Redmi A4 5G was launched in India earlier this week as the latest affordable 5G offering from the Xiaomi sub-brand. As the new phone is gearing up to go on sale starting next week, its listing on the company website reveals that it does not support Airtel 5G in India. Unlike recent 5G offerings, the Redmi A4 5G is only compatible with SA (standalone) 5G networks in the country. It runs on Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 chipset and has a 50-megapixel dual rear camera setup.

As per the product page of Redmi A4 5G on Mi Website, the handset supports 4G and SA (standalone) 5G networks. The listing states that the handset does not support 5G NSA (non-standalone). Airtel’s 5G network in India is based on the NSA architecture and this makes the new Redmi phone unsuitable with Airtel 5G.

Redmi A4 5G
Photo Credit: Mi.com

Airtel users can only use Airtel 4G on their Redmi A4 5G handsets. Meanwhile, Jio’s 5G network is based on the SA architecture and people with Jio SIM can access 5G service with the device.

Redmi A4 5G Price, Specifications

The Redmi A4 5G was launched in India with a starting price tag of Rs. 8,499 for the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage configuration. The 128GB storage variant is priced at Rs. 9,499. It will go on sale starting November 27.

The Redmi A4 5G runs on Android 14-based HyperOS and features a 6.88-inch HD+ (720×1640 pixels) LCD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. It runs on a 4nm Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 chip, paired with 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM and up to 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage. It has a dual rear camera unit led by 50-megapixel primary camera. On the front, the phone has a 5-megapixel selfie camera.

The Redmi A4 5G packs a 5,160mAh battery with 18W charging support. It has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and comes with an IP52 rated build for dust and splash resistance.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11, the company’s consumer-focused devices with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, were unveiled in May and went on sale in select markets on June 18. At the time, India was not amongst the regions where these devices were introduced. A new leak has leaked the purported price of the Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 in India, with prices well above the Rs. 1 lakh mark. These devices could soon make their debut in the country.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 Price in India (Rumoured)

A tipster posted these prices on X (formerly known as Twitter) claiming he sourced these details from a Chennai-based retailer. The post revealed prices for both Snapdragon X Plus and Snapdragon X Elite chipset-powered devices across different RAM and in-built storage configurations.

According to the leaker, the base variant of the Surface Laptop 7 starts at Rs. 1,16,999 and the top model will be available for Rs. 1,83,999. The full breakdown of all the different Laptop 7 variants is shown in the table below.

Notably, the global variant of the new Surface Laptop 7 is available in two display variants of 13.5-inch and 15-inch. Both are IPS LCD panels with touch support and are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The device offers 120Hz refresh rate, HDR support, and Dolby Vision IQ. It also features a neural processing unit (NPU) for AI tasks.

Microsoft Surface Pro 11 Price in India (Rumoured)

The tipster claims that the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 will start at the price of Rs. 1,16,999 for the Snapdragon X Plus chipset variant paired with 16GB RAM and 256GB of inbuilt storage. The top model with Snapdragon X Elite chipset with 32GB RAM and 1TB inbuilt storage is tipped to be priced at Rs. 2,37,999. The full breakdown of different variants is given blow.

The global variant of the Microsoft Surface Pro 11, a 2-in-1 PC, features a 13.8-inch display with options in both LCD and OLED screens with a 120Hz refresh rate. Video and audio calling on the Surface Pro has also been upgraded with the addition of a front-facing webcam with a 114-degree ultrawide 1440p sensor. The webcam supports AI-powered Windows Studio Effects. There is also a dedicated Copilot button next to the spacebar. It supports up to 65W fast charging.

Alphabet’s Google must sell its Chrome browser, share data and search results with rivals and take other measures – including possibly selling Android – to end its monopoly on online search, prosecutors argued to a judge on Wednesday.

The measures presented by the Department of Justice are part of a landmark case in Washington which has the potential to reshape how users find information.

They would be in place for up to a decade, enforced via a court-appointed committee to remedy what the judge overseeing the case deemed an illegal monopoly in search and related advertising in the US, where Google processes 90 percent of searches.

“Google’s unlawful behavior has deprived rivals not only of critical distribution channels but also distribution partners who could otherwise enable entry into these markets by competitors in new and innovative ways,” the DOJ and state antitrust enforcers said in a court filing on Wednesday.

Their proposals include ending exclusive agreements in which Google pays billions of dollars annually to Apple and other device vendors to make its search engine the default on their tablets and smartphones.

Google called the proposals staggering in a statement on Thursday.

“DOJ’s approach would result in unprecedented government overreach that would harm American consumers, developers, and small businesses – and jeopardize America’s global economic and technological leadership at precisely the moment it’s needed most,” said Alphabet Chief Legal Officer Kent Walker.

Alphabet shares closed nearly 5 percent lower on Thursday.

US District Judge Amit Mehta has scheduled a trial on the proposals for April, though President-elect Donald Trump and the DOJ’s next antitrust head could step in and change course in the case.

Technical Committee 

The proposals are wide-ranging, including barring Google from re-entering the browser market for five years and insisting Google sell its Android mobile operating system if other remedies fail to restore competition. The DOJ has also requested a prohibition on Google buying or investing in search rivals, query-based artificial intelligence products or advertising technology.

Publishers and websites would also be given a way to opt out of being included in training Google’s AI products.

A five-person technical committee appointed by the judge would enforce compliance under prosecutors’ proposals. The committee, which Google would pay for, would have the power to demand documents, interview employees and delve into software code, the filing showed.

The measures together are meant to break “a perpetual feedback loop that further entrenches Google” through additional users, data and advertising dollars, prosecutors said.

Chrome and Android

Chrome is the world’s most widely used web browser and is a pillar of Google’s business, providing user information that helps the company target ads more effectively and profitably.

Google has used Chrome and Android to preference its own search engine to the detriment of rivals, prosecutors said.

Google has said making it divest Chrome and Android, which are built on open source code and are free, would harm companies that have built upon them to develop their own products.

The proposals would bar Google from requiring devices that run on Android to include its search or AI products.

Google would have the option to sell the software off in lieu of compliance. The DOJ and state antitrust enforcers would have to approve any potential buyers.

Google will have a chance to present its own proposals in December.

Data Sharing

Google would be required under the proposals to license search results to competitors at nominal cost and share data it gathers from users with competitors for free. It would be barred from collecting any user data that it cannot share because of privacy concerns.

Prosecutors crafted the proposals after speaking with companies that compete with Google, including search engine DuckDuckGo.

“We think this is a really big deal and will lower the barriers to competition,” said Kamyl Bazbaz, DuckDuckGo’s head of public affairs.

DuckDuckGo has accused Google of trying to dodge European Union rules requiring data sharing. Google said it will not compromise user trust by giving competitors sensitive data.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is merely weeks away from launch and ahead of that, Rocksteady has teased ‘hundreds’ of build possibilities for its lead characters. The details come from the game’s official Discord server, where director Axel Rydby explained that the endgame portion was based around complete Mastery, forcing players to switch out builds based on rising difficulty. It’s too early to tell whether one could easily plough through fights with an overpowered build they found in the early game, but the developer has promised eight loadout slots for easy access to gear — all of which trigger unique status effects and can be upgraded.

“We really want you to feel like you can make each character your own, and build it to suit your playstyle,” Rydby said. “But if you take the leap and really play into the gear, you can find truly crazy powerful combinations.” Rocksteady is using the term ‘Afflictions’ to refer to status effects, created by popular DC Comics character Poison Ivy, whose revival was teased via an easter egg in Batman: Arkham Knight. Players will be able to imbue Deep Freeze onto their weapons to discharge icy damage to oncoming hordes, use the Diablo Blaze to burn them to smithereens, or use something called Venom Frenzy to lay out chaos, which I’m guessing is based on Bane’s abilities. Then there’s post-launch content, which brings in game-breaking combinations. Ivy herself is a ‘precocious toddler’ now, bearing genetically engineered toxic powers, but barely any memory of Task Force X. She died at the hands of Scarecrow’s toxins in the previous game and was reborn as a new flower.

Game Director Axel Rydby offers in-depth details about the build system
Photo Credit: Screenshot

Each character — Harley Quinn, Deadshot, King Shark, and Captain Boomerang — comes with their separate Talent Tree, with unique skills tailored to their personality. Harley’s tree is composed of acrobatic moves for better traversal across Metropolis and explosion-based weaponry, whereas Deadshot’s is filled with critical damage skills that help you shoot the most precise and deadly bullets. Meanwhile, King Shark is melee-based, while the Australian loudmouth Captain Boomerang can blink around the map to get in and out of enemy range quickly. Regardless of what champion you pick, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League functions like a generic looter-shooter where the larger gameplay revolves around firearms. And while Rocksteady refrains from calling it a live-service game, all the elements are still there — a battle pass full of cosmetics, heavy grinding, and plans for progressive post-launch content.

This shift from making beloved single-player Batman games to a Games as a Service approach could have to do with parent company Warner Bros. trying to turn its biggest franchises into long-term products by encouraging buyers to play the same game for months on end. It’s an attitude that has been received poorly by gamers, and rightfully so. Elsewhere, a recent Bloomberg report confirmed that despite rumours of a failed Superman game pitch, Rocksteady was never making one. In fact, following 2015’s Batman: Arkham Knight, the studio worked on the Batman VR game and an unreported multiplayer game based on an original franchise. Currently, it’s unclear whether that title is still under production.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League launches February 2 across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X.

Acer has announced two new Iconia tablets in India called the Acer Iconia 8.7 (iM9-12M) and Acer Iconia 10.36 (iM10-22). The tablets support dual-band Wi-Fi, dual SIM 4G LTE connectivity, and run on Android 14 out-of-the-box. The Acer Iconia 8.7 carries a MediaTek Helios P22T SoC and a 5,100mAh battery, while the Acer Iconia 10.36 comes with a MediaTek Helio G99 chipset and a 7,400mAh cell. They are currently available for purchase in the country.

Acer Iconia 8.7 (iM9-12M), Acer Iconia 10.36 (iM10-22) Price in India

The Acer Iconia 8.7 price in India starts at Rs. 11,990, while the Acer Iconia 10.36 is available at a starting price of Rs. 14,990. Both tablets are listed online in a Gold colour option. 

Customers will be able to purchase the tablets via Amazon, Acer India website, and Acer exclusive stores. The company notes that the above prices are valid for a limited offer period but does not define the specific period. 

Acer Iconia 8.7 (iM9-12M), Acer Iconia 10.36 (iM10-22) Specifications

The Acer Iconia 8.7 (iM9-12M) sports an 8.7-inch WXGA (1,340 x 800 pixels) IPS multi-touch screen with 400nits of brightness, while the Iconia 10.36 (iM10-22) comes with a 10.36-inch 2K (2,000 x 1,200 pixels) IPS display with 480nits of brightness. The smaller tablet is powered by a MediaTek Helio P22T SoC paired with 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage. Meanwhile, the larger tablet has an octa-core MediaTek Helio G99 chipset paired with 6GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 128GB of eMMC storage. Both models ship with Android 14 OS.

In the camera department, the Acer Iconia 8.7 gets an 8-megapixel main rear camera and a 5-megapixel selfie shooter. The Acer Iconia 10.36 carries a 16-megapixel primary rear camera and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. For audio, the Acer Iconia 8.7 is equipped with dual stereo speakers, whereas the 10.36-inch variant gets a quad stereo speaker unit.

The Acer Iconia 8.7 packs a 5,100mAh battery with 10W charging support and is said to offer up to eight hours of battery life. Meanwhile, the Acer Iconia 10.36 is backed by a 7,400mAh cell with support for 18W wired charging with up to 10 hours of claimed usage time. Connectivity options for the tablets include dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, OTG, dual SIM 4G LTE connectivity as well as USB Type-C ports. The 8.7-inch variant measures 211.3 x 126.6 x 8.7mm in size and weighs 365g, while the 10.36-inch version measures 246.0 x 155.6 x 7.8mm in size and weighs 475g.

Asus Vivobook S15 OLED was launched in India on Tuesday as the company’s first Copilot+ PC to be launched in India. Although the S15 OLED was already part of Asus’ lineup of laptops, the new iteration is the first device from the company with Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC certification. It is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chipset and offers support for artificial intelligence (AI) features that are coming to Windows 11 with an upcoming update. It follows the launch of the Asus Vivobook S15 Copilot+ PC which was introduced in global markets in June.

Asus Vivobook S15 OLED (2024, Copilot+) Price in India

Asus Vivobook S15 OLED (S5507) price in India starts at Rs. 1,24,990. It can be purchased in a single Cool Silver colourway and a single 16GB RAM+1TB SSD storage configuration.

According to the company, the Vivobook S15 OLED is available via Flipkart, Asus e-shop, Asus exclusive stores and Pegasus stores.

Asus Vivobook S15 OLED (2024, Copilot+) Specifications

The Asus Vivobook S15 OLED runs on Windows 11 Home and comes bundled with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2021. It sports a 15-inch 3K (2,880 x 1,620 pixels) OLED display with an 89 percent screen-to-body ratio, a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 600 nits peak brightness. It has a 1080p webcam with a privacy shutter and infrared (IR) capabilities, with Windows Hello login support.

Under the hood, the Asus Vivobook S15 OLED is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chipset with Qualcomm AI Engine, Adreno GPU and a Qualcomm Hexagon neural processing unit (NPU). The chipset is paired with 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and 1TB NVMe SSD storage.

The laptop features an aluminium lid, a backlit chiclet keyboard with numeric keys and 1-zone RGB. Being an AI PC, it also features a dedicated Copilot key. Additionally, it also comes with inbuilt speakers tuned by Harman Kardon and a microphone array.

Asus Vivobook S15 OLED features a 3-cell 70Whr Li-ion battery that can be charged using the included 90W AC adapter. The laptop offers Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity. It is equipped with two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, two USB 4.0 Type-C ports, an HDMI 2.1 port and a single 3.5mm headphone jack. It also gets a dedicated microSD card reader. The laptop measures 352.6x227x15.9mm and weighs 1.42kg.