Computers

Apple announces 16-inch MacBook Pro

Most powerful MacBook Pro to date

Published

November 13, 2019

Vincenz

Image by GadgetMatch

2019 seems to be the year of ‘Pro’ for Apple with the launches of the iPhone 11 Pro, AirPods Pro, and the Mac Pro with Pro Display XDR. The 17-inch MacBook Pro was discontinued before but the newly announced 16-inch MacBook Pro seems to hit the sweet spot for Apple when it comes to big ‘pro’ notebooks.

Same design, larger footprint

The new MacBook Pro has a larger 16-inch Retina Display with a resolution of 3072 x 1920 at a brilliant 500 nits, replacing the older 15-inch models. It has a DCI-P3 color gamut, ideal for processing shots and grading films all together. This new display offers an immersive visual experience and larger screen real estate without the extra heft.

There’s a massive six-speaker sound system which brings high-fidelity audio experience not just for audiophiles and musicians, but for video editors and podcasters alike. It promises clearer and more natural audio, with the bass able to go half an octave deeper. The microphones also get an upgrade. There’s now less hiss and they deliver cleaner audio recordings.

To address the problems everyone had with the Butterfly keyboard that plagued previous models, Apple has announced a newer Magic Keyboard with a refined scissor mechanism and a more responsive key press. There’s now a separate, physical escape key since more and more users would find their escape keys frozen with the Touch Bar MacBook Pros. The Touch ID slash power button is also separate. It also brings back the inverted-T arrow keys.

Powerful specs for the power users

We all know the 15-inch MacBook Pro is already powerful, but this monster promises a significant performance boost of up to 2.1 times. This is configurable with the latest 6 / 8-core 9th Generation Intel processors. Turbo Speeds are also promised to reach up to 5GHz. For the first time, they offer a massive 64GB of memory and a spacious 8TB SSD option — the largest on a notebook yet.

There’s also a new AMD Radeon Pro 5000M graphics card, which is the first 7nm mobile discrete GPU for professionals. It’s also paired with GDDR6 video memory and an 8GB of VRAM option. This is beneficial for heavy filmmakers and 3D animators alike.

Gaming on Mac may not sound good but it also promises a smoother gameplay of up to 1.6 times. Game developers will also enjoy this machine as Unity will deliver 1.4 times faster fly-through performance than its competitors.

The highest configured 16-inch MacBook Pro promises a performance improvement of up to 80 times over the last highest-end 15-inch MacBook Pro.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro’s new thermal design enables intensive workload over long periods of time. The heat sink is 35 percent larger, resulting to a 28 percent increase in airflow and better heat dissipation. The battery is at its biggest at 100Wh. It promises 11 hours of battery life — one hour more than the previous model.

Pricing and availability

The 16-inch MacBook Pro starts at SG$ 3,499 in Singapore or US$ 2,399 in the US, the same starting price as the previous 15-inch model. It’s available online and through the Apple Store app starting today. In-store availability will come later this week.

Computers

Lenovo Innovate: Smarter Yoga, Legion, LOQ lineups unveiled

Unlocking smart technologies

Published

March 27, 2024

GadgetMatch

Tech companies continue to harness the power of AI to help provide consumers with better devices that are tailor-fit for today’s demands. Lenovo is no exception. At Lenovo’s Innovate 2024 event, the company gave its consumers a glimpse of its future lineup of Yoga, Legion, and LOQ devices for the Asia-Pacific market.

In a nutshell, Lenovo calls these new devices the new standard in terms of what they can offer. The latest computers are all smarter and come equipped with the latest Intel Core Ultra processors (select models) and Copilot in Windows 11.

So, what’s new?

Basically, Lenovo has added even more innovative features, mostly AI-enabled, for all lineups. These enhancements make them even more exceptional. Lenovo consumers know by now what each specific lineup is exceptional at. For instance, the Lenovo Yoga lineup is mainly engineered to help creators. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion devices are meant to handle gaming effortlessly, on top of other tasks.

Empowering creators

To set the latest Yoga devices apart, Lenovo has equipped them with PureSight Pro and Puresight OLED displays. These color-calibrated screens deliver greater brightness, contrast, and accuracy that meet the demands of creators for precise visual work — whether it’s graphic design, photo editing, or video production.

The Yoga laptops also have a Copilot key shortcut to assist users right away with the help of AI. Specifically, the Yoga 9i 2-in-1 and Yoga Pro 9i incorporate Lenovo AI Engine+ driven by Lenovo’s LA AI Core chips. This utilizes software machine learning algorithms, leading to a more optimized system performance.

Lastly, the Yoga lineup is enhanced with Lenovo Creator Zone. This generative AI software turns text or sketches into visuals to aid creators. Select Yoga Pro laptops will also support image training, where creators can train a personalized model that learns and creates images that match their preferences.

Advanced gaming performance

On the gaming side, Lenovo’s Legion and LOQ products likewise now harness the capabilities of Lenovo LA AI Core chips. These allow higher FPS and improved power efficiency to handle titles better and provide gamers the top-tier experience.

Furthermore, Lenovo has introduced the Legion Coldfront: Hyper thermal solution exclusively for the Intel-based Legion 7i and Legion 5i. This new cooling system transforms the airflow within the chassis, channeling hot air from the chips to optimize heat exchange.

LOQ laptops, meanwhile, debut the new hyperchamber thermal technology to keep processors cooler. This technology draws out up to an additional 25W power in Extreme Mode, while keeping temperatures lower.

New PCs

Here are the new Lenovo PCs to be introduced to the Asia-Pacific market, for your perusal.

The new Lenovo Yoga lineup includes:

Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (13-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i (16-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i (14-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 (14-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 (14 and 16-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Yoga Pro Bluetooth Mouse, Yoga 600 Bluetooth Silent Mouse, Yoga True Wireless Stereo Earbuds, and Lenovo Yoga Sleeve

Meanwhile, the latest generation Lenovo Legion and LOQ models include:

Lenovo Legion 7i (16-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Legion 5i (16-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Legion Slim 5 (16-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Legion 9i (16-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (16-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (16-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Legion Tower 7i
Lenovo Legion Tower 5i

Computers

Computex 2024: AMD CEO to deliver opening keynote

Computex 2024 in Taiwan

Published

March 15, 2024

GadgetMatch

File Photo: AMD Ryzen Pro

AMD Chair and CEO, Dr. Lisa Su will deliver the opening keynote at the Computex 2024 in Taiwan, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) announced.

Computex 2024 will be held from June 4 to 7 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Halls 1 and 2. Dr. Su will have her keynote address a day before the event’s proceedings.

As her company is known for being a leading developer of computer processors and more, she is expected to discuss the next generation of AMD products, breakthrough AI capabilities, and intelligent devices.

Dr. Su recently received the highest semiconductor honor from IEEE: the Robert N. Noyce Medal.

Computex 2024 and the AI era

A leading global technology exhibition, this year’s Computex will fittingly focus on the AI PC era. The event will cover six major themes:

AI computing
Advanced Connectivity
Future Mobility
Immersive Reality
Sustainability
Innovations

Computex 2024 will also feature partners like Acer, ASRock, ASUS, Delta, Gigabyte, G.Skill, Intel, MSI, Pro Gamersware, and more. Furthermore, there will be an InnoVEX exhibit for startups to connect teams from around the world.

The event will be the 24th staging of the mid-year tech show in Taipei.

Computers

ASUS announces 2024 ROG Strix laptops with 14th Gen Intel Core

New lineup includes the Strix SCAR 18

Published

February 15, 2024

GadgetMatch

ASUS has officially unveiled the latest ROG Strix SCAR and Strix G laptops powered by 14th Gen Intel Core processors.

The 2024 ROG Strix laptop series includes the Strix SCAR 18, the first 18-inch ROG gaming laptop. It comes equipped with a Mini LED ROG Nebuula HDR display and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU.

All new ROG Strix models also feature the latest Intel Core i9 14900HX processor. They’re also paired with the latest intelligent cooling improvements, like the Tri-Fan technology and Conductonaut Extreme liquid metal.

Incredibly vivid HDR performance

The series headliner, the Strix SCAR 18 becomes the first ROG laptop with an 18-inch display powered by Mini LED.

It has an exclusive Nebula HDR Display supports HDR content and games. It boasts over 2000 discrete dimming zones and 1,100 nits of peak brightness.

This display is complemented by the ROG Nebula HDR Engine that minimizes blooming and haloing.

Visually stunning displays

Meanwhile, other Strix SCAR laptops feature 2.5K displays with 240Hz refresh rate and 3ms GTG response time.

The screens have a 16:10 aspect ratio and 100% DCI-P3 color space. Furthermore, these panels support Dolby Vision for accurate colors.

Aside from the displays, the SCAR and Strix G have received facelifts, sporting reimagined ROG cyberpunk design elements.

Flagship performance

When it comes to performance, the new ROG Strix laptops all come with the latest Intel Core i9 14900HX processor. This processor can handle heavy rendering projects, as well as AAA game titles.

To make sure usage is seamless, the laptops also have up to 32GB of DDR5 memory and up to 2TB of PCIe Gen 4 storage.

In the graphics department, the Strix SCAR 16 has a GeForce RTX 4080 GPU, while the SCAR 18 offers up to a GeForce RTX 4090 GPU.

These GPUS assure that the new laptops are prepared for even the most intense gamign sessions.

Meanwhile, the Strix G16 comes equipped with up to a GeForce RTX 4060 GPU while the Strix G18 features a GeForce RTX 4070 GPU.

Cooler than cool

Lastly, ROG Strix laptops have improved intelligent cooling systems. Both the Strix SCAR and Strix G models utilizes Tri-Fan techology, a system that uses a third auxiliary fan to increase flow to the motherboard. It also helps reroute excess heat from the GPU towards the heatsink.

Furthermore, the 2024 lineup features a high-performing Conductonaut Extreme liquid metal that reduces temperatures better than traditional thermal pastes.