MSI revamps its gaming laptop lineup with NVIDIA RTX 30-series GPU and Wi-Fi 6

We are not quite done with new laptop announcements yet, as MSI is bringing its entire updated portfolio of gaming notebooks to CES 2021. While the new lineup continues to be powered by the 10th-gen Intel H-series processors, the Stealth 15M is the only model that will make use of Intel’s new 11th-gen H35 gaming CPU. MSI is however updating all of its gaming notebooks with the latest NVIDIA RTX 30-series mobile GPUs alongside Wi-Fi 6e for faster and more stable connectivity.

MSI Raider

Taking charge of the MSI Raider lineup is the GE76 Raider that features a 17.3-inch display that can be configured in FHD (1920 x 1080 pixels) 240Hz or 300Hz refresh rate or a UHD (3840 x 2160 pixel) resolution at standard 60Hz. The notebook can be configured with up to a 10th-gen Intel Core i9 processor, and for graphics, NVIDIA’s new GeForce RTX 3080 GPU with 16GB GDDR6 memory. The notebook also supports DDR4 3200Mhz RAM which can be configured to up to 64GB, while storage options include two M.2 SSD slots with support for NVMe PCIe Gen3. There is a backlit keyboard with per-key RGB illumination, Killer Wi-Fi 6E with Bluetooth v5.2, and a massive 99.9Whr battery. There is a wide range of port selection including RJ45 ethernet, an SD (XC/HC) card reader, HDMI, Mini-DisplayPort, 2x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen1, USB Type-A 3.2 Gen2, USB Type-C (3.2 Gen2 and DisplayPort), USB Type-C 3.2 Gen2x2 and a 3.5mm headphone and mic combo jack. The same set of specifications will also be available on the GE66 Raider, which is a 15.6-inch variant.

MSI has also launched the GE76 ‘Tiamat’ Dragon Edition that includes the same hardware as the regular GE76 but with a premium chassis design. The entire laptop is covered in an etched pattern inspired by Babylonian mythology, with a focus on the company’s dragon logo. The special edition notebook also comes with a lot of RGB lighting and a SteelSeries keyboard with a 17.3-inch 300Hz refresh rate display.

MSI Stealth

Next is the Stealth series that includes the GS66 featuring a 15.6-inch display available with FHD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution at 300Hz refresh rate or UHD (3840 x 2160 pixel) resolution at standard 60Hz refresh rate. This notebook also comes with up to a 10th-gen Intel Core i9 processor, and NVIDIA’s new GeForce RTX 3080 GPU with 16GB GDDR6 memory. You get the same RAM and storage options as the GE76 and GE66 along with a backlit per-key RGB keyboard.

The notebook also comes with a healthy set of I/O ports include a USB Type-C (3.2 Gen2 / DisplayPort / Thunderbolt 3) with PD charging, a USB Type-C 3.2 Gen2, 3x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen2, an RJ45, an HDMI port along with a standard 3.5mm headphone and mic combo jack. The GS66 also comes with the large 99.9Whr battery with a 230W adapter.

The only notebook featuring the new Intel Core i7-11375H Special Edition Tiger Lake-H35 CPU, the Stealth 15M targets users who are looking for a lightweight machine. This laptop will arrive with a 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution panel with a 144Hz refresh rate. Users will be able to configure it with up to 64GB of DDR4 memory and a single M.2 SSD slot with support for NVMe PCIe Gen3. Since the notebook comes with the new Intel processor, there is also r a Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 port along with two standard USB Type-A 3.2 Gen1 ports, a USB Type-C (3.2 Gen2 with DisplayPort), a Micro SD card slot, HDMI and 3.5mm headphone and mic combo jack. The notebook will also come with Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, RGB backlit keyboard and a 52Whr battery with a 150W adapter.

MSI Leopard

Next is the GP Leopard series featuring the GP76 and GP66. Just like the Raider series these come with similar hardware features except that the GP76 is a 17.3-inch model while the GP66 features a 15.6-inch display, both available in FHD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution at 144Hz refresh rate. The new GP Leopard series will be available with Intel’s 10th-gen Core i7 processor, with the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30-series mobile GPUs available from the RTX 3060 to the RTX 3080. These also come with support for DDR4 3200Mhz RAM which can be configured to up to 64GB, and storage options of two M.2 SSD slots with support for NVMe PCIe Gen3. Connectivity and I/O options include Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, USB Type-C (3.2 Gen2 with DisplayPort), 3x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen1, HDMI, RJ45 and a 3.5mm headphone and mic combo jack. As for battery, both GP76 and GP66 feature 65Whr batteries with 230W adapter as standard, anda 280W charger if opting for the RTX 3080 GPU on the larger GP76 model.

MSI Thin

Lastly, there is the GF Thin series, which is the entry-level gaming notebook options from MSI. This series is also available in 17.3-inch (GF75) and 15.6-inch (GF65) display options. The GF75 is available with a FHD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution at 144Hz refresh rate while the smaller version is available with FHD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution at 144Hz or standard 60Hz refresh rates. Rest of the hardware features are pretty much the same including the option of a 10th-gen Intel Core i7 processor, up to 64GB of DDR4 3200Mhz RAM and a dual-storage option of M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen 3 SSD with a SATA HDD. Connectivity and I/O options include Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, USB Type-C (3.2 Gen1), 3x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen1, HDMI, RJ45 and dedicated mic and headphone jacks.

Pricing and Availability

Model	Price	Availability
MSI GE76/GE66 Raider	Starting $2,199/$1,499	February 2021
MSI GE 76 Raider Dragon Edition	NA	February 2021
MSI GS66/15M Stealth	NA /$1,499	March 2021
MSI GP76/GP66 Leopard	Starting at $1,799 /$2,299	February 2021
MSI GF75/GF65 Thin	NA	NA

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Google Play cracks down on predatory personal loan apps in India

Although Google has a strict set of guidelines for personal loan apps on the Play Store, the app store is chock full of shady money lending apps that prey on unwitting users. Most of these apps not only violate local lending laws, but they also go to extreme lengths to recover their money. In response to a string of reports from both users and government agencies, Google has now finally taken down some offending apps from the Play Store in India.

According to a recent blog post from the company, the Google Play Developer Policy requires personal loan apps to clearly disclose key information such as the minimum and maximum periods of repayment, the maximum Annual Percentage Rate, and a representative example of the total loan costs. However, quite a few personal loan apps on the Play Store aren’t transparent about this information. On top of that, some offending apps provide misleading information in an attempt to trap users in absurd loan agreements.

Based on the aforementioned reports, Google has identified several apps that violate its user safety policies, local laws, and regulations. The company has already taken down apps that violate its policies, and it has notified the developers of the remaining apps to “demonstrate that they comply with applicable local laws and regulations.” In case the developers fail to do so, their apps will be removed from the Play Store without any further notice.

While Google hasn’t named any of the offending apps, a report from TechCrunch mentions apps like 10MinuteLoan and Ex-Money. These apps offer small-ticket loans for short tenures and charge absurdly high processing fees. If borrowers cannot repay their debt in the stipulated time, collection agents from such apps harass them until the amount is repaid. To prevent such predatory tactics, Google has now said that the Play Store will only host apps that give borrowers at least 60 days of time to repay their loans.

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Realme Link app confirms the Realme Watch 2 and 2 Pro

After launching the Realme Watch S and Watch S Pro (review) late last year, Realme is now gearing up to launch the second-gen versions of the original Realme Watch. Evidence pointing towards the successors was recently spotted in a teardown of the Realme Link app, which has revealed the marketing name for the upcoming products — Realme Watch 2 and Realme Watch 2 Pro.

The new strings were first spotted by Twitter user @the_tech_guy, who shared the following screenshot:

As you can see, the strings clearly mention the names of the two upcoming smartwatches. However, they reveal no further information about the Realme Watch 2 or the Watch 2 Pro. If the upcoming smartwatches are direct successors of the first-gen Realme Watch, we expect them to be souped-up fitness trackers with large displays and cheap price tags. They might feature a refreshed design and some minor hardware upgrades, and the new “Pro” variant could be a slightly more premium version with an AMOLED display instead of an LCD panel. But we can’t be sure of any of these changes at the moment.

For the unaware, the original Realme Watch featured a 1.4-inch LCD panel with a resolution of 320 x 320 pixels and a max brightness of 380 nits. It included support for a wide range of fitness tracking features, like continuous heart rate monitoring, SpO2 monitoring, 14 sports modes, activity tracking, and more. The budget-friendly smartwatch also offered a bunch of additional features like notification previews, camera shutter control, a bunch of custom watch faces, and music playback controls. The watch was launched for ₹3,999 in the Indian market, and the upcoming Realme Watch 2 and Watch 2 Pro may be priced similarly.

We expect to learn more about the upcoming Realme Watch 2 and Watch 2 Pro in the coming weeks. We’ll update this post as soon as more information pops up.

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Featured image: Realme Watch

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This could be our first look at Microsoft’s Windows 10X for single screen PCs

Windows 10X, a special version of Windows 10, was originally designed for foldable PCs like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold. However, because of COVID-19 dramatically increasing demand for traditional laptops and PCs, Windows shifted its focus to bringing Windows 10X to single screen PCs. Thanks to a new leak, we may have our first look at what that will look like.

Windows Central’s Zac Bowden on Wednesday shared a screenshot of what’s claimed to be Windows 10X for single-screen PCs. The image appears to show the software’s Start Menu and a center-aligned taskbar with large icons that look very touch-friendly. The taskbar also features shortcuts for Microsoft Edge, Files, Outlook, and spaces.

Here's your first look at Windows 10X for single-screen PCs. I should hopefully have more to share very soon pic.twitter.com/irkbMC5w5n

— Zac Bowden (@zacbowden) January 13, 2021

Meanwhile, the Start Menu includes all kinds of shortcuts, from helpful productivity tools to services like Microsoft Teams, Skype, and Spotify. The latter of which is not a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app, so it could be a Progressive Web App (PWA) that was pinned. Apparently, the Start Menu won’t support folders, but it will show apps and websites, according to the screenshot.

Windows 10X | Build 20279.1002 pic.twitter.com/hrQmWm4Sz4

— Aggiornamenti Lumia (@ALumia_Italia) January 13, 2021

In addition to the image shared by Bowden, Alumia Italia shared what is allegedly Windows 10X’s startup animation. The animation apparently comes from Windows 10X | Build 20279.1002. More leaks are being promised, so we could soon have a much better idea of what Windows 10X will look like on single-screen PCs.

The arrival of Windows 10X could shakeup business and education circles, offering access to Microsoft’s most well-known services while featuring things like instant-on and access to UWP apps and PWAs. The first devices equipped with Windows 10X will reportedly arrive in spring 2021, so it may not be much longer before we see the software running in full.

For now, we’ll keep our eyes peeled for whatever leaks are sure to come in the coming days and weeks.

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Watch Samsung Unpacked for the Galaxy S21 Launch here!

The Samsung Galaxy S21 series will be one of the contenders for the best conventional Android flagships of the year, and we’re really excited to witness what Samsung has in store for customers and fans around the world. We’ve taken a trip down memory lane with a revisit of the Galaxy S through Galaxy S20, and now it’s time to look forward to Samsung Unpacked for 2021. Here’s where you can watch it.

What time is Samsung Galaxy Unpacked?

The Galaxy Unpacked event will take place on Thursday, January 14th, 2020. Here’s the kick-off time in your region:

• West Coast: 7:00 am Pacific
• East Coast: 10:00 am Eastern
• UK: 3:00 pm British Standard Time
• India: 8:00 pm Indian Standard Time
• China: 10:30 pm China Standard Time

The event will be live-streamed on Samsung’s website, Samsung’s YouTube channel, and their social media handles across Twitter and Facebook. We’ll also embed a feed in this post once that goes live. For the first time ever, the event will also be live-streamed through Twitch, TikTok, and Reddit as well, so you can comfortably watch on your platform of choice.

In case you don’t wish to miss the live stream, you can also set a reminder on the company’s website and you’ll be notified when the live stream goes online.

Samsung Galaxy India Unpacked

India gets a special mention from Samsung with its own India Unpacked live stream, streaming alongside the global Galaxy Unpacked. This event will be live-streamed at the same time on Samsung India’s YouTube channel, Samsung India’s social media handles, Samsung.com, and Samsung Newsroom India.

In addition to the usual details flowing in from the global event, the Indian event is expected to have an appearance by several Indian YouTubers and influencers, as well as the Indian pricing and availability details.

Further, Samsung is also giving away 21 Galaxy S21 series smartphones to users who answer simple questions posed during the Indian event. So if you are tuning in from India, it might make sense to tune into the Indian stream.

What can we expect at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked?

As mentioned earlier, Samsung is expected to unveil the Samsung Galaxy S21 series, including the Galaxy S21, the Galaxy S21 Plus, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Further, we can also expect the company to launch the new Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro. We’re also expecting a relaunch of last year’s Galaxy Watch Active 2 in Rose Gold, matching the hero color on this year’s flagship smartphones. Samsung could also probably announce a few new wireless chargers, though we wouldn’t be surprised if these were scheduled for release later down the line.

Don’t forget, you can already save $50 off accessories for the next Galaxy with pre-registrations

Samsung has opened pre-order reservations for the Galaxy S21 series ahead of the official announcement. If you want to be one of the first people in the region to get your hands on the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus, or Galaxy S21 Ultra, you can now register for a pre-order notification in the Samsung Shop app. You also get $50 in accessory credit when you reserve your pre-order. The ‘reserve’ wording may be a little confusing, but you don’t need to put any money down to make the reservation, nor are you even required to pre-order a Galaxy S21 when pre-orders do go live.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Reservation

Reserve your pre-order for the upcoming Galaxy S21 line of smartphones and save! A free and straightforward e-mail sign-up lets you save $50 on accessories on your new device.

Reserve at Samsung

Once you’ve registered, Samsung will notify you as soon as the devices are available for pre-order. All users who pre-order a Galaxy S21 series device via the app will receive $60 (vs. $50 through the website) in instant credits towards accessories for their new device.

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Are you tuning in to watch Galaxy Unpacked Live?

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These are the WiFi 6e routers announced at CES 2021

WiFi 6e has been one of the big talking points of this year’s CES. For the uninitiated, Wifi 6e marks a change in wireless networking that we’ve only seen once before: the use of a whole new band — 6GHz on top of 5GHz and the old faithful (but ridiculously congested) 2.4GHz.

If you’re thinking “I thought we had that already”, don’t be fooled — Wifi 6 has been around for a while now, and although it uses the same technology, only Wifi 6e actually utilises the new band. It’s worth noting that many countries have yet to license this part of the spectrum, though the WiFi Alliance, which recently launched a Wifi 6e certification program, says the USA, UK, Europe, Chile, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates have already opened 6GHz, with many other countries in the process of clearing it for use.

It’s also worth remembering that although Wifi 6e/6GHz has more than twice the throughput of 5GHz, ‘the star that burns twice as bright burns half as long’ — or to put it simply — signals can’t travel as far, so you’re more likely to need mesh nodes in a larger home or business. Oh — and one more thing — if your devices aren’t WiFi 6e enabled, having a WiFi 6e router won’t make a massive difference to you, yet — but it will futureproof your network for years to come.

With all that squared away, here are the WiFi 6e routers that have been announced this week during CES 2021. Where possible we’ve included pricing and availability, but this technology is so bleeding edge, in many cases that info won’t be available yet.

Netgear

Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500

As you’d expect from a company that concentrates its efforts on networking, Netgear has wasted no time in getting in on the WiFi 6e action. Its first offering is the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 with its “Mandalorian spaceship” aesthetic. It offers a quad-core 1.8GHz processor, 5x gigabit ports, 2x USB 3.0 ports, and a bold promise of up to 10.8Gbps transfer speeds on supported devices. In total it can offer 12 streams — four on each of the three bandwidths, and the option of Netgear Armor cybersecurity developed alongside BitDefender. There’s no set date for this one beyond ‘Spring 2021’, but the pricing has been set at a not-unsubstantial $599.

There’s no news of any WiFi 6e mesh products in the popular Netgear Orbi range, but we’d expect they won’t be too far away.

TP-Link

TP-Link Deco X96

TP-Link is going all-in on WiFi 6e with routers in both its Deco mesh and stalwart Archer ranges. Starting with the Deco range, TP-Link is boasting speeds up to 7800Mbps from its Deco X96 whole-home system, which also offers a stronger backhaul which improves coverage, speed, and range. As with all the new devices, TP-Link is offering its newly launched HomeShield service, joining the trend for IoT-focused whole-network security products. The Deco X76 Plus isn’t quite as speedy, offering 5400Mbps speeds, but that ‘Plus’ refers to its onboard smart home hub, which supports a range of products from TP-Link and third parties, as well as supporting Zigbee. As pointed out by The Verge, though, you can’t actually connect your WiFi 6E gadgets over 6GHz to either of these Deco mesh routers since they use 6GHz to communicate with each other and not client devices.

TP-Link Archer AX96

If you do want to connect your WiFi 6E device over 6GHz WiFi, then you’ll be interested in TP-Link’s upcoming non-mesh routers in the Archer range. The flagship Archer range introduces the Archer AX96, which offers the higher 7800 Mbps throughput, and supports the TP-Link OneMesh protocol. But the big-router-on-campus is the Archer AX206 which offers wifi speeds up to 10Gbps, flanked by some of the most impressive ethernet options we’ve ever seen — a 10Gbps WAN/LAN SFP+ port and a second 10Gbps WAN/LAN port. TP-Link says its combination of OFDMA and UL/DL MU-MIMO eradicates latency and allows more devices to coexist comfortably on the home network.

TP-Link is being even more cagey on pricing and availability, simply stating that they’ll be available during 2021. We’ll keep you updated.

Linksys

Linksys AXE8400

Linksys has launched the AXE8400 at CES, a whole-home mesh system powered by the Qualcomm Networking Pro 1210 platform. It’s fully compatible with previous products in the range, though you won’t feel the benefit if you’re connected to a non-6e node. Linksys says the AXE8400 can comfortably allow more than 65 devices sharing the same bandwidth, plus the base unit offers 4x gigabit ethernet ports, and a USB 3.0 connector too. Each node is capable of covering up to 3000 square feet, though we’d venture that will drop quite significantly in real-world situations. TP-Link is committing to Spring/Summer 2021 for a US launch, with the rest of the world to follow later in the year. Pricing is set at $449.99 for a single node, $849.99 for 2, or $1199.99 for 3.

ASUS

ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000

Despite being last on this list, ASUS stakes a claim to being the first to release a WiFi 6e router in the form of the ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000. Developed in association with Skyworks, it supports speeds up to 11Gbps (the fastest on the list). It offers near-identical specs to the GT-AX11000 announced last year, but it adds access to the 6GHz spectrum. There’s a 1.8GHz quad-core processor with 4 gigabit LAN ports, a gigabit WAN port, and a 2.5Gbps multi-gig LAN/WAN port. Unlike the others, the GT-AXE11000 will be available at the end of January for $549.99, making it the only device on our list already on pre-order.

Where are the rest?

There’s a couple of notable omissions from this list. Although D-Link announced several new models at CES, they all top out at dual-band WiFi 6. We may see WiFi 6e devices from them later in the year, but this is one company that has decided not to play its hand yet. Equally, Ubiquiti has made no mention of WiFi 6e yet, though we’d expect that, too, is only a matter of time. Finally, although Xiaomi has announced a WiFi 6e router, we’ve not included it here as it doesn’t use the full benefits of WiFi 6e and is currently only available in China, (where 6GHz isn’t carved out for WiFi 6E yet anyway, weirdly).

As you can see, with so many specifications and release dates missing, WiFi 6e is still very much in its infancy. With very few devices actually capable of using the 6GHz frequency as of yet and a definite sense of “early adopter pricing” in operation, these products are not going to be of maximum benefit to most users right now. Though if you’re looking for an upgrade once they hit retail, they’re still worth considering to futureproof your network.

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Samsung Galaxy A32 5G is the company’s latest affordable 5G phone

It was just a few days ago when a leak revealed the Galaxy A32 5G. Now, the device is official, and Samsung confirmed it’ll be available beginning February 12 for €279 for the 64GB model and €299 for the 128GB model. The device comes in black, white, blue, and violet.

The low price point makes the Galaxy A32 5G one of the most affordable 5G devices on the market and fortifies Samsung’s commitment to offering devices at seemingly every imaginable price. But just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot to love. Samsung’s new device offers a sleek design, a triple-camera system, and an expansive 6.5-inch Infinity-V display.

“It all comes wrapped in a brand new soft-edge, iconic design with a minimal camera housing and seamless back that updates the Galaxy A series for the modern era,” Samsung said.

In addition, the Galaxy A32 5G offers up to 8GB of RAM, microSD card expansion, an Octa-Core processor (supposedly MediaTek’s Dimensity 720), and a 5,000mAh battery. The device also features a side-mounted fingerprint sensor—something that some people might find convenient when facial recognition is obstructed by face masks.

Ahead of today’s announcement, it was reported the Galaxy A32 5G would be available through AT&T and T-Mobile here in the U.S. However, there’s no mention of the device coming stateside yet. Instead, today’s announcement mentions imminent availability in the Samsung online shop and in German stores. The device won’t launch for another month, so perhaps we’ll learn about expanded availability before then.

If you’re uninterested in picking up an affordable 5G device, Samsung is on the verge of introducing a trio of premium devices on January 14. We know pretty much all there is about Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S21 series, along with the Galaxy Buds Pro and Galaxy SmartTag, but in case you need a refresher, you can read up on our extensive coverage.

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