HP Omen Spacer Wireless TKL keyboard and Omen Vector Wireless mouse seem to be enticing options for lag-free wireless gaming

HP is announcing a few new additions to its gaming accessory lineup. We’ve seen the Omen Blast and Omen Frequency Wireless before and now it is time to take a look at the Omen Space Wireless tenkeyless (TKL) keyboard and the Omen Vector Wireless mouse.

HP Omen Spacer Wireless TKL Keyboard

The Omen Spacer is a wireless TKL keyboard that utilizes Warp Wireless Technology over the 2.4 GHz frequency band. HP says that this wireless connection is as fast as a traditional wire though it still bundles a cable with the keyboard for flexibility. The Omen Spacer uses Cherry MX Brown switches with a 1 ms response time and a rated lifetime of up to 100 million keystrokes.

The keys offer 100% anti-ghosting with N-key rollover. They also can be fully configured to offer custom lighting and macro functionality via HP’s Omen Command Center software. According to HP, the Omen Spacer Wireless can offer up to six hours of play time with just five minutes of charging via USB-C and up to 75 hours on a full charge. A detachable USB cable and a magnetic palm rest come included in the box.

HP Vector Wireless Mouse

The Vector Wireless mouse uses the same Warp Wireless Technology as the Omen Spacer keyboard and offers 1 ms polling rates with extremely low input lag. The Vector Wireless uses a PixArt PAW3335 sensor that allows for customizing the DPI between 100 to 16,000 with a tracking speed of 400 inches per second and an acceleration of 40G. HP says that the Vector Wireless tracks with a 99% accuracy.

The Vector Wireless is designed primarily for right hand use and can be gripped in both palm and claw styles. There are a total of six programmable buttons and they can be customized in the Omen Command Center, which can also be used to control the lighting.

The Vector Wireless uses Omron mechanical switches for the left and right buttons and these are rated for 50 million clicks each. The Vector Wireless can be used both in wired and wireless modes. HP says that just 30 seconds of charging via USB-C can offer up to an hour of battery life while a full charge can yield up to 180 hours.

The HP Omen Spacer Wireless TKL keyboard is available for pre-order via hp.com for US$159.99 while the HP Vector Wireless mouse can be purchased now for US$99.99.

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra global release more likely as Mi fans in Spain compete to get up close and personal with the flagship smartphone

The Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra is arguably one of the best smartphones on the market at the moment. It smashed its way through the AnTuTu Android smartphone performance benchmark, managing a score of 646,730 points, and the Xiaomi device also sports the highest-rated camera system on DxOMark. It’s a premium device that comes with a 120 Hz OLED screen and a Snapdragon 865 processor. The only problem for fans of the powerful product is that it is only currently available in China…for the time being.

However, there are hints of a global release coming for the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra, such as the fact that a Mi Community blog post has detailed how three Mi fans can win the opportunity to get a good look (and feel) of the high-end smartphone courtesy of Andrew Wong, who just happens to be the Xiaomi Iberia country manager. To get the chance to test out the Mi 10 Ultra, fans should follow Wong’s Twitter account, and then reply to his post about why they should be selected to try out the smartphone.

This certainly indicates that Xiaomi might be considering a Spain or Europe release for the Mi 10 Ultra, but a comment at the end of the relevant blog post suggests an even wider release could be on the cards: “Oh…but if you don’t live in Madrid, don’t worry that this doesn’t end here, we already have another ULTRA surprise to come in the next few days [sic].” It seems the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra is going on tour while the Chinese OEM gets the opportunity to gauge public and fan response to the device before risking an international launch.

Current pricing in China:

8 GB + 128 GB: 5,299 yuan (US$783/£607/€660)

8 GB + 256 GB: 5,599 yuan (US$827/£641/€698)

12 GB + 256 GB: 5,999 yuan (US$886/£687/€748)

16 GB + 512 GB: 6,999 yuan (US$1,034/£801/€872)

LG Wing launched with two displays, a gimbal camera and a Snapdragon 765G chipset

LG has unveiled the Wing, its attempt at a new smartphone form factor. The Wing is the first example of the company’s ‘Explorer Project’ series, which it will use to showcase unusual smartphone designs. The Wing certainly fits that description with its fold-out secondary display. The Wing is not a foldable smartphone like the ones that Samsung has released in the last eighteen months, but its secondary display is not detachable either as LG’s Dual Screen accessories are.

Instead, the main display can be rotated 90° to reveal a small secondary one. LG has designed the secondary screen to act as an extension for what is being displayed on the main panel. For example, the secondary screen could show media controls while watching a movie or serve as a map when gaming. The Wing is only 10.9 mm thick too, making it only 2 mm thicker than the LG V60. The two devices are roughly the same height as each too at just over 169 mm, although the 74.5 mm width of the LG Wing makes it 3.1 mm narrower than the LG V60. The former weighs 262 g though, making it 49 g heavier than the global version of the LG V60.

The Wing has another trick up its sleeve, too. The device’s main display measures 6.8-inches, above and below which are relatively small bezels. LG has achieved this by including a pop-up selfie camera that sits within the phone body. The latter also houses the earpiece, but LG has included a small cut-out at the top of the main display for when the Wing is in candy-bar mode.

The main display has a built-in fingerprint scanner, too. The display itself is a P-OLED panel that operates at 2,460 x 1,080 pixels in a 20.5:9 aspect ratio. These values correspond to a pixel density of 395 PPI. By contrast, the secondary display measures 3.9-inches and is a G-OLED panel with a pixel density of 419 PPI at 1,240 x 1,080 pixels.

LG has equipped the Wing with a Snapdragon 765G SoC, 8 GB of RAM and a 4,000 mAh battery. The device also has 128 GB of expandable storage and a USB Type-C port that is USB 3.1-compatible. The latter supports up to 25 W fast charging, although you can also charge the Wing wirelessly at up to 12 W. Separately, the Wing lacks a 3.5 mm jack, which may come as a surprise for LG fans.

LG has also included four cameras, including a 32 MP selfie camera. The Wing has the same 64 MP standard and 13 MP ultra-wide cameras from the LG V60, along with a 12 MP gimbal motion camera. The latter has an f/1.9 aperture, a 79.6° field of view (FoV) and a pixel width of 0.8 μm. LG has not included a telephoto lens on the Wing. However, DxOMark remarked when reviewing the LG V60 that the 2x magnification it achieves using its 64 MP sensor is ‘pretty much on the same level as devices featuring a 2x optical tele’ like the Pixel 4 XL.

The LG Wing costs €1,100 and will be available in Europe from November. The device will come in two colours that LG calls Aurora Grey and Illusion Sky.

Leaked GoPro Hero 9 Black protective replacement lens cover suggests that GoPro has listened to its fans

GoPro made several strides forwards with last year’s Hero 8 Black, but the removal of the protective replacement lens cover was not one of them. Effectively, this change made it difficult to remove the lens cover from the Hero 8 Black, as The Verge discovered during its review of the action camera. GoPro has addressed this with this year’s camera, the Hero 9 Black, though. It is unclear why GoPro has u-turned on this, but the volume of complaints about the removal of the lens cover suggests that GoPro has listened to its fans.

The news comes courtesy of Roland Quandt, who tweeted a picture of the new protective replacement lens cover on Friday. The lens cover will protect the Hero 9 Black’s 23.6 MP camera, which is an upgrade on the 12 MP sensor in the Hero 8 Black. The new camera will allow the Hero 9 Black to shoot in up to 5K at 30 FPS like last year’s Hero Max. Additionally, the Hero 9 Black will support newer versions of HyperSmooth and TimeWarp technologies.

Another big change for the next GoPro Hero will be the switch to a colour front display. It is unclear how this display will be utilised, but it is larger than the one that GoPro included on the Hero 8 Black. Similarly, the Hero 9 Black will feature a 41% larger battery than its predecessor, which will have a capacity of 1,720 mAh. While the Hero 9 Black sound like a substantial upgrade over the Hero 8 Black, the former’s price reflects these changes. According to Quandt, GoPro will price the Hero 9 Black at €479 – over 11% more than the launch price of the Hero 8 Black.

Acer unveils its first HDMI 2.1, 4K and 144 Hz external monitor

Acer has unveiled its first gaming monitor with HDMI 2.1 support. The HDMI Forum announced HDMI 2.1 in January 2017, which added support for up to 10K at 120 Hz. HDMI 2.1 also supports Dynamic HDR for scene-by-scene HDR, among other changes. Hence, HDMI 2.1 is ideal for next-generation consoles like the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. The XV282K KV supports Adaptive Sync and AMD FreeSync for connection with desktop GPUs.

The monitor in question is the Acer XV282K KV, which is part of the company’s NITRO XV2 series. The XV282K KV has a 28-inch IPS panel that resolves at up to 3,840 x 2,160 pixels with a 144 Hz refresh rate. Acer has sourced the 28-inch panel from Innolux, which PCMonitors.info claims is the M280DCA AAS. Acer has VESA DisplayHDR 600 certified the XV282K KV, but its typical maximum luminance will be closer to 550 cd/m². Additionally, Acer claims that the panel will offer 98% coverage of the DCI-P3 colour space and a contrast ratio of 1,000:1.

The XV282K KV also has an adjustable stand, along with four USB 3.0 Type-A ports, two HDMI 2.1 ports and a DisplayPort 1.4 connection. Acer has included two speakers too and a 3.5 mm output if you want to connect headphones or external speakers.

The Acer XV282K KV currently retails for CNY 8,499 (~US$1,245). Pre-orders are open in China, although the monitor will not ship until January 2021. PCMonitors.infoexpects Acer to release the XV282K KV internationally too.

New leaked Google Pixel 5 images confirm 128 GB storage option and symmetrical bezel

It has been a few days since @japonton posted hands-on photos with a prototype of the Pixel 5, but they have now delivered yet more glimpses of the upcoming handset. On the one hand, the new photos provide a better look at the symmetrical bezels of the Pixel 5, which will make a change from the Pixel 3 and Pixel 4 series.

On the other hand, they also show that Google will sell the device with 128 GB of storage. This was to be expected, but it will be interesting to see if 128 GB will be the base level for the Pixel 5, or if the company will continue to offer a 64 GB storage option on its premium smartphones.

Little else can be gleaned from the three photos. However, recent FCC certifications suggest that Google will release mmWave 5G and Sub-6 5G versions of the Pixel 5. The handset is expected to launch with a Snapdragon 765G in a colour that Jon Prosser described as black and green. Google is expected to launch the Pixel 5 at US$699 too, which will be a sharp reduction from the prices it charges for the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL.

Redmi Note 8, Redmi Note 9S, Redmi Note 9 Pro billed to star the show in third phase of MIUI 12 rollout

Xiaomi has been sending out MIUI 12 updates for well over three months at this point. In that period, the company has rolled out MIUI 12 to most of its premium phones, including the previously-ignored Mi Mix 3 5G. For some reason, however, the Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 9 Pro series remain on MIUI 11. But not for much longer. 

Just last week, Xiaomi finally rolled the credits on the second phase of its MIUI 12 rollout. The second phase of the rollout saw updates sent out to phones like the Mi Mix 2, Redmi Note 9, and Redmi Note 7. The company has now entered the third phase, and going by previous information, should see devices like the Mi Max 3, Mi CC9e, and Mi Note 3 get the update. Even more importantly, the update should finally arrive for the Redmi Note 8.

Older information indicates that the Redmi Note 9 Pro, Redmi Note 9 Pro Max, and Redmi Note 9S will all get the MIUI 12 update in the fourth phase of the rollout. However, there’s official confirmation that the Redmi Note 9 Pro will start getting the stable MIUI 12 update in certain regions this month. It’s logical to assume that the other Snapdragon 720G-powered phones will also get the update at the same time—and likely as part of the third phase.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE: The Galaxy S20 “for the fans” revealed ahead of official release

Samsung is yet to announce the Galaxy S20 FE officially but its Filipino sub-division did, albeit briefly. Nonetheless, the reliable Evan Blass caught the slip-up, essentially confirming that a full-on launch is imminent. The listing, which has now been taken down, showed the S20 FE in two colours and with 128 GB of storage. Additionally, it confirmed that the device will come with dual-SIM connectivity.

Unsurprisingly, the marketing renders on Samsung Philippines correlate with those published by Blass and Roland Quandt. According to a leak earlier this month, the flat display of the S20 FE will measure 6.5-inches and will have a 120 Hz refresh rate. The screen will be a Super AMOLED panel too and will operate natively at 2,400 x 1,080 pixels at a pixel density of 407 PPI.

A 4,500 mAh battery will also be on board, as will 6 GB of RAM. Samsung Philippines also confirmed that the S20 FE will be available in Cloudy Navy and Cloud Lavendar, but we already know that Samsung plans to release the handset in Green, Orange, Red and White, too. Finally, the S20 FE has been assigned the model number G780F and will come in 4G and 5G variants.

Microsoft’s Surface Duo dual-screen Android phone now available starting at US$1399, early reviews unimpressed

For those that have been anticipating Microsoft’s dual-screen Surface Duo, today is the day. The Android phone is now available, but it definitely doesn’t come cheap.

The Surface Duo’s main feature is its two 5.6-inch 1800×1350 AMOLED displays. The phone has a 2-in-1 style hinge that allows it to open into a tablet. In this mode, the full display area has an 8.1-inch diagonal with a combined resolution of 2700×1800.

Other specs include last year’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, 6 GB of RAM, and either 128 GB or 256 GB of non-expandable UFS 3.0 storage. The Surface Duo runs Android 10 and comes with a bevy of Microsoft and Google apps pre-installed.

Prospective purchasers can buy the Surface Duo either unlocked from Microsoft or from AT&T for US$1399 (128 GB) or $1499 (256 GB).

Along with the official launch, the first wave of reviews of the Surface Duo went live today. Initial impressions are fairly mixed; while many outlets praised the phone’s design and form factor, several found the software to be undercooked, resulting in numerous bugs. Reviewers found that several Android apps simply aren’t designed for dual-screen support, and others exhibit odd and buggy behavior. Even the built-in system tools, such as the keyboard, were found to act erratically.

Considering the hype surrounding the Surface Duo, it’s likely Microsoft will iron out many of these issues in a short time. However, it seems that at launch, the Surface Duo is an expensive phone for early adopters that are fine with testing software rather than enjoying a fully fleshed out dual-screen experience.

What do you think of the Surface Duo? Let us know in the comments below.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 series may also suffer from a green tint display issue

Green tint has slowly turned into a popular issue with recent OLEDs. There were reports with the Galaxy S20 Ultra earlier this year, with similar reports coming from OnePlus 8 Pro owners and then iPhone 11 Pro series. The most recent cases were with the new Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Galaxy Tab S7, and Galaxy Tab S7+. It appears that the issue isn’t just peculiar to the current generation of smartphones, however.

Going by multiple accounts, the Galaxy S10 series also seems to be plagued by the green tint issue. It’s entirely curious, as the S10 series featured 60 Hz panels, unlike the high-refresh-rate panels used on most of the devices that have also suffered from similar ailments. 

It’s unknown what exactly causes this issue. Complaints from a first-hand owner seemed to imply that the tint appeared after installing the latest security update, but there have also been similar complaints from other owners way before this. Again, it’s important to point out that all of the phones with this issue sport OLEDs made by Samsung. Correlation doesn’t imply causation, of course, and the fact that Samsung makes most of the premium OLED panels on the market right now probably skews the odds.

Do you have green tint on your Galaxy S10 or any older Samsung device? Let us know in the comments below.