Want to ditch Google services? Apple’s ecosystem is almost the perfect replacement

Apple markets its products and services as privacy-focused ones. When you buy a device from the company and use the included software, you’re assured that your data isn’t getting sold to third parties. Google, on the other hand, makes most of its revenue from advertising. And what pays more than a regular advertisement is a targeted one, tailored based on your interests. It’s no secret that the search giant collects all sorts of data on its users. In a way, this is what makes it superior in some aspects — having richer, more accurate databases. However, plenty of users would rather not feed the machine learning algorithms. Ditching Google services in Apple’s ecosystem is doable. It comes with many frustrations, though, that differ based on where you live, your routines, the apps you use, and other factors.

Navigate this article:

• Google Services VS Apple Equivalents
• Personal Thoughts

Google Services VS Apple Equivalents

Search

When it comes to search engines, Google dominates the field. None of its rivals have the same reach it has. People tend to say “Lemme google that” rather than “Lemme Bing it” for a valid reason — it’s the most popular search engine out there. In fact, even the verb google has been recognized and added to the dictionary.

When you search in Safari — whether on an iPhone or a Mac — the browser defaults to google.com. That’s because the company pays Apple billions of dollars every year to remain the default search engine. You can change the default one in the Settings app. However, most average users don’t know or care about that.

Apple doesn’t have a search engine of its own. Users aiming at a de-Googled digital life have other privacy-focused options, though. DuckDuckGo is a decent replacement that doesn’t collect as much data on you. Additionally, the search engine allows you to turn off ads in search results for free. On Apple devices, it’s one of the five options you can have as a default engine. This way, you can type directly in Safari’s search field without needing to visit duckduckgo.com manually before every search.

When it comes to the accuracy of search results, Google’s are more relevant than DuckDuckGo’s — generally speaking. However, the latter is accurate enough for quick searches in day-to-day life. I sometimes find myself visiting google.com if I’m not satisfied with the results of the other one. However, that rarely happens. I would say ditching Google Search is one of the easier aspects of the Google-free digital life.

Authenticator

2-factor authentication (2FA) is an additional security layer people can add to some of their online accounts. If you’re unfamiliar with 2FA codes, they’re one-time digits you have to type after correctly entering your email/username and password. These digits are generated by apps — such as Google Authenticator — and they expire after (usually) 30 seconds.

There are plenty of equivalents for Google Authenticator, like LastPass, for example. Additionally, if you’re on iOS 15 or macOS Monterey, then you can take advantage of the built-in 2FA code generator Apple has added. I don’t find myself missing Google’s app because Apple’s works just fine and supports auto-filling the codes when signing in to apps and websites.

Entertainment

The YouTube family is quite big and well-rooted. You’ve got the regular service, the music-oriented one, TV, Kids, Gaming, etc… Apple only offers Music and TV apps. There you can either subscribe to, rent, or buy your favorite albums, movies, and shows. If you use YouTube to follow certain channels that aren’t run by artists, then you’re stuck with at least one Google service.

Personally, I use YouTube less than once a week, and when I do, it’s usually to check a link sent by a friend. I’m not a video consumer in general. Even when it comes to music, I’m not interested in the music videos — I just want to listen to the audio tracks. As a result, Apple Music is enough for me. Most people probably can’t relate to this in the era of YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels. However, I’m sure there are similar-minded people out there who don’t really care as much about video content.

Podcasts

Both Apple and Google offer podcast apps on iOS. However, if you use Google’s, then you’re stuck with the web version of it on the Mac, as there’s no macOS app for it. I have to admit, Apple Podcasts needs a serious update from the company. It’s usable, though, and you aren’t missing out on much by not depending on Google’s. I wouldn’t consider the Podcasts app one of the struggles when trying to achieve a de-Googled life.

Home

When it comes to building a smart home, there are endless brands and products to choose from. Whatever it is that you’re looking for, you will likely find a HomeKit version of it. A significant portion of smart home appliances are platform agnostic anyway — as long as you find the HomeKit compatibility tag on it, you will be able to set it up through Apple’s Home app. When I’m browsing through smart appliances, I just search for ones that support HomeKit. This way I’m not forced to depend on Google Home. Additionally, Apple Home syncs to the Mac, too.

Health

Google offers its Fit app on iOS. The app requests access to HealthKit to import and sync your fitness-related data. Apple Health remains the core app for this purpose on iPhones. It’s worth noting, though, that Google Fit allows you to measure your heart rate on an iPhone without a smartwatch. So if you don’t want to buy a wearable and are interested in knowing your BPM, then Google Fit could be a tempting app to keep installed. The app is also capable of measuring your respiratory rate. I personally depend on my Apple Watch to keep track of my heart rate — Fit is useless to me.

Maps

This is a service that Apple struggles to compete with, relatively speaking. Google Maps, especially in third world countries, is much more populated, detailed, and accurate than Apple’s. When I used to live in Lebanon, Apple Maps was pretty much useless. However, as a local, I didn’t depend on maps much. That’s because the country is tiny, I was generally familiar with the areas associated with my routines, and I didn’t do a lot of exploring on my own.

Last year I moved to Turkey, and that changed everything. For starters, Istanbul is gigantic — coming from a city as small as Beirut. Secondly, I don’t speak Turkish, so I have to completely depend on maps to find my way around. While Apple Maps in Turkey is not as much of a ghost town as it is in Lebanon, it still isn’t complete. Additionally, it doesn’t support saving maps for offline navigation. I do have mobile data at all times, but I still like keeping an offline map available as a just in case thing.

Another advantage of using Google’s is navigation through public transport. The app displays the exact schedules, numbers, and stations of busses/metros you have to go through. Apple’s neither supports this nor street view in the region. That’s how I ended up a prisoner to Google Maps. But hey — Apple Maps has a macOS app.

I understand that Apple’s is more populated in first world countries, especially the US. So if you live there, you will likely have no trouble completely depending on it and ditching Google’s. I’ve tried so many times to uninstall Google Maps here, but it always finds its way back to my iPhone. So that’s one service stopping me for the time being from achieving the de-Googled life again.

Translate

That’s the other Google service I can’t get rid of. Apple introduced its Translate app on iOS 14 — which was followed by the release of the iPad app on iPadOS 15. However, macOS still lacks an Apple Translate app. Additionally, the company only supports around a dozen languages, while Google supports over a hundred. You’d think the few languages the Cupertino giant supports have been perfected — but no. As an Arabic/English bilingual, I’ve tested this language pair on both services. Google’s Arabic translations are notably more human. While Apple’s might be grammatically and semantically correct (most of the time), they don’t sound as natural.

This makes complete sense, considering Apple has just entered this domain. Google Translate has been around for many years, which enables the company to provide more accurate translations through a richer database. It additionally can translate more advanced and complex walls of text without losing context. Both services support offline translations, but Google’s execution is more efficient and data-friendly. None of the languages I’ve downloaded on Google Translate exceed 100mb. On the contrary, downloading a single language on Apple Translate heated up my iPhone and consumed several hundred megabytes of storage.

As someone who only needs a translation app for the Turkish/English language pair, Apple’s isn’t an option. That’s because Turkish isn’t one of the few available languages. And most of the locals here don’t speak English, so I can’t depend on that as a lingua franca. What frustrates me, though, is that the Apple Translate app and system-wide translations (such as in Safari and Messages) are neatly built. It’s just that Apple doesn’t have Google’s database. It’s like riding a fancy, shiny car with a broken engine. So if you live in your homeland or in a country that you speak the language of, this is a Google service you can likely ditch.

Communication

I won’t list Google’s communication services because honestly I’m no longer counting or keeping track — for obvious reasons. However, I’m unaware of any region that solely depends on an app by Google for instant messaging (IM) and VoIP calls. Generally speaking, people depend on a handful of IM apps, based on where they and their loved ones live. You’ve got iMessage, Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal, Facebook/Instagram DMs, and even SMS in some places. So even if some of your contacts use an app by Google to communicate, you will likely find them on a different IM app. So communication has never been a de-Googling obstacle — to me at least.

Mail

If you’ve already created your online accounts using your Gmail, then de-Googling will sound like a nightmare. However, it’s not as complicated as you’d picture it from afar. Once upon a time, I was an Android user, and all of my online accounts were based on my Gmail. After making the move to iCloud Mail, I just changed my active accounts’ email to the iCloud one.

Most online services allow you to change your email address, so that shouldn’t be an issue. And to make sure I don’t potentially miss any emails from old contacts I’ve forgotten about — since I no longer check my Gmail — I’ve set a forwarding rule that automatically sends them from my Gmail to my iCloud inbox. Seriously, it’s simpler than it sounds.

Productivity

Both Apple and Google offer Notes, Reminders, and Calendar apps. While they’re not identical, both sets support the main features you’d expect the respective apps to have. Additionally, by using Apple’s, you get instant background sync through iCloud. So the content remains up to date on all of your iDevices. The same applies to the Photos apps. There will always be exclusive perks on either side, but they’re usually not deal-breakers to most average users.

If you want to type a document on your Mac, you have to use Google Docs on the web. Apple’s iWork suite allows you to work on documents, sheets, and presentations on macOS through dedicated, native apps. So by using Apple’s productivity tools, you don’t have to depend on web apps.

News

Apple News is only available in a handful of countries. If you live in a region where it’s not supported, then you will either have to use apps like Flipboard or depend on Google News. Personally, my devices and Apple ID are US-based, so I can use Apple’s service just fine. If Apple News isn’t available for you, though, there are plenty of other non-Google apps for your daily dose of international drama. I wouldn’t consider News a solid barrier stopping users from de-Googling.

Drive

If you’re in Apple’s ecosystem, then using iCloud Drive makes more sense — as it syncs all of your data instantly and doesn’t consume as much battery. Google Drive, though, offers 15GB of free storage, compared to Apple’s 5GB. So if you’d rather not pay a monthly iCloud Plus subscription fee to expand it, this could be a dealbreaker for you. Personally, my data consumes less than 5GB, and I use the Apple One Premier bundle anyway — so that’s not forcing me to use Google Drive.

Personal Thoughts

Completely de-Googling is doable in some regions under certain circumstances. I was able to do it once, back when I was living in Lebanon. I had no Google apps on my devices and didn’t have the need to visit any of their respective websites. However, when I moved to a foreign land, I found myself desperately needing some of these services to adapt to life here.

If I eventually relocate to an English-speaking, first world country, I most definitely see myself deleting them again. This is because Maps and Translate are the only two apps I can’t not depend on. So if Apple Maps is (properly) available and I speak the language of the locals, then there’s nothing stopping me from achieving this yet again.

Additionally, I prefer Apple apps on the company’s operating systems because they tend to have better UI/UX and implement the latest APIs introduced to the OSs on day one. That’s not to mention the better system integrations and privileges that aren’t available to third-party developers.

A Google-free life sounds impossible, considering the company dominates many aspects of our lives. But if you actually take it one service at a time and put in the effort to convert to equivalents, you might realize that it’s not as far from reality as it appears from afar. There will always be more privacy-focused equivalents. They might not be as accurate or functional in certain cases, but they’re valid options. Ultimately, it all comes down to your priorities and needs.

Do you see yourself living a completely de-Googled life? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Descendant 12 based on Android 12 is here for the POCO F3, POCO X3, and more

The Descendant custom ROM is quite popular in the aftermarket development community, providing an alternative experience to users who want to retain the ability to customize their device and still stick closer to the stock Android look and feel. Over the years, Descendant has managed to create its own loyal fanbase who like the ROM and its unique features for good reason. Now, the Descendant team has announced the first official builds of Descendant 12 based on Android 12.

As the flood of Android 12 custom ROMs continues to flow through, more and more devices are seeing the fruits of Google’s latest and greatest version of Android. In this regard, the Descendant project is undoubtedly a little late to the Android 12 party. But if you are a fan of the ROM and were waiting for the public release, you should be delighted to know that Descendant 12 comes with plenty of visual treats. The official builds feature a brand new boot animation, a redesigned volume UI, and a highly customizable dynamic theming system based on kdrag0n’s implementation.

I like colourful wallpapers but sometimes the color that #Android #Monet selects doesn’t really match my expectations
So I made this for the upcoming #Descendant release! pic.twitter.com/or7eJrlMLV

— Dil3mm4 (@Dil3mm4_ita) December 1, 2021

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Download Descendant 12

Although not every Descendant-exclusive feature has been rebased yet, the team is satisfied with the current state of the ROM and hence, has made the new releases officially available to the public. You can try it out on your phone — assuming your device is on the initial roster. In the first wave, the flashable builds of Descendant 12 are live for the Lenovo Z5s and a bunch of Xiaomi smartphones. Notably, these builds already have Google apps included, so you don’t need to flash a separate ZIP file to get the Google Play Store. The GSI targets are absent for now, but they will be available soon.

Here’s the complete list of devices that have received the official build of Descendant 12:

• Lenovo
  • Lenovo Z5s (jd2019)
• Xiaomi
  • Mi 8 SE (sirius)
  • Mi 9 (cepheus)
  • Mi 10 (umi)
  • Mi 10T/10T Pro/Redmi K30S (apollo)
  • Mi 11X/POCO F3/Redmi K40 (alioth)
  • POCO F2 Pro/Redmi K30 Pro (lmi)
  • POCO M2 Pro (gram), Redmi Note 9S/Note 9 Pro India/Note 10 Lite India (curtana), Redmi Note 9 Pro (joyeuse), and Redmi Note 9 Pro Max (excalibur) [AKA the “miatoll” family]
  • POCO X3/X3 NFC (surya)
  • Redmi Note 7 Pro (violet)

Download Descendant 12 based on Android 12 for your phone

More devices are slated to receive an official build of Descendant 12 in the coming days. If you’re interested in helping the Descendant team with development, then take a look at the project’s GitHub repo.

Have you tried out Descendant 12? Let us know your experience with this new release in the comments below!

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Here’s how to fix Google Pixel 6’s annoying screen freezing issue

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are some of the best flagships available on the market right now. From powerful cameras and in-house Tensor chipset to thoughtful software experience, Google’s latest flagships phones have everything you would want from a modern-day flagship. While the Pixel 6 series has received positive reviews from critics, it seems end-users aren’t having a stellar experience with Google’s newest phones so far. The new phones have been subject to numerous bugs and issues as of late, with users complaining about the slower fingerprint scanner, ghost dialing, connectivity issues, and more. Lately, many Pixel 6 owners have noticed an annoying issue where the device completely freezes up for a few seconds.

Google Pixel 6 Pro Review: Fantastic everyday phone with an undeniable Exynos inspiration

The freezing touch-input issue seems to trigger on Pixel 6/Pro units that have an Accessibility Service running with canPerformGesture permission enabled. When this permission is enabled, the whole system freezes for 1-2 seconds every time the battery drops by 1%. If you own a Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro and are affected by this bug, there’s a temporary workaround to resolve the issue. It requires disabling all Accessibility features. To do so, go to Settings > Accessbitliy on your Pixel 6 and turn off every accessibility service you find in there, including Voice Access, Accessibility Menu, Switch Access, and others.

Google Pixel 6

The Pixel 6 comes with Google's new Tensor SoC, a fresh design, and powerful flagship cameras.

Order from Amazon

Order from AT&T

Google says it’s currently investigating the issue and has assigned the bug to the relevant product and engineering team. The company hasn’t provided any timeline as to when we can expect the software fix to be ready. We’ll keep an eye out and let you know as soon as we learn more details about the screen freezing bug.

Have you noticed the screen freezing issue on your Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro? Let us know in the comments below.

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Thanks XDA Senior Member micku7zu for the tip!

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Telegram 8.4 adds message reactions, spoiler formatting, message translations, and more

Telegram is one of the best messaging services around, and it adds new features and options at an incredible rate. The service added new media improvements and iOS updates last month, and more recently restricted message forwarding and made it easier to delete older chats. Now another update is rolling out with even more features. Telegram latest update, version 8.4, adds message reactions, spoiler tags, message translations, and more.

Message reactions are ubiquitous across platforms, with WhatsApp even being spotted working on introducing them in the future. Other platforms such as Facebook Messenger, Discord, and even Slack supported them, but their omission from Telegram seemed odd. Now they’re here, and you can even set a quick reaction that can be triggered just by double-tapping a message.

Another big update outlined in the company’s blog post is the introduction of spoiler formatting, which we knew was being tested recently. It’s great for discussing movies and other content that you don’t want people to automatically see. Just watched Spider-Man: No Way Home and want to talk about it in a group chat without spoiling it for the one friend who hasn’t seen it? Just use spoiler tags, and your message will only be viewable by tapping it.

Finally, you can also translate messages into any language directly from within Telegram. You can enable the Translate button in Telegram’s language settings, and then just hold down on any message to translate it. You can also exclude the translate button from messages written in a language you’re fluent in. It works on all Android devices that support Telegram but requires iOS 15+ on iPhones.

Other smaller updates include themed QR codes for your username, new menus for MacOS, and more interactive emoji. The interactive emoji are fun, as you can tap a large emoji sent on its own to play a fun animation.

Telegram 8.4 is rolling out on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

Telegram (Free, Google Play) →

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OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro get new OxygenOS 12 stable updates with bug fixes and improvements

Less than two weeks after resuming the OxygenOS 12 rollout for the OnePlus 9 and the OnePlus 9 Pro, OnePlus has started seeding yet another Android 12-based stable channel update for the device duo. The latest OxygenOS build for the OnePlus 9 family adds to the previous update with a few more optimizations and bug fixes.

Screenshot credit: OnePlus Community member Jite92

The version number of the new build is C.40, and it addresses the anomaly where the device is unable to access the 5G network after upgrading to Android 12. The release also takes care of the system upgrade failure events that some users faced while installing the previous stable build of Android 12. According to the official announcement post, only the global and the Indian variants of the OnePlus 9/9 Pro are eligible for this update. We still don’t know when the European edition will get the fixed build of OxygenOS 12.

As with all OxygenOS updates, OnePlus is rolling out the latest OxygenOS 12 build for the OnePlus 9 and the OnePlus 9 Pro in a staged fashion. This means that the new build will initially be delivered to a limited number of users, with a broader rollout to follow in the next few days. Once the company confirms that there aren’t any major issues with the update, it will be pushed to more users.

OnePlus 9 XDA Forums || OnePlus 9 Pro XDA Forums

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Download OxygenOS 12 C.40 update for the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro

In case you don’t wish to wait in the queue for the update, you can download the appropriate incremental OTA package from the index below and install the new build manually.

OnePlus 9

• • Global
    • Incremental update from C.39
    • Incremental update from C.36
  • India
    • Incremental update from C.39
    • Incremental update from C.36

OnePlus 9 Pro

• • Global
    • Incremental update from C.39
    • Incremental update from C.36
  • India
    • Incremental update from C.39
    • Incremental update from C.36

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Thanks to XDA Senior Member Some_Random_Username for the download links!

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This Lenovo gaming laptop with an RTX 3050 is only $749 right now

Lenovo sells some of the best gaming laptops around, even if you’re not looking to spend a ton of money. The IdeaPad 3 is one of the company’s budget options, and now one model with a Ryzen 5 processor and RTX 3050 graphics card is on sale for $749.00 at Walmart. That’s a savings of $100 from the original price.

The model on sale has an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H processor, with 6 cores, 12 threads, and a maximum boost clock of 4.2GHz. You also get a 15.6-inch 120Hz IPS screen for super-smooth gameplay, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB PCIe SSD. Lenovo doesn’t specify if the graphics card is a regular RTX 3050 or an RTX 3050 Max-Q (the latter of which is lower power), but either way, it should handle most games at the native 1080p resolution without much of a problem. You might have to lower the graphical options to reach the maximum 144Hz refresh rate, though.

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Gaming Laptop

This budget gaming laptop is a great option for $749.

Buy at Walmart

It’s a bit annoying that this laptop only has 4GB of RAM, but it’s at least upgradable to 32GB, so you can add more memory down the road. You also get plenty of connectivity options, including an HDMI 2.0 connector, as well as a backlit (but not RGB) with 1.5 mm key-travel.

If this isn’t quite the laptop for you, check out our roundup of the best gaming laptops. We’ve tested options from Lenovo, Razer, HP, Gigabyte, Razer, Alienware, and other manufacturers to find the best laptops at their respective price points. No matter if you’re looking for a budget model, like this IdeaPad 3, or a more powerful laptop that can compete with a desktop gaming PC, we’ve got you covered.

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Skyrim Anniversary Edition is back on sale for $30 on Xbox and PS4/PS5

Skyrim Anniversary Edition arrived last month as part of the 10th anniversary celebration of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the iconic fantasy open-world RPG that is still incredibly popular a decade after release. The new edition has all official content combined with various community add-ons, and if you don’t already own Skyrim, it’s definitely the best version to pick up. Now you can get Skyrim Anniversary Edition for just $29.99 on consoles, a 50% discount from the original price.

Skyrim is an open-world action role-playing game, developed by Bethesda and serving as the fifth main entry in the long-running Elder Scrolls series. You play as the “Dragonborn” in Tamriel’s providence of Skyrim, competing quests and wandering through the world. The main story takes you through learning how to summon dragons (and dragon powers!), but you can also just ignore that if you want — the side quests are basically a game of their own.

Skyrim Anniversary Edition (Xbox One)

This is the version you should get if you have an Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S.

Buy at Best Buy

Buy at Amazon

Skyrim Anniversary Edition (PS4)

This is the PS4 version, and it's playable on PS5 with the console's backwards compatibility.

Buy at Best Buy

Buy at Amazon

The Anniversary Edition mostly serves as a next-gen port of Skyrim with some extra community content and the addition of fishing. The product description reads, “The Anniversary Edition includes the core game, pre-existing and new Creation Club content, plus all three official add-ons: Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn.” The PS4/PS5 and Xbox One/Series versions are both on sale for the same price of $29.99.

If you already own Skyrim on modern consoles, this is probably not worth buying again, but it’s great for anyone who enjoyed Skyrim years ago but doesn’t own any of the updated editions. It might also be a perfect game for someone who anyone who hasn’t tried Skyrim at all — even though the core game is over 10 years old at this point, it’s still a lot of fun, especially for anyone remotely interested in open-world adventures and fantasy elements. You’re getting potentially hundreds (or thousands) of hours of fun for half the price of most new big-budget console games.

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Tenorshare 4DDiG Overview: The Best Data Recovery Software for Windows 11

One of the biggest tech events of the year was the launch of Windows 11. Millions of users around the world began upgrading their existing computers to the latest version of the operating system. The process of updating your OS is one of the more common ways to experience lost data. Files can go missing, apps can stop working, or entire drives can get formatted by mistake. Unfortunately, there are many users reporting that they have experienced different levels of data loss after their upgrade. There are many different ways that you can try to retrieve data lost in an OS upgrade, but when all else fails, use Tenorshare 4DDiG.

What is Tenorshare 4DDiG?

Tenorshare 4DDiG is a full-solution data recovery software that is free to download. You can scan an entire drive, or specific folders to locate missing or corrupted files. The software is ideal for use with laptops, desktops, USB drives, SD cards, and more. You can scan and recover over 1,000 different types of files.

“You can recover various data types from this powerful Windows data recovery tool. No matter what you have lost, 4DDiG file recovery software is capable of restoring lost files such as images, videos, music files, email, office documents, and compressing files without hassle.”

Tenorshare

If you’ve lost data due to a corrupted hard drive, an accidental deletion, drive formatting, or virus, 4DDiG is able to help. Since the software is fully compatible with Windows 11, this is the best way to retrieve any files that may have been lost during an OS upgrade.

Tenorshare 4DDiG Features

Free Scan and Preview

Find out if your data is recoverable before you make any sort of purchase, with the free scan and preview feature. You can choose between a quick scan and a deep scan to begin searching for your missing files. Once the software starts finding recoverable files, you can preview them to see which ones you need. Then you can perform a recovery on specific files that you choose.

Flexible Resume Recovery

You don’t have to dedicate a large amount of time to one scan. You can pause and resume the process if needed. If you spot the files that you’re looking for early on in the scan, you can stop the scan and begin the recovery process.

Easy File Recovery

The file recovery is so simple that anyone can use it with ease. Just a few clicks and you’ll be restoring and repairing files. Let the software do all of the hard work, while you sit back and watch your files come back to life.

Use 4DDiG to Recover Lost Files after Updating Windows 11

Complete these steps to begin recovering your missing files, if you’ve experienced any data loss during a Windows 11 upgrade.

Step 1. Select a Local Disk

Start by installing Tenorshare 4DDiG from this link. Launch the software and look at your choices for devices and drives to scan. Select the location where your missing files were, and click Start to continue.

4DDiG Drive Select

Step 2. Scan the Hard Drive

4DDiG will quickly scan your chosen hard drive to search for lost or deleted files. You’ll be able to see recoverable files show up in real-time as the scan proceeds. If your files don’t show up during the initial scan, you can begin a deep scan which is much more thorough but takes more time.

4DDiG Scan

Step 3. Recover Files

4DDiG Recovery software can locate and repair many different types of files including photographs, recordings, sounds, or archives. You can click on Recover to get them back from your hard drive.

Once you click on Recover, a dialogue box will open, requesting the place you wish to restore the documents. Select your preferred destination and click OK.

4DDiG Scan Results

Tenorshare 4DDiG Pricing

Take advantage of the Christmas and New Year Sale! You can save up to 75% off through January 6th, 2022, during this special event. The standard price for 4DDiG is $89.95 for a month. This sale offers a deep discount on this price. Get started today and begin your data recovery process.

• Dec 13-25 70% OFF
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Tenorshare 4DDiG is the ultimate data recovery tool. It might end up saving you in these stressful and scary data loss situations. Of course, it’s best to have some sort of file backup system to avoid ever encountering this scenario, to begin with, so be sure to look into a good solution for that. At these sale prices, 4DDiG is a must-have, to add o your selection of essential software.

We thank Tenorshare for sponsoring this post. Our sponsors help us pay for the many costs associated with running XDA, including server costs, full time developers, news writers, and much more. While you might see sponsored content (which will always be labeled as such) alongside Portal content, the Portal team is in no way responsible for these posts. Sponsored content, advertising and XDA Depot are managed by a separate team entirely. XDA will never compromise its journalistic integrity by accepting money to write favorably about a company, or alter our opinions or views in any way. Our opinion cannot be bought.

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XDA Basics: How to change the default search engine on Safari for iOS

When users type a search term in Safari for iOS, the app displays Google Search results. That’s because the company pays Apple billions (!) of dollars every year to be the default search engine on Apple products. However, your iPhone doesn’t restrict you from changing it to a different one. There are plenty of reasons to why someone wouldn’t want to use Google’s service. This includes having more private options that even allow you to disable ads for free — such as DuckDuckGo. Here’s how to change the default search engine on Safari for iOS.

How to change the default search engine on Safari for iOS

• Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.

• Scroll down and click on Safari.

• Tap on Search Engine.

• You can choose Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, or Ecosia. Select the one that you want as your default search engine.

• Voila! Now when you search in Safari, you will get results on the website you’ve chosen. You can change it to a different one at any time.

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Personally, I use DuckDuckGo as my default because — as I’ve mentioned — it’s more private and allows me to disable ads in search results. Different users will have other reasons for choosing their main search engine. The Cupertino giant allows you to choose between five popular options. Rumors have surfaced in the past regarding the possibility of Apple releasing its own search engine. However, there are no expectations or signs pointing to when (and if) we will eventually see that.

Based on my usage, Google sometimes provides more accurate search results. Additionally, it enables you to include personalized results that pull private data from other Google services that you use. As someone who doesn’t rely on what the company offers, though, this feature is useless to me. While DuckDuckGo isn’t as precise as Google, it still works just fine for quick, daily-life searches.

Which search engine do you use the most, and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

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HDMI 2.1a will reportedly debut at CES 2022

HDMI is a confusing mess of standards and ports, with many features optional for manufacturers to implement. For example, even though HDMI 2.0 can support 4K at 120Hz, not all TVs and consoles with HDMI 2.0 are built for that. Now it seems there’s another HDMI update on the way.

According to The Verge (the HDMI Forum has yet to reveal anything), the new HDMI 2.1a standard will be introduced at CES 2022. The main new feature with HDMI 2.1a will be Source-Based Tone Mapping, or SBTM for short, which offloads some HDR tone mapping to the content source (e.g. your console, set-top box, or PC) instead of the TV or monitor doing all the work on its own. The feature will also allow better mixing of HDR and SDR content on the same device. For example, you could be using a video editor that is rendered in SDR, but with the video thumbnails and preview in HDR.

Even though it doesn’t mention HDMI 2.1a specifically, a new page on the HDMI Licensing Administrator’s website describes the new functionality:

Source-Based Tone Mapping (SBTM) enables the source to send a video signal that takes full advantage of a specific display’s HDR capability by adjusting its output to take better advantage of each display’s potential. As with other HDR technologies, rather than adopt a fixed set of color and brightness ranges, SBTM allows the Source to adapt to a specific display. SBTM can also be used by PCs and gaming devices to eliminate manual user optimization for HDR.

The new SBTM feature is reportedly optional for device manufacturers to implement, so unless a TV, monitor, console, or other device says it supports SBTM, there’s no way of knowing for sure — even if it claims to support HDMI 2.1a. Keep an eye out for the first products to support HDMI 2.1a next week during CES 2022, which is increasingly becoming online-only.

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[Update: Rolling out in India] Realme rolls out stable Realme UI 3.0 to the Realme GT in China

Update (12/29/2021 @ 09:30 ET): The stable Realme UI 3.0 update for the Realme GT is now rolling out in India. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on December 23, 2021, is preserved below.

After weeks of testing Realme UI 3.0 in the beta channel, Realme has started rolling out the first stable release based on Android 12 to the Realme GT. The update brings all the new features Google introduced in Android 12, along with a couple of unique additions from Realme. At the moment, the stable Realme UI 3.0 update is limited to the Chinese variant of the Realme GT, but we expect the company to release the update for the global variant in the coming days.

As per a recent post on the Realme community forums, the stable update (software version RMX2202_11_C.10) has started rolling out to the Realme GT in China. The update is rolling out in a staged fashion and should reach all devices in the region within the next 15 days. Check the section below for the complete changelog.

Realme UI 3.0 (RMX2202_11_C.10) Changelog (machine translated)

• Brand new design
  •  Newly added smart assistant card, providing smart and efficient application cards, key information is clear at a glance, and key functions can be reached with one touch
  • Newly restructured the page layout, noise reduction and white space, and distinguished primary and secondary information by color, the core information is more focused
  • Added three-dimensional icon design, introduced new materials, unified light and shadow and levels, and experienced the joy of color
  • Optimize the quantum animation engine 3.0, focus on “quality”, simulate real physical motion, optimize animation details 300+, and bring a more natural interactive experience
  • Optimized richer screen styles, support Zhenqi Meow and Portrait Shadow AOD, making self-expression more unique and unique
• Convenient and efficient
  • Added note graffiti tool, personalized record of life
  • Optimized the smart sidebar
    • Support intelligent recommendation related functions in video, shopping and other scenarios
    • Added shorthand for small window, click to enter the floating window of notes, and complete the record quickly
    • Added smart subtitles, supports recognition of conference and call voices, real-time generation of subtitles, and supports translation between Chinese and English
    • Added recognition of background music, quickly recognize the background music in short videos, and find music without asking for help
    • Added article reading aloud, support one-click reading of WeChat official accounts, today’s headlines and other information content
    • Added product price comparison, when using shopping software, one-click display of the same good products at low prices
  • Optimized Shinda window upgrade to free floating window
• Security and Privacy
  • Added support for erasing location information and shooting data for sharing photos or videos
  • Optimized that after the mobile phone is lost, it can be locked through the cloud so that it cannot be shut down or used, reducing the risk of data loss
  • Optimize the mobile phone manager to integrate more security and privacy functions such as privacy doubles, codebooks, emergency calls, etc.
  • Optimize the status bar icon reminder to be more eye-catching when the application calls sensitive permissions such as camera, recording, positioning, etc.
  • Optimize the medical emergency card, support automatic transmission of the preset medical emergency card information to the emergency center when dialing 120
  • Optimize earthquake early warning, add function preview page, add earthquake banner notification reminder with estimated intensity 2.0 and below, and provide early warning of earthquake information at all times
  • Optimize harassment interception, add MMS interception capabilities to reduce the interruption of spam
• Performance optimization
  • Added intelligent prediction of frequently used applications and loaded them in advance, making applications open faster
  • Added graphs to display power consumption records to quickly understand battery consumption details
  • Optimized for faster response when switching WLAN, Bluetooth, airplane mode, and NFC
  • Optimize the loading speed of high-frequency scenes of third-party applications to increase the speed of scanning Weibo and watching videos more enjoyable
• Game
  • Added that when the game resource pack is updated, the game can be switched to the background for update (only some games are supported)
  • Added pop-up game skills and match replays during the game to help quickly master the gameplay (only some games are supported)
  • Optimize the frame rate performance of the game under high load scenarios such as team battles to be more stable
  • Optimize heterogeneous computing to reduce the average load of the processor and lower game power consumption
• Camera
  • Added a new order of custom camera modes, which is convenient for quickly switching to commonly used camera modes
  • Optimized inertial zoom, rear video shooting mode, drag the slide bar to zoom at a constant speed
• System
  • Optimize the automatic brightness adjustment algorithm, optimize the intelligent scene detection, and browse the screen more comfortably
• Accessibility
  • Optimize accessibility mode
    • Added a visual introduction, and added an image introduction to the function page
    • Optimize function classification, display according to visual/auditory/interactive/general classification
    • TalkBack adapts to more system applications such as albums, calls, emails, calendars, etc.

At the moment, Realme has not shared any information regarding a global rollout. However, it shouldn’t be long before the update starts rolling out in more regions. We’ll make sure to let you know as soon as Realme starts rolling out a stable build of Realme UI 3.0 for the global variant of the Realme GT.

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Update: Stable Realme UI 3.0 is now rolling out for the Realme GT in India

According to a recent post on the Realme community forums, the stable Realme UI 3.0 update for the Realme GT is now rolling out in India. The update (build number RMX2202_11.C.05) has the following changelog:

• New design
  • The all-new design, which emphasizes a sense of space, deliver a simple, clean, and comfortable visual and interactive experience.
  • Revamps the page layout based on the principle of reducing visual noise and spacing out elements, and prioritizes information with different colors to make key information stand out.
  • Redesigns icons using new materials to give more depth and a greater sense of space and texture to the icons.
  • Optimizes Quantum Animation Engine: Quantum Animation Engine 3.0 implements the concept of mass to make animations more lifelike, and optimizes more than 300 animations to bring a more natural user experience.
  • More creative Always-On Display: Adds realmeow and Portrait silhouette to let you freely express yourself.
• Convenience & efficiency
  • FlexDrop is renamed Flexible Windows and is optimized:
    • Optimizes the method of switching floating windows between different sizes.
    • You can now drag a file from My Files or a photo from the Photos app to a floating window.
• Performance
  • Adds Quick launch, a feature that detects the apps you use frequently and pre-loads them so you can open them quickly.
  • Adds a chart to display your battery usage.
  • Improves the responsiveness of turning on or off WiFi, Bluetooth, Airplane mode, and NFC.
• Games
  • In team fight scenes, games run more smoothly at a stable frame rate.
  • Reduces the CPU load average and lowers the battery usage.
• Camera
  • You can now decide which camera modes are displayed on the menu bar and in what order they are displayed.
  • You can now drag the zoom slider to zoom in or out smoothly when shooting a video using the rear camera.
• System
  • Optimizes the auto brightness algorithm to adapt screen brightness to more scenes for a comfortable screen reading experience.
• Accessibility
  • Optimizes accessibility:
  • Adds visuals to text instructions for an intuitive understanding of accessibility functions.
  • Optimizes categorization of functions by grouping them into vision, hearing, interactive actions, and general.
  • TalkBack supports more system apps including Photos, Phone, Mail, and Calendar.

Realme says that the update is rolling out in a staged fashion and it should reach all users in the region in the next few days.

The post [Update: Rolling out in India] Realme rolls out stable Realme UI 3.0 to the Realme GT in China appeared first on xda-developers.

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XDA Basics: How to set up Windows Hello on your PC

Windows Hello is one of the coolest features introduced in Windows 10, and it allows you to unlock your PC using your fingerprint or your face. You can even use a USB security key this way. While biometric security wasn’t completely new to laptops when Windows Hello rolled around, it became much more common after that, and it also became standardized for any laptop that included it. But how do you set up Windows Hello? We’re here to help with that.

What you’ll need

The first thing you’ll need if you want to use Windows Hello is hardware that’s compatible. Most of the best laptops these days include either a fingerprint reader or an infrared camera for facial recognition. If you have a desktop PC or your laptop doesn’t have one of these things, though, you can buy an external device that handles Windows Hello for you. Check out the options below if you need a Windows Hello device, or see our list of the best webcams out there, a few of which support Windows Hello. If you’re looking to buy a PC, we have a list of Windows Hello laptops you might want to check out.

Lenovo 500 Full HD Webcam

Windows Hello camera

A webcam with an IR sensor so you can unlock your PC easily.

See at Amazon

Kingston VeriMark Fingerprint Reader

Fingerprint reader

This USB-based fingerprint reader allows you to unlock your PC more easily.

See at Amazon

Yubico Yubikey 5

Security key

This USB and NFC-enabled security key can protect sensitive data on your PC and more.

See at Amazon

Another thing you’ll need to set up Windows Hello is to be signed into your PC using a Microsoft account. Windows 10 and 11 already nudge you in that direction, though, so you should be good. You can always add a Microsoft account to your PC by going to the Settings app and choosing Accounts -> Your info. You’ll see the option to add a Microsoft account there. Once that’s done, we can get started.

Set up Windows Hello on your PC

If you just got a brand-new PC and you haven’t set it up yet, the easiest way to set it up is during the initial Windows setup process. After adding a Microsoft account, you can add a PIN, which is required for Windows Hello. Then, if your computer has Windows Hello hardware, you’ll be able to use your fingerprint or your face to set up Windows Hello.

If you’ve already set up your PC or you’ve just bought one of the devices above, here’s how to set up Windows Hello:

1. Open the Settings app and go to the Accounts page.
2. Click Sign-in options. All the Windows Hello settings are available at the top of this page.
3. Select the type of Windows Hello device you have, then click Set up to begin. If fingerprint recognition and facial recognition options aren’t available on your PC, you’ll see that indication, so this also lets you find out if your PC has any of these methods built-in.
   
4. If you haven’t set up a Windows Hello PIN, you’ll have to do that first. By default, a PIN only uses numbers, but you can use letters and symbols if you want to. You’ll probably want this to be different from your Microsoft account password, though.
5. Follow the instructions on screen to set up Windows Hello for your device. For facial recognition, you’ll need to line up your face and move it around. For fingerprint recognition, you’ll need to repeatedly tap your finger on the fingerprint sensor in different positions to register your fingerprint.
   • Can’t find your fingerprint reader? Many laptops have it built into the power button, while others might have it on the touchpad or below the keyboard.
     
6. Once you’ve set up one face or finger, you can add more so you can use different fingers to unlock your PC or grant access to someone else.

And that’s it! You can now use your fingerprint or face to unlock your PC. You can press the Windows key + L to go to your lock screen and test out Windows Hello. Tapping your finger on the fingerprint reader or simply standing in front of the camera should unlock your PC automatically from now on.

If you want to stop using Windows Hello, you can head back to the same page in Settings and remove Windows Hello as a sign-in option. You can keep using a PIN as a replacement for your Microsoft account password, which may be simpler and more secure.

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These are the best ASUS PC cases you can buy in 2022

There’s no shortage of cabinets on the market for a new PC build. We’ve already added some solid options to our collection of the best PC cases. It includes a bunch of reliable cases from a lot of manufacturers including Lian Li, Corsair, NZXT, and more. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at some of the best ASUS PC cases on the market right now. ASUS has a ton of PC peripherals and components including PC cases. We think the ASUS PC cases are good options to consider if you’re looking to build a new gaming rig or a content creation workstation. So without wasting any more time, let’s get started with this list:

Navigate this article:

• Best overall PC case: ASUS TUF Gaming GT501 White Edition
• Best PC case for gaming: ASUS ROG Strix Helios
• Best compact ATX/budget case: ASUS TUF Gaming GT301
• Best mini-ITX PC case: ASUS ROG Z11
• Best full ATX tower case: ASUS ProArt Station PD5 PD500TC

Best overall PC case: ASUS TUF Gaming GT501 White Edition

ASUS has a pretty good collection of PC cases on offer, but we think the ASUS TUF Gaming GT501 is one of the best PC cabinets you can buy on the market right now. The TUF Gaming GT501 is a mid-tower PC case with support for up to an E-ATX motherboard. It’s got metal panels all around and also has plenty of ventilation for airflow. The TUF Gaming GT501 isn’t exactly an airflow case. However, it comes fitted with a bunch of case fans and there’s enough to add more fans, radiators, and more.

The front panel of the ASUS TUF Gaming GT501, as you can see, is a solid metal panel with some perforations for airflow on the sides. We prefer something like a mesh front panel for better airflow, but this is still considered good in comparison to a lot of other options on the market. There’s a 4mm thick tempered glass side panel that lets you see the internals of the case, while the top is also a metal panel with vents for airflow. One of the best things about this PC case is that it comes with a handful of pre-installed case fans.

The ASUS TUF Gaming GT501 comes with three 120mm Aura Sync RGB fans on the front. Additionally, there’s also a 140mm PWM case at the back. There’s space to add as many as three more 120mm or two 140mm fans on the top panel to move more air in and out of the chassis. As for the radiator mounting options, there’s space to add up to a 360mm radiator on the top and on the front. you can also add a small 140mm radiator at the back. It’s safe to say that the TUF Gaming GT501 is a pretty good case for a gaming rig with plenty of cooling options.

There’s also a ton of space inside the chassis for good component clearance. As we mentioned earlier, you can mount up to an E-ATX motherboard inside this case. There’s enough to mount a GPU with a maximum length of up to 420mm and a CPU cooler with a maximum height of up to 180mm. You can also use a power supply unit with a maximum length of up to 240mm. The case also has plenty of space for cable management, which is always a good thing to have. One of the best things about this particular case is that it comes with a vertical expansion slot that lets you mount your GPU vertically inside the chassis.

You get a total of 7 horizontal slots in addition to 2 vertical slots. The case also has as many as three 2.5-inch and four 2.5-inch/3.5-inch combo drive bays. The front panel IO includes two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports and audio ports. All things considered, the ASUS TUF Gaming GT501 is one of the best PC cases on the market right now. This is a pretty good option to consider for your next build, be it a gaming rig, a content creation workstation, or a simple productivity machine.

ASUS TUF Gaming GT501 White Edition

The ASUS TUF Gaming GT501 is one of the best mid-tower PC cases on the market right now. It also comes with as many as three pre-installed case fans.

Features:

Pros: Cons:

Buy from Amazon

Best PC case for gaming: ASUS ROG Strix Helios

It’s hard not to talk about the ASUS ROG lineup when it comes to gaming peripherals and components. The ROG product stack also includes a PC case called the ASUS ROG Strix Helios. There’s a lot to like about the ROG Strix Helios PC case and it’s our pick for the best PC case for gaming you can buy in 2022. The ASUS ROG Strix Helios is a mid-tower PC case with a bold design that screams gaming. The case is fitted with some RGB lights on the front panel. There’s an ASUS ROG logo on the front along with the “Republic of Gamers” logo.

The ROG Strix Helios PC case comes with a bunch of tempered glass panels and an aluminum frame to give it a solid structure. As you can see, the Strix Helios PC case has a tempered glass side panel on both sides. The front is also covered with a tempered glass panel with RGB lighting. The case features addressable RGB lights that can be controlled via the ASUS Aura sync feature. This particular mid-tower PC case has plenty of space inside the chassis for all the high-end components that you may want to install inside.

This particular case can accommodate up to an E-ATX PC case. You can also install a GPU with a maximum length of up to 450mm and a CPU cooler with a maximum height of up to 190mm. You can also mount the GPU Vvertically inside the chassis, but you’ll need a Riser cable. The case also has space for a PSU with a max length of up to 250mm and there’s more space for cable management too.

One of the best things about the ROG Strix Helios is that it comes with as many as three case fans on the front. You get three 140mm pre-installed fans on the front along with another 140mm fan installed at the back. In addition to the ones that are pre-installed, you can install three more 120mm or two more 140mm fans on the top panel. The Strix Helios case also comes with dust filters on the top, front, as well as bottom to keep the dust away from the internals. As for the radiator mounting options, the ROG Strix Helios case will let you mount up to a 360mm radiator on the top, up to 420mm radiator on the front, and a small 140mm radiator at the back. Between all the case fans and the radiator mounting options, it’s safe to say that the ROG Strix Helios has a ton of cooling options.

The ASUS ROG Strix Helios also comes with strong carry handles on the top that lets you easily carry the case around. You also get a solid selection of ports on the front panel IO. it includes as many as four USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, a single USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type C port, a couple of audio ports, an LED control, and fan control buttons.

ASUS ROG Strix Helios PC case

The ASUS ROG Strix Helios PC case is a fantastic mid-tower gaming case that comes pre-installed with a bunch of fans and RGB lights.

Features:

Pros: Cons:

Buy from Amazon

Best compact ATX/budget case: ASUS TUF Gaming GT301

We’ve already added the ASUS TUF Gaming GT501 PC case to the collection one of the best mid-tower PC cases. In addition to that, ASUS also makes the TUF Gaming GT301 PC case. This one’s more of a compact case option for those who’re looking for something that’s a bit smaller than the bigger mid-tower chassis. The ASUS TUF Gaming GT301, as you can see, looks different from the other GT501 in more ways than one.

The ASUS TUF Gaming GT301 sports a metal front panel with honeycomb pattern air vents for airflow. This particular chassis has more perforations on the front for airflow compared to the GT501. The top also has a mesh panel to move more air in and out of the chassis. The side panel is a tempered glass panel that lets you see the internals of the build. As an airflow PC case, ASUS is bundling this particular chassis with up to three fans on the front along with a single fan at the back for exhaust. There are three 120mm Aura Sync addressable RGB fans on the front panel that can be easily controlled via ASUS Aura sync software.

In addition to the fans that are already installed inside the chassis, you can add two more 120mm fans on the top panel. As for the radiator mounting options, you can install up to 360mm radiator on the front panel and a single 120mm radiator at the back. The fact that this case comes with as many as four pre-installed case fans makes it one of the best compact ATX cases on the market right now. It also comes with dust filters to cover the top, front, and bottom panels, which is always a nice addition. You can also use liquid cooling for your build thanks to the support for a 360mm radiator on the front.

The TUF Gaming GT301 also has plenty of room inside the chassis for all the high-end components that you to install. You can use an ATX motherboard for the build and install a CPU cooler with a maximum height of up to 160mm. There’s also enough space to install a GPU with a maximum length of up to 320mm. The TUF Gaming GT301 has seven expansion slots and space for up to four 2.5-inch and up to 2 3.5-inch drive bays for external storage drives. The front panel IO of the case carries two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, a couple of audio ports, an LED control, and a PC reset button.

All things considered, we think the ASUS TUF Gaming GT301 is one of the best compact ATX chassis on the market right now. We think this is a perfect case for those who’re looking to build a gaming rig. It certainly has the gaming aesthetics to match with sharp edges and ROG straps on the front. This particular case is one only available in black-color option and you can hit the link below to find the best price for it online right now.

ASUS TUF Gaming GT301

The ASUS TUF Gaming GT301 is one of the most affordable PC cases in this collection coming at under $100.

Features:

Pros: Cons:

Buy from Amazon

Best mini-ITX PC case: ASUS ROG Z11

The options are fairly limited when it comes to reliable mini-ITX gaming cases on the market for a PC build. Most of them are either pre-built machines or they aren’t as reliable as, say, a mid-tower or a full-tower chassis. The ASUS ROG Z11 is one of the few mini-ITX chassis that’s worth buying for your next PC build. There’s a lot to like about this mini-ITX chassis — be it the patented 11° tilt design or the tempered glass side panel that lets you see the internals of the case.

Despite being a mini-ITX chassis, the ASUS ROG Z11 case has enough space inside the chassis for high-end components for a gaming rig. You can also use liquid cooling inside the Z11, something that’s not possible in a lot of mini-ITX cases. One of the best things about this case is that it comes with a patented layout for the motherboard tray. It’s located at an 11-degree angle to make more room for airflow. The additional space created with this layout also allows for more heat dissipation around the CPU and the graphics card.

The ASUS ROG Z11 PC case also lets you install plenty of case fans inside the chassis. You can install two 120mm or 140mm fans on the top panel and two 120mm fans on the side. There’s also space to add either a 120mm or a 140mm fan at the bottom. As mentioned earlier, the ROG Z11 also lets you mount radiators for a liquid cooling loop. There’s space to add up to a 240mm radiator on the side and a 120mm radiator at the bottom. It’s not going to allow you to install a highly sophisticated liquid cooling solution, but it should be good enough to add an AIO liquid cooler.

In addition to that, the ROG Z11 also has some space to accommodate cables. This is possible due to the patented 11-degree layout design. Another thing that’s interesting about the Z11 miniITX case is that you can place the case in either vertical or horizontal position depending on the amount of space you have in your setup. The case also comes with dust filters on all sides, covering all possible openings.

Another interesting thing that’s worth pointing out is that the front panel IO includes a lot of ports for connectivity. You get two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Typen A ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C port. There’s also an ARGB control and a reset button on the IO panel that makes it easier to control both lightings as well as the system itself. Internally, you can install a miniITX motherboard inside the case. There’s also space to add a CPU cooler with a maximum height of up to 130mm and a GPU with a maximum length of up to 320mm. You can install both ATX as well as SFX PSUs inside the case, which is good. Overall, there’s a lot to like about the ROG Z11 miniITX case, and we think it definitely deserves a spot in this collection as one of the best ASUS PC cases you can buy right now.

ASUS ROG Z11 mini-ITX PC case

The ASUS ROG Z11 mini-ITX is one of the best PC cases on the market right now. The case offers plenty of useful features despite its small form-factor.

Features:

Pros: Cons:

Buy from Amazon

Best full ATX tower case: ASUS ProArt Station PD5

Before we begin talking about the ProArt Station PD5 case, it’s worth pointing out that you cannot buy this case separately. Yes, quite the bummer but the ProArt Station PD5 is a pre-built machine and this particular PC case is exclusive to this build. You can always use the case to install other components later in the future and upgrade, but you cannot buy it separately from ASUS, at least not yet. The ProArt Station PD5 is one of the best full ATX tower chassis on the market right now.

This particular pre-built machine is packed with some of the most powerful internals. It comes with 11th gen Intel Core i9 processor and an Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU. You also get an option to configure the machine with Nvidia RTX A2000 graphics. The RTX A2000, for those of you who don’t know, is essentially a graphics card made for creative professionals to use in their workstation build. This GPU is tuned to perform better in creative workloads applications with dedicated drivers.

A PC that carries powerful internals like this one requires a beefy case with plenty of room inside for all the components as well as cooling. Well, the ProArt Station PD5 is built inside a full ATX tower which means there’s a lot of space inside. The case, as you can see, comes with a ton of vents around the chassis for airflow. There’s a grill panel on the front along with a mesh panel at the back for airflow. As a pre-built machine, the case is fitted with all the case fans, CPU cooler, and other cooling components to maintain the thermal output of the machine.

According to ASUS, the ProArt Station PD5 also handles noise output very well. The case and the cooling system have been optimized to generate less than 27dB noise at idle. It doesn’t exceed 40dB even under load, which is quite impressive. Having a silent PC is important for creative professionals, especially for those who are working in video production or a recording studio. The case is only available in one color option though, so your options are fairly limited. ASUS makes up for that by adding what it calls the Lumiwiz LED indicators. The front chassis of the case is fitted with a pair of light bars to indicate this status of CPU & GPU. It’s also made to indicate the rendering processes and heavy system load.

The fact that this particular PC case is not available separately to buy is indeed a bummer. ASUS’ ProArt portfolio has a ton of impressive components including motherboards, monitors, and other peripherals. We hope ASUS will make this chassis available to buy separately in the future. If not, we think the portfolio definitely needs a standalone PC case for creative professionals from ASUS. For now, you can buy the ProArt Station PD5 as a pre-built machine to get this case. You can hit the link below to find the best price for this machine right now.

Best ASUS PC cases: Final Thoughts

Well, that brings us to the conclusion of this particular collection. ASUS, as you can see, has very limited options when it comes to PC cases. That being said, the available options are some of the best cases you can buy for your next PC build. The ASUS TUF Gaming GT501 is worth checking if you’re looking to build a mid-range to a high-end PC. Those leaning towards an SFF build can check out the ROG Strix Z11 miniITX PC case whereas the ROG Strix Helios a reliable for enthusiast builds.

We encourage you to check out some of our other collections such as the best motherboards or even the best CPUs if you’re planning a new PC build. Alternatively, you can also join our XDA Computing Forums to discuss your build and get more recommendations from the experts in our community.

The post These are the best ASUS PC cases you can buy in 2022 appeared first on xda-developers.

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