Microsoft announces the Surface Book 3 and Surface Go 2 laptops

As the maker of the Windows OS, it may come as no surprise that Microsoft has some of the best laptops on the market. This was certainly not always the case as Microsoft left the hardware up to OEMs for a long time. However, these days, if you’re looking for premium design and the best features Windows has to offer, Surface devices are at top of the list. They’re now introducing the Surface Book 3 and Surface Go 2 laptops.

There are 4 different types of Surface computers in 4 types of styles. The first is the Surface Pro. It is a tablet with an attachable keyboard and trackpad. The Surface Go is basically the same as the Surface Pro, but it’s much smaller. It’s a small and portable tablet with the same attachable keyboard and an LTE option. The Surface Laptop is just a typical laptop from Microsoft. Lastly, the Surface Book is a laptop, but the display is detachable and you can use it as a tablet. Last October Microsoft released the Surface Pro 7, Surface Pro X, and Surface Laptop 3, and now we’re seeing the Surface Go 2 and Surface Book 3.

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Surface Book 3

Surface Book 3 Specs

Tech Specs	Surface Book 3 13″	Surface Book 3 15″
Display	Screen: 13.5” PixelSense Display Resolution: 3000 x 2000 (267 PPI) Aspect ratio: 3:2 Contrast ratio: 1600:1 Touch: 10 point multi-touch G5	Screen: 15” PixelSense Display Resolution: 3240 x 2160, (260 PPI) 10 point multi-touch G5 Aspect ratio: 3:2 Contrast ratio: 1600:1
Available Models	Quad-core 10th gen Intel® Core i5-1035G7 processor Quad-core 10th Gen Intel® Core i7-1065G7 Processor	Quad-core 10th Gen Intel® Core i7-1065G7
Graphics	Intel® i5-1035G7 models Intel® Iris Plus GraphicsIntel® i7-1065G7 models NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design w/4GB GDDR5 graphics memory	Intel® i7-1065G7 models NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design w/6GB GDDR6 graphics memory
Windows OS	Ships with 64-bit Windows 10 Pro and Home	Ships with 64-bit Windows 10 Pro and Home
Dimensions	Intel Core i5 12.3” x 9.14” x 0.51”-0.90” (312 mm x 232 mm x 13 mm-23 mm)Intel Core i7 12.3” x 9.14” x 0.59”-0.90” (312 mm x 232 mm x 15 mm-23 mm)	Intel Core i7 13.5” x 9.87” x 0.568-0.90” (343 mm x 251 mm x 15 mm-23 mm)
Weight	Intel Core i5 Total – 1534 g (3.38 lbs) Tablet – 719 g (1.59 lbs)Intel Core i7 Total – 1642 g (3.62 lbs) Tablet – 719 g (1.59 lbs)	Intel Core i7 Total – 1905 g (4.20 lbs) Tablet – 817 g (1.80 lbs)
Battery	Connected to keyboard base: Up to 15.5 hours of typical device usage	Connected to keyboard base: Up to 17.5 hours of typical device usage
Wireless	Wi-Fi 6: 802.11ax compatible Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology	Wi-Fi 6: 802.11ax compatible Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology Xbox Wireless built in
Ports	2 x USB-A (version 3.1 Gen 2) 1 x USB-C (version 3.1 Gen 2 with USB Power Delivery revision 3.0) 3.5mm headphone jack 2 x Surface Connect ports (one on keyboard base, one on tablet) Full-size SDXC card reader Compatible with Surface Dial on- and off-screen interaction	2 x USB-A (version 3.1 Gen 2) 1 x USB-C (version 3.1 Gen 2 with USB Power Delivery revision 3.0) 3.5mm headphone jack 2 x Surface Connect ports (one on keyboard base, one on tablet) Full-size SDXC card reader Compatible with Surface Dial on- and off-screen interaction
Security	HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in	HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
Sensors	Ambient light sensor Proximity sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope Magnetometer	Ambient light sensor Proximity sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope Magnetometer
Cameras	Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing) 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD video 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p HD video	Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing) 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD video 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p HD video
Audio	Dual far-field Studio Mics Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos®	Dual far-field Studio Mics Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos®
Keyboard and Trackpad	Full-size, backlit keyboard with 1.55mm of full key travel Glass track pad with antifingerprint coating and improved multifinger gestures	Full-size, backlit keyboard with 1.55mm of full key travel Glass track pad with antifingerprint coating and improved multifinger gestures
Modes	Laptop Mode, Tablet Mode, View Mode or Studio Mode	Laptop Mode, Tablet Mode, View Mode or Studio Mode
In the Box	Intel Core i5 65W Surface Power Supply w/USB-A (5W) charging portIntel Core i7 102W Surface Power Supply w/USB-A (7W) charging port Quick Start Guide Safety and warranty documents	127W Surface Power Supply w/USB-A (7W) charging port Quick Start Guide

The Surface Book 3 is Microsoft’s biggest and most powerful laptop. This laptop is designed for the developers and creators among us. It’s large, it’s powerful, and it’s portable. Unlike the Surface Pro or Surface Laptop, this is both a laptop and a tablet. The Surface Book 3 comes in two parts, the display and the keyboard. The display houses basically every part, including a small battery, while the keyboard houses a battery and GPU. You’re able to remove the display from the keyboard and use it as a tablet or flip the display around and use it in a few different modes.

There are two different sizes of the Surface Book 3. Microsoft decided to release a 13.5-inch and a 15-inch model. The 13.5-inch comes in at 3.62lbs total with dimensions of 312 mm x 232 mm x 15 mm-23 mm. That range for thickness is because there is a slope to the device. The 15-inch version comes in at 343 mm x 251 mm x 15 mm-23 mm. The 15-inch model comes in at 4.20lbs which is actually not really heavy for everything you’re getting. Both models only come in silver.

Both laptops come with high-resolution displays. The 13.5-inch model comes with a 3000×2000 PixelSense touchscreen display. It has a 267ppi, aspect ratio of 3:2, and a contrast ratio of 1600:1. The 15-inch model comes with a 3240×2160 PixelSense touchscreen display. It has the same aspect ratio of 3:2 and contrast ratio of 1600:1 but the ppi is slightly lower at 260ppi. It has 10 point multi-touch as well.

The specs on the Surface Book 3 are really good. It is offering two different CPU options for the 13.5-inch, either an Intel Core i5-1035G7 or Core i7-1065G7. The 15-inch will only come with the Intel Core i7-1065G7. The graphics options on the 13.5-inch are CPU dependent. The i5 model comes with Intel Iris Plus Grahpics while the i7 model comes with an Nvidia GTX 1650 MaxQ with 4GBs of GDRR5 VRAM. The 15-inch model comes with a GTX 1660 Ti with 6GBs of GDDR6 VRAM. There will be a version of the Surface Book 3 with Quadro 3000 series graphics as well.

The wireless connectivity in these laptops are both really good. They both support Wi-Fi 6 with 802.11ax compatibility. Both laptops also support Bluetooth 5.0. Something exclusive to the 15-inch Surface Book 3 is Xbox Wireless built-in. No need for a Bluetooth model or connecting with a USB cable or a dongle, it supports it out of the box.

The battery life on the laptops is very good as well. While connected to the keyboard, the 13.5-inch model has an estimated battery life of 15.5 hours in typical use conditions and the 15-inch has an estimated battery of 17.5 hours in typical use conditions. Both are easily full day devices. Each model comes with a different charger as well. Surface Chargers are connected to the laptops using the Surface Connect port. These allow both power and data so all chargers come with a single USB-A port. On the 13.5-inch i5 model, there will be a 65W charger included in the box. On the 13.5-inch i7 model, there will be a 102W charger in the box. The 15-inch model will come with a 127W charger in the box.

The port situation on the Surface Book 3 is also pretty great. The Surface Book 3 comes with 2 Surface Connect ports, one on the keyboard and one on the tablet. This is the port that connects the tablet to the keyboard. It is also used for the Surface Dock or included charger. There are 2 USB-A version 3.1 Gen 2 ports and 1 USB-C version 3.1 Gen 2 with USB PD 3.0. Microsoft also included both a 3.5mm headphone jack and full-size SD card reader, which are both good to have in 2020.

The security on this device is great as well. Microsoft included a Windows Hello IR camera for secure facial recognition. There is also a hardware TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security. As for cameras, Microsoft included a 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD video and a rear 8.0MP camera with autofocus and 1080p HD video. The speakers and microphones are also greatly improved. The Surface Book 3 has dual far-field studio mics for better audio quality from longer ranges. There are also front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos.

They keyboard is one of the more interesting parts of the Surface Book. It’s more than just a keyboard, it’s also an external battery and storage for the dedicated GPU. The keyboard itself is a full-size backlit keyboard with 1.55mm of full key travel. The trackpad is glass and has a new anti-fingerprint coating and improved multi-finger gestures.

The Surface Book 3 starts at $1,599 and will be available starting on May 21st. It only comes in the silver color in the images above.

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Surface Go 2

Surface Go 2 Specs

Tech Specs	Surface Go 2
Operating System	Consumer Channels: Windows 10 Home in S mode Commercial Channels: Windows 10 Pro
Exterior	Dimensions: 9.65 inches x 6.9 inches x 0.33 inches (245mm x 175mm x 8.3mm) Mechanical features: Magnesium body, kickstand with full-friction multiposition hinge to 165 degrees, magnetic attach for keyboard fold stability Color: Silver Physical buttons: volume, power Wi-Fi: Starting at 1.2 lbs (544 g), not including Type Cover LTE Advanced3: Starting at 1.22 lbs (553 g), not including Type Cover*Type Cover not included in box
Display	Screen: 10.5-inch PixelSense Display Resolution: 1920 x 1280 (220 PPI) Aspect Ratio: 3:2 Contrast Ratio 1500:1 Touch: 10-point multi-touch Corning®Gorilla® Glass 3
Processor	Intel® Pentium® Gold Processor 4425Y 8th Gen Intel® Core m3 Processor
Graphics	Intel® UHD Graphics 615
Memory	4GB/8GB RAM
Storage	64GB eMMC 128GB SSD
Security	Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in Firmware TPM 2.0
Network	Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible, Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology LTE Advanced Qualcomm® Snapdragon X16 LTE Modem
Battery	WiFi: Up to 10 hours of typical device usage LTE Advanced:3 Up to 10 hours of typical device usage
Cameras, Video and Audio	Windows Hello face sign-in camera (front-facing) 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD Skype HD video 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p HD video Dual Studio Mics 2W stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio Premium
Ports	1 x USB-C 1 x Surface Connect Surface Type Cover Port MicroSDXC card reader 3.5mm headphone jack
Sensors	Ambient light sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope Magnetometer
Power Supply	24 W power supply

The new Surface Go 2 is Microsoft’s smallest and most portable Surface. Microsoft designed this tablet for the businesses, schools, students, and families that want a portable fully functioning PC. The dimensions of this laptop are very small at 245mm x 175mm x 8.3mm. Microsoft decided to put a 10.5″ 1080p display in the Surface Go 2, a half-inch larger than the previous generation Surface Go. Microsoft did this by shrinking the bezels to be able to fit the new display into the same form factor and size as the original. Like the previous generation, the Surface Go also supports Active Pen for pen input.

This form factor allows the Surface Go 2 to be a very portable tablet. It’s a tablet but it also has a kickstand to it. With this, you can throw down the kickstand and connect a Surface Type Cover and basically turn it into a laptop. With the Surface Go 2, Microsoft is also launching a few new Signature Type Covers for the Surface Go 2. It comes with a good keyboard and precision glass trackpad.

The specs on the Surface Go 2 aren’t bad either. It is offering two different CPU options, either an Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y or 8th Gen Intel Core m3 CPU. The graphics on both will be Intel UHD Graphics 615. It comes with either 4GB or 8GB of RAM and either 64GB of eMMC or 128GB SSD storage options. If that isn’t enough storage for you, there’s also a micro sd card slot with support for up to a 1TB micro sd card. There is no Wi-Fi 6 support but it does come with Bluetooth 5.0 and there is an LTE-A option using the Qualcomm X16 LTE modem. The battery is no slouch in these models either, while Microsoft didn’t provide us with an exact capacity, they claim it will last up to 10 hours with “typical device usage.”

Since this is a tablet, it will have cameras. There is a 5MP front-facing camera with “1080p HD Skype HD video.” The front also has Windows Hello face scanning using an IR camera. This means it’s fast and secure. The rear camera is 8MP and has autofocus with support for 1080p video recording. Microsoft also introduced a new camera app that can be used for scanning documents or taking pictures of whiteboards among other things.

The audio situation on this laptop is also pretty good. It has dual far-field studio quality with increased voice clarity and reduction of background noise. The Surface Go 2 also has stereo speakers with Dolby Audio Premium.

This laptop does run Windows 10 Home in S mode by out of the box. S mode basically means you can only install apps from the Microsoft Store and only use Microsoft Edge. If you’re like me and don’t want to use this, you can upgrade to Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro from the Microsoft Store. Swapping out of S mode is free and just takes a few minutes.

The Surface Go 2 will start at $399 and be available starting on May 12th. The Surface Go 2 will be available in silver while the Type Covers will be available in Platinum, Black, Poppy Red, and Ice Blue.

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Accessories

With the launch of the Surface Book 3 and Surface Go 2, Microsoft is also launching a few new accessories. They are releasing two new docks, Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub and Surface Dock 2. They are also releasing two new mouse and keyboard bundles.

The Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub and Surface Dock 2 are the two newest docks to the Surface lineup. The USB-C Travel Hub connects to your computer using a USB-C cable and will have Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, USB-C, and a full USB-A port. It’s great for connecting on the go. While you are at home or the office, the Surface Dock 2 might be more useful. It’s a full-powered hub with an Ethernet port, 3.5mm headphone jack, two full-sized USB-A ports, 2 USB-C, and 2 Display Port over USB-C. The Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub will cost $99.99 and the Surface Dock 2 will cost $259.99.

Microsoft is also launching two new keyboard bundles. On the right is the Microsoft Ergonomic Desktop bundle. It comes with the ergonomic keyboard and moues and it designed to be the most comfortable over long periods of time. It will cost $89.99 for both the moues and keyboard. On the left is the Microsoft Bluetooth Desktop bundle. It comes with the slim and compact keyboard and mouse

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Microsoft announces the Surface Headphones 2 and launches its truly wireless Surface Earbuds

Last October during the Microsoft hardware event, Microsoft announced the Surface Earbuds. They are the company’s first truly wireless earbuds. At the event, they didn’t announce a launch date but said they would be coming soon. Now, almost 7 months later, the company is releasing the Surface Earbuds and the new Surface Headphones 2.

Surface Earbuds

The Surface Earbuds sparked some controversy when they were first announced. The design of the buds along with the high price tag made them look not very competitive in the TWS segment. With a new price and some official specs, these earbuds finally look like a good competitor in the TWS marketplace.

The audio codecs the Surface Earbuds are actually interesting. Most largely popular TWS earbuds don’t support AptX, Qualcomm’s low latency audio codec. Luckily, Surface Earbuds do. While Microsoft didn’t provide latency figures, but the latency on AptX earbuds is usually around 60ms. If this is the same case over here, the insanely low latency will make them great for gaming. If your device doesn’t support AptX, the Surface Earbuds fall back to the SBC codec.

The Surface Earbuds have a very distinct design. In your ear, they look like big white plates. The case is a white case with a flip-up lid, of course. The case itself has a few ways to charge it. It has a USB-C port on the back along with wireless charging support. The battery life on the buds is also impressive. The earbuds have up to 8 hours on a single charge and the case stores 2 full charges for the buds, which should be close to 24 hours of battery.

Microsoft decided to launch these earbuds without active noise canceling. They say it’s because there are times you’ll want to listen to music or talk on the phone without fully shutting out the world. While there is some logic to this, ANC would have been a nice option. Microsoft also has added integration with both Microsoft 365 and Spotify. You will be able to use the Surface Earbuds for dictation in Word, Outlook, and Powerpoint. You can also triple-tap the touchpad on the side of the earbud to activate Spotify. On iOS, you’ll also be able to use the Outlook app to have your emails read out to you as you receive them.

The sides of the earbuds are touchpads. You can tap or use different gestures to control volume, your phone’s assistant, calendar events, phone calls, and more. These will be customization through the Surface Audio app.

When Microsoft first announced these earbuds, they also announced the $250 price tag. With the official launch today, Microsoft is lowering that price tag to $199. They will be available starting April 12th. Pre-orders will start today.

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Surface Headphones 2

Alongside the Surface Earbuds, Microsoft has released the new Surface Headphones 2. These are very similar to the original Surface Headphones but with upgraded battery life and sound quality. They also come in a new Matte Black colorway alongside the original Light Gray.

The battery and sound quality are the only two improvements to the actual earbuds. They still have the same design and practically the same specs. The interesting part of the Surface Headphones 2 design is the dials. Both ear cups have a dial that you can turn to either control the volume or the ANC level. There are 13 levels of noise cancellation you can easily switch through. You can customize the headphones and related features in the Surface Audio app. Unfortunately, there is no aptX or LDAC and Microsoft didn’t mention which audio codec the Surface Headphones 2 would be using.

Some of the software additions Microsoft implemented into the headphones are great as well. If you have Swift Pair enabled on your Windows 10 PC, it makes the pairing process super simple. As soon as you turn them on, you’ll get a notification asking if you want to pair them. Along with Swift Pair, Microsoft has full Microsoft 365 integration. You can use dictation in Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint, and in PowerPoint, you’ll have access to live captions and on-screen subtitles with translation into one of 60+ languages. Play My Email will also read your calendar events and emails from the iOS app.

The battery life has improved as well, as per Microsoft’s claims. It goes from about 13-15 hours to up to 20 hours with ANC and Bluetooth. Along with that, Microsoft added fast charging. Five minutes of charging gives you almost an hour of listening time. This is crazy good for headphones.

As an owner of the original Surface Headphones, I’m really excited about these new headphones. The audio quality improvements and battery life are really going to help make the product feel more well rounded. The new color also helps it look sleeker and more like something I would want to use on a regular basis.

Surface Headphones 2 will be available on May 12th for $249. It will be available in both Matte Black and Light Gray on launch day. Pre-orders will start today.

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Facebook is making a new Oculus Quest standalone VR headset that’s smaller and refreshes at 90Hz

In 2014, Facebook acquired Oculus VR Inc. for $2 billion, twice of what it paid for Instagram. In its early days, Oculus’s VR efforts were largely focused on PC gaming. But that finally changed under Facebook and the company went on to launch Oculus Go, its first standalone VR headset that didn’t need to be tethered to a PC. The Oculus Go was developed in collaboration with Xiaomi. It was powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC and featured an LCD with a resolution of 1280×1440 per eye and 60Hz refresh rate (and optionally going up to 72Hz). In mid-2019, Facebook followed up with the Oculus Quest, its second standalone VR headset. The Quest is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and has a PenTile OLED display at 1440×1600 resolution per eye and refreshed at 72Hz. Now, a report from Bloomberg has revealed that there’s a third standalone VR headset on the horizon.

Oculus Go Forums

According to Bloomberg, Facebook is working on multiple potential successors to the Quest. Some of these models have already reached advanced testing and are said to be smaller (up to 10-15%), lighter, and have a higher image refresh rate than the existing Quest model.

The new headset will offer at least 90Hz of screen refresh rate — compared to the 60 or 72Hz refresh rate of existing models — for a smoother and more realistic gaming experience. Some of the headsets in testing reportedly have refresh rates of up to 120Hz, but the company could cap it at 90Hz for better battery life, the report says. The current Oculus Quest weighs around 1.25 pounds which many users find too heavy to wear for longer periods. The new models currently being tested weigh only 1 pound, the report states.

To accompany the new headset, Facebook is also working on a redesigned controller that is more comfortable and fixes the issue of the current controller where the battery cover sometimes slides off. The new controller will be compatible with the current Quest headset, the report states.

In terms of hardware, the test models are equipped with four external cameras (for comparison, the Rift S has five), six degrees of freedom for looking and walking in any direction, and support Oculus Link to connect to a PC for improved performance. To make the headset more comfortable, Facebook is also considering removing the fabric from the sides and replacing it with plastic like on the Oculus Rift S as well as changing the materials used in the straps to be more elastic.

Facebook had originally planned to unveil the new VR headset towards the end of 2020 at the annual Oculus Connect event, but this may no longer be feasible due to the ongoing effects of COVID-19 on product development and global supply chain. It’s unclear whether Facebook will continue to sell the new Quest alongside the old one or if the old one will be discontinued.

Oculus Quest Forums

Separately, the report also mentions an AR headset that Facebook plans to launch in 2023. The work on software and application is currently underway but the hardware development has slowed down as a result of COVID-19, the report says.

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Source: Bloomberg

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Amazon introduces Prime Gaming in India with free in-game content for Prime subscribers

Amazon Prime members in India get access to a variety of benefits ranging from faster delivery times to Prime-exclusive deals, along with access to services like Prime Video, Amazon Music, and more. Adding on to the list, Amazon has now introduced gaming offers for Prime members in the country, offering free in-game content like collectible characters, upgrades, in-game currency, and Prime-only tournaments, in a couple of popular mobile games.

As per a recent report from the Times of India, Amazon has set up a new microsite for the gaming benefits which lists down all the games in which members will be able to unlock the new benefits. These include popular titles like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, World Cricket Championship, Black Desert Mobile, Words with Friends 2, Mafia City, and The Seven Deadly Sins. To claim the Prime benefits in these games, users will have to log-in to the game with their Amazon Prime account and click on ‘Allow’ when prompted.

In a statement regarding the new Prime benefits, Akshay Sahi, Director and Head of Prime at Amazon India, said, “With the launch of Prime gaming, we continue to make Amazon Prime more valuable for members in India. We recognize the need for in-game content by mobile gamers to enhance their playing experience and are delighted to provide access to this content free to Prime members. We will continue to add new in-game content for other popular games, with frequent content refreshes.”

For now, the free content line-up is quite limited and includes things like a Stadium Unlock for World Cricket Championship, 50 Gold and 10K cash for Mafia City, an item chest, hero and skin trial cards for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and a Mystery Box for Words with Friends 2. However, you can expect new content and games to be added to the list in the near future.

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Via: TOI

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MediaTek details the Helio G85, a mid-range SoC for high-performance mobile gaming

Taiwanese chipmaker MediaTek has expanded its gaming-focused Helio G series of chipsets with a new addition in the form of Helio G85. We first learned about the Helio G85 with the launch of the Redmi Note 9 last month which was the first phone to be powered by this new SoC. However, our knowledge about the exact details and specs of the chipset was quite limited at the time. Now, MediaTek has finally shed more light on the new SoC. The Helio G85 is an upgraded variant of the Helio G80 and aims to deliver a high-performance mobile gaming experience on a budget. 

The Helio G85 is built on a 12nm process and features an octa-core CPU arranged in a big.LITTLE setup. It has 2x ARM Cortex-A75 performance cores clocked at 2.0GHz frequency and 6x ARM Cortex-A55 efficiency cores running at 1.8GHz frequency. The GPU architecture is also unchanged from the Helio G80 but it features slightly higher clock frequency – 1GHz compared to the previous 950MHz. 

The ISP supports up to 25MP single camera with zero shutter lag or up to 16MP + 16MP cameras with ZSL — It can also process up to 48MP snapshots. The Helio G85 offers various gaming enhancements as part of its HyperEngine suite including dynamic allocation of CPU, GPU, and memory while factoring in power, thermal, and gameplay requirements. It also offers several network optimizations such as “intelligent prediction of Wi-Fi and LTE concurrency triggers in just 13 milliseconds” and the ability to postpone incoming calls while in-game without dropping the data connection.

The SoC also supports MediaTek’s neural engine, which accelerates Computer Vision (CV) tasks in apps like Google Lens and also supports boosting the performance of scene detection, object segmentation with background removal, and Bokeh-shot enhancements. NeuroPilot, MediaTek’s AI SDK, is compatible with Android’s Neural Networks API (NNAPI) so app developers using the API for machine learning and artificial intelligence can take advantage of the SoC’s hardware acceleration in their apps.

In terms of connectivity, the Helio P85 keeps things basic. It supports dual 4G LTE with Cat-7 DL / Cat-13 UL, WiFi 5, and Bluetooth 5.0.

The MediaTek Helio G85 has already started shipping on smartphones and will serve as an excellent choice for smartphone OEMs looking to deliver a powerful gaming performance in the budget and mid-range segments.

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Source: MediaTek

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The POCO M2 Pro may be another POCO smartphone with a mid-range processor

Shortly after the launch of the POCO X2 earlier this year, we learned that a new POCO phone was in the works. However, we knew it to be a flagship device called the POCO F2 Pro which would essentially be a rebranded version of the Redmi K30 Pro. But we now have evidence to believe that the POCO F2 Pro isn’t the only device that the company is working on right now and it may soon launch another mid-range device.

A new device, called the POCO M2 Pro, was recently spotted on the Mi India website, in the section where Xiaomi lists data from its SAR testing. The device has the model name “M2003J6CI” and,  according to an analysis conducted by XDA tipsters kacskrz and akhilnarang, the device has the code-name “gram.” Kacskrz has also spotted firmware for “gram_in_global”, which suggests that the phone will launch in India.  Interestingly, the code-name “gram” has previously appeared in the kernel source code for the Redmi Note 9 Pro and a watermark for “gram” has also appeared in the firmware for the Redmi Note 9 Pro.

Since the Note 9 Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G, we suspect that the upcoming POCO M2 Pro may also feature the same SoC. However, we can’t be sure of this, since it’s possible that the device is running on a Qualcomm processor that’s software compatible with the Snapdragon 720G, which would also explain why references to “gram” appear in the Redmi Note 9 Pro’s kernel source code and firmware. What we can safely assume, however, is that this POCO M2 Pro may be a mid-range smartphone powered by a Snapdragon 7 series processor.

It’s also worth mentioning that Xiaomi has since removed all mention of the POCO M2 Pro from the website, but you can still see the listing in an archived version of the page.

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Download: MIUI 12 Super Wallpaper port adds two new options – Hale crater and Evergreen Garden

MIUI 12 was announced just last week, as the upcoming major update to Xiaomi’s custom UX that is found on Mi and Redmi smartphones. The new update brings a lot of new changes, but one of the most eye-catching features on the update is the introduction of Super Wallpapers. Super Wallpapers are space-inspired live wallpapers that include different backgrounds at different zoom levels to correspond to the UX screen you are viewing it on. For instance, you can see a zoomed-out overview of a planet on the Always-On Display, but neatly transition into a close-up when landing on your homescreen. We’ve shared the new live wallpapers and static wallpapers previously, as well as shared a port of the Super Wallpaper made by XDA Recognized Contributor linuxct for use on any Android device. The Super Wallpaper port has now been updated with two new live wallpaper options that were previously hidden, and it has also been updated with a much-requested feature.

MIUI 12 has two main sets of Super Wallpapers: Super Earth and Super Mars. Originally, only the “default” flavor of these was located, but each of these sets actually comes in three different flavors, changing where you land when you transition to your homescreen. Super Earth is available in “Defaut”, “Forest”, and “Glacier” flavors, which were discovered shortly after the port was posted.

Now, linuxct has located the other two flavors of Super Mars aside from “default” — “Central Mountains of Hale Crater”, and “Evergreen Garden”.

Additionally, the developer has added a much-requested feature to the port. Previously, the live wallpaper would react to the system theme and subsequently lighten or darken the live wallpaper, which meant that people running dark themes all the time would get a very dim wallpaper. Now, you can force the live wallpaper to either follow the system theme, or be bright always, or be dark always. This gives you much more flexibility over the aesthetic you wish to show off on your homescreen. The various sets, flavors, and themes makes for a total of 18 live wallpaper APKs, so be sure to download the option that best suits you.

Download MIUI 12 Super Wallpaper port for Android smartphones

The developer has also adapted the port to work on any Android 8.0+ device, even those running on AOSP-based custom ROMs. Further, there is now a forum thread too, which will make it easier to follow along any updates or bug fixes as released by the developer working on the port.

MIUI 12 Super Wallpaper — XDA Forum Thread

If you’re interested in trying out the live wallpapers, you can download the APKs from the download link above and install them on your device. Then, you can pick the live wallpapers from the stock wallpaper picker on your device. In case the live wallpapers don’t show up in the stock wallpaper picker, you’ll need to install the Google Wallpaper app from the Play Store to apply the wallpapers.

The post Download: MIUI 12 Super Wallpaper port adds two new options – Hale crater and Evergreen Garden appeared first on xda-developers.

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