Showing posts with label Gadgets News. Show all posts

People are reporting that Xiaomi will launch the Xiaomi Mi5 at CES 2015, and we had seen a Possible Xiaomi Mi5 white edition leak picture before, and today we found the possible Black Edition Xiaomi Mi5. The picture was spotted on Weibo shows a phone similar in appearance to the current Xiaomi Mi4, and it even has the Xiaomi logo and MIUI.

Xiaomi’s Mi4 lead is a 5-inch telephone, But the gadget in this picture is a much bigger cell phone perhaps measuring between 5.5-inch and as much larger between 5.7-inch. We can see that the general look of Mi4 is held by this secret phone. We can see from the picture that this phone has a very thin bezel, almost as thin as the earlier leaked black edition. But since it’s black, we can’t see the receiver, light sensor, camera and Xiaomi’s logo very clearly.
Rumors belive that this phone will run a 2k dispaly and pack a Snapdragon 805 with no less than 3gb RAM and offer 4G LTE. So is this the genuine Xiaomi Mi5 that is supposed to be shown at CES, or is this an artificially made picture from xiaomi mi4? What do you think about it after knowing some of its features?

Xiaomi Mi5 may not likely to be powered with snapdragon 810 cause Samsung Galaxy Note 4 S-LTE had taken it as the first one that powered with it!

Gadgets News

Black Edition Xiaomi Mi5 Leaked?

Xiaomi Mi5 may not likely to be powered with snapdragon 810 cause Samsung Galaxy Note 4 S-LTE had taken it as the first one that powered with it!

(揭秘？泄露？研发中的联想K5手机音频实验室曝光_超清.mp4)[00.00.01.640](1)

In the last month of 2014, one of the leaders of PC and smartphone world, launched the first “Internet” phone – Lenovo K3, which was priced at an amazingly low 599 Yuan. That device had some music-centric aspects, but did not go too deep into hardware sound accelerations like Vivo or Meizu with their devices.

This time around it seems to be a bit different story as the company is ready to introduce a budget Hi-Fi device for music lovers.

According to the short clip, which was shot in Lenovo sound labs, Lenovo is putting a lot of effort to manufacture the Hi-Fi smartphone for a budget-friendly price. The company works hard to offer a consumer the best audio experience by integrating the hardware and software into their new Lenovo K5 device.

It seems to be a pretty great offering by the company as they are trying to catch up with the recent trend of Hi-Fi goodies packed in the smartphones, which was first started by the Hi-End smartphone manufacturer Vivo.

However, we are not aware of any other specs of this upcoming device. Still, we believe it would pack quite reasonable hardware for the price point. In the end, we think that the K5 device by the Lenovo will be a great addition to their already huge smartphone portfolio.

Gadgets News

The Budget Hi-Fi Lenovo K5 Smartphone Leaks

This time around it seems to be a bit different story as the company is ready to introduce a budget Hi-Fi device for music lovers.

Xiaomi had an impressive year when it came to device sales across segments and markets, including the Indian market.

Now, a new leak tips that the company is gearing up to enter the PC segment with the launch of its first laptop. Gizmo China claims to have received some details of the configuration of the alleged Mi laptop alongside the purported pricing of the device.

According to the leaked details, the rumoured Xiaomi laptop will feature a large 15-inch display with a full-HD (1080p) resolution. The laptop is said to pack an Intel Haswell processor (Core i7-4500U) and feature two 8GB dual channel memory modules, which means it will pack a total of 16GB of RAM. The publication also claims that the Chinese brand will price its first laptop at as low as CNY 2,999 (Rs. 30,700 approximately).

The alleged Mi laptop has been also leaked in few images that show similar design aesthetics to Apple's Macbook Air range, featuring a similar colour scheme, bezel size, keyboard style, and other details.

The laptop is seen sporting 'Mi' branding just below the screen, while another logo is present at the back where the Apple logo would be engraved on Macbook Air laptops. The report speculates that the first Xiaomi laptop will run a "customised Linux OS".

So far, no announcement regarding Xiaomi's first laptop has been made by the Chinese company and we recommend our readers to take this leak with a pinch of salt as the its legitimacy remains questionable.

To recap, Xiaomi this year was claimed to be the third-largest mobile phone vendor in terms of smartphones sold replacing Huawei in the third quarter this year, according to a market research firm. It was shortly after ousted from this spot when Lenovo completed its acquisition of Motorola.

The company had also announced that its first fitness tracker, the Mi Band, enjoyed great success as the company shipped over 1 million units since the tracker went on sale on August 18.

Recently, Xiaomi India Head Manu Kumar Jain announced that the Chinese smartphone brand had crossed a major milestone in India this month - it had managed to sell 1 million smartphones in the country since its entry in July.

Gadgets News

Alleged Xiaomi Macbook Air-Like Laptop Leaked in Images, Specifications

Xiaomi had an impressive year when it came to device sales across segments and markets, including the Indian market.

The company had also announced that its first fitness tracker, the Mi Band, enjoyed great success as the company shipped over 1 million units since the tracker went on sale on August 18.

Microsoft, as expected, on Tuesday finally launched the first Lumia smartphone with its own branding, called the Microsoft Lumia 535.

The new Lumia smartphone from Microsoft will be available in two variants - single SIM (with the same name) and dual-SIM, called the Lumia 535 Dual SIM. The handset will be available starting November at an estimated recommended retail price of EUR 110 (roughly Rs. 8,400) before taxes and subsidies. The Microsoft Lumia 535 will first be available in countries such as China, Hong Kong and Bangladesh, with other countries to follow.

Announcing the news via the Lumia Conversations blog, Microsoft said, "Today sees the launch of the new Microsoft Lumia 535, our "5x5x5" smartphone package bringing a 5-inch screen, 5-megapixel front- and rear-facing camera, and free integrated Microsoft experiences (such as Skype and OneNote) to more people at an affordable price."

Both the Microsoft Lumia 535 and Lumia 535 Dual SIM come with identical specifications; except the latter features dual-SIM support. The smartphone runs Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim update and features a 5-inch IPS LCD display with a qHD (540x960 pixels) resolution and a pixel density of 220ppi. It also sports Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection.

The Lumia 535 is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor clocked at 1.2GHz alongside 1GB of RAM. There is 8GB of built-in storage that is further expandable via microSD card (up to 128GB). Much like other Lumia handsets, the Lumia 535 and Lumia 535 Dual SIM also get 15GB of free OneDrive cloud storage.

One of the highlight features of the Lumia 535 is the 5-megapixel front-facing camera, which is reminiscent of the Lumia 730 and Lumia 735. The company touts, "The Lumia 535 not only provides you with crystal-clear imagery and the Lumia selfie app, but you'll also be able to get more in shot during those Skype calls." It also sports a 5-megapixel rear camera with an LED flash.

Microsoft has announced that the Lumia 535, much like other Lumia handsets, will be available in Cyan, Bright Green, Bright Orange, White, Dark Grey, and Black colours.

The smartphone also supports Bluetooth LE and can connect to accessories such as the Portable Wireless Speaker and Coloud Bang among others.

Microsoft last month had announced that it would drop the Nokia name from its Lumia smartphones, continuing the rebranding following the acquisition of the Finnish company's handset division.

Gadgets News· micro-cell

Microsoft-Branded Lumia 535 With 5-Megapixel Front Camera Launched

Microsoft, as expected, on Tuesday finally launched the first Lumia smartphone with its own branding, called the Microsoft Lumia 535.

Microsoft has announced that the Lumia 535, much like other Lumia handsets, will be available in Cyan, Bright Green, Bright Orange, White, Dark Grey, and Black colours.

The smartphone also supports Bluetooth LE and can connect to accessories such as the Portable Wireless Speaker and Coloud Bang among others.

Microsoft last month had announced that it would drop the Nokia name from its Lumia smartphones, continuing the rebranding following the acquisition of the Finnish company's handset division.

The Acer Aspire E3-111 reminds us a little bit of the small, colourful netbooks that used to be so common in the market. It has been quite a while since Acer stopped manufacturing netbooks, which were originally intended for extremely price-conscious markets but ended up appealing to customers all over the world regardless of economic status. The entire product category might have been supplanted by tablets, but that doesn't mean there aren't still people who need affordable PCs.

With an 11.6-inch screen, the E3-111 is larger than most netbooks ever were, but it seems to be aimed at the same entry-level audience. It has very basic specifications and isn't going to be winning any performance prizes, but that's not what it's about. It's meant to be sturdy, with a balance of price and performance that will work for students, home users on a budget, and even those who need a cheap secondary PC for occasional use.

Look and feel
The Acer Aspire E3-111 is not super-slim but it does feel quite sleek and streamlined. The plastic body has smooth curves and is designed so that full-sized ports can fit on the back while the front tapers a bit. The whole thing looks great, and we could have been fooled into thinking we had a far more expensive device in our hands. Even the hinges are nicely sculpted into the body and don't stick out. When closed, the device fitted nicely into our hands and we had no problem carrying it around.

When open, you can see that there's enough room for a full-sized keyboard, though some of the keys are cramped. The layout is fairly standard, but we have to mention that a cluster of the alphabetical keys on the right side can double up as a numeric keypad if used with the Fn modifier - a quite useful feature, but one that's rare nowadays.

The Aspire E3-111 weighs approximately 1.3kg and so you won't be too bothered by its weight in a bag. Our review unit had a pale blue body which stands out in comparison most other products in its class. The lid is a thin sheet of aluminium, though everything else is plastic. There are speakers on the bottom, angled outwards, and a webcam centred right above the screen.

If you're looking for fancy frills such as a backlit keyboard or a touchscreen, you'll have to keep on looking. Acer has covered all the basics, but there definitely are tradeoffs for such low prices.

The thing that surprised us most about the Aspire E3-111 was the lack of vents on the sides and rear of the chassis. Not many people will even notice this at first glance, but according to Acer, the device runs without any fans. That's a pretty great step forward - small tablets can get away with it, but we have higher expectations of a laptop such as this. Let's hope performance isn't too limited by components that don't require active cooling.

Specifications
The various models in the Aspire E3-111 series are based on rather anaemic Intel Celeron and Pentium processors, based on the Bay Trail-M architecture which is derived from the same basic design that powers today's Atom CPUs. Our review unit, which was the Aspire E3-111-C37U model to be exact, was based on a Celeron N2840, which has a peak speed of 2.58GHz but will usually run closer to its base clock speed of 2.16GHz. It has two CPU cores without Hyper-Threading. The integrated Intel HD Graphics component is equally sedate, running at a top speed of 792MHz in bursts.

There's 2GB of RAM which is of the low-power DDR3L variety, but to keep costs low without compromising storage space, there's a traditional 500GB spinning hard drive. A solid-state drive would have been more consistent with the rest of the configuration and would have helped boost speeds quite a bit.

The screen is a simple 1366x768-pixel non-touch panel. Its glass does not have a glossy finish, which really stands out in the market today. Glossy, reflective surfaces often make colours appear more vibrant but are also often annoying because they reflect everything around them including light sources, and are impossible to keep free of smudges.

Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 are supported, which is no surprise. The Aspire E3-111 also has more ports than some other slim laptops offer, though most of them are located on the rear, which is unusual. You might not mind that the Gigabit Ethernet and HDMI ports are tucked out of the way, but the sole USB 3.0 port and one of the two USB 2.0 ports are also consigned here, which can become annoying. The second USB 2.0 port is right at the back of the left edge, along with a single 3.5mm headset socket and an SD card reader. There's only a Kensington lock slot on the right. Students and BYOD office workers should note that there is no VGA port, which is often required to hook up laptops to projectors.

The Aspire E3-111 runs Windows 8.1, though without a touchscreen to make it easier to navigate, some people will be a little unhappy. Acer preloads quite a bit of software including its own media and cloud storage utilities, a few third-party apps, and limited-time versions of Microsoft Office and McAfee LiveSafe Internet Security.

Performance
We weren't expecting much from the Celeron processor at the heart of this laptop, but we were still a little disappointed when the benchmark scores came in. Despite setting low expectations, the Acer Aspire E3-111 managed to surprise us with scores that barely kept up with other entry-level products. In some cases, the laptop performed worse than Atom-based tablets such as the Notion Ink Cain, although in other cases it did manage to match the far more expensive HP Pavilion 11 x360 with its Pentium processor.

PCMark 8 gave us 1633 and 2769 points in the Home (Accelerated) and Work test scenarios, which were both within a hair's breadth of the HP Pavilion 11 x360's scores. However, POVRay took 29 minutes, 23 seconds to render its test scene, compared to 16 minutes, 50 seconds and Cinebench R15's CPU test (multithreaded) gave us a score of 66 as opposed to 146. SiSoft SANDRA's CPU-intensive subtests also revealed a considerable gulf between the raw number-crunching abilities of the Celeron and Pentium processors. Considering the Pavilion 11 x360's swivel-touchscreen feature and much higher cost, we think Acer's approach is a little more balanced.

Thanks to its reliance on mechanical storage, the Aspire E3-111 falls behind even tablets with solid-state storage, such as the Notion Ink Cain. 3DMark failed to run, but browser-based tests including SunSpider and Browsermark were quite snappy.

Outside of formal benchmarks, there was quite a bit of lag and even occasional freezes which lasted about five seconds at a time when switching between windows. We weren't comfortable with more than a few programs and we definitely wouldn't want to rely on this device for even reasonably heavy task, such as editing images, while other things are also running.

We were happy to note that all our HD test videos except the heaviest MKV file played without stuttering. Audio quality was reasonably good, but there definitely was distortion at higher volumes.

The battery lasted an impressive 4 hours, 8 minutes in our Battery Eater Pro run. This is a fair bit higher than even some mainstream laptops can last, and is very impressive. We'd easily expect to get through a full working day on this laptop, which might just be its secret weapon - well worth the performance impact for many people.

The keyboard is comfortable, though a little stiff. The trackpad is almost a little too smooth, and we found our fingers slipping on it now and then. Still, it didn't take long to get used to both of them and we were comfortable within a day. The arrow keys are squashed together in an awkward rectangle, but that seems to be something all manufacturers are doing these days.

The non-reflective screen was a pleasure to work with. It's very unusual now to come across a device without shiny glass all over it, and the difference was immediately apparent to us. While some people will find it a little dull, we were happy with the tradeoff considering we didn't have to reposition the laptop dozens of times a day just to avoid reflections. Only the hinge doesn't go back as far as we would have liked.

We were also really curious to see how the Aspire E3-111 held up under heavy loads in terms of heat. We couldn't tell if the CPU was bring throttled very aggressively, but we did feel the bottom get warm when running intensive tests. It was enough to feel uncomfortable on our laps, but the good news is you're rarely, if ever, going to be doing things with this laptop that push it to such levels.

While the fanless design is nice and quiet, there's still a fair bit of vibration, most likely thanks to the spinning hard drive. All in all, we wouldn't have minded a few vents if had been possible to trade looks for better performance.

Verdict
It isn't just a simple matter of performance anymore - customers have loads of choices at the entry-level now, and no single type of product is necessarily better than any other. The Acer Aspire E3-111 is a good example of an entry-level laptop with no support for touch input, but a fairly good keyboard and a large hard drive for getting work done with. On the other hand, "2-in-1" tablets such as the Notion Ink Cain , which we just reviewed, also cost just about the same amount of money, but have very different advantages and disadvantages. If portability is the main concern, it's also seriously worth considering whether an iPad or Android tablet would serve your needs better.

We aren't thrilled with Acer's latest product here. The stutters and freezes concern us and will definitely be frustrating to users, especially those who buy this device thinking it's as good as any conventional entry-level laptop. However, we do think that there will be plenty of people who really like the balance this device strikes between productivity and entertainment without raising costs.

If you're sure a tablet doesn't appeal to you, and if your needs don't go beyond the basics, you should be fine with the Aspire E3-111. You can type or edit Microsoft Office documents, read and respond to email messages, browsing the Web and social media, and watch a few movies - but remember that this is a netbook-class device, so don't try any gaming, heavy content editing, or any serious productive work.

Price (MRP): Rs. 22,999

Pros

Good looks and construction quality
Impressive battery life
Portable and affordable

Cons

Below-average performance

Ratings (Out of 5)

Design: 3.5
Display: 3.5
Performance: 2.5
Software: 3
Battery life: 4
Value for Money: 3
Overall: 3

acer· Gadgets News

Acer Aspire E3-111 Review: The New Netbook

We were happy to note that all our HD test videos except the heaviest MKV file played without stuttering. Audio quality was reasonably good, but there definitely was distortion at higher volumes.

Price (MRP): Rs. 22,999

Pros

Good looks and construction quality
Impressive battery life
Portable and affordable

Cons

Below-average performance

Ratings (Out of 5)

Design: 3.5
Display: 3.5
Performance: 2.5
Software: 3
Battery life: 4
Value for Money: 3
Overall: 3

Apple has introduced the 'Retina' terminology seen so far in the iPhone, iPad and MacBook Pro to its range of desktop all-in-one computers. The 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display comes with a 5120x2880 display, which Apple is terming the "world's highest resolution display."

"Thirty years after the first Mac changed the world, the new iMac with Retina 5K display running OS X Yosemite is the most insanely great Mac we have ever made," said Philip Schiller, Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing. "With a breathtaking 14.7 million pixel display, faster CPU and graphics, Fusion Drive, and Thunderbolt 2, it's the most beautiful and powerful iMac ever."

iMac with Retina 5K display has four times more pixels than the standard 27-inch iMac and 67 percent more pixels than a 4K display. A single supercharged Apple-designed timing controller (TCON), with four times the bandwidth, drives all 14.7 million pixels. Apple says the iMac with Retina 5K display also uses highly efficient LEDs and organic passivation to "improve image quality and reduce display power consumption by 30 percent, even while driving four times more pixels at the same brightness."

For those who obsesses about colour accuracy, Apple claims the iMac with Retina 5K display is "calibrated using three state-of-the-art spectroradiometers to ensure precise and accurate colour." Apple is also boosting of improved contrast ratio on the iMac with Retina 5K display.

While the highlight of iMac with Retina 5K display is of course the display, it is no slouch in terms of the other specifications. The iMac with Retina 5K display comes with a 3.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.9GHz, with an option to configure it with a 4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 4.4GHz.

Every new iMac with Retina 5K display also comes with AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics and can be configured with AMD Radeon R9 M295X graphics, delivering up to 3.5 teraflops of computing power.

iMac with Retina 5K display comes standard with 8GB of memory and a 1TB Fusion Drive, Apple terminology for the SSD + HDD hybrid. The new iMac can also be configured with up to 32GB of memory, a 3TB Fusion Drive, or up to 1TB of PCIe-based SSD storage. iMac with Retina 5K display includes two Thunderbolt 2 ports that deliver up to 20Gbps each, twice the bandwidth of the previous generation, 4 USB 3.0 ports, SDXC slot, Gigabit Ethernet, and a headphone slot.

The iMac with Retina 5K display comes with Apple Wireless Keyboard and Apple Magic Mouse.

Every new Mac comes with OS X Yosemite, which was officially released on Thursday. iMovie, GarageBand and the suite of iWork apps come free with every new Mac.

iMac with Retina 5K display can be ordered from select Apple Authorised Resellers starting next week. The 3.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.9GHz, AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics and a 1TB Fusion Drive is priced at Rs. 1,79,900.

Gadgets News· hd tv's

iMac With 27-Inch 5120x2880 'Retina 5K Display' Launched at Rs. 1,79,900

Samsung and LG unveil super-sized 105-inch Ultra HD televisions

Living rooms are in for a shock as LG and Samsung both announce the world's largest and curviest 105-inch Ultra HD super televisions. Source: Supplied

EVERY January the cream of the tech world show off their shiny new wares at the Consumer Electronics Show - the biggest gadget event on the planet - and this year both companies will be elbowing each other for TV supremacy by unwrapping 105-inch Ultra HD curved sets.

LG began the TV battle by first announcing it will be revealing the "largest curved TV ever made", which is an LCD screen with a resolution of 5120 x 2160 (current Full HD screens are only 1920 x 1080) and a 21:9 aspect ratio that will look more like a cinema screen than a traditional home TV.

Samsung then quickly reacted by also proclaiming it would unveil "the world's first, largest and most curved 105-inch UHD TV" at the show.

This too will have the same resolution and aspect ratio as LG's beast but will adopt different picture processing.

Samsung’s 105-incher is said to be the world’s curviest screen. Source: Supplied

In a Samsung blog it was revealed: "The Samsung 105-inch Curved UHD TV adopts a new proprietary picture quality algorithm that delivers optimised colour and greater feeling of depth. As the curved panel has been further upgraded and TV circuit technology has been added, the combination of the upgraded curved panel with a greater picture quality engine provides the ultimate immersive experience."

It also went on to talk about the curvature of the display: "As Samsung's 105" Curved UHD TV is the world's most curved, it provides almost two times vivid images when viewed from the side and the best possible TV viewing experience from any angle. Also, the 105 incher adopts 'Quadmatic Picture Engine' which delivers all content in UHD-level picture quality no matter what the source is."

Naturally, prices and release dates haven't been mentioned but anything less than $100,000 we'd be surprised.

We'll be bringing you more information on these super sets and other great gadget news from CES when it starts on January 7-10, 2014.

Gadgets News· hd tv's

Samsung and LG unveil super-sized 105-inch Ultra HD televisions

Living rooms are in for a shock as LG and Samsung both announce the world's largest and curviest 105-inch Ultra HD super televisions. Source: Supplied

Samsung then quickly reacted by also proclaiming it would unveil "the world's first, largest and most curved 105-inch UHD TV" at the show.

This too will have the same resolution and aspect ratio as LG's beast but will adopt different picture processing.

Samsung’s 105-incher is said to be the world’s curviest screen. Source: Supplied

Naturally, prices and release dates haven't been mentioned but anything less than $100,000 we'd be surprised.

We'll be bringing you more information on these super sets and other great gadget news from CES when it starts on January 7-10, 2014.

Sony plays it straight with $20k, 85-inch 4K TV

Sony’s 85-inch Ultra HD X9500B comes with a $20,000 price tag. Source: Supplied

SOME TV makers say 2014 is the year of the curved TV but Sony has taken a different path.

The TV giant is backing 4K resolution and big displays as the way of the future — seriously big displays.

Sony’s top model is the 85-inch, Ultra HD X9500B, that comes with a $20,000 price tag.

Unlike other models in the Sony range, it does not have the strip of magnetic speakers down the side of the screen that are a feature of Sony’s new peak design wedge shape.

Instead, it offers a long duct speaker with an audio output of 40 watts, compared with the 65 watt audio power of the next model down (the X9000B).

Sony works on the reasonable assumption that if anyone is willing to pay $20,000 for a TV, they’re probably willing to pay extra for a surround-sound system.

The X9500B comes with a simple stand of two angled legs.

If size matters the X9500B certainly measures up. Source: Supplied

A port replicator means a single fat cable runs inside the stand’s leg so you don’t have anything to take away from the visual impact of the screen.

And the visual impact is something to admire.

If this flagship can’t match other Sony models in audio output, it certainly outdoes them in picture quality.

The X9500B has Sony’s X-tended Dynamic Range Pro picture engine with direct LED backlight that gives it a brightness range three times that of a conventional LED LCD TV.

The X9500B, as is common with high-end TVs, comes with two remote controls. One is the standard remote, the other is Sony’s one-flick remote that has an attractive absence of buttons but it also takes some time to fully master.

I hooked the Sony up to a Blu-ray player to watch Harry Potter kick Voldemort’s butt, I hooked it up to a PlayStation, which allowed me to kick anyone’s butt, and I hooked it up to streaming services to watch the Tour de France kick a lot of cyclists’ butts.

The X9500B outperformed two rival 4K TVs in a side-by-side test. Source: Supplied

Sony calls its colour range Triluminos. We will call it the ability to show deep reds, rich greens and bright blues well, and it outperformed two rival 4K TVs in a side-by-side test.

We also hooked up a Sony Xperia Z2 smartphone to this television, using a MHL 3.0 cable, allowing the viewing of a 4K video shot on a 4K screen without the need for upscaling.

Television buyers are not going to be watching 4K home videos every day, but the smartphone camera delivers a rare source of pure 4K content.

Broadcast and streaming TV services are yet to deliver content that you don’t have to upscale to fully appreciate.

Should you rush out and buy this $20,000 4K TV?

The people who are asking themselves the question can probably afford not to even bother to ask.

Would you if you could?

Anyone asking this question is probably unable to afford the answer.

Some questions are too easy.

Bravia X9500B

$19,999, sony.com.au

Gadgets News· hd tv's

Sony plays it straight with $20k, 85-inch 4K TV

Sony’s 85-inch Ultra HD X9500B comes with a $20,000 price tag. Source: Supplied

SOME TV makers say 2014 is the year of the curved TV but Sony has taken a different path.

The TV giant is backing 4K resolution and big displays as the way of the future — seriously big displays.

Sony’s top model is the 85-inch, Ultra HD X9500B, that comes with a $20,000 price tag.

Unlike other models in the Sony range, it does not have the strip of magnetic speakers down the side of the screen that are a feature of Sony’s new peak design wedge shape.

Instead, it offers a long duct speaker with an audio output of 40 watts, compared with the 65 watt audio power of the next model down (the X9000B).

Sony works on the reasonable assumption that if anyone is willing to pay $20,000 for a TV, they’re probably willing to pay extra for a surround-sound system.

The X9500B comes with a simple stand of two angled legs.

If size matters the X9500B certainly measures up. Source: Supplied

A port replicator means a single fat cable runs inside the stand’s leg so you don’t have anything to take away from the visual impact of the screen.

And the visual impact is something to admire.

If this flagship can’t match other Sony models in audio output, it certainly outdoes them in picture quality.

The X9500B has Sony’s X-tended Dynamic Range Pro picture engine with direct LED backlight that gives it a brightness range three times that of a conventional LED LCD TV.

The X9500B outperformed two rival 4K TVs in a side-by-side test. Source: Supplied

Sony calls its colour range Triluminos. We will call it the ability to show deep reds, rich greens and bright blues well, and it outperformed two rival 4K TVs in a side-by-side test.

We also hooked up a Sony Xperia Z2 smartphone to this television, using a MHL 3.0 cable, allowing the viewing of a 4K video shot on a 4K screen without the need for upscaling.

Television buyers are not going to be watching 4K home videos every day, but the smartphone camera delivers a rare source of pure 4K content.

Broadcast and streaming TV services are yet to deliver content that you don’t have to upscale to fully appreciate.

Should you rush out and buy this $20,000 4K TV?

The people who are asking themselves the question can probably afford not to even bother to ask.

Would you if you could?

Anyone asking this question is probably unable to afford the answer.

Some questions are too easy.

Bravia X9500B

$19,999, sony.com.au

Wow factor ... LG’s 65-inch 4K ultra high-definition OLED TV. Source: Supplied

AUSTRALIAN television audiences will be encouraged to upgrade their screens before Christmas, with LG revealing the country’s first Ultra High-Definition OLED models.

Australia will be one of just 10 countries in the world to receive the technology when it arrives in stores in the coming months, though a specific arrival date is yet to be set.

But the cutting-edge displays will not come cheaply, with the larger 77-inch breakthrough screen priced at $22,999, and the least expensive, a 65-inch screen, at $9,999.

LG Australia home entertainment marketing manager Grant Vandenberg said the South Korean company had a clear advantage being the only company selling organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens after Samsung abandoned the advanced format this year.

Mr Vandenberg said LG was backing OLED technology as the “TV of the future” as it offered brighter colours, deeper blacks and higher contrast.

The big screen ... LG’s ultra high-definition OLED TV will be Australia’s first. Source: Supplied

“It is a lot of money but 4K OLED is for people who want the best technology in the market,” he said.

“You have to remember that 10 years ago, televisions were selling for the same price.”

The two Ultra High-Definition televisions will go on sale in selected stores alongside an upgraded, full high-definition, 55-inch curved OLED TV that last year launched at $11,999.

The TV will this year sell for just $3,999 -- a saving Mr Vandenberg put down to better manufacturing practices.

LG’s main rival, Samsung, kicked off the OLED television war in Australia in August last year, launching its first curved OLED screen for $10,999.

But the company has since stopped selling OLED television panels in favour of LED-backlit LCD screens with Ultra High-Definition resolution.

LG also revealed an even more expensive television at its harbourside launch, with a “whopping” 98-inch Ultra HD screen due in Australia before Christmas for $39,999.

Gadgets News· hd tv's

LG’s ultra high-definition OLED TV coming to Australia, but price tag means it’s not for everyone