These are the best places to buy a refurbished MacBook Air

The expanding family of great Macs includes some of the best laptops you can buy today. The MacBook Air happens to be one of the notebooks that college students and senior users really like. It’s light, portable, mighty, reasonably priced, and has a sleek design. However, despite its fair price tag, some customers might find it a bit expensive. The good news is that you can buy refurbished MacBook Air units for a lower price. This allows you to take advantage of this iconic machine without spending more than your budget allows. We’ve listed below the best places to buy a refurbished MacBook Air, including the M2 model from 2022.

Amazon

Amazon is arguably one of the best places to find almost anything. It sells refurbished products under its Renewed branding, and that comes with a few benefits. Amazon Renewed products are inspected by Amazon to make sure they work like new. Amazon promises there are no visible imperfections at an arm’s length and that the battery is at least at 80% of its original capacity. That promise is backed by a 90 day warranty. So you can always return it if something isn’t how you want it to be.

You can get the Apple M1-powered MacBook Air from the link below, featuring 8GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. You can also try to peruse some older models at the Amazon Renewed store.

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2020)

The 2020 MacBook Air with the Apple M1 chipset is available refurbished from Amazon, allowing you to save some money on this great laptop. It's got a sleek design, powerful performance, and plenty of storage.

View on Amazon

Swappa

This online community is for buying and selling used electronics of all kinds. This includes various models of the MacBook Air. Swappa is organized in a very straightforward way so you can easily find the specific MacBook Air you want and who’s selling it. It’s an entirely user-focused experience, so you deal directly with the seller. Additionally, when compared to marketplaces like eBay, it has lower fees. This means you should end up paying less when making your purchase.

Right now, you can already find listings for the 2022 MacBook Air, which is the most recent version. That’s in addition to some older models, too. You can browse Swappa below to try and find the model you’re looking for. There are quite a few sellers for all the different models.

Apple MacBook Air

Swappa is community-driven marketplace for all kinds of electronic devices, and it makes it easy to find the specific model of the MacBook Air you want.

View on Swappa

Best Buy

Best Buy is another great place to buy electronics, and you can also find some refurbished products there. However, when it comes to the MacBook Air, proper refurbished units are a little hard to come by. But if you expand your scope to open-box or pre-owned items, there are still some good deals to be had. Best Buy has multiple tiers of Open-Box, so you can choose how close to brand-new you want it to be depending on how much you want to spend.

There are some options if you want the model with the Apple M1 chipset, and you can find them below. However, the M2 model remains absent for the time being. You can also look through all the open-box, pre-owned, or refurbished MacBook Air models at Best Buy.

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2020)

While not refurbished, Best Buy does have some used or open-box models of the 2020 MacBook Air. This is the base model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage, which is plenty to get you started.

View on Best Buy

Apple

You may not know this, but Apple sells its own refurbished Macs if you’re looking to save some money. In terms of variety, Apple’s store probably offers the most options when it comes to buying a refurbished MacBook Air. You can find the 2020 Apple M1 models there, and there are also some older versions if you’d rather get an Intel-powered model. Apple also has a certification process for its refurbished items, and everything is packed in a new box with all the accessories and cables. Plus, you can still get AppleCare support if you need it.

You can browse Apple’s refurbished selection here, or get the 2020 Apple M1 model from the link below.

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2020)

Apple has a wide selection of recent models available, including this base model with the Apple M1 chipset, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It's $849, which is significantly less than the brand-new price.

View on Apple.com

Back Market

Back Market specializes in selling refurbished and used items, including the MacBook Air. There’s a fairly wide variety of models here, dating a few years back, but you can also find the 2020 Apple M1 version. Laptops here are tested to make sure everything is working properly, including all the components you’d expect to be fully functional. Plus, Back Market offers a 12 month warranty and money-back returns within 30 days.

If you’re specifically looking for the M1 model, it’s available at the link below. Otherwise, you can browse other deals on older MacBook Air versions.

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2020)

If you're looking for a used MacBook Air with the 2020 Apple M1 chipset, Back Market is a great place to check. This model has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage.

View on Back Market

IWM (ItsWorthMore)

Similar to Back Market, IWM is a website focused on selling used devices, and the MacBook Air is one of the options you can find. The conditions are also similar, with a 30 day money-back guarantee and a 12 month warranty on the product. IWM also claims a thorough inspection of the devices to make sure they’re usable, though you may find different conditions for each device.

At the time of writing, you can get a solid deal on the 2020 MacBook Air with the Apple M1 processor and 512GB of SSD storage in Like New condition, and it’s available in both Space Gray and Silver. You can also browse for older models if you want something even cheaper.

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2020)

IWC also has some solid deals on the MacBook Air, specifically this model with an 8-core GPU and 512GB of storage, which makes it quite a powerful machine

View on IWM

Mac of all trades

If you’re okay with going further back in time, Mac of all trades is a dedicated website for used and refurbished Apple products. Of course, refurbished MacBook Air models are included, but there are no models with an Apple M2 listed just yet. Still, if you want an M1 or Intel-powered laptop or you’re fine with something older and cheaper, it’s a valid option. Like other websites of the kind, devices are certified refurbished and you get a one year warranty included.

The latest model available is from late 2020 — powered by the Apple M1 chipset — and you can find it below. Otherwise, you can browse some of the older models to try and find even lower prices.

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2020)

This MacBook Air has an Apple M1 processor, making it ideal for university students. It's got a sleek design and a very sharp and tall display that's great for productivity.

View on Mac of all trades

Newegg

Newegg is a large well-known retailer of electronics, so they’re one of the best places to buy any product of this kind. The company does sell some refurbished MacBook Air models, but again, the Apple M1- and M2-powered versions aren’t available yet. You can, however, find a model with an Intel Core i7-1060NG7, which is still a high-end processor. It’s the latest Intel-based MacBook Air you can get, plus it has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage, so it’s not a bad device by any means.

You can browse Newegg for older refurbished models. Navigation is a little harder on Newegg than some of the other retailers we’ve listed, though.

Apple MacBook Air 13 (Early 2020)

This MacBook Air has an Intel Core i7 processor, plus 16GB of RAM, so it's a very powerful PC for work and even some light entertainment. It's got a sleek design and a very sharp and tall display that's great for productivity.

View on Newegg

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Regardless of which option you choose, you’re bound to get a great laptop, since that’s exactly what the MacBook Air is. Most models are fairly powerful, though naturally the Apple M2 versions are the best. Because they’re so recent, you won’t find them everywhere yet, but more options may show up over time.

Which refurbished MacBook Air model will you buy? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post These are the best places to buy a refurbished MacBook Air appeared first on XDA.

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IEM Cologne’s Cathedral of Counter-Strike makes a grand return

We all have a favorite game, and for me, that game is Counter-Strike. I’ve been playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive since 2012, and I’ve been watching it as a spectator esport since 2014. The first-ever event I watched was ESL One: Cologne 2014, and since then, I’ve been hooked. I recently had the amazing experience of attending the most recent ESL-run Cologne event, now called IEM Cologne, in the Lanxess Arena. Hailed as the best crowd that the game has to offer, I was enthralled the moment I entered.

For context, Counter-Strike is one of the oldest esports titles on the planet. Its initial beta version was released in June of 1999 as a modification of the original Half-Life, and it later became a standalone title. Since then, Valve has released two more main entries to the series; Counter-Strike: Source in 2004, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in 2012. Global Offensive‘s aim was to merge the communities of the two previous games, as a divide had emerged with some players believing that the original Counter-Strike was superior to the version released in 2004.

Anyone can organize a tournament in Counter-Strike, be it a tournament organized by you and your friends, or a large-scale full production like an ESL event. IEM Cologne isn’t officially sponsored by Valve unlike Major tournaments like the PGL Major in Antwerp, but it’s arguably one of, if not the biggest tournaments of the year outside of Major events. It’s right before the player break too, meaning that it’s the last time we’ll see any of these players in a stream or big event for at least a month.

OJ Borg, stage host, introducing the final

IEM Cologne tournament structure

IEM Cologne took place over three stages: the play-in stage, the group stages, and the playoffs. Both the play-in stage and the group stage took place in the Hyatt Regency Cologne hotel behind closed doors, though games were streamed online for spectators to tune in.

However, the playoffs were played live on stage in the Lanxess Arena. It’s a massive venue capable of holding up to 18,500 people, and the event sold out entirely for the weekend. There was floor seating and then three rings of seating that went up and around the outside of the arena. The floor seats went right up to the stage, with a center walkway used by both interviewers and the players when entering. It was also used to display the trophy to the crowd.

My first day of attendance was the entirety of Friday, which was also the first day of games being played in the arena. While typically Fridays would be emptier, I was surprised to find that the arena was incredibly full. The crowd was loud with fans clearly having a great time.

The Cathedral of Counter-Strike

The Lanxess Arena is dubbed year after year as “The Cathedral of Counter-Strike”, and the reason is two-fold. For starters, there’s a massive cathedral in Cologne which the city is known for, and two, the venue is iconic. As previously mentioned, ESL has run Counter-Strike events in Cologne’s Lanxess Arena for years, and every year it delivers one of the best tournaments ever held in the game. This year was no exception either.

Cologne is a city that I’ve been to before, and it’s not much of a tourist city. It was full of people who had flown from all over the world to attend. I went to a bar with some friends and we ended up having a few drinks and talking to people from Finland who had flown over to attend the event — later on, we joined up with some Americans, as well.

As for the arena, it was an incredible experience. Fans were chanting constantly, and the crowd was incredibly engaged with everything happening on the stage. Hours before the games began, I saw people lining up to get into the stadium, and people started to line across the walkway to high-five their favorite players as they would walk up to the stage to play. The trophy was brought out by Nicholas “nitr0” Cannella, one of the winners of the last physical Cologne event in 2019.

Fans could participate in lots of events around the arena too, including games sponsored by DHL and ESEA. ESL also had an airbrush booth where you could get a temporary tattoo of your favorite team for free and organized signing sessions for premium pass holders to get any of their merch or other items signed if they wanted it. The cost of a standard weekend ticket only came to a total of €94, which for fans of the game, isn’t all that bad of a price. Festivals and other weekend events typically cost a lot more.

The IEM Cologne 2022 final: Navi vs Faze Clan

Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, considered the best player in the world

Rehashing the same final from the PGL Major in Antwerp, it was again Navi vs Faze Clan to take the stage. This time around it was a best of five final, a grueling experience that ended up taking roughly seven hours from start to finish. It went the full distance too, with all five maps being played in an incredibly close fashion. ESL was also one for showmanship, as the final opened with a ten-minute ceremony celebrating some of the best moments in that very arena over the last number of years.

The games themselves were incredible, with both teams playing a chaotic style of Counter-Strike. The game is won when the first team reaches 16 rounds, and when Navi had 15 rounds and Faze Clan had 4, the map seemed basically over. However, Faze Clan managed to run it all the way back to 15-15 and bring it to overtime, where the arena went crazy.

Faze completes the comeback all the way from 15-4 to bring it to overtime versus Navi!!! This crowd is INSANE #IEM pic.twitter.com/RgN9kQDkYT

— Adam Conway (@AdamConwayIE) July 17, 2022

In the end, Faze Clan brought it over the line in the fifth map in a nail-biter finish. A final score of 16-14 (the closest it can get) brought an end to the hours-long battle that took place on stage. The players were then interviewed by OJ Borg, the stage host for the event. It was hard to understand anything being said, as fans continued to clap and cheer throughout the entirety of it.

These events are why I love Counter-Strike as much as I do, and I’m always grateful to be able to attend. The fans and the talent involved in its production have always been fantastic, and in Ireland, the community is one that I spend a lot of time on. Some of the best friends I’ve ever made have been through the game, and in Cologne, thousands of fans descended on the one city to share one common hobby.

Where Counter-Strike goes from here

IEM Cologne became the most watched Counter-Strike event of all time that wasn’t a Major tournament, and it’s not hard to see why. The game has seen an explosion of interest since the return to in-person events on a global scale, and one that has propelled the game back into the spotlight of esports. I heard many stories of people who watched the game for the first time and hadn’t ever watched it before, with many not understanding the game to the depth that long-time viewers may.

That’s the best part though, as, with Counter-Strike, it’s possible to intuitively see what’s happening and understand it without understanding the tactical depth. I once took my father to see an ESL One Cologne final in the cinema near us, and while he had never played the game before, he intuitively could understand the meaning of the economy and see the reaction time of players.

IEM Cologne 2022 was likely the first event many will have seen, and just like it was for me in 2014, it’s possibly the event that will get people hooked for years on years. These events bring people together, they allow you to explore a new city and experience new cultures. I’m always excited to see what the future holds for the game, and with massive organizations like ESL pushing the envelope of what showmanship means to big esports tournaments, I’m excited now more than ever before.

The post IEM Cologne’s Cathedral of Counter-Strike makes a grand return appeared first on XDA.

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Yeedi Vac 2 Pro Robot Vacuum Review: Speedy cleaner with an oscillating mop

The Yeedi Vac 2 Pro is a sweeping and mopping robot vacuum that can be used as a stand-alone vacuum. It has an optional auto-empty station that empties the onboard dustbin into the base station so you do not need to empty the dustbin as often.

The Yeedi’s mopping system is different from most other mopping systems I have seen. This mopping module oscillates to scrub the hard flooring as it passes over the area. Yeedi claims that this system is unique. However, the Hobot Legee 688  has a similar vibrating mopping robot vacuum. The mopping pad vibrated as the Hobot robot navigated around my house. I’m sure that there are other robots online with similar features to the Vac 2 Pro.

The Yeedi Vac 2 Pro has a fully-featured app so you can set a schedule and forget about it. The Vac 2 Pro will sweep your floor or sweep and mop if you have the mopping module fitted to the robot vacuum. Fill the mopping module with water and it will scrub areas of dirt from the floor.

yeedi vac 2 pro robot vacuum

The Yeedi Vac 2 Pro has a 3000Pa suction to sweep floors and an oscillating mop pad to scrub stubborn stains

Features:

Pros: Cons:

View at Amazon

Navigate this review:

• Pricing and availability
• Specs
• What’s in the box?
• Design and features
• Who should buy one?

Yeedi Vac 2 Pro: Pricing and Availability

Launched in May 2022, the Yeedi Vac 2 Pro robot vacuum is priced at the upper end of robot vacuums that Yeedi produces. It is currently offered at under $450 on Yeedi’s web site and on Amazon. This price is for the robot vacuum only. If you want the auto-empty station then you will have to fork out a further $180 at Yeedi’s site or buy the bundle of the Yeedi Vac 2 Pro robot vacuum and auto-empty station at Amazon for $579.99.

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Yeedi Vac 2 Pro: Specifications

Spec	Value
Suction Power	3000Pa (Max)
Rated Power (auto-empty station)	1000W
Battery Capacity	5,200mAh
On-board dustbin volume	420ml
Water tank module volume	180ml
Auto-empty station dust bag capacity	2.5l

About this review: This review was written after testing a Yeedi Vac 2 Pro two-in-one robot vacuum, provided by Yeedi over a period of a month. Yeedi did not have any input in this article.

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Yeedi Vac 2 Pro: What’s in the box?

The box for the Yeedi Vac 2 Pro includes the robot vacuum only. If you want to buy the auto-empty station it comes at an extra cost in a different box. Some manufacturers bundle the auto-empty station package for the same price, but Yeedi offers consumer choice if you do not want the auto-empty station too.

In the box, there is:

• One robot vacuum cleaner
• One docking station
• One side brush for the robot vacuum cleaner
• One main roller brush
• One on-board dustbin
• One oscillating mopping module
• One washable mopping pad which attaches to the mopping module
• One cleaning tool for cleaning hair and dust from the roller brush
• One power cord.

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Design and Features: Oscillating mopping and 3000Pa suction power

• Smart visual mapping and navigation
• Powerful 3000Pa suction
• Carpet detection sensor will avoid carpets in mopping mode and boost suction in sweeping mode
• Auto-recharge when the battery is low
• Auto-empty station
• Voice assistant compatibility

Yeedi vacuum technology has come on by leaps and bounds since I first tested the Yeedi k700 robot in August 2020. The company has significantly upped its game and the product quality certainly shows. The Yeedi brand has invested both in app design and functionality. The Yeedi Vac 2 Pro is the latest in its range of multi-function robots and its oscillating mop which will scrub floors as it sweeps shows that the brand continues to innovate.

Accurate mapping with the fully-featured app

• Clean the floor once or twice per clean
• Suction boost when a carpet is encountered
• Carpet avoidance when mopping module is fitted
• Effective object avoidance

The white, Yeedi Vac 2 Pro multi-function robot vacuum has been designed to look stylish and smooth. There is a side sweeping brush and a roller brush with silicone fins underneath the unit. The Yeedi Vac 2 Pro does not have a LiDAR navigation unit on the top of the robot vacuum.

Unfortunately, there's no LiDAR on the Yeedi Vac 2 Pro.

Instead, the Vac 2 Pro uses visual mapping and navigation to map your space. The optional auto-empty station is compact and reasonably quiet when it empties the onboard dustbin. At maximum power, the Vac 2 Pro operates at 67dB which is fairly quiet.

The Yeedi Vac 2 Pro easily connects to the Yeedi app. I had no issues connecting to the Vac 2 Pro. Open the Yeedi app, tap the plus sign in the top right-hand corner of the app, and scan the QR code on the machine under the lift-up lid. Follow the instructions on the app to invoke wifi and connect your wi-fi to the robot vacuum.

The app is reasonable, although the map saved on the app is a little primitive. There are several features you can control on the app. You can adjust the suction power of the vacuum, and when the oscillating mop module is fitted you can change the volume of water delivered through the mop.

Carpet avoidance and scheduled mopping

The Yeedi Vac 2 Pro has a dummy module at the rear of the robot vacuum which must be removed before attaching the oscillating mop module. Click the button and pull to remove the dummy module and replace it with the mopping unit. A voice prompt will announce that it’s now in sweeping and mopping mode.

When the mop is in place, you can change the water flow to the mop and specify if you want the area to be cleaned once or twice. When it cleans, the robot sweeps in parallel lines and covers part of its tracks to make sure there are no dirty stripes on the floor. If you have a particularly dirty area you will need to make sure that the robot cleans the area twice.

3000Pa suction for sweeping

In use, the 3000Pa suction on the Yeedi is efficient at collecting dirt, fluff, and dust from floors. It is also good at collecting pet hair from carpets and hard flooring. The oscillating mop is good at getting extra dirt from floors. I have several robots operating over the same floor which get washed several times per day.

There's more than enough suction for dust, dirt, and pet hair.

The Vac 2 Pro still managed to dirty its mop after mopping only one room. The robot vacuum avoided all the rugs in the room and mopped the entire hard flooring space. When the Yeedi Vac 2 Pro robot vacuum is in sweeping mode only, it will cross onto a carpet and boost the suction to maximum power.

When the robot vacuum detects that the battery is low, it will return to the dock to be charged before going back to the last location cleaned and resuming cleaning.

Object avoidance

The Yeedi Vac 2 Pro has advanced obstacle avoidance. If you have a relatively tidy floor you can set the app to basic obstacle avoidance. But if your floor is untidy, set the app to advanced obstacle avoidance.

This will make sure that the robot vacuum will avoid all objects. The Yeedi Vac 2 Pro did, in fact, avoid my coffee cup on the floor, but it punted a clear plastic wine glass around the room. Fortunately, the glass was empty.

You can connect the robot vacuum to your Alexa or Google Home voice assistant and use commands to start, pause or stop cleaning. You can specify areas for the robot to clean too.

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Who should buy a Yeedi Vac 2 Pro robot vacuum?

• You should buy the Yeedi Vac 2 Pro if you have hard, non-porous flooring throughout your home
• If you have a mixture of carpet and hard flooring, you will need to remove the mopping module if you want the carpets to be swept. The robot will avoid carpet when the mopping module is attached to the robot vacuum.
• Buy the additional auto-empty station for the Yeedi Vac 2 Pro to store up to 30 days worth of dust and dirt in the auto-empty station bag.

Why I like the Yeedi Vac 2 Pro

The Yeedi robot vacuum gets its job done quickly. It whizzes around hard floors and carpets and does not seem to get stuck very often at all. Its oscillating mopping module does seem to get more grime off the floors than other robots such as the Dreame Bot D10 Plus robot vacuum which only draws a wet cloth over the floors and does not scrub them.

The auto-empty station is a must if you really want the best from this robot vacuum.

To get the best hands-off experience out of the Vac 2 Pro, buy the additional auto empty station. Set the app to sweep and mop twice per session to get the cleanest mopping with the oscillating mop.

If you have a large expanse of flooring, keep an eye on the mopping module. At 180ml, the mopping tank will clean a reasonably sized area, but if you set the mop to its wettest setting, the water tank might have emptied before your second pass of the area has been mopped.

Intelligent mopping

You do not need to add no-mop zones to the Yeedi app. The Vac 2 Pro will recognize carpeted areas and will not cross them – unlike the Dream Bot D10 Plus which will drag its wet mop across any carpeted areas unless you set no-mop zones in its app. The only downside is that you need to remember to remove the mopping module and send the robot out again to sweep carpeted areas.

Fortunately, the app schedules will allow you to specify auto cleaning or area cleaning. You just need to be vigilant in replacing and removing the mopping module before its scheduled time for carpet cleaning or your carpets will remain unswept.

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Should you buy this robot vacuum?

At $449.99 as a standalone unit or $579.99 with the auto-empty station bundled the Yeedi Vac 2 Pro will automate your daily sweeping and mopping with minimal intervention. The robot will return to its base to recharge, and continue cleaning. The auto empty station means that you only need to empty the dust bag monthly, and the oscillating mop will scrub your floors as it mops.

I certainly prefer the Yeedi Vac 2 Pro over the $499.99 Dreame Bot D10 Plus robot vacuum. This robot vacuum seems to get the job done far quicker and scrubs the floors instead of just giving them a quick wipe-over with a cloth. However, you will need to pay extra for the auto-empty station as it is not bundled and I certainly think you should add that to your shopping cart.

yeedi Vac 2 Pro

A multi-purpose sweeping and mopping robot with an optional auto empty station and an oscillating mop module

View at Amazon

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How to get Samsung’s One UI 5 emojis on any rooted Android device

One of the biggest reasons Android enthusiasts keep coming to the XDA forums is to find new ways to theme their phone. Luckily, for devices which aren’t heavily locked down, you can go ahead and make widespread modifications, including those that are originated from a different OEM Android skin altogether. XDA Senior Member RKBD felt the same way and wanted to spice up the emoji experience. Thanks to his work, you can now start using emojis from Samsung’s Android 13-based One UI 5 on any device if you have root access.

Some people get excited about new hardware and software releases, but it’s important not to forget about the new emojis being brought into the Android world. Samsung typically introduces a new set of emojis with each significant One UI update. This year, the company will likely continue the tradition with One UI 5 on top of Android 13. While the fifth One UI revision has yet to get a public rollout roadmap even for its beta form, RKBD has managed to obtain the relevant font file containing the new emojis from an unreleased pre-release build, courtesy of 9to5Google‘s Max Weinbach and Dylan Roussel.

A brief refresher regarding the correlation between Samsung’s emoji implementation and Unicode standards: The current stable One UI 4 skin (based on Android 12) incorporates the designs from September 2020’s Unicode Emoji 13.1 set. The upcoming One UI 5 is seemingly based on Emoji 14.0, which was approved back in September 2021 alongside Unicode 14.0.

Here’s a quick look at the emoji style included in One UI 5’s font resources:

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How to get One UI 5 emojis on any Android device

To install One UI 5 emojis on your rooted Android phone, you’ll have to flash a specially crafted Magisk module. The module will replace the emoji font file of the target device in a “systemless” manner with the one containing the new emojis that will make an appearance in Samsung’s upcoming One UI release. Notably, the module will work on any rooted Android device, and it doesn’t require Android 13.

1. Before starting, make sure your Android device is rooted with the latest version of Magisk.
2. Download the Magisk module for the One UI 5 emoji pack from the author’s thread (linked below).
   •  If you’ve downloaded it on a PC or a Mac, then connect your Android device to it and copy the downloaded ZIP file to the internal memory of the target device.
3. Open the Magisk app on your phone and switch to the Modules tab using the bottom navigation menu.
4. Tap on the button named Install from storage.
5. Browse and select the module ZIP you downloaded earlier.
6. Magisk will now install the module and prompt you to restart.
7. After rebooting, open the Magisk app once again and take a look at the Modules tab. The One UI 5 emoji module you flashed should be listed under the Installed section.
8. Fire up the keyboard and check out the new emojis!

Download RKBD’s One UI 5 Emoji Magisk module

As you can see, the process of changing emojis on Android is not a very difficult exercise. In case you want to revert back, just disable (or uninstall) the Magisk module, do a reboot, and you will get back your stock emoji set in a jiffy.

One thing to keep in mind is that the One UI 5 emoji style is only visible on those UI segments, which use the OS-specific emoji font. Several apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, and others are using their own styles and hence don’t necessarily reflect the new emojis. Furthermore, if the destination device and/or the platform does not include support for the Unicode 14.0 emojis, they will not be rendered properly on the receiver’s end.

Do you prefer to install custom emojis, or just use the built-in ones? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post How to get Samsung’s One UI 5 emojis on any rooted Android device appeared first on XDA.

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Huawei MateBook 16s review: Huawei is really strengthening its ecosystem

Huawei makes good laptops, and the MateBook 16s is no different. You could buy it for just that, but the real value proposition is the Huawei ecosystem. Indeed, whether you’re using a Huawei phone, smartwatch, earbuds, PC, monitor, and so on, these things are all designed to work seamlessly together. With Huawei’s Super Device feature, the idea is that it doesn’t matter what screen you’re using; it’s all the same device.

My biggest issue with the MateBook 16s is that it doesn’t have dedicated graphics. If that’s going to be the case, I’d rather see this laptop have a P-series processor. There are little things as well, such as only one of the USB Type-C ports supporting Thunderbolt.

But as usual, the MateBook 16s is a win. It’s a great all-around laptop, and if you’re already in the Huawei ecosystem, it’s even better.

Huawei MateBook 16s

The Huawei MateBook 16s is a 16-inch laptop that's made to be integrated with other Huawei products, and doesn't fail to deliver.

Features:

Pros: Cons:

See at Amazon UK

Navigate this review:

• Huawei MateBook 16S pricing and availability
• Huawei MateBook 16S: Specs
• Design, display, and keyboard: It has a 1080p webcam!
• Performance: There’s a 45W processor and no dedicated graphics
• Huawei has some unique advantages over competitors
  • Super Device
  • AppGallery
• Should you buy the Huawei MateBook 16S?

Huawei MateBook 16s pricing and availability

• The MateBook 16s Core i7 model is available now from the Huawei Store, and the Core i9 model is coming later from Huawei, Amazon, and more
• Huawei is offering a free monitor if you order now

Huawei announced the MateBook 16s in June, and the product was made available on July 13. The Core i7 model is £1,299.99, and it ships now from the Huawei Store. However, if you order prior to August 23, it actually comes with a free MateView GT 27 monitor.

The Core i9 model is £1,499.99, and that comes from Huawei, Amazon, AO, Argos, and Currys, and that will be available on August 10. If you pre-order that before July 26, and from the Huawei Store, you’ll get a free Huawei MateView monitor.

Huawei MateBook 16s: Specs

Processor	12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700H processor
Graphics	Intel Iris Xᵉ Graphics
Body	351×254.9×17.8mm, 1.99kg
Display	16 inches, IPS, 90% screen-to-body ratio, 3:2 aspect ratio, 2,520×1,680, 189ppi, 300 nits, 100% sRGB, △E<1, 1,500:1 contrast ratio, 178-degree viewing angle, 10-point multitouch
Memory	16GB LPDDR5
Storage	1TB NVMe PCIe SSD
Ports	USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 × 2 USB-C × 1 (support data, charging and DisplayPort) USB-C × 1 (Thunderbolt 4, support data, charging and DisplayPort) HDMI × 1 3.5 mm headset and microphone 2-in-1 jack × 1
Battery	84 Wh (rated capacity) lithium polymer
Webcam	1080P FHD camera
Audio	Microphone × 2 Speaker × 2
Connectivity	WLAN IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz 2 × 2 MIMO WPA/WPA2/WPA3Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.2
In the box	HUAWEI MateBook 16s 90 W/135 W USB-C Power Adapter USB-C Charger Cable Quick Start Guide Warranty Card
Material	Aluminum
Color	Space Gray
OS	Windows 11 Home
Price	£1,299.99

Design, display, and keyboard: It has a 1080p webcam!

• Huawei is finally using a good webcam
• The screen is good, but not great

Huawei has been pretty consistent with its design choices since it entered the Windows laptop space in 2017 (it entered the Windows space in 2016 with a tablet). The MateBook 16s is made out of aluminum, feels like it has a premium build quality, and comes in Space Gray. Huawei has used other colors over the years, but this one seems to be the one common to almost all of its laptops.

The lid is stamped with Huawei text, unlike earlier years when it used the Petal logo. It feels like a 16-inch laptop should feel, weighing in at 4.38 pounds without dedicated graphics. For something with a nice and large screen, it’s light enough to carry.

Speaking of the 2,520×1,680 display, it supports 97% sRGB, 67% NTSC, 72% Adobe RGB, and 72% P3, which is slightly below average. If you need color accuracy in your work flow, this probably won’t cut it for you. It maxes out at 320.3 nits brightness, exceeding the promised 300 nits, and contrast ratio maxed out at 1,210:1.

While the color gamut leaves a bit to be desired, it feels like a premium display, with a 178-degree viewing angle. That means that there won’t be any visible color distortions if you view it from the side.

The 90% screen-to-body ratio means that it has narrow bezels on all sides, but the webcam is in the top bezel, and it’s a good one. You might recall that in previous MateBook products, Huawei actually put the webcam in the keyboard, billing it as a security feature, forcing the user to pop the webcam up to use it. It was a horrible experience.

The webcam is Full HD, and it's fantastic.

Huawei actually can’t be blamed for how bad that was though. Before March 2020, no one cared about webcam quality. Now with the work-from-home boom, it’s an important feature, and unfortunately, it takes 12 to 18 months for design changes in PCs to come to market, so here we are.

But yes, the webcam is Full HD, it’s placed properly, and it’s fantastic.

Going back to the design, you’ll notice two USB Type-C ports on the left side. Unfortunately, only one of them is Thunderbolt, you you’ll have to keep in mind which one if you’re using a Thunderbolt dock or an external GPU. Normally, I speak in hypotheticals when I talk about connecting dual 4K monitors or an external GPU, but this is a laptop with an H-series processor and integrated graphics. You might want that proper graphics power to do some creative work.

The keyboard has the standard 1.5mm key travel that you’ll find on most Huawei laptops, and it feels great to type on.  It’s also got a big old touchpad underneath it, which is always great to see.

Naturally, the fingerprint sensor is a staple of a good Huawei laptop. They’re some of the best you’ll find on any device, both fast and accurate. When you press the button to power on the laptop, it scans your fingerprint, so you don’t have to scan it again after it boots up. It just seamlessly logs you in.

Huawei isn’t the only one that does this. What I will say is that out of all of the laptops I’ve tested that have the fingerprint sensor in the power button, Huawei’s are the least likely to fail. With many fingerprint sensors, it will say that it can’t recognize my fingerprint, and that’s jut not the case with Huawei.

Performance: There’s a 45W processor and no dedicated graphics

• Huawei has finally made the move to Intel 12th-gen, but without dedicated graphics, a 45W CPU offers more power than you need, at a cost to battery life

The model that Huawei sent me includes a Core i7-12700H CPU, a 45W processor with six performance cores (P-cores) and eight efficiency cores (E-cores), for a total of 20 threads. Intel’s new 12th-gen processors have a hybrid architecture for better power management, something that it was able to borrow from the Arm side of things. However, AMD has yet to emulate it.

The Core i7-12700H is a good CPU, and Huawei also offers this laptop with either a Core i5-12500H or a Core i9-12900H. The real problem is that there are no dedicated graphics. This feels like something that’s more common with this generation of laptops, and indeed, Intel has boosted the Iris Xe graphics on the H-series to match what’s on the more efficient SKUs.

Typically, we see U-series processors in productivity laptops, and then in more powerful laptops, we see H-series processors paired with dedicated graphics. Intel also now has the 28W P-series to bridge the gap between the two. I’m really not sure where H-series without dedicated graphics fits in. You wouldn’t use this for gaming or video editing.

You could use it for photo editing in Lightroom and Photoshop, and of course, it’s great for productivity. Still, I can’t help but think that a more efficient chipset with the same graphics would have more sustained performance while still being easier on battery life.

	Huawei MateBook 16s Core i7-12700H	Lenovo Yoga 9i Core i7-1260P	Surface Laptop Studio Core i7-11370H, RTX A2000
PCMark 10	5,501	5,616	5,573
3DMark: Time Spy	1,957	1,678	5,075
Geekbench 5	1,779 / 9,789	1,736 / 9,525	1,546 / 5,826
Cinebench R23	1,815 / 10,615	1,638 / 7,757	1,504 / 6,283
CrossMark	1,720 / 1,576 / 1,917 / 1,619

Battery life comes in well above the competition.

As you can see from how 3DMark compares to the Surface Laptop Studio, dedicated graphics makes a big difference to the creative work flow. I also added a P-series machine to demonstrate that at least in benchmarking, I don’t always see an improvement when moving to the H-series. Sometimes there’s a short performance boost that isn’t sustained, and I don’t love the experience.

Battery life is actually really good, I’m happy to report. There was not a single instance that I got under five hours, and on average, I got just under six hours. This is while working in the browser and doing my regular thing. The power slider was on balanced and the screen brightness was on medium. There was one instance where I got a little over eight hours, and I was unable to replicate it. Still, when it comes to a Windows laptop, anything over four hours is good. Anything over five hours is really good.

Huawei has some unique advantages over competitors

• Huawei is one of few PC OEMs, along with Apple and Samsung, that’s building an ecosystem around its PCs
• Super Device lets you use all of your devices seamlessly together
• Huawei even built its own Android subsystem to run AppGallery

At Mobile World Congress this year, while all of its competitors in the space had been announcing 12th-gen Intel and AMD Ryzen 6000 PCs since CES the month before, Huawei introduced a range of computers that still had 11th-gen Intel or AMD Ryzen 5000 processors. Moreover, products like the MateStation X all-in-one was set to come without any kind of dedicated graphics.

In a Q&A session with press, the company confirmed that it’s basically last on the list to receive new things. As we all know by now, U.S. companies have to jump through hoops just to do business with Huawei, and that’s also why its phones no longer come with Google services.

Being that it was being handicapped in traditional avenues, Huawei took a different direction. It focused on its own strengths, and things that it could control. It started building out its own ecosystem, rather than depending on Google, or even Microsoft, despite the fact that the Redmond firm doesn’t have the same issues with Huawei.

Huawei focuses on its strengths, building out its own ecosystem, and it nails it.

Because of this strategy and despite still using third-party operating systems, Huawei has put together one of the most seamless ecosystems around. Currently, the only ones even attempting this are Apple and Samsung, although I wouldn’t sleep on Lenovo/Motorola. Apple’s solution is to do everything in-house, while Samsung has opted for tight partnerships with Microsoft, Google, Qualcomm, and more. Huawei’s answer is a bit in-house, while also still using third-party solutions.

Super Device

When I first heard the term Super Device, I was really confused. When something has the word “Device” in it, you expect it to be hardware, but it’s not. Super Device is the term for the experience you get throughout the ecosystem, in a sense. It’s the idea that no matter what interface you’re using, you’re essentially using the same device.

I used it with a Huawei MateView monitor and a Huawei P40 Pro Plus, and everything just kind of works seamlessly. Moreover, they work wirelessly. You just click to connect to the thing you want to, and it works.

The key experience that Huawei is going for is seamlessness. If you’re signed into a Huawei account, it shouldn’t matter what screen you’re looking at. Also, peripherals will work as well, whether they’re from the FreeBuds line or some portable speaker. I don’t have those, but assuming they’re like all other Huawei devices, you should just be able to bring them near the device and they’ll work.

AppGallery

This isn’t the last you’ll hear from me about AppGallery, because I find this really interesting. With Windows 11, Microsoft introduced the Windows Subsystem for Android, where Android apps would be distributed through the Microsoft Store, powered by the Amazon Appstore. Like I said above though, Huawei seems to have learned its lesson in relying on American companies, so it built its own.

I have to admit, part of my didn’t believe the Huawei reps back in February when they told me that this wouldn’t be powered by WSA, but it’s not. Huawei is running Android apps on Windows. Also, you don’t actually need a new MateBook for this to work. It works on MateBooks going back to 2020, even if they have Windows 10 on them.

But enough of me gushing about how Huawei seems to have made its own Android subsystem. You start by installing AppGallery, which comes from Huawei’s website (you might find a link in PC Manager). AppGallery should actually work on any MateBook, but if it’s not qualified, it just won’t give you Android apps. It will let you install an app on your Huawei phone, and the company is also working on building out a selection of PC apps, although I didn’t see many.

When you go to install your first mobile app, you’ll be instructed to install Huawei MobileApp Engine. Once that’s done, you can install all of the Android apps that you want, as long as they come from AppGallery.

Here’s the bad news. You do seem to be limited to what comes from AppGallery. I haven’t figured out how to side-load anything, and even Huawei’s own Petal Search doesn’t work. You can download Petal Search – Huawei’s way to solve its app gap by searching third-party APK providers – and run it, but when you try to install an app, it won’t work.

Seeing AppGallery on PC is pretty neat though, and it’s one more way to bring the ecosystem closer together.

Should you buy the Huawei MateBook 16s?

While the Huawei MateBook 16s is a great laptop with lots of advantages, it’s definitely not for everyone.

You should buy the Huawei MateBook 16s if:

• You’re investing in the Huawei ecosystem
• You want a big laptop with overall great build quality and solid performance

You should not buy the Huawei MateBook 16s if:

• You live in the United States
• You don’t use other Huawei devices
• Your work load includes editing video or something else that would benefit from dedicated graphics

While the Huawei MateBook 16s is a great laptop on its own, the key thing that puts it above and beyond competitors is all of the work that the company has put into software. It’s designed to work seamlessly with the rest of the Huawei ecosystem.

The post Huawei MateBook 16s review: Huawei is really strengthening its ecosystem appeared first on XDA.

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These are the best cases to protect the MacBook Air in 2022

Apple revealed the MacBook Air 13 (2022) during the main keynote of WWDC22. This welcome addition to the expanding family of great Macs packs the M2 chip in an all-new, notched chassis. Considering this device category is popular among students, the Cupertino firm still sells the cheaper MacBook Air 13 (2020) for those not ready to pay as much. But starting at $999, it’s still quite an investment, and you probably want to protect it. To help you with that, we’ve dug up some of the best cases you can get for your MacBook Air — regardless of its release year.

As the MacBook Air is such a popular laptop, there are actually a lot of choices for cases here. With most other laptops, it’s rare we get to include a case that actually attaches to your laptop, but we have a few options here. Nonetheless, we’ve also included a few sleeves and carrying cases if that’s what you’re looking for. Keep in mind that, especially for cases that attach to your laptop, you have to make sure you have the matching model. This list includes cases for both the 2020 and 2022 MacBook Air models.

Cases for the 2020 model

MOSISO Hard Shell, Keyboard Cover and Screen Protector

Tons of Colors

The MacBook Air only comes in three color options so you may want to add your own splash of color withone of these cases. It comes in dozens of color options, but there's also a transparent one.

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CiSoo hard shell case for MacBook Air

A Touch of Personality

If flat colors aren't your style, this CiSoo case comes in a variety of patterns that definitely stand out. The case snaps into the laptop so you can leave it on while you use it, and it even comes with matching keycap covers.

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Incase Textured Hardshell in Woolenex

Classy and Textured

This Incase hardshell case can protect your MacBook Air, but it also looks really stylish. It's covered in a woven pattern that adds a sense of class, though it's a bit pricey. It comes in a few different colors, too.

View on Amazon

Cases for any 13-inch MacBook Air

Comfyable Laptop Sleeve

Sleek and Stylish

This faux leather sleeve is a sleek and simple way to protect your MacBook Air while carrying it around and without adding bulk. It's made with faux leather on the outside and soft felt on the inside, and comes in a few colors.

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Londo Genuine Leather Sleeve

Genuine Leather

For lovers of genuine leather, this Londo sleeve might be more to your taste. In addition to the leather edges and flap, the center is adorned with a few different patterns that add a touch of personality.

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Inateck Laptop Sleeve Case

Elegant

This classic Inateck laptop sleeve comes with a carrying handle for easier transportation. It has an elegant and subdued design that looks good without being too flashy. Plus, it gives you some space to store accessories.

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V Voova Slim Laptop Carrying Case

With Pockets

Available in nine different colors to choose from, this carrying case from V Voova has a handle for convenience and includes multiple pockets for accessory storage.

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tomtoc 360 Protective Laptop Bag

Water Resistant

This water-resistant case is available in multiple colors and has several pockets for accessories. It's ideal for those who frequently commute to work and are worried about rainy days.

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Kinmac 360° Protective Laptop Case

Super Soft

This Kinmac case offers a lot of padding around your MacBook Air for extra soft protection, plus a hard shell to protect from harder drops. And it comes in many different styles for every taste, too.

View on Amazon

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That should give you a few great options for cases to protect your MacBook Air from drops and other dings. Taste is very personal, but there’s a bit of variety here to suit everyone. Personally, I’d probably end up getting one of the carrying cases — most likely the one from Kinmac — since it makes carrying the MacBook Air around easier.

If you’ve chosen one of these cases but haven’t bought the MacBook Air yet, you can do it using the links below. If you’re still considering other options, we have a roundup of the best laptops you can buy today that you may want to check out.

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2020)

The 2020 MacBook Air comes with the original Apple M1 chipset, which is both powerful and efficient. It has no active cooling, which helps make it lighter and more silent.

View on Best Buy

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022)

The 2022 MacBook Air offers the M2 chip and a redesigned, notched chassis with MagSafe support and more color options.

View on Best Buy

Which of these MacBook Air cases will you be buying? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post These are the best cases to protect the MacBook Air in 2022 appeared first on XDA.

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OnePlus will launch another pair of affordable TWS earbuds in India next month

After announcing the OnePlus 10T launch event earlier this week, OnePlus has now revealed that it will also launch a pair of affordable TWS earbuds in the Indian market days before the event. The upcoming earbuds, called the OnePlus Nord CE, will be the second earbuds in OnePlus’s Nord lineup and will be available for under ₹3,000 (~$38).

For the unaware, OnePlus launched the first TWS earbuds in the Nord lineup earlier this year in April. The OnePlus Nord Buds offered 12.4mm dynamic drivers, up to 7 hours of continuous music playback, four noise-canceling microphones, and fast charging support for just ₹2,799 (~$35). In addition, the earbuds also featured an IP55 rating for dust and water resistance, Bluetooth 5.2, and a low-latency mode.

OnePlus Nord Buds CE is coming on 1st August to continue the legacy of amazing sound quality and great designs.

— OnePlus India (@OnePlus_IN) July 22, 2022

Given that OnePlus uses the CE moniker for affordable versions of existing Nord devices, we suspect that the OnePlus Nord Buds CE could be more affordable than its predecessor. If that’s the case, it might not offer some of the premium features, like fast charging support and an IP rating, found on the older model.

A teaser image of the earbuds shared on Twitter further reveals that it won’t feature the same design as the OnePlus Nord Buds. While the Nord Buds featured a flat stem and silicone tips for a snug fit, the upcoming earbuds seem to feature a rounded stem and no silicone tips.

At the moment, we don’t have any further details about the OnePlus Nord CE, but a teaser page on OnePlus’ website states that the company will share more information in the days leading up to its launch on August 1.

Are you looking forward to the OnePlus Nord Buds CE? Let us know in the comments section below.

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