Carl Pei, the head of smartphone maker Nothing, recently teased a major new redesign for the quick settings shade coming with the next Nothing OS update but that’s not even the most interesting part. Pei posted the screenshots of the QS shade in a mockup of a smartphone that has a third button which hasn’t been seen in the brand’s portfolio yet, suggesting he may have also teased the upcoming Nothing Phone (3).
The screenshots shared by Pei show the new Quick Settings shade of the upcoming Nothing OS 3 update which now has circular tiles placed similar to how widgets and icons are placed on the Nothing OS home screen. There’s also a square tile which shows the currently connected Bluetooth earbuds along with their photo if it’s a CMF or Nothing Audio product.
When expanded, there’s a new slider for switching through vibrate, silent and ring modes along with other tiles for other respective settings such hotspot, glyphs, torch, a brightness slider and more. Pei showed the screenshots of the new user interface in both light and dark modes.
Pei’s screenshots included mockup for a smartphone that has a third button on the right, just below the power key, suggesting it could be the upcoming Nothing Phone (3). There’s no word on what this key could do but considering how Pei usually draws inspiration from Apple, its possible this could be Nothing’s version of the Action button.
If not that, it could be simply be a Assistant trigger key we have seen from other manufacturers in the past, or maybe a key to switch through sound modes. Most likely, it would be remappable to other actions preferred by user which would, again, make it the Action Button as seen on iPhone 15 Pro models.
The presence of a third button suggests that Pei just gave us our first look at a Nothing smartphone that hasn’t been released yet, considering all of its existing devices including the Phone (1), Phone (2), and the Phone (2a) do not have this button.
If that is indeed the case, the Phone (3) will also end up having slim and even bezels around the display which could potentially be thinner than the 2.1mm bezels of the Phone (2a). It would have a metal frame as one can notice Antenna lines on all the sides of the unreleased phone. Further, there would be a punch-hole camera at the top.
Samsung has been confirmed to be working on a wearable product called the Galaxy Ring. While the Samsung Galaxy ring is expected to be unveiled later this July, its price in India as well as in the US has now been revealed via a new leak, indicating it won’t be a cheap product and would have a price tag equivalent to that of a mid-range smartphone.
As per tipster Yogesh Brar, the Samsung Galaxy Ring is expected to have a price tag of Rs 35,000 in India. In the US, its price range is expected to be between $300 and $350 which converts to approximately Rs 25,000 and Rs 29,100, respectively.
To put things in perspective, the iQOO Neo 9 Pro, Realme GT 6T, and other smartphones cost about the same in India. There’s no word on when the ring might launch but previous reports suggest we are just a couple of months away from it.
Meanwhile, to access the features of the ring, users would have to pay for a monthly subscription (via Android Authority) which would likely cost under $10 (approx Rs 832), according to Brar’s sources. What features the subscription would give users access to is unknown at the moment.
According to a patent filed by Samsung back in February 2023, the Galaxy Ring is “intended to cover the categories of wearable smart devices in the nature of a smart ring for tracking, measuring, monitoring, and uploading health, fitness and sleep-related information”. As per the company, the device will be a ”powerful and accessible” wellness device.
Matthew Wiggins, clinical research scientist at Samsung Research, also revealed the ‘My Vitality Score’ feature the ring will have, which will show you a score denoting your physical and mental health to tackle the day based on your sleep, activity, and heart rate data.
The Galaxy Ring will also work with other Samsung devices, such as its smartphones, the Galaxy Watch 7 series (and previously launched smartwatches), and the Galaxy XR glasses as well.
Samsung has filed a patent that shows how the Galaxy Ring can be used to control the XR glasses with finger gestures, allowing for more precise and intuitive interaction in virtual and augmented reality applications. The features of the Galaxy Ring could potentially be controlled by the Galaxy Wearable App.
Realme GT 6T has debuted in India as the comeback smartphone for the brand’s GT series in the country. The new GT 6T comes with the latest Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chipset, paired with LPDDR5x RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. Here are all the other details about the device and whether you should buy it or not.
Realme GT 6T: Price in India, Availability
The Realme GT 6T starts from Rs 30,999 for the base 8GB + 128GB model, Rs 32,999 for the 8GB + 256GB model, Rs 35,999 for the 12GB + 256GB trim and Rs 39,999 for the 12GB + 512GB variant. It will be available for purchase via Realme stores, Amazon India and retail stores near you beginning May 29 at 12 noon. The Realme GT 6T comes in Razor Green and Fluid Silver colour options. HDFC, ICICI Bank and SBI card users can avail a discount of Rs 4,000. One can also avail an additional exchange discount of Rs 2,000.
Realme GT 6T: Specs
The Realme GT 6T sports a 6.78-inch 1.5K Resolution (2780 x 1264 pixels) AMOLED Display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 360Hz touch sampling rate, 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection and 6000 nits peak brightness.
The handset is powered by the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 Chipset paired up to 12GB LPDDR5x RAM and up to 512GB UFS 4.0 storage. The base 128GB model has UFS 3.1 storage. The phone runs on Android 14 with Realme UI 5.0 skin on top. It has a 9-layer Icerberg vapor cooling system as well.
As for the optics, the GT 6T has dual cameras on the back, including a 50-megapixel f/1.88 Sony LYT-600 primary sensor with OIS and an 8-megapixel f/2.2 IMX355 ultra wide angle lens. Meanwhile, the front houses a 32-megapixel f/2.45 IMX615 selfie camera.
Connectivity options include 5G, dual 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C port for charging. Further, GT 6T packs a 5,500mAh battery with 120W Fast charging support. Additionally, it includes an in-display fingerprint sensor for security, X-axis linear vibration motor, IR blaster, stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos and VC liquid cooling. It is also IP65 rated.
Realme GT 6T: Should You Buy It?
The Realme GT 6T, at its price point, surely looks like an appealing deal. The handset does appear to have some unique features up its sleeve, such as the brightest display there is in a smartphone, at least in the Indian market for now. We don’t know if it’s merely numbers or would also translate well in real world use but we’ll have to settle with numbers for now as we haven’t had the chance to use it.
The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 was unveiled a couple of months ago and is the most powerful 7-series chipset. Realme itself calls it the “Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Lite” which should give you an idea of its power capabilities. With near-flagship level performance, the 7+ Gen 3 is actually quite a capable Processor for not only daily tasks but also for demanding tasks, such as gaming. At a similar price range, you also get the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the iQOO Neo 9 Pro which is again a power-packed chipset and performed really well in our review also.
As for software, you get Android 14-backed Realme UI 5.0 which is again the latest Realme has to offer. It is also cleaner than FunTouch OS but not cleaner than Hello UI or Nothing OS. As a result, if you want a more minimal software solution, other options can be considered in the said price segment.
We won’t comment on the camera performance until we have used the device but the sensor setup isn’t disappointing at least on paper. In addition, the device packs one of the biggest batteries in the segment with 120W fast charging, so there are no complaints there.
To sum up, at its price point, the Realme GT 6T can definitely be considered if you want an all-rounder package. It does exceed its competitors in some areas and could be the new dominator of the segment.
In the ever-evolving landscape of digital information, the recent integration by Google of its AI Search Generative Experience into its search engine has sparked a significant backlash from news publishers worldwide. Why is that happening and how has Google responded to the backlash from the publishers? Here’s what you need to know.
Google AI Search: Reason Behind The Backlash
Google’s AI search integration, dubbed the Search Generative Experience, was rolled out in May 2024, starting in the United States with plans for global expansion. The AI model is designed to provide concise, direct answers to user queries by summarizing information across the web. While this may increase efficiency for users, it reduces the likelihood of clicking through to actual news sites, traditionally a primary source of in-depth information.
The integration of Gemini has LED to an outcry among publishers. They fear that as Google’s AI provides direct answers, users may bypass traditional news links, further eroding traffic and reducing exposure to ads, which are vital for their revenue.
Moreover, Google often doesn’t credit the website the AI search results has been fetched from. Danielle Coffey, CEO of the News/Media Alliance, has expressed deep concerns regarding the sustainability of their business models in light of these changes.
Google AI Search: Implications On Publishers
Publishers are already grappling with diminishing web traffic and ad revenue. With the AI search integration, prominent voices in the industry predict a further decline in traffic by 20% to 40%. A Wall Street Journal report from last December shows that news outlets are suffering from a dip in traffic from various social media sites, with both Facebook and X moving away from news distribution.
Google’s AI-powered search is on the path to make things worse, as Google generates almost 40% of publishers’ traffic, the report said, citing a WSJ analysis of data from Similarweb. The study showed that if Google integrated AI into search, 75% of the time, the AI-powered search would deliver a complete answer to a user’s question which would lead to the user not going to that particular website for his query, resulting in traffic loss.
This could have a severe fallout for publishers who rely heavily on Google as a primary referrer of web traffic. In addition, there are concerns about whether these summaries constitute plagiarism and how publishers will be compensated for their content being used to train AI models.
The AI integration represents one of the most critical changes to Google’s search engine in its history, affecting billions of searches and potentially altering the internet economy.
Google AI Search: Implications On The Search Engine
Last year, Google earned $237.86 billion from digital advertising, according to a Statista report. Publishers use Google Ads for their own advertisements so there’s a high chance the ads you see on the sites you visit are being provided by Google itself. Now, if users stop clicking on the websites to visit them, Google won’t be able to make money off the ads it provides as the users won’t be opening the websites.
However, Google has announced that it will soon start testing Search and Shopping ads in AI Overviews for users in the US. It “will start with a small experiment in the US and take a responsible approach, applying learnings from user, advertiser, and publisher feedback,” the company said in a blog post detailing the new integration of ads within AI search overviews.
Google AI Search: Response From Google Towards The Backlash
In the same blog post, Google said that with AI Overviews, people are visiting a greater diversity of websites for help with more complex questions. It observed that the links included in AI Overviews get more clicks than if the page had appeared as a traditional web listing for that query. The company aslo found that people who use AI Overviews actually use Search more and are more satisfied with their results.
And when people click to links from AI Overviews, these clicks are higher quality, where users are more likely to spend more time on the site. “As we continue to test and evolve the Search experience, we’ll remain focused on sending valuable traffic to publishers and creators”, said the company.
Further, Google noted that there’s no action needed from advertisers: Ads from existing Search, Performance Max, and Standard Shopping campaigns have the opportunity to appear within the AI Overview.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Nilay Patel on The Decoder Podcast, Pichai said that he had expected a reaction from the community as its a significant transition to the AI era. He compared the current situation of publishers’ concerns about potential web traffic loss to the earlier shift from desktop to mobile browsing, where similar worries existed.
He reassured them by emphasizing Google’s commitment to a robust web ecosystem, saying, “Empirically, what we are seeing throughout these years, I think human curiosity is boundless. When people come, and it’s something I think we have deeply understood in search, more than any other company, I think we will differentiate ourselves in our approach even through this transition.”
Pichai still believes that AI Overviews are increasing Search usage and are the next big thing. He called it “one of the most positive changes I’ve seen in Search based on metrics.”
Google is also not willing to show all the data to the publishers which indicates how the users are reaching the website, whether from a featured snippet or an AI Overview or just Google’s regular 10 blue links (via The Verge). Pichai replied to the question by saying, “It’s a good question for the Search team. They think about this at a deeper level than I do.”
Humane, the brand behind the recently unveiled AI Pin, could be looking to sell its business merely weeks after the launch of its first ever product, the Humane AI Pin, which didn’t go as planned by the company. As of now, the company is seeking for a potential buyer, according to a report.
The report comes from Bloomberg, as per who, Humane is reportedly exploring a potential sale of its business, seeking a price between $750 million and $1 billion. Last year in October, the brand was valued by investors at $850 million, according to tech news publication “the Information”. The company is working with a financial advisor to provide assistance, as per sources who wish to remain anonymous due to the confidential nature of the matter. Aside from this, the report didn’t reveal any other details about the matter.
Founded in 2018 by ex-Apple veterans Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, Humane Inc. aimed to revolutionize wearable technology. The AI Pin, a magnetic, square-shaped device, generated significant buzz before its launch. However, post-launch reviews have been largely critical, highlighting issues with functionality, user interface, reliability, compatibility, and cost.
Notably, Marques Brownlee, a leading tech reviewer with over 18 million subscribers, labeled it the “worst product I’ve ever reviewed”, which further created a stir on social media. Reviewers have highlighted that while the concept of the product is innovative, the execution falls short. The AI Pin’s performance issues and limited utility have overshadowed its core aim to reduce screen time and offer a new kind of wearable technology which could essentially replace smartphones. A device called Rabbit R1 met a similar fate when it was released to the public.
There could be multiple reasons due to which Humane may be looking to sell its business. The rocky launch of the AI PIN may have impacted their financials and reputation. A sale could be an exit strategy if they struggle to overcome these challenges. Or, Humane might be reevaluating its long-term goals and selling the business could allow them to focus on other ventures or technologies. Investors could also probably be pushing for a sale to realise returns or cut losses.
Vivo has debuted a new smartphone in India under its Y-series portfolio, called Vivo Y200 Pro 5G. The new lower-end mid-range smartphone is powered by a Snapdragon 695 5G processor and gets an AMOLED display, 44W fast charging support and more for price tag below Rs 25,000. One of its strongest competitors, the Infinix GT 20 Pro, also launched today at the same price point and puts the Vivo device to shame. We’ll tell you how.
Vivo Y200 Pro 5G: Price, Availability
The Y200 Pro 5G will be available in two colours – Silk Green and Silk Black. Priced at Rs 24,999, the Y200 Pro 5G will have a single 8GB+128GB storage variant and will be available for purchase starting today (May 21) across Flipkart, vivo India e-Store, and all partner retail stores.
Consumers purchasing the smartphone using SBI Card, IDFC First Bank, IndusInd Bank, and Federal Bank among others can receive an instant cashback of Rs 2500, or avail of the option of owing the Y200 Pro 5G at Rs 45 per day (Rs 1,395/month), along with additional benefits such as V-Shield protection.
Vivo Y200 Pro 5G: Why Skip It?
The Vivo Y200 Pro 5G may look like a value-for-money offering but the game changes once competitors start stepping in. The Vivo Y200 Pro 5G sports a 6.78-inch AMOLED curved display with FHD resolution, a 120 Hz refresh rate, and SGS Low Blue Light Eye Care feature. It supports 1300 nits peak brightness and P3 colour gamut.
In comparison, the latest Infinix GT 20 Pro gets a 6.78-inch full-HD+ LTPS AMOLED Display with a 144Hz refresh rate, 1300 nits peak brightness, 2304Hz PWM frequency, 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, and up to 360Hz touch sampling rate. The display gets a hole punch cutout at the center and also a dedicated Pixelworks X5 Turbo visual processor.
The panel on Infinix’s device is not only smoother but is also more advanced, thanks to the dedicated display chip which can convert SDR to HDR and upscale frame rate in games. If you don’t prefer a flat display, the Motorola EDGE 50 Fusion also sports a curved display like the Vivo handset but with a higher 144Hz Refresh Rate as well as higher brightness at 1600 nits.
The Vivo handset is powered by the Snapdragon 695 5G processor paired with LPDDR4x RAM and UFS 2.2 storage. In comparison, Infinix GT 20 Pro not only offers higher 256GB storage at a lower price, but is also much faster as its a UFS 3.1 module. It also gets faster LPDDR5x RAM. The Infinix handset has the Dimensity 8200 Ultimate chip under the hood that’s far more powerful and capable than the Snapdragon 695.
As for the cameras, the Y200 Pro 5G has a primary 64MP f/1.79 sensor at the back, paired with a 2MP bokeh sensor. There’s a 16MP f/2.45 sensor on the front. On the other hand, there is a triple rear camera system on the Infinix handset consisting of a 108-megapixel f/1.75 Samsung ISOCELL HM6 main camera. The other two Sensors include a 2-megapixel macro camera and a 2-megapixel depth camera. It comes with a 32-megapixel f/2.2 front-facing camera.
While both of them do not have an ultra-wide angle sensor, the main rear sensor is better on the GT 20 Pro considering the on-paper specs. Both of them have a 5000mAh battery with Vivo supporting 44W charging and Infinix supporting 45W fast charging. The Infinix handset has NFC while Vivo Y200 Pro 5G doesn’t support it.
As it can be clearly seen, the Infinix GT 20 Pro is better than Vivo’s handset in all the ways possible. The Vivo device is not only underpowered but also loses out on features which the GT 20 Pro has, that easily up-levels the experience making it smoother and more enjoyable.
Infinix has launched the new GT 20 Pro gaming-centric smartphone in India with a MediaTek Dimensity Processor under the hood. It also gets a dedicated Pixelworks X5 Turbo display gaming chip for features like 90FPS high frame rate in games and conversion from SDR to HDR. However, is it worth buying at its starting price of Rs 24,999? We’ll find that out.
Infinix GT 20 Pro: Price, Availability
The Infinix GT 20 Pro has been launched with a starting price of Rs 24,999 for the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage model while the 12GB RAM + 256GB storage model costs Rs 26,999. There is a discount offer of Rs 2,000 on SBI, ICICI, and HDFC bank cards which will effectively bring down the starting price of the device to Rs 22,999. It will go sale from May 28 on Flipkart.
As part of a launch offer, Infinix is also offering a gaming kit to initial buyers for free for a limited time. The kit includes a GT Mecha Case, GT Cooling Fan and GT Finger Sleeves.
Infinix GT 20 Pro: Is It Worth Buying?
Infinix GT 20 Pro sports a 6.78-inch full-HD+ LTPS AMOLED Display with a 144Hz refresh rate, 1300 nits peak brightness, 2304Hz PWM frequency, 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, and up to 360Hz touch sampling rate. The display gets a hole punch cutout at the center and also a dedicated Pixelworks X5 Turbo visual processor.
Talking about the panel, it looks impressive on the basis of on-paper specs. The panel on the predecessor of GT 20 Pro impressed us and we think so will the GT 20 Pro. Not many devices offer a 144Hz AMOLED panel at this price point, except for Motorola who provides it with the EDGE 50 Fusion. What we can say, is that the GT 20 Pro excels in the display department and matches or exceeds the standards of its competitors.
There is a triple rear camera system consisting of a 108-megapixel f/1.75 Samsung ISOCELL HM6 main camera. The other two Sensors include a 2-megapixel macro camera and a 2-megapixel depth camera. It comes with a 32-megapixel f/2.2 front-facing camera. We cannot comment on the cameras as we haven’t tested the device in real world, but the omission of an ultra-wide angle sensor is a mistake in our opinion. However, if you can overlook it, the main Samsung sensor in use is actually a capable one if tuned well.
The device has the MediaTek Dimensity 8200 Ultimate SoC at its helm, which is coupled with up to 12GB of LPDDR5x RAM and up to 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. The device is backed by a 5000mAh battery 45W Fast charging support. The MediaTek chip used in GT 20 Pro is one of the most powerful in the segment and should be able to handle heavy workloads without breaking a sweat, which of course it has to considering its a gaming phone. We have seen faster charging speeds in this segment from brands like Motorola but that can be forgiven if the device excels in other areas.
As for other features, there is an in-display optical fingerprint sensor for biometrics. It also has JBL-tuned dual stereo speakers, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, GPS, and a USB-C port for charging. The device runs on XOS 14 For GT based on Android 14 operating system and its also IP54 rated.
Even in terms of additional features, the device doesn’t seem to be compromising in any areas given the attractive price tag. Where it can lag behind is the software department which hasn’t been the brand’s forte according to our experience.
In other words, if you are looking for a clean software experience, then you may have to look elsewhere. If you can overlook the fact that it doesn’t have an ultra-wide angle camera sensor and you won’t be getting the cleanest and minimal software, then the Infinix GT 20 Pro is definitely worth giving a shot.
Microsoft unveiled a new set of Copilot+ AI PCs with generative AI features built specifically for Windows 11. The lineup includes the new Surface products and PCs from the likes of Samsung, Dell, HP, and more, all powered by the new Snapdragon X series chipsets that are made to natively power AI features with powerful NPUs. Here’s a list of all the new Copilot+ AI PCs launched.
What Are Copilot+ AI PCs?
In Microsoft’s words, “Copilot+ PCs are the fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs ever built.” They come with powerful new silicon capable of 40+ TOPS (trillion operations per second), all–day battery life and access to some of the most advanced AI models. AI features built into these PCs include Recall, Cocreator where you generate and refine AI images in near real-time directly on the device, and Live Captions to bridge language barriers, translating audio from 40+ languages into English.
Microsoft has built an all-new system architecture to combine the power of the CPU, GPU, and now a new high-performance Neural Processing Unit (NPU). The new PCs are connected to and enhanced by the large language models (LLMs) running in Azure Cloud in concert with small language models (SLMs).
The new laptops are up to 20x more powerful and up to 100x as efficient for running AI workloads and deliver enhanced AI acceleration. They outperform Apple’s MacBook Air 15” by up to 58% in sustained multithreaded performance, along with delivering all-day battery life. Additionally, Copilot+ PCs can deliver up to 22 hours of local video playback or 15 hours of web browsing on a single charge. That is up to 20% more battery in local video playback than the MacBook Air 15-inch.
Every Copilot+ PC comes with a Microsoft Pluton Security Processor that will be enabled by default. Microsoft also introduced a number of new features, updates and defaults to Windows 11 that make it easy for users to stay secure, such as the new personalised privacy controls.
New Copilot+ AI PCs: New Surface Laptop, Surface Pro
The new Surface products are Microsoft’s first Copilot+ AI PCs. The Surface Laptop 6 offers thin bezels, a touchscreen display, an AI-enhanced camera, premium audio, and a haptic touchpad. Users can choose between a 13.8” and 15” display and four colors. The Surface Laptop 15 can playback up to 22 hours of local video or up to 20 hours on Surface Laptop 13.8”. It gets the new Snapdragon X series chips.
The new Surface Pro is Microsoft’s reimagined 2-in-1 laptop, now with more speed and battery life to power the AI experiences. For the first time, it introduces a new, optional OLED with HDR display, along with an ultra-wide field of view camera made for Windows Studio Effects. The new Surface Pro Flex Keyboard is the first 2-in-1 keyboard designed to be used both attached or detached. It delivers enhanced stability, with Surface Slim Pen storage and charging integrated seamlessly, as well as a quiet, haptic touchpad.
The new Surface Pro switches from the Core Ultra processor to Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon X Elite and Plus chips. According to Microsoft, it’s up to 90 percent faster than the previous Surface Pro.
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge
The new Galaxy Book4 EDGE is a Copilot+ PC, where Samsung collaborated with Microsoft to bring Copilot in Windows to Galaxy Book, enabling a mix of on-device and cloud-based AI for the best experience. It comes in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes, both of which have a 16:10 AMOLED 3K (2880×1800) display with 500nits (HDR) brightness, up to 120Hz variable refresh rate, 120% DCI-P3 Color Volume, and 10-Point Multi-Touch support.
They are powered by the Snapdragon X Elite chip, with 16GB LPDDR5x RAM and up to 1TB of storage. You further get Dolby Atmos quad speakers, dual mics, and a 2MP 1080p webcam. For connectivity, there’s Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth v5.4, 2 x USB4.0 and USB 3.2 ports each, HDMI 2.1 (Supports 4K@60Hz), Micro SD card slot (only in 16-inch model), and a Headphone out/Mic-in Combo. They sport an all-day battery life with up to 22 hours of video playback time and come with a 65W bundled charger. For security, you also get Samsung Knox.
Dell XPS 13, Inspiron 14 Plus, Inspiron 14, Latitude 7455, Latitude 5455
Dell introduced five new PCs with Copilot+ AI preloaded. XPS 13 is the brand’s first XPS to feature Copilot+ powered by Snapdragon X Elite. The laptop now has powerful on-device AI and is also the thinnest and lightest XPS to date. It now has multi-day battery life with up to 27 hours. The XPS 13 is available for pre-order now ahead of the launch which will come later this year. The starting price on the XPS 13 is $1,299 (approx Rs 1,08,200).
Inspiron 14 Plus features the Snapdragon X Plus platform and all-day battery life with up to 15 hours. The device offers an upleveled video and audio experience with quad speakers and a QHD+ display with 400nit brightness. Inspiron 14 on the other hand is powered by the less powerful Snapdragon X Plus and provides an easy-to-use platform with features like Voice commands and a mechanical privacy shutter for extra security.
The Latitude 7455 is a premium AI laptop with up to 21 hours of battery life, a 14-inch QHD+ touch display, quad speakers with AI noise reduction, Qualcomm FastConnect Wi-Fi 7 and optional 5G. It is the brand’s thinnest Latitude laptop ever. The Latitude 5455 is a mainstream AI business laptop option with a 16:10 FHD+ display and dual speakers. Multiple layers of hardware and firmware security features also protect your Latitude machines from rigorous controls at the supply chain to deep defences at the BIOS level.
Acer Swift 14 AI
The new Acer Swift 14 AI comes powered with the Snapdragon X Series processors along with a 2.5K Resolution touchscreen display. It has low blue light emission and gets a 1440p QHD webcam. For connectivity, it gets Wi-Fi 7, headphone jack, 2 x USB 3.2 Type-A, and 2 x USB-C ports. Audio is handled by stereo speakers. The webcam gets a privacy shutter, while a fingerprint sensor is also available on the laptop. It has up to 32GB LPDDR5x RAM and up to 1TB of PCIe Gen4 SSD storage. The laptop is backed up by a 75Wh battery.
Asus Vivobook S 15
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 is built on the Snapdragon X Elite Platform and has built-in Qualcomm AI. It boasts 40+ NPU TOPS, a dual-fan cooling system, and up to 1 TB of storage. AI enhancements include Windows Studio effects v2 and ASUS AiSense camera, with presence-detection capabilities for Adaptive Dimming and Lock. The Vivobook S 15 has an ultra-slim and light all-metal design, a high-capacity battery, and premium styling with a single-zone RGB backlit keyboard.
The laptop boasts of a 15.6-inch display with 16:9 aspect ratio, 2880 x 1620 pixels resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and 600 nits peak HDR brightness. Users get 32GB onboard memory, two USB-A ports, two USB 4.0 Type-C ports, one HDMI 2.1, an audio / mic combo jack, and a microSD card reader. There’s also Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 for wireless connectivity.
The Snapdragon X Elite trims including 32GB RAM + 1TB storage costs $1,399 (approx Rs 1,16,500) while the 16GB RAM + 1TB model costs $1,299. A Snapdragon X Plus-powered model will also arrive later this year.
HP OmniBook X AI PC, HP EliteBook Ultra G1q AI PC
The new AI PCs from HP offer up to 26-hours of runtime. A 5MP camera with automatic framing and eye focus is supported by Poly Studio’s crystal-clear audio for enhanced virtual interactions. The new laptops are claimed to be 17% faster than the MacBook Pro M3. Both of them start with 16GB of RAM and have 14-inch 2240 x 1400 touch displays. The OmniBook maxes out at 32GB of RAM, while the EliteBook has only 16GB.
The OmniBook X AI and Elitebook Ultra will begin shipping from June 18, with the former starting at $1,199.99 with 1TB of storage and the latter at $1,699.99 (approx Rs 1,41,700).
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x, Lenovo Thinkpad T14s Gen 6
Lenovo introduced two new AI PCs, one built for consumers, Yoga Slim 7x, and one for commercial, ThinkPad T14s Gen 6. Powered by the Snapdragon X Elite processor featuring the 12-core Qualcomm Oryon CPU, Qualcomm Adreno GPU and a dedicated Qualcomm Hexagon NPU (neural processing unit), the new laptops deliver improved PC performance per watt with the fastest to date AI NPU processing up to 45 trillion operations per second (TOPS).
The Yoga Slim 7x has a 70Wh battery and a 14.5” 16:10 3K 90Hz 1000nits peak brightness PureSight OLED touch panel with both 100% sRGB and P3 color gamut support as well as TUV Rheinland Low Blue Light support. It further has up to 32GB of memory, 1080p IR webcam, up to 1TB of M.2 SSD storage, three USB-C ports with Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4 support.
The new Thinkpad T14s Gen 6 is enterprise-focused, and gets the same Snapdragon X Elite chip, storage capacity, and webcam as the Slim 7x. It has up to 64GB of LPDDR5x memory and three display options, such as an IPS panel with up to 400 nits of brightness or an IPS touch display or an OLED panel that covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut with 400 nits of brightness. In addition, it sports a fingerprint reader, two USB-A and two USB4 Type-C ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and an Audio Jack as well.
GOVO recently debuted the first Made-In-India Dolby Atmos Soundbars, including two new models, but the brand won’t be stopping there. In the upcoming months, the company plans to launch more products with Dolby technologies and wants to remain focused on the Audio segment only.
Expansion In Latin America
In an interview with The Mobile Indian, GOVO Co-founder Varun Poddar talked about the newly launched GOVO Soundbars with Dolby Atmos and the aggressive pricing strategy the company has opted for these products. Aside from that, when asked about GOVO’s plans to go international, Poddar said, ” GOVO originated in India, and we have plans to expand internationally. Our products will soon be available in Latin America, starting with countries such as Colombia and Mexico. We also aim to enter markets like Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, and more, as our research indicates that these regions have a preference for the same sound signature that is popular among Indian audiences.”
Does BoAt Have An Advantage Over GOVO?
Poddar also talked about the strong presence of BoAt in the audio products market in India when we asked him how its products rank against the competitor brand’s devices. “BoAt definitely has the first-mover advantage in the Indian market but we differentiate from them in terms of build quality and the sound signature.
The young dynamic co-founder believes that GOVO has the greatest ability to adapt to the needs of Indian consumers, which sets it apart from the competition. “We believe that this adaptability helps the brand in the long run and builds trust among consumers.”
Will GOVO Launch Products Outside Audio Segment?
Poddar confirmed that the brand doesn’t have any plans to expand beyond the audio segment for the foreseeable future. “We believe that the audio segment can be explored a lot further and it could take years before we achieve mastery in the segment. We are solely an audio-focused brand with a mission to give Indian consumers a premium experience at affordable rates.”
What’s Next For GOVO?
Speaking about upcoming launches, GOVO says that it will launch new products in the country whose price could go up to Rs 50,000. In addition, a new lineup of high-end audio systems will debut sometime during the next two months, which will also sport Dolby Atmos. These will be the first-of-their-kind products in the country designed for India.
OpenAI recently demoed the GPT-4o model with a revamped and enhanced voice mode but the existing one has a voice named “Sky” which sounds highly similar to that of popular Hollywood Actress Scarlett Johansson, as noted by most users. Days later, Scarlett Johansson has now released a new statement that she was forced to hire “legal counsel” because of OpenAI’s unethical move of using a voice that sounded “eerily similar” to the actress’s voice without her consent.
In a statement, Scarlett Johansson said that she was reached out by Sam Altman (CEO at OpenAI) to voice the ChatGPT 4.0 model back in September 2023 as he felt her “voice would be comforting to people”. However, after consideration and due to personal reasons, Johansson declined the offer. This request from Altman is in line with OpenAI’s recently published blog post regarding how it chose voices of various actors for the voice mode of ChatGPT.
What came after though, had the actress in shock. “Nine months later, my friends, family and the general public all noted how much the newest system named “Sky” sounded like me”, said Scarlett. “When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference. Mr. Altman even insinuated that the similarity was intentional, tweeting a single word “her” – a reference to the film in which I voiced a chat system, Samantha, who forms an intimate relationship with a human.” Altman made the tweet soon after the GPT-4o unveiling ended.
She added that Altman reached out to her 2 days before the release of ChatGPT 4.0 but before they could connect, the voice was already out in the public. “As a result of their actions, I was forced to hire legal counsel, who wrote two letters to Mr. Altman and OpenAl, setting out what they had done and asking them to detail the exact process by which they created the “Sky” voice”, she added.
Consequently, OpenAl agreed to take down the “Sky” voice according to her, which the company also announced via the same blog post we mentioned earlier. However, OpenAI didn’t mention a reason as to why the voice was being removed from ChatGPT. What it did say in the blog post was, that the voice was not supposed to be an “imitation” of Johansson’s.
Altman told NBC News that “The voice of Sky is not Scarlett Johansson’s, and it was never intended to resemble hers. We cast the voice actor behind Sky’s voice before any outreach to Ms. Johansson. Out of respect for Ms. Johansson, we have paused using Sky’s voice in our products. We are sorry to Ms. Johansson that we didn’t communicate better.”
Johansson also pointed out the rising cases of deepfakes being used for illegal purposes around the world. “In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our own likeness, our own work, our own identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity. I look forward to Resolution in the form of transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure that individual rights are protected”, she wrote.
