NIKON

Nikon debuts Z5IIc full-frame mirrorless camera built for budget creators

Nikon has dropped the Z5 IIC, a revised viewfinder-less full-frame mirrorless over last year's Z5II with one clear mission: to give content creators something with the ease of smartphone photography and the power of higher-end digital imaging at an affordable price.

The Nikon Z5IIC is an entry-level full-frame camera with a 24.5MP BSI CMOS sensor. As its name implies, the sensor, along with many of the camera’s other specs and features, are borrowed from the company’s larger, more expensive Z5II; Nikon has simply crammed it all into a smaller body, leaving off a few extras like the EVF, high-resolution screen and second card slot.

There isn’t much new about the Z5IIC, as it’s essentially an existing camera with some features removed, rather than added. This means that the main change is its design, which we’ll mostly cover in the Body and handling section. However, as a high-level overview, the camera has a squared-off body with a grip style similar to that of the Z5II (which ends up making it feel a bit chunky in the hand).

This design, and the EVF it omits, means it occupies a new position in Nikon’s full-frame mirrorless lineup. While the video-focused ZR may appear to fit that description, the Z5IIC’s ergonomics and user experience are much closer to that of a super-sized Z30, but even more focused on stills and hybrid use. This is the first EVF-less mirrorless camera that Nikon has made aimed as much at photographers as videographers.

Beyond the design, Nikon has introduced one minor upgrade to the camera’s autofocus system: in addition to the 9 types of subject the Z5II was trained to recognize, the Z5IIC gains an “aquatic life” mode, mainly designed for taking pictures in aquariums. The camera also gains the highly-customizable grain effect the company introduced on the Zf, which is likely a bigger deal than it seems in the age of social media feeds dominated by simulations of film.

Unlike its fuller-featured sibling the Z5 II, there's no EVF here, which lends to a flat, lightweight chassis that can slip into carry bags and large jacket pockets. Offered in both retro silver and minimalist black, the magnesium-alloy body maintains dust- and drip-resistance while still being portable. Nixing the EVF also helped lower the cost enough to perhaps usher more buyers into the Z-mount ecosystem. As before, running the show is the same 24.5MP backside-illuminated (BSI) CMOS sensor and EXPEED 7 processor.

To cater to modern creators (or really, phone upgraders used to screen-based shooting), the Z5 IIC has intuitive, automated workflows. The camera is the first Nikon full-frame mirrorless to incorporate Scene modes right on the main control dial—all 15 of them, ranging from night landscapes and food to portraits and twilight. Whichever preset is selected, the camera will automatically optimizes exposure, white balance, and tone curves in the background. The 3.2-inch fully articulating LCD touchscreen offers tap to focus, double-tap to zoom, and swipe through photos, just like a phone.

Nikon’s deep-learning AI autofocus algorithms can also recognize 10 subject types, but this time, Nikon has gone beyond humans, vehicles, birds, and pets for its target database and included Fish into the algorithm. For low-light situations, the autofocus operates down to -10 EV, assisted by a 5-axis in-body image stabilization (IBIS) system with up to 7.5 stops of reduction compensation.

On the videography end of things, the Z5 IIC can do 4K/60 (with an APS-C/DX crop) and Full HD up to 120 fps for slow-motion capture. There's also support for 12-bit N-RAW recording, H.265 10-bit color, and N-Log profiles alongside a dedicated Product Review Mode that prioritizes immediate focus shifts to handheld items. Plug-and-play UVC/UAC compliance allows the unit to double as a high-definition webcam or streaming hub with a simple USB connection. 

Obviously, there are some potential negatives to the cost-cutting. For one, the aforementioned lack of EVF, which I can't live without for framing compositions. Storage is restricted to a single UHS-II SD card slot, mechanical shutter speed tops out at 1/4000th of a second, and the rear monitor, while functional for touch gestures, retains a modest resolution.

Priced at $1,399.95 for the body alone (or $1,699.95 bundled with the NIKKOR Z 24-50 mm f/4-6.3 kit lens), the Nikon Z5 IIC is slated to hit retail shelves in mid-October. 

 

by mundophone

 

TECH

Making AI more trustworthy: Path discovered to make AI models red-flag their doubtful answers

Artificial intelligence models can give users the wrong answer and do so with great confidence. They can also hedge and warn that they are unsure — even when they get the answer right.

A study led by UC Riverside computer scientists helps explain why. Researchers found that confidence and correctness can arise from different internal features within large language models, challenging the assumption that a model’s confidence is a reliable indication of whether its answer is accurate.

Their discovery could help build more reliable AI models. As large-language models are increasingly used to inform decisions and complete tasks, developers need better ways to determine when their answers can be trusted. 

By identifying internal features associated separately with confidence and correctness, the UCR-led research points toward ways AI systems could be adjusted so they are more confident when they are right and more cautious when they are likely to be wrong.

“The main assumption in the field is that when the model is confident, it is likely to be correct, and when the model is unsure, it is more likely to be incorrect,” said Het Patel, a UCR computer science doctoral student and lead author of the study. “But we often see the counterexamples that are well documented. A model can answer with certainty, but also be wrong, or it can answer while being less confident and can be correct.”

The researchers went beyond documenting that mismatch. They identified internal features associated with confidence and correctness and showed that altering some of them could change model behavior without the costly process of retraining an entire model.

Patel explained that modern AI models are created by training enormous networks of mathematical units on vast amounts of data. During training, the network repeatedly adjusts billions of numerical parameters, called weights, as it learns patterns in the data. In a language model, those learned patterns allow it to predict which words are likely to follow others and ultimately generate responses to questions.

Patel and his colleagues wanted to know what was happening inside the models when confidence and correctness did not match.

They studied two “open-weight” large-language models — Meta’s Llama-3.1-8B and Google’s Gemma-2-9B — whose internal workings can be examined by researchers. Using multiple-choice questions, they separated responses into four groups based on whether answers were correct or incorrect and whether the models were confident or uncertain.

They then used tools called “sparse autoencoders” to examine the models’ internal activity. That allowed them to determine which features became active with particular behaviors.

The analysis identified three kinds of features: those associated primarily with uncertainty, those associated primarily with incorrect answers, and “confounded” features associated with both. The researchers then suppressed selected features as the models answered questions. Patel compared the process to “turning knobs” inside a model to see how its behavior changed.

The differences were striking. Turning off features associated purely with uncertainty sharply reduced accuracy, suggesting those features play an important role in producing good answers. By contrast, suppressing most features associated solely with incorrect answers had little effect.

The confounded features produced a different result. Suppressing features associated with both uncertainty and incorrectness improved accuracy by up to 1.1% while reducing the models’ uncertainty by up to 75%. Similar effects appeared across different question-answering benchmarks.

The interventions were made when an already-trained model is answering questions, and do not require retraining it.

“In a sense, it’s kind of like adjusting or modifying the values of these activations or features after the fact to kind of get the behavior you want,” Patel said.

Another experiment suggests the internal signals could eventually help AI systems decide when not to answer. Using just three of the confounded features from a single middle layer of the Llama model, the researchers could predict whether the model was about to answer incorrectly. Having the model decline to answer the questions flagged this way raised its accuracy from 62% to 81% while it still answered about 53% of the questions.

By comparison, giving the model an “I don’t know” option and letting it abstain on its own raised accuracy only to about 64%. The results show the findings are not only observational; the same internal signal points to a practical step developers can take to make AI systems more reliable. 

The researchers also found evidence that these internal features were not tied narrowly to individual benchmarks. Features identified using one benchmark produced similar effects when applied to others, suggesting they reflected more general characteristics of the models.

Patel said the approach could extend beyond confidence and correctness. Researchers could search for internal features associated with other desirable or undesirable AI behaviors and test whether manipulating them changes how models perform.

“You could pick another behavior you want or don’t want, find the features related to it the same way, and then work on those internal features to drive that behavior or reduce it,” Patel said.

The study, “Are LLM Uncertainty and Correctness Encoded by the Same Features? A Functional Dissociation via Sparse Autoencoders,” has been accepted for presentation at the SIAM International Conference on Data Mining in Salt Lake City in November.

In addition to Patel, the co-authors are UCR Professor Evangelos E. Papalexakis, the Ross Family Endowed Term Chair in Computer Science; Jia Chen, a UCR associate professor of teaching; and Arizona State University researchers Tiejin Chen and Hua Wei.

UC Riverside computer scientists 

 

DIGITAL LIFE

The AI ​​dilemma: The more autonomous an AI becomes, the harder it is to shut down

The idea of ​​a button capable of turning off an artificial intelligence seems simple. In practice, however, experts warn that the so-called "kill switch" becomes far more complex as AI systems gain autonomy and begin operating across various machines, programs, and services.

This issue has gained importance as security incidents involving artificial intelligence rise. There is also growing concern about what might happen if an autonomous system were to carry out unwanted actions or break out of the environment originally controlled by its operators.

In the field of cybersecurity applied to artificial intelligence, a "kill switch" can be understood as a mechanism capable of halting the actions of an AI agent.

These agents are programs built upon generative AI models that are capable of performing sequences of tasks with a certain degree of autonomy.

Nicolas Papernot, a professor at the University of Toronto and an expert in computer security and AI, explains that such a mechanism should allow the system to be shut down if it poses a risk.

Under normal conditions, this is technically feasible. An artificial intelligence remains a computer program. Therefore, whoever controls the infrastructure can stop it from functioning by cutting off access to the computing power required to run it.

The problem arises when the program is authorized to act outside its original environment.

Papernot cites the example of AI-controlled malware capable of spreading to other devices and using their resources to create new copies. In this scenario, simply shutting down the original machine would not suffice; it would be necessary to stop every single copy distributed across the various devices.

Jean-Gabriel Ganascia, a computer science professor at Sorbonne University, believes that the discussion surrounding a "kill switch" can also fuel the notion of an AI possessing a will of its own. In his view, a more tangible risk lies in the growing human dependence on these systems.

Is it truly possible to shut down an artificial intelligence? For Thierry Poibeau, a research director at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and an AI expert, the idea of ​​a single button capable of "turning off artificial intelligence" is misleading.

This is because there is no single AI. There are thousands of companies, services, models, and programs spread across the globe, operated by independent organizations.

Therefore, no single entity controls all artificial intelligence. On the other hand, it is technically possible to shut down a specific system when its machines, servers, and services are under the operator's control.

Hussein Abbass, a computer science professor at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Canberra, breaks the problem down into three levels of complexity.

At the first level, the AI ​​remains entirely within the operator-controlled infrastructure. In this scenario, an emergency shutdown mechanism is feasible in both theory and practice.

At the second level, the agent is granted permission to access other programs, files, or machines. Shutting it down becomes more complicated, primarily because actions initiated earlier may continue to have effects.

At the third level, the AI ​​can operate across multiple different systems. At this point, the priority shifts from simply finding a shutdown button to identifying which components must be stopped first to prevent its actions from continuing to propagate.

Poibeau compares this scenario to the behavior of a computer virus once it begins to spread.

Shutting down an AI can also cause problems...The more artificial intelligence is integrated into daily activities, the greater the potential consequences of a widespread shutdown.

Papernot points out that as more aspects of daily life are automated by AI systems, it becomes increasingly difficult to quickly distinguish a dangerous system from one performing a legitimate activity.

Deactivating certain infrastructure could, therefore, disrupt services used by companies, government agencies, or even healthcare institutions.

In an extreme scenario involving a loss of control, it would theoretically be possible to halt the operation of specific systems by disconnecting the computing power required to run them. The problem would be the impact of such a decision. According to Papernot, the costs and negative consequences could be substantial if the same infrastructure were supporting numerous legitimate services.

Ganascia summarizes the paradox: physically, machines can always be turned off. However, the greater society's dependence on them, the harder it becomes to make that decision without triggering significant side effects.

mundophone

TECH

EA Sports FC 27 launches this September 2026

EA Sports FC 27 launches globally on September 25 across consoles and PC. Explore The Grounds open world, Career Mode overhauls, and full FC 27 Lite details surrounding the launch.

Electronic Arts is rolling out EA Sports FC 27 worldwide on September 25, 2026, following early access for Ultimate and Ultimate Plus Edition players that opened on September 18. The football title arrives on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.

The headline addition is The Grounds, an open-world space for Clubs and street football sessions built around three districts inspired by different football cultures. It is restricted to current-generation hardware: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Switch 2. Players on PS4 and Xbox One miss out on the mode entirely.

Manager Career sees its biggest update in years. EA has partnered with Transfer Room to fold its Expected Transfer Value system into scouting, giving managers a realistic price anchor before negotiations begin. Deals now unfold in multiple stages, with room for rival bids and last-minute demands even after an initial agreement. Player ratings are no longer static either: a new Dynamic OVR system adjusts overalls based on form, morale, fitness, and playing time throughout the season.

Football Ultimate Team introduces the FUT Gallery, a hub for tracking and grading sets of player items collected across the season. Squad building challenges move to a simplified, score-based system rather than strict rating and position requirements. Icons also shift to a two-stage structure, launching as Debut cards rated 85 to 86 before upgrading to Champion versions rated 89 to 91 later in the cycle.

EA is also launching FC 27 Lite on September 25, a free download offering a limited slice of the game, including the Kick-Off mode, across console and PC storefronts. Progression modes such as Ultimate Team, Manager Career, and The Grounds remain locked to the full release, with players able to upgrade at any time.

A new football season starts before the first whistle: the group chat wakes up, someone proposes a Career save, and somebody else is already planning their opening squad. EA SPORTS FC 27 arrives worldwide on September 25, 2026, with eligible early access beginning on 18 September. That gives you two useful dates to plan around, not one universal moment when every version unlocks. 

The smartest preparation is not buying the biggest bundle in a hurry. It is deciding where you will play, who you will play with, and whether an extra week actually fits your schedule. Use this launch guide to turn the build-up into a simple plan, so your first evening is spent playing football rather than sorting out an avoidable purchase or installation mistake.

Watch the time zone as well as the date. SteamDB currently lists the standard Steam unlock at 23:00 UTC on 24 September. Steam's own terms put the start of its seven-day early-access period at 23:00 UTC on 17 September. In Central Europe, those times fall on the following calendar day. Check your own storefront instead of applying the Steam timetable to every console.

Pick the platform before the edition...EA lists Standard and Ultimate editions for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC through the EA app, Steam and Epic Games Store. Availability does not mean every version has identical features: The Grounds, including Clubs, is restricted to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Switch 2.

Start with the mode you care about most. A friend buying the same title is not enough information for a multiplayer plan: agree on the platform, the installed game version and the mode before anyone checks out. For a solo player, that same conversation becomes a personal question: which device will you genuinely use during a normal week?

Treat early access as a calendar decision. Count the evenings you can actually use between the two launch windows. Paying extra for seven advertised days is a different proposition when work, travel or your friends' schedules leave you with only one available session.

Give your PC a pre-match check...EA's PC requirements list 100 GB of storage. Its minimum specification includes 8 GB RAM and a GTX 1050 Ti or RX 570; the recommended tier lists 12 GB RAM and a GTX 1660 or RX 5600 XT. Steam also requires the EA app and a linked EA account. Treat those as installation requirements, not a promise of a particular frame rate.

Before launch, check your account access, clear adequate space and test the controller you intend to use. Leave room for updates rather than filling the drive to its last gigabyte. These are deliberately unglamorous jobs, but they are easier to finish on a quiet evening than when your friends are waiting for you.

Still undecided? Know what Lite offers...EA SPORTS FC 27 Lite is a free, limited preview scheduled for 25 September at 16:00 UTC. EA names selected modes such as Kick-Off, not unrestricted access to the full game. Its announced platform list covers PlayStation, Xbox and PC storefronts, but does not include Nintendo Switch or Switch 2.

That makes Lite a useful option for sampling the basics before committing, rather than a substitute for every mode discussed in a trailer. Decide what you need to learn from a preview: whether the controls suit you, whether football gaming fits your routine, or whether you would rather wait for more extensive impressions.

Make the first session a useful one...Keep the opening evening manageable. Set your camera and controls, play a low-pressure match, and then spend time in the mode that motivated your purchase. Resist the temptation to judge the whole game while switching settings after every misplaced pass. A consistent setup gives you a clearer sense of what to change next.

Choose the right offer for your season...When comparing FC 27 listings, match the edition, activation platform, region and delivery format. An account listing, a gift and an activation key are different purchase types; the G2A comparison page separates those options. Do not assume that the lowest headline amount describes the same offer you have been comparing elsewhere. 

Pick the version that matches your device, preferred modes and launch plans. The best start to the season is the one you can actually enjoy.

 

mundophone

 

TECH

Qualcomm intros Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6: World's first 2 nm chips that break the 5 GHz barrier

Qualcomm has unveiled the 2 nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 SoCs, promising 5 GHz Oryon Prime Core CPU speeds alongside major gains in graphics, AI, imaging, efficiency, and connectivity. The Extreme model adds enhanced on-device AI, dedicated Adreno High Performance Memory, Neural Fusion, and advanced 8K 60 video capture. Devices featuring these chips are expected to arrive in the coming weeks.

It's Snapdragon Summit time and once again, Qualcomm is back with two flagship SoCs. While last year saw the launch of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, Qualcomm's top tier now has two Snapdragon 8 Elite chips — the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 — built on an advanced 2 nm process.

Breaking the 5 GHz barrier for the first time...In both the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and the 8 Elite Gen 6, the Oryon CPU cluster features two Prime cores clocked at up to 5.0 GHz alongside six Performance cores running up to 4.0 GHz, backed by a 16 MB Oryon Flex Cache. Qualcomm says this is the world’s first mobile CPU to reach the 5 GHz threshold.

According to the company, the 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 posts a 13% uplift in raw CPU performance while cutting CPU power consumption by 37% compared to the 8 Elite Gen 5. The standard 8 Elite Gen 6 shares the same 2 nm architecture, custom Oryon CPU design, and 5.0 GHz peak capabilities, and this will be SoC making up the bulk of top-tier offerings from various OEMs.

The new SoCs support LP-DDR5x/6-5300 memory up to 24 GB and UFS 5.0 storage.

Adreno with neural fusion...Like the Apple A19 Pro and now the A20 Pro, Qualcomm’s Adreno GPU now integrates dedicated AI matrix cores capable of handling machine learning workloads alongside traditional rasterization. Tied directly into these matrix cores is Adreno Neural Fusion, Qualcomm’s proprietary answer to AI-driven super resolution and frame generation. 

Qualcomm claims Neural Fusion delivers high frame rates without visual artifacts or smearing while reducing rendering power draws by up to 40% based on an internal Dragon Alley demo.

Overall, the GPU on the Extreme variant yields 44% higher graphics performance and 40% better power efficiency compared to the one in the 8 Elite Gen 5, aided by 18 MB of dedicated Adreno High Performance Memory (HPM).

Engine-level integration is already in place for Unreal Engine (including support for Lumen Global Illumination, MegaLights, and Nanite Virtualized Geometry), Unity, and NetEase's Messiah engine. Major mobile titles slated to support the platform’s graphics pipeline include Honkai: Star Rail, Monster Hunter Outlanders, Neverness to Everness, and more.

AI, imaging, and connectivity...The reengineered Qualcomm Hexagon NPU delivers a 35% jump in performance and a 33% improvement in power efficiency over its predecessor. It incorporates a new Element Accelerator, micro-tile inferencing, and a 50% increase in shared memory. 

Notably, the Extreme tier can run Mixture of Experts (MoE) models exceeding 30 billion parameters directly on device with support for up to 32K context windows. The NPU supports INT2, INT4, INT8, INT16, FP8, and FP16 precisions including mixed precisions.

Complementing the new Hexagon NPU is an overhauled Qualcomm Sensing Hub featuring dual micro-NPUs (delivering an 85% boost in compute and 20% better efficiency) and dual always-sensing ISPs. This hub, which supports up to 200M parameter models, powers Personal Scribe, an on-device utility that ingests messages, emails, and conversations to assemble a private local knowledge graph.

On the imaging side, we have a new triple 20-bit Spectra AI-ISP that Qualcomm says is capable of crunching 256x more granular AI data per pixel (up to 16 bits of AI data per pixel).

The Extreme tier expands mobile video capture to 8K at 60 fps and super slow-motion 4K at 240 fps. For mobile filmmakers, Qualcomm has integrated native hardware support for the Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec, alongside the Elite Color Engine with real-time 3D LUT support and hardware decoding for Versatile Video Coding (VVC/H.266).

Connectivity gets a future-proofing overhaul via the Qualcomm X105 5G Modem-RF system. As an early 3GPP Release 19-ready design, the X105 modem tops out at theoretical download speeds of up to 14.8 Gbps and uplinks of 4.2 Gbps. 

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and 8 Elite Gen 6 offer 6-antenna support for smartphones along with integrated quad-band (L1, L2, L5, and L6) GNSS, and built-in satellite communication supporting both NB-NTN for messaging and high-bandwidth NR-NTN for voice, data, and video.

Local networking is handled by Qualcomm FastConnect 8800, which delivers peak speeds up to 11.6 Gbps. Qualcomm touts it as the first mobile connectivity system to achieve a 4x4 Wi-Fi configuration with hardware ready for future Wi-Fi 8 (802.11bn) standards, alongside support for Bluetooth 6.0 with High Data Throughput (HDT), Ultra-Wideband (UWB), and Thread.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 vs. 8 Elite Gen 6...While both processors share the same 2 nm foundation, Oryon CPU architecture, and baseline AI engine, Qualcomm has carved out several distinctions for the Extreme variant:

AI capabilities: Both chipsets run local agentic tasks, but the 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 is equipped with a 50% larger shared NPU memory footprint to host massive 30B+ parameter MoE models and long-context documents.

Gaming: The Extreme variant exclusively features 18 MB of dedicated Adreno High-Performance Memory and the full hardware implementation of Adreno Matrix Cores to run advanced AI models and Neural Fusion for super resolution, and frame generation.

Video capture: While both chips feature intelligent pixel control and 3D LUT support, 8K60 capture, 4K240 slow-motion video, and native APV recording are reserved for the Extreme tier.

Qualcomm confirmed that devices powered by both the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 will begin launching globally from key smartphone manufacturers in the coming weeks.

mundophone

TECH

HP reveals pricing for new 16-inch laptop with AMD Gorgon Halo and 160 GB VRAM

HP has revealed pricing for one of its latest 16-inch laptops. A powerful workstation, the ZBook Ultra G3a combines AMD's Gorgon Halo platform with up to 192 GB RAM, of which 160 GB can be assigned as VRAM. Versions with 192 GB RAM will cost considerably more than those with 64 GB or 128 GB of RAM, though.

HP has shed new light on its latest ZBook Ultra laptop. To recap, the company unveiled the ZBook Ultra G3a last week with AMD's new Gorgon Halo platform. While its US product listing revealed key hardware specifications, it did not indicate when the 16-inch workstation would be available, let alone for how much.

Nonetheless, VideoCardz has stumbled upon pricing for three SKUs. For the time being, this information is readily available on HP's 'Local AI Value Calculator'. Specifically, HP describes the following three SKUs for light, medium and heavy users, respectively:

AMD Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 490, 64 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, FHD display - $3,899

AMD Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495, 128 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, FHD display - $5,999

AMD Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495, 192 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, FHD display - $7,449

Other configurations will be available, though. For instance, none of these SKUs include 4K IPS or 2.8K OLED displays, both with 120 Hz refresh rates. Meanwhile, StorageReview reports that the ZBook Ultra G3a delivers up to a 100 W thermal design thanks to a redesigned cooling system, up from 55 W in older models like the ZBook Ultra G1a we reviewed last year (curr. $1,999 on Amazon).

Moreover, StorageReview confirms that the ZBook Ultra G3a contains a 96 Wh battery within its 356 x 240 x 17.9 mm and 1.9 kg housing. The battery can be recharged at 180 W using its Thunderbolt 4 ports, too. Please see our launch article for more details about HP's latest ZBook Ultra.

HP has unveiled the 16-inch ZBook Ultra G3a, the brand's latest mobile workstation built around the new AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 400 series processor, designed for on-device AI workflows and 3D creation.

AMD's new SoC features up to 16 desktop-class cores and integrated Radeon graphics; it can be configured with up to 192 GB of unified memory, with up to 160 GB allocatable as dedicated VRAM via the BIOS or AMD's application. According to HP, this enables the local execution of large language models—with up to 300 billion parameters—without cloud dependency, powered by an NPU capable of reaching up to 55 TOPS.

On the software front, the ZBook Ultra G3a integrates Perplexity, featuring custom connectors and exclusive HP capabilities designed to accelerate workflows in tools like Autodesk Revit, alongside support for running AI agents locally in the background. The laptop also comes with Windows 11 Pro and Microsoft Copilot.

HP states it has redesigned the device's thermal architecture, featuring center-mounted fans and a fin surface area four times larger than the previous generation; the company claims this delivers 81% higher performance than the ZBook Ultra G1a under heavy workloads.

At just 17.9 mm thick, the ZBook Ultra G3a is described by HP as the thinnest ZBook ever to feature a 16-inch screen. The external casings utilize at least 80% post-industrial recycled plastic, and the keyboard is designed for easy replacement in international deployments, with an internal layout engineered to facilitate repairs. The laptop also features a large haptic trackpad and optional 5G connectivity via the HP Go service.

For video calls, the ZBook Ultra G3a includes a 5MP infrared camera with temporal noise reduction, as well as a physical shutter to block the lens. Audio is handled by Poly Camera Pro and Poly Studio, featuring real-time noise cancellation, dynamic voice leveling, and capabilities such as auto-framing and background blur—all processed on the NPU to save power. The battery promises all-day life, with HP citing up to 16.5 hours in MobileMark 30 tests—a figure the company itself classifies as a preliminary engineering estimate.

mundophone

 

TECH

Reliable leaker contradicts Moore's Law Is Dead's Nvidia RTX 6090 release date

We have seen conflicting rumors regarding the release date of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 6090 based on the Nvidia Rubin architecture. Serial leaker kopite7kimi, who is generally quite reliable, has now provided some clarification on the RTX 6090 release date.

A few days ago, Moore’s Law Is Dead leaked that Nvidia was planning to kickstart the launch of the next-gen GeForce RTX 60 series GPUs in H1 2027. Utilizing the Rubin GPU architecture, MLID claimed that “milestones leading up to a 2027 launch” were put in place months ago. So, the leaker alleged that the RTX 6090 release date could fall sometime in H1 2027. This rumor caused quite a stir online, and kopite7kimi has now sounded off on the subject.

kopite7kimi reports on X that, while they hope “Jensen can see everyone's passion and launch new products for gaming as soon as possible”, the GR20X Rubin gaming GPUs won’t be here until 2028. The GR20X is a “2028 product” as Nvidia has delayed the launch once again, per kopite7kimi.

This directly contradicts MLID’s report which alleged that people assuming a 2028 RTX 60 series launch are “just WRONG”. MLID’s Nvidia source claimed that the RTX 6090 was originally targeting 2026 but was delayed to allow Nvidia to use as much TSMC capacity as possible for AI chips.

Many leakers opposed MLID’s RTX 6090 release date leak, including Jukan who calls the rumor ridiculous and suggests that there is “no way Rubin gaming GPUs are coming out that soon”.

Looking at the current state of the consumer tech market, we don’t see much hope of an H1 2027 RTX 60 series launch. DRAM and storage price are still sky high and the situation is unlikely to resolve in the near term. We don’t think Nvidia is stupid enough to launch new GPUs in a market where gamers can’t upgrade within a reasonable budget. We could be wrong though. So, all we can do is wait and watch.

Kepler_L2 refutes recent RTX 6090 rumours...KeplerL2, a prominent PC hardware leaker, has refuted recent claims that Nvidia’s RTX 60 series would arrive in 2027. A recent report from Moore’s Law is Dead, citing an unnamed Nvidia source, claimed Nvidia was “aiming for H1 2027” for its “Gaming Rubin” (RTX 60 series) GPUs. KeplerL2 wasn’t the first to call out this report, with MEGAsizeGPU also calling it “Fake-as-hell”.

If KeplerL2 is right, Nvidia won’t release its RTX 60 series graphics cards before 2028. This lines up with prior expectations for Nvidia’s next-generation graphics cards. Until very recently, Nvidia were reportedly working on RTX 50 SUPER series graphics cards, upgraded RTX 50 series GPU models with refreshed specifications. Typically, Nvidia waits at least a year between major gaming product launches, which would place their RTX 60 series launch in 2028.

Supply chain concerns ultimately scuppered Nvidia’s RTX 50 SUPER series gaming ambitions. High memory demand makes it hard to launch any new product that requires lots of memory. These same concerns would make launching RTX 60 series GPUs a challenge. If anything, the RTX 60 series would be even more challenging, given the heightened demand seen for next-generation gaming products.

And there are already conflicting reports about when the RTX 60 series will actually arrive.

Earlier rumours suggested Nvidia could launch the RTX 60 series in the second half of 2027, while other reports have pointed towards an even later release.

Adding even more uncertainty to the story, well-known GPU leaker MEGAsizeGPU has pushed back against the latest report, calling it a fake rumour and pointing towards Nvidia’s ongoing supply-chain problems. That makes the alleged first-half 2027 launch far from certain.

Nvidia itself has also yet to announce anything regarding the RTX 60 series or an RTX 6090, so for now, everything surrounding the next generation remains firmly in rumour territory.

If Nvidia really is targeting the first half of 2027, we could potentially hear more about the RTX 60 series at an event such as GTC or Computex next year. But until Nvidia actually confirms its plans, I’d take this particular rumour with a very large pinch of salt.

For now, the RTX 6090 isn’t official, and there is no confirmed release date, pricing or specifications.

Considering how much the GPU market has changed over the past year, Nvidia’s next-generation cards could be very interesting. The bigger question is whether Nvidia can actually produce enough of them at a price that makes sense for gamers.

mundophone