Huawei Nova 5T Debuts in Malaysia; Kirin 980, Quad Camera, RM1,599 Price Tag

Phone makers don’t often hold the global unveiling of their devices here in Malaysia, but Huawei did just that today with the brand new Huawei Nova 5T. Compared to
other devices

in the Nova series
, the 5T is actually pretty well equipped; it’s even powered by the same chipset found in the flagship
Huawei P30
 and
Mate 20
 devices.

Under the hood of the Nova 5T is a
Kirin 980 chipset
, which is currently Huawei’s best SoC to date. Built on a 7nm process, it is also quite power efficient. This, in turn, should translate to good battery life, especially with the phone’s 3,750mAh battery.

Aside from that, the Nova 5T also comes with a 6.26-inch 1080p LTPS display with a hole-punch cutout on the left side of the screen. According to Huawei, this phone has an impressive 91.7% screen-to-body ratio. On top of that, compared to a notch, the hole-punch cutout takes up less space, so it should be less distracting.

For photography, the Nova 5T is packed with a quad camera system. It’s made up of a 48MP primary shooter, a 16MP wide angle camera, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. The front-facing shooter, on the other hand, is a 32MP unit.

Rounding out the specifications of the Nova 5T are 8GB of RAM, 128GB of fast UFS 2.1 storage – albeit there’s no support for expandable storage – as well as EMUI 9.1 based on Android 9 Pie out of the box. Now, looking at the hardware and design of the Nova 5T, you won’t be wrong if this smartphone seems…familiar.

See, it is essentially a Huawei-branded
Honor 20
; even the side-mounted fingerprint sensor of the device is found on the 5T. Given that both companies are affiliated with each other, this isn’t exactly a surprise. But there is one distinct difference: the Nova 5T comes with 8GB of RAM, while the Honor 20 only has 6GB RAM.

The Huawei Nova 5T will be available for pre-order in Malaysia from 29 August to 5 September for RM1,599, which is really quite a competitive price tag. Those who place their pre-orders in this period will also receive two Huawei Mini Bluetooth speakers, a SuperCharge car charger, and one-year extended warranty.

Three distinct colours of the Nova 5T are available for the Malaysian market: Midsummer Purple, Crush Blue, and Black. Our hands-on of the latest Nova smartphone will be up shortly, so keep your eyes peeled!


Huawei Nova 5T Hands-On: A More Affordable Honor 20 in a New Guise

Huawei and Honor always had some similarities with their smartphone offerings. Whether it’s a familiar camera system or design, there’s no denying that both phone makers share some engineering here and there. After all, they
are
 affiliated with each other.

But the new Huawei Nova 5T takes things to a whole new level. Take away the Nova branding on the back, and you have yourself a
Honor 20
. No, I’m not kidding; they are both
literally
 the same smartphone. As far as I can tell, at least.

Okay, let’s break it down: how are these two devices similar to each other? Well, for starters, they look identical, except for some different styling cues on the back of the phone. Side-mounted fingerprint sensor? Check. Hole-punch display? Check.  Same screen size, battery capacity, and quad camera system? Check, check, and check. The resemblance is
uncanny
.

That being said, there is one difference. Instead of the Honor 20’s 6GB of RAM, the Nova 5T for the Malaysian market gets 8GB of RAM instead, though both phones still come with 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage. Beyond this – and the different back panel design – there really isn’t anything else that differentiates the two smartphones.

The Huawei Nova 5T
The Honor 20

Of course, there may be some differences when it comes to software. The Nova 5T runs on EMUI 9.1, while the Honor 20 operates on Magic UI 2.1. But despite the “different” versions of Android, I honestly don’t see any major difference between the two software. Nonetheless, this is something I can only really put to the test in a full review of the Nova 5T.

Now, that’s enough comparison with the Honor 20. When it comes to build quality and design, i really dig the Nova 5T’s premium look and feel, thanks to the glass and metal construction. On top of that, I love the Midsummer Purple colourway, which has tiny Nova brandings throughout the back of the phone.

If that’s a bit too much for you, there’s also the Crush Blue and Black models; the latter is a lot more subtle-looking.

On the front of the device, you’ve got the hole-punch cutout at the top left of the display for the 32MP f/2.0 selfie camera. Personally, I’ve always preferred this design over a notched screen. It takes up less screen real estate, so it won’t be quite as distracting. I do wish the cutout is a bit smaller though, but you can only ask for so much from a smartphone at this price point.

As for the screen itself, the 6.26-inch 1080p LTPS display looks good with vibrant colours and wide viewing angles. Naturally, it can get reasonably bright too, though it remains to be seen if it can get bright enough to be usable under bright sunlight – I only managed to try out the phone in a dimly lit environment.

When it comes to performance, the
Kirin 980 chipset
 under the hood of the Nova 5T is without a doubt powerful enough to provide a pleasant user experience. It is Huawei’s fastest SoC to date, and the 7nm size of the Kirin 980 also makes it a power efficient chip.

That power efficiency will come in handy when it comes to battery life. Packed with a 3,750mAh battery, I’m pretty confident the Nova 5T can return above average battery life. The 1080p resolution of the display should help in this regard too.

And then we have the Nova 5T’s quad camera system. The primary sensor is a 48MP f/1.8 shooter, which is complemented by a 16MP f/2.2 wide angle camera, a 2MP f/2.4 macro lens, and a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor for bokeh simulation. Collectively, this camera setup can capture really good-looking shots.

Even in low light conditions, the quad camera system can capture a good amount of detail and exposure; even the noise level is kept in check really well. That being said, the shutter speed does slow down quite a bit, though the camera interface still feels responsive.

Based on my brief time with the Nova 5T, I’m quite impressed with the camera performance. It would be interesting to see how the camera would fare against the Honor 20 – the latter is actually
quite respectable in the camera department
.

The Huawei Nova 5T is an interesting smartphone. It is one of the most impressive Nova devices to date, and it is priced very competitively too. Only a sole 128GB variant of the phone is available in Malaysia, and it retails at only RM1,599.

To put this into context, the Honor 20 (which is almost identical to the 5T) retails for slightly more at RM1,699. Again, it’s worth noting that Honor’s offering only comes with 6GB of RAM, compared to the Nova 5T’s 8GB RAM – peculiar, isn’t it?

Evidently, Huawei is aiming to dominate the affordable flagship segment with the Nova 5T. It doesn’t just have the Honor 20 in its sights; the company is obviously looking to compete directly with the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro as well, which also retails from RM1,599.

All in all, the Nova 5T could just be Huawei’s most exciting sub-RM2,000 smartphone yet, even if the Chinese company is still
caught up with the US government
. But whether or not the 5T is really as good as it seems can only be revealed in a full review of the smartphone.

If you’re keen enough to purchase the Nova 5T, it will be available for pre-order
from 29 August to 5 September 2019
.


Sony WF-1000XM3 Officially Launched in Malaysia for RM949

Announced globally
just last month
, the Sony WF-1000XM3 has just been launched in Malaysia. Retailing at RM949, these are not exactly affordable wireless earbuds, but you are getting quite a number of features, including very good active noise cancellation performance.

Looking at the WF-1000XM3’s feature set, the active noise cancellation is one of its biggest selling points. I managed to try it out for a bit at the launch event, and it’s really quite impressive. On its own, the noise cancellation does feel quite “deafening.” But once I start playing some songs, this effect is reduced, and I can barely hear the outside world.

As for the audio quality, I can’t really say with certainty how good – or bad – these earbuds sound; I only spent a brief time with the WF-1000XM3. However, I do notice a good amount of bass, and it doesn’t sound muddled at all, even in more complicated sections of a song.

I’m also particularly impressed with the fit of these wireless earbuds. It’s a little bit difficult to put them into my ears, but once they do, the fit is very snug and secure. I have absolutely no fear of them falling off, which is a great thing for truly wireless earbuds such as these.

If you’re concerned you won’t get a good fit, don’t worry: they come with different tip sizes to accommodate a wide range of users.

There are, however, a couple of things that I don’t quite like about the WF-1000XM3. For one, the earbuds feel quite…cheap. The plastic build material doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, and the lack of heft doesn’t help either. Granted, you’d
want
 them to be lightweight, but they certainly don’t feel like a RM949 product.

And then we have the carrying case, which also doubles as the charger. The case, when fully charged, has enough juice to charge the earbuds three times, so needless to say, it is quite chunky. This, in turn, makes it difficult to keep in my pocket, especially when I’m wearing jeans.

That being said, the case does feel solid. I also love the fact that it’s magnetised, so the lid closes with a satisfying thud, and even the earbuds just fall into place when I place them inside the case.

Previous iteration of the WF-1000XM3 – the WF-1000X, which was released back in 2017 – suffered from connection issues and audio delay, but I didn’t notice either of these with the new generation earbuds. Thanks to a new Bluetooth chip, the two earbuds connect independently to a paired device, so audio delay is minimal, and there wasn’t any connection dropout.

So what else is there to know about the WF-1000XM3? Well, it has up to eight hours of battery life (six if you switch on the active noise cancellation), it’s able to offer up to 90 minutes of play time within only 10 minutes of charging, and…it doesn’t have water or dust resistance.

Yes, the WF-1000XM3 doesn’t have any form of water resistance, which is a little bit disheartening for truly wireless earbuds like these. If you plan to hit the gym or go on a jogging session with the earbuds, take extra precaution; there’s no telling how prone they are to water damage.

The Sony WF-1000XM3 truly wireless earbuds are now available for purchase in Malaysia for RM949. While that’s not a particularly affordable price tag, you’re getting a great pair of earbuds with impressive active noise cancellation performance, among other things.

At least, that’s my takeaway based on my brief time with the WF-1000XM3. If you’re interested to pick it up, it’s best to try it out for yourself first.


Oppo Reno 2 Series Launched with 3 Devices; Mid-Rangers with Quad Camera Systems

Oppo officially unveiled the new Oppo Reno 2 series in India, and there are three different devices in the lineup: the Reno 2, Reno 2 Z, and Reno 2 F. Interestingly, unlike the
original Reno series
, all three of these smartphones are mid-rangers; the
Reno 10x Zoom
 is still the company’s latest flagship.

With that in mind, the Reno 2 series is really a followup to the
standard Reno
, and there are quite a number of improvements. The Reno 2 itself, for one, comes with a newer Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G chipset paired with up to 8GB of RAM. In comparison, the first Reno had an older Snapdragon 710 SoC with 6GB of RAM.

Besides that, the Reno 2 also features a quad camera system. It consists of a 48MP f/1.7 primary sensor, an 8MP f/2.2 wide angle shooter, a 16MP f/2.4 telephoto lens, and a 2MP f/2.4 monochrome sensor. According to Oppo, the combination of these sensors allow the Reno 2 to do 5x hybrid zoom, and up to 20x digital zoom.

Unfortunately, the quad camera system does not use the periscope-style lens arrangement found in the higher-end Reno 10x Zoom, so it can only do 5x hybrid zoom. The 10x hybrid zoom capability remains exclusive to the Reno 10X Zoom model.

Other specifications of the Reno 2 include a 6.5-inch 1080p AMOLED display, a 4,000mAh battery, 256GB of internal storage, and of course, a motorised “shark fin” 16MP f/2.0 selfie camera.

Next, we have the Reno 2 Z, which comes with a MediaTek Helio P90 chipset instead. On top of that, it also loses the shark fin motorised camera module; it’s replaced with a more conventional-looking pop-up camera, though the sensor is still a 16MP shooter.

As for the rear camera system, the Reno 2 Z still has four different sensors, but the telephoto shooter is replaced with a 2MP depth camera. Beyond that, it still has a 6.5-inch 1080p AMOLED display, 8GB of RAM, 128GB or 256GB of storage, and a 4,000mAh battery.

Last but certainly not least is the most affordable device in the series, the Reno 2 F. Just like the Z, the F has the same pop-up camera module, but the chipset has been swapped out for a Helio P70 SoC. The rear camera also gets a slight change: the 48MP f/1.7 primary shooter is replaced with a different 48MP sensor with f/1.79 aperture.

Besides that, the Reno 2 F is the same as the Z model. It also comes with a 6.5-inch 1080p AMOLED display, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage (there’s no option for 256GB), as well as a 4,000mAh cell.

The Oppo Reno 2 series is now available in India. The Reno 2 retails at 36,990 Indian rupee (about RM2,175), while the Reno 2 Z will set you back 29,990 rupee (approximately RM1,765). Oddly enough, the Reno 2 F does not have any pricing detail yet, and it’s only set to be available sometime in November 2019.


Redmi Note 8 Series Official with 64MP Camera & Helio G90T

The Redmi Note 8 series is here, and as expected, there are two devices in the series: the standard Redmi Note 8, and the higher-end Redmi Note 8 Pro. Naturally, the latter is the more exciting device, thanks to its 64MP camera sensor and
MediaTek Helio G90T chipset
 under the hood.

In fact, the Redmi Note 8 Pro is the first smartphone to officially debut with the 64MP sensor. On top of that, it is also the first device to be announced with the Helio G90T chipset, which promises good gaming performance for the money. According to MediaTek, the G90T is up to 26% faster than the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730.

As for the 64MP camera, it’s the Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 sensor, which uses pixel binning to output brighter, better-looking 16MP images. Complementing the 64MP sensor are three other shooters: an 8MP wide angle camera, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor.

What about selfies? For that, the Redmi Note 8 Pro has a 20MP front-facing camera housed in the notch at the top of the display. That’s right, this phone has a 6.53-inch 1080p notched display; there’s no hole-punch cutout or all-screen design here, for better or worse.

Rounding out the specifications of the Redmi Note 8 Pro are up to 8GB of RAM, 64GB or 128GB of internal storage, a generous 4,500mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging, and even a liquid cooling system for better thermal performance.

Those who want something more affordable can opt for the standard Redmi Note 8 instead. For the most part, it looks relatively similar to the Pro variant, except for the camera sensors, which are placed on the left side of the back panel. On top of that, the primary sensor is a 48MP unit, so only the Pro model gets the 64MP camera.

Other specifications of the Redmi Note 8 include a more compact 6.3-inch 1080p display (still with a notch), a Snapdragon 665 chipset paired with up to 6GB of RAM, 64GB or 128GB of internal storage, a quad camera system (48MP primary + 8MP wide angle + 2MP macro + 2MP depth), a 13MP selfie camera, and a smaller 4,000mAh cell.

Now then, let’s get to pricing. Three variants of the Redmi Note 8 Pro are available: the 64GB model with 6GB RAM goes for 1,399 Chinese yuan (about RM825), while the 128GB variants with 6GB and 8GB of RAM retail at 1,599 yuan (approximately RM940) and 1,799 yuan (around RM1,060) respectively.

These are competitive price tags, and the Redmi Note 8 is
even more
 affordable. The 64GB + 4GB model goes for only 999 yuan (about RM590), while the 64GB + 6GB and 128GB + 6GB variants are priced at 1,199 yuan (around RM705) and 1,399 yuan (approximately RM825) respectively.

At the moment, the Redmi Note 8 Pro is set to go on sale in China on 3 September, while the regular Redmi Note 8 will be sold from 17 September onwards in the country. Malaysian release of these two phones are not confirmed yet, but we reckon Xiaomi Malaysia will bring them in soon.


Apple Sets 10 September Special Event; iPhone 11 Expected

Apple just released a teaser for a “special event” next month on 10 September. It’s a simple teaser, with the words “by innovation only” written below a colourful Apple logo. While this doesn’t tell us much, a September Apple event usually mean one thing: new iPhones.

Every year, Apple introduces its new smartphones
in September
, so it is very likely the Cupertino company will unveil the iPhone 11 at the upcoming event. According to rumours, at least three new iPhones will be announced, which will succeed the current iPhone XR,
iPhone XS
, and iPhone XS Max.

The iPhone XS

If rumours are to be believed, two of the new iPhones will be Apple’s first smartphones to feature triple camera systems. Up until now, iPhones only had up to two camera sensors: one primary shooter, and a telephoto lens. Chances are, the new triple camera configuration will add a wide angle sensor.

Besides that, the upcoming iPhones will follow last year’s lineup when it comes to display technology. Two of them will potentially feature OLED screens, while the other one will supposedly come with an LCD display; just like how it was with the iPhone XR.

Interestingly, Apple may introduce two-way wireless charging with the iPhone 11 series. Basically, on top of the support for wireless charging, the phone itself can act as a wireless charger. While it’s not a new feature – both Huawei and Samsung already did this – it’s a nice feature to have.

Other new features the new iPhones are rumoured to come with include a better face ID system, improved battery life, and of course, faster performance. More likely than not, the iPhone 11 will be powered by Apple’s yet to be announced A13 chip. No details of the processor have been leaked yet, but it should offer noticeable performance gain.

Apple events rarely revolve around only one segment of products, so we can expect to see other notable announcements or updates at the launch event. After all, last year’s Apple event saw the introduction of the Apple Watch Series 4. Perhaps the company will introduce some form of update to the Apple Watch?

The Apple special event will take place on 10 September at 10AM Pacific Time. If you want to catch the livestream to see for yourself the new iPhone 11, just log on to
Apple’s website
 on 11 September at 1AM Malaysian time.


Garmin Fenix 6 Sport Watches Now in Malaysia; Cost up to RM5,699

Garmin’s range of sport watches are made for the most dedicated of fitness folks, and the company’s latest products, the Fenix 6 series, are now available in Malaysia. However, given the pedigree of these sport watches, they cost quite a bit of money: one even retails at a whopping RM5,699.

That, of course, is the highest-end Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Solar, which – as its name suggests – supports solar charging. In the right condition, the solar charging can extend the watch’s battery life by up to three days in smartwatch mode. This is on top of the already impressive quoted battery life of up to 21 days.

Besides that, the Fenix 6X Pro Solar also comes with a 1.4-inch 280 x 280 transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) display, which is actually
more visible
 under harsh sunlight, though the viewing angle isn’t particularly great. This is not your typical display technology; on its own, this screen is not even illuminated, relying instead on a more traditional backlight system. Basically, think of G-Shock’s lighting system.

There are two variants of the Fenix 6X in Malaysia: the standard Carbon Grey model (without solar charging, of course) with sapphire glass retails at RM4,199, while the Pro Solar variant in Titanium Carbon Grey goes for RM4,699. So where’s the RM5,699 Fenix 6X? Well, that’s the Pro Solar model with a titanium bracelet instead of a silicone strap.

If you want something smaller, there’s the Fenix 6, which shares many features of the Fenix 6X. In fact, all sport watches in this series have similar features, with the size of each watch – and, in turn, battery life – being the most obvious difference. Well, except for the Fenix 6X Pro Solar; that’s the only model here that has solar charging.

Okay, moving on: the Fenix 6 has a slightly smaller 1.3-inch 260 x 260 MIP display, along with up to 13 days of battery life in smartwatch mode. Much like the Fenix 6X, this particular sport watch is also rated for 10 ATM; it can be submerged up to 100m underwater with no issue.

Two models of the Fenix 6 are available here. The standard Silver model with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 is priced at RM2,999, while the Carbon Grey variant with sapphire glass carry a RM3,950 price tag.

Last but certainly not least is the smallest sport watch in the series, the Fenix 6S. Depending on which colour you get, it’s a decidedly more feminine-looking sport watch. it also comes with a 1.2-inch 240 x 240 MIP screen, up to nine days of battery life in smartwatch mode, and of course, 10 ATM water resistance rating.

As many as three variants of the Fenix 6S are sold here, with the Silver model with Gorilla Glass 3 retailing at RM2,999. Both the Rose Gold and Carbon Grey colourways with sapphire glass, on the other hand, go for RM3,950.

At these price points, the Fenix 6 watches are definitely not meant for “regular” consumers. Instead, they are meant to appeal to consumers with an active lifestyle; those who would want to track their activities with utmost accuracy, among other things. Also, don’t think of these as “traditional smartwatches” – they don’t even have touch screens.

That’s right, you navigate through the user interface of the Fenix 6 with the five buttons around the watch case. Given that these watches are primarily meant for outdoor use (especially if you’re swimming), a touch screen isn’t the most ideal feature to have.

The Garmin Fenix 6 series of sport watches can now be purchased in Malaysia, but the Fenix 6X Pro Solar with a titanium bracelet is not available just yet. That model will be arriving on our shores at a later date.


Honor Band 5 Arrives in Malaysia for RM149

If you’re looking to get an affordable fitness band, consider this: Honor Malaysia just launched its latest wearable on our shores, the Honor Band 5. Retailing at only RM149, this fitness band is priced at the exact same price point as its (arguably) biggest competition, the
Xiaomi Mi Band 4
.

For that kind of money, the Honor Band 5 offers a 0.95-inch 240 x 120 AMOLED display, a 100mAh battery that promises up to 14 days of battery life, a heart rate sensor, and a 5 ATM water resistance rating; it can be submerged up to 50m underwater for 10 minutes.

Interestingly, while the Honor Band 5 is capable of measuring your blood oxygen level –  which will prove to be useful to check if you can handle more strenuous workouts – the model for our market…does not support the feature. While the measurement probably won’t be awfully accurate, it would have certainly been a nice feature to have.

Of course, as a fitness band, the Honor Band 5 can track various workouts as well. According to the company, this wearable has 10 distinct “fitness modes,” which include running, cycling, swimming, and even free training. Once you’re done with your workout, the Band 5 will present to you a number of data, including your heart rate, workout time, distance, and speed.

I managed to play around with the Honor Band 5 for a brief period of time, and it’s really quite an impressive fitness band. The AMOLED display, for one, is bright and vibrant. Thanks to the inherent characteristic of AMOLED panels, you’re getting very deep blacks here too.

Performance wise, I didn’t notice any stutter or lag while operating the Honor Band 5. I can scroll through the menu seamlessly, and it is responsive enough to not feel sluggish. I also love the fact that display (and the chassis itself) has a slight curvature to better fit your wrist – very ergonomic.

However, if I were to nitpick, I’d say the strap itself could be better. Now, it’s not like the strap is flawed in any way, but I do wish it was a little bit softer to improve comfort. That being said, I only strapped it to my wrist for a brief moment; it wouldn’t be fair to judge the comfort of the wearable based on this alone.

The Honor Band 5 is now available for purchase online on
Honor Malaysia’s website
 for RM149. Alternatively, you can check out the wearable for yourself at Honor’s roadshow, which is happening right now until 1 September in Sunway Pyramid, Bandar Sunway.


Huawei Mate 30 Series Launching on 19 September

Huawei’s next big flagship smartphone will be announced later this month on 19 September, and it’s the Huawei Mate 30 series. The teaser for the launch event is accompanied with the tagline “Rethink Possibilities.” Given the circumstances
surrounding the Chinese phone maker now
, it’s really quite an apt description.

See, the Mate 30 series
cannot
ship with Google’s suit of services and apps out of the box. The upcoming smartphones will not be pre-loaded with incredibly vital apps like Google Maps, YouTube, Gmail, and more crucially, the Google Play Store. This was
confirmed by Google itself
, so it’ll be interesting to see how Huawei will work around this issue.

Did you get it right? The countdown to
#HuaweiMate30
 starts now!
We're going full circle in Munich on 19.09.2019.
Join us live:
https://t.co/9ugi5gG9ci
#RethinkPossibilities

pic.twitter.com/etRYjrBVEC
— Huawei Mobile (@HuaweiMobile)
September 1, 2019

Granted, Huawei does have its own alternative to the Google Play Store with the company’s App Gallery. While the latter does have a rather robust selection of apps, it is still incomparable to the sheer size of the Play Store. Nonetheless, it could be a feasible solution to fill in the void left by Google’s huge selection of apps.

Beyond this issue, there’s a good chance the Mate 30 series will still run on Android, albeit based on the open-source version instead. It would still be inherently an Android smartphone, but it won’t include any dedicated services from Google.

Can be 100% sure, this is a real poster leaked.
pic.twitter.com/WgUiaGUTR4
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce)
August 27, 2019

As for the Mate 30 series itself, we still don’t know how many devices will be launched under that moniker. But based on numerous leaks and rumours, at least one variant of the Mate 30 will come with a circular rear camera module. Sort of like…Lumia devices of old, if you will.

Besides that, leaked render of the Mate 30 series have also surfaced on the internet, and it appears to be sporting a notched display – a pretty wide notch, at that – along with a dual curved screen. It’s not super noticeable in the render, but looking at other (alleged) images of the device, the curve looks very pronounced.

In fact, it’s a lot more pronounced than, say, the
Samsung Galaxy Note 10+
‘s dual curved display.

The Mate 30 Pro was discovered in the subway and features a waterfall screen design.
Its back side matches the leaking protective case.
Image from anonymous leaker to Weibo@锋潮科技
pic.twitter.com/XKCyLSJI2v
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce)
August 16, 2019

Nonetheless, we’ll find out for ourselves exactly how the Huawei Mate 30 series will look like come 19 September 2019. While it’s not confirmed yet, it’s highly likely the company’s yet to be announced Kirin 990 chipset will power the upcoming smartphones too. That SoC will be made official on 6 September at IFA 2019.


Black Shark 2 Pro Lands in Malaysia; Retails from RM2,499

The
Black Shark 2 Pro
 has just been launched in Malaysia, making it the first gaming smartphone with a
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+
 chipset to arrive on our shores. If you want the fastest gaming smartphone right now – at least, until the
Asus ROG Phone II
 with the same SoC gets here – the Black Shark 2 Pro is one to consider.

Compared to
its predecessor
, this Pro variant has a number of notable improvements. The Snapdragon 855+ chipset, for one, promises up to 15% better gaming performance. This is thanks to the overclocked CPU and GPU of the 855+, even if the standard Snapdragon 855 shares the same components.

Another noteworthy upgrade is the improved response rate of the Black Shark 2 Pro’s 6.39-inch 1080p AMOLED display. Just like the previous model, the screen has a 240Hz polling rate, but Black Shark managed to reduce the input delay from 43.5ms down to only 34.7ms. This may seem like a small difference, but more serious mobile gamers would definitely appreciate it.

Unfortunately enough, the Black Shark 2 Pro also retains the 60Hz display of its predecessor. In a market where other gaming smartphones are shipping with faster 90Hz or 120Hz displays, the Pro certainly don’t stand out quite as much. If there’s any consolation, at least it has the lowest input delay among its competition – that’s what Black Shark is claiming.

Design wise, the Black Shark 2 Pro gets a new back design with a strip of metal going down the middle of the phone. Of course, it even comes with RGB lighting that can be customised to your liking. The new design isn’t just for show, apparently: Black Shark claims that the redesigned back panel will improve grip comfort in longer gaming sessions.

Rounding out the specifications of the Black Shark 2 Pro include 8GB or 12GB of RAM, up to 256GB of non-expandable internal storage, a dual camera system (48MP f/1.75 primary + 8MP f/2.2 telephoto), a 12MP front-facing camera, a USB-C port, as well as a generous 4,000mAh battery.

The Black Shark 2 Pro will go on sale in Malaysia later today on Shopee. The 128GB model with 8GB RAM retails at RM2,499, while the 256GB variant with 12GB RAM goes for RM2,999. If you’re quick, you can get a complimentary Black Shark power bank (worth RM99) along with a RM150 Shopee voucher – only usable for the phone – if you’re the first 200 customers to purchase the phone on Shopee.

Currently, only the Shadow Black and Iceberg Grey are available here; the Gulf Blue colourway will only arrive in Malaysia by the end of September 2019. If you’d like to learn more about the Black Shark 2 Pro, check out our hands-on
right here
.


Acer Swift 5 (2019) Weighs Only 990g with Ice Lake CPU & MX250 GPU

Acer just unveiled a slew of products ahead of IFA 2019, and one of the most interesting laptops is this one right here: the new 2019 Acer Swift 5. Weighing only 990g, this 14-inch productivity laptop also comes with Intel’s latest 10th generation Ice Lake CPU and a dedicated Nvidia GeForce MX250 GPU.

Given that the new Swift 5 comes with a discrete GPU, it’s really quite impressive how it weighs only 990g – even less if you forego that GPU for the integrated Intel Iris Pro Graphics. According to Acer, this makes it the world’s lightest 14-inch laptop.

On top of that, the Swift 5 is a relatively thin laptop too. Its chassis measures only 14.95mm thin, making it quite the portable machine. This, combined with the narrow screen bezels, reduce the overall footprint of the laptop. The slim, lightweight nature of the Swift 5 really makes it the ideal notebook for those who are always on the go.

Powered by Intel’s latest 10 generation processors – it can be configured up to a Core i7-1065G7 chip – the Swift 5 will be powerful enough for everyday use. If you want to do some gaming, the MX250 GPU should be capable enough to run certain games well too, including Dota,
Diablo III
, and even Fortnite with lowered graphics settings.

When it comes to connectivity, the Swift 5 is reasonably well equipped. It comes with a USB-C port (with Thunderbolt 3 support), two full-size USB-A connections, as well as an HDMI output. Considering the fact that many PC makers are moving away from USB-A ports – especially on slim and light laptops, such as the Swift 5 – it’s great to see Acer retaining this port.

Other specifications of the Swift 5 include a 14-inch 1080p IPS touch display, up to 512GB of SSD storage, a fingerprint reader, and up to 12.5 hours of battery life.

Besides the Swift 5, there’s also the more affordable Swift 3. Its choice of CPU and GPU are similar to the former, but the Swift 3 weighs 1.19kg with a 15.95mm chassis. It also comes with a 14-inch Full HD IPS display, up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage, as well as the same 12.5 hours battery life of the Swift 5.

The Acer Swift 5 and Swift 3 will be available in selected markets from this month onwards. The Swift 5 starts from $900 (about RM3,785), while the Swift 3 retails from $700 (approximately RM2,945). As of this writing, it remains to be seen exactly when these two laptops will arrive in Malaysia.


Acer Introduces Predator Triton 300; Thin & Light Entry-Level Gaming Laptop

Acer just unveiled a new Triton laptop under its Predator line of gaming laptops. Dubbed Predator Triton 300, the new product serves as the most affordable gaming machine within the Triton series, which is reserved for slim and light gaming laptops.

Tipping the scales at 2.3kg, the Triton 300 isn’t exactly the lightest gaming machine, but it is not particularly heavy either. Its chassis, on the other hand, measures 22.9mm thin. Again, not the slimmest machine around, but definitely thinner than your typical gaming laptop.

Like its bigger brother, the
Predator Triton 500
, the Triton 300 also comes with a fast 144Hz 15.6-inch 1080p IPS display. Thanks to the high refresh rate, gaming on this laptop should be very enjoyable; the display is capable of showing more frames per second.

Unfortunately, the Triton 300 can’t quite make full use of the 144Hz screen, powered only by an
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650
 GPU. Now, it’s still quite a respectable GPU, and it can definitely run most games well with some tweaking in the graphics settings, but can it push out 144fps? Only in certain titles like Dota 2 and
Diablo III
.

On the flip side, the Triton 300 can be configured with Intel’s 9th generation Core i7 processor, which should be from the H series. As far as processors for gaming laptops are concerned, it is fast enough to fulfill most gamers’ needs. To cool down these components, Acer equipped this laptop with its signature 4th generation AeroBlade 3D metal fans.

Rounding out the specifications of the Triton 300 are 16GB of DDR4 2666MHz RAM – upgradable to 32GB – support for up to two 1TB PCIe NVMe SSDs in Raid 0 configuration, an RGB keyboard with zoned lighting, three USB-A ports, a USB-C connection, an HDMI output, and a RJ45 port.

Beyond the new Triton 300, Acer also refreshed the Triton 500 with a new display option: the 144Hz screen can now be swapped out for a 300Hz panel. Besides that, other hardware of the Triton 500 remain the same.

The Acer Predator Triton 300 is set to arrive in the EMEA regions this October with a starting price of 1,299 euro, which comes up to about RM6,000. The new Predator Triton 500 will also be available in the same regions in November, retailing from 2,699 euro (approximately RM12,495).

Do note that these prices include VAT, so the gaming laptops should be priced lower in other markets outside of Europe. As for the Malaysian market, it remains to be seen if the new Triton 300 and Triton 500 will make it here.


The Acer Predator Thronos Air Is a Decadent RM58,000 “Gaming Chair”

Remember the original Acer Thronos gaming chair? Well, there’s a more “affordable” option now, the Acer Thronos Air. Retailing at a whopping $14,000 (that’s about RM58,675) in the US, this “gaming chair” is actually quite a bit more affordable than the first model, which retailed at $20,000 (approximately RM83,825) in the same market.

So what did Acer do to bring down the price of the Thronos Air? By simply removing the automatic motorised monitor arm, which has been replaced with a manually operated arm. Beyond this one change, the Thronos Air is still encased in a steel structure.

Actually, there is
one
 other thing that differentiates the Thronos Air from the original: the chair has a massage function now. Interesting, isn’t it?

Other features of the Thronos Air are similar to its predecessor. It can still house three monitors, with a handle right below the middle monitor’s stand to raise or lower them manually. Of course, the keyboard and mouse tray remain adjustable, so you can get into a comfortable position regardless of your seating angle.

Speaking of which, the Thronos Air also has a foot rest to keep your feet elevated for maximum comfort. Really, this gaming chair is all about keeping you comfortable in your gaming sessions. Given just how costly the Thronos Air is, this is something you’ve come to expect.

Interestingly, if you plan to livestream your gaming sessions, it’s possible to place a camera right above the middle monitor. What about your PC itself? For that, a platform is placed right behind the chair to accommodate your desktop PC, complete with a cable management system to keep everything neat.

Not surprisingly, you can also customise the Thronos Air with a number of additions. These include a seat stabiliser – it prevents the chair from moving around when you’re gaming – a headset holder, a USB hub, and even a cup holder (because why not). To complete the look, the chair has a teal blue lighting that emits “a soft cool glow.”

The Acer Predator Thronos Air gaming chair will be available globally from the fourth quarter of 2019. If you’re keen to get it, there’s a good chance the Thronos Air will be made available in Malaysia. After all, the first Thronos eventually made it here.

Just expect to pay a small fortune for this decadent gaming chair.


ShopBack ShopFest Back for 2019 with Millions of Vouchers to Give Away

We’re entering the fourth quarter of 2019 now, so expect to see quite a number of online sales taking place in this period. To make things a little easier, ShopBack is bringing back its ShopFest event, which aims to help you get the best deals from six major online sales.

These events include the upcoming 9.9 sale, #MyCyberSale, 11.11, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, 12.12, as well as the year end sale. How ShopFest works is really quite simple: just visit the official site
here
, where ShopBack would collect the best deals from various sites along with upsized cashback offers.

Among the sites that you can get cashback from with ShopBack are Shopee, Lazada, Taobao, Nike, Zalora, Booking.com, Expedia, and so on. In fact, ShopBack is working with over
500 sites
 to offer cashback via its platform. Needless to say, that’s a huge number.

Over the course of ShopFest – it’s happening right now until the end of the year – as many as 1.5 million voucher codes will be given out by ShopBack. In the same time period, the company expects to give out over RM20 million worth of cashback too.

These are huge numbers, but that’s because ShopFest is a regional event, which includes countries in the APAC region. Last year alone, over 10 million transactions took place during ShopFest.

On top of these upsized cashback offers and discount vouchers, ShopBack is also introducing two new games: Voucher Hunt and Coin Monster. The former is an in-app game in
Shopback’s
mobile app
. Taking place at 11AM – 12PM and 7PM – 8PM every day until 9 September, you can win Lazada vouchers worth up to RM50.

All you have to do is open the ShopBack app in the specified time, and look for “treasure chest icons.” Three of them will be available, but only one will unlock a Lazada voucher.

And then there’s Coin Monster, a Facebook game that’s accessible from
ShopBack Malaysia’s Facebook page
 from 9 to 15 September. The exact mechanics of the game have not been revealed yet, but players can get vouchers codes from the game. On top of that, the top scorer will also walk away with RM1,000.

If you don’t want to feel overwhelmed, ShopBack’s ShopFest event can certainly help you navigate the slew of online sales that will take place over the next few months. To learn more about ShopFest, check out the official site
here
.


Acer Swift 5 & Swift 3 Hands-On: Incredibly Light Productivity Laptops

Unveiled to the world
just a couple of days ago
, we managed to spend some time with the brand new Acer Swift 5 and Swift 3 productivity laptops here in Malaysia. Out of the two products, the Swift 5 is definitely the more impressive one here. After all, it weighs
only 990g
.

Although there’s no word yet on the local availability of these two laptops, I absolutely can’t wait for the Swift 5 to arrive in Malaysia; especially if it’s priced competitively.

The Swift 5 (left) and Swift 3

Let’s start with the specifications of both laptops. The Swift 5 is powered by Intel’s latest 10th generation Ice Lake chips, with the highest configuration being the Core i7-1065G7 processor. In the GPU side of things, this laptop can either be equipped with an Nvidia GeForce MX250 GPU, or Intel’s integrated Iris Pro Graphics.

Other specifications of the Swift 5 include a 14-inch 1080p IPS touch display, up to 512GB of SSD storage, a fingerprint reader, and up to 12.5 hours of battery life. Although Acer did not reveal the RAM capacity of this laptop, it should be able to accommodate up to 16GB of RAM.

The Swift 5
The Swift 3

As for the Swift 3, most of its hardware are similar to the Swift 5, including the processor, GPU, display size, SSD capacity, and battery life. The differences lie in the weight and thickness of the laptop, which are 1.19kg and 15.95mm respectively. Besides that, it also has a slightly bigger footprint.

Now that we’ve got the specifications out of the way, let’s talk about the Swift 5 itself. As mentioned, it weighs only 990g, making it a ridiculously light laptop. In fact, just lifting it up feels very unreal; it’s unbelievable how a laptop as light as this has a fast processor and dedicated GPU.

On top of that, the Swift 5 is also a relatively thin laptop, measuring 14.95mm thin. Despite its slim chassis, it still comes with a good selection of ports. These include a USB-C port with Thunderbolt 3 support, two full-size USB-A connections, and an HDMI output.

The Swift 3, on the other hand, is not quite as lightweight as the Swift 5. But tipping the scales at 1.19kg, it is still reasonably light. Its connectivity options are also similar to the latter.

When it comes to display quality, the 14-inch IPS screens on the Swift 5 and Swift 3 look identical to my eyes. Viewing angles are good, colours look vibrant, and they can get reasonably bright too. The only real difference is the absence of a touch display on the Swift 3. Nonetheless, the screen bezels on the two laptops are similarly minimal, lending to a sleek, modern-looking design.

Although I didn’t manage to really get a feel for the performance levels of both laptops, they should be more than capable to provide a good user experience. Intel’s Ice Lake processors are fast enough for most productivity tasks, and the MX250 GPU will be able to run certain games well.

And then we have two important hardware of a productivity laptop: the keyboard and trackpad. Between the two laptops, the Swift 5 has better input devices. The keyboard has decent amount of travel to not feel shallow, and I like the tactility of the keys.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the Swift 3. Not only does the keyboard feel shallow with minimal key travel, I’m not a fan of the gritty finish on the keys. It doesn’t feel “cheap,” per se, but the keyboard definitely lacks the same level of polish as the Swift 5.

Same goes for the Swift 3’s trackpad: while it can track my fingers pretty accurately, the trackpad itself…doesn’t feel particularly well-built. It has a bit of play – almost like it’s loose – and the clicking sensation isn’t as “full” as I would’ve hoped; it has a hollow feel.

It’s a different story for the Swift 5, thankfully. Its trackpad is a lot more robust, and it seems to be a little bit more accurate than the Swift 3’s trackpad. However, this may be a placebo effect purely because of the trackpad’s better build quality.

The New Swift 5 (top) and its predecessor (bottom)

The Acer Swift 5 and Swift 3 are the best iterations of their respective series yet, especially with the former. Next to its predecessor, it’s almost as if the new Swift 5 is from a different series, which is a really good thing. Not only is it sleeker, it also has a smaller footprint, making it more portable.

If you’re planning to get a polished, lightweight, and slim productivity laptop, consider to put a hold on your purchase until the Swift 5 and Swift 3 are available locally. Acer Malaysia did not reveal exactly when – or if, for that matter – the two laptops will be launched here, but there’s a good chance they’ll arrive here in the near future.

After all, Acer has a strong presence right here in Malaysia, and most of its products do make it here eventually. For now, the Swift 5 and Swift 3 will only be available in EMEA regions sometime this month. Pricing wise, the Swift 5 retails from $900 (about RM 3,760), while the Swift 3 starts from $700 (approximately RM2,925).


Acer ConceptD 5 Pro & 3 Pro Hands-On: For the Creative Professionals

The
Acer Swift 5 and Swift 3
 weren’t the only laptops that were shown to us here in Malaysia after their IFA 2019 debut; the Taiwanese company’s brand new workstation laptops were there for us to get some brief hands-on time too. The two products are the Acer ConceptD 5 Pro and ConceptD 3 Pro, which are meant to appeal to creative professionals.

Unlike the
previous generation ConceptD laptops
, these new machines are now proper workstation laptops with appropriate GPUs for the task at hand. The ConceptD 5 Pro, for one, is powered by Nvidia’s new Quadro RTX 3000 GPU – it is based on the TU106 chip found inside the RTX 2070 GPU.

The ConceptD 5 Pro
The ConceptD 3 Pro

What differentiates the Quadro RTX 3000 over the more gamer-centric RTX 2070 GPU are a number of things: the former has reduced clock speeds, shaders, and memory bandwidth. While these make the Quadro GPU less ideal for gaming, it offers certified drivers, so it is more optimised for professional applications like CAD, DCC, or visualising software.

What about the ConceptD 3 Pro’s GPU? Well, as its name suggests, it is a more affordable offering, so it has a slower Quadro T1000 GPU. It is based on the TU117 Turing chip – the very same one the GTX 1650 GPU uses – so it doesn’t come with RTX-specific features like ray tracing and Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS).

The ConceptD 5 Pro
The ConceptD 3 Pro

Beyond their GPUs, both the ConceptD 5 Pro and 3 Pro can be configured up to Intel’s 9th generation Core i7 processors, so they should be powerful enough to run professional programs efficiently. More importantly, these workstation laptops have Pantone Validated displays too.

But…what does that even mean? Basically, the certification promises that the displays on these two laptops have wide colour gamuts, which can cover 100% of the Adobe RGB colour space. Now, I’m not a creative professional, but I’d definitely say the screens of these two machines look noticeably better than your average laptop, especially the ConceptD 5 Pro.

See, unlike the ConceptD 3 Pro 15.6-inch 1080p IPS display, the ConceptD 5 Pro has a much sharper 15.6-inch 4K IPS screen. When compared side by side, you’d definitely notice the difference in clarity between the two panels. That is not to say the 3 Pro’s display is bad; it’s still a colour accurate, bright, vibrant screen.

Other specifications of the ConceptD 5 Pro include up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM, NVMe SSD options that maxes out at 2TB, up to 2TB of HDD storage, three USB-A ports, one USB-C connection, an HDMI output, and an RJ45 port. The ConceptD 3 Pro, on the other hand, offers the same hardware and connectivity options, but the SSD storage maxes out at 1TB instead.

Now, let’s talk about design, and…both of these workstation laptops actually look relatively similar to each other. Their lids are almost devoid of any branding (except for an engraved ConceptD lettering), they both have metal chassis, and overall, the build quality is solid with no noticeable creaking with added pressure.

What’s
not
so solid, however, is the ConceptD 3 Pro’s keyboard. Not only does it feel really shallow, the tactile feedback could’ve been better too. In fact, I imagine my fingers would be fatigued quite quickly if I had to do a lot of typing on this laptop. It’s just
much
 too shallow to provide a comfortable typing experience.

The ConceptD 3 Pro
The ConceptD 5 Pro

Thankfully, the same does not apply to the ConceptD 5 Pro. Its keyboard has a lot more travel, which offers a pleasant typing experience. That being said, the keys do feel a little bit too “mushy” for my liking, but it still has better tactile feedback than the 3 Pro’s keyboard – that’s a good thing.

As for the trackpad, both workstation laptops seem to have similar ones. They’re not the most accurate trackpads (not even by Windows standard), but they will work in a pinch. Plus, my fingers can glide effortlessly on the smooth surface of the trackpads.

The Acer ConceptD 5 Pro is made for creative professionals that need a good level of performance without stretching the dollar too much, while the Acer ConceptD 3 Pro is for individuals who don’t quite need the extra power of the 5 Pro’s RTX 3000 GPU. While the 3 Pro’s Quadro T1000 isn’t as capable, it can still get the job done.

That being said, as a workstation laptop, the ConceptD 3 Pro is still quite costly: it retails from $1,700, which comes up to about RM7,105. Needless to say, opting for more RAM and storage capacities will drive up the price even further. And then we have the ConceptD 5 Pro, which is set to go from $2,000 – that’s approximately RM8,360.

Needless to say, these workstation machines are not particularly affordable, but that is generally the case for laptops in this segment. Malaysian availability of the ConceptD 5 Pro and ConceptD 3 Pro are not revealed yet, but the former will be sold in EMEA regions sometime in October 2019, while the 3 Pro is set to go on sale in the same regions in November 2019.


Deal: Get the Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Headphones for Only RM939

If you’ve been eyeing to get the excellent Sony WH-1000XM3 wireless headphones, great news: it is now going
for only RM939
 in conjunction with Shopee’s 9.9 sale. Needless to say, this is an incredibly good offer, and it is likely valid for only a short period of time.

This deal is offered by renowned retailer All IT on Shopee, which is listing the Black variant of the WH-1000XM3
for only RM999
. The Silver model, on the other hand, costs more at RM1,278.

So how do you get the RM939 price? Well, with Shopee’s 9.9 vouchers, which can be claimed over
here
. You’d want to claim the 11% coins cashback voucher, which is applicable for products under the mobile and gadgets category (with a minimum spend of RM499). Do note that this voucher is only applicable on Shopee’s mobile app.

Once you’ve applied the voucher, you will get 6,000 Shopee coins – the maximum amount for said voucher – with the purchase, which is equivalent to RM60. So effectively, you’re getting the WH-1000XM3 for only RM939, though the RM60 discount is offered via Shopee coins.

Nonetheless,
RM999 for the Sony WH-1000XM3
 is a fantastic buy on its own, especially with the excellent active noise cancellation feature of the wireless headphones. If you want to enjoy this deal, act fast: there’s no telling how long the voucher would be valid for, or if the price of the headphones would be revised.


Apple iPhone 11 Event Happening Tonight – What to Expect

The
Apple Special Event
 is finally taking place tonight – at 1AM in the morning for those in Malaysia, to be specific – and the Cupertino company is expected to introduce its latest smartphones, the iPhone 11 series. Based on numerous leaks and rumours surrounding the new phones, here’s what to expect from the event.

Three iPhone 11 Models

Just like last year’s lineup, the iPhone 11 is set to be available in three distinct models. Curiously, the
iPhone XS
 and XS Max are said to be succeeded by the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max. The iPhone XR, on the other hand, will be replaced by the standard iPhone 11; it could even be dubbed iPhone 11R.

In line with last year’s models, the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max will supposedly retain its predecessors’ 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch OLED displays respectively. The iPhone 11, on the other hand, is said to follow the same pattern, featuring a 6.1-inch LCD screen like the iPhone XR. In fact, all three iPhone models this year..

Will Have Similar Designs (Including the Notch)

If you’ve been hoping for a brand new iPhone design, you’d be disappointed: rumours are suggesting otherwise. Not only will the overall designs of the iPhone 11 series remain the same (except maybe for new colours), even the wide display notch is kept.

But not
everything
 will be the same: some iPhone 11 models may feature a matte finish on the back panel, as
Bloomberg reported
. Chances are, this new material could improve the overall grip of the phone.

Triple Camera System

For the first time ever, Apple will reportedly debut a triple camera system on the new iPhone 11, but
only
 for the Pro and Pro Max models. The regular iPhone 11, on the other hand, will likely come with a dual camera setup instead; an upgrade over the single rear shooter of the iPhone XR.

Alleged next iPhone case moldings show what we discussed in our story last week in terms of new cameras. 3 on the high end, 2 on the new XR. Plus all models apparently getting a square, at least based on this one mold floating around.
https://t.co/BhAFTZZL6u

pic.twitter.com/QlNJTsApzX
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman)
May 13, 2019

Of course, the next question is, what does the third camera sensor do? Well,
according to Bloomberg
, it’s a wide angle shooter. If this is the case, the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max should have three different focal lengths, courtesy of the regular sensor, telephoto lens, and wide angle shooter.

Improved Face ID System

One of the biggest complaints with Apple’s Face ID system is the limited angle for the feature to work, but this could very well change with the iPhone 11 series. Again,
in Bloomberg’s report
, it’s said that the revamped Face ID system on the upcoming phones can “capture a wider field of view.”

This, in turn, supposedly allows Face ID to recognise your facial data even if the phone is lying flat on a table. Sounds great, doesn’t it? This would certainly make the feature a lot more convenient to use.

Faster A13 Chip

Naturally, the new iPhone 11 should come with Apple’s yet to be announced A13 processor. Not much is known about the upcoming chip, but it’s believed to come with a co-processor to handle “math-heavy” tasks. Apparently, this will improve the augmented reality capability of the new iPhones.

Goodbye 3D Touch

You may or may not miss this feature, but 3D Touch is likely axed with the iPhone 11 series. Instead, it is said to be replaced by the equivalent Haptic Touch feature first introduced on the iPhone XR. Basically, instead of pushing harder on the screen to access a different menu, you just need to do a long-press to achieve the same effect.

Whether you’ll miss 3D Touch or not, you’ll like this next bit of rumour: the iPhone 11 may feature a new type of Taptic Engine. iPhones already have some of the best haptic feedback systems in the market now, so it’ll be interesting to see how this can be improved further with the new vibration system.

No Two-Way Wireless Charging

Previous rumours pointed at the possibility of two-way wireless charging on the new iPhone 11 series, but this may not be happening now. this was
revealed by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo
, noting that the reverse wireless charging may be scrapped because the “charging efficiency may not meet Apple’s requirements.”

Given that other phone makers have already implemented this feature – that would be Samsung and Huawei – it’s a little bit of a letdown. Nonetheless, at least the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max will get a fast charger in the box. Unfortunately, that doesn’t include the standard iPhone 11; it’s said to ship with a much slower 5W charger still.

Looking at these leaks and rumours, the iPhone 11 series doesn’t seem to be a huge leap over its predecessor. Regardless, it’ll be interesting to see if these details are accurate once the devices are officially unveiled later tonight at 1AM Malaysian time.

Besides the iPhone 11, expect Apple to make other announcements at the event, including the Apple Watch Series 5, the Apple Arcade subscription service, and maybe even “one more thing.” You can catch the livestream of the Special Event
right here
.


Apple Introduces Apple Watch Series 5 & New RM1,449 10.2-inch iPad

The new
iPhone 11 series
 was definitely the star of the show at Apple’s launch event earlier today, but the Cupertino company also introduced two other new hardware: the Apple Watch Series 5, and the 7th generation 10.2-inch iPad.

Let’s start with the new Apple Watch. Compared to its predecessor – which has been discontinued, curiously – the Series 5…isn’t all that different. It has the same design, case size, and the ability to measure EKG readings. What
is
new is a feature that many have been asking for: an always-on display.

Despite the new always-on display, the Series 5 watch still boasts the same 18-hour battery life of its predecessor. This is thanks to the use of low-temperature polysilicone and oxide (LTPO) display, low-power display driver, and an efficient power management integrated circuit, as Apple puts it.

Another new hardware under the hood of the Series 5 watch is the built-in compass, which allows users to see heading, incline, latitude, longitude, and current elevation. While it’s not exactly a feature many folks will use, it’s certainly nice to have.

Customisation is also a big part of Apple Watch Series 5. In fact, the wearable is available in a wide variety of finishes, ranging from stainless steel, aluminium, titanium, and even ceramic. If you want to take things further, you can take advantage of Apple Watch Studio, which allows you to choose your preferred case and band combination.

However, it remains to be seen if Apple Watch Studio will be available in Malaysia. If it does, you can do your customisation right from Apple’s website.

Local pricing and availability of the Apple Watch Series 5 have not been revealed yet either, but for the US market, it will start shipping from 20 September onwards. The GPS-only model retails at $399 (about RM1,665), while the cellular variant goes for $499 (around RM2,085). Don’t quite dig the Series 5? Well, you can get the Series 3 watch instead: its price has been revised to RM849 for the Malaysian market.

Next is the new 7th generation 10.2-inch iPad, which replaces the 6th generation 9.7-inch iPad. Not only is the Retina display bigger now, the 10.2-inch iPad also comes with a Smart Connector. This, in turn, allows it to work with Apple’s Smart Keyboard case.

But beyond the bigger display and Smart Connector, the 10.2-inch iPad has a lot in common with the 9.7-inch model it’s replacing. It is still powered by the A10 Fusion chip, it still comes with 32GB or 128GB of internal storage, and it’s still compatible with the first generation Apple Pencil.

Pricing wise, the 10.2-inch iPad starts from only RM1,449 for the 32GB WiFi model; RM1,849 if you want 128GB of storage instead. The cellular model, on the other hand, go for RM1,999 and RM2,399 for the 32GB and 128GB configurations respectively. At the time of writing, Malaysian availability of the new iPad is not known yet.


iPhone 11 Series Official: 3 Devices, 3 Rear Cameras, RM3,399 Starting Price

The iPhone 11 series is now official, and as expected, it is made up of three devices: the standard iPhone 11, the higher-end iPhone 11 Pro, and the biggest of the bunch, the iPhone 11 Pro Max. There are quite a number of improvements with these three new iPhones, so let’s break them down, shall we?

iPhone 11 Pro & Pro Max

Don’t let the “Pro” moniker fool you: the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max are basically successors to the
iPhone XS
 and XS Max respectively. While they still have 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch OLED panels like their predecessors, these are actually new screens dubbed Super Retina XDR Displays with an impressive peak brightness of 1,200 nits.

Even with the higher peak brightness, Apple still managed to make the display 15% more energy-efficient; that’s pretty impressive. Unfortunately (or not, depending on who you ask), 3D Touch is gone. In its place is Haptic Touch, which does the same thing…but requires a long-press instead.

Design wise, nothing much has changed. There’s still the wide notch at the top of the display, the overall look of the phone remains the same, and the only real change is the new matte finish on the back panel. The texture is available on all four colours of the iPhone 11 Pro: Midnight Green, Space Grey, Silver, and Gold.

Of course, there’s also the brand new Apple A13 Bionic chip. Built on the same 7nm process as its predecessor, it is touted as the Cupertino company’s most efficient chip yet. On top of that, it’s said to have the best CPU
and
 GPU in a smartphone as well. Given that Apple’s processors have always been in the lead in these two departments, we’re inclined to agree.

Thanks to the increased power efficiency of the A13 chip, battery life has never been better too. According to Apple, the iPhone 11 Pro offers four hours more battery life than the iPhone XS. What about the Pro Max? Well, it can supposedly deliver up to
five hours
 more usage than its predecessor, the XS Max.

To sweeten the deal, an 18W fast charger is now bundled with the iPhone 11 Pro smartphones too; the same cannot be said for the regular iPhone 11.

Oh, there’s also the iPhone 11 Pro’s new triple camera system. As usual, there’s the regular 12MP f/1.8 wide angle shooter along with a 12MP f/2.0 telephoto lens. What’s new here is the third sensor, which is a 12MP f/2.4 ultra wide angle camera. Collectively, all three of these sensors offer “4x optical zoom” range, and all of them can shoot 4K videos at 60fps. There’s a new night mode as well, which improves the camera’s low light performance.

Interestingly, Apple also showcased a new camera feature that will only be available after a software update sometime in fall 2019. It’s called Deep Fusion, which uses machine learning to combine
nine different images
 to produce a single image with added detail and low noise level. It’s impressive, but it is by no means a new thing: Google itself used a similar implementation with its Pixel smartphones.

The front-facing camera of the iPhone 11 Pro is getting a nice upgrade too. It is now a 12MP TrueDepth camera, and it can shoot both 4K and slow-motion videos. The latter is quite interesting: it opens up new selfie possibilities. Did we mention that Face ID is now 30% faster as well? Not only that, it works farther away and at more angles too. Neat.

If you’re keen to get the new iPhone 11 Pro or iPhone 11 Pro Max, you’ll be happy to know that both phones will be available in Malaysia on 27 September. Local pricing of the two phones have also been revealed: the iPhone 11 Pro with 64GB of storage retails at RM4,899, while the 256GB and 512GB models go for RM5,599 and RM6,499 respectively.

As for the iPhone 11 Pro Max, the 64GB base model is priced at RM5,299, which goes up to RM5,999 and a whopping RM6,899 for the 256GB and 512GB variants respectively.

iPhone 11

Want something more affordable? Then there’s the standard iPhone 11, which succeeds the iPhone XR. Instead of the Pro model’s more premium stainless steel chassis, the iPhone 11 has an aluminium and glass design just like its predecessor. Besides that, the iPhone 11 also retains the 6.1-inch Liquid Retina display, but it has an extra hour of battery life compared to the XR.

Not surprisingly, the iPhone 11 also has the same A13 Bionic chip as its Pro siblings, along with the 12MP TrueDepth front-facing camera. On the back, it gets a dual camera system made up of a 12MP f/1.8 wide angle shooter and a 12MP f/2.4 ultra-wide angle sensor. That’s right, there’s no telephoto lens on the most affordable 2019 iPhone.

Speaking of which, the iPhone 11 will start from RM3,399 in Malaysia for the 64GB variant, making it the most affordable device in the series. If you want the the 128GB or 256GB models instead, those will set you back RM3,599 and RM4,099 respectively.

Just like the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max, the iPhone 11 will be available in Malaysia from 27 September onwards. You can get it in six different colours: Green, Purple, Yellow, White, Black, and of course, Product RED.


Google Pixel 4 XL Leaked Again; May Launch on 15 October with 90Hz Display

We’re nearing the launch of the Google Pixel 4, and surprise surprise, even more leaks of the upcoming smartphone have surfaced. These leaks offer the closest look yet at the Pixel 4 XL, and there is a good chance the phone will be introduced on 15 October.

This supposed launch date comes from a leaked render of the Pixel 4 courtesy of
Evan Blass
, which shows 15 October on the screen of the phone. It’s
a bit
 of a stretch to say this is a confirmation of the Pixel 4’s launch date, but it’s certainly a promising sign.

As for the leaks of the Pixel 4 XL, where do we even start? For one, there’s the video by AnhEm TV showcasing the phone in all its glory. What’s particularly interesting is the menu setting for Smooth Display, which dynamically changes the screen’s refresh rate between 60Hz to 90Hz. If you’ve been hoping for a faster display on the Pixel 4, this is great news.

Other details of the Pixel 4 XL confirmed by AnhEm TV’s video include a 6.23-inch 3040 x 1440 display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset, 6GB of RAM, Android 10 out of the box, and unfortunately enough, a large…forehead. While that’s not a great-looking design, there could be a good reason for the size of the top bezel: it may house vital hardware for the gesture-based Project Soli feature.

Next, we have yet another video of the Pixel 4 XL from Rabbit TV, where three different colours of the phone are shown. Out of the three models, only the black variant seems to have a glossy finish. Personally, I love the white colourway, especially with its matte black frame.

Rabbit TV also showed a number of camera samples taken with the Pixel 4 XL’s dual camera system, and they look marginally better than shots captured with the Pixel 3 XL. Then again, it’s very likely the Pixel 4 XL isn’t running on final software here. After all, the phone isn’t even officially launched yet.

Looking at these very elaborate leaks, the Pixel 4 really is Google’s worst kept secret. So much so, in fact, that the company even revealed a number of key features the phone will come with, including Project Soli. It’ll be interesting to see just how that gesture-based feature would work on the Pixel 4. Perhaps it’ll be similar to
LG’s Z Camera on the G8 ThinQ
.

It’s not made official yet, but there’s a chance the Google Pixel 4 will be introduced on 15 October next month. It’s not a far-fetched estimation, given that previous Pixel smartphones were launched in the same time frame.


Huawei Nova 5T Review: Same Phone, Different Guise

The Huawei Nova 5T is an especially interesting smartphone for the Chinese company, given its striking resemblance to the
Honor 20
. While both Honor and Huawei devices have some similarities here and there in the past, none of them are as
identical
as the Nova 5T and Honor 20.

Of course, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially with the phone’s competitive RM1,599 price tag. If you’re looking to get an affordable flagship smartphone, the Nova 5T is a great option.

Specifications

Display
6.26-inch FHD+ LTPS (2340 x 1080)
Chipset
Huawei Kirin 980 2.6GHz octa-core
GPU
Mali-G76 MP10
RAM
8GB
Storage
128GB, non-expandable
Camera (rear)
48MP f/1.8
16MP f/2.2 (wide angle)
2MP f/2.4 (macro)
2MP f/2.4 (depth)
Camera (front)
32MP f/2.0
Battery
3,750mAh
Dimensions
154.25 x 73.97 x 7.87 mm
Weight
174g
OS
EMUI 9.1 based on Android 9 Pie
Connectivity
LTE
NFC
Bluetooth 5.0
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz)
USB Type-C
Price
RM1,599

Looking at the Nova 5T’s specifications, they are literally the same hardware found inside the Honor 20. Except, of course, for the RAM capacity; the Honor 20 only has 6GB of RAM, while the Nova 5T comes with 8GB RAM.

Beyond that one thing, other hardware are the same, including the processor, camera configuration, display size, and even battery capacity. In fact, even benchmarking apps recognise these two phones as the same device with the model number YAL-L21.

Design

When it comes to design, the Nova 5T has a slightly different look, though this is only limited to the back panel of the Midsummer Purple and Crush Blue models. Instead of the Honor 20’s single tone colour, the 5T has a gradient-like finish, especially with this Crush Blue variant in this review.

It’s a small difference, but I do prefer the Nova 5T’s colourway: it’s a much more striking-looking device. If you want something more subdued, there’s the Black model. That one, in particular, looks just like the Honor 20 in Midnight Black, except for some branding differences.

And then we’ve got the hole-punch cutout of the Nova 5T at the top left of the screen. Personally, I’ve always preferred this design over a notched display: it takes up less space, which makes it less intrusive. On top of that, the hole-punch cutout of the Nova 5T itself is quite small, especially when compared to other devices with a similar design.

As for build quality, it’s a solid smartphone. The metal chassis feels great, the glass and metal construction add a premium touch, and the curved sides of the phone make for a comfortable device to hold for long periods of time. It also helps that the Nova 5T isn’t a particularly big smartphone; it’s small enough to not feel unwieldy.

All in all, the Nova 5T is a sleek-looking smartphone with no glaring design fault. But if I were to nitpick, I’d say the side-mounted fingerprint sensor feels a little sharp around the edges – just like how it is with the Honor 20.

User Experience

Running on EMUI 9.1 based on Android 9 Pie, the Nova 5T offers a reasonably good software experience. While it still has the common traits of Chinese-based software – the app drawer is not enabled by default, along with some bloatware – it’s still a functional version of Android.

Throughout my time with the phone, the software ran as it should. There weren’t any weird bugs or glitches, it’s responsive, and I can switch between different apps seamlessly. Of course, the fast Kirin 980 chipset definitely helps in this regard too in providing a pleasant user experience.

Speaking of which, the Kirin 980 is a capable chipset. It’s fast enough to fulfill my multitasking needs, and gaming on this phone is quite enjoyable. However, if I were to compare it to, say, devices with Snapdragon 855 chipsets, the Kirin 980 doesn’t provide quite as good gaming performance.

Don’t get me wrong, the Kirin 980 is still a capable chipset, but it’s not on par with the Snapdragon 855. It’s a relevant comparison, seeing that you can get a Snapdragon 855 smartphone at this price point. Of course, I’m talking about the
Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro
, which is one of the Nova 5T’s biggest competition.

Regardless, let’s move on to another hardware of the phone that impressed me quite a bit: the side-mounted fingerprint sensor. Not only is it blazing fast, it can also accurately recognise my fingerprints reliably and consistently. I also love the fact that the sensor doubles as the power button, and unlike how it was with the Honor 20, waking the phone from sleep is almost instantaneous.

In the display department, the Nova 5T’s 6.26-inch 1080p LTPS display is reasonably good. It’s a bright, vibrant display, and it looks sharp enough even if it’s “only” a 1080p screen. However, the display does dim slightly when viewed at an angle; the colour temperature is a bit too cool as well.

When it comes to battery life, the Nova 5T is
incredibly
 good. On average, I was getting well over seven hours of screen on time with the phone. This is especially impressive, given that the 5T only has a 3,750mAh battery. I reckon this phone can offer up to two days of battery life for lighter smartphone users.

Charging rate of the Nova 5T is reasonably good too. Within 30 minutes of charging with the provided adapter, the phone got up to 50% from completely empty.

For a smartphone that costs RM1,599, the Nova 5T definitely delivers a good user experience. EMUI 9.1 isn’t the best version of Android, but it’s definitely one of the better takes on Android among Chinese phone makers. Plus, the 5T has fantastic battery life.

Camera

As many as four camera sensors are found on the back of the Nova 5T: a 48MP f/1.8 primary shooter, a 16MP f/2.2 wide angle camera, a 2MP f/2.4 macro len, and a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor. No, there’s no telephoto sensor, but I’d much rather have a wide angle shooter than a zoom lens – I find more use out of it.

Okay, so how does the camera perform? Pretty good, actually. The quad camera system can take good-looking shots regardless of lighting condition, though the camera interface and shutter speed do get slower in low light environments. On top of that, the camera has a tendency to oversaturate images too, especially with the AI camera enabled.

While the saturation can make images look more pleasing to the eye, it can also make them look artificial, depending on the shot.

AI camera enabled
AI camera disabled
2MP macro shot

Nonetheless, for the Nova 5T’s asking price, you’re definitely getting respectable camera performance. And I quite like experimenting with the 2MP macro shooter too; you can really get up-close to a subject with that sensor.

Competition

Only one variant of the Nova 5T is available in Malaysia, which is priced at RM1,599 for 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. It’s a competitive price tag for a device of this calibre, and there are a number of interesting alternatives to the 5T.

Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro

This is really the Nova 5T’s main competitor. Compared to Huawei’s offering, the
Mi 9T Pro
 features a faster Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset, a better 6.39-inch 1080 AMOLED display without any notch or hole-punch cutout – which makes for a sleeker looking phone – and a more versatile triple camera system with three different focal lengths.

To sweeten the deal, the Mi 9T Pro also retails at RM1,599 like the Nova 5T, although that’s only for the 64GB model. If you want the 128GB variant to match the Nova 5T’s storage capacity, that will set you back RM1,799.

Besides that, the Nova 5T also offers more RAM at 8GB; the Mi 9T Pro only comes with 6GB of RAM. When it comes to software, I actually prefer Huawei’s EMUI too. It’s simply more polished and functional than
Xiaomi’s MIUI software
.

Honor 20

Given the similarities between the Nova 5T and
Honor 20
, the latter is obviously a natural alternative to the 5T. Based on the time I’ve spent reviewing both devices, they – more or less – offer identical user experience. The camera behaves the same way, battery life is similar, and one phone isn’t noticeably faster than the other.

There are, of course, a few notable differences here and there. The Honor 20 only has 6GB of RAM, while the Nova 5T features 8GB of RAM. The design of the rear panel is also different, though this doesn’t really apply to the Black models of both phones, for obvious reasons.

Oh, the Nova 5T’s RM1,599 price tag also undercuts the Honor 20’s asking price by RM100; the latter costs RM1,699.

Conclusion

The Huawei Nova 5T is a competitively priced smartphone in the affordable flagship segment, and it’s really quite a good device. It has excellent battery life, a good level of performance, respectable quad camera system, and premium design.

If you’re looking to get a flagship smartphone in this price range, you cannot go wrong with the Nova 5T. Despite the company’s
ongoing debacle with the US government
, it wouldn’t directly affect this phone very much: it’s already cleared to ship with Google’s range of services.

However, it may prove to be an issue with later Android updates if the issue is prolonged, but this is something we will only know in the future. For now, the Nova 5T remains to be a great option for those who want an affordable flagship smartphone.


Vivo V17 Pro with Dual Pop-Up Camera Arriving in Malaysia 1 October

Vivo Malaysia will be introducing a new smartphone on our shores soon, the Vivo V17 Pro. It is the successor to the
V15 Pro
, and it’s set to be unveiled in India on 20 September. What makes this device particularly unique is its pop-up camera module: while most phone makers make do with only a single camera, Vivo equipped the V17 Pro with two sensors.

Couple that with the phone’s quad camera system on the back, the V17 Pro has six different camera sensors; quite an elaborate configuration. Unfortunately, official specifications of the camera systems have not been revealed yet. After all, the phone hasn’t even been launched yet.

Of course, we do have rumoured details of the V17 Pro’s camera setup. The two front-facing shooters are said to be a combination of a 32MP f/2.0 camera and a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor. The quad camera system on the back of the phone, on the other hand, is supposedly made up of a 48MP f/1.8 primary shooter, an 8MP f/2.2 wide angle lens, a 2MP f/2.4 monochrome camera, and a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor.

It takes two to be spectacular.
Selfies get
#ClearAsReal
. Introducing World's 1st 32MP Dual Pop-up Selfie in the all-new
#vivoV17Pro
. Launching on 20th September.
pic.twitter.com/wWzKtfNAV2
— Vivo India (@Vivo_India)
September 10, 2019

Aside from its camera system, the V17 Pro is also rumoured to come with a 6.44-inch Super AMOLED display. This is ever so slightly bigger than the V15 Pro’s 6.39-inch screen, which was also an AMOLED panel. Another feature carried over from its predecessor is the in-screen fingerprint sensor. It’ll be interesting to see if it’s been improved in any meaningful way.

Rumours also suggest that the V17 Pro will retain the Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 chipset of the V15 Pro. While this doesn’t sound particularly impressive, the Snapdragon 675 is still a capable mid-range processor. For everyday use, it should be fast enough to provide a pleasant user experience.

Other rumoured specifications of the V17 Pro include up to 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a generous 4,100mAh battery, as well as a USB-C port. A nice upgrade, given that its predecessor only had a microUSB connection.

The Vivo V17 Pro will make its global debut in India on 20 September, while the Malaysian launch of the device is happening on 1 October. No retail price has been revealed yet, though it should sit in the same price range as its predecessor – the V15 Pro retailed at RM1,799 when it was first introduced here.


Samsung Galaxy A50s & A30s Land in Malaysia; Retail from RM899

Samsung just launched the successors to the
Galaxy A50 and A30
 in Malaysia, the Samsung Galaxy A50s and Galaxy A30s. Featuring some hardware upgrades and a slight redesign, these two phones are ideal for those on a budget. This is especially the case with the Galaxy A30s, which retails at only RM899.

Even though it’s the more affordable device of the two, the Galaxy A30s gets some pretty nice upgrades. Most notably, it now comes with a triple camera system instead of its predecessor’s dual camera configuration. It is made up of a 25MP primary shooter, an 8MP wide angle camera, and a 5MP depth sensor. The selfie camera, on the other hand, is the same 16MP sensor as the first A30.

Another neat upgrade the Galaxy A30s received is an in-screen fingerprint sensor. That’s right, this RM899 smartphone has an in-screen sensor, and it’s surprisingly good. Of course, this optical sensor isn’t the best in the business, but it’s definitely serviceable.

Other specifications of the Galaxy A30s include a 6.4-inch 720p Super AMOLED Infinity-V display, an Exynos 7904 chipset – the same chip its predecessor had – paired with 4GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, and a generous 4,000mAh battery with support for 15W fast charging.

Three colours of the A30s are available in Malaysia: Prism Crush Green, Prism Crush White, and Prism Crush Black.

And then we have the higher-end device of the two, the Galaxy A50s. Compared to the original Galaxy A50, the new model features a more sophisticated triple camera system. It consists of a 48MP primary sensor, an 8MP wide angle camera, and a 5MP depth sensor. The front-facing camera has also been upgraded to a 32MP shooter.

Powering the Galaxy A50s is a Samsung Exynos 9611 chipset instead of its predecessor’s Exynos 9610 SoC, though it’s not clear exactly what improvements the former bring. As far as core count and clock speeds are concerned, both are still octa-core chipsets clocked at up to 2.3GHz.

Rounding out the specifications of the Galaxy A50s are a 6.4-inch 1080p Super AMOLED Infinity-U display, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of expandable storage, an in-screen fingerprint sensor, as well as a 4,000mAh battery with 15W fast charging. Much like the Galaxy A30s, you can also get the Galaxy A50s in the same three colour options.

The Samsung Galaxy A50s and Galaxy A30s will be available in Malaysia from 21 September onwards. They retail at RM1,299 and RM899 respectively, which is RM100 more than the
asking prices of their predecessors
. A fair price increase, given the hardware upgrades. It’s also worth noting that these two phones now support Samsung Pay too.


Samsung Galaxy A50s & A30s Hands-On: Good Mid-Rangers in a Crowded Segment

Ever since Samsung replaced its Galaxy J series of smartphones with the Galaxy A, the Korean company’s mid-range offerings have gotten steadily better. The new
Galaxy A50s and Galaxy A30s
 are no exceptions: they are now sleeker, more feature-packed, and still relatively affordable.

However, these improvements do come at a price. Compared to
its predecessors
, the Galaxy A50s and A30s cost RM100 more, which puts them in a slightly unfavourable position, especially for the Galaxy A50s. With that in mind, are these two new Galaxy A series devices any good? Let’s find out.

The Galaxy A30s

Let’s start with the Galaxy A30s, which I personally think this is the more exciting smartphone of the two. See, for only RM899, this phone has an in-screen fingerprint sensor along with 64GB of storage. Honestly, I can’t think of any other smartphone with an in-screen sensor at this price point.

Granted, it’s a mediocre sensor, but it is definitely serviceable. While it takes a couple of tries for the sensor to recognise my fingerprint, it is fast enough to not feel cumbersome to use. Is it as fast as a conventional capacitive sensor? Well, no, but the positioning of the in-screen fingerprint sensor right underneath the display is arguably better.

Of course, the higher-end RM1,299 Galaxy A50s also has an in-screen fingerprint sensor. As far as I can tell, it behaves similarly to the Galaxy A30s’ sensor. Meaning it’s relatively quick, but it does struggle to recognise my fingerprint on the first try.

Aesthetically, both the Galaxy A50s and A30s look pretty sleek, thanks to the new rear panel design. The pattern may look a little…unconventional, but I like it. There’s also a slight difference in design between the A50s and A30s’ back panel.

From left to right: Prism Crush White, Black, and Green

Build quality of the two phones, on the other hand, is alright. To keep costs down, the Galaxy A50s and A30s retain the plastic constructions of their predecessors, which don’t feel particularly premium. But hey, at least they look good – my personal favourite is the Prism Crush Green model.

Just like their predecessors, the Galaxy A50s and A30s feature 6.4-inch Super AMOLED displays, but the A50s has a 1080p screen, while the A30s comes with a lower resolution 720p panel; a downgrade over the original A30’s 1080p display. On top of that, the A50s also features a slightly better-looking Infinity-U notch than the A30s’ Infinity-V notch.

What about the display quality of both phones? Well, given that they are Super AMOLED screens, you’ll get vibrant colours, deep blacks, and excellent viewing angles. Naturally, the Galaxy A50s has the more impressive display, thanks to its higher resolution count.

In the performance department, the Galaxy A50s and A30s feel quick and responsive in my brief time with the two smartphones. That being said, considering the fact that the A50s has a higher clocked Exynos 9611 2.3GHz octa-core chipset (with 6GB RAM), it’s the faster device of the two. The A30s, on the other hand, is powered by an Exynos 7904 1.8GHz octa-core processor paired with 4GB of RAM.

Battery capacities of the Galaxy A50s and A30s, on the other hand, remain the same at 4,000mAh. Both phones also support 15W fast charging.

Camera performance of these two new Galaxy A smartphones have been improved accordingly too. The Galaxy A30s now comes with a triple camera system (from only a dual camera configuration), which is made up of a 25MP primary shooter, an 8MP wide angle camera, and a 5MP depth sensor. The selfie camera, on the other hand, is the same 16MP sensor as its predecessor.

As for the Galaxy A50s, the primary shooter of the triple camera setup is upgraded from a 25MP sensor to a more capable 48MP camera, which should improve the overall camera performance. Beyond that, the other two shooters are the same 8MP wide angle camera and 5MP depth sensor as the Galaxy A50.

Galaxy A30s (25MP primary)
Galaxy A30s (8MP wide angle)
Galaxy A50s (48MP primary)
Galaxy A50s (8MP wide angle)

Not surprisingly, the Galaxy A50s takes better-looking shots. The primary shooter can capture more detail with better exposure and dynamic range. The same can be seen in the wide angle shots too, despite the fact that both phones feature 8MP sensors.

Even with this disparity in image quality, it’s not that the A30s has bad camera performance; it’s just not
as good
 as the A50s’ more sophisticated camera system. In a pinch, the A30s will definitely suffice. However, it could be a different story in less than ideal lighting. Only a full review of both phones can shed some light on their low light camera performances.

The Samsung Galaxy A50s and Galaxy A30s are really quite good mid-range smartphones, and they’re relatively affordable as well, retailing at RM1,299 and RM899 respectively. For that kind of money, you’re getting 128GB of storage with the A50s, and 64GB of space for the A30s. Both devices support expandable storage too.

But, despite their affordable price tags, they are surrounded by other similarly priced devices that can either offer faster performance, more solid build quality, or better camera systems. Just to name a few, there’s the
Redmi Note 7
, the
Xiaomi Mi A3
, and even the
Xiaomi Mi 9T
.

It’s no coincidence that these are all smartphones from Xiaomi: this price range has always been dominated by the Chinese company. The new Galaxy A series is directly competing with Xiaomi in this highly competitive price segment, and it will be tough for the Galaxy A50s and A30s to stand out.

That being said, until I’ve managed to put these two phones through its paces in a full review, it’s hard to say if Xiaomi devices are superior to Samsung’s new mid-rangers, and vice versa. For what it’s worth, I reckon the Galaxy A50s and A30s can offer – at the very least – better software experience.

After all, they are running on Samsung’s One UI software, which is also found on the company’s higher-end smartphones, including the
Galaxy S10
 and
Note 10
 series. On top of that, software isn’t exactly Xiaomi’s strong suit either, though it makes up for this with sheer value for money.


Asus Launches VivoBook S14 & S15 in Malaysia from RM3,199

The Asus VivoBook series is meant to appeal to consumers who want a laptop that looks a tad more…unconventional, and that’s exactly what the new VivoBook S14 and S15 promise. With over five different colours to choose from, these two laptops are ideal for those who want a productivity laptop with a bit of flair.

Out of the two laptops, the VivoBook S14 is the better equipped machine for our market. It come with a 14-inch 1080p display with a matte finish, an Intel Core i7-8565U processor paired with 8GB of RAM, Intel’s UHD Graphics 620 integrated GPU, as well as 512GB of fast PCIe SSD storage.

For a productivity laptop, it’s important for it to be lightweight and thin enough to be carried around effortlessly, and the VivoBook S14 excels in these two areas. Measuring only 18mm thin, it’s definitely slim enough to slip into most backpacks. On top of that, tipping the scales at only 1.4kg, you wouldn’t really feel the weight of the laptop in your bag either.

As for the VivoBook S15, it’s for those who want a bigger laptop. It has the same design as the S14, but it comes with a larger 15.6-inch 1080p display, as well as an Nvidia GeForce MX250 dedicated GPU. Unfortunately, it only comes with a Core i5-8265U processor paired with 4GB of RAM. Thankfully, the 512GB PCIe SSD and 18mm thin chassis are retained, though it is naturally heavier at 1.8kg.

This is the Moss Green model

What makes the VivoBook S15 particularly unique is the fact that it’s available in five distinct colours: Moss Green (we kid you not), Cobalt Blue, Punk Pink, Gun Metal, and Transparent Silver. Out of the five colours, the Moss Green is arguably the most unique model; it’s a darker, almost jade-like shade of green.

Unfortunately, the VivoBook S14 is only available in Gun Metal and Transparent Silver for our market; the other three colour options are exclusive to the bigger S15 model.

I’ve managed to spend a brief time with the VivoBook S15, and it’s a reasonably good productivity laptop. Its keyboard is decent with just enough key travel to not feel shallow, the slim bezels surrounding the display make for a sleek-looking laptop, and I really quite like the colour options.

That being said, there are a couple of things I don’t quite like about the VivoBook S15. While it is mostly made out of metal, Asus decided to use plastic for the bottom chassis, which detract from the laptop’s otherwise solid (almost premium, in fact) build quality.

The Asus VivoBook S15 can now be purchased in Malaysia for RM3,199, while the VivoBook S14 is expected to arrive here by the end of this month. Given its faster processor and bigger RAM capacity, it also costs slightly more at RM3,899.


Oppo A9 2020 & A5 2020 with Four Cameras Unveiled in Malaysia; Priced from RM699

Oppo recently introduced two new mid-range smartphones in Malaysia under the Chinese company’s new A Series 2020 lineup. These include the A9 2020, as well as the more affordable A5 2020. Pretty odd to have the 2020 moniker there, isn’t it?

Well, according to Oppo, there’s good reason for the…peculiar naming convention. We were told that the A9 2020 and A5 2020 are named as such because they will remain relevant until then, which seems to suggest that they won’t be succeeded until next year. Still, it’s quite an odd decision.

Nonetheless, let’s get to the specifications of both phones. Out of the two devices, the A9 2020 is naturally the higher-end offering. It comes with a 6.5-inch 720p notched display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 655 chipset paired with 8GB of RAM, 128GB of expandable storage, and a very generous 5,000mAh battery.

In the camera department, the A9 2020 features a quad camera system on the back. It is made up of a 48MP primary shooter, an 8MP wide angle lens, a 2MP monochrome sensor, and a 2MP depth camera for bokeh simulation. The front-facing shooter, on the other hand, is a 16MP unit.

And then we have the much more affordable A5 2020, which shares the exact same chassis as the higher-end A9 2020. There are, of course, a number of notable differences. For starters, the A5 only features 64GB of storage and 3GB of RAM; a far cry from the A9’s much more generous 8GB RAM.

Another area where the A5 2020 differs from the A9 2020 is the camera configuration. On the back, the 48MP primary shooter is replaced with a 12MP camera for the A5. The selfie camera is also swapped out for an 8MP sensor, instead of the A9’s 16MP shooter.

If you can live with these downgrades, the A5 2020 actually offers reasonably good value for money. See, it retails at only RM699, and it still retains the A9’s Snapdragon 665 chipset, 6.5-inch 720p display, and of course, the sizeable 5,000mAh battery.

But if you want the A9 2020’s more generous amount of RAM and internal storage – not to mention better camera performance – you’ll have to fork out RM1,199 instead. It’s a much dearer price tag, which puts it in the same price category as other devices that can
arguably offer better value for money
.

In any case, the Oppo A Series 2020 is now available for pre-order in Malaysia until 27 September. Both the A9 2020 and A5 2020 will be on store shelves from 28 September onwards.