Asus Vivobook S 15 was launched by the company last month at its “Next Level. AI Incredible.” event, and the company’s first Copilot+ PC is now available for purchase as one of the first consumer laptops to be equipped with advanced Windows AI features and powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chipset. The device also sports an OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, and is claimed to offer up to 18 hours of battery life on a single charge.

Asus Vivobook S 15 (2024, Copilot+) price, availability

The Asus Vivobook S 15 (S5507) pricing starts at $1,299 (roughly Rs. 1,08,400) for the base model with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, while the 32GB+1TB version is priced at $1,399 (roughly 1,16,700). 

The laptop is now available for purchase in the US, in a Cool Silver colourway. It is also expected to make its way to other markets in the future, including India.

Asus Vivobook S 15 (2024, Copilot+) specifications

The company’s first Copilot+ PC is powered by Qualcomm’s Arm-based Snapdragon X Elite (X1E-78-100) chip that is equipped with 12 cores. It also features a Qualcomm Hexagon NPU with up to 75 total trillion operations per second (TOPS) and a Qualcomm Adreno GPU. The Vivobook S 15 is equipped with up to 32GB LPDDR5X of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage.

It features a 15.6-inch 3K (2,880×1,620 pixels) Lumina OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, an 89 percent screen-to-body ratio, and up to 600 nits peak brightness. Asus says the display on the Vivobook S 15 has a Display HDR True Black 600 certification from VESA along with a TÜV Rheinland certification. 

Connectivity options on the Asus Vivobook S 15 include Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. and it is equipped with a 3.5mm audio jack, a MicroSD card reader, and four ports — two USB 4.0 Gen 3 Type-C ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, and a HDMI 2.1 port. It features a Full-HD infrared camera for video calls, and Harmon Kardon-certified speakers. It also has Asus’ ErgoSense keyboard with support with a dedicated Copilot key. 

The Asus Vivobook S 15 is equipped with a 70Wh battery that can be charged at 90W. It is claimed to deliver up to 18 hours of battery life on a single charge. The laptop runs on Windows 11 out-of-the-box and will get Copilot+ features with future software updates, according to Asus. It measures 352.6x227x15.9mm and weighs 1.42kg.

Oppo is said to be working on the Reno 13 series. While the brand is yet to announce the China launch date, a report has surfaced online suggesting the India launch timeline of the Oppo Reno 13 series. The new lineup is expected to come with at least two offerings, namely the Oppo Reno 13 and the Reno 13 Pro. The Pro model is speculated to run on MediaTek Dimensity 8350 SoC. Additionally, an alleged render of the Oppo Reno 13 has leaked on Weibo showcasing an iPhone-style rear design.

91Mobiles, in association with, tipster Sudhanshu Ambhore (@Sudhanshu1414), suggested that Oppo Reno 13 and Oppo Reno 13 Pro will be unveiled in January in India. The China launch of the handsets is rumoured to take place on November 25.

Oppo refreshes its Reno lineup every year, at least in its home country. The brand launched the Reno 12 phones in May this year in China. The Oppo Reno 12 and Reno 12 Pro were launched in India in July.

Separately, Chinese tipster Digital Chat Station shared an alleged image of the Oppo Reno 13 showcasing its rear design. The handset appears to have an iPhone-inspired rear camera design with a glass finish. It seems to have a triple rear camera unit.

Photo Credit: DCS/ Weibo

Oppo Reno 13 Pro Specifications (Leaked)

Leaks have suggested several details about the Reno 13 Pro model. However, no specifications about the vanilla variant have been tipped yet. The Pro model is rumoured to get a 6.83-inch quad-curved display. It could run on a MediaTek Dimensity 8350 chipset with up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage.

The Oppo Reno 13 Pro is expected to carry a triple rear camera unit, including a 50-megapixel main sensor, a secondary 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera, and another 50-megapixel telephoto shooter. It is said to get a 50-megapixel front camera as well. It is likely to boast a metal middle frame and come with IP68 and IP69 ratings for dust and water resistance. The handset is tipped to support wireless charging as well.

Samsung may have a pair of smart glasses in development, according to a report. The South Korean technology conglomerate is said to be partnering with Google for its development and it may be powered by a Qualcomm chipset. In the report, a Qualcomm official was said to have expressed his delight at the success of Meta’s Ray-Ban Smart Glasses. This development builds upon the announcement that Samsung made last year regarding the development of a mixed-reality headset while teaming up with Google.

Samsung Smart Glasses 

In a conversation with CNBC, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon hinted at a pair of smart glasses that is being developed by Samsung and Google. Amon said, “It’s going to be a new product, new experiences. What I really expect to come out of this partnership, I want everyone that has a phone to go buy companion glasses to go along with it.”

Citing generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) as the “inflection point” for the success of the Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses, Amon said that he was “incredibly pleased”. The purported smart glasses is tipped to run AI on-device as well as through the cloud.

While the official did not explicitly reveal details about the purported product, it is strongly believed to be the same wearable device whose development was confirmed by Samsung in 2023. However, at the time, it was speculated to be an extended reality (XR) headset which would be available to developers in October this year.

Notably, XR is an umbrella term which encompasses all three visual technologies: augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR). While Samsung has introduced a VR headset in the past (Gear VR), it would be the first time an XR headset is launched by the South Korean company. As per previous reports, the purported device may be powered by an XR2 Gen2+ platform, which harnesses artificial intelligence (AI) for bringing AR and MR experiences to devices.

However, it is unclear if the purported XR headset could actually be the smart glasses that the Qualcomm CEO has hinted towards.

Efforts to create a comprehensive map of all human cells have taken a significant leap forward. Researchers associated with the Human Cell Atlas (HCA), a global scientific consortium, have released over 40 studies detailing critical progress in mapping the 37 trillion cells that make up the human body. These findings, published on 20 November in Nature journals, focus on cells in organs such as the lungs, skin, and brain and outline advanced computational tools for analysing vast datasets.

The project aims to profile cells from diverse populations worldwide to identify their unique functions, locations, and interactions at various stages of life. Already, data from 100 million cells sourced from over 10,000 individuals in more than 100 countries have been collected. By 2026, researchers plan to present the first draft of the atlas, with future versions expected to incorporate billions of cells.

Detailed Discoveries Across the Body

Among the recent findings is a comprehensive cellular map of the digestive system, from the oesophagus to the colon. This work, based on data from 190 individuals, uncovered a type of cell involved in inflammatory diseases like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Professor Itai Yanai of NYU Langone Health noted that these cells likely trigger immune responses, contributing to inflammation in diseased tissues.

Other studies have shed light on early human development, including insights into skeletal formation during pregnancy and conditions like craniosynostosis. Maps comparing fetal brain development with lab-grown brain organoids also highlight the accuracy of these models, which replicate human brain activity up to the second trimester.

Implications for Medical Research

The findings have implications for drug discovery and disease understanding. Dr Aviv Regev, co-chair of the HCA, likened the work to advancements in mapping technologies, stating, “We have transitioned from basic, crude maps to something as detailed as Google Maps.” However, she acknowledged the significant work that lies ahead to complete this ambitious project.

The research has already led to groundbreaking discoveries, including the identification of a new lung cell type and insights into tissues vulnerable to COVID-19. Scientists aim to continue refining these maps, using organoids and other methods to unravel human biology and disease mechanisms.

Nvidia became the world’s most valuable company on Tuesday, dethroning tech heavyweight Microsoft as its high-end processors play a central role in a scramble to dominate artificial intelligence technology.

Shares of the chipmaker climbed 3.5 percent to $135.58, lifting its market capitalization to $3.335 trillion (roughly Rs. 2,78,15,901 crore), just days after overtaking iPhone maker Apple to become the second most valuable company.

Microsoft’s stock market value was $3.317 trillion as its shares dipped 0.45 percent.

Apple’s stock slipped over 1 percent, leaving its value at $3.286 trillion.

Nvidia’s stunning surge in market value over the past year has become emblematic of a Wall Street frenzy driven by optimism about emerging AI technology.

While Nvidia’s rally has lifted the S&P 500 and Nasdaq to record highs, some investors worry that unbridled optimism about AI could evaporate if signs emerge of a slowdown in spending on the technology.

“It’s Nvidia’s market; we’re all just trading in it,” said Steve Sosnick, chief market strategist at Interactive Brokers.

Nvidia has also become by far the most traded company on Wall Street, with daily turnover recently averaging $50 billion, compared to around $10 billion each for Apple, Microsoft and Tesla, according to LSEG data. The chipmaker now accounts for about 16 percent of all trading in S&P 500 companies.

Nvidia’s stock has nearly tripled so far this year, compared with a rise of about 19 percent in Microsoft shares, with demand for its top-of-the-line processors outpacing supply.

Tech giants Microsoft, Meta Platforms and Google-owner Alphabet are competing to build out their AI computing capabilities and add the technology to their products and services.

An insatiable appetite for Nvidia’s AI processors, viewed as far superior to competitors’ offerings, has left them in tight supply, and many investors view Nvidia as the greatest winner to date from surging AI development.

“Nvidia has been getting a lot of positive attention and has been doing a lot of things very correctly, but a small misstep is likely to cause a major correction in the stock, and investors should be careful,” said Oliver Pursche, senior vice president at Wealthspire Advisors in New York.

Tuesday’s gain lifted Nvidia’s stock to a record high and added over $110 billion to its market capitalization, equivalent to the entire value of Lockheed Martin .

The company’s market value expanded from $1 trillion to $2 trillion in just nine months in February, while taking just over three months to hit $3 trillion in June.

Since its blowout forecast about a year ago, the company has consistently breezed past Wall Street’s lofty expectations for revenue and profit, with demand for its graphics processors far outstripping supply as companies rush to embed AI applications.

Nvidia executives said in May that demand for its Blackwell AI chips could exceed supply “well into next year.”

Sharp increases in analysts’ expectations for Nvidia’s future earnings have outpaced its stellar stock gains, resulting in a fall in the stock’s earnings valuation.

Nvidia recently traded at 44 times expected earnings, down from over 84 about a year ago, LSEG data showed.

Increasing the appeal for its highly valued stock among individual investors, Nvidia last week split its stock 10-for-one.

© Thomson Reuters 2024