Author: batteryforpc

It seems as though the an upgraded version of Apple’s AirPods have been rumoured for months. We had a minor upgrade earlier this year, but all those came with was better connectivity and battery life. Both are very useful, but not the kind of thing people were expecting. Now, though, Apple’s gone and made the AirPods Pro official.

The first thing you might notice about the AirPods Pro are that they have a brand new design. Rather than that rubbish design that always seems content to sit in your ear without any sort of secure fit, these are in-ear earbuds. In other words Apple has promised they have a better seal and fit than AirPods have before. As with most in-ear buds, those tips are removable, made from silicone, and come in three different sizes to better suit your unique ear shape.

That seal is quite important too, since these come with active noise cancellation, which has been rumoured for next-gen AirPods for what seems like forever. That’s done with two microphones that can remove the background noise in a way Apple says is custom to you. The same is true for the ‘Adaptive EQ’, which Apple says will automatically tune the low and mid frequencies of the music according to the shape of your ear.

Other features include Siri control (obviously) water and sweat resistance (good) and a ‘transparency mode’ that lets you listen to the AirPods while still being able to hear what’s going on around you. In case you want to hear tannoy announcements or something. So far, so standard.

Apple has also included a new force sensor on the stem, which can be used to control what you hear, though users can also use the iOS Control Center or the Apple Watch to do some of that as well.

Battery wise Apple is promising four and a half hours of listening time (or three and a half hours talk time), and as usual you can use the case to top them up for a maximum of 24 hours use. The case also features wireless charging as standard.

Micron has surpassed the record set by G.Skill Trident Z, which was set a mere month and a half ago. Micron set the new record speed of DDR4 ram to 6024.4MHz which might not seem like a lot of a difference until you learn that this RAM was rated for 4000MHz. This means that the Micron was able to overclock this ram to an amazing 151% off the original base clock.

Micron was able to achieve a new DDR4 memory frequency world record of 6016.4MHz With AMD’s Ryzen 3000 CPUs

Micron had to make a dry ice rig to cool both the CPU and the RAM, otherwise, that would’ve most definitely overheated. The rig that was attached to the motherboard by the end of the record-shattering run was covered in condensation and icy build up (Pictured below).

All this ice and condensation got all over the components of the PC, making this not an option for normal everyday use.

The specs that helped achieve this accomplishment is a Ryzen 5 3600X with a core clock of 2208.4Mhz rather than the stock base clock of 3800MHz, The Micron team underclocked the CPU to make the DDR4 memory difference really show during the recording-breaking test. The Motherboard that this test used was X570 ROG Crosshair VIII Impact motherboard. The RAM that ended up breaking the record was a single 8GB Ballistix, which ended up topping at the frequency of 6024.4MHz.

“We’re thrilled to have partnered with Ballistix to achieve this new world record,” said Albert Chang, general manager of the motherboard BU for ASUS. “Both overclocking teams worked tirelessly to fine-tune BIOS settings on our newly-released ROG CROSSHAIR VIII IMPACT board to unleash the capabilities of the Micron die. Setting the new world record of 6024 MT/s with Ballistix Elite 4000 memory on our new ROG AMD X570 motherboard is a powerful demonstration of the engineering excellence ASUS ROG and Micron bring to the gaming ecosystem.”

It is stated that the engineering teams from both ASUS and Crucial worked tirelessly, setting multiple records by adapting and changing BIOS settings to perfect the RAM. They changed everything from the multiplier in the BIOS settings to the timing of the RAM itself to further set this RAM apart other runs to shatter the previous record. The record-breaking frequency is posted on HWBOT, and the valid CPU-Z screenshot can be found here.

Ballistix within the last five months set three overclocking world records, this is a big achievement for Micron who owns both Ballistix and Crucial (Ram manufacturing companies), While Ballistix’s ram is more focused the gaming community, while Crucial is more focused on providing a good cost to performance ratio.

With this breaking the previous record set by G.Skill which broke the 6GHz speed limit which was previous thought to be impossible to pass with DDR4, with DDR5 coming out earlier next year, how can they push DDR4 before DDR5’s release?

As promised, Google Assistant can now help find your Tile trackers with very little effort. Link the Bluetooth gadget in the Google Home app, set up Voice Match in Assistant and you can ask the voice helper to locate your trackers (and hopefully, the items attached to them) using a simple sentence rather than adding a prefix like “ask Tile to” every time. You can tell Assistant to ring your keys or find your bag.

This works on any Assistant-capable device, although you will need the Tile app on Android or iOS for the initial setup. While Assistant’s support for Bluetooth trackers is still pretty slim (Chipolo is the only other brand we know to work at present), this is still a pretty big addition. You might be more likely to use trackers like these if you know that you can easily ask for help finding them while you’re in the midst of rummaging through your home.

Romanian tech site Lab501 apparently managed to get an early sample for the upcoming Extreme Edition chip and got it running on a Gigabyte Aorus Master X299 motherboard with an updated BIOS. The CPU-Z screenshot lists this chip with (ES) in the specification, indicating that it is an engineering sample, rather than the final retail version.

Since the Ryzen 9 3950X and 3rd Gen Threadripper CPUs have not launched yet, the Core i9-10980XE is compared to the Ryzen 9 3900X, Ryzen 7 3700X, Ryzen 7 2700X, Core i9-9900K, Core i7-9700K and Core i7-8700K.

We’ll run down a few examples of benchmark results, starting off with DaVinci Resolve 15. In this test, Lab501 reports the Core i9-10980XE crunching through a 4K/UHD video file in 96 seconds, which is closely followed by the Ryzen 9 3900X at 109 seconds. The next closest score came from the Ryzen 7 3700X, which got through the test in 157 seconds.

In a single-thread run of Cinebench R20, the Core i9-10980XE does fall behind the Ryzen 9 3900X, scoring 458 points versus 522. However, while running it in multi-thread mode, the 10980XE gains a big advantage, scoring 8563 points compared to the Ryzen 9 3900X’s 7076 points. In a PCMark 10 run, the Core i9-10980XE is shown as scoring 7214 points, while the Ryzen 9 3900X edges it out with 7571 points.

In gaming tests, results show the Core i9-10980XE coming within a few frames per second of the Core i9-9900K and trading blows with the Ryzen 9 3900X depending on resolution and the specific game. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the Ryzen 9 3900X beats the Core i9-10980XE by one frame per second at 4K with an RTX 2080Ti. However, the two CPUs get matching scores at 1440p and 1080p with 4x AA enabled. In Metro Exodus, the results are similar, with the Ryzen 9 3900X getting a 1fps advantage at 4K, although AMD’s CPU is able to maintain a small lead at 1440p and 1080p as well.

There are a bunch of other benchmarks in their review if you want to take a look at the full post. Just keep in mind that we can’t verify any of these results ourselves at this point in time, as we still need to do our own testing. With that in mind, take the results with a pinch of salt until additional sources start posting their results for final retail samples. We should know the full extent of performance within the next few weeks as we get closer to the full launch.

The Realme X2 Pro is the first mainstream phone to hit Europe with Samsung’s 64MP camera sensor, which sits alongside three other cameras to deliver a flagship-grade wide/ultra-wide/telephoto setup.

Realme is a relatively unknown entity in the UK, but it’s part of the same group that owns OnePlus and Oppo, so is definitely not small fry. Its latest X2 Pro is an aggressive effort to claim the affordable flagship crown from devices like the OnePlus 7T and the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro.

It’s doing this by making waves with its specs, and that 64MP camera is most definitely leading the charge – vying for the best camera phone top spot. There’s also a top-tier Samsung Galaxy S10 beating processor, better than Pixel 4 XL storage options and fast charging that deliver almost three times the speeds of the iPhone 11 Pro Max’s power brick – zoinks.

Realme X2 Pro: Price and release

The Realme X2 Pro will be available in the UK at Amazon from early November 2019. While we’re still waiting on local pricing, the starting capacity of 64GB storage with 6GB RAM is set to cost €399, going up in €50 increments. That means the 128GB/8GB version costs €449, and the maxed-out 256GB/12GB version costs €499.

Realme X2 Pro: specs and features

The Realme X2 Pro is available in two colors, Neptune Blue and Lunar White, with a curved back and Gorilla Glass 5 protection either side. On the front, is a screen protector, and the 24MP selfie camera is nuzzled in a water droplet notch.

Adding to the premium feel of the curved glass is a metal frame, there’s a USB-C port at the base alongside a headphone jack, and one of the two Dolby-tuned stereo speakers.

The Realme X2 Pro’s screen is incredibly compelling for the price with its Super AMOLED technology and 90Hz refresh rate. The Full HD+ resolution isn’t Galaxy Note 10 Plus sharp, but it still clocks in at 405 pixels-per-inch, outclassing the iPhone 11 from a PPI point of view.

The Realme X2 Pro also features a huge 4000mAh battery and a class-leadingly fast 50W charger in the box, which Realme claims will power the phone up from 0-100% in just 30 minutes.

With Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 855+ processor, it’s also incredibly powerful, and in its most premium configuration, combined with 12GB RAM, no other Android flagship should, in theory, be able to topple this incredibly affordable smartphone when it comes to power other than the overclocked ROG Phone 2.

Realme X2 Pro camera

The Realme X2 Pro’s quad-camera experience starts with that primary 64MP sensor made by Samsung. Just like Sony’s IMX586 which has a 48MP resolution and captures 12MP images, it combines information from four pixels into one, capturing 16MP images. The sensor itself is 1/1.7” and is paired with an f/1.8 lens and features PDAF.

There’s also a 13MP, f/2.5 telephoto camera with a 1/3.4″ sensor and 1.0µm pixels, which offers roughly 2x optical zoom, and a 13mm ultra-wide-angle camera with 8 MP resolution and an f/2.2 lens. Finally, the fourth camera is a depth sensor which captures perspective information to improve background separation for portrait mode photography.

The Realme X2 Pro’s video capture credentials also impress, with up to 60fps 4K recording and time-stoppingly powerful 960fps slow-motion video capture at 720p.

In our brief time with the camera, there’s nothing standout about the shooting modes, other than an Ultra 64MP mode, which captures full-resolution 64MP photos, and the Ultra Macro mode, similar to the 2.5cm focus mode of the OnePlus 7T-series.

The X2 Pro won’t capture RAW photos, though nothing else seems to be missing, with other modes including a comprehensive expert mode, night, panorama, time-lapse, slo-mo and a portrait mode.

Early verdict

We can’t help but be blown away by the Realme X2 Pro’s value. While it’s far too early to comment on its camera quality, the phone’s design and specs alone guarantee it a spot in the bang for buck hall of fame.

The camera will be interesting to test, not just because it features such a high-resolution sensor, but also because it’s one of the few Samsung sensors used in a flagship-grade smartphone available now.

How will it stack up to Sony’s ubiquitous 48MP IMX586? Where does the Realme X2 Pro sit in the sea of midrange smartphones currently available? Can it really charge up 100% in just 30 minutes? So many questions – for all the answers, keep it locked to Digital Camera World for the full review coming in the next few weeks.