Page 312 – GadgetByte Nepal

Frontier is changing the way heart rate is recorded with its flagship smart monitor

Fitness Tracking

GadgetByte

-

June 11, 2023

Frontier is changing the way heart rate is recorded with its flagship smart monitor

Fourth Frontier is a leading health tech company that focuses on improving heart health. Its flagship device, the Frontier x2 is a smart heart monitor that captures real-time high-quality ECG readings and uses AI analysis to understand heart health. What sets it apart from regular heart monitors is the real-time vibration alerts that notify users when they exceed their limits during activities. In this article, we will be discussing its abilities, expected price in Nepal, features, and more of the Frontier X2 to understand how it can improve heart monitoring and overall health.

Frontier X2 Overview:

Health Tracking

Frontier X2 is the world’s first smart heart monitor that can capture ECG in real-time which can then be shared live or exported in a file for any other use. Other heart monitors require you to stay still for 30 seconds.

It majorly measures Heart rate, strains, and heart rate variability during any activities or when resting (including sleeping). It also records additional parameters such as breathing rate, training load, body shock, and step cadence. The device comes with an embedded AI system, that recommends users different personalized workout insights based on their daily routine. The Frontier X2 can track and analyze up to 20 different activities, including running, cycling, meditation, sleep, swimming, and more.

One standout feature of the Frontier X2 is its real-time vibration alerts. This feature helps users stay within their limits, preventing them from pushing too hard too soon. It eventually allows users to exercise confidently without constantly checking their watch or phone.

Design and Dimension

The Frontier X2 is designed to be worn around the chest, similar to other heart monitors, to track and analyze heart activities. However, unlike regular monitors that transmit the measured signals directly to a watch or smartphone, the Frontier X2 has the capability to measure, record, and process the heart’s activities internally within the device itself.

The Frontier X2 is a lightweight device, weighing only 25 grams. It is made of durable plastic material and has an IP67 rating, which means it is resistant to dust and water(for up to 1.5 meters). This enables one to wear it without worrying about potential damage caused by dust, sweat, or water exposure.

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Battery Life

Battery life on health monitoring devices is essential, but integrating a high-power battery on such a compact device is hard. Still, Frontier X2 comes with an impressive battery life of up to 12-15 days of typical use (1hr a day) and 24 hours with continuous use. The device is easily chargeable as well – a full charge takes under 45 minutes.

Connectivity

Talking about connectivity, Frontier X2 offers Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, allowing it to sync on various external devices such as Apple Watches, Garmins, Pelotons, Zwifts, and more. It supports simultaneous multi-device connectivity as well – up to three devices simultaneously. The device can also be integrated with health apps such as Apple Health, Google Fit, Garmin, and Strava. Frontier X App is available for iOS and Android phones, which can further set milestones and display actual improvements.

Moreover, the device does not require a constant connection to a watch or phone, as it has internal storage to store the data for 24 hours.

Frontier x2 Quick specification

Dimension: 72mm x 24mm x 13mm, 25 grams
Battery life: 12-15 days of typical use, 24 hours with continuous use
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
Indicators: Heart Rate, Strain, Heart Rate Variability
Performance: Breathing Rate, Training Load, Body Shock, Step Cadence
IP rating: IP67

Frontier X2 Price in Nepal (Expected)

The Frontier X2 can be purchased directly from the official Fourth Frontier website, with a price of $549. It is also available for purchase on popular e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart, with an approximate price of ₹39,000. In the event of an official launch in Nepal, the device will probably cost around Rs. 65,000.

Device Model	Official price by Fourth Frontier	Price offered by Amazon	Price in Nepal (estimated)
Frontier x2	$549	₹39,000	Rs.65,000

Meanwhile, check out our unboxing and review of the Realme 11 Pro+.

Honor records a massive 400% growth in Europe amidst plans to re-enter India

Honor
India

Sonika Bhandari

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June 11, 2023

2

Honor records a massive 400% growth in Europe amidst plans to re-enter India

We are all aware of the Honor, that separated from Huawei under the pressure of US trade sanctions. Currently, Honor is honored with surprisingly impressive growth in various markets. As per Counterpoint Research, Honor’s shipments grew by 400% in a year in Europe after it expanded its partnership with major mobile operators like Vodafone, Orange, and Wind Tre. Its midrange and budget series are the main driving force for the growth in Europe.

In the Middle East and Africa too, Honor saw a growth of 500% in shipments. Similarly, they are also expanding in Latin America with a 700% growth in shipments. These growths in different markets are generated compared with the previous year. Moreover, Honor is looking out to expand into other major markets to continue increasing shipments. The company is even teasing the launch of its flagship phone in Nepal hinting at a market expansion here

Honor to re-enter the Indian market with former Realme CEO

According to some Indian reports, Honor is on its way to re-enter the Indian smartphone market in August, this year. This news has become a challenge to other Chinese brands like Realme. To launch Honor’s smartphones in India, they asked Madhav Sheth, the former CEO of Realme India (current VP for business & corporate strategy).

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Madhav Sheth will probably join Honor India to re-launch the brand in India. Not just him, but we can also expect several other director-level executives from Realme’s online and offline verticals to join Honor India with Sheth. His appointment is worth noting at a time when Apple and Samsung are expanding their position in the Indian smartphone market, while Chinese firms face competition.

Honor product expansion

From this, we can see that Honor is committed to increasing its market share in big markets like India even after its separation from Huawei. Moreover, they have also expanded their product portfolio. Recently, they launched laptops like Honor MagicBook X14 and X16 2023 powered by the 12th Intel Core H-series processors. Honor is looking to offer products more than just smartphones in the Indian market as well.

The companies have not officially confirmed these developments, but we will get more information soon. Stay updated to find out more about Honor’s plan for expansion in the key business markets.

Meanwhile, check out our review of the Honor X9a.

Efficiently manage “Haajir” of your organization with Smart Haajir

GadgetByte

-

June 11, 2023

2

Efficiently manage “Haajir” of your organization with Smart Haajir

In today’s fast-paced world, efficient time management plays a vital role in the success of any organization. Recognizing this need, a group of individuals from diverse backgrounds came together to develop Smart Haajir – a human resource management solution. The system is available as a web application and mobile application for both Android and iOS platforms. In this article, we will be providing all the features of this system, along with the various packages available, discussing pricing options, and much more.

With the ease in the digital market, smart haajir ensures to mark attendance within the blink of an eye

Smart Haajir Overview

Any small or large organization can make use of Smart Haajir. As the name suggests, it provides a digital approach to the attendance system. However, it provides various other modules as well, which include leave management, appointment booking, employee tracking, and more. The system also offers additional features such as reporting capabilities of each employee, travel management, and payroll processing.

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Since each organization has unique requirements, Smart Haajir offers on-demand customization. This flexibility ensures that the system can be adjusted to meet specific organizational needs. It also assists organizations with system setup, troubleshooting, and any other inquiries they may have. Additionally, Smart Haajir regularly updates its system to offer users the latest features and improvements, ensuring a smooth user experience.

Why switch from a traditional system to a digital one?

Firstly, a digital system like Smart Haajir reduces the need for manual work, saving valuable time and reducing the risk of errors. Secondly, a digital system can report the current status of each employee. With Smart Haajir, organizations can have accurate attendance records, track employee performance, and generate reports from them. Therefore, this approach enables informed decision-making and enhances overall productivity.

Smart Haajir Plans and Pricing

Smart Haajir is accessible anytime, anywhere as a web application and mobile application for both Android and iOS platforms. Hence, this multi-platform accessibility provides easiness and flexibility in managing human resource attendance and related functions.

Smart Haajir offers flexible pricing options. It has different pricing categories, including Basic, Standard, and Premium packages, with corresponding prices of Rs. 7,000, Rs 300,000, and Rs. 900,000, respectively.

Category of Package	Pricing	Features included in the package
Basic	Rs. 7,000 / year	Rs. 200 per year for extra 25 employees Employee PIS Real-Time Attendance System Employee Tracking Leave Management Events/Appointments Regular Update Instant support
Standard	Rs. 300,000	Unlimited Employees Employee PIS Real-Time Attendance System Employee Tracking Leave Management Events/Appointments Regular Update Instant support On-Demand Customization
Premium	Rs. 900,000	Unlimited Employees Employee PIS Real-Time Attendance System Employee Tracking Leave Management Events/Appointments Payroll Travel Management Reporting Regular Update Instant support On-Demand Customization

Smart Haajir is located in Thapathali, Kathmandu, Nepal. You can contact them through:

- Contact Number: 977-1-4215566
- Mobile Number: 977-9851280061
- Email: [email protected]

Meanwhile, check out our unboxing and review of Realme 11 Pro+.

ARM vs x86: A comparison of computer processor architectures

ARM
Intel

GadgetByte

-

June 11, 2023

1

ARM vs x86: A comparison of computer processor architectures

ARM and x86 are two major architectures in the world of computer processors, with long-standing competition in the market. One notable incident that highlighted the battle between them was when Apple made a huge decision to transition from using x86 architecture to adopting ARM for their Mac computers. So, what exactly are they, and what sets them apart? In this article, let’s take a closer look at these architectures and learn about what makes them unique, their benefits, and the compromises they come with.

What are ARM and X86?

ARM (Advanced RISC Machines) is an instruction set architecture developed by ARM Holdings. The ARM-based processors are built upon the Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) design. They are known for their power efficiency, making them popular in computer systems with low power requirements.

x86 on the other hand is the instruction set architecture developed by Intel Corporation and AMD. The x86-based processors are built on the Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) design. The architecture is well-known for being able to run older software without any issues, and it is also very good at handling tasks that need a lot of computing power.

ARM and x86 architectures differ in terms of their instruction set design, power efficiency, and scalability/customization options.

Architecture

As mentioned above, ARM follows the RISC architecture, which focuses on simplicity and efficiency. Here, the architecture has simpler instruction sets, that can execute as fast as possible (one instruction in one cycle). This results in quicker execution of tasks.

CISC architecture often features more complex instructions, which can reduce the number of instructions needed to perform certain tasks. Although these complex instructions may take multiple clock cycles to execute, the overall task completion rate can be faster due to the reduced instruction count.

Power Consumption

ARM processors are good in terms of power efficiency. They try to complete commands using the simplest instructions, saving a substantial amount of power. This makes ARM chips suitable for battery-powered devices and mobile applications.

x86 CPUs generally use more power when solving problems and performing tasks because they require additional energy to execute complex instructions. However, recent advancements have improved the power efficiency of x86 processors, especially in the low-power and ultra-low-power segments.

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Efficiency

ARM utilizes a design called big.LITTLE architecture. This means it has two sets of cores: powerful cores (big) and efficient cores (little). Demanding tasks use powerful cores, while efficient cores handle less intensive tasks. Historically, x86 architecture did not have this specific big.LITTLE design, but Intel introduced Performance and Efficient cores with 12th Gen “Raptor Lake” onwards.

Scalability and Customization

ARM Holding does not manufacture the silicon chips, it only gives a design architecture of how the chips can be manufactured. Manufacturers can customize ARM-based processors to meet the specific requirements of different devices and markets. As a result, ARM architecture is popular for its high scalability and extensive customization options.

Intel and AMD themselves design, combine, and manufacture the silicon chip based on x86 architecture. It too also offers scalability, but to a lesser extent compared to ARM. The scalability and customization are typically limited to modifications made by the processor manufacturers themselves i.e. Intel or AMD.

Apple switched from using x86 to adopting ARM architecture for its Mac

Apple is famous for its unique technologies in mobile and Mac computers. Initially, the company relied on x86 chips for its Macbooks, but it eventually changed to ARM. Apple switched to ARM because it offered benefits in scalability and customization.

From the beginning, the Mac has always embraced big changes to stay at the forefront of personal computing. Today we’re announcing our transition to Apple silicon, making this a historic day for the Mac. – Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) held on June 22, 2020.

Apple holds an architectural license from ARM, enabling them to design and produce their own chips. This grants Apple greater control over the hardware support they incorporate into the chips. Consequently, Apple can create highly optimized computing devices customized to meet their customers’ needs. Also, RISC-based microprocessors are small in size, which helps Apple achieve its slim design.

Compromises that come with both the Architecture

ARM processors have a strong existence in the mobile market and are compatible with various operating systems, including Android and iOS. However, they may not offer full compatibility with some older desktop applications and software. Also, they are energy efficient, that’s why, they may not provide the same level of performance as high-end x86 processors in certain demanding tasks.

x86 processors dominate the desktop and server markets. They are compatible with a wide range of operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. Since it can operate complex tasks, it is expensive, less scalable, and highly demanding in power.

Meanwhile, check out our comparison of the latest smartphone chipsets.

Navigate through the “gallis” of Kathmandu Valley with Galli Maps

Sonika Bhandari

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June 10, 2023

4

Navigate through the “gallis” of Kathmandu Valley with Galli Maps

It is quite common for people in Kathmandu to express dissatisfaction with Google Maps or other digital maps’ accuracy. They sometimes provide the direction leading to blocked roads while navigating through “gallis” (alleys). This is quite frustrating. However, we now have a solution with the Galli Maps application aiming to address this issue. VOILA!!! This app assists users to navigate through the alleys and locates houses as well as landmarks which is quite a work with other digital maps.

Galli Maps: Overview

Galli Maps is one of the helpful apps that lets you find the location in alleys with its 360-degree street views. The 360° street views aren’t quite useful at this time but users will be able to use it efficiently soon. However, the app allows you to search for specific house numbers and also provides accuracy while directing various places. The app is getting popular among e-commerce platforms and ride-sharing companies. There are other available apps like Google Maps and Apple Maps, Galli Maps is here to create its own value in the market. Unsurprisingly, it has also received awards for being a startup, innovative product, and rising star at the Infradevelopers ICT Awards.

The foundation of Galli Maps: Who, Where, and How?

Raj Bikram Maharjan, CEO & Co-Founder of Airlift Technologies introduced the Galli Maps. He had an interest in making and flying drones as a hobby. After he came back to Nepal after his studies, he found an opportunity to work in Nepal.

In 2020, during the Covid pandemic when everything was at pause, Maharjan faced a problem with the delivery of an instrument he had ordered online. The delivery company had difficulty finding his house because it was located in a narrow alley. This issue kept happening whenever he made online purchases, and he realized that many other people were experiencing the same problem.

Maharjan, who was already involved in drone mapping services for local organizations and engineering consultancies, came up with an idea. He decided to create localized maps that would provide high-resolution 3D visuals and help users navigate through all the narrow streets. His goal was to find a solution not only for himself but for others facing similar challenges.

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Maharjan successfully launched Galli Maps in 2022. The app was inaugurated by the mayor of Kirtipur Municipality, as they were the first to implement a house numbering system that could be integrated into the app. However, he mentions that the beta phase of the app had actually started in the middle of 2020 and was in the prototype stage. It took another year to fully develop the app. Additionally, Maharjan explains that they required an additional five months to complete their research. In order to ensure the app’s quality, he brought in Janam Maharjan, a friend and co-founder, who is an information and communication engineer with expertise in antenna design and mobile app development.

How does Galli Maps work?

The app uses high-resolution drone images and has house ID numbers for areas like Kathmandu Metropolitan, Kirtipur Municipality, and Kageshwori Municipality. To use the service, you can download the app from Android and iOS. Then, type the location and there you go. It is similar to Google Maps and other digital maps. Regarding future plans, Maharjan wants to install 3D mapping in public transportation services.

Meanwhile, check out our unboxing and review of Realme 11 Pro+.

This Nepali startup creates cool custom skins for your phone & laptops

Startup

Sonika Bhandari

-

June 10, 2023

2

This Nepali startup creates cool custom skins for your phone & laptops

Wrapsy is a skin brand in Nepal that sells cool designs and custom phone accessories with a cover of your choice. Such products are targeted more towards young people who want to make their phones and laptops look cool. It has become really popular on TikTok and Instagram, gaining around 35,000 followers on TikTok and 10,000 on Instagram. This startup is a great example of how young Nepalese students can use social media and their entrepreneurial spirit to make a difference.

Wrapsy Nepal: A Brand Overview

Prashant Phuyal and his friends, Aavinab Shah and Jeevan Risal were always interested in starting a new business. So, they decided to launch Wrapsy Nepal on January 1, 2022. They’re not just limited to Wrapsy though, they also have another venture called Blanxer, which is a website builder for small businesses. It’s impressive how they’ve accomplished so much in such a short time. The skins are made one by one with hands after taking proper measurements for the perfect sizing.

How to order at Wrapsy?

Wrapsy has an excellent online presence expanding over different platforms where you can see all of their available designs for phones, laptops, and even ATM Cards. The website, however, has the option for phone covers only. Moreover, it also has an option for customization where we can get the skin of our choice by uploading the design we want. Most of the skins start from Rs. 700. If we want to order Wrapsy for our laptops or other devices, we can direct message them on their socials.

Wrapsy has no. of competitors in the market like “Wrapping Station”, “Wrappers Wrap”, “Wrapper Skin”, “Ulpu Skins” and some other skin providers without the brand name.

The competition among these skin providers pushes each company to constantly improve its product offerings and customer experiences. It benefits customers by providing them with a wider range of choices and better-quality skins for their devices. Wrapsy Nepal continues to focus on its strengths, such as its unique designs, attention to detail, and commitment to customer satisfaction, in order to maintain and grow its customers in the market.

Meanwhile, check out our unboxing and review of Realme 11 Pro+.

Huawei FreeBuds 5i launched in Nepal with ANC, 10mm dynamic driver

Huawei

Yural Maskey

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June 10, 2023

1

Huawei FreeBuds 5i launched in Nepal with ANC, 10mm dynamic driver

Call Mobility, the distributor for Huawei products in Nepal has launched its latest pair of earbuds in Nepal, called the FreeBuds 5i. This is the successor to the FreeBuds 4i and offers improvement in terms of design, battery life, and other aspects. So, let’s get into the specs, features, availability, and official price of the Huawei FreeBuds 5i in Nepal.

Huawei FreeBuds 5i Overview:

Design

The FreeBuds 5i are in-ear earbuds that nestle snugly inside a cobblestone-like case. According to Huawei, the buds are lighter and shorter than their predecessor, resulting in a more comfortable fit.

Even the charging case is 18% lighter than the previous generation despite having a significantly larger battery of 410mAh against 215mAh. It comes in three colors: Cosmic Black, Island Blue, and Ceramic White.

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Audio

The earbuds are powered by a 10mm dynamic driver and also you get support for LDAC codec and Hi-Res Audio. It utilizes Bluetooth 5.2 for connectivity and can be connected to multiple devices, allowing you to switch between them seamlessly. There’s also a gaming mode that reduces latency to 94ms.

Not to forget, the FreeBuds 5i offers an ANC mode that filters the external noise by up to 42dB. There are three noise cancellation modes—depth, balance, and mild—that can be switched individually based on the ambiance.

Battery

Each bud provides up to 6 hours of music listening time with ANC while turning it off increases the time to 7.5 hours. Similarly, when paired with the case, the TWS buds deliver up to 28 hours of battery life. In terms of charging, it takes an hour to fully charge it, but a 15-minute recharge provides 4 hours of playback.

Huawei FreeBuds 5i Specifications:

Driver: 10mm dynamic audio driver
Connectivity: Wireless (Bluetooth v5.2), multi-device connection
Noise-cancelling: Yes, ANC up to 42dB
Battery capacity: 55mAh (each earbud), 410mAh (case)
Music time:
- Buds: 55mAh (6hrs w/ANC | 7.5 hrs w/o ANC)
- Case: 410mAh (18.5hrs w/ANC | 28hrs w/o ANC)
Power case charger: Type-C
Colors: Cosmic Black, Island Blue, Ceramic White

Huawei FreeBuds 5i Price in Nepal and Availability

The Huawei FreeBuds 5i retails at a price of Rs. 11,990. You can buy it from our affiliate partner Hukut store.

TWS Earbuds	Price in Nepal
Huawei FreeBuds 5i	NPR 11,990

Meanwhile, check out our review of the Huawei Watch GT 3.

Xiaomi is preparing to launch its own clamshell-style flip phone

Sonika Bhandari

-

June 10, 2023

1

Xiaomi is preparing to launch its own clamshell-style flip phone

Hey there! One after another, Xiaomi is also joining the foldable phone party with their on-the-way clamshell flip smartphone. They are ready to compete with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 and the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra.

What to expect from Xiaomi’s first clamshell-style flip phone?

Their glossy and stylist Mix Fold 2 has already impressed us. Xiaomi is again set to bring us a flip phone experience to compete in the market. The official details are yet to be announced but we can expect the clamshell foldable to be thin and lightweight, as per the leak by Digital Chat Station. The rumored Xiaomi clamshell foldable will probably powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Chipset. The device will feature a FHD+ resolution and 120Hz high refresh rate. Besides, it may also support 50W wireless charging and may have a 5X periscope telephoto along with multi-angle hovering.

As per rumors, Xiaomi will launch its clamshell in 2024 probably as Mix Flip, following its name series of Mix Fold. The brand sometimes keeps some of its innovative devices exclusive to China. Let’s hope this time they’ll give us a global treat!

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Are there too many competitors?

When it comes to foldables, Samsung is currently the market leader. After the launch of the Galaxy Z Flip 4, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 are expected to launch in the coming months.

Just recently, Motorola launched its two new foldable smartphones called Motorola Razr 40 and Motorola Razr 40 Ultra. The Ultra model features a large main screen on the inside of 6.9 inches and a smaller outer screen of 3.6 inches. Oppo also came up with their Find N2 Flip with a big main screen of 6.8 inches and a smaller outer screen of 3.26 inches. Similarly, Vivo also joined the party with their Vivo X Flip with a big screen of 6.74 inches and a smaller outer screen of 3 inches.

ONEXPLAYER 2 Pro Unveiled with Ryzen 7 7840U, detachable controllers

Aarohan Niraula

-

June 9, 2023

2

ONEXPLAYER 2 Pro Unveiled with Ryzen 7 7840U, detachable controllers

One-Netbook has refreshed its flagship ONEXPLAYER 2 gaming handheld with AMD’s latest Ryzen 7 7840 APU. And they have done so in a spectacular fashion by collaborating with popular anime “Neon Genesis Evangelion” for a limited edition model. So let’s take a look at the design, performance, price, and availability of the ONEXPLAYER 2 Pro.

ONEXPLAYER 2 Pro Overview:

Display and Build

The ONEXPLAYER 2 Pro sports an impressive 8.4-inch screen with a sharp 2.5K resolution. This touchscreen covers 118% of the sRGB color gamut and it also supports stylus input with up to 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity.

Via MiniXPC

Likewise, its controllers are detachable and the handles have an “ergonomic curve radian” design for a comfortable grip. The buttons are arranged in the traditional configuration with your ABXY buttons and joystick on the right (alongside 3 other buttons) and your D-pad and another joystick on the left (and 2 extra buttons). The joysticks here are ALPS e-sports stick with 7.5mm height and an 18-degree inclination angle. The rest of the design is pretty similar to the regular ONEXPLAYER 2.

Performance

In terms of performance, ONEXPLAYER 2 Pro has AMD’s Ryzen 7 7840U APU inside. This is a pretty popular choice in modern handhelds and can be seen in the AYANEO 2S and Geek 1S as well. Even the Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip on the Asus ROG Ally is quite similar to the 7840U. This 8-core / 16-thread processor has a max boost clock of 5.1 GHz, while its integrated Radeon 780M GPU has 12 cores and up to 2.7 GHz frequency.

ONEXPLAYER 2 initially launched with AMD’s Ryzen 7 6800U, which the company later refreshed with an Intel Core i7-1360P for a 20% increase in CPU performance. However, this switch to Intel did result in compromised graphics performance. But with the Ryzen 7 7840U, the ONEXPLAYER 2 Pro brings great CPU and GPU performance, alongside increased power efficiency.

As for memory, it can be configured with up to 64GB LPDDR5X RAM and up to 4TB of PCIe Gen 4 SSD.

Battery and Connectivity

Via One x Notebook

This handheld gets its juice from a big 65.5 Wh battery, and it can be fast-charged via the 100W GaN charger provided in the box. ONEXPLAYER 2 Pro comes with Harman-certified dual stereo speakers as well.

As for the ports, you get one Thunderbolt 4, one USB 3.1 Type-C, one micro SD card reader, one USB Type-A port, and one 3.5mm audio jack. There is also the Pogo PIN interface for connecting it to a keyboard.

ONEXPLAYER 2 Pro Price and Availability

Although One-Netbook has demoed ONEXPLAYER 2 Pro in China, there’s no word on pricing and availability yet. We’ll be sure to update this article once those details arrive.

Meanwhile, check our AYANEO Air review

Intel announces Arc Pro A60 and A60M GPUs for professional workstations

Intel

Aarohan Niraula

-

June 9, 2023

3

Intel announces Arc Pro A60 and A60M GPUs for professional workstations

Intel has announced new additions to its “Arc Pro” series of workstation graphics cards with the Arc Pro A60 and A60M GPUs. As the name implies, the A60M is a mobile design while the regular A60 is for workstation desktops. Let’s learn more.

Intel Arc Pro A60 and Arc Pro A60M Overview:

Compared to the older Arc Pro A40, A50, and A30M, these guys have a much wider memory bus width. This is possible thanks to twice the number of PCIe lanes on these cards (from 8 to 16). As a result, the A60M gets a 128-bit bus with 256GB/s bandwidth and 6GB of GDDR6 video memory, while Arc Pro A60 has a 192-bit memory bus with 384GB/s bandwidth and 12GB GDDR6 VRAM.

With built-in ray tracing hardware, graphics acceleration and machine learning capabilities, the Intel Arc Pro A60 GPU unites fluid viewports, the latest in visual technologies and rich content creation in a traditional single slot factor.

And roughly speaking, they are twice as faster as the Arc Pro A50. They also support up to 4 displays with HDR and Dolby Vision.

Other upgrades

Not only that, the Arc Pro A60 and A60M have twice the XMX engines (16) and twice the ray tracing units (256) too. These cards also offer full media encode and decode support, including AV1 codec. These enhancements make these GPUs ideal for computer-aided design and modeling (CAD/CAM), AI tasks, and media processing.

Intel is also promising 3 years of limited warranty, and quarterly driver updates for performance optimization for these cards. On top, they are also ISV (Independent Software Vendors)-certified for a bunch of applications including but not limited to:

Autodesk 3ds Max
Autodesk AutoCAD
Autodesk Fusion 360
Autodesk Inventor
Autodesk Maya
Bentley MicroStation
Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS
Nemetscheck VectorWorks
PTC Creo
Siemens NX
Siemens Solid Edge

What else?

Although the new Arc Pro graphics cards are designed for professional workstations, Intel Arc Pro A60 can also be used in home PCs for media consumption and content creation. And the company says it has optimized these GPUs for applications like Blender and to run rendering/raytracing libraries in Intel oneAPI Rendering Toolkit.

Intel also mentions compatibility with small form factor (SFF) PCs with 125W unlocked 13th Gen Intel Core processors. Like Intel’s NUC 13 family. Likewise, the Arc Pro A60M has 65-95W of TGP, compared to Arc Pro A60’s 130W.

Intel Arc Pro A60 and A60M Specifications:

Xe Cores: 16
XMX Engines: 256
Ray Tracing Units: 16
PCIe Lanes: PCIe 4.0 x16
Memory Size:
- Arc Pro A60: 12GB GDDR6
- Arc Pro A60M: 8GB GDDR6
Memory Bus:
- Arc Pro A60: 192-bit
- Arc Pro A60M: 128-bit
Memory Bandwidth:
- Arc Pro A60: 384GB/s
- Arc Pro A60M: 256GB/s
Total Graphics Power (TGP):
- Arc Pro A60: 130W
- Arc Pro A60M: 65-95W

Intel Arc Pro A60 and Arc Pro A60M Price and Availability

According to the company, Arc Pro A60 will available via Intel-authorized distributors in the upcoming weeks. The mobile variant, Arc Pro A60M GPU, will take a bit longer to reach the consumers and we can expect devices with this GPU in the upcoming months. But there’s no word on their pricing details yet.

Watch: Is it finally time to buy an Intel Arc laptop?