Hasta La Gadget!

MediaTek introduced its Dimensity 1080 system on a chip (or SoC), which will power affordable smartphones (mid-range). These phones have much higher sales volumes than your high-end, expensive handset and can affect the balance of power of various underlying OS or app platforms.

Dimensity 1080 takes the slot previously occupied by the 6nm Dimensity 920 launched last year. Overall, not much has changed from the 920: there’s a small CPU frequency bump (~4%), but we’re still looking at a CPU cluster made of two ARM Cortex-A78 2.6GHz (2.5Ghz before) and six ARM Cortex-A55 2.0GHz The Mali-G68 MC4 GPU remains cadenced at 950MHz.

However, MediaTek announces “significantly upgraded camera features compared to its predecessor.” We think the foundation for this statement comes from the announced 200 Megapixel camera support. MediaTek has either upgraded or optimized its ISP (Image Signal Processor) design.

If we go back to the official Dimensity 920 specifications, it says, “Max Camera ISP 20MP + 20MP, 108MP”. If you aggregate the throughput, this means 148 Megapixels at maximum speed. To be precise, this is the number of raw pixels that can be practically processed from the sensor in photography. That’s before processing (stacked photography, filters etc.) that happens after the initial ISP work.

Committing to supporting a 108MP camera to a 200MP one is quite a jump. We’ll assume that no other cameras run simultaneously – that’s expected.

This announcement tells us that the megapixel war is alive and that 200 MP cameras will soon enter the mid-range market segment. Users benefit because these extra pixels can bring additional sharpness to the photos in broad daylight.

Unfortunately, most OEMs hide the full-resolution mode deep in the camera app settings (what a mistake!), and nearly no one uses it. We’ve seen that Samsung has a full-resolution option in “auto” mode. Xiaomi used to have an excellent 27MP “auto” mode but has removed it.

Either way, our Ubergizmo CAMERA HW benchmark isn’t swayed by the megapixel marketing alone and manages to correctly classify camera power based on all relevant technical details, so the megapixel war doesn’t affect it much. We’re planning an upgrade based on measurements we’ve taken with the latest sensors to make it even better. Stay tuned!

MediaTek Dimensity 1080: 200MP cameras for all

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Razer, you may recall, recently teased a 5G handheld device that’s focused on cloud gaming. The company took the opportunity at RazerCon to formally announce the system, which it calls the Razer Edge — yep, Razer finally went there with its branding.

The Edge has a 6.8-inch AMOLED screen with a refresh rate of 144Hz and a Full HD+ resolution of 2,400 x 1,080. Razer claims the display has 87 percent more pixels than competitors’ devices. The Steam Deck’s screen, for instance, has a 1,280 x 800 resolution. The Edge’s Gorilla Glass touchscreen also has a 288Hz sampling rate, which should make it pretty darn responsive.

Razer worked with Qualcomm and Verizon on this device. It runs on the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 Gaming Platform, which was developed exclusively for the Edge. The device has a 3Ghz octa-core Kryo CPU and an Adreno GPU, along with active cooling and six air vents. Razer says early benchmarking shows that the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 delivers two to three times the speeds of typical mobile platforms, such as the Snapdragon 720G.

Razer

The device has a 5,000mAh capacity battery, as well as 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of storage. On the audio front, there are two-way speakers with Verizon Adaptive Sound and a pair of digital microphones. There’s a webcam too — you’ll have the option to livestream your gameplay.

The Edge is comprised of an Android 12 tablet housed inside the new Razer Kishi V2 Pro controller. The latter has the same analog triggers as the Kishi V2, along with microswitches, programmable buttons and what Razer claims is an “ultra-precise” D-pad. What makes the Kishi V2 Pro different is that it has HyperSense haptic feedback and, blissfully, a 3.5mm headphone jack. Together, the tablet and controller weigh 400.8 grams, which is a bit less than a pound.

As for the games, the Edge, which will only be available in the US at the outset, will come with launchers for Epic Games, Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now preinstalled. You’ll also be able to access remote play services such as Steam Link, Moonlight and Parsec.

Razer

Since this is a cloud gaming-focused device, connectivity is key. Razer says the Edge has WiFi 6E that performs on an “uncongested” 6GHz channel and has multi-gig bandwidth support for fast download and upload speeds. When you’re on the go, you’ll be able to connect to cloud gaming services through 5G as long as you have the right model.

The 5G version of the Razer Edge is a Verizon exclusive. Pricing and exact availability will be confirmed later, but it should be out in January, around the same time as the WiFi model. That version will run you $400 and it’ll be available from Razer’s website and RazerStore locations. You can reserve one for a refundable deposit of $5. Razer hasn’t revealed pricing or availability for the standalone Kishi V2 Pro controller.

That’s not an insignificant price for the WiFi model, and it’s likely that the 5G version will cost more, but the specs seem solid for the money. It seems like an option worth considering for on-the-go cloud gaming if you’d rather not slot your phone into a controller and you don’t want to lug a Steam Deck around.

The Razer Edge isn’t the only handheld device focused on cloud gaming. Logitech’s $350 G Cloud Gaming Handheld, which doesn’t have WiFi 6 or 6E support, will be available next week. Other notable manufacturers are turning their attention to cloud gaming as well. Google this week announced three Chromebooks from Acer, ASUS and Lenovo that are designed for streaming games.

Razer

The Edge was far from Razer’s only product announcement at RazerCon. Along with the Kraken Kitty V2 Pro wired headset (featuring swappable bunny, bear and cat ears with Chroma RGB lighting) and some other gear, the company showed off its Hammerhead HyperSpeed earbuds. 

The earbuds feature Chroma RGB, active noise cancellation, Bluetooth 5.2 and 2.4GHz connectivity (via a USB-C dongle you can plug into your console or other device) to minimize latency. Razer claims you’ll get up to 30 hours of total battery life, factoring in top ups from the charging case. Hammerhead HyperSpeed is available in PlayStation- and Xbox-braded variants. The earbuds cost $150 and they will be available in November.

Razer