Xiaomi Mi5 First Sample Images Leak

We have been telling you about the impending Xiaomi Mi5 launch for a while now. The company’s next flagship device is expected to be rolled out on January 15, but as we wait on that, the first camera samples taken with the handset have leaked online.

The images have allegedly been posted by Xiaomi’s co-founder and have been picked up by Gizmo China. The images have been snapped between December 7 and December 11 with a resolution of 4208 x 3120 pixel resolution. The device is expected to launch in two colors, with the front and back being made of glass materials. The handset is expected to arrive with a 5.2-inch / 5.5-inch display with QHD resolution (2560 x 1440 pixel resolution) and a Snapdragon 805 under the hood (although previous rumors would have us believe we were dealing with a Snapdragon 810 instead).

Recent leaks have also suggested the Xiaomi Mi5 will probably be very thin, coming in with a 5.1mm / 0.2 inch profile. Thus the handset will turn out to be even sleeker than the iPhone 6 which currently has a 6.9 mm / 0.27 inch frame. Anyway, in a few days the Xiaomi Mi5 will most likely go official and then we’ll know all the official details. Recent rumors indicate that along side the Mi5, Xiaomi will probably also unveil the Redmi Note 2.

Xiaomi Mi5 picture sample
Images credits to Gizmo China

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Phanteks Enthoo Mini XL, A Case That Can Hold Two Computers

Computers can become really powerful all on their own, especially the ones that have more than one graphics card, or even two CPUs, but there is one step further that can be taken: combining two PCs into one. That is what Phanteks sought when it made the Enthoo Mini XL.

Technically speaking, making a “double” computer system would be as simple as using one of those dual-socket XL-AYX or E-ATX motherboards. But that still leaves the computer with a single suite of I/O ports, a single operating system, a single entity basically. Phanteks wanted to make it possible for there to be two distinct systems in the same computer chassis, so it made the Enthoo Mini XL.

The Enthoo Mini XL full tower case

Normally, a full tower can hold a mini-ITX (however pointless it would be to outfit it with one), a micro-ATX or a Full-ATX motherboard. The Enthoo Mini XL can hold such a motherboard, as well as a second, exclusively mini-ITX platform on the upper side. You could call it the epitome of multitasking efficiency, since it lets you use a low-key system to browse the net and such, and start the second, high-end system when you want to play a game, design a game or CGI video, produce a CAD model for a 3D printable object, etc. With the help of normal LAN interfacing, you would be able to exchange data between the two systems easily as well.

The rest of the case space will have to be shared between them though. There are three 5.25-inch drive bays, two stacks of 4-tray 3.5-inch bays (which can be adapted for 2.5-inch drives), and room for a tall radiator (if you detach the bays that is). What won't have to be shared is the power supply (not that it would be possible in any case). There are two power supply bays, a full ATX one and a small form factor SFX bay.

Availability and pricing

The Phanteks Enthoo Mini XL should show up for sale soon, and the price is of $180 / €155. Somewhat on the high side, but not on par with enthusiast, gaming models since the company has to get people sold on the idea first, and a higher price wouldn't help its case much. Now all that’s left to wonder about is whether or not this concept will be applied to laptops someday. Some might say that 2-in-1 tablet/notebook drives are it, but other possibilities shouldn't be discounted out of hand. The video below is of the case is it was back in May 2014. Phanteks has been working on it for quite some time it seems. Gallery below, click for larger image.

Enthoo Mini XL
Images credits to TechPowerUp

Enthoo Mini XL
Images credits to Phanteks

Enthoo Mini XL
Video credits to Phanteks

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Samsung Galaxy A7 with Metal Unibody Goes Official, Thinner than iPhone 6

Samsung introduced the Galaxy A3 and A5 handsets a while ago, but we were still waiting for the top-tier of the line to go official.

The Galaxy A line marks Samsung’s commitment to affordability and a stylish metal-clad design. The family arrives to take the place of the Galaxy Alpha, a potent smartphone that sadly sells for quite a lot.

Say hello to the Galaxy A7

Anyway, the highest-specced handset from the Galaxy A line is the A7 and Samsung just made it official a few hours ago. The device has been making rounds online since a few weeks back, but now we can see it as it truly is. The A7 arrives in the wild with a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution. There are two versions customers can have a pick at: the LTE one is equipped with an octa-core Exynos 5430 chip (four cores clocked at 1.8GHz while the other four operate at 1.3GHz) from Sammy’s own garden and an LTE/3G dual SIM variant with a 64-bit cota-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 chip (four cores working at 1.5GHz and fourth clocked at 1.0GHz).

The Galaxy A7 is fitted with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD card). Apart from that, users will also be able to enjoy the perks of two cameras (13MP on the back and 5MP up in front), Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0, A-GPS+GLONASS, NFC – only the LTE model has this feature). The handset’s life is sustained by a sensible 2600 mAh battery. Strangely enough, Samsung has bundled the handset with Android 4.4 KitKat, but we guess an update to Android 5.0 Lollipop is also in the cards at some point.

The Galaxy A7 is quite gracious

The Galaxy A7 is one of Samsung’s thinnest handsets to date. It’s even sleeker with 3 mm than the iPhone 6. It weighs 141 g / 0.31 lbs and is 151 mm / 5.9 inches tall and 76.2 mm / 3 inches wide. The handset will be made available in black, gold and white, but the pricing and availability options remain a mystery for now. However, Samsung says the device will have a “competitive price point.” 

Press Release:Summary:
Samsung introduced the Galaxy A7, one of the slimmest Galaxy smartphones equipped with premium hardware for a superior social experience, expanding on the popular services provided by the Galaxy A5 and A3.
Samsung Introduces Galaxy A7 for a Seamless Social Experience
Latest Galaxy smartphone also offers a larger display and more powerful performance
Samsung Electronics unveiled the new Galaxy A7, one of the slimmest Galaxy smartphones equipped with premium hardware for a superior social experience. Combining powerful multitasking performance with sophisticated design, the Galaxy A7 expands on the popular services provided by the Galaxy A5 and A3, enabling users to capture and share every moment seamlessly on their social media platform.
“We strive to develop devices that appeal to a broad range of consumers and are ahead of the next big social trend,” said JK Shin, CEO and Head of IT & Mobile Communication at Samsung Electronics. “Combining both a stunning metallic design and a powerful performance, the Galaxy A7 is stylish while delivering the superior user experience.”
Setting a New Standard for Social Interaction
The Galaxy A7 is equipped with a multicore processor combining two separate quad core processors, enabling users to quickly and easily perform data intensive tasks. The Galaxy A7 has 16GB of memory and 2GB of RAM to power all of a user’s favorite apps and media, and is supported by a long-lasting 2,600mAh battery.
The Galaxy A7 also supports the intuitive features and services offered by the Galaxy A5 and A3, with an advanced 5 Megapixel front-facing camera and advanced selfie features including ‘Ultra Wide Shot’ and ‘Auto Selfie’ modes, which make it possible to take a photograph using only a voice command or even a simple wave of the hand. The device also features ‘Always Clear Voice Auto Control’ to reduce noise from the surrounding environment, as well as LTE Category 4 support for quick and easy photo and video uploads on any social network. In addition to these features, the Galaxy A7 offers a Private Mode, which adds an extra layer of security for important files and documents. The A7 also has Multi Screen app function capability.
Superior Samsung Galaxy Design at a Competitive Price Point
The Galaxy A7, Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A3 are designed for those who want to express effortlessly their unique style. With these devices, Samsung continues to focus on creating smartphones equipped with the slimmest metal unibody on the market today, with comfortable grip for ease of use. The range empowers users to choose a device which reflects their personal style and lifestyle needs, not just in terms of their unique features, but also their size and color options.

Samsung Galaxy A7 gallery below, click for larger image

Samsung Galaxy A7 in gold

Samsung Galaxy A7 in white

Samsung Galaxy A7 black

Samsung Galaxy A7 white

Samsung Galaxy A7 complete specification sketch
Images credits to Samsung Tomorrow

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Chaintech and Colorful Release iGame Z97 High-End Motherboard

As odd as it sounds, motherboards intended for gaming aren't necessarily the same as those intended for overclocking, even though some companies, like MSI, like to implement their best OC features on them anyway.

Overclocking means going overboard with clock tweaking and being prepared for a total meltdown. Gaming means (though some may disagree) getting the most performance you can out of your system without actually needing to start messing with the factory settings of the CPU. Especially since the GPUs determine a lot of how well a game runs. You might be safe pushing the chips a bit above the norm, but not to the point where you can set any records. Chaintech and Colorful wanted a motherboard that was equally good at both, however, so they made the iGame Z97 and even gave it water blocks for cooling.

Featuring the LGA 1150 Haswell-ready socket, it offers such things as dual-BIOS, a 16-phase VRM, 8-channel HD audio, three PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots, four PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots, six SATA III ports, mSATA (one port) and three video outputs (DVI, D-Sub and HDMI). Of course, the video ports will be mostly useless since buyers will no doubt buy an NVIDIA or AMD add-in board or more along with it. Unfortunately, while I do know that Chaintech intends to release the iGame Z97 LGA 1150 motherboard in Europe and APAC markets, I don't have an ETA or the price.

iGame Z97 LGA 1150 motherboard PCI Express slots
Image credits to TechPowerUp

iGame brand propagates

iGame Z97 LGA 1150 motherboard socket

iGame Z97 LGA 1150 motherboard water block

iGame Z97 LGA 1150 motherboard PCI Express slots
Images credits to 3DNews

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Meizu MX4 Pro Officially Introduced with 5.5-Inch Quad HD Display, Exynos Octa-Core CPU

The Chinese smartphone market seems to be dominated by local OEMs rather than other brands like Samsung, LG, Motorola, HTC or Sony.

Instead, customers in the Mainland prefer devices made by Xiaomi, Huawei, Lenovo, Meizu, Oppo, Gionee or ZTE. In fact, big handset makers like Samsung lost important chunks of market share to these Chinese OEMs, which are now thinking to go international with their products. One such native OEM, Meizu has just announced its new flagship smartphone, the MX4 Pro. For those out of the loop, this is the sequel to the recently launched MX4 which was launched in China back in September. Meizu MX4 quickly became one of the most popular Android smartphones in China, which is probably one of the reasons that made the company confident that an even better device will be more popular than the original model.

Regardless of how Meizu reached the conclusion that launching two flagship smartphones in a matter of a few months would be a great idea, the fact remains that the new device announced by the Chinese company is likely to become best-seller in the Mainland. Dubbed Meizu MX4 Pro, the new smartphone has been stuffed with the latest technologies available on the market. More importantly, the device has been priced at only $410 (€325) outright, which offers incredible value to the smartphone.

On paper, it may be the most powerful smartphone on the market

First of all, the MX4 Pro boasts a stunning 5.5-inch NEGA LCD display that supports Quad HD resolution, 546ppi (pixel per inch) and 450 nits. The smartphone comes in three variations: 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. We’ve already mentioned the price for the cheapest version, so if you want the other two, you will have to come up with $440 (€350) or $510 (€405), respectively. That will be an important choice, as Meizu MX4 Pro lacks microSD card slot. On the inside, Meizu MX4 Pro is a beast. The Chinese company decided to go for Samsung’s Exynos 5430 octa-core chipset, which accommodates a quad-core 2GHz Cortex-A15 processor, another 1.5GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 CPU and a Mali-T628 MP6 graphics processing unit.

In addition, the smartphone is packed with 3GB of RAM and an impressive 20-megapixel rear-facing camera made by Sony, which features 4K video recording, autofocus, LED flash and f/2.2 aperture. Meizu MX4 Pro runs Flyme OS 4.1 which is based on Android 4.4.4 KitKat and it’s powered by a non-removable 3,350 mAh battery. The flagship smartphone will be available for purchase in China beginning December 6, but there are no details on availability outside this country.

Meizu MX4 Pro

Meizu MX4 Pro QHD display

Meizu MX4 Pro display detailed

Meizu MX4 Pro display size

Meizu MX4 Pro front upper part

Meizu MX4 Pro

Meizu MX4 Pro (left side)

Meizu MX4 Pro (left side angle)

Meizu MX4 Pro display

Meizu MX4 Pro (bottom side)

Meizu MX4 Pro (Home button)
Images credits to Meizu

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Panram Ninja-V Memory Kits with Up to 16 GB and DDR4-3300 Speed Debut

DDR4 is not something that many people can afford at the moment, not just because of the price of the memory itself, but due to the expense involved in acquiring motherboards and CPUs that can actually use it. Panram has chosen to release a series regardless.

Called Ninja-V, the random access memory line is composed of twelve kits, set apart by both their capacities and their frequencies. More precisely, there are four frequency groups and each group comprises three different kits, or rather two kits and the option to acquire just one, lone module. That means that total capacities for consumers are 4 GB, 8 GB and 16 GB. The latter two involve two and four 4 GB modules, respectively.

The Panram Ninja-V DDR4 RAM series

It is composed of 4 GB modules with clocks of 2,800 MHz, 3,000 MHz, 3,200 MHz and 3,300 MHz in groups of 1, 2 and 3. That means there are three of each, as the table in the attached gallery shows. The 2,400 MHz modules are the only ones with 1.2V voltage (really 1.25V), while the others use 1.35V, which is still a lot less than DDR3. DDR3 RAM usually runs at 1.5V (older type run at 1.65V), with only low voltage versions managing 1.35V at the expense of performance. That's why the best DDR3 kits of today, those of 2,800 MHz or more, all need 1.5V/1.65V or even more via manual tweaking in that regard (during overclocking runs).

It's also worth mentioning that the standard performance level of DDR3 memory is 2,133 MHz, so having over 3,000 MHz at just 1.35V is quite impressive.

The catch

It's the same as before, unfortunately. In order to be able to use DDR4 you need to buy a motherboard based on Intel's X99 chipset, since LGA 2011-3 socket CPUs are the only ones with DDR4 support. That means the Haswell-E Extreme Edition Core i7 chips, as well as whatever overkill Xeon chips Intel has on sale via retail or as part of its enterprise/business sales channel.

Availability and pricing

All the Panram DDR4 Ninja-V memory products should sell soon, if they haven't already been posted by retailers. Unfortunately, the company didn't see fit to mention the prices in its announcement, so you will have to wait until retailers reveal that info themselves. Considering the cost of a DDR4-supporting PC, however, only the rich will be able to afford the Ninja-V anyway, so Panram doesn't stand to lose anything, unless kits from competitors are a lot cheaper, which isn't very likely.

Panram DDR4 Ninja-V 4-module kit

Panram DDR4 Ninja-V kit specs

Panram DDR4 Ninja-V dual-module kit

Panram DDR4 Ninja-V single-module package

Panram DDR4 Ninja-V 4Gb module
Images credits to Panram

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Gelid 1U Low-Profile Slim CPU Cooler Will Chill AMD's AM1 Processors

CPUs and APUs ship with their own coolers most of the time, but those coolers have to come from somewhere, and the default ones aren't always suitable or possible to use, especially if the PC case you buy is particularly small.

Gelid has created a cooler that is quite small indeed, being no taller than a DDR3 memory module, as a matter of fact. That means that it should easily fit in any PC case designed for mini-ITX motherboards. However, it's true that the options aren't as expansive as you might think, since the cooler is only compatible with AMD AM1 CPU sockets. Announced in April 2014, the AM1 socket is used by mid-range and entry-level AMD SoCs branded Athlon and Sempron and based on Jaguar and Puma architectures. The Gelid Slim Silence AM1 CPU cooler has a silent 70mm fan with intelligent PWM control. The height of the heatsink is of 26mm and the fan “sinks” into it, so it doesn't add to it. All this for a price of $11 / €8.58.

Shipments of the RoHS and WEEE compatible Gelid Slim Silence Am1 CPU cooler should have started already. All orders will be accompanied by a 5-year warranty.

Press Release:Thermal Solutions specialist GELID Solutions unveils its 1U low profile Slim Silence AM1 CPU cooler. The cooler is a product of GELID Solutions SILENT product line.
GELID Solutions has extended its product portfolio of CPU coolers to fit AMD's latest AM1 socket. The Slim Silence AM1 cooler comes with a silent 70mm fan. This fan provides high airflow and has an intelligent PWM controller which provides additional air flow only when it is really necessary. With a height of 26mm this heatsink is especially designed for slim chassis with limited space.
The cooler is RoHS and WEEE conform and carries a 5 year warranty. "If you are looking for an AM1 aftermarket cooler we have it with PWM too", said Gebhard Scherrer Sales Director of GELID Solutions Ltd. "Slim Silence AM1" is available now and has a MSRP of USD 11 USD or 8.65 Euro.

Gelid Slim Silence AM1 CPU cooler

Gelid Slim Silence AM1 CPU cooler, top view

Gelid Slim Silence AM1 CPU cooler, bottom view

Gelid Slim Silence AM1 CPU cooler box
Images credits to Gelid

Make sure you have an AMD AM1 SoC first
Image credits to AMD

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