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Asus Gaming V16 Review: Strong Battery, Mid-Range Performance

Asus Gaming V16 is part of a new lineup from the Taiwanese manufacturer made for those who want a decent gaming laptop on a budget. The Gaming V16 features a slim and understated design. The laptop weighs under 2kg, making it portable enough to take around in your backpack. It is equipped with the latest Intel Core CPU and a discrete Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU that is powerful enough to run most games.

The laptop has a starting price of Rs. 82,990 for the base variant, which gets the Intel Core 5 210H CPU. Meanwhile, the Intel Core 7 240H processor variant is priced at Rs. 92,990. Both variants get 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 laptop GPU with 6GB video RAM. Is the Asus Gaming V16 a good option for budget gamers? Read on to find out.

Asus Gaming V16 Design: Simple

  • Dimensions – 35.70 x 25.07 x 1.80 ~ 2.20 cm
  • Weight – 1.95kg
  • Colours – Black

Asus has kept the design of the Gaming V16 very simple. There aren’t any RGB lights or fancy logos suggesting that it’s a gaming laptop. The lid has a matte finish, is prone to fingerprints, and features an Asus logo.

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The bottom houses dual speakers

Owing to the plastic build, you’ll find that the lid and the bottom cover flex a bit, but everything is assured to be durable. According to Asus, the laptop even meets the MIL-STD 810H military standards and has passed several tests. The hinge also feels like it won’t give up on you and lets you open the lid with one hand.

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There’s a single USB Type-A 3.2 port on the right side

You’ll find a textured finish on the sides and bottom of the laptop, which keeps the fingerprints away. The bottom also houses the dual speakers, large rubber feet, and cutouts for the fan.

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The left houses most of the ports

As for connectivity, the Gaming V16 offers an HDMI 2.1 port, a USB Type-A 3.2 port, a USB Type-C 3.2, and a 3.5mm audio jack on the left side, along with a proprietary power connector. The right side of the laptop features another USB Type-A 3.2 port.

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The laptop features large exhaust ports at the back

The laptop doesn’t get a LAN port, which is something gamers may find discouraging.

Asus Gaming V16 Display: Good enough

  • Size and type – 16-inch FHD+ IPS panel
  • Refresh rate – 144Hz
  • Brightness – 300 nits

The 16-inch IPS display on the laptop offers a 16:10 aspect ratio with a 1920 x 1200p resolution. The display has an anti-glare coating and a screen-to-body ratio of 89 percent. It also offers a 144Hz refresh rate, which is excellent when gaming. The 16:10 aspect ratio is also good when working or browsing the web.

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The display gets an anti-glare coating

Brightness is alright indoors, but I’d recommend not using the laptop outdoors as the 300 nits is barely enough. The display also features muted colours, and while that’s okay for watching content and playing games, it’s not great for video or photo editing. You can improve colour reproduction slightly by choosing a different profile, which is available in the MyAsus software.

Asus Gaming V16 Keyboard, Touchpad, speakers, and webcam

  • Keyboard – Full-size keyboard with Numpad, Single colour backlight
  • Touchpad – Large size, multi-touch with smart gesture support
  • Speakers – Dual drivers with Dirac tuning
  • Webcam – 1080p FHD with privacy shutter

Asus equips the Gaming V16 with a full-sized keyboard, complete with a numeric keypad and a full-function row. The keyboard features what Asus calls a “Turbo Blue” backlight, which is both adjustable and sufficiently bright for nighttime use. While I personally liked the blue backlighting, it may not appeal to everyone. Asus should’ve at least offered the ability to change colours since most competitors do.

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The laptop gets a full-size keyboard with numpad

Additionally, the arrow keys and W, A, S, and D keys have translucent caps, allowing more of the blue light to shine through. The keyboard is nice to type on, has good spacing, and offers 1.7mm of travel.

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The large touchpad supports Smart Gestures

It’s uncommon to see a large touchpad on a gaming laptop, but I’m glad that Asus offers one with the Gaming V16. The large ErgoSense touchpad supports multi-touch gestures but also offers Smart gestures that let you adjust brightness, volume, and more. While it doesn’t have a glass coating, the surface is smooth and also features a hydrophobic coating. The clicks are fine, and so is the feedback.

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The downward-firing speakers lack bass

You get dual downward-firing speakers on the laptop, and they’re decent. The speakers don’t get very loud, and there’s very little to almost no bass. However, the sound is clear and doesn’t crack even at full volume. When gaming or watching movies, it’s better to use headphones.

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The laptop offers a privacy shutter for the webcam

The webcam on the laptop is also nothing to brag about. It’s the usual 1080p camera found in most Windows laptops and does the job. The image is grainy in most lighting conditions. Asus offers a physical privacy shutter, which is nice.

Asus Gaming V16 Software: Basic

  • OS – Windows 11 Home
  • Additional software – MyAsus, ScreenXpert 3.0

The laptop runs Windows 11 Home and has some Asus tools, such as MyAsus and ScreenXpert 3.0. A Copilot key is available on the keyboard, which you can use to access the AI chatbot.

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You get access to Microsoft’s Copilot chatbot on the laptop

The MyAsus app lets you customise the laptop to your liking. You can check for hardware problems, troubleshoot, check battery health, change performance/fan profiles, and adjust the display colour. Unfortunately, there are no AI tools such as Microsoft Studio Effects.

Asus Gaming V16 Performance: Mid-range

  • CPU – Up to Intel Core 7 240H
  • RAM – 16GB DDR5
  • Storage – 512 GB PCIe 4.0 SSD storage
  • GPU – Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 6GB VRAM (70W TDP)

Coming to the performance, the Gaming V16 unit we got for review was equipped with the Intel Core 5 210H processor. There’s also a variant with the Intel Core 7 240H chipset. However, the RAM and storage are capped at 16GB of DDR5 and 512GB PCIe 4.0. They’re both expandable, though and while 16GB RAM is good enough to run most tasks, it’s best to upgrade the storage as 512GB will run out in no time if you like to install and play a lot of games.

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The GeForce RTX 4050 GPU has a max TDP of 70W

The laptop performs well without much lag when used regularly. However, I did notice some hiccups when running benchmark tools. Talking about benchmarks, I ran a couple of them and below are the results.

Benchmarks Asus Gaming V16
Geekbench Single 2,413
Geekbench Multi 9,349
PCMark 10 6,801
Geekbench AI CPU (ONNX) 3,631 (Quantized)
Geekbench AI DirectML (ONNX) 9,618 (Quantized)
3DMark Steel Nomad 1,557
3DMark Time Spy 7,445

The Asus Gaming V16 performed quite well in the benchmarks, especially when it comes to GPU scores. The GeForce RTX 4050 GPU on the laptop is topped at 70W TDP, which is not the most amount of power, which shows in demanding games. I played the new Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on the laptop, and even with DLSS enabled and graphics set to low/medium, the game only delivered about 30 to 40 fps. However, less demanding titles such as Forza Horizon 4 did perform better on the laptop, delivering over 70 fps.

In terms of heat management, the laptop did a decent job. The dual fans helped to keep most of the heat away from me, but the top part of the keyboard did get hot when playing games and running benchmarks.

Asus Gaming V16 Battery: Impressive

  • Capacity – 63Wh
  • Charger – 150W AC adapter

While the performance didn’t impress, the battery life did. The Intel Core 5 210H chipset is an efficient one, and coupled with the 63Wh battery, you can expect the laptop to last anywhere between 6 to 7 hours and even longer if you just use it for web browsing. That’s not something you’d expect from a gaming laptop.

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The laptop comes with a 150W charger

Asus bundles a chunky 150W charger with the laptop that can fully charge the laptop in under 2 hours. You can also charge the laptop using the USB Type-C port, but it’s not as fast.

Asus Gaming V16 Verdict

The Asus Gaming V16 is a good buy for those venturing into the world of gaming, but not if you’re a seasoned gamer. If you’re on a budget and don’t do a lot of gaming, this might be a good option. It’s got a portable design with a decent build, a 16-inch high refresh rate display, a good keyboard, and excellent battery life. And, for those short gaming sessions between study or work, you’ve got the GeForce RTX 4050 GPU. At a starting price of Rs. 82,990, the Gaming V16 should certainly be on your list of budget gaming laptops.

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Asus TUF Gaming F16 With Intel Core 5 210H Processor, 16-Inch Display Launched in India

Asus TUF Gaming F16 has been launched in India on Wednesday. The new gaming focused laptop is equipped with the Intel Core 5 210H processor and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050A GPU. The laptop features a 16-inch display with 144Hz refresh rate. It offers up to 16GB of onboard RAM and 512GB of M.2 storage. The Asus TUF Gaming F16 boasts military-grade durability and houses a 56Wh battery.

Asus TUF Gaming F16 Price in India

The Asus TUF Gaming F16 (FX607VBR) carries a price tag of Rs. 80,990 in India. It is offered in a single Mecha Grey colourway and is up for sale through Asus Exclusive stores, Asus eShop, Amazon, and Flipkart. It will be available through other retail outlets including Reliance, Croma and Vijay Sales.

Asus TUF Gaming F16 Specifications

The Asus TUF Gaming F16 ships with Windows 11 Home and features 16-inch full-HD+ (1,200×1,920 pixels) antiglare IPS display with 16:10 aspect ratio. The display has 144Hz refresh rate, 300 nits peak brightness and 3ms response time. It runs on an octa-core Intel Core 5 210H processor alongside the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050A laptop GPU. This CPU has 12 threads and a clock speed of 4.8GHz. The new laptop packs 16GB of DDR4 RAM and 512GB of NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD storage. The RAM is expandable up to 32GB, while the storage can be expanded up to 4TB.

Asus is providing three-month free Xbox Game Pass for PC with the Asus TUF Gaming F16. It features AI-based noise-cancelling technology for filtering out background noise. It has Dolby Atmos support and Hi-Res certification for headphones. The laptop has US military grad (MIL-STD 810H) certification and is claimed to withstand extreme temperatures, humidity, and mechanical shocks.

Connectivity options on the Asus TUF Gaming F16 include Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6. The laptop includes a Backlit Chiclet Keyboard with 1-Zone RGB lighting. Ports on the laptop include a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port for DisplayPort, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, an HDMI 2.1 FRL port, an RJ45 LAN port and a 3.5mm audio jack. It boasts a 720 pixel HD camera.

Asus TUF Gaming F16 is backed by a 56Wh lithium-ion battery. The laptop comes with a 150W AC adapter that is claimed to fill the battery from zero to 50 percent in 30 minutes. It measures 354 x 251 x 22.1mm and weighs 2.20 kilograms.

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Apple Releases iOS 18.3.2, macOS 15.3.2 Updates to Fix Security Flaw That Enabled ‘Extremely Sophisticated Attack’

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Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) Processors With vPro for Commercial PCs Launched at MWC 2025

Intel unveiled its latest additions to the Core Ultra (Series 2) processor lineup at the recently concluded Mobile World Congress (MWC 2025). The chipmaker’s newest chips will power business computers, including laptops, desktops, and workstations. The new Core Ultra (Series 2) chips have Intel’s vPro branding, and the company says the Core Ultra 200V series chips can deliver up to 20 hours of battery life. The Intel Core Ultra 200V processors are also Copilot+ certified, which means that they support Microsoft’s AI features available on Windows 11.

Intel’s New vPro CPUs to Power Commercial PCs from Over 10 OEMs

At MWC 2025, Intel unveiled the Core Ultra 200U, 200H, 200HX and 200S series processors, as well as the new Intel Core Ultra 200V series processors. The chipmaker has touted the performance gains offered by these chips — for example, the Core Ultra 7 265H chip is claimed to deliver a 2.84x jump in multi-core performance (Cinebench 2024) compared with Intel’s older Core i7-1185G7 CPU that was launched in 2020.

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Intel’s latest Core Ultra processor lineup
Photo Credit: Intel

Similarly, the Core Ultra 7 265H processor delivers up to 1.42 times and 2.42 times better performance on the single-core and multi-core tests on Geekbench 6.3, respectively. Intel’s charts also show that the Core Ultra 7 265H delivers up to 15 percent better performance than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 Pro 360.

All the new chips from Intel are equipped with support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 (with Bluetooth LE Audio) connectivity and Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 5 ports. The company said it will launch the Intel Assured Supply Chain programme later this year with specific OEMs (including HP and Lenovo) that offer digital supply chain verification for individual chips.

The new Core Ultra 200V series CPUs from Intel are claimed to offer over 20 hours of battery life on supported systems. These Lunar Lake processors will power thin and light commercial laptops, as will the new Intel Core Ultra 200U (Arrow Lake) CPUs.

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Intel’s new processors will be available from over 10 OEMs
Photo Credit: Intel

More powerful commercial notebooks will be powered by Intel Core Ultra 200H and Core Ultra 200HX processors, according to Intel. Meanwhile, desktop and workstation computers will be equipped with Intel Core Ultra 200S (Arrow Lake) processors.

Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) CPUs With vPro Availability

Intel states that commercial PCs equipped with the new Core Ultra 200U, 200H, 200HX and 200S series processors will be launched by the end of March. New PCs running on Intel Core Ultra 200V series processors are available. Businesses can expect PCs from over 10 OEMs including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Microsoft’s Surface division, and Lenovo.

New commercial PCs with Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) processors featuring Intel’s Assured Supply Chain programme (with a chain of custody for each chip that can be digitally attested) are scheduled to arrive in H2 2025, according to the company.

For details of the latest launches and news from Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus, Oppo and other companies at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, visit our MWC 2025 hub.

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Lenovo Showcases Yoga Solar PC Concept With Back Contact Cell Technology at MWC 2025

Lenovo on Monday showcased new proofs of concept devices at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025 in Barcelona. Among the highlights was the Lenovo Yoga Solar PC concept, which as the name suggests, is a solar energy-powered laptop. The company has equipped it with a solar panel which has a conversion rate of 24 percent — a move geared towards bridging the gap between functionality and environmental awareness. Lenovo says this innovation reflects its vision of achieving an inherent intertwinement of innovation and renewable energy.

Lenovo’s New Yoga Solar PC Concept

Lenovo shared information about its new product showcases in a newsroom post. The company highlighted that the back cover of the Lenovo Yoga Solar PC concept laptop serves as a solar panel for capturing solar energy. It takes advantage of ‘Back Contact Cell’ technology which involves moving the mounting brackets and gridlines to the back of the solar cells for better active energy absorption. This helps the laptop to capture and convert enough sunlight in 20 minutes for an hour of video playback.

The solar panel’s current and voltage is measured by the equipped Dynamic Solar Tracking system which works in tandem with the Solar-First Energy system. As per Lenovo, this helps prioritise maximum energy-savings while ensuring system stability by adjusting the charger’s settings.

The company emphasises that the Yoga Solar PC concept can still generate power at idle even in low-light conditions. With a 15mm thickness and 1.22kg weight, Lenovo claims that this laptop is the “world’s first ultraslim” solar-powered PC.

This is the second concept showcased by the company in as many days, following the unveiling of the ThinkBook “Codename Flip” AI PC concept on March 2 at MWC 2025, one of the world’s biggest technology showcases. The aforementioned device is equipped with an 18.1-inch outward folding OLED display which can expand vertically to transition from the traditional compact 13-inch laptop form factor. The laptop comes with Workspace Split Screen functionality, which the company claims, eliminates the need of using external monitors and enables users to run multiple applications side-by-side.

For details of the latest launches and news from Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus, Oppo and other companies at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, visit our MWC 2025 hub.

Apple Confirms New MacBook Air Coming This Week; to Likely Feature an M4 Chip

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Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) With 13.4-Inch 2.5K Display, Up to Ryzen AI Max+ 395 CPU Launched

Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) was launched in global markets on Tuesday, and the 2-in-1 convertible gaming tablet is now available to purchase in China and the UAE, a month after it was unveiled at CES 2025. It is powered by up to AMD Ryzen AI Max 395 CPUs, paired with up to 128GB of RAM. Asus has also equipped the gaming tablet with a 2.5K LCD screen with a 180Hz refresh rate, and a 70Wh battery that is claimed to offer over 10 hours of battery life on a single charge.

Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) Price, Availability

Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) is priced at AED 8,999 (roughly Rs. 2,13,600) for the GZ302EA-XS96 model with a Ryzen AI Max+ 395 CPU and 32GB of RAM. The company has yet to announce pricing for other variants in the region.

In the US and China, the ROG Flow Z13 (2025) is available at $2,099 (roughly Rs. 1,83,000) and CNY 14,999 (roughly Rs. 1,80,400) for the base model with a Ryzen AI Max 390 CPU and 32GB of RAM. Two other Ryzen AI Max+ 395 variants with 32GB and 128GB of RAM are listed at $2,299/ CNY 15,999 (roughly Rs. 2,00,400/ Rs. 1,92,500) and $2,799/ CNY 17,999 (roughly Rs. 2,44,000/ Rs. 2,16,500), respectively.

Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) Specifications

The Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) sports a 13.4-inch 2.5K (2,560×1,600 pixels) IPS LCE screen with a 180Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision HDR, and 100 percent coverage of the DCI:P3 colour gamut. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and it is claimed to deliver 500nits peak brightness.

It is powered by up to 16-core AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 CPUs with built-in Radeon 8060S graphics and an AMD XDNA NPU with up to 50 TOPS. There’s a new vapour chamber that’s built using copper and stainless steel, along with dual second-generation Arc Flow Fans for improved cooling. Asus has equipped the ROG Flow Z13 (2025) with up to 128GB of LPDDR5x RAM.

You get 1TB of NVMe M.2 SSD storage on the ROG Flow Z13 (2025). There’s a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel IR camera on the front. Connectivity options on the gaming tablet include Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, a USB  3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, two USB 4 Type-C ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, a 3.5mm combo audio jack (Hi-Res certified), and a MicroSD card reader.

The company has equipped the Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) with two 2W speakers with Dolby Atmos. There’s a 4-cell 70Wh battery on the gaming tablet, and it can be charged using a 200W charger. It measures 300x204x14.9mm and weighs 1.2kg.

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India PC Shipments Surged 3.8 Percent YoY in 2024, HP Lead the Way, Acer Saw Highest Growth: IDC

PC sales in India witnessed a solid 3.8 percent year-over-year (YoY) growth in 2024, as per a report by market research firm IDC. HP grabbed the lion’s share of domestic PC shipment, while Lenovo secured the second spot followed by Dell. Acer and Asus also have featured in the top five positions. Total shipments of desktops, notebooks and workstations in India touched 14.4 million units last year. IDC opined that the growth was aided by momentum in public sector buying and accelerated demand for gaming and AI-powered PCs.

As per a report by IDC, PC shipments in India touched 14.4 million units in 2024, up 3.8 percent YoY. This includes 4.5 percent YoY growth in shipments of notebooks and 1.8 percent YoY in shipments of desktops. Workstation shipments recorded the highest growth at 10.9 percent. 

In Q4 2024 the overall market grew by 6.9 percent YoY, driven by a 9.6 percent YoY growth in the notebook category. Premium notebook shipments grew by 13.8 percent YoY in 2024. The consumer segment grew by 2.6 percent YoY in 2024, while the commercial segment grew by 5.1 percent YoY. The enterprise and government segments registered 10.6 percent YoY growth in the same period.

Top Five PC Companies

As mentioned, HP secured first place in the overall PC market in 2024 with 30.1 percent market share. While its government and enterprise segments grew by 14.7 percent and 14.3 percent respectively, its consumer segment declined by 7.5 percent YoY due to increasing competition, especially in the eTailer channel.

Lenovo, came second on the list with a 17.2 percent market share last year. The brand grew across both the consumer and commercial segments by 7 percent and 7.4 percent YoY respectively. Shipments to the enterprise segment and a consistent push through eTailers led to 7.3 percent YoY growth.

The IDC report notes that Dell came in third with a 16.1 percent market share in 2024 while Acer took fourth place with a 15.1 percent market share. As per the report, Acer’s growth is the highest among the top five vendors last year mainly driven by the eTailer push, aggressive pricing, and steep discounts. Acer grew by 48.4 percent YoY in the consumer segment.

Asus came in fifth position by grabbing a 7 percent market share by maintaining a healthy channel inventory. IDC notes that the vendor increased its footprint in the commercial segment growing by 18.4 percent YoY there in last year.

IDC Research Manager Bharath Shenoy opines that the consumer PC market has been on a growth trajectory driven by gaming and AI-powered PCs. “Since mid-2024, shipments of AI-powered notebooks increased substantially as the demand for relatively lower-end AI PCs powered by Intel Core Ultra processors and AMD Ryzen AI processors have seen a steady increase,” he said.

Navkendar Singh, Associate Vice President, of Devices Research, IDC India attributes the growth of the commercial PC market to healthy refresh order books and momentum in public sector buying. He notes that the industry is expecting replacement demand to start coming in from this year, as 2020-21 purchases reach 3-4 years in age. The weakening rupee could increase device costs and it can impact the price-sensitive SMB and consumer segments. The report predicts low single-digit growth for the India PC market in 2025.

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Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 With Up to AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 CPU Launched in India: Price, Features

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 has been upgraded with up to AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processors in India and is now available for purchase. Users can choose between 14 and 16 inch display options on the laptop, which carries a 60Wh battery. The laptop is claimed to offer military-grade durability and has pre-installed AI-backed features like Lenovo’s AI Now and Learning Zone. They are expected to help users with personal as well as professional tasks like workflow optimisation, document summarisation, text conversion and more.

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (Gen 10) Price in India, Availability 

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (Gen 10) price in India is listed at Rs. 91,990 for the 16-inch 2.8K OLED display with the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 CPU option, Lenovo representatives said.

It is offered in 14-inch and 16-inch display options and is available in Cosmic Blue, Luna Grey, and Seafoam Green colourways. The laptop is currently available for purchase in the country via the Lenovo e-store, e-commerce websites, as well as Lenovo Exclusive Stores and offline retail stores.

Customers can avail of Custom to Order (CTO) via Lenovo.com for personalised configurations, which are said to be delivered within 25 days. Buyers can enjoy Lenovo Premium Care benefits as well. 

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (Gen 10) Features

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (Gen 10) can be configured with either a 14 and 16-inch display. The 16-inch variant gets a 2.8K OLED screen, 100 percent DCI-P3 colour gamut and 500 nits brightness, while the 14-inch model has a WUXGA OLED display. Both models offer a 120Hz refresh rate.

The new IdeaPad Slim 5 laptops are powered by up to AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processors with Zen 5 cores, AMD RDNA 3.5 GPU, and XDNA 2 NPU. They are said to offer AI processing of up to 55 TOPS (trillion operations per second). 

Lenovo AI Now is said to use a local LLM based on Meta’s Llama 3 for personalised AI assistance like help with Q&A sessions, workflow optimisation, and more. Meanwhile, the Lenovo Learning Zone tool can be used to record lectures, convert texts, summarise documents and generate quizzes. These features are pre-installed in select configurations.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (Gen 10) is backed by a 60Wh battery with quick charging technology support. It is equipped with a full-HD IR camera, a ToF sensor, privacy shutter and supports AI-backed noise cancellation. The laptop is claimed to come with military-grade durability and measures 16.9mm in thickness. 

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Asus NUC 14 Essential Mini PC With Intel Core N-Series CPUs Unveiled: See Features

Asus NUC 14 Essential was launched on Tuesday, equipped with Intel Core N-series processors. It is a compact, entry-level mini PC that is claimed to offer improved performance and power efficiency over existing models, thanks to updated CPUs. The company further claims that it has been put through “bake and humidity tests,” and “exceeds industry standards” for reliability and durability. It comes with support for up to three 4K displays via HDMI and DisplayPort ports. It also supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity.

The company has yet to confirm the pricing and availability details of the Asus NUC 14 Essential. It also states that the specifications and availability will vary by region. The NUC 14 is expected to go on sale in select markets later this year.

Asus NUC 14 Essential Features, Specifications

The Asus NUC 14 Essential ships with Windows 11 64-bit, while the Kit version also supports Ubuntu 24.04 LTS 64-bit and RedHat Enterprise Linux 64-bit. It is available in the following processor options — Intel’s N150 and N250 CPU with 6W TDP, Core 3 N355 with 15W TDP as well as N97 CPU with 12W TDP. They have integrated chipsets and support for Intel Graphics, while the N97 CPU variant supports Intel UHD Graphics. The mini PC also has support for up to 16GB DDR5-4800 RAM.

Connectivity options for the Asus NUC 14 Essential mini PC include Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 and a 2.5G LAN port. For audio, it gets a Realtek ALC3251 chipset, and for security, it features a fTPM or TPM 2.0 chip. It operates using a 65W power adapter which has a DC input of 19VDC and an output of 3.42A.

The Asus NUC 14 Essential is equipped with multiple ports, including two USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C and four USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports as well as one each of DisplayPort 1.4, USB 2.0 Type-A port, HDMI 2.1 (TMDS), 3.5mm headset jack, RJ45 LAN, DC-in and Kensington Lock ports. The mini PC measures 135x115x36mm in size and weighs 480g.

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Nubia Flip 2 With MediaTek Dimensity 7300X SoC, 3-Inch Cover Screen Launched: Price, Specifications

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Qualcomm Secures Key Win in Chips Trial Against Arm

Qualcomm’s central processors are properly licensed under an agreement with Arm Holdings, a jury found in a trial in U.S. federal court that removed some, but not all, uncertainty around the mobile chipmaker’s expansion into the laptop market.

A week of courtroom arguments and deliberations ended in a mistrial after the jury failed to resolve one of three questions put before it in the trial between the two chip giants. Qualcomm said the result affirmed its right to innovate, but Arm vowed to seek a new trial.

Arm’s shares were down 1.8% in extended trading after the news, and Qualcomm’s shares were up 1.8%.

The outcome means the case could be tried again in the future — something Arm vowed to pursue in a statement following the verdict. Judge Maryellen Noreika, who presided over the case in U.S. federal court in Delaware, encouraged Arm and Qualcomm to mediate their dispute.

“I don’t think either side had a clear victory or would have had a clear victory if this case is tried again,” Noreika told the parties.

After more than nine hours of deliberations over two days, the eight-person jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on the question of whether startup Nuvia breached the terms of its license with Arm.

But the jury found that Qualcomm — which purchased Nuvia for $1.4 billion in 2021 — did not breach that license.

The jury also found that Qualcomm’s chips, created using Nuvia technology and central to Qualcomm’s push into the personal computer market, are properly licensed under its own agreement with Arm, clearing the way for Qualcomm to continue selling them.

“The jury has vindicated Qualcomm’s right to innovate and affirmed that all the Qualcomm products at issue in the case are protected by Qualcomm’s contract with Arm,” Qualcomm said in a statement.

An Arm spokesperson said the company was “disappointed” that the jury was unable to “reach consensus” about the company’s claims and said from the outset the goal has been to protect the company’s intellectual property.

For now, the outcome paves the way for Qualcomm to continue to push what it calls the “AI PC” in laptop chips that are aimed at handling tasks such as chatbots and image generators. That is a market where Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices and MediaTek are also planning to make Arm-based processors.

“My biggest worry was what happens to the future roadmap if they (Qualcomm) no longer have access to Nuvia (computing) cores,” Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon said. “At this point, that risk is a lot closer to being off the table.”

The dispute between Arm and Qualcomm centered on what royalty rate Qualcomm should pay for each chip. Nuvia was set to pay higher rates than Qualcomm before Qualcomm bought the startup firm and wove its technology into chips under its own license with Arm at lower royalty rates.

Ben Bajarin, chief executive of tech consulting firm Creative Strategies, said that Arm’s current growth projections have not depended on reaping higher rates from Qualcomm as Arm chips enter the PC market.

“They haven’t factored in, via their quarterly (earnings) calls, a win,” Bajarin said. “So none of this changes their economic upside. It’s really just a matter of contractual argument.”

However, the trial’s outcome leaves open the question of where Arm’s technology begins and ends. Arm licenses its computing architecture to firms but also sells designs for computing cores as off-the-shelf products.

Some of Arm’s more sophisticated customers, such as Apple, Qualcomm and Nuvia, license Arm’s architectures but develop their own custom cores. During the trial this week, Arm’s attorneys insisted its architecture license terms with Nuvia gave it rights to demand the destruction of Nuvia’s custom core designs.

“This does have ramifications for the entire industry,” Jim McGregor of Tirias Research said in an interview. “Whether you’re using a standard Arm core, or developing your own Arm core, it has been the rock of everything from electric toothbrushes to satellites.”

© Thomson Reuters 2024

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Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition With Intel Lunar Lake Processor Launched in India: Price, Specifications

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition was launched in India on Tuesday. The latest laptop from the Chinese company boasts the new Intel Core Ultra series 2 processor dubbed Lunar Lake. It supports artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities courtesy of a dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) and is a certified Microsoft Copilot+ PC. The laptop sports a 2.8K IPS screen, Wi-Fi 7 support, 1TB of SSD storage, and runs on Windows 11 Home edition.

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition Price in India

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition price in India starts at Rs. 1,49,990 and is offered in a single Luna Grey colourway. It is available to purchase from Lenovo.com, Lenovo Exclusive Stores, e-commerce websites, and other offline retail stores. It comes with a complimentary 2-month membership to Adobe Creative Cloud.

The company says its newest laptop is also offered as a ‘Custom to Order’ (CTO) option which enables the buyer to tailor its features such as the processor, operating system, and storage as per their requirements. This service is exclusively available via the brand website.

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition Specifications

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is equipped with a 2.8K (2880 x 1800 pixels) IPS touchscreen display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 500 nits of peak brightness. It has 100 percent DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage. The laptop gets a 1080p Full HD IR camera with E-Shutter.

The Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is powered by Intel Core Ultra Processor Series 2 (codenamed Lunar Lake), paired with 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM operating at 8533MHz, and 1TB of onboard M.2 PCIe Gen4 SSD storage. It also gets a dedicated neural processing unit (NPU), supporting up to 120 trillion operations per second (TOPS). The NPU alone offers 45 TOPS of AI performance. The laptop offers an 8-core hybrid architecture and a high-performance GPU.

You get features such as Smart Modes which dynamically adjust the performance and system settings depending on the workload. Its Attention Mode blocks distracting websites and helps users focus, while the Smart Share enables AI-driven image sharing between smartphones and laptops, supporting both Android and iOS platforms. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition comes with eye wellness and posture warnings to combat fatigue.

The laptop comes bundled with a range of AI features such as low light enhancement, virtual presenter, and background blur for video calls. There’s also a Shield Mode which is claimed to safeguard privacy with privacy alerts, privacy guard, and auto prompt VPN.

In terms of connectivity, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is equipped with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and Thunderbolt 4 ports. It packs a 4-cell 70Whr battery.