even larger audience from autumn. Lidar also supports the camera’s autofocus in the iPhone and, as an operating aid, allows you to determine the distance to people in the vicinity.
The MSI Godlike performs above average in our testing and easily handled overclocking the Ryzen 9 5950X. With five M.2 sockets, two premium audio codecs, a watercooling ecosystem and an extreme overclocking capable power delivery, there is no doubt the features (and $699 price) are flagship class.
For
19-Phase 70A Power Delivery
Killer Network-based Wi-Fi and 2.5 GbE
10 GbE AIC included
Premium audio w/6.3mm jack
Five M.2 slots
Against
No video outputs
Only six rear USB ports
Expensive
Features and Specifications
The MSI X570 Godlike motherboard isn’t new — in fact, we’ve used it as our test platform in some AMD CPU reviews. But we’ve never had the chance to review it, and given that the Ryzen 9 5950X is our new test CPU, we’ve decided to put this flagship board through its paces with AMD’s latest flagship silicon.
The bold Godlike name infers this is one of the best out there, and to be frank it isn’t very far off, if price isn’t much of an issue. The $699.99 Godlike includes robust power delivery, a premium audio solution, five M.2 sockets and a cool-looking monochrome OLED screen, all of which are fitting for a flagship-class part.
At the time of publishing, MSI’s X570 lineup consists of nine boards, starting with the X570-A Pro ($159.99) and including multiple parts from the MAG line (Tomahawk WiFi), the MPG line (Gaming Plus, Gaming Edge WiFi, and Gaming Pro Carbon WiFi), and the premium MEG lineup (Unify, Ace, and Godlike). From E-ATX flagships like the Godlike to entry-level boards, there is something for everyone in MSI’s X570 range.
Focusing on performance, the Godlike did well in our benchmarking suite, running most tests on the faster side of average. Even in the PCMark 10 MS Office/Application testing, where we often see anomalies, we saw consistent results across the full gamut of testing. The board allowed the 5950X to reach its full 5 GHz boost, so we’re getting all we paid for at default settings. As expected, overclocking on this motherboard went without a hiccup, easily handling our 16-core/32-thread CPU. VRM temperatures at load were some of the lowest we’ve seen as well.
Performance isn’t everything, however. The features list is long and the Godlike includes a 10 GbE add-in-card (AIC) in addition to the existing 1 and 2.5 GbE ports, dual Realtek ALC1220 codecs and two additional PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 sockets via add-in-card. Features and specifications aren’t everything either, though. The appearance of the X570 Godlike is also solid. The Infinity RGB display around the VRMs, coupled with the customizable OLED screen and the overall clean look set this board apart from other less expensive models. Read on for additional details about the X570 Godlike, because there’s a lot here to cover.
Specifications – MSI X570 Godlike
Socket
AM4
Chipset
X570
Form Factor
E-ATX
Voltage Regulator
19 Phase (14+4+1, 70A MOSFETs)
Video Ports
✗
USB Ports
(2) USB 3.2 Gen 2, Type-A and Type-C (10 Gbps)
(2) USB 3.2 Gen 2, Type-A (10 Gbps)
(2) USB 3.2 Gen 1, Type-A (5 Gbps)
Network Jacks
(1) 2.5 GbE
(1) 1 GbE
(1) 10 GbE (via Add-in-card)
Audio Jacks
(5) Analog + SPDIF + 6.3mm outputs
Legacy Ports/Jacks
✗
Other Ports/Jack
✗
PCIe x16
(3) v4.0 (x16), (x16/x0/x0 or x8/x0/x8, or x8/x4/x4)
(1) v4.0 (x4)
PCIe x8
✗
PCIe x4
✗
PCIe x1
✗
CrossFire/SLI
AMD Quad CrossfireX and CrossFireX (2/3-Way), 2-Way Nvidia SLI
DIMM slots
(4) DDR4 5000+(OC), 128GB Capacity
M.2 slots
(1) PCIe 4.0 x4 / PCIe + SATA (up to 110mm)
(1) PCIe 4.0 x4 / PCIe + SATA (up to 80mm)
(1) PCIe 4.0 x4 / PCIe only (up to 110mm)
(2) PCIe 4.0 x4 / PCIe only (up to 110mm, via Add-in-card)
U.2 Ports
✗
SATA Ports
(6) SATA3 6 Gbps (RAID 0, 1 and 10)
USB Headers
(1) USB v3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C)
(2) USB v3.2 Gen 1
(2) USB v2.0
Fan/Pump Headers
(9) 4-Pin
RGB Headers
(2) aRGB (3-pin)
(1) RGB (4-pin)
(1) Corsair LED (3-pin)
Legacy Interfaces
✗
Other Interfaces
FP-Audio, TPM
Diagnostics Panel
Yes (2 character LED), Dynamic Dashboard
Internal Button/Switch
Power and Reset, OC Knob, BCLK+/-
SATA Controllers
ASMedia ASM1061
Ethernet Controller(s)
(1) Killer E3000 (2.5 GbE)
(1) Killer E2600 (GbE)
Wi-Fi / Bluetooth
Killer AX1650x (802.11ax, 2×2, MU-MIMO, BT 5.1)
USB Controllers
ASMedia ASM1042
HD Audio Codec
(2) Realtek ALC1220
DDL/DTS Connect
✗ / ✗
Warranty
3 Years
Inside the box along with the motherboard is a whole lot of accessories. Outside of the usual selection of SATA cables, driver disks, and guides, the Godlike includes multiple add-in-cards (10 GbE, M.2 Expander), thermistors, and more. This accessory stack is the biggest we’ve seen in a while. Below is a complete list of the included extras.
(6) SATA cables
1 to 2 RGB LED extension Y cable (80cm)
Corsair RGB LED extension cable (50cm)
Rainbow RGB LED extension cable (10cm)
(2) Thermistor cables
Wi-Fi Antenna
M.2 Expander-Z Gen4 AIC
10G Super LAN AIC
6.3mm audio adapter
Case badge
SATA Cable labels
Driver DVD
Manual, Quick Guide, Quick Installation Guide
Image 1 of 3
(Image credit: MSI)
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(Image credit: MSI)
Image 3 of 3
(Image credit: MSI)
When you first take the Godlike out of the box, you’re greeted by an attractive board that will fit in with most build themes. The PCB is matte-black, as are all heatsinks and shrouds. The large brushed-aluminum finish VRM heatsinks connect via heatpipe to each other and the chipset heatsink, sharing the thermal load between them. The DRAM and PCIe slots are all reinforced using MSI’s PCIe Steel Armor, protecting against bending/shearing and EMI.
On the RGB front, the Mystic Light Infinity II feature above the VRM area steals the show. Through the magic of light and mirrors, the RGB lighting looks like it goes down to infinity, offering a truly unique look. The chipset heatsink also sports RGB lighting, with the familiar MSI Dragon illuminated just above the chipset fan. Additionally, the customizable OLED panel located to the DRAM slots’ right brings another unique aesthetic to a motherboard. MSI’s Mystic Light software controls all of the LEDs and the OLED screen. In short, the X570 Godlike looks the part of a high-end motherboard and includes some cool features to set it apart from other high-end alternatives.
(Image credit: MSI)
Starting with the board’s top half, we get a closer look at the Infinity RGB display above the heatsink on the left-hand side. The mirror reflection system does a great job of showing off the RGBs differently from most motherboards. Above this and the large VRM heatsink are two 8-pin EPS connectors (one required) that send power to the CPU. The socket area is clear of most hazards and begs to have a pot on top for some sub-ambient fun.
To the right of the socket are four reinforced DRAM slots. Capacity is listed up to 128GB, while the supported speeds are close to the fastest we’ve seen listed, at DDR4 5000+(OC). As always, your mileage may vary on reaching sky-high speeds such as that. AMD’s sweet spot, even with the 5000 series processors, still sits at DDR4 3600/3733 with the Infinity Fabric tied to it (1:1). Reserved for benchmarking, these speeds benefit those shooting for world records more than it does for real-world performance gains.
Above the DRAM slots are the first three (of nine) 4-pin fan headers. Each fan header supports both PWM and DC controlled devices. The board will automatically detect what is connected and adjust the mode accordingly. MSI doesn’t list how much power these will output in the manual, but we reached out to the company and have answers. All 4-pin headers are 1A/12W, except for the pump header at 3A/36W. If only by the sheer count of fan headers, there should be plenty of power available to connect your pump and fans to the motherboard. Each header even has a LED next to it that tells you what mode the board is using. You’ll see red for PWM fans and white in DC mode. I don’t recall seeing this before, but this nifty little add-on can be helpful for troubleshooting and gives users information on how the fans connect at a glance, without going into the BIOS.
To the right of the socket is MSI’s OLED-based Dynamic Dashboard. Used for a slew of things, the Dynamic Dashboard displays CPU temperature/speed, BIOS flash status and error messages. The monochrome dashboard is customizable, even allowing you to upload a .GIF animation file to display. If there is an error during POST, the dashboard displays the part causing the issue listing the location and error on the screen. Couple that with the two-character debug LED and the four ‘dummy’ LEDs onboard and you should know what’s going on with this motherboard at all times. While it’s arguably overkill for the average user, for those benchmarking and pushing overclocking limits, this can be very helpful to troubleshoot issues efficiently.
In between these headers on the top of the board is the first (of four + Corsair RGB) RGB headers. In this case, it’s a 4-pin RGB. You’ll find the other three headers on the bottom edge of the board. The Mystic Light RGB application controls the RGB lighting. We’ve had no issues with this software providing proper control in our testing.
To the right of the DRAM slots and Dynamic Dashboard are a few more headers and connectors. From the top-down is the first of two temperature sensors, SYS_FAN2 header, the Corsair header, 24-pin ATX power connector, SYS_FAN3 header and a USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C front panel connector.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The MSI X570 Godlike runs a total of 14 phases for Vcore and a 4-phase configuration on the SoC. Managing power is a premium International Rectifier IR35201 (x+y=8) buck controller that sends power to seven IR3599 doublers, then on to 14 70A Infineon TDA21472 MOSFETs. The 980A available for the CPU/Vcore only is one of the highest we’ve come across so far. We had no issues whatsoever overclocking our flagship Ryzen 9 5950X CPU. The VRMs remained cool throughout all of our testing. If sub-ambient cooling and benchmarking are your thing, the VRMs will serve you well. Of course, ambient overclocking won’t be an issue either.
(Image credit: MSI)
Moving to the bottom half of the board, we’ll start on the left side with the audio section. Hidden underneath the shroud are two (yes, two) Realtek ALC1220 codecs. The first is for the rear panel audio connectors, with the second dedicated for front-panel audio. An ESS E9018 Sabre DAC drives the 6.3mm stereo headphone output on the back panel. If you don’t have a 6.3mm headset, a 3.5mm-to-6.3 adapter is included if you’d like to use this port. Rounding out the audio section are 12 yellow Nippon audio caps and four WIMA audio caps (red). Overall, the audio solution is well above average, using premium codecs and a quality integrated DAC. The 6.3mm jack on the back is truly something unique on a motherboard.
In the middle of the board are four reinforced PCIe slots. Intended for GPUs, the top three slots support PCIe 4.0 x16 and break down to x16/x0/x0 or x8/x0/x8, or x8/x4/x4 when all three slots are populated. The fourth/bottom slot is sourced from the chipset and provides PCIe 4.0 x4 lanes. If you plan on using the M.2 Xpander and 10 GbE AICs, that leaves you with two full-size PCIe slots for video cards.
Between the PCIe slots are three M.2 sockets, each with their own heatsinks. The top two (M2_1 and M2_2) support both PCIe 4.0 x4 and SATA-based modules. M2_1 supports up to 110mm modules while M2_2 supports up to 80mm devices. The bottom slot, M2_3, supports PCIe only and drives up to 110mm long. If these three aren’t enough, the M.2 expander card adds two more M.2 sockets. To get the full bandwidth from the AIC, install it in a slot that offers PCIe 4.0 x8 bandwidth (third slot down with nothing installed in the second slot). If you need a whole lot of wicked fast NVMe based storage, this motherboard supports it!
To the right of the M.2 and PCIe area are the chipset heatsink and fan. The large fan was inaudible during our testing, though we weren’t using any chipset-connected PCIe 4.0 devices so the stress level is lower. On the right edge are two USB 3.2 Gen 1 front-panel ports along with six SATA ports. SATA ports 1-4 are fed from the chipset, while ports 5/6 source their lanes from the ASMedia ASM1061 chip. The AMD chipset connected ports support RAID0, 1 and 10 modes, which is typical.
Across the bottom are several buttons and headers ranging from front panel audio to power and reset buttons. A lot is going on down there, especially for hardcore overclockers, where you’ll find BCLK buttons and other extreme overclocking functions. Also worth noting in this section are the temperature sensors and water flow headers. With these on board, you’re able to monitor and then control attached devices through the MSI software and the BIOS. Here’s the full list, from left to right:
Front panel audio
TPM header
3-pin RGB header
LN2 mode header
Fan header
Temperature sensor header
Fan header
BIOS switch
Fan header
BCLK “-” button
USB 2.0 header
BCLK “+” button
Reset and Power buttons
OC knob
USB 2.0 header
Front panel header
Water flow header
Clear CMOS header
Slow mode jumper
(Image credit: MSI)
MSI’s rear IO includes an integrated plate with a black and red theme. On the left are two buttons, one that clears the CMOS and the other used for the board’s BIOS flashback capabilities. Moving right, we spy the two WiFi antenna mounts, two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports and above that, a legacy PS/2 mouse/keyboard port. Next are the two Killer-based Ethernet ports that reside above the four USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (one Type-C). To the right of that is one of the most unique features on this motherboard, a 6.3mm audio jack that uses the integrated DAC. Finally, the rest of the audio stack consists of a 5-plug analog and SPDIF stack.
It’s not every year that Sony launches a brand new TV processor to run throughout its range, so we have high hopes for the Sony 2021 TV line-up. It’s headlined by the Cognitive Processor XR chip, which adds an extra layer of cognitive intelligence analysis to the already excellent Sony AI Processing and should therefore, hopefully, produce even better pictures and sound.
The Sony 2021 TV range has no huge surprises in terms of models and panel sizes compared to last year’s launch, with all sets designed to replace predecessors. With three TV gongs in our most recent What Hi-Fi? Awards, that’s no bad thing.
There are two Master Series models (an 8K LCD and a 4K OLED), a slightly lower specced OLED model and then two more full array LED series, all featuring the Cognitive Processor XR. There are more budget, edge-lit, non-XR models in the new range, too.
All the sets in the Sony 2021 TV range feature Sony’s Ambient Optimization technology, Dolby Vision HDR and are AirPlay 2-enabled. Bluetooth with A2DP is also standard across all the Sony Bravia XR sets too.
The big addition on the usability side is the switch from Android TV to the new Google TV platform. That brings the same excellent and intuitive look and feel as found in the Chromecast with Google TV media streamer.
As Google’s launch partner for Google TV, these Sony’s are the first sets you’ll find with the operating system already build in. It’s from here that you’ll also be able to access all of Sony’s usual picture, sound and other TV settings, as well as customise your home screen by adding your most frequently used apps. All the TVs use the YouView tuner in the UK and come with support for both Alexa and Google Assistant.
Sony continues with Netflix Calibrated Mode in the majority of its models and has IMAX Enhanced certifications with the upper ranges, too. Most sets are also ready to work with the Calman calibration software, should that be of interest.
Sony has added various driver upgrades to its excellent Acoustic Multi-Audio (LCD) and Acoustic Surface Audio+ (OLED) sound-from-picture speaker design, which runs through all of the XR models. These include increased numbers of actuators and tweeters as well as improved enclosure size and shape. Look out for the all-new 3D Surround Upscaling tech, too.
Gamers will be pleased to note that all of the TVs on this page, apart from the W800, have ports with HDMI 2.1 features. These include the ability to run 4K resolution content at up to 120Hz frame rates and technologies such as ALLM and eARC. They are also Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) compatible but will require a firmware update to make that possible.
Let’s take a closer look at some of these new features before we give you a full run-down of each of the Sony Bravia TV series for 2021.
Cognitive Processor XR
(Image credit: Sony)
The Sony Bravia Cognitive Processor XR marries the AI abilities of its X1 predecessor with a system that Sony calls cognitive intelligence. While AI analyses picture and sound signals and uses data based on machine learning, cognitive intelligence aims to add a more human perspective to identify and enhance AV performance and deliver an experience in line with how humans see and hear the world.
This world first TV picture processing, according to Sony, begins with a scene detection stage to identify and enhance the main focal points and, ultimately, adds a greater sense of depth to the image.
The XR processor looks at multiple zones and other elements (colour, contrast, texture, depth, detail, etc) of each frame and performs a cross analysis to work out the most important areas.
The Bravia XR sets come with a host of XR processing modes, many of which replace the similar-sounding systems found in the previous X1-based TVs – XR Motion Clarity and XR Smoothing, for example, with the most significant seemingly XR Contrast Booster.
The Contrast Booster is designed to boost peak brightness while maintaining well exposed whites and blacks in the image, and comes in good/better/best levels for the LCD TVs: the Master Series Sony Z9J has the XR Contrast Booster 15 while lower TVs go down to either the XR Contrast Booster 10 or XR Contrast Booster 5.
For the A90J and A80J OLEDs, the technology comes in the form of XR OLED Contrast Pro and XR OLED Contrast, respectively. Again, they offer improvements to peak brightness, overall brightness and an expansion of the colour volume as well which should help to bring a more accurate and true to life palette.
Lastly on picture, it’s also worth noting that the XR Upscaler includes a texture reproduction database which its predecessor did not. That sits alongside the object-based super resolution technology from the X1 TVs and will hopefully make lower resolution content better than ever on Bravia TVs – potentially very useful for the Z9J while we wait for a wealth of 8K source material.
XR Sound with 3D Surround Upscaling
(Image credit: Sony)
The Bravia XR TVs have cognitive intelligence for TV sound too. Along with improvements to the speaker hardware, features such as XR Sound Position aim to analyse the signal and make sure that the sound is coming from the correct parts of the picture with both Acoustic Surface Audio+ (OLED) and Acoustic Multi-Audio (LCD) technologies.
The big new addition for audio, though, is XR Surround with 3D Surround Upscaling. This takes a 2ch or 5.1ch audio signal and creates a virtual 5.1.2ch experience with the aim of enveloping the viewer in sound in all dimensions.
Bravia CORE streaming service
Sony is taking the huge step of launching its own high-bitrate streaming service which, for the short-term at least, will be exclusive to Sony Bravia XR 2021 TVs.
Called Bravia CORE (Centre of Real Entertainment), this new streaming service effectively has two elements. On the one hand it will host hundreds of titles from the Sony Picture Entertainment back catalogue, all of which can be freely streamed for either 12 or 24 months, depending on which TV you’ve purchased. On the other, it will also allow pay-as-you-go streaming of fresh-from-the-cinema movies, with owners of the new XR TVs given a number of free credits (five or ten, again depending on the model you’ve bought) that can be used as ‘payment’.
Much of the content will be at 4K HDR levels, but what takes it beyond what other services, such as Apple TV and Rakuten, is that it will host a large number of IMAX Enhanced movies and that data rates will be much higher, resulting in better picture quality. Sony says streams will be at up to 80Mbps, which it claims is beyond the rates of many UHD Blu-ray discs. We’re fascinated to find out whether Bravia CORE streams really can outperform disc-based movies, and what happens when users connect via a slower connection.
Sony is also uncertain about whether Bravia CORE will continue beyond the 24-month timeframe or whether it will be opened up further in the future. For the time being, it certainly makes an interesting and welcome toe in the water for all concerned.
Best 8K TVs: the ultimate 8K resolution televisions
Sony Z9J 8K LED TV
(Image credit: Sony)
At the top of the 2021 TV tree is the Sony Z9J Master Series LCD TV. It’s an 8K LED TV, positioned to replace the ZH8 from 2020. It continues with the attractive Immersive Edge design, which includes a titanium silver bezel and a three-position stand that allows for wide and central feet as well, as a third setting to allow space for a soundbar.
As the flagship Sony TV for the year, it’s fitted with all the spoils that Sony has to offer right now. These include a full array LED panel (available in two sizes), the best XR Contrast Booster level and three 48Gbps ports with HDMI 2.1 features, specced at 120Hz rates for 4K material.
The panel itself has Sony’s X-Wide Angle technology, to maximise picture consistency when viewing off-axis, as well as X-Anti Reflection glass to minimise unwanted glare from light sources in your space.
It comes with an aluminium, back-lit voice remote and there’s a colour sensor as well as a light sensor so that Ambient Optimisation mode can automatically adjust chromatically as well as for brightness, according to your viewing environment.
Sony has increased the number of frame tweeters to four by adding two on the top edge for improved high frequency performance. The front facing subwoofers and midrange speakers on the bottom edge are larger too.
Sony Z9J 8K TV specs
Sizes: 75in (KD-75Z9J), 85in (KD-85Z9J)
Screen type: Full Array LED, X-Wide Angle, X-Anti Reflection
Sound: Acoustic Multi Audio, Dolby Atmos, 3D Surround upscaling
Design: 3-way stand
Sony Z9J 8K TV pricing
Sony KD-75Z9J – TBC
Sony KD-85Z9J – TBC
Sony A90J 4K OLED TV
(Image credit: Sony)
The Sony A90J Master Series is Sony’s top OLED for 2021. It’s not 8K, but there is an interesting and big screen 83-inch version alongside the usual 55in and 65in models.
The A90J replaces the AG9 and keeps the Seamless Edge Bezel design with a frame of just 0.7mm for the 55in and 65in models. The 83in has the slightly more robust Flush Surface Bezel look and feel but should be premium nonetheless. It also benefits from the same three-way stand as the Z9J while the smaller panels maintain the choice of wide or soundbar formations but don’t get the central stand positioning.
As a Master Series TV, it comes with a premium, back-lit, aluminium voice remote control as well as both light and colour sensors to use for the Ambient Optimisation mode.
Acoustic Surface Audio+ is the sound tech for OLEDs. It’s planned that the cognitive intelligence processing will offer superior bass. The actuators have been redesigned into a circular shape with an inner circle responsible for creating the higher frequency sounds. The aim is for better sound positioning and quality.
As with the Z9J, it comes with 24 months access to the Bravia CORE streaming service and 10 film credits.
Sound: Acoustic Surface Audio+, Dolby Atmos, 3D Surround Upscaling
Design: 3-way stand (83in), 2-way stand (55/65in)
Sony A90J 4K OLED TV pricing
Sony KD-55A90J – TBC
Sony KD-65A90J – TBC
Sony KD-83A90J – TBC
Sony A80J 4K OLED TV
(Image credit: Sony)
If a Master Series OLED feels like a bit of a stretch, then the Sony A80J 4K OLED TVs are the next best thing. They lose one facet of picture and of design but should still perform well if last year’s A8 OLEDs are anything to go by.
On the physical front, they get a more standard voice remote control and the Flush Surface Bezel design, which is not quite as super-thin at the frame. The three-way stand is still present, though, as is Acoustic Surface Audio+, which includes perforations on the rear of the TV to help with bass production.
There’s no colour sensor to sit alongside the light sensor during Ambient Optimisation, and picture performance is likely to drop a little with the ‘Pro’ removed from its flavour of XR OLED Contrast intelligent processing. It’s otherwise very much as above.
Sound: Acoustic Surface Audio+, Dolby Atmos, 3D Surround Upscaling
Design: 3-way stand
Sony A80J 4K OLED TV pricing
Sony KD-55A80J – TBC
Sony KD-65A80J – TBC
Sony KD-77A80J – TBC
Sony X95J 4K LED TV
(Image credit: Sony)
It’s back to the LCDs with the Sony X95J 4K LED series. The main difference for performance comes with the drop in XR Contrast to the medium level Contrast Booster 10 processing. These full array TVs are still IMAX Enhanced-certified and feature both the X-Wide Angle and X-Anti-Reflection technologies. (No Anti-Reflection on the 85in.)
These sets do also retain some of the premium look and feel of the Master Series. They include the aluminium, backlit, voice remote as well as the super-skinny Seamless Edge Bezel design. There’s the 3-way stand on the two bigger panel sizes with a central position not required for the smaller 65in variant.
Sound: Acoustic Multi Audio, Dolby Atmos, 3D Surround upscaling
Design: 3-way stand (75/85in), 2-way stand without centre positioning (65in)
Sony X95J 4K TV pricing
Sony KD-85X95J – TBC
Sony KD-75X95J – TBC
Sony KD-65X95J – TBC
Sony X90J 4K TV
(Image credit: Sony)
The Sony X90J LED TVs replace the Award-winning XH90s from 2020. There are four panel sizes between 50-75in with the Flush Surface Bezel design and higher raised Slim Blade feet with two-position options. There’s already enough height in the design to allow room for a soundbar.
Again, the voice remote is the standard, black variety and, on the performance front, XR Contrast drops down to Contrast Booster 5. There are no X-Wide Angle or anti-reflection benefits either.
Otherwise, Acoustic Multi Audio, Google TV, the HDMI 2.1 features and most everything else is present and correct, including IMAX Enhanced certification.
Sound: Acoustic Multi Audio, Dolby Atmos, 3D Surround upscaling
Design: 2-way Slim Blade stand (55in and above)
Sony X90J TV prices
Sony KD-50X90J – TBC
Sony KD-55X90J – TBC
Sony KD-65X90J – TBC
Sony KD-75X90J – TBC
Sony KD-49XH9505 review
Sony X85J 4K TV
(Image credit: Sony)
From the Sony X85J downwards, the 2021 Sony TVs lose the new Cognitive Processor XR and make do with the very able Processor X1 from the 2020 range. That means no XR Contrast Booster or 3D Sound Upscaling either.
They also drop from full array LED panels to edge-lit models too, so expect losses in local dimming abilities. Gone too are Netflix Calibrated and IMAX Enhanced certifications, along with Acoustic Multi Audio which is instead replaced by Sony’s X-Balanced speaker system.
All the HDR compatibility is still there and the handy Google TV operating system too.
The X85J maintains the Flush Surface Bezel frame design and the two-position Slim Blade stand which is available for the 55in model and above. It’s the biggest of the 2021 series, in terms of panel size options, and each has a native 100Hz refresh rate with 800Hz Motionflow processing.
The Sony X80J is the entry level Bravia series for 2021. It’s almost the same as the X85Js above but with a few reductions.
The design drops down to the slightly more meat and potatoes Narrow Bezel style and the LED panel has a native 50Hz refresh rate with 200Hz Motionflow processing.
The range of panel sizes is a little smaller but will cover the needs of most at this end of the market. The biggest of all is named the Sony X81J which comes in at 75in on the diagonal.
Last of all, Sony hasn’t forgotten about those who just need something small for the bedroom. The Sony W800 an HD resolution LED TV that comes in a 32in size only. It’s run by the older Bravia Engine and uses Android TV as the OS, so you’ll still get all the major app offerings that one would expect.
Sony W800 32in HD LED TV price
Sony KD-W800 – TBC
MORE:
Samsung 2021 TV lineup: everything you need to know
Boeing has been criminally charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States by the Department of Justice and will have to pay a $2.5 billion fine for lying to the Federal Aviation Administration before and after the fatal 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019.
The Justice Department announced the charges and fine, which were part of a deferred prosecution agreement, on Thursday. The $2.5 billion fine includes a $243.6 million “criminal monetary penalty,” $1.77 billion that will be paid out to airlines that were customers of the plane, and $500 million that will go to a fund to help families and relatives of the people who died in the two crashes.
Boeing previously announced a $100 million fund for families and loved ones of the 346 people who died in the crashes. Boeing generated $100 billion in revenue and $12 billion in profit in 2018.
“The misleading statements, half-truths, and omissions communicated by Boeing employees to the FAA impeded the government’s ability to ensure the safety of the flying public,” US Attorney Erin Nealy Cox said in a statement. “This case sends a clear message: The Department of Justice will hold manufacturers like Boeing accountable for defrauding regulators – especially in industries where the stakes are this high.”
Boeing’s 737 Max was supposed to be a plane that helped the company keep pace with a new, more fuel-efficient offering from rival Airbus. But the company rushed the design, and as a result, the plane was susceptible to dangerous stalls in certain takeoff situations. Boeing created a piece of software to counteract this design flaw by automatically pushing the plane’s nose down. But the company never told the FAA, airlines, or pilots about the software in order to save time and money.
What’s worse, this software worked off of readings from a lone sensor on the plane’s exterior — meaning there was no way to know if it was acting with bad information if the sensor was damaged.
It was this series of design flaws and Boeing’s lack of candor that led to the two fatal 737 Max crashes, as was discovered in subsequent Congressional investigations and reporting. By not disclosing them to regulators or the airlines, Boeing left the pilots of Lion Air flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 fighting software they didn’t even know existed.
Some Boeing employees were well-aware that what they were doing was wrong, as was documented in internal chat messages and emails released by Congress in early 2020.
The 737 Max has since been allowed back into the air after Boeing worked to fix these problems, and airlines around the world are slowly reintroducing the plane to their fleets. But in a Senate report released just last month, it was discovered that Boeing and the FAA worked to manipulate some of the tests that were done during the recertification process. The FAA’s lax approach to regulation has also been blamed for contributing to the problems that led to the two fatal 737 Max crashes.
No individuals have been criminally charged in the government’s investigation into Boeing, which was led by the FBI and the Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General. Dennis Muilenburg, who was CEO when the crashes happened, was ousted in late 2019. He left with more than $60 million in stock options and other assets, though Boeing did not give him a severance.
Lava Mobiles’ Game Changer event ended with no less than four new phones. Actually, a bit more than that. Or less, depending on how you count. They are all part of the Make in India program, but the Lava Z1 holds the distinct title of the first smartphone designed in India.
Lava Z6 and Z4
We’ll lump these two together as they are essentially the same phone. Both have 6.51” displays with 720p+ resolution and run Android 10 on MediaTek Helio G35 chipsets.
Lava Z6
The major difference is whether you want 4GB of RAM (then get the Z4) or 6GB (go for the Z6). In either case, you’ll be getting 64GB storage with a microSD slot for more.
Both devices have 5,000mAh batteries with a leisurely charging speed of 3 hours and 15 minutes (done over USB-C at least). On the plus side, the capacity is enough for almost 13 hours of streaming YouTube videos.
The camera section shows a triple rear camera – 13MP main (1.12 µm, f/1.85), 5MP ultrawide and 2MP assistant. The selfie camera has the highest resolution sensor of the lot, 16MP (1.0 µm, f/2.0). Video recording is capped at 1080p.
These are 4G phones with VoLTE support, They also feature a 3.5 mm headphone jack and an FM radio receiver.
Lava Z4
The Lava Z6, Z4 and Z2 will be available from January 11. You will find them on the company’s official site, Amazon India and brick-and-mortar stores. The Z4 will cost INR9,000, while the Z6 goes up to INR10,000.
Lava Z2
The Lava Z2 is a “lite” version of the two phones above. It has the same 6.57” 720p+ display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection, same Helio G35 chipset and same 5,000mAh battery.
Where it differs is memory, the only configuration available is 2GB of RAM and 32GB storage (again with a microSD slot), and camera.
The Z2 gets the 13MP main camera and 2MP helper, but loses the ultrawide module. Also, the selfie camera gets demoted to 8MP. Video recording still tops out at 1080p.
Lava Z2
With these concessions, the Lava Z2 can be yours for INR7,000.
Lava launched the Zup program, which allows you to trade in your phone for the same model with more RAM and storage at a small cost. This is applicable only for the first year of ownership of Z2 through Z6 phones (and myZ phones, more on that in a minute).
Lava Z1
The Lava Z1 claims to be the first smartphone designed in India. That aside, there’s not much to write home about – this is a basic phone with a 5” 480 x 854 px display (which still gets Gorilla Glass 3 mind you) and single 5MP cameras on the front and back (limited to 720p video capture).
The phone does run Android 10, but it will be limited by the 2GB of RAM and 16GB storage. And there’s no microSD slot this time around. Also, the MediaTek Helio A20 chipset is a 12nm part with four Cortex-A53 cores (at 1.8 GHz) and a PowerVR GE8300 GPU.
Lava Z1
The phone is powered by a 3,100mAh battery charged over microUSB. It offers 4G connectivity plus Wi-Fi b/g/n, GPS/GLONASS and a 3.5 mm headphone jack with an FM radio receiver.
The Lava Z1 will cost INR5,500 when it becomes available on January 26.
myZ
Don’t like any of those configurations? Lava launched the myZ program, which allows you to customize your unit by selecting from options in five categories: rear camera, front camera, RAM, ROM and color.
It sounds exciting, but the reality is that this is more of a gimmick. You get pretty limited options, e.g. for the rear camera you can choose between 13MP + 5MP + 2MP or 13MP + 2MP. And that limits the choices you have after.
The top-specced configuration is identical to the Lava Z6, except it costs INR 10,700. That comes with 128GB of storage, though, double what the Z6 gets (for only INR700 more).
You also get some additional flexibility if you’re not aiming for the top. You can configure a Z2-like phone with 6/128 GB memory or a 16MP front camera (or both). Or you can drop to 2GB of RAM, which also switches the OS to Android Go.
The prices never quite work out for the better, however, (e.g. a 2/32 GB Android Go phone ends up costing INR7,000). Except if you pick the top spec in every category, that way you get a Z6 with more storage for a bit more money.
Visit the myZ page if you want to play with the configurator. According to Lava, there are 66 possible combinations.
Xiaomi quickly presented its flagship at 2021 year. The Mi model 11 was shown to the world in December, but it will be available for a while. As could be expected, the basic top mount is only the first device in this series. There is even the most powerful Pro variant on the way, as well as a medium-budget version with the note Lite, which we will now focus on. The latest information about this smartphone comes from Vietnam and it can be said that we already know a lot about Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite . There will be a decent layout, a screen with a high refresh rate, and … the familiarly presented backs of the device.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite from the visual side, it is an almost perfect combination of Pixel 4a / 5 and iPhone 11 / 12. Most importantly, the device should not be too expensive – the price is now around 350.
Xiaomi Mi 11 makes its debut in China. The first smartphone with Qualcomm Snapdragon chip 888 shines with powerful specs
Mi 11 Lite will offer an IPS screen with an unknown diagonal yet characterized by a refresh rate of 120 Hz and Full HD + resolution. In its upper left corner there is a hole for the front camera 5 Mpix The processor is Qualcomm Snapdragon 732 G, so an efficient mid-range SoC without support for 5G networks. The user will have 6 GB at his disposal RAM and 128 GB memory internal. On the back we find a triple camera consisting of lenses 64 Mpix + 8 Mpix (wide-angle) + 5 Mpix (depth sensor) .
Redmi Note 9T is the first budget smartphone from Xiaomi with 5G support. Onboard MediaTek Dimensity processor 800 U
Missing more information about the battery or additional equipment Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite, but knowing the Chinese manufacturer, we should not disappoint. Let’s stop for a moment at the appearance of the smartphone, which is an almost perfect combination of Pixel 4a / 5 (front) and iPhone 11 / 12 (backs). Most importantly, the device should not be too expensive – the price is now around 350. Model availability expected in March.
Biometrics is the future of security. We can see it on the example of consumer electronics such as smartphones, tablets and laptops. The mentioned categories of devices, however, are only the first stage of a real popularization of this technology. Intel, thanks to the proprietary RealSense ID, intends to implement facial recognition based on artificial intelligence to equipment such as ATMs and smart-locks used in our homes and apartments. A praiseworthy idea, however, are biometric security features sufficiently resistant to attempts to cheat technology by more or less primitive methods? Intel says yes, which gives us some certainty.
Intel intends to use RealSense ID user facial recognition technology in smart home systems and ATMs.
Metadata and data – a treasury of knowledge about us and our habits
The Intel RealSense ID depth sensor will be used in ATMs, for which it will be used to authorize transactions (e.g. cash withdrawals). It seems that the solution will also be used in electronic, intelligent locks on the doors of houses and apartments. This will primarily ensure convenience and no need to carry items such as physical keys and cards. Sure, we can use smartphones, but it will not be as fast as recognizing a human image. If you are concerned about the low performance and meager level of security RealSense ID offers, we have good news.
New test procedure for gaming laptops with Intel Tiger Lake-H, AMD Cezanne-H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3000
The technology combined with the neural network scans the contours of the face, each time correcting its operation and adapting to changes in the appearance of the user. This means that facial hair, glasses and other factors will not affect the effectiveness of a system that does its job in less than a second. The tool is to be resistant to attempts to cheat with masks, photos and videos. Nor should we worry about privacy. The data will be stored locally and, importantly, will be fully encrypted. The question remains, how quickly and whether the method will be accepted by banks at all?
Testing Tests overview Smartphone Huawei P Smart 2021: Budget model with room for improvement Asus Zenfone 7 Pro: Turbo smartphone with flip camera Samsung Galaxy Xcover Pro in the test: hard but slow Oneplus Nord N 10 5G in the test: Galloped in price Oppo Find X2 Pro in the test: performance bargain Asus ROG Phone 3 in the test: perfect gaming smartphone LG Wing in the test: 1.5 displays and gimbal cam Smartwatch Oppo Watch in the test: Great AMOLED Smartwatch from 240 € Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 in the test: competition for Apple? Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro in the test: Smartwatch with long-running battery Apple Watch: Smartwatch with contract from 14 € per month Buy Apple Watch 6: All generations in the price check Skagen Falster 3 in the test: Smartwatch with Wear OS Test Huawei Watch GT 2: Noble fitness tracker in watch form Multiroom Ikea Symfonisk in the test: Sonos speakers under 100 Euro Bose Portable Home Speaker in the test: battery, WLAN, Airplay 2 Sonos Move in the test: The robust all-rounder Musiccast : Yamaha multiroom in the test Denon Heos in the test: versatile multiroom system Flat soundbar Teufel Sounddeck Streaming in the test Teufel Raumfeld in the test: rich multiroom sound Keyfinder Tile Slim (2017): Key finder in credit card format Bluetooth key finder Tile Pro in the test: 122 m range! key finder Tile Pro in the test: the range champion Orbit Bluetooth tracker in the test: looking for wallet and key Nonda iHere 3.0: smart key finder in the test Chipolo Classic and Plus: Bluetooth Keyfinder in the test Musegear finder 2: Keyfinder without Registration requirement Action-Cam DJI Pocket 2 in the test: Zoom and 64 – Megapixel sensor Actioncam Insta 360 One R: 1- Inch image sensor in the test Gopro Hero 8 Black in the test: Back to the top Insta 360 One R in the test: The modular action cam Motorola Moto G8 Plus test: Great smartphone, but … Insta 360 Go: Micro-GoPro in the test Motorola One Action Test: Good hardware, bad camera microSD In the test: Kingston UHS-I U3 microSDXC Kit MicroSD card for smartphone: Samsung Evo Plus 2017 Review: Lexar Professional 1800 x microSDXC Kit Test report: Intenso Premium microSDXC card with 64 GByte Android Sonos Move in the test : The robust all-rounder Honor 20: Inexpensive high-end smartphone in the test Xiaomi Mi 9: Top technology at a bargain price Doogee S 85 in the test: modular outdoor smartphone ZTE Axon 05 Pro in the test: high-end phone at a competitive price Motorola Moto G7 Power in the test: large battery, small price Sony Xperia 10: Smartphone with 21: 9 display in the test Adviser Advisor overview Purchase advice The right cordless screwdriver for the home workshop Bargain: Which Fire TV stick from 19 € is the right one? Purchase advice: What good is a leaf blower with a battery for 45 Euro? True wireless headphones: How much do you have to invest? Buying advice water cooling: High-end PCs cool better Guide: Air conditioning and fan against the Heat wave Sony shows the Xperia 1: Is the predecessor XZ3 worth it now? Practice Caution, money away: Kickstarter & Co . are not shops Switch off Android notifications from annoying apps This is how it works: Install the new Android L keyboard now Tip: Use “Ok Google everywhere” in Germany In the test: Does the jailbreak work for iOS 7.1? Goderma and mobile medicine: The doctor apps are coming! Instructions: Jailbreak for iOS 7 on iPhone 5S, 5, 4S and 4 Technology Importing technology from China, part 2: Customs, taxes and tricks Drones & copters: From toys to FPV racers What does the end of an ecosystem mean? Smartphones with flexible display: What’s in it for me? Overview of smartphone processors: Everything Snapdragon? Evolutionary dead ends: the very worst cell phones mpass: Numbers with the NFC Mobile phone – or the NFC toilet roll Display calculator Calculate pixel density, number and display proportion Best list Test winner Price comparison Price comparison overview Smartphones from Android 7.0 Phablets with stylus Fitness tracker with GPS Bluetooth headphones with ANR Drones with GPS Video TechStage Adviser Top 10: The best mobile mini photo printers 2021 Start Place 1 Place 2 Place 3 4th place 5th place Place 6 Place 7 Place 8 Place 9 Place 10 Conclusion Comments by Matthias // 05. 01. 2020 16: 49 Clock
Mini Photo Printer are small, cost 50 to 130 Euro and print photos anywhere thanks to the battery. In this top – 10 – List we show the ten best – including a few exotic ones.
Whether on a children’s birthday party, a family celebration, an event or for letters to grandma and the photo wall at home: pictures from the photo printer are in great demand, as they usually only allow digital data to be touched. Photo printers become really flexible when they are still mobile and compact. Zinc photo printers are the most common. But some exotic species are also shaking up the market.
We have tested twelve mobile photo printers, the list is constantly growing. In the comparison test 2019: We compare them with mobile photo printers. We collect the comparison test and all individual tests on the photo printer topic page. This list of the best sorts the ten best models and helps with the purchase decision at a glance.
Product Huawei CV 80 Canon Selphy QX 05 Canon Zoemini HP Sprocket Plus Polaroid Zip Prynt Pocket Instax Mini Link Fujifilm Instax Share SP-3 Canon Selphy CP 1300 Mbrush (Princube) Peripage A6 TechStage Note 1 1 1 2 4 5 2 2 1 2 2 Print quality Well Well Well Satisfying Well Satisfying Very good Very good Very good Sufficient Inadequate Printing method zinc Thermosublimation zinc zinc zinc zinc OLED exposure OLED exposure Thermal sublimation Inkjet B / W thermal paper Processing Very good Well Very good Very good Very good Inadequate Sufficient Very good Well Very good Well Weight in g 189 445 160 204 186 162 244 312 860 162 155 Display – – – – – – – – ✔ – – Images per battery charge approx. 15 – 20 approx. 15 – 20 approx . 15 – 20 approx. 15 – 20 approx. 15 – 20 approx. 15 – 20 up to 100 approx. 160 approx. 30 – 40 lots N / A Compatibility Android / iOS Android / iOS Android / iOS Android / iOS Android / iOS iOS Android / iOS Android / iOS / Camera Android / iOS / Camera Android / iOS / Windows / Mac OS Android / iOS Connectivity Bluetooth WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS Bluetooth Bluetooth Bluet ooth Lightning port Bluetooth WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS WLAN / USB stick / SD card WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS Bluetooth Image size in cm 5 × 7.6 6.8 × 6.8 5 × 7.6 5.8 x 8.7 5 × 7.6 5 × 7.6 8.6 × 5.4 6.2 x 6.2 10 x 15 1.4 × 130 5.7 × XX Pictures self-adhesive ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ – – – / ✔ – – / ✔ Price in euros (as of Jan. 21) 90 120 110 — 123 — 105 170 115 (+ 50 for battery) 113 37 Picture price in euros (as of: Oct. 18) approx. 0, 50 approx. 0, 80 approx. 0, 50 approx. 0, 50 approx. 0, 50 approx. 0, 50 approx. 0, 70 approx. 0, 80 approx. 0, 20 low nearly nothing 1st place: Huawei CV 80 The Huawei CV 80 Mini photo printer is the best zinc printer we have tested so far. Not only does it look very chic, it is superbly made and extremely compact. It has a really good app with all the important functions, which convinces with very good user guidance. The quality of the printed images is surprisingly good and better than other zinc photo printers.
What made us decide to use the Huawei CV 80 to sit on the throne, is its low price of 90 Euro. We think it’s great that the Huawei CV 80 equal 49 pieces of photo paper are enclosed, which are good 20 cost Euro and are compatible with all zinc printers that use the same photo format.
Review Huawei CV 80
2nd place: Canon Selphy CP 1300 The Canon Selphy CP 1300 is the largest photo printer we have tested and only deserves that to a limited extent “Mini” rating. It fits easily in backpacks, not even in large trouser pockets. At least he’s clearly mobile, comes but with an optional battery, which then increases the total weight to 1290 g increased.
He uses thermal sublimation as a printing process. The CP 1300 when printing from a wax foil cartridge supplied with the photo paper, individual color foils roll over the in four steps Picture. The image quality is very good, comparable to the instant printers in Müller, Rossmann, DM and Co. The individual prints are cheap compared to the competition, so they cost 108 Printouts only good 20 Euro.
Test report Canon Selphy CP 1300
3rd place: Canon Zoemini The Canon Zoemini is very compact and small. It also looks superbly processed. Only the clearly visible fingerprints on the black version bothers us in the test. The Zoemini uses the zinc printing process. Its image quality is above average for this printing technology and the app is impressive and easy to use. It even offers some more or less useful augmented reality functions: placing sunglasses & Co. over faces works well. Contrastingly, “funny” facial contortions produce creepy results. All in all, the Canon Zoemini is a very good fun printer for parties and events.
Test report Canon Zoemini
4th place: Fujifilm Instax Share SP-3 The Fujifilm Instax Share SP-3 looks futuristic on the outside and is a real eye-catcher. It is exceptionally well made. In contrast to its widely used Bluetooth colleagues, it uses WLAN as the connection standard. That makes the connection to the smartphone a bit more cumbersome. Allegedly one battery charge is enough for up to 160 Printouts. With our about 20 test prints we could not suck the battery empty.
The printing process used here is OLED exposure. The pictures come out of the printer very quickly, after which it takes a few more minutes, equivalent to the iconic Polaroids, until the picture shines in full color. The image quality is good, but it always looks like there’s a retro filter over it. The waterproof plastic material of the prints is great. They feel valuable like no other photo printer. Unfortunately they are with about 80 Cent per printout expensive.
Test report Fujifilm Instax Share SP-3
5th place: Canon Selphy QX 10 The Canon Selphy sets like the CP 3000 from the same manufacturer on thermal sublimation as a printing process. Here, too, the image moves out and back in several times during printing to apply the various layers. Unfortunately the QX offers 10 not the outstanding print quality of the CP 3000. Even so, the image quality is good and better than that of the zinc printer.
The printed area of the self-adhesive pictures in the Polaroid look is a maximum of 6.8 × 6.8 centimeters. The photo paper always includes a roll of colored film. The printer itself is with 115 Euros not overly expensive, but the pictures do. They each cost 70 Cent.
Test report Canon Selphy QX 10
Place 6: Instax Mini Link The Instax Mini Link uses the same OLED process as the Fujifilm Instax Share SP-3. Correspondingly, the roughly 70 Cent expensive pictures from the printer very quickly and then need some time to fully expose. The picture quality is good, a retro effect can also be seen here. With one battery charge up to 100 pictures be in there. With our 20 We did not reach the battery limit for test prints.
The We didn’t like weird app. The appearance of the Instax Mini Link takes getting used to and is somewhat reminiscent of a hard case – including creaking.
Test report Fujifilm Instax Mini Link
7th place: Mbrush (Princube) The mbrush, identical to the Princube, is a real exotic. He uses an enclosed HP for printing 50 XL ink cartridge. To create an image, the user pulls the mbrush over a surface. A 10 mm wide print strip that can produce a large picture with several strokes on paper. This works quite well after a little practice, but does not produce consistently high print quality. Among other things, the selected surface is decisive for them. Paper, cardboard, plastic, and wood work well. Here the material absorbs the printing ink well. If these materials are coated, the ink cannot penetrate, which leads to a washed-out printed image. Since the ink in the supplied cartridge is water-soluble, the print image smears even with light touch. Printing on skin works rather poorly than right – despite the supplied attachment for the print head, which increases the distance a little.
Nevertheless, the mbrush is fun. It is a very satisfying feeling to glide over a surface with it and to leave behind a colorful stripe of motif. We don’t like the uninspired software and the cumbersome control via WLAN. The quick drying of the print head is also annoying.
Test report Mbrush (Princube)
Place 8: Peripage A6 The Peripage A6 is only partially suitable as a photo printer. Its black and white display is simply too bad for that. He uses thermal paper as is often the case with receipts. Still, it’s really fun. Because the small, self-adhesive notes come out of the printer in a flash and are suitable for all sorts of nonsense. They are also dirt cheap. Ordered from the China shop, a meter of printing paper costs only a few cents.
Test report Peripage A6
9th place: HP Sprocket Plus The HP Sprocket Plus prints in the zinc process , but his pictures are a bit larger than those of the other printers. In most cases, the image quality is okay. It shows details clearly, color gradients can lead to the formation of clusters. It also shows partially clear stripes, especially in light areas of the picture, which probably come from the rollers over which the printout moves when it comes out. Overall, the printer is a bit too expensive; buyers spend less money on other zinc printers. A photo costs about 45 Cent.
Test report HP Sprocket Plus
Place 10: Polaroid Zip Too bad, Polaroid, that was nothing. Even if the Polaroid Zip makes a decent impression at first glance thanks to its good and compact workmanship. Even the image quality plays a role in the zinc printer’s front field. But the app completely spoils the fun. It apparently randomly distorts photos, has problems with portrait images, is hungry for data, offers some features that simply don’t work and regularly crashes. Here Polaroid has saved in the wrong place.
Test report Polaroid Zip
Conclusion The Huawei CV 80 has hardly any weaknesses and is still the most affordable. The Canon Selphy CP 1290 prints on the most beautiful and his pictures are quite cheap. But it is unwieldy. But we can also recommend the OLED printers from Instax, especially because of their extremely charming printouts.
We have the most important mobile photo printers in the comparison test 2020: Ten mobile photo printer facing. We collect the comparison test and all individual tests on the photo printer topic page.
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Full-frame camera Zeiss ZX1: a role model or a mayfly? Modern concept, proud price Handling Zeiss ZX1: image quality in laboratory and practice Conclusion and table The well-known optics manufacturer Zeiss is breaking new ground. The full-format compact ZX1 does not want to stand next to the Canons, Sonys and Nikons of this world. She wants to be a pioneer – the beginning of a new generation of all-in-one solutions for demanding photographers. The ZX1 combines the entire photo workflow: In addition to taking photos, images can be edited using the Lightroom app. The photos can be shared on social media or in the cloud via integrated interfaces and WLAN – without detours via smartphone or PC. The ZX1 is based on the mobile operating system Android.
The Zeiss -Camera brings a permanently installed high-resolution 34 – Millimeter lens and a full-frame sensor with 36, 4 megapixels with. In addition to photos, it also records moving images in 4K. The development of the ZX1 brought some unexpected challenges for the manufacturer. According to himself, he had problems integrating the software. As a result, the market readiness was delayed by almost two years, because originally the ZX1 should already be at the beginning 2019 appear. The concept of an “all-in-one” camera is not entirely new. Samsung already had a similar idea with the Galaxy Camera 2012. But the Koreans have long since withdrawn from the camera business. Unlike the Zeiss ZX1, Samsung placed less emphasis on high dynamics and excellent imaging performance in its hybrid camera, so the Android camera had a permanently installed 21 – fold zoom lens and a 1 / 2.3 -Inch CMOS sensor.
Modern concept, more proud Price Samsung and, eight years later, But Zeiss (had) the intended target group: bloggers and social media aficionados. But here the price of the ZX1 contradicts the clientele, because it costs 6000 euros. And not every blogger is an influencer like Stefanie Giesinger or Shirin David and has their budget. Other potential buyers could be professional photographers who need to deliver results to their customers quickly, preferably already processed. But which professional buys a 3200 – Euro camera with a fixed 35 – millimeter focal length? This restricts the style of the picture and the choice of motifs. As a typical reportage focal length, the lens can be used well for street and travel photography. In addition, certain types of landscape shots and portraits belong to the repertoire of the ZX1. One of its greatest strengths is the Zeiss camera in the backpack, because the laptop, external hard drives and interchangeable lenses can stay at home. So light luggage, only filters, cleaning set and spare batteries are required. The latter are an absolute must because the large display and internal processing consume a lot of power. Although the battery with just under 3200 mAh offers a large charging capacity even for full-frame cameras, one uses however, the display, you can see how this decreases. Zeiss does not provide any information on the number of recordings according to CIPA. Optionally, however, the ZX1 continues to take photos if the camera is charged via USB-C, so you also have the power bank in your backpack.
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