Vivo X100 Ultra name & launch timeframe confirmed by trusted source

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The Vivo X100 Ultra name was mentioned a number of times thus far, but it was never confirmed. Well, the company still didn’t confirm it, but a trusted source did.

The Vivo X100 Ultra name has just been confirmed… kind of

This information comes from Digital Chat Station, one of China’s most prominent tipsters. He says that the “name is confirmed”, so he probably received information from someone at the company.

In addition to that, he said that the phone will be launched next month, in May. That’s what was rumored too, so everything fits. It was initially expected in April, but things changed on Vivo’s part.

A Vice President of Product at Vivo, recently said that the company’s upcoming phone will be a “professional camera that can make calls”. He did not mention the Vivo X100 Ultra name, but everyone assumed it.

The phone is expected to include a new 200MP camera from Samsung

Also, Digital Chat Station recently said that the Vivo X100 Ultra will utilize Samsung’s new 200MP camera. The sensor in question is the S5KHP9. That sensor will likely be used for the telephoto camera.

This phone will be fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, almost certainly, and it will include a ton of high-end specs. The Vivo X100 Pro is an outstanding flagship smartphone, but with the Vivo X100 Ultra, Vivo is looking to up the ante even more.

That phone will come with four cameras on the back, instead of three. It could also include a new main camera, the Sony LYT-900 sensor. The Vivo X100 Pro utilizes the Sony IMX989 sensor. Both of those are 1-inch sensors.

It will have four cameras on the back, but we still don’t know the exact setup

We still don’t know if the company will include a telephoto and a periscope telephoto camera on the back, or two periscope telephoto units like the OPPO Find X7 Ultra. It remains to be seen.

Blazing fast charging will also be included, both wired and wireless. Vivo could also offer some sort of satellite connectivity too, we’ll see.


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Huawei’s new flagship gets sold out in a blink of an eye

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Huawei announced its new flagship series yesterday, the Huawei Pura 70 series. Well, it seems like those devices are in high demand in the company’s homeland. Huawei’s new top-end flagship, the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra, got sold out in just one minute.

Huawei’s brand new flagship got sold out in less than a minute in its homeland

In fact, the report states that both the Huawei Pura 70 Pro and Pura 70 Ultra ended up being sold out in that time. It is worth noting that they’re only available in China as we speak. A global launch could follow soon, though.

This is not exactly surprising, as Huawei has been immensely popular in China lately. Last year, the company had issues providing enough Huawei Mate 60 units to their consumers. Those phones offered 5G connectivity for the first time in a long time when it comes to Huawei phones. That’s part of the reason why.

As many of you know, Huawei is banned by the US in a number of ways. That affected the company’s ability to include 5G connectivity on their devices. Well, until the company was able to provide its own chip which supports 5G connectivity. That chip was the Kirin 9000S.

The Huawei Pura 70 Pro & Ultra are both fueled by a new chip

Now, with the Huawei Pura 70 series, Huawei introduced a new chip, the Kirin 9010. That is a more powerful variant of the Kirin 9000S, basically. It’s a 7nm processor. A 5nm chip is allegedly coming later this year.

In any case, the demand for the Pura 70 series seems to be very high. These phones have a lot more to offer than just 5G, of course. The ‘Ultra’ model is especially impressive, in part due to its compelling camera setup.

So… it’s not surprising that people are so interested in the phone. The Pura 70 series became available at 10:08 AM, and Pro and Ultra models were sold out in less than a minute.

Not even a rather high price tag prevented users in China from grabbing the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra. As a reminder, the phone starts at CNY9,999 ($1,381). That’s a high price everywhere, and especially for phones in China.

Smartphones are usually considerably more affordable in China, that’s why. If this handset ends up coming to global markets, you can expect a noticeably higher price tag than this.


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Twitch to roll out new discovery feed to all users on mobile devices

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Twitch has been testing a TikTok-style discovery feed for nearly a year. The streaming company announced this week that the feature is finally ready for primetime, so all users on mobile devices should get the new discovery feed this month.

The discovery feed allows users to scroll through separate feeds dedicated to clips and livestreams, and it’s available as a tab from within the mobile app. According to Twitch (via The Verge), all livestreams and clips can show up on this discover feed, although they must meet the company’s content guidelines.

Just like on the desktop version of Twitch, the discovery feed in the mobile app will show live content from streamers you follow along with creators recommended by Twitch.

In addition to live streams, the discovery feed will also give users access to a feed where they’ll find shortform videos taken from Twitch livestreams. Obviously, most of these will be hilarious short videos clipped by streamers, similarly to what TikTok’s videos.

Beside enabling users to scroll through these shortform videos, Twitch will also allow users to tune in when they see the creator of a specific video goes live. On the downside, Twitch says that ads will appear within the feed, although users will be able to scroll past them without having to pause their viewing or scrolling experience.

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Alert! Windows LPE Zero-day Exploit Advertised on Hacker Forums

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A new zero-day Local Privilege Escalation (LPE) exploit has been put up for sale on a notorious hacker forum.

This exploit, which has not yet been assigned a Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) reference, is said to be capable of granting unauthorized users elevated privileges on any Windows system.

The asking price for this dangerous tool is a staggering $220,000, indicating its potential severity and the threat actor’s confidence in its effectiveness.

Impact on Windows Users

The emergence of this exploit is particularly alarming for Windows users, both individual and corporate, as it can potentially allow attackers to gain higher-level permissions on a targeted system.

This could lead to a range of malicious activities, from data theft and espionage to the deployment of ransomware and other destructive software.

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Without the necessary patches and specific details, users are left in a vulnerable position.

The exploit’s ability to affect all Windows platforms suggests that no version of the operating system is safe, and the lack of a CVE reference means that there is no official acknowledgment or fix available yet.

While the exact technical specifics of the exploit have not been disclosed publicly, the nature of Local Privilege Escalation vulnerabilities can give us some insight.

Typically, LPE exploits take advantage of flaws in the operating system’s security mechanisms that manage user permissions.

By exploiting such a flaw, an attacker can elevate a standard user account to one with administrative privileges, granting them the ability to modify system settings, access restricted data, and install software.

The high price tag of the exploit implies that it is both reliable and difficult to detect, making it a valuable tool for cybercriminals.

It is also possible that the exploit is ‘wormable,’ meaning it could be used to spread malware across networks without user interaction, exponentially increasing its threat level.

Looking to Safeguard Your Company from Advanced Cyber Threats? Deploy TrustNet to Your Radar ASAP.


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Slack AI is now available to more people

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Slack first introduced its AI service back in 2023. With Slack AI, users can get a complete summary of conversations. This service was initially only available for Enterprise users. However, Slack is distributing its AI tools to more people. You’re still going to have to pay to use them, though.

Slack AI is now available to more people

We recently covered news about this. However, we didn’t know the price at that point. Simply put, if you’re on the Slack Pro or Slack Business+ plan, you can access Slack AI for $10/month. The Slack Pro plan costs $8.75/month and the Business+ plan costs $15/month. So, getting the AI addon will add an additional $10 to your plan each month. If you’re on an Enterprise plan, then you’ll need to contact your account rep to discuss the best pricing plan for you.

Sadly, people on the basic plan can not add Slack AI. Also, there’s no way to buy access to it as a standalone plan.

Currently, the AI service supports English, Spanish, and Japanese. Slack has promised additional language support is coming soon.

What sorts of tools does Slack AI have?

Slack AI is available to more people, but what makes it worth the money? Well, has positioned its AI service as a bundle of time-saving and efficiency-boosting tools. Instead of keyword searches, users can now ask questions in a casual conversational approach. The Slack AI service promises to offer succinct answers based on relevant Slack messages. It is useful for catching up on finding specific information.

Apart from AI-generated summaries, the most anticipated feature would be Channel Recap. It claims to offer highlights of the conversation during which users were absent. Slack claims that the AI generating these recaps is intelligent enough to distinguish between different topics discussed.

Slack AI service users will have to add a channel to their recap. Thereafter, they will receive a daily digest with anything they may have missed. Moreover, Slack AI also offers personalized channel recommendations based on users’ past Slack activity.

A similar tool, called “conversation summaries”, is available for threads, which are one-on-one or group conversations on Slack. Users can ask Slack AI to help them catch up on anything they may have missed, and generate daily summaries. The AI will also offer sources of specific entries or notes.

Besides Recap and Summaries, Slack AI should gradually get better, the workplace management platform indicated. The company stated it was working on expanding its AI’s scope to include files, Slack apps, canvases, and clips. This would allow the Slack AI service to have a much deeper as well as broader context.


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GPT-4 challenges eye doctors, manages remarkably close assessment

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OpenAI’s GPT-4 has managed to perform remarkably well against eye doctors, claims a new report. The assessments generated by the LLM (Large Language Model) Generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) managed to beat non-specialist junior doctors and trainees. The Microsoft-funded Gen AI even came close to matching expert eye medics.

GPT-4 answers ophthalmology assessment MCQs

A study, published in PLOS Digital Health journal, has proven how Gen AI LLMs could help in the medical field. Speaking about the results, Arun Thirunavukarasu, the lead author of the paper said,

“What this work shows is that the knowledge and reasoning ability of these large language models in an eye health context is now almost indistinguishable from experts. We are seeing the ability to answer quite complicated questions.”

He was referring to GPT-4’s ability to answer MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions) about ophthalmology. In all, the study reportedly asked GPT-4 87 MCQs. Five expert ophthalmologists, three trainee ophthalmologists, and two unspecialized junior doctors answered the same questions.

The study designed a questionnaire from a textbook for testing trainees on everything from light sensitivity to lesions. It is interesting to note that the contents of the textbook aren’t available in the public domain. Hence, the researchers believe OpenAI may have trained its LLMs during an internal training exercise.

During the study, researchers gave ChatGPT, equipped with GPT-4 or GPT-3.5, three tries to answer definitively. If it failed, researchers marked the response as “null”.

GPT-4 beats some eye doctors but can’t match experts yet

From the 87 different patient scenarios GPT-4 reportedly outperformed the juniors, and achieved similar results to most of the specialists. Specifically speaking, GPT-4 got 60 of the 87 questions right. Junior doctors managed to get an average of 37 correct answers.

Trainees in the field of ophthalmology came pretty close with an average of 59.7 correct answers. Barring one expert, who correctly answered 56 MCQs, the remaining specialists averaged 66.4 right answers.

Comparatively, PaLM 2 managed to get 49 answers correct, GPT-3.5 got only 42, and LLaMa trailed the pack with just 28 correctly answered MCQs.

It is important to note that the study was conducted in mid-2023. In other words, the LLMs have likely gotten way better at understanding and answering complex queries.

The health industry would undoubtedly benefit from ChatGPT, Gemini, and other Gen AI platforms. However, some medical experts have cautioned against relying on Gen AI to diagnose a patient. Such platforms “lack nuance”, they stated. Hence, there could be a concerningly high probability of inaccuracy, cautioned some of the researchers.


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Google merging Android and hardware teams to infuse AI in everything

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Google is merging its Android OS (Operating System) and product hardware teams. The “super-team” will collaborate and build AI (Artificial Intelligence) in nearly all categories of products, including smartphones, TVs, watches, and more.

Google merging Android and hardware into “Platforms and Devices”

Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced a major restructuring at Google. The most notable change would undoubtedly be the merger of Android as a platform and hardware as a product.

The new team, called “Platforms and Devices”, will reportedly oversee all of Google’s Pixel products, all of Android, Chrome, ChromeOS, Photos, and more.

Rick Osterloh, who was previously the SVP of devices and services, will head this super-team. He was leading Google’s hardware, including Pixel smartphones.

Hiroshi Lockheimer will be taking on other projects inside of Google and Alphabet. It is not clear why Google shifted him out of software platforms. He has been a key figure at the company and was instrumental in developing Android, Chrome, and ChromeOS.

This change or “consolidation” as Osterloh calls it, is meant to improve the infusion and deployment of AI within Google’s products. “Consolidating teams helps us to be able to do full-stack innovation when that’s necessary,” he said.

Some of the most notable hardware aspects that benefit tremendously from AI and ML (Machine Learning) are synthetic vision (digital camera) and GPUs (Graphics Processing Units). The Pixel Camera is one of the biggest beneficiaries of rapid developments in AI.

Osterloh even pointed to Google’s in-house Tensor GPUs. Although nowhere near NVIDIA’s GPUs, Google Tensor is rapidly scaling new heights in on-device AI processing.

AI will help Google improve Android update speed

There’s no doubt that Google has been a little late to the AI party. Microsoft is currently ahead with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, but Google has Android OS. Needless to say, Google owns the world’s most widely used OS and offers services that run on millions of actively-used devices.

Owing to the new team, AI should make deeper inroads into Android. Google may ask this new super-team to rapidly deploy, tweak, and improve AI in Android Auto, Wear OS, and ChromeOS.

Google is already busy embedding its Gemini AI and chatbot in nearly every imaginable product. Hence, almost every device that runs Android OS or its fork, could have some form of AI soon.

Osterloh hinted that one of Google’s aims is to “make everything faster”. This also includes accelerating Android updates. “We can’t airdrop a new SOC into existing products, but we can design for longevity, and then update our software frequently,” he reasoned.

The new Platforms and Devices team, born from merging Android and hardware, seems to be Google’s attempt at running a tight ship. Perhaps, this integrated and consolidated approach might help Google reduce the number of products it kills.


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Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Xiaomi 13 Ultra

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The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is one of the best camera smartphones in the market at the moment. Xiaomi did a fantastic job with this phone. If you’re wondering how it compares to its predecessor, well, that’s exactly what we’re here to talk about. In this article, we’ll compare the Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Xiaomi 13 Ultra. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is still a very compelling phone, so let’s see what’s what.

These two phones do look somewhat similar, but they have a very different in-hand feel. Xiaomi did change up the design a bit, though if you’ve used the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, you’ll be right at home with the new model. We’ll first list their specifications, and will then move to compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. Before we start, do note that the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is limited to the Chinese market, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is not. Having said that, let’s get into it.

Specs

Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Xiaomi 13 Ultra, respectively

Screen size:
6.73-inch LTPO AMOLED display (curved, adaptive 120Hz, 3,000 nits max brightness)
6.73-inch LTPO AMOLED display (curved, adaptive 120Hz, 2,600 nits max brightness)
Display resolution:
3200 x 1440
3200 x 1440
SoC:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
RAM:
16GB (LPDDR5X)
12GB/16GB (LPDDR5X)
Storage:
1TB (UFS 4.0)
256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 4.0)
Rear cameras:
50MP (wide, f/1.6-f/4.0 variable aperture, OIS, multi-directional PDAF, 1.6um pixel size), 50MP (ultrawide, f/1.8 aperture, 122-degree FoV, 0.7um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF), 50MP (telephoto, f/1.8 aperture, 0.7um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 3.2x optical zoom), 50MP (periscope telephoto, f/2.5 aperture, 0.7um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom)
50MP (wide, f/1.9 or f/4.0 variable aperture, 1.6um pixel size, multi-directional PDAF, OIS), 50MP (ultrawide, f/1.8 aperture, 122-degree FoV, 0.7um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF ), 50MP (telephoto, f/1.8 aperture, OIS, 3.2x optical zoom, OIS, dual pixel PDAF), 50MP (periscope telephoto, 0.7um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom)
Front cameras:
32MP (wide, f/2.0 aperture, 0.7um pixel size)
32MP (wide, f/2.0 aperture, 0.7um pixel size)
Battery:
5,000mAh
5,000mAh
Charging:
90W wired, 80W wireless,, 10W reverse wireless (charger included)
90W wired, 50W wireless, 10 reverse wireless (charger included)
Dimensions:
161.4 x 75.3 x 9.2mm
163.2 x 74.6 x 9.1mm
Weight:
219.8 grams
227 grams
Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.4/5.3
Security:
In-display fingerprint scanner & facial scanning
In-display fingerprint scanner & facial scanning
OS:
Android 14 with HyperOS
Android 13 with MIUI (upgradable)
Price:
€1,499
China only
Buy:
Xiaomi 14 Ultra (Amazon)
Xiaomi 13 Ultra (China only)

Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Xiaomi 13 Ultra: Design

Design-wise, they do look very similar, but they feel different in the hand. Both phones have curved displays with a centered display camera hole. They both also offer thin bezels, and their buttons are pretty much in the same spot. You’ll find them on the right-hand side. Both phones are made out of metal (aluminum) and vegan leather, though there is also a Xiaomi 14 Ultra titanium model in China, and a glass back variant too. Globally you’ll find only the metal + vegan leather variant of the phone.

Looking at the back sides of these two phones, they do look almost identical at first. There is one glaring difference, though. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s backplate is flat, and it curves a bit towards the sides. The one on the Xiaomi 13 Ultra raises in thickness gradually towards the camera island. The weight distribution is different, and so is the in-hand feel. We definitely prefer the feel of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

Xiaomi’s new flagship is slightly shorter, slightly wider, and they’re about the same thickness. Comparing the Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s vegan leather model, the only one available globally, that phone is a bit lighter than the Xiaomi 13 Ultra. Both smartphones do come with an IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. They’re both quite robust and feel like premium devices.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Xiaomi 13 Ultra: Display

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra features a 6.73-inch QHD+ (3200 x 1440) LTPO AMOLED display. That panel is slightly curved, and it has an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. This panel also supports Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ content too. Its brightness goes up to 3,000 nits at its peak. The display aspect ratio is 20:9, and the display is protected by the Xiaomi Shield Glass. THe screen-to-body ratio is around 89%.

AH Xiaomi 13 Ultra image 131
Xiaomi 13 Ultra

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra, on the flip side, has a 6.73-inch display too. It’s actually very similar to the one on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra spec-wise, but it offers higher brightness. It is a QHD+ (3200 x 1440) display, and it’s curved. It supports HDR10+ content and has Dolby Vision support. The display brightness goes up to 2,600 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is around 89%, while the display aspect ratio is 20:9. The Gorilla Glass Victus protects this panel.

Both of these displays are outstanding. They’re not only very vivid and bright, but they have great viewing angles. The touch response is also spot on, and they both offer good protection. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s panel does technically get brighter, but that’s not something you’ll notice. Both get immensely bright and will get bright enough in pretty much any situation you find yourself in.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Xiaomi 13 Ultra: Performance

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 fuels the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. That is Qualcomm’s most powerful chip at the moment. You’re also getting 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM here, in the global model, and the same goes for UFS 4.0 flash storage. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 fuels the Xiaomi 13 Ultra. That is still an immensely powerful processor. That phone also comes with LPDDR5X RAM, up to 16GB of it, and UFS 4.0 flash storage.

In all honesty, we did not notice much difference in the general performance between the two phones. They’re about as equally fast in day-to-day usage. They both do a great job of launching apps, multitasking, consuming multimedia, browsing, and anything else you can think of. The same is true for gaming if we’re being honest. They both handled games with ease, even the most demanding ones.

Genshin Impact was not a problem for either device. Both of them ran it perfectly fine, and after about an hour of gameplay, neither phone experienced slowdowns or anything like that. They did get really warm, but that is to be expected when it comes to such a demanding game. Either way, both phones passed the performance test with flying colors. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra does a fantastic job keeping up.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Xiaomi 13 Ultra: Battery

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery, in a global variant. The Chinese model comes with a 5,300mAh battery pack. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra, on the other hand, includes a 5,000mAh battery on the inside. So, the two phones have the same battery capacity, is the battery life comparable? Well, yes, actually. Both smartphones do offer great battery life, in case you were wondering.

Getting over 7 hours of screen-on-time was doable on both smartphones and if we were at all careful, we were even able to reach the 8-hour screen-on-time mark. Do note that we did have a great signal and were connected to WiFi on such days, plus games were not included in the equation. The point is, they do offer great battery life, even though your mileage may vary. That’s always the case when battery life is concerned, however.

When it comes to charging, both of them support 90W wired charging. You can get them fully charged in a little bit over half an hour, presuming you’re using the included charger. 80W wireless charging is supported on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, while the Xiaomi 13 Ultra supports 50W wireless charging. Both smartphones also offer support for 10W reverse wireless charging. They also both ship with 90W charging bricks.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Xiaomi 13 Ultra: Cameras

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a 50-megapixel main camera with variable aperture, a 50-megapixel ultrawide unit (122-degree FoV), a 50-megapixel telephoto camera (3.2x optical zoom), and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (5x optical zoom). The Xiaomi 13 Ultra includes a 50-megapixel main camera with variable aperture, a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera (122-degree FoV), a 50-megapixel telephoto camera (3.2x optical zoom), and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto unit (5x optical zoom).

Xiaomi 14 Ultra AM AH 08
Xiaomi 14 Ultra

Now, these camera setups may look very similar, but the Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a better main camera, and the same goes for the periscope telephoto unit. The main camera on the phone supports a multi-stop variable aperture, while the Xiaomi 13 Ultra has a two-stop variable aperture. The one on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra also has a wider reach. That does make a difference when it comes to photography, as does the new Sony LYT-900 camera sensor that Xiaomi used here.

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra did a great job from the photography standpoint, it really did, but it cannot measure up to its younger brother. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is easily one of the best camera smartphones out there, if not the best. It does a better job of balancing images in general, and it’s more reliable. It also shoots better photos in low light, especially when there are plenty of light sources included. HDR performance is outstanding, and the amount of detail it can portray is also on an extremely high level. Its secondary cameras do a great job of keeping the color science of the main shooter, the same goes for the Xiaomi 13 Ultra shooters, actually. Both are very good, but the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is in a league of its own.

Audio

You will find a set of stereo speakers on both smartphones. The output you’ll get is very similar, even though the Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s output is a bit louder. That’s not something many of you will notice, however. The speakers are good, the output is well-balanced, and you will even notice some bass here.

Neither phone has an audio jack, but you can utilize their Type-C ports to connect your headphones via a wire. If not, Bluetooth 5.4 is available on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, while Bluetooth 5.3 is included on the Xiaomi 13 Ultra.


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TSMC will raise chip prices that are made outside of Taiwan

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A recent report from the Financial Times claims that the World’s largest chip maker, TSMC, may raise the prices of its products that are manufactured outside Taiwan, its home country. For those unfamiliar, over 90 percent of the world’s most advanced chips are fabricated in the country.

TSMC CEO CC Wei said on an earnings call (transcript) that if a customer is required to be in a certain geographical area, the customer will need to share the incremental cost. “In today’s fragmented globalization environment, cost will be higher for everyone, including TSMC, our customers, and our competitors,” he added.

TSMC CEO informs an upcoming rise in chip prices

Notably, most of the semiconductor manufacturers like Apple, Nvidia, Qualcomm, and AMD fabricate their chips from TSMC. The Chinese giant Huawei also used to fabricate their chips from TSMC before the export restrictions from the US came into place. Only a few companies, like Samsung and Intel, produce their chips in-house. It includes Samsung, Intel, and only a few others. A rise in prices from TSMC is likely to reflect on a range of products. Specifically, if device manufacturers decide to maintain their profit margin.

Now if TSMC manufactures most of the chips in their home country, then why is it even a problem in the first place? Well, under the current geopolitical situation, governments and companies are pushing the chipmaker to build their plants and start fabricating chips outside Taiwan.

The US government offered TSMC $6.6 billion in funding last week under the CHIPS ACT to work on their factories in Arizona. In response, TSMC committed to increasing its US investment by an additional $25 billion, bringing the total to $65 billion. However, the new production facilities might not function as efficiently as their existing plants. TSMC is also investing quite a lot to build plants outside Taiwan.

It’s important to mention, that TSMC has plants in Japan. They are also building a number of plants in Arizona, one of them has already started operating this month. This plant may start full production by the end of this year. So in the near future, TSMC may start mass-producing chips outside Taiwan. Which it says, will raise the prices of the products.

TSMC’s chipmaking cost in Taiwan may also increase

If all of these weren’t enough, TSMC’s chip manufacturing costs in Taiwan may also increase. Thanks to the recent electricity price hikes in Taiwan and the disruptions due to the recent earthquake. According to a recent report, TSMC estimates losses of $92.4 million due to the biggest earthquake in at least 25 years.


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Meta launches new version of Meta AI assistant across WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger

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Meta has unveiled the latest version of its AI assistant, powered by the called Llama 3 model. This comes as Meta ramps up competition with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, another large language model chatbot, thus positioning Meta as a major player in the race to develop advanced AI assistants for consumers.

The company is also integrating its AI assistant into its core social media platforms likw Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp. This is something you may have already noticed in one of these apps’ search fields, with the sudden appearance of the Meta AI icon. Additionally, a standalone website (meta.ai) has been launched to allow users to interact with the AI assistant directly.

According to Meta, Llama 3 is said to outperform competing models on various benchmarks. Considering this, this update represents a significant step forward for Meta’s AI capabilities. The company has been steadily making progress in the field of artificial intelligence, and the release of Llama 3 and the integrated AI assistant mark a notable milestone.

Meta’s AI assistant is designed to answer users’ questions in a comprehensive and informative way, similar to ChatGPT. It can also be instructed to complete different creative tasks, like writing different kinds of creative content.


Beyond the social media integration, Meta’s AI assistant is now available through a dedicated website, allowing users to interact with it directly without needing to log in to any of their social media accounts. This broader accessibility could potentially introduce Meta’s AI technology to a wider audience. The release of Llama 3 also reflects advancements in Meta’s open-source AI models. Llama 3 is the latest version of the company’s foundational open-source model, which means that the underlying code is available for public scrutiny and development. This mode of operation fosters collaboration within the AI research community and can lead to faster innovation.

One thing is that’s for sure is that competition in the AI assistant market is heating up. OpenAI’s ChatGPT has garnered significant attention for its capabilities, and other tech giants like Google are also pouring resources into developing their own AI assistants. The latter even going as far as restructuring key parts of the company’s operations in order to focus more on AI. It will be very interesting to see how Meta’s entry into the field with Llama 3 and the integrated AI assistant will affect other companies’ next steps.


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