Category: Article

The original Samsung Galaxy Fold cost $1,980 / £1,900 / AU$2,999, which made it a startlingly pricey handset even if it was the first widely available foldable phone. If you wanted a phone with a bendable display but were put off by the price, you might be in luck, because a new rumor suggests the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 could cost less than half what its predecessor did.

This comes from South Korean news site iNews24, which suggests the Galaxy Fold 2 will be available from between 1 million South Korean won (roughly $860, £660, AU$1,250) and 1.5 million won (around $1,290, £990, AU$1,875). If the price is closer to the lower, regardless of what currency you’re buying it in, it’ll be available for less than half the cost of the original device.

If true, this would be great news for people who were hoping for a more affordable phone, though that could be thanks to reduced specs (the original Galaxy Fold had a slightly-unnecessary six cameras) or perhaps thanks to a smaller form factor.

We’re expecting the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 (or Galaxy Bloom, or Galaxy Z Flip, as we’ve heard it alternately named) to be a ‘clamshell’ device like an old flip phone, and if the Motorola Razr is any precedent, this form factor denotes a more affordable price point.

It’s not actually clear where iNews24 got its figures from, as the article states the device’s ‘shipping price is reportedly being discussed with mobile operators’ [roughly translated], implying but not explicitly stating one of those mobile operators leaked the information to the press.

The article does suggest the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 will be shown off at Samsung Unpacked alongside the Galaxy S20 series of phones – we’d expected that, but it’s reassuring to hear the idea backed up with this rumor.

Whether the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 turns out to be the most affordable foldable phone yet with those low prices, a more ‘mid-range’ foldable (but still with a price below anything else like it), or just as pricey as its predecessor, we’ll apparently find out come February 11 at Samsung unpacked. Stay tuned to TechRadar in the mean time for all the leaks, rumors and news on the phonemaker’s second big foldable handset.

The Microsoft Launcher has been around for some time. Before it was rebranded as such in 2017, it was known as the Arrow Launcher. But a lot has changed since then, and with the impending Microsoft Surface Duo, the company has big plans for its launcher. So, now that the new and improved Microsoft Launcher 6.0 is available in the Play Store via an alpha preview, we thought we would take it out for a spin to see if it will be ready for the Duo.

Microsoft Launcher’s new look and feel

Some of the main changes Microsoft has made with the 6.0 launcher update include tweaks to the overall look and feel. The most dramatic come by way of the home page, introducing a more cohesive design language that’s more in line with Windows 10.

Firstly, Microsoft has implemented a new landscape mode that will rotate automatically, given the user has auto-rotate enabled. This is a feature a few other launchers may provide, but it hasn’t been available in Microsoft Launcher until now.

This new landscape mode could make for a better tablet experience. And with the Microsoft Surface Duo offering both tablet and standard smartphone form factors, this tweak should help users better take advantage of the device’s screen real estate.

There are a few other changes Microsoft has made that users will also find incredibly useful. One of which is new and enhanced dark and light modes. Both modes look great throughout the entire UI, and this revamp includes custom transparency blur effects and more overall spit and polish.

Some of the other UI tweaks include slightly more rectangular elements with rounded corners like the search bar, improved animation fluidity, and memory usage optimizations. We also get shortcuts to easily download any Microsoft apps, a Bing wallpaper which is updated daily, and several other settings that allow the user to tweak the launcher ’til their heart’s content.

There are a few hiccups here and there in the launcher’s overall performance, but it is currently in alpha, so that’s to be expected.

The new dock

Another tweak Microsoft has made in the 6.0 update changes how people will use the dock. Before 6.0, a swipe up from the dock gave users quick access to device settings toggles like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and airplane mode, as well as twice as many of their favorite apps than is typically available with a standard dock.

Now, users only have access to the second row of apps, and Microsoft has omitted the toggle panel. This feels like a regression on Microsoft’s part, but for all we know, it could be planning to reimplement the toggles before the launcher is finished.

There are also a few general UI tweaks to the dock and app drawer in this latest update. These include the updated transparency blur effects, the removal of the app drawer button, a slightly bigger and more prominent design, and more fluid animations.

Not everything with the dock has changed in Microsoft Launcher 6.0, though. In recent versions of Android, users typically access their device’s app drawer with a swipe up from the bottom of the home screen. Though that’s true with Microsoft Launcher, users will still need to do so further above the dock than they are accustomed to as not to expand its second row, meaning your muscle memory may need some retraining.

Microsoft Launcher’s Google Now alternative

The left-hand Google Now screen has always been one of the shining features of stock Android setups. In recent years, launchers and OEMs have included Google Now into their launchers, while others have developed substitutes.

OnePlus is a prime example here, offering its own alternative called Shelf. Microsoft Launcher is also a Google Now replacement offender, but like OnePlus, its implementation isn’t bad.

As far as functionality is concerned, not much has changed in Microsoft Launcher 6.0. With a swipe right, users still get access to Microsoft’s Glance, News, and Timeline pages, which offer quick access to current events, tasks, appointments, and even sticky notes that are all easily integrated with Windows PCs. Where this section has really changed is in its design.

Like the rest of Microsoft Launcher’s updated design elements, the search bars and info cards see an updated boxy redesign with rounded corners, the new transparency effects, and an overall cleaner presentation. This Microsoft Launcher Glance redesign embraces the Windows 10 aesthetic significantly more than before, making its desktop integration both more visually and functionally seamless.

Right now, Microsoft Launcher 6.0 is in alpha via the launcher’s preview app, meaning it isn’t quite finished yet. Plus, Microsoft has quite a while to iron out any wrinkles before the Surface Duo lands later this year. Regardless, Microsoft’s take on the Android home screen offers quite a few usability and UI enhancements over the competition. From what we can tell, the app’s future is genuinely promising, but we will have to see its implementation on the Surface Duo before we give it a final verdict.

One of the most anticipated phones of early 2020 is the Xiaomi Mi 10, and new hands-on shots have given us the first ‘real’ pictures of it (other than leaked renders). Fans of Xiaomi phones might find these pictures eerily familiar though – they show a device that looks a lot like the Xiaomi Mi Note 10.

These pictures come from TechDroider, who posted them on Instagram. It’s not clear where these pictures originated though, and the posting refers to them as a ‘concept device’.

But based on some contextual clues (a wire attached to the device, and a visible placard in the background), we’d guess it’s a media hands-on event where they got to test the phone.

The leaked pictures show a sleek device with a curved screen, a rear camera bump in the top left of the back of the phone, and a punch-hole cut-out front-facing camera. Save for this last point, it’s incredibly similar in terms of design to the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 from late 2019, even down to the color of the device, known as ‘Glacier White’.

While the Instagram post refers to this device as the Xiaomi Mi 10, we’d expect it’s actually the Mi 10 Pro, as we’ve heard the former will have a flat screen while the latter will have curved display edges.

We were pretty big fans of the Xiaomi Mi Note 10’s design, but it’s still surprising just how similar the Mi 10 seemingly looks to the older device. Perhaps Xiaomi has taken to heart the mantra ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’.

It’s worth emphasising that this image is referred to as a ‘concept based on leaks’, but it’s almost unprecedented for someone to make a physical device based on leaks. So while it’s possible that someone went to a lot of effort for this posting, it’s also possible that was just said to protect a source (or is a translation error of some kind).

Either way, we’ll find out for sure in the first few months of 2020 (likely at MWC 2020 in February) when we’re expecting the device to launch. Stay tuned to TechRadar for all the latest news.

Microsoft Edge, the web browser that replaced Internet Explorer with the release of Windows 10, has been given a dramatic overhaul in the last year or so to be rebuilt on the same Chromium source code that Google Chrome is based on. Today, the new version of Microsoft Edge, based on Google’s Chromium, has been officially launched on Windows and macOS.

Late in 2018, Microsoft confirmed rumors that the company was rebuilding its Edge browser on Chromium, the open source base for Google Chrome. At the time, the reason given was for Edge to be able to offer “improved compatibility” over the existing EdgeHTML browser engine. The announcement put Microsoft Edge in league with other Chromium-based browsers like Vivaldi and Brave.

After over a year of development work and public beta tests, Microsoft, via The Verge, is formally launching the new Microsoft Edge based on Chromium. While Microsoft Edge, in its original form, was originally exclusive to Windows 10, rebuilding on Chromium has helped open the browser to more platforms. Today, you can download Microsoft Edge for macOS and all current versions of Windows.

Even a version for Windows 7 is available, despite the fact that Windows 7 reached End of Life earlier this week. No doubt, this is thanks to Google’s own commitment to support Google Chrome on Windows 7 until July 2021.

These additional desktop platforms follow the work already done to bring Microsoft Edge to Android and iOS. On those platforms, Edge uses the platform’s preferred/required browser engine with a layer of additional Microsoft features like sync.

If for whatever reason, you’re a fan of Chrome but not Google, Microsoft Edge may be the browser for you. The two browsers have a great deal in common including the ability to sync your browsing history and more between devices. One key difference is that you’re trusting Microsoft with that information instead of Google.

The similarities even run deeper than that, with the new Microsoft Edge being able to use nearly all of the same extensions that Google Chrome can use. Unfortunately, that also means that Microsoft Edge will be affected by the upcoming controversial changes to how Chrome extensions can and cannot work, collectively known as Manifest V3.

Where Edge sets itself apart from Chrome is in its built-in tracking protections that help you maintain privacy by default and handy features like Collections that let you handily organize images and pages from the web.

As of today, Edge is an optional program you can choose to download and install, just like any other alternative browser like Chrome or Firefox. What will give Microsoft’s new browser some stopping power is when the new Edge becomes the default built-in browser for Windows 10.

Verge notes that OEMs have already been given the new Edge, meaning new Windows 10 devices should begin appearing with Edge pre-installed. By giving users a competent cross-platform browser out of the box, there’s a chance people may no longer feel the need to immediately install Chrome, as the jokes go.

Additionally, over the next few months, Microsoft will slowly push this new version of Edge to Windows 10 users via Windows Update. This rollout will happen in gradual stages until a full, wider release happens in the summer.

In addition to its new notebook, Chromebook, and system announced during CES 2020, ASUS has unveiled a new gaming chassis designed for mini-ITX motherboards. The ASUS ROG Z11 features an 11-degree tilted interior design for improved heat dissipation and better cable management.

The ASUS ROG Z11 case is constructed with an aluminium outer frame, with steel interior, and comes with a specially designed motherboard try which is off to an 11-degree angle in comparison to standard motherboard tray implementations. This design is to allow for more airflow which is critical in high-performance systems that are using smaller form factors such as mini-ITX. Due to the implementation of the design, users can position the ROG Z11 upright which resembles a more conventional design, or on its side.

Hardware compatibility in generic mini-ITX systems can be a little lacklustre, but the ASUS ROG Z11 is designed to accommodate full-size power supplies and has good support for cooling. Supplied with the ROG Z11 is three 140 mm cooling fans, with support for a 240 mm radiator at the rear. Users can also install a 120 mm radiator in the bottom of the chassis.

On the front panel is a LiveDash 1.77″ OLED screen which is also featured on the ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme rear panel cover, and allows users to upload and customize the panel with GIFs and animations. The front I/O panel includes a single USB 3.1 G2 Type-C, one USB 3.1 G2 Type-A, and two USB 2.0 ports, with a button to control the addressable RGB lighting.

At present, ASUS hasn’t revealed any information about the pricing or availability, but it is expected to be launched sometime this year. 

MSI demonstrated a revamped version of its sleek and light GS-series Stealth gaming notebook at CES 2020 this week. The GS66 Stealth laptop continues to feature a low-profile design, but now comes in a ‘Core Black’ aluminum chassis and features the latest internal hardware. In addition, MSI has an all-new compact GE66 Raider gaming notebook with panaramic aurora lighting and new internals. However, the main advantage of the new models over predecessors is its optional display panel with a 300 Hz refresh rate.

Nowadays mobile gamers demand thinner and lighter notebooks, but are not ready to give up desktop-like performance. With the MSI GS66 Stealth and the MSI GE66 Raider, they will actually be getting something that they cannot have even with a desktop PC right now: a Full-HD panel featuring a 300 Hz maximum refresh rate, presumably with a variable refresh rate technology.

To ensure that the 300 Hz LCD can demonstrate itself in all of its glory, the MSI GS66 Stealth and the MSI GE66 Raider pack the latest and greatest hardware, which specifications are kept under wraps for now, but one can make a good educated guess about them. In case of the GS66, the CPU and the GPU are cooled down using MSI’s redesigned Cooler Boost Trinity cooling system that now uses three fans with blades that are only 0.1 mm thick to maximize airflow.

MSI showcased its GS66 Stealth and GE66 Raider laptops at CES, but said nothing about availability timeframe of the product. Considering the fact that Acer and ASUS already use overclocked 300 Hz panels with their gaming laptops, it should not be big a problem for MSI to get such panels too. Meanwhile, there might be other components that MSI needs to procure for its upcoming GS66 Stealth and GE66 Raider notebooks.

When the first OnePlus 7 Pro renders trickled out, showing off what appeared to be a pop-out camera mechanism, even I was critical of the concept. External moving parts on a device that suffers as much abuse as a phone seemed like a design that was destined to fail, even in just a mechanical sense.

Well, I’m not afraid to say that I was entirely wrong. OnePlus’ pop-up selfie camera has proven to be a fantastic idea, and I’m upset it looks like OnePlus’ next high-end “Pro” phone won’t get one.

The advantages of a pop-out camera are subjective, but pretty clear: Right now, it’s the only way to get an all-screen phone free of both bezels and cameras. Now, there’s no real objective benefit to that short of a bit of extra screen space, but I think it’s a much more attractive look, and clearly the ultimate goal of modern smartphone design given the sort of changes we’ve seen over the last couple years with under/in-screen camera designs and the move from 2018’s notch to “hole-punch” cameras. An all-screen design free of camera cutouts and notches is not necessarily “better,” but it is a whole lot cooler to look at.

Another curious detail is the fact that this sort of pop-up/out mechanism has been done plenty of times by a lot of Chinese companies, but outside the OnePlus 7 Pro and Motorola One Hyper, it hasn’t really materialized in the US. There’s the Oppo Reno, Realme X, Vivo Nex, Redmi K20 Pro (the base for the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro), and Honor 9X, all among an even longer list of phones with the feature, all of which have pop-up camera designs, and almost none of which have come to our shores.

While other companies like ASUS and Samsung have put their own spin on the idea by making the rear and front-facing camera the same camera, the OnePlus 7 Pro with its full-screen design and pop-out camera is a unique and much-loved device in the US. In fact, it only narrowly dodged both our readers’ choice award and our editors’ choice smartphone of the year award, though it handily snatched the title at other venues.

Looks don’t seem to be an issue, then. So why would OnePlus give up on the idea in its next phone, as it appears to be? Since it’s a moving part, one might think that durability ended up being a concern, and it might be, but not the way you think.

OnePlus rated the 7 Pro’s pop-up mechanism’s longevity for around 300,000 cycles, which is a pretty big number. Assuming that you substantially beat the average and unlock your phone 100 times a day (using the pop-up camera for face recognition) and take another 100 selfies every single day on top of that, then the mechanism will last you a mere four years — a little longer than most folks keep a phone. More realistic use (~90 actuations a day) brings that number closer to nine years.

Of course, variability and basic statistics will see some fail before (and after) these rated numbers, but even so, I had to go out of my way to find any reports of the mechanism failing. Durability doesn’t seem to be an issue. Hell, someone even used one as a bottle opener without any apparent ill effects — not that I’d recommend it.

While the mechanism clearly functions in the long term, there still might be one good reason to get rid of it: an IP rating.

So far as I can tell, precisely zero phones with pop-out camera mechanisms have been able to snag an IP rating. Of course, OnePlus has bent over backward to justify not having an IP rating for its phones in the past. Even if there’s some other undisclosed explanation for OnePlus’ prior lack of rated water resistance, that may not be the case now in 2020. This is speculative, but if OnePlus can make future phones water-resistant with a specified IP rating, that marketing point might be worth giving up on a full-screen design and the pop-out camera.

Whatever the explanation ends up being, I’m still sad that the all-screen, pop-up camera design looks to be replaced by a hole-punch selfie cam. But I hope that we get something good from OnePlus, like IP rating, for giving up that feature.

Although Corsair’s cooling division is more widely known for its extensive range of CLC CPU cooling solutions, Corsair has once again moved back into the air-cooled CPU cooler business. Corsair has once before tried to tackle the market with its older A50 and A70 models, the new A500 looks to target Noctua’s NH-D15 with some very interesting features.

Moving back into the air cooling market after the launch of the Corsair A50 and A70 air CPU coolers, the new Corsair A500 looks to add a new dimension to its current cooling line-up. More known for its closed-loop liquid solutions, the A500 is a dual fan tower cooler with cooling capabilities stretching up to 250 W TDP. While the A500 doesn’t support AMD’s TR4 socket, it supports Intel’s 2011 LGA20xx sockets, including AM4, AM3, FM2, and LGA115x.

In an interesting design twist to conventional tower coolers, the Corsair A500 uses a ratchet-style slide and lock fan retention system, which is designed to make users lives easier when installing. It is a full tower cooler with dimensions of 144 x 169 x 171 mm, with two of Corsair’s ML120 cooling fans which can ramp up to 2400 rpm are included in the package. On the cooling plate, Corsair has pre-applied its XTM50 thermal paste out of the box for first-time applications.

When asked about why Corsair is going the air-cooling route after many successful AIO launches, it stated that the air cooling market is still huge with users, especially those who still don’t trust liquid-cooled solutions due to rare issues such as leaks. Aiming for Noctua’s NH-D15 CPU cooler which many in the industry see as the golden standard, Corsair states the performance is on par with the NH-D15, if not better in certain situations.

Corsair has priced the A500 at $99.99 and is available to pre-order directly on Corsair’s store. The A500 is expected to hit retail channels later on in the week.

For anyone that isn’t following the minutiae of desktop computing, one of the more prominent rumors in AMD land is the presence of upcoming sockets called TRX80 and WRX80. These parts, assumed to be aimed at ‘casual’ and ‘workstation’ users, have formed the basis of many rumors and a lot of speculation, especially on the back of TRX40 which does exist for the latest generation of AMD Threadripper CPUs. Similarly, recent news has been posted about the potential existence of a theoretical LGA1159 socket for Intel, despite the fact that LGA1200 is often cited as the next generation socket for upcoming Comet Lake processors on the desktop. We reached out to a few contacts while we were here at CES to put some weight into these rumors, to confirm them one way or the other, for good.

It’s at this point I want to talk about sources. For anyone who has studied journalism, or even history at a high school level, there is the concept of sources carrying different amounts of weight. A primary source, for example, would be a direct participant in an event who would be able to recount with specific detail what they did/saw or what is planned. A secondary source might be a journalist collating or analyzing data from primary sources, a piece of software including a list of details about other products, or an artist depicting the events taking place from information they have collected. Tertiary sources go beyond this, and might involve individuals discussing an event without any direct experience of a specific instance. When it comes to the journalism that the tech press practices, depending on the publication, different numbers and different levels of sources form the minimum requirements for each publication. This acts as the minimum barrier required in order to present the information to its readers.

Here at AnandTech, we often use at least two sources for any particular story, preferably both primary sources. If the second source is trusted, for example a fellow media peer in the industry that has a history of accuraccy and one that we trust, they can be treated similarly to a primary source, albeit technically a secondary source (we often try to find a separate primary source different to the one they have used). Sometimes we have a lower standard for entry for the sake of humor, such as our report into Intel’s mythical Core i9-9900KFC, which never saw the light of day but I enjoyed writing it in a very tongue-in-cheek style (and I hope that came across). So to put this in to context, if I write something based on primary sources, I nominally act as a second source for others that cite my work.

Back to this specific matter, I had noticed that any mention of TRX80, WRX80, or LGA1159, was written about by journalists with no primary sources about any of it. So in order to find out when these two AMD eight-channel chipsets were going to come out, as well as the existence of yet another consumer Intel socket, I naturally went to ask AMD, Intel, as well as their primary partners and OEMs. The partners and OEMs that work with Intel and AMD are involved in developing and selling future platforms, and as such they have insight into the next 6-9 months of products coming into the market. They also have ideas about the 9-18 month schedule, but as we’ve seen in the past, that is often subject to change. Obviously none of the companies we spoke to were prepared to speak about future products, such as their own LGA1200 motherboards, however that doesn’t apply here.

All of our primary sources in this regard had very puzzled looks on their faces when I mentioned either the TRX80, WRX80, or LGA1159. One of them looked at me in amazement, and specifically said ‘what are you on about?’. I explained the situation, with ‘the internet’ talking about new 8-channel consumer motherboards, or an updated socket for Intel’s Comet Lake and beyond. The answer I got was very clear cut from everyone I talked to: no-where on their roadmaps has it ever said TRX80, WRX80, or LGA1159. None of the companies I talked had even heard of these names, let alone had any products with these features in the pipeline.

On the LGA1159 socket, one source actually knew what I was talking about, at least to some degree. They stated that the reason why people are confused here is that Intel distributed some early engineering samples of six-core Comet Lake CPUs in LGA1150 packaging, and those photographs got leaked onto the internet. The reason Intel could do this is that there’s next to no difference between Coffee Lake Refresh and Comet Lake silicon, and as a result some early testing could be done. However, the same source also showed us the different packaging for the 10-core engineering sample, where the layout is somewhat different. As it stands, this is the issue with assuming what you see is always going to be at retail – if the fact that something is an engineering sample isn’t taken into account, perhaps you shouldn’t write about every rumor you see or hear.

But does this mean that there will never be a product called TRX80, WRX80, or have the LGA1159 socket? No. But what I am told from my sources is that as it stands these products have never existed. There might be a future LGA1159 socket for Intel CPUs, or future upgraded motherboards for AMD CPUs, but as it stands, all of my contacts confirmed that none of them exist on roadmaps today.

It should be pointed out that our sources did request anonymity. This is par for the course for this sort of response, even when confirming when a particular ‘product’ doesn’t exist. Should these sources be able to provide information about actual future products, and I may wish to call upon them again, and they’d rather not act as a magnet for future questions from all the other tech media.

WHATSAPP is the world’s most popular messaging platform, helping more than one billion users keep in contact around the world. WhatsApp users who wish to stop receiving messages, calls and status updates from certain contacts can do so via the block option. Express.co.uk reveals everything you need to know about blocking WhatsApp contacts.

How to block WhatsApp contacts:

Users have several options available to block contacts on WhatsApp.

Start by selecting Settings, Account, Privacy, Blocked and Add New on Whatsapp.

Users should then select the contact they wish to block, then select the contact.

An alternative is to open the chat with the contact, tap the contact’s name, then select Block Contact, Block or Report and Block.

Next, swipe left the chat with the contact in their Chats tab, then tap More, Contact Info, Block Contact, Block or Report and Block.

If you block someone on WhatsApp do they know?

Blocking someone on WhatsApp is pretty straightforward but the blocked person will not be notified of the move.

There are, however, clues. Users will no longer see a contact’s last seen or online status in the chat window.

WhatsApp users will also not see updates to a contact’s profile photo.

Any messages sent to a blocked WhatsApp contact will always show the message sent mark and never show a message delivered mark.

Finally, any calls attempted via WhatsApp will not go through.

WhatsApp said: “We have made this intentionally ambiguous in order to protect your privacy when you block someone.”

How to block an unknown phone number on WhatsApp:

Whatsapp users have a couple of options to block an unknown phone number.

Those contacted by that phone number on WhatsApp can open the chat and select Block.

Begin by opening the chat with the unknown phone number, select the phone number, then chose Block Contact, Block or Report and Block.

Messages, calls and status updates sent by a blocked contact will not appear on your phone and will now never be delivered.