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mardi 1 juin 2021

Mi TV 4A 40 Horizon Edition is another bezel-less addition to Xiaomi’s popular TV lineup

Xiaomi India has just added a new model to its smart TV portfolio: the Mi TV 4A 40 Horizon Edition. The Mi TV 4A 40 slots below the Mi TV 4A 43-inch model that launched last year while retaining the under-the-hood hardware and the overall design language.

Mi TV 4A 40 Horizon Edition specifications:

Main Header 1 Mi TV 4A 40 Horizon
Display
  • 43-inch
  • FHD, 1920 x 1080p
  • Vivid Color Engine
  • 93.7% screen-to-body ratio
  • 178-degree viewing angle
Processor
  • Amlogic Cortex-A53 quad-core processor
  • Mali-450 GPU
RAM & Storage
  • 1GB RAM
  • 8GB flash storage
Sound
  • 20W stereo speakers
  • DTS-HD
Connectivity
    • 3x HDMI
    • 2x USB
    • 1x Ethernet
    • 1x S/PDIF
    • 1x 3.5mm headphone jack
Software Android 9 with Patchwall

The new Mi TV 4A 40 Horizon Edition sports a near bezel-less design with an impressive 93.7% screen-to-body ratio and 178-degree viewing angles. You get a 40-inch full HD display with a 1920 x 1080 screen resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, and 9.5ms response time. The TV supports Xiaomi’s Vivid Picture Engine, which offers various software and hardware tweaks to deliver accurate color reproduction and deeper contrasts. For audio, the TV comes with two 10W speakers with DTS-HD surround sound.

Mi TV 4A 40 Horizon Edition front Mi TV 4A 40 Horizon Edition from the side Mi TV 4A 40 Horizon Edition from the top

The TV is powered by the Amlogic quad-core processor, coupled with 1GB RAM, 8GB eMMC storage, and Mali-450 GPU. In terms of connectivity, you get 2x USB 2.0 ports, 3x HDMI ports, 1 ethernet port, a 3.5mm jack, Bluetooth 4.2, and Wi-Fi.

On the software side, the Mi TV 4A 40 Horizon Edition runs Android 9 with Xiaomi’s PathWall OS on top. Besides more than 5,000 apps on Google Play Store, you also get Google Assitant and Chromecast support. PatchWall provides easy access to more than 25 streaming services, including Disney+ Hotstar, Sony LIV Prime Video, Netflix, Zee5, Hungama, and more. You can also control your various smart home products right from the TV using the Mi Home app.

Pricing & Availablity

The Mi TV 4A 40 Horizon Edition will go on sale from June 2 at a starting price of ₹23,999. It will be available from mi.com, Mi Home stores, Flipkart, Mi Studio, and select retail partner stores.

 

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lundi 31 mai 2021

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, 3070 Ti are the newest graphics cards announced at Computex 2021

Computex 2021 officially kicks off with NVIDIA introducing two new graphics cards under its RTX 30-series. As various leaks and rumors predicted in the past, we now have two new high-end cards in the form of RTX 3080 Ti and the 3070 Ti.

The ‘Ti’ in the name suggests that these new GPUs are enhanced versions of the existing RTX 3080 and RTX 3070. By the looks of it, the new RTX 3080 Ti should sit between the RTX 3080 and the RTX 3090. Similarly, the RTX 3070 Ti will go on to be a new member of the series sitting between the RTX 3070 and the RTX 3080.

As per NVIDIA, the new RTX 3080 Ti is priced at $1199 and will be available starting June 3, while the RTX 3070 Ti is priced at $599 and should reach markets starting June 10.

The RTX 3080 Ti is a souped-up version of the RTX 3080 featuring 12GB GDDR6X memory with 80 Ray Tracing cores, 10,240 CUDA cores, and 320 Tensor cores. With a power draw of 350W, it is almost similar to the mighty RTX 3090 with the exception of the memory, as the RTX 3090 has 24GB.

The RTX 3070 Ti comes with the same amount of memory as the regular RTX 3070 but upgrades to GDDR6X, which means significantly better memory bandwidth. It features 6,144 CUDA cores, 48 Ray Tracing cores with 192 Tensor cores. The new RTX 3070 Ti also has a much wider bandwidth of 608GB/s compared to the 448GB/s on the RTX 3070.

It is interesting to see NVIDIA introducing even more graphics cards at a time when the chipset crisis around the world is still a huge concern. The company has been trying to get its GPUs into the hands of gamers by reducing crypto-mining abilities on its RTX 30-series models. NVIDIA also has launched dedicated GPUs for crypto-mining purposes under its CMP or Cryptocurrency Mining Processor series; however, it seems that it hasn’t helped all that much. At the moment, almost every single graphics card from the company, including the older generation GTX series, is selling at inflated prices. It is extremely likely that the newly announced GPUs will also be sold higher than the suggested pricing. For many consumers, it then makes more sense to buy a good gaming laptop instead of a GPU just because the laptops are available to purchase and at sane prices.

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Google promises it won’t build a backdoor for Chrome’s FLoC ad targeting

Google now has a near-monopoly on web browsers, search engines, and online advertising. The company’s massive reach is already resulting in an antitrust lawsuit from the United States Department of Justice, and its new Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) technology isn’t helping the situation. FLoC was intended to be a replacement for tracking cookies, which have been used for years to track people across websites. And now, Google is promising that it definitely won’t build additional tracking methods into the Chrome browser for itself.

Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) is a new feature being tested in Google Chrome, which allows targeted advertisements without using cross-site tracking cookies (which many browsers and ad-blockers no longer allow). FLoC looks at your browsing history and places you into an ad targeting group based on your behavior. The technology is intended to be more private than cross-site tracking cookies, because there are no longer individual profiles but only targeting groups. Even then, it has been criticized for being enabled by default and allowing other types of tracking.

It’s also possible Google could bypass FLoC entirely, and use the browser histories and other data synced to Google accounts for serving ads. This would give Google an unfair advantage over other advertising providers, but the company now promises it won’t do that. Jerry Dischler, Google’s VP for advertising, said during a virtual marketing event recently that “we’ll be using these [Privacy Sandbox] APIs for our own ads and measurement products just like everyone else, and we will not build any backdoors for ourselves.”

That might be good news for other advertising companies, but it doesn’t fix the mess FLoC has become. Publishers and advertisers are hesitant to say goodbye to cross-site tracking cookies, and nearly every other web browser that was already blocking trackers is promising to disable FLoC. Vivaldi Browser said “it does not protect privacy and it certainly is not beneficial to users,” while Brave called it “bad for Web users, bad for sites, and a bad direction for the Web in general.” Microsoft, Apple, and Mozilla are still deciding if they will bring FloC to their browsers in the future — it’s not available in Safari or Firefox right now, and Microsoft has turned it off in Edge.

Google’s promise to follow its own rules might not be convincing enough, especially when the Chrome browser that Google distributes (different from Chromium) is not open-source, so it wouldn’t be difficult to hide additional tracking behavior in the browser. Google could also change its mind at any time, especially if investors and executives are pressured to generate more advertising revenue.

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Alienware fully unveils new X-series to show what it can do

Back when Intel unveiled its latest H-series processors, Dell announced a bunch of laptops too. What might have flown under the radar at the time was the Alienware X-series, more specifically the X17. It was just a teaser, but now the wraps are being taken off.

In Dell’s blog post, it refers to the “X factor”, a quality that makes something great. It’s something that makes it stand out above the rest. With the Alienware X-series, this is where the company intends to show what it can do. As the blog post puts it, that’s where Alienware X-series “exemplifies our values of bold innovation, high performance, iconic design and premium quality.”

Rear angled view of Alienware x17

Alienware x17

The two laptops in the X-series are the Alienware x15 and x17, obviously 15- and 17-inch laptops, respectively. They’re showing up with the new Alienware design language, Legend 2.0, and that actually debuted with the latest Alienware m15. Obviously, Legend was the design language that we’ve been seeing for the past few years, and it’s been pretty iconic. These laptops are also strangely thin. The x15 is less than 16mm, and Dell is making the claim that it’s the world’s most powerful sub-16mm 15-inch gaming laptop.

Part of that is the new cooling, which is the main thing that it teased in May. Both laptops introduce a new thermal interface material called Element 31. It’s made from Encapsulated Gallium-Silicone liquid metal compound, and it sits between the CPU and thermal elements. Alienware is promising a 25% improvement over what’s available on the market.

Angled view of Alienware x15 on yellow background

Alienware x15

Thermals are super important when it comes to gaming laptops. The reason for this is because all of these PCs have the same parts, including 11th-gen Intel Core H-series CPUs and NVIDIA GeForce 30 series graphics. Whichever laptop can keep those components the coolest is the one that will get the best performance, and moreover, it’s sustained performance.

Another thing being touted with the Alienware X-series are the hexagonal vent patterns. The laptops are meant to be pretty, but they’re also meant to be functional. You get the pretty lighting, and those pretty vents also keep the machine cool.

Alienware x15 and Alienware x17 on black background

Aside from the obviously 11th-gen Intel processors and up to an RTX 3080 GPU, there are plenty of other options. There’s a Thermal Control Circuit feature that lets you set a limit to the CPU temperature, and along with that, there are Tailored Power States including full speed, performance mode, balanced mode, battery saver, and quiet mode. All of those can tweak the cooling, the fan, and so on for different levels of performance or efficiency.

The Alienware X-series also comes with an optional Cherry MX keyboard with a 3.5mm ultra-low-profile design. This is a partnership that Alienware announced a few months ago.

Limited configurations of the Alienware X-series are available today, with the x15 starting at $1,999.99 and the x17 starting at $2,099.99. Full configurations will be available on June 15.

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HP has some new AMD Ryzen-powered PCs for businesses

At COMPUTEX today, HP announced a couple of new business PCs from its Elite and Pro lineups, including the EliteDesk 805 G8 series and the ProDesk 405 G8 series. They include AMD’s Ryzen PRO 5000 desktop chips.

For the HP EliteDesk 805 G8 series, the company says that users can finely tune the fans. That way you can choose to keep the machine quiet, or you can turn up the fans for maximum performance. HP says that this is its quietest AMD business-class mini-PCs. Security is top-end too with HP Wolf Security for Business, along with Ryzen PRO processors.

HP EliteDesk 805 G8 and ProDesk 405 G8 PCs in Mini and SFF form factors

There are two HP EliteDesk 805 G8 PCs being announced, a Desktop Mini PC and a Small Form Factor PC. The Mini can be mounted behind a monitor, and in fact, HP makes a product called the Mini-in-One 24 display that’s designed to mount the product. The firm says that this is the smallest and most powerful AMD-powered ultra small form factor business PC.

Obviously, the Small Form Factor model is bigger.  It has two bays, two half-height slots, three M.2 slots, and 11 USB ports, so there are lots of expandability options here.

Next up is the ProDesk 405 G8 series, which also comes in Desktop Mini and Small Form Factor solutions, as you probably guessed from the image above. According to HP, the Small Form Factor one is the world’s most configurable AMD-powered business small form factor desktop. In case you haven’t noticed, HP likes to use “world’s most” a lot when describing its products.

Out of the four products being announced today, both the HP EliteDesk 805 G8 and HP ProDesk 405 G8 series are expected to be available in August. HP didn’t provide any pricing though, as that will all be announced as we get closer to the launch.

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Lenovo’s Smart Clock Essential has Google Assistant and only costs $30 right now

Lenovo released the Smart Clock Essential last year as a digital alarm clock with Google Assistant (and some other smart functionality) built in. The original $49 MSRP was a bit on the steep side, especially considering the more feature-packed Lenovo Smart Clock was often on sale for the same price, but now the new model is discounted to just $29.99.

The Lenovo Smart Clock Essential is a digital clock, with large LED digits, a night light with three levels of brightness, a temperature indicator, and a USB Type-A port on the back for charging your phone (or anything else that can power up over USB). It also functions as a Google Assistant smart speaker, allowing you to stream music, set reminders, control smart home devices, check your calendar, and much more. Finally, the clock is a Chromecast target on your home network, so you can stream audio content from supported apps on your phone or tablet.

    Lenovo Smart Clock Essential
    This digital alarm clock doubles as a Google Assistant smart speaker. It's available on Home Depot's website for $29.99, and you can even pick it up in select physical stores.

Considering the Google Nest Mini normally costs around $49, and Amazon’s latest Echo Dot typically costs $50 (though is on sale for $35 right now), the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential is a cheaper alternative with the bonus of an always-on clock. The main drawback is that there’s no battery backup, so if you frequently deal with power cuts, it might not be as reliable as ‘dumb’ alarm clocks.

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These are the Best T-Mobile Phones available right now: Samsung, Apple, OnePlus, and more!

Researching and buying a new smartphone can be a tedious task. That’s why we’ve made a list of the best T-Mobile phones that you can pick up and buy today. T-Mobile is the third-largest wireless carrier in the United States and offers smartphones at competitive prices.

While completing this list, it was very important for us to ensure that all of the devices are compatible with T-Mobile’s network and that they can be purchased directly. 5G has also become more widely available, which is why we focused on offering devices that support it, but this of course is not yet available for some budget and cheap Android devices. The list includes some of the best overall smartphones on the market today and some of the most premium Android flagships. We also have a list of the best Verizon phones and the best AT&T devices, in case you’re interested in those. And now we’re out t complete the list of Best T-Mobile phones right now!

Navigate this guide:

Best Phone Overall: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has everything you need – and probably even more than you require. The Galaxy S21 Ultra has a premium build quality and a unique design. It even supports the S Pen which is a first for a non-Note Samsung flagship. It has the latest and most powerful Snapdragon 888 SoC, 12 or 16GB of RAM, a massive 6.8-inch display with support for a 120hz high refresh rate, a massive 5000 mAh battery with 25W fast wired charging, and much more. The camera is also one of the best we’ve seen on a smartphone today and it takes some of the best pictures both day and night.

If you are looking for the ultimate and most premium Android flagship device in 2021, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the one that does it all. It not only has all of the specifications, but it also has all of the features that you can expect from Samsung.

    Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
    The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the flagship that does it all. It has a flagship SoC, excellent display, premium build quality, and one of the most diverse and amazing camera setups. It’s the ultimate premium flagship on the market today that does it all.

Runner-Up: Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max

iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max

Apple is often overlooked by a lot of people because of its hefty price tag and its fanbase, but the truth is that it’s very capable and one of the best devices on the market today. It’s a premium smartphone with a large 6.7-inch display, an excellent triple rear camera with a LiDAR sensor and it’s powered by Apple’s own A14 SoC. It’s excellent for multitasking and just about everything you can think about doing on a smartphone.

If you are in the Apple ecosystem, want to try out a device from the other side, or just want to try something new, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is one of the most premium devices that you can pick up today. The current generation of iPhones is also the first set of devices from Apple to support 5G, if that’s something you’re interested in.

    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    If you want the latest and the greatest from the other side, the iPhone 12 Pro Max offers all of the power, camera, excellent build quality and beautiful display in a very premium package.

Best Value: Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus 5G

Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus 5G

Picking the best value device wasn’t an easy task. There are too many great devices out there that ace this category, but I eventually settled on the Galaxy S21 Plus. It’s a very popular smartphone and it provides one of the best value. Its 6.7-inch display, Snapdragon 888 SoC, 8GB of RAM, and 4800mAh battery are true flagship quality and a real powerhouse.

The camera on the Galaxy S21 Plus is also one of the best and includes sensors for all of the things you may need it for. It has a 12MP wide sensor for taking normal images, 64MP telephoto with 3x hybrid zoom when you need a closer look, and a 12MP ultrawide with a 120˚ when you want to capture the whole scene.

    Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus 5G
    If you are looking for the best value at a reasonable price, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus is the one for the majority of people looking for a reliable device with all of the flagship features.

Runner-Up: Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G

For the runner-up, I was debating whether to pick the Galaxy S20 FE or the OnePlus 9, but I ended up with the S20 FE. The reason for picking Samsung comes down to the camera and better software support. While the OnePlus 9 does have a more powerful chipset, the rest of the specifications are very similar between the two devices. OnePlus has proved itself to make great devices, but recently they have started lacking in areas where they stood out previously – such as timely OS updates and security patches.

The Galaxy S20 FE is an affordable mid-range device with some of last year’s high-end specifications. It has a large 6.5-inch display, it’s powered by the Snapdragon 865 SoC with 6/8GB of RAM and it even has a MicroSD card slot. The rear camera setup is more than capable and it has proved to be near flagship level and the battery performance is also outstanding.

    Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G
    The Galaxy S20 FE might not have all of the latest specifications, but it does hold up well and it has a beautiful display, a still very powerful chipset, flagship features and an amazing camera at an affordable price tag.

Best Budget: Google Pixel 4a 5G

Google Pixel 4a 5G

If you have a tight budget but still want a powerful device with the best camera on the market, the Pixel 4a 5G is the one you should consider. If you don’t care much about the high refresh rate display, the 4a 5G is actually a really great pick. It has most of the same features as the Google Pixel 5, except wireless charging, more premium build quality, and the display. Overall, the Pixel 4a 5G is just a cheaper and more affordable Pixel 5 with very little sacrifices, depending on what type of user you are.

If you have a tight budget but still want a flagship experience with one of the best cameras on the market and excellent performance, this might just be the best device for you. It’s more than capable to play games and allow you to complete all of your tasks.

    Google Pixel 4a 5G
    The Pixel 4a 5G has one of the best cameras on the market, and the fact that it’s available at a very affordable device is enough to convince most people. It’s not a powerhouse by any means, but that shouldn't be expected at this price range.

Best Cheap Android Phone: OnePlus N100

OnePlus Nord N100 render

The OnePlus N100 may not be a powerhouse, but its Snapdragon 460 SoC can keep up with the tasks and get the job done. It has a large 6.52-inch display and it even supports 90Hz which isn’t something that you see on devices at this price range. It has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of built-in storage as well as a MicroSD card slot. The 5000 mAh battery also supports 18W fast wired charging, so topping it up also should be pretty straightforward.

    OnePlus N100
    The OnePlus N100 gets all of the basics right and offers it at an impressively low price.

Best Compact: Apple iPhone SE (2020)

Apple new iPhone SE 2 2020

While I was considering giving the best compact title to the Samsung Galaxy S21, I thought the iPhone 12 and iPhone SE came the closest to actually offering the most compact size that is manageable and easily usable for most people – often with one hand. While the hardware itself may not look as premium and great looking today next to some bezel-less devices, it is still a very great pick today thanks to Apple’s great software support and features.

    Apple iPhone SE
    The SE was launched last year with a lot of iPhone 11 hardware components. It had a bright and colorful 4.7-inch display, a powerful Apple A13 Bionic SoC, a decent camera, and wireless charging. All of this in a very compact and affordable package that holds up well today and will likely continue holding up well in the next 2-4 years.

Runner-Up: Apple iPhone 12 mini

Apple iPhone 12 Mini

Unfortunately, there really aren’t any true flagship compact devices out there by Android manufacturers, and there hasn’t been for a few years now. If you want the most compact and most flagship-like device, the Apple iPhone 12 mini is the one that gets it right.

It has a 5.4-inch display, 4GB of RAM, and the iPhone 12 series camera. It takes beautiful photos without any sacrifices, unlike its smaller sibling, the iPhone SE, which lacks certain camera features such as Night mode. Perhaps the only main downside of picking the iPhone 12 mini is the battery performance. Due to its small form factor, Apple was only able to place a 2,227 mAh battery inside, and while it can comfortably last for a whole day with normal use, it will certainly need to be topped up if you play games or do some more intensive tasks.

    Apple iPhone 12 mini
    The iPhone 12 mini is the most compact and most powerful flagship device in its category.

Best Foldable Phone: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 review

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 may not have the catchiest name, but it sure has the looks that will catch everyone’s attention. It’s Samsung’s second foldable smartphone and it has significant improvements over its predecessor such as better display(s), hinge, more powerful hardware, camera, and much more. Samsung fixed most of the issues, but some remain that will likely take a few years to get fixed such as the crease where the inside display folds in half.

It’s not a perfect device by any means, but it’s an excellent representation of what’s possible today and opens up a whole new range of possibilities of what may come in the near future. If you have always wanted a very portable tablet in your pocket, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is one of the best foldable smartphones that are available today.

    Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G
    The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is the second generation of foldable smartphones from Samsung and it has significant upgrades over its predecessor. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 offers everything a foldable should have today in a premium package.

Best for multi-tasking: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G

Galaxy Note 20 Ultra with the S Pen

The Note 20 Ultra has an S-Pen included with the device

Although the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has the last generation of flagship Snapdragon 865 SoC, it’s still one of the best multitasking devices that you can pick up today. Unlike the S21 Ultra, the Note actually has a built-in S-Pen stylus and has all of the flagship specifications that you would expect.

While the S21 Ultra is better by all means, the Note 20 Ultra often sees a lot of discounts due to it being slightly older, which makes it even more appealing. I won’t bore you by listing all of the specifications, but it has an excellent display, overall great battery life, perfect cameras, loads of storage and all of the features that you expect from a Samsung Galaxy Note flagship.

    Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G
    The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is the ultimate device for all the power users. It has a beautiful large display, a powerful chipset and just about all of the features that you need on-the-go.

This concludes our list of the best T-Mobile phones in May 2021. There are a lot of devices on the list and we understand it may be hard to pick the best one, though the Galaxy S21 Ultra is going to be an easy pick for Android users on T-Mobile. Make sure to read through the whole list and read some of our reviews to get an even deeper understanding of how some of these devices work and function on a day-to-day basis.

What do you think about our picks? Let us know in the comments down below.

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