Category: Article

Not everyone has room for a 49-inch super-wide monitor, so Philips has come out with a ‘smaller’ 43-inch version. Problem solved!

Okay, maybe not—if you’re short on space, a 43-inch monitor is probably still too big. But for those who can fit one onto their desk (or wherever else), the new 439P9H brings a super-wide (aka, doublewide) form factor into the fold at a slightly less massive scale than the crop of 49-inch monitors, including the 492P8 that Philips introduced last year.

The smaller 43-inch model is also touting a curved (1800R) VA panel like its bigger sibling, albeit with a 3840×1200 resolution (32:10 aspect ratio). It’s also somewhat fast, boasting a 100Hz refresh rate (with adaptive sync support) and 4ms gray-to-gray response time.

Panel type—VA

Panel size—43.4 inches

Resolution—3840×1200

Refresh rate—100Hz

Response time—4ms (GtG)

Brightness—450 nits

Contrast ratio—3,000:1 typical, 80,000,000:1 dynamic

Viewing angles—178 degrees vertical, 178 degrees horiztonal

Color gamut—105 percent NTSC, 123 percent sRGB, 91 percent Adobe RGB

HDR—DisplayHDR 400 certified

This monitor is DisplayHDR 400 certified, meaning it meets the requirements for VESA’s entry-level HDR certification tier. With a brightness rating of 450 nits, though, it’s not likely to deliver anywhere near the same HDR experience as a monitor with a 1,000 nits brightness capability (which is where HDR content really shines on LCD panels).

While not built specifically for gaming, Philips definitely has gamers in its sights.

“Gaming shouldn’t be a choice between choppy gameplay or broken frames. Get fluid, artifact-free performance at virtually any framerate with adaptive sync technology, smooth quick refresh, and ultra-fast response time,” Philips says.

Beyond the marketing spin, the 100Hz refresh rate and 4ms response time are certainly respectable. The high color gamut also stands out.

Connectivity options include two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, an HDMI 2.0b port, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C ports (one upstream and one downstream with power delivery up to 90W), four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, a headphone jack, and a GbE LAN port. The extra ports and Ethernet are because the display can act as a single connection docking station.

The Philips 439P9H monitor will be available later this month for £879. There’s also no word on when it will ship in the US or how much it will cost when it does. Either way, we don’t expect there to be any Black Friday deals featuring this specific models (though there will be on other monitors, as there is every year).

Two minute review

With the MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019), Apple set out to make the best MacBook Pro ever, giving fans of existing MacBook Pros – in Apple’s own words – “more of what they love.” By listening to the feedback from its customers, Apple has managed just that, improving the MacBook Pro in a wide range of ways.

While the new larger screen is probably the most noticeable upgrade, there are other improvements under the hood that prove even more important. Previous MacBook Pros were saddled with a keyboard with Butterfly switches that a sizable number of people encountered problems with, but the new 16-inch MacBook Pro has a new and improved keyboard that ditches the problematic Butterfly switches for Scissor switches found in the Magic Keyboard, its popular keyboard for iMacs.

Not only does the new keyboard seemingly avoid the issues of previous versions, but it allows the 16-inch MacBook Pro to remain impressively slim (just 0.64 inches – a slight increase on the MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019)’s 0.61-inches), while increasing the key travel to 1mm. This is the distance a key depresses when hit, and the greater the travel, the more tactile and responsive the keyboard feels. Slim laptops can often suffer from shallow key travel that makes the keyboards feel unsatisfying to type on. We’re pleased to report that the MacBook Pro 16-inch’s keyboard is a joy to type on – in fact, it’s the best keyboard we’ve used on a MacBook.

For anyone who was holding off buying a new MacBook Pro until the keyboard issues were sorted, we can safely recommend the new 16-inch MacBook Pro. Hopefully Apple’s hard work with the new keyboard in the MacBook Pro will find its way on to regular MacBooks and MacBook Airs soon.

There are further upgrades, with 7nm AMD Radeon Pro 5000M series graphics cards making their debut, providing some seriously impressive graphical grunt to this mobile workstation. For the first time ever, the MacBook Pro 16-inch can be configured with up to 64GB of RAM and up to 8TB of SSD storage – making this a seriously formidable performer when it comes to graphic-intensive tasks like rendering videos.

The battery has been increased with a 100-watt-hour battery (16 WH larger than the previous models, and now the largest capacity laptop battery the FAA will allow on flights) – and in our tests we were seriously impressed with how long the MacBook Pro 16-inch model lasted between charges. You really don’t have to suffer from miniscule battery life just because you’re using a powerful laptop with the new MacBook Pro. That’s a compromise many of its competitors ask us to make.

Much-improved speakers (seriously, you need to hear them) and built-in microphone all make the 16-inch MacBook Pro a seriously competent mobile workstation – and one where you no longer feel the need to plug in too many external devices. This, along with an almost identical thin and light design that we’ve come to love from the MacBook, makes the MacBook Pro 16-inch a truly portable pro laptop.

We haven’t even mentioned the new screen. Oh, that screen. Apple’s move to 16-inches hasn’t led to a compromise in image quality, with the resolution being bumped up to 3,072 x 1,920 and a pixel density of 226 pixels per inch.

That’s an increase over the 15-inch model’s 2,880 x 1,800 resolution, which offered a pixel density of 220ppi. A larger screen with an increased pixel density is very welcome indeed. The increase in screen size hasn’t made the 16-inch model much larger than the 15-inch model, either, thanks to the slimmed down bezels that surround the screen.

There’s not much to dislike about the MacBook Pro 16-inch, to be honest. The lack of expansion outside of the four Thunderbolt ports remains a disappointment for a pro laptop, though there are features included in the laptop that mean you’re less likely to need to plug in external tools. Who needs an external hard drive when you have 8TB of SSD storage? The price is also high, but it actually costs the same as the previous model – which may annoy anyone who just bought one of those.

Overall, Apple has improved on almost every aspect of the MacBook Pro, and answering the complaints of people (like us) who were disappointed that recent MacBook Pros haven’t done anything revolutionary or exciting. The MacBook Pro 16-inch shows that Apple still loves the MacBook, and it has some exciting ideas for its future.

Price and availability

Perhaps one of the most pleasant surprises about the MacBook Pro 16-inch is its price. Now, don’t get too excited – this isn’t a cheap laptop. Far from it. The 16-inch MacBook Pro is, like other MacBook Pros, a very pricey laptop. But what’s surprising is that the base model starts at $2,399 (£2,399, AU$3,799, AED 9,999) for a 6-core Intel Core i7 processor, AMD Radeon Pro 5300M 4GB GPU, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.

This, you may have noticed, is the same price as the 2019 model of the MacBook Pro 15-inch, which for the same price comes with a 6-core 9th generation Intel Core i7 processor, Radeon Pro 555X with 4GB of GDDR5 memory, 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD storage.

The fact that you get double the storage and better graphics, along with all the other new features of the new MacBook Pro, such as that larger screen, for the same price is remarkable. For anyone who was holding out buying a new MacBook Pro, your patience will have been rewarded.

However, that also means that anyone who bought the 15-inch MacBook Pro – which only released back in June 2019 – could feel rather aggrieved at paying the same money for less. The fact that Apple is no longer selling the 15-inch model on its website (you can now only choose between the MacBook Pro 13-inch 2019 and the MacBook Pro 16-inch) could compound the feeling that they’ve bought an expensive product that’s outdated a mere six months after it launched.

There is also a higher-end model that comes with a 2.3GHz 8-core Intel Core i9 processor, AMD Radeon Pro 5500M, 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD for $2,799 (£2,799, AU$4,399). Again, this is the same price as the high end 15-inch MacBook Pro from earlier in 2019.

As with previous models, you can configure the base models with more powerful hardware, including upping the storage to that incredible 8TB, and packing the laptop with up to 64GB of RAM. The fully specced-out MacBook Pro 16-inch is a seriously powerful device – but also an expensive one as well, costing $6,099 (£5,769, AU$9,679).

Design

At first glance, the 16-inch MacBook Pro doesn’t look all that different from the 15-inch model. That in itself is a remarkable achievement, considering the larger display the new MacBook Pro features.

Now the footprint of the MacBook Pro 16-inch is bigger than the 15-inch, with dimensions of 0.59 x 11.97 x 8.36 inches (1.49 x 30.41 x 21.24cm) versus the 15-inch’s 0.61 x 13.75 x 9.48 inches (1.55 x 34.93 x 24.07cm; W x D x H), but it’s not enough to be that noticeable. It’s certainly impressive.

So, how did Apple manage this? On opening the MacBook Pro 16-inch, the answer is evident, with the bezels that surround the screen much thinner than previous models. Not only has this allowed Apple to fit a larger screen into the new MacBook Pro without drastically increasing the overall size of the laptop, but it makes the new MacBook Pro look and feel a lot more modern. It also ensures that all your attention is directed on that gorgeous screen.

And the screen – it really is a beauty. It’s the largest display on a MacBook since the MacBook Pro 17-inch was discontinued way back in 2012. It’s clear that Apple has heard feedback from its pro users that want a larger display, even at the expense of portability, and has acted.

We’re glad it has. Even with the larger display, Apple has made sure that image quality remains high, as it has also upped the resolution to 3,072 x 1,920. The result is a beautifully crisp display that looks sharp and vibrant. It’s not quite as pixel-packed as the Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition’s screen, which has a 4K resolution of 3,840 x 2,160.

The Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition’s screen is definitely the one to beat at the moment when it comes to pro laptops. It’s an OLED screen that’s factory calibrated and absolutely stunning. Not only does it beat the MacBook Pro 16-inch when it comes to resolution, but it’s also a touch screen as well.

Does that matter on a pro device? Well, one of the big selling points of the MacBook pro 16-inch, when we spoke to Apple, was how it runs macOS Catalina, which allows you to use an iPad as a second screen using the Sidecar feature. There are a number of creative apps that allow you to use the iPad along with the Apple Pencil stylus to control the apps via touch.

This is a great way of allowing creatives to interact with their tools in an intuitive way. However, it also requires an iPad – which is an additional expense. If the MacBook Pro came with a touchscreen, that wouldn’t be an issue. As Razer has shown, it’s indeed possible to include a touchscreen without compromising image quality – though there is a hit when it comes to price.

The keyboard has also been tweaked, thankfully replacing the Butterfly switches of previous models with the Scissor switch found in the popular iMac Magic Keyboard.

This should eliminate the problems that the Butterfly keyboards experienced (where keys became ‘stuck’ or unresponsive when dust or other debris found their way between the keys) – and in a recent teardown of the MacBook Pro 16-inch, iFixit found that Apple no longer includes a protective membrane underneath the keys, which it included in other recent MacBooks in a bid to fix the issues the Butterfly switches were encountering.

By not including the membrane, it appears that Apple is confident that the new keyboard of the MacBook Pro 16-inch will not have these problems.

The Scissor switches also allow the keyboard of the 16-inch MacBook Pro to have a decent amount of travel when the keys are pressed, while still keeping the MacBook Pro as slim as possible.

The result is immediately apparent: the MacBook Pro 16-inch’s new keyboard is a joy to type on, and a much more responsive and satisfying experience. When moving back to the older MacBook Pro 15-inch’s keyboard, it felt rather flat in comparison. We couldn’t wait to get back to using the newer keyboard. For anyone who does a lot of typing, the new and improved keyboard of the MacBook Pro 16-inch will be a huge selling point.

Further tweaks to the keyboard include shortening the Touch Bar and including a physical Esc key again. This might not be a big difference for a lot of people, but for many – especially coders – this will be a welcome change – and again shows that Apple has been listening to the requests of its customers.

The Touch ID button, which allows you to log into the MacBook Pro or authorize Apple Pay payments, has also been shifted slightly so it’s easier to find.

The directional keys have also been changed, and are now back in their classic ‘inverted T’ layout. Again, it’s a more intuitive layout that lets people hit those keys without having to look, and it’s been a long-requested feature for some people.

These are all very welcome changes to the design, which shows that Apple has been listening. These changes improve the performance and usability of the MacBook Pro, without radically changing the look or feel of the laptop.

However, there is one thing about the MacBook Pro 16-inch that we really wish Apple would change – and that’s the port selection. Once again, Apple has seen fit to only include four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports and an audio jack.

Now, those ports are perfectly fine for regular users who have modern peripherals with the right connectors. However, the MacBook Pro 16-inch is a laptop aimed at professionals, and the lack of ports is frustrating. Many people have older peripherals that they rely on for work that won’t plug into the Thunderbolt 3 port without an adapter.

Having a standard sized USB port along with a memory card reader, for example, would make the MacBook Pro 16-inch a much more versatile device for professionals. Instead, you’ll need to buy an adapter to plug those devices into the MacBook Pro. It’s an added expense, and not a particularly elegant solution. It’s a remnant of Apple’s ‘form over function’ ethos that was popularized by Jony Ive.

You can forgive consumer-orientated products like the MacBook Air or iPhone 11 for sacrificing ports and features in a bid to look as thin and sexy as possible, but with a prosumer device like the MacBook Pro 16-inch, it continues to feel like the wrong choice. There are an increasing number of MacBook Pro competitors, like the Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition, which offer a much wider selection of ports.

It’s a shame that Apple appears unwilling to budge on this, as it’s the one area where the MacBook Pro 16-inch doesn’t feel like an improvement over what’s come before.

Performance

The MacBook Pro 16-inch is the most powerful MacBook ever made – especially if you splash out on the fully-loaded option. It’s pricey, but with an 8-core Intel processor, 64GB RAM and 8TB SSD, you’ll not get another laptop quite like it.

Sadly we didn’t get to play with that version – instead we’ve reviewed the high-end base configuration, with a 2.3GHz 8-core Intel Core i9 processor, AMD Radeon Pro 5500M, 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD. This is still an incredibly powerful device, and one that many people will go for if you need a laptop for video editing. For many others, it’s wildly over-specced for their needs.

So, the MacBook Pro 16-inch makes short work of the benchmark tests we threw at it. The processor is similar to the one in the 15-inch model we reviewed, but clocked slightly lower. Also, the new graphics card means this is a formidable laptop when it comes to graphics rendering – and it means it can push the higher resolution without any degradation in performance compared to the 15-inch model.

In day-to-day use, the MacBook Pro 16-inch is again a joy, with macOS Catalina feeling quick and smooth, with apps loading in a flash. At all times, you know you’re working on a very capable laptop, and during our time with it, we didn’t see it stumble when it came to performance.

We’d like to also point out that even under load, the MacBook Pro 16-inch kept impressively quiet. We’ve used other laptops – including some MacBooks – that make an awful lot of noise when the hardware gets taxed and the fans kick in. It’s a testament to the new thermal design Apple has made, allowing the MacBook Pro 16-inch to remain cool. We also didn’t notice any throttling issues (where the CPU speed is lowered to prevent overheating, which impacts performance) during our time with it – something some previous MacBook Pros have suffered from.

As a workstation, then, the performance of the MacBook Pro 16-inch is very impressive, though owners of the 2019 model of the MacBook Pro 15-inch shouldn’t feel the need to upgrade: the performance increase isn’t that big. But that’s not too surprising, considering how recently the 15-inch model was launched. But for people who have been holding out, this is the definitive MacBook Pro to get.

However, the performance of the the MacBook Pro 16-inch shines in other ways as well – especially media playback. We’ve covered the screen quality enough, but it really does make videos and photos look phenomenal.

The new built-in speakers are also excellent. There are six speakers in the MacBook Pro, with Force Feedback-enabled woofers. This allows the MacBook Pro to produce bass sounds without extraneous vibration causing unwanted distortion.

The results are superb, with incredibly clear sounds coming from relatively small speakers. If you’re used to tinny sounds pumped out of weak laptop speakers, you’ll be seriously impressed with the sound quality of the MacBook Pro 16-inch. It was loud enough to fill a decently sized room without distortion.

Music sounds fantastic, but watching movies and TV shows is also a highlight, with a wide soundstage and clear stereo separation that can trick you into thinking you’re listening to two external speakers positioned far apart from each other. There’s also a pretty decent virtual surround effect as well. We were very impressed.

While music producers and film editors will still probably want to hook up external speakers or headphones, it does mean if you’re on the move, you could easily make do with the MacBook Pro 16-inch’s speakers without having to carry additional equipment around with you. These are easily some of – if not the – best speakers we’ve heard on a laptop. Apple has done a great job here.

The new mic array in the MacBook Pro 16-inch is also much improved. We were impressed with the clarity and quality of recorded audio, and like the speakers, it means if you’re out and about without an external microphone, settling for the built-in mics is no great hardship.

We’ve complained about the lack of ports making it difficult to plug in external peripherals into the MacBook Pro 16-inch, but the new speakers and mics, along with improved keyboard and huge storage, means you’re less likely to need to plug things in. Impressive.

Battery life

MacBooks have always had impressive battery life, especially compared to Windows laptops, and while you could almost forgive the MacBook Pro 16-inch for having a shorter battery life due to its larger screen and more powerful components – but there’s no need to.

In fact, Apple has managed the remarkable feat of making battery life longer. By its estimates, it gives around an hour more battery life compared to the 15-inch model, and in our tests we found that to be pretty accurate, with it lasting 11 hours and 41 minutes, with a looped 1080p video at 50% screen brightness.

That’s a huge increase over the 7 hours and 36 minutes the MacBook Pro 15-inch scored in the same test. While the 15-inch model could just about get you through a work day without needing a charger, the 16-inch positively blows past it. Of course, the more strenuous tasks you perform, the faster the battery life depletes, but it’s still a remarkable achievement.

Meanwhile, the Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition managed just 5 hours and 28 minutes in the same test. No competition, really.

Buy it if…

You want the most powerful MacBook ever

Apple has done an amazing job of improving most aspects of the MacBook Pro with the new 16-inch model, and while it’s not a generational leap in terms of power compared to the 15-inch model, if you’re after the most powerful MacBook ever made, this is it.

You want a workstation laptop that lasts a whole workday

The battery life on the MacBook Pro 16-inch is very impressive, considering the powerful components and larger screen. Depending on the workload, this will keep you going throughout the work day on a single charge – though any heavy video rendering and the like will obviously drain the battery faster.

You loved everything about the MacBook Pro – but want more

Apple set out to give its customers “more of what they love” with the MacBook Pro 16-inch, and it succeeded. You get that classic MacBook Pro form factor, with not much extra size or weight added, along with a bigger screen, more powerful components, a better keyboard, better speakers and much more.

Don’t buy it if…

You’re on a tight budget

The MacBook Pro 16-inch costs the same for the base model as the previous 15-inch model. That’s to be commended, but make no mistake – this is still a very expensive laptop. If you’re on a budget, there are more affordable options out there.

You don’t need the power

Part of the reason that the MacBook Pro 16-inch is so expensive is because of the powerful cutting edge components included. That means if you don’t need that amount of raw power (and unless you’re using it for professional video editing, music producing, 3D modelling and the like, then you won’t), you’re better off buying the cheaper MacBook Pro 13-inch, or the MacBook Air.

You prefer Windows

If you’re a Windows die-hard and hate all things Apple, then this is not the laptop for you. However, you may want to reconsider – macOS Catalina is not that difficult to get the hang of, after all. Otherwise, there are some good Windows-based alternatives out there.

Scythe is increasing its CPU cooling lineup with its Shuriken 2 SCSK-2000, as reported by TechPowerUp this week. The cooler is a smaller variant of its Big Shuriken line of coolers and comes as a simple top-down CPU cooler with a slim, 92mm PWM fan.

The Shuriken 2 fan can spin at speeds between just 200 and 2,500 RPM, meaning it can operate very silently when the system is idling but still dissipate up to 100W, which is a perfectly good figure for a low-profile CPU cooler. CPU socket support is said to include AM4 and LGA115x.

The heatsink itself is made with a nickel-plated copper cold plate, which pushes the heat to the fin stack through four 6mm heatpipes. Add all that up, and you’ve got a cooler that weighs 350g (0.8 pounds), and has a 93 x 94 x 54mm (WxDxH) footprint.

With such dimensions and performance, it’s a perfect cooler for use in small form factor systems witt a Mini-ITX motherboard. You should get a solid increase in thermal performance over a standard boxed cooler, which would help your CPU maintain its boost frequencies for longer.

The cooler is reportedly coming out early next month. Pricing wasn’t revealed, but we expect it to cost between $30 and $40.

Microsoft is working on a new Cortana app for Windows 10, and it’s been in testing with Insiders in the 20H1 development branch for some time now. Today, Microsoft shared a blog post detailing some new changes coming to this new Cortana experience, specifically for users in the Fast ring. The updates are aimed at boosting productivity, which is part of Microsoft’s vision for Cortana, positioning it as an assistant for productivity.

Some of the changes were already known of, like the fact that the new Cortana app isn’t docked to the taskbar anymore and you can move it anywhere on the screen. You can also now choose your favorite input method for talking to Cortana, so you can either type or speak after press the Cortana shortcut on your keyboard.

The new Cortana also has a set of improved skills, including the e-mail skill that lets users send e-mails to specific people or see received messages from them. There’s also an improved calendar skill that makes it easier to set up meetings or join virtual meetings, though the latter only works with Teams for now. Microsoft says it’s also improved the Windows skill, which is used for opening apps or controlling system settings. Finally, there have been “significant” improvements for accessibility, though the blog post didn’t specify what those are.

As a result of these updates, Cortana has also lost some features, though. For one thing, you’re no longer able to use the Connect accounts option, so once you sign into Cortana, you’ll only be working with information for that account. Microsoft has also temporarily removed some of the non-productivity features from Cortana, so for now, it won’t be able to tell you jokes, set timers, or get instant answers from Bing. These features are returning “with a fresh coat of paint” later on, though.

For now, the new Cortana app is still only available in English (United States), but Microsoft says it will expand availability soon.

The best mechanical keyboards aren’t just designed to be robust, boasting longer lifespans that can take all the abuse without falling apart. They’re also built specifically to deliver very high accuracy and super fast response times. Mechanical keyboards, therefore, make for some of the best gaming keyboards.

What’s more, the best mechanical keyboards are designed to be very ergonomic, so that they’re not just easy and comfortable to use, but they also improve your typing experience whether you’re gaming for long hours or just typing up emails and documents all day long. This makes them the best keyboards for school and work as well.

And, if you’re worried about saving space or sticking to your budget, worry not. Mechanical keyboards also come in many shapes, sizes and prices. You will, therefore, find one that’s the most ideal keyboard for you whether you’re looking for a small one, a light and thin one or an affordable one that won’t break the bank.

1. Razer Huntsman Elite

Best mechanical keyboard

Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes | Programmable keys: Yes

Fast key switches

Amazing layout

Needs two USB ports

As if having mechanical switches isn’t enough, Razer takes the switches’ best qualities and combines them with lightspeed optical technology, resulting in the opto-mechanical switches that make the Razer Huntsman Elite the keyboard to beat. True to its namesake, this mechanical keyboard is as fast and as precise as a huntsman, delivering blazing fast actuation thanks to an optical light sensor that’s inside every switch.

However, it’s not just performance that makes it the best mechanical keyboard of 2019. The Razer Huntsman Elite is also rich in features – namely, a multi-function digital dial with three tactile media keys, a luxurious leatherette magnetic wrist rest, on-the-fly macros, and hybrid on-board memory and cloud storage for saving all your profile configurations. This isn’t the cheapest of mechanical keyboards, but it’s certainly worth every penny.

2. SteelSeries Apex Pro

Great for gaming

Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes | Programmable keys: Yes

Beautiful build

Custom actuation

Expensive

Like Razer, SteelSeries also has a trick up its sleeve when it comes to its mechanical switches. This time, the peripherals manufacturer takes mechanical switches and gives them the ability for customization. These first-of-their-kind adjustable switches have customizable sensitivity levels, which means that you can fine tune per-key actuation to really personalize your gaming and typing experience. Whether you prefer featherlight touches or deep presses, you can adjust the SteelSeries Apex Pro to cater to your preferences.

But that’s not all. This keyboard also boasts a blazing fast response time and is twice as durable as its rivals. Its OLED Smart Display and integrated command center displays pertinent information like settings, profiles and updates. Finally, its Dedicated Multimedia Controls are also unique in that one of them is a clickable metal roller. Also like the Razer Huntsman Elite, this one isn’t cheap, so just be ready to shell out some silver.

3. Roccat Vulcan 122 Aimo

A mechanical keyboard with a twist

Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes | Programmable keys: Yes

Gorgeous design

Comfy keyswitches

Expensive

Who says you can’t look stylish sporting a gamer’s look? Roccat’s Vulcan 122 Aimo certainly proves the naysayers wrong. This gaming keyboard – one of the best by far – isn’t only a pleasure to game on and comfortable to type on, but it’s also one of the smartest looking mechanical keyboards we’ve ever beheld with its floating keys, lit up Titan switches, anodized aluminum plate and Roccat’s AIMO lighting engine. And, did we mention that instead of the usual black, it’s sporting a silver on white color scheme? You’d happily pay its somewhat premium price for its design alone.

Of course, it takes more than just good looks to make our best mechanical keyboards list. Performance is still key, which this keyboard more than delivers. Those speedy and precise Titan switches are built for gamers, with a tactile and silent 1.8mm actuation point and a 1,000Hz polling rate to start.

4. Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition

Small and compact

Interface: Wired, wireless | Keyboard backlighting: Yes | Programmable keys: Yes

Fast switches

Removable cable

Expensive

When it comes to gaming, whether it’s gaming laptops or gaming peripherals, Razer is at the top of its, well, game. So it’s no surprise that two of theirs made our list of the best mechanical keyboards, with the Huntsman Tournament Edition taking the fourth spot. While many gaming keyboards boast a complete set of keys, including the numeric keypad, this one takes the small and compact approach forgoing those aforementioned keys altogether.

If you’re looking for a small keyboard for your small desk, this one’s a winner, as it doesn’t compromise on speed and accuracy despite its tiny frame. The Huntsman Tournament Edition, of course, boasts Razer’s impressive opto-mechanical switches as well as durability up to 100 million keystrokes, proving yet again that big things can come in small packages. There’s not a lot of features here, but sometimes, simplicity is king.

5. Havit Low Profile Mechanical Keyboard

Affordability in a slim body

Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes | Programmable keys: Yes

Customizable keys

Thin and light design

Loud

If you’re a fan of thin and light, then the Havit Low Profile Mechanical Keyboard’s svelte form factor will appeal to you. This sleek, ultra-thin mechanical keyboard may not look like much, owing to its lack of flashiness and nifty-looking keys, but it’s undoubtedly earned its spot in our best mechanical keyboards list.

It not only feels amazing under your fingers when typing or gaming, but it also has fully-programmable keys (all 104 of them), shorter yet satisfying travel, and fun lighting presets and controls you’d be hard-pressed to see in many of its rivals. On top of those, it’s also highly accurate and super responsive, perfect for any gamer, especially one who loves experimenting with RGB lighting. Though honestly, this keyboard is so good you’ll want to use it for productivity as well… as long as you don’t mind all the click clacking.

Photographers and videographers are working on the go and traveling more and more, and their needs for advanced data storage devices are growing. The Gnarbox 2.0 SSD seeks to fill those needs while housing those capabilities in a rugged device made to stand up to the elements. Check out our review of this powerful device.

The Gnarbox 2.0 SSD comes with an array of features meant to make it an all-in-one solution for creatives on the go. I have been using it for the last few months, and it has been quite useful in my workflow.

Specs

2.4 GHz quad-core Intel CPU

Quad-core Intel Graphics HD

4 GB RAM

256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB storage NVMe SSD options

Two USB-C ports, one SD slot, one Micro-HDMI port

75 MB/s SD transfer rate

350 MB/s USB-C transfer rate

802.11ac Wi-Fi (up to 867 Mbps)

3,000 mAh 7.4v removable battery (3-6 hours of use)

Shock, dust, and water resistance

Image preview function in app

iOS and Android applications

OLED screen

0.8 lbs (375 g)

Build Quality and Ease of Use

The Gnarbox 2.0 SSD is remarkably rugged and very compact; it fits nicely in the hand, and the textured grip makes it easy to hang on to, even in wet environments or when you are wearing gloves. The metal case is very strong and goes far to protect the device. The weather-sealing is also quite good; ports are properly covered, and the device seems quite watertight. In my testing, it got rained and snowed on several times, and it kept ticking without an issue.

Its size is impressive given its capabilities; the company has jammed a lot of power and features into the device. Between the SD slot and the USB port, you can import files off of any sort of memory card with the proper reader, and the micro HDMI port allows you to preview photos and videos on an external display without the need to use a computer. The processor and the device’s Photo Mechanic underpinnings make image preview (including raw files) very quick and useful.

Navigating the device is very straightforward using the four buttons. My only complaint is that the buttons are quite small and can dig into your fingers a bit when you use them; I’d prefer them to be larger to reduce the pressure they place on fingertips. That being said, the interface is very simple to navigate and provides you with quick access to all the essential functions, including free space, backup settings, and USB and Wi-Fi settings. The majority of your more advanced interaction with the device will be done through the Safekeep and Selects apps.

Backup

Of course, the primary function of the Gnarbox is in-the-field backup, and in that respect, it works quite well. The process is simple: as soon as you insert an SD card or connect a reader and insert a card there, the device will offer you the option to back up immediately or make more advanced selections (such as where to place the backup). It will then run the proper verifications if you have them turned on.

If you’re particularly careful about backups or you want to hand off a drive of files to someone else, the device also offer multi-destination copy, which will create a backup on a second drive connected to the Gnarbox. You can even bypass the Gnarbox’s internal drive and just use it to pass files from a memory card to a drive.

In terms of performance, the device did quite well, and I frequently hovered near the quoted 75 MB/s transfer speed of the SD slot. This is great performance. It allows a wedding photographer to back up the ceremony’s files on the drive to the reception with ease, for example. Performance will be much faster when using the USB-C connection with a reader, which is rated at 350 MB/s. This is good for those shooting large amounts of images or hefty 4K video.

When connected to a computer, you need to switch the device to Mass Storage mode, which will cause it to reboot, a minor inconvenience. The other thing to note is that the drive can’t charge when connected to a computer, so your time to work will be limited, unless you’re swapping batteries. It then functions as a normal external hard drive and does so well; I normally experienced zippy transfer speeds. It doesn’t approach that of some of the really fast portable drives, which typically hover around 500 MB/s (nor is it rated as such), but it normally sped along around 150 to 220 MB/s, which is plenty for most workflows.

Apps

Safekeep

The first of the two apps you use to interact with the new Gnarbox is Safekeep, the primary use of which is backups (it also provides firmware updates). From here, you can control settings like Smart Backup, which ensures the device only copies new files (great, for example, if you’re dropping the same memory card in the device across the same day — weddings, for example). You can also set the device to run an MD5 Checksum after copy tasks to ensure proper data integrity. The Gnarbox also has some nifty automatic organization features built in that can go far to pre-sort your files at the time of ingestion. One of the most useful is folder presets. These allow you to define custom folder structures with different parameters. These presets will then appear on the device itself (so you’re not tethered to your phone), allowing you to apply them whenever you insert a memory card or attach a device for backup.

You can also use the app’s file browser to perform tasks like folder management, file renaming (with batch capabilities), and more. The app keeps a task history that allows you to check on the status of transfers and processes and ensure that you’ve actually done the things you intended to do. Finally, it allows you to switch the Gnarbox between Field mode and Home mode. Field mode is designed for general on-the-go usage, while Home mode is for when you’re on a Wi-Fi network (or using an Ethernet cable via a USB converter) and allows for cloud backup and firmware upgrades.

In practice, the Safekeep app was perfectly straightforward and simple to use and made controlling backup behavior both easy and customizable.

Selects

The Selects app is where you’ll interact with your media, culling and viewing photo and video files. The app has Photo Mechanic underpinnings, and it does a great job of loading previews quite quickly. You can rate images individually or by selecting a larger batch, and you can also view and add keyword tags to the metadata — a great function for organizing images while they’re still fresh in your mind. Of course, since ratings and keyword tags are added to the EXIF data, they will carry into whatever desktop app you like to use, such as Lightroom. I appreciate the simplicity of the Selects app: it’s meant to quickly browse sets of images and perform quick culling and organizational tasks on them to make your job easier when you sit down to your computer.

Battery Life

Battery life is quite good, and I easily got the quoted six hours out of the device. What is particularly nice, however, is that the batteries are hot-swappable, meaning you can remove the battery while the Gnarbox is plugged in and install a new one without losing power or your work. And at $50 for a replacement battery, it certainly isn’t an unreasonable prospect to carry two. That being said, I was never anywhere near worrying about not having enough power to get through a day of backups and culling between shoots, and I think most anyone will have no problem getting through a day and topping off the device at night. The only people who might need extra batteries are those going on multi-day trips without power sources, and even then, if you are only using the device for backups, you’ll more than likely be fine with just one battery.

What I Liked

Very rugged design

Removable battery

Hot-swappable capabilities

Straightforward apps with useful culling and backup controls

Useful automatic organization features

Ability to verify backups

Good performance

What I Didn’t Like

Buttons

Slightly slow boot-up

Can’t charge when connected to computer

Conclusions

Altogether, the Gnarbox 2.0 SSD is a highly rugged device that’s both straightforward to use and versatile. Its companion apps allow one to cull files before ever sitting down to a computer, and its configurable automatic organization features make it easy to sit down to your computer with pre-sorted files that are ready to be edited. For creatives on the go who need to be able to rely on their backup device no matter what the conditions, it’s an excellent choice.

Huawei is all set to introduce its next-gen premium tablet dubbed Huawei MatePad Pro in its homeland i.e. China. The tablet has already been leaked numerous times before revealing bits of information every single time. We are already aware of the fact that the device will come with thin bezels, stylus support, and a massive 40W fast charging. Furthermore, the tablet is also expected to come with a punch-hole camera on the front. After bagging the 3C and TENAA certification, the tablet has finally made its way to the GeekBench listing.

HUAWEI MATEPAD: SPECIFICATIONS, FEATURES

The GeekBench listing of Huawei MatePad Pro shows the model number MRX-AL09. As per the listing, the tablet will run on the latest version of the Android 10 operating system. Under the hood, the device is powered by an octa-core HiSilicon processor clocked at 1.8GHz. This information points towards the Kirin 990 chipset which we recently saw in the Mate 30 Pro. As of now, there is no information on the internal memory but the device seems to come packed with a massive 6GB RAM. Coming to the scores, the tablet managed to get 3808 points on single-core and 11832 on multi-core performance.

Apart from the GeekBench, the device also managed to make its way to the Bluetooth SIG listing revealing more model numbers. The revealed model number includes MRX-AL09, MRX-W09, MRX-L00, and MRX-AN09. It is already confirmed that the tablet will come in WiFi-only and 4G LTE variants as well. Furthermore, the model number MRX-AN09 suggests that the device might also come with a 5G connectivity option.

PRICE, AVAILABILITY

At the time of writing this article, there is no solid information on pricing and availability. As mentioned earlier, the tablet will first hit the Chinese market with its official unveiling set for November 25. In the near future, we might see the tablet hitting the other global major markets.

When shopping for a new monitor, the first thing most consider is price. Features and performance are important, but price is king, especially if you’re on a tight budget. A relatively new brand, Pixio offers the PXC273 with specs that can challenge some of the best gaming monitors. That includes a speedy 144Hz refresh rate in a 27-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) resolution package. The best part is it sells for just $200 at the time of writing. But that low price also means making some sacrifices, including around image quality

The PXC273 starts with a high-contrast VA panel running at 1080p resolution. The biggest surprise is its wide color gamut. Pixio doesn’t specify the coverage, and since there’s no HDR here, we’d expect a screen that sticks to the sRGB color gamut. But after testing, we discovered it covers more of the DCI-P3 spec than nearly every other monitor we’ve tested. A little more digging revealed a Samsung-sourced panel with a quantum-dot backlight. Users looking for maximum color will certainly want to check out the PXC273.

Like most monitors today, the PXC273 has a flicker-free backlight. Pixio specs it with a max brightness of 200 nits and contrast ratio of 3,000:1, but we found higher numbers in our testing. Right out of the box, this display offers some nice surprises.

At $200, the value ratio is high when you take specs and features into account. But the proof is in the testing and gameplay.

Unpacking and Accessories

The only bundled cable is DisplayPort, which you’ll need to use the maximum 144Hz refresh rate. If you use the HDMI port you’re limited to 120Hz, and DVI tops out at 60Hz. The power supply is a small wall-wart. You must assemble the stand and base, but tools aren’t required.

Product 360

The PXC273 features a no-frills design that leaves out things like lighting effects, USB ports and speakers. The screen is surrounded by thin 8mm bezels and flush-mounted. There’s a tight-fitting anti-glare layer that minimizes the air gap to the TFT (thin film transistor), resulting in a clear picture with no grain. There was no bleed or glow on our sample.

The stand is quite light and offers only a 15-degree tilt adjustment. It’s made from plastic and attaches near the bottom of the panel. There’s a bit of wobble, thanks to a small mount point. The base is small, saving some desktop space but sacrificing a little stability. The back also features a 75mm VESA lug pattern if you want to use your own stand or bracket.

The curve radius is 1800mm, which is a little more open than recent screens we’ve reviewed that are 1500mm in the same size and aspect ratio. In practice, the curve was barely noticeable and neither enhanced or detracted from the image. The curve only showed a significant impact if we were using two or three monitors simultaneously. But at the PXC273’s price, three screens aren’t out of the question.

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The PXC273’s simple design extends to its on-screen display (OSD) control, which is a single joystick that works well with a solid click and feel.

The input panel has one each of DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4 and DVI. We don’t see the latter much on newer screens, and in this application, due to its 60 Hz refresh rate limit. Even though the monitor is only certified to support FreeSync with AMD graphics cards, we also found that the monitor is G-Sync compatible, even though Nvidia hasn’t officially certified it as such, with the DisplayPort (here’s how to run G-Sync on a FreeSync monitor).

In lieu of speakers, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack and volume control in the OSD.

OSD Features

The OSD appears as a strip across the bottom of the screen, similar to AOC’s method but far less intuitive. Large icons represent different functions, not all of which are obvious at first glance.

The first three options are easy enough to understand. DCR is a dynamic contrast feature, which we recommend leaving off. The PXC273 has excellent contrast already, and DCR will just clip highlight and shadow detail. There are five picture modes, but only Standard comes anywhere close to providing accurate color. The native and only available gamut is DCI-P3; there’s no sRGB mode or HDR. This means you see more color than intended for all content, which may be attractive to some users.

Color adjustments have two color temp presets, plus a user mode with RGB sliders. They work well and can improve the PXC273’s image with a few tweaks. Gamma presets are in a menu called Adjust. Confusingly, that menu shows a picture of an aiming point, which made us think that’s where one adjusts the aiming point. Nevertheless, Adjust features two gamma presets. The gamma presets also have two options for DVI only: auto adjust and auto color.

The Other menu includes overdrive (on or off) and a FreeSync toggle. With the FreeSync toggle on, our Nvidia control panel instantly recognized the PXC273 as G-Sync Compatible, even though Nvidia hasn’t officially certified the display.

All menu screens show the input resolution and refresh rate at the top left and the firmware version at the top right.

Setup and Calibration

Only the Standard picture mode offers accurate color and only in the DCI-P3 gamut. There is no sRGB mode. The default color temp preset is Custom, which needs some tweaking for best results. We only needed a few clicks to bring grayscale tracking to a high standard. The default gamma is quite dark, but changing the gamma from 2 to 1 improved the luminance curve; although, it still wasn’t perfect. Overall color was good once we made these changes.

Gaming and Hands-on

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On paper, the PXC273 looks like a winner, but specs don’t always translate to gaming performance. Luckily, in the PXC273’s case, it did. We had to make a few adjustments after calibration, but eventually, we tweaked the monitor to a point where it stood up well against other 27-inch gaming displays costing more, like the Aorus CV27F and Samsung C27RG5. We saw no difference in video processing quality between playing with FreeSync or using G-Sync (unofficially, again, see our article on how to run G-Sync on a FreeSync monitor). Neither platform showed any artifacts. Frame rates hovered around 100 frames per second (fps) with an AMD Radeon R9 285 graphics card and stayed near the max 144 fps with a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti FE.

We fired up Tomb Raider and noted quickly that it looked a little drab. Color was nicely saturated and detail was excellent, but the pop expected from a monitor that delivers, according to our test, 4,100:1 contrast wasn’t there. The culprit was a dark gamma curve, which, even after changing the preset from 2 to 1, made the picture murkier. Turning up the backlight to its maximum improved things.

The overdrive worked well at managing motion blur, which was almost invisible at the highest frame rates. There were neither artifacts nor ghosting. Control response was as expected for a 144Hz monitor: instant with no stutter or lag. We’re getting more accustomed to playing sRGB games in extended color. Since the PXC273 runs in DCI-P3 all the time, there was no other choice. But it didn’t diminish the experience for us.

Call of Duty: WWII is a good test of a monitor’s shadow detail rendering. The Pixio had no issues there. As we holed up in a bombed-out church we saw fine texture among the rubble with clearly visible splinters of wood and fine dust. Characters’ faces had an ideal level of sweat and dirt that really added to the game’s depth and realism. Once we played for a few hours, we forgot that the monitor was just FHD. Fast frame rates and high contrast have a greater impact on gaming image quality than high resolution.

After working in Windows for an afternoon, we missed having a higher pixel density. Our sweet spot is 109 pixels per inch (ppi), but the PXC273 has just 81.6ppi. Tiny fonts in a spreadsheet were harder to read. Workday tasks are the only limitation for an FHD monitor; QHD (2560 x 1440) is still an ideal resolution that works well for just about everything one does with a computer.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

Today’s group are all 27-inch VA panels. Besides offering HDR, the Aorus CV27F and Aorus CV27Q are similar to the PXC273 in every other way. Also here is Samsung’s C27RG5, the MSI Optix G27C4 and MSI Optix MAG271CQR.

Pixio claims 250 nits max brightness for the PXC273, but our sample delivered about 322 nits. That’s plenty of light for any application or environment. There’s no backlight strobe or HDR here, so any more brightness would be unnecessary.

The black level is very low at just 0.0776 nit. Only the two Aorus screens can get darker, but they don’t quite match the PXC273’s performance in the intra-image test (3rd chart). For sequential contrast, Pixio is the best of the rest with a super result of 4,147.8:1. The PXC273’s dynamic range is among the best we’ve tested.

After Calibration to 200 nits

Calibration (see our recommended settings) didn’t change the PXC273’s contrast much at all. It’s still nearly 4,000:1, which puts it ahead of every display here, save the Aorus screens. This is all thanks to an excellent black level that helped up the ANSI test results. Coupled with a large color gamut, this monitor delivers a really good picture with lots of depth and highly saturated color.

For the best color, stick with the PXC273’s Standard picture mode and Custom color temp. They deliver reasonable color accuracy out of the box. Improvements are possible with a few adjustments.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Out-of-the-box Standard mode (graph 1) has grayscale tracking running a bit green from 40% brightness and on. Given the PXC273’s price point, we can forgive this default performance. What’s more concerning is the gamma tracking. It makes the picture darker than it should be and reduces the effect of all that wonderful contrast. You can compensate somewhat by turning up the brightness, but gamma tracking closer to 2.2 would be a better solution.

Once we adjusted the gamma presets in the Adjust menu (2nd chart), we improved the curve visibly, but it was still darker than it should be. The PXC273 would have more pop if the upper brightness steps were at the correct output levels instead of slightly under. This could be fixed with a firmware update that included a more-accurate gamma preset. However, our grayscale calibration had a positive effect, with all errors moving below the visible threshold.

Comparisons

In the recent past, a 4.27 Delta E (dE) average grayscale error would be typical for a gaming monitor. But today’s displays boast better out-of-box accuracy, as evidenced by our sample group. The top four monitors in the grayscale error chart don’t require calibration. However, the PXC273 should be calibrated for the best possible picture (see our settings on page 1).

We couldn’t completely fix the PXC273’s gamma tracking with our adjustments. Changing the preset from 2 to 1 made a visible difference, but it still didn’t track as well as the two Aorus or Samsung monitors. Ultimately, we like the Pixio’s image, but it could be even better if the gamma were more accurate.

Color Gamut Accuracy

It’s obvious from the initial gamut chart that the PXC273 is a DCI monitor. All colors are oversaturated in the sRGB realm except for blue. The average error is increased by a low color luminance level, which is largely due to the high gamma values we recorded.

Calibration brought the secondary colors onto their hue targets, but the over-saturation didn’t change. If you’re looking for an accurate sRGB gaming monitor, the PXC273 is not it. But if you like a more colorful presentation, it will suit just fine. You can see in the final chart that it covers a large part of the DCI-P3 gamut, coming up short only in the green primary. Again, the average error is inflated by low color luminance. Fixing the gamma to a proper 2.2 level would address that issue.

Comparisons

With a calibrated color error of 2.62dE average, you won’t see any major issues in the PXC273’s image presentation. Our recommended settings make things visibly better with greater image depth and a more natural look.

In the gamut volume calculation, the PXC273 turned out to have one of the largest gamuts we’ve seen in a gaming display. It covers almost 85% of DCI-P3, which is more than some HDR-capable screens, like the Aorus CV27F. With over 124% coverage of sRGB, you’ll need a custom profile to rein in the gamut if you do anything color-critical. For gaming, however, many will welcome the extra color.

Viewing Angles

The PXC273 acquit itself well in the viewing angle test. Our photo shows a green shift at 45 degrees to the sides and a 30% light reduction. Detail remains solid in both the horizontal and vertical planes with all steps still visible. From the top, the gamma is much lower, making lighter shades harder to see. Performance is typical of other VA panels we’ve reviewed.

Screen Uniformity

Our PXC273 sample has some of the best screen uniformity we’ve ever measured. There are no visible hotspots, bleed or glow. This is impressive, given the tight fit of its anti-glare layer. Dark material was artifact-free and remained well-detailed down to the zero-signal level. This is excellent performance.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

A gaming monitor must deliver speed and smooth game performance above anything else. The PXC273 manages both. Its 8ms screen draw time is 1ms slower than typical 144Hz screens, but in practice we couldn’t see a difference. Motion blur was barely visible, and there was no stutter, no matter how fast on-screen movements were.

Input lag is last place among our comparison sample, but 29ms is by no means slow. Unless you’re a highly skilled gamer, you won’t notice any lag when playing fast-paced games on the PXC273. To casual gamers, control response will feel every bit as fast as with the other screens here. Those with more frag cred will want to check out the Samsung C27RG5, which recently set a new speed record in our testing. For everyone else though, the $200 PXC273 is more than qualified for the weekly LAN party.

When shopping for a gaming monitor, the principal considerations come down to price, performance and features, and in most cases you’ll have to sacrifice one of those. But if you’re willing to give up features like speakers, USB ports, RGB lighting and fancy styling, the Pixio PXC273 is worth considering. It has a few flaws; but when gaming it manages to deliver a lot for just $200.

On the positive side, it supports both FreeSync and G-Sync (unofficially) up to 144Hz, has an effective overdrive that eliminates motion blur and low input lag. Contrast is better than many other VA panels, and it delivers nearly 85% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

To get the best possible image, including nixing a green tint, some adjustments are required. Once we made those changes, we enjoyed a decent picture in both games and video. That means an artifact-free experience without frame tears, stuttering or overdrive ghosting. The extra color afforded by its native DCI-P3 gamut will appeal to many, but if you want an sRGB mode, you’re out of luck.

The Pixio PXC273 has room for improvement, but when considering its price it’s hard to fault. At $200, it undercuts similar displays by at least $100, and that may be enough to overcome what’s been left out. For the price-conscious gamer, we have no problem recommending the PXC273.

The power profile modifies Collaborative Processor Performance Control, making adjustments to CPU task scheduling on Windows to deliver snappier performance for AMD Precision Boost, which dynamically adjusts clock speeds. The end result is better performance and core usage while idling or performing heavy load tasks. AMD will likely be investigating these improvements itself too to improve Precision Boost behaviour in the future.

The 1usmus Ryzen power profile is now in version 1.1. As the creator himself explains, this new update adjusts the Windows task scheduler to “must use best cores”, which means low threaded workloads should see better CPU utilisation.

Microsoft just recently began rolling out a new Windows 10 update but the Ryzen Universal power plan v1.1 should benefit all Windows 10 builds with any BIOS. You can get the full details and download over on TechPowerUp.

WhatsApp users are being urged to update to the latest version of the app due to fears that spy agencies are snooping on people through a major security vulnerability.

The issue relates to a malicious video that allows hackers to access people’s messages simply by sharing the MP4 file across WhatsApp. The Facebook-owned messaging app fixed the bug earlier this week – but anyone who has not downloaded the latest update remains vulnerable to the hack.

India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) posted an advisory outlining the “high” severity of the threat, warning that it “could be exploited by a remote attacker” at any time.

The security agency issued the advisory after the Indian government said it is empowered to “intercept, monitor or decrypt… any information generated, transmitted, received, or stored” on the phones or devices of its citizens.

On Tuesday, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kishan Reddy cited the Information Technology Act of 2000 when justifying the state’s surveillance policy.

Earlier this month, 19 activists, journalists and politicians in India revealed that their WhatsApp accounts had been targeted. They were among 1,400 people around the world to receive a message warning that their digital communications may have been compromised.

“In May we stopped an attack where an advanced cyber actor exploited our video calling to install malware on user devices,” the message stated. “There’s a possibility this phone number was impacted, and we want to make sure you know how to keep your mobile phone secure.”

WhatsApp claims that this warning was not related to the recent discovery of the malicious video file and claimed that there is no evidence that this particular flaw has been exploited by hackers.

The messaging app says that these users were instead targeted with spyware developed by controversial Israeli technology firm NSO Group.

“WhatsApp is constantly working to improve the security of our service,” a spokesperson told The Independent.

“We make public reports on potential issues we have fixed consistent with industry best practices. In this instance, there is no reason to believe that users were impacted.”