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CONTENTS

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NEWS 4

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REVIEWS Intel launches 11th-gen Tiger Lake-H CPUs for gaming notebooks Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3050 GPUs bring ray tracing to the masses

i ÃiVÕÀ ÌÞ y>Ü vÀ Óää affects ‘hundreds of millions’ of PCs RIP Internet Explorer: Microsoft Ü ` ÃV Ì Õi ÃÕ«« ÀÌ ÓäÓÓ

2 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

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Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 i Û 9 }> - " i* ÕÃ *À Red Magic 6

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Ü Ì }iÌ Ì i 7 ` Üà £ä >Þ ÓäÓ£ 1«`>Ìi Microsoft reveals it’s to ` ÃV Ì Õi 7 ` Üà £ä8 VÀ à vÌ Ã w > Þ wÝ } 7 ` Üý ÃÌ > Þ } Õ Ì monitor bug 7 ` Üà £ä½Ã «L >À` ÃÌ ÀÞ is the best little tool you’re not using Microsoft is killing my top 7 ` Üà £ä vi>ÌÕÀi

FEATURES 89 92

Ü Ì > i > ` * ÕÃivÕ for someone else Ü Ì VÀi>Ìi ÃÌÀ } «>ÃÃÜ À`Ã LÞ i>À } Ü Ì VÀ>V Ì i

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AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 3

Credit: Getty Images/matejmo

WINDOWS 10

NEWS

Intel launches 11th-gen Tiger Lake-H CPUs for gaming notebooks Ìi ½Ã >ÌiÃÌ «À ViÃà Àà v À }> } * à vviÀ Ü >Ì Ìi Ã>Þà >Ài substantial performance improvements. MARK HACHMAN reports

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ÕÃÌ > viÜ Ã ÀÌ Ì Ã >vÌiÀ Ìi launched the 11th-gen Core H35series microprocessors for mobile gaming, Intel is at it again. Last month, Ì vwV > Þ >Õ V i` Ì i ££Ì }i Ài ‘Tiger Lake’ H-series processors for mainstream and gaming laptops.

4 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

/ i «À `ÕVÌ i V Õ`ià wÛi iÜ processors, including the premium, Õ V i` Ài ££ nä ] Ì i

Ài Ç ££nää > ` > «> À v Ài x processors. Quad-core processors have disappeared from the line-up. Instead, Ì i iÜ V «Ã V Õ`i Þ«iÀÌ Ài>`i`

Here’s how Intel sees the gaming notebook market breaking down.

six-core and eight-core processors, offering double the cores of the 11th-gen Tiger Lake cores Intel launched in September.

6iÀÃÕà ÓäÓä½Ã £äÌ }i Ài mobile gaming chips, base core clock frequencies are slightly up across the board. The maximum single-core boost clock has dipped, though – possibly a L >V >À v À }> iÀð ÜiÛiÀ] Ìi is once again publishing its all-core turbo speeds, and they’re substantial.

Supported memory speeds have climbed vÀ

,{ Ó ÎÎ Ì

,{ ÎÓää° * ÜiÀ >à `À ««i`] Ì \ Û ÀÌÕ> Þ > Ì i iÜ «À ViÃà Àà >Ài À>Ìi` >Ì Îx Ü>ÌÌÃ] À>Ì iÀ Ì > {x Ü>ÌÌð "ÛiÀ> ] Ìi V > Ã Ì >Ì

the Tiger Lake-H platform offers three Ì iÃ Ì i « >Ìv À L> `Ü `Ì v Ìà «Ài`iViÃà À] Ü Ì > Ý v Óä * Ý«ÀiÃà {°ä > ` Ó{ * Ý«ÀiÃà ΰä > ið * ÕÃ] integrated graphics have returned, too. Ìi Ü Õ ` > à i Ì Ì>V Ì Þ Ài ` you that demand for rival AMD’s Ryzen processors is outstripping supply.

Intel executives say they’ll ship more than a million of the 11th-gen Core H processors to customers by launch, >à «>ÀÌ v Ài Ì > nä iÜ `ià } ð They’ll also continue selling 10th-gen H-series chips. Naturally, Intel believes its iÜ ££Ì }i Ài «>ÀÌà ÕÌ«iÀv À Ƃ ½Ã ,Þâi xäää «À ViÃà Àà }> }] LÞ >L ÕÌ ££ Ì ÓÓ «iÀ Vi Ì° AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 5

NEWS

INSIDE A TIGER LAKE-H GAMING NOTEBOOK It’s been a busy year or so for Intel.

Let’s recap: Last April, Intel launched the 10th-gen Intel Comet Lake-H «À ViÃà Àð / i Ài Ç £änÇx w > Þ Ài>V i` n V Àià > ` £È Ì Ài>`Ã] Ü i Ì i «Ài Õ Ài £ä nä Ì ««i` out at 5.3GHz. Our tests of the Core Ç £änÇx «À Ûi` Ì Ü>à `ii` Ì i fastest Core i7 processor to date, though our tests of AMD’s Ryzen 4000 L i «À ViÃà À à Üi` ,Þâi ii« } «>Vi° > Õ>ÀÞ] Ìi >``i` iÜ 10th-gen Core i5 and Core i7 Comet Lake-H chips to the line-up. > Õ>À޽à >Õ V ] Ì >ÃÌ Ì ½Ã] Ü>à Ìi ½Ã wÀÃÌ ££Ì }i L i Ài `iLÕÌ] Ü i Ì « iiÀi` > iÜ Õ ÌÀ>« ÀÌ>L i }> } Ãi} i Ì Ü Ì Ì i Ài Îx ÃiÀ ið Ì Ü>Ã Ì i Ì >Ì * Ý«ÀiÃà {°ä] 7 È > ` Ìi ½Ã iÀ iÌÜ À } technology arrived in Intel’s 11th-gen L i «À ViÃà Àð Ü Ì iÞ½Ûi migrated to the mainstream gaming line.

7 >Ì ` ià > ££Ì }i Ài mainstream gaming notebook include? ƂVV À` } Ì Ƃ }ÃÌ> ] ÌiÀ general manager of Intel’s Innovation and Enthusiast team and director of Intel’s enthusiast laptop innovation team, Intel’s aiming its Core i5 H-series chips at ‘essential’ gaming notebooks v À >à ÌÌ i >à ËÈ Ì Ë ] ÀÕ } >Ì 6 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

£änä« Àià ÕÌ Ã >Ì i` Õ Ì } ÃiÌÌ }ð Ài iÝ«i à Ûi `i Ã Ü Li «À Vi` LiÌÜii Ë Ì Ë£] \ £x to 17in notebooks running at either £änä«ÉÓ{ä â À { ÉÈä Àià ÕÌ Ã] > ` Ài « ÜiÀvÕ ¼ > i Ì Õà >Ã̽ ÌiL à ÀÕ } >Ì { É£Óä Àià ÕÌ Ã >Ì >Ýi` ÕÌ ÃiÌÌ }ð ­1« Ì £änä«ÉÎÈä > ` { É£Óä ` ë >Þà >Ài ÃÕ«« ÀÌi`] Ì °® Ƃ Ü V Õ`i ` ÃVÀiÌi] i Ì Õà >ÃÌ V >Ãà GPUs from either Nvidia or AMD. Interestingly, Algstam said Intel à i « } ÃÕ«« ÀÌ > iÜ ` ë >Þ Ã âi v £È V iÃ] Ü V Ü Õ ` ë Ì Ì i ` vviÀi Vi LiÌÜii Ì i Ài ÌÀ>` Ì > 15in and 17in gaming laptops. Intel also sees 1440p resolutions as the ¼ iÜ }> } ÃÌ> `>À`½°

HERE ARE INTEL’S 11TH-GEN CORE MOBILE PROCESSORS The architecture of the chips themselves doesn’t hide any surprises. These are £ä V «Ã] `ià } i` >À Õ ` Ì i 7 Ü Cove CPU cores Intel talked up last Þi>À° ÜiÛiÀ] Ìi iÝiVÕÌ Ûià Ã> ` Ì >Ì though the GPU cores are designed around the Xe architecture, they’re being branded as Intel UHD Graphics for some reason. That’s still a change from the 10th-gen ‘Comet Lake-H’ chips, Ü i Ìi Ã> ` }> iÀà à « Þ «ÀiviÀÀi` discrete graphics and didn’t need an integrated GPU.

Ìi à vviÀ } wÛi iÜ ££Ì }i Ài ÃiÀ ià V «Ã v À V ÃÕ iÀð

Intel’s chart, see above, includes several different scenarios. The base V V ëii` v Ì i Ài ££ nä ] v À iÝ> « i] à ÕÃÌ Ó°È â° Ìi à > Ã Ã Ü } Ì >Ì V «Ã i Ì i Ài ££ ää ] Ü i `ià } i` v À Îx Ü>ÌÌÃ] Ü ÌÞ« V> Þ ÀÕ Ã `i v >

{x Ü>ÌÌ ÌiL > ` >Ì > à } Ì Þ v>ÃÌiÀ ëii` Ü i ` } à ° ƂÌ {x Ü>ÌÌÃ] Ì iÃi Îx Ü>ÌÌ V «Ã Ü ÀÕ > L Ì v>ÃÌiÀ° 7 i L ÃÌi` Õà } Ì i Intel Turbo Boost Max 3.0 technology, i Ì iÀ i À ÌÜ ¼v>Û ÕÀi`½ V Àià V> reach 5GHz for a short time.

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 7

NEWS

Scenarios like our Cinebench Li V >À Ü «Õà > v Ì i V Àià on that chip to 4.5GHz, consequently «Õà } Õ« Ì i « ÜiÀ V ÃÕ «Ì Ì >à } >à £Îx Ü>ÌÌÃ] >VV À` } to Ryan Shrout, Intel’s chief performance strategist. / i ¼ ½ ÃÕvwÝ `ià } >Ìià > unlocked part that can be overclocked.

Intel executives also alluded to ‘partially overclockable’ chips that can use Intel’s Speed Optimizer, but didn’t V >À vÞ Ü V iÃ Ì iÞ ÜiÀi° Intel also launched several similar processors for the commercial segment, featuring vPro technology.

INTEL’S PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS FOR ITS 11TH-GEN CORE-H /1$+.'|241%'55145 Ü v>ÃÌ Ã Ì i iÜ ££Ì }i / }iÀ Lake H processor? Intel claims there’s a £ «iÀ Vi Ì }i iÀ>Ì Ì }i iÀ>Ì performance increase (as measured by Ì i -* Ú ÌÚÀ>ÌiÚL>ÃiÓä£Ç Li V >À ® LiÌÜii Ì i Ài ££ nä «À ViÃà À > ` Ì i i>À iÀ Ài £ä nä V «° gaming, Intel says that you’ll see frame À>Ìi «À Ûi i Ìà LiÌÜii x > ` Ó£ per cent in some popular titles.

Intel ran similar benchmarks comparing the top-of-the-line Core

iÀi½Ã Ü >Ì Ìi V > à >Ài Ì i }i iÀ>Ì > «À Ûi i Ìà ÛiÀ Ì i `iÀ £äÌ }i Ài V «Ã° Ì ÃÞÃÌi à >Ài Õà } > Û ` > i ÀVi ,/8Îänä *1° 8 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

Ìi à V > } Ì >Ì ÌÃ Ì « v Ì i i Ài ££ nä 8 > ` Þ ÕÌ«iÀv À Ã č ½Ã ,Þâi °

> Þ }> iÀÃ Ü LÕÞ > Ài x ÃÞÃÌi à « Þ LiV>ÕÃi Ì vviÀà > ÜiÀ «À Vi Ü Ì ÕÌ ÌÀ>` } vv ÕV Ì i Ü>Þ v «iÀv À > Vi° iÀi] Ìi ½Ã Ài x ££{ää à V «>Ài` Ì Ì i ,Þâi x ää -° ,i i LiÀ] Ì iÃi >Ài Ìi ½Ã Li V >À ð AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 9

NEWS

££ nä ÛiÀÃÕÃ Ì i ,Þâi x ää 8] Ƃ ½Ã ÃÌ « ÜiÀvÕ «À ViÃà À° Ƃ}> ] Intel is using gaming as the point of V «>À à ] Ü Ì > ,/8 Îänä ÃÕ«« Þ } Ì i }À>« Và ÀÃi« ÜiÀ° Ì i }> ià Ìi Ãi iVÌi`] Ì i ££ nä ÕÌ«iÀv À Ã Ì i x ää8 LÞ Õ« Ì ÓÈ «iÀ Vi Ì° Intel used a similar subset of games Ì `À>Ü > V «>À à LiÌÜii Ì i much more affordable Core i5-11400H > ` Ì i ,Þâi x ää -° iÀi] Ì i ÌÜ «À ViÃà Àà >Ài Ài V Ãi Þ >ÌV i`] Ü Ì Intel admitting that its rival outperforms it ViÀÌ> à ÌÕ>Ì Ã° Ìi ] ÜiÛiÀ] V > à that its demo notebook is just 16.5mm Ì V > ` V ÃÕ ià Èx Ü>ÌÌÃ] Ü i Ì i ,Þâi ÃÞÃÌi i>ÃÕÀià >à ÕV >à Óä Ì V > ` V ÃÕ ià ի Ì nä Ü>ÌÌð In content creation, Intel is claiming a ÓÓ «iÀ Vi Ì }i iÀ>Ì ÛiÀ }i iÀ>Ì «À Ûi i Ì * Ì Ã «] > ` Óä «iÀ cent in video creation. Intel believes Ì `à Ó{ «iÀ Vi Ì > ` £n «iÀ Vi Ì >`Û> Ì>}iÃ Ì Ãi ÌÜ ] ÀiëiVÌ Ûi Þ] ÛiÀ ,Þâi x ää8° Ìi ½Ã - À ÕÌ Ã> ` he believes those improvements stem from the overall computational gains from one generation to the other, plus à i v Ì i Ƃ ëiV wV i > Vi i Ìà like DLBoost that Intel has built in. Ü ` ià Ìi ½Ã ££Ì }i Ài >ÌV Õ« Ì Ƃ«« i½Ã £¶ º7i ` ½Ì >Ûi any of that information here to share today,” Shrout said.

10 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

THE IMPROVEMENTS TIGER LAKE-H ADDS TO MOBILE PCS As AMD’s Ryzen has risen to challenge Intel’s Core chips directly, Intel has shifted gears to emphasize some of the other advantages an Intel PC LÀ }à LiÞ ` À>Ü «iÀv À > Vi° / iÃi ‘platform’ improvements touch on other aspects of the PC that may be unique to Intel, generally emphasizing >`` Ì > L> `Ü `Ì ÃÕV >Ã Ì i iÜ {ä LÉà / Õ `iÀL Ì { ëiV wV>Ì v À connecting external storage. For better À Ü ÀÃi] / Õ `iÀL Ì Ã ÃÌ >À}i Þ iÝV Õà Ûi Ì Ìi * Ã] Ü Ì iÝVi«Ì à like this Asus desktop motherboard.

Intel isn’t even mentioning USB4, Ì Õ} Ì i 1- { ëiV wV>Ì > ` Thunderbolt 4 go hand in hand. À Ìi ½Ã iÜ / }iÀ > i >«Ì «Ã] > viÜ V>«>L Ì ià ÃÌ> ` ÕÌ° À i] Ì i « >Ìv À Ü ÃÕ«« ÀÌÃ

,{ ÎÓää] Ü V Ài«ÀiÃi ÌÃ > Ã > «iÀ Vi Ì L ÃÌ vÀ Ì i

,{ Ó ÎÎ i ÀÞ speeds of the 10th-gen parts.

These days, the PCI Express bus is primarily used just for discrete graphics and storage. Intel’s Tiger Lake-H laptops V Ì> Óä > ià v * Ý«ÀiÃà {°ä É" ` ÀiVÌ Þ >ÌÌ>V i` Ì Ì i *1] > Ü } v À an x16 discrete GPU plus an x4 SSD for internal PC storage. / i LiÌÜii Ì i ÃÌ *1 and the accompanying 500-series PCH

č ÃÕ >ÀÞ v Ì i «À Ûi i ÌÃ Ì >Ì Ìi >à >``i` Ì Ìà L i ££Ì }i Ài « >Ìv À ] code-named Tiger Lake H.

V «ÃiÌ >à > à Lii Ü `i i`] Ì > Ýn ÌiÀv>Vi° Ƃ Ì Ã i> Ã Ì >Ì Ì i >Û> >L i L> `Ü `Ì LiÌÜii Ì i É" V « > ` Ì i *1 >à ` ÕL i`] > Ü } Ì i * > >`` Ì > Ó{ > ià v *

Express 3.0 storage to an external GPU or additional SSDs. These are PCI Ý«ÀiÃà ΰä > iÃ] }À> Ìi`] Ü Ì > v Ì i L> `Ü `Ì v Ì i * i {°ä > ià ` ÀiVÌ Þ attached to the CPU. Still, you may see notebooks that combine SSDs attached to both PCIe 4 and PCI 3, to create RAID 0 arrays that could increase a laptop’s storage performance even further. And, of course, Intel has also included support

v À Ìà Óä "«Ì> i `À Ûið iV>ÕÃi Ìi envisions its Tiger Lake-H notebooks Li } ÕÃi` Ü Ì iÝÌiÀ > }À>« VÃ] Ì i platform’s integrated graphics come as a little bit of a mystery. These chips include integrated graphics based on Ì i 8i >ÀV ÌiVÌÕÀi] > ` Ü Ì ÎÓ 1Ã Ì boot – but they’re being marketed as Intel UHD Graphics. They do include an unexpected bonus: they’ve been `ià } i` Ì Ü À Ü Ì ÌÜ iÝÌiÀ >

ë >Þ* ÀÌ V iVÌ Ã] ëiV wV> Þ v À the secondary ‘companion displays’ that have begun cropping up in dual-screen laptops like the Asus ZenBook Pro Duo. It’s reasonable to expect that they’ll be AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 11

NEWS

>L i Ì ÃÌi« > ` « ÜiÀ `>Þ Ì `>Þ ÜiL > ` "vwVi Ü À ÛiÀÃÕà Õà } Ì i external GPU, helping preserve your laptop’s battery life. They also support Ƃ6£ `iV ` } >À`Ü>Ài° > Þ] Ì iÃi iÜ ££Ì }i / }iÀ > i « >Ìv À à V Õ`i Ìi ½Ã iÀ iÌÜ À } ÌiV }Þ] Ü V Ìi acquired a year ago for gaming PCs. The iÜ ÌiL Ã Ü V Õ`i ÃÕ«« ÀÌ v À 7 È ] Ü V >``à > iÜ `i` V>Ìi` È â 7 V > i v À ­ «ivÕ Þ® iÃÃ Ü Ài iÃà V }iÃÌ ° 7 Ì > } L> Ãi V `ÕVÌ À shortage, a cryptocurrency craze, and opportunistic resellers and bots snapping up the available supply of discrete desktop GPUs, gaming notebooks are not just a nice luxury – in certain cases, Ì iÞ >Þ Li Ì i Þ Ü>Þ v À }> iÀÃ Ì be able to play the latest games. Intel’s iÜ ££Ì }i Ài ÃiÀ ià L i «>ÀÌà may take on an outsized importance as Ì i Üii à «À }ÀiÃð

12 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

Û ` >½Ã i ÀVi ,/8 Îäxä *1à LÀ } À>Þ tracing to the masses Û ` > >à iÝ«> `i` Ìà À> }i v ` ÃVÀiÌi >«Ì « *1Ã] Ü Ì Ì i entry-level RTX 3050 and 3050 Ti. ANYRON COPEMAN reports

N

vidia is undoubtedly the >À iÌ i>`iÀ Ü i Ì V ià to discrete GPUs, accounting v À > iÃÌ >Ìi` nÓ «iÀ Vi Ì v > Ã> ià according to one report. The high-end }> } >«Ì « >À iÌ Ã Ã>ÌÕÀ>Ìi` Ü Ì Nvidia RTX GPUs, but the same can’t be said about the budget market – until Ü] > ÞÜ>Þ°

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 and Îäxä / >Ài ëiV wV> Þ `ià } i` v À Ài >vv À`>L i >À`Ü>Ài] Ü Ì Û ` > ÃÕ}}iÃÌ } Ì iÞ½ > i Ì i À Ü>Þ Ì >«Ì «Ã V ÃÌ } >à ÌÌ i >à fÇ ­>À Õ ` ËxÈä®] LÀ } } Ì i « ÜiÀ v ,/8 graphics to the mainstream.

7i ` ½Ì Ü > Þ Ã«iV wV `iÛ Vi Ì >̽ Li « ÜiÀi` LÞ Ì i Îäxä À Îäxä AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 13

NEWS

Ti yet, but Nvidia has revealed plenty of details about the GPUs themselves.

They may sit at the bottom of the V «> ޽à >«Ì « i Õ« ­Li Ü Ì i ,/8 Îänä] ÎäÇä > ` ÎäÈä®] LÕÌ Ì iÞ ` ½Ì à « « ÜiÀ° Like other GPUs in the RTX 30 À> }i] Ì iÞ½Ài `ià } i` Ì « ÜiÀ £{{ä« }> } Ü Ì ÕÌ V «À à } on high frame rates.

That’s made possible thanks to a V L >Ì v Óä{n 1 Ƃ V ÀiÃ] È{ Tensor cores and 16 RT Cores on the ,/8 Îäxä] > ` > VÀi>Ãi` ÓxÈä 1 Ƃ V ÀiÃ] nä /i à À V Àià > ` Óä ,/ Àià on the RTX 3050 Ti. CUDA and Tensor cores are used for rendering graphics > ` Ƃ Ìi à Ûi >«« V>Ì Ã] Ü i Ì i RT cores enable ultra-realistic portrayals v } Ì > ` à >` ÜÃ] `i ÛiÀ } > Ài immersive gaming experience.

ië Ìi >Û } viÜiÀ V ÀiÃ] Ì i ,/8 Îäxä Ü Li V>«>L i v ÌÌ } > higher boosted clock speed – 1.74GHz ÛiÀÃÕà £°È x â° / à à à iÌ } Ì >Ì ` ià ½Ì Û>ÀÞ Õ}i Þ LiÌÜii *1 tiers, although the 4GB of GDDR6 is > Ì Vi>L i ÃÌi« ` Ü vÀ Ài iÝ«i à Ûi «Ì ð -Ì ] «iÀv À > Vi Ü i Þ Li à } wV> Ì Þ LiÌÌiÀ Ì > ÃÌ integrated graphics solutions.

Many other key specs are consistent across the full RTX laptop range. All are based on the Ampere GPU architecture, 14 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

use second-gen ray-tracing cores and support both PCI Express Gen 4 > ` Ó°£° Ì } >à Lii ÀiÛi> i` Ü Ì Ài}>À`Ã Ì ,/8 Îäxä >«Ì «Ã] LÕÌ Üi ` Ü Ì i wÀÃÌ viÜ `iÛ Vià vi>ÌÕÀ } the 3050 Ti. Samsung’s Galaxy Book "`ÞÃÃiÞ Ü>à > Õ Vi` L>V Ƃ«À ] Liv Ài Ì i iÜ 8*- £x >`i Ìà `iLÕÌ today. Dell simply says the G15 uses ,/8 Îä -iÀ ià }À>« VÃ] LÕÌ Ì >Ì½Ã Ü `i Þ expected to include the 3050 Ti. The launch of the RTX 3050 line is an ambitious move from Nvidia, as it seeks to become the default company for laptop GPUs at all price points. It’s clear the company sees a big future in this form factor, as portable gaming PCs V Ì Õi Ì }À Ü « «Õ >À ÌÞ° / iÃi iÜ *1à >Ài Ì i >ÌiÃÌ addition to Nvidia’s laptop-focused RTX Îä -iÀ iÃ] Ü V Ì i V «> Þ `iLÕÌi` >Ì - ÓäÓ£ > Õ>ÀÞ°

i ÃiVÕÀ ÌÞ y>Ü vÀ Óää >vviVÌà ¼ Õ `Ài`à of millions’ of PCs Õ i Ì i ° Ì½Ã Ì i Þ Ü>Þ Ì Li ÃÕÀi° ,č

č "- reports

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ÀÃÌ] Ì i L>` iÜÃ\ ÃiVÕÀ ÌÞ ÀiÃi>ÀV iÀà ÀiVi Ì Þ ` ÃV ÛiÀi` wÛi } ÃiÛiÀ ÌÞ y>Üà i ½Ã wÀ Ü>Ài update driver – and they’ve been pushed Ì VÕÃÌ iÀ V «ÕÌiÀà iÛiÀ à Vi Óää ° Ü Ì i } ` iÜÃ\ Ƃ wÝ Ã > Ài>`Þ ­w > Þ® >Û> >L i v À «i « i Ü Ü Dell desktops, laptops, and tablets.

9 Õ½ Ü> Ì Ì Ì> i >`Û> Ì>}i v you’re affected, as the secretive code Ü ½Ì ÃÌ>Þ > ÃiVÀiÌ v À }° “These multiple high severity ÛÕ iÀ>L Ì ià i à vÌÜ>Ài V Õ ` > Ü >ÌÌ>V iÀÃ Ì iÃV> >Ìi «À Û i}ià from a non-administrator user to kernel `i «À Û i}iÃ]» ÜÀ Ìià >à v i i ] > AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 15

NEWS

security researcher at SentinelOne that should be patched. On that note, Dell sniffed out the vulnerability. That could just published a security advisory about iÌ >ÌÌ>V iÀà LÞ«>Ãà ÃiVÕÀ ÌÞ Ã vÌÜ>Ài À Ì i ÛÕ iÀ>L Ì ià ­v>Ûi°V ÉÎÕ` x ® >ÃÃ>Õ Ì Ì i iÌÜ À v > À}> â>Ì ­V iVÌ Ûi Þ `i Ì wi` >à 6 ÓäÓ£ that deploys Dell PCs. “Over the years, Ó£xx£ ­v>Ûi°V ÉÓ+ Ü®® Ì >Ì vviÀà Dell has released BIOS update utilities ÃiÛiÀ> iÌ `Ã Ì wÝ Ì i ÃÃÕið / iÀi½Ã Ü V V Ì> Ì i ÛÕ iÀ>L i `À ÛiÀ > à > i «vÕ Ƃ+ ­v>Ûi°V ÉÎÕi« Ƃv® for hundreds of millions of computers ÜÀ ÌÌi « > iÀ > }Õ>}i° 9 Õ½ ii` (including desktops, laptops, notebooks to eradicate the troublesome driver > ` Ì>L iÌî Ü À `Ü `i°» wÀÃÌ] i Ì iÀ LÞ ÀÕ } Ì i i -iVÕÀ ÌÞ 9i«] Ì >̽à L>` iÜà > À } Ì q LÕÌ Ƃ`Û Ã ÀÞ 1«`>Ìi q -Ƃ ÓäÓ£ änn it might not be quite as bad as it ÕÌ ÌÞ ­v>Ûi°V ÉÎ{LÞ6-ή À LÞ > Õ> Þ sounds. “At this time, SentinelOne has Ài Û } Ì i ÛÕ iÀ>L i `LÕÌ ÚÓÚΰ Ì ` ÃV ÛiÀi` iÛ `i Vi v Ì i Ü ` sys driver. Dell’s system management abuse,” Dekel says. The company is >««Ã ­v>Ûi°V ÉÎv «iÓ ®] ÃÕV >à i Ü Ì ` } Ìà «À v v V Vi«Ì v À Ì i Command Update, Dell Update and y>ÜÃ Õ Ì Õ i £ Ì } Ûi ÕÃiÀÃ Ì i Ì Ƃ i Ü>Ài 1«`>Ìi] Ü > à Li >L i get patched and protected. Ì «iÀv À Ì i Ì>à ° Õ } Ì i w i Dell also says that “The vulnerability eliminates the threat. cannot be exploited remotely. A

Ì° º7 i Üi >Ûi ½Ì Ãii > Þ > V Õà >VÌ À ÕÃÌ wÀÃÌ LÌ> ­ V> ® indicators that these vulnerabilities have authenticated access to your device.” The need for an attacker to be physically sitting at your computer greatly reduces the practical reach of potential exploits, though these remain 7i ÃÌÀ } Þ ÀiV i ` Û Ã Ì } i ½Ã -č ÓäÓ£ änn ÃiVÕÀ ÌÞ «>}i ° VÀ Ì V> y>ÜÃ Ì >Ì 16 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

Lii iÝ« Ìi` Ì i Ü ` Õ« Ì Ü] Ü Ì Õ `Ài`à v v i ÌiÀ«À Ãià and users currently vulnerable, it is iÛ Ì>L i Ì >Ì >ÌÌ>V iÀÃ Ü Ãii ÕÌ those that do not take the appropriate action,” Dekel says.

After that, you’ll need to install a wÝi` ÛiÀà v Ì i à vÌÜ>Ài vÀ i v Þ Õ Ü> Ì Ì V Ì Õi ÀiVi Û } wÀ Ü>Ài updates. Your system’s preinstalled Dell management app should handle the «À ViÃÃ] LÕÌ Ì i iÝ>VÌ `iÌ> Ã Ü `i«i ` Þ ÕÀ ÃÞÃÌi ½Ã V w}ÕÀ>Ì ° -µÕ>à } > LÕ} vÀ Óää à V « V>Ìi`°

ÕÀÀi Ì Þ] > wÝi` 7 ` Üà £ä driver is available, and Dell says one v À 7 ` ÜÃ Ç > ` n°£ ÃÞÃÌi Ã Ü be posted by the end of July. Older Dell systems beyond their end-of-life ` ½Ì i Ì iÞ½ Li wÝi`] à Li sure to delete that vulnerable driver on those. Dell says the driver is only ÕÃi` LÞ Ì i wÀ Ü>Ài Õ«`>ÌiÀ] Ì Ì iÀ ÃÞÃÌi >À`Ü>Ài À à vÌÜ>Ài] à removing it shouldn’t affect your system’s «iÀv À > Vi > Þ Ü>Þ° 7i ÃÌÀ } Þ ÀiV i ` Û Ã Ì }

i ½Ã -Ƃ ÓäÓ£ änn ÃiVÕÀ ÌÞ «>}i ­v>Ûi°V ÉÎ{LÎÎÜ ® v À vÕ `iÌ> à the complex steps that are potentially needed to plug the hole (and to Ü Ì iÃÃ Ì i ÌÀÕ Þ ÃÌ>}}iÀ } ÃÌ v >vviVÌi` i V «ÕÌiÀî° v Þ Õ Ü> Ì Ài `iÌ> à >L ÕÌ Ì i y>ÜÃ

themselves, check out SentinelOne’s ` ÃV ÃÕÀi >Ì v>Ûi°V ÉÎÜ̵ < °

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 17

NEWS

, * ÌiÀ iÌ Ý« ÀiÀ\ Microsoft will discontinue ÃÕ«« ÀÌ ÓäÓÓ ÀÌÕ >Ìi Þ] Ü Ûi Ü Ì - `}i° MARK HACHMAN reports

B

elieve it or not, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer still lives. But not for long.

If you’re one of the people Ü >Ài ÃÌ Ài > Ì ÌiÀ iÌ Ý« ÀiÀ ­ ] >`t® VÀ Ã vÌ >Ã Ã i L>` iÜÃ\ VÀ Ã vÌ Ü vwV > Þ i ` ÃÕ«« ÀÌ v À the Internet Explorer desktop application Õ i £x] ÓäÓÓ° iv Ài Ì >Ì] ÜiÛiÀ] 18 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

VÀ Ã vÌ ÎÈx Ü i ` ÃÕ«« ÀÌ v À 17 August of this year.

The replacement? Microsoft Edge, Ü V > Ài>`Þ >à > ¼ ÌiÀ iÌ Ý« ÀiÀ mode’ built right in. Microsoft said in Óä£ Ì >Ì Ì « > i` Ì >`` > `i Ü Ì `}i] > ` Ì i Û ÀÌÕ> âi` LÀ ÜÃiÀ Ûià >à > V w}ÕÀ>L i `i Ü Ì

Microsoft Edge. That’s important, because the `iÀ `}i LÀ ÜÃiÀ is simply more secure than Internet Explorer iÛiÀ Ü>ð Ƃ ` Þ Õ can’t say Microsoft didn’t signal IE’s demise, by basically booting users from accessing hundreds of iÀi½Ã Ü Ì w ` Ì i «>Ì L ÌÞ `i «Ì Ã Ü Ì Ã ÌiÃ Û > >Ìi ÓäÓä° Microsoft Edge.

“Not only is V > }i`° ÀÃÌ] v V ÕÀÃi] Þ ÕÀ * Ü Microsoft Edge a faster, more secure ii` Ì >Ûi VÀ à vÌ `}i] Ü V Ü > ` Ài `iÀ LÀ Üà } iÝ«iÀ i Vi reside on your PC’s taskbar. IE Mode can than Internet Explorer, but it is also able be turned on via Edge’s settings. to address a key concern: compatibility In the address bar for Microsoft v À `iÀ] i}>VÞ ÜiLà Ìià > ` Edge, type edge://settings/ applications,” Microsoft explained in a defaultbrowser and click Enter. recent blog post.

Alternatively, you can also go into ÜiÛiÀ] Ì iÀi >Ài iÝVi«Ì ð Ì i `}i -iÌÌ }à i Õ > ` ` Ü Ì > ÌiV V> Ƃ+ ­v>Ûi°V ÉÎ *ÞvÌ ®]

iv>Õ Ì LÀ ÜÃiÀ° - `i Ì i Ƃ Ü Ã Ìià VÀ à vÌ Ìi` Ì >Ì VÀ à vÌ Ü Þ to be reloaded in Internet Explorer « >Ãi ÕÌ ÌiÀ iÌ Ý« ÀiÀ 7 ` Üà toggle to On to enable the compatibility £ä Óä Ó > ` >ÌiÀ° ­ Ûi ÌÕ> Þ] ÜiÛiÀ] Ì iÃi i>À iÀ ÛiÀà Ài i>Ãià v 7 ` Üà `i° iÀi] Þ Õ V> > à V Ãi Ü i to launch sites in IE Mode, including £ä Ü > à i ` ÃÕ«« ÀÌ°® v Þ Õ½Ài ÃÌ Ƃ Ü>Þð ƂvÌiÀÜ>À`] Þ Õ½ ii` Ì ÀiÃÌ>ÀÌ ÃÌÕV 7 ` Üà n°£] Ì i i ` v vi Þ ÕÀ LÀ ÜÃiÀ° Ì Vi Ü ½Ì >«« Þ] i Ì iÀ° Microsoft hopes that you’ll simply HOW TO ENABLE INTERNET decide to use Edge instead. If you EXPLORER MODE WITHIN EDGE decide Edge is for you, go to the Edge ÀÌÕ >Ìi Þ] Ì i Ü>Þ Ì i >L i ÌiÀ iÌ Settings menu, again, and then to the Ý« ÀiÀ `i Ü Ì `}i >à ½Ì *À w ià i>`iÀ Ì i ivÌ > ` i Õ° AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 19

NEWS

À Ì iÀi] Ãi iVÌ « ÀÌ LÀ ÜÃiÀ `>Ì>] and select Microsoft Internet Explorer vÀ Ì i `À « ` Ü i Õ° V « ÀÌ > ` `}i Ü V w}ÕÀi ÌÃi v Ì i Ã> i Ü>Þ ÌiÀ iÌ Ý« ÀiÀ Ü>Ã ÃiÌ Õ«° Microsoft hopes that you’ll poke >À Õ ` > L Ì Ü Ì `}i] `iV `i Þ Õ½ like it, and move on. Unfortunately, even if you don’t, it’s going to give you a push.

20 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

VÀ Ã vÌ -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « { Price: ££]{È ­ V 6Ƃ/® vÀ v>Ûi°V ÉÎÕ Ànv*

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icrosoft’s Surface Laptop 4 has à } wV> Ì Þ «À Ûi` Ü iÀi Ì matters – in performance and in battery life. Even though it’s largely Õ V > }i` Ì iÀÜ Ãi V «>Ài` Ì Ì i Surface Laptop 3 (and available in the Ã> i £Î°x > ` £x à âiî] Ì >Ì½Ã Ì a bad thing given the product line’s tradition of offering a great screen, a great keyboard, and great battery

life. Microsoft has hit its mark on all three criteria once again, and the important changes under the hood make all the difference. "ÕÀ «À> Ãi V iÃ Ü Ì > viÜ µÕ> wV>Ì Ã° / i «À `ÕVÌ i à expensive. The long battery life is >ÌÌ> i` Ü Ì > viÜ ÌÀ V ð 7i > à ` ½Ì Ü Ü Ì i ,Þâi Ç ÛiÀà Üi½Ûi tested here compares to its siblings AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 21

REVIEWS

Ü Ì > Ìi *1 à `i° ië Ìi Ì iÃi Õ Ü Ã] Üi Ü Õ ` ÃÌ i>Ã Þ recommend buying this laptop.

`i Ü Ì n v ,Ƃ > ` ÓxÈ v storage, feel free.

7i ÀiVi Ûi` > ÀiÛ iÜ Õ Ì v Ì i 15in Surface Laptop 4 in a Matte Black, BASIC FEATURES iÌ> V V w}ÕÀ>Ì ° Ì½Ã Ã Û ÃÕ> Þ Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 4 offers a `i Ì V> Ì Ì i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « Î Üi surprising diversity of exterior design ÀiÛ iÜi` «ÀiÛ ÕÃ Þ Ì >Ì Üi ÜiÀi «Ì Ã\ à âi ­£Î°x ÛiÀÃÕà £x ] w à tempted to attach sticky notes to (clad in metal or Microsoft’s signature ` ÃÌ }Õ Ã Ì i ÌÜ ° Ƃ V> Ì>À> v>LÀ V®] > ` V ÕÀ° 7i½Ûi ÃÌi` / i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « >à > Ü>Þà the available combinations and prices been Microsoft’s minimalist response ÕÀ À } > iÜà ÃÌ ÀÞ > Õ V } to the Apple MacBook, and that’s still Ì i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « {° " i Ì } Üi >««>Ài Ì° 7 Ì > y V v Þ ÕÀ w }iÀ Þ Õ appreciate about the Surface Laptop V> vÌ Ì i `° />« Ì i « ÜiÀ LÕÌÌ ] 4 is that there’s really no ‘gotcha’ and you’re off. The OOBE (out-of-theV w}ÕÀ>Ì q Ì iÞ½Ài > } `° "ÕÀ L Ý iÝ«iÀ i Vi® >à à v À Þ ÕÀ VÀ à vÌ ÀiÛ iÜ Õ Ì ÀiÌ> à v À Ë£]{È ° ÜiÛiÀ] account to smooth the process, though if you’d like to pay a little less for a Þ Õ V> VÀi>Ìi > V> >VV Õ Ì Ü Ì > ÌÌ i w >} }° 9 Õ½Ài encouraged to enter your Android phone’s number to set up Your Phone, to enter your Microsoft account to ÃiÌ Õ« "vwVi] > ` Ì Ìi VÀ à vÌ Ü Þ Õ plan to use the laptop to customize the UI. The latter option is still a bit of a mystery, because you have essentially one chance to tell Microsoft if you plan to use the / à à VÀ à v̽à >ÃÌ }i iÀ>Ì -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « Î] Ü V Ã Û ÃÕ> Þ `i Ì V> Ì Ì i iÜ -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « {° Laptop as a gaming PC, 22 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

7 i ½Ûi iÛiÀ Lii especially picky about Ü Ì > >«Ì « Ã] ` V>Ài >L ÕÌ Ü light it is. A 1.5kg 15in laptop feels comfortable in your hand and in your backpack.

Microsoft usually does an excellent job / i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « {½Ã « ÀÌ >ÀÀ> }i i Ì Ã > \ 1- ] of cooling its Surface 1- č > ` > i>`« i >V ° Laptops. Like the for productivity, or something else – or Surface Laptop 3, this year’s Surface even all three. I usually opt for all of the Laptop 4 includes fans that rarely options to be on the safe side, but some ÌÕÀ ] > ` ÀÕ µÕ iÌ Þ Ü i Ì iÞ additional documentation, examples, or do. You’ll hear the fan kick on more just a chance to reconsider your choices strongly during light gaming. As our Ü Õ ` Li > `Þ° performance section indicates, both the Once open, the Surface Laptop CPU and GPU appear thermally limited 4 exudes a clean aesthetic. There – performance appears to diminish aren’t even any stickers advertising the à iÜ >Ì ÛiÀ Ì i >à i>Ì LÕ `Ã Õ `iÀ processor or audio technology, as you’ll Ìi à Ûi >`° 7 Ì iÛiÀÞ`>Þ Ì>à Ã] often see on other laptops. There’s the ÜiÛiÀ ­ÜiL LÀ Üà }] "vwVi Ü À ®] keyboard, the trackpad, and just bare throttling shouldn’t be an issue. metal surrounding it. The 15in model VÀ à v̽à V w}ÕÀ>Ì «Ì à Üi ÌiÃÌi` «À Û `ià Ãii } Þ >VÀià v >vviVÌ Ì i >«Ì «½Ã Li >Û ÕÀ° "ÕÀ ÀiÛ iÜ space for your palms. Unfortunately, Õ Ì Ü>à ÃiÌ Ì ¼LiÃÌ L>ÌÌiÀÞ½] iÛi Ì i iÌ> V w à ` ià >ÌÌÀ>VÌ Ã i Ü i « Õ}}i` ° / i 7 ` Üà « ÜiÀÉ w }iÀ«À ÌÃ] Ì Õ} Ì iÞ½Ài i>Ã Þ performance slider makes a difference! Ü «i` >Ü>Þ° *iÀv À > Vi Ü Ã } wV> Ì Þ VÀi>Ãi v There’s a lot to be said for the Ì Ã Ã >` ÕÃÌi` Õ«Ü>À`° dimensions of the Surface Laptop 4 as Microsoft’s display helps sell the Üi ° >V } ` ÃVÀiÌi }À>« VÃ] Ì i à i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « {] Ì ° 7 Ì ÃÌ >«Ì «Ã Ì>«iÀà ` Ü Ì ÕÃÌ £{°Ç ­À>Ìi`®° Þ Õ½ V Ãi LiÌÜii £änä« > ` { AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 23

REVIEWS

Microsoft left the ports unchanged from the Surface Laptop 3: there’s both a conventional USB-A and a conventional USB-C. There’s no Thunderbolt support, VÀ à vÌ >à ivÌ Ì i -ÕÀv>Vi iVÌ À « >Vi] Ì ° Ü V L V Ã Ì i Surface Laptop 4 from «Ì ð ƂÌ Ó]{ ÈÝ£]ÈÈ{] Ì i £x -ÕÀv>Vi >VViÃà } Ì i }À Ü } iV ÃÞÃÌi v >«Ì « { v> à à iÜ iÀi Ì i `` i] Thunderbolt docks. Instead, Microsoft > ` Ì iÀi½Ã Ì } ÜÀ } Ü Ì Ì >Ì° offers a pair of Surface Docks from 1à } > -«Þ`iÀ8 Ìi V À iÌiÀ] Üi Ü V Ì V Ãi] Ü V ÕÃi Ì i i}>VÞ found that the Surface Laptop 4 covers Surface Connector on the right-hand x «iÀ Vi Ì v Ì i Ã, V ÕÀ ë>Vi side of the Laptop. and 70 per cent of AdobeRGB. Both Microsoft executives told our ‘enhanced’ and ‘sRBG’ display modes V i>}Õià >Ì * 7 À ` Ì >Ì Ì iÞ ÃiÌÌ i` are available. on maintaining the Surface Connector But Microsoft made a notable for several reasons. First, it’s been used change in display brightness from the by several generations of Surfaces as Surface Laptop 3 to the Surface Laptop > « ÜiÀ V iVÌ À° / iÞ½Ài > à µÕ Ìi 4. On battery, the Surface Laptop 3 proud that it’s magnetically connected, > Ì> i` Ìà ÃiÌ LÀ } Ì iÃÃ Ü i Ü V i «Ã «ÀiÛi Ì -ÕÀv>Vi `iÛ Vià vÀ ÃÜ ÌV } vÀ Ü> « ÜiÀ Ì L>ÌÌiÀÞ being accidentally yanked off. Finally, « ÜiÀ° Ì i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « {] Ì ` iÃ Ì iÞ Ã«iV wV> Þ V> i` ÕÌ / Õ `iÀL Ì Ì° " Ü> « ÜiÀ] Ì i >Ý Õ ` ë >Þ V>L ià >à Li } i>Ã Þ >ÀÀi`] Ü V LÀ } Ì iÃà Ü>à Πä ÌÃ] > ` L>ÌÌiÀÞ Üi½Ûi > à v Õ ` Ì Li Ì i V>Ãi ÕÀ « ÜiÀ] Ì i >Ý Õ ` ë >Þ LÀ } Ì iÃà anecdotal experience. `À ««i` Ì ÓÎ{ Ìð À «« } Ì i Microsoft doesn’t ship the Surface brightness level can make the display >«Ì « { Ü Ì > i à }Ì V À > harder to read in bright light, and in - V>À` à ̰ 7i½Ûi > à V wÀ i` Ì >Ì this case really eliminates the option of Ü i Ì i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « { >Þ >Ûi > Ü À } ÕÌ` Àð replaceable SSD, it unfortunately isn’t 24 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

Dolby Atmos audio built in. (Microsoft notes that Dolby Atmos V Ã Þ Ü Ì >Õ` ëiV wV> Þ ÃiÌ Õ« Ì ÃÕ«« ÀÌ Ì°® VÀ à vÌ claims that you can ` Ü >` Ì i ,i> Ìi >«« Ì w i ÌÕ i Ì i audio, but the Microsoft Store generated an iÀÀ À iÃÃ>}i Ü i ÌÀ i` Ì ` Ü >` Ì° / i } ` iÜà à that I don’t think you’ll ii` Ì° iÜ] v > Þ] laptops deliver a robust

ÕÀ «Ì Ã Ì i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « { V Õ`i >ÌÌi >V ] * >Ì Õ ] L> Ì Õi > ` -> `ÃÌ i° Ü i ` L>ÃÃ Ã Õ `] but everything I played accessible to users, as it is on the Surface back on the Surface Laptop 4 sounded Pro 7+ tablet. rich, tonally accurate, and pleasant. / i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « { à i v Ì i viÜ KEYBOARD, WEBCAM, laptops I think you could tolerate even #7&+1|':2'4+'0%' Ü Ì ÕÌ i>`« ið The audio experience on Microsoft’s My initial reaction to the Surface Surface Laptop 4 is absolutely solid. >«Ì « {½Ã iÞL >À` Ü>Ã Ì >Ì Ã i v v Þ Õ½Ài à i i Ü iÃ Ì « >Þ the keys, particularly the TAB key and Ü Ì }À>« Và iµÕ> âiÀà > ` ÌÜi> some of the other ‘big’ keys (Caps Lock, your laptop’s audio, though, you’ll - vÌ® Ì i ivÌ Ã `i v Ì i iÞL >À`] be frustrated. ÜiÀi > L Ì y ««Þ° "Ì iÀÜ Ãi] Ì i Other laptop manufacturers typically keyboard seems exactly the same as on LÕ ` i >Õ` i > Vi i Ì Ã vÌÜ>Ài° previous Surface Laptops. / i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « { L >ÃÌÃ Ü >Ì I’ve slightly soured on my feelings VÀ à vÌ V> à à V ëi> iÀÃ] Ü Ì that the Surface keyboards are the best AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 25

REVIEWS

/ i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « { iÞL >À`°

in the industry, ever since Microsoft reduced the key travel to 1.3mm, offering less cushion. Still, I think you’ll w ` Ì i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « {½Ã iÞL >À` perfectly competent, if not as luxurious as other keyboards I’ve tried.

The Precision trackpad, as usual, is close to perfection: big, glassy smooth and clickable essentially > Ì i Ü>Þ Õ« > ` ` Ü ° iÃÌÕÀiÃ Ü À i` Ü Ì ÕÌ > ÌV ° / i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « {½Ã ÇÓä« ÜiLV> remains essentially the same as before. ­ À Ì Ãi Ü Ü> Ì > } iÀ Àià ÕÌ Ìi}À>Ìi` -ÕÀv>Vi ÜiLV> ] Ì i -ÕÀv>Vi *À dz >à > £änä« ÜiLV> ° VÀ à vÌ >à > à >Õ V i` ÌÃ Ü 26 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

£änä« ÃÌ> `> i ÜiLV> Ì >Ì V> clip onto a Surface À Ì iÀ >«Ì «°® i all Surface devices, Ì i ÜiLV> V Õ`ià a depth camera to log you in by recognizing your face. Ì Ü À i` ÃÕ«iÀL Þ° 7iLV> Ã Ü Ì ÇÓä« Àià ÕÌ >Ài typical for the majority of laptops, and you’re probably used to seeing the slightly soft images of friends > ` V i>}ÕiÃ Ü ÕÃi Ì i ° 7 >Ì Ì i Surface Laptop 4 offers is solid colour balance and exposure, plus the correct positioning at the top of the screen q iÛiÀ LÕÞ > >«Ì « Ü Ì > ÜiLV> embedded in the keyboard!

Microsoft may have quietly done >Ü>Þ Ü Ì Ì i VÀ>«Ü>Ài vÀii - } >ÌÕÀi Editions of laptops and tablet it used Ì Ãi Û > Ìà i ÃÌ Ài] > ` Ü>à >««Þ Ì Ãii Ì >Ì Ì iÀi Ü>à iÃÃi Ì > Þ «Ài >`i` VÀ>«Ü>Ài Ì i -ÕÀv>Vi Laptop 4. The set-up experience ÀiV } âiÃ Ü iÌ iÀ Þ Õ >Ûi > VÕÀÀi Ì VÀ à vÌ ÎÈx ÃÕLÃVÀ «Ì ] > ` > ÜÃ Þ Õ Ì i «Ì v ` Ü >` } Ì i Õ«`>Ìi` "vwVi >««Ã° / i -Ì>ÀÌ i Õ

>«« ÃÌ «>Àià iÛiÀÞÌ } ` Ü Ì Ì i bare essentials, but there’s a ‘Play’ grouping of icons that serve as shortcuts Ì ` Ü >` >««Ã ÃÕV >à , L Ý] Solitaire, Yahoo Messenger and more.

PERFORMANCE 7i iÝ«iVÌi` Ì i ÌÀ> Ã Ì Ì Ƃ ½Ã excellent Ryzen 4000 Mobile series Ü Õ ` ÌÀ> à >Ìi Ì `À> >Ì V> Þ VÀi>Ãi` «iÀv À > Vi] > ` Üi ÜiÀi ½Ì disappointed. Microsoft also promised à } wV> Ì L>ÌÌiÀÞ vi «À Ûi i Ìà > ` }i iÀ> Þ `i ÛiÀi` Ì iÀi] >à Üi ° Ì i Üii À Ã Ì >Ì Üi ÀiÛ iÜi` Ì i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « {] Üi Ì Vi` ÛiÀÞ ÌÌ i Ì >Ì Ü Õ ` Ã Ü Ì ` Ü ° 7i ÜiÀi >L i Ì «iÀv À "vwVi Ü À ] ÃÌÀi> >Õ` > ` Û `i Ì i ÜiL] > ` Ài] Ü Ì ÕÌ > ÌV ° " i v Ì i Ài `i > ` } ÌiÃÌà Üi ÀÕ Ã Ì ÃÌÀi> > { Û `i vÀ 9 Õ/ÕLi >Ì Èä vÀ> ià «iÀ ÃiV ` >VÀ Ãà > 7 V iVÌ ] and note any drops in frames. The SL4 dropped an imperceptible 4 frames per £ä]äää] Ü V à ÕÃÌ >L ÕÌ «iÀviVÌ° Ƃà Üi½ `i ÃÌÀ>Ìi Li Ü] Ì i Surface Laptop 4 accommodates gaming at moderate levels of image quality, even >Ì >Ì Ûi Àià ÕÌ ] Ü V à Ài> Þ > `Þ > Ü À ` Ü iÀi *1à >Ài Ü iÀi Ì be found. Still, those tests revealed that the Surface Laptop 4’s CPU outclasses its Ìi}À>Ìi` *1 LÞ > à } wV> Ì > Õ Ì]

offering room for future improvement.

7 i Üi Ìi` ÕÀ wÀÃÌ -ÕÀv>Vi Laptop 4 performance estimates to a ÃÕLÃiÌ v -ÕÀv>Vi * Ã] Üi½Ûi iÝ«> `i` our comparison here to include rival >«Ì «Ã° /> i > >Ì Ì i ƂViÀ -Ü vÌ Î8] Ì i i 8*- £Î Ó £ Σä]> ` Ì i * Envy 14 for comparison’s sake. ii« ` Ì >Ì] v À Ü >ÌiÛiÀ Ài>à ] VÀ à vÌ ÃiÌÃ Ì i 7 ` Üà « ÜiÀÉ«iÀv À > Vi à `iÀ Ì «À } the battery life at the expense of «iÀv À > Vi] iÛi Ü i « Õ}}i` ° 7i Ã>Ü Ì >Ì Ã « Þ ÌÜi> } Ì Ì vÕ performance can give you a boost for vÀii] à Üi ÌiÃÌi` Ì >Ì] Ì ° 7i ÕÃi 1 ½Ã * >À £ä Li V >À as an overall metric to evaluate dayto-day performance. It’s a benchmark ÃÕ Ìi >ÌÕÀi] Ü Ì Ãi«>À>Ìi ÌiÃÌÃ Ì iÛ> Õ>Ìi Ü À` «À ViÃà }] ëÀi>`à iiÌ use, videoconferencing, photo and video editing, and light gaming. The benchmark then tallies everything up and offers an overall score as a measure of «iÀv À > Vi° 7i }i iÀ> Þ ÕÃi > ÃV Ài Ì i {]äääÃ Ì ` V>Ìi > ¼} `½ * ] Ü i a score in the 5,000 range demonstrates excellent performance. As you can see Ì i V >ÀÌ Li Ü] Ì i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « { logs a ‘good’ score in its default, batteryÃ>Û } `i° 7 i Üi VÀ> Õ« Ì i performance slider, the score rises above that golden 5,000 mark.

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 27

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/ i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « {½Ã `>Þ Ì `>Þ «iÀv À > Vi à >À}i Þ middle-ofÌ i À >`] Õ Ì Þ Õ ÀiÛ Ì Õ«°

7i ÕÃi >Ý ½Ã iLi V benchmark to test CPU-intensive Ü À >`Ã] iëiV > Þ ÛiÀ Ì i à ÀÌ term. At any performance setting, Ì i ,Þâi «À ViÃà À « ÜiÀÃ Ì À Õ} Ì Ã Vi Ìi à Ûi Ü À >` ÕÃÌ seconds. This has been Ryzen’s strength, iëiV > Þ LiV>ÕÃi Ì i ,Þâi Ç { nä1 It’s in CPU Ìi à Ûi Ì>Ã Ã Ì >Ì Ì i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « { à ið

28 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

V Ì> à ÌÜ Vi >à > Þ V Àià >Ã Ì i chip inside the Surface Laptop 3.

7 >Ì Üi ` Ãii] ÜiÛiÀ] à some evidence of throttling under i>ÛÞ Ü À >`ð 1 «ÕL à ià Ài Ìi à Ûi ,Óä > ` ,ÓÎ Li V >À Ã] and the latter offers the ability to run the benchmark in a loop for 10

In our > ` À> i transcoding ÌiÃÌ] Ì i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « { excels.

ÕÌið / >Ì > Üà ÕÃ Ì }>Õ}i Ü iÌ iÀ «iÀv À > Vi `iÌiÀ À>Ìià >Ã Ì i >«Ì « i>Ìà ի° / i > ÃÜiÀ à ÞiÃ] though not much: A single run of the

iLi V ,ÓÎ Li V >À «À `ÕVi` > ÃV Ài v ]£ä£] ÛiÀÃÕà > ÃV Ài v n]xn over the prolonged loop – a 5.6-per cent decrease.

The free HandBrake utility provides another example of prolonged Ü À >`ð 7i ÕÃi Ì i «i à ÕÀVi tool to transcode video from an uncompressed format to something that V> Li Ü>ÌV i` > ` ÃÌ Ài` > Ì>L iÌ q > «À }i` Ì>à ° i iLi V ½Ã ,ÓÎ loop, it measures both prolonged CPU Î }À>« VÃ] it’s clearer Ì >Ì Ìi ½Ã 8i V «Ã vviÀ much stronger V «iÌ Ì than in earlier Þi>Àð

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 29

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of the test, the laptop fails. Unfortunately, Ì i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « {½Ã vÀ> i À>Ìi Ü>à V à ÃÌi Ì È°n «iÀ Vi Ì v Ì i Ì i] barely failing. ,i> Ü À ` }> } ÌiÃÌà ÜiÀi Ài v>Û ÕÀ>L i° VÀ à vÌ½Ã Ü Àâ> Horizon 4 offers a superbly detailed Li V >À ] > Ü } Þ Õ Ì ÃiÌ Ì>À}iÌ frame rates (30fps is good, 60fps is LiÌÌiÀ® > ` ÃiÌ Ì i Àià ÕÌ > ` Û `i quality. Repeated testing produced 36fps >Ì £änä« Àià ÕÌ Ã >Ì } ÃiÌÌ }Ã] > ` > L>Ài Σv«Ã >Ì Ü ÃiÌÌ }à >Ì Ó]{ ÈÝ£]ÈÈ{] Ì i >Ì Ûi Àià ÕÌ v Ì i Surface Laptop 4. iÜ Ãi] Ì i Ì À` «iÀà L>ÌÌ i simulator, Total 7>À\ /À Þ] Þ i `i` {n vÀ> ià per second at £] ääÝ£]Óää ­iÃÃi Ì > Þ £änä«] but adjusted for Ì i Î\Ó À>Ì v Ì i ` ë >Þ® >Ì i` Õ settings using the ‘Battle’ benchmark. >ÌÌiÀÞ vi Ü>à the other major source of potential 9 Õ V> « V > ` V Ãi Û>À Õà Àià ÕÌ > ` µÕ> ÌÞ iÛi Ã] LÕÌ Üi improvement. Ì ÀÕ } Àâ> >Ì £] ÓäÝ£]Óää >Ì i` Õ ÃiÌÌ }à vviÀi` L Ì Although the Ã>Ì Ãv>VÌ ÀÞ vÀ> i À>Ìià > ` >}i µÕ> ÌÞ° ­/ Õ} Ì i ¼Ì>À}i̽ à Èäv«Ã] Îäv«Ã Ü À à Üi Ì Ã À>V } }> i°® Ì Vi] Ì Õ} ] Ì >Ì Àâ> version of the V V Õ`iÃ Ì >Ì Ì i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « { à Ìi` LÞ Ìà Ìi}À>Ìi` *1° Surface Laptop «iÀv À > Vi > ` Ü Üi Ì i >«Ì « 4 cools itself. The Surface Laptop 4 handles this task superbly at both default and performance settings.

To evaluate the Laptop 4’s integrated }À>« Và v À }> }] Üi ÌÕÀ Ì 1 ½Ã 3DMark and its Time Spy benchmark, Ü V Üi ÕÃi v À ÌiÃÌ } }> } >«Ì «Ã] Ì ° iÀi] Üi V> Ãii Ì >Ì Ì i -ÕÀv>Vi Laptop 4 shouldn’t be used for high-end }> }] >à vÀ> i À>ÌiÃ Ü ½Ì ii« Õ«° 7i > à ÕÃi` 1 ½Ã LÕ Ì ÃÌÀiÃà ÌiÃÌ Ì Ãii Ü iÌ iÀ Ì i *1 Ü Õ ` > Ì> its performance during prolonged periods of gaming. If frame rates diverge by more than 3 per cent over the course

30 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

/ i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « { redeems the L>ÌÌiÀÞ vi shortcomings of ÌÃ «Ài`iViÃÃ À] Ì Õ} Þ Õ½ ÃÌ w ` > Þ Ì iÀ >«Ì «Ã that do better.

Î Ì >Ì Ü>à « ÜiÀi` LÞ Ìi ½Ã £äÌ }i / }iÀ > i V «Ã «iÀv À i` Üi ] Ì i ,Þâi ÛiÀà à ` Ã>«« Ìi`° 7i iÛiÀ expected the Surface Laptop 4 to meet Microsoft’s claims, because the L>ÌÌiÀÞ vi iÃÌ >Ìià ­£Ç°x ÕÀî ÜiÀi predicated on a very dim 150 nits of ÃVÀii LÀ } Ì iÃð 7i «ÀiviÀ Õà } Óxä ÌÃ] Ü V Ì i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « { V> ½Ì Ài>V L>ÌÌiÀÞ « ÜiÀ° Ƃ >ÛiÀ>}i battery life of just over 10 hours doesn’t come close to Microsoft’s lofty claims, but it makes for a solid all-day machine.

VERDICT VÀ à v̽à -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « { ­,Þâi Ç® à undoubtedly a solid offering compared to other laptops in this generation. Its `ià } à >à } ` >à iÛiÀ] > ` Ü i Ìà «iÀv À > Vi à Ýi`] Ì vÌi w à ià at the top of the heap. Battery life,

>Ã «À Ûi`] iÛi v Þ Õ½ w ` Ì >Ì VÀ Ã vÌ >Ã Ã i> Þ ÜiÀi` Ì i ÃVÀii LÀ } Ì iÃÃ Ü i ÀÕ } L>ÌÌiÀÞ « ÜiÀ° Ì Ài > Ã «Ài Õ «À Vi`] LÕÌ you get a lot for the money. v Þ Õ Ü > -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « v > Þ ÃÌÀ «i > ` ÜiÀi V Ã `iÀ } > Õ«}À>`i] Üi½` ViÀÌ> Þ ÀiV i ` Ì° / i -ÕÀv>Vi Laptop 4 has improved in the critical areas of performance and battery life, especially as a direct Ryzen-to-Ryzen upgrade. Is it the best Surface Laptop 4?

7i½Ài Ü> Ì } > ` « } Ì Ãii Ü >Ì Intel’s Tiger Lake model has to offer, as Üi ` ` Ü Ì Ì i -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « ΰ / Ã Ì i] ÜiÛiÀ] Üi½Ài iÝ«iVÌ } > ÕV more even battle. Mark Hachman

SPECIFICATIONS • £x ­Ó]{ ÈÝ£]ÈÈ{Æ Ó䣫« ® * Ýi -i Ãi Display AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 31

REVIEWS

• 7 ` Üà £ä i Óä Ó • Ƃ ,Þâi Ç { nä1 L i «À ViÃà À • AMD Radeon Graphics • n *

,{Ý ,Ƃ • x£Ó --

• 7 ` Üà i v>Vi >ÕÌ i Ì V>Ì V> iÀ> ­vÀ Ì v>V }® • ÇÓä« vÓ°ä V> iÀ> ­vÀ Ì v>V }® • Õ> v>À wi ` -ÌÕ` Và • " à V -«i> iÀÃ Ü Ì LÞ ƂÌ Ã • 1x USB-C • 1x USB-A • 3.5mm headphone jack • 1x Surface Connect port • /* Ó°ä V « v À i ÌiÀ«À Ãi ÃiVÕÀ ÌÞ and BitLocker support • ÌiÀ«À Ãi }À>`i «À ÌiVÌ Ü Ì 7 ` Üà i v>Vi à } • 7 È näÓ°££>Ý V «>Ì L i • Bluetooth 5.0 • >ÌÌiÀÞ\ {x°n7 ­`ià } ®] {È°È7 ­vÕ V >À}i® • ÎÎ °xÝÓ{{Ý£{°Ç • £°x{Ó }

32 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

-> ÃÕ } > >ÝÞ *À ÎÈä Price: ££]{ ­ V 6Ƃ/® vÀ v>Ûi°V ÉÎ{V7 *{

E

ven in an era of progressively lighter notebooks, larger thinand-light laptop options like the 15in Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 are relatively rare. Sure, you might buy it LiV>ÕÃi Ì Ã « Þ Ü ½Ì LÀi> Þ ÕÀ L>V ° But a stunning multimedia experience

and shocking all-day battery life demand additional praise.

Samsung’s Galaxy Book Pro 360 lends credence to Intel’s Evo program, vÀ Ü V Ì Ã >«Ì « }À>`Õ>Ìi`° Thin-and-light laptop keyboards can be iffy, though, and this laptop suffers AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 33

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accordingly. Samsung also loads up Ì i *À ÎÈä Ü Ì >««Ã v À ÕÃÌ about everything. Nevertheless, this is > v> Ì>ÃÌ V >V i° ,i>` v À Ü Þ°

̽à > Ã Ì i wÀÃÌ >«Ì « > ÛiÀÞ } Ü i Ì >̽à «iÀÃÕ>`i` i Ì V>Ài >L ÕÌ Ü Ì Ì Ã] iëiV > Þ Ü i v `i` L>V y>Ì° ,i i LiÀ] Ì Ã Ã > ÎÈä `i}Àii V ÛiÀÌ L i] Ü V V> Li ÀiV i` > DESIGN Ì i Ü>Þ L>V Ì Ì>L iÌ `i° / i Samsung’s Galaxy Book Pro 360 proudly Book Pro 360’s hinge holds the display proclaims itself a member of Intel’s ÌÀÕi iÛi Ü i > ÃÌ vÕ Þ ÀiV i`] y>}à « Û i Õ« Û > > à > ÃÌ V iÀ though it oscillates back and forth on its keyboard deck, and it deserves it. before settling in.

The Galaxy Book Pro 360 is a beautiful Less obvious but equally profound is piece of engineering, very much in the Ì i Üi } Ì q Ì Ã Ã > ÌiL Ì >Ì Þ Õ mould of the Surface Laptop: all cool, can easily pick up by a corner and set it } ÃÃÞ iÌ> > ` > ÃÌ « ÀÌð 7i ` Ü Ã iÜ iÀi i Ãi° -> ÃÕ } ÕÃi` ÀiVi Ûi` ÕÀ ÀiÛ iÜ Õ Ì Ì i ÞÃÌ V aluminium to construct the Galaxy Book Navy colour scheme, and the blue hue is *À ÎÈä] LÕÌ Ì vi Ì >Là ÕÌi Þ ÃÌ>L i Ü Ì virtually indistinguishable from black in no give in the keyboard or to the chassis. most lighting.

7 i Þ Õ V> Ì i ÀiÌ V> Þ «i Ì i >«Ì « Ü Ì > Ã } i w }iÀ] ÌÃ } Ì Üi } Ì and the slick, stubby feet beneath it nearly caused me to push it off my test stand Ü i ÌÀ i`° As many notebooks do, the Samsung Galaxy Pro 360 pulls cool air from the bottom of the notebook and vents it out the back through > }À i ``i Ü Ì / i -> ÃÕ } > >ÝÞ *À ÎÈä] Ìi Ì `i° the hinge. Samsung 34 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

> ` y>Ì] Ì i -> ÃÕ } > >ÝÞ *À ÎÈä Û ÀÌÕ> Þ ` Ã>««i>Àð / i À } Ì Ã `i v Ì i V >Ãà à V Õ`ià > ÃÌ> `>À` 1- « ÀÌ > ` > VÀ - V>À` à ̰

shipped the notebook set to the middle 7i½` ÀiV i ` V iVÌ } Ì i ¼LiÌÌiÀ «iÀv À > Vi½ Ì iÀ Ì i 7 ` Üà Èx Ü>ÌÌ Vi Õ >À ÃÌÞ i V >À}iÀ Ì i v « ÜiÀÉ«iÀv À > Vi à `iÀ° 1 `iÀ >`] the other USB-C ports and dedicating the fan noise increases to a moderate the Thunderbolt port to one of our LÕÌ Ì > Þ } ÃÃ] > ` Ü>à recommended Thunderbolt docks « i>Ã> Ì Þ ÃÕÀ«À Ãi` Ì Ãii Ü µÕ V Þ instead. Alternatively, you can buy a the fan turned off, about 15 seconds V i>«iÀ] à ÜiÀ 1- ÕL Ì V iVÌ after exiting out of a computationally to older devices that use a USB Type intensive application.

A connector. Samsung also includes a Samsung’s thin, light aesthetic microSD card slot on the Galaxy Book iÝÌi `Ã Ì Ìà « ÀÌ V ViÃ] Ü V V Õ`i *À ÎÈä] > Ü } Þ Õ Ì ¼Ã i> iÀ i̽ > a pair of USB-C ports and a third USB-C port that includes Thunderbolt 4 capabilities.

7 V i Ã Ü V ¶ ` luck trying to tell. There’s a virtually indistinguishable ‘lightning bolt’ logo that signals that the front left USB-C port is Thunderbolt enabled, and a blue LED iÝÌ Ì Ì° "Ì iÀÜ Ãi] Þ Õ½ / >Ì Ì Ì i À } Ì Ã Ài> Þ Þ ÕÀ LiÃÌ ` V>Ì À v Ü V Li ivÌ ÌÀÞ } Ì w}ÕÀi Ü V 1- « ÀÌ Ã / Õ `iÀL Ì i >L i` ­Ì i À } Ì® > ` Ü V à > ÃÌ> `>À` 1- « ÀÌ ­Ì i ivÌ®° « ÀÌ Ã Ü V ° AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 35

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microSD card from a Samsung Galaxy * i v Þ Õ ` ½Ì Ü> Ì Ì ÕÃi i v Ì i ÃÌ> i` Ü Ài iÃà >««Ã i > >ÝÞ - >Ài that comes preinstalled on the notebook.

DISPLAY AND AUDIO -> ÃÕ } >à > Üi `iÃiÀÛi` Ài«ÕÌ>Ì for its dramatic OLED screens on its TVs, tablets and phones, and its Super Ƃ " ` ë >Þ ­> " ÃVÀii Ü Ì an active matrix and touchscreen on Ì « v Ì® ViÀÌ> Þ ` ià ½Ì ` Ã>«« Ì° If you’re a content creator, you can be assured that Samsung is nearly perfect satisfying the various colour gamuts.

In part, that’s because Samsung offers several colour options. There’s a }i iÀ> ¼Ƃ " ½ V ÕÀ «À w i] LÕÌ > à Ãi«>À>Ìi ` ë >Þ «À w iÃ Ü Ì Ì i 7 ` Üà £ä -iÌÌ }à i Õ] i>V tuned to either the AdobeRGB, P3 and sRGB colour space.

By default, the general AMOLED «À w i V ÛiÀà £ää «iÀ Vi Ì v Ã, ] n «iÀ Vi Ì v Ƃ` Li, ] > ` per cent of P3. Unfortunately, the ¼Ƃ` Li, ½ «À w i ` ` ½Ì Ài> Þ increase the AdobeRGB coverage – it Ài > i` Õ V > }i` >Ì n «iÀ Vi Ì° / i *Î «À w i «À `ÕVi` £ää «iÀ Vi Ì v Ã, V ÛiÀ>}i] £ «iÀ Vi Ì v Ƃ` Li, ] > ` V ÛiÀi` «iÀ Vi Ì v the P3 colour gamut. Enabling the sRGB «À w i V ÛiÀi` Ì i Ã, V ÕÀ ë>Vi 36 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

LÞ £ää «iÀ Vi Ì >à Üi ] LÕÌ `iVÀi>Ãi` AdobeRGB coverage to 77 per cent > ` *Î V ÛiÀ>}i Ì Çn «iÀ Vi Ì° Ƃ v Ì iÃi i>ÃÕÀi i Ìà ÜiÀi ÀiV À`i` LÞ Datacolor’s SpyderX Elite colourimeter, Ü V > à i>ÃÕÀi` Ì i ` ë >Þ½Ã Õ Ã ÌÞ >Ì > >Ý Õ v Ó x Ìà q v>À less than the rated 370 nits that Samsung V > ð / >̽à ÃÌ w i v À Ü À } iÛi > Üi Ì À ] ÜiÛiÀ° / i iÝÌÀi i Ü `Ì v Ì i ` ë >Þ ­ i>ÃÕÀ } £ °xÝÎ{°x }] > À Õ} Þ £°ÇÇ ` ë >Þ À>Ì ® > à V> Ã Ì µÕiÃÌ -> ÃÕ }½Ã V Vi v £änä« Àià ÕÌ À>Ì iÀ Ì > > { «Ì ° ƂÃ Þ Õ } Ì imagine, video played back looks bright and vivid, but there’s a hint of }À> iÃÃ Ì Ì Ì >Ì } Ì } >Ü>Þ Ü Ì a higher-resolution option. The screen is µÕ Ìi } ÃÃÞ] Ì ] Ü Ì ÀiyiVÌ Ã vÌi creeping into your peripheral vision.

That’s objective criticism. Subjectively, Þ Õ } Ì Ü `iÀ Ü iÌ iÀ Ì i -> ÃÕ } Galaxy Book Pro 360 might replace your Ìi iÛ Ã ° 9 Õ ` ½Ì Ài> Þ Ài> âi Ü deeply dark an OLED display can be until the black letterboxes surrounding a video are indistinguishable from the Ì ­>L ÕÌ x ® L >V Liâi Ã Ì >Ì ÜÀ>« around the corners of the screen. It’s truly ÀiÛi >Ì ÀÞ] iëiV > Þ Ü i Ì i *À 360’s audio is layered on top.

Samsung shipped the Galaxy Book *À ÎÈä Ü Ì > «> À v { Ü>ÌÌ Ƃ ÌÕ i`

ëi> iÀÃ Õ `iÀ i>Ì ] Ü V Ã Õ ` > Samsung’s Samsung Update utility to À } Ì LÞ Ì i Ãi Ûið "v V ÕÀÃi] Ì i y>Ì Ãi>ÀV ÕÌ iÜ `À ÛiÀð 6 D° Ƃ iÜ laptop speakers can only do so much w }iÀ«À Ì Ài>`iÀ `À ÛiÀ ` Ü >`i`] q Ì iÀi½Ã Ü>Þ Ì > Õv>VÌÕÀi Ì i > ` Ì i Ài>`iÀ Ü À i` y>Ü iÃÃ Þ v À Ì i bass you’ll receive from a large, physical >ÃÌ `>Þà v ÕÀ ÀiÛ iÜ° speaker. But there’s a Dolby Access app KEYBOARD AND WEBCAM ``i Ü Ì Ì i -Ì>ÀÌ i Õ] Ü V à vv LÞ `iv>Õ Ì° >L i Ì] y « Ì i *À If there’s anything that should give you pause about the Samsung Galaxy Book 360 back into tent mode, and enjoy a Pro 360, it’s the keyboard. A thin-andsuperb entertainment experience. light PC must inevitably make some I have more mixed feelings about the Ã>VÀ wViÃ] > ` Þ Ã Ì i *À ÎÈä > >ÝÞ *À ÎÈä½Ã w }iÀ«À Ì Ài>`iÀ] Ì ] iëiV > Þ Ü i Õ v `i` y>Ì > } Ü V Li}> >Ã Ì i Ü ÀÃÌ ½Ûi iÛiÀ a desk or table. Samsung claims that used, by far. Normally, you simply touch its re-engineered keyboard includes a the sensor several times to establish an ‘authorized’ w }iÀ«À Ì° ÜiÛiÀ] the notebook’s tiny ‘strip’-style w }iÀ«À Ì Ài>`iÀ nestled in the upper right-hand-corner of the keyboard failed to recognize Ì >Ì Þ w }iÀ >` actually touched it «À L>L Þ ÌÜ ÕÌ v every three times during the set-up process. I gave up ` Ã}ÕÃÌ° ÜiÛiÀ] 9 Õ «À L>L Þ Ü ½Ì Ûi Ì i -> ÃÕ } > >ÝÞ *À ÎÈä½Ã near the tail end of iÞL >À`] LÕÌ Ì ` ià >Ûi > ë>V ÕÃ Ì ÕV «>`] > `i` V>Ìi` Ì i ÀiÛ iÜ] `iV `i` Õ LiÀ «>`] > ` Ì i w }iÀ«À Ì Ài>`iÀ Ì i Õ««iÀ À } Ì > ` V À iÀ Ì >Ì ` ÕL ià >à > « ÜiÀ LÕÌÌ ° to once again use AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 37

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scissor mechanism that, combined Ü Ì ÀÕLLiÀ iÞ«>` domes, provides a ‘satisfying’ 1mm in key travel in near silence. Nope. One millimetre of key travel simply feels too à > Ü Ì Li ÌÀÕ Þ comfortable. But – I say this reluctantly, / i -> ÃÕ } > >ÝÞ *À ÎÈä½Ã ÜiLV> ` ià ½Ì Ì >Ì }Ài>Ì] iÛi Ü Ì Ì i >Û> >L i Li>ÕÌÞ «Ì à ÌÕÀ i` ° LiV>ÕÃi ` ½Ì Ü> Ì laptop makers to Ì Üi½Ài i V ÕÀ>} } Ì Ã q Ì Ü>à ½Ì The dimensions of the keyboard also Ì >Ì L>`] Ü Ì Ài VÕÃ Ì > > Ü Ì i > >ÝÞ *À ÎÈä Ì Ã« ÀÌ expected. Fortunately, keyboards are a gargantuan precision touchpad that ÃÕL iVÌ Ûi iÝ«iÀ i ViÃ] > ` Þ ÕÀ w }iÀà takes up much of the remaining space on >Þ Li Ài Üi V }° Ì i V >Ãà Ã] > Ü } Þ ÕÀ ÜÀ ÃÌÃ Ì ÀiÃÌ Samsung provides keyboard controls i Ì iÀ à `i° iÃÌÕÀiÃ Ü À i` Üi ] for three levels of backlighting, though > ` Þ Õ½ w ` « i ÌÞ v V V >L i ë>Vi° you also have the option of entering Samsung includes a fairly generic the built-in Samsung Settings app and ÇÓä« ÕÃiÀ v>V } ÜiLV> Ì « v manually adjusting the backlighting via a Ì i ` ë >Þ] Ü Ì «À Û>VÞ Ã ÕÌÌiÀ° slider control. ƂÃ Þ Õ } Ì iÝ«iVÌ vÀ > ÇÓä« There’s one aspect to the keyboard V> iÀ>] Þ ÕÀ >}i Ü Li à iÜ >Ì that partially redeems it: the presence soft, as opposed to a cheap but good v > >ÀÀ Ü LÕÌ Ì iÀÜ Ãi vÕ vi>ÌÕÀi` ÃÌ> `> i £änä« ÜiLV> ° iÃÌ Þ number pad to the right side of the didn’t like the resulting image quality, iÞL >À`] Ì > Ã Ì Ì i iÝÌi `i` Ü `Ì though Samsung’s ‘beauty’ options of the 15in laptop. Number pads are not Ãii i` Ì V > viÜ « Õ `à vv only excellent for data entry, but they my pandemic podge. On the other also provide left-handers an alternative > `] ÇÓä« ÜiLV> à >Ài Ì i À v À Ì Ì i 7Ƃ- iÞ >Þ ÕÌ v À }> iÃ] Ì ° laptops, so the graininess probably 38 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

Ü ½Ì Li V> i` ÕÌ° -> ÃÕ } ` ià ½Ì include a cubby or holder for the S Pen that it includes in the Galaxy Book Pro 360 box. Instead, the pen can be magnetically attached to the top of the notebook, though that’s not really secure in the slightest. The stylus does exhibit > L Ì v >} Ü i }° Ì > à V Õ`ià > à } i LÕÌÌ ] Ü V Ü i ` ÕL i V V i` ÌÀ }}iÀà > i Õ Ü V >Õ V ià > number of pen-enabled apps.

SAMSUNG HAS A UTILITY (14|0'#4.; '8'4;6*+0)

Ì * à vÌÜ>Ài\ Ài« >Vi À i > Vi 7 ` Üý Ü >««Ã À vÕ VÌ Ã] À Ì i the Galaxy Book Pro 360 to Samsung’s ecosystem of phones and tablets. Quick Search doesn’t do that much more than 7 ` Üý Ü Ãi>ÀV L>À° +Õ V - >Ài à i Ì i 7 ` Üà 9 ÕÀ * i >««° Ì Ü w ` i>ÀLÞ `iÛ Vià > ` à >Ài w iÃ] ÌiÝÌÃ] and photos, provided both are signed into a Samsung account.

Here’s just some of the apps Samsung reserves for the Start menu. The Galaxy - >ÀÌ -Ü ÌV >««] v À « ÀÌ } ÛiÀ `>Ì> vÀ > i>À iÀ > >ÝÞ * Æ Ì i *i 1* `À>Ü } >««Æ -> ÃÕ }½Ã i8 >«« for connecting your Samsung phone to Þ ÕÀ * Æ Ì i -> ÃÕ } /6 * ÕÃ Ì > /6 i V iVÌ v Û `i ÃÌÀi> ÃÆ Ì i Samsung Update service for updating `À ÛiÀÃÆ > ` iÛi Ì i >L ÌÞ Ì V ÌÀ

Fortunately, Samsung doesn’t overload Ì i > >ÝÞ *À ÎÈä Ü Ì Õ iÀ ÕÃ Ì À` «>ÀÌÞ ¼VÀ>«Ü>Ài½ >««Ã° -Ì ] -> ÃÕ } >``Ã Ì Ã v ÌÃ Ü -> ÃÕ } or Galaxy-branded apps – some of Ü V ] Ì Ã Õ ` Li Ã> `] >Ài µÕ Ìi } `° Samsung reserves pride of place on the 7 ` Üà Ì>à L>À for Amazon’s Alexa app, and adds a Quick Search and Quick Share app shortcut to the taskbar, too. Both of the >ÌÌiÀ >««Ã ÀiyiVÌ both of Samsung’s V Õ ` ½Ì ` ÃViÀ > Þ Ì Ì ÃÕ«« ÀÌ v À Ì i V Õ`i` - *i ] > ` Ì iÀi Ü>à a bit of lag while inking. approaches AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 39

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your Samsung SmartThings smart home via a dedicated app. Spotify also comes preloaded, as does Booking.com.

The only three must-open apps are Samsung Update, Samsung Settings, and Samsung Security. Samsung Settings «À Û `ià }À> Õ >À V ÌÀ Ã Þ Õ Ü ½Ì w ` i ÃiÜ iÀi] ÃÕV >Ã Ì i >L ÌÞ Ì i >L i 1- V >À} } Ü i Þ ÕÀ >«Ì « Ã Ì iÀÜ Ãi >à ii«] À Ì w i }À> i` control of the keyboard backlighting.

Samsung Security combines four interesting features. One grants the ability to ‘obscure’ your screen by making Ì i VÕÀÀi Ì Ü ` Ü Ãi ÌÀ> ë>Ài Ì > ` > Ü } > Ü> `iÀ } iÞi Ì V vÕÃi Ì

Ü Ì Ì iÀ >««Ã° Ƃ Ì iÀ «À Û `iÃ Ì i «Ì Ì > Õ> Þ ` Ã>L i Þ ÕÀ ÜiLV> > ` V Û > à vÌÜ>ÀiÆ > Ì À` VÀi>Ìià a ‘security cam’ that snaps a photo of > Þ i Ü ÌÀ iÃ Ì } Ì Þ ÕÀ * > ` fails. The fourth feature, ‘Privacy Folder’, creates a hidden folder that is kept ``i vÀ 7 ` Üà i Ý« ÀiÀ > ` à V i` Ü Ì Þ ÕÀ * ½Ã «>ÃÃÜ À` Ü i discovered. It’s like OneDrive’s Personal Vault, but on your PC.

PERFORMANCE

The Galaxy Book Pro 360 straddles the ` Û ` } i LiÌÜii > i ÌiÀÌ> i Ì > ` «À `ÕVÌ Û ÌÞ * ] Ü Ì > Ì > ` light bent. As noted above, it’s absolutely ÃÕ«iÀL v À Ü>ÌV } movies and streamed video, and the performance is good enough for both. One of my checks involves ÃÌÀi> } { YouTube video at 60fps and noting any stutters.

It dropped an imperceptible three frames out iÀi½Ã Ü >Ì Ã i i Û iÜ } Þ ÕÀ -> ÃÕ } > >ÝÞ *À ÎÈä½Ã of a sample size of ¼ÃiVÀiÌ ÃVÀii ½ Ü Ãii\ > à >à v ÌÀ> à ÕVi Ì Ü ` Üð iÀi] Ì i ¼>VÌ Ûi½ Ü ` Ü Ã 7 À`] Ü Ì > i v ÌiÝÌ° about 10,000.

40 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

iÜ Ãi] Samsung’s Galaxy Book Pro 360 can’t truly be called a gaming PC, but as CPU and GPU capabilities steadily improve, you’ll w ` > LÀ >`iÀ range of games that offer playable vÀ> i À>Ìið 7i Àâ> À â { i` «>ÀÌ VÕ >À Þ }À> Þ Ü i ÀÕ }] Ì Õ} Ì Ã ran the built-in Li V >À «À ÛiÃ Ì >Ì Þ Õ V> >V iÛi « >Þ>L i ÎÈv«Ã vÀ> i À>Ìià ‘battle’ benchmark iÛi >Ì } Û ÃÕ> ÃiÌÌ }ð ­ À Û } }> ià >Ài ½Ì >à Ãi Ã Ì Ûi Ì vÀ> i À>Ìià >à > wÀÃÌ «iÀà >VÌ }> i°® of the strategy }> i Ƃ / Ì> 7>À Saga: Troy and achieved playable frame should maintain a consistent 100-per À>Ìià ­Î °xv«Ã >ÛiÀ>}i® >Ì Ì i >«Ì «½Ã Vi Ì vÀ> i À>ÌiÆ 1 V à `iÀà >L Ûi >Ì Ûi £änä« Àià ÕÌ ] i` Õ È «iÀ Vi Ì >VVi«Ì>L i° }À>« Và ÃiÌÌ }ð 7i > à ÕÃi` Ì i Many thin-and-light PCs emphasize LÕ Ì Li V >À Ü Ì Ì i «i the smaller 13in or 14in size to save Ü À ` `À Û } }> i Àâ> À â { > ` Üi } Ì] à ̽à À>ÀiÀ Ì w ` > >À}iÀ >V iÛi` « >Þ>L i vÀ> i À>Ìià >Ì £änä« 15in thin-and-light laptop. (Many 15in resolution, too. notebooks are simply designed for -> ÃÕ }½Ã ÌiL Ü Ã Ü ÌÃi v }> }°® 7i V «>Ài` Ì i > >ÝÞ ` Ü Õ `iÀ >` Ì «ÀiÛi Ì ÛiÀ i>Ì }] Book Pro 360 to several competing ÜiÛiÀ° 7i Ìi` > È «iÀ Vi Ì `À « laptops for comparison, but many of CPU performance using the prolonged these are 14in offerings. Still, thin-and iLi V ,ÓÎ Ì À ÌÌ } ÌiÃÌ° *1 } Ì V ÛiÀÌ L ià >Ài }i iÀ> Þ Ã ÜiÀ «iÀv À > Vi Ü>Ã Õ iÛi Ì ° Î >À ½Ã than their more full-featured cousins, so looped Time Spy stress test found that Üi ÜiÀi i>}iÀ Ì Ãii Ü Ì i > >ÝÞ the notebook could maintain a consistent Book Pro 360 performed. vÀ> i À>Ìi ä°Ó «iÀ Vi Ì v Ì i Ì i° Ƃ Ì i V >ÀÌà Li Ü] Ì½Ã Ü ÀÌ perfectly thermally managed notebook comparing the 15.6in, Samsung Galaxy AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 41

REVIEWS

Book Pro 360 to the 15in Microsoft -ÕÀv>Vi >«Ì « { >à Üi >à ÕÀ >Þ ÓäÓ£ V Vià v À LiÃÌ Ì > ` } Ì laptop: the 14in HP Spectre x360 and ÓäÓä½Ã £{ ƂViÀ -Ü vÌ x° / i £{ ƂViÀ -Ü vÌ Î8 ViÀÌ> Þ À> à } Þ] Ì ° ƂÌ £Î°{ V iÃ] i ½Ã 8*- £Î Ó £ Σä à > ÌÌ i à > iÀ] Ü i Ì i £{ ƂÃÕà ," Zephyrus G14 is a little heavier at 1.6kg, but it’s a strong performer, too.

UL’s PCMark 10 offers a solid overall benchmark for measuring day-to-day vwVi Ü À ­ÜiL LÀ Üà }] ëÀi>`à iiÌÃ] Û `i V> î >à Üi >à } Ì }> }] Û `i ÌÀ> ÃV ` }] > ` iÛi à i Ƃ Ü À ° Once the benchmark has completed its battalion of tests it generates a score.

7i V à `iÀ > ÃV Ài Ì i {]äää À> }i «ÀiÌÌÞ } `] Ü Ì > ÞÌ } >L Ûi x]äää considered exceptional. The Galaxy -> ÃÕ }½Ã > >ÝÞ *À ÎÈä «À Ûià itself as a V>«>L i `>Þ Ì `>Þ «À `ÕVÌ Û ÌÞ machine.

42 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

Book Pro 360 lands in the upper echelon Ü Ì ÌÃ x]Óä{ ÃV Ài° The Maxon Cinebench score uses > Ài `iÀ } i } i Ì V ÃÌÀÕVÌ > Ó

image. Cinebench R15 is the older test, > ` ÃÌ ÌiL à V iÜ Ì À Õ} Ì µÕ V Þ Ü Ì Ì i À ÌÕÀL `ià i >L i`° / >̽à w i q ̽à > } ` ÌiÃÌ Ì Ãii Ü Üi Ì i > >ÝÞ *À ÎÈä Ü > ` i à iÜ >Ì Ã ÀÌ] *1 Ìi à Ûi Ì>à ð Samsung’s laptop falls in the middle of the pack, an unsurprising result given its extremely slim nature. > ` À> i] i> Ü i] à > prolonged test that still taps that majority v *1 V Àið > ` À> i à > Ài> Ü À ` >«« Ì >Ì ÌÀ> ÃV `iÃ Û `i ­Üi ÕÃi > vÕ i }Ì ÞÜ ` Û i® Ì > Ì iÀ format. Not only does it ask the laptop Ì ÀÕ y>Ì ÕÌ v À > > v ÕÀ À Ài] Ì i

Thin-andlight PCs like Ì i > >ÝÞ *À ÎÈä ÕÃÕ> Þ ÃÌÀÕ}} i somewhat in «iÀv À > Vi] > ` Þ Õ½Ài seeing that here.

HandBrake benchmark helps gauge the laptop’s cooling mechanisms – a poorlyV i` >«Ì « Ü ½Ì Li >L i Ì ÀÕ >à fast, prolonging the transcoding time.

Here, smaller numbers are better. The

Galaxy Book Pro 360 delivers good, but unspectacular results. ÌiÀ à v «iÀv À > Vi] ÕÀ w > Li V >À à 1 ½Ã Î >À ] ëiV wV> Þ the more advanced ‘Time Spy’ test. č}> ] Ì i -> ÃÕ } > >ÝÞ *À ÎÈä > `Ã Ì i Õ««iÀ middle tier of «iÀv À > Vi°

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 43

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iÀi] Ì i > >ÝÞ *À ÎÈä ` ià ÃÕÀ«À à } Þ Üi Î «iÀv À > Vi°

Ƃ}> ] Üi ` ½Ì V à `iÀ Ì i -> ÃÕ } Galaxy Book Pro 360 to be a gaming >V i] LÕÌ Ì i Ài> Ü À ` }> ià Üi played and our scores in our benchmark argue that you’ll be able to sneak in a L Ì v vÕ ° ,i i LiÀ] Ì Ã V w}ÕÀ>Ì v Ì Ã >«Ì « à «Ã Ü Ì > ÌiÀ>LÞÌi v / « v Ì i i>«] > ` Ì i à i\ Ì i -> ÃÕ } > >ÝÞ *À ÎÈä ÌÀÕ Þ vviÀà > `>Þ L>ÌÌiÀÞ vi ­ i>ÃÕÀi` ÕÌiÃ] >L Ûi® `ÕÀ } ÕÀ Û `i ÀÕ down test.

44 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

SSD storage, an unusually high capacity. ÕÌ Ì i Üi V i Ì L>ÌÌiÀÞ vi] > ` Ü Ü° À > Þ] > `>Þ L>ÌÌiÀÞ vi à reserved for battery-sipping Qualcomm Snapdragon processors or thick, chunky notebooks that pack the chassis full Ì Ì i LÀ Ü Ì > >Ãà Ûi Ì Õ

ion battery. Yes, there’s a big battery ÃµÕ Ã i` y>Ì Ü Ì Ì i *À ÎÈä½Ã V >Ãà à q Èn Ü>ÌÌ ÕÀà q LÕÌ >L ÕÌ £È ÕÀà of battery life should be a major factor Ü i V à `iÀ } Ì i «ÕÀV >Ãi v Ì i V >ÀÌ Ì «« } ­LÞ v>À® -> ÃÕ } > >ÝÞ Book Pro 360.

VERDICT If it’s performance you’re after, Samsung’s > >ÝÞ *À ÎÈä ` ià v> À Þ Üi our round-up of comparable laptops. But it isn’t the reason to buy the Samsung’s massive, svelte laptop. The Galaxy Book Pro 360 truly shines as a multimedia >V i] Ü Ì L>ÌÌiÀÞ vi Ì >̽à > unexpected delight. I’m not a fan of the keyboard. Samsung’s app designers also ii` Ì Li Ì ` > ÃÌiÀ Ü i Ì iÞ >Ã Ì ÜÀ Ìi > ` LÕ ` i Ài >««Ã° / iÀi½Ã reason to integrate the Galaxy Book *À ÎÈä Ü Ì Ì i iV ÃÞÃÌi v -> ÃÕ } phones, but the company hasn’t yet v Õ ` > ivwV i Ì Ü>Þ Ì ` à ° Paying about £1,500 for all this might be a bit too much, though Samsung vviÀà V i>«iÀ «Ì Ã Ì >Ì Üi½Ûi ÃÌi` i ÃiÜ iÀi Ì Ã ÀiÛ iÜ° À Ì i à âi] Üi } Ì] > ` «À Vi] « Õà Ì> } L ià like its rich multimedia capabilities, Üi½` ÀiV i ` Ì i -> ÃÕ } > >ÝÞ Book Pro 360 as one of the premier thinand-light notebooks PCs that you can buy. Mark Hachman

SPECIFICATIONS • £x ­£] ÓäÝ]£änä® -Õ«iÀ AMOLED Touch Display • 7 ` Üà £ä i • Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor • Intel Iris Xe Graphics • 16GB LPDDR4x RAM • x£Ó --

• ÇÓä« V> iÀ> ­vÀ Ì v>V }® • £Ý i>`« i ÕÌÉ V L • Ƃ -ÌiÀi -«i> iÀÃ Ü Ì LÞ Atmos • 1x Thunderbolt 4 • ÓÝ 1- /Þ«i

• MicroSD Multi-media Card Reader • Fingerprint reader • 7 È }³ ­näÓ°££>Ý® • Bluetooth 5.1 • >ÌÌiÀÞ\ Èn7 • Îx{°nxÝÓÓÇ° ÇÝ££° • £°Î }

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 45

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i Û 9 }> - Price: ££]Ç ­ V 6Ƃ/® vÀ v>Ûi°V ÉÎy Üâ/

T

i i Û 9 }> - >«Ì « «>V à > Ì v «À ViÃà } « ÜiÀ Ì > Ì > ` } ÌÜi } Ì vÀ> i° Made from premium materials, the 9 }> - ½Ã à > } i ` 7 ` Üà £ä >«Ì « > i` >Ì «i « i Ü Ü> Ì > `iÛ Vi «À >À Þ v À vwVi Ü À ] LÕÌ don’t mind splashing a bit of cash on à iÌ } Ì >̽à }Ài>Ì v À Ü>ÌV } movies on, or can comfortably do a spot of light photo editing. ƂÃ Ü Ì > >«Ì «Ã vÀ i Û ½Ã 9 }> ÃiÀ iÃ] Ì i - vi>ÌÕÀià > }i 46 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

Ü V iÌÃ Þ Õ «ÕÃ Ì i ` ë >Þ > Ì i Ü>Þ L>V > ` v ` Ì ÛiÀ Ã Ì >Ì Ì V> vÕ VÌ >à > Ì>L iÌ >à Üi >à > >«Ì «° 7 Ì > Ì v >«Ì «Ã V } Ü Ì Ì i same Intel 11th-generation processors and slender frames on the shelves right Ü] ̽à } } Ì >Ûi Ì ÃÌÀ i µÕ Ìi > pose in order to capture attention.

DESIGN / i i Û 9 }> - ­ `i Õ LiÀ £{ / x iÀi® Ã > Ã Ì «iÀ>Ì À] literally. The machine-milled aluminium

body feels very cool to the touch and looks very sharp in all-black paint.

Taking a leaf out of the HP Spectre Folio’s style guide, you can even pick up > 9 }> - Ü Ì > i>Ì iÀ >V iÌ° / à model also features an edge-to-edge glass palm rest, and a highly responsive glass-coated trackpad – it’s this model Ü V i Û Ãi Ì Ì i v À ÌiÃÌ }° Thin enough to slip neatly into a Ã>ÌV i > ` Üi } } ÕÃÌ ÛiÀ £ }] Ì i 9 }> - à ÛiÀÞ Õ}}>L i `ii`° Ìà à «À w i ­>à à > >à £{°È ® à ÀÀ Ài` LÞ Ì Î Liâi Ã] Ü V >VVi ÌÕ>Ìi Ì i £{ ` ë >Þ° ƂÃ Ü Ì Ì i 9 }> - Ç] > Ì Þ ÇÓä« V> iÀ> Ü Ì > iV > V> «À Û>VÞ V ÛiÀ >à à i Ü Lii VÀ> i` Ì Ì i slender frame.

Despite the slenderness and lightness, everything here generally vii à «ÀiÌÌÞ À LÕÃÌ° / i ÀiyiÝ Ûi hinge mechanism is sturdy and it’s easy to set the Yoga - Ì Ìi Ì `i v À Ü i Þ Õ½Ài ` i Ü Ì Ü À > ` >Ài Ài>`Þ Ì Ü>ÌV à iÌ }°

the ‘Enter’ and ‘#’ keys are too close for Þ } ­L>à V> Þ Ì ÕV }®° - iÌ iÃ Ì i ¼ ½] > ` ¼ ½ iÞÃ Ü Õ ` Ì Ài} ÃÌiÀ Ü V VÕ ` Li µÕÌi vÀÕÃÌÀ>Ì } iëiV> Þ Ü i ÌÞ« } «>ÃÃÜÀ`à ­}iÌ Ì i « ̶®° There are no dedicated navigation keys, but you can action ‘Home’, ‘Page 1«É Ü ½ > ` ¼ `½ LÞ Õà } Ì i >ÀÀ Ü iÞà ­Õ« > ` ` Ü >Ài Ì Þ® Ü i ` } ` Ü Ì i ¼ Õ VÌ ½ iÞ] Ü V also lets you toggle the keyboard’s L>V } Ì Ü i V L i` Ü Ì > «ÀiÃà of the spacebar. >ÃÌ Þ] Ü i Ì i ÌÀ>V «>` Àië `à ÛiÀÞ Üi Ì ÃÜ «ià > ` ÃÜ Ã ià q Þ ÕÀ w }iÀÃ Ü } `i >VÀ ÃÃ Ì >Ì } >Ãà trackpad – it takes more force than you’d like to depress and for a click Ì >VÌ ] Ì Ì i « Ì Ü iÀi Þ Õ½ à iÌ ià >Ûi Ì V V ÌÜ Vi° / i 9 }> - à > Þ Ì ÕÃi ÃÌ of the time, but there are some snags.

KEYBOARD The keyboard is spacious and easy to get familiar Ü Ì ] > Ì Õ} >Ã Ü Ì Ì iÀ i Û >«Ì «Ã] w ` Ì >Ì

9 Õ V> >VÌ ¼ i½] ¼*>}i 1«É Ü ½ > ` ¼ `½ LÞ Õà } Ì i >ÀÀ Ü iÞð AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 47

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DISPLAY / i 9 }> - ½Ã £{ Ì ÕV ÃVÀii display boasts high levels of brightness and colour space coverage. ƂÛ> >L i ÌÜ y>Û ÕÀÃ] Õ

£änä« ­£] ÓäÝ£]änä® > ` { 1 ÌÀ>

­Ó]n{äÝÓ]£Èä®] i Û «À Ãià maximum brightness levels of 400 nits and 500 nits respectively. / i `i Ü>à Ãi Ì v À ÌiÃÌ } Ü>à > { ÛiÀà ° 1à } > -«Þ`iÀ8 *À colorimeter, I recorded a very impressive >Ý Õ LÀ } Ì iÃà v xnn Ìð ƂÌ xä per cent brightness, I recorded 137 nits. Ì À â Ì> > ` ÛiÀÌ V> Û iÜ } > } ià >Ài ÛiÀÞ } `] Ü Ì >À` Þ > Þ greying observable at extreme angles. >Þ ÌiÀ Ã] 9 }> - ½Ã ` ë >Þ LÀ } Ì iÃà à « ÜiÀvÕ i Õ} v À Þ Õ

"ÕÀ ÌiÃÌ Õ Ì >à > { 1 ÌÀ> ` ë >Þ° 48 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

Ì Li >L i Ì Ü À «À>VÌ V> Þ > Þ V>Ì ] > Ì Õ} Ì i ÀiyiVÌ Ûi >ÌÕÀi of the display’s glass cover means you’re liable to pick up lots of lovely glare.

Colour space coverage is also good, Ü Ì > v Ì i Ã, ë>Vi >Ýi` ÕÌ] > ` > `iVi Ì nx «iÀ Vi Ì v Ƃ` Li , n «iÀ Vi Ì > ` *Î q Ì v ÜÃ Ì >Ì ÜiLà ÌiÃ] « Ì Ã > ` Û `i V Ìi Ì > look rich, natural, detailed, positively LÕÀÃÌ } Ü Ì V ÕÀ iÀi° Audio quality here is very good as Üi Ü Ì Õà V] iëiV > Þ Li iwÌ } from an interesting speaker arrangement.

9 Õ }iÌ v ÕÀ ëi> iÀà iÀi] ÌÜ Ü viÀà that are set into the underside of the `iV ] > ` ÌÜ ÌÜiiÌiÀÃ Ì >Ì ` ÀiVÌ sound into the 360-degree hinge. >Ãà Ãià ÀÕ L i « i>Ã> Ì Þ Ü i treble sounds are nice and bright.

Sound distorts quite badly above nä «iÀ Vi Ì] LÕÌ realistically, you don’t need it to be up that high, as 50 per cent volume is more than loud enough for listening to music at your `ià ] À Ü>ÌV } something in bed.

Aside from that, both of these CPUs are fairly similar in terms of capability, as they’re both quad-core processors and both feature the same Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics.

Sadly, there are no versions v Ì i 9 }> - Ü V V i Ü Ì `i` V>Ìi` graphics processors – Ü V Þ Õ >Þ iÛi iÀi½Ã Ü >Ì Ì i i Û Ã i ¼Ìi ̽ `i° expect at this price.

Storage options include Ìi Ì `i ­Ãii >L Ûi®] Ì }à ÓxÈ ] x£Ó ] > ` £/ -- à > ` sound a little squashed, mainly because ÌiÀ à v i ÀÞ] Ì iÀi½Ã n À £È Ì i Ã Õ ` V } ÕÌ v Ì i Ü viÀà of LPDDR4X RAM. Ã Ü L Õ V } vv v Ì i L>V v Ì i Þ ÀiÛ iÜ Õ Ì V> i Ü Ì > Ài display. Things don’t sound bad, just a Ç ££Èx Ç «À ViÃà À] x£Ó v ÃÌ À>}i ÌÌ i Õvyi`° > ` £È v i ÀÞ° À> Ì i v Ü } Li V >À Ã Ì `i ÃÌÀ>Ìi Ü Ì Ã PERFORMANCE model stacks up to various rivals. i Û 9 }> - À> }i V ià Geekbench (multi-core) Ü Ì ££Ì }i Ìi >«Ì « «À ViÃà ÀÃ] i Û 9 }> - \ x]£ either the Core i5-1135G7 or the Core čÃÕà <i « - 18 ÎÇ£\ {]ÇÎÓ i7-1165G7 - although at the time of -> ÃÕ } > >ÝÞ iÝ Ó\ 4,657 ÜÀ Ì } Ì i ÜiÀ « ÜiÀ «Ì à čViÀ -Ü vÌ x ­ÓäÓä®\ x]Ó n Ü iÀi Ì Li Ãii ° / i Ç ££Èx Ç Ã Õ>Üi >Ìi £{ ­ÓäÓä®\ 6,614 à } Ì Þ Ài « ÜiÀvÕ ] vi>ÌÕÀ } L Ì > } iÀ L>Ãi V V ëii` ­Ó°n â Ûà PCMark 10 Ó°{ â®] Ü V V> L ÃÌ Ì > } iÀ i Û 9 }> - \ {]nnÓ vÀiµÕi VÞ ­{°Ç â Ûà {°Ó â®] à v Þ ÕÀ čÃÕà <i « - 18 ÎÇ£\ {]Î£Ó budget can accommodate, this may be -> ÃÕ } > >ÝÞ iÝ Ó\ {] ää the one to reach for.

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 49

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čViÀ -Ü vÌ x ­ÓäÓä®\ {]È Ç Õ>Üi >Ìi £{ ­ÓäÓä®\ x]ä x

3DMark (Night Raid) i Û 9 }> - \ £x]nnÎ čÃÕà <i « - 18 ÎÇ£\ £x]£n£ / i * >À £ä ÀiÃÕ Ì v {nnÓ Ã } `] LÕÌ >«Ì «Ã Ü Ì Ì i Ã> i «À ViÃà À] i ƂViÀ -Ü vÌ x ­- x£{ xx/®] >Ûi } Ûi à >À ÀiÃÕ Ìð i Ì i -Ü vÌ x] Ì i 9 }> - ÃV Ài` } Þ v À ÃÃi Ì > à ­ Ç Ó®] > ` `iÀ>Ìi Þ } v À *À `ÕVÌ Û ÌÞ ­ÈÇÎÓ®] LÕÌ Ì Ã Üi v À

} Ì> Ìi Ì Ài>Ì ­{Ç £®° The 3DMark Night Raid result is also «>À Ü Ì Ü >Ì ½` iÝ«iVÌ vÀ > >«Ì « Ü Ì Ì Ã «À ViÃà À > ` `i` V>Ìi` graphics cards. Ì i> Ã Ì >Ì Ì i 9 }> - Ü L Ìâ Ì À Õ} ÜiL LÀ Üà } > ` vwVi Ü À ] ` >Þ >Ì « Ì i` Ì } LÕÌ Ã ½Ì Ài> Þ ÃÕ Ìi` v À }> } À Ìi Ãi Ü À i Û `i i` Ì } q > v Ü V Ì> i` Ü Ì Þ iÝ«iÀ i Vià ÌiÃÌ } Ì° ÕÃÕ> Þ Ü À Ü Ì >À Õ ` Ìi Ì>Là «i À i Ü Ì Õà V 9 Õ/ÕLi] and, more recently, Bandcamp going in Ãi«>À>Ìi Ì>LÃ] >à Üi >Ã Ì i -« Ì vÞ >««° 7 Ì > Ì Ã ÀÕ } Þ i V Õ ÌiÀi` > Ì Vi>L i à Ü` Ü > viÜ VV>à ð iÜ Ãi] Ü>à >L i Ì V v ÀÌ>L Þ VÀ «] Àià âi > ` w`` i Ü Ì } Ì iÛi à * Ü Ì ÃiÛiÀ> « Ì Ã «i >Ì Vi] 50 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

Ü Ì ÕÌ Ì }à V } Õ«° Ì Ì i 1 minute and 40 seconds to open 100 «i}ð 1à } > >«Ì « Ü Ì £È v ,Ƃ means you can actually have quite a lot of stuff on the boil at once. ƂÃ Ì iÀi >Ài «Ì Ã Ü Ì dedicated graphics though, editing several large photos at once here could be tricky. I attempted to play a game v Û È iÀi] > ` >à v Õ ` Ü Ì Ì i ƂViÀ -Ü vÌ x ­- x£{ xx/®] V Õ ` ÕÃÌ about push it until the latter stages of a standard game before things started to become laborious.

7 i Þ Õ½ Li >L i Ì ÀÕ iÃÃ demanding games and indie titles here, Ì i i Û 9 }> - Ã Ì > }> } laptop and shouldn’t be treated as such.

BATTERY LIFE >ÌÌiÀÞ vi à à `° 9 Õ Ü i>Ã Þ }iÌ > Ü À } `>޽à ÕÃi ­Ài>`\ È Ç ÕÀî ÕÌ v Ì i 9 }> - Ü Ì ÕÌ >Û } Ì Ü ÀÀÞ about the charger.

7 i « } > w Ü Ì Ì i LÀ } Ì iÃà ÃiÌ Ì £Óä Ìà >à Üi ÕÃÕ> Þ do, the laptop kept running for a solid 11 ÕÀà > ` {n ÕÌið / iÀi >Ài }iÀ lasting laptops out there but also plenty that can’t last this long.

Battery life i Û 9 }> - \ ££ ÕÀÃ] {n minutes

čÃÕà <i « - 18 ÎÇ£\ 11 hours, {n ÕÌià -> ÃÕ } > >ÝÞ iÝ Ó\ £ ÕÀÃ] 44 minutes čViÀ -Ü vÌ x ­ÓäÓä®\ £n ÕÀÃ] £{ ÕÌià Õ>Üi >Ìi £{ ­ÓäÓä®\ 10 hours, 5 minutes ̽à v>ÃÌ Ì ÀiV >À}i >à Üi Û > 1- ° ̽ Ì> i ÕÃÌ Õ `iÀ ÌÜ ÕÀà ­£ ÕÀ] x£ ÕÌiî Ì } vÀ i «ÌÞ Ì vÕ ° iÀi½Ã > LÀi> ` Ü v Ì i V >À} } ÛiÀ Ì i° Îä ÕÌiÃ\ Óί Èä ÕÌiÃ\ xä¯ ä ÕÌiÃ\ Ó¯

CONNECTIVITY Being a thin and light laptop, the Yoga - à ½Ì «>V } > Ì Ü i Ì V iÃ Ì « Þà V> V iVÌ Ã] LÕÌ Ü >Ì ` Þ Õ }iÌ Ã ÌÜ /Þ«i 1- « ÀÌÃ Ü Ì

Thunderbolt 4 tech here. The presence of Thunderbolt 4 means you can charge, V iVÌ Ì Ì i ÌiÀ iÌ Ü Ì > Ì iÀ iÌ adapter, or connect to monitors all through the same ports.

In practice, you’ll likely use one port v À V >À} } >Ì > Ì iÃ] Ü Ì Ì i Ì iÀ used to connect to a dongle or USB-C hub. As there are no Ethernet or HDMI ports here, you’ll need to have the right dock to hand if you need those for your i vwVi ÃiÌ Õ«° There’s also an old-school Type-A 1- « ÀÌ iÀi] > } Ü Ì Ì i ÕÃÕ> 3.5mm jack for headphones. ÌiÀ à v Ü Ài iÃà V iVÌ Û ÌÞ] Ì iÀi½Ã > ÓÝÓ 7 È > Ìi >] Ü V means you can enjoy some of the fastest 7 ëii`à VÕÀÀi Ì Þ } }° 7 i V iVÌi` Ì Þ iÌ}i>À "ÀL , Çxä ià iÌÜ À ] ½` Ài}Õ >À Þ Ãii ëii`à v >À Õ ` Çää LÉà Ì

" Ì i à `i Þ Õ½ w ` ÌÜ 1- /Þ«i à V iÌÃ] > 1- ΰ£ « ÀÌ > ` > ΰx i>`« i >V ° AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 51

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nää LÉÃ Ì i Ì i x â L> `] > Ì i Ü>Þ Õ« Ì Ì i vÕ £Óä£ LÉÃ Ü i the same room as the router, or one of Ì i Ã>Ìi Ìið ,i>` Ì i LiÃÌ ià 7 Ìà > ` LiÃÌ 7 À ÕÌiÀ }Õ `ià v À Ì i Ü ` Ü Ì i >ÌiÃÌ 7 È «Ì ð Support for Bluetooth 5.0, the latest Bluetooth standard is included here, too, meaning you’re able to stream tunes to portable speakers from greater distances.

VERDICT / i 9 }> - L ÃÃià iÛiÀÞ`>Þ Ü À and thanks to a rich, detailed display and } «À ViÃà } « ÜiÀ] ̽à > `>L > ` >Ì µÕ V « Ì i` Ì }° / Ã] V L i` Ü Ì « ÜiÀvÕ Ã«i> iÀà i> à ̽à }Ài>Ì v À streaming content, too. Battery life is also solid. It both looks and feels fantastic. It’s pretty much a perfect package. Ì½Ã Ì Ü Ì ÕÌ Ìà y>ÜÃ] > i Þ keyboard issues and a fussy trackpad, Ü V ÃÌ> ` ÕÌ Ã >À« Ài iv Ì Ì i overall silky smoothness.

7 i >«Ì «Ã >Ài «À Vi` V Ãi Ì ÌÜ grand, these things are less excusable Ì > Ì iÞ Ü Õ ` Li > LÕ`}iÌ `iÛ Vi° v Þ Õ V> Ûi Ü Ì Ì Ã Ì i Ì iÀi½Ã > Ì to love here. Thomas Newton

SPECIFICATIONS • £{ Õ ­£] ÓäÝ£]änä® É { 1 ÌÀ>

­Ó]n{äÝÓ]£Èä® Ì ÕV ` ë >Þ • 7 ` Üà £ä iÉ*À 52 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

• Ìi Ài x ££Îx Ç ­{ V ÀiÃ] Ó°{ â] Õ« Ì {°Ó â®] Ài Ç ££Èx Ç ­{ V ÀiÃ] Ó°n â] Õ« Ì {°Ç â® • Intel Iris Xe Graphics • n É£È *

,{8 ,Ƃ • ÓxÈ Éx£Ó É£/ --

• ÓÝ 1- { /Þ«i ­/ Õ `iÀL Ì {]

ë >Þ* ÀÌ] * ® • 1x USB 3.1 Type-A • 3.5mm headphone jack • 4x Dolby Atmos-tuned speakers • £ « ÜiLV> • 7 È ­näÓ°££>Ý® • Bluetooth 5.0 • Σ °{ÝӣȰ{Ý{°È £x°Ç ­ iÌ> ®Æ Σ °xÝӣȰÇÝx°Î £È°x ­ i>Ì iÀ > ` } >Ãî • £°ÎÇ } ­ iÌ> ®Æ £°{{ } ­ i>Ì iÀ > ` } >Ãî

OnePlus 9 Pro Price: ËnÓ vÀ v>Ûi°V ÉÓ, + v

T

i " i* Õà *À >ÀÀ ÛiÃ Ü Ì a major focus on camera performance, an improved ` ë >Þ] > ` Ì i iÜiÃÌ +Õ> V «À ViÃà À] Ì i - >«`À>} nnn° "ÛiÀ the years, OnePlus has been aiming at Ì i y>}à « i ` v Ì i >À iÌ] « } to gain a foothold in that exclusive smartphone tier. But do these latest improvements – particularly in the camera – put OnePlus in a position to

V > i }i -> ÃÕ }½Ã > >ÝÞ -Ó£ À Ƃ«« i½Ã * i £Ó¶ i̽à ` Ûi ° For this launch, there are four ` vviÀi Ì « i V w}ÕÀ>Ì Ã] i>V Ü Ì ÌÃ Ü V ÕÀ > ` ëiV V L >Ì ° / i ÜiÃÌ i ` " i* Õà `i V iÃ Ü Ì n v ,Ƃ > ` £Ón v ÃÌ À>}i] > ` V ÃÌà ËnÓ ° / i Ì « i ` V w}ÕÀ>Ì ­Ü V ÀiÛ iÜ iÀi® V ÃÌÃ Ë Ó ] > ` vi>ÌÕÀià £Ó v ,Ƃ > ` ÓxÈ v ÃÌ À>}i° Ƃà ÃÕV ] Ì i *À Ìà AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 53

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basically the same price as the Samsung > >ÝÞ -Ó£³ x ] > ` V ÃÌà > L Ì Ài Ì > >ÃÌ Þi>À½Ã " i* Õà n *À °

PHOTOGRAPHY

«iÀ Vi Ì i`}i ` ÃÌ ÀÌ ÌÃ Õ ÌÀ> Ü `i V> iÀ>] Ü i ÃÌ Ã >ÀÌ« i i Ãià À>Ìi >Ì £ä Ì Óä «iÀ Vi Ì° «À>VÌ V> ÌiÀ Ã] Ì Ã i> à « Ì Ã Ì> i Ü Ì " i* ÕÃ½Ã Õ ÌÀ> Ü `i V> iÀ> Ü Li sharper around the edges and suffer iÃà iÝÌÀi i Ü>À« }° This holds true in my testing, and, in fact, edge distortion is the biggest improvement in the OnePlus camera system. In side-by-side comparisons, Ì i n *À ½Ã >}ià à à i>Ài` >À Õ ` Ì i i`}ià V «>Ài` Ì Ì i *À ½Ã] iÝ L Ì } « i ÌÞ v Ü >̽à V> i` V À >Ì V >LiÀÀ>Ì ° / à à Üà ի Ì i n *À ½Ã >}ià >à «ÕÀ« i ÕÌ ià >À Õ ` `>À i`}iÃ] > ` à > ÃÕÀi wÀi marker of poorer lens quality. There’s > Ü>Þà à i Li ` } > ` ÜÀ>«« }

In early March, OnePlus announced > «>ÀÌ iÀà « Ü Ì >ÃÃi L >`] the boutique professional camera manufacturer that’s been operating v À Ài Ì > nä Þi>Àð / i } > \ Ì improve the camera systems in its phones dramatically over the course of Ì Àii Þi>Àð / i " i* Õà > ` *À >Ài Ì i wÀÃÌ « iÃ Ì i iÀ}i vÀ this partnership, and receive prominent Hasselblad branding inside the camera module. But does having Hasselblad involved actually improve the camera iÝ«iÀ i Vi¶ i̽à wÀÃÌ Ì ÕV Ü Ì i V «> iÃ Ü À Ì }iÌ iÀ° Hasselblad has a long history of making high-end camera gear, V Õ` } Ü À ` v> Õà lenses. The lens systems in today’s smartphones are very complicated, and if there’s any company that could help out in this department, I’m fully V w`i Ì Ì½Ã >ÃÃi L >`] especially given its track ÀiV À` Àiw } } >Ãð OnePlus 9 Pro ultra-wide test.

OnePlus claims only one54 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

>VVÕÀ>VÞ Ü Ì Ì i manufacturer’s Ü ÃÕL iVÌ Ûi preferences.

This is easier said than done.

The camera must balance colour coming from different light sources, `iÌiÀ i Ü that colour affects 1 ÌÀ> Ü `i i`}i V ÀÀiVÌ ÌiÃÌ° / «\ *À ] L ÌÌ \ n *À ° objects in frame, and then make of the light in such small lenses, but `iV Ã Ã Ü > Ì Ã v À >Ì >ÃÃi L >` Ü>à `iw Ìi Þ >L i Ì Àiw i Ü >vviVÌ V ÕÀÃ Ì i w > >}i° Ì i ÃÞÃÌi Ì i *À ° Improving colour science isn’t as easy as The next area of focus for the ‘being more accurate’. Rather, it involves >ÃÃi L >`É" i* Õà «>ÀÌ iÀà « Ü>à > Ì v à vÌÜ>Ài ÌÕ }] > >Ài> Ü iÀi the camera’s colour science. Colour science, in simple terms, is a camera’s unique approach for capturing accurate and pleasing colours. Every camera – including every smartphone camera – boasts its Ü V ÕÀ ÃV i Vi that blends the

ÕÀ ÃV i Vi ÌiÃÌ° ivÌ\ *À ] À } Ì\ n *À ° quest for colour AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 55

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colours as you go from the ultraÜ `i Ì > to telephoto Ãi à Àð / à Ü>à > «À L i Ü Ì Ì i " i* Õà n Pro, and it continues to be a problem Ì i *À ° 7 i ` ÀiVÌ Þ comparing equivalent lenses " i* Õà *À Ì Àii V> iÀ> ÃÞÃÌi V ÕÀ ÃV i Vi ÌiÃÌ° À ivÌ Ì À } Ì\ Õ ÌÀ> Ü `i] > ] Ìi i« Ì ° LiÌÜii Ì i ÌÜ " i* Õà Google has excelled in its Pixel phones, generations, I don’t see any drastic LÕÌ Ü iÀi " i* Õà >à ÌÀ>` Ì > Þ improvements in terms of colour fallen short. reproduction. In fact, there are plenty In my testing, this isn’t a cut-and v ÃVi iÃ Ü iÀi «ÀiviÀ Ì i V ÕÀà v `ÀÞ Ü v À Ì i *À ÛiÀ Ì i n *À ° 7 Ì Ã >ÀÌ« i cameras featuring multi-sensor arrays, ̽à > Ü>Þà ` vwVÕ Ì Ì maintain the same colour quality across each camera – and Ì i *À vi>ÌÕÀià > three-camera array on the back. This means you’ll see slightly different

ÕÀ ÃV i Vi ÌiÃÌ° ivÌ\ *À ] À } Ì\ n *À ° 56 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

` À V ÕÀ ÌiÃÌ° ivÌ\ *À ] À } Ì\ n *À °

experience. / i w > piece of the >ÃÃi L >`É OnePlus partnership falls in the à vÌÜ>ÀiÉ >}i processing department. In this area I’m a bit more sceptical because professional camera needs are quite different from smartphone camera needs. Hasselblad cameras are made for professional use, and their image processing is very much

Ì i n *À ] iëiV > Þ Ü i Ã Ì } Ýi` } Ì } ÃVi >À ð / i *À `à an edge in brightly lit outdoor scenes, LÕÌ Ì i n *À ` ià > L Ì LiÌÌiÀ Ü light, indoor scenes. Once again, colour preferences can be very subjective, but for all the hoopla OnePlus is Ì ÕÌ } Ü Ì its Hasselblad partnership, I expected a more consistent - >À« iÃà ÌiÃÌ° ivÌ\ *À ] À } Ì] n *À °

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 57

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, ÌiÃÌ° / «\ *À ] L ÌÌ \ n *À °

tailored around that use case. Mobile photography is more focused on ease of use and extreme JPEG processing – ÌÜ Ì }Ã Ü Õ ` iÛiÀ V> > ÃÌÀi }Ì for Hasselblad.

So did Hasselblad add image «À ViÃà } Û> Õi Ì Ì i " i* Õà *À ¶ In my testing, the biggest differences I’m Ãii } LiÌÜii Ì i «À ViÃà } Ì i n *À > ` Ì i *À >Ài à >À« iÃà > `

,° / i *À vi>ÌÕÀià à >À«iÀ « Ì Ã Ü i Û iÜi` Õ `iÀ ÃVÀÕÌ Þ q à i v Ü V Ã Ì i ÀiÃÕ Ì v i à «À Ûi i ÌÃ] but also more aggressive postprocessing sharpening. This is obvious in 58 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

the more ‘contrast-y’ edges around small `iÌ> à i À V à > ` Ü ` }À> ð In images that don’t feature people, Ì Ã Ã > }Ài>Ì° ÕÌ Ì V> L>V wÀi Ü i taking photos of faces, as it tends to >VVi ÌÕ>Ìi «iÀviVÌ Ã° / i n *À ½Ã >}ià vii >ÌÕÀ> > ` ÜiÀi « i ÌÞ Ã >À« Ì Li} Ü Ì ] à `i«i ` } Ì i ÃÕL iVÌ v > Þ « Ì ] Ü Õ ` ½Ì V> Ì Ã > Ü v À Ì i *À ° OnePlus has already stated that its «>ÀÌ iÀà « Ü Ì >ÃÃi L >` à } } to be a multi-year journey, and that’s backed up by relatively incremental «À Ûi i ÌÃ Ì i *À ° 7 i Ì iÀi

are already some signs of positive change, it’s not a drastic leap over the n *À ] à ` ½Ì }iÌ Þ ÕÀ «ià ի° ÕÌ I do believe this is a step in the right ` ÀiVÌ ] > ` v ÀÜ>À` Ì Ì i `>Þ Ü i > " i* Õà « i ÃÌ> `Ã Ì i Ì Ì i Ü Ì Ì i LiÃÌ Ã >ÀÌ« i V> iÀ>à on the market.

SOFTWARE

V Õ« i v ÌiV } iÃ Ì > Ü Ài apps to stay open in the background.

I can’t actively remember a time that I Ã>Ü i v Þ > >««Ã ii` } Ì reload because it fell out of memory.

Everything, including games, loads µÕ V Þ > ` Ãi> iÃÃ Þ Ü Ì > }ð / i *À ½Ã {]xää Ƃ L>ÌÌiÀÞ i>Ã Þ lasted me through some days of heavy ÕÃi] Ü i Ì iÀ `>ÞÃ Ì Ì Óä «iÀ Vi Ì LÞ n\ää « ° / à Ài> Þ Ãii i` Ì `i«i ` Ì i Ì }à Ü>à Õà } Þ « i for, and probably varies due to the iÜ ` ë >Þ ÌiV }Þ ­ Ài Ì >Ì >ÌiÀ®° ÕV Þ Ì i « i½Ã v>ÃÌ V >À} } V>«>L Ì ià q ÛiÀ Ü Ài` > ` Ü Ài iÃà connections – continue to impress. Ƃ iÀi £x ÕÌiÃ Ì i 7>À« xä 7 Ài iÃà >À}iÀ ­Ã ` Ãi«>À>Ìi Þ v À ËÈx

/ i " i* ÕÃ v À Õ > >Ã > Ü>ÞÃ Lii marrying high-end specs to a simple phone experience, and then offering that package at an affordable price.

7 i Ì Ã >««À >V >à V > }i` ÛiÀ Ì i «>ÃÌ viÜ Þi>Àà >à " i* Õà }À>`Õ> Þ VÀi>Ãi` «À ViÃ] Ì i " i* Õà *À ÃÌ packs the high-end specs you’d expect v > y>}à «° 7i wÀÃÌ iÝ«iÀ i Vi` the Snapdragon nnn «À ViÃà À Ì i -> ÃÕ } > >ÝÞ -Ó£] LÕÌ it continues to impress in day-to-day snappiness and solid battery life.

For everyday use, the « i½Ã £Ó v *

,x RAM and UFS 3.1 storage have been more than capable of keeping Õ« Ü Ì Þ Ü À >`° / i iÜ /ÕÀL ÃÌ 7 i Ì½Ã Ì Ì i LiÃÌ } Ü Ài iÃà V >À}iÀ] Ì i 7>À« xä à VÀ>âÞ v>ÃÌ > ` Ü ÀÌ Ì i iÞ° ΰä] i> Ü i] ÕÃià >

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 59

REVIEWS

vÀ v>Ûi°V ÉÎ>ÀÓÃ`,® V >À}i` Ì i *À vÀ >L ÕÌ Óä «iÀ Vi Ì Ì xä «iÀ Vi Ì q more than enough to get me through the rest of the day. / i *À ½Ã v>ÃÌ «iÀv À > Vi à complemented by a smooth and beautiful display. On top of the high ÀivÀià À>Ìi v £Óä â] " i* Õà >à implemented a LTPO OLED display that vi>ÌÕÀiÃ Õ Ì « i Li iwÌð À ÃÌ>ÀÌiÀÃ] Ì i iÜ ` ë >Þ ÌiV ÕÃià iÃà « ÜiÀ q OnePlus claims 50 per cent less – thanks Ì Ìà - >ÀÌ £Óä â vi>ÌÕÀi° In a gaming phone that’s tuned for pure speed, the display’s refresh rate Ü Li V i` Ì £Óä â] > ` Ì i ` ë >Þ Ü `À> Ài « ÜiÀ Ì > Ì> Ì >Ì speed. But if you’re doing a mixture v Ì>à à À > ÕÃ>}i] Þ Õ Ü> Ì Ì i ` ë >Þ Ì >`>«Ì Ì Ü >Ì Þ Õ½Ài Û iÜ }° -VÀ } /Ü ÌÌiÀ À ÃÌ>}À> ¶ 9 Õ Ü> Ì smooth motion. Pausing to read an article? Then you don’t need the screen Ì ÀivÀià >à v>ÃÌ] Ü V Ã Õ ` Õ Ì >Ìi Þ preserve battery. Thanks to its Smart £Óä â vi>ÌÕÀi] Ì i ` ë >Þ Ì i " i* Õà *À V> iÛi } ` Ü Ì > ÀivÀià À>Ìi v £ â q Ì >̽à > wÀÃÌ v À > à >ÀÌ« i° / i ÃVÀii Ü>à « i ÌÞ LÀ } Ì Ì Ãii ÕÌà `i `>Þ } Ì] > ` Ü>à ½Ì L ` } in a completely dark room. / i + ³ ­ÎÓ£ÈÝ£{{ä® ` ë >Þ is also great at colour reproduction.

The long list of calibration features are 60 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

interesting to a professional like myself, but in plain terms the colours just pop.

Colours look bold and vibrant even in LÀ } Ì } Ì] > ` iÛiÀ >` Ì Ü ÀÀÞ >L ÕÌ `` V ÕÀ } Ü i i` Ì } photos for Instagram. This is easily one of the best and most comfortable displays I’ve used to date, a real treat.

7 i Ì V iÃ Ì Ì i Ƃ `À ` L>Ãi` operating system, Oxygen OS 11, I’m still not a huge fan. I much prefer the more stock-like Android approach of past OnePlus phones. Still, it’s got a nice, clean design that organizes everything in a simple and easy-to-use Ü>Þ° / i >ÌiÃÌ "ÝÞ}i vviÀà > à >««Þ iÝ«iÀ i Vi Ì >Ì À Û> Ã Ü >̽à v Õ ` Samsung Galaxy phones. / >Ì Ã> `] Ü Ã Û>À Õà `ià } elements didn’t take up so much ë>Vi° >V ¼LÕLL i½ Ì i Ì wV>Ì shade takes up more space than I Ü Õ ` i] > ` Ì i i Õ >Þ ÕÌ the Settings app takes more scrolling than I believe it needs. These are all personal preferences, of course, and you might love the look and feel. But like I i Ì i`] Ìi ` Ì i> Ì Ü>À` ÃÌ V Android – probably more than most « i ÀiÛ iÜiÀð

WHO SHOULD BUY IT? Other than its marvellous display, the " i* Õà *À à ½Ì > } > Ì i>« ÛiÀ

performance.

OnePlus does typically offer quick Android version updates (though v V ÕÀÃi Ì iÞ Ü never be as quick >à > * Ýi ®° If you’ve been burned by other Android devices Ü Ì Ài L >Ìi` OS experiences, then Oxygen OS / i Ì wV>Ì Ã >`i > ` ÃiÌÌ }à i Õ Ì> i Õ« Ì ÕV ë>Vi with design UI. Ü Li > LÀi>Ì v vÀià > À° 7 i Ì i the company’s Pro devices of the past >À`Ü>Ài ` ià ½Ì vi>ÌÕÀi > Þ Ü â L> } viÜ Þi>Àð ½ >Là ÕÌi Þ Û } Ì i iÜ VÀ>âÞ iÜ } V Ã] " i* Õà `iÛ Vià display, and even if you’ve purchased >Ûi > Ü>Þà v>Û ÕÀi` `i«i `>L ÌÞ a OnePlus device in the past year, this Ài Ì > y>Ã Þ ÌÀ V à > ` > LÕ V v } Ì Li Ü ÀÌ > v À Ì i ÃVÀii features that most people don’t use. alone. If you’re coming from an even VERDICT `iÀ `iÛ Vi] Ì Ã i Ü L Ü Þ ÕÀ Ever since the 5T came out, OnePlus à V à vv q > ` Þ Õ Ü ] v V ÕÀÃi }iÌ became my de facto choice for ‘best the generational upgrades in terms of bang for the buck’ in an Android phone. camera and processor speeds.

The OS improved on the stock Android ½Ûi > Ü>Þà Li iÛi` Ì >Ì > " i* Õà iÝ«iÀ i Vi à >ÀÌ Ü>ÞÃ] Ì i « Þà V> phone is the next logical step for Google >À`Ü>Ài Ü>à ÌÞ« V> Þ V i> > ` } ` Pixel users, as it improves upon stock looking, and OnePlus packed high-end Ƃ `À ` à >ÀÌ Ü>ÞÃ Ü Ì ÕÌ L }} } vi>ÌÕÀiÃ Ü i Õ `iÀVÕÌÌ } Ì i «À Vià ` Ü Ì i iÝ«iÀ i Vi° 7 i Ì i V> iÀ> of competitors. system isn’t as consistent and reliable as / i " i* Õà *À à > À V à ` > * Ýi « i½Ã] Ì i ÀiÃÌ v Ì i >À`Ü>Ài phone in every aspect, and continues to is a major upgrade in both looks and AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 61

REVIEWS

build on that great legacy established Ü Ì Ì i x/° / i ÃVÀii à Li>ÕÌ vÕ ] Ì i OS is snappy and clean, and the camera ÃÞÃÌi ] Ü i > Ü À «À }ÀiÃÃ] à vv to a promising start. Overall, it gets my recommendation, if only for the >Üià i ` ë >Þ° č`> *>ÌÀ V ÕÀÀ>Þ

SPECIFICATIONS • È°Ç ­Î]Ó£ÈÝ£]{{äÆ xÓx«« ® /*" Õ `Ó Ƃ " ` ë >Þ • Android 10, OxygenOS 11.3.3 • +Õ> V - nÎxä - >«`À>} nnn x ­x ® «À ViÃà À • "VÌ> V Ài ­£Ý Ó°n{ â ÀÞ Ènä] ÎÝ Ó°{Ó â ÀÞ Ènä] {Ý £°n â ÀÞ Ènä® *1 • Adreno 660 GPU • n É£Ó ,Ƃ • £Ón ÉÓxÈ ÃÌ À>}i • ÕÀ Ài>À v>V } V> iÀ>Ã\ {n «] vÉ£°n] ÓÎ ­Ü `i®] £É£°{Î ] £°£Ó ] ` ÀiVÌ > * Ƃ ] >ÃiÀ Ƃ ] " -Æ n «] vÉÓ°{] ÇÇ ­Ìi i« Ì ®] £°ä ] * Ƃ ] " -] ΰÎÝ «Ì V> â Æ xä «] vÉÓ°Ó] £{ ­Õ ÌÀ> Ü `i®] £É£°xÈ ] £°ä Æ Ó «] vÉÓ°{] ­`i«Ì ® • -i wi V> iÀ>\ £È «] vÉÓ°{] ­Ü `i®] £ÉΰäÈ ] £°ä • 7 näÓ°££ >ÉLÉ}É É>VÉÈ] `Õ> L> `] 7 ÀiVÌ] Ƃ] Ìë Ì • ÕiÌ Ì x°Ó] ƂÓ *] ] >«Ì8

• *- Ü Ì `Õ> L> ` Ƃ *-] " Ƃ--] BDS, GALILEO, SBAS 62 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

• NFC • USB Type-C 3.1, USB On-The-Go • Fingerprint scanner (under display, «Ì V> ® • Non-removable 4,500mAh lithiumpolymer battery • >ÃÌ V >À} } Èx Ü>ÌÌà • £ÈΰÓÝÇΰÈÝn°Ç • £ Ç}

Red Magic 6 Price: Ëxä vÀ v>Ûi°V ÉÎ {6 Ü

S

ince the introduction of the ,>âiÀ * i Óä£Ç] > Üi> Ì v à >ÀÌ« ià ëiV wV> Þ `ià } i` for mobile gaming have emerged.

iÃi i>ÛÞÜi } Ìà 8 > ­ >V - >À ® > ` i Û ­ i} * i® are among the leading players in Ì Ã ÃiVÌ À] > ` ƂÃÕà >à L ÀÀ Üi` the ROG branding for its dedicated gaming handsets. All three have >Õ V i` iÜ « ià ÓäÓ£] > Ì Õ} Ì iÞ ÜiÀi Li>Ìi Ì Ì i «Õ V LÞ ÕL >° A subsidiary of Chinese giant ZTE,

the company’s Red Magic brand has typically offered class-leading specs and a distinct gamer aesthetic for a relatively >vv À`>L i «À Vi° Ü Ìà ÃiÛi Ì generation, the Red Magic 6 series has seen the introduction of a Pro model for Ì i wÀÃÌ Ì i° ÜiÛiÀ] Ì i v VÕà v Ì Ã ÀiÛ iÜ Ã Ì i Ài}Õ >À ÛiÀà ] Ü V > à to upgrade the core gaming experience fans of the Red Magic line have come to expect. Has Nubia succeeded in producing the best gaming phone of ÓäÓ£¶ ,i>` Ì w ` ÕÌ° AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 63

REVIEWS

DESIGN

°Ç q Ì iÃi ëiVà > i Ì i v Ì i The Red Magic 6 is a gaming phone bulkiest phones you can buy. There’s the through and through, and its design same triple rear camera set-up (64Mp makes that very obvious. Nubia has > ] n « Õ ÌÀ> Ü `i] Ó « >VÀ ® > ` > Ü>Þà Lii V v ÀÌ>L i Ü Ì > n « Ãi wi i Ã] >à Üi >Ã Ì i VÕÃÌ >ÀÞ industrial build and comparatively large RGB lighting. The Tencent branding is bezels, although the Eclipse Black iÜ] > Ì Õ} Ì½Ã Þ >Û> >L i Ì i `i à Ài ÕÌi` Ì > Üi½Ûi V i

iÃi `i ÌiÃÌi` > ` Ü ½Ì Li Ì iÝ«iVÌ° Ü Õ ` ½Ì } >à v>À >Ã Ì Ã>Þ present on the global version. Ì L i `Ã Ü Ì Ài}Õ >À à >ÀÌ« iÃ] ÜiÛiÀ] Ì v VÕà «À >À Þ LÕÌ Ì `iw Ìi Þ ` ià ½Ì ÃÌ> ` ÕÌ Ì i Ì i à >À Ì iÃ Ü Õ ` Li Ãà } Ì i Ã> i Ü>Þ >Ã Ì i Û LÀ> Ì ¼*Õ Ãi½ `i « Ì° 7 i Ì i ,i` >} V x- Ü>à > of the Red Magic 5S. L>Ài Þ ÕÃÌ w>L i VÀi i Ì> Õ«`>Ìi] Nonetheless, most of the same Ì i È ÌÀ `ÕViÃ Ü iÃ> i V > }ià design features are here. You still get that have a noticeable effect on the a bulky, imposing design, consisting of user experience. glass front and rear and aluminium rails.

1 ` ÕLÌi` Þ Ì i ÃÌ } «À w i / à } ÛiÃ Ì i « i > `i Ì V> Üi } Ì Ã > iÜ £Èx â ` ë >Þ] «ÕÌÌ } Ì i v ÓÓä}] Ü i ̽à > à `}i Ì iÀ >Ì ,i` >} V È > ` È *À Ì i À Ü >à the highest refresh rate phones you can buy. Nubia has understandably been heavily marketing Ì i iÜ vi>ÌÕÀi] although in reality it doesn’t make a huge difference over the £{{ â Üi Ü Ãii many gaming phones.

Performance butteryÃ Ì ] LÕÌ Ì >Ì Ü>à " Ì i Ài>À Ì iÀi½Ã > ÌÀ « i Ài>À V> iÀ> ÃiÌ Õ« > ` n « Ãi wi i Ã] already the case on >à Üi >Ã Ì i VÕÃÌ >ÀÞ , } Ì }° Ì i «ÀiÛ Õà ÌÜ ,i` 64 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

6 still has no notch, making it Üi «Ì âi` v À horizontal usage and giving the phone a satisfying symmetry. There’s still enough room for a front-facing ëi> iÀ ­Ü V doubles as the i>À« iVi® > ` > n « Ãi wi V> iÀ>] Ü V č à vÌÜ>Ài Õ«`>Ìi >``i` Ì i £Èx â «Ì Ì -iÌÌ }à à ÀÌ Þ >vÌiÀ Ì Ã « Ì Ü>à Ì> i ° also supports face unlock. >} V > `ÃiÌð " i Ì } Þ Õ Ü ½Ì Your other biometric unlocking w ` > Þ « ià à > {ää â Ì ÕV method comes in the form of an optical sampling rate, making the Red Magic 6 ` ë >Þ w }iÀ«À Ì ÃV> iÀ° 7i½Ûi extremely responsive. Ãii Ì Ã vi>ÌÕÀi Ì i >ÃÌ ÌÜ ,i` In order to balance battery life, Magic phones, but it’s much more Ì i ÃVÀii ÌÃi v à > È°n Õ ³ reliable here and seemed to unlock the ­Ó]{ääÝ£]änä® " «> i ° / >̽à > phone faster. noticeable step up from the Red Magic Being a gaming handset, the Red x- ­È°Èx > ` Ó]ÎääÝ£]änä ÀiëiVÌ Ûi Þ®] >} V > à Li iwÌà vÀ à i Ì iÀ and it makes sense for gaming phones vi>ÌÕÀiÃ Þ Õ Ü ½Ì w ` Ài}Õ >À Ì Ã>VÀ wVi à } Ì Þ Àià ÕÌ À`iÀ > `ÃiÌð / iÀi½Ã > `i` V>Ìi` ÃÜ ÌV to maximise refresh rates. The display v À ÕL >½Ã ¼ > i -«>Vi½ `i] Ü V still offers plenty of detail and rich, L ÃÌà *1É *1 «iÀv À > Vi > ` vibrant colours, making for an excellent L V à ` ÃÌÀ>VÌ Ã Ü i }> }° ̽à > Ã Û iÜ } iÝ«iÀ i Vi° Ü iÀi Þ Õ½ w ` VÕÃÌ â>Ì «Ì à Ƃ à } wV> Ì Ã } v Liâi à for the side-mounted shoulder triggers, i> Ã Ì i >À}iÀ ÃVÀii à ÕÃi` Ü Ì Ü V ÕÃi >«Ì V vii`L>V Ì «À Û `i > a near-identical footprint. The Red Magic more immersive gaming experience.

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 65

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Ü i ¼ >ÃÌ V }½ `i° 7 >̽à Ài] V Õ ` ½Ì w ` > Ü>Þ Ì turn it off completely. I understand its necessity on a phone like this, but it did slightly take >Ü>Þ vÀ Ì i iÀà Ûi gaming experience the Red Magic 6 is trying to achieve. ÃiÜ iÀi] Ì i vÀ Ì facing speaker combines Ü Ì > Ì iÀ ` Ü Ü>À` / i à `i Õ Ìi` Ã Õ `iÀ ÌÀ }}iÀÃ] Ü V ÕÃi >«Ì V vii`L>V wÀ } `À ÛiÀ v À > ÃÌiÀi Ì «À Û `i > Ài iÀà Ûi }> } iÝ«iÀ i Vi° set-up. It offers detailed, rich audio, making the Then there’s the built-in fan. Nubia distracting loud fan even more annoying. Ü>Ã Ì i wÀÃÌ Ì LÀ } Ì i vi>ÌÕÀi Ì To help block that sound out, there is the à >ÀÌ« iÃ Ü i Ì `iLÕÌi` Óä£ ½Ã option to connect headphones via the Red Magic 3, although Lenovo’s Legion 3.5mm headphone jack. « iÃ Ü vviÀ > à >À vi>ÌÕÀi° Ì PERFORMANCE forms part of the phone’s advanced The Red Magic 6 ticks nearly all the V } ÃÞÃÌi Ü >à Vi È°ä° / i boxes from a design standpoint, but fan is joined by an ultra-thin vapour Ì i Ài «ÀiÃà } µÕiÃÌ Ã Ü Üi chamber and layer of graphite to protect it handles gaming across a variety of the CPU – Nubia says this can reduce the }i Àià > ` ÃÌÞ ið / i à ÀÌ > ÃÜiÀ¶ temperature of the back of the phone by Superbly. The Red Magic blazes through up to 5°C. I certainly didn’t experience some of the most demanding titles on > Þ «À L i Ã Ü Ì ÛiÀ i>Ì } `ÕÀ } Ì i } i * >Þ -Ì Ài Ü Ì i>Ãi° Þ ÌiÃÌ } Ì i] V Õ` } Ü i « >Þ } This didn’t come as a huge surprise. graphically demanding games. / i « i à «>V i` Ü Ì } i ` ÜiÛiÀ] Ì Ã ` ià i> Ì i ëiVÃ] Ü V ] Ü i V L i`] `i ÛiÀ Óä]äääÀ« v> }iÌà ÛiÀÞ Õ`] iëiV > Þ 66 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

Ì « v Ì i i «iÀv À > Vi Ü V viÜ > `ÃiÌà V> À Û> ° Ƃ } Ì i key upgrades on the 6 is a move to Ì i - >«`À>} nnn] > «À ViÃà À Ü V > Õv>VÌÕÀiÀ +Õ> V Ã>Þà à ëiV wV> Þ `ià } i` v À ¼i Ìi }> }½° The chipset has 5G built-in, enabling } i ` }> } Ü i ÕÌ > ` >L ÕÌ] > Ì Õ} Ì i Ìi` 1 x ÃÕ«« ÀÌ i> Ì Ü>à ½Ì >L i Ì ÌiÃÌ Ì Ã v À ÞÃi v° Ì V L iÃ Ü Ì > Ƃ`Ài ÈÈä *1 > ` £Ó v ,Ƃ Ì i `i ÌiÃÌi`] although the Pro model can stretch Ì Ã Ì > VÀi` L i £n ° / iÀi½Ã > à £Ón À ÓxÈ v ÌiÀ > ÃÌ À>}i] LÕÌ Ü Ì ÕÌ VÀ - V>À` iÝ«> Ã Ì >Ì V Õ ` µÕ V Þ }iÌ w i` Õ«° Nubia says that ‘hundreds of games’ support the 165Hz refresh rate, although Þ > > `vÕ v ëiV wV ià ÜiÀi } } Ìi`° / iÞ V Õ`i n > * ] Miniclip’s popular online pool sim, >à Üi >à Ƃ }ÀÞ À`à ë vv >` * }} ið / iÞ ÜiÀi iÛiÀ } } Ì Li the most rigorous test of the Red Magic >À`Ü>Ài] LÕÌ ` ` vii iÝÌÀ> à V > ` special on the upgrade display.

A more demanding 165Hz-enabled title is Arma Mobile Ops, a military ÃÌÀ>Ìi}Þ }> i Ü Ì i Õ Ì « >ÞiÀ ÃÕ«« ÀÌ° Ì Ü>à à >À Þ «ÀiÃà Ûi iÀi] but it didn’t quite put the phone through Ìà «>ViÃ Ì i Ã> i Ü>Þ >à > vÕ vÀ> ià per second game. To test that more

effectively, I tried Call of Duty: Mobile.

The dynamic landscapes and fast-paced combat are a challenge for any device, but the Red Magic 6 coped admirably. Ì Ü>à > à >À ÃÌ ÀÞ Ü Ì >ÌÌ i , Þ> i Ì Ì i *1 L i] Ü iÀi Ì i Ã Þ smooth gameplay could give you a better chance of success. Racing games are similarly popular, and the all-action Ƃë > Ì } ÃÌÕ } > ` } Û } Þ Õ > }Ài>ÌiÀ vii } v V ÌÀ Ü i compared to 60Hz phones. Ì «iÀ >«Ã } iÃ Ü Ì ÕÌ Ã>Þ }] but this stellar performance extends Ì iÛiÀÞ`>Þ ÕÃ>}i° À Üà } à V > i` > ­> Ì iÀ >Ài> Ì Li iwÌ vÀ Ì i } ÀivÀià À>Ìi®] V iV } i > > ` ÃÕÀw } Ì i ÜiL >Ài > ÃÕ«iÀ Ã Ì and lag-free.

9 Õ V> Ãii Ü Ì ÃÌ>V à ի >}> ÃÌ Ìà À Û> à Li Ü] Ü iÀi Ì } iÃ Ì i Ì Ì i Ü Ì Ì i Ài iÝ«i à Ûi ƂÃÕà ," * i x° Ìi Ì >Ì Üi >Ûi ½Ì ÞiÌ been able to test the recently-announced Black Shark 4 and Lenovo Legion Phone

Õi Ó] Ì Õ} °

Geekbench 5 (multi-core) ,i` >} V È\ 3,705 ,i` >} V x-\ Î]£{ ," * i x\ Î]ÇÓx >V - >À Î\ 3,440 -> ÃÕ } > >ÝÞ -Ó£ 1 ÌÀ>\ 3,511 č«« i * i £Ó *À >Ý\ {]Ó{£ AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 67

REVIEWS

GFX Manhattan 3.1 ,i` >} V È\ nÇv«Ã ,i` >} V x-\ Ç v«Ã ," * i x\ {v«Ã >V - >À Î\ 60fps -> ÃÕ } > >ÝÞ -Ó£ 1 ÌÀ>\ 50fps č«« i * i £Ó *À >Ý\ x v«Ã ­ iÌ> ®

SOFTWARE

V > }i Ì i Ü>Þ Þ Õ ÕÃi Þ ÕÀ « i] although everything seems to be geared Ì Ü>À`à }iÌÌ } Þ Õ }> } >à à as possible. That’s emphasised by the return of ‘Game Space’, the phone’s dedicated mode for uninterrupted gaming. It offers a selection of tools aimed at providing a more immersive, distraction-free experience, including > V>Ì } Ài *1É *1 « ÜiÀ > ` L V } Ì wV>Ì Ã° ̽à «ÀiviÀ>L i Ì jumping straight into the action, and you can quickly access key tools mid-game LÞ ÃÜ « } vÀ Ì i À } Ì v Ì i ` ë >Þ°

The Red Magic 6 comes running Nubia’s custom Red Magic OS over Android 11. Ü Ìà v ÕÀÌ ÌiÀ>Ì ] Ì i à } Ûià Android a very different look and feel Ì Ü >Ì Þ Õ½ }iÌ Ü Ì } i½Ã Ài}Õ >À look. Icons are boxier, the system font PHOTOGRAPHY >à Lii ÌÜi> i` > ` Ì iÀi >Ài iÝÌÀ> /> } « Ì Ã > ` Û `i à à Ü>Þ > «Ì Ã Ì i µÕ V ÃiÌÌ }à `À « ` Ü priority for a gaming phone, but it’s nice i Õ° Ƃ viÜ v } i½Ã ÃÞÃÌi >««Ã Ì Ü Ì >Ì Ì i « Ì }À>« Þ «À ÜiÃà >Ûi > à Lii Ài« >Vi` Ü Ì ÕL >½Ã is there. The Red Magic 6 has a triple Ü ÛiÀà ] ÃÕV >à > iÀÞ] V and Contacts.

You’ll have to be content Ü Ì Ì iÃi] >Ã Ì iÀi½Ã Ü>Þ Ì ÃÜ>« ÕÌ Ì i default launcher for something different from the Play Store.

None of these ` wV>Ì Ã are likely to / i ,i` >} V È ÀÕ Ã ÕL >½Ã VÕÃÌ ,i` >} V "- ÛiÀ č `À ` ££° fundamentally 68 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

Here are a V Õ« i v iÝ> « ià v « Ì Ã taken using the default settings.

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 69

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The following shots were taken using the 1x ­À } Ì®] ÎÝ] ­Li Ü®o

70 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

oxÝ ­ ivÌ® > ` £äÝ â ­Li Ü®°

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 71

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Here we >Ûi > Ãi wi Ã Ì ­Ì «® > ` > « ÀÌÀ> Ì « Ì °

72 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

čÀi w > ÌÜ « Ì Ã are of the Red Magic 6’s night mode vv ­Ì «® and on ­L ÌÌ ®°

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 73

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rear array, consisting of 64Mp main, n « Õ ÌÀ> Ü `i > ` Ó « >VÀ ° / >̽à an identical set-up to its predecessor, so it’s no surprise Nubia doesn’t mention V> iÀ>Ã Ì i ,i` >} V È ÜiLà Ìi° Still, that doesn’t mean they’re no good. In favourable lighting, they «À `ÕVi V i>À] `iÌ> i` à ÌÃ Ü Ì > impressive level of dynamic range. Ì Ü À à iëiV > Þ Üi `À> >Ì V landscapes like the beach scenes I used for testing. In these situations, having the iÝÌÀ> yiÝ L ÌÞ v > Õ ÌÀ> Ü `i i à Ü>à much appreciated. Shots can look a little Ü>à i` ÕÌ >Ì Ì iÃ] LÕÌ Ì >̽à `Õi part to overcast conditions. / i V> iÀ> >«« «ÀiÃi ÌÃ Þ Õ Ü Ì zoom options upon opening it, but Ü Ì ÕÌ > `i` V>Ìi` Ìi i« Ì i Ã] `iÌ> > ` à >À« iÃà Ü>à µÕ V Þ ÃÌ° There’s also no depth sensor, although Ü>à «ÀiÃÃi` Ü Ì Ì i µÕ> ÌÞ v à vÌÜ>Ài i > Vi` « ÀÌÀ> Ì `i images. As usual, it struggled quite a L Ì Ü Ì i`}i `iÌiVÌ ] LÕÌ Ì i ÀiÃÕ Ìà are still acceptable. / i } Ì `i Ü À à Üi Ì ] provided there’s at least a bit of light >À Õ ` q Ì Ì> ià > viÜ iÝÌÀ> ÃiV `Ã] LÕÌ does a good job of not losing too much detail. You do get a dedicated macro Ãi à À] LÕÌ Ü>Ã Õ `iÀÜ i i` Ü Ì Ì i quality of any close-up shots. Ƃ n « vÀ Ì v>V } V> iÀ> «À `ÕVià 74 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

`iVi Ì Ãi wiÃ] «À Û `i` Þ Õ ` ½Ì ÕÃi Ì i iÝÌÀi i Þ >ÀÌ wV > Li>ÕÌÞ `i° On the video side, the Red Magic 6 à V>«>L i v Õ« n >Ì Îäv«Ã] > Ì Õ} Ì i £änä« `iv>Õ Ì Ã i Þ Ì Li > more common option. The inclusion of «Ì V> >}i ÃÌ>L â>Ì ­" -® i> à v Ì>}i Ài > Ã Ã Ì ] iÛi Ü i moving around.

BATTERY LIFE The Red Magic 6 has a 5,050mAh battery, up from 4,500mAh on its predecessor. That’s presumably to handle Ì i Ûi Ì > £Èx â ÃVÀii ] Ü V ÕL > >V Ü i`}ià >à > L } ivviVÌ on battery life. That’s offset to some extent by an adaptive refresh rate – the display automatically adjusts based on Ü >Ì Þ Õ½Ài ` }] > ` Þ `i ÛiÀÃ Ì i £Èx â Ü i ̽à ÃÕ«« ÀÌi`° I couldn’t get our usual PCMark L>ÌÌiÀÞ ÌiÃÌ Ì Ü À ] > Ì Õ} Ì i legacy Geekbench 4 app recorded an impressive time of 13 hours and xÇ ÕÌið ÜiÛiÀ] Ì >Ì½Ã Ü Ì Ì i LÀ } Ì iÃà ÃiÌ Ì > Ài >Ì Ûi Þ Ü £Óä ÌÃ] and only serves as a measure of screenon time. Regular gaming on the Red Magic 6 is likely to deplete the battery much more quickly.

Still, it comfortably lasted me a full day on a single charge, including a à } wV> Ì «iÀ ` « >Þ } > À> }i v

different games. I’m sure it could stretch Ì ÌÜ `>ÞÃ Ü Ì } ÌiÀ ÕÃ>}i° You may have seen the headlining £Óä Ü>ÌÌ V >À} } >Ì Ì i >Õ V iÛi Ì] but that’s exclusive to the Pro model in China. The regular version tops out at ÈÈ Ü>ÌÌ iÛiÀÞÜ iÀi > `] ` Ã>«« Ì } Þ] Ì iÀi½Ã Þ > Îä Ü>ÌÌ >`>«ÌiÀ V Õ`i` the box. Nonetheless, this still managed to restore 71 per cent of the battery in 30 minutes, so you’re likely looking at under an hour for a full charge. There’s Ü Ài iÃà V >À} }] Ì Õ} °

č«« i * i £Ó *À >Ý\ ÕÀÃ] n ÕÌiÃ

Fast charge (30 minutes) ,i` >} V È\ Ç£¯ ,i` >} V x-\ Î{¯ ," * i x\ Ç{¯ >V - >À Î\ Ó¯ -> ÃÕ } > >ÝÞ -Ó£ 1 ÌÀ>\ xȯ č«« i * i £Ó *À >Ý\ £{¯

VERDICT

Ì i VÀi>à } Þ V «iÌ Ì Ûi Ü À ` of gaming phones, the Red Magic 6 Battery life stands out for one key reason: a class,i` >} V È\ 13 hours, 57 minutes i>` } £Èx â ` ë >Þ° / i Li iwÌ Ì ,i` >} V x-\ ££ ÕÀÃ] £n ÕÌià brings over 144Hz is debatable, but ," * i x\ 13 hours, 54 minutes there’s no doubting that the device >V - >À Î\ ÕÀÃ] {Î ÕÌià `i ÛiÀÃ Ã Þ Ã Ì Û ÃÕ> Ã] Ü Ì Ì i -> ÃÕ } > >ÝÞ -Ó£ 1 ÌÀ>\ 11 hours, 400Hz touch sampling rate taking 4 minutes responsiveness up a notch.

This is all underpinned by the move to Qualcomm’s y>}à « - >«`À>} nnn V «ÃiÌ] Ü V V L iÃ Ü Ì > « ÜiÀvÕ Ƃ`Ài È{ä *1 > ` £Ó v ,Ƃ Ì `i ÛiÀ stellar performance across the board. The improved battery delivers all-day L>ÌÌiÀÞ vi > ` Ài] Ü i it’s impressive to see Nubia õÕiiâi > >À}iÀ È°n "

/ i « i Ü i>Ã Þ >ÃÌ > vÕ `>Þ > Ã } i V >À}i° screen into almost the same AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 75

REVIEWS

size footprint as its predecessor.

It’s far from perfect, though. The LÕ Ì v> V> Li iÝÌÀi i Þ Õ`] Ü i Ì i à vÌÜ>Ài ÌÜi> à LiV i ÕV Ài > Þ } Ü i Þ Õ V> ½Ì ÃÜ>« ÕÌ Ì i default launcher. A heavy, bulky design certainly isn’t for everyone, either. ÜiÛiÀ] v Þ Õ½Ài } v À > dedicated gaming handset, the Red Magic 6 stakes a strong claim to be your next phone. č ÞÀ «i >

SPECIFICATIONS • È°n ­Ó]{ääÝ£]änäÆ ÎnÇ«« ® Ƃ "

display • Android 11, Redmagic 4.0 • +Õ> V - nÎxä - >«`À>} nnn x ­x ® «À ViÃà À • "VÌ> V Ài ­£Ý Ó°n{ â ÀÞ Ènä] ÎÝ Ó°{Ó â ÀÞ Ènä] {Ý £°n â ÀÞ Ènä® *1 • Adreno 660 GPU • n É£Ó ,Ƃ • £Ón ÉÓxÈ ÃÌ À>}i • / Àii Ài>À v>V } V> iÀ>Ã\ È{ «] vÉ£°n] ÓÈ ­Ü `i®] £É£°ÇÓ ] ä°n ] * Ƃ Æ n «] vÉÓ°ä] £Óä `i}Àii] £Î ­Õ ÌÀ> Ü `i®] £É{°ä ] £°£Ó Æ Ó «] ­ >VÀ ® • -i wi V> iÀ>\ n «] vÉÓ°ä] ­Ü `i®] £É{°ä ] £°£Ó • 7 näÓ°££ >ÉLÉ}É É>VÉÈ] `Õ> L> `] 7 ÀiVÌ] Ìë Ì • ÕiÌ Ì x°£] ƂÓ *] >«Ì8] • *- Ü Ì `Õ> L> ` Ƃ *-] " Ƃ--] 76 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

BDS, GALILEOS • NFC • 1- /Þ«i Ó°ä] 1- " / i • Fingerprint scanner (under display, «Ì V> ® • Non-removable 5,050mAh lithiumpolymer battery • >ÃÌ V >À} } ÈÈ Ü>ÌÌà • £È ° ÝÇÇ°ÓÝ °Ç • ÓÓä}

How to get the Windows £ä >Þ ÓäÓ£ 1«`>Ìi VÀ à v̽à L } 7 ` Üà £ä >Þ ÓäÓ£ 1«`>Ìi à ÃÌ>ÀÌ } Ì À ÕÌ] LÕÌ Þ Õ½ >Ûi Ì v À Ì° 7i Ã Ü Þ Õ Ü° ,č

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i 7 ` Üà £ä >Þ ÓäÓ£ 1«`>Ìi has started rolling out, and despite the boring name it’s one v VÀ à v̽à ÌÜ Vi Þi>À Þ iÃÌ i ‘feature updates’. This particular one is «ÀiÌÌÞ } Ì iÜ vi>ÌÕÀiÃ] Ì Li v> À] and instead focuses on improving your

overall stability and quality of life. But Þ Õ½ ii` Ì }iÌ «À >VÌ Ûi v Þ Õ Ü> Ì Ì ÃÌ> Ì i 7 ` Üà £ä >Þ ÓäÓ£ Update today.

In a blog post introducing the upgrade, Microsoft said that the May ÓäÓ£ 1«`>Ìi q > Ã Ü >Ã ÛiÀÃ AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 77

WINDOWS 10

operating system upgrades. Got everything saved? Good. Let’s go. / i wÀÃÌ ­> ` i>à iÃÌ® iÌ ` Ã Ì simply head to Start > Settings > Update E -iVÕÀ ÌÞ 7 ` Üà 1«`>Ìi > ` V V the big ‘Check for updates’ button. If Þ Õ½Ài ÕV Þ q Ü>à q Þ Õ½ Ãii ¼ i>ÌÕÀi Õ«`>Ìi Ì 7 ` Üà £ä] ÛiÀà ӣ £½ >Û> >L i] Ü Ì «Ì Ã Ì Ãii Ü >̽à iÜ À à « Þ V vv Ì i ÃÌ> ° ÕÃÌ Ü> Ì v À Ì Ì ` Ü >` > ` ÃÌ> ] ÀiL Ì Ü i prompted, and bam. You’re running the >ÌiÃÌ > ` }Ài>ÌiÃÌ ÛiÀà v 7 ` Üð / >Ì iÌ `½Ã Ì > Ü>Þà Ài >L i though. If you don’t see it, head over Ì VÀ à v̽à 7 ` Üà £ä ` Ü >` «>}i ÃÌi>` ­v>Ûi°V ÉÎÛ { ®° You’ll see a big banner at the top `iV >À } Ì >Ì Ì i 7 ` Üà £ä >Þ ÓäÓ£ 1«`>Ìi Ã Ü >Û> >L i° V Ì i 1«`>Ìi Ü LÕÌÌ Õ `iÀ i>Ì Ì Ì ` Ü >` Microsoft’s 7 ` Üà £ä Update Assistant à vÌÜ>Ài° "«i it and click a second Update Ü LÕÌÌ ° / i à vÌÜ>Ài Ü ÃV> Þ ÕÀ computer to ensure it’s *ÀiÃà } Ì i ¼ iV v À Õ«`>Ìiý LÕÌÌ Ã Ì i i>à iÃÌ Ü>Þ v Ãii } v Þ Õ V> Õ«}À>`i Ì Ì i >ÌiÃÌ ÛiÀà v 7 ` Üà £ä° compatible. Ó£ £ q Ü wÀÃÌ Li vviÀi` Ì «i « i ÀÕ } Õ« Ì `>Ìi ÛiÀà à v 7 ` Üà £ä] LÕÌ Ì iÛiÀÞ i Ü Ãii Ì >Ì Vi] and you’ll have to go looking for it. º7i >Ài Ì > Þ Ì> } > i>ÃÕÀi` seeker-based approach to the roll-out v Ì i >Þ ÓäÓ£ 1«`>Ìi]» VÀ à v̽Ã

>L i ÜÀ Ìi° º7i >Ài Ì À ÌÌ } >Û> >L ÌÞ Õ« ÛiÀ Ì i V } Üii Ã Ì i ÃÕÀi > Ài >L i ` Ü >` iÝ«iÀ i Vi for all, so the update may not be vviÀi` Ì Þ Õ À } Ì >Ü>Þ°» 7i½ Ã Ü Þ Õ Ü Ì w ` ÕÌ v Þ Õ V> ÃÌ> Ì i >Þ ÓäÓ£ 1«`>Ìi today if it’s available for your PC, either Û > 7 ` Üà 1«`>Ìi ÌÃi v À LÞ v ÀV } Ì i ÃÃÕi Ü Ì > ` Ü >`° But before you attempt either, make sure your data’s backed up. ̽à À>Ài Ì iÃi `>ÞÃ] LÕÌ Üi À` Ì }à V> >««i Ü i Þ Õ½Ài «iÀv À }

78 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

v Ì Ã] Þ Õ½ >Ûi Ì Ü> Ì Ü i Ì i 7 ` Üà £ä >Þ ÓäÓ£ ` Ü >`à > ` installs on your PC. You’ll be prompted to reboot your PC to complete the upgrade process once everything’s in place. (Again: make sure your data is L>V i` Õ« wÀÃÌ°® If the Update Assistant says your V «ÕÌiÀ à ½Ì V «>Ì L i Ü Ì Ì i >Þ ÓäÓ£ 1«`>Ìi] ` ½Ì ÌÀÞ Ì v ÀVi Ì LÞ V i> ÃÌ> } Ì i «iÀ>Ì } ÃÞÃÌi Ü Ì > -" w i Ü i Ì Ãi LiV i >Û> >L i° VÀ à vÌ Ü Ìi ÃÌà * à >vÌiÀ V wÀ } Ì iÞ½ ­«À L>L Þ® Li Ã>vi vÀ >ÃÌÞ LÕ}ð v Þ Õ ÃÌ> Ì i >Þ ÓäÓ£ 1«`>Ìi on a PC that isn’t compatible yet, you’re risking stability issues. Don’t do it.

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 79

WINDOWS 10

VÀ à vÌ ÀiÛi> Ã Ì½Ã Ì ` ÃV Ì Õi 7 ` Üà £ä8 VÀ à vÌ Ã>ÞÃ Ì Ü Ì> i Ì i ÌiV }Þ Ì `ià } i` v À 7 ` Üà £ä8 > ` Ài«ÕÀ« Ãi Ì v À 7 ` Üà £ä° MARK HACHMAN reports

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` Üà £ä8 à `i>`° } Ûi 7 ` Üà £ä° Microsoft has announced that it has decided to discontinue 7 ` Üà £ä8] Ìà à i` ` Ü > ÌiÀ >Ì Ûi Ì 7 ` Üà £ä] > ` Ü Ì> i à i v Ì i 7 ` Üà £ä8 ÌiV }Þ

80 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

> ` V À« À>Ìi Ì Ì 7 ` Üà £ä >à > Ü i° / i > Õ Vi i Ì Ü>à >`i on the same day that the latest major 7 ` Üà £ä Õ«}À>`i Ài i>Ãi`° Reports had been circulating that VÀ à vÌ >` « ÃÌ« i` 7 ` Üà £ä8] potentially as a consequence of the

pandemic and competitive pressures.

Microsoft positioned the cancellation v 7 ` Üà £ä8 >Ã Ì i ÀiÃÕ Ì v customer feedback. º Ü } > Þi>À } iÝ« À>Ì > ` i }>} } V ÛiÀÃ>Ì Ã Ü Ì VÕÃÌ iÀÃ] Üi Ài> âi` Ì >Ì Ì i ÌiV }Þ v 7 ` Üà £ä8 V Õ ` Li ÕÃivÕ Ài Ü>Þà > ` ÃiÀÛi Ài VÕÃÌ iÀÃ Ì > Üi À } > Þ >} i`]» John Cable, Microsoft’s vice president v «À }À> > >}i i Ì] 7 ` Üà ÃiÀÛ V } > ` `i ÛiÀÞ] ÜÀ Ìi > L } « ÃÌ° º7i V V Õ`i` Ì >Ì Ì i £ä8 ÌiV }Þ Ã Õ ` ½Ì ÕÃÌ Li V w i` Ì a subset of customers. Instead of bringing > «À `ÕVÌ V> i` 7 ` Üà £ä8 Ì >À iÌ ÓäÓ£ i Üi À } > Þ Ìi `i`] Üi >Ài leveraging learnings from our journey thus far and accelerating the integration of key foundational 10X technology into other «>ÀÌà v 7 ` Üà > ` «À `ÕVÌà >Ì Ì i company,” he added.

>L i Ã> ` Ì >Ì Ã i v Ì i 7 ` Üà 10X technology had already been }À>Ìi` Ì 7 ` Üà £ä] ëiV wV> Þ Ì i 7 ` Üà à `iÀ LiÌ> LÕ `ð / iÃi V Õ`i > iÜ >«« V Ì> iÀ ÌiV }Þ being integrated into Microsoft Defender Application Guard, an enhanced 6 Vi /Þ« } iÝ«iÀ i Vi] > ` > iÜ] modernized touch keyboard.

“Our teams continue to invest in >Ài>Ã Ü iÀi Ì i £ä8 ÌiV }Þ Ü

i « iiÌ ÕÀ VÕÃÌ iÀ ii`à >à Üi as evaluate technology experiences L Ì Ã vÌÜ>Ài > ` >À`Ü>Ài Ì >Ì Ü be useful to our customers in the future,” Cable added. Óä£ ] VÀ à vÌ > Õ Vi` 7 ` Üà £ä8 >Ì > iÜ 9 À iÛi Ì Ì >Ì also marked the debut of the Surface i ] > v ` } Ì>L iÌ Ì >Ì Ü>à À } > Þ `ià } i` Ì ÀÕ > ÛiÀà v 7 ` Üð / i i >à ½Ì à ««i`] i Ì iÀ° 7 i ÕÀ > `Ã Ü Ì Ì i `Õ> ÃVÀii ÛiÀà v 7 ` Üà £ä8 Ü>à V ] VÀ à vÌ Ì i Ûi` 7 ` Üà £ä8 >Ü>Þ vÀ `Õ> ÃVÀii `iÛ Vià > ` L>V to a single-screen interface. Suddenly, 7 ` Üà £ä8 > ` Ìà à « wi` 1 Ü>à Ãii >à > Ài« >Vi i Ì v À 7 ` Üà £ä S and a challenge to Chromebooks.

Microsoft also cancelled a ‘container’ `i Ì >Ì Ü Õ ` i « «ÀiÃiÀÛi i}>VÞ Ã vÌÜ>Ài° Ì Ãii Ã Ì >Ì ` ` ½Ì i>Ûi 7 ` Üà £ä8 Ì >Ì ÕV Ì ` vviÀi Ì >Ìi Ì vÀ 7 ` Üð

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 81

WINDOWS 10

VÀ à vÌ Ã w > Þ wÝ } 7 ` Üý ÃÌ > Þ } multi-monitor bug 7 Þ V> ½Ì VÀ à vÌ «ÀiÃiÀÛi Þ ÕÀ >«« >Þ ÕÌ Ü i Þ ÕÀ * ÀiÃÕ ià vÀ à ii«¶ Ü Ì V> ° MARK HACHMAN reports

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f you use multiple monitors Ü Ì 7 ` ÜÃ] Þ Õ½Ûi «À L>L Þ i V Õ ÌiÀi` Ì Ã vÀÕÃÌÀ>Ì } LÕ}\ 7 i your PC resumes from sleep, all your >«« V>Ì Ü ` Üà >ÀL ÌÀ>À Þ Ài>ÀÀ> }i Ì i Ãi Ûið VÀ à vÌ Ã w > Þ wÝ } Ì Ã°

82 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

Microsoft calls this Rapid Hot Plug

iÌiVÌ ­,>« ` * ®] > ` Ì Ìi `Ã Ì affect multi-monitor set-ups that can use the DisplayPort interface, or that run DisplayPort over another cable, like / Õ `iÀL Ì° Ü] VÀ Ã vÌ Ã>ÞÃ >

Õ«V } 7 ` ÜÃ Õ«`>Ìi Ü w > Þ wÝ Ì i «À L i ° Here’s the scenario that Microsoft Ã>ÞÃ Ì i 7 ` ÜÃ Õ«`>Ìi wÝiÃ\ 9 ÕÀ *

à V iVÌi` Ì > iÝÌiÀ > Ì À] Ü Ì apps scattered across all of the screens.

Then, you either put the PC to sleep or your PC falls asleep after it’s been ivÌ > i v À > Ü i° 7 i Þ Õ ÀiÌÕÀ and your PC resumes from hibernation, 7 ` Üà Ûià > v Þ ÕÀ >«« V>Ì Ã to a single monitor, forcing you to rearrange them manually.

Unfortunately, Microsoft says that v À Ü Þ Õ½ >Ûi Ì Li «>ÀÌ v Ì i 7 ` Üà à `iÀ «À }À> q ëiV wV> Þ 7 ` Üà £ä LÕ ` Ó£ÓnÇ À >L Ûi q Ì Ì> i >`Û> Ì>}i v Ì i wÝ° ̽à i Þ Ì >Ì Ì Ã Ü Li > wÝ Ì >̽à >ÌiÀ >``i` Ì 7 ` Üà £ä½Ã ÃÌ>L i Ài i>Ãi] Ì Õ} Microsoft isn’t committing to it yet.

Thanks to The Verge for noticing this.

VÀ à vÌ Ã>ÞÃ Ì >Ì Ì i wÝ Ã Õ ` Ü À Ü Ì iÃÃi Ì > Þ iÛiÀÞ * Ü Ì Õ Ì « i Ì ÀÃ] Ài}>À` iÃà v ëiV wV>Ì Ã] manufacturer, or connector type. / >̽à } ` iÜà v À > Þ i Ü Ü À Ã Ü Ì Õ Ì « i Ì ÀÃ] Ü V Üi½Ûi i V ÕÀ>}i` Þ Õ Ì ` >à > Ü>Þ to increase your productivity both at i > ` Ì i vwVi°

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 83

WINDOWS 10

7 ` Üà £ä½Ã «L >À` ÃÌ ÀÞ Ã Ì i LiÃÌ ÌÌ i Ì Þ Õ½Ài Ì Õà } " i ÌÌ i 7 ` Üà iÞL >À` à ÀÌVÕÌ > ià V «Þ } > ` «>ÃÌ } ÕV more useful. č, 7 č reports

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iÌ iÃ Ì i LiÃÌ Ã vÌÜ>Ài Ì Ã are built right into the operating system you’re already using.

>Ãi « Ì Ã 7 ` Üà £ä½Ã

«L >À` ÃÌ ÀÞ Ì ] Ü V iÌÃ Þ Õ store multiple items at a time for copying

84 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

> ` «>ÃÌ }° 7 i Ì iÀi½Ã à ÀÌ>}i of third-party clipboard managers for 7 ` Üà q > Þ v Ü V V ÃÌ iÞ q VÀ à vÌ½Ã Ü «Ì } Ì Li > Þ Õ need. It’s especially handy if you’re often Õ}} } > Ì v ÌiÝÌ À >}iÃ] > ` w `

yourself re-copying and pasting the same items repeatedly.

1à } Ì i 7 ` Üà £ä «L >À` ÃÌ ÀÞ Ì Ã i>ÃÞ\ *ÀiÃà 7 ³6] > ` you’ll see a small pop-up prompting you to turn on the feature. From that point Ü>À`] Þ Õ V> «ÀiÃà 7 ³6 Ì Û iÜ > ÀÕ } ÃÌ v Ì i >ÃÌ Óx ÌiÝÌ Ã ««iÌà À images that you’ve copied.

To paste an older item from your Clipboard History, just click on it in the pop-up menu, and it’ll insert itself Ü iÀiÛiÀ Þ ÕÀ VÕÀÃ À Ã V>Ìi`° À ÌiÝÌ] Þ Õ V> > Ã ` - vÌ Ü i V V } to remove any formatting, similar to Ü Þ Õ½` «ÀiÃÃ - vÌ ÌÀ ³6 Ì «>ÃÌi the most recent item in your clipboard Ü Ì ÕÌ v À >ÌÌ }°

EXTRA CLIPBOARD *+5614;|126+105 / i 7 ` Üà £ä «L >À` ÃÌ ÀÞ Ì > à ÌÕV à >Ü>Þ > viÜ iÝÌÀ> vi>ÌÕÀiÃ Ì >Ì Þ Õ } Ì Ì Ì Vi >Ì wÀÃÌ } > Vi° For items that you plan to paste repeatedly, you can pin them to the top v Þ ÕÀ ÃÌ° ÕÃÌ «i Ì i 7 ³6 « « Õ« menu, then click the three-dot icon next to the item and select Pin. From this same menu, you’ll also Ì Vi «Ì à v À i iÌi] Ü V Ü «ià that individual item from your clipboard, > ` i>À Ƃ ] Ü V `iÃÌÀ ÞÃ Þ ÕÀ i Ì Ài V «L >À` ÃÌ ÀÞ° ii« Ì iÃi «Ì Ã

in mind if you’re copying sensitive data Ì >Ì Þ Õ ` ½Ì Ü> Ì Ì iÀ ÕÃiÀà v Þ ÕÀ computer to see.

½Ì ÛiÀ 7 ` Üà V «L >À`½Ã cloud sync capabilities, either. Head to Settings > System > Clipboard, then enable Sync across devices. You can then choose either to sync your entire clipboard or select items one a time.

(For the latter case, you’ll see a Sync option in the three-dot menu next to > Þ Ìi Þ ÕÀ V «L >À`°® -Þ Vi` V «L >À` Ìi Ã Ü automatically be available on other 7 ` Üà £ä * à à } i` Ì Ì i same Microsoft account. On Android, Microsoft’s Surface Duo and certain Samsung phones also support clipboard sync via the Your Phone Companion app. Of course, deleting an item from Þ ÕÀ V «L >À` Ü Ài Ûi Ì Ì iÀ `iÛ Vià >à Üi ] > ` Ì iÞ½ Li Ài Ûi` >ÕÌ >Ì V> Þ >vÌiÀ £Ó ÕÀð ƂÃ Ü Ì > ÞÌ } à ÀÌVÕÌ Ài >Ìi`] Ì i L }}iÃÌ V > i }i Ü Ì 7 ` Üà £ä½Ã Clipboard History tool is remembering Ì ÕÃi Ì Ì i wÀÃÌ « >Vi° iÝÌ Ì i Þ ÕÀ w }iÀ à ÛiÀ } ÛiÀ Ì i ÌÀ iÞ Ì copy and paste, just keep in mind that Þ Õ V> Ì Ì i 7 iÞ À } Ì iÝÌ Ì Ì Ì make your clipboard a lot more useful.

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 85

WINDOWS 10

VÀ à vÌ Ã } Þ Ì « 7 ` Üà £ä vi>ÌÕÀi " i ÌÌ i 7 ` Üà iÞL >À` à ÀÌVÕÌ > ià V «Þ } > ` «>ÃÌ } ÕV more useful. ,č

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icrosoft is killing one of my most Li Ûi` 7 ` Üà £ä vi>ÌÕÀiÃ] a versatile tool that I use every single day, and I am incredibly sad >L ÕÌ Ì° ½Ûi ÀiV i `i` 7 ` Üà 10’s Timeline tool over and over again, calling it a truly helpful feature you ` ½Ì Ü >L ÕÌ > ` ÀiV i ` } Ì >à > iÞ 7 ` ÜÃ Ì Ì ÃÕ«iÀV >À}i Þ ÕÀ «À `ÕVÌ Û ÌÞ° / i i à ÜÃ

86 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

you a chronological history of your recent activity in supported key apps, V Õ` } ` Û `Õ> "vwVi w iÃ] >}iÃ] > ` LÀ ÜÃiÀ Ì>LÃ `}i À À i°

V } i v Ì i w ià À ÜiL«>}iÃ Ã Ü / i i «i Ã Ì L>V Õ«] making it dead simple to jump back into à iÌ } Þ Õ ÜiÀi Ü À } Liv Ài° The best part of Timeline is its cross-device syncing functionality.

The feature hooks into your Microsoft / Û iÜ ÜiL ÃÌ ÀÞ] `}i > ` Ì iÀ ƂVV Õ Ì Ì Ã Ü Þ ÕÀ >VÌ Û ÌÞ >VÀ Ãà > LÀ ÜÃiÀà >Ûi Ì i «Ì Ì L>V devices you’ve signed into. If you’ve >Ì ÀiVi Ì ÜiL >VÌ Û Ì ið» Lii Ü À } Ü Ì V Õ` Ã>Ûi` "vwVi Ì iÀ Ü À`Ã] / i i½Ã VÀ Ãà w iÃ] >}iÃ] À ÃiÛiÀ> LÀ ÜÃiÀ Ì>Là device syncing – the entire reason I use your desktop, Timeline makes it so you Ì i Ì q Ü Li } } >Ü>Þ] >ÃÃÕ } can open your laptop from your couch Ì Ã Ã `iÀ «ÀiÛ iÜ ÌÜi> Ü `à ի > ` « V Õ« Ü iÀi Þ Õ ivÌ vv iÀi 7 ` Üà £ä½Ã vwV > Ài i>Ãi LÕ `à seconds (assuming you have the same due time. That really sucks. à vÌÜ>Ài > ` ÃiÀÛ Vià ÃÌ> i` L Ì 9iÃ] ÃÌ v 7 ` Üà / i i½Ã V «ÕÌiÀî° º*> Ài` Ü Ì Ì i ¼* V Õ« syncing functionality can be replicated Ü iÀi Þ Õ ivÌ vv½ `iÀ VÀ à vÌ LÞ ` Û `Õ> >««Ã] LÕÌ > V Õ Þ Ü>Þ° "vwVi >««Ã] Þ Õ V> Li ii `ii« If you’re signed into Chrome, its history Ì >Ì «À iVÌ vÀ ÌÜ Üii à >} ÃiÌÌ }Ã Ã Ü Þ Õ ÀiVi Ì Ì>Là >VÀ Ãà time,” I’ve said in the past. It’s an utterly sessions on all your devices, letting you v> Ì>ÃÌ V vi>ÌÕÀi v À > Õ Ì `iÛ Vi Ü À `° pick and choose ones to reopen on your Microsoft quietly tucked a bombshell current computer. And if you’re storing into the notes of a recent 7 ` Üà à `iÀ «ÀiÛ iÜ build: “If you have your activity history synced across your devices through your Microsoft >VV Õ Ì ­ -Ƃ®] Þ Õ Ü longer have the option to upload - vÌ } Ì À Õ} ` Û `Õ> Ì>LÃ Ì Ài «i Û > Þ ÕÀ LÀ ÜÃiÀ½Ã ÜiL ÃÌ ÀÞ Ã iÜ >VÌ Û ÌÞ Ü iÀi i>À >à µÕ V À >à Ãi> iÃà >à 7 ` Üà £ä½Ã / i i vi>ÌÕÀi] LÕÌ À i½Ã iÝÌi à Ûi «Ì à } Ì Ì> i à i v Ì i ÃÌ } >Ü>Þ° in Timeline...

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 87

WINDOWS 10

"vwVi w ià VÀ à v̽à " i À Ûi q Ü V Þ Õ ii` Ì ` Ì Ì> i >`Û> Ì>}i v / i i > ÞÜ>Þ q Þ Õ V> «i Õ« ÝVi À 7 À` À * ÜiÀ* Ì > ` à « Þ ÕÃi Ì i w i LÀ ÜÃiÀ Ì «i Ì i w i from its location in your cloud storage. Ƃ v Ì >Ì Ì> ià à } wV> Ì Þ Ài effort and clicks than simply pressing 7 ` Üà iÞ ³ />L > ` Ãi iVÌ } Ì i w iÃÉÌ>LÃ Þ Õ ÜiÀi ÕÃÌ Ü À } vÀ Þ ÕÀ ÃiV ` V «ÕÌiÀ° 7 ` Üà Timeline syncing made it seamless, à « i] > ` ëii`Þ° Ü ÃÃ Ì }Ài>Ì Þ° / i i à ½Ì } } >Ü>Þ completely. After an uproar around the announcement, Microsoft updated Ìà 7 ` Üà à `iÀ « ÃÌ Ì Ìi Ì >Ì “Timeline and all your local activity ÃÌ ÀÞ ÃÌ Ài > 7 ` Üà £ä°» Ì iÀ Ü À`Ã] / i i ÌÃi v Ü ÃÌ Ü À ] LÕÌ Þ v À Ì i ëiV wV * Þ Õ½Ài ° If you move from your desktop to your >«Ì «] Þ ÕÀ >«Ì «½Ã / i i Ü Þ Li « «Õ >Ìi` Ü Ì > ÃÌ ÀÞ v Ì>à à you’ve performed on that very notebook, rather than a comprehensive list that ÜÀ>«Ã >VÌ Û ÌÞ vÀ Þ ÕÀ `iÃ Ì « > ` other devices.

That might be helpful for some folks, LÕÌ VÀ Ãà `iÛ Vi ÃÞ V } Ü>Ã Ì i vi>ÌÕÀi Ì >Ì >`i 7 ` Üà / i i ÌÀÕ Þ Ã«iV > ] > ` Ì i Ì Ü Li Ài `iÀi` ÕÌÌiÀ Þ ÕÃi iÃÃ Ì i Ü Ì ÕÌ Ì° Ƃ >ð VÀ à vÌ >à ½Ì > Õ Vi` > vwV > 88 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

death to Timeline’s cross-device support, much less an execution date, but it’s clear that syncing is a dead feature Ü> }° à `iÀ } Ì >Ì VÀ à v̽à 7iL ƂVÌ Û Ì ià À i iÝÌi à q ii`i` Ì } i½Ã LÀ ÜÃiÀ Ì / i i q Þ >à Îä]äää³ ÕÃiÀÃ Ü i L Ì 7 ` Üà £ä > ` À i i>V have been installed hundreds of millions of times, I guess isn’t really a surprise. Ƃ««>Ài Ì Þ ½ i v Ì i viÜ Ü Ûià it so deeply. * ÕÀ i ÕÌ° / i i Ü>à vÕ ­> ` VÀi` L Þ «À `ÕVÌ Ûi® Ü i Ì >ÃÌi`° Just leave the criminally underutilized Virtual Desktops feature alone, Microsoft. Please?

Credit: Getty Images/Maxiphoto

How to make an old PC useful for someone else Ƃ V Õ« i à vÌÜ>Ài V > }ià > ` i iÞ >À`Ü>Ài Õ«`>Ìi à Ài> Þ > Þ Õ need to revive an older machine. ALAINA YEE reports

Q

: I need to set up an elderly Ài >Ì Ûi Ü Ì > V «ÕÌiÀ v À Ì iÃ Ü i > à >ÀÌ« i doesn’t cut it – printing information vÀ ÜiLà Ìià > ` ` VÕ i ÌÃ] > Þ° ½Ûi } Ì > ` >V i vÀ ÓääÇ Ì >Ì ÃÌ Ü À Ã] > ` ̽ >Ûi Ì ` à Vi ½Ûi been ordered not to spend ‘any money

Ü >Ìà iÛiÀ½ Ì Ã «À iVÌ° Ì > Þ Ì «Ã on making this machine semi-pleasant Ì ÕÃi¶ ½ Ü } Ì Ã«i ` > ÌÌ i >À`Ü>Ài Õ«}À>`ià > ` i >L ÕÌ Ì >ÌiÀ° A: You shouldn’t need to drop much cash on that machine to make it tolerable by modern standards. Despite the age AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 89

FEATURE

v Ì >Ì `Õ> V Ài «À ViÃà À > ` Ü ÀÕ Ã 7 ` ÜÃ] LÕÌ Ì Ü V ÛiÀà ° end discrete graphics card, the combo Our best guess is that it’s a version V> > ` i ÜiL LÀ Üà } ­ V Õ` } > Ài>`Þ «ÕÌ Ì «>ÃÌÕÀi ­8*] 6 ÃÌ> À Ç®] ÃÌÀi> } Û `i ® > ` «À Ì } ÕÃÌ w i° Ã Þ Õ½ ii` Ì ÃÜ ÌV Ì > `iÀ 9 Õ > à >Ûi { ,Ƃ ] Ü V à > operating system to keep your relative ÃÕvwV i Ì > Õ Ì v À } Ì V «ÕÌiÀ protected from security threats. The most Ì>à ð / i i >À`Ü>Ài Õ«`>Ìi ÃÌÀ> } Ìv ÀÜ>À` à ÕÌ Ã ÃÜ ÌV } Ì recommend is replacing the hard-disk Linux – you can choose one of several `À Ûi Ü Ì > -- q > à ` ÃÌ>Ìi `À Ûi beginner-friendly Linux distributions Ü > i Ì i V «ÕÌiÀ vii ÕV iÜiÀ ­¼` ÃÌÀ ý® Ì ÃÌ> ° ƂvÌiÀÜ>À`] >`` and snappier. These days, a name-brand

À i À Àiv Ý v À ÜiL LÀ Üà }] ÓxÈ -- i Ì i -> ÃÕ } nÇä 6" >à Üi >à "«i "vwVi v À «i } V ÃÌà >À Õ ` Ë{ä] Ü V Ã Õ ` Li ` VÕ i Ì w ià VÀi>Ìi` - "vwVi° enough space for your relative’s needs.

7 ÀÀ i` Ì >Ì ÕÝ >Þ Li Ì 7 i Þ Õ½Ài à `i Ì i * ] Li ÃÕÀi technical or unfamiliar? Convert the to clean out any dust build-up – you system into a gigantic Chromebox ` ½Ì Ü> Ì LÃÌÀÕVÌi` > Ày Ü `À>}} } V ÕÀÌiÃÞ v iÛiÀÜ>Ài½Ã Õ`,i>`Þ ` Ü ÃÞÃÌi «iÀv À > Vi° Ƃ à V à `iÀ à vÌÜ>Ài ­v>Ûi°V ÉÎÕ i,9L®° / i *

replacing the old thermal paste on the Ü ÃiÀÛi >à > À iL `iÃ Ì «

*1 Ü Ì > vÀià application if that’s in your comfort zone. (If you don’t Ü Ü >Ì Ì }iÌ] Arctic Silver 5 is most people’s ÌÀÕÃÌÞ v> L>V °® On the à vÌÜ>Ài à `i] you can get by on entirely free programs. You À à i * ÕÃiÀÃ] À iL à À À iL Ýià >Ài Ì i LiÌÌiÀ mentioned that L> > Vi v à « V ÌÞ > ` vÕ VÌ > ÌÞ° Õ`,i>`Þ > ÜÃ Þ Õ Ì 9 i Ü Ì Þ ÕÀ Ü >À`Ü>Ài° the PC currently 90 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

V «ÕÌiÀ v À ] Ü V }Ài>Ì Þ Ã « wiÃ Ì i LÀ Üà } iÝ«iÀ i Vi° 9 ÕÀ Ài >Ì Ûi V> Û iÜ > ` «À Ì VÀ à vÌ "vwVi documents through Google Docs or - iiÌÃ] >à Üi >à ÕÃi Ì Ãi V Õ` L>Ãi` document editors to create and edit w ià v Ì i À Ü ° / i w > «Ì Ã Ì >Ì v Þ Õ >Ûi > 7 ` ÜÃ Ç Vi Ãi] Þ Õ >Þ ÃÌ Li >L i Ì V ÛiÀÌ Ì Ì > vÀii 7 ` Üà 10 license. Alternatively, if your relative happens to be taking classes at a community college, check to see if it vviÀà vÀii "vwVi ÎÈx ÃÕLÃVÀ «Ì Ã Ì students, like one of our local junior V i}ià ` ið 7 ` Üà £ä Ü vii à ÜiÀ Ì > ÃÌ ÕÝ ` ÃÌÀ à ­> ` `iw Ìi Þ Ã ÜiÀ Ì > Õ`,i>`Þ®] LÕÌ Ì½Ã >À` Ì >À}Õi Ü Ì Ü >Ì >Þ vii ÃÌ v> >À Ì Ì i «iÀÃ Ü ½ ÕÃi the machine. Pair this freebie version of 7 £ä Ü Ì À i À Àiv Ý] Ì À Ü > V «Þ v "«i "vwVi v À `i> } Ü Ì - "vwVi w iÃ] > ` Ì i V> Ì > `>Þ° >ÌÌiÀ Ü V «iÀ>Ì } ÃÞÃÌi you chose, be sure to keep the number of other installed programs to a minimum q ` ½Ì `À>} ` Ü Ì i ÃÞÃÌi Ü Ì unnecessary background processes. That should make it even easier to present a `iVi Ì Ü À } >V i Ì Þ ÕÀ Ài >Ì Ûi Ü Ì ÕÌ Û >Ì } Ì i À À`iÀÃ Ì ÕV q > ` Þ Õ½ ÀiÃÌ i>ÃÞ Ü } Ì iÞ½ >Ûi a more pleasant experience.

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 91

Credit: Getty Images/matejmo

č/1,

How to create strong «>ÃÃÜ À`à LÞ i>À } how to crack them Ì }iÌà >À`iÀ Ì VÀ>V > «>ÃÃÜ À` v ̽à £ä V >À>VÌiÀà À }iÀ] LÕÌ complexity matters too, of course. MARK HACHMAN reports

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reate stronger, more secure «>ÃÃÜ À`Ã\ Üi >Ài >}}i` Ì ` Ì > Ì i Ì i] LÕÌ viÜ v Õà >VÌÕ> Þ > i Ì i ivv ÀÌ° i> Ü i] «>ÃÃÜ À`à V Ì Õi Ì Li ÃÌ i ] i> i`] and cracked on a regular basis. So this Ì i Üi½Ài « } Ì }iÌ Þ ÕÀ >ÌÌi Ì

92 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

by looking at it from the attacker’s side!

7i½ Ã Ü Þ Õ Ü «>ÃÃÜ À`à >Ài VÀ>V i` > ` iÛi Ü Ì ` Ì Þ ÕÀÃi v] Ã Þ Õ V> Ãii iÝ>VÌ Þ Ü Þ > ÃÌÀ } «>ÃÃÜ À` >ÌÌiÀð Ƃà ÕÀ LÀ iv v À>Þ Ü Ì > VÀ>V } Ì Ü Ã Ü Þ Õ] Þ ÕÀ Þ «À ÌiVÌ

>}> ÃÌ > `iÌiÀ i` «>ÃÃÜ À` VÀ>V iÀ is – you guessed it – a long, complex string of 10 or more characters. Anything shorter, let alone simpler, is too easy to VÀ>V ° Ü Ì >Ì] > ` ÃÕ``i Þ Õà } > «>ÃÃÜ À` > >}iÀ à > Ì i>à iÀ Ì > ÌÀÞ } Ì VÀi>Ìi «>ÃÃÜ À`à > LÞ Þ ÕÀÃi v° 7i > à >Ûi Ì «Ã Ü Ì « V > ÛiÀÞ ÃÌÀ } «>ÃÃÜ À`] Ì ° ,i>` Ì i>À Ài >L ÕÌ Ü «>ÃÃÜ À`à >Ài ``i vÀ VÀ>V iÀÃ] > ` Ü VÀ>V iÀà ÌÀÞ Ì Ìi>Ãi Ì i ÕÌ° Ìi\ 7i ÌÀ i` VÀ>V } Ì Ã ÕÀ Ü «>ÃÃÜ À`à v À Ì Ã ÃÌ ÀÞ° 1à } VÀ>V } Ì Ã Ì LÀi> Ì > ÜiLà Ìi] ÃiÀÛ Vi] À w i Ì >Ì½Ã Ì Þ ÕÀà à >Ì LiÃÌ] Õ iÌ V> q > ` >Ì Ü ÀÃÌ] i}> ° /> i ÕÀ advice and don’t even think about it.

HOW HASHING PROTECTS YOUR PASSWORD

>Ã Ì >Ì Ü Õ ` Þ > i vi i>à iÀ v À VÀ>V iÀð Ì } Ì iÛi Ì> i Ì >Ì wÀÃÌ >à > ` >Ã Ì >}> ] À >`` Ü >Ì½Ã Ü >à a ‘salt’ – a series of additional characters Ì >Ì > iÃ Þ ÕÀ «>ÃÃÜ À` iÛi >À`iÀ Ì tease out.

Creating an example hash is easy.

For an MD5 hash, all you need to do is visit a site like MD5hashgenerator.

V > ` >à > iÝ> « i Ü À`° ­7i Ü Õ ` ÀiV i ` Ì >à } > «>ÃÃÜ À` Þ Õ >VÌÕ> Þ « > Ì ÕÃi] v À ÃiVÕÀ Ì޽à Ã> i°® x à > `iÀ algorithm that’s considered unsafe for a number of reasons, but it’s still ÕÃivÕ v À `i ÃÌÀ>Ì } Ü «>ÃÃÜ À` >à } > ` VÀ>V } Ü À ° / ÕÃ] Ì i «>ÃÃÜ À` >ÛiÀ V becomes xxv V{äxL`nÇL>ÓÎn ÈvÎ{䣣vvVin`>.

As a further safeguard, the hashing > } À Ì Ã Ü À Þ i ` ÀiVÌ ° By design, you can’t un-hash a hashed «>ÃÃÜ À`° ÕÀÌ iÀ Ài] Ü Ì > i Ü>Þ

/ `iÌiÀ VÀ>V iÀÃ] > Àië à L i ÜiLà Ìi Ü ½Ì ÃÌ Ài > «>ÃÃÜ À` Ìà À } > v À ] Ü >Ì½Ã Ü >à « > ÌiÝÌ° ÃÌi>`] Ì Ü ÕÃi Ü >Ì½Ã Ü >à > >à } > } À Ì – common ones include MD5, - ƂÓ] À - ƂÎ] LÕÌ Ì iÀi are many more – to take your «>ÃÃÜ À` > ` ÌÕÀ Ì Ì > ‘hash’, a string of seemingly random numbers and letters. / i à Ìi Ü ½Ì >`ÛiÀÌ Ãi Ü V Ì Ã V>Ãi] Üi >à i` Ì i «>ÃÃÜ À` vÀi`° ÕÃÌ ÌÞ«i Ì i Ü À` Ì Li >à i` Ì Ì i L Ý] > ` V V i iÀ>Ìi° hashing algorithm it uses,

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 93

FEATURE

>à ] Ì i ÜiLà Ìi À ÃiÀÛ Vi ` ià ½Ì iÛi ii` Ì Ü Þ ÕÀ «>ÃÃÜ À`° / i à Ìi ÕÃÌ ii`Ã Ì >Ã Þ ÕÀ «>ÃÃÜ À` > ` V «>Ài Ì Ì Ì i >à ÃÌ Ài` w i° v Ì i ÌÜ >ÌV ] Þ Õ½Ài ° / >̽à > Ã Ü Üi Li} Ì VÀ>V «>ÃÃÜ À`ð

HOW HASHED PASSWORDS CAN STILL BE CRACKED Hashing is an important and fundamental ÃÌi« «À ÌiVÌ } Þ ÕÀ «>ÃÃÜ À`] LÕÌ Ì ` ià ½Ì > i Þ ÕÀ «>ÃÃÜ À` «iÀÛ Õð Ƃ > «>ÃÃÜ À` VÀ>V iÀ >à to do is replicate the process: Guess a «>ÃÃÜ À`] >à Ì] > ` Ì i V «>Ài Ì Ì Ì i i> i` «>ÃÃÜ À` >à ° v > VÀ>V iÀ guesses right, they’ve unfortunately i>À i` Þ ÕÀ «>ÃÃÜ À`° v Ì iÞ½Ài ÜÀ }] they try again...over and over and over.

You can’t try to log in to Amazon, ÜiÛiÀ] «ÀiÌi ` Þ Õ½Ài >ÌiÃ] > ` }ÕiÃà > ` }ÕiÃà > ` }ÕiÃà «>ÃÃÜ À`à until you get lucky. Ditto for a bank. A à >ÀÌ Þ `ià } i` ÜiLà Ìi Ü >Ûi à i v À v V ÌÀ LÕ Ì ° ÕiÃà ÜÀ } Ì > Þ Ì iÃ] > ` Ì i à Ìi Ü «À L>L Þ y>} Ì i >VV Õ Ì À Þ ÕÀ * >``ÀiÃà >à a potential hacker, and either limit or block your login attempts entirely. ƂvÌiÀ > «>ÃÃÜ À` LÀi>V ] ÜiÛiÀ] all bets are off. Take this example: In Óä£ ] > >Ãà Ûi ÌÀ Ûi v Ó°£ L i > >``ÀiÃÃiÃÉÕÃiÀ > ià > ` «>ÃÃÜ À`à i> i` Ì Ì i ÜiL] «>ÀÌ v Ì i 94 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

Collections breach. Once those hashed «>ÃÃÜ À`à ÜiÀi «ÕL à i`] Ì iÀi Ü>à ½Ì > Þ Ü>Þ v ÃÌ «« } Ì Ãi Ü Ì >VViÃÃ Ì Ì i vÀ ` Ü >` } Ì i Ì Ì i À Ü * ] Ì i ÌÀÞ } Ì VÀ>V Ì i Ü Ì ÕÌ > Þ v Ì i À>Ìi V ÌÀ à i v ÀVi` LÞ > Ûi ÜiLà Ìi° In this scenario, all the cracker really ii`Ã Ì Ü q À Ì }ÕiÃà q Ã Ì i > } À Ì ÕÃi` Ì >Ã Ì i «>ÃÃÜ À`Ã] then apply the PC’s enormous computing « ÜiÀ Ì > i L à v }ÕiÃÃià «iÀ ÃiV ` Ì VÀ>V > «>ÃÃÜ À`° 9 ÕÀ >à i` «>ÃÃÜ À`½Ã i i ià >Ài Ì i] V «ÕÌ } « ÜiÀ] > ` à >ÀÌ }ÕiÃÃið ­ iÀi½Ã Ü Ì Ìi v Þ ÕÀ «>ÃÃÜ À` >à Lii ÃÌ i °®

HOW HARD IS IT TO CRACK A PASSWORD?

À>V } > «>ÃÃÜ À` V> }iÌ i À ÕÃ Þ complex, very quickly. A singleV >À>VÌiÀ «>ÃÃÜ À` > Ài>`Þ Ài«ÀiÃi Ìà ÓÈ « Ãà L Ì ià q À xÓ] Ü i Þ Õ >`` upper-case letters. Adding the numerals ä LÀ }Ã Þ Õ Ì ÈÓ « Ãà L Ì iÃ] and special characters lift the total Ì È° ­ Ài } > }Õ>}i iÞL >À`à can affect this, and some sites might require only a subset of the available ëiV > V >À>VÌiÀð® >Ãi` > ÃÌ v È V >À>VÌiÀÃ] iÛi > v ÕÀ V >À>VÌiÀ «>ÃÃÜ À` i ÌÇ ­ Ü Õ ` Ì i ÀiÌ V> Þ ÀiµÕ Ài Õ« Ì n{] Î{]ÈxÈ ­ È Ì Ì i {Ì « ÜiÀ® Ãi«>À>Ìi }ÕiÃÃið

/ à V >ÀÌ ÕÃÌÀ>ÌiÃ Ü ÕÃÌ >`` } > viÜ Ài V >À>VÌiÀÃ Ì > «>ÃÃÜ À` V> > i Ì i Ì i iViÃÃ>ÀÞ Ì VÀ>V Ì > ÃÌ « Ãà L Þ }] iÛi Ü Ì /iÀ> >à ½Ã « ÜiÀvÕ *1 V ÕÃÌiÀ >Ì Þ ÕÀ ` ë Ã> °

So does that mean a four-character «>ÃÃÜ À` à Ã>vi¶ ƂLà ÕÌi Þ Ì° / i }À>« V Ã Ü >L Ûi] «ÕÌ Ì }iÌ iÀ Óä£n LÞ «À viÃà > «>ÃÃÜ À` VÀ>V } V «> Þ /iÀ> >à ­v>Ûi°V ÉÎL/ £µ ®] à Üà L Ì Ü « Ãà L Þ i>ÃÞ q > ` Ü VÀi` L Þ ` vwVÕ Ì q «>ÃÃÜ À` VÀ>V } V> Li° / i chart lists major hashing algorithms on the left. The colour immediately adjacent ` V>ÌiÃ Ü µÕ V Þ > «>ÃÃÜ À` >à i` in each algorithm can be cracked by /iÀ> >à ½Ã «>ÃÃÜ À` VÀ>V } ÌiV }Þ°

The topmost algorithm, NTLM, proved Ì i v>ÃÌiÃÌ Ì VÀ>V ÛiÀ> ] > } Ü Ì > Þ Ì iÀ > } À Ì Ã V `i` `>À Ài`Æ Ü i Ì i ÌV É ÌiV > } À Ì >Ì bottom took the longest, and is coded Þi Ü }Àii ° But the algorithm is only part of the challenge. The other is the length of the À } > «>ÃÃÜ À`° / i Ì iÀ V Õ Ã½ colour-coding represents the ease Ü Ì Ü V > >à i` «>ÃÃÜ À` i>V algorithm can be cracked, based upon its original length. That sea of turquoise AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 95

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L Õi Ài«ÀiÃi Ìà à ÀÌiÀ «>ÃÃÜ À`à v v ÕÀ Ì i } Ì V >À>VÌiÀÃ] Ü V V> Li VÀ>V i` ‘Instantly’ or in up to an hour, depending on the hash algorithm used. The dark}Àii >Ài>à Ài«ÀiÃi Ì «>ÃÃÜ À`Ã Ì >Ì V> Ì> i Õ« Ì > `>Þ Ì Li VÀ>V i`] Ü i LÀ } Ì }Àii ià Ì> i Õ« Ì > Üii ] and so on. Gradations of orange and red Ài«ÀiÃi Ì «>ÃÃÜ À`Ã Ì >Ì Ì> i > Þi>À À more to crack. / iÀi >Ài ÌÜ « ÀÌ> Ì Ì> i>Ü>Þà vÀ Ì Ã V >ÀÌ° ÀÃÌ] à ÀÌiÀ «>ÃÃÜ À`à v v ÕÀ Ì Ã Ý V >À>VÌiÀà ÜiÀi i>ÃÞ v À Terahash to crack regardless of the > } À Ì ° -iV `] > À> ` «>ÃÃÜ À`½Ã Àià ÃÌ> Vi Ì Li } VÀ>V i` Ü>à massively increased simply by making it at least 10 characters long.

À>V } «>ÃÃÜ À`Ã v ÜÃ Ì i Ã> i progression as cryptocurrency mining:

*1à >Ài à iÜ >Ì ivwV i Ì] *1à >Ài ÕV Ài ivwV i Ì] > ` Þ Üi funded researchers or nation-states have ÌÀ i` Ì `iÛi « `i` V>Ìi` «>ÃÃÜ À` cracking ASICs. Terahash’s technology ÕÃià > V ÕÃÌiÀ v « ÜiÀvÕ *1Ã] à Ìà technology is going to be much more « ÜiÀvÕ Ì > Ü >Ì Þ ÕÀ * V> LÀ } to bear. Still, all you really need to crack «>ÃÃÜ À`à à > * Ü Ì > `i` V>Ìi` *1° 7i ÕÃi` > VÀ à vÌ -ÕÀv>Vi Î Ü Ì a GeForce GTX 1660 Ti GPU as a test Li`] ÌÌ } > «i> v }ÕiÃà } È] x megahashes – almost 7 billion hashes 96 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

– per second. Desktop PCs can process even more.

HOW TO CRACK PASSWORDS WITH HASHCAT / iÀi >Ài > Þ Ã vÌÜ>Ài Ì Ã >Û> >L i Ì VÀ>V «>ÃÃÜ À`Ã] Ì Õ} Üi½Ài } } to focus on just one. Hashcat (fave.

V ÉÎ{}â« Þ®>ÌÌ>V à «>ÃÃÜ À` >à ià through a combination of brute force, rules, masks, and dictionary attacks, all of Ü V Üi½ iÝ« > >ÌiÀ° Originally, Hashcat demanded specialized Linux distributions like > ÕÝ] Ü V ÜiÀi `ià } i` v À «i iÌÀ>Ì ÌiÃÌ }° 9 Õ V> ` Ü >` > ÕÝ Û > Ì i VÀ à vÌ -Ì Ài >«« ­v>Ûi°V ÉÓ-ÃÌ 6® > ` «ÕÌ Ì Ü Ì > 7 ` Üà -ÕLÃÞÃÌi v À ÕÝ Ã i ° ­ ÕÃÌ > i ÃÕÀi ̽à 7 ` Üà -ÕLÃÞÃÌi v À ÕÝ Ó] Ü V > ÜÃ Þ ÕÀ *1 Ì «iÀv À V «ÕÌ>Ì Ã°® / iÀi½Ã > i>à iÀ Ü>Þ] Ì Õ} \ >à V>Ì >à > 7 ` Üà L >ÀÞ] Ü V i> Ã Þ Õ V> ` Ü >` Ì v À 7 ` Üð Ì ÀÕ Ã Õà } Ì i 7 ` Üà command-line interface, tapping either Nvidia’s CUDA API or a more generic OpenCL driver.

There are three main components Ì >à V>Ì\ Ì i «À }À> ÌÃi v] > ` ÌÜ ÌiÝÌ w iÃ Þ Õ½ ii` Ì VÀi>Ìi° " i w i V Ì> Ã Ì i >à iÃ Ì Li VÀ>V i`] and the other is a repository for the cracked hashes. In this case, I called

them ‘hash.txt’ and ‘cracked.txt’. I created a simple hash of an easy-to}ÕiÃÃ «>ÃÃÜ À`] V « i` Ì i «>ÃÃÜ À` >Ã Ì Ì i >Ã °ÌÝÌ w i] Ã>Ûi` Ì] > ` closed the text editor. Then I opened Ì i 7 ` ÜÃ > ` i >«« Ü Ì administrative privileges to run Hashcat, >Û }>Ì } Ì Ì i ` ÀiVÌ ÀÞ Ü V Hashcat is stored.

7i½Ài } } Ì ÃÌ>ÀÌ LÞ Õà } >à V>Ì Ì ¼LÀÕÌi v ÀVi½ VÀ>V «>ÃÃÜ À`à q guessing endless series of possible «>ÃÃÜ À`à «ià v ÌÌ } Õ« the right one. You can read the documentation if you’d like at the >à V>Ì Ƃ+ ­v>Ûi°V ÉÎ{` Î ®] LÕÌ

typing this into the Command Line app Ü }iÌ Ì }Ã ÃÌ>ÀÌi`\ hashcat -m0 -a3 -o cracked.txt hash.txt

Ƃ Ã ÀÌ «>ÃÃÜ À` i fred should take moments to crack, and it does.

To double-check the hashed «>ÃÃÜ À`] Þ Õ V> «i Ì i w i Ü V Ì i VÀ>V i` «>ÃÃÜ À`à >Ài ÃÌ Ài`° 9 Õ½ Ãii Ì i >à ] v Üi` LÞ Ì i « > ÌiÝÌ] VÀ>V i` «>ÃÃÜ À`° >`i µÕ V Ü À v à « i v ÕÀ V >À>VÌiÀ >à i` «>ÃÃÜ À`Ã] ÃÕV >à {Ón , Þ Õ, Ì}xv and Trxc. Note that Ü i Ì i >ÌÌiÀ combinations added a bit of complexity, they > ÜiÀi VÀ>V i` in four seconds or less. But then I tried ,ÌÜ, and something very interesting happened: using the default settings, Hashcat / i >à V>Ì V > ` Ü ` Ü] ÃÕ«iÀ « Ãi` ÛiÀ Ì i Ìi«>` w i couldn’t crack Ü Ì Ì i VÀ>V i` >à > ` Ì i « > ÌiÝÌ ¼«>ÃÃÜ À`½° >à V>Ì ` ë >ÞÃ Þ >Ã Ü Ì Ì i >à } ëii` ­-«ii`° £® Ü V Ì Ã V>Ãi à µÕ Ìi à Ü] >Ì >L ÕÌ > L >à ià «iÀ ÃiV `° Ì > à V Õ`ià *1 Ì iÀ > «À ÌiVÌ Ã LÞ seconds. Or minutes. Or more `iv>Õ Ì] > ` Ü Ì À Þ ÕÀ *1½Ã Ìi «iÀ>ÌÕÀi ­ >À`Ü>Ài° ° £® Ì «ÀiÛi Ì Ì vÀ ÛiÀ i>Ì }° than an hour.

AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 97

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7 Þ¶ Þ }ÕiÃÃ Ã Ì >Ì broke a mask. And that’s a good thing.

RULES, MASKS AND DICTIONARY ATTACKS *>ÃÃÜ À` VÀ>V iÀÃ Ü >à Üi >à Üi ` Ì >Ì }iÀ > ` Ài V « iÝ «>ÃÃÜ À`à are harder to crack. But they > Ã Ü Ì >Ì Õ > à V i>Ì] Õà } Ü À`à > ` «>ÌÌiÀ Ã Ì VÀi>Ìi «>ÃÃÜ À`Ã] À>Ì iÀ Ì > long and random strings. That i> à «>ÃÃÜ À` VÀ>V iÀà can cheat, too, using tactics Ü >à ¼ÀÕ iý > ` ¼ >à ý] V L i` Ü Ì ¼` VÌ >À iý v V «>ÃÃÜ À`ð À instance, SplashData’s chart of Ì i ÃÌ ÃiVÕÀi «>ÃÃÜ À`à v Óä£n > ` Óä£ ] Li Ü] Ã Õ ` be part of any respectable cracker’s dictionary attack. It also points out the danger of ÀiÕà } «>ÃÃÜ À`Ã] LiV>ÕÃi Vi > VÀ>V iÀ w `Ã Ì ÕÌ Ì iÞ Ü ÌÀÞ Ì Ì iÀ >VV Õ Ìà v Ì ` ià ½Ì Ài> Þ >ÌÌiÀ v Þ ÕÀ «>ÃÃÜ À` à " ÛiÀ] yours, just in case you got lazy.

V «>ÃÃ] À ÛiÞ Õ\ v Ì Ã Üà ի > VÀ>V iÀ½Ã A dictionary attack may ` VÌ >ÀÞ] Þ ÕÀ «>ÃÃÜ À` Ã Ì i v>ÃÌ ÌÀ>V Ì Li } >V i`° / iÃi >Ài Ì i «>ÃÃÜ À`à VÀ>V iÀà ÌÀÞ wÀÃÌ° ÕÃi à } i Ü À`à À ÃÌÀ }à v Ü À`Ã] V L i` Ü Ì > example, an app vendor called RockYou ÃÌ v V wÀÃÌ > iÃ] « ÕÃ Ì i Ü>à LÀi>V i`] > ` Ì i `>Ì>L>Ãi v ÃÌ V «>ÃÃÜ À`ð Óää ] v À 98 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

Õ i VÀÞ«Ìi` «>ÃÃÜ À`Ã] Ài« ÀÌi` Þ Îä ÃÌÀ }] Ü>Ã i> i` Ì Ì i ÜiL° This database forms one of the most common dictionary attacks available today.

A mask is a separate approach, using patterns to simplify the process. ÛiÀ ÃÌ>ÀÌ Þ ÕÀ «>ÃÃÜ À` Ü Ì > V>« Ì> iÌÌiÀ] > ` i ` Ü Ì > «Õ VÌÕ>Ì >À ¶ 7 >Ì >L ÕÌ i ` } Þ ÕÀ «>ÃÃÜ À` Ü Ì ÌÜ Õ iÀ V> ` } Ìö / iÃi >Ài L Ì examples of masks, and they can and are «À }À> i` Ì > «>ÃÃÜ À` VÀ>V iÀ Ì reduce the number of potential hashes.

A rule is a more complex expression, often combining a mask and a dictionary >ÌÌ>V ° v Þ ÕÀ «>ÃÃÜ À` V L ià > V Ü À` Ü Ì ÌÜ ` } ÌÃ] À V L iÃ Ì i wÀÃÌ > i v Þ ÕÀ >Õ Ì Ü Ì > Õ LiÀ > ` > iÝV > >Ì « Ì at the end, a rule can help crack that «>ÃÃÜ À` ÕV Ài µÕ V Þ Ì > ÌÀÞ } random guesses. That’s one advantage v Õà } > «>ÃÃÜ À` > >}iÀ q Ì Þ Ü Ì }i iÀ>Ìi > } «>ÃÃÜ À`] LÕÌ Ì >Ì «>ÃÃÜ À` Ü Li ÕV Ài À> ` Ì > i Þ Õ Þ ÕÀÃi v Ü Õ ` ÌÞ« V> Þ }i iÀ>Ìi° Remember, though – and this is important – a cracking tool has >Là ÕÌi Þ `i> v Þ ÕÀ «>ÃÃÜ À` à four characters long, or fourteen. In the iÝ> « i v Ì i Õ iÝ«iVÌi` Þ ` vwVÕ Ì v ÕÀ V >À>VÌiÀ «>ÃÃÜ À` }i iÀ>Ìi`] Ü >Ì >««>Ài Ì Þ >««i i` Ã Ì >Ì >à V>̽à `iv>Õ Ì >à >ÌÌ>V w}ÕÀi`

Ì >Ì Ì Ü>à ÃÌ ivwV i Ì Ì Ã « Þ Ã « > ÞÌ } Ì >Ì Ü>à ½Ì «Ài«À }À> i` Ì Ìà >à w ià > ` Ûi vÀ ÌÀÞ } Ì VÀ>V v ÕÀ V >À>VÌiÀ «>ÃÃÜ À`Ã Ì wÛi V >À>VÌiÀ «>ÃÃÜ À`ð Does that mean that ,ÌÜ is an Õ VÀ>V >L i «>ÃÃÜ À`¶ "v V ÕÀÃi Ìt this case, another cracker could simply ÜÀ Ìi > ÀÕ i Ì >Ì Ìi à >à V>Ì Ì ÌÀÞ iÛiÀÞ v ÕÀ V >À>VÌiÀ «>ÃÃÜ À` Liv Ài Û } ° Ì ` ià i> ] ÜiÛiÀ] Ì >Ì > Üi `ià } i` «>ÃÃÜ À` >Þ Li >L i Ì evade detection.

WHAT YOU SHOULD LEARN FROM THIS v Ì } i Ãi] Þ Õ Ã Õ ` Ì> i >Ü>Þ three lessons from all this.

1. / i }iÀ Ì i «>ÃÃÜ À`] Ì i LiÌÌiÀ° Based on the Terahash example above, > £ä V >À>VÌiÀ À }iÀ «>ÃÃÜ À` >««i>Àà Ã>vi] v À Ü° 2. / i Ài V « iÝ Ì i «>ÃÃÜ À`] Ì i LiÌÌiÀ° ,> ` «>ÃÃÜ À`à >Ài Ì i strongest option, but at the least, ensure Ì >Ì Þ Õ >Ûi >Ì i>ÃÌ i ÜiÀ V>Ãi character, an upper-case character, a number, and a special character like an &, #, or ]. The more, the better.

3. *>ÃÃÜ À` > >}iÀÃ >Ài «À L>L Þ Ì i LiÃÌ Ã ÕÌ v À «>ÃÃÜ À` > >}i i Ì° AUGUST 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 99

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č «>ÃÃÜ À` > >}iÀ q > Þ «>ÃÃÜ À` > >}iÀ q V> «À L>L Þ ` > LiÌÌiÀ L v ii« } ÌÀ>V v «>ÃÃÜ À`Ã Ì > Þ ÕÀ LÀ> > i°

Ì Li>Àà Ài«i>Ì }\ Ƃ «>ÃÃÜ À` manager is the strongest and the most V Ûi i Ì Ã ÕÌ ° 7 Þ ÜÀiÃÌ i Ü Ì V } Õ« Ü Ì > ÃÌ v }] V « iÝ «>ÃÃÜ À`à v > ÃiÀÛ Vi Ü ` Ì v À Þ Õ¶ / >Ì½Ã Ü >Ì > ià «>ÃÃÜ À` VÀ>V } so fascinating. It’s both trivially easy Ì VÀ>V > «>ÃÃÜ À` q > ` iÝÌ Ì « Ãà L i° / i ` vviÀi Vi LiÌÜii Ì i ÌÜ `i«i `Ã Ì i V ViÃ Þ Õ > i°

100 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2021

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