Month: June 2021

The specialized site HotHardware chose to carry out its tests on two Galaxy Book S, equipped with Lakefield processors, with their famous hybrid architecture. The only difference between the two machines is that the first one runs Windows 10 (21H1), while the second one proudly displays the leaked version of Windows 11 (21996.1). Both have been subjected to a wide range of benchmarks. The objective: to test the raw power as well as the performance in real conditions. And the result will certainly make engineers in Redmond purr, since Windows 11 got a higher score in almost all the tests performed.

Let’s start with the only (fake) bad news. To test the graphics part, HotHardware chose 3DMark, one of the references of the genre. Verdict: on the NightRaid test, Windows 11 is very slightly behind, with 4266 points… against 4286, that is less than 1% difference. A very small margin, which has very little value since this new version of Windows 11 was running with Windows 10 drivers. Not only is the compatibility there, but we can expect a performance gain once the drivers are updated. Especially on Cinebench, a similar test but less dependent on drivers, Windows 11 wins with 8.2% margin.

A performance gain in real conditions

In some categories, the difference is small but nevertheless significant. Geekbench, one of the leading processor benchmarks, finds an average raw power gain of about 2%. But where the result is interesting is in the tests that are closest to real-world conditions. On BrowserBench Spedometer 2, a benchmark that estimates the smoothness of web browsing, Windows 11 wins with more than 10% margin. Finally, another interesting test is UL PCMark 10, which tests many real applications (video conferencing, video editing, spreadsheets….). On the graphics aspect, same observation as for 3DMark: Windows 10 wins by a hair, for the reasons described above. But on everything else, Windows 11 has a real lead.

What about other architectures?

According to PhonAndroid, Windows 11 will be free for users of versions 7, 8.1 and 10. Should we already be jumping up and down, and expecting a visible performance gain as soon as the update is released? That’s the picture that seems to be emerging, and this new version of Windows shows itself in a rather flattering light. But beware: these tests were specifically carried out on a very recent hybrid processor from Intel. It’s all about optimization: this hardware is certainly better able to take advantage of the new OS than a processor that is already a few years old. Windows 11 will be presented on June 24th; let’s meet on that date to know if this performance gain is general or exclusive to Lakefields!

Rumors about MIUI 13, the new and long-awaited version of Xiaomi’s proprietary interface, are multiplying, so that now they are practically the order of the day.

Just on this last point there are now news: they appeared on the Net the names of the models that should receive MIUI 13 already in August 2021.

MIUI 13 in August 2021: on which Xiaomi and Redmi

According to the latest rumors that we reported, MIUI 13 should be officially announced in August 2021 and the smartphone called to bring it to debut should be the rumored and long-awaited Xiaomi Mi MIX 4.

According to the latest reports coming out of China, already during the month of August the update to MIUI 13 should be made available for the following Xiaomi and Redmi branded models:

Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (here’s our review)

Xiaomi Mi 10 series

Xiaomi Mi 9 series

Redmi K40 series

Redmi K30 series

Redmi Note 10 series

Redmi Note 9 series

Redmi Note 8 series

In addition to this, there is a little curiosity to report: even the old Xiaomi Mi 6 will receive MIUI 13. According to Lei Jun, in fact, there would still be over 2 million users in possession of this terminal and the Chinese manufacturer does not want to disappoint them.

It is very important to point out, however, that this list is neither official nor complete, for example there is no smartphone branded POCO.

A few days ago, Huawei unveiled the final and stable version of HarmonyOS. This final product looks a lot like Android, down to its Easter Eggs. From an interface and code point of view, HarmonyOS is a simple fork of Android, i.e. a new software based on the source code of an existing software. In this case: AOSP (Android Open Source Project).

Moreover, HarmonOS is able to run an application originally developed for Android without any difficulty, confirming the accusations of Huawei’s detractors. In order to defend itself from having simply imitated AOSP, the Chinese group has taken to the skies.

HUAWEI WANTS A SMOOTH TRANSITION FROM ANDROID TO HARMONYOS

Eric Xu, the current president of Huawei, addressed the Chinese developer community in a statement. “In order to protect the digital assets of existing users of Huawei cell phones and tablets, HarmonyOS 2 allows existing Android applications to run on certain devices equipped with the system,” says Eric Xu. In concrete terms, Huawei wants to smooth the transition from Android to HarmonyOS.

Initially, the manufacturer has no choice but to allow Android applications to run on its modular OS. If Huawei had developed an entirely new operating system without relying on the foundations of Android, the range of compatible applications on its devices via AppGallery would have been very meager. In this case, Huawei would have been forced to build up its ecosystem for several more years before it could hope to attract users. In the end, the current approach of the Chinese manufacturer allows to accelerate the transition.

Huawei plans to release the Mate 50 range by the end of 2021. Despite the sanctions against it and the industry-wide chip shortage, the Chinese group wants to do everything it can to stay on its usual schedule.

HUAWEI STAYS THE COURSE

According to indiscretions of PictureFan, Huawei believes it has plenty of time to announce a new generation of Mate after the presentation of the P50, whose arrival would be imminent. The Chinese brand would wait several months between the two announcements. Nevertheless, the release of the Mate 50 should take place before the end of the year. Huawei might slightly shift the launch date of the Mate, usually organized in September or October.

Despite the increasing difficulties since the Trump executive order was issued in May 2019, the Chinese group is determined to do everything in its power to stay on track. According to PictureFan, Huawei executives are in the mindset that “as long as we can get it out, the product will definitely appeal to consumers.”

Being deployed for a few days, Chrome 91 intends to push the optimization further with a browser up to 23% faster depending on the configuration and operating system.

Google continues its quest for performance to make Chrome the fastest and least resource-intensive browser. Started following an increase in criticism of the lack of optimization of the browser, the approach first took shape with Chrome 89, which had reduced the consumption of RAM on macOS and Android as well as a faster launch time on the latter. With Chrome 90, unused tabs were put to sleep, resulting in a decrease in the browser’s CPU load of up to 35%.

Sparkplug: a JavaScript code compiler

Sparkplug is the new JavaScript compiler developed by Google. As a reminder, the speed of execution of JavaScript code is a key element in the smoothness of web browsing. With this compiler, Google wants to make its JavaScript engine more powerful. In addition to Sparkplug, Google has also reduced the number of times Chrome needs to call certain functions and optimized the storage of code with what developers call “built-in calls”. After this update, users should see a significant speed boost.

Chrome 91 should also introduce new designs for form elements such as buttons, radio buttons or calendars. Developed jointly with Microsoft, this aesthetic change is also visible on the latest version of Edge Chromium.

Other optimizations expected in future updates

Google has also confirmed that it is working on other improvements for Chrome. As early as Chrome 92, the firm from Mountain View intends to introduce the “backward-forward cache” which will allow an instant display of previously visited pages when pressing the back arrow or the Back button.