Anandtech News

**FEED** · 12-12-19, 11:23 PM

Microsoft this evening has finally given their long-awaited next generation gaming console a name, announcing the Xbox Series X. The device, formerly known as Project Scarlett, is said to be four times more powerful than the current Xbox One X, and along with its new Xbox Wireless Controller will be available in the Holiday 2020 timeframe.
Microsoft has been drip-feeding information about their forthcoming console for the better part of a year now, so today’s announcement of the name and revealing the final design is the latest element in that campaign. The black, monolith-shaped box is certainly unlike any previous Xbox console design, and while touching it probably won’t make you smarter, Microsoft has definitely evolved the design of their hardware. The same goes for the new Xbox Wireless Controller that ships with the console, which incorporates an unusual D-Pad derived from the Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller. The controller will be compatible with Windows 10 as well.

While Microsoft is still not offering a detailed breakdown of hardware specifications at this time, the company has reiterated their E3 announcement – that the box is powered by an AMD APU combining their Zen 2 processor cores and next generation RDNA architecture – while revealing the first performance estimate for the console: four times the processing power of the Xbox One X. It’s not clear here whether Microsoft is talking about CPU performance, GPU performance, or both – but given that even AMD’s fastest discrete GPUs today don’t exceed 10 TFLOPS, it is likely a reference to the CPU side of matters and AMD’s much faster Zen 2 CPU cores (and going by comments made to GameSpot, this seems to be exactly the case).
As well, the company is reiterating the technical features for the console: hardware raytracing, variable rate shading, Xbox One backwards compatibility, and a “next-generation” SSD. All of which will be used to offer games at 4K@60fps or better, with Microsoft indicating that 120fps will also be an option for developers (no doubt driven by the high refresh rates allowed by HDMI 2.1). In their press release Microsoft is also announcing a new feature called “Dynamic Latency Input” (DLI), which although no specific details about the technology are being made available, is intended to minimize console latency in order to make it “the most responsive console ever”. I would expect to hear more about this in 2020 as the console gets closer to launch.

Finally, along with announcing the console itself, Microsoft has also released a separate video announcing a new Hellblade game, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. The trailer for the game is designed to show off the power of the console and is based off of in-engine footage; though it’s not clear at this time if it was captured in real-time or rendered offline.
Expect to hear a lot more about the Xbox Series X over the next year, as Microsoft ramps up to launch it for Holiday 2020.

More...

**FEED** · 12-13-19, 10:26 AM

Occasionally the stars align. It is very rare in the laptop space that we're able to test two devices, with two very different CPU platforms, with the fewest number of variables possible. But those stars have aligned in 2019, and thanks to Microsoft's Surface Laptop 3 family, we have a rare opportunity to compare AMD and Intel's current-generation laptop platforms in a way that wouldn't normally be possible.
To that end, today we're having the ultimate laptop showdown of 2019: Surface Laptop 3 vs. Surface Laptop 3, pitting AMD's Ryzen Picasso platform against Intel's Ice Lake platform. Both companies have made significant gains this year with their latest laptop platforms, and now we're finally getting the chance to see, in an apples-to-apples-fashion, just how the two platforms compare.

More...

**FEED** · 12-13-19, 08:41 PM

Along with their flagship 17-inch model, LG this week has also given its 14 and 15.6-inch LG gram laptops an Ice Lake upgrade. The updated machines pair Intel’s Ice Lake processors with up to 24 GB of RAM, all contained within the gram's minimalist, ultra-thin carbon magnesium alloy body, with a total weight of around 1 kilogram. The new LG gram notebooks and convertible will be available next year.
The 2020 LG gram mobile PCs are powered by Intel’s 10th Generation Core processor (Ice Lake) with up to Iris Plus Graphics. The CPU is cooled down using LG’s Mega Cooling System, though the only thing that the company says about it is that it runs cool and quiet ‘under all usage scenarios’. The updated notebooks can be equipped with up to 24 GB of DDR4-2666 memory, whereas the convertible only supports up to 16 GB of RAM. Meanwhile, all the machines feature two M.2 slots for a couple of NVMe SSDs to provide both speed and capacity.

Being premium consumer laptops, LG’s next year gram systems come equipped with a robust set of I/O capabilities, which includes Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1, HDMI, microSD/UFS slot, and a 3.5-mm audio jack for headsets. As far as multimedia features are concerned, the notebooks have a webcam, DTX X Ultra-badged speakers, and a microphone array. Finally, they also have a fingerprint reader.

One of the key selling points of LG’s gram mobile PCs is their long battery life. The new 14-inch machines will use a 72 Wh battery, whereas the 15.6-inche will come with an even larger 80 Wh battery. The maker says that the convertible LG gram 2-in-1 machine will work for over 20 hours on one charge, and the 15.6-inch model should be able to last for even longer.

The LG Gram 2020 Brief Specifications
		LG Gram 2-in-1 14T90N	LG Gram 14 14Z90N	LG Gram 15 15Z90N
Size		14-inch IPS		15.6-inch IPS
Screen Resolution		1920×1080
Touch Support		LG's IPS In-Cell Touch technology	-	-
Color Gamut		?	over 96% sRGB
Protection		Corning Gorilla Glass 6	-	-
CPU	Family	10th generation Intel Core processors (Ice Lake)
Model	various
Graphics		Intel UHD Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics or Intel Iris Plus Graphics
RAM		up to 16 GB DDR4-2666 onboard + SO-DIMM	up to 24 GB DDR4-2666 onboard + SO-DIMM
Storage		up to two M.2 NVMe SSDs
Wi-Fi + BT		Wi-Fi 6 + Bluetooth
USB		2 × USB 3.1 Type-A 1 × USB 3.1 Gen 2 via TB3		3 × USB 3.1 Type-A 1 × USB 3.1 Gen 2 via TB3
Thunderbolt 3		1 × T hunderbolt 3
Fingerprint Sensor		Yes
Audio		Microphone array, DTS X Ultra stereo speakers, TRRS jack
Other I/O		MicroSD card reader, webcam, etc.
Battery		72 Wh		80 Wh
Battery Life		over 20 hours	many hours	many hours
Dimensions	Width	324.6 mm \| 12.78 inch	323.4 mm \| 12.73 inch	357.6 mm \| 14.08 inch
Depth	210.8 mm \| 8.3 inch	209.8 mm \| 8.26 inch	225.3 mm \| 8.87 inch
Thickness	17.9 mm \| 0.7 inch	16.8 mm \| 0.66 inch	16.8 mm \| 0.66 inch
Weight		1145 grams \| 2.52 lbs	999 grams \| 2.2 lbs	1120 grams \| 2.47 lbs

LG will demonstrate its new portables at CES 2020 in early January. Expect the company to disclose more information about pricing and availability timeframes there as well.
Related Reading:

Source: LG

More...

**FEED** · 12-13-19, 08:41 PM

Western Digital has added two new processor cores — the SweRV Core EH2 and the SweRV Core EL2 — into its SweRV portfolio of microcontroller CPUs. And, keeping in line with past parts, and the company has made their register-transfer level (RTL) design abstraction available to the industry for free. In addition, the company has also introduced the first hardware reference design for OmniXtend cache coherent memory over Ethernet protocol, and transferred management and support of the architecture to Chips Alliance.

More...

**FEED** · 12-16-19, 09:58 AM

While Samsung draws most of its smartphone reputation from its high-end phones, the bulk of the phones that the company sells are are not the $700+ Galaxy S series, but rather the cheaper phones that fill out the lower parts of its product stack. To that end, Samsung has unveiled its new mid-range Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A71 smartphones, which are designed to strike a better balance between features and the handset's cost.
As their model numbers suggest, Samsung’s Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A71 smartphones are designed for different price points, yet they have many similarities. Both handsets come in a plastic body, which depending on the model houses either a massive 6.5-inch (A51) or a 6.7-inch (A71) Infinity-O Super AMOLED. Both models get similar panels, each sporting a 2400:1080 resolution as well as an ultrawide 20:9 aspect ratio. The display in turn is protected with Corning's Gorilla Glass 3, which although not the latest and greatest there, is not particularly surprising (nor a bad choice) since, unlike the S-series, these smartphones are not water-tight.

Meanwhile, with cameras being one of the big selling points for flagship phones this past year, Samsung has tried to bring as much of this down to their mid-range phones as possible. Both smartphones feature a quad-module rear camera setup, consisting of a 48 MP or a 64 MP main module, a 12 MP ultrawide module, a 5 MP depth sensor, and a 5 MP dedicated macro module. As always, we'll have to see how well these camera modules actually work once the phones are shipping, but it's a surprisingly aggressive number of modules to ship a cheaper phone with. Finally, rounding out the camera collection for both phones is a 32 MP punch-hole selfie camera.

As for internal hardware, the Galaxy A51 is powered by the Exynos 9611 SoC, which offers 4 Cortex-A73 cores plus 4 Cortex-A53 cores. This is paired with paired with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of NAND flash storage. Meanwhile the Galaxy A71 is based on the Snapdragon 730 – a 2x Cortex-A76 plus 6x Cortex-A55 SoC – accompanied by 6 GB or 8 GB of memory, as well as 128 GB of NAND. The new smartphones obviously support 4G/LTE, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1, navigation, a USB 2.0 Type-C port, an under-screen fingerprint reader, and integrate a 4,000 or 4,500 mAh battery respectively.

Samsung's Galaxy A51 & Galaxy A71 Smartphones Brief Specifications
		Galaxy A51	Galaxy A71
Display		SAMOLED 6.5" 2400x1080 20:9 Corning Gorilla Glass 3	SAMOLED 6.7" 2400x1080 20:9 Corning Gorilla Glass 3
SoC		Samsung Exynos 9611 4 x Arm Cortex-A73 @ 2.3 GHz 4 x Arm Cortex-A53 @ 1.7 GHz Arm Mali-G72 MP3	Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 2 x Kryo 470 Gold (CA76) @ 2.2 GHz 6 x Kryo 470 Silver (CA55) @ 1.8 GHz Adreno 618
RAM		6 GB	6 GB or 8 GB
Storage		128 GB of NAND flash microSD	128 GB of NAND flash microSD
Local Connectivity	Wi-Fi	802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0
Data/Charging	USB 2.0 Type-C
Audio	3.5-mm jack stereo speakers active noice cancellation
NFC	depending on the market
4G/LTE		Yes
Navigation		A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
Rear Camera	Main	48 MP, f/2.0, 1/2", 0.8µm PDAF	64 MP, f/1.8, 1/1.7", 0.8µm, 26 mm PDAF
Ultrawide	12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm
Depth	5 MP, f/2.2
Macro	5 MP, f/2.4
Main Lense Assembly	?	?
Front Camera		32 MP, 1.28", f/2.2, 0.8µm
Battery	Capacity	4000 mAh 15 W fast charging	4500 mAh 25 W fast charging
Expected Life	?	?
SIM Size		Nano SIM, single or dual
Sensors		accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Biometric Security	Fingerprint	Under display
Facial Recognition	-	-
Dimensions	Height	158.5 mm \| 6.24 inches	163.6 mm \| 6.44 inches
Width	73.6 mm \| 2.90 inches	76 mm \| 2.99 inches
Thickness	7.9 mm \| 0.31 inches	7.7 mm \| 0.3 inches
Weight		172 grams	179 grams
Colors		Prism, Crush Black, White, Blue, Pink
Protection	Drop	?	?
Splashes	-	-
OS		Google Android 9.0 with One UI
Launch Countries		Vietnam, Poland	Poland
Price		~€310	?

So far, Samsung has introduced its Galaxy A51 and Galaxy 71 in Poland and Vietnam and while other markets have not yet been announced, it's only a matter of time (and presumably after the new year). The A51 will be available in Vietnam in late December, so expect the A71 to hit the market a bit after that.
Related Reading:

Sources: Samsung Poland, Samsung Vietnam, GSMArena, GSMArena, Liliputing

More...

**FEED** · 12-16-19, 09:58 AM

Earlier this month we had the pleasure to attend Qualcomm’s Maui launch event of the new Snapdragon 865 and 765 mobile platforms. The new chipsets promise to bring a lot of new upgrades in terms of performance and features, and undoubtedly will be the silicon upon which the vast majority of 2020 flagship devices will base their designs on. We’ve covered the new improvements and changes of the new chipset in our dedicated launch article, so be sure to read that piece if you’re not yet familiar with the Snapdragon 865.
As has seemingly become a tradition with Qualcomm, following the launch event we’ve been given the opportunity to have some hands-on time with the company’s reference devices, and had the chance to run the phones through our benchmark suite. The QRD865 is a reference phone made by Qualcomm and integrates the new flagship chip. The device offers insight into what we should be expecting from commercial devices in 2020, and today’s piece particularly focuses on the performance improvements of the new generation.

More...

**FEED** · 12-16-19, 01:31 PM

OWC has introduced a new small form factor high performance, high redundancy DAS for the professional market. The ThunderBay 4 Mini incorporates 4 2.5-inch storage bays, allowing it to store up to 16 TB of data, and with OWC touting transfer speeds of up to 1.5 GB/s. The device is aimed at various creative professionals who need an ample amount of reliable storage space, but in a relatively small package.

The OWC ThunderBay 4 Mini DAS can accommodate four 2.5-inch/15.5 mm storage devices and is based on Intel’s JHL6540 (dual-port TB3) and ASMedia’s ASM1062 (PCIe 2.0 x2 => two SATA 6 Gbps bridge) controllers. Given constraints imposed by a SATA 6 Gbps interface and the ASM1062 chip, the ThunderBay 4 Mini can offer up to 1556 MB/s read/write performance when equipped with four SATA SSDs, or around 560 MB/s when populated with four Seagate’s 2.5-inch 4 TB hard drives. To ensure stable operation and consistent performance, the DAS comes equipped with a fan.

OWC's SoftRAID
	SoftRAID XT	SoftRAID XT Lite
RAID Levels	RAID 0 RAID 1 RAID 4 RAID 5 RAID 0+1	RAID 0 RAID 1
Disk Certification	+	+
Disk Monitoring	+	+
Email Alerts	+	-
Command Line Interface	+	-
Tech Support	Free	Online Forum

Layered on top of the hardware to provide both multi-disk performance and redundancy is OWC's SoftRAID software. OWC will offer the ThunderBay 4 Mini with either its SoftRAID XT or SoftRAID XT Lite software, depending on the model and required RAID level. The applications support both Apple macOS and Microsoft Windows operating systems, so the DAS is compatible with a wide variety of computers available today.

OWC Thunderbay 4 Mini
	HDD Models SoftRAID XT	HDD Models SoftRAID XT Lite
4 TB	$669.99	$599.99
8 TB	$719.99	$649.99
16 TB	$1,019.99	$949.99
	SSD Models SoftRAID XT	SSD Models SoftRAID XT Lite
2 TB	$819.99	$749.99
4 TB	$1,149.99	$1,079.99
8 TB	$2,069.99	$1,999.99
	Enclosure Only SoftRAID XT	Enclosure Only SoftRAID XT Lite
0 TB	$379.99	$299.99

The barebones OWC ThunderBay 4 Mini with SoftRAID Lite XT costs $299.99, whereas a version with SoftRAID XT is priced at $379.99. Enclosures populated with SSDs or HDDs are priced depending on capacity and type of software that comes with them.