Anandtech News

**FEED** · 05-01-18, 08:14 AM

The MyDigitalSSD SBX is one of the first SSDs to use a controller designed for low-end NVMe SSDs. The combination of the Phison E8 controller and Toshiba's 64-layer 3D TLC has allowed the MyDigitalSSD SBX to be one of the cheapest NVMe SSDs on the market, priced near mainstream SATA SSDs but with higher performance than any SATA SSD can offer.
MyDigitalSSD's business model revolves around selling drives based on Phison reference designs. Like any other small SSD brand, MyDigitalSSD lacks the resources to develop their own SSD controller or even write their own firmware from scratch. The way MyDigitalSSD distinguishes themselves from the many competing brands is by offering drives for substantially lower prices and by being one of the first to market with new controllers from Phison. The SBX checks both boxes: it is priced below the Samsung 860 EVO SATA SSD, and it hit the market in December 2017 as the first Phison E8 drive to ship and one of the earliest retail SSDs to feature Toshiba/SanDisk 64-layer 3D NAND.

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**FEED** · 05-01-18, 12:59 PM

Intel this week revealed plans to discontinue its Kaby Lake-X processors. The chips will not be supported by the company’s upcoming X399 platform for high-end desktops, so initialization of their EOL program is not surprising. Interested parties will be able to get their Core i5/Core i7 processors in LGA2066 packaging for about a year, but they will need to order the chips by the end of November.
Intel on Monday announced plans to discontinue all versions (tray and boxed) of its Core i5-7640X and Core i7-7740X CPUs. PC makers and component resellers interested in these processors will have to order them by November 30, 2018. Intel will ship the final codenamed Kaby Lake-X chips by May 31, 2019, so technically interested parties have a year to buy these chips if they need them.
Intel introduced its Core i5-7640X and Core i7-7740X CPUs in mid-2017 in order to enable hardcore enthusiasts and professional overclockers to set overclocking records using quad-core Kaby Lake-X CPUs while taking advantage of the company’s latest HEDT platform. Usage of the X299-based motherboards with LGA2066 form-factor ensures better power supply to processors and thus helps to hit higher clocks. The plan was heavily criticized by product reviewers and motherboard makers since Kaby Lake-X CPUs require different voltages and memory kits than the high core count Skaylake-X CPUs. Furthermore, the launch of Intel’s six-core Coffee Lake processors in October made Kaby Lake-X products considerably less attractive.
Buy Intel Core i7-7740X on Amazon.com
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**FEED** · 05-01-18, 12:59 PM

MIPS has been a common name in the computing industry for over 3 decades now, and nowdays it has been able to carve itself a relevant niche in mobile communications processing, acting as the control processors for LTE modems inside SoCs. Today’s announcement sees a new introduction of the mid-range 32-bit line of processors succeeding past interAptiv line-ups. The I7200 is a new processor targeting high performance embedded systems with real-time requirements in the communications systems.

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**FEED** · 05-01-18, 05:57 PM

This afternoon, Apple announced their earnings for the second quarter of their 2018 fiscal year, and the company has set a new revenue record for the quarter with $61.1 billion in revenue. Apple had a gross margin of 38.3% for the quarter, down slightly from the 38.9% margin a year ago. Operating income for the quarter was up 12.7% to $15.9 billion, and net income was up 25% to $13.8 billion. Earnings per share came in at $2.73, up 30% from a year ago.

Apple Q2 2018 Financial Results (GAAP)
	Q2'2018	Q1'2018	Q2'2017
Revenue (in Billions USD)	$61.137	$88.293	$52.896
Gross Margin (in Billions USD)	$23.422	$33.912	$20.591
Operating Income (in Billions USD)	$15.894	$26.274	$14.097
Net Income (in Billions USD)	$13.822	$20.065	$11.029
Margins	38.3%	38.4%	38.9%
Earnings per Share (in USD)	$2.73	$3.92	$2.10

As always with Apple, the bulk of their revenue came from the iPhone, which pulled in $38.0 billion this quarter on sales of 52.2 million devices. Apple doesn’t break down which phones were sold, but Tim Cook did say “Customers chose iPhone X more than any other iPhone each week in the March quarter” and that’s clear from the revenue, which was up 14% from last year, on only 3% unit sales increase, so the average selling price for iPhone is now $728.34.
iPad had a small gain in sales this quarter as well, with 9.1 million devices sold, which is up 2% from a year ago. Revenue for iPad was $4.1 billion, which was up 6%, so like iPhone, Apple is earning more per device sold than previously.
Mac sales slumped, down 3% from a year ago to 4.1 million Macs sold, but thanks to higher revenue per device for Mac as well, the revenue was flat compared to last year.
While iPad and Mac were once the other horses in the Apple stable, they’ve been eclipsed by Apple’s services, which includes digital content, AppleCare, Apple Pay, and other services. Apple had revenues of $9.2 billion for this quarter on services alone, which is growth of 31% from last year. Unlike their other products, the services also didn’t dip from the Christmas quarter either, with sequential growth of 8% compared to Q1 2018.

Apple Q2 2018 Device Sales (thousands)
	Q2'2018	Q1'2018	Q'2017	Seq Change	Year/Year Change
iPhone	52,217	77,316	50,763	-38%	+3%
iPad	9,113	13,170	8,922	-31%	+2%
Mac	4,078	5,112	4,199	-20%	-3%

Apple’s Other Products, which includes AirPods, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats, iPod, and accessories, also continues to have strong growth, with $3.9 billion in revenue for the quarter, which is up 38% from a year ago.
Despite concerns about iPhone X sales by analysts, Apple has yet again set the bar on how to print money. And, they’ve done it with the iPhone only being 62% of their revenue for this quarter. It’s been well over 70-75% in the past. At the growth rate of services, it’s close to the combined revenue of the iPad and the Mac.
Apple has also announced a further $100 billion in shares will be repurchased, and they are raising the dividend 16%. For the third quarter, they are projecting revenue between 51.5 and 53.5 billion, with margins between 38 and 38.5%.
Source: Apple Investor Relations

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**FEED** · 05-02-18, 07:44 AM

ADATA has started shipments of its new memory modules that feature hybrid air and liquid-based cooling systems along with RGB lighting. The new XPG Spectrix D80 DDR4 RGB modules use ADATA’s Jellyfish concept the company revealed earlier this year at CES, but in a less aggressive way than presented originally. ADATA’s concept submerged the memory chips in a non-conductive liquid, but the XPG Spectrix D80 liquid-cools only a part of the PCB.
ADATA plans to offer XPG Spectrix D80 DDR4 RGB DIMMs rated for DDR4-2666 to DDR4-3600 initially, targeting both AMD Ryzen and Intel Core platforms. The value-add of these modules is the cooling system, which according to ADATA, along with 'an advanced PCB', promise to enable a rather high overclocking potential.

Just like other high-end memory modules, ADATA’s XPG Spectrix D80 DIMMs rely on hand-picked memory chips as well as 10-layer PCBs featuring thermally conductive materials. Based on an image published by the manufacturer, the modules currently use DRAMs from SK Hynix. It is highly likely that ADATA takes a page from Corsair Dominator’s book and uses a special copper layer to transfer heat from DRAM ICs to the top of the PCB, but at this point the manufacturer does not confirm this officially.
The key feature of the XPG Spectrix D80 modules is their cooling system that features aluminum heat spreaders attached to the memory chips as well as a top bar with a non-conductive liquid attached to the top of the PCB. The liquid in the top bar behaves the same way as heat (vapor) chambers and heat pipes: it changes state to gas (or at least changes its viscosity) when heated and turns back to liquid when cooled down. This phase change absorbs a lot of thermal energy and takes the heat away from its source: in this case the PCB conducting heat from memory chips.

As an added bonus, when combined with RGB LEDs, the liquid in the top bars distorts the lighting effect, creating a more unique presentation - something that might please enthusiasts and modders. Speaking of the RGB lighting, it is necessary to note that the new modules ship with ADATA’s app that can synchronize their lighting with that of motherboards from ASUS, ASRock, GIGABYTE, and MSI. Meanwhile, since ADATA’s Jellyfish seems to be a work in progress, it is possible that eventually we will see different implementations of this concept.

Moving on to actual specifications of the products. As noted, the initial XPG Spectrix D80 DDR4 RGB memory modules will use 8 Gb DRAM ICs from SK Hynix rated for DDR4-2666 to DDR4-3600 at 1.20-1.35 Volts, but subsequently higher-performing SKUs could use other memory chips from different vendors. ADATA plans to offer XPG Spectrix D80 memory in dual-channel and quad-channel kits based on 8 GB or 16 GB modules, targeting various grades of enthusiast class systems. All the new DIMMs will support Intel’s XMP 2.0 SPD profiles.

ADATA’s initial XPG Spectrix D80 DDR4 RGB products will be available in the coming weeks. A 16 GB dual-channel DDR4-2666 kit will cost $199.99, whereas a more advanced 32 GB quad-channel DDR4-3000 kit will retail for $419.99.

ADATA's XPG Spectrix D80 DDR4 RGB Memory Kits
Speed	Sub-Timings	Voltage	Kit Config.	Kit Capacity	Price
DDR4-2666	CL16 16-16-?	1.2 V	2×8 GB	16 GB	$199.99
4×8 GB	32 GB	$399.99
DDR4-3000	?	?	2×8 GB	16 GB	$209.99
4×8 GB	32 GB	$419.99

Buy Adata XPG Spectrix D40 16 GB DDR4-3200 on Amazon.com
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**FEED** · 05-02-18, 09:24 AM

LG has been one of the major players in the mobile smartphone market ever since the early days. Today’s launch follows an unusual longer waiting time for the Korean company as it opted to skip on the usual MWC timeframe for the spring product launches, preferring to reveal the new flagship 2 months later.
Over the past week LG has teased various characteristics of the G7 – in particular we knew in detail the specifications of the screen. Today we see the full device unveiled and are able to paint a full picture of LG’s new mainstream flagship device.

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**FEED** · 05-02-18, 03:44 PM

Sony this week began to take pre-orders on its open-ear Xperia Ear Duo headset. The non-obstructive device has been in development for years and is designed to allow a user to listen to music and smartphone notifications while still hearing environmental sounds and holding conversations. Given rather high manufacturing costs of the product, it is considerably more expensive than the rivals. Furthermore, the headset's Host App is only compatible with smartphones, but not iPads and select PCs.
The key element of Sony’s Xperia Ear Duo earpieces is a very small driver that transmits audio directly to the ear canal without going into it and hence without blocking it from environmental sounds. The right earpiece of the Xperia Ear Duo connects to smartphone (or another source) using Bluetooth 4.2 LE (A2DP, AVRCP, HFP profiles are required; AAC and SBC codecs are supported), then it transmits audio to the left one using NFMI method. Sony says that NFMI ensures strong connection between two earpieces and it works better than if both used Bluetooth. Sony ships three sizes of rubber earbuds to firmly hold the earpieces where they should be, making the headset useful for people with different ears. Speaking of holding the earpieces, it is necessary to note that both weigh 0.4 oz (11.3 grams), so they are not hard to hold in place.

The Xperia Ear Duo headset is based on Sony’s custom Spritzer chip that integrates a sensor hub and supports Sony’s Clear Phase audio processing technology to adjust volume based on surroundings and eliminate sound dispersion when needed. Each earpiece has two microphones for hands free calling and to eliminate background noises during conversations. In addition, the headset is outfitted with touch and gyro/accelerometer sensors: the former enable to answer calls by touching either of the earpieces, whereas the latter enable to control calls and music playback by head gestures. Finally, the headset features proximity, compass, and barometer, though Sony does not disclose how it uses them (the proximity sensor is most probably used to start/stop charging when placed into charging case and to turn the devices on when they are in the ear).

Sony’s new headset is made of aluminum and soft rubber to ensure its low weight and preserve against stain. The earpieces also feature IPX2-graded protection against vertical drops of water even if device is tilted by up to 15° from its normal position (i.e., do not wash them or wear them in the shower, but rain should not necessarily damage them).
Each earpiece is outfitted with a 56 mAh battery that enables it to work for four hours. Sony ships its Xperia Ear Duo in a special charging case that has a 740 mAh battery and thus can charge earpieces several times during long trips or during the day (up to one hour of music playback after a seven-minute charge is promised). The charging case supports a USB Type-C connection and is thus compatible with modern computers and chargers.

As noted, the Sony Xperia Ear Duo host app is compatible only with smartphones running iOS 10/Android 5.0 or newer. Technically, they are compatible with Android-based tablets too, but not Apple’s iPad. The good news about being compatible with major smartphone operating systems means that the headset understands things like notifications and voice assistants. In fact, Sony even has its own Daily Assist app (for Google Android handsets) that recognizes time, location, activities, and promises to offer relevant information during the day (e.g., location-based reminders). Meanwhile, the lack of compatibility with certain PCs means that travelers who keep their music collections on their computers will need to carry additional headphones with them.

Retailers like Amazon and b8eta are taking pre-orders on Sony’s Xperia Ear Duo already and will start shipping them starting May 25 or May 31, depending on location. The headset will be available in black and gold. Suggested retail price of the headset is $279.99, which automatically places the product well above all popular wireless headphones (such as Apple’s Airbuds).
Buy Sony Xperia Ear Duo on Amazon.com
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**FEED** · 05-02-18, 03:44 PM

Intel last week announced plans to start using an additional assembly and test facility to produce boxed versions of its six-core Core i5/i7 (Coffee Lake) processors. The addition of the new site in China will enable Intel to increase supply of its latest CPUs. Meanwhile, it is noteworthy that Intel has long solved problems with insufficient supply of its latest products (that plagued them early in the lifecycle) and right now the chips are usually sold below RCP (recommended customer price).
So far, Intel has been using its facilities in Malaysia and Vietnam to assembly and test its boxed six-core Coffee Lake processors that are sold primarily in retail. Last week the company said that starting from May 28, 2018, its customers would start to receive Core i7-8700K, Core i7-8700, Core i5-8600K, Core i5-8500, and Core i5-8400 CPUs assembled and tested in Chengdu, China. The company already uses this site to do the same operations to tray/OEM Coffee Lake processors. Meanwhile, since Intel’s assembly and test facilities are a part of the chipmaker's Copy Exactly! (CE!) program — all procedures and process technologies they use across various production sites across the world are identical. Therefore, performance, quality, reliability and other characteristics of CPUs produced, tested and assembled in different locations are said to be equivalent.
Adding another assembly and test site over half a year after the announcement of the products makes sense since Intel’s partners are rolling out new (and more affordable) motherboards for Coffee Lake CPUs and it is logical to expect demand for these processors to rise. In addition, recently the company expanded the lineup of its 8^th Generation Core i5/i7 offerings for retail with models that come with Optane caching SSDs, making its products a bit more attractive. As a result, in order to avoid any potential bottlenecks in the supply chain Intel is adding a new facility to the list of factories that process the said CPUs.
It is noteworthy that by now Intel has resolved all the undersupply issues that plagued its higher-end Coffee Lake processors back in October. At present, the chips are readily available from leading retailers and in most cases are sold below their RCPs.

Basic Specifications of Intel Core i5/i7 Desktop CPUs
CPU	Cores	Freq. (Base)	Freq. (Boost)	L3	TDP	PN	RCP	Retail Price*
i7-8700K	6/12	3.7 GHz	4.7 GHz	12 MB	95W	CM8068403358220 BX80684I78700K	$359 $370	$347
i7-8700	3.2 GHz	4.6 GHz	65W	CM8068403358316 BX80684I78700	$303 $312	$299
i5-8600K	6/6	3.6 GHz	4.3 GHz	9 MB	95W	CM8068403358508 BX80684I58600K	$257 $258	$239
i5-8500	3 GHz	4.1 GHz	65W	CM8068403362607 BX80684I58500	$192 $202	$212
i5-8400	2.8 GHz	4 GHz	CM8068403358811 BX80684I58400	$182 $187	$179
i3-8350K	4/4	4.0 GHz	N/A	8 MB	91W	CM8068403376809 BX80684I38350K	$168 $179	$169
i3-8100	3.6 GHz	N/A	6 MB	65W	CM8068403377308 BX80684I38100	$117	$119

*Boxed version
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**FEED** · 05-03-18, 08:13 AM

AKiTiO and Intel this week announced plans to release a special product bundle consisting of AKiTiO’s Node Lite Thunderbolt 3 box and Intel’s Optane 905P SSD. The Node Lite Optane Drive will be the industry’s first factory-built external storage solution based on Intel’s 3D XPoint memory and will be aimed at content creators with anApple MacBook Pro and other high-end PCs.
The AKiTiO Node Lite Optane Drive will come in an exclusive red aluminum enclosure and will pack Intel’s Optane 905P PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD with a 960 GB capacity (or higher, when such drives become available). Since Intel’s Optane 905P SSD cards feature LED lighting, the red Node Lite box will have a window to demonstrate the stylish storage device. The Node Lite Optane Drive is targeted at owners of high end notebooks that need about a terabyte of very fast storage and who would like to have it in a red enclosure for all to see.
For performance, we already reported earlier this week that the Intel Optane 905P SSDs will offer up to 2600 MB/s sequential read speed as well as up to 2200 MB/s sequential write speed, whereas its random performance numbers are speced at 575K and 550K for reads and writes, respectively - under Apple’s macOS the manufacturers are reporting 2200 MB/s reads and writes. This storage solution will be among the fastest storage options for TB3-enabled computers in terms of random performance and latencies.
Given a very high endurance of 3D XPoint memory, the Node Lite Optane Drive will be offered with a five-year warranty and will be rated for 10 DWPD, a rather massive number for a desktop-class storage device.
As for the price of the new unit, AKiTiO and Intel will not officially publish it before they start taking pre-orders in June. In the meantime, one can make an educated guess based on the fact that the Intel Optane 905P 960 GB carries a $1299 price tag, whereas AKiTiO sells its Node Lite enclosure for $199.
Buy AKiTiO Node Lite on Amazon.com

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**FEED** · 05-03-18, 08:13 AM

It’s been a long time since we’ve had a chance to review a laptop powered by an AMD CPU, but Acer has now launched the Acer Swift 3 powered by Ryzen Mobile, and we’ve got a chance to look at one. AMD has had a tough run in the laptop space over the last couple of years, but with the release of Ryzen in 2017, they are hoping to turn their fortunes around. But a big part of that will be having their partners package Ryzen into laptops that are of high quality, so that’s where Acer comes in.

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