News

Huawei’s next-gen chipset is said to be faster than Apple A10

Published

October 19, 2016

Monch Lopez

Huawei just unveiled the next-generation mobile chipset that will power the company’s rumored Mate 9 flagship, which is expected to debut on November 3 in Munich, Germany.

The new Kirin 960 system-on-a-chip features eight CPU cores — one set of four performance cores and another that utilizes four low-powered cores — and a graphics chip that could be headed to the Samsung Galaxy S8 as well. In other words, pretty exciting stuff if you care about specs and what they will mean for the Mate 9.

[irp posts=”6906″ name=”Is Huawei set to announce a Note 7 clone?”]

But if anything, today’s announcement suggests how the next breed of Android devices could close the gap or even pull ahead of the iPhones of tomorrow. If you ask Huawei, they will tell you they’re already ahead of their U.S.-based arch-rival, in that the Kirin 960 smokes the silicon inside the Galaxy Note 7 and iPhone 7 in multicore tests, outdoing its competition in all but one of the 14 most popular apps in China.

The Kirin 960’s GPU is said to be 180 percent faster than that of Huawei’s P9, closing in on the graphical power of the iPhone 7. Assuming that is indeed the case, we may be looking at one of the most powerful — if not the most powerful — Android phones ever produced.

The chipset also further lowers power consumption while playing demanding games like Pokemon Go, with an array of optimized motion sensors. For Pokemon Go, the claim is up to 1.2 days of playing time compared to a device that can barely handle half a day’s worth of playing. The Kirin 960’s onboard radio is capable of hitting peak download speeds of 600Mbps and working effectively in areas where cellular coverage is weak or unreliable.

As for its camera capabilities, the chip improves image clarity and brings more selective focusing options after the fact, further hinting at the dual-camera setup on the back of the Mate 9.

Considering the hardware of the P9 phones, it’s practically a given that the upcoming phablet will sport more than one rear camera, though the second camera’s purpose may not be to capture black-and-white images but to refocus shots after they have been taken. Huawei isn’t new to taking that approach. We’ve seen the Honor 6 Plus and what it could do with its cameras.

In any case, we’ll report back on November 3rd when the Kirin 960 (and Mate 9?) becomes official.

[irp posts=”4396″ name=”Huawei-made Honor 8 now available in the U.S.”]

Source: Android Central

Related Topics:HiSilicon Huawei Kirin 960 Mate 9

Enterprise

Google illegally destroys 250,000 trees for a single AI data center

This is what we stand to lose with data centers.

Published

October 22, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

In the Philippines, it’s illegal to cut down a single tree without a permit. It’s a constant reminder that the preservation of nature should be a civil, besides being a moral, obligation. And yet, corporations are seemingly immune from obligations and morals. Google, the company that used to stand for “Don’t be evil,” shows off its true colors by illegally cutting down 250,000 trees in Finland for a datacenter.

As first reported by The Guardian, Finland is now staring at 330 hectares of land suddenly denuded of around 250,000 valuable trees, all thanks to Google. A local ecologist has also said that the company killed a further 150,000 trees at a separate site.

The environmental desecration is part of Google’s multibillion-dollar push to build data centers all over the world for artificial intelligence. Google has since been ordered to stop the development in the country after Finland found that the company acted without securing the needed assessments and permits to clear the area.

Google brushed away the report by saying that they acted “on the best understanding we had of the legislation at the time.” The company also said that they are protecting the water quality at the affected sites and committed to replanting trees across 130 hectares, a pale comparison to the total area affected.

Other AI companies are also trying to weasel their way into other countries to build data centers. An example is the controversial Pax Silica in the Philippines. Finland now stands as a cautionary tale against the unimpeded and unsupervised growth of data centers for a service that no one asked for.

Don’t be evil, my ass.

Accessories

Bose acquires Skullcandy

But both are still separate brands.

Published

October 22, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

As one of the wisest sages of the 2000s once said, “He was a punk, she did ballet. What more can I say?” Sometimes, opposites attract. Now, two of those opposites in the audio space are coming together: the punk Skullcandy and the ballet-loving Bose.

Today, Bose has announced its acquisition of Skullcandy. The latter will continue to operate as a separate brand but now officially under the Bose umbrella. Although, it’s not a new collaboration as the two brands have previously worked together on devices before. Skullcandy will just have more access to Bose’s technologies moving forward.

Alternatively, Bose will now have access to Skullcandy’s more varied audience. Compared to Bose’s focus on premium products, Skullcandy caters to more alternative lifestyles. Though the brand has since mellowed from its more radical roots, it is still known as one of the alternative brands.

Bose, on the other hand, is still a household name for home audio and noise-cancelling headphones. The new relationship between two polar opposites might be seen as a weird one, but it’s ultimately beneficial to both parties. Besides, both brands were very strong in the 2010s. Keeping both brands going is a boon to audiophiles of the past decade.

Gaming

Next Xbox might cost double the price of an Xbox today

The most expensive Xbox Series X costs $900. The next Xbox’s price might double that.

Published

October 22, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Buying a new gaming setup must be one of the most torturous things you can purchase these days. The rising price of chips has hampered the buying ability of many a consumer today. Sadly, that trend isn’t changing anytime soon. According to new reports, the next Xbox might cost double of what an Xbox costs these days.

The next console is currently codenamed Project Helix. Spearheaded by relatively new Xbox CEO Asha Sherma, Project Helix has hopes of being an all-around gaming machine capable of playing PC games besides console exclusives. Sharma obviously wants the platform to come back as a worthy destination for gamers.

That’s a monumental task, though, especially after the rising prices of chips are constantly threatening the prices of new devices. Now, according to a profile of Sharma published by Fortune, the next Xbox might cost as high as US$ 1,800. For reference, the limited 25^th anniversary edition of the Xbox Series X currently costs US$ 899.

Should Fortune’s estimate hold true, a new console in the coming years is double the cost of the most expensive Xbox Series X variant available today. The next generation of gaming might be even more of a luxury than it already is.

Unfortunately, things aren’t getting better across the board. Gaming on PC and on PlayStation aren’t going to be much cheaper as the RAM crisis continues.