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Realme Narzo N53 Specifications Revealed Ahead of May 18 Launch, to Offer 33W Fast Charging

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Realme Narzo N53 Specifications Revealed Ahead of May 18 Launch, to Offer 33W Fast Charging

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Realme Narzo N53 is scheduled to launch in India on May 18. The smartphone is being marketed as the ‘slimmest Realme smartphone.’ The company has shared glimpses of the upcoming handset through teasers. Some leaks previously suggested a few details about the phone. It will be the second Narzo N-series handset to launch in the country after the Realme Narzo N55, which launched earlier this year and was introduced in a new colour variant last week. The company has now shared a few key specifications of the Realme Narzo N53 and more details are expected to come to light as the launch date draws closer.

The company, in the official teaser site as well as the Amazon microsite, revealed some key details of the Realme Narzo N53. The phone is confirmed to launch with a thickness of 7.49mm, which compared to other phones in the segment is considerably slimmer. For instance, the Realme Narzo N55 measures 7.89mm in thickness.

Moreover, the upcoming Narzo N-series phone is expected to launch in a gold and a black colour variant. Previous teasers on the official site, as well as Amazon, have hinted at both the options stated. Realme today confirmed that the golden variant will be launched under the name of California Sunshine. The Realme Narzo N53 will also arrive with a gold filament coating.

As for specifications, the Realme Narzo N53 is confirmed to house a 5,000mAh battery unit with 33W SUPERVOOC wired fast charging support. It is claimed to charge the phone from zero to 50 percent in 34 minutes. The company added that the phone also comes with an over-temperature protection feature, which helps prevent overheating of the handset – whether during charging or as a result of prolonged use. More details should be revealed in the days leading up to the phone’s launch. 

Launched in April this year, the Realme Narzo N55 is the first Narzo N-series phone to launch in India. It is offered at a price of Rs. 10,999 and Rs. 12,999, respectively for the 4GB + 64GB and the 6GB + 128GB variants. It is offered in Prime Black and Prime Blue colour options.

The Realme Narzo N55 is powered by a MediaTek Helio G88 SoC paired with LPDDR4X RAM and  UFS 2.2 inbuilt storage. It boots Android 13 out-of-the-box with Realme UI on top. The phone is backed by a 5,000mAh battery with 33W SuperVOOC fast charging support.

OnePlus recently launched its first tablet in India, the OnePlus Pad, which is only sold in a Halo Green colour option. With this tablet, OnePlus has stepped into a new territory that’s dominated by Apple’s iPad. We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Mac Mini (M2 Pro, 2023) Review: A Lot of Power in an Unassuming Body

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Mac Mini (M2 Pro, 2023) Review: A Lot of Power in an Unassuming Body

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The Mac mini is Apple’s most affordable computer, and it has found uses not only in homes and schools, but also in embedded applications such as kiosks, and even as servers. It might not have the visual wow factor of an iMac or the portability of a MacBook, but it’s the only Mac many people can afford. Apple has now updated it with its latest M2-generation processors, and for the first time, you have a choice between the standard M2 and the more powerful M2 Pro.

The starting price has been reduced a little with this generation, and interestingly since Apple hasn’t yet released a Mac Pro with Apple Silicon, this miniature desktop can reportedly outperform its now-outdated yet far more expensive sibling by large margins in multiple kinds of tests. While a new Mac Pro is likely just around the corner and the Mac Studio is also an option, it’s well worth reading our review to see whether the Mac mini will meet all your needs. I also have a shiny new Apple Studio Display and a suite of accessories to use with the Mac mini, and I’ll tell you what they are like as well.

Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023) price in India

The new Mac mini is priced at $599 onwards in the US, which is $100 less than the previous generation’s starting price. Due to exchange rate fluctuations, the difference in India isn’t quite as substantial, but Rs. 59,900 is still better than Rs. 64,900 which was the starting price of the M1 Mac mini from 2020. At this price, you get the M2 SoC with eight CPU cores and 10 GPU cores, plus 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.

The M2 Pro-based variants give you either 10 CPU cores with 16 GPU cores for Rs. 1,29,900, or 12 CPU cores with 19 GPU cores for Rs. 1,59,900. All Mac minis can be configured with optional Gigabit Ethernet for an additional Rs. 10,000. You also get four Thunderbolt 4 ports on M2 Pro configurations, versus two if you choose an M2 CPU. 

One big downside to Apple Silicon-based Macs is that the RAM is part of the SoC, and storage is soldered to the motherboard, making upgrades impossible. If you want better specs, you have to choose them at the time of purchase, and upgrades are still illogically expensive. Going from 8GB to 16GB of RAM will cost Rs. 20,000. There’s now a 24GB option priced at Rs. 40,000 over and above the base price for the M2 versions, and strangely, it costs the same to go from 16GB to 32GB on the M2 Pro option.

It will cost you Rs. 20,000 more to get a 512GB SSD instead of 256GB; 1TB will cost Rs. 40,000 more and the 2TB option will raise the price by an astronomical Rs. 80,000 – many times more than what retail SSDs of those capacities usually sell for. Keep in mind that Apple uses slightly slower SSDs for its base 256GB configurations; a fact that isn’t explicitly stated on the spec sheet.

All this means it’s possible to spend Rs. 4,49,900 if you max out all the specifications – and that’s without a monitor, keyboard or mouse. You get nothing in the box other than the Mac mini itself, a power cord, a few leaflets, and the customary Apple logo sticker. The version tested here has an M2 Pro SoC, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, bringing its price to Rs. 1,79,900.

The 27-inch Apple Studio Display that I have with me for this review will cost another Rs. 1,59,900. You you can choose a “nano-texture” matte panel finish for Rs. 30,000 more and swap the basic stand for a height-adjustable one for an additional Rs. 40,000. To complete the look, Apple’s Magic Mouse costs Rs. 9,500, the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad is a whopping Rs. 19,500, and the Magic Trackpad is another Rs. 14,500.

mac mini 2023 top mac mini

The Mac mini (2023) looks just like its recent predecessors with the same compact metal body

 

Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023) design

Surprisingly, nothing has changed about the look of the Mac mini since the removal of optical drives in 2011. Apple was clever about keeping its design unchanged in 2020, which focused all attention on its big switch to in-house processors and minimised any perception of disruption. However, the iMac, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro have all received major design updates now, and it would have been nice to see Apple try something new.

The Mac mini is still extremely portable at 1.28kg in weight, and looks quite unassuming on a table. It’s just under 200mm square and is 358mm tall. There’s no easy way to mount it to the back of a monitor, which is possible with many other mini PCs. The front is completely blank except for a tiny white power LED, and the top has a black Apple logo. The base is slightly raised on a plastic disc to allow air to be vented, and for the various antennas.

You have to reach around the rear to get to the power button. The Mac mini continues to have a built-in power supply so there’s a simple mains connector for a two-pin power cord, and no need for an external brick. You’ll also find a large air vent here. In terms of ports, there’s Ethernet, two or four Thunderbolt ports (depending on which configuration you choose), an HDMI 2.0 video output, two USB Type-A ports, and a 3.5mm audio socket. The continued presence of legacy ports is good to see but I would have liked some on the front for convenience, like on the Mac Studio.

mac mini 2023 ports ndtv mac mini

You get quite a lot of ports on the Mac mini, including legacy USB Type-A and Ethernet

 

Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023) specifications and software

I’ve already covered the CPU, RAM, and storage options for the new Mac mini, plus its ports. The rest of the hardware is fairly straightforward – there’s Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, plus you get a built-in speaker (though sound quality is extremely basic). What’s most interesting is the M2 CPU family itself, and the fact that there’s a beefier Pro option for the first time. 

The M2 family benefits from generational improvements in clock speed due to a refined 5nm TSMC manufacturing process. CPU performance is said to be 18 percent better, graphics performance is up by 35 percent, and the dedicated “Neural Engine” logic for AI workloads is 40 percent faster. You also get more GPU cores and higher memory bandwidth, according to Apple. Video decode has seen some improvements and there’s now native acceleration for ProRes video encoding. Battery life isn’t a consideration for the Mac mini, but the M2 should also make the recently refreshed MacBook Pro and iPad Pro models more power efficient.

The base M2 is an improvement over the base M1, and the M2 Pro will beat the M1 Pro. However, the base M2 won’t be able to outperform the M1 Max or M1 Ultra. The generational uplift doesn’t outweigh the impact of bumping up core counts. Even so, your choice should be dictated by workload. For example, only the M2 generation can accelerate ProRes and ProRes RAW decode letting you play multiple 4K or 8K video streams in these formats.

One more thing to factor in when deciding between the M2 and M2 Pro-based Mac mini is support for external displays. The entry-level CPU drives only enough bandwidth for one 6K and one 5K monitor, both at 60Hz. The M2 Pro can output video to up to either one 8K display at 60Hz, one 4K display at 240Hz, or two 6K plus one 4K panel at 60Hz simultaneously.

As for software, the 2023 Mac mini comes with macOS 13, also known as Ventura. My unit forced an update to version 13.2.1 on first boot, which required a 3.25GB download. Most of the changes and improvements in this version concern the built-in apps such as Safari, Mail, Photos, and Messages, which not everyone uses.

There’s also the new Stage Manager multitasking view, which I didn’t find particularly useful; a totally redesigned Settings app that’s more consistent with iOS, more useful Spotlight search results, text recognition within videos, and more. If you use multiple Apple devices you’ll appreciate things like AirDrop to share files easily, Continuity to let you pick up where you left off on another device, synchronised Focus modes, and of course easy access to iMessage, FaceTime, and your photo collection.

mac mini 2023 studio display ndtv mac mini

The Apple Studio Display features integrated speakers, microphones, a webcam, and USB dock functionality

 

Apple Studio Display features and specifications

For the purpose of this review, Apple sent us a 27-inch Studio Display along with the Mac mini and a full set of input devices. Given its price, it’s unlikely that anyone would buy this monitor with an entry-level Mac mini for basic home or office use. It’s also a bit too large for most people’s desks. However, it’s aimed at creative professionals and those who want to complete the Apple look. It’s strange that Apple has never sold a smaller, entry-level monitor to match the Mac mini, especially since it’s such an image-conscious company and most people wind up using cheap commodity monitors from other brands.

The Studio display has a hard-wired power cable with a 16A plug, which not many people will have the right socket for at their home or office desks. The monitor itself has fairly modest power consumption ratings – 30.3W in use and 0.36W in standby. Up to 96W can be delivered through Thunderbolt to the connected source device, so you can charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro and get full video and connectivity for downstream devices through a single cable. Apple’s only comment on the matter is that this choice is in line with local regulations.

There are four Type-C ports on the rear but you have to pay close attention because only one is marked with a Thunderbolt icon and this is the sole video input. It’s disappointing that there’s only one video input; you’ll have to physically unplug the source device’s cable if you want to multitask. The other three use the 10Gbps USB 3.1 standard for downstream peripherals, so the monitor becomes a sort of docking station. It also has six built-in speakers with support for Dolby Atmos, a “studio quality” three-mic array, and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide webcam.

There are no physical buttons or controls on the Studio Display. All adjustments need to be done through software on your connected Mac. While it should technically be possible to use this as a monitor for a non-Mac PC, you might have some trouble setting it up as you’d like, and you won’t be able to use all the integrated hardware to its full potential or update its embedded software.

With a resolution of 5120×2880 pixels, 16:9 aspect ratio, full DCI-P3 colour gamut support, and 60Hz maximum refresh rate, the Studio Display is suitable for creative professionals and way more than enough for everyday productivity. It works with multiple industry-standard colour reference modes as well as Apple’s TrueTone white balance adjustment feature, but only has a 600nit peak brightness and doesn’t support any HDR standards. A high refresh rate would have been nice too.

mac mini 2023 angle ndtv mac mini

The Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023) remained quiet throughout testing, but the outer surfaces did get warm when it was stressed

 

Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023) performance

Setting up the Mac mini was relatively painless. Only the power cable and one Thunderbolt connection to the Studio Display needed to be plugged in. Apple’s wireless keyboard, mouse and trackpad weren’t immediately detected though, and needed to be toggled on and off. The keyboard was comfortable enough, with its full-sized layout.

Touch ID is really convenient but it’s unfortunate that you’ll have to pay so much to be able to use it. The Magic Mouse has some fan following but it isn’t really comfortable, it still can’t be used while it’s charging, and FPS gaming is pretty much impossible because right-clicking needs deliberate action and there’s no middle button. The trackpad supports all the gestures you might be used to on a laptop, and is quite comfortable.

On first boot, macOS forced a 3.25GB download to update itself to version 13.2.1. The Studio Display also needed to update its firmware to version 15.5, which was a 487MB download, but this one was not compulsory.

If you’re familiar with macOS you’ll feel right at home with this combination of Apple products. Little things, like being able to adjust brightness of the Studio Display using the keyboard, work perfectly. The monitor is of course crisp and the Mac mini has more than enough grunt to power it. Night Shift, to relieve eye strain, and True Tone, to adjust colour temperature to suit ambient light conditions, are supported. You can switch colour profiles on the fly using a dropdown in the macOS status bar.

The Studio Display’s built-in speakers produce clear and deep sound even at high volumes, but the downward-firing design means that music isn’t very immersive. Still, you can easily fill up a small room with sound, and follow dialogue in movies. The integrated webcam worked well in a dimly lit room. The Centre Stage feature reframes your video chat or capture feed automatically if you move around or if multiple people are in the frame, plus there’s Portrait mode for background blurring, both controlled through macOS.

I ran through several tests and benchmarks that illustrate various usage scenarios. The general-purpose Geekbench 6 showed a single-core score of 2,654 and a multi-core score of 14,208 points. For comparison, the same test on a MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) powered by the M1 Pro SoC managed 2,377 and 10,458 points respectively, while the 2022 MacBook Air with its M2 SoC scored 2,422 and 8,871 points respectively. The built-in CPU compute test results were 49,686 points on the Mac mini (M2 Pro) vs 36,062 on the MacBook Pro (M1 Pro) and 27,822 on the MacBook Air (M2).

Cinebench R23’s single-core and multi-core scores on the new Mac mini came to 1,646 and 14,776 respectively, meaning the M2 Pro is roughly on par with the 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11900K in this test. The browser-based WebXPRT test returned a score of 245, while Basemark Web 3.0 managed 1,872 points and the Jetstream 2 test posted 238.006 points. The lead over the M2 is clear, if not always substantial, and of course we’re comparing a laptop with a desktop PC here.

mac mini 2034 magic mouse ndtv mac mini

The Apple Magic Mouse doesn’t have to be charged often, but it will be out of action when plugged in

 

I tried transcoding a 5.52GB 60-second ProRES video file recorded at 4K 30fps, using Final Cut Pro. Using the H.264 ‘Faster Encode’ Apple Device preset defaults, I managed to export it at 4K in 31.81 seconds, and 1080p in just 10.68 seconds. Blender, which now runs natively on Apple Silicon, ran through the standard BMW render in 2 minutes, 30 seconds, and the Classroom scene in 5 minutes, 53 seconds which averages to around half the time the M1 Pro-based MacBook Pro took for the same tests when it was reviewed.

Keeping in mind that the performance of the base variant’s 256GB SSD is known to be poorer, my review unit with its 1TB SSD posted sequential read and write scores of 6,477.90MBps and 7,193.02MBps in AmorphousDiskMark, which is a macOS-native version of CrystalDiskMark.

Considering the additional GPU resources that the M2 Pro has to offer, could the higher-end version of the Mac mini actually be a decent gaming machine? As it turns out, the answer is yes – provided you’re happy with the games that are available for the Mac platform. As expected, pretty much all casual games run well enough, even on the high-res Studio Display. There are quite a few simple titles in the Steam and Epic game stores now, and of course Apple has its Arcade subscription service.

The Unigine Valley benchmark posted at 78.7fps average running at 1920×1080 using the Ultra quality present, with 4XAA on. That’s a huge jump over the 26.5fps average that the previous-gen Mac mini with the lower-tier M1 SoC managed in the same test. GFXBench is optimised for Apple’s low-level Metal API on Macs. It managed 47.65fps in the Aztec Ruins scene on screen, and 87.99fps offscreen when not bound to the Studio Display’s native resolution.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider ran surprisingly well, with a 70fps average and over 100fps in some spots, using its built-in benchmark at the High preset at 1080p. That dropped to 41fps at 2K with some visible tearing during pans, and just 22fps at 4K. A Total War Saga: Troy is also a slightly dated game but runs well on Macs. The built-in Battle benchmark showed an average of 67.6fps at 1080p using the High preset, with minor tearing. At 4K, the average was 32.6fps which isn’t too bad. I also played through a bit of Metro:Exodus, and it was quite smooth.

Throughout testing, the Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023) remained quiet. The fan made only a faint hum even when the unit was running stressful tests. The metal outer body did get somewhat warm though, so be careful what you leave lying on top of it.

mac mini 2023 peripherals ndtv mac mini

Apple’s matching peripherals look great and Touch ID is convenient, but the price tags will discourage many potential buyers

 

Verdict

The new Mac mini is a powerful, versatile computer for home and office use, plus other niche applications. The base version is relatively affordable for what it is, but the M2 Pro option could be just what you need if you’re a creative professional. This is really all the computer power most people will need. You can even play some fairly demanding games on it. The configuration I tested, with the M2 Pro, 16GB of RAM and 1TB SSD costs Rs. 1,79,900, not including a monitor or accessories.

That’s a lot of money, but still a compelling value proposition for budget-constrained content creators. If you don’t need the full grunt of a Mac Studio or Mac Pro, you now don’t have to settle for entry-level hardware. This is certainly a viable upgrade option if you have an Intel-based Mac mini, iMac, or even a much older Mac Pro. Whether it’s worth replacing an M1-powered Mac mini will come down to how much you value the time needed to render videos or 3D models.

The lack of upgradeability for RAM and storage is disappointing for a computer that can and should work well for at least five years. Apple’s pricing for upgrades at the time of purchase remains outrageous. At least there’s good external connectivity.

Design is another area that Apple could do a lot better in, when it comes to the Mac mini. I don’t know why the company has consistently refused to sell a matching, reasonably sized and relatively affordable monitor. The Studio Display is massive overkill and far too expensive for basic desktop productivity and home use. Nearly everyone who buys a Mac mini uses it with a commodity black plastic PC monitor, missing out on the slick Apple look and some ecosystem perks. For such an image-conscious company, this continues to remain a mystery.

Now that Apple Silicon is well established, what I really would have liked to have seen was a completely new Mac mini – a reimagination of not only its design, but also its purpose. A much smaller or more modular enclosure should have been possible thanks to the highly integrated SoC and the relatively light cooling it needs. Maybe we’ll have to wait another generation, but the 2023 Mac mini is progress nonetheless and well worth considering for new users and anyone who needs an upgrade.

Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023) 
Price: Rs. 1,79,900 (as reviewed)

Pros

  • Excellent performance
  • macOS and iCloud ecosystem 
  • Compact and quiet
  • Built-in power supply
  • Powerful M2 Pro CPU option

Cons

  • RAM and storage not upgradeable
  • Expensive configuration options
  • Some functionality requires expensive accessories

Ratings (out of 5)
Design: 3.5
Performance: 4.5
Software: 4.5
Value for Money: 4
Overall: 4

 

OnePlus recently launched its first tablet in India, the OnePlus Pad, which is only sold in a Halo Green colour option. With this tablet, OnePlus has stepped into a new territory that’s dominated by Apple’s iPad. We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Realme Narzo N53 India Launch Set for May 18, Claimed to Be the Slimmest Realme Phone Ever

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hitesh
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Realme Narzo N53 India Launch Set for May 18, Claimed to Be the Slimmest Realme Phone Ever

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Realme Narzo N53 is confirmed to launch in India next week. The model has been officially teased by the company previously, and a promotional page also went live on the Amazon microsite on Wednesday. Now, Realme has announced that the phone being teased is indeed the rumoured Narzo N53. It is claimed to be the “slimmest Realme smartphone ever.” The phone is touted to be a surprise “entry-level redefiner” offering by the company as part of its five-year anniversary celebrations. Previously, Realme unveiled a new Rainforest colour variant for its Realme C55, for the same occasion.

The upcoming Realme Narzo N53 will arrive with a thickness of 7.49mm – which in comparison to most other Realme and other competing handsets, is extremely slim. The phone is confirmed to launch in the country at 12 PM IST on May 18. This will be the second Narzo N-series phone to release in India. The first was the Realme Narzo N55, which was introduced to the market earlier this year in April.

realme n53 promo realme n53

Realme N53 launch announcement
Photo Credit: Realme

Earlier reports have suggested a few specifications and other details about the smartphone. The Realme Narzo N53 is reported to be launched in two colour options – Feather Black and Feather Gold. Until now, in teasers and promotional images, the handset has been spotted in both the black and the golden variant.

The report added that the Realme Narzo N53 is expected to be launched in two storage variants – 4GB of RAM + 64GB of inbuilt storage and 6GB of RAM + 128GB of inbuilt storage. The phone is likely to be priced at around Rs. 13,000. Not much else is known about the upcoming handset yet. More details are expected to surface as the launch draws closer.

The other Narzo N-series phone, the Realme Narzo N55, launched in India in Prime Black and Prime Blue colourways. The phone is offered in two storage variants – the 4GB + 64GB variant priced at Rs. 10,999 and the 6GB + 128GB variant marked at Rs. 12,999.

Xiaomi launched its camera focussed flagship Xiaomi 13 Ultra smartphone, while Apple opened it’s first stores in India this week. We discuss these developments, as well as other reports on smartphone-related rumours and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Sony WH-CH720N Wireless Headphones Review: Decent Enough for the Price

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hitesh
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Sony WH-CH720N Wireless Headphones Review: Decent Enough for the Price

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Most brands in the consumer audio space have turned their focus to the true wireless (TWS) form factor, but some such as Sony continue to offer worthwhile over-ear headphones. Sony’s approach is fortunately not limited to just premium and flagship products; the company maintains a decent range of over-ear headphones across price segments, and with decent features. The latest is the Sony WH-CH720N over-ear headphones, which is a new-generation product in a fairly adept and well-positioned lineup.

Priced at Rs. 9,990 in India, the Sony WH-CH720N is the successor to the WH-CH710N, which was launched back in 2020, at the same price. It follows a largely similar approach to its predecessor, with active noise cancellation, optional wired connectivity, and a promise of excellent battery life. The over-ear form factor also comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages over the more popular TWS form factor, which I’ll talk about in detail in this review.

sony wh ch720n review usb c port Sony

The Sony WH-CH720N has a USB Type-C port for charging, and optional wired connectivity

 

Sony WH-CH720N design and features

The Sony WH-CH720N looks a fair bit different from its predecessor thanks to sharper and more defined edges all around. You can visibly tell that the WH-CH720N is a mid-range headset; it isn’t quite as polished and refined to look at as even the slightly more expensive Sony WH-XB910N.

That said, it isn’t bad looking headphone by any means, and has a proper over-ear fit that completely covers you ears. The ear cups also offer a proper noise-isolating seal to help the active noise cancellation. Another key change is the very distinct microphone grille near the top of each ear cup, suggesting that the WH-CH720 has better and more appropriately positioned microphones for both ANC and voice functionality.

Although the padding on the Sony WH-CH720N isn’t quite as lush and premium-feeling as on more expensive over-ear headphones, its comfortable enough, particularly when you also consider that the headset is quite light at 192g, thanks to its plastic build. The ear cups swivel completely flat in one direction for storage, and a fair bit the other way as well, to adjust to the shape of your head and ears. The headband has a telescopic adjustment mechanism, but unfortunately doesn’t allow the headset to fold in completely for easier storage.

The power button is on the left side, while the controls for playback, volume, and ANC/ Ambient Sound mode are on the right side. Also on the left side is the USB Type-C port for charging, and the 3.5mm socket for wired connectivity. The sales package includes a charging cable (USB Type-A to Type-C) and a stereo cable for wired connectivity.

Sony WH-CH720N app and specifications

As is usually the case with Sony headphones, the WH-CH720N uses the Sony Headphones Connect app to handle basic customisation and functionality settings, as well as firmware updates. The app is available for both iOS and Android, and offers the same familiar experience that you get on just about any other Sony headset.

sony wh ch720n review wearing Sony

The Sony WH-CH720N headphone is light and comfortable to wear

 

Of course, the app sets itself up for the specific headset in use, so you’ll only see the relevant controls and settings for the WH-CH720N in this case. Expectedly, the controls are fixed and can’t be customised as is the case with many true wireless headsets, but this is fine as there are dedicated buttons for most functions on the headset.

You can use the app to control the voice assistant settings, letting you choose between invoking your smartphone’s default assistant, or native support for Alexa. Additionally, the app also lets you see the exact battery level of the headphones when connected, toggle multipoint connectivity for up to two devices, change the equaliser settings, and more. ANC and transparency modes, adaptive sound control, 360 Reality Audio, and Sony’s DSEE enhancements are also present in the app.

When it comes to specifications, the Sony WH-CH720N comes with a fairly standard setup. The headset has 30mm dynamic drivers, a frequency response range of 20-20,000Hz (when using Bluetooth connectivity), and a sensitivity rating of 108dB. For connectivity, there is Bluetooth 5.2, with support for the SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs.

Sony WH-CH720N performance and battery life

Over-ear headphones have some advantages over equivalent true wireless earphones, primarily when it comes to comfort and certain aspects of the sound. The larger drivers may not necessarily ensure better sound quality, but you’ll definitely hear a bit more detail and spaciousness thanks to the larger drivers’ ability to flex a bit more.

As far as headsets in this price segment go, the Sony WH-CH720N has both advantages and disadvantages, particularly when you consider that this headphone competes more closely with similarly-priced true wireless headsets. Interestingly, I tended to notice the strengths more prominently, with the WH-CH720N offering a sound that was comfortable and quietly elegant for a headset priced at under Rs. 10,000.

Although nowhere near as aggressive and bass-focused as the Sony WH-XB910N headphones, the WH-CH720N does offer up a punchy and eager sound that gives the entire range plenty of room to shine. Listening to John Travolta by Me & My Toothbrush, the headphones brought out the drive and attack in this fast-paced house track, while also giving the faint elements enough attention and detail.

The sound was spacious thanks to the big drivers on the Sony WH-CH720N, giving a definite sense of direction and position to parts of the track. Impressively, the Sony WH-CH720N is equally at ease with gentler, more detail-oriented tracks; the lows in Attic by Hidden Orchestra definitely had an edge, but the many tiny details that make this track so beautifully haunting were notably present and clean.

sony wh ch720n review flat Sony

On-device physical controls for playback, volume, and ANC are present on the Sony WH-CH720N

 

The best way to take advantage of the bigger drivers and additional spaciousness this brings is to turn the volume up. While the sensitivity rating of 108dB is largely on par with what many smaller true wireless headsets can deliver, the Sony WH-CH720N notably sounds a lot better at high volumes than smaller headsets. At the 80 percent volume mark while listening to High and Low by Christabelle and Lindstrom, the sound was immersive, striking at the right points, melodic, and immensely detailed.

The headset was able to go up to the 90 percent mark with no audible distortion and equivalent levels of sound quality, and indeed the only thing holding me back from keeping the volume at this level over longer periods was concern for my own hearing. You can still push it for slow soft tracks such as High and Low, but switching to bass-heavy tracks such as Sundown by Me & My Toothbrush necessitated bringing the volume down as well. It’s a well tuned pair of headphones that can handle musical pace and attack at high volumes, far beyond the typical human tolerance for it.

Sony is undoubtedly one of the leading manufacturers when it comes to consumer-grade active noise cancellation on headphones, and part of the reason for this is an impressive level of consistency across its product range. While the Sony WH-CH720N obviously can’t compare to the flagship WH-1000XM5 when it comes to ANC, it retains the general characteristics and qualities, albeit in a toned down and appropriate level of competence for the price.

While the actual noise reduction isn’t significant, it’s fairly effective at making whatever you’re listening to a bit clearer, and devoid of the misleading vacuum effect. Instead, you get a gentle, subtle, and entirely straightforward reduction of the core frequencies, with the Sony WH-CH720N reasonably effective both outdoors and indoors.

Call quality is decent on the headphones as well, particularly with ANC on. The Ambient Sound mode is useful for basic conversations and fortunately didn’t over-amplify background sound too much so it was usable even over long periods. Battery life on the Sony WH-CH720N is expectedly very good, with the headphones running for around 31 hours with ANC on and the volume at around the 60 percent mark.

Verdict

Over-ear Bluetooth headphones may have been the default choice for buyers a few years ago, but it’s now a relatively niche segment. While buyers will find plenty of options to choose from in the true wireless form factor, some might prefer the over-ear fit, and the benefits to the sound quality that come with it. The Sony WH-CH720N is a worthwhile option to consider in this case, offering a comfortable fit, effective mid-range active noise cancellation, and sound that utilises the larger drivers optimally.

There’s no support for advanced Bluetooth codecs, but the tuning ensures a decent soundstage and exciting sound nonetheless, particularly if you turn the volume up. A convenient design and proper on-device controls help as well, making this my pick at under Rs. 10,000 if you prefer full-sized headphones over true wireless earphones.

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Google Pixel 7a First Impressions: The Pixel ‘A’ Series Finally Goes Premium

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Google Pixel 7a First Impressions: The Pixel ‘A’ Series Finally Goes Premium

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Google’s Pixel ‘A’ series is designed to target the budget smartphone segment globally, but that doesn’t aways line up with the “budget” segment in India. For example, the Pixel 3a was launched in India at Rs. 39,999 and it offered segment-leading camera quality (with just one camera), but also fell short in terms of processing power, lack of waterproofing, etc. The Pixel 6a was the first smartphone in the series to come close to justifying its Rs. 43,999 launch price. But in our review, we found that it still lacked that premium oomph compared to the competition, and fell behind on some basic features.

With the launch of the Pixel 7a, Google seems to have taken a big leap forward and has gone all-guns blazing, whether it’s specs, design, or premium features. Let’s take a closer look at what’s new and different about it.

The Google Pixel 7a is available in a sole 8GB RAM and 128GB storage option, but it comes in three colours – Charcoal, Snow and Sea. The device is priced at Rs. 43,999 in India which is the same what the Pixel 6a launched at. There’s still no charger bundled in the box, just a USB Type-C to Type-C cable and a quick-switch adapter.

The Google Pixel 7a’s design has got a refreshed look. The display on the front gets Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection, while the rear panels (above and below the camera band) are still made of plastic. The camera band and frame now have an upgraded look which is very similar to the Pixel 7 series. The band itself with the two rear-facing cameras is now made of metal and blends seamlessly with the rounded metal frame on the sides.

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The Google Pixel 7a has a similarly sized display as the Pixel 6a, but adds a 90Hz refresh rate

The Pixel 7a has also maintained its IP67 rating for dust and water resistance just like the previous model. All-in-all, it looks and feels quite premium especially when compared to the older Pixel 6a.

Also upgraded, is the display. It still has the same form factor as the previous model but the refresh rate has been given a bump up to 90Hz. The 6.1-inch full-HD+ OLED display also comes with HDR playback support. Apart from making the Android 13 software experience fluid, it should also come in use while playing fast-paced games.

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The upgraded camera hardware in the Pixel 7a benefits from the Tensor G2 SoC, with new features such as Long Exposure camera modes

 

Another major upgrade in the Google Pixel 7a is the Tensor G2 SoC. This processor can also be found in more premium devices such as the Pixel 7 and the Pixel 7 Pro. For the first time ever, Google has equipped a Pixel A-series device with 8GB of RAM as previous models have been limited to 4GB or 6GB only.

The cameras have also gotten an overhaul. There’s now a 64-megapixel primary camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS), which should (in theory) help capture better zoom images thanks to Google’s Super Res Zoom feature. Accompanying it is a 13-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and you get a 13-megapixel selfie camera upfront, both of which have also been upgraded over the previous model.

The Google Tensor G2 SoC in the Pixel 7a also enables new camera features such as Unblur in the Photos app, faster Night Sight and Long-exposure modes, which are not possible on the Pixel 6a.

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The Google Pixel 7a does looks quite premium with its refreshed design

 

Battery capacity is the only thing which has taken a bit of a step back. It has dropped to 4,385mAh from the previous 4,410mAh on the Pixel 6a. Google has added wireless charging on the Pixel 7a, a feature that has gradually made its way to many more mid-range devices such as the Nothing Phone 1.

Google’s Pixel 7a seems like a solid upgrade over the Pixel 6a. It definitely feels more premium, both, in terms of design and added features. But are these upgrades enough for it to compete against the current crop of Android phones in India, and more importantly, does it justify its price tag? We’ll find out in our full review.

OnePlus recently launched its first tablet in India, the OnePlus Pad, which is only sold in a Halo Green colour option. With this tablet, OnePlus has stepped into a new territory that’s dominated by Apple’s iPad. We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Redmi Note 12S With 108-Megapixel Rear Camera, 33W Fast Charging Launched: Price, Specifications

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Redmi Note 12S With 108-Megapixel Rear Camera, 33W Fast Charging Launched: Price, Specifications

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Redmi Note 12S was launched in Poland on Tuesday. It is the latest smartphone to join the Redmi Note 12 lineup, which includes Redmi Note 12 5G, Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G, Redmi Note 12 4G, Redmi Note 12 Turbo, and the Redmi Note 12R Pro 5G models. The newly launched Note 12S smartphone succeeds the Redmi Note 11S. The Redmi Note 12S is backed by a 5,000mAh battery unit with 33W fast charging support. It is powered by a MediaTek Helio G96 SoC.

Redmi Note 12S price, availability

Offered in three colour variants – Ice Blue, Pearl Green, and Onyx Black, the Redmi Note 12S is currently available for purchase only in Poland. The phone launched in two storage variants – 6GB + 128GB and 8GB + 256GB. However, Xiaomi’s Poland online store only lists the phone in Ice Blue and Onyx Black colour options in a singular 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage variant.

Xiaomi has not confirmed yet if the Redmi Note 12S will see a global release or launch in India.

Redmi Note 12S specifications, features

Featuring a 6.43-inch full-HD+ (2400 x 1080) AMOLED DotDisplay panel, the Redmi Note 12S comes with a refresh rate of up to 90Hz, a peak local brightness of 1,000nits, and a pixel density of 409ppi. The screen also has a contrast ratio of 4,500,000:1 and supports Reading Mode 3.0.

The phone is powered by a MediaTek Helio G96 4G SoC paired with an ARM Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, alongside up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and up to 256GB of UFS2.2 inbuilt storage. The storage is expandable to 1TB using a microSD card, supported by a dedicated slot. The phone boots Android 13-based MIUI 14 out-of-the-box.

In the camera department, a triple rear camera unit is offered on Redmi Note 12S. The setup includes a 108-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel sensor with an ultra-wide lens, and a 2-megapixel sensor with a macro lens. These are accompanied by an LED flash situated on the rectangular module on the top-left side of the back panel. The 16-megapixel front camera is housed in a centre-aligned hole-punch cutout at the top of the display.

Coming to the battery, the Redmi Note 12S packs a 5,000mAh cell and offers 33W fast charging support. The phone also sports a USB Type-C charging port, a 3.5mm audio jack, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and an AI face unlock feature. Weighing 176 grams, the handset measures 159.87mm x 73.87mm x 8.09mm in size.

Xiaomi launched its camera focussed flagship Xiaomi 13 Ultra smartphone, while Apple opened it’s first stores in India this week. We discuss these developments, as well as other reports on smartphone-related rumours and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Poco F5 5G First Impressions: A Game-Changer?

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Poco F5 5G First Impressions: A Game-Changer?

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Poco has just launched a new F series phone in India called the F5 5G. It’s a follow up to last year’s F4 5G (Review) and it promises big improvements in terms of performance and battery life. The Poco F5 5G is very similar to the Redmi Note 12 Turbo which was recently launched in China. The headlining feature of the new F5 5G is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 SoC. Prices are slightly higher compared to last year’s model, with the 8GB variant of the F5 5G costing Rs. 29,999, while the 12GB variant is priced at Rs. 33,999. Both variants feature 256GB of storage. Here’s our first impressions.

The Poco F5 5G does not feel very heavy and is nice to hold, despite its sharp and angular design, thanks to the rounded edges. The plastic frame feels sturdy but the glossy back panel doesn’t really give a premium vibe, at least in this black colour. It’s also made of plastic and this is instantly noticeable the moment you hold it. Thankfully, the rear camera bump is minimal so the F5 5G feels quite sleek overall.

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The back profile of the Poco F5 5G is not very flattering, at least in this black finish

 

You get the standard selection of physical ports on the Poco F5 5G, including a headphone jack on the top. The Poco F5 5G is IP53 rated for basic moisture resistance, and there are stereo speakers with the Dolby Atmos enhancement.

The Poco F5 5G has a similar display as the F4 5G, with an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, a full-HD+ resolution, and support for Dolby Vision HDR playback. It’s the same size too measuring 6.67 inches diagonally. The bezels are thankfully evenly slim all around and the maximum brightness is now a bit higher at 1,000 nits. You even get Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for scratch protection. 

The new Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 should be really interesting as it’s said to use a similar architecture as the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC, and promises better performance compared to older SoCs such as the Snapdragon 870 seen in the Poco F4 5G. This SoC succeeds the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, which we haven’t seen in many phones for some reason. 

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You get all the necessary accessories in the box

 

The Poco F5 5G has a 5,000mAh battery which is a nice upgrade from the F4, and supports the same 67W fast charging. The charger is bundled, and you even get a transparent case in the box. The phone runs MIUI 14 based on Android 13, and Poco has promised two years of Android updates and three years of security updates. So far, my unit has already been inundated with notifications from some of the stock apps such as GetApps, and this is even before I’ve even opened a single preinstalled app. 

Finally, we come to the cameras. The Poco F5 5G features a similar setup as last year’s model with a primary 64-megapixel camera with optical stabilisation (OIS), an 8-megapixel ultra-wide, and a 2-megapixel macro. For selfies, you get a 16-megapixel front camera. We hope the camera quality has improved from last year’s model, which struggled in low-light situations. 

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The Poco F5 5G has evenly narrow bezels all around the display

 

The Poco F5 5G seems to be a decent upgrade over its predecessor as far as the SoC and battery capacity go. I think the design could have been better as the F4 5G looked a lot more premium in my opinion. We’ll have our final verdict for you in the full review. Additionally, if you want to want us to compare it with any particular phone or check anything specific, do drop us a comment. 

OnePlus recently launched its first tablet in India, the OnePlus Pad, which is only sold in a Halo Green colour option. With this tablet, OnePlus has stepped into a new territory that’s dominated by Apple’s iPad. We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Review: A Starbound Epic Held Back by Performance Woes

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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Review: A Starbound Epic Held Back by Performance Woes

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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor — out now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X — has the immense task of following what many consider to be one of the greatest Star Wars games in recent memory. 2019’s Jedi: Fallen Order restored hope to the galaxy-spanning franchise with a daring story and robust souls-like combat system, rebelling against EA’s belief that single-player games were dead. It was a strong blend of FromSoftware’s risk-reward mechanics and the power fantasy of being a lightsaber-wielding Jedi, albeit with limitations in exploration.

That’s what developer Respawn Entertainment cranked up in the sequel — a sprawling semi-open world design with six planets to ping-pong across, a fast travel system, expanded combat, and more. But does simply making its scale bigger and grander equate to a quality Star Wars Jedi follow-up? Read on to find out.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor review – Story

We open to the Imperial city planet of Coruscant as a handcuffed Cal Kestis, now labelled a ‘terrorist’, gets shoved around its underbelly by a group of captors. In the five years since Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, members of the Mantis crew separated and spread out around the galaxy, while Cal grew into a powerful Jedi Knight, bearing battle scars and an even stronger resolve to topple the Galactic Empire. The sequel wastes no time dwelling on past events, simply offering a small recap cinematic to set newcomers on the right course — some of the jargon and references can still be rather confusing, though.

It’s soon revealed that Cal, in fact, wanted to get captured, as a means to get in close proximity with Senator Sejan and steal some valuable intel. This kickstarts an action-packed feature film-length thrill ride, as Cal storms through the tangled base — wall-running across glowing neon signs, slicing down Stormtroopers, shimmying along rusty pipes, and dodging explosive droids.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor functions as a smooth continuation of Cal’s saga, bestowing you with most of the skills he learned in the previous game. There is no immersion-breaking amnesia gimmick — as seen in most sequels — where the character just magically forgets how to perform basic manoeuvres such as double jumps. You’re essentially playing as the same Cal from before, with the game quickly doling out new equipment so you can set off on this mighty new adventure.

By the end of your thrilling escape, which includes a boss fight against the mind-reading Ninth Sister, you’ll have unlocked three fight stances and picked up the Ascension Cable, which lets you grapple onto high points. I really appreciate how the unlocks are structured as part of the story progression, ensuring you don’t miss out on anything and giving you ample time to experiment with the combat stances; I’ll get into its specifics later.

Unfortunately, the mission goes sideways, with Cal and new companion Bode Akuna, coming out as the only survivors. That loss is compounded by the awakening that despite all his efforts, the Empire has only gotten stronger, expanding its reach to the farthest ends of the galaxy. Even with such basic blockbuster Star Wars writing, actor Cameron Monaghan does a phenomenal job of expressing tonal shifts and the guilt that comes with dragging his comrades along for a suicide mission. As a character, Cal is a lot more reserved now, constantly mulling over whether he made the right choice in trusting the Force to lead future generations of Jedi. He’s basically a dashing cowboy starring in an intergalactic spaghetti Western, grabbing onto his belt buckle with a cold snare or grin, as he cautiously approaches dangers.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, The Biggest Games Releasing in May

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Koboh is a massive, rocky field with tons to explore, sidequests, and collectibles
Photo Credit: Screenshot/ Rahul Chettiyar

The ship gets damaged in the escape from Coruscant, urging Cal to crash-land onto the rocky planet Koboh — a large playing field with lots to explore, sidequests, and collectibles to track down. This desert canyon also serves as our base, where we’ll be gossipping with both old and new friends, resting up before further travel, and slowly renovating Pyloon’s Saloon. It’s a home away from home, so to speak. I also noticed that the general performance of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor improved by heaps, the second I stepped onto this new biome. This is odd, given how open and lively the environment is. In comparison, the closed-off and less chaotic confines of Coruscant and even the interiors of our Mantis ship were loaded with heavy stutters.

Stepping into the saloon, we’re reunited with our bearded old friend Greez Dritus, who scurries up and embraces Cal like a loving grandfather. “Lemme look at’cha,” he says while caressing Cal’s face with a big smile. “Ya look terrible.” It’s a small but beautifully written wholesome moment between the two, with Greez desperately coaxing Cal into staying at his cantina so he can catch up with him on lost years. He’s even been maintaining a spare room down in the basement, full of decorations and Cal’s old Scrapper outfit, highlighting how much the old geezer missed the kid. While the story often enters cliché territories, character relationships in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor are deftly handled — some of which bleed into gameplay via the new companion system. It’s a little inconsistent until you figure it out, though.

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We’re reunited with Greez Dritus in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Photo Credit: EA/ Respawn Entertainment

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor review – Gameplay

Allies like our mercenary bro Bode Akuna and returning romantic interest Merrin accompany Cal on specific story missions, aiding him in combat by drawing the enemies’ attention. Bode would fly around in his jetpack and blast foes to shreds, whereas Merrin uses teleportation to blink around the battlefield and pick off targets. These actions are completely automatic/ bot-driven, which can be a good or bad thing, depending on your challenge preference. On one hand, these companions don’t get downed or take any damage, so there’s no additional babysitting for you to do. But this also makes it so you don’t have to care about their survival at all — almost as if their lives are devalued. Occasionally, you can ask them to target a specific enemy, but that’s about it — no major stakes.

Conversations with these characters are mainly limited to smaller, scripted segments where you ride around on creatures or walk up to them and trigger dialogue during moments of calm. They’re also pretty selfish. As you traverse through any given section — most noticeable on planets Koboh and Jedha — these companions would often just disappear for long periods and return for the final combat, occasionally popping up in a cutscene for narrative purposes. This leads to a rather lonesome journey, with BD-1 still acting as your constant companion, keeping you engaged with its robotic beep-boop noises.

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Bode Akuna is our new companion, with whom we form a brotherly bond
Photo Credit: EA/ Respawn Entertainment

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor expands on combat with five stances, all of which you unlock gradually. However, you can only equip two at a given time. Since the game doesn’t really encourage you to switch between them often, you’d often end up sticking with the two safe and powerful stances and blasting your way through scores of Stormtroopers. The first three basic stances are carryovers from Fallen Order, arming Cal with the standard but reliable single-wield, the dual-wield (two lightsabers), and the double-bladed stance which is incredibly effective to dispatch large groups of enemies, thanks to its long reach. Popularised by Darth Maul in 1999’s Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace, the twin-blade can be spun around to deflect incoming projectiles, and can be upgraded for creative manoeuvres such as lunging into enemies while windmilling it. After dabbling in the base stances, I soon found myself more comfortable with the two newer ones.

First up is the Kylo Ren-inspired ‘Crossguard’ stance, in which Cal wields his lightsaber like a heavy broadsword, creating hard-hitting swings but at the cost of speed. Being a Dark Souls strength-build purist, I immediately took a liking to this high-risk high-reward method of combat, pulling enemies up close using the Force, then hammering a massive chunk of their health bar away.

Then there’s the hybrid Blaster stance, which equips Cal with a sidearm, so you can kill basic foes without having to close the distance. Feel free to pull off some wild combos or go full methodical by re-enacting a Bloodborne-like parry, where you time gunshots right as the enemy charges toward you. What I really like about this style is the limited ammunition, which can only be recharged by fast strikes of a lightsaber — encouraging you to switch between aggressive and ranged attacks. It’s like a regulated fencing match, where you dance in and out of combat in spurts, and is a lot of fun.

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The double-bladed combat stance is excellent for crowd control
Photo Credit: Screenshot/ Rahul Chettiyar

Just like the first game, Jedi: Survivor borrows heavily from the Dark Souls formula in creating a robust levelling system. Progression and killing enemies add to Cal’s overall Skill Points, which can then be exchanged at Meditation circles for various upgrades. These are Star Wars’ version of a bonfire, where one could fully heal up by resting, partake in some training, equip perks, and even fast travel to previously visited checkpoints. The level design here is quite interconnected, full of shortcuts and locked-away areas to return to, so the fast travel system really eases the backtracking process.

Among the six planets, Cal will largely spend his time exploring Koboh and Jedha — beautiful rugged plains, flush with exotic wildlife and facilities that you could scour for hours on end. The levels themselves are intricately designed puzzles that’ll have you use all the tools at Cal’s disposal, be it hurling explosive orbs to open up pathways, holding up lightsabers like glow sticks to navigate in the dark, or asking your adorable droid BD-1 to scan and open unfamiliar crates. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor also has some slice-of-life elements to play with on the central hub of Koboh, essentially functioning as a space-set Animal Crossing minigame.

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You can purchase hairstyles for Cal Kestis from the shop in Koboh
Photo Credit: Screenshot/ Rahul Chettiyar

Taking a detour from your destined path is great for tracking down NPCs who’ll agree to move into your settlement, upon completion of side quests. For lack of a better term, you’re basically collecting people who’d lend their skills to better Cal’s home base, be it the stables, a rooftop garden to grow plants, and more. None of these grant special skills or power-ups, and merely function as side activities to further immerse yourself in its beautiful universe.

Scattered throughout the world are workbenches, which you can access to swap out parts of your lightsaber and dress up your nimble BD-1 in some cool new drip. Modern AAA titles have trained our minds to associate these tables with gadget upgrades, but in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, these are completely cosmetic-focused. At first, I was confused as to why there were no stats or numbers informing me how I could improve the lightsaber to fare better in combat. But as I kept playing and collecting parts, I realised how hard Respawn was leaning into the heart of a dedicated Star Wars fan by letting them add a personal touch to their in-game lightsaber. It’s super in-depth, with different types of grips, vents, pomels, emitters, and blade colours to mess around with. It’s a risky, unconventional move from the developer, and I’m all for it.

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You can visit workbenches to customise your lightsaber
Photo Credit: Screenshot/ Rahul Chettiyar

As great as all of this sounds, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is severely unoptimised. I played this on a system packing an AMD Ryzen 7 5800x 4.25 GHz processor, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super GPU with 6GB of VRAM, 16GB RAM, and a 500GB SSD. Even after setting the game on Medium presets, the frame rate was worryingly inconsistent, to the point where it started to dampen my experience. The micro-stutters were clearly working against the 60fps cap, and the game would often freeze for a few seconds upon entering new areas. In my case, the performance got even worse in the ‘Low’ presets, dipping to 20fps in interior segments. There were no crashes though, so that’s something.

I also found it weird how Cal’s face always appeared incredibly blurry and unintelligible unless you were playing on Ultra presets. Toggling AMD’s FSR 2.0 to the ‘Quality’ setting certainly helped with that, but it was a short-lasting bliss until the performance woes slapped me back to its laggy reality.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor review – Verdict

Through intricate world-building and a layered combat system, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor proves to be a worthy successor to Respawn’s growing tale from the galaxy far, far away. While the core narrative is fairly decent, the sequel really shines when forming memorable moments with its characters and its locales that can be used as a creative playing field. The expanded world is certainly fun to explore, albeit collectible hunters might eventually face burnout with how cluttered the items are. Unfortunately, its positives are hampered by terrible performance — even with post-launch patches — making it hard for me to recommend until a few more patches roll through. Get it on sale if you’re very keen, but otherwise you might want to wait a bit.

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HTC U23 Pro Live Images Surface Online Alongside Key Specifications and Features: Report

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HTC U23 Pro Live Images Surface Online Alongside Key Specifications and Features: Report

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HTC U23 Pro could make its debut soon as the Taiwanese smartphone maker’s next smartphone. Nearly a month ago, the HTC Wildfire E2 Play was launched in Africa and now the firm is reportedly working on a new smartphone. The purported handset recently surfaced on a Taiwanese message board, giving us a sneak peek of the design of the phone as well as its key specifications. The HTC U23 Pro is tipped to be equipped with a Snapdragon 700 series SoC. Additionally, the phone is also said to pack 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage.

The purported HTC U23 Pro has been spotted on Taiwan’s PTT message board, revealing its design and key features. The phone bears the model number HTC 2QC9100. The leaked images show the phone with a plastic rear cover. The smartphone is likely to pack a quad-camera setup sitting inside a rectangular camera module along with an LED flash. It could have a power button and volume buttons on the right panel whereas the bottom of the phone is shown to have a USB Type-C charging port.

In addition to these, the listing also reveals the camera as well as display specifications of the handset. The phone will have a 108-megapixel main camera with OIS support. The phone is said to be powered by a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 SoC, paired with up to 12 GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. Other leaked details include a 4,600mAh battery, wireless charging support, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, and a 3.5mm audio port.

Last month, the HTC Wildfire E2 Play was launched in Africa in the entry-level segment. The smartphone sports a 6.82-inch HD+ (720×1,640 pixels) display with a water-drop style cutout housing the front camera. It is powered by a Unisoc T606 SoC paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of inbuilt storage.

For optics, HTC Wildfire E2 Play ships with a quad rear camera unit, led by a 48-megapixel primary sensor. There is also an 8-megapixel selfie camera. The phone features a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, and an AI-backed face unlock feature. It is also backed by a 4,600mAh battery. 

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Xiaomi Civi 3 With 12GB RAM Allegedly Spotted on Chinese Certification Site, Hints at Imminent Launch

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Xiaomi Civi 3 With 12GB RAM Allegedly Spotted on Chinese Certification Site, Hints at Imminent Launch

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Xiaomi Civi 2, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 SoC, was launched in China in September last year. Now, the smartphone brand is reportedly preparing to release a possible successor. Although Xiaomi has not yet confirmed the existence of the Xiaomi Civi 3, it has purportedly received certification from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). It is said to come with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage. The Xiaomi Civi 3 could feature a MediaTek Dimensity 8200 SoC under the hood. It is said to come with 32-megapixel dual selfie cameras.

An alleged listing on the MIIT website, spotted by tipster Digital Chat Station, shows the Xiaomi Civi 3 with model number 23046PNC9C. As per the screenshots of the listing shared on Weibo, the smartphone could get 12GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage. The online listing confirmed 5G connectivity and Andorid operating system on the Xiaomi phone. However, it doesn’t provide any further details.

Although the Xiaomi Civi 3 launch is still not confirmed by the Chinese smartphone company, the listing on the MIIT site suggests that it could be announced in the coming days.

As per a previous leak, Xiaomi Civi 3 will feature a 6.55-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate. It is said to come with a MediaTek Dimensity 8200 SoC. The handset is tipped to include a dual rear camera unit, led by a 50-megapixel Sony IMX800 primary sensor. Further, it is said to pack two 32-megapixel front-facing cameras with a 100-degree field of view.

The Xiaomi Civi 2 was launched in China in September last year with a starting price of CNY 2,399 (roughly Rs. 27,000) for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage version. The handset has not been launched in India yet.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 SoC powers the Xiaomi Civi 2. It has a 6.55-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate. A triple rear camera setup headlined by a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 main sensor, 32-megapixel dual-front camera setup, and 4,500mAh battery with support for 67W fast charging are the other key specifications of the device.

Xiaomi launched its camera focussed flagship Xiaomi 13 Ultra smartphone, while Apple opened it’s first stores in India this week. We discuss these developments, as well as other reports on smartphone-related rumours and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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