Two months after its debut, Nvidia’s Pascal architecture is slowly filling out the company’s desktop graphics card portfolio from top to bottom. First came the GeForce GTX 1080, serving up 30%+ more performance than a GeForce GTX 980 Ti for less money. Now we’re getting a third Pascal-based board in the GeForce GTX 1060. Announced earlier this month, we already know that Nvidia’s partners will have versions starting at $250. The Founders Edition implementation will sell for $300 on nvidia.com.
Specs
The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on the same Pascal microarchitecture and 16nm FinFET production process as the GTX 1080 and 1070 before it, but it’s not based on the same GP104 GPUs as its older siblings. Instead, it uses Nvidia’s new GP106 GPU, which is tuned for power efficiency.
Houses GP106 GPU
GeForce GTX 1060 is based on a brand new GPU called GP106 that exposes many of the same features as GP104, but in a more mainstream package. Don’t let that term dissuade you, though. The 1060 may be a mere 120W card, but Nvidia says it’s good for GeForce GTX 980-class frame rates. Two years ago, that level of performance sold for $550. Nvidia builds its flagship GeForce GTX 1080 using a complete GP104 processor with four Graphics Processing Clusters enabled. This yields a card with 2560 CUDA cores and 160 texture units. The GTX 1070 centers on the same GPU with three of its GPCs turned on, adding up to 1920 cores and 120 texture units.
No SLI!
Notice the lack of an SLI connector up top? Nvidia recommends a GeForce GTX 1070 or 1080 to gamers looking for more performance than a 1060 delivers (of course), and does not support SLI on the 1060. Generationally, this is the highest-end board we can recall without the technology. Sure, the GeForce GTX 750 Ti didn't have it, but the 760 did. So too did the GeForce GTX 950. Officially, Nvidia internalizes the decision. There aren't many gamers who pair up mainstream GPUs, and the company doesn't want to spread resources thin, so it's focusing on optimizing SLI on faster Pascal-based cards. Beyond that explanation, though, game development is going a different direction with post-processing and compute-oriented effects that aren't friendly to alternate-frame rendering. And with DirectX 12, more control is shifted to ISVs eager to get their content out as quickly as possible. That means much of the work Nvidia pours into its drivers is circumvented.
Benchmarks
Here is a benchmark score of 1060 done by Gamespot:
For my test bench, I’m using the same system that I used to review Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1080 and 1070 GPUs. It’s a rig with an Intel Core i7-5930K Haswell-E CPU clocked at 3.9GHz, coupled with 16GB of DDR4 RAM clocked at 2133MHz running in quad-channel mode. Since Nvidia claims the GTX 1060 is as fast as the GeForce GTX 980 and 15 percent faster than AMD’s Radeon RX 480, I’ll be reviewing it against those two cards. I’ll also be comparing it against the GTX 1060’s more expensive siblings, the GTX 1080 and 1070, to see how it stacks up to the rest of Nvidia’s Pascal family.
Conclusion
While Nvidia is marketing the GeForce GTX 1060 as a capable graphics card to run 1080p games maxed out, it can also handle many 1440p games well. According to my numbers, the $300 graphics card runs 1.6 percent faster than the GTX 980--which is a card that you’ll still find online for roughly $100 more. While it isn’t always faster than the GTX 980, my tests do validate Nvidia’s assertions that the two cards are generally comparable.
Author : Saatvik Awasthi
Hello Mi Fans !
The New Xiaomi Mi Band 2 was
released in early June, it is the third fitness tracker from Chinese
manufacturer Xiaomi. For this new generation, this fitness tracker
introduces an LED touch screen module to display the necessary
informations. A very aggressively priced product compared to its
competitors, have we finally found the ideal fitness tracker? Find out
in this in this Xiaomi Mi Band 2 review.
Design and build quality
Like
its competitors, the Xiaomi Mi Band 2 offers a compact and minimalist
design. It consists of two parts, one being the strap and the other a
small sensor of about 3-4 cm, which is housed in the strap. The strap is
made of a silicon-type of material, but has a softer texture than other
bands of its kind. The strap latches close quite smoothly, without risk
of falling off your wrist.
Unlike
some models of FitBit, the sensor slides into the bracelet more simply.
So there’s no need to force it in. There are also no problems in
removing it for charging with the supplied cable.
At
the rear of the sensor is the heart rate monitor, as we also saw in the
Mi Band Pulse. The two pin connectors are used to charge the Mi Band 2
via a USB port.
On
the wrist, the Mi Band 2 is a discreet and comfortable device to carry.
It’s less bulky than some of its competitors and I personally find it
more elegant than the FitBit Flex, which costs about the same.
The
Mi Band 2 is also waterproof up to one meter and dust resistant, thanks
to its IP67 certification. However, it’s not somehow not recommended to
wear during swimming sessions.
Display
The
main difference between the Mi Band 2 and previous generations (Mi Band
and Mi Band Pulse) is that it has a display on the activity sensor.
While the Mi Band simply displayed information on its aluminum surface
using three LED lights, the Mi Band 2 has an OLED touch screen of 0.42
inchs (about 1 cm). Contrary to what some may think, the screen is not
curved, but rather flat.
You can view various types of information on this screen,such as time; number of steps; distance traveled; calories burned; cardiac activity; sleep monitoring; incoming calls and notifications; remaining battery.In
everyday life, the screen is good and brightness is more than enough.
Even in bright sunlight, I didn’t find any serious issues while seeing
the screen.
Some of it's Specialities
The
Mi Band 2 offers the classic features of a fitness tracker. Besides the
traditional pedometer, the bracelet can monitor your sleep to help you
relax. It can also wake you up gently at the time you want with a gentle
vibration.
Like
the Mi Band Pulse, the Mi Band 2 has a heart rate sensor, but it’s not
always consistent. The readings are not always reliable, even though the
pulse readings are collected so close to the sensor. If you are looking
for a highly accurate pulse reading, I’d suggest considering fitness
trackers with more advanced heart rate monitors.Finally,
it’s important to note the unlocking feature for smartphones running
Android 5.0 Lollipop with a Xiaomi smartphone. With this combination,
you do not need to use a PIN code to unlock the device when you wear the
Mi Band 2.
Software
The Mi Band 2 works with iOS (iPhone 5 and later) and Android (from android 4.4 and above) using Bluetooth 4.0,
requires the Mi Fit app to function. Pairing between the band and the
smartphone is quite simple. However, you should create a Mi account
beforehand and fill in details about your weight, height and other
details. Moreover, the Mi Band is compatible with Google Fit and Apple
Health applications.
Once all
the parameters are set, the Mi Band 2 tracks your steps, heart rate
activity, monitors your sleep and displays your calories burned. The Mi
Fit app is easy to use and tracks your progress effectively. However,
it’s unfortunate that no sport activity can be monitored – just the
basics.The app sorts the information according to whether it’s day or
night and constantly provides real-time data. The synchronization
between the band and the app is done without problems, accurately
recording your data.
Battery
The
Mi Band 2 has a reliable 70 mAh battery with a Xiaomi-claimed standby
time of 20 days, which is slightly less than that of the first
generations of the Mi Band, with around 30 days of standby time.
However, in practice, it’s enough. After 10 days of testing (and with
the battery initially charged to only 80 percent), and with
notifications for calls, the battery level was down to 18 percent. This
is respectable performance, with 20 days of battery life perfectly
conceivable.
As
for charging, it’s rather slow since it takes a good three hours via a
computer. But, in general, the battery charges relatively quickly in the
Mi Band 2.
Final verdict
Like
the first generation, the Mi Band 2 is a compelling offering from
Xiaomi. Positioned in a highly competitive market comprising both
high-end trackers of up to $150, along with the more affordable devices
down to to $50 – the Mi Band 2 is a great choice.
While
the sensor is not the best on the market, this connected tracker costs
less than $30 yet offers more or less the same functionality and the
same performance as more expensive fitness trackers.
Its
design, performance and long battery should be enough to convince even
the most reluctant to opt for the Mi Band 2. While the Mi Fit app is
still imperfect and the heart rate sensor acts up sometimes, most of the
functionality you’d expect from a fitness tracker is available right
here.Author : Anushk Keshri RastogiSource 1
Making a splash in the increasingly-homogenized smartphone industry often involves breaking away from the norm, and upstart OnePlus did just this back in 2014 with the launch of their first smartphone, the OnePlus One. Fast forward a year and the OnePlus 2 and OnePlus X somewhat failed to excite consumers as much as the first two handsets did – mainly due to some very questionable product-related questions – so the company has been forced to revisit the drawing board somewhat with the OnePlus 3. Is the third time really the charm for OnePlus, and can the OnePlus 3 prove itself to its biggest critics? Or is it more of the same with the OnePlus 3 ticking some boxes but failing to tick others? Let’s find out in this, our in-depth OnePlus 3 review.
Quick Specs:
5.5" 1080p AMOLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC, 6GB RAM, 64GB storage, 16MP rear camera with OIS and PDAF, 8MP front camera, Android Marshmallow v6.0.1-based Oxygen OS, Front fingerprint sensor, 3000mAh battery with Quick Charge (Dash Charge), Metal Unibody design, Dual SIM 4G, Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection, NFC-enabled, USB Type C, weighs 158g, measure 7.35mm in thickness, Notification LED.
The third coming of the flagship killer is upon us, and the OnePlus 3 has a lot going for it. While the OnePlus One set a solid benchmark in terms of what we can expect from a flagship killer, the OnePlus 2 was a rather incremental upgrade that rolled in all the essential updates in terms of hardware and software without taking any big risks. With the OnePlus 3, the company has managed to preserve the essence of a OnePlus smartphone, while taking a different approach on the design front. The biggest change, however, is the fact that OnePlus is doing away with the invite system. You will be able to buy the OnePlus 3 directly via Amazon India, the exclusive online retailer for OnePlus 3 in India (for now). So, has OnePlus done enough to stand tall and win the flagship skirmish? Read our in-depth review of the OnePlus 3 below to get all the answers!
Build and Design:
Metal all way, the OnePlus 3 has gone all metal, and reeks of the quality and class that one expects from a flagship smartphone. At 158g, the OnePlus 3 is slimmer and lighter than ever before, with an Aluminium alloy-based unibody build that gently curves towards the edges for a comfortable grip. The design elements do remind us of HTC's previous generation flagship smartphones, but it doesn’t take anything away from the fact that the OnePlus 3 is an extremely good-looking smartphone. The front is flanked by edge-to-edge glass with the fingerprint sensor at the bottom center, which boasts of ceramic finish. The display, however, isn’t seamlessly fused along the curve and into the body, with its edge being slightly protruded, which sort of shaves away the benefits of a 2.5D curved screen that is used on the device. Moving on to the bezels, the OnePlus 3 has minimal side bezels and that certainly adds to the aesthetics of the device. Overall, the design of the OnePlus 3 is tasteful, classy and very premium. But, it isn’t groundbreaking or unique, and it won’t attract second looks or beg for your attention. If ever that happens, it would be high on your list of must-haves.
Display:
AMOLED displays are great when it comes to power efficiency, black levels and contrast. But, they aren't the most accurate displays in the business, and are often plagued with oversaturation and colour cast issues. Thankfully, the 1080p, 5.5-inch AMOLED display on the OnePlus 3 is not your typical AMOLED. In many ways, the Optic AMOLED display (as OnePlus calls it) is closer to an IPS display rather than an AMOLED display. As a result, you get fairly balanced colours, minimal oversaturation (yeah, it's still an AMOLED) and exceptional viewing angles. All this, with the added advantage of power efficiency and superior contrast levels makes it a smart choice for a flagship smartphone that runs on a modest, 3000mAh battery pack (more on that later). The display is quite bright and offers good visibility under bright daylight conditions, although it isn't as good in terms of outdoor visibility as the Apple iPhone 6s, which leads the segment. The display on the OnePlus 3 is slightly on the warmer side, and that's where the 'Color Balance' slider in display settings comes good, allowing you to tweak the overall colour tones to your preference. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4, and comes pre-installed with a high quality screen protector to protect it from scratches.
Performance:
In many ways, the core processing engine of the OnePlus 3 is what Android enthusiasts dream of: Performance on tap, with copious amounts of RAM and a slick stock Android UI with no sign of bloatware. Running on a full-blown Snapdragon 820 SoC, the OnePlus 3 literally flies through any task you throw at it. Those six gigabytes of DDR4 RAM on the device ensures you never really worry about memory utilisation. And, it gives you enough bragging rights to look down upon an iPhone 6s user, who has to manage his life with just two gigabytes of RAM. On a serious note, 6GB of RAM at this point is an overkill; it is nice to have as a specification, but not something that you can put to use right away. It's almost like an expensive insurance policy that just covers you from illnesses that aren't yet known to impact humans. But hey, it's comprehensive!
Coming back to performance, the benchmarks below are very much indicative of the real world performance that the OnePlus 3 is capable of. The 1080p screen chosen for the OnePlus 3 over a pixel-dense 2K display goes a long way in providing that additional headroom for the SoC to flex its muscles, when you put the pedal to the metal. Speaking of SoCs, unlike the previous generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 SoC that gave us enough opportunities to narrate those eventful heating and throttling incidences, the Snapdragon 820 offers everything that a flagship Android smartphone could possibly ask for. It is fast, efficient, consistent and cool. On the OnePlus 3, it is no different, and the device only gets noticeably warmer under heavy loads, and when the surrounding temperature nears the 40-degree Celsius mark. Having said that, in a bid to dissipate heat rapidly, the all-metal body on the OnePlus 3 does get warm fairly quickly. The OnePlus 3 cleared our favourite torture test for flagship smartphones with surprising ease - 40 minutes of heavy gaming followed by a 10-minute 4K video clip capture didn't set the alarm bells ringing for the OnePlus 3.
Battery Life:
The 3000mAh battery inside the OnePlus 3 is the least in terms of capacity of all the three OnePlus flaship devices till date. And, no amount of wizardry can possibly make the OnePlus 3 shine in the battery life department. On regular to moderate usage, the OnePlus 3 will last you a day. Heavy users will have to resort to a quick midday charge to keep things going. What really saves the day for the OnePlus 3 is its super fast, efficient charging powers. OnePlus 3 uses ''Dash" charging technology that claims to fill up 60 percent of its 3000mAh battery in just 30 minutes. And, the claim is spot on (almost). We were able to go from 1 percent to 60 percent in 30.23 minutes. The Dash charger, however, is proprietary, and the OnePlus 3 won't exhibit such break-neck charging speeds with regular fast chargers. All said, the OnePlus 3 is an average performer on the battery life front, with the uber fast Dash charging technique helping the OnePlus 3 in recovering some ground.
Camera:
The OnePlus 3 uses a 16MP Sony IMX298 sensor with phase detecttion AF and OIS (optical image stabilization). The camera puts up an impressive show during the day time, capturing plenty of details with accurate focus. It is incredibly responsive as well, as long as there is enough light for the sensor to lock focus. With the f/2.0 aperture-based lens, the imaging system on the OnePlus 3 doesn't knock on the doors of the best flagship smartphone cameras from the likes of Samsung and LG, especially when it comes to low-light shooting. The OnePlus 3 tries to offset the slight weakness in the hardware department with clever software optimisation and algorithm tweaks. And, for the most part, it does pay off handsomely. The 'HD' mode, for instance, is a handy mode that enhances the level of detail and sharpness on images, and we found ourselves using the HD mode regularly to avoid the slightly soft images that the camera produces on default settings. The Manual mode is another great option to get your hands dirty, with the ISO, shutter speed and exposure levels at your disposal, and you can practically work around some of the weaknesses of the camera by using the Manual mode. One word of advice: Whatever you do, do not set the shutter speed below 1/50 second, when in hand-held mode. Choose to do otherwise, and you will end up with a blurry shot. In a bid to avoid excessive noise, the camera tends to use slower shutter speeds to keep the ISO levels low. The built-in OIS somehow doesn't seem to make a huge difference in allowing shutter speeds to stay at an optimum level. Coming back to the Auto mode, the OnePlus 3 uses noise management (read: reduction) to make photos appear more pleasant on the screen, and that is where the 'HD' mode that we mentioned earlier comes to rescue, by lowering the noise reduction algorithm and preserving more detail.
Front Camera:
Review under process, unsurprisingly we ignored testing the selfie camera. Apologies for the clear oversight on our part, we understand the importance of the front camera. We also clearly need a reviewer with narcissist tendencies.
Verdict:
The OnePlus 3 truly delivers a flagship Android smartphone experience at an extremely competitive price point. While it does have a few shortcomings in comparison to flagship smartphones priced twice or even higher, the OnePlus 3 gives you enough reasons to ignore its weaknesses and take advantage of the fact that it scores high on important aspects like performance, design and user interface.
Author : Saatvik Awasthi
Gaming laptops come in all shapes and sizes these days. The ASUS ROG G752VY for example, looks like an absolute beast. In terms of both performance and design, the G752VY really brings its A-game. The laptop has an Armor Titanium and Plasma Copper colour scheme and a 17.3” display. Despite cutting an imposing figure, the G752VY is also a rather impractical choice if you’re one of those people who expect portability from a laptop, given that it weighs over 4kg.
Product Summary:
Asus ROG G752VY is a stylish and powerful gaming laptop that comes with a revolutionary design finished in a new Armor Titanium and Plasma Copper color scheme. It runs Windows 10 Home OS and is powered by latest 6th generation Intel Core i7 6820HK processor having a clock speed of 2.7 GHz coupled with 16GB DDR4 RAM at the speed of 2133 Mhz that is expandable upto 64GB. All the above features ensure that you breeze through all your tasks throughout the day. It is equipped with Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M dedicated GPU which delivers great gaming performance. Ample storage is available with 1 TB 7200rpm SATA hard drive and 512 GB SSD. It comes with a 17.3 inch Full HD Auto IPS LED Backlit Anti Glare Display with 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution, so the picture quality is crisp and detailed.
Asus ROG G752VY sports a HD webcam with dual digital microphone, 2 in 1 memory card reader and Blu ray DVD combo drive. A Touchpad with Multi-touch Gestures Support and Backlit anti-ghosting keyboard are available as input devices. Anti-ghosting keys ensure your commands are instantaneously and correctly interpreted, even if you hit up to 30 keys simultaneously. The connectivity options available are WiFi, Bluetooth v4.1, Four USB 3.0 slots, 1 x COMBO audio jack, 1 x USB 3.1 Type C Port, 1 x HDMI Port, 1 x Mini Display Port and 1 x Thunderbolt Port.
Asus ROG G752VY is backed up by a powerful 8 cell 6000 mAh lithium ion battery and incorporates 2 speakers, Built in subwoofer and ASUS SonicMaster Technology that gives you immersive gaming audio. The device features the ROG-exclusive 3D mobile Vapor Chamber that together with the copper heat pipe creates an effective and efficient cooling system that helps improve GPU performance by up to 6 percent for smooth and stable gaming. It has a unique thermal design that directs dust into a dust-release tunnel to keep it away from internal components thereby prolonging component lifespan and enhancing overall stability of the laptop.
Verdict:
Thanks to it’s processor and graphics card, this beast is likely to last you around 3 years without any issue. Though if you do shell out more and get a desktop you’re likely to get better longevity due to better upgrade options. While the ROG G752VY is a breathtaking powerhouse, it would make for an practical choice for most average gamers. For the select few for whom it would make sense, it’s the perfect choice because this is a pretty good machine.
Author : Saatvik Awasthi
