The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT rumoured to top at a game clock of 2.4 GHz, but AIB cards could go even higher

We are just over a week away from the announcement of the Radeon RX 6000 series, but some interesting details about the upcoming cards have been shared online. Shared by @_rogame and @patrickshur_, the information is reputed to be the clock speeds of AMD’s ‘Big Navi’ graphics cards. According to @_rogame, AMD will release four variants of the Navi 21 GPU, called Navi 21 XL, XLE, XT and XTX.

As the screenshots below indicate, the XT variants are thought to be AMD’s more premium offerings, with the XL and XLE being the company’s two entry-level Navi 21 cards. Apparently, reference cards will offer lower clock speeds than AIB custom ones, which is not much of a surprise. Navi 21 XL and XT will reputedly exceed 2.1 GHz though, with the XT variants apparently being capable of reaching 2.4 GHz.

@patrickschur_ and @_rogame believe that 2.4 GHz represents the peak game clock for the Navi 21 XT, which would be a huge increase over the game clock of the RX 5700 XT. Additionally, @patrickshur_ believes that the Navi 21 XT will manage this with a 255 W TGP (total graphics power) and will be paired with 16 GB of GDDR6 VRAM.

@_rogame speculates that AMD will brand the Navi 21 XT as the RX 6800 XT, while the Navi 21 will be the RX 6800. Both may have 72 Compute Units (CUs), with 80 CUs reserved for the RX 6900 XT, which will use the Navi 21 XTX GPU. Presumably, the Navi 21 XLE would be the RX 6900 based on those names, but we shall find out definitively on October 28 at AMD’s launch event.

Some early Google Pixel 5 units are exhibiting quality control issues

The Pixel 5 may have been well received by reviewers, but some early units are exhibiting quality control issues. First reported by Android Police, complaints of gaps between the display and chassis of some Pixel 5 handsets are mounting up online, especially on the Google Support and XDA Developers Forums.

The issue appears to be affecting devices in different ways, as the photos below demonstrate. On some devices, for example, there is a clear gap between the display and the housing. While these devices will undoubtedly need replacing, the issue is more subtle on others. Anecdotally, the Pixel 5 that we purchased has uneven gaps between the display and the case. Some areas are flush, but on others there is enough of a gap to slide a fingernail in between.

Both the Sorta Sage and Just Black versions of the Pixel 5 are affected, although it seems to be easier to notice the problem on the latter than it is on the former. Google is yet to comment on the matter, but numerous people are concerned about if the issue renders the Pixel 5’s IP68 water resistance. Even if there are no issues in that regard, the gaps are accumulating dust, which is rather unsightly.

The Motorola Moto G9 Plus has an identification problem

The Motorola Moto G9 Plus is launched in Germany at a reasonable purchase price of around 270 Euros (around $289 in the US). For this price, buyers of the Moto G9 Plus receive a 6.8 inch 60 Hz LC display with FHD+ resolution and a Snapdragon 730G with 4 GB RAM and 128 GB internal memory.

However, the Moto G9 Plus lacks features that set it apart from the mid-range competition. The built-in battery has a fairly large capacity of 5,000mAh which supports quick charging. Although nowadays this is not a unique selling point anymore. With the “TurboPower” charging technology, the battery is fully charged in about 60 minutes thanks to the 30-Watt quick charge function, which is a plus point at this price range.

Whether this is sufficient to prevail against other cheap mid-range mobile phones with high refresh rates (e.g. Poco X3 NFC) or with OLED panels (e.g. Samsung Galaxy M51) is at least doubtful. Because the G9 Plus has clear deficits, especially when it comes to the display. The maximum brightness we measured for a pure white screen background is only 390 nits, while the APL50 brightness, which is probably more relevant in everyday life, is only 361 nits. In addition, the 60 Hz panel of the Moto G9 Plus has non-uniform brightness levels, especially at the lower edge of the display, and shows a slight halo formation with dark display contents. 

If you would you like to get a detailed impression of the Moto G9 Plus we recommend our in-depth review on the Motorola smartphone.

The Xiaomi Mi Watch Color Sports Edition has two weeks of battery life and a SpO2 sensor for ~US$105

Xiaomi is yet to bring the Mi Watch to Europe, but the company has already announced a new smartwatch. The latest Mi Watch is cheaper, too. Xiaomi has called its latest effort the Mi Watch Color Sports Edition, which it has priced at CNY 699 (~US$105) – CNY 100 (~US$15) less than it charges for the Mi Watch.

The differences between the Mi Watch Color Sports Edition and the regular model are minimal, though. Xiaomi has switched from stainless steel to aluminium, for example, although this makes the Sports Edition 7.5 g lighter than the Mi Watch. The 1.39-inch AMOLED screen from the Mi Watch returns, as does a SpO2 sensor, a GPS module and an optical heart rate monitor.

Xiaomi has complemented the 454 x 454-pixel display with a 420 mAh battery, which it claims can last up to two weeks on a single charge. However, do not expect such long battery life with GPS and the heart rate monitor turned on, though.

The Mi Watch Color Sports Edition features 117 sports modes, along with sleep tracking. The smartwatch is 5 ATM water-resistant, which will allow you to take it swimming. Xiaomi has yet to announce international availability, but we imagine that the company will eventually bring it to market outside of China.

Leaked Lenovo Tab P11 details confirm design and specifications of upcoming budget tablet

It has been a few months since Lenovo unveiled the Tab P11 Pro, and now more details about a non-Pro model have leaked. The Tab P11 Pro will be available from next month, but Lenovo has yet to confirm plans to release the Tab P11. Unsurprisingly, the Tab P11 will be a less premium version of the Tab P11 Pro.

Instead of an 11.5-inch display, the Tab P11 has a slightly smaller 11-inch panel that resolves natively at 2,000 x 1,200 pixels. According to TechnikNews, the display has a screen-to-body ratio of 85% and a peak brightness of 400 nits. The display has relatively slim bezels too, within which Lenovo has integrated an 8 MP camera. There is also a 13 MP rear-facing camera, along with an LED flash.

A Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 will reputedly power the Tab P11, instead of the Snapdragon 730G in the Tab P11 Pro. Additionally, the tablet will have 6 GB of RAM, and a 7,700 mAh abttery. There is no word on storage options, but the Tab P11 will ship with Android 10, rather than the newer Android 11.

Lenovo will sell several accessories for the Tab P11 too, including a Precision Pen 2 active pen and a detachable type cover. The former apparently will support up to 4,096 pressure levels, tilt detection and will be charged via USB Type-C. Lenovo will sell a new Smart Charging Station, too. There is no word on pricing yet, though.

Initial XPS 13 9310 Tiger Lake performance comparisons underline why Dell should release an AMD Ryzen 4000-powered XPS 13

It has only been a few weeks since Dell unveiled the Tiger Lake edition of the XPS 13, so detailed reviews are thin on the ground. While we are yet to get our hands on an XPS 13 9310, Phoronix has. Unsurprisingly, the website has put the machine through its paces to see what advancements the Tiger Lake architecture offers compared to Intel’s Ice Lake series. Phoronix reviews devices in Linux, so the results are not necessarily transferable to Windows 10. However, the review offers early real-world comparison between Tiger Lake and Renoir, AMD’s Ryzen 4000 mobile processors.

Phoronix reviewed the Core i7-1165G7 edition, which is the second most powerful chip in Intel’s Tiger Lake-U series product stack behind the Core i7-1185G7. The website tested the Tiger Lake machine on Ubuntu 20.04.1 LTS with Linux 5.9 and Mesa 20.3-devel, for reference, and compared it to the Core i7-8565U, Core i7-1065G7, Ryzen 5 4500U and Ryzen 7 4700U.

Based on Phoronix’s findings, the Iris Xe Graphics G7 (96 EUs) in the Core i7-1165G7 offers a huge uplift in performance from the GPUs that Intel integrated in its Ice Lake chips. The Xe Graphics G7 even has the beating of the Vega 7 and Vega 5 GPUs in most synthetic benchmarks, which is a win for Intel. However, Phoronix has shown that Tiger Lake remains way down on Renoir when also considering CPU performance.

The XPS 13 9310 in Phoronix’s possession averaged a 17% improvement from the Core i7-1065G7, which should not be sniffed at. The Core i7-1165G7 needed to post even greater improvements to surpass the performance of the Ryzen 5 4500U or Ryzen 7 4700U, though. From Phoronix’s data, the Core i7-1165G7 averaged around 7% less than the Ryzen 5 4500U and finished 18% behind the Ryzen 7 4700U. 

Worse still, OEMs tend to equip cheaper machines with Renoir processors, further impacting on perceived value for money by picking a Tiger Lake laptop like the XPS 13 9310. The value of Dell’s latest XPS 13 is more than just processor performance, of course, as it is one of the most compact machines in its class. Equally, its near bezel-less display, excellent keyboard and solid battery life are all reasons to consider the XPS 13. A Ryzen 7 4700U or Ryzen 7 4800U-model would be a huge step up for the XPS 13 series though, and these early Tiger Lake results show just what Dell is missing by sticking with Intel.

Based on Phoronix’s findings, the Iris Xe Graphics G7 (96 EUs) in the Core i7-1165G7 offers a huge uplift in performance from the GPUs that Intel integrated in its Ice Lake chips. The Xe Graphics G7 even has the beating of the Vega 7 and Vega 5 GPUs in most synthetic benchmarks, which is a win for Intel. However, Phoronix has shown that Tiger Lake remains way down on Renoir when also considering CPU performance.

The XPS 13 9310 in Phoronix’s possession averaged a 17% improvement from the Core i7-1065G7, which should not be sniffed at. The Core i7-1165G7 needed to post even greater improvements to surpass the performance of the Ryzen 5 4500U or Ryzen 7 4700U, though. From Phoronix’s data, the Core i7-1165G7 averaged around 7% less than the Ryzen 5 4500U and finished 18% behind the Ryzen 7 4700U. 

Worse still, OEMs tend to equip cheaper machines with Renoir processors, further impacting on perceived value for money by picking a Tiger Lake laptop like the XPS 13 9310. The value of Dell’s latest XPS 13 is more than just processor performance, of course, as it is one of the most compact machines in its class. Equally, its near bezel-less display, excellent keyboard and solid battery life are all reasons to consider the XPS 13. A Ryzen 7 4700U or Ryzen 7 4800U-model would be a huge step up for the XPS 13 series though, and these early Tiger Lake results show just what Dell is missing by sticking with Intel.

OPPO launches its first-ever TVs with a 65-inch QLED flagship model

OPPO unveiled its inaugural big-screen devices at its Wisdom Life exhibition, a conference for new developments in its overall ecosystem. Its new and possibly largest additions run on ColorOS (the OEM’s Android skin) TV and boast some impressive specs.

The best example of these may be the new MediaTek MT9950 chipset introduced alongside the OPPO S1 TV. It is the first SoC to bring both 8K video playback support and Wi-Fi 6 to this form factor. It is accompanied by a whopping 8.5GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage in the S1, which, according to OPPO, gives it a boot-up time of 1 second.

The S1 TV is also rated for 210-zone local dimming, 120% of the NTSC color gamut, 1500-nit brighness and is certified for blue-light safety by TUV Rheinland. Its 65-inch QLED panel has a 120Hz refresh rate, but can also vary this spec to as low as 48Hz depending on the content shown.

The R1, on the other hand, does not have many of these high-end specs. However, it still does have 4K (in an LCD panel), 8K playback and 93% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. It also has two 55- and 65-inch SKUs, which are powered by the MediaTek MTK9652 chipset, 2GB RAM and 32GB of storage.

The new OPPO TVs also all have pop-up cameras, speakers tuned by Dynaudio, HDMI 2.1 and remotes that can pair via NFC so that phones from this OEM can also control the new big-screen products. The S1 has been set at a normal price of 7999 yuan (~US$1197); however, OPPO has announced that this will be cut by 1000 yuan (~$150) during China’s popular 11.11 sales event.

The R1 55- and 65-inch variants, on the other hand, will be 3299 yuan (~$494) and 4299 yuan (~$643) when they go on sale. This should kick off from November 1, 2020. OPPO is also slated to bring these devices to the Indian market, but the date of such an event is not yet known at this time.

Xiaomi announces the Mi 10T series in the UK; Mi 10T Lite to debut for £299 from October 26

The Mi 10T series is finally making its way to the UK, having launched in multiple Eurozone countries. The full Mi 10T trio will be available to purchase too, unlike the Mi 10 series. Xiaomi will also offer the three devices in multiple colours and configurations.

The Mi 10T Lite will be available to order first, and for a healthy discount initially. According to Xiaomi, the Mi 10T Lite will be available to pre-order from October 26 on Mi.com and Amazon. However, it will eventually be sold by Vodafone, too.

October 26 is also the date of Xiaomi’s ‘Earlybird Flash Sale’, where the Mi 10T Lite will start from £199 with 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. If you need more storage, then Xiaomi will charge £249 for the 128 GB edition during its flash sale. Prices will rise to £229 and £249 after that, for reference.

As for the Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro, well these will start at £469 and £599, respectively. These will go up for pre-order on November 2 and will come bundled with a pair of Xiaomi’s True Wireless Earbuds. Both devices will be sold by 3, along with the three retailers that will carry the Mi 10T Lite. It does not seem that either device will be eligible for an early bird deal, though.

OPPO teases the Watch RX, an upcoming round-faced smartwatch

OPPO held its Wisdom Life event today (October 19, 2020) to launch new parts of its growing device ecosystem. One example is its new Watch RX, shown off briefly during the conference. It is a wearable; however, unlike its Watch and Watch ECG editions, it has a round face.

Its debut confirms an earlier leak that indicated OPPO would indeed adopt this form-factor as an alternative to its existing square-faced smartwatches. This Watch RX does exhibit the 3D curved glass found in its predecessors, however.

Unfortunately, OPPO did not reveal much about it, besides that its new dial houses a 1.28-inch AMOLED display and it will be available in black, gold and blue colorways. It will be released for sale on November 1, 2020 in China.

Units of the Watch RX sold on this date may run the new ColoeOS 1.5 version. It has been updated with over 50 new watchfaces, 8 new sports mode and an SOS function in wearables with mobile data. In other news, OPPO has also now launched its promised League of Legends versions of the Find X2 and Watch.

They have the same specs as their “normal” counterparts (additionally, the LOL S10 Watch is not an ECG Edition), and are now stocked on the OEM’s online store for 4999 (~US$748) and 1999 yuan (~US$299) respectively.

The OPPO Enco X are new ANC TWS earbuds tuned by Dynaudio

OPPO’s Enco line of TWS earbuds has a new member. The X variant, like some of its siblings, conforms to the basic Apple AirPod-clone shape, although they may have shorter stalks than usual. The OEM claims they are packed with parts such as triple-layer composite large dynamic coil unit and superconducting magnetic planar diaphragms to make up their 11 millimeter (mm) drivers.

The Enco X buds connect to a paired Android or iOS phone with Bluetooth 5.2. They deliver their audio using OPPO’s in-house DBEE3.0 sound system, which, as it claims, drives “Hi-Fi audio” and the LHDC codec (an unusual choice among TWS devices these days).

They are also rated to exclude noise using a dedicated chipset and a triple-mic system that also functions for clarity during voice calls. The IP54 Enco X buds also support a “transparency mode” and might last for a total of 30 hours when combined with their case.

They are now available to pre-order in Nocturne Black or Song White, with a third Bamboo Green colorway to become available later. They have been priced at 999 yuan (~US$150).