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Samsung unveils Exynos 9820 chipset based on 8nm LPP FinFET

It even comes with a dedicated NPU

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In preparation for the next wave of flagship devices next year, Samsung unveiled their newest and more powerful mobile chipset — the Exynos 9820. As the successor of the Exynos 9810 that’s powering the Galaxy S9/S9+ and Galaxy Note 9 phones, the new chipset is a major upgrade with a faster LTE modem, tri-cluster CPU, and dedicated NPU.

From 10nm, Samsung is now moving forward to an 8nm LPP (Low Power Plus) FinFET process for the Exynos 9820. The company also highlights the use of a new fourth-generation custom dual-core CPU along with two Cortex-A75 and four Cortex-A55 cores.

Compared to its predecessor, the new tri-cluster configuration boosts multi-core performance by 15 percent while single-core performance is up by 20 percent with 40 percent improved efficiency.

When it comes to graphics, the Mali-G76 GPU will be able to deliver a 40 percent boost and 35 percent power savings for longer VR and AR application use. The dedicated NPU is now a separate unit which will make AI processes seven times faster.

As for connectivity, the new chip gets an LTE-Advanced Pro modem with 2Gbps downlink speed, but it’s still not 5G — at least according to the press release. Technical specs of the modem also include 8x CA, 316Mbps uplink speed, 4×4 MIMO, 256-QMA, and eLAA technology.

Samsung will start mass production of the Exynos 9820 by the end of this year. While the company didn’t specify when we will see the new chipset in action, we expect it to be found inside the upcoming Galaxy S10 phones by Q1 2019, or maybe even the mysterious foldable phone.

Source: Samsung

SEE ALSO: Samsung’s foldable phone is expected to come next year for $1,770

Entertainment

UNDERTALE: The Determination Symphony hits Makati in October

Determination arrives in October.

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For so small of a game, UNDERTALE quickly made it into the gaming world’s hall of fame. Despite being only a decade old, the small title has had a major influence for modern-day gamers because of its unique gameplay, its lo-fi art, and, of course, its catchy soundtrack. If you’re a fan of UNDERTALE’s soundtrack, a unique concert experience is headed your way.

On October 17, Film Concerts PH, in partnership with SOHO Live, is hosting UNDERTALE: The Determination Symphony at the Proscenium Theater in Rockwell, Makati.

The concert will be performed by the Filharmonika Orchestra and conducted by Thanapol Setabrahmana. Personally curated by creator Toby Fox and developed by Lambert Jackson with Materia Music, the concert experience showcases the game’s most recognizable tunes laid over gameplay footage playing simultaneously. Plus, for the world tour, the experience will have expanded scoring.

In the game, you play as a small child stuck in the mysterious Underground filled with interesting characters and monsters. Unlike traditional RPGs, UNDERTALE asks players to choose between building relationships and chasing after wins. It’s a unique experience that’s defined by whether you chose to make friends or fought your way to the top. It teaches players to value different ways to solve problems, all while showering them with its one-of-a-kind humor.

Pre-sales for the concert, exclusively for members of the Film Concerts PH community, start on August 4. Public sales, however, will start on August 11 via Ticketmelon.

SEE ALSO: The hunt begins: The Witcher in Concert hits Manila with surprises in tow

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Qualcomm is raising its prices this year

Will the price of smartphones follow suit?

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The price of technology isn’t fun these days. Because of the ongoing RAM shortage wrought by AI, companies across the industry are raising the prices of their products. Some, however, are still willing to shoulder the burden for their customers. Unfortunately, Qualcomm is soon leaving that list.

As reported by Bloomberg, Qualcomm will raise the prices of its products starting in September. Though the exact figure is unknown, the company did confirm that it’s in the double digits, percentage-wise. According to them, they can no longer shoulder the costs for its customers.

If you’re just a regular user, Qualcomm’s prices might not mean much for you. After all, the chipmaker doesn’t make phones of its own.

That said, Qualcomm is still one of the biggest suppliers for smartphone chipsets, including those that Samsung uses. Pushing the burden from chipsets to phone manufacturers reduces one more buffer against costs being ultimately pushed to consumers.

All things considered, Samsung managed to keep its prices hikes relatively low with the latest batch of foldables. However, with chips getting more price increases, it’s still within the realm of possibility that Samsung will also increase the price of its smartphones. The same can be said for any Qualcomm-powered smartphone available today.

SEE ALSO: Hands-on: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8, Flip8, Ultra

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Apple is reportedly delaying its smart glasses due to privacy concerns

The brand wants to squash malicious recording.

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Smart glasses are in a weird place right now. While early adopters are celebrating the ability to record everything, a growing group of critics are decrying the loss of privacy. Formerly at full throttle, Apple, in response to these controversies, will reportedly delay its version of smart glasses to next year.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is heading back to the drawing board to further emphasize the unreleased wearable’s privacy protections, which includes “hardware and software-related privacy features not available on current products.” The report, however, doesn’t enumerate what these features are.

If anything, these features will likely prevent malicious recording. Most smart glasses today have a light that tells passersby that the device is actively recording video. However, users have discovered ways to tamper and disable this light, so their devices can start recording without alerting others. Apple will likely introduce better measure to prevent such tampering.

Additionally, it’s also possible that Apple introduces a version of the smart glasses without a camera attached.

Because of these new initiatives, the brand will delay the launch of the wearable to sometime next year. Previously, there was heavy speculation that the smart glasses will launch later this year.

On the bright side, there’s still substantial reason to believe that Apple is launching its first ever foldable device later this year.

SEE ALSO: New York becomes first state to ban smart glasses

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