AMD-Xilinx Kria KV260 Starter Kit: Exploring Machine Vision AI

Machine learning is everywhere. It's an integral part of our smartphones and smart home appliances, running customer service chat bots for big retailers, and hard at work recognizing people and actions in security systems, among numerous other applications. Neural networks are the backbone of the robotics and automation push in the manufacturing sector, and it's intelligently touching up the photos we take when we're on the go. It's even making a pizza for us like a seasoned professional.  AMD's recent acquisition of FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and adaptive computing stalwart Xilinx...

OnePlus Nord Buds Review: Great Sound, No-Frills Value

by Myriam Joire - Tue, Jun 07, 2022

In just two years, OnePlus has managed to launch four pairs of TWS (true wireless) earbuds: the excellent OnePlus Buds ($79), the affordable OnePlus Buds Z ($49), the higher end OnePlus Buds Pro ($149) with ANC (active noise canceling) and wireless charging, and the mid-range OnePlus Buds Z2 ($99) with ANC. Now, OnePlus is capitalizing on its affordable Nord sub-brand with a fifth, even more budget-friendly option – the $39 OnePlus Nord Buds – which are now available from OnePlus and Amazon. That’s great, but are these new TWS earbuds any good? What do you give up for $39? And...

Ryzen 6000 And ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 Laptop Review: Revisiting Performance

by Marco Chiappetta - Fri, Jun 03, 2022

AMD had a wildly eventful keynote at CES 2022, jam-packed with announcements. During the festivities, CEO Dr. Lisa Su, Frank Azor, Jason Banta, and Laura Smith jointly revealed a wide array of products, including the Radeon RX 6500 XT, Ryzen 6000 series mobile processors, and refreshed Radeon RX 6000S series mobile GPUs, along with AMD Advantage program updates, and the Ryzen 7 5800X3D and next-gen Ryzen 7000 desktop processors. There was a mountain of information to unpack after the event, but as time passes things are coming into focus. We recently had the chance to check out the Radeon RX 6500...

DJI Mini 3 Pro Review: A Great Compact Drone With Big Features

by Keith May - Thu, Jun 02, 2022

When we reviewed the DJI Mavic 3 last year, we came away impressed, and rightfully so, because it was a great product. The new DJI Mini 3 Pro we'll be showing you here today, however, has essentially redefined expectations for a sub-250g drone. Nothing was left untouched in the Mini 3 Pro and virtually every aspect has been upgraded. The DJI Mini Series has been catering to the entry-level consumer drone market for several years now. DJI continually innovates with the Mini series and regularly ups the ante at its targeted weight and price points. This particular drone segment is extremely...

ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED Laptop Review: Ryzen 6000U Rocks

by Marco Chiappetta - Thu, May 19, 2022

AMD officially lifted the veil on its latest Ryzen 6000 series mobile processors back at CES early this year. In case you missed it, we detailed that initial announcement, talked about the high level features, and broke down the H and U-series SKU stack in our coverage at the time. More recently, we had the chance to evaluate the excellent ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14, which was freshly updated for 2022 with AMD’s finest. That little beastie of machine packs all of the punch of larger gaming notebook into a more portable 14” form factor, and has some additional eye-catching features to say...

Razer Blade 17 Review: A Slim RTX 3080 Ti Mobile Gaming Weapon

by Marco Chiappetta - Wed, May 18, 2022

When NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3080 Ti mobile GPU and Intel’s beefy 12th Gen Core H-Series processors first hit the scene, they tore through the lab here guns a-blazin’. We had the chance to take a look at a couple of killer systems from MSI and Alienware at the time, which maxed-out the platform with both NVIDIA’s best mobile GPU and Intel’s top-end Core i9-12900HK. The newly-updated Razer Blade 17 for 2022 we’ll be showing you here, however, takes a somewhat different, more measured approach. Instead of packing the laptop with nothing but hero SKUs, which compete...

OnePlus Nord N20 5G Review: Great Value Never Looked So Good

by Myriam Joire - Thu, Apr 28, 2022

For better or for worse, OnePlus is changing. In the past year, the company has merged with Oppo, transitioned OxygenOS to Oppo’s ColorOS code base, and replaced Warp Charge with Oppo’s SuperVOOC. But here in the US, OnePlus also grew almost 3x thanks in no small part to its affordable Nord N series handsets. And while the OnePlus Nord N10 5G ($300) missed the mark somewhat, we really enjoyed the OnePlus Nord N200 5G ($240). Today, we’re checking out the newest member of the Nord N series, the OnePlus Nord N20 5G ($282), an ultra-stylish 5G phone that gains a Snapdragon 695 processor...

Teenage Engineering's TX-6 Is An Amazing Tiny Mixer With Big Audio Chops And A Big Price Tag

by Lane Babuder - Fri, Apr 22, 2022

Hey musicians and DJs, do you ever feel like your mixer is just a bit too bulky? Do you ever feel like you need to lay down that mix as soon as inspiration strikes, but you're not in the studio? Well, Teenage Engineering has an admittedly pricey but beautiful, petite and elegant solution for you. The new rechargeable battery-powered TX-6 from Teenage Engineering appears to be as elegant as it is functional. The device is a 6-channel stereo mixer with 12-channel mono option in a beautiful CNC-machined aluminum chassis that provides a bevy of features. Those features include an equalizer, filters,...

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Review: Premium Android, S-Pen Prowess

by Nathan Wasson - Thu, Apr 21, 2022

Two years ago, we reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ and gave it our recommendation without reservation. As we noted in that review, the premium Android tablet space is pretty sparse. There are a number of dirt cheap tablets running old versions of Android out there, but you’re unlikely to find high build quality or a good user experience among that lot. The partial exception is Amazon’s Fire HD line, which seems to have cornered the market on tablets for kids who aren’t ready to graduate to iPads yet. The iPad has been the largely unchallenged king of the tablet space for...

Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 Laptop Review: Svelte Stunner

by Dave Altavilla - Fri, Apr 15, 2022

Samsung made a splash recently as one of the first laptop manufacturers with a Spring refresh powered by Intel's new Alder Lake-P 12th Gen Core processors for mainstream thin and light laptops. Targeted at a class of machines Intel calls the "Performance Thin And Light" category, these 12th Gen Core chips drop into a 28 Watt power envelope, with 12 and 10-core options that sport up to 4 Performance cores and 8 Efficiency cores, and the promise of strong performance-per-watt for a top-shelf experience. In kind, Samsung's GalaxyBook Pro 360 impressed the heck out of us last year when it debuted,...

ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 Review: 12th Gen Power, RTX Punch

by Ben Funk - Wed, Apr 06, 2022

By most accounts, Intel's 12th Gen Core processors based on the hybrid Alder Lake mobile architecture have been a smashing success for gaming laptops. From class-leading desktop performance to outstanding mobile prowess, the blue team's Alder Lake family has shown strong gains in workloads of all kinds. The first notebooks we looked at, an updated MSI GE76 Raider and an Alienware x17 R2, were both suitably impressive, but their large footprints and hefty weights aren't for everybody. Enter an upgraded version of one of last year's slimmer and lighter gaming laptops, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus...

OnePlus 10 Pro Review: A Solid Android Flagship With Innovative Cameras

by Myriam Joire - Thu, Mar 31, 2022

A lot has changed at OnePlus over the past year. The company has merged with Oppo, and OnePlus’ OxygenOS now shares a common codebase with Oppo’s ColorOS. Warp Charge is now called SuperVOOC, which is Oppo’s fast charging brand. OnePlus also set sales records in 2021, shipping 11 million phones worldwide, and growing by 286% in the US market, thanks to its affordable Nord N series handsets. Then, in January, after years of simultaneously launching its flagship globally, the company released the OnePlus 10 Pro in China only with ColorOS 12 and 80W fast charging, but without a OnePlus...

Intel Arc Alchemist Mobile GPUs Arrive With Powerful, Innovative New Features For Laptops

by Marco Chiappetta, Paul Lilly - Wed, Mar 30, 2022

For the past several years, we’ve been hearing about Intel’s extensive plan to enter the discrete GPU space. It’s the main reason why Raja Koduri joined the chipmaker in late 2017, who came on board to spearhead not just a one-off product launch, but a new era of graphics at Intel with a robust roadmap extending years into the future. What started off as an Odyssey has now reached its Arc, with Intel today launching its first discrete Arc GPUs for laptops. This was the plan laid out during Intel’s 2022 Investor Meeting last month. Intel would come out swinging with the first...

Acer Swift 3 16 Laptop Review: Affordable And Capable

by Tim Sweezy - Thu, Mar 10, 2022

Acer's Swift 3 line is comprised of an array of thin and light notebooks that are designed to meet the tech and budget needs of most mainstream users. There are several models within the Acer Swift lineup, with a variety of features and processors to choose from, along with display sizes offered in 13.3-inch, 13.5-inch, 14-inch, 15.6-inch, and a new 16-inch option. It is that new 16-inch display option that Acer gave us the opportunity to take for a test drive. The Swift 3 (SF316-51) we received comes powered by an 11th Gen Core i7 (Tiger Lake) processor with Xe graphics, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB...

Oppo Find X5 Pro Hands-On: A Premium Flagship With Serious Camera Chops

by Myriam Joire - Sun, Mar 06, 2022

Last week, Oppo launched its latest Android flagship – the Find X5 Pro (€1,299 / ~$1400) – and we just spent a few days using the phone in Barcelona during Mobile World Congress 2022. Before we share our first impressions, let’s provide some context. Oppo’s Find X series has always delivered top specs with premium design – for a price. It’s popular in markets outside the US, and is somewhat similar to the OnePlus Pro line of flagships. The original Find X featured a motorized camera pod and a notch-less display. In 2020, the Find X2 Pro boasted a 5x...

ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED Review: Affordable 2-In-1 Beauty

by Ben Funk - Thu, Feb 24, 2022

The trend of OLED displays in laptops is typically reserved for flagship devices that cost a pretty penny. Logically, the extreme contrast ratio, total lack of ghosting, and colors that pop are the sort of thing that most PC shoppers lust after in a premium product. OLED TVs also flank the high end of that market, so it makes sense that OLED laptops would too. We've enjoyed OLED displays in laptops previously, like the Zenbook 13 OLED, which is a beaut but starts with an entry level price of over $1,200.  ASUS performed a bit of thought experiment here, though. What if an OLED-equipped...

RedMagic 7 Review: A Crazy-Fast, Affordable Snapdragon Gaming Phone

by Myriam Joire - Tue, Feb 22, 2022

Over the years, Chinese phone manufacturer RedMagic has managed to build a reputation for making affordable, feature-packed gaming phones and selling them in the US. The company typically releases new models in the spring using Qualcomm’s latest flagship processor, then launches similar, but updated versions in the fall, often with Qualcomm’s revised “plus” chipsets. And since the RedMagic 3, these handsets have included a built-in cooling fan to maintain optimal, sustained performance. With last year’s RedMagic 6, the company also introduced Pro variants with slightly...

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra And S22+ Review: Ultimate Android Flagships

by Myriam Joire - Fri, Feb 18, 2022

Another year, another triplet of Samsung Galaxy S flagships. Last week, Samsung launched the Galaxy S22 ($799), S22+ ($999), and S22 Ultra ($1,199), three premium phones with high-end specs that are targeted at dominating the Android landscape in the US, and battling the Android competition abroad. Needless to say, these are important handsets for the company, the carriers, the industry, and consumers alike. But things are different this year. Samsung has a lot more riding on the S22 series, especially after last year’s lackluster flagship sales. Regardless, by all accounts, the S21 series...

Apple Knows AirTags Have A Stalking Problem, Here's What It's Doing About It

by Nathan Wasson - Fri, Feb 11, 2022

Apple’s AirTag tracking device has garnered a bit of negative attention since its release as privacy and safety concerns have arisen. The device is intended to be attached to personal belongings that are liable to be lost, so that their rightful owners may find them again. Apple claims that it has received written accounts of “countless” stories of AirTags helping users recover lost items. However, not long after Apple first introduced the AirTag, fears arose of the trackers being used for stalking or other nefarious behavior. AirTags are quite affordable at just $29, and Apple’s...

Alienware x14 Laptop Review: Potent, Petite Gaming Prowess

by Dave Altavilla - Fri, Feb 11, 2022

Alienware's X Series of thin and light gaming laptops was first introduced a little less than a year ago, and Dell's gaming products division has been refining the sleek, spacey looking machines at a fairly rapid clip ever since. A couple of weeks ago, we gave you a look at the new Alienware x17 R2, the second coming of Alienware X Series flagship, now powered by Intel's 12th Gen Core (Alder Lake) CPUs and the mighty GeForce RTX 3080 Ti mobile GPU. That machine put up some fantastic numbers and looked great doing it, but today we return to the X Series with an entirely new offering from Alienware,...

Unpacking Samsung's Hot New Galaxy S22 And Tab S8 Flagships, A Hands-On First Look

by Marco Chiappetta, Paul Lilly - Wed, Feb 09, 2022

Ahead of today's Galaxy Unpacked 2022 event, Samsung had teased the introduction of "the most noteworthy S series device we've ever created," and had even been accepting reservations, with a $50 credit serving as an incentive for doing so. Samsung was obviously referencing its Galaxy S22 series, and today's reveal makes it official—the Galaxy S22 lineup is here, and we've gone hands on with the series for a first look at the actual phones (read: these are not renders). And spoiler alert, they're gorgeous. There are three main models to choose from, including the Galaxy S22 Ultra, Galaxy S22+,...

Sony Xperia 5 iii Review: Petite Android Phone With Camera Chops

by Myriam Joire - Tue, Feb 08, 2022

For a few years now, Sony’s been making premium, feature-rich, media-centric, flagship smartphones that incorporate technologies from its Alpha cameras, and target die-hard Sony customers. This niche strategy appears to be working for the company, as it continues to bring new handsets to market. In 2021, Sony launched the Xperia Pro ($2000), Xperia Pro-I ($1800), Xperia 1 iii ($1300), and Xperia5 iii ($1000). Today we take a look at Sony's most affordable flagship, the Xperia 5 iii. If you’ve been keeping tabs, Sony’s “bread and butter” phones – if there is such...

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