TCL foldable phone could be BIG trouble for Motorola Razr

CES 2020 is taking place this week and TCL has got a working prototype of its foldable phone in residence at the show. And, after seeing the reaction it has caused, it is easy to see why if it does come to market this year, as it could very well do, it could be a very big deal indeed.

That’s because TCL has garnered a reputation of bringing premium-level technology to the mass-market at much cheaper price points than its competitors. For example, the TCL 10 5G phone, which is also on display at CES 2020, rings in for less than $500. That is far cheaper than 5G phones from many of its top-tier competitors.

As such, a very much working foldable phone at CES 2020 from TCL, along with comments that it will be cheaper than the delayed, $1,500, rebooted Motorola Razr folding phone, and it is easy to see why this is a big deal for phone lovers.

It’s a big deal as, even though the working TCL folding phone prototype is not ready for mass production, and if it is launched then it will be done so later this year, just by existing it will put plenty of pressure on big players like Samsung and Huawei, as well as new folding competitors like Motorola and others, to produce folding phones that don’t cost incredible amounts of money.

The specs, for example, on the delayed Motorola Razr are firmly mid-range, so the fact that the phone costs $1,500 is obviously a big barrier that needs to be overcome by any potential buyer. Do you pay massive bucks for the foldable form factor, or do you get a non-folding phone with much, much better specs for less?

A TCL foldable phone that costs even two-thirds what the Motorola Razr does would make that decision a lot easier for many, thereby speeding up the adoption of folding phones.

The working prototype itself currently delivers a square 7.2-inch display, a quad-camera system, a mid-tier Snapdragon 660 processor and it runs Android 9.0 Pie. So it certainly isn’t a technical powerhouse, but it does deliver a folding phone experience and, with some refinements, would no doubt be attractive to many users who want folding tech but at a reasonable price.

No official pricing or release date has been announced for the phone naturally, although right now a late 2020 time frame is being slated.

If you want the best folding phone on the market today, though, then you need the Samsung Galaxy Fold. Why not read T3’s official Samsung Galaxy Fold review to see what it delivers.

Lenovo Launches Yoga Slim 7 14-Inch w/ Ice Lake & Discrete GPU

One of the key advantages brought by Intel’s Ice Lake processors in addition to higher IPC is its improved integrated Iris Plus Graphics that is meant to offer a much-improved level of graphics performance for ultra-thin laptops. But even so, Lenovo has introduced its new Yoga Slim 7 14-inch notebooks that are powered by Intel’s latest 10nm CPU and offer an optional discrete GPU from NVIDIA.

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14-inch is based on Intel’s 10th Generation Core ‘Ice Lake’ processor and may be configured with the company’s top-of-the-line Core i7-1065G7 with four cores clocked at 1.3 – 3.9 GHz as well as well as the Iris Plus Graphics ‘G7’ with 64 EUs and up to 1.1 TFLOPS compute performance. The CPU will share the motherboard with up to 16 GB of LPDDR4X memory as well as an up to 1 TB PCIe SSD.

Meanwhile, for those who want a discrete GPU, Lenovo plans to offer NVIDIA’s GeForce MX option, which in case of the model MX250 features compute performance of around 1.2 TFLOPS, depending on exact clocks. While the standalone GPU in this case is barely better than Intel’s G7, configurations with processors that feature G1 or G4 graphics will clearly be able to take advantage of NVIDIA’s chip.

In fact, Lenovo intends to offer two versions of the Yoga Slim 7 14-inch: in a pure aluminum body and in an aluminum body with Slate Grey fabric cover. The SKUs in aluminum body will come with a Full-HD IPS display featuring 300 nits brightness. The Slate Grey fabric models will offer a choice between a Full-HD touch-enabled LCD IPS screen with 300 nits brightness as well as an Ultra-HD IPS display featuring 500 nits brightness along with 90% of the P3 color space coverage. Depending on exact model, the machines are 14.9 mm – 15.4 mm thick and weigh between 1.4 kg and 1.5 kg.

I/O capabilities of all Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14-inch will be similar and will include a 720p webcam with IR sensors for Windows Hello, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5, a Thunderbolt 3 connector, USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports, an HDMI output, an SD card reader, and a 3.5-mm audio jack.

Lenovo says that the Yoga Slim 7 14-inch can last for up to 14 hours on its massive 60.7 Wh battery, though this only concerns a Full-HD version in an entry-level configuration.

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14-inch will cost starting at $1,209.99 when it hits the market this April.

Canon EOS 1DX Mark III revealed – it’s the world’s most powerful DSLR yet

DSLRs might be seen by many as the dinosaurs of the camera world, but Canon’s new EOS 1DX Mark III is here to prove that they can still be a source of innovation from camera makers.

The new powerhouse of sports photography, which was teased in a ‘development announcement’ last year, was fully revealed at CES 2020 – and there are some exciting features with Canon’s first camera for the Tokyo Olympic Games in summer 2020.

Canon has managed to outdo the 2016’s 1DX Mark II through a combination of pushing DSLR tech to the limit and topping it with some of the latest mirrorless tech. The 1DX Mark III still has a 20.1MP full-frame sensor, but this is now joined by a powerful new Digic X processor, a new AF sensor for improved viewfinder shooting, and the promise of 20fps burst shooting speeds with both the mechanical and electronic shutter.

Because the 1DX Mark III takes the new, pricey CFExpress cards – which can manage read speeds of 1.8GB per second – it also boasts an amazing buffer that can manage unlimited JPEGs and up to 1,000 Raw files. Combine that with those 20fps burst shooting speeds, and you have a potentially incredible tool for sports or wildlife shooting. 

Of course, speed is only one part of the photographic equation, so Canon has also boosted the 1DX Mark III’s autofocus skills through a combination of current AF tech (191 AF points for viewfinder shooting, Dual Pixel AF in Live View) and something it’s calling ‘deep learning’ autofocus. 

The start of next-gen Canon autofocus

In an attempt to close the autofocus gap on Sony, which has leaped ahead with its ‘A.I-based’ Real-time tracking, Canon has introduced ‘deep learning’ autofocus on the 1DX Mark III.

This next-gen AF system, which goes beyond the limitations of today’s Face Detection, draws on a vast database of images to automatically create an algorithm that apparently allows the 1DX Mark III to quickly lock focus on human subjects in action sequences. Current Face Detection needs the subjects’s face to be visible to work. But like Sony’s subject tracking, Canon’s ‘deep learning’ can recognize that a person is in the shot and keep them centered in the frame.

This doesn’t mean the 1DX Mark III is ‘learning’ from its user – the program is run externally by Canon and then loaded onto the camera, though its database can be expanded over time to cover other subjects like animals. Currently, the feature requires a Digic X processor too, so it won’t be coming to existing Canon cameras via a firmware update, but Canon has hinted that it could eventually appear on more affordable cameras in the future.

Enter the Smart Controller

So what other new features does the Canon 1DX Mark III bring? One of the most interesting is the new Smart Controller, which is a touch-sensitive AF-ON button for quickly choosing your autofocus point. It sounds relatively minor, but we found it to be one of the 1DX Mark III’s best features during our Hands-on: Canon 1DX Mark III review.

The sports DSLR also promises to be a performance step up from the 1DX Mark II in most other areas, including high ISO performance (the extended range is now between ISO 50-819,200) and dynamic range, thanks to what Canon is calling a revolutionary High Detail Low-Pass Filter.

One of the most interesting boosts to the 1DX Mark III, though, is its video shooting powers. While it’s mainly aimed at stills photographers, the camera can now shoot 4K at 60fps and Raw video using the full width of the sensor. Video editors and colorists will also appreciate its ability to shoot 10-bit 4:2:2 footage with internal Canon Log recording.

That said, 4K video recording is still limited to 30 minutes at a time, and despite early rumors to the contrary, there’s still no in-body image stabilization on the 1DX Mark III – which means cameras like the Panasonic S1H retain an advantage there.

So how much will all these new features set you back? The Canon 1DX Mark III will be available to buy from the end of February for £6,499.99 (about $8,507 / AU$12,241). That’s a little beyond most non-professionals, but we look forward to testing it fully and ultimately comparing it to the incoming Nikon D6 and Sony A9 II, to find out which camera deserves to top the photographic podium as this summer’s Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Corsair K95 RGB Platinum XT Review: Upgrading a Classic

Corsair’s flagship K95 is a classic of the gaming keyboard realm, first arriving in 2013 with the RGB model arriving a year later. The company updated the K95’s Platinum RGB model in 2017 to include an RGB light bar up top and Cherry MX Speed switches alongside MX Blue and Brown options. In its latest iteration, the K95 RGB Platinum XT adds premium Double Shot keycaps, integrated Elgato Stream Deck software support for the six macro keys on the left side and an appreciated padded wrist rest. 

Design

If you’ve used one of Corsair’s high-end mechanical keyboards in the last few years, you pretty much know what to expect in terms of physical design here. The deck is made of a single bent piece of brushed aluminum. Dedicated media controls and a nice metal volume wheel sit above the number pad, with lighting controls and a Windows key lock on the above right. Six dedicated macro keys, (which can now be used with the popular Elgato Stream Deck software), run down the left side.

There are two major physical changes as compared with the 2017 (non-XT) model. More durable, premium-feeling Double Shot keycaps are now standard. They’re made with two separate layers of plastic –translucent white underneath to let the RGB lighting shine through and black over the top– which aside from making them feel more premium and durable, should help them resist staining and wear.

Corsair also includes S-key caps to replace the pre-installed G-key caps, should you feel the need to more directly state that your extra buttons are there to do Stream Deck duty. Textured keys for WASD and QWERDF caps are also included, to help your fingers find their place in FPS or MOBA titles.

Secondly, the reversible rubber wrist rest of the previous iteration has now been replaced with a padded leatherette palm rest. The feel isn’t quite as cushy as the standalone HyperX wrist rest, but it’s a big upgrade from the rubber or rigid soft-touch plastic of most bundled wrist rests. My main complaint is that, rather than strong magnets,it attaches via long plastic clips under the keyboard, which feel like they could snap off after years of use if you aren’t careful. Given the high price of this keyboard, that’s not a great feeling.

As has been the case for years, Corsair uses a thick, permanently attached braided cable, which makes the K95 Platinum XT a little clunky and a lot less travel-friendly than models with removable USB-C cables, like the HyperX Alloy Origins. You do, though, get a USB 2.0 pass-through port on the back, near the center-mounted main cable, as well as cable routing wells on the underside. This makes the K95 a better option for those who do all of their gaming and typing at a single battlestation. 

Switch Options amd Gaming and Typing Experience 

While other keyboard companies have partnered with switch makers to design their own mechanical switches or experiment with optical and / or analogue actuation tech, Corsair has stuck with tried-and-true Cherry MX switches. Two of the three options –MX Speed and MX Brown– have been upgraded for even greater reliability, with the promise to stand up to 100 million keystrokes. But Corsair sent us the keyboard with clicky MX Blue switches, which are “only” rated to 50 million presses. The difference probably isn’t something you have to worry about unless you’re a young, prolific gamer who plans to hold onto their keyboard for decades.

I prefer Blue switches for typing, which made the K95 RGB Platinum XT excellent for my daily writing and editing tasks. And with a classic design, the K95 felt familiar while gaming. But clicky Blue switches aren’t the best for gaming, and I found myself missing the linear feel of Red switches or the shorter-actuating MX Speed switches while shooting and looting my way through Borderlands 3. If gaming is your main priority, I would definitely steer away from the MX Blue switches, as much as I like them for typing tasks. Those who are interested in switches other than the three Cherry options offered here will have to look elsewhere. 

Software

There are two software programs that you’ll want to install to take full advantage of the Corsair RGB. The company’s iCue software is a robust (if a bit clunky) program that lets you do everything from control the lighting (manually, or via pre-installed or downloadable presets), coordinate your lighting with other compatible Corsair devices, creating macros and manage onboard storage. 

While iCue isn’t the most intuitive piece of software, it lets you do a lot and the company has an active forum where users post hundreds of downloadable lighting profiles. As fun as they are to play with, the most-used feature for me in iCUE is the Instant Lighting setting, which lets you easily choose a single lighting color for all your devices. Handily, black is one of the colors you can choose, which turns off all lighting so you can watch a movie or just get a respite from the blinking RGB rainbow. 

The other software that the keyboard works with is Elgato Stream Deck. Corsair bought Elgato back in mid-2018 and its hardware and software popular among game streamers and YouTubers. So it makes sense that Corsair would integrate support for Stream Deck into its gaming hardware. 

Using Stream Deck software, you can easily program the six dedicated macro keys on the left side of the K95 Platinum XT to perform any number of tasks, from launching common programs and recording clips to performing various chat tasks, changing your in-game voice and so much more. Once again, Elgato’s hardware and software are very popular among gamers, with a robust community busy creating plugins that will let you do just about anything with the press of a button.

In short, while there’s room for improvement, the software that the K95 RGB Platinum XT is designed to work with is second to none. Though you may have to fiddle with things a bit to figure out how to accomplish some specific tasks (particularly with iCUE), there’s a ton of functionality here that lets you do a whole lot with your keyboard. My only real complaint is that it’s a bit clunky to have two separate pieces of software for your keyboard controls. Hopefully in the future Corsair will combine the features of both into one software suite for simplicity’s sake.

Bottom Line

I’ve tested dozens of mechanical keyboards over the years, and tend to keep going back to Corsair’s models when I’m not reviewing something else. I like their look and love the media controls and that luxurious volume wheel. The addition of Double Shot keycaps and a padded wrist rest easily make the K95 RGB Platinum XT the best version yet. And that’s before you consider that Elgato software support could potentially keep you from spending over $100 on a dedicated Stream Deck.

But unless this keyboard will actually save you from making that purchase, $200 is an awful lot to ask for a mechanical keyboard these days, even though this is one of the best there is. If you don’t need all these features, consider one of Corsair’s many more-affordable models. 

And if your keyboard doesn’t spend nearly all its time at the same battlestation, consider HyperX’s excellent Alloy Origins. It’s smaller, lighter, has a removable cable and feels just as premium as this Corsair model at less than half the price (currently around $110). You won’t get the nice dedicated media keys and volume rocker (which, again, I very much like). But you can at least pick up HyperX’s wrist rest for about $15 and still wind up saving about $75 over this model from Corsair. Then again, the K95 RGB Platinum XT is true keyboard luxury, and luxury and affordability rarely arrive in the same box. 

This Beautiful Smartphone Is Like an Affordable Samsung Galaxy S10

Here in the U.S., despite owning smartphone brands including Palm, Blackberry, and Alcatel, TCL is mostly known for making quality TVs with affordable price tags, just like the 6-Series set we recently crowned as one of the best values on the market. But now, with the debut of its 10-series phones, TCL is hoping to bring that same value-minded approach to the smartphone scene.

Back in the fall, TCL hinted that major changes were coming when it announced the Plex, the first phone to feature TCL branding instead of a logo from one of its subsidiaries. But with the 10-Series, TCL is taking things even further, sort of following in Samsung’s footsteps—both strategically and with the designs of its phone—by combining the company’s expertise in making TV displays and then putting them in more pocket-friendly devices.

As for the 10-series line itself, it’s comprised of three phones: the TCL 10L, the TCL 10 Pro, and the TCL 10 5G. And while TCL is refraining from providing a full list of specs for its new phones (TCL is planning to wait until Mobile World Congress in February for a full reveal), there are a number of interesting details we are learning now at CES, with the most notable being that all three phones—including the TCL 10 5G—will start at under $500.

Starting with what will be the most affordable of the three—the TCL 10L—you’re looking at a device with around a 6.2-inch LCD screen, rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, and quadruple rear cameras. At least one of the 10L’s rear cameras is a macro lens, which suggests the other three will probably have some combination of a primary wide-angle lens, one telephoto lens, and one ultra-wide lens. And while that’s about it in the way of concrete info for the 10L for now, that’s not a bad start.

But to me, the most interesting handset of the bunch is the TCL 10 Pro, which looks and feels like an affordable clone of the Galaxy S10, and I mean that in the best way possible. Like the S10, it features a rounded glass body with tapered sides, while the absence of a rear fingerprint sensor suggests it will have an in-display fingerprint built into its screen instead. Also, like the S10, the TCL 10 Pro will come with a high-res AMOLED display instead of an LCD screen, with the main difference being that the TCL 10 Pro will come with a centrally-located notch for its front-facing cam instead of a punch-hole selfie cam like you get on the Galaxy S10. I also have to say, that out of the 10 Pro’s two colors, I find the frosted glass on the dark green model especially fetching.

Finally, there’s the TCL 10 5G, which shares a lot of traits in common with the 10L including its LCD screen, rear cameras, rear fingerprint sensor, and even it’s overall design. Side-by-side, they are actually quite difficult to tell apart until you notice that the 10 5G sports a faint crystal pattern on its back that the 10L doesn’t have. The one confirmed spec we do have for the 10 5G is that it will feature a Snapdragon 7-series 5G chip from Qualcomm.

Aside from the new 10-series, TCL also showed of an updated version of its foldable phone, which has made some serious leaps in the 10 months or so since TCL announced it was working on flexible screen tech. This time, instead of showing off non-functional design mockups, TCL had a working prototype that was honestly quite impressive.

Sporting a dark green paint job with large crystal-like facets, TCL’s foldable concept features a clear familial resemblance with both the TCL 10 Pro and 10 5G. And while its plastic case did creak a bit when opening (hey, its a prototype), inside, its foldable screen looked sharp, colorful, and without really any sort of a crease. It’s a hugely encouraging demo considering TCL says it’s not really in a rush to compete with devices like the Samsung Galaxy Fold or Huawei Mate X, opting instead to let Samsung, Huawei, and others waste money figuring out the best form factor for foldable devices before TCL releases its own.

Meanwhile, when you look outside the 10-series, TCL big-picture strategy is beginning to get a lot more clear, with Alcatel now firmly focused on making budget devices and phones priced at $200 and under, while TCL-branded phones will focus on delivering “premium mid-tier phones in the $200 to $500 range.” This leaves brands like Palm and Blackberry the freedom to continue offering unique, more offbeat devices.

So now, with a new, more defined strategy for its growing portfolio of phones, it feels like TCL is finally combining all of its various resources into a more targeted and cohesive plan, while also trying preserving the same level of quality and value TCL is known for. In theory, the plan makes a lot of sense, now it’s just on TCL to execute.

Nikon’s Coolpix P950 has an improved EVF, 4K and 83x zoom power

Nikon has unveiled the Coolpix P950, a refresh of its popular P900 superzoom. While it doesn’t quite have the incredible 3,000mm equivalent reach of the P1000, it nevertheless delivers 83x zoom power equal to 2,000mm on 35mm cameras. That’s enough to capture a jet plane crossing the moon or the gleam in a bird’s eye for a long distance away.

While it packs the same 16-megapixel 1/2.3-inch sensor as before, the P950 has a much better 2.4-million dot EVF, over double the resolution of the last model. It can also now capture 4K, which will allow you to take much better video from a long ways away. That’ll be ideal for sports or wildlife videography, for example.

You can take photos at up to 7 fps and shoot RAW/JPEG photos in low light up to ISO 6400, as before. It also supports an optional DF-M1 gun-like Dot Sight to help you locate subjects and compose shots from far away. The Coolpix P950 will arrive in February for $800.

Windows 11 is the Microsoft operating system we need!

Windows 10 is a decent operating system now, but it’s had its issues over the years. Early releases spied on users, then in a bid to increase market share, Microsoft began forcing Windows 10 onto people, often against their will.

The twice yearly feature update process has meant we’ve seen rushed, buggy releases screwing up systems too, undermining people’s faith in the OS. Is it time to move away from Windows 10, and start afresh with Windows 11?

Serial concept creator Avdan has given us his vision of Windows 11 in the past, but now there’s a new design from the Hacker 34.

This imagining of Windows 11 gives us a brand new Start menu that Windows 7 users are likely to appreciate. It’s clean, and does away with Windows 10’s tiled design, but not everyone will like the Recommended panel, which suggests other apps people might like to install.

The smaller Action Center meets my approval though, and looks much more modern, as does the updated File Explorer which delivers that most wished for feature — tabs!

Borrowing an idea from smartphones, a new Screen Usage page shows how much time you spend on your PC, fluent design runs across the entire operating system in this concept, and dark mode also darkens your wallpaper.

For the nostalgic, the Hacker 34 also includes an XP mode in his creation, which is a fun addition.

AMD Launches Threadripper 3990X and Ryzen 4000 ‘Renoir’ APUs

AMD capped it’s whirlwind 2019 with promises of more to come: In particular, the beastly 64-core 128-thread Threadripper 3990X that we now know will come with a suggested pricing of $3,990 and land on February 7, 2020. AMD also finally fleshed out its Ryzen Mobile 4000-series, otherwise known as “Renoir,” that mark the first x86 7nm processors to arrive for the mobile space. These new chips come with up to eight Zen 2 cores and 16 threads paired with a new revamped 7nm Vega graphics engine, marking a new level of competition for Intel in the laptop market. The first laptops come to market in Q1 2020, with over 100+ systems coming throughout the year.

AMD also announced its long-awaited Radeon RX 5600XT, which comes bearing the RDNA architecture, 7nm process, and PCIe 4.0 interface.

Threadripper 3990X

AMD’s launch of the Threadripper 3970X and 3960X marked the beginning of a new era of AMD dominance in the high end desktop market. In fact, these 24- and 32-core models have so much horsepower that Intel doesn’t even have a response, leaving AMD to dominate the high-end market.

But the Threadripper 3990X extends that lead even further. This new processor comes with the same 280W TDP as its counterparts, but sports an unheard-of 64-cores and 128 threads. These cores operate at a 2.9 GHz base but boost up to 4.3 GHz, which is only 100 MHz lower than the targeted peak speeds of the 32-core 64-thread Threadripper 3970X. They also come with an unprecedented 288MB of L3 cache.

These new chips drop into existing sTRX40 motherboards, so there are no special platform requirements. Existing Threadripper cooling solutions and recommendations also still apply, so the 280W TDP shouldn’t be too difficult to tame.

AMD shared some performance projections, highlighting that its Ryzen 3000 series lineup scales well with the addition of more cores, giving the company the uncontested lead on the desktop. The 3990X’s hefty price tag will certainly relegate the chip to the creator and professional markets where the price of the processor is a small consideration considering the monetary gain of getting more work done, faster. Intel has no competing chips even in the range of the 3990X, so AMD is free to rake in a premium for these powerful chips.

AMD Ryzen 4000 “Renoir” APU Family

AMD splits the Ryzen 4000 family up into U-series for ultrathins, H-series for gamers and creators, and Pro-series models for the professional market. AMD’s new Ryzen 4000 series follows the company’s standard naming convention for its APUs, so while these are branded as 4000-series processors, they still come with the same Zen 2 microarchitecture and the 7nm TSMC process as the desktop 3000 series. This makes them the first 7nm x86 mobile processors. The architectural advances and 7nm process should provide AMD a solid step forward on the power efficiency front that has been a sore point for the company’s previous-gen products, and the company also unveiled its new 7nm Vega engine and SmartShift technology.

U Series

The 15W U-series lineup spans from four-core four-thread models up to eight-core 16-thread models. Yes, in a departure from its normal operating procedures, AMD has disabled SMT (threading) on some SKUs, which the company says is to accommodate custom OEM models. The U-series comes with a configurable TDP that spans from 12W to 25W

AMD says the 7nm process will bring higher core counts into the 15W power envelope, which marks the first time eight cores and 16-threads has squeezed down into thin-and-light devices. The new chips also come with a redesigned 7nm Navi graphics engine that it claims boosts performance within a much more efficient power envelope. AMD says this new engine allowed it to reduce the number of Compute Units (CU) from 11 to 8, while still maintaining what is claims is leading graphics performance compared to Intel’s Ice Lake processors. Due to the optimized 7nm Vega architecture, AMD says it can wring out 59% more performance per CU.

The Ryzen 7 4800U serves as the flagship of the U-series lineup with eight cores, sixteen threads, a 1.8 GHz base, and a 4.2 GHz boost clock speed, all within the 15W power envelope. The Vega graphics engine runs at 1750MHz.

AMD presented a range of tests comparing the Ryzen 7 4800U to Intel’s Ice Lake Core i7-1065G7, highlighting leading performance in all three key metrics: single-threaded, multi-threaded, and graphics performance. However, its noteworthy the company used the CPU-intensive 3DMark TimeSpy physics test for the projection. The company also presented a range of testing in real-world 1080P gaming and creator workloads.

Power Benefits

AMD claims the benefits of the 7nm process combine with optimizations to the SoC power delivery to yield 20% lower power consumption and twice the performance per watt. Other improvements, like a 5X reduction in power state entry and exit, along with the obvious advantages of LPDDR4x memory, also provide a significant step forward for battery efficiency. AMD presented this information for the U-series products, but did not share any power information about the H- or Pro-series processors.

AMD also introduced its new SmartShift technology, which allows the platform to monitor the power states of both the GPU and CPU, both of which provide enhanced telemetry via the Infinity Fabric, to modulate power delivery in real time. This allows the platform to deliver extra power to where it’s needed depending upon the workload, which AMD claims boosts both GPU and CPU performance. AMD says this new tech only works when its CPUs are paired with an AMD discrete GPU, so it won’t work with Nvidia-based systems. The company also announced a new “A+A+A” initiative that it says designates systems with AMD CPUs, GPUs, and drivers. This is partially to encourage OEMs to allow their customers to use AMD’s full driver suite.

H-series

AMD also has an H-series lineup that comes with a 35W nominal TDP rating, but has a configurable TDP range that extends from 35W to 45W, with a 45W nominal and 54W peak power consumption.

The Ryzen 7 4800H comes with eight cores and 16-threads that operate at a 2.9 GHz base and a 4.2 GHz boost. This chip comes with 7 CUs that run at 1600 MHz. AMD also has the six-core 12-thread Ryzen 5 4600H, which has a 3.0 GHz base and 4.0 GHz boost. This processor steps back to 6CU that operate at a 1500MHz.

This family only consists of two models, but AMD claims the flagship can take on even the desktop Core i7-9700K in both creator and gaming workloads. (AMD also used 3D Mark physics test for that gaming performance comparison). AMD also shared its internal test data of several other workloads against the Core i7-9750H.

Athlon

AMD also announced the new Athlon Gold and Silver models that flesh out its lineup of Chromebook-optimized chips.

Acer’s ConceptD 7 Ezel is a smaller transforming laptop designed for creators

Acer has announced a smaller version of its creator-focused transforming ConceptD laptop following the launch of the ConceptD 9 last year. The new ConceptD 7 Ezel features a smaller 15.6-inch 4K display (down from 17.3 inches in the previous model), which can be rotated into five different configurations, including a floating mode that sees the display hover above the laptop’s keyboard. Alternatively, you can fold the touchscreen down, and sketch on it using the included Wacom EMR pen. Acer has also announced the ConceptD 700 desktop, which features powerful internals packed into a chassis with a minimalist design.

Acer’s floating, transforming laptop displays date back to 2013’s Aspire R7, and last year, it built its Ezel hinge into the Triton 900 gaming laptop. However, while the transforming screen felt a little gimmicky when used for gaming, the design has much more potential with creative tasks since it allows you to use the laptop more like a drawing tablet.

The company is keen to emphasize that its new laptop’s screen is highly color-accurate, making it suitable for creative work. The screen covers 100 percent of the Adobe RGB color gamut, and it has a color accuracy of Delta E <2. Acer says the laptop’s screen has a peak brightness of 400 nits and features an anti-glare coating.

Elsewhere, ConceptD 7 Ezel has the kind of specs you’d expect to find in a gaming-focused machine. It comes with up to an Intel 10th Gen H-series processor, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB of PCIe solid-state storage. There’s also a Pro version, which you can configure with an Intel Xeon processor. Both laptops feature Nvidia GPUs (you get the option of Quadro RTX GPUs with the Pro), and they’re also part of Nvidia’s RTX Studio program, which includes drivers designed to boost the performance of creative software. The laptop includes two Thunderbolt 3 ports, an SD card slot, DisplayPort 1.4, and HDMI 2.0.

Alongside the new laptop, Acer has also announced a desktop PC with a similar focus on creators. The ConceptD 700 can be configured with up to an Intel Xeon E processor, Nvidia Quadro RTX 4000, and 64GB RAM. It’s also got quite an interesting case design, with a wood-effect top panel that has a built-in wireless charging pad.

Given their professional focus, it’s not surprising that neither the ConceptD 700 nor the ConceptD 7 Ezel will come cheap. The ConceptD 7 Ezel starts at $2,699, with a release date that’s yet to be announced. The Pro model starts at $3,099 and will be available in July. There’s no North American pricing or availability info for the ConceptD 700 just yet, but it’ll be available in Europe in March starting at €1,699.

Lenovo’s Yoga Creator 7: A Budget 15.6-Inch NVIDIA Studio Laptop for Creators

Nowadays the market for content creation is bigger than ever. And while suitable machines need to be fairly fast, few of need to be an expensive machine with a professional-grade GPU; moderately-priced machines are increasingly powerful enough to do the job. So, aiming for this audience, Lenovo is introducing its Yoga Creator 7, a 15.6-inch laptop that promises to meet performance needs of mobile digital content creators.

The Lenovo Yoga Creator 7 is equipped with a 15.6-inch display panel that covers 100% of the sRGB color gamut, which remains the web standard. The notebook is based on Intel’s 10th Generation Core processors (presumably Comet Lake, though Lenovo does not specify) that is accompanied by NVIDIA’s GeForce GPU with NVIDIA Studio drivers certified by select ISVs for their applications. The system supports Lenovo’s Q-Control technology to boost performance when it is needed most as well as Lenovo’s Intelligent Cooling that automatically adjust fan speed depending on the workload to optimize battery life. Speaking of the latter, Lenovo says that the mobile PC can last for 13 hours on one charge and supports its Rapid Charge capability.

Being a performance-mainstream notebook, the Yoga Creator 7 comes with a Windows Hello-compliant IR-enabled webcam, a fingerprint scanner, an optional Wi-Fi 6 adapter, Dolby Atmos-certified speakers, and far-field microphones compatible with Amazon Alexa and Microsoft Cortana.

The 15.6-inch Lenovo Yoga Creator 7 weighs 1.9 kilograms and is 16.4 mm thick, which is lower than that of mainstream 15.6-inch notebook, which will make it more attractive for the modern audience.

In addition to the Yoga Creator 6, Lenovo also announced its IdeaPad Creator 5 15.6-inch mainstream laptop. The IdeaPad features an IPS display, Intel’s 10th Gen Core processors, an NVIDIA’s GeForce GPU with Studio Drivers, up to 16 GB DDR4 DRAM, and up to 1 TB PCIe SSD. The machine weighs 2.2 kilograms and promises up to 8 hours of battery life, which is in line with other mainstream 15.6-inch-class machines.

For now, Lenovo plans to make its Yoga Creator 7 and IdeaPad Creator 5 available on select markets and has no plans to bring them to North America.