Nvidia does not have plans to bring its ray tracing-enabled GPU architectures to smartphones or other ultra-mobile devices right now, CEO Jensen Huang told journalists at a Computex meeting this week. The statements come just days after AMD confirmed that upcoming Samsung smartphones using AMD RDNA2 GPU architecture will support ray tracing.
According to Huang, the time for ray tracing in mobile gadgets hasn’t arrived yet.
“Ray tracing games are quite large, to be honest,” Huang said, according to ZDNet. “The data set is quite large, and there will be a time for it. When the time is right we might consider it.”
AMD, meanwhile, has licensed its RDNA2 architecture, which supports ray tracing, to Samsung for use in the upcoming Exynos 2200 SoC expected to power its laptops and other flagship mobile devices. AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su said this week that the SoC will indeed support ray tracing.
“The next place you’ll find RDNA2 will be the high-performance mobile phone market,” Su said, as reported by AnandTech. “AMD has partnered with industry leader Samsung to accelerate graphics innovation in the mobile market, and we’re happy to announce we will bring custom graphics IP to Samsung’s next flagship SoC, with ray tracing and variable rate shading capabilities. We’re really looking forward to Samsung providing more details later this year.”
Currently, Samsung’s Exynos-powered smartphones use Arm Mali-powered graphics; whereas, Qualcomm Snapdragon-based handsets use Adreno GPUs.
Nvidia is in process of taking over Arm, which develops general-purpose Cortex CPU cores as well as Mali graphics processing units for various system-on-chips (SoCs). Nvidia has long tried to license its GeForce technologies to designers of mobile SoCs and devices without any tangible success. If Nvidia’s acquisition of Arm is approved by various regulators, Nvidia will be able to offer its latest GeForce architectures to Arm licensees. Yet, it appears Nvidia has no immediate plans to bring GeForce RTX to smartphones.
Nvidia’s Ampere and Turing architectures seem to be too bulky for smartphone SoCs (and even for entry-level PC graphics) anyway. For now, the company will have to use its GeForce Now game streaming service to address demanding gamers on smartphones and tablets.
“That’s how we would like to reach Android devices, Chrome devices, iOS devices, MacOS devices, Linux devices — all kinds of devices, whether it’s on TV, or mobile device or PC,” said Huang. “I think that for us, right now, that is the best strategy.”
Yet, ray tracing is nothing new on mobiles. Imagination Technologies architectures since the PowerVR GR6500 introduced in 2014 have supported ray tracing, so it’s up to hardware designers to decide on implementing the capability and game designers to leverage it. Imagination’s PowerVR ray tracing implementation is currently supported by Unreal Engine 4 and Unity 5, but it’s unclear whether it’s primarily used for eye candy, performance increase and/or power reduction.
Samsung has announced two new Windows laptops running Arm-based processors. The Galaxy Book Go and Galaxy Book Go 5G both use Snapdragon chips from Qualcomm rather than Samsung’s own Exynos designs.
The Galaxy Book Go is an entry-level model that starts at $349. It has the updated Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 processor that Qualcomm announced last month, as well as 4GB or 8GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of eUFS storage. The display is a 14-inch 1080p LCD and the laptop is 14.9mm thick, weighing in at 1.38kg.
The Galaxy Book Go 5G, meanwhile, uses Qualcomm’s more powerful Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 processor — though other laptops with that chip aren’t exactly powerhouses — and, as the name suggests, it includes 5G connectivity. Despite running on a Snapdragon chip with an integrated LTE modem, the $349 Galaxy Book Go is actually Wi-Fi-only.
Specs otherwise appear to be shared between the two laptops. The Galaxy Book Go has two USB-C ports, one USB-A port, a headphone jack, a 720p webcam, and a microSD card slot. Samsung hasn’t given pricing or release information for the Galaxy Book Go 5G just yet, but the $349 Galaxy Book Go is going on sale on June 10th.
Huawei has announced a trio of new MatePad tablets; a new 12.6-inch MatePad Pro, a smaller 10.8-inch MatePad Pro, and a new MatePad 11. Not only are they the company’s first tablets running its own HarmonyOS operating system, but the smaller MatePad Pro and MatePad 11 use Snapdragon chips produced by Qualcomm rather than the Huawei-designed Kirin processors found in its previous devices.
Between these hardware and software changes, the tablets highlight the challenges that the Chinese technology giant is going through. It’s simultaneously trying to break free of Android, which outside of China is dominated by the Google apps and services that Huawei is unable to preinstall on its phones. But they also speak to the problems US sanctions are causing for Huawei’s Kirin processor production, forcing it to source chips from competitor Qualcomm.
The 10.8-inch MatePad Pro is equipped with a Snapdragon 870, while the 10.95-inch MatePad 11 is powered by a Snapdragon 865. The flagship 12.6-inch MatePad Pro, meanwhile, is still running Huawei’s own Kirin 9000E processor, and it’s the device Huawei has shared the most information about.
But more interesting than the chips inside is the software these new tablets are running.
From an end user point of view, the “switch” to HarmonyOS fundamentally doesn’t bring back the missing Google apps and services that have made Huawei’s recent devices so difficult to recommend outside of China. Huawei’s AppGallery store offers an increasing array of native apps, and workarounds for some others, but it’s still a far cry from having Google’s suite of apps and services pre-installed on a device.
There have been big questions surrounding HarmonyOS ever since an Ars Technica investigation alleged that it’s a glorified open-source Android fork. I can’t speak to its underlying code, but I was able to download WhatsApp’s official Android APK and install it on the new MatePad Pro as though I was using an Android device, which suggests Ars is correct. Huawei did not respond to my questions about shared code between HarmonyOS and Android.
The 12.6-inch MatePad Pro’s webcam is in the bezel on the tablet’s long side, the right place for video calls.
With its keyboard cover and M-Pencil stylus, last year’s MatePad Pro invited obvious comparisons to Apple’s iPad Pro, and this year’s HarmonyOS model packs in a few more features that are eerily reminiscent of Apple’s tablets. There’s a new FreeNote feature that lets you use the M-Pencil to write into dialog boxes and see your handwriting automatically turned into typed text (a feature which Apple introduced last year) and the tablet’s homescreen now includes a dock with your most used apps (ahem).
But with the 12.6-inch MatePad Pro, Huawei deserves some credit for not imitating some of Apple’s less popular design decisions. Its webcam, for example, is built into the bezel on the long edge of the screen, so it’s in the right place for conference calls made in landscape mode, unlike the iPad Pro’s. It’s also got a vibrant 1600 x 2560 OLED screen with excellent black levels, while Apple’s lineup is still using variations of LCD panels.
Also announced today is a new M-Pencil stylus.
Huawei’s screen-mirroring technology also returns with the new MatePad Pro. While this previously let you mirror a smartphone’s screen onto the tablet, now you can mirror and interact with the tablet’s screen on compatible Huawei laptops.
The 12.6-inch MatePad Pro has a 10,050mAh battery which Huawei claims can playback video for 14 hours on a single charge. It can be fast-charged at up to 40W with a cable, 27W wirelessly, and also offers reverse wireless charging at 10W. Rounding out the specs, there are three rear cameras on the tablet, four mics, eight speakers, and Wi-Fi 6 compatibility. Huawei is yet to detail any 4G or 5G support for its new tablets.
Alongside the new tablets, Huawei is also announcing a second-generation of its M-Pencil stylus. The company says the new stylus is more precise, has lower 9ms latency, and also has a platinum-coated transparent nib.
Huawei is yet to confirm pricing or release details for its new tablets, but said it would be releasing more information soon.
AMD is partnering with Samsung to provide RDNA 2 graphics technology for an Exynos mobile system-on-chip, potentially giving a boost to GPU performance in flagship Samsung phones. The announcement was made today at Computex Taipei.
There aren’t many details on the chip or which products it’ll be used in, but AMD describes the chip as a “next-generation Exynos SoC,” and says Samsung will provide further information later in 2021. The GPU will use AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture, enabling features like ray tracing and variable rate shading. AMD says it’ll make its way to “flagship mobile devices.”
“The next place you’ll find RDNA 2 will be the high-performance mobile phone market,” AMD CEO Lisa Su said on stage. “AMD has partnered with industry leader Samsung for several years to accelerate graphics innovation in the mobile market, and we’re happy to announce that we’ll bring custom graphics IP to Samsung’s next flagship mobile SoC with ray tracing and variable rate shading capabilities. We’re really looking forward to Samsung providing more details later this year.”
Exynos is the brand name that Samsung uses for its own in-house processors. In the US and certain other markets, Samsung’s flagship Galaxy phones ship with Snapdragon SoCs from Qualcomm, while the rest of the world gets Exynos chips. The Exynos models are generally regarded as slightly less performant than their Qualcomm equivalents, but it was seen as a surprise when Samsung decided to switch to the Snapdragon variant of the Galaxy S20 in its home market of South Korea.
Whether AMD’s mobile solution will provide tangible benefits over Qualcomm’s Adreno GPUs is unknown. But by throwing out buzzwords like ray tracing and lending its latest RDNA 2 architecture, AMD is certainly setting expectations high for future Samsung devices.
Lenovo’s Yoga Pad Pro is a new 13-inch Android tablet that can easily double as an external monitor, Gizmochina reports. It will be available to buy in China for 3,299 yuan (around $517) on May 31st.
It’s not tricky to get most tablets on the market to work as a second monitor, but for the most part you’re limited to using them with specific devices. Apple’s iPads can be used as external monitors thanks to their built-in Sidecar feature, for example, but this only works if you’re using them with a Mac. But the Yoga Pad Pro has a full-on Micro HDMI port built into its grip, meaning you can plug basically any HDMI device into it and use the Yoga Pad Pro as a 13-inch monitor. And yes, that absolutely includes a Nintendo Switch.
For use as a tablet, the Yoga Pad Pro is powered by a Snapdragon 870 paired with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a 10,200mAh battery. It’s got four Dolby Atmos-compatible speakers arranged around its 2K, 16:10 LCD display, and it also includes a kickstand that can rotate a full 180-degrees out from behind the back of the device. Why would you want a 180-degree kickstand on a tablet? For hanging it on a wall, obviously.
Sure, there are plenty of other portable monitors out there, often available with bigger screen sizes and lower price tags. Take Lenovo’s own 14-inch ThinkVision M14 as an example, which is half the price at $249. But the Yoga Pad Pro has the advantage of being a capable standalone device in its own right, complete with stylus compatibility and an 8-megapixel selfie camera (though there’s no rear camera).
It’s unclear if the Yoga Pad Pro will ever see a release outside of China. But if it does, we’ll be ready.
Samsung has officially announced two long-rumored tablets: the Galaxy Tab S7 FE and the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite. The company is yet to confirm US pricing or availability for the Tab S7 FE, but in the UK, the tablet will cost £589 or £629 depending on whether you opt for 64GB or 128GB of storage, and it’ll release on June 18th. Meanwhile, the Tab A7 Lite is a smaller, more affordable model. It starts at $159 in the US where it will release on June 10th. (In the UK, it starts at £149 and will release on June 18th.)
There’s not a lot we don’t know about the Galaxy Tab S7 FE since most of its specs were revealed earlier this week by its German product page. It’s got a large 12.4-inch 2560 x 1600 LCD display, an 8-megapixel camera on the rear, and a 5-megapixel camera on the front. A neat bonus is that it comes with one of Samsung’s S Pen styluses in the box for note-taking and sketching purposes.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE.Image: Samsung
Samsung’s press release doesn’t say exactly what processor is powering the Tab S7 FE beyond saying it’s an octa-core model, but it’s previously been reported to have a Snapdragon 750G. It’s got a 10,090mAh battery that can be fast-charged at up to 45W, and there’s the choice of 4 or 6GB of RAM and 64 or 128GB of internal storage (expandable by up to 1TB by microSD). There are Wi-Fi-only, LTE, and 5G models available, and the Tab S7 FE is available in black, silver, green, and pink.
Meanwhile, the more affordable Galaxy Tab A7 Lite drops the screen size to just 8.7 inches and the resolution to 1340 x 800. There’s still an 8-megapixel camera on the rear, but the selfie camera is just 2 megapixels. Previous reports have pegged its processor as a MediaTek MT8768, and that’s paired with a 5,100mAh battery and either 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage or 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. There are Wi-Fi-only and LTE models available, and color options include gray and silver.
Both of these Android 11 tablets are designed as more affordable counterparts to last year’s Tab S7 and Tab A7, so their modest specs shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. If last year’s tablets are anything to go by, that should make them a pair of decent devices for media consumption, even if they’re not going to trade blows with a device like the iPad Pro when it comes to productivity.
(Pocket-lint) – When ZTE told us the Axon 30 Ultra 5G was en route for review, we got that fuzzy feeling inside. That’s because the older Axon 20 5G was the first device we’d ever seen with an under-display selfie camera – so surely the Axon 30 Ultra would take this technology to the next level?
Um, nope. Instead the Axon 30 Ultra instead has a more traditional punch-hole selfie camera front and centre, so that fuzzy feeling quickly dissipated. Without such a ‘magic camera’ on board what then is the appeal of this flagship?
The Axon 30 Ultra is all about power and affordability. It crams a top-tier Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor into a slender body with a 6.67-inch AMOLED display that can push its refresh rate to a class-leading 144Hz. All for just £649 in the UK and $749 in the USA. So is that as exceptional value as it sounds or are there hidden compromises?
Having moved out of the gigantic Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, the ZTE’s more slender frame and trim 20:9 aspect ratio felt like a revelation by comparison. It’s not that the Axon 30 Ultra is small, per se, but it’s a well balanced scale.
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The model we have in review is apparently black – that’s what the box says anyway – but the phone’s rear has a much softer metallic appearance about it, with some degree of blue to its colour balance. Really we’d call it a metallic grey. It looks pleasant, while fingerprint smears aren’t a massive problem thanks to the soft-touch material.
The camera unit on the rear is a fairly chunky protrusion, but that’s because there’s a 5x zoom periscope housed within that frame. It’s a relatively elegant block of cameras, though, and even with the phone flat against a desk it doesn’t rock about unwantedly.
The screen is the big selling point though. It’s a 6.67-inch AMOLED panel, the kind we’ve seen in the Redmi Note 10 Pro, for example, except the ZTE goes all-out when it comes to refresh rate by offering up to 144Hz. You can pick from 60Hz/90Hz/120Hz too, with the option to display the refresh rate in the upper left corner.
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Having a faster refresh rate means smoother visuals, especially when it comes to moving content. You’re more likely to notice it when scrolling through emails than much else, though, so we’ve found our preference for balancing rate to battery life has meant settling on 90Hz. A more dynamic software approach would be better, or the option to designate specific apps to function at specific frame rates – especially games.
Are you really going to tell the difference between 144Hz and 120Hz? No. But the simple fact the Axon 30 Ultra can do this is to show its worth; to show that it’s got more power credentials than many less adept phones at this price point.
Otherwise the screen hits all the right notes. It’s got ample resolution. Colours pop. Blacks are rich thanks to the AMOLED technology. It’s slightly curved to the edges too, but only subtly to help hide away the edge bezel from direct view – and we haven’t found this to adversely affect use due to accidental touches and such like.
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There’s also an under-display fingerprint scanner tucked beneath the screen’s surface, which we’ve found to be suitably responsive for sign-ins. Or you can sign-up to face unlock instead to make things even easier.
Having that scanner in such a position, rather than over the power button, leaves the Axon 30 Ultra’s edges to be rather neat. Other than the on/off and volume up/down rocker to the one side, and USB-C port, single speaker and SIM tray to the bottom edge, there’s nothing to disrupt the phone’s form. That keeps it looking neat and tidy. It also means no 3.5mm headphone jack, but that’s hardly a surprise.
Performance & Battery
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, 8GB/12GB RAM
Storage: 128GB/256GB/1TB, no microSD card slot
Battery: 4600mAh, 66W fast-charging
Software: ZTE MyOS 11 (Android 11)
Elegant looks complement an elegant operation, too, largely down to the power that’s available on tap. With Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 processor on board, couple with 8GB RAM, there’s little else more powerful that you can buy. Indeed, the Axon 30 Ultra is knocking on the door of gaming phone territory given that 144Hz refresh rate screen.
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Navigating around the interface is super smooth and speedy, apps open quickly, and there’s no downturn in performance if you happen to open a whole bunch. Games are a breeze, too, as you’d expect from this kind of hardware – although we’d like a game centre to prevent over-screen notifications and such like.
But it’s not perfectly smooth sailing on account of ZTE’s own software, which here is MyOS 11 over the top of Google’s Android 11 operating system. It’s a common problem among Chinese makers, so we probably sound like a broken record, but there are definitely issues with notifications. WhatsApp might take a couple of hours to notify you of a message, for example, but there’s never a fixed period of time – and other times it’s immediate. The mail app Outlook rarely to never notified of new mails in the inbox either.
A lot of this is down to software management. Because there’s rather a lot of it in MyOS. Under battery settings is an ‘Apps AI-control’, which is said to intelligently manage apps to save power. Except, as we’ve highlighted above, this can stifle some apps inappropriately. It can be turned off for manual control, where individual apps can have their auto-start and background running characteristics specified.
All of this is an attempt to aid the overall battery life. Because, as you can imagine, cranking out gaming sessions using the 144Hz and top-end engine from Qualcomm’s SD888 definitely eats away at the supply pretty rapidly. The 4,600mAh cell on board isn’t as capacious as some competitors we’ve seen and that, as a result, can see a heavy use day only just about scrape through a 15 hours day. It’ll manage, but only just.
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Another oddity we’ve experienced with the Axon 30 Ultra is Wi-Fi connectivity seems to be a little up and down. With less strong signal our Zwift Companion app was very choppy in its updating of data – something that hasn’t been an issue with other phones we’ve compared in the same environment. We suspect that’s because the ‘a/b/g/n/ac/6e’ designation is catering for higher frequencies (‘ac’ is 5GHz only, for example, whereas ‘ax’ caters for both 2.6GHz and 5GHz, while the newly adopted ‘6e’, i.e. 6GHz, isn’t widely supported yet).
On the rear the Axon 30 Ultra houses an apparent four lenses: a 64-megapixel main; a 0.5x ultra-wide (also 64MP); a 5x periscope zoom lens (just 8MP); and what we would call a ‘portrait lens’ with 2x zoom (also 64MP).
It’s a bit of a mish-mash when it comes to results though. The main camera, at its best, is really great. It snaps into focus quickly, reveals heaps of detail – as you can see from the main flower shot below – but isn’t the most subtle when you look in detail, as images are over-sharpened.
The ability to zoom in the camera app is actioned on a slider to the side, but you don’t really ever know which lens you’re using – until there’s a clear ‘jump’ between one visualisation and the next, because, for example, the 5x periscope zoom is far poorer in its delivery. It’s only 8-megapixels, for starters, so there’s not nearly the same clarity revealed in its images. Plus the colour balance looks far out of sync with the main lens. Really this periscope is overoptimistic.
The 2x portrait zoom lens we also can’t really work out. Sometimes zoom shots are great, sometimes they’re quite the opposite – all mushy and, again, over-sharpened. It seems to depend which sensor/lens the camera is using at that particular moment – because the image of a horse in a field that we captured (within gallery above) looks fine, whereas the sheep in a field (shown in our wide-to-main-to-zoom-to-periscope gallery, below) is miles off the mark.
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: Ultra-wide lensUltra-wide lens
There’s potential here overall. The specifications read rather well, but somehow the Axon 30 Ultra gets away from itself a little. It needs to rein in the offering really, simplify things, and deliver a more detailed app that explains specifically what kit you’re shooting with. That said, the main lens will please plenty, while close-up macro work – with the artificial intelligence ‘AI’ activated – snaps into focus really well.
Verdict
To answer our opening question: what compromises do you have to accept if looking to buy the ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G? Relatively few at this price point. There are some irks, though, such as the software causing notification problems (by which we mean absences), the battery being a little stretched, and the cameras get away from their potential somewhat – despite the main lens being perfectly decent.
Otherwise ZTE has crammed one heck of a lot into the Axon 30 Ultra. Its screen is commendable and having that headline-grabbing 144Hz refresh rate is sure to bring attention. The subtlety of the design is elegant, too, delivering a well-balanced scale that’s comfortable to hold and fairly fingerprint-resistant on the rear. And there’s bundles of power from the top-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 platform, ensuring apps and games run a treat.
There might be less ‘wow factor’ than if there was an under-display front-facing camera to captivate prospective customers (like there was in the Axon 20), but given the Axon 30 Ultra 5G’s price point undercuts the big-dog Samsung, that’ll be enough of a lure to many.
Also consider
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Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
The ‘Fan Edition’ Galaxy might be a year older than the ZTE, but it’s a similar price, has more stable software in our experience – and that makes all the difference to everyday use.
(Pocket-lint) – Google is rumoured to be working on a few smartphones, including the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro.
Though not due to be official until later in the year – possibly October time – both devices have leaked extensively over the last couple of months giving us a good idea of what to expect.
Here is how the Google Pixel 6 is rumoured to compare to the Google Pixel 6 Pro, based on what we have heard so far.
Design
Pixel 6: 158.6 x 74.8 x 8.9mm, 11.8mm with bump
Pixel 6 Pro: 163.9 x 75.8 x 8.9mm, 11.5mm with bump
The Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are expected to share a similar design, though there are some variations between the two models based on the leaked renders.
Both will seemingly have a prominent horizontal camera housing that spans the entire width of the rear, but the Pixel 6 will have dual camera while the 6 Pro will have a triple camera. The flash module is expected to sit on the right of the lenses within the housing.
It seems both will sport an under-display fingerprint sensor, along with a centralised punch hole camera at the top of the display, but the Pixel 6 will apparently have a flat screen, while the 6 Pro will have a slight curve to its display.
No details on IP ratings have been revealed in leaks as yet, but the Pixel 5 is IP68 rated, so we would expect both the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro to offer the same. In terms of size, the Pixel 6 Pro is expected to be the larger device.
Display
Pixel 6: 6.4-inch, Full HD+, 90Hz?
Pixel 6 Pro: 6.67-inch, Quad HD+, 120Hz?
The Google Pixel 6 is said to be coming with a 6.4-inch display, which as we mentioned, is said to be flat. There haven’t been any leaked details surrounding display and refresh rate as yet, but we’d expect Full HD+ on the Pixel 6, and at least 90Hz.
The Pixel 6 Pro meanwhile, is expected to come with a 6.67-inch curved display, making it a little bigger and more distinctive than the standard model, if true.
Again, no reports have indicated what we can expect in terms of resolution and refresh rate, though it wouldn’t be too surprising to see a Quad HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate for the Pro model.
We’re expecting HDR support on both models as the Pixel 5 offers this.
Hardware and specs
Pixel 6: Google own chip? Pixel 6 Pro: Google own chip?
Rumour has it Google is working on its own system-on-chip, codenamed Whitechapel. Reports suggest it will offer a raw performance somewhere between the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 and the Snapdragon 888.
It’s expected this chip will be on board the Pixel 6 models, though not confirmed.
RAM, storage and battery capacities haven’t been detailed in leaks yet either, though we’d expect the Pixel 6 Pro to be superior in terms of RAM and battery compared to the Pixel 6. We’re expecting at least 4000mAh and 8GB of RAM on the standard model.
Cameras
Pixel 6: Dual camera
Pixel 6 Pro: Triple camera
Based on reports, the Google Pixel 6 will come with a dual camera. Reports have claimed there will be a 50-megapixel main camera, coupled with an ultra wide-angle sensor, though nothing is confirmed.
The Pixel 6 Pro meanwhile, is said to be coming with a triple rear camera, which will apparently offer the same 50-megapixel main sensor and ultra wide-angle sensor as the Pixel 6, but add an 8-megapixel telephoto sensor to the mix.
It’s also been claimed the front camera – resolution not yet detailed in leaks – will support 4K video recording. It’s not clear if this will be on both the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, or just the Pro model however.
Conclusion
For now, everything is based on speculation regarding the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. The rumours so far suggest the two devices will sport very similar designs, with the Pro model offering a slightly more premium finish with a curved display, as well as triple rear camera.
The 6 Pro is also expected to have a slightly larger display and we wouldn’t be surprised to see it offer a higher resolution and refresh rate, as well as more RAM and a larger battery capacity. The Pixel 6 is likely to be cheaper than the 6 Pro however, and it’s possible the two devices will run the same hardware.
We’ll update this feature as more rumours come in. For now, you can read all about the Pixel 6 in our separate feature and the Pixel 6 Pro in another feature.
In addition to the multimedia powerhouse that is the new Lenovo Yoga Pad Pro, Lenovo unveiled three other tablets. The first slate is fairly powerful (though it’s still priced pretty aggresively), the other two focus on affordability (but still have a solid spec sheet).
Lenovo Pad Pro 2021
Like the Yoga model, the Lenovo Pad Pro 2021 is powered by a Snapdragon 870 chipset, but the main focus here is the display – an 11.5” OLED panel with 90Hz refresh rate and 1 ms response time. The display is sharper thanks to its 2,560 x 1,600 px resolution (16:10) and also covers the wider DCI-P3 color space 100%. This is in addition to Dolby Vision and HDR10 support. It has a typical brightness of 420 nits (600 nits peak) and supports DC dimming for a flicker-free experience.
Lenovo Pad Pro 2021
You can buy an optional stylus that can sense 4,096 levels of pressure. This is more of a work tablet though, so it has a pogo pin connector on the bottom where you can easily snap on the optional keyboard cover that also has a trackpad.
The Pad Pro 2021 is quite thin and light, measuring only 5.8mm and 485g. It has an 8,600mAh battery, which is enough for 15 hours of video playback or 8 hours of browsing the web. It supports Quick Charge 3.0 for up to 20W of power.
Speaking of video, you’ll enjoy your movies on four JBL speakers, each with a 2.5 cm³ chamber and 1.5W of power (6W total). There is Dolby Atmos support too.
Lenovo Pad Pro 2021’s top features
The S870 chipset is paired with 6GB of RAM (LPDDR5) and 128GB storage (UFS 3.1). This can be expanded through the microSD slot. Additional features include a USB-C port (3.1), Wi-Fi 6 (MIMO 2×2) and Bluetooth 5.1.
The tablet has a dual camera with a 13MP main module (with autofocus) and a 5MP ultrawide-angle cam (120º). On the front there is an 8MP selfie camera and an ToF camera for authentication (or you could use the fingerprint reader on the side).
The Lenovo Pad Pro 2021 will go on sale in China on May 31 for CNY2,500 ($390/€320).
Lenovo Pad Plus 11
This tablet features an 11” LCD with 2,000 x 1,200 px resolution. It is less impressive with a standard 60Hz refresh rate and no HDR support. You do still get four JBL speakers with Dolby Atmos, though, with a total power of 6W. And the display supports that optional stylus too.
The Lenovo Pad Plus is powered by a Snapdragon 750G chipset with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage. You can add up to 1TB more using the microSD card slot.
Lenovo Pad Plus 11″
The tablet has a 7,700mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 support over USB-C. The battery is good for 12 hours of video or 12 hours of web browsing. Wireless connectivity include Wi-Fi 6 (MIMO 2×2), Bluetooth 5.1 and GPS. This tablet is rated IP52, though it’s not quite an outdoorsy tablet.
There’s only one camera on the back, 13MP, but the front keeps the setup of an 8MP front-facing camera and a ToF sensor. This one has pogo pins too, so you can get a keyboard cover if you need to type a lot of text.
Lenovo Pad Plus 11″ feature highlights
Like its sibling, the Pad Plus will go on sale in China on May 31. It will cost CNY1,600 ($250/€200).
Lenovo Pad 11
This one is similar to the Plus model. It has the same 11” 2,000 x 1,200 px LCD and four speakers with Dolby Atmos support (only 4W of power this time around, though). The camera setup is the same as well, 13MP on the back, 8MP + ToF sensor on the front.
Lenovo Pad 11″
The major difference is the Snapdragon 662 chipset and that you only get 4GB of RAM plus 64GB storage. At least there’s still a microSD slot. And the pogo pin connector is on board as is the support for the optional stylus.
The battery is the same, 7,700mAh capacity and Quick Charge 3.0 support (20W) over USB-C (wired for only 2.0 speeds, however). The Wi-Fi is slower, only version 5 is supported (aka ac), but the GPS is still on board as is the IP52 rating.
Lenovo Pad 11″ feature highlights
The Lenovo Pad 11 will be available soon at a price of CNY1,100 ($170/€140).
The newly announced Lenovo Yoga Pad Pro 13” tablet has a handle – well, it will probably see more use as a kickstand. It’s the best feature of the Yoga line, allowing the tablet to be positioned in various angles in two different orientations without needing external hardware.
Lenovo Yoga Pad Pro 13″ with a built-in kickstand
The chunky part where the kick stand is also houses two ports – there’s a USB-C on one side and a micro-HDMI port on the other. This allows you to use the tablet as an external display for your laptop or Nintendo Switch, for example.
The Yoga Pad Pro has a micro-HMDI port so it can act as an external monitor • Optional stylus
And it’s a stellar display too, it will make most laptops jealous. The 13” LTPS LCD panel has 2,160 x 1,350 px resolution (16:10) with 100% sRGB coverage, HDR10 and Dolby Vision support. It tops out at 400 nits of brightness.
The chunky part also houses some powerful speakers, four JBL speakers with 5 cm³ chambers, smart amps and a total of 9W of power (2x 2.5W and 2x 2W). Dolby Atmos is supported.
While you can hook up a Switch to the Yoga Pad Pro, the tablet is a fairly powerful gaming machine in its own right. It has a Snapdragon 870 chipset paired with 8GB of fast LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB storage (UFS 3.0).
The tablet can act as an external display • It has great sound thanks to 4 JBL speakers
It runs ZUI 12.5 based on Android 11. If you’re the artistic type, you can get the optional stylus that can sense 4,096 levels of pressure. The 10,200 mAh battery is enough for over 12 hours of video playback or for 8 and a half hours of working in display mode.
Wired connectivity includes a USB-C 3.1 with Quick Charge 4 support, as well as the aforementioned micro-HDMI port. On the wireless side of things there is Wi-Fi 6 support (2×2 MIMO) and Bluetooth 5.2.
The tablet has only one camera, an 8MP module on the front, which is joined by a 3D ToF sensor that can be used for secure face recognition.
The back of the device is coated with Alcantara, the kickstand is made out of durable stainless steel and can rotate 180º. The slate weighs 830g.
Alcantara on the back • CNC-machined stainless steel stand
Pre-orders in China started today on Lenovo’s site, the price is CNY 3,300 ($515/€420).
Meizu has finally announced a launch date for its long-rumored Meizu Watch. The device will arrive next Monday on May 31 in China. We also got a teaser with more spec details and a few images of the device.
Meizu Watch posters
As expected the Meizu Watch will bring a square casing with rounded corners and a silicone watch strap. Meizu also confirmed the watch utilizes the flagship Snapdragon Wear 4100 platform and brings eSIM capabilities for making calls on its own. We’re also expecting to see Meizu’s own in-house Flyme for Watch interface on the software side.
The Moto G30 arrived in Europe in February and later it expanded its availability to India. Now, the phone has gone on pre-order in the United States on Amazon, revealing its price – $299.99.
The phone was initially launched with 128GB storage, but the US version is getting downgraded to 64GB, as well as just 4GB RAM. At this point the only available in Black with the flashier Pastel Sky color missing.
Other specs of the phone include a Snapdragon 662 chipset, a 5,000 mAh battery and four cameras on the back, with the main one having a 64MP sensor. This device is not 5G-enabled, maxing out at LTE networks but it does support NFC and Bluetooth 5.0.
The Moto G30 will start shipping on July 30 according to the listing. This is more than two months from today, but at least the phone is not tied with any telecoms and is sold unlocked for all carriers.
Microsoft and Qualcomm are teaming up to bring the Snapdragon Developer Kit, meant to give developers a cheaper option to optimize their Windows apps for the ARM64 instruction set.
The Snapdragon Developer Kit is built around the 8nm Snapdragon 7c platform, complete with a X15 LTE modem, an octa-core Kryo 468 processor and up to QHD @ 60Hz display support.
The Snapdragon Developer Kit will be a cheaper option for devs to test their apps for Windows on ARM, than the rare consumer notebooks with ARM processors currently on sale.
You’ll be able to buy the Snapdragon Developer Kit through the Microsoft Store this summer. Price is unknown.
Realme announced two new phones in China earlier today but both of them are just minor spec bumps over their predecessors. Realme’s Q3 Pro was announced in China just last month but the new Carnival Edition unveiled today brings the Snapdragon 768G in place of the Dimensity 1100 chipset found on the regular Q3 Pro and also ups the charging speed from 30W to 50W.
Buyers are also treated to two new special colorways. The first is a toned-down black finish while the other is a shiny gradient finish with Dare to Leap branding on the back.
Realme Q3 Pro Carnival Edition colorways
The rest of the spec sheet matches the Q3 Pro with a 6.43 AMOLED display and a 120Hz refresh rate, a 4,300 battery and a 64MP + 8MP + 2MP camera setup. The Realme Q3 Pro Carnival Edition retails for CNY 1,799 ($280) though a special introductory price brings the total down to CNY 1,499 ($234).
The second new device is the Realme GT Neo Flash Edition which is identical to the regular GT Neo save for the added 65W charging, up from the 50W speeds on the regular model.
Everything else is unchanged over the GT Neo. Pricing starts at CNY 2,299 ($358) but there’s also an early bird offer which bumps the price to CNY 1,999 ($312).
Yesterday we got a report about Google’s upcoming Pixel 6 and 6 Pro and their custom Whiechapel chip and now we have some more details to add to that courtesy of another insider.
Google’s custom Whitechapel chip, designed in cooperation with Samsung on its 5nm process, will reach the level of performance of a Snapdragon 870. Google will focus on the machine learning and artificial intelligence aspect of the chip to further enhance its performance. The graphics on the Whitechapel chipset will be handled by a Mali GPU, which reportedly works well under load.
Well yes, Whitechapel is a 5nm chip with current performance on PVT units closer to SD870, they are not trying to match SD888. Google’s focus is on ML & so the raw AI performance is matched to that of other leading mobile chips. Plus that Mali GPU is performing good under stress.
— 𓆩Yogesh𓆪 (@heyitsyogesh) May 24, 2021
According to yesterday’s report by Weinbach, the Google Pixel 6 will have a FullHD+ display with a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz, while the Pixel 6 Pro will have a QHD+ with the same 120Hz refresh.
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