Apple : The best keyboards of 2019: top 10 keyboards compared |
- The best keyboards of 2019: top 10 keyboards compared
- Best printers 2019: inkjet, color, mono and laser printers
- Best Ultrabooks 2019: the top thin and light laptops reviewed
- Best Windows tablets 2019: all of the top Windows tablets reviewed
- Google Pixel 4 release date, price, news and leaks
- All MacBooks will ditch the Butterfly keyboard by mid 2020, analyst claims
- OnePlus 7T Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus
- Steam will soon let offline multiplayer games be played with friends online
- Disney Plus UK: why no launch date, Disney?
- OnePlus 7T Pro launch live blog: the event as it happened
- HBO’s mental health warnings are what TV streaming services need
- The best graphics cards 2019: all the top GPUs for gaming
- The Apple Watch 3 is down to its lowest price ever ahead of Black Friday
- Best all-in-one printers of 2019: top printer and scanner devices
- The 22 best Nintendo DS games: all the titles you absolutely need to revisit
- Best Mac 2019: the best Macs to buy this year
- Best gaming laptops 2019: the 10 top gaming laptops we've reviewed
- Best laptops for photographers in 2019: Photo editing in Photoshop
- Best Wi-Fi extenders of 2019: top devices for boosting your WiFi network
- Huawei has no intention to be a data centre colocation operator
| The best keyboards of 2019: top 10 keyboards compared Posted: 10 Oct 2019 01:20 PM PDT Don't wait to get one of the best keyboards until your old one finally dies on you. If your keyboard is starting to show its age, collecting dust or just not giving you want you need from it, you might want to think about picking up one of the best keyboards now. The benefits to comfort, speed and reliability you gain with one of the best keyboards easily pays the price. Believe us when we say that once you use one of these keyboards, you'll never look back or even want to. Whether you’re writing a term paper, chatting with friends or playing the best PC games, the best keyboards can make life so much easier. The best keyboards aren’t all about getting work done, after all: the best gaming keyboards can make your off time better, too. Here are the best keyboards for general use we’ve tested and reviewed over the last year. The best keyboards of 2019 at a glance:
It has become the norm for keyboard manufacturers to implement their own custom keyboard switches, and Roccat – with the Vulcan 120 Aimo – is no different. While this keyboard is primarily marketed as a gaming keyboard, its Titan Switches are tactile enough to be satisfying, while still bouncing back quickly enough to be comfortable to type on for extended periods. And, we’d be remiss to not mention the looks – the Vulcan 120 Aimo looks like a science fiction keyboard, we love it. Read the full review: Roccat Vulcan 120 Aimo
If you have a home theater PC, you might be frustrated by the lack of keyboards that explicitly appeal to your use case. Luckily, there’s a keyboard for you – the Corsair K83 Wireless is a fantastic entertainment-focused keyboard. Not only is it light and portable, it also has a bevy of entertainment functions that’ll make life easier in your living room. And, with its wealth of connectivity options, including Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless through a dongle, you can use it with many different platforms. However, it’s not great at gaming, so keep that in mind. Read the full review: Corsair K83 Wireless
As long as you don’t mind missing out on some of that signature ‘thock’ sound that’s associated with regular Realforce keyboards, opting for a silenced model like the 104 UBS offers some solid benefits. Hitting the 104 UBS’s keys produces sound on par with a membrane keyboard, so it’s going to be great if you work in a busy office or a shared bedroom. The ‘dampened’ feel of Topre’s silenced switches can feel kind of like typing on sandpaper compared to a non-silenced board, but we found that it’s worth the trade-off if you need a quieter keyboard.
Filco's keyboards tend to be built like tanks, and the Majestouch TKL is no different. This space-saving mechanical keyboard features a compact tenkeyless design that has less than 1cm of space between the edge of the keys and the keyboard. Its durability doesn't simply allow it to stand up well to knocks and scrapes – it has a positive impact on its typing feel too. You can hammer away on it at speed, even bottoming out to your heart's content, and the Majestouch 2 will take every bit of punishment.
We’ve seen all kinds of keyboards over the years here at TechRadar, from stylish tenkeyless keyboards to RGB-laden gaming behemoths, but something has always been missing – a focus on creatives. Thankfully, with the Logitech Craft, this is no longer the case. Not only is this a sturdy, tactile and attractive keyboard but it also features a unique dial on its top left corner, which will help creatives expedite their workflow. This dial’s utility will vary depending on the application, from simply controlling the volume on the desktop, to changing levels in various tools in Photoshop. If you spend a lot of time creating content on your PC, the Logitech Craft is one of the best keyboards you can buy today. Read the full review: Logitech Craft
The PFU Happy Hacking Professional 2 has somewhat of a cult following in the keyboard scene, and it’s not hard to see why. This keyboard is aimed at coders, but it’s fantastic for all you writers out there, too. It forgoes traditional arrow keys, instead making use of function keys and key combinations to get that stuff done. It will take a minute to get used to, but once you get that out of the way the small size is a huge benefit, as you’ll be able to take it anywhere you go. Plus, that sweet ‘thock’ sound of the Topre switches is a wonder to behold.
You just need to look at Microsoft’s Surface devices to know that they’re kind of killing it when it comes to design, and the Microsoft Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID takes things to a whole new level. If you’re running Windows 10, and you’re into the Surface aesthetic, this is easily one of the best keyboards out there. Not only does it feel great, but it also features biometric security, by including a discrete fingerprint scanner right next to the “Alt” key. It is an expensive device, but as with everything Microsoft, you can be sure you’re getting what you’re paying for. Read the full review: Microsoft Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID
Leopold's Fc660c is more portable than the Realforce 87u, but less so than the lighter and more compact HHKB2. However, the Fc660c benefits from its extra heft and feels like the more solid board. Despite having the same 45 gram actuation force as the HHKB2, the Leopold's keys feel slightly weightier - somewhere nearer to 50 grams. It results one of the most satisfying "thock" sounds on a Topre board.
Remember those old IBM Model M keyboards? Well, that’s what the Unicomp Classic 104 seeks to emulate. Available in both USB and PS/2 versions, it uses a buckling spring switch that takes more effort to press than just about every other modern switch. You’re rewarded for this hard pressing with a tactile response that feels like the classic mechanical keyboards of old, along with a noise that will drive everyone around you mad.
Some keyboards just ooze class, and the Das Keyboard Prime 13 is one of them. Its features a solid aluminum top panel for added rigidity and a very minimalistic look. With Cherry's MX Red or Brown switches under the keycaps, you're given a choice between linear and non-linear offerings with a range of actuation points. It's a great option for media enthusiasts thanks to side lit media control and the inclusion of white backlighting is another bonus. It's not the most affordable keyboard on our list, but if you're looking for something a little bit more premium, Das is the way to go.
With its latest keyboard, Logitech is targeting smartphone and tablet owners who prefer to use their device while sat at a desk. And, if you were a fan of the predecessor, the K380, the Logitech K780 should be right up your alley, especially with its added number pad. This keyboard still has the ability to pair with three devices using Bluetooth or wireless, so you can swap between all your gadgets on the fly. And, thanks to its comfortable rounded keycaps, it’s still a pleasure to type on. The keyboard’s base is the star of the show, however, as it can hold mobile devices up to 11.3mm thick in an upright position. This places them within arms’ reach to make anything from replying to WhatsApp messages or reading a digital magazine easier than ever. How to determine the best keyboard for you
It goes without saying that if you demand the look and feel only mechanical switches can provide, rather than those that are slim and stealthy, we suggest perusing our best gaming keyboards round-up instead. Gamers prioritize the actuation that clicky feeling mechanical keyboards bring, whereas traditional home and office users are more about practicality. That said, the sheer magnitude of sound produced by a lot of mechanical keyboards is offputting to some. For those folks, we have some membrane keyboards to recommend as well.
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| Best printers 2019: inkjet, color, mono and laser printers Posted: 10 Oct 2019 01:13 PM PDT Editor's note: Looking for a copier or photocopier for your business? If you're looking for information to help you choose the one that's right for you, use the questionnaire below to have our partner site, BuyerZone, provide you with information from a variety of vendors for free: If you're looking for the best printers of 2019, you've come the right place. On this page you'll find our pick of the very best printers money can buy – no matter what kind of printer you're looking for. Want an all-in-one printer that can scan and photocopy as well as print? Or maybe you want a photo printer that can produce lab-quality printouts of your photographs. Perhaps you're just after a solid black and white laser printer for fast printouts for your office. No matter what you're looking for, we’ve put together this list of the best printers of 2019 so that you can spend less time shopping and more time getting some work done. When shopping for the best printers, you'll be faced with a huge choice, as printers these days come in all kinds of shape and size. While that means you'll no doubt be able to find the best printer to suit your exact needs, it also means it can be quite bewildering with all the choice and jargon. But don't worry, with this best printers buying guide – along with our very own price comparison tool that's built into the page – we'll help you find the best printer for your needs and budget. Regardless of the kind of printer you’re looking for, you’ll find it right here, and our exclusive price comparison tool will help you get the best printers for a bargain.
Image Credit: TechRadar By Xerox standards, this is a modest machine, but it has the specifications and features to suit almost any small to medium business. The print speed is only average, but the consistent quality of it colour and mono prints is impressive. So too is the intuitive touchscreen interface that gives you easy access to a wealth of features such as dual-sided scanning and a broad selection of security features. This feels like a premium product and it’s well supported by modular upgrades. Read the full review: Xerox WorkCentre 6515
Image Credit: Brother Given its ability to print on A3 paper, this is a surprisingly compact multifunction device, that will happily share a desk with your PC. It prints clearly in monochrome, while colour photos look quite vibrant on photo paper. The touchscreen is rather small and it’s not the fastest duplex printer around, but it hits a near perfect balance balance between quality, performance and features. Read the full review: Brother MFC-J5330DW
Image Credit: Epson The compact, lozenge-shaped design belies this MFD’s surprising ability to print on A3 paper. Without taking up much space in your home office, it can turn out superb quality documents and make high-resolution scans. There’s no document feeder or fax facility, but Epson’s six-ink system more than compensates by printing remarkably accurate photos on photo paper. Read the full review: Epson Expression Photo XP-960
Image Credit: TechRadar Canon has managed to shrink all of the features a small business might need into a multifunction device that could fit inside a filing cabinet. The five-ink system gives great quality photo prints and the large touchscreen makes it especially easy to use. The print speed is a little slow, even for an inkjet, but it is well featured with both Bluetooth and Wi-fi connectivity and a handy SD-Card slot at the front. Read the full review: Canon Pixma TR8550
Image Credit: HP If you have the space for it, this multifunction device will serve a small business well thanks to its consistently crisp print quality, useful 35-sheet automatic document feeder and automated photocopying skills. This is a mono machine and it’s not the fastest laser on the block, but it’s quicker than any inkjet and offers an attractive blend of features and performance. Read the full review: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M227fdw
Image Credit: TechRadar What looks like a oversized breadbin is actually a highly efficient and reliable colour laser printer. You can fit 500 sheets in the deep main paper tray and with Kyocera’s high capacity toner cartridges installed, the cost per page works out favourably. The interface is cramped and difficult to see, but it prints very quickly and quite quietly too. Read the full review: Kyocera Ecosys P6230cdn
Image Credit: Oki This heavy lump of a laser printer is distinguished by a seven-inch touchscreen that makes it very easy and secure to call down print jobs when your standing at the machine. It prints very quickly in duplex mode in either colour or mono, while its high capacity toner cartridges ensure a competitive per page cost. Wi-Fi is not built in, but for hardwired workgroups in a busy office, this machine would serve well. Read the full review: Oki C542dn
Image Credit: TechRadar Epson’s second generation of EcoTank printers refines its refillable ink system and is deployed here by a highly capable inkjet MDF. Photo quality is excellent and the ability to print on A3 paper is a real boon. The interface lacks a touchscreen and printing is slow, but the pages are well worth waiting for. If the price tag appears prohibitive, that’s because there are two sets of ink bottles in the box. Enough to print 3,600 photos! Read the full review: Epson EcoTank ET-7750
Image Credit: Lexmark It might look a little top heavy, but this all-in-one A4 printer feels well made and offers plenty of features for the footprint that it takes up. Duplex scanning from the ADF and rapid automatic photocopying are performed flawlessly, while the print quality in both colour and mono is excellent. Duplex printing is not the fastest, but a wealth of security features and an easy interface more than makes up for the shortfall.
Image Credit: Kodak Kodak’s entry-level printer cannot compete with more expensive models when it comes to print speed, or outright quality, but for value, design and ease of use, it excels. Kodak’s replacement cartridges are more affordable than most inkjets and the interface is especially user-friendly. The ingeniously compact design makes it hard to begrudge a multifunction device with a footprint that’s little bigger than a sheet of A4. Read the full review: Kodak Verité 65 Plus
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| Best Ultrabooks 2019: the top thin and light laptops reviewed Posted: 10 Oct 2019 12:54 PM PDT The best Ultrabooks are more than just status symbols. These stylish and svelte laptops are also capable of delivering excellent performance for productivity and to see you through your creative endeavors. As they’re feathery-light and compact, they’re the ultimate grab and go devices, which means that you can edit your photos, render your videos and catch up on work, whether you’re on a train in Europe, at a cafe at home or in between classes. What’s more is that they’re now more powerful than ever, coming fitted with the best processors and SSDs out there. They really are powerful little machines that can help you run through projects like no one’s business. And, often that power is coupled with a pretty remarkable battery life that might last you an entire workday in one full charge. We’ve put quite a few Ultrabooks out there through our tests and picked out the best ones for our best Ultrabooks list, which include stalwarts like Dell and HP as well as newer entries like Razer and Huawei. Not quite sure which Ultrabook is the right one for you? By the time you go through this list, you’ll have a top contender to consider.
For a few years now, Huawei has been waiting in the shadows, biding its time to take on the best Ultrabooks. But now, that time in the limelight is here. Like the Huawei MateBook X Pro before it, the Huawei Matebook 13 crams a ton of powerful hardware into a beautiful shell, all while offering it at a price that’s more than reasonable. Those discrete graphics are also worthy of a mention – the Huawei Matebook 13 may be one of the tiniest laptops out there to pack an MX150 GPU. It’s not hard to see why the Huawei Matebook 13 is the best Ultrabook right now. Read the full review: Huawei MateBook 13
The Dell XPS 13 has been the top dog of the Ultrabooks for years, and while it’s been dethroned by the Huawei MateBook 13, it’s still one of the Ultrabooks to beat in 2019. This time around, Dell has moved the webcam from the bottom of the display to the top, fixing one of the biggest issues that held back the XPS 13 for years. Add the updated internals to the mix, and the Dell XPS 13 still makes the best Ultrabooks list – even in the face of tough competition. Read the full review: Dell XPS 13
Sometimes an Ultrabook appears that completely changes everything. When the 2018 model of the Huawei MateBook X Pro came on the scene, it did exactly that. This gorgeous Ultrabook brings high-end components into a stylishly designed package that puts even the MacBook Pro to shame. It truly is one of the best Ultrabooks on the market, despite its 2019 successor’s attempts to best it with an Intel Whiskey Lake processor. It’s still the 2018 model that’s captured our computing cores. Read the full review: Huawei MateBook X Pro
If a striking Ultrabook housing 2-in-1 functionality and plenty of power fulfills what you’re looking for, it’s hard to find a better laptop than the HP Spectre x360. This slim and light Ultrabook isn’t just packed with the latest Intel Whiskey Lake processors and plenty of RAM. It also may just be the most exquisite laptop you can buy today. The HP Spectre x360 won’t just see you through your workload, but will also make you smart and stylish in the process – leaving no doubt that it’s well-deserving of its lofty spot on our best Ultrabooks 2019 list. Read the full review: HP Spectre x360
The original Surface Laptop hit the market nearly two years ago, and while it was a great Ultrabook, it was held back by relatively weak internals and Windows 10 S. Thankfully, Microsoft rolled out the Surface Laptop 2 in late 2018, providing quad-core processors and the full-fat version of Windows 10. It’s through these primary improvements that the Surface Laptop 2 is able to bring the purest Windows 10 experience to a laptop – not to mention, join the ranks of the best Ultrabooks available right now – at a price that won’t make you run in the opposite direction. Read the full review: Surface Laptop 2
The Lenovo Yoga C930 has many of the makings of the best Ultrabook – from a ridiculous 14.5 hours of battery life and dual Thunderbolt-enabled USB-C ports to internal components that will easily power through those daily productivity tasks. That’s without even mentioning a 2-in-1 that offers form flexibility so you can squeeze in some light gaming and movie-watching after you’re done working. It has a few cherries on top as well, namely the integrated self-charging stylus and the fab speaker system. Read the full review: Lenovo Yoga C930
Razer has made quite a name for itself in the gaming world. Yet, with the Razer Blade Stealth, the green-themed manufacturer wants people to know that they’re more than just a company “for gamers, by gamers.” This Ultrabook will definitely change your mind with its 13.3-inch, QHD+ beauty. You can no longer opt for a 4K screen, but the performance this Ultrabook offers is more than worth the compromise – especially given how beautiful the chassis is. Read the full review: Razer Blade Stealth
Durability meets portability and performance in this slender laptop with an affordable price tag. The Lenovo Yoga 730 isn’t the close-to-perfect machine many premium buyers might be in the market for, with a few less-than-favorable flaws like heavier weight, average battery life and weak speakers. However, this laptop will easily take you through your weekly workload. Lenovo then rounds out that performance with a reliable keyboard and trackpad, sturdy hinges to switch between tablet and laptop mode, and a display with thin bezels. Read the full review: Lenovo Yoga 730
There are so many compelling reasons why the HP Envy x360 (2019) should be on our best Ultrabooks list, and its trim, stylish design is the least of them. This 13-inch 2-in-1 has a premium build quality, boasts 9 hours of video playback and a performance that will power you through most of your schoolwork and projects, all without burning a hole in your pocket. Read the full review: HP Envy x360 (2019)
In many cases, a Windows Ultrabook can be just as capable as a MacBook Air. Take the Asus ZenBook UX310UA, for example. With decent 7th-generation Intel Kaby Lake processors, a remarkable 178-degree viewing-angle QHD+ display, a USB-C port and an aluminum build, it’s still one of the best Ultrabooks on the market, even after all this time. Read the full review: Asus ZenBook UX310
Michelle Rae Uy, Bill Thomas and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article Image credit: TechRadar
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| Best Windows tablets 2019: all of the top Windows tablets reviewed Posted: 10 Oct 2019 12:43 PM PDT There’s no stopping the best Windows tablets from taking over the computing world. They’re not only excellent for entertainment and connecting with pals from other places, but they’re also lightweight and powerful. In fact, the best Windows tablets have evolved into the best 2-in-1 laptops alternatives on the market, perfect for people on the go who want to squeeze in a bit of work without lugging around a heavy laptop. Because they offer the best of both worlds and because of the versatility offered by these best Windows tablets, it’s not hard to see why they’re so universally beloved. From light and slim showstoppers to processor-hungry powerhouses, the best Windows tablets – some of which also makes our best tablets list – have something for every need and budget. We found the best Windows tablets, testing and reviewing them ourselves, and put together this list. Guaranteed you’ll find something on this list that’s perfect for you.
The Microsoft Surface Go meets that large demand for a budget Surface device, while also being among the best Windows tablets for anyone who wants to do a bit of work on the go. It’s thin, light, portable and elegant like its more expensive cousins, but it has a price tag that’s a bit more affordable for regular users, thanks to Microsoft packing in everything they could in a device with a reasonable price tag. If you’re a student, or just someone who wants to consume some media while traveling, including playing some of the best laptop games on an airplane, then you can’t go wrong with the Microsoft Surface Go. Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Go
Touted by Lenovo as ‘an IT admin’s dream,’ the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet indeed offers many of the makings of such a device. That includes dual Thunderbolt ports for faster data transfers, Windows Hello login via fingerprint reader, and the optional IR camera for a more secure login and Microsoft AutoPilot readiness. And, that’s without mentioning the SSD and battery that are field serviceable so that you can get a certified technician to come to you if you need parts replaced. But that’s not all; it’s also got a light and sleek chassis, and it comes with the ThinkPad Pen Pro, which means it’s great value all around. Read the full review: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet
Microsoft’s Surface Pro lineup is the epitome of what other Windows tablets should strive for – and the Surface Pro 6 has followed in its predecessors’ footsteps. While it doesn’t bring anything particularly fresh to the table, it does iterate in a relevant way, inheriting all the best parts of the previous model then rolling out with more powerful hardware and a new black color option to boot. The Surface Pen and Type Cover are still for purchase and not included in the box, but that’s just the reality we have to live with these days. Either way, the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 easily tops our list of the best Windows tablets you can buy today. Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Pro 6
The Acer Switch used to be a more affordable alternative to the Surface Pro. These days, the Acer Switch 5 will cost you just as much, but that’s also for comparable specs except perhaps an older processor. Price increase aside, this tablet is still one of the best Windows tablets – not to mention, best performing – out there, and it’s the perfect solution for students and professionals who don’t want to buy into the Surface trend. Read the full review: Acer Switch 5
The Lenovo Yoga Book C930 is a truly innovative 2-in-1 laptop, with a second E Ink display that moonlights as a keyboard, a pad for making notes and drawing and a traditional E Ink reader for viewing documents. It's perhaps this second stunning screen that's the biggest selling point of the Lenovo Yoga Book C930. That fact that it's thin and light makes it an excellent tablet as well. If you're looking for a laptop that doubles as a tablet and a drawing pad, this one's an ace in our book. Read the full review: Lenovo Yoga Book C930 Bill Thomas, Gabe Carey and Michelle Rae Uy have also contributed to this article Images credit: TechRadar
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| Google Pixel 4 release date, price, news and leaks Posted: 10 Oct 2019 12:03 PM PDT The Google Pixel 4 is launching in a matter of days, but with the colossal amount of leaks and rumors revealing nearly every inch of the upcoming smartphone, we won't be surprised by much when the phone is unveiled on October 15. To be fair - and probably to get ahead of the already plentiful leaks - Google itself showed off cropped shots of the phone earlier this year. But that did little to stop the flood of rumors and early looks at the device. Or devices plural, since we're anticipating more than the usual pair of Google Pixel 4 and Google Pixel 4 XL: we could see a Google Pixel 4 XL 5G, too. There are reasons the search giant would want to introduce its own 5G phone, and while the company could just wait for the next-gen networks to mature before introducing its own device, there's more evidence Google will have at least something to show. In sum, we don't know exactly how many devices will launch - we're also hearing about a possible Google Pixel Watch and a notebook - but we do know the release date: October 15 thanks to Google's official announcement. The end of the year is 'big phones launch season', and with the iPhone 11 and the Huawei Mate 30 Pro already unveiled, Google wants to finish it off. Latest leak: another report claims that Google will unveil a Google Pixel 4 5G alongside its normal versions - not to be released anytime soon, but at least revealed to the public. Plus, images Google was planning to show off the Pixel 4 camera capabilities have been leaked in advance of the presentation, which hint at which new features the smartphone will bring to the photography world, including astrophotography, macro shots, night mode and more.
Since its launch in 2016, the Pixel line has been a reliable tent-pole in the smartphone release calendar later in the year. Offering a suite of features with an almost unmatched level of software polish, and packing the most impressive camera tech on the market, the handsets have done a lot to earn the adoration of the tech community at large. That's not to say the competition is resting, and Google in 2019 really needs to keep on its feet if the Pixel line is to meet expectations with its next big version. Could it reach the top of our list of the best Android phones, or best camera phones as the Pixel 3 did before it? Only time will tell. Read on for the most up-to-date list of rumors regarding its design and pricing, and a full breakdown of what we’d like to see feature-wise from Google's upcoming pocket rocket. Cut to the chase
Google Pixel 4 price and release dateFor years now, Google has opted to release its Pixel lineup in the latter half of the year, after the usual roller coaster of smartphone releases from the first half have died down. Google has officially announced when the Pixel 4 will be unveiled: October 15. It's likely that Google will take the opportunity to launch a few other hardware devices at the same time - which could include the long-rumored but still insubstantial Pixel Watch. Hope remains. Four new Google phone models have been listed by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), which is something we'd expect to happen close to launch, providing more evidence for more Pixel 4 phones. Following the announcement, it's likely that the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL release date will be in early November, if past years are anything to go by. In terms of the Google Pixel 4 price, the cost of Pixel handsets have been climbing for years now. With the extra features now included and the general emphasis on a premium fit and finish, the Pixel 4 - or at least the XL model - could be the first of the line to break the $1,000/£1,000/AU$1,500 mark. We'll probably also see multiple different storage capacities offered at different prices. Indeed, a store listing puts the Google Pixel 4 at €825.33 (roughly $905 / £730 / AU$1,340) for a 64GB model and €947.10 (around $1,040 / £835 / AU$1,540) for a 128GB one, while it states that the Pixel 4 XL is 1,015.98 (around $1,115 / £900 / AU$1,650) for a 64GB model and €1,132.83 (roughly $1,245 / £1,000 / AU$1,840) for a 128GB one. We would however take these prices with a pinch of salt - they might be wrong, and even if they're not it won't be an exact conversion for other regions. There's also multiple reports - the latest of which coming a week before the event - alleging that a 5G version of the Google Pixel 4 will be shown off on launch day. We have no idea if this model will look or operate any differently, as every phonemaker is taking a different approach with their 5G-supporting editions. One thing we can assume with some certainty: it will be more expensive. More information will arrive closer to the launch, so watch this space. Google Pixel 4 leaks and rumorsWe've heard a few leaks and rumors about the upcoming Pixel 4 smartphone, so we've collected them below so you can find out what we know. Google Pixel 4 designWe know what the Google Pixel 4 will look like (on the back at least), thanks to Google itself posting a tweet with a picture of its upcoming handset. It confirms that the Google Pixel 4 design will feature a large, square camera bump on the rear - which we'd seen in multiple rumors before Google posted its tweet. On closer inspection, it appears the bump houses two cameras - which would be a first for the Pixel line of phones, which have stuck to just a single rear snapper to date - along with a camera flash below them (with a sensor to its right) and another sensor at the top of the square. Another key point we can glean from the official Google Pixel 4 image is the lack of a fingerprint scanner. Every Pixel handset to date has had a rear fingerprint scanner, which points towards the Google Pixel 4 coming with an in-display scanner. The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL may not have fingerprint scanners at all though, if Google opts to go all-in on face, retina or voice recognition instead, as has also been rumored. While the front design isn't totally clear, it's also rumored that the Pixel 4 range might have a full bezel at the top, rather than a notch or punch-hole. You can see a close look at the likely bezel (along with the square camera block) in the leaked photos below. That full bezel is a claim that someone else who seemingly snapped a Pixel 4 in the wild also makes (though the front isn't visible in the photo). It's also an idea that Google itself has virtually confirmed, so this looks likely. And yet more people have seemingly photographed the phone, with another source catching the front, complete with that top bezel but seemingly almost no bottom bezel. Better yet, what appears to be the Google Pixel 4 XL has also been caught on video, as you can see below. The phone is shown from all angles, highlighting the top bezel, the lack of a 3.5mm headphone port, and the glass back that's all one color, rather than two-tone as we saw on past Pixel handsets. This single-hue, single-finish rear is supported by another release by noted leaker @evleaks showing the front and back of an alleged Pixel 4. We've also seen leaked renders of the Pixel 4 XL, giving us a close look at the possible bezel. We've since also seen the Google Pixel 4 XL in more videos and live photos and they all match the design above - so this is looking very likely to be accurate. You can see what's apparently the Pixel 4 XL in a real photo below, the source of which said it has a matte finish on both the frame and glass back. Another Google Pixel 4 XL leak with case renders supports this top-bezel design and gives more angles to see the phone's potential design. Sadly, if this render is true, there's no return of the 3.5mm audio jack that we surprisingly saw in the Google Pixel 3a. Whatever design the phone has, it might come in some new colors, as a mint green shade has leaked alongside the expected black and white models. We've also seen images showing off a new coral color (or is it orange?), which has now appeared on a billboard as you can see below, as well as in a leaked render (also below). We also have an idea of what this shade will be called, with multiple sources pointing to the name 'Oh So Orange' - and saying that it will be joined by the existing 'Just Black' and 'Clearly White' shades. Google Pixel 4 cameraWe've got some big clues as to the Google Pixel 4 camera capabilities, in the form of actual samples from the smartphone. These were leaked in advance of the Pixel 4 launch event, and show what the snapper is capable of. Shots include astrophotography (that shows the night sky in clear detail, including stars and the milky way), macro snaps (focused pictures of small, close objects), bright night and low-light shots, and a mode for action pictures that don't look horribly blurry. The snaps don't confirm what the smartphone's new lens is, but it could be a macro lens judging by the quality close-up shots. A site claims to have got hold of a Pixel 4 unit early, and suggests that it has a very good camera - outperforming the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus in their tests, with more natural but less vibrant colors. They added though that it struggled to focus on close up shots. Leaked Pixel 4 XL images meanwhile a dual-lens camera on the front, and a triple-lens camera on the back. We don't know for sure what specs the camera will have yet, but rumors suggest it will include a 16MP telephoto lens and improved color capture. Elsewhere we've heard that the Pixel 4 could have both a 12MP main lens and a 16MP telephoto one, as well as a "DSLR-like attachment." There's also a chance that the Pixel 4 could have an improved zoom, possibly offering up to 20x zoom. We're basing this theory on a zoomed-in photo posted on Instagram by Claude Zellweger (Google's design director), in which he says "20x zoom #Pixel" in a reply to a comment. However, in another comment he clarifies that the shot was taken on a Google Pixel 3a using a mix of zooming and cropping. So it doesn't sound like this is a new feature, but it could be hinting at one. We're not convinced, but you never know. Other rumors point to an 8x zoom, though it's not clear whether or not that's all going to be optical. There's also talk of a new Motion Mode to help you take the best action shots without blur, and an improved night mode, one which a leaked marketing video further suggests. And despite the images above, another leak, this time in the form of case renders, suggests the Pixel 4 might have a notch, one housing two cameras. The renders also show a big bezel below the screen housing a speaker, and the same square camera on the back as the leaks above. There's also alternatively a chance the Pixel 4 might arrive toting the punch-hole design used by the Honor View 20 and then brought into the mainstream by the Samsung Galaxy S10 line. At least, that's what an image for a screen protector seemingly designed for the phone shows, along with stereo speakers and virtually no bezel. We've also similarly seen a leaked image below, supposedly showing the Google Pixel 4 XL with a dual-lens camera cut into the top right corner of the screen - although as we now know the rear design it suggests is incorrect, it pours cold water on the rest of the claims made here.
Image Credit: SlashLeaks Indeed, it's since been rumored that three Pixel 4 designs were in the works before Google settled on the one with the square camera block, so the images above may have once been in consideration. The design that won out seemingly involves a full top bezel on the front, and just one selfie camera - at least in the base Pixel 4. In a seeming bid to get ahead of leaks, Google announced two new features, the hand gesture control Motion Sense and Face Unlock (detailed below). Both require a full suite of sensors located in the big top bezel, though that seemingly edged out the second selfie camera.
The phone could also introduce a 'raise to talk' feature that activates Google Assistant after you pick up the phone. It would honestly make it far easier to use than holding a button or unlocking the phone first, though we're not sure the feature will be ready for launch - and might come in a later update. We've also seen what might be the Pixel 4's new and improved camera app, which sports an expanded photo-taking view, a horizon-leveling feature, and more. Plus, there's been mention of a 'Pixel Neural Core', suggesting that neural networks will play a big role in photo processing. Google Pixel 4 displayIn screen news, the latest leak suggests that the Pixel 4 XL will have a 6.23-inch 1440 x 3040 screen with 540 pixels per inch and a 19:9 aspect ratio. That would make it marginally smaller and sharper than the Pixel 3 XL. Previously we've heard that the Pixel 4 could have a 5.6-5.8-inch screen, while the Pixel 4 XL could have a 6.2-6.4-inch one (compared to the 5.5-inch Pixel 3 and 6.3-inch Pixel 3 XL). That same source says the Pixel 4 will be roughly 147.0 x 68.9 x 8.2mm (or 9.3mm thick including the rear camera bump), and the Google Pixel 4 XL will be around 160.4 x 75.2 x 8.2mm (rising to 9.3mm at the camera bump). Another source claims that the Pixel 4 will have a 5.7-inch screen and the Pixel 4 XL will have a 6.3-inch one. That matches the leak above, but this source adds that the phones will have a 90Hz refresh rate, allowing for smoother scrolling than most handsets. This would apparently be marketed as 'Smooth Display' and it's a feature we've heard about more than once. Google Pixel 4 specsWe've seen a Geekbench benchmark possibly for the Google Pixel 4. It lists a top-end Snapdragon 855 chipset, along with 6GB of RAM - up from 4GB in the Pixel 3 range. It also, unsurprisingly, lists the phones as running Android Q. The benchmark includes a single-core score of 3,296 and a multi-core one of 9,235, which are solid but unexceptional results for a top-end phone. Of course, this would be pre-release hardware and software, so results at launch might be better. We've heard from multiple sources, in fact, that the Pixel 4 could launch with 6GB RAM. So far all the Pixel phones have had 4GB RAM, so this would be a long-overdue step up in terms of processing power. Another source has pointed to the same specs, along with 64GB or 128GB of storage, and a 2,800mAh battery for the standard model and a 3,700mAh one for the Pixel 4 XL. Elsewhere we've also seen the Snapdragon 855 mentioned.
Google Pixel 3a XL However, there might be a model that comes with as much as 8GB of RAM - along with 5G, as exactly that has also appeared on a benchmark. Elsewhere, we've seen evidence that there could be a third Pixel 4 model, which could be the Google Pixel 4 XL 5G benchmarked above, though there's an outside chance that it could be a Pixel 4a or something else. In more unusual news we've heard that the Google Pixel 4 might have capacitive buttons rather than mechanical, clickable ones - however the image Google has shared appears to go against this, with raised buttons on the side of the handset suggesting mechanical ones. It's possible that this change would be made to allow Active Edge (the ability to launch Google Assistant by squeezing the frame, as found on previous Pixels) to work along the full length of the phone's frame, and it could also help improve the design of the phone. Though notably image leaks still show physical buttons, so take this with a pinch of salt. The same source added that the Pixel 4 will have front-facing speakers and a punch-hole camera. Finally, code added to the open source foundation of Android suggests that the Google Pixel 4 might have improved dual-SIM support, letting you use both a normal SIM and an eSIM at the same time. Throughout the year more leaks will continue to arrive, so keep checking back here for all of the latest developments. Google Pixel 4 Motion SenseIn an apparent bid to get ahead of leaks, Google itself revealed two big features coming to the Pixel 4, one of which is a type of hand gesture control called Motion Sense. Motion Sense uses the Google Pixel 4's whole new suite of sensors alongside its front-facing camera - specifically Soli, a motion-sensing radar concept - to track hand gestures for theoretically easy, no-touch controls. Ostensibly, these will be used to perform simple actions like skipping music tracks and swapping apps. Indeed, leaked promo videos have shown a hand swipe above the screen being used to turn off an alarm, silence an incoming call and skip to the next song. However, it seems Motion Sense won't work everywhere, with an early store listing stating that it will work in the US, Canada, Singapore, Australia, Taiwan, and most European countries (likely including the UK), but not Japan. Since then a list of 38 supported countries supposedly found in the Motion Sense app itself has been unearthed, and this list specifically includes the UK and the US but oddly doesn't include Australia, so right now we're not certain whether Australia will support the feature. The reason you can't use it everywhere is that Google needs permission from many countries to enable the Project Soli radar technology that it requires. It also initially won't work in all apps, with the same source as the country list above also finding a list of 9 initially supported apps, namely Amazon Music, Deezer, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, Spotify Stations, YouTube Music and YouTube. Google Pixel 4 featuresThe arrival of the Pixel 4 could well coincide with a major update to Google Assistant: a 'raise to talk' feature is one upgrade we've heard is in the pipeline. We've also heard rumors that Google Assistant on the Pixel 4 might be able to take over when you're placed on hold on a call, then alert you once a human answers. Another Assistant upgrade looks to be coming in the form of 'Continued Conversations', a feature shown off in leaked videos, which allows you to ask it follow-up queries without saying "Okay, Google" again. This feature also allows it to remember context, so it will know if your follow-up relates to the previous thing you asked. Face Unlock has also been confirmed by Google and seems to do what it says - though achieved through multiple sensors, including a dot projector, IR camera, and flood illuminator. For the privacy-concerned, Google assured in its blog post that all processing would be done on the Pixel 4 and no images or recognition data would be shared through its services. A site meanwhile claims to have used the feature and says that it works quickly and reliably, even in low light. It adds that there's apparently no fingerprint scanner. Another feature we're expecting to see in the Google Pixel 4 is close integration with Google Stadia, Google's upcoming cloud gaming service. Google has already announced that the service will work on all its smartphones from the Pixel 3 onwards, so the Pixel 4 is definitely included, and we could definitely see certain features that make it a great mobile platform to game on. What we want to seeNot much is known for sure yet (leaks could be wrong, after all) about the Google Pixel 4, but we know what we’d like to see - our suggestions can be found below. 1. Multiple rear camerasSince the beginnings of the Pixel line back in 2016, Google has not only defined what is possible with a single camera sensor, but for smartphone cameras overall. With tricks such as super-res zoom, night shot and more, the Pixel 3 in particular outcmatched the likes of Huawei, Apple and Samsung in 2018, all seemingly without breaking a sweat. The competition isn't resting on its laurels however, with the Huawei P30 Pro in particular turning up the heat. We wouldn't be surprised if a left-field, potentially game-changing software feature is added to the Pixel 4, but to really exceed expectations a second, third or even fourth sensor on the rear would give it an edge. Ultra-wide-angle, telephoto zoom, monochrome, there are lots of options, so we would like Google to experiment with the options available to it - the results could be spectacular. 2. No notch
The Google Pixel 3 XL. Image Credit: TechRadar To anyone watching smartphone design evolve, 2018 was the year of the notch. No matter the size of the display, every manufacturer followed the trend set most strongly by the Apple iPhone X with a slew of copycat efforts. Google's Pixel 3 XL is a particularly infamous example of egregious notch design, as it's larger than most. We would like to see the firm completely avoid the notch this year, without resorting to the large bezels of the standard Pixel 3, either by using a pinhole camera in the display or with a sliding mechanism. 3. More RAMDespite generally providing a solid software experience for those using it, the Google Pixel 3 line wasn't without controversy, particularly with regards to RAM management. Many users reported that in the first weeks of use, the camera app in particular used up so much available memory that any other apps then open would be force-closed. In a budget phone with only a smattering of RAM available, this might have been forgivable, but for a flagship it certainly is not. For the Pixel 4 we would like to see at least 6GB of RAM, along with a suitably powerful chipset - hopefully this then will remove any accusations of poor performance. 4. Stereo speakersThe humble stereo speaker, usually front-facing, has faced an odd existence. Although popular with fans on any handset graced with their presence, they tend to be the first victim of space-saving measures. Case in point, 2019 has seen the elimination of the feature from many popular handsets, with it sometimes being replaced by a speaker underneath the display. But for the quality of audio offered, and the improved listening experience, we would like to see stereo speakers remain on the Pixel 4 as they did on the Pixel 3 - standing out from the competition in all the right ways. 5. Longer battery lifePacking in huge batteries has become the done thing for most flagships in 2019. Nearly all sport packs the size of which would have been unheard of only a few years ago. Google though - claiming improved efficiencies with each passing year - has so far not massively improved the size of the battery packs included with its devices. And although early signs are promising that the new Snapdragon 855 is significantly more efficient than its predecessor, the Snapdragon 845, we would like to see Google go the whole hog. We want to see a Pixel which can measure its life in days, rather than hours. Here’s hoping that Google can deliver on this. 6. Stadia-sized ambitions
Image Credit: Google Earlier in 2019, Google 'surprised’ the world with the announcement of its game-streaming platform ‘Stadia’, which utilizes compression technology in an attempt to make a service accessible to all. It has been promised that the service will reach a plethora of devices, mobile, console or otherwise. The question of mobile is a little more complex however, for although expanding the service to all Android devices will likely be a future ambition, for the moment the word is that availability will be restricted solely to Pixel devices. With this in-mind, we’d like to see Google take this concept as far as it can go - but what would this mean? In practice, what we want is improved focus on network performance (to combat potential latency issues) and, more importantly, a dedicated peripheral. This would ideally be in line with what Xiaomi has helped to pioneer with its Black Shark gaming handsets - touch controls are not suited to complex control systems and a dedicated peripheral would help to bridge the gap. 7. More color optionsIn most settings, from the boardroom to the bedroom, black or white options are a solid choice for phones. They add a touch of class and don't stand out in a crowd. The Pixel line certainly caters to this subset of the population, however in the past it has taken slightly wild strides, mostly notably the original 'Really Blue' model (which was indeed very blue). In the vein of this original, we'd like to see the Pixel 4 come in more than one slightly unconventional color, following the example set by the iPhone XR and the Samsung Galaxy S10e. Whether green, blue, yellow or whatever else, the new option needs to stand out from the similarly colorful opposition. 8. A sturdier construction
The Google Pixel 3. Image Credit: TechRadar The Pixel 3, in no uncertain terms, is a better constructed phone than its predecessor. Boasting tight lines and a glass rear, it has really been a match to the likes of the various iPhone models released in 2018. No amount of truth twisting could lead to accusations of it being damage-proof however - quite the opposite in reality. The stone-like finish applied to the glass on the rear has shown the tendency to scratch easily, far more so than might have been expected. This meant that those shelling out hundreds for their shiny new Google devices found that it didn’t take long before they regretted not slapping a case on instantly. As such, whether via an all-metal build or through something a little different (even a different kind of glass or treatment) we would like to see Google embrace a little utilitarianism into its design, creating something which anyone can use at any time, any day.
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| All MacBooks will ditch the Butterfly keyboard by mid 2020, analyst claims Posted: 10 Oct 2019 11:26 AM PDT Famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted some of the best potential news surrounding MacBooks in years: by mid 2020, all MacBook models will use traditional scissor switches within their keyboards. Of course, it’s widely expected that the rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro will lead this charge by dropping the… challenged Butterfly keyboard design in favor of a more traditional scissor switch method. Thanks to Kuo, and first reported by MacRumors, we can now expect the same improvement to come to the rest of Apple’s laptop lineup before the middle mark of 2020.
Older design, better reliabilityIt’s widely assumed that Apple’s Butterfly keyboard switch design was conceived to allow for thinner and lighter laptops than were possible before. That much was true, as evidenced by the 12-inch MacBook first released in 2015. However, it quickly came to light that these new switches are more prone to failure due to dust and other particulate exposure, leading to keys that got stuck or simply didn't register presses. As a result, this story has dragged Apple’s laptops over the proverbial hot coals for years now. Apple currently runs a rather generous product replacement program for MacBooks with faulty Butterfly keyboards, but the writing has been on the wall for this design for some time. So, we look forward not only to the apparently imminent 16-inch MacBook Pro launch, but all future MacBook releases, with bated breath.
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| OnePlus 7T Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus Posted: 10 Oct 2019 10:00 AM PDT 2019 has been the first year OnePlus has truly made phones that compete with the best flagships around, first with the OnePlus 7 Pro, and now with the OnePlus 7T Pro. It’s not a huge upgrade on the 7 Pro but it’s an upgrade nonetheless, making it the highest-end phone OnePlus has to offer, and its clearest competitor to the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus. Samsung’s phone is somewhat older, launching towards the start of 2019, but it remains one of the most accomplished Android flagships around and tops our best phones list, so does the OnePlus 7T Pro have what it takes to compete? Read on to get a clearer idea. OnePlus 7T Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus display
The OnePlus 7T Pro has a curved 6.67-inch 1440 x 3120 screen with 516 pixels per inch and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. It uses Fluid AMOLED, supports HDR10+, and has a 90Hz refresh rate. The Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus on the other hand has a curved 6.4-inch 1440 x 3040 screen with 522 pixels per inch and an aspect ratio of 19:9. This phone uses Dynamic AMOLED and also supports HDR10+, but has just a 60Hz refresh rate. That refresh rate is one of the main differences between the two phones. It means that animations and interactions with the OnePlus 7T Pro should feel slightly smoother at the cost of a tiny amount of battery life (though the refresh rate can be switched to 60Hz if you’d prefer).
In most other ways these two phones have similar screens, though the OnePlus 7T Pro has a slightly larger one. Samsung’s meanwhile might look slightly better – we won’t be able to say for sure until we’ve put the OnePlus 7T Pro through a full review, but Samsung’s flagship screens are usually among the very best for visual quality and the Galaxy S10 Plus is no exception. OnePlus 7T Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus design
Both the OnePlus 7T Pro and Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus have curved screens, metal frames and glass backs, so there’s a lot of similarity in their designs. There are some big differences too though. For one thing, the OnePlus 7T Pro has an all-screen front, achieved by opting for a pop-up selfie camera (more on which below). The Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus on the other hand has a punch-hole for the camera in the top right corner of the display. Samsung’s phone also has a different arrangement of cameras on the back, with the lenses laid out horizontally, while on the OnePlus 7T Pro they’re arranged vertically.
Most of the other differences are smaller. For example, the OnePlus 7T Pro comes in at 162.6 x 75.9 x 8.8mm and 206g, while the Galaxy S10 Plus is a smaller and lighter 157.6 x 74.1 x 7.8mm and 175g. The Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus also comes in a wide range of colors, while the OnePlus 7T Pro just comes in Haze Blue. Finally, it’s worth noting that the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus has an official water resistance rating, which the OnePlus 7T Pro doesn’t. OnePlus 7T Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus camera
Both of these phones have triple-lens rear cameras, with the OnePlus 7T Pro packing a 48MP f/1.6 main lens, an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto lens (with 3x optical zoom), and a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide lens with a 117-degree field of view. The main and telephoto lenses also have optical image stabilization (OIS). The Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus on the other hand has a 12MP main lens, which can switch between apertures of f/1.5 and f/2.4, along with a 12MP f/2.4 telephoto lens (with 2x optical zoom), and a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide lens with a 123-degree field of view. The main and telephoto lenses here also have OIS.
So megapixels aside the two phones have similar setups, albeit with the OnePlus 7T Pro offering greater optical zoom while the S10 Plus can use a wider field of view. Video skills are also similar on paper – both can shoot in up to 4K quality at up to 60fps, and in slow-motion 720p video at up to 960fps, or 1080p video at 240fps. Bigger differences can be found on the front-facing cameras, as while the OnePlus 7T Pro has just a single-lens 16MP f/2.0 one, the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus has both a 10MP f/1.9 main lens and an 8MP f/2.2 depth sensor. On paper Samsung’s setup sounds more impressive, but in our review we weren’t convinced by the need for two lenses. OnePlus 7T Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus specs and featuresThe OnePlus 7T Pro and Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus are both flagship phones, so the specs impress. The OnePlus 7T Pro has a top-end Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset along with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage (but no microSD card slot). The Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus meanwhile has either a Snapdragon 855 chipset (in the US) or an Exynos 9820 chipset (in most other places). These are both high-end, but not quite as new or cutting-edge as the 7T Pro’s.
The Galaxy S10 Plus additionally has either 8GB or 12GB of RAM, and a choice of 128GB, 512GB or 1TB of storage, along with a microSD card slot. So the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus wins on RAM and storage but loses in terms of processing power. As for features, both phones have an in-screen fingerprint scanner and stereo speakers. But the OnePlus 7T Pro runs Android 10 while the Galaxy S10 Plus is still on Android 9 – it will be getting updated though. OnePlus 7T Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus batteryThe OnePlus 7T Pro has a 4,085mAh battery, while the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus has a 4,100mAh one. So they’re similarly sized. The OnePlus 7T Pro should charge faster though – it uses ‘Warp Charge 30T’ technology, allowing it to charge even faster than the 30W OnePlus 7 Pro, and certainly faster than the 15W Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus.
However, the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus supports fast wireless charging and has a Wireless PowerShare feature, which lets you use the phone as a charging pad to juice up other devices. The OnePlus 7T Pro on the other hand has no wireless charging features. So on paper there are pros and cons to both here. In practice we found that the Galaxy S10 Plus had more than all-day life, but not by much. We’ll let you know how the OnePlus 7T Pro performs once we’ve put it through a full review, but the OnePlus 7 Pro – which is likely to be similar here – had similar longevity to the S10 Plus in our tests. OnePlus 7T Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus price and availabilityThe Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus is of course out now. It costs $999 / £899 / AU$1,499 for a version with 128GB of storage, $1,249 / £1,099 / AU$1,849 for 512GB, or $1,599 / £1,399 / AU$2,399 for 1TB (along with 12GB rather than 8GB of RAM). However, you can often find it heavily reduced thanks to Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus deals – for example at the time of writing some UK stores have the base model for £699. The OnePlus 7T Pro is hitting UK stores on October 17 and will cost £699 (around $865 / AU$1,300, but currently there's no availability in those regions). So that’s lower than a full price Galaxy S10 Plus, but not necessarily much less than the S10 Plus can sometimes be found for in sales.
TakeawayWhile these are both high-end phones there are some clear differences. With the OnePlus 7T Pro you get an all-screen design, a newer chipset, a higher refresh rate and faster charging, while the Galaxy S10 Plus gives you potentially more storage and RAM, an extra front-facing camera, wireless charging and a water resistance rating. The S10 Plus is also more expensive – but not always by a huge amount, so your decision as to which phone to buy is likely to come down to which assortment of specs and features most appeals. We would always recommend reading our in-depth reviews first though – one of which will be coming soon for the OnePlus 7T Pro.
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| Steam will soon let offline multiplayer games be played with friends online Posted: 10 Oct 2019 09:55 AM PDT Valve wants to help us all play more video games together, and to that end, it's introducing a new feature in Steam called Remote Play Together. The feature will effectively turn every local co-op game and multiplayer game on Steam into an online game. The Remote Play Together feature was announced by Valve staffer Alden Kroll on Twitter. Here's how he explains the feature: In essence, Remote Play Together will make one player the online host, with the game running locally on their PC. Whatever game they are playing will then stream to other players online. Input from those players send back to the host, and register in-game as if the players were right there playing along. The new feature isn't here quite yet, though. According to our sister site PC Gamer, it will come in beta form later this month. An announcement explains, "All local multiplayer, local co-op and split-screen games will be automatically included in the Remote Play Together beta, which we plan to launch the week of October 21."
Another step for game streamingThis may not seem like the biggest news, since a lot of the best multiplayer PC games already have online multiplayer, but it's a positive step for game streaming and a nice touch by Valve. The feature could be especially beneficial if Steam allows gamers to play the same game online when only one player owns the game, as would be the case in local multiplayer. Remote Play Together is also another way of showing the potential for game streaming. Not only will players get to connect over a long distance, but presumably only one of the players needs to have a gaming computer. It takes only modest hardware to support game streaming, as we learned in the beta of Google Stadia when we played Assassin's Creed Odyssey on a years-old, Intel Celeron-powered Chromebook. With this update, it looks like it's only a matter of time before game streaming slides into just about every corner of gaming.
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| Disney Plus UK: why no launch date, Disney? Posted: 10 Oct 2019 09:30 AM PDT The launch of Disney Plus UK still eludes us, despite a release date having been confirmed for the upcoming Disney Plus streaming service – launching on November 12 in the US, Canada and the Netherlands, with a November 19 launch in New Zealand and Australia. For those of us stuck living on Old Blighty, though, when exactly can we expect Disney Plus UK to land? The silence is even harder to bear knowing that viewers in the Netherlands are already enjoying the Disney Plus service – with a free trial / public beta before the official launch date. You can see what our Dutch team thought in this hands on Disney Plus review (helpfully translated), but those of us in the UK still have no confirmation on when Disney Plus UK is going to land.
It's a tricky thing to predict without official comment from Disney. English speaking markets will naturally be targeted hard for the global rollout, but any TV streaming service has to take part in separate licensing and distribution negotiations for every territory they move into, curating a separate catalogue depending on where they have the rights to show and stream particular shows and films. That's why the US and UK versions of Netflix have different libraries, and why people are so keen to use Netflix VPNs to access shows not available in their own territory. This is less of a problem for Disney, which owns the majority of the content it will be bringing to the service – unlike, say, Netflix, which still licenses a large number of shows, despite its recent push into producing more of its own content. But with five territories getting Disney Plus at launch, and no Disney Plus UK launch date confirmed, when can UK viewers expect to get their hands on the TV streaming service? People don't like to wait
Understandably some of us aren't quite sure why the UK has been left out of Disney Plus: Phase One. Asking for people's patience is one thing, but some Twitter users make the good point that the staggered release will likely cause issues in terms of spoilers for launch day content, or any new show – like the Star Wars TV show, The Mandalorian, coming in 2019 (pictured above) – that hits the US weeks or months before the UK. Issues like online piracy and VPNs will also be more likely when big-name shows are hitting the US without a way to access them abroad – though Disney could always license some of its shows to UK providers (say, Sky TV) in the interim. Disney Plus UK: can we learn from Netflix?
The best point of comparison is in other global streaming services that have had staggered releases outside of the US. Netflix, for instance, first launched in the US in 1998 as a DVD rental service. It didn't make the move to online streaming until many years later – and it wasn't until 2010 that the platform was able to expand beyond US borders. The first international territory was the US's close neighbour, Canada – where it launched in 2010 with a lower subscription price and much more limited library of titles, given the difficulty and expense of obtaining streaming rights abroad. We can expect a similar barrier for Disney Plus, and there will likely be fewer films and shows in non-US territories, especially close to launch. 2011 also saw Netflix expand into South America, as well as the Caribbean. It wasn't until 2012 that Netflix came to Europe, launching in the UK and Ireland, as well as Scandinavia. Now, of course, Netflix streams across huge swathes of the planet, supporting 23 languages in over 190 countries. Disney Plus will be getting more of a head start, given it's jumping right into a streaming platform, and for five territories at its November launch, including areas of Europe. It might seem odd not to include the UK in that first batch, but Disney Plus UK should arrive a lot quicker than the two-year delay seen when Netflix started expanding, given Disney knows it is playing catch-up. UK audiences don't require the same kind of extensive localisation process as most of Europe or Asia (given the shared language with US viewers), so that should be a simpler proposition. So, when will Disney Plus UK land?
Disney has said it plans to bring its platform to "all major markets within the first two years" of the platform's life (via ScreenRant). Our original prediction was early- or mid-2020, and that time frame still probably holds true. The lack of an official date so far makes 2019 unlikely – if Disney Plus UK was coming before Christmas, we expect we would have heard about it by now. Disney won't want to miss out on UK revenue, and will be aware of users being pushed towards other means if highly-anticipated content doesn't find a way to them soon.
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| OnePlus 7T Pro launch live blog: the event as it happened Posted: 10 Oct 2019 09:10 AM PDT OnePlus has chosen an odd release schedule for its latest series of phones choosing to unveil the OnePlus 7T at its own event in September and then choosing to unveil the OnePlus 7T Pro today. The company has now officially unveiled the OnePlus 7T Pro on stage as well as release date details for the OnePlus 7T in the UK. We were live at the launch event as it happened, and below you can read through exactly what happened and our take on what the company was unveiling.
OnePlus 7T Pro launch live blogAll times in British Summer Time (BST) 17:05 - We've already tried out the phone for a week or so, and you can read our OnePlus 7T Pro hands on review now. We'll be giving a final verdict on the handset in the next day or so. That's all from us tonight - thanks for following along with the event. 17:00 - It's all over. We've just heard the pricing for the UK where the OnePlus 7T will cost £549 while the OnePlus 7T Pro costs £699. The McLaren Edition of the phone is £799. 16:57 - There's a new Olive Green version of the Bullets Wireless 2 headphones too. 16:56 - OnePlus is now announcing a partnership with the developers of PUBG where it says its devices will be specifically optimized for the game itself. 16:55 - Feels like we're wrapping up as Carl Pei has entered the stage again.
16:53 - Lots of driving puns here. We keep moving it up a gear and the like... 16:49 - The McLaren Edition features 12GB of RAM onboard. That's sort of crazy, and the most we've ever seen on a OnePlus phone. This is going to be an expensive phone... isn't it? 16:46 - So there's a McLaren Edition of the phone, which has a unique design that is themed around the sports car brand. We've yet to learn if it differs at all in terms of spec though.
OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition 16:41 - It comes with a x 3 telephoto lens rather than the x 2 one on the standard OnePlus 7T. And now we're hearing about the McLaren edition of the phone, which is a bit surprising considering there wasn't all that much on the standard version of the OnePlus 7T Pro.
The OnePlus 7T Pro 16:40 - It features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It seems like there's just one storage version this time around. 16:39 - There we have it- the OnePlus 7T Pro is official. Let's find out what has changed... Apparently it has all the same features as the OnePlus 7T, but there are a few key differences that we're going to get into now. 16:38 - As soon as we pressed the publish button on that last post he started hinting at the Pro... let's do this!
16:37 - Can you tell we're getting a bit restless? We desperate want to hear about the OnePlus 7T Pro. Give us the new news! 16:35 - We've been talking through all the new camera modes of the OnePlus 7T that were announced back at the India event in September. It's all the same sort of thing as we saw back then speaking about features like Macro Mode and its super smooth video stabilization.
16:25 - We're mostly talking about the 90Hz display on the OnePlus 7T. We've used that phone a lot as well as the OnePlus 7 Pro and we can confirm it's an experience that you struggle to lose when switching to other phones. 16:19 - Now Akis Evangelidis - he's part of the OnePlus team in France - is on stage to get into the specs of the phones. The problem is we're starting off with the OnePlus 7T. You can read all about that in our full OnePlus 7T review. 16:18 - Finally, something big. OnePlus will be updating all devices since the OnePlus 5 to OxygenOS 10. That means Android 10 will be coming onto all devices from the last two and a bit years. 16:17 - Pei is back on stage to talk us through Google Lens and how the technology is built into OnePlus phones. It's essentially image recognition technology, but it's not an exclusive feature as you can download this to most smartphones right now.
16:16 - Now we're learning lots around Android 10 in general such as the Digital Wellbeing features as well as gesture control. We've got a full guide to Android 10 for your perusal. 16:12 - There's a new feature announced here called Instant Translation that aims to translate your conversations when you're speaking in a different language. OnePlus hasn't revealed a release date or many specifics about the feature, but we'll be sure to hear more about it soon.
16:10 - Lots of key OxygenOS features here that we've already heard about on the OnePlus 7T including a few new features for Zen Mode and a system wide dark mode. 16:06 - Pei is saying the company often uses feedback from customers to help provide a better user interface in future updates. Lots of uses of the word seamless - that may already be our most heard word of the show. 16:03 - OxygenOS is the first talking point, which is a topic we didn't expect to be starting with today. Pei is showing off some positive numbers for how people have enjoyed the software so far. We haven't heard any word on new features to expect in the software... yet. 16:02 - And we're off. Carl Pei is on stage and there's already a bit of a tech issue where the auto-cue isn't working properly. Pei is handling it well though. 15:55 - We're sat down and ready to go. Right now we're being treated to a video explaining how far OnePlus has come... can we just get to the product announcements please? 15:40 - Despite London Underground problems, we're now live at the OnePlus event and trying to find a seat. This is what the event looks like from the outside and then inside too. 14:50 - We're now on our way to the launch. What sort of food will they have? That's our main question right now, but we guess we're also excited to see what tech they'll have on offer as well. It's very certain we'll hear about the OnePlus 7T pricing, the OnePlus 7T Pro itself and maybe even a quick bit about the new OnePlus TV. 13:55 - Pete Lau is ready and raring to go, according to his Twitter feed. Well, he didn't actually say that... we're just taking it from the fact he has tweeted the muscle and hand raised emojis alongside a Union Jack flag. There's only a few more hours to go and then we'll hear everything about the next handset from OnePlus. 09:50 - Just hours before the OnePlus 7T is set to launch, a leak has revealed the pricing of the 7T and 7T Pro McLaren Edition. According to the leak, the phones should cost the same as their non-T versions – except the McLaren Edition, which of course doesn't have a non-T counterpart, and could end up being the most expensive OnePlus smartphone so far. The OnePlus 7T Pro price will almost definitely be revealed at the event later, so we'll soon find out how accurate this price leak is. 08:30 - As we've mentioned in the introduction, today is a weird one for OnePlus. The company has already unveiled its OnePlus 7T handset, but it hasn't confirmed UK release date or pricing details until today. Exactly why OnePlus chose to announce the two phones separately hasn't been made clear by the company but we're hoping to have the full picture by the end of today. We've already had extensive time with the OnePlus 7T and you can read our full review of that phone just below.
The OnePlus 7T 08:25 - Good morning! It's early, but it's time to get prepped for a day of brand-new phones, as the OnePlus 7T Pro is set to be unveiled later today. The launch is happening in London where we'll be there to see the new handset first hand. But first... breakfast. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HBO’s mental health warnings are what TV streaming services need Posted: 10 Oct 2019 09:08 AM PDT HBO is upping its game when it comes to the mental health of its viewers, with pre-episode content warnings that provide them with links to mental health support services – particularly if the TV show in question depicts potentially triggering content. Called “bumpers”, the onscreen slides are to be introduced before episodes of TV shows such as The Sopranos, Girls, Barry, and Euphoria, as part of an internal initiative to break down stigma around mental health – presumably both for live broadcasts on HBO's TV channel and its HBO Now online platform (via Variety).
HBO's VP of brand and product marketing, Jason Mulderig, says that “HBO has always been at the forefront of telling stories featuring complex characters, some of whom deal with mental illness, from The Sopranos to Euphoria, encouraging more conversation around the different facets of mental health." Mulderig adds: "We are not saying ‘viewer discretion is advised.’ We are saying ‘viewer conversation is encouraged.'" It’s also a neat nod to World Mental Health Day – October 10, and today at the time of writing – a time when people the world over are encouraged to speak and share their experiences and struggles with mental illness. Why is this significant?While it’s a common sight to see trigger warnings / content notices in advance of a TV show or movie, they usually act as a heads up for what will be depicted in the show, rather than providing information on how to handle similar conditions and illnesses in real life. Those warnings are also usually left to ratings boards like the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) or British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), with more nuanced information being down to the production studio itself – such as the content warnings introduced for 13 Reasons Why, a year after the show first landed, or the disclaimer at the start of Netflix's new show, The Politician, "for those who struggle with their mental health" (in image below). Proactive action by HBO itself, for either TV broadcasts or on demand streaming, wasn't a given.
Netflix's The Politician is streaming now While no broadcaster or content provider should shy away from difficult themes – and while those of us struggling with mental illness certainly want our experiences represented – it’s easy to use mental illness as a way of upping dramatic stakes without thinking about how it affects (or reflects) the lives of viewers. A small change, to be sure – but it’s heartening to see HBO think about the well being of its user base. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The best graphics cards 2019: all the top GPUs for gaming Posted: 10 Oct 2019 09:08 AM PDT There has never been a better time to be on the market for the best graphics cards. Whether you’re updating an older PC or researching the upgradable options on that new PC you're about to buy, you’re going to be looking at options like the RTX 2080 Ti and RTX 2060, powered by Nvidia Turing architecture or AMD’s recently unveiled next generation of AMD Navi GPUs or even the new Super RTX cards. However, the best graphics cards for some people might not be the best for you. Do you want to drop the equivalent of a new PC on just the GPU, like top-of-the-line flagships, or do you want a budget card that will just get the job done, like the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660? It all depends on what your priorities are. Whatever that might be, the best graphics cards will still handle the best PC games from Rage 2 to Sekiro Die Twice. And yes, finding that perfect GPU available right now can be a confusing process so let us make it a bit easier. Each of the best graphics cards we’ve listed has been thoroughly tested here at TechRadar. So take a look at our recommendations for the best graphics cards before you break open that piggy bank.
This absolute behemoth of a graphics card is still basically brand new, and it’s already topping our list of the best graphics cards, booting former reigning champion and its direct rival, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060, off the top spot. At $349, this powerful mid-range card brings 1440p gaming at Ultra or Max settings to the masses, making it affordable and accessible to everyone. At that price point, it doesn’t need to be perfect – those looking for ray tracing will have to wait. But, for what it offers and how much it costs, it’s well-deserving of its title as the best graphics card of 2019 for most people. Read the full review: AMD Radeon RX 5700
If you need the best graphics card, and you don’t want to settle, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti may be one of the best graphics cards for you. This is the most formidable graphics card you can buy without jumping for a professional graphics solution. And, now that games like Battlefield V, Metro Exodus and Shadow of the Tomb Raider actually implement the RTX features, there’s never been a better time to jump on the ray tracing bandwagon. Just prepare yourself for that sky-high price. Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
The souped up Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super isn’t just remarkable because it’s a supercharged version of the very popular RTX 2070, offering exceptional 1440p gaming. It’s also striking because it offers all that power at a very reasonable price, making it a compelling buy for most users, even for those on a budget. Plus, if you’re wondering about ray tracing, here’s the best card to jump in – you don’t have to break open that piggy bank for the RTX 2080 or RTX 2080 Ti anymore. Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super
While the GeForce RTX 2060 Super is now taking the 1440p gaming world by storm, its predecessor, the RTX 2060, is still king of 1080p gaming. This mid-range GPU will get you in the door with ray tracing maxed out at 1080p. Plus, it is more than capable of handling 1440p experiences, as well as 4K ones, if you don’t mind the less remarkable frame rate of 30 fps. And, while this card was more expensive at launch than the one it replaced, its fantastic 1080p performance should be enough to make that price tag irrelevant. Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
Image credit: TechRadar We’ve been longing for a new top-of-the-line graphics card from AMD since 2017’s Radeon Vega 64, but things have drastically changed in the graphics market since then – most notably Nvidia Turing. With the AMD Radeon VII, Team Red has attempted to reclaim a piece of the high-end graphics market, and it largely triumphed. The AMD Radeon VII holds its own in 4K gaming, but it particularly excels in content creation. Packed with 16GB of HBM2 memory, the AMD Radeon VII can keep up with much more expensive creative-focused competitors, making it one of the best graphics cards 2019 has on offer. Read the full review: AMD Radeon VII
If you’re all about the best VR games, you’re going to need the best graphics cards to do that job. And, nowadays, that honor goes to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super. VR-ready and filled with the latest Turing architecture, you won’t have to worry about a rough VR experience that will make you sick. Outside of VR, it should also be able to handle all your favorite PC games at 1440p and 4K without any issue. The best part might just be that it’s a lot cheaper than the RTX 2080, offering a much better value. Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super
Image credit: Zotac Looking to put together a microATX or a mini-ITX gaming PC? You shouldn’t need to settle for a low-end GPU. Take a look at mini graphics cards like the Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Mini instead. It’s not the latest and greatest GPU out there now, but the 1080 Ti still has a lot of juice, and it’s among the best graphics cards to power your microATX. And, when you can get that power in a card that’s only 211 x 125 x 41mm, the tiny loss in performance is absolutely worth the beautiful mini PC you’ll get.
Image credit: Gigabyte With all those fancy (read: expensive) graphics cards cornering the market, the budget-friendlier ones sometimes fly under the radar. That’s unfortunate, particularly since cards like the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 deserve a spot in the limelight for delivering excellent 1080p performance at a very affordable price. With the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 OC 6G, you’re also getting a healthy factory overclock and all the outputs you’ll ever need, so you can play all your favorite games with several monitors attached. We’d call that a bargain, maybe even the best we’ve ever had, and it certainly warrants a spot in our best graphics cards list. Read the full review: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 OC 6G
When Nvidia first revealed its Turing lineup, it was hard to find a model that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. Nonetheless, with the launch of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti – especially the PNY XLR8 Gaming OC model – next-generation performance became accessible to everyone. You won’t have access to 4K 60 fps gaming with this card, but it’s one of the best graphics cards for anyone still using a 1080p display, and it can handle most esports games well above 60fps. At that resolution, you’ll have trouble running into any title that it can’t handle. Read the full review: PNY GeForce GTX 1660 Ti XLR8 Gaming OC Welcome to TechRadar's PC Gaming Week 2019. We're celebrating the most powerful gaming platform on Earth with in-depth articles, exclusive interviews and essential buying guides that showcase everything PC gaming has to offer. Visit our PC Gaming Week 2019 page to see all our coverage in one place. Michelle Rae Uy has also contributed to this article. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Apple Watch 3 is down to its lowest price ever ahead of Black Friday Posted: 10 Oct 2019 09:03 AM PDT Black Friday 2019 is just around the corner, and that means fantastic deals on TVs, tablets, appliances, and more – and Walmart is getting out ahead of the November sale with a massive price cut on the best-selling Apple Watch. Right now, you can get the Apple Watch Series 3 on sale for jus t$189. That's a $90 discount, and the lowest price we've seen for the GPS-only model.
See all the top deals in one place with our roundup of the best Black Friday Apple Watch deals of 2019. Discover more models on sale with the best cheap Apple Watch prices and deals that are currently available. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best all-in-one printers of 2019: top printer and scanner devices Posted: 10 Oct 2019 08:58 AM PDT Welcome to our guide to the best all-in-one (AIO) printer money can buy in 2019. On this page, you'll find the best all-in-one printers for a whole range of budgets. From home use to small businesses, we've got the best all-in-one printer for your needs. But why buy an all-in-one printers (also known as printer scanner copier or PSC)? For a start, these incredibly useful devices can handle standard print capabilities as well as photocopying, scanning and even faxing as well. The best all-in-one printers on this list are great choices for small and medium sized businesses – and even home printers. This is because you can save a decent amount of money – and space – because you don't have to buy three or four different devices for each individual task. Plus, don't think that any of these devices are simply jack of all trades, masters of none. Each printer on this best all-in-one printers guide does an excellent job of all the tasks it's built for, be it printing off documents, photo copying files or scanning images to edit on a PC. You'll still get excellent print, scan and fax quality, and our list of the best all-in-one printers will make sure you get the perfect device for your needs. Best all-in-one printers at a glance
Best all-in-one printers
Like many of Canon’s inkjet printers, this compact all-in-one device uses five separate ink cartridges to deliver vivid and natural-looking photographs on glossy paper. It also has a handy SD Card reader for photographers. But it is also well equipped for use in the office. There’s a fax facility for those that need it, an automatic document feeder and high-res scanner. The print speed is a little slow, even for an inkjet, but it is very easy to use thanks to its large touchscreen interface and both Bluetooth and Wi-fi connectivity. All this in a unit that could fit inside a filing cabinet.
This boxy all-in-one won’t win any beauty contests, but the impressive feature set is more attractive. It can hold 150-sheets of paper with another 35 in the automatic document feeder and it can churn them at a faster rate than many laser printers. Being an inkjet, its colour and photo performance is strong and also economical, particularly if you upgrade to Epson’s high capacity cartridges. Every feature we can think of, from faxing to cloud printing is covered by this competent four-in-one.
This all-singing all-in-one comes with a long list of features and equally impressive specifications. The paper tray can hold 250 sheets and the automatic document feeder, another 50. It’s maximum print speed can rival laser printers and the cost per page is only a little higher if you buy the high capacity inkjet carts. Colour prints look bold and bright, but this machine’s party trick is its ability to print on A3-size paper.
If you have the space for it, this multifunction device will serve a small business well thanks to its consistently crisp print quality, useful 35-sheet automatic document feeder and automated photocopying skills. This is a mono machine and it’s not the fastest laser on the block, but it’s quicker than any inkjet and offers an attractive blend of features and performance.
This compact and affordable all-in-one can print, scan and photocopy, but its real strength is in printing photos on photo paper. To meet the price point, it’s fairly light on features, so there’s no Ethernet port, or front USB port for example and it prints very slowly, but the results are rather good when it comes to full colour photos. The supplied starter cartridges are rather light on ink, but if you replace them with high-capacity carts, then the running cost is fairly competitive too.
Lexmark’s heavy duty all-in-one is a reliable workhorse for the busy home office, or small business. There’s plenty of room for paper and toner, so the recommended monthly duty of 250-2,500 is realistic. With duplex scanning as well as printing it makes a first class photocopier. It’s not the fastest laser printer out there, but a wealth of security features and an easy interface more than makes up for the shortfall.
Brother’s broad range of business-like all-in-ones includes both laser and inkjet models and sometimes the line between them is blurred. This feature-packed four-in-one device prints as quickly as a laser and has a high capacity for ink and paper, but being an inkjet, it’s also very good at printing photos. It’s also a little smaller than an equivalent laser model and you’d be hard pressed to find a laser at this price that can handle A3 paper.
Aimed at the small to medium business, this feature-packed all in one feels well made and looks great on paper too. The print speed is impressive and there’s room for 250 sheets of paper in the main tray, plus 50 more in the multipurpose tray. It makes a fine photocopier with dual-sided scanning and duplex printing and though it might seem expensive, it comes with enough toner to keep your workforce printing for up to 6,300 mono, or 5,000 colour pages.
If you can find room in your office for this substantial four-in-one laser device, it will almost certainly meet your printing, scanning and copying requirements. It has a very high capacity for toner and paper, with room for 550 sheets in the main paper tray and another 150 in its multipurpose tray. It photocopies and prints very quickly and the large touchscreen interface is the most sophisticated you will find on the front of any printer.
This large black box contains everything a small business could need from a multifunction device. Aside from faxing, printing, scanning and copying, it has a fast and reliable automatic document feeder and a large colour touchscreen. The two paper trays can hold 500 sheets of paper making it ideal for high workloads and for an inkjet, it can churn them out at a remarkable rate. The print quality in both colour and mono is equally impressive.
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| The 22 best Nintendo DS games: all the titles you absolutely need to revisit Posted: 10 Oct 2019 08:51 AM PDT It's hard to believe but it's been 14 years since the very first Nintendo DS console was released, making it a platform with a game library many have carried from their childhoods through to their early adult years. While its dual-screen was a form factor experiment that could have gone either way, we think the number of consoles that have spawned from the very first DS is a good sign. Over the last 13 years we've seen the DS, the DS Lite, DSi, the 2DS, the 3DS and a bunch of XL releases in between, and they've had some of the best games we've played. We've become so used to the dual-screen console we don't think we could do without it now. It's Nintendo's refusal to play it safe that's probably helped it stay so successful in this area. The dual-screen design might have been a risk but it was obviously a worthwhile one since we've seen it evolve and improve from the DS through to the new 3DS - and even further to the Nintendo Switch. That said, no matter how good a console's design and no matter how many innovations it makes, it won't stand the test of time without good games to keep players interested. Thankfully, the Nintendo DS had no shortage of those - from the great entries in the Castelvania series to the outstanding entries in Pokemon - Nintendo DS is the all-you-can-eat buffet of first-party mobile classics. As good as the DS is, though, by this point the majority of us will no doubt have replaced our Nintendo DS with its chunkier and more powerful successor the Nintendo 3DS. That said, as it's still part of the DS family the new handheld offers full backwards compatibility, giving full access to some unmissable DS titles as well as the greatest titles from the 3DS. To give you a better idea of exactly what games you should be looking to pick up, we've put together this list of what we think are the best titles out there. From excellent original titles such as Pokemon Black and White 2 to classic SNES ports like Kirby Super Star Ultra, you're guaranteed to find something you like. Even though a large number of games available on the Nintendo DS are ports, they're drastically improved and their effective integration of the console's dual-screen helped to redefine the handheld gaming experience. It's worth noting you may be able to pick up some of these Nintendo DS games for cheap during Black Friday and Cyber Monday - so keep an eye out. One of a handful of great strategy games on the Nintendo DS, Advance Wars: Dual Strike mixed smart rock-paper-scissors-esque combat with the brutal backdrop og an on-going war. Dual Strike made great use of the DS's two screens, often forcing you to fight two battles simultaneously. Perform well enough on both battlefields, and you could perform the eponymous Dual Strike, allowing you to take two turns back-to-back, often with devastating results to the enemy. Should both you and a friend own a copy of the game (it's probably a pipe-dream at this point but...) you can actually face off in head-to-head battles. For its intense single-player campaign, and potentially friendship-ruining head-to-head gameplay, Dual Strike is one battle we could fight all day long. The Pokemon series dominated the Game Boy, a tradition that carried over to the DS. While there are generations upon generations of Pokemon games out there, the DS ones are, for good reason, the greatest, building upon the original games and adding their own awesome features. Not only that, but Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 aren't just minor updates over Black and White – they're a new addition to the series, allowing for exploration of the Unova region. From exploring the new region, to the classic turn based battles, these games are not games you'll want to miss out on. Speaking of classic games series, we would be remiss to not include at least one Mario game. OK, fine, we've included more than one Mario game, but New Super Mario Bros. is among the best. The game represents a new generation of Mario that stays true to the classic side-scrolling concept of the original Super Mario Bros. games, yet makes it a little more, well, modern. You'll find both familiar enemies, and new ones, and you can even link wirelessly with your friends to play as Mario and Luigi in a multiplayer mode. If any game proves that Mario is still relevant, it's this one. Final Fantasy IV (known as Final Fantasy II in the US) may have originally been made for the SNES way back in 1991, but the game seriously deserved a remake for a new generation of players. Square Enix did just that. The HD update offers newly developed 3D graphics and new added content, and not only brings two generations of Final Fantasy fans together, but also cements FF4 in the memory books as one of the best RPGs ever. Final Fantasy IV isn't the only SNES game to be ported over to the Nintendo DS – Kirby Super Star is an excellent choice for a dual-screen game, and brings the epic Kirby adventure to your pocket. Of course, this isn't a complete copy of the original game – it also features things like new modes such as Meta Knight Ultra and Revenge of the King. Sure, you could argue that Super Star Ultra isn't as exciting as Kirby Canvas Curse, but as a short and sweet adventure game, Super Star Ultra isn't one to miss out on, especially if you're a Kirby fan. Animal Crossing: Wild World takes the popular GameCube game and makes it much more social. In the game, you and up to three of your friends from anywhere in the world can hang out in the same village and interact in real time. You can also hang out in your friends' villages. When you're back home there's always something to do – from decorating your home to collecting new items to just lounging with the locals. Kingdom Hearts 352/2 Days takes place during the year that Sora was asleep, and revolves around Roxas. You'll basically follow Roxas and the other members of Organization XIII through the various Disney worlds. Perhaps the coolest new feature in the game is multiplayer mode, which allows you and your friends to play as other Organization XIII members. While long-time Kingdom Hearts fans will love this addition to the franchise, new players will also get a kick out of it – it's not too difficult to learn, and while some backstory may help in the general understanding of the game, you'll still have a lot of fun without it. While New Super Mario Bros. is an awesome game, there's nothing better than going back to the classics. Super Mario 64 DS is, as I'm sure you can imagine, a port of the original Super Mario 64 game for the Nintendo 64. However it takes full advantage of the Nintendo DS' dual-screen setup and adds touch screen features and even wireless multiplayer compatibility. Who says an old plumber can't learn new tricks? The third Mario game on the list is there for good reason – it's an awesome, albeit weird, game. In Partners in Time, Mario and Luigi partner up with none other than their younger selves. As strange as it sounds, you get to control both the adult and baby sets of Mario Bros. as they explore the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond to take down the evil invaders from space, the Shroobs. The game gets a little out of control, but in this case, that's a good thing. Spirit Tracks sends our hero Link on a brand-new adventure, offering a totally new story with more puzzles, and so on. While Spirit Tracks is actually the second Legend of Zelda game for Nintendo DS, it trumps the first in almost every way, offering challenging boss battles and excellent gameplay. Link travels by train, as the name suggests, opening up new possibilities for puzzles and interesting challenges. Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 are great games, but fans of the early generations may find themselves a little lost at the number of Pokemon to catch. HeartGold and SoulSilver are remakes of Gold and Silver for Game Boy Color, which are considered by many to be some of the best Pokemon games ever made, and for good reason. The game takes place in the Johto region and offers updated graphics, touch controls, and even the ability to use the 'Pokewalker' – essentially a glorified Tamagotchi – to take your Pokemon wherever you go. It's a PC point-and-click classic, but bringing a new and improved version of the original Broken Sword title to the portable Nintendo DS was a stroke of genius on the part of Nintendo and Revolution software. The dual-screen touch elements of the Nintendo DS work extremely well with the point-and-click style of play and Broken Sword is one of the best games in the genre to show this. The game follows the original story of George Stobbart as he travels across the world to unravel the Templar conspiracy. To draw in those who had already played the game, though, the Director's Cut added new puzzles specifically suited to the DS touchscreen, animated facial expressions, and a brand new complementary storyline which follows George's fellow adventurer Nico Collard to new locations and adds more depth to the original story. The only downside is that the DS version lacks the excellent voice acting of Rolf Saxon. Fortunately, the script is good enough to stand on its own. Whether you've played the original Broken Sword on PC or not, this Director's Cut version for DS is well worth picking up. Chinatown Wars is an entirely new entry to the Grand Theft Auto franchise, and it carries on the tradition of a game in which players can roam the world and so whatever they want. Of course, there are also awesome missions to complete along the way, and while there are a few things that have been left out in the handheld version of the game, plenty has also been added, making Chinatown Wars one of the best (and only) mature-rated Nintendo DS games out there. While Spirit Tracks is arguably a better game, Phantom Hourglass is its enjoyable predecessor filled with familiar features and well-worn gameplay. Phantom Hourglass is a little more casual than other Legend of Zelda games and arguably a little easier too, but that doesn't make it any less of a seriously entertaining pocket adventure. Dawn of Sorrow is set around a year after Aria of Sorrow, and follows a cult that wants to resurrect a dead Dracula. Soma Cruz gets entangled in the plans and must now find a way to stop the resurrection from happening. Unlike many other Nintendo DS games, most of the action takes place on the bottom screen, while the top screen is reserved for maps, character information, and so on. Many suggest that Dawn of Sorrow is one of the best Castlevania games of all-time, and for good reason – it's beautifully designed, offers great battle scenarios, and finds the perfect balance between nostalgia and innovation. Samus is obviously the best bounty hunter in the galaxy. Or is she? A total of six other bounty hunters are looking to gain that title, which is the premise behind Hunters. Hunters doesn't just feature an awesome story – I mean, nothing was worse than Metroid: Other M, right? – it features a great multiplayer mode too, allowing you to go through intense battles with friends through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. You can play as any of the seven bounty hunters, with each of them having their own special attacks and skills. You can't go through a great game list for Nintendo without getting Mario Kart. Mario Kart DS is exactly what you might expect from a Mario Kart for Nintendo DS game, featuring a multiplayer mode where you can face up to eight players at once, as well as the ability to race through some of the most classic Mario Kart circuits out there. The DS version of the cart racer may not have the visual sizzle of the newer Wii U version, but if you're looking to take Mario and Co. on the road, there's no place better to start. This game was pretty highly anticipated upon its release, however some were a little disappointed that instead of getting an all-new game, they instead got a remake of the original. Still, the original game is a great game, and the Nintendo DS version brings updated graphics and modern features. For fans of the turn-based strategy experience (or awesomely named Japanese franchises), Shadow Dragon should be one of your first stops when stocking up your Nintendo DS library. Developed by Jupiter and published by Square Enix, The World Ends With You follows the story of Neku Sakuraba, a 15-year-old boy who wakes up in the shopping district of Japan and is told that he will die unless he completes a certain task. (It's Final Fantasy XIII before Lightning made an appearance on the scene.) What I admire most is that the developers behind the game took a chance with it – they could have easily come up with another Kingdom Hearts game – but the chance was well worth it and has resulted in one of the most underrated role-playing games out there. Another port of a classic game, Chrono Trigger DS is the immaculately recrafted version of the SNES game. If you missed the original, it follows a young Chrono, who has to rescue his friend after a teleportation machine malfunctions at the fair. Eventually, he uncovers a plan to destroy the world and has to race the clock in order to save it. While technically a direct port of the game for SNES, the DS version adds some great features, like support for the dual-screen setup, touch screen functionality, and a wireless play mode that adds a dimension of gameplay. Phoenix Wright is a great game for those who enjoy a good puzzle – though, as a word of warning, depending on your puzzle-solving skills you might even find some of the challenges too difficult! If you haven't ever dug into Phoenix Wright's case files before, the series essentially involves you having to uncover clues, discover characters' personalities, and so on, as you slowly solve cases and bring justice to the criminals along the way. You won't hear any objections from us on this one. If you're partial to point and click adventures then you don't want to miss out on Hotel Dusk Room 215. The DS touchscreen was always going to be good for the point and click puzzle solving genre and this is a game that makes it work well by having the player hold the console like a book. In fact, this is a game that integrates all of the Nintendo DS's features as part of its puzzle solving, including the microphone. The game, set in 1979, follows Kyle Hyde, a New York detective turned salesman who has come to the Hotel Dusk in California to search for his former partner. He's placed in Room 215, a room said to grant wishes, and finds that the hotel has many mysteries to solve, some of which relate to his own past. If you're not a fan of linearity then this isn't a game for you but if you can get a kick out of a game that's actually almost like an interactive book then this is one you shouldn't miss. Closing out our list is Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift - a sequel to the great-selling GBA game that was a sequel to the awesome, trail-blazing PS1 game. While Grimoire of the Rift didn't re-write the formula for the Tactics series, it did add several classes and features that greatly enhanced an already great franchise. Combat is turn-based and deeply cerebral as you attempt to out-maneuver and overpower your enemy. In between battles, you'll equip characters with new weapons and skills (the former begets the latter) and take on side-quests and new characters. It's a formula that never feels old, even now, 10 years after its release. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best Mac 2019: the best Macs to buy this year Posted: 10 Oct 2019 08:46 AM PDT Welcome to our list of the best Macs and MacBooks of 2019. Thanks to increased competition from Windows laptops, the best Macs of 2019 are better than ever, backing ever-more powerful components into the thin, light and stylish designs that we've come to expect from Apple. We could even see a new MacBook and even more powerful Mac Pro, with the Mac Pro 2019, coming later in 2019 possibly alongside the rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro. Hopefully, hear more about those two new Macs at Apple's iPhone 11 event, which is happening on September 10. But, if you’d rather not wait and want to get your hands on one of the best Macs now, there’s already quite a few excellent options to choose from, especially with Apple recently giving its MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro and 15-inch MacBook Pro much-needed refresh. To expand your choices further, the Apple computers are incredibly diverse. The best Macs cover everything from thin and light notebooks like the 12-inch MacBook, which is still on hand at third-party sites despite being discontinued, to professional workhorses like the iMac Pro. Taking all these into consideration, it can be tricky choosing the perfect Mac for you. We put together a list of the best Macs we’ve tested ourselves – from iMacs to MacBooks – to help you with that important decision. Let’s dive in to all the best Macs you can buy right now, no matter your budget and use.
Mac Mini fans, rejoice! The Mac Mini has finally been upgraded with modern hardware, ushering Apple’s smallest Mac to the modern age and naturally warranting it the top spot in our best Macs list. This tiny thing is packed with 8th-generation desktop processors, a ton of RAM and some of the fastest SSDs we’ve seen – all while keeping the same adored form factor. It’s a tad pricier this time around, but with the raw speed on offer, you’ll find that it’s worth the price increase. Read the full review: Mac Mini 2018
If you want the most performance you can get in a MacBook without needing to pull off a heist, you’ll want to look into the MacBook Pro 15-inch. Now refreshed with hexa-core 9th-generation processors and up to 32GB of RAM, you won’t be held back by anything you throw at it – especially now that you can get Radeon Pro Vega 20 graphics. With that kind of performance, the MacBook Pro takes a lofty spot on our best Macs list without breaking a sweat. Read the full review: MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019)
The iMac has long been one of the cheaper ways to get into the macOS ecosystem, and we’re glad that hasn’t changed. Though what has changed, we also appreciate. The new iMac is packing with 8th- and 9th-generation desktop-class processors, letting this stylish all-in-one reach that fabled 8-core performance. If you’re looking for an all-in-one Mac, the new 27-inch iMac might just be the best Mac for you, at least if you’re on a budget. Read the full review: iMac (27-inch, 2019)
The biggest issue with the older MacBook Pro was that it was still packing Kaby Lake processors while its rivals had moved ahead. Luckily, the MacBook Pro 2018 changes everything, making it more powerful than ever. It still has the controversial Butterfly keyboard, but that’s also been improved so that its quieter and more reliable. It’s not hard to recommend the 13-inch MacBook Pro 2019 to anyone looking for the best Macs. Read the full review: MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (13-inch, mid-2019)
Professionals and creatives need something that can handle any workload they can possibly throw at it. If you’re one such user, the iMac Pro isn’t just one of the best Macs for you; it’s the only Mac to consider. Not only does it have a vibrant 27-inch 5K display with a P3 wide color gamut, but it also boasts the most powerful hardware Apple could get its hands on. It’s extremely expensive though, so it’s really only meant for folks who have deep pockets and need that unbridled power to get through their daily workloads. Read the full review: iMac Pro
Apple takes the MacBook Air (2018) and gives it a bit of refresh, adding True Tone technology to its display and an even more reliable keyboard. Unfortunately, it hasn’t upgraded the specs – which actually leads us to think that there might be a bigger update by early 2020. However, to be fair to this refresh, the 2018 version has already made our list, so this improved version is just as deserving or more so. But the best part is yet to come: this refresh is even cheaper, so you’re definitely getting more value for less. Read the full review: MacBook Air (2019)
While Apple has officially taken the MacBook out of its MacBook lineup, many third parties are still carry it. And because the 12-inch MacBook has found its niche as an ultraportable and lightweight laptop, it’s still deserving of a spot on our best Macs list… that is, until stock runs out. It’s low on ports, but that’s hardly a surprise in a laptop this thin. It can support basically everything under the sun with its Thunderbolt 3 port, anyway. It’s not as powerful as the MacBook Pro, but if you’re looking for a MacBook that’s easy to take with you wherever you go, look no further. Read the full review: Apple MacBook (2017) Michelle Rae Uy, Bill Thomas and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article
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| Best gaming laptops 2019: the 10 top gaming laptops we've reviewed Posted: 10 Oct 2019 08:24 AM PDT The best gaming laptops in 2019 are nearly as powerful as the best gaming desktops, as surprising as that might sound to some, and they will more than satisfy your gaming needs. These days, the top gaming laptops these days are packed with powerful components. Many of them boast the latest and greatest gaming tech, like Nvidia RTX graphics and now even 7-nanometer AMD graphics processors. Whether you need to replace your aging gaming laptop or you’re looking to purchase your very first one, now’s definitely an excellent time to spend your hard-earned cash. After all, the best gaming laptops of 2019 can run the best laptops games and best PC games at the high resolutions and frame rates. You may not even feel the need to build the best gaming PC to get top-notch gaming performance when you get your hands on one of these laptops. Here are the best gaming laptops 2019 has to offer, each of which we’ve carefully tested and reviewed to make sure that you’re getting your money’s worth. Best gaming laptops 2019 at a glance
Best gaming laptops 2019
Alienware Area-51m If you fell head over heels upon seeing the Alienware Area-51m’s stunning yet quirky white chassis, you’re not alone. And, if you happen to shell out that couple of thousand dollars based on looks alone, we’d be the last people to judge. Anyway, you’ll be happy to know that it wasn’t all for naught, as this gaming laptop – or rather, the best among best gaming laptops of 2019 – packs a hefty punch, gaming-wise. This is so far the most powerful gaming laptop on the market currently, and you won’t be able to help but be impressed. Its comfy keyboard and VR readiness are just cherries on top. Read the full review: Alienware Area-51m
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701 These days, the best gaming laptop manufacturers are scrambling to craft the thinnest gaming laptop packing raw power. Right now, the one that might be leading the charge is the Asus ROG Zephyrus GX701. At just 0.7 inches thick, this beast of a laptop boasts an Intel Coffee Lake Core i7 chip, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q graphics and 16GB of RAM. That means you can play any PC game under the sun on Ultra, and also take it with you wherever you go – ideal for travelers with a penchant for gaming. Plus, it’s packed with RGB lighting that’ll dazzle just about anyone. Read the full review: Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701
MSI GS65 Stealth Play some of the best PC games on the move and very discreetly with the MSI GS65 Stealth, which might just be the gaming laptop of your dreams if you’re a traveler. Coming in at just 0.69 inches thick and packing impressive internals like Intel Coffee Lake processors and Nvidia GeForce GTX 10-series – refreshed with RTX 20-series graphics at CES – the MSI GS65 Stealth packs a punch in its very thing package. There’s nothing you won’t be able to throw at this thing that’ll slow it down. And, thanks to the smart aesthetic, you’ll be able to lug this beefy rig everywhere you go, making it among the best gaming laptops to hit the streets. Read the full review: MSI GS65 Stealth
Razer Blade For several years now, the Razer Blade has constantly been named one of the best gaming laptops on the market. For good reason, since it rocks some powerful components and boasts a stunning display in its elegant chassis. That’s true for the 2019 model as well, which now rocks up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080. That is, frankly, a ton of power for a laptop with this thin. If that’s not enough graphics power for you, you can use the Razer Core for future expansion. Make no mistake: it is pricey; but it might be worth it if style and power are equally important to you. Read the full review: Razer Blade
Lenovo Legion Y740 The Lenovo Legion Y740 packs a lot of muscles inside its stylish yet accessible chassis, combining a very high refresh rate, Nvidia Turing graphics and a powerful processor with a gloriously effective thermal cooling, a nifty cable management system and a number of applications to make it truly yours. It’s as close to a complete package as you can get, wrapped in a beautiful chassis that you’d be proud to show off to friends and strangers. It still has the remnants of that gaming aesthetic, but it’s made classy so that you could be gaming in public without anyone knowing. Despite its shortcomings – unfortunate keyboard and webcam placement, as well as its subpar battery life – it’s still one of the best gaming laptops to date. Read the full review: Lenovo Legion Y740
MSI GT75 Titan Some gaming laptops just don’t pull any punches, allowing you to run any game you can think of on Ultra without breaking a sweat – and the MSI GT75 Titan is an excellent example. It’s the king of desktop replacements, fitted with 6-core Intel Coffee Lake processors, plenty of RAM and powerful Nvidia Pascal graphics. Aptly named, this is indeed a titan, and is neither portable nor cafe-friendly. However, if raw power is what you’re after, this is the best gaming laptop for you. Just be prepared to shell out the silver. Read the full review: MSI GT75 Titan
Asus ROG Strix GL502 It may not have the most original or innovative design, trading in the usual black and red aesthetic for one that makes you feel like its Halloween all year round (no complaints here, but some might find it particularly unattractive). Yet, Asus ROG Strix GL502 is still one of the best laptops when it comes to gaming in 1080p. In fact, during our tests, we were able to crank the settings all the way up in Overwatch without ever dipping below 60fps. It doesn’t offer the longest battery life, but there’s an easy fix – just have your charger on hand at all times. Rounding it all out are the display, power and onboard sound system, all of which more than make up for that middling battery life. Read the full review: Asus ROG Strix GL502
Acer Predator Helios 500 If you’re looking to purchase a gaming powerhouse, but you don’t have the cash to shell out for one of those light and thin gaming laptops, the Acer Predator Helios 500 is the obvious choice. It’s fitted with up to an Intel Core i9 processor and full-fat Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 graphics, and therefore will be able to handle any game you throw at it. But, it’s not the most portable device in the world, and the speakers and trackpad are mediocre. Still, when it comes to gaming, you’ve still got an ace here – and, you’ll be able to save some money as well. Read the full review: Acer Predator Helios 500
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX531GX Thin like an Ultrabook, yet powerful like a gaming laptop should, and with a very effective cooling system to boot, the Asus Zephyrus S GX531GX is one of the best gaming laptops we’ve gotten our hands on in 2019. It packs an 8th-generation Intel Core i7 backed by Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q graphics and up to 24GB RAM, which means that this beast should take you a long way in gaming, whether you’re a casual gamer or a pro. We’re massive fans, though probably not of that price tag. This pricey powerhouse is not for the shallow-pocketed, but with premium components come a premium price. Only invest if you’ve got the tenders. Read the full review: Asus Zephyrus S GX531GX
Gigabyte Aero 15 Fitting the svelte yet cheap bill, on the other hand, is the Gigabyte Aero 15, which – at 0.74 inches. Despite its thin chassis, it still delivers top-notch gaming performance. That’s mostly thanks to its Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 and an Intel Core i9 CPU. It’s also ray tracing ready, so it’s even more future-proof. However, its thin form factor is a double-edged sword: the Core i9 gets way too hot and can throttle. Keep that in mind if you plan on doing any sustained creative work, like editing all your videos. And, maybe have a desk fan or cooler on hand. Read the full review: Gigabyte Aero 15 Choosing the best gaming laptopWhen choosing the best gaming laptop for you, there are a few things you must take into account. First and foremost, the most crucial thing to consider in the best gaming laptops is how well they play the latest games. When creating this list, not only do we delve deep into the specifications of each gaming laptop to see if they are up to snuff, but we also run benchmarks on each one to check out the raw performance. Benchmarks only tell part of the story however. So, we also make sure we play a number of the latest games on each laptop to see just how well they perform. It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it. Display, sound quality, keyboard, trackpad and the overall design of the laptop matter as well, so these are definitely things you’d want to check out before hitting that buy button. In fact, if the device scores highly in all these areas, it has a good chance of making it to our best gaming laptops 2019 list. That means you can buy any of the best gaming laptops in this list in full confidence that you're getting a killer gaming device that will last you for years to come. Welcome to TechRadar's PC Gaming Week 2019. We're celebrating the most powerful gaming platform on Earth with in-depth articles, exclusive interviews and essential buying guides that showcase everything PC gaming has to offer. Visit our PC Gaming Week 2019 page to see all our coverage in one place. Gabe Carey, Bill Thomas and Michelle Rae Uy have also contributed to this article Images Credit: TechRadar
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| Best laptops for photographers in 2019: Photo editing in Photoshop Posted: 10 Oct 2019 08:15 AM PDT Trying to figure out which are the best laptops for photographers? Photo editing software can be pretty demanding, especially if you're working on high resolution raw files and utilizing advanced effects, so you'll want to make sure that you’re investing in a laptop that has all the makings of a powerful photo editing tool. At the end of the day, the best laptops for photographers can rival traditional desktop hardware when it comes to raw horsepower. Additionally, unlike laptops of old, many boast pixel-perfect displays with stunning color, as well as wide contrast to keep highlight and shadow detail consistently visible. We put together a list of the best laptops for photographers and photo editing for you. In this guide, we’ll go through all the best laptops and Ultrabooks that can help photographers, no matter which photo editors you’re using – whether it’s Adobe Photoshop or GIMP. Best laptops for photographers 2019 at a glance:
If you're after the latest and greatest laptop from Apple, then this year's 13-inch Macbook Pro with touchbar is a brilliant choice if you're looking for a laptop to edit photos on. It's the best laptop Apple has ever made, and builds new features into the classic design. Of course the headline feature is the Touch Bar - it's a thin OLED display at the top of the keyboard which can be used for any number of things, whether that be auto-suggesting words as you type or offering Touch ID so you can log in with just your fingerprint. This makes it an excellent laptop for photographers using Photoshop, as it has a number of Photoshop shortcuts, such as being able to quickly select a color or change the opacity of a layer by swiping your finger, features that all the other laptops on this list lack. Read the full review: Apple Macbook with touchbar (13-inch 2018)
With Apple having recently fitted its MacBook Pro 15-inch with Intel’s latest 9th-generation processors, these laptops are better and more powerful than ever, which means it’s just the ticket for demanding post-processing tasks. Of course, the fact that it boasts Touch ID and an improved Touch Bar, and is upgradeable to 4TB of SSD storage means that you can have a more seamless experience doing so. Although you will have to adjust to not having an SD card port and only two Thunderbolt 3, this is still one of the best laptops for photographers. Read the full review: MacBook Pro 15-inch
Combining elegance with performance, the HP Spectre x360 15T boasts the same great features inherent to the Spectre line, but also takes things to a whole new level. Touting an 8th-generation Intel Core i7 CPU, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics and 8GB of RAM in its base configuration, this 2-in-1 can handle anything your daily workload throws at it – and then some (like a bit of light gaming like playing Anno 2070, for example). The fact that it’s a 2-in-1 and HP Pen compatible means that you can use Lightroom and Photoshop in tablet mode, if that’s more convenient for your workflow. Read the full review: HP Spectre x360 15T (2019)
The Huawei MateBook X Pro has proved to be a truly brilliant contender to more established brands like Apple and Dell. This is a gorgeously-designed laptop with a stunning screen (albeit with a rather odd aspect ratio). Better yet, it comes packed with cutting edge components that allow it to perform brilliantly, and a battery life that runs rings around many of its rivals. It’s also competitively priced, giving you excellent features, design and performance for less. The combination of brilliant screen, powerful components and (relatively) affordable price makes this one of the best laptops for photographers in 2019. Read the full review: Huawei MateBook X Pro
The Surface Book 2 is Microsoft's followup to its popular 2-in-1 device, and it’s definitely one of the best laptops for photographers. With a full version of Windows 10 installed, it can run Photoshop with any issues. It comes with boosted components, and its screen remains gorgeous. Only Apple's marginally better colour calibration gives the MacBook's image quality the edge, but Microsoft fights back with a superior 3,000 x 2,000 resolution and an ideal aspect ratio for viewing APS-C and full-frame images. The screen's touch-sensitive, but its real party trick is its ability to detach from the rest of the laptop to become a tablet. It's a shame that the Surface Pen stylus doesn't come included, as we'd definitely recommend buying for your photo editing sessions. Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Book 2 (13.5-inch)
Packing the same InfinityEdge technology as the smaller XPS 13, the 15-inch screen extends right to the edge of the machine which means it's as small as it's possible for a 15-inch laptop. It's quite expensive, depending on which version you get, but the very top end version has a 4K color-accurate display, which makes it one of the best laptops for photographers. You'll be able to see your photos in crisp detail as you edit them, and the impressive specifications mean it will keep up with all the edits you make to the largest photos in your collection. Read the full review: Dell XPS 15
This laptop's claim to fame is being the smallest 13.3-inch laptop on the market. It's slim screen bezel helps contribute to a svelte 304mm x 200mm x 15mm form that needs to be held to be truly appreciated. But it’s also among the best laptops for photographers. The XPS 13's screen is touch-sensitive, and it boasts a similar resolution and pixel density to the MacBook and Surface Book. Image quality is more in line with the ZenBook though, falling slightly short on colour and contrast intensity compared to Apple and Microsoft's displays. A highly portable package with little compromise other than battery life. Read the full review: Dell XPS 13
Sartorially-conscious photographers will love the look of this 13-inch stunner, sure. But the 2019 Spectre x360 also takes things to another level, power-wise. With its gem cut design and sleek profile, it’s this one of the most beautiful laptops on the market right now. However, HP also fitted this with powerful Intel Whiskey Lake processors and long battery life, which means that you’re getting one of the best laptops for photographers. Read the full review: HP Spectre x360 (2019)
Sleek, slim and with solid specs to boot, the new Lenovo Yoga C930 not only deserves to be voted one of the best 2-in-1 laptops to date, but it’s also a worthy addition in our best laptops for photographers list. That’s without mentioning the fact that it now touts a 4K display model, which is just excellent for editing those high resolution full-frame shots. This 2-in-1 is a strong contender for photographers on the budget, but if you do decide to go for gold, you might have to break the bank. Read the full review: Lenovo Yoga C930
While it doesn't represent a huge improvement of the original Surface Laptop, the Surface Laptop 2 offers enhancements in all the areas we were hoping for, including updated hardware that brings solid performance upgrades. This is a laptop that finally delivers on what Microsoft set out to do with the original: a pure, powerful Windows 10 laptop experience. If you're not sold on the 2-in-1 nature of the Surface Book 2, but love Microsoft's premium build quality and design, then the Surface Laptop 2 is the laptop for you, especially if you’re looking for the best laptops for photographers. Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 Key things to look out forWatch the video above for the top 7 things to consider when buying a laptop. It's easy to get bogged down in the tech and spec soup of computer terminology, but there are a couple of key areas photographers need to think about. The first is the quality of the screen. This used to be more eye-sore than eye-candy, with appalling contrast and viewing angles, but thankfully IPS display tech fixes this and you shouldn't settle for anything less. An SSD (solid state drive) is a must as your primary storage in any new laptop. A conventional hard disk drive will bottleneck performance like flat tires on a Ferrari, and while dedicated graphics cards are great for gaming, they're not a necessity here. Today's processors can fill in for them, and they pack enough pixel-pushing punch for photo editing. The MacBook is favoured by many photographers, and for good reason. But don't rule out comparably priced laptop PCs, which can offer more bang per buck with better upgradability.
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| Best Wi-Fi extenders of 2019: top devices for boosting your WiFi network Posted: 10 Oct 2019 08:11 AM PDT The best Wi-Fi extenders will make sure that your wireless network gets into every nook and cranny of your home or office, particularly if you’re trying to cover a significant amount of space. In this list you'll learn about the very best Wi-Fi extenders which have the sole purpose of boosting your Wi-Fi network, ensuring that your devices can securely and reliably connect to the internet. The best Wi-Fi extenders can make such a large difference if you find your devices crippled from slow network connections – or even dropped connections, at that – without you having to drop a huge amount of money on routing network cables all through your property. Wi-Fi extenders work by covering wherever the Wi-Fi network begins to break down. They connect to the original network and then increases the signal’s range so that you have more wireless coverage. The best Wi-Fi extenders we’ve rounded up are worth looking into for those who live or work in a big building or space, as you’ll see your Wi-Fi network getting weak – or maybe disappear entirely – in the farthest corners of the building. If you’re wanting to super-charge your Wi-Fi network, take a look at our list of the best Wi-Fi extenders you can buy in 2019.
Plume Superpods Needing to increase your network coverage and get network-based cybersecurity as well? The Plume Superpods will get the job done, though they don’t come cheap. You see, the Plume SuperPods act as one of the best Wi-Fi extenders straight out of the box. But perhaps more importantly, they also come with a subscription service to protect your network from cyber-attacks, as well as remove ads from the internet. Nonetheless, even if you don’t care about the extra software, the excellent performance is more than enough to make this Wi-Fi extender worth your consideration at the very least. Read the full review: Plume SuperPods
Netgear AC1200 WiFi Range Extender EX6150 Over the last couple years, Netgear has essentially turned itself into a household name in the networking world. And, they’ve put their extensive expertise to impressive use with their AC1200 Wi-Fi Range Extender EX6150. This terrific extender is a simple device that you can discreetly plug right into any electrical outlet, and definitely has our vote for one of the best Wi-Fi extenders in 2019. As an additional bonus, the EX6150 boasts quick and easy installation, free of any hassling installation software. Just follow the easy-to-read instructions and you’ll have fast and dependable Wi-Fi covering your entire home or office.
D-Link Wi-Fi Dual Band Range Extender DAP-1520 D-Link's Wi-Fi Dual Band Range Extender (DAP-1520) is small and inconspicuous, so that while it provides exceptionally robust performance, enhancing your Wi-Fi network coverage throughout your home or office, it’s also almost unnoticeable to anyone who isn’t explicitly looking for it. The modest design does come with some inherent issues, however. For one, it doesn’t come with an Ethernet port for extending a wired connection. Also, distinct from some of the other best Wi-Fi extenders, the antennae are internal, and while that does allow it to hide in the background, it does mean the range is a bit more limited. Despite these drawbacks, it is still one of the best Wi-Fi extenders 2019 has to offer.
TP-Link RE350 AC1200 Wi-Fi Range Extender TP-Link is a Chinese networking company that has been steadily gaining popularity in the west, and for good reason. With devices like the TP-Link RE350 AC1200 Wi-Fi Range extender, it’s easy to get why: this extender – among the best Wi-Fi extenders you can buy right now – does the job well, and it’s affordable. It’s not going to be the fastest Wi-Fi extender out there, but with the range this extender provides at the price it’s available at, it’s a steal. Finally, thanks to an LED signal indicator on the front, installation is a breeze.
Linksys RE6500 AC1200 Dual-Band Wireless Range Extender The Linksys RE6500 AC1200 is yet another Wi-Fi extender which could be mistaken for a router. This tougher design lets Linksys include four gigabit Ethernet ports, which basically empowers you to increase your network to internet-connected devices that need an ethernet connection. It also has an audio output jack so it can connect to an audio system, letting you stream digital music from your PC to your audio receiver. This is a pretty robust and versatile product, and one of the best Wi-Fi extenders for the money.
D-Link DAP-1320 Wireless N300 Range Extender If you’re needing a reasonably affordable way to beef up your Wi-Fi network, and you’re ok with settling a little on performance and features, then the D-Link DAP-1320 Wireless N300 Range Extender may just be one of the best Wi-Fi extenders for you. This tiny device comes sans any Ethernet ports, and it doesn't feature dual bands or 802.11ac, which is presently the fastest form of Wi-Fi. However, it is designed well and is built to last. And best of all, it's a fast, easy and cheap way of boosting your Wi-Fi network as long as you don’t expect too much network traffic.
Linksys Velop Wi-Fi extender The Linksys Velop offers a solid argument for a wireless mesh network’s ease of setup. Looking to replace both your router and your now-antiquated range extender, the Velop comes at a time when companies like Google and Netgear are trying to accomplish the same thing. The main way Linksys hopes to stand out from its competitors in the wireless mesh networking space is with a user-friendly setup that anyone with a smartphone can easily do. With just a visit to the App Store or Google Play marketplace, you’ll have the Linksys Velop up and running in a matter of minutes. It's certainly a worthy addition to our list of the best Wi-Fi extenders in 2019. Read the full review: Linksys Velop
Trendnet Wi-Fi Everywhere Powerline 1200 AV2 If you need a great way to upgrade your network so you can have fantastic coverage anywhere in your house, a powerline adapter is a remarkable option. Not only do they offer the same functionality as the best Wi-Fi extenders, but the Trendnet Wi-Fi Everywhere Powerline might just be a dream come true. It’s not exactly visually pleasing, and the price tag may be a bit much. However, this unit more than makes up for those issues with sheer performance. And, unlike other powerline adapters, the Trendnet Wi-Fi Everywhere features a clone button that will clone the SSID and WPA key of your network so that it can double as a Wi-Fi extender. Read the full review: Trendnet Wi-Fi Everywhere powerline 1200 AV2
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| Huawei has no intention to be a data centre colocation operator Posted: 10 Oct 2019 08:06 AM PDT Huawei has no intention to become a data centre (colocation) operator and aims to be a data centre facility technology provider and build data centre facilities for telcos, enterprises and governments globally, a top company official said. “If a technology provider also becomes the colocation provider himself, then you are competing with your clients. I would rather be a technology provider and build them for clients for their internal use or their business as a data centre colocation operators,” Sanjay Kumar Sainani, senior vice-president and chief technology officer for global data centre solutions at Huawei Technologies, said in an exclusive to TechRadar Middle East. Huawei in the Middle East region has a combination of its own data centres and leases colocation space, including in Dubai, for its internal use as well as to offer managed services to its clients. “Even in China, we lease the space from other providers despite having our own,” he said. Huawei’s Network Energy business focuses on five offerings - telecom power systems, data centre facility solutions, solar inverters for solar farms, on-board power systems and power conversion systems for electrical vehicles. What are the different layers in a data centre?Data centre facility is layer one of the four layers. The data centre facility is the necessary infrastructure which includes electrical and cooling infrastructure, backup systems and management platform to host IT infrastructure. In the new digital economy, service providers, namely colocation operators, are offering data centre facility as a service. Second layer is the IT infrastructure layer consisting of compute, storage and network, also known as infrastructure as a service (IaaS) while the third year, which hosts the OS, is known as platform as a service (PaaS) and the fourth layer is the apps and known as software as a service (SaaS). In the new economy, all the layers come together to offer new services such as IaaS, Paas, Saas, etc. Over 30MW capacityFor enterprise businesses, Sainani said that Huawei offers technology and solutions from facility to platform, first three layers. “Facility layer is Capex heavy and is very sticky. It cannot be changed very quickly and people have to be very careful and prudent when investing in facility layer. Every three to five years, they will be swapping/upgrading their IT but you won’t be changing the facility infrastructure every three to five years,” he said. Moreover, he said that colocation business is growing at a rapid pace as more enterprises are opting to buy facility as a service rather than owning them. Also various IaaS, PaaS and SaaS providers need facilities to be able to offer their solutions and services. “Colocation does offer a better value proposition in many scenarios,” he said. “Twenty years ago, IT was a support system but it has now become a production system,” he added. The world’s largest network equipment manufacturer and second-largest smartphone manufacturer started building data centres in the Middle East from 2015 and have more than 30MW of data centres already delivered and under construction for around 20 clients in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC). “More and more digitalisation is giving rise to more servers, storage and connectivity. Consumers have started to consider buying these it as service,” he said. Lesser Capex and OpexFor the first time in many decades, Sainani said that multiple technologies are converging at the same time, Cloud, IoT, AI, big data 5G and AI, and this is creating a “very unique environment” where almost any idea to be converted into an application. “Most data centres built in the last decade are either being maxed out or obsolete and this is bringing new challenges for our clients. New applications are demanding data centre facilities in all forms and sizes, from edge data centres hosted in closer proximity to the users to the larger cloud data centres,” he said. With the current economic scenario, he said that the expectation is to make data centre facility with lesser Capex and available in a short time but the aim is to lower Opex by ensuring high electrical and operational efficiency and most importantly build it to allow for easy changes/alterations. “Huawei is building future-proof data centres that are modular and thus scalable, highly efficient using a combination of efficient power conversion and cooling systems coupled with the use of AI to optimise energy consumption through the life-cycle. Data centres can be built with reduced TTM (time to market) using modular and prefabricated construction,” he said.
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