Royole FlexPai Hands-On: A Foldable Phone You Can Actually Buy Now

Foldable smartphones were the craze over the course of MWC 2019, and two of the most prominent ones are the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X. These two devices captured a lot of attention at the show floor, and this is despite the fact that the general public
wasn’t even allowed
 to touch them.

But there is another foldable smartphone that didn’t garner quite as much interest, even though it was shown off in all its glory at the trade show. Of course, I’m talking about the Royole FlexPai, which was officially unveiled back in CES 2019 earlier this year.

There’s no denying that the FlexPai doesn’t look or feel quite as polished as the Mate X or Galaxy Fold, but you know what? You can actually
purchase it
 right now, giving it…well, somewhat of an edge. Nonetheless, here are my thoughts on the first foldable smartphone to hit the market.

Naturally, the first thing I did when I got my hands on the FlexPai was to – you guessed it – start folding it. Surprisingly enough, the whole “phone” feels quite robust, and I don’t feel like I will break it whenever I fold the display. It’s really quite interesting, and magnets will snap the device into place when you fold it enough.

Now, I’m not inclined to call the FlexPai a phone for one simple reason: it doesn’t feel
anything
 like a phone when it is folded. There’s this huge gap when you close it, and it feels way too chunky for a smartphone. In fact, it feels a lot like the
equally chunky Energizer Power Max
 with its huge 18,000mAh battery. Okay, I may be exaggerating a bit.

Anyway, in tablet mode, the FlexPai feels a lot more usable. The 8-inch 1920 x 1440 AMOLED display with a 4:3 aspect ratio looks relatively good, and it has vibrant, punchy colours like a conventional AMOLED panel. Interestingly, even though this is a plastic display – for obvious reasons – my fingers can still glide effortlessly on the surface of the screen.

Is it as smooth as glass? Of course not. On top of that, I don’t quite like how the FlexPai doesn’t have any locking mechanism when I open the display fully. Not only will this make it easier to fold the screen by accident, I imagine there will be users who don’t know exactly how much the display can unfold without running into a problem. Just imagine if you break the display by simply folding it too much.

Beyond the foldable display, the FlexPai isn’t all that fantastic. According to Royole, this device has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset paired with up to 8GB of RAM, 128GB or 256GB of expandable storage, a 3,970mAh battery, and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

It’s a relatively good list of hardware, and since it’s powered by a Snapdragon 855 SoC, the FlexPai should have excellent performance, right? Not exactly, and I suspect the fault lies within the software.

Running on Royole’s Water OS software based on Android 9 Pie, the phone doesn’t feel super fluid (I apologise for the pun). Despite running on one of the fastest chipsets in the market now, it certainly doesn’t show when I was testing the phone.

Chances are, software tweaks may be able to make the FlexPai run a lot faster, but it’s not something I can attest too. After all, Royole isn’t exactly a large corporation like Samsung or Huawei.

I also managed to try out the FlexPai’s camera for a bit, and…it’s not great. Featuring a 16MP + 20MP dual camera system, the image output could use a lot more work, especially with detail preservation. The camera doesn’t feel all that responsive either, negatively impacting the shooting experience. Basically, don’t expect fantastic camera performance here.

On the bright side, the foldable nature of the FlexPai means you can take selfie images with the primary camera, which should return better results than conventional selfie shooters.

The Royole FlexPai is, in my opinion, more of a proof of concept than anything else. It doesn’t have the polished nature of the Galaxy Fold or Mate X (or even a standard smartphone), and the only feature that makes it stand out is its foldable nature. Beyond that, it’s a decidedly average device running on Android.

If you really want to get your hands on the FlexPai anyway, it’s currently sold in China for 8,999 Chinese yuan, which comes up to about RM5,475. Even though this makes it the most affordable smartphone with a foldable design – the Mate X and Galaxy Fold costs much more than this – it’s still
a lot
 of money for a smartphone.

But if you really want a foldable smartphone right now, the FlexPai is your only option. It’s not a great one, but it’s available nonetheless.


Nubia Alpha Hands-On: Not Quite the Smartphone on Your Wrist

When I first heard of the Nubia Alpha, I thought it was a really cool idea. It touts itself as a smartphone in a wearable form factor, and while it’s not the first product to advertise itself as such,  I was really quite intrigued with the Alpha’s flexible display too.

Here at MWC 2019, I managed to get some quality time with the Alpha. But while I think its flexible screen is technologically impressive, the product itself ultimately felt like a novelty. It will not replace your smartphone, and chances are, it will not be a very good wearable either – let’s get to why.

Right off the bat, the Nubia Alpha’s flexible, 4-inch OLED display stands out. With a resolution of 960 x 192, it looks sharp enough, and it has very vibrant colours – hallmark of an OLED panel. Of course, you also get excellent black levels with this display technology.

And then we have the flexibility of the Alpha’s display. Because it is such a long screen, it will wrap around your wrist when you put on the wearable. I have to be honest, it feels pretty cool to have a display wrap your wrist like this, and even though it’s not entirely practical – you won’t be able to see the whole display, especially at the top section – it certainly feels futuristic.

There is also this other neat feature aptly called “Alpha Gesture” on this wearable. Basically, there’s a sensor on the left of the Alpha that lets you navigate the interface by simply waving your finger over it. For the most part, it works surprisingly well, but it’s a lot easier to just swipe on the screen itself.

In terms of design, the Alpha is quite a large wearable – space had to be made for the 4-inch display. Folks with smaller wrists may want to pay extra attention: not only is this device pretty wide, it has quite a thick chassis too. If you’re not a fan of large wearables, you will not like the Alpha’s chunky design or hefty nature. Yes, the stainless steel strap makes it a heavy wearable.

So what makes the Alpha a “smartphone?” Well, that would be its eSIM support. It runs on Nubia’s very own AlphaOS, and you can do all sorts of…”smartphone” stuff with the Alpha. You can make calls with it, send text messages, and you can even take selfies with the device’s 5MP camera – that’s right, this wearable has a camera built-in.

How practical are all of these? Well, not very. While you can definitely make a call with the Alpha without too much difficulty – you can either use a Bluetooth headset or the built-in speaker – sending a text message on it isn’t exactly a walk in the park. You only have so much space to work with, and you would have to type out your messages with a
T9 keyboard
.

While it sounds cool in practice, snapping selfies with the Alpha is the furthest thing from an enjoyable experience. I did just that with the demo unit I had, and it’s really difficult to get a flattering angle with a camera that’s attached to your wrist. Unless you plan to take the Alpha off of your wrist every time you want to take a selfie, you’re better off taking out your phone to do just that.

To top it all off, it’s very hard to say if the Alpha will receive good app support. Because it’s running on a custom operating system instead of something like Google’s own Wear OS, many popular – and some would say indispensable – apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook will not work with this wearable out of the box.

This is a huge limitation, and taking into consideration the niche nature of the Alpha, I imagine not many app developers would be too keen to support it.

When it comes to hardware, the Alpha isn’t particularly impressive either. For starters, it’s running on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, which was released way back in 2016 – that’s over
three years
 ago. Other specifications of the Alpha include 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, a heart rate sensor, and a 500mAh battery. According to Nubia, this allows the Alpha to last anywhere between one to two days on a single charge.

As much as the Nubia Alpha wants to be a “smartphone,” it is more accurate to refer to it as a smartwatch with cellular functionality. This comes down to its inherent form factor, operating system, and limited processing power – it’s just not on the same playing field as a conventional smartphone.

There are two versions of the Alpha: one with only Bluetooth support for pairing with a smartphone, and the aforementioned eSIM model. The former will be available from April onwards in Europe for 449 euro (about RM2,080), while the eSIM variant will only start shipping sometime in Q3 2019 for 549 euro (approximately RM2,545).

Do note that this is only for the black model; if you want the gold colourway with eSIM support, that will set you back a whopping 649 euro, or around RM3,000.

Would you pay that much for a smartphone, let alone a wearable? As much as I commend Nubia’s creativity with the Alpha (especially the unique flexible display), I find it really hard to justify its steep asking price. It’s a novelty – a very expensive one, at that.


MWC 2019 Recap: Our Favourite Phones

MWC 2019 has come and gone, and as always, we’re left with a lot of mobile devices to look over. Foldable phones are becoming a reality, 5G-ready devices are aplenty, and surprise surprise, the majority of smartphones now come with at least three cameras on the back. Some devices, like the
Nokia 9
, pushed it all the way to five lenses.

It can be tough to follow every single device introduced at MWC 2019, so we’ll highlight the most interesting products announced at the trade show right here.

Huawei Mate X

Of course we have to talk about the Huawei Mate X. Compared to other foldable phones unveiled so far – including the Samsung Galaxy Fold – the design of the Mate X is probably the most popular one. When it’s folded, this phone doesn’t have any noticeable gap, and it’s relatively thin too at 11mm. When it’s opened up, it measures only 5.4mm – that’s pretty darn impressive.

Part of the reason why the Mate X can be so thin lies in the way its display is folded. Unlike the Galaxy Fold, which folds the display inwards, the Mate X has its display folded on the outside. It’s similar to the
Royole FlexPai
‘s design, but the Mate X doesn’t have a noticeable gap when it’s folded.

Of course, there is one big problem with this design: the display is not protected whatsoever. When folded, the screen wraps around the phone, so it’ll be subjected to daily wear and tear. Considering the fact that the Mate X also has a plastic display, it’ll be very easy to scratch it.

At a glance, the Mate X does not have the most practical design, but who knows – perhaps Huawei has a solution to this. We’ll only find out once the Mate X starts shipping sometime in the middle of 2019.

Nokia 9 PureView

Yes, foldable phones are very impressive, but the
Nokia 9
 is our favourite device at MWC 2019. While its five-camera system isn’t the most versatile configuration (they all have the same focal length), the camera performance is very, very promising.

Beyond its camera performance, other aspects of the Nokia 9 are relatively good too. It looks and feels premium, it doesn’t have any notch or hole-punch cutout, and thanks to its Android One status, this phone offers a clean, stock version of Android with timely updates.

That being said, some of the Nokia 9’s hardware could be better, especially its Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset. It’s still a capable SoC, but the competition are shipping with faster Snapdragon 855 processors.

Xiaomi Mi 9

Not only is the
Xiaomi Mi 9
 a competent flagship smartphone, it’s priced very competitively too. In China, it retails from only 2,999 yuan, which comes up to about RM1,825. If it arrives in Malaysia with a sub-RM2,000 price tag, it will be a very attractive flagship smartphone.

We only managed to spend a brief time with the Mi 9, but we’re impressed with it. It has promising camera performance, a fast Snapdragon 855 chipset, and a minimalist, functional design. However, it does have a notched display, even though it’s a minimal one.

LG G8 ThinQ

Okay, the
LG G8 ThinQ
 isn’t a spectacular flagship, but there’s no denying the sheer fun factor of the Z Camera and its Air Motion gestures. It allows users to control the G8 without actually touching the phone, and the feature works quite seamlessly. It’s a little gimmicky, but it is
genuinely
 fun to use.

But it’s a shame the G8 as a whole isn’t particularly impressive. It has a wide notch, average camera performance, and a conventional rear fingerprint scanner – no fancy in-screen sensor here.

Oppo’s 10x Lossless Zoom Camera System

Unlike most phone makers, Oppo didn’t come to MWC 2019 with a product. Rather, the company showcased its
latest triple camera system
, which can do 10x lossless zoom. We tried out the camera for ourselves, and we are legitimately impressed with the results.

That being said, the camera is still rough around the edges – it’s still a prototype, after all. Nonetheless, we’re definitely excited to see the camera system debut on an Oppo smartphone sometime in the second quarter of 2019.

Energizer Power Max P18K Pop

You bet we’re gonna include this
power bank
 phone in our list. The
Energizer Power Max
 is large, chunky, and it has a huge 18,000mAh battery. Does this make up for the fact that it’s a big, impractical phone? Not exactly. But is it an interesting device? Absolutely.

We don’t think there will be huge demand for the Power Max, but for folks that want absolutely amazing battery life, this phone promises just that.

The annual MWC show has always been interesting, and it’s no different this year. The best part is, we’re still in the first quarter of 2019 – there are still a lot more devices to look forward to, especially the introduction of more foldable phones.


Maybank MAE – What You Need to Know

Maybank just rolled out a new feature to Malaysian consumers. Dubbed MAE (an acronym for Maybank Anytime, Everyone), this feature makes it much easier to open an account with Maybank. How so? For starters, you can open an MAE account with just your smartphone – it’s that easy.

In this article, we’ll explain exactly what is MAE, and how you can take advantage of Maybank’s own e-wallet.

MAE Is Maybank’s E-Wallet

Maybank describes MAE as an “e-wallet with banking features,” and that’s basically it. It resides within the Maybank App, and one of the biggest appeals of MAE is the fact that you can register for it through the app itself.

The best part is, you don’t even have to be a Maybank customer to open an MAE account – anyone can do so by just downloading the Maybank App. Of course, you’ll need to scan your ID for authentication purpose, but the registration can be done through the app itself.

Once you’ve got your MAE account set up, you’ll have to top it up like any other e-wallet; a minimum amount of RM10 is required to activate it. If you’re already a Maybank customer, you can top up your MAE account with Maybank2u.

Alternatively, you can also add funds to your MAE account via interbank transfer, FPX, or debit card. If you’re feeling old school, you can even use a cash deposit machine.

It Has Some Genuinely Useful Features

So why would you sign up for MAE? For a number of good reasons. Unlike the majority of e-wallets, you can transfer money out of your MAE account seamlessly. According to Maybank, you can do just that using the normal bank transfer capability found in the app.

Besides that, MAE can be used to perform payment at retailers that accept Maybank QRPay. Maybank said there are over 200,000 merchants that support QRPay, and more are added every day.

But what if QRPay isn’t supported by your favourite retailer? Well, that’s where the virtual Visa card comes into the picture. Non-Maybank customers that sign up for an MAE account will receive a Visa digital debit card, which can be used at terminals that support Maybank Pay and Samsung Pay. Naturally, the same virtual Visa card can also be used to perform payments online.

Another interesting feature MAE offers is Split Bill, which will be very useful for – you guessed it – splitting bills with your friends. MAE can automatically calculate the shared bill, and you can then use the Maybank App to “remind and notify” other users the amount that they owe you.

Obviously, this will only work if everyone you’re splitting the bill with has an MAE account, but it’s still a very useful feature nonetheless.

There Are Limitations

At the end of the day, MAE is still just an e-wallet, so you don’t get the perks of a conventional bank account. One of the biggest limitations here is the fact that you cannot withdraw money from an ATM machine. After all, you only have a virtual Visa card with MAE.

Certain transactions cannot be done with MAE either, which include making payment for car and mortgage loans. For Maybank customers, these transactions are reserved for the main account, and MAE can serve as a separate account to give you more control (and visibility) over your daily expenditures.

Maybank MAE is certainly an interesting e-wallet, and it can be beneficial to both existing and new Maybank users. Oh, it’s worth noting that only new Maybank customers will receive a virtual Visa card when they sign up for an MAE account. Existing customers won’t get it, but Maybank is planning to offer the virtual card to these customers sometime in the future.

If you’d like to learn more about Maybank MAE, you can do so over at Maybank’s
official website
. The Maybank App can also be downloaded on the
Google Play Store
 and
Apple App Store
.


Asus ZenBook 13 (UX333) Review: The Best Sub-RM5,000 Ultraportable?

Light, compact, and light laptops are aplenty in the market, but only a few are truly remarkable; one such ultraportable is the Asus ZenBook 13 (UX333). Not only is it a compact laptop, it has very minimal bezels and good value for money.

I’ve used the ZenBook 13 as my daily driver for a few weeks now, and if you’re looking for a productivity laptop within the RM5,000 price range, this is one of the best – if not
the best
 – options.

Specifications

Display
13.3-inch FHD LED-backlit (1920 x 1080)
Processor
Intel Core i5-8265U / i7-8565U
GPU
Nvidia GeForce MX150 2GB GDDR5 VRAM
RAM
8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3
Storage
512GB PCIe 3.0
Camera
HD (Windows Hello)
Battery
50WHr
Dimensions
302 x 189 x 16.9 mm
Weight
1.19kg
Audio
Bottom-firing stereo speakers
Ports
1x USB 3.1 Type-C
1x USB 3.1 Type-A
1x USB 2.0 Type-A
1x HDMI
1x microSD card reader

Design

Thanks to its tiny bezels, the ZenBook 13 is a small, compact laptop. This makes it highly portable, and tipping the scales at 1.19kg, it’s pretty light too. These two qualities are what you would want in a productivity laptop, which make the ZenBook 13 ideal for those who are always on the go.

Build quality is also one of the ZenBook 13’s strong suits. The top, bottom, and palm rest area of the laptop are all metal, and it feels very robust. I also love the fact that the display is protected with a sheet of glass, further accentuating the premium look of the laptop.

And that’s really the highlight of the ZenBook 13’s design: the almost bezel-less display. It gives the laptop a very sleek appearance, and it’s a head-turner.

Despite its slim bezels, Asus still managed to place the webcam at the top of the display, so it won’t be pointing at you from an awkward angle. On top of that, the webcam also supports Windows Hello, and it works very well. A quick glance at the webcam is enough to unlock the laptop.

As for connectivity, the ZenBook 13 has a rather generous selection of ports. These include one USB-C port, two USB-A connections, an HDMI output, and a microSD card slot.

Overall, the ZenBook 13 is a well-designed, compact laptop. It’s sleek, it feels great, and the almost bezel-less display is simply a sight to behold.

User Experience

One of the most important features of a productivity-focused laptop is battery life, and in this regard, the ZenBook 13 delivers. On average, I got between 9 to 10 hours of battery life on a single charge with this laptop, and this is very, very impressive.

Of course, I managed to get this kind of battery life after I set the laptop’s power mode to battery saver, and dimming the display to a comfortable – but still very usable – brightness. Up to 10 hours of battery life is very good, though it falls short of Asus’ estimate of 14 hours.

Besides that, the ZenBook 13’s 13.3-inch 1080p display is equally good too. It can get bright enough for comfortable use outdoor, and the colours are vibrant as well. However, glare can be quite an issue with the screen’s glossy finish.

A good keyboard is very important for a productivity laptop like the ZenBook 13, and I’m happy to report that it offers a pleasant typing experience. Although the keyboard layout is slightly smaller than a conventional board, I had little to no trouble adapting to it.

Once I’ve accustomed myself to the ZenBook 13’s keyboard, I can type as quickly as I do on a full-size keyboard. The 1.4mm key travel is long enough to offer a comfortable typing experience, I love the tactility of the keys, and when you lift the lid of the laptop, the keyboard is lifted up slightly too, improving ergonomics.

And then we have the ZenBook 13’s trackpad, which also doubles as a numpad. I don’t use the numpad all that often, but from what I can gather, it’s smart enough to differentiate between inputs and mouse movements. If you absolutely need a numpad, this should suffice.

How does the trackpad itself perform? Very good. While it’s not in the same league as a MacBook’s trackpad, it’s definitely above average. It feels accurate, my fingers can glide effortlessly on the trackpad’s glass surface, and never did I feel the need to plug a mouse into the laptop throughout the review period – except when I want to game, of course.

But when it comes to audio, the ZenBook 13 leaves much to be desired. Even at maximum volume, the bottom-firing speakers are simply not loud enough. If you want the best audio experience, just use a pair of headphones with this laptop.

Throughout my time with the ZenBook 13, i thoroughly enjoyed using it. In fact, I was confident enough to use it as my primary laptop when I was travelling for
MWC 2019
, and it served me very well.

Performance

I tested the highest-end variant of the ZenBook 13 with an Intel Core i7-8565U processor, and it provided very good performance level. It doesn’t skip a beat, I can open multiple tabs on Google Chrome with absolutely no slowdown, and overall, it feels like a really fast laptop.

If you want to do some gaming on the ZenBook 13, the laptop can definitely handle it. The Nvidia GeForce MX150 GPU under the hood may not be very powerful, but it’s capable enough to do some gaming here and there, including Diablo 3, Fortnite, and even Apex Legends.

However, don’t expect amazing gaming performance, and you will have to lower down the graphics settings and resolution quite a bit to get playable frame rate.

Competition

There are two variants of the ZenBook 13 in Malaysia, which have the exact same hardware except for the processor. The Core i5-8265U model retails at RM4,499, while the higher-end variant with a Core i7-8565U processor goes for RM4,999.

So if you’ve got about RM5,000 to spend, what other alternatives do you have? Let’s break it down.

HP Envy 13

Much like the ZenBook 13, the HP Envy 13 comes with very similar hardware, along with some extra goodies. The highest-end variant of the Envy 13 also has a Core i7-8565U processor, an MX150 GPU, a 13.3-inch 1080p display, as well as 512GB of SSD storage. But when it comes to RAM, the Envy 13 has double the capacity at 16GB – very generous.

That being said, the Envy 13’s bottom bezel is noticeably bigger than the ZenBook 13’s, so the latter is arguably the sleeker-looking option. On top of that, HP’s offering is also more costly at RM5,199.

Lenovo Yoga S730

Another alternative to the ZenBook 13 is the new Lenovo Yoga S730. It has the same Core i7 processor, SSD storage capacity, and display size as the ZenBook, but it features 16GB of RAM
and
 a much lower RM4,399 price tag. That’s very good value for money.

But of course, there are some sacrifices here and there. Not only does the Yoga S730 lack a dedicated GPU – relying instead on Intel’s UHD Graphics 620 integrated solution – it also has larger bottom bezel than the ZenBook 13, just like the Envy 13.

Conclusion

The Asus ZenBook 13 is a polished, compact productivity laptop with commendable battery life and value for money. I really enjoyed using it as my daily driver for the past few weeks, and I love its compact form factor and almost bezel-less display.

However, there is no such thing as the “perfect laptop,” and the ZenBook 13 is no exception. Its audio performance is decidedly average, the screen’s glossy finish can result in annoying glares, and the keyboard’s small layout may prove to be an issue for users with larger hands.

Nonetheless, you should definitely give the ZenBook 13 a consideration if you’re looking to get a productivity laptop within the RM5,000 price range. If you want absolute value for money, go for the Core i5 model; you’re still getting similar hardware as the higher-end Core i7 variant.


Deal: Samsung Galaxy S9 Price Drops Below RM2,000

The new
Samsung Galaxy S10 series
 has arrived, but if you’re not a fan of the lineup, you may be interested in this deal we stumbled upon. Now that it’s no longer the latest flagship device, you can now get the Samsung Galaxy S9 way below its original asking price.

Originally going for RM3,299, the standard Galaxy S9 can now be purchased
for only RM1,998
 – that’s exactly RM1,301 worth of savings. This deal is from Shopee retailer CamWorld, so rest assured, this is a legitimate offer along with one year warranty from Samsung Malaysia.

If you want the larger Galaxy S9+ instead, good news: you can save even more on the 128GB model. At launch, this particular variant was sold for RM3,999, but it’s now currently listed by iGadget on Lazada
for only RM2,299
, saving you a whopping RM1,700. To sweeten the deal, iGadget is also throwing in a 10,000mAh Pineng power bank.

However, to get this deal on the Galaxy S9+, you would have to act fast: only two units are left at the time of this writing. Of course, warranty is covered by Samsung Malaysia itself – we do our best to only write about deals with official warranty support.


Deal: Grab the Huawei Mate 20 Pro for Only RM2,649

It has been almost half a year since the
Huawei Mate 20 Pro
 hit the market, but not too long ago, Huawei Malaysia revised the retail price of its latest flagship from RM3,599 to RM2,999. That’s a pretty good price reduction, but surprisingly enough, some retailers are offering the Mate 20 Pro at an even lower price point.

We saw this deal particular deal from Preferred Shopee retailer GPA Mobile, which is listing the Mate 20 Pro with 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM
for only RM2,649
. That’s a really,
really
good price for a device of this calibre, and naturally, warranty support is from Huawei Malaysia itself.

Not sure if this device is for you? Then check out our
hands-on of the Huawei Mate 20 Pro
 – it should help you make up your mind.


Redmi Note 7 Hands-On: Strong Beginning

Previously under the Xiaomi branding, the Redmi series of smartphones is now a sub-brand of the Chinese phone maker. The Redmi Note 7 is the first device introduced after the announcement, and it is now in Malaysia.

Sporting a premium design, large battery capacity, and a competitive price tag, the Redmi Note 7 is an interesting mid-ranger. I’ve spent some time with the device over the weekend, and if you’re shopping for a sub-RM1,000 phone, the Note 7 is definitely one option to look out for.

Unlike previous Redmi smartphones, the Redmi Note 7 is a lot more premium. The glass and metal construction give the phone solid build quality, it looks great, and the glass back feels good to the touch. This is a reasonably hefty phone too, tipping the scales at 186g.

It’s no surprise that the Redmi Note 7 is a hefty phone, considering the fact that it has a generous 4,000mAh battery. Even so, it’s not all that thick with a 8.1mm chassis. The phone feels
just right
 – it’s neither too thin nor thick.

Speaking of which, the Redmi Note 7’s large 4,000mAh battery should be able to return excellent battery life. Most Xiaomi devices are long-lasting phones anyway, and I reckon the Note 7 will be no different.

Powering the Redmi Note 7 is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset, and the phone feels fast, zippy, and responsive. Yes, the Snapdragon 660 is not the most capable or newest chipset, but it should be able to offer a good level of performance. Gaming on this phone shouldn’t be much of an issue either.

For the Malaysian market, three variants of the Redmi Note 7 are available. The base model comes with 32GB of storage and 3GB of RAM, while the 64GB and 128GB variants both feature 4GB of RAM. The unit I have here is the 64GB model, and this amount of storage (and RAM) should be just fine for a device of this class. If you need even more storage space, you can just use the microSD card slot.

If there’s any element of the Redmi Note 7 that will divide opinion, it would be the display. That’s right, the 6.3-inch Full HD+ display has a notch at the top, and it’s quite noticeable. Compared to its competition – like the
Realme 2 Pro
 – the top and bottom bezels of the phone are noticeably thicker too.

But beyond those, the Redmi Note 7’s display quality is good. It’s bright and vibrant, viewing angles are alright, and it looks sharp despite the 1080p resolution. Of course, a higher resolution display would look better, but that will only drive up the price and power consumption of the phone.

And then we have the Redmi Note 7’s dual camera system, which is one of the most interesting hardware of this phone. The primary shooter is a 48MP f/1.8 sensor, while the other 5MP f/2.4 camera captures depth information. On the front, it has a 13MP f/2.2 selfie shooter.

Since the Redmi Note 7 has a 48MP sensor, does it take images at this resolution? Not quite. By default, the phone will use pixel binning to improve the camera performance, which effectively reduces the file size to the equivalent of a 12MP image. Of course, you can always shoot at 48MP, but this is only possible in the camera’s Manual mode.

So how is the camera performance of the Redmi Note 7? It’s…relatively good. I managed to capture some low light shots with the phone, and generally, it performed quite well. Yes, it doesn’t have the best dynamic range or detail preservation, but for a mid-range smartphone, it’s plenty good.

I’ll test the camera performance much more extensively in a full review of the phone, including how it performs under ideal lighting, as well as the camera’s Night mode. For what it’s worth, I’m quite positive it won’t disappoint.

The Redmi Note 7 is the best device in the series yet. It looks and feels premium, it doesn’t have any glaring fault, and most importantly, it retains the brand’s best selling point: value for money.

In Malaysia, the Redmi Note 7 retails from only RM679, and that’s for the 32GB base model. The 64GB and 128GB variants, on the other hand, retail at RM799 and RM949 respectively. These are
very
 competitive price tags, and not many devices in this price range can offer the Note 7’s feature set, especially when it comes to build quality.

If absolute value for money is what you’re looking for, the Redmi Note 7 is an attractive option. In fact, it could very well set the benchmark of what to expect from a mid-range smartphone – it’s a strong beginning for the sub-brand.

Update, 19 March:
 The Redmi Note 7 has just been launched in Malaysia. We now know exactly how many variants are available, and how much each of them cost. This article has been updated accordingly.


Deal: Get the Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Headphones for RM500 Off

Looking to get a pair of wireless headphones with active noise cancellation? Then this deal is for you. The Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones are arguably one of the best headphones of its kind, and you can now get it with RM500 discount.

Originally going for RM1,599, the WH-1000XM3 can now be yours
for only RM1,089
, saving you exactly RM510. This deal is offered by retailer Kronoshop on Shopee, and it received generally favourable ratings. Of course, these headphones also come with one year warranty from Sony Malaysia, and both colours (Black and Silver) are available too.

The Sony WH-1000XM3 is an excellent pair of wireless headphones with very good active noise cancellation, and on its own, it’s already a very attractive product. At this price point, it is
that
much more compelling.


Deal: Save Over RM1,000 on the Samsung Galaxy Note 9

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 was released in Malaysia back in August last year, so naturally, it has gotten much more affordable since then. Right now, you can save over RM1,000 on a brand new Galaxy Note 9.

This applies to both the 128GB and 512GB variants of the Note 9. If you’re looking to get the more affordable 128GB model with 6GB of RAM, it’s offered by Preferred Shopee retailer AL-ORI
for only RM2,658
. This saves you RM1,041 when compared to the phone’s original RM3,699 asking price.

As for the 512GB Galaxy Note 9 with 8GB of RAM, which used to go for RM4,599 at launch, retailer CamWorld (also on Shopee) is offering the device
for only RM3,588
, saving you RM1,011. However, at the time of writing, only
two units
 are left: one in Ocean Blue, and another in Midnight Black.

Both deals highlighted here are official sets of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, so warranty is provided by Samsung Malaysia itself. Those that want to grab these deals – especially the 512GB model – should definitely act fast before stocks run out.


Dealing with Toxicity in Video Games

In most team-based online video games, toxicity is something you will face, possibly on a daily basis. Not only can it negatively impact your gaming experience, it may deter you from playing certain games outright. But as bad as it is, toxicity is part and parcel of video games – you’ll have to learn to live with it.

But there are certainly ways to deal with it effectively. We’ve faced our fair share of toxicity in video games, and here are some tips on how to make the best of it.

Foster Goodwill

If one of your teammates starts getting toxic, try to be helpful and supportive. It’s very easy to just ignore toxic teammates and leave them to their own devices, but there’s no harm in trying to calm them down or encourage them.

In fact, it could improve your whole team’s performance if everyone is level-headed. It’s easier to work together when there’s no hostility in the team, and it will make the gaming experience a lot more pleasant.

But some teammates can be extra difficult, so if that doesn’t work..

The Mute Button Is a Blessing

No matter how much you try to be helpful, some teammates are as toxic as they get. In this case, the mute button is the next best thing. Yes, it will affect the effectiveness of the team, but chances are, you will perform better if you’re not reading or hearing toxic messages from your teammates.

Fortunately, some games make it possible to still communicate (to an extent) with your other teammates even if you’ve muted them.
Apex Legends
, for one, has a very robust ping system. You can use the mouse wheel button to ping enemy locations, supply drops, and equipment.

Although it differs from one game to another, it’s still possible to play most games effectively even with muted teammates.

Play with Friends

Getting into a game with a group of friends is one of the best ways to minimise the possibility of running into toxic teammates; even more so if you can fill an entire team with friends. More often than not, it’ll be much more fun to play with your friends as well.

Of course, friends can be toxic too, but hey, it will be much easier to talk to them and calm them down. Random strangers on the internet? Not so much.

Take a Break

If the toxicity starts to get to you, take a break. Even a quick break would help immensely to get you back into the right mindset. After all, playing a game when you’re “tilted” will magnify even the slightest setback, which will affect your enjoyment of the game.

Take it from someone who was repeatedly paired with teammates that refused to play as a team in Apex Legends. They landed far from where our teammates are, and swiftly blamed the others when they’re swarmed by other squads before leaving the match.

I wasn’t enjoying the game very much with my streak of bad luck, so I took a break, and waited for my regular squadmates to come online before I get back into the game.

Enjoy the Game!

At the end of the day, we play games to have fun; it stops being fun when we get paired with toxic teammates, and we take it too seriously. Taking a break to clear your mind is one way to do it, or you can just enjoy the ride and play for fun.

Got a teammate that starts throwing vulgarities at the slightest inconvenience? Mute them, and enjoy the rest of the game without any disturbance from said teammate. Just focus on the game itself, and you’ll have a lot more fun once you’ve stopped taking things too seriously.

There’s definitely a time and place for serious gaming sessions, but it’s important to know that it’s not always ideal or possible, especially when you’re paired with random players on the internet. Go for the win when it’s more feasible, and you won’t get tilted as much.


Huawei Nova 4e Hands-On: Sleek, Selfie-Focused Mid-Ranger

Huawei just announced a brand new device under the Nova series, the Huawei Nova 4e. Marketed as the Huawei P30 Lite in certain markets, it’s quite an interesting mid-range device with a sleek design and a 32MP selfie camera – a first for a Huawei phone.

Surprisingly enough, even though it’s just been announced in China, the Nova 4e will be landing in Malaysia as early as this Saturday on 16 March. It’s a reasonably good mid-ranger, and if you love taking selfies, this may be the phone for you.

Needless to say, the major selling point of the Nova 4e is its 32MP f/2.0 selfie camera. In my brief time with the phone, it does seem capable of taking good-looking selfie images. It’ll be interesting to see how it performs in more challenging lighting situations.

On the back, the Nova 4e has a triple camera system, which consists of a primary 24MP f/1.8 sensor, an 8MP f/2.2 wide-angle shooter, and a 2MP f/2.4 camera for capturing depth information. Thanks to the combination of a standard camera sensor with a wide-angle camera, the Nova 4e is quite a versatile shooter; much like the higher-end
Huawei Nova 4
.

But how about the camera performance? Well, it’s decent. Based on a few indoor shots I managed to capture, it’s an “okay” camera system. The camera interface is quite responsive, switching between the primary and wide-angle cameras didn’t take too long, and the image output is adequate.

That being said, the 8MP wide-angle camera’s image quality isn’t quite as good as the 24MP shooter (obviously), and the former has noticeable distortion too, resulting in a fisheye-like effect. It’s not pleasant to look at, but hey, this
is
 a mid-range smartphone.

Besides its camera performance, the Nova 4e is quite a looker. My personal favourite colourway is the Peacock Blue model, which has a gradient-like finish on the glass back. The Pearl White colour looks pretty sleek too, and if you want something a little more…discreet, there’s the Midnight Black option.

It doesn’t just look good, of course. Sporting a glass back and a metal frame, the Nova 4e feels solid and premium. I also love the fact that it has a USB-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a microSD card slot – very practical features.

Powering the Nova 4e is Huawei’s very own Kirin 710 chipset, which is said to be equivalent to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 SoC. For the most part, the phone feels fast and speedy, but switching from one app to another does take some time. Again, this is a mid-range phone – this level of performance isn’t exactly unexpected.

Unfortunately, the Nova 4e has one design element that
feels old in 2019
: a notched display. It’s not quite as wide as the Nova 4’s notch, but it’s still a noticeable cutout. Thankfully, the bottom bezel is quite minimal, giving this phone a more modern-looking aesthetic.

Beyond the notch and bezel size, the 6.15-inch 2312 x 1080 LTPS display looks reasonably good. It can get pretty darn bright, viewing angles are great, colours look punchy, and the white balance is well-calibrated. Basically, this display won’t disappoint you.

Featuring a 3,340mAh battery, the Nova 4e should be able to deliver relatively good battery life too. It doesn’t have a particularly large battery capacity, but the Kirin 710 processor is quite power-efficient, thanks in part to its 12nm size.

Retailing at RM1,199 in Malaysia, the Huawei Nova 4e is priced relatively well. Of course, it’s not the most affordable mid-ranger, but it comes with 128GB of internal storage and 6GB of RAM; pretty generous capacities. On top of that, you’re also getting a sleek-looking smartphone with a 32MP selfie camera.

But if you want absolute value for money, the Nova 4e is not the best option. In this price range, there are a lot of other alternatives to consider, including the upcoming
Redmi Note 7
,
Samsung Galaxy A50
, and even the
Pocophone F1
.

So why would you get the Nova 4e over these alternatives? Well, if you want a device that looks and feels great with a generous amount of RAM and storage – and you love taking selfies – the Nova 4e will serve you well. Otherwise, there are better options out there, especially if you want more bang for your buck.


The Nvidia GTX 1660 Is the Default GPU for Budget Gamers

Nvidia is releasing one graphics card after another in quick succession. It wasn’t that long ago when the company unveiled the GTX 1660 Ti, and now, we have the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 – an even more affordable GPU with Nvidia’s Turing architecture.

Yes, the GTX 1660 is a Turing-based GPU, and it is the cheapest one with this architecture. If you’re building a gaming PC, and you’re working with a limited budget, the GTX 1660 should be your default choice – it offers good performance level at an affordable price point.

So where does the GTX 1660 sit in Nvidia’s portfolio? Right below the GTX 1660 Ti, and above its direct predecessor, the GTX 1060. According to Nvidia, the GTX 1660 is about 35% faster than the 3GB variant of the GTX 1060. When compared to the GTX 1060 6GB, you can expect to see around 15% boost in performance.

These are not amazing figures, of course, but the GTX 1660 will definitely bring noticeable performance gain. This is especially the case for those who are upgrading from much older graphics cards. Take the two-generation-old GTX 960: Nvidia said the GTX 1660 is over 130% faster.

In comparison to the GTX 1660 Ti, the GTX 1660 uses the same TU116 GPU, though the latter is equipped with slower GDDR5 memory than the Ti version. Aside from that, the GTX 1660 also has less CUDA cores, but it still comes with 6GB of video RAM – there will be no 3GB version of the card.

What makes the GTX 1660 particularly enticing is its price tag. For the Malaysian market, this graphics card retails
from as low as RM999
. Taking into consideration the card’s performance level, this is
really
 good value for money.

In the past, this price range is mostly dominated by GTX 1060, and even GTX 1050 Ti cards. As far as raw performance is concerned, it’s no question the GTX 1660 is superior. This makes it a much, much better buy than any other cards in this price range.

That is, unless you’re willing to spend slightly more to get the higher-end GTX 1660 Ti, which cost about RM200 more than a standard GTX 1660 (give or take). In
AnandTech’s in-depth review of the GTX 1660
, the site mentioned that the GTX 1660 Ti is about 14% faster; that’s quite a noticeable gap in performance.

However, this performance difference may not be enough for some folks to justify the price difference, and it may be a significant amount for budget PC builders.

But say you’re planning to save even more money by getting the much more affordable GTX 1050 Ti. In this case, I’d argue it’s worth saving up for the GTX 1660. You’re getting a lot more bang for your buck with the GTX 1660, and if you’re gaming at 1080p, it will have little to no trouble at maxing out most modern games’ graphics settings. The GTX 1050 Ti, on the other hand, won’t be able to do so.

If you absolutely need to save up, the GTX 1060 6GB is worth looking into, but only if you can get a good deal on it. Now that the GTX 1660 is introduced, prices for the GTX 1060 should drop steadily. In fact, we found a retailer listing a Gigabyte GTX 1060 6GB
for only RM790 now
. That’s a really good price for the 6GB version of the GTX 1060.

That being said, we expect stocks of the GTX 1060 to run out in the near future – the GTX 1660 will eventually replace it. If you absolutely want to get the GTX 1060, it’s best to act fast.

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 may not be a drastic improvement over its predecessor, but it’s still a plenty good graphics card at an affordable price point. Anyone that is building a budget gaming PC should really consider getting the GTX 1660 just for its sheer value for money.

With the introduction of the GTX 1660, it’s a great time to build a budget-oriented gaming PC. It’s also ideal for those who want to put together a reasonably good gaming machine without breaking the bank.


Deal: Samsung Galaxy S10e Going for Only RM2,399 Now

The
Samsung Galaxy S10 series
 went on sale in Malaysia just last week, but now, the most affordable device in the series – the Galaxy S10e – just got cheaper. Currently, you can grab the compact smartphone for RM300 off.

We found this deal from Shopee Preferred retailer GPA Mobile, which is listing the Galaxy S10e
for only RM2,399
 instead of its original asking price of RM2,699. On top of that, GPA Mobile has all three colours in stock too, which include Prism White, Prism Black, and Prism Green.

Needless to say, GPA Mobile is offering the Galaxy S10e with warranty from Samsung Malaysia itself – we only write about deals with official warranty support. Rest assured, you should have no issue claiming for warranty from Samsung if anything were to go wrong.

Despite being the most affordable device in the series, the Samsung Galaxy S10e still has a lot in common with its higher-end siblings. For more information, check out our
hands-on with the Galaxy S10 series
.


Deal: Grab the Samsung Galaxy S10+ with up to RM400 Discount

The Samsung Galaxy S10e isn’t the only device that’s
more affordable now
. That’s right, even the
range-topping Galaxy S10+
 received a pretty good discount – it’s currently cheaper by up to RM400.

Not surprisingly, the highest amount of discount is reserved for the highest-end Galaxy S10+ with 512GB of storage. Originally priced at RM4,599, Preferred Shopee retailer GPA Mobile is listing this variant of the phone
for only RM4,199
, saving you RM400.

If you don’t need that much storage, you can opt to get the 128GB Galaxy S10+, which is
currently offered for RM3,349
 from the same retailer – that’s RM350 worth of savings. As always, the listings mentioned here are official units of the Galaxy S10+ with warranty support from Samsung Malaysia.

To learn more about the Samsung Galaxy S10+, check out our
hands-on of the Galaxy S10 series
. Not particularly interested with the S10+? Then perhaps
this deal on the Galaxy S10e
 will catch your fancy.


Samsung Galaxy M20 Hands-On: An Attractive Basic Smartphone

Affordable Samsung devices are usually not particularly interesting, but the Samsung Galaxy M20 is quite different. Not only does it have an attractive price tag, its hardware under the hood aren’t particularly bad either.

I got my hands on the Galaxy M20 at its launch event earlier today, and even though this is a basic smartphone, I’m impressed with what it offers – especially at this price point. If all you want is a long-lasting, affordable smartphone, you should really consider the Galaxy M20.

Before we get to it, let’s talk about the Galaxy M20’s most attractive aspect: price. There’s only one variant of the M20 in Malaysia, which comes with 64GB of internal storage and 4GB of RAM. How much does it cost? RM799, and it’s available
exclusively on Shopee
.

For that kind of money, you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck. 64GB of storage is already quite generous at this price point, and if that’s not enough for you, the Galaxy M20 also features a dedicated microSD card slot. It’s not a hybrid slot, mind you: this phone’s SIM tray can accommodate two SIM cards
and
 a microSD card at the same time.

Memory capacity aside, the Galaxy M20 feels reasonably snappy too. Powered by an Exynos 7904 1.8GHz octa-core processor (yes, the very same chipset found in the
Galaxy A30
), the M20 can switch between apps relatively quickly – quick enough to not feel cumbersome. Of course, this is by no means a lightning quick smartphone, but it’s definitely good enough for a phone in this segment.

If there’s one area the Galaxy M20 excels in, it would be battery life. Equipped with a huge 5,000mAh battery, I’m confident the M20 can deliver
excellent
 battery life. Not many phones have a battery with this capacity, and it charges via USB-C too.

Not surprisingly, the Galaxy M20’s affordable price tag is reflected in the phone’s design and build quality. It feels cheap, plasticky, and yes, it has a “Infinity-V” notch at the top of the display. On a brighter note, the bottom bezel isn’t all that big, giving the phone a relatively sleek appearance.

What about the Galaxy M20’s display quality? Pretty good. Sporting a 6.3-inch 2340 x 1080 LCD display – nope, it doesn’t have a Super AMOLED panel – it’s a good-looking screen with vibrant colours and good brightness. Viewing angles are great too, though colours do shift slightly when you look at the display off-angle.

When it comes to software, the Galaxy M20 doesn’t offer Samsung’s latest user interface. Unlike the
Galaxy A50 and A30
, the M20 doesn’t run on One UI. Rather, it’s still running on Samsung Experience 9.5 based on Android 8.1 Oreo.

That’s not to say Galaxy M20 doesn’t have good software experience, of course. Samsung Experience is still a good version of Android, and it feels lightweight, polished, and aesthetically pleasing. Besides, Samsung confirmed that the Galaxy M20 will be updated to One UI sometime in the future.

Camera performance is, unfortunately, not one of the Galaxy M20’s best qualities. Sporting a dual-camera system made up of 13MP + 5MP wide-angle sensors – with an 8MP selfie camera – it’s not particularly fun to shoot with this phone. The camera interface feels sluggish, the shutter speed is slow, and detail preservation (especially with the 5MP wide-angle sensor) is not great.

But to be fair, I was shooting with the Galaxy M20 in less than ideal lighting; it may be able to deliver better shots in brighter environments. On top of that, most phones in this price range don’t have particularly great camera performance anyway, and the M20 is no exception.

The Samsung Galaxy M20 is an affordable, no-nonsense smartphone with a very generous 5,000mAh battery. It’s certainly a phone worth considering for folks that want a long-lasting device that won’t break the bank, and as a whole, it’s a reasonably fast phone too.

Samsung’s range of affordable smartphones have not been particularly exciting for quite some time now, but the Galaxy M20 is changing things up quite a bit. In fact, even the
Galaxy A50 and A30
 are very respectable mid-rangers too, and both will be introduced in Malaysia tonight.

Now that Samsung is putting more emphasis on its mid-range offerings, it’s an interesting time to be shopping for a smartphone in this segment. Having more options is always a good thing, and the Galaxy M20 is an option worth considering.


Redmi 7 Hands-On: Better Than Ever

The Redmi 7 was introduced in China just two days ago, but surprisingly enough, the affordable device made its Malaysian debut yesterday along with the
Redmi Note 7
. On top of that, it will be available for purchase on 27 March too.

Carrying an affordable price tag and respectable hardware (for the money), the Redmi 7 is ideal for those who want the cheapest possible smartphone…that’s still actually good. But for certain folks, it may be worth it to spend a tad more for the superior Redmi Note 7.

Nonetheless, I had some quality time with the Redmi 7, and it’s really quite a good device – especially for its asking price.

Despite how affordable it is, the Redmi 7 doesn’t feel particularly cheap. Yes, it’s mostly made out of plastic, but it doesn’t
feel
 plasticky. The polycarbonate frame’s matte finish feels good to the touch, and same goes for the curved plastic back. However, the back panel does pick up fingerprints quite easily.

Speaking of which, I love the design of the Redmi 7’s back panel. The Comet Blue and Lunar Red (my personal favourite colour) have nice, subtle gradient finishes that look really sleek. Of course, if you want a more low-key colour, there’s the Eclipse Black model.

Much like the Redmi Note 7, the Redmi 7 also has a notched display with larger than usual top and bottom bezels. These are not particularly pleasing to the eyes, but hey, this is not an expensive smartphone; our expectations have to be realistic. As a whole, the Redmi 7 still looks rather sleek and modern, and it has a 3.5mm headphone jack too, though it’s still using a microUSB port for charging.

Notch aside, the Redmi 7’s 6.26-inch 1520 x 720 display looks good. Even though it’s only a 720p display, it still looks sharp enough with good colour reproduction, viewing angles, and brightness. Plus, the lower resolution display has one vital advantage: lower power consumption.

Featuring a generous 4,000mAh battery, I’m quite certain the Redmi 7 will be able to deliver extremely good battery life. After all, its 720p display won’t consume as much power as a higher resolution panel, and under the hood of this phone is a power-efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 chipset.

Performance is not an issue with the Redmi 7 either. I can switch between different apps relatively quickly, there’s no noticeable lag or stutter while I was using the phone, and the phone as a whole feels fast and zippy. The Snapdragon 632 is not an awfully powerful chipset, but it’s certainly capable enough.

In this price range, it would be unrealistic to hope for great camera performance, and this applies to the Redmi 7. On the back, it has a dual camera system made up of a 12MP f/2.2 sensor and a 2MP shooter. The front-facing camera, on the other hand, is an 8MP shooter.

At the launch event, I managed to snap a few pictures with the Redmi 7’s dual camera system, and while it’s not amazing, it is certainly serviceable. There
is
 noticeable shutter lag, but the image output isn’t all that bad, and the camera interface is quite intuitive to navigate around.

That being said, I’ve only taken daylight pictures with the Redmi 7. Chances are, the camera performance wouldn’t be quite as good in low light conditions, and that would be totally fine. This is, first and foremost, a very affordable phone – you really cannot expect amazing camera performance.

The Redmi 7 will be available for purchase in Malaysia from 27 March onwards, and it is offered in two variants. The 16GB model with 2GB of RAM retails at RM499, while the 32GB variant with 3GB of RAM goes for RM599. If you want more storage capacity, no problem – this phone has a microSD card slot.

Without a doubt the Redmi 7 is an affordable phone, and it will be worth the purchase for the majority of consumers. That is, unless you can afford to spend
a little bit more
 for the Redmi Note 7, which retails from only RM679.

For only RM80 more than the 32GB Redmi 7, the Redmi Note 7 offers the same amount of storage and RAM capacities, a faster Snapdragon 660 chipset, a sharper display, superior camera performance, as well as better, more premium build quality. It’s a small price difference, but you’re getting
a lot more
 value for your money.

However, if you’re on a really tight budget, the Redmi 7 is still a very good purchase, especially if you’re looking to get the RM499 variant. Even though it’s a cheap smartphone, it doesn’t look or feel cheap, and that shows just how far the Redmi series have come.


Acer Predator Triton 500 Hands-On: Slim & Light Premium RTX Gaming Laptop

Acer just launched the Predator Triton 500 in Malaysia. Touted as a slim and light gaming laptop, this is definitely a premium product, and that, of course, comes with a matching price tag. However, even though the Triton 500 is not the most affordable gaming machine, it offers plenty of value for money.

For its asking price, you’re getting a powerful, sleek, thin, and light gaming laptop. I played around with the Triton 500 for a while at its launch event earlier today, and I was left
very
 impressed. Here’s why you should seriously consider this laptop if you’re looking to get a new gaming machine.

There are several configurations of the Predator Triton 500 in Malaysia, so let’s start with the base model – my personal favourite model. Retailing at RM6,799, the most affordable model features an Intel Core i5-8300H processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 GPU.

A tier up is the RM7,599 model, which swaps out the Core i5 processor for a Core i7-8750H chip. The range-topping model, on the other hand, features the same Core i7 processor, and a more powerful RTX 2070 GPU. How much does this variant cost? RM8,699.

Beyond the processor and GPU configuration, other hardware of the Triton 500 are exactly the same across the different models. All three variants feature 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080 IPS displays with 144Hz refresh rate, 512GB of fast PCIe NVMe SSD storage (two 256GB SSDs in Raid 0 configuration), 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and Windows 10 Home out of the box.

This, in turn, makes the base model of the Triton 500 an attractive option. No other gaming laptop at this price point can offer the same hardware configuration, let alone the portability and premium build quality of the Triton 500.

Despite packing a large 15.6-inch display, the Triton 500 is surprisingly portable; similar in size to a smaller, conventional 14-inch laptop, I would say. Thanks to its small screen bezels, the overall dimension of the laptop can be reduced accordingly. However, it does have a noticeable chin at the bottom of the display.

What about the display quality of the Triton 500? Excellent. The IPS panel has vibrant colours, great viewing angles, and good brightness level. The matte finish of the screen should help with glare too, and I absolutely love the fast 144Hz refresh rate. Compared to standard 60Hz displays, you
will
 notice significant improvement in image clarity (especially in fast moving scenes) and fluidity when you’re using this laptop.

The power adapter is quite compact too

Measuring merely 17.9mm thick, the Triton 500 is a very, very thin gaming laptop. On top of that, it weighs only 2.1kg too, making it one of the lightest gaming laptops with an RTX 2060 GPU. That being said, the thin chassis of the Triton 500 may be a cause for concern – the laptop’s cooling system has to be robust enough to effectively cool down the machine’s various components in heated gaming sessions.

Build quality is also the Triton 500’s strong suit. Most of the laptop is made out of metal, and I can open the laptop’s lid with only one finger. This may only be a small – insignificant, even, to certain folks – thing, but it does speak volume to the Triton 500’s build quality. It feels robust, solid, and I love the minimalist look of the laptop.

But there is one design element of the Triton 500 that is a bit of a letdown: the bezel surrounding the display is made out of plastic. Don’t get me wrong, the plastic bezel doesn’t feel cheap or anything like that, but it does detract from the laptop’s premium aesthetics.

In terms of gaming performance, I only managed to play a quick round of Fortnite with the Triton 500, and it ran extremely well. Not only can the RTX 2060 GPU run the game effortlessly, the laptop’s fast 144Hz display also make for a truly enjoyable gaming experience.

Sure, Fortnite isn’t a terribly demanding game, but don’t discount the RTX 2060’s capability. It’s a really good GPU, and at 1080p resolution, I’m confident this GPU can deliver good frame rate in most modern titles at maximum graphics settings. You’re also getting other RTX features like ray tracing and Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) with this GPU.

To game effectively, you’ll need a good keyboard, and the Triton 500 has a reasonably good keyboard. While it doesn’t have particularly long key travel (making the keyboard feel shallow), the keys don’t feel “mushy.” They have good tactile feedback, which can provide a good typing and gaming experience.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a gaming laptop if it doesn’t have some form of RGB lighting. That’s right, it has an RGB keyboard, and I quite dig the slightly see-through WASD keycap.

Trackpads on most gaming laptops are usually horrible, but to my surprise, that’s not the case with the Triton 500. My fingers can glide effortlessly on the surface of the trackpad, and it is pretty darn accurate. In fact, I’d say this trackpad is better than most productivity-focused Windows laptops.

The Acer Predator Triton 500 is easily one of the most impressive thin and light gaming laptops I’ve seen for a while now. It’s powerful, it has a fast 144Hz display, and it’s a very sleek-looking laptop in a compact form factor – I definitely wouldn’t mind lugging this laptop around in my backpack.

Yes, the Triton 500 is not affordable, but it is a
premium
gaming laptop. Most RTX 2060 laptops are similarly priced anyway, but not many of them can match this laptop’s feature set,
especially
 the base model.

If you want a compact, powerful, premium 15.6-inch gaming laptop, the Triton 500 is a very good option. I will be reviewing this gaming laptop extensively over the next few weeks, and I absolutely cannot wait to put it through its paces.


Deal: Get the Huawei Mate 20 X with RM650 Discount Now

The Huawei Mate 20 X’s retail price was recently revised to RM2,899, but certain retailers are offering the large device at a lower price – much lower, in fact. Right now, you can get the Mate 20 X
for only RM2,549
.

This deal is offered by Preferred Shopee retailer GPA Mobile. Compared to the Mate 20 X’s original retail price of RM3,199, you’re saving exactly RM650 with this offer – that’s quite a big discount.

Naturally, GPA Mobile is offering the Mate 20 X with official warranty support from Huawei Malaysia. On top of that, the retailer is also offering five free gifts with every purchase, which include a case and a Huawei stylus.

That being said, GPA Mobile did not mention exactly which colour of the Mate 20 X it has in stock, so interested buyers would have to check with the retailer. For more information on the device, check out
our overview of the Mate 20 series
.


Deal: Grab an RTX 2060 Gaming Laptop for Below RM5,000

Gaming laptops equipped with RTX GPUs are becoming increasingly common, and thankfully, increasingly more affordable too. If you’re shopping for an RTX 2060 gaming laptop, good news: you can get one for less than RM5,000 now.

Of course, we’re talking about the
MSI GL63 8SE
 gaming laptop. Originally priced at RM5,399, well-known retailer Thunder Match is offering the laptop
for only RM5,072
. To further reduce the price, you can use the retailer’s discount code (TMTLAZRM100) to get additional RM100 discount until 27 March.

Once you’ve keyed in the code at checkout, you can get this gaming laptop
for only RM4,972
 – excluding shipping cost, of course.

The MSI GL63 8SE is a powerful gaming laptop, and even though its build quality leaves much to be desired, it definitely offers great value for money. If you want to get this deal, act fast: there are only
three units left
 at the time of this writing.


Deal: Save RM350 on a Brand New Samsung Galaxy S10

We’ve seen deals on the
Samsung Galaxy S10+
 and
Galaxy S10e
, but if those don’t catch your fancy, perhaps this one will. Now, the standard Galaxy S10 got a reasonably big price cut too – it’s currently going for RM350 off.

Originally retailing at RM3,299, Thunder Match is offering the Galaxy S10
for only RM2,999 on Shopee
. To sweeten the deal, the retailer has a RM50 discount code that’s valid with purchases over RM2,000; once you’ve used that code, you can reduce the price down to RM2,949, saving you RM350.

Thunder Match is a renowned retailer, so rest assured, this is a legitimate deal. Naturally, it is also offering the Galaxy S10 with official warranty from Samsung Malaysia. However, it’s best to act fast if you want to enjoy this deal. At the time of writing, there are only
two Prism Black units
 of the Galaxy S10. The Prism White model, only the other hand, has
nine units left
.

To learn more about the Samsung Galaxy S10, check out our hands-on with the Galaxy S10 series
right here
.


Samsung Galaxy S10+ Review: Setting the Benchmark

Over the past year, Samsung has been rather…risk-averse. While the Galaxy S9 and Note 9 smartphones were very respectable flagship smartphones, they’re not particularly exciting or groundbreaking. Rather, they’re refined versions of the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 respectively.

And now, we have the Samsung Galaxy S10+ – the range-topping device in the series. Compared to its predecessors, I’d say it sits in the middle of the Galaxy S8 and S9 in terms of “excitement.” It doesn’t have the wow factor of the Galaxy S8, but it’s not quite as iterative as the Galaxy S9 either.

But one thing is certain: the Galaxy S10+ sets the benchmark on what to expect from a 2019 flagship smartphone, and that’s a good position to be in.

Specifications

Display
6.4-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED (3040 x 1440)
Chipset
Samsung Exynos 9820 2.73GHz octa-core
GPU
Mali-G76 MP12
RAM
8GB
Storage
128/512GB, expandable
Camera (rear)
12MP f/1.5 – f/2.4, OIS, Super Speed Dual Pixel AF
12MP f/2.4 (telephoto), OIS
16MP f/2.2 (ultra wide)
Camera (front)
10MP f/1.9, Dual Pixel AF
8MP f/2.2 RGB Depth sensor
Battery
4,100mAh
Dimensions
157.6 x 74.1 x 7.8 mm
Weight
175g (glass), 195g (ceramic, 512GB model only)
OS
One UI 1.1 based on Android 9 Pie
Connectivity
LTE
NFC
Bluetooth 5.0
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax (2.4/5GHz)
3.5mm headphone jack
USB Type-C

Naturally, the Galaxy S10+ is as powerful as it gets. It’s powered by Samsung’s latest Exynos 9820 chipset, it has ample amount of RAM at 8GB, it has a huge 4,100mAh battery, and it has a sophisticated camera system too.

Does it lack anything? Not really. Water resistance? Check (it’s IP68-rated). Headphone jack? Check. Support for expandable storage? Also check. Basically, the Galaxy S10+ has an excellent, complete set of hardware.

Design

First things first, let me just say how much I love the Prism White model. At a glance, it looks like any other white smartphone, but shine some light on it, and you get this very nice reddish tint. Pictures don’t really do it justice: you have to see it in person to get the full effect, and no other phone looks quite like it.

Build quality is, unsurprisingly, fantastic. The Galaxy S10+ is very well put-together: the metal frame blends seamlessly with the curved front and back panels, it has a nice heft to it, and it feels solid in my hands. Samsung’s flagship phones have always felt very robust, and the S10+ improved upon this even further.

Okay, I think it’s time we talk about the elephant in the room – the oblong-shaped, hole-punch “Infinity-O” display. Honestly, I don’t find it all that distracting or intrusive. After using the phone for a while, I don’t really notice it anymore, and it’s virtually invisible when I’m playing mobile games and watching videos on YouTube. Games and videos simply don’t use the screen real estate past the hole-punch cutout.

You
can
 hide the cutout, but you’ll be left with a huge top bezel – not the most eye-catching solution.

That being said, there is one thing with the hole-punch that bothers me. Because it’s positioned to the right of the display, the clock, signal, and WiFi icons are pushed to the left of the screen, making it look off-centre. It is not aesthetically pleasing, but some folks may not care too much about this – I certainly do though.

Another thing that I don’t quite like is the sheer length of the screen. The Galaxy S10+ has a 19:9 display, and it’s a
very
 tall aspect ratio. The power button and volume rocker are placed way too high on the sides of the phone, and it’s nigh impossible to reach for the top of the display with one hand to pull down the notification shade. Thankfully, I can swipe down on the home screen to achieve the same effect.

Nonetheless, I like the Galaxy S10+’s overall design. It looks great (especially the Prism White model here), it feels premium, and despite packing a large 4,100mAh battery, it’s only 7.8mm thick. Thanks to the curved front and back glass panels, it feels thinner than it really is.

User Experience

Compared to Samsung Experience, One UI looks a lot more modern and polished. I love the fact that I can now double tap to wake the phone, and more importantly, the software itself still feels lightweight and zippy. It just does what I want it to without much issue, whether it’s switching quickly from one app to another, or launching the camera with a double click of the power button.

However, by default, the icons are
comically
 large on the home screen. I’ve used the Galaxy S9+ as my daily driver prior to this, so switching to the Galaxy S10+ definitely felt jarring. Thankfully, I can resize the icons quite easily in the settings menu.

And then we have the Galaxy S10+’s ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. When I
first tried it
, I was very impressed with the speed of the sensor. However, after spending more time with it, the sensor
does
 struggle to read my fingerprint accurately on certain occasions.

It can definitely recognise my fingerprint very quickly most of the time, but there are times where it gets finicky too: I had to place my finger on the sensor several times before it actually works, much like the majority of in-screen sensors. And if my fingers are wet, the sensor will struggle even more.

Then again, if I were to compare this ultrasonic sensor to other in-screen fingerprint sensors, how good is it? Very good; the best there is right now, I would say. But is it
as good
 as a conventional sensor? No it isn’t, and I would still prefer a standard, capacitive fingerprint sensor over this ultrasonic one.

On a more positive note, the Galaxy S10+ is a fast, powerful smartphone. It doesn’t show any sign of slowdown no matter what I throw at it, and gaming on this phone is simply a joy. I can get high, consistent frame rate on PUBG Mobile, and the fantastic front-facing stereo speakers add to the enjoyment too – there’s clear distinction between the left and right channels.

What makes the Galaxy S10+ such a fun device to game on can also be attributed to its excellent 6.4-inch 1440p Dynamic AMOLED display. It’s HDR10+ certified – Samsung claims it’s the first phone with such a certification – so you can expect vibrant colours and excellent black levels with this display.

In fact, I’d go as far as to say that this is
the best display
 I’ve seen on a smartphone thus far. Samsung knows how to produce incredible-looking displays, and the Galaxy S10+ is a testament of this.

Battery life isn’t exactly the Galaxy S series’ forte, but Galaxy S10+ is an exception. Equipped with a very generous 4,100mAh battery, I legitimately had trouble running down the battery to empty in a single day. On average, I was easily getting between five to six hours of screen on time with this phone, and that’s really impressive.

I’m a heavy smartphone user, and I set the always on display to be active at all times. I imagine lighter users can stretch the battery life up to two days; even more so if the always on display is disabled.

Unfortunately, the charging rate of the Galaxy S10+ isn’t great. Within 30 minutes of charging, the phone only got up to 35% from 0%. Very average charging rate.

I had a lot of fun using the Galaxy S10+ as my daily driver, and even though the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor didn’t live up to expectations, other aspects of the phone more than make up for this – particularly the brilliant Dynamic AMOLED display.

Camera

Camera systems with multiple sensors really blew up last year, and Samsung seems to be jumping on the bandwagon with the Galaxy S10+. That’s not necessarily a bad thing: it’s the most versatile camera system the Korean company has ever released.

The triple camera system on the Galaxy S10+ is made up of a primary 12MP shooter with variable aperture (f/1.5 – f/2.4), a 12MP f/2.4 telephoto sensor, and a 16MP f/2.2 ultra wide-angle camera – plenty of focal lengths to choose from for different kinds of shots and compositions.

While I appreciate having these three sensors on a single smartphone, the disparity in image quality can be bothersome. Naturally, the 12MP primary camera takes the best-looking images, while the 12MP telephoto and 16MP ultra wide sensors produce noticeably worse shots,
especially
 in low light environments.

16MP ultra wide angle
12MP primary
12MP telephoto

But beyond this small issue, I had a blast photographing with the Galaxy S10+. The camera interface is very responsive, there’s little to no shutter lag regardless of lighting condition, it can lock in focus extremely quickly, and the image output is, as expected,
excellent.
 It has a wide dynamic range, great detail preservation, and more often than not, it’s effortless to get sharp, blur-free images.

Really, judge for yourself with these shots. The Galaxy S series always had excellent camera performance, and the Galaxy S10+ retains that, while making the camera system even more versatile with lenses of different focal lengths.

Competition

There are two variants of the Galaxy S10+ in Malaysia: the 128GB variant retails at RM3,699, while the 512GB ceramic model goes for RM4,599. Without a doubt the S10+ is an expensive smartphone, and it has a couple of very interesting competition – most of which are more affordable.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro

Huawei has improved by leaps and bounds in the past few years, and the
Huawei Mate 20 Pro
 is the Chinese company’s most accomplished product yet. It is equally as premium as the Galaxy S10+, it also has a versatile camera system, and it has a slightly bigger 4,200mAh battery. To top it off, you can get the Mate 20 Pro
for as low as RM2,649 now
 – that’s over RM1,000 cheaper than the Galaxy S10+.

However, there are many reasons why you should get the Galaxy S10+ over the Mate 20 Pro. The S10+ has a superior, sharper display without a wide notch, it has a more refined software experience, and unlike the Mate 20 Pro, the S10+ still uses a microSD card for expandable storage instead of a proprietary memory card.

Oh, the Galaxy S10+ still has a 3.5mm headphone jack too – can’t say the same for the Mate 20 Pro.

Samsung Galaxy S9+

Of course, the Galaxy S9+ is still a very viable alternative to the Galaxy S10+. Both devices have virtually the same software experience, the S9+ doesn’t have any hole-punch cutout – albeit at the expense of thicker bezels – and more importantly, it is
much more affordable
 than the S10+.

But if you’re willing to spend more for the Galaxy S10+, you
do
 get a number of improvements. You will get a more versatile camera system, a faster, more powerful smartphone, and much better battery life too. Yes, the S10+ cost a lot more money, but it also a superior smartphone in almost every way.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy S10+ is an excellent flagship smartphone, no doubt about it. Every noteworthy flagship smartphone that’s released after this will inevitably be compared to it, and Samsung has set the bar pretty high up.

That being said, there are still room for improvement with the Galaxy S10+. The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, for one, could be better. But as I’ve mentioned, other aspects of the phone are
very
 good. It has a fantastic display, great battery life, and one of the best (and versatile) camera systems in the market now.

If you’re looking to get the absolute best flagship smartphone in the market now, the Galaxy S10+ fits the bill. But that may not be the case for long; as the year progresses, there will be a lot more competition. Huawei, for one, will be unveiling its latest P30 series of smartphones in the next few days.

It’s an exciting time to be shopping for a flagship smartphone. It’s a highly competitive segment, and it will be interesting to see how upcoming flagships will compare to the Galaxy S10+ – the benchmark has been set.


Stadia – What You Need to Know About Google’s Cloud Gaming Service

Google is venturing into the gaming market with Stadia, the company’s new cloud gaming service. With Stadia, consumers won’t need to get any hardware to start gaming on the service – games are streamed directly to your desktop, TV, tablet, or smartphone. Simply put, it’s the Netflix of gaming.

It’s an interesting proposition, but does Stadia have what it takes to succeed? Let’s take a look at what the service is all about.

At its core, Stadia is a game streaming service not unlike that of PlayStation Now or Microsoft’s upcoming Project xCloud. As long as you have a compatible device, you can start gaming on Stadia. At least, that’s what Google is promising.

Even though Stadia is officially announced, there are a lot of information regarding the service that have not been revealed yet. We don’t know how many games will be on Stadia (we only know it will be getting Doom Eternal), there’s no specific launch date, and more importantly, we don’t even know what’s the
business model
 of the service.

Will it be a subscription-based service like Netflix? Can you buy individual games on Stadia and just play that particular title? Or is it mandatory for all users on the service to pay some form of monthly fee? We don’t know yet, and Google will only reveal more information on Stadia in the near future.

Doom Eternal is one of the confirmed games for Stadia

Nonetheless, Google did share some interesting information on Stadia. For one, it is said to be more powerful than the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X…combined. Boasting 10.7 teraflops of processing power, Stadia is indeed more capable than the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, which have 4.2 and 6 teraflops of power respectively.

Stadia can achieve this level of performance because all of the processing work are done on Google’s servers; AMD is developing a custom GPU to make this possible. Besides that, each Stadia instance will be powered by a custom 2.7GHz x86 processor with 16GB of RAM; quite impressive.

However, because the games are hosted on remote servers, latency will be an issue with Stadia. Granted, Google has a global infrastructure of data centres, so finding for a server closest to each individual user may not be an issue – we won’t know for sure until the service is rolled out to consumers.

Interestingly, Google is aiming to offer up to 4K resolution at 60fps on Stadia once the video game streaming service is live. That’s a very lofty goal, and the company said that you only need a 30Mbps connection to stream at
that
 high of a resolution and frame rate. To top it off, Stadia will even support 8K resolution and 120fps in the future.

But if you don’t really care about streaming at that resolution, Stadia can supposedly stream at 1080p with connections that are slower than 25Mbps. Unfortunately, the minimum speed required to stream on Stadia effectively has not been specified yet.

Another noteworthy Stadia feature is what Google dubs “State Share.” Basically, this feature allows players to share a link to a
specific
part of a game without needing to slog through repetitive, bothersome encounters or long cutscenes. Needless to say, State Share has a lot of potential, and no other gaming platform offers a similar feature.

Of course, Google is also leveraging its other services to bolster Stadia; more specifically, YouTube and its content creators. Not only can you share your gameplay highlights from Stadia straight to YouTube, you can even play alongside your favourite creators with the game streaming service.

To make this possible, there’s a Crowd Play feature on Stadia, which is essentially a lobby system. If your favourite creator is streaming a Stadia game on YouTube, you can click on a button to get in queue to play together with said creator. It’s a great idea on paper, but it still remains to be seen how Google will prevent abuse of this feature – especially with
toxic players
 that want to troll YouTube creators.

Although you don’t need any dedicated hardware to run Stadia, Google did show off a controller (referred simply as the Stadia Controller) for the service. Curiously, it doesn’t connect to your streaming device. Rather, the Stadia Controller connects directly to Google’s server through a WiFi connection, reducing any possible latency.

Don’t worry: you can still use existing controllers that are compatible with your PC. The Stadia Controller is optional.

Google Stadia shows a lot of promises, but there are also a lot that we still don’t know about the cloud gaming service. If it succeeds, it can very well change the video game industry and how we consume the medium – assuming that it
will
 succeed.

Then again, if there’s any company that can make cloud gaming work, it would be Google. Yes, there are still a lot of questions surrounding Stadia, and we will only know the answers to these questions once it is launched sometime this year in the US, UK, Europe, and Canada; no mention of other markets yet.


Huawei P30 Pro Hands-On: Breaking New Grounds

Update, 3 April:
 We now know how much the Huawei P30 Pro cost in Malaysia. The 256GB model with 8GB of RAM, which is available in Breathing Crystal, Aurora, and Black, retails at RM3,799. The higher-end 512GB variant, on the other hand, goes for RM4,399. Oddly enough, only the Aurora colourway is made available for the 512GB variant.

Yes, the P30 Pro is not particularly affordable, but it’s worth noting that even the base model offers 256GB of storage. Normally, most phone makers would offer 128GB of storage instead, which would bring down the price quite a bit.

Huawei’s decision to only bring in the 256GB variant as the base model is quite interesting: it raises the entry price of the phone quite a bit. It remains to be seen if this strategy would work out for the company.

The original article follows.

The Huawei P30 Pro is finally here, and it’s better than ever. Sporting a sleeker, more premium design, better performance, and a far more sophisticated camera system, this is easily one of Huawei’s most thrilling phones yet.

I got to test out the P30 Pro very briefly, and more importantly, I managed to try out the quad camera system’s
impressive
 zooming capability. Suffice to say, I am genuinely excited to get my hands on the P30 Pro again for a more extensive look – there’s no phone quite like it in the market now.

Without a doubt the main highlight of the P30 Pro is its impressive Leica quad camera system, so let’s talk about that first. Made up of a primary 40MP sensor, a 20MP wide-angle shooter, an 8MP telephoto lens with a periscope-style prism,
and
 a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor, it’s a versatile camera configuration. In fact, the combination of these sensors allow the P30 Pro to do up to to
50x zoom
.

Granted, it’s really a combination of optical and digital zoom, but the results are pretty darn impressive. Judge for yourself with the sample shots below.

Wide-angle
1x zoom
5x zoom
10x zoom
50x zoom

Crazy, isn’t it? The image quality isn’t the greatest, but I was using a pre-release unit of the P30 Pro – the final production model may produce different results. Besides, these are also low light shots; the camera performance should be better in daytime condition.

Of course, Huawei’s signature night mode for the camera is still present on the P30 Pro. Take a look at how this performs in comparison to a regular shot.

Normal shot
Night mode enabled

Evidently, enabling night mode allows the P30 Pro to capture a brighter, more properly exposed shot. Do note that the night shot above is taken without the use of a tripod – everything is done handheld.

Its predecessor, the Huawei P20 Pro, had one of the best camera systems when it debut last year. At the moment, I’m inclined to say that the P30 Pro could very well retain that title – I’m definitely excited to put the new quad camera system through its paces again in a full review. I’m curious to see how the 32MP selfie camera would perform too.

Beyond its camera performance, the P30 Pro is also well-designed. It has a sleek, minimalist design, and I really like how the phone feels in my hands. It’s a premium device through and through, and I like the heft of the phone. (It weighs 192g.)

Part of the reason why the P30 Pro feels premium can be attributed to its 6.47-inch 1080p dual curved OLED display, which is bright and vibrant. I wouldn’t say the curved screen looks similar to the
Samsung Galaxy S10+’s curved display
, but it does remind me of the
Huawei Mate 20 Pro
‘s screen, which also curves at either sides of the phone.

Unfortunately, the P30 Pro’s OLED display has a notch at the top, albeit it’s a minimal one. On a more positive note, the bottom bezel has been shrunk considerably, giving the phone a much more modern-looking design than its predecessor.

Oh, the P30 Pro also has an in-screen fingerprint sensor now. It’s an optical sensor instead of an ultrasonic one, but it does prove to be quite fast and accurate. No, it’s still not on the same level of accuracy or speed as a conventional, capacitive fingerprint sensor, but hey, it’s still a reasonably good sensor.

Powering the P30 Pro is Huawei’s own Kirin 980 chipset, the very same SoC that is found in the Mate 20 series of smartphones. It’s a fast, powerful processor, and it has good gaming performance too. I played a couple rounds of Fortnite on this phone, and it was definitely an enjoyable experience.

Battery life shouldn’t be an issue with the P30 Pro either. Packing a very generous 4,200mAh battery, I’m positive this phone can deliver
at the very least
 a day’s worth of usage. Plus, this phone only has a 1080p display too, which isn’t as power-hungry as, say, a 1440p panel.

Other specifications of the P30 Pro include 8GB of RAM, 256GB or 512GB of internal storage, dual 4G support, as well as an NM card slot. That’s right, if you want more storage, you’ll have to use Huawei’s proprietary Nano Memory card.

From left to right: P20 Pro, P30, P30 Pro

The Huawei P30 Pro is an
exciting
 flagship smartphone, mostly because of its groundbreaking, unique Leica quad camera system. Right now, no other smartphone has a similar camera system. Yes, Oppo
does
 have its
10x lossless zoom camera system
, but that isn’t shipping on a consumer-ready device yet – Huawei simply beat Oppo to it.

Nonetheless, the P30 Pro is a worthy successor to the P20 Pro. If you’re interested to pick this phone up, you wouldn’t have to wait too long either: it’s set to arrive in Malaysia as early as next week on 2 April 2019.


Huawei P30 Hands-On: The More Affordable Alternative

Update, 3 April:
 The Huawei P30 is now in Malaysia, and only the 128GB variant with 8GB of RAM is available here. Retailing at RM2,699, the phone is available in three colours: Aurora, Breathing Crystal, and Black.

Set to go on sale on 6 April, the P30 is priced pretty competitively in Malaysia. In fact, it retails at the exact same price point as the
Samsung Galaxy S10e
 – the most affordable device in the Galaxy S10 series.

Nonetheless, for RM2,699, the P30 really does offer good value for money. It may not be quite as impressive as the P30 Pro, but it certainly serves as a good (and much more affordable) alternative.

The original article follows.

The
Huawei P30 Pro
 may be the star of the show, but the more affordable Huawei P30 has a few tricks up its sleeves too. It can definitely hold its own against the competition, and for those who don’t want to spend top dollar for a smartphone, the P30 is worth considering.

Plus, you do get some of the P30 Pro’s impressive zooming capability with the standard P30, not to mention the fact that these two devices share pretty similar set of hardware too. Without further ado, let’s see what the P30 has to offer at a lower price point.

First things first, camera. Unlike the P30 Pro’s more elaborate quad camera configuration, the P30 features a Leica triple camera system instead. It consists of a primary 40MP shooter, a 16MP wide-angle sensor, and an 8MP telephoto camera, minus the periscope-style prism. It’s not quite as sophisticated as the Pro’s camera system, but hey, the P30 is still a versatile shooter.

Besides, the P30 can do up to 30x digital zoom too. Check it out below.

Wide-angle
1x zoom
3x zoom
5x zoom
30x zoom

Not quite as impressive as the P30 Pro’s 50x zoom, but still very respectable zoom performance. Also, much like the shots I took with the P30 Pro, these images are captured with a pre-production unit of the P30. You may get different camera performance on a retail unit of the device.

Of course, the P30’s camera comes with night mode too. Here are two shots taken with and without night mode enabled.

Normal shot
Night mode enabled

Just like how it was with the P30 Pro, enabling night mode on the P30 returns a better, brighter, and more appealing shot. Even though the second shot is taken with a six-second exposure, it still looks plenty sharp, despite the fact that I took the shot handheld without the assistance of a tripod.

While the P30 doesn’t have its Pro counterpart’s more sophisticated camera system, it still has very respectable camera performance. On top of that, the P30 also has the same 32MP front-facing shooter.

Okay, now that we’re done with the P30’s camera performance, how are other aspects of the phone? Equally good. The P30 I got my hands on is the “Breathing Crystal” variant, and it looks very, very sleek. It changes colour depending on what angle you’re looking at the phone from, and this colourway definitely gives the phone a unique look.

If this colour is too flashy for you, don’t worry: it also comes in black for those who want a more low-key design.

The P30 next to the P20 Pro

Looks aside, the P30 is a comfortable phone to hold too. The glass and metal construction feels premium, and even though it doesn’t have the Pro’s dual curved display, the phone as a whole still looks and feels great. Yes, the P30 has a more conventional flat display.

Flat or curved, the P30’s 6.1-inch 1080p OLED display looks great anyway. It’s an OLED panel, so you get excellent blacks, great viewing angles, and vibrant colours. The bottom bezel of the phone has been shrunk quite a bit too, but unfortunately…it also has a notch at the top.

In the performance department, the P30 is also powered by Huawei’s Kirin 980 chipset like the Pro model. It’s the company’s fastest SoC to date, so rest assured, performance will not be an issue with this smartphone. For what it’s worth, I didn’t notice any slowdown when I was testing the phone.

Because the P30 is a smaller phone, it also has a smaller battery than the P30 Pro. That being said, its 3,650mAh battery is still pretty darn big for a phone this size. Chances are, it should be able to deliver above average battery life.

Rounding out the specifications of the P30 are 8GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, an in-screen fingerprint sensor, support for dual 4G, and an NM card slot; Huawei’s proprietary Nano Memory card. Surprisingly enough, unlike the P30 Pro, this phone has a 3.5mm headphone jack – no such feature on the former.

The Huawei P30 may not be as groundbreaking as the P30 Pro, but it is a very respectable flagship smartphone. It still has some of the Pro’s camera features, it has the same chipset and OLED display, and more importantly, it is more affordable – this reason alone may be enough for consumers to opt for the standard P30.

Much like the P30 Pro, the P30 will also be launched in Malaysia next week on 2 April. We don’t know yet how much these phones will cost in Malaysia, but you can expect the P30 to be more affordable than the Pro.


Deal: Huawei Mate 20 Pro Going for Only RM2,549 Now

We
wrote about a deal
 for the
Huawei Mate 20 Pro
 not too long ago, and at the time, it was going for as low as RM2,649. Now, you can get Huawei’s flagship at a much lower price point – it can be yours
for only RM2,549
.

Compared to the Mate 20 Pro’s RM3,599 launch price, this deal saves you exactly RM1,050. Granted, Huawei Malaysia revised the phone’s price to RM2,999 earlier this month, but this is still a very good deal.

However, this offer is only reserved for the Emerald Green model. The retailer, Etronics, is selling the Twilight and Black variants for RM2,699 instead. Nonetheless, the Mate 20 Pro listed here comes with official warranty from Huawei Malaysia, so you’ll have peace of mind.

Want to learn more about the Huawei Mate 20 Pro? Then check out our hands-on with the flagship smartphone
right here
.


Deal: Score the Honor View 20 for Only RM1,699

The Honor View 20 is a respectable flagship smartphone, and retailing from RM1,999, it offers really good value for money too. However, it’s even more affordable now: you can grab a brand new unit of the View 20
for only RM1,699
.

That’s RM300 worth of savings, which is quite a steep discount for a smartphone at this price point. That being said, this promotion is only applicable to the Sapphire Blue model; the Midnight Black variant has to be purchased together with a bundle.

What makes the View 20 a particularly interesting phone lies in its hardware. Not only does it have a 48MP primary camera and a hole-punch design, it’s also powered by Huawei’s fast Kirin 980 chipset. In fact, this is the most affordable Kirin 980 phone in the market now.

If you’re keen to get the Honor View 20 at RM1,699, you can do so
on Shopee
. Naturally, warranty is provided by Honor Malaysia itself for this particular listing.


Deal: Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB Now Retailing at Only RM699

Graphics cards are getting better and more affordable, and as previous generation GPUs get replaced, their prices will also drop steadily. Take the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 – you can now buy it
for only RM699
.

This is an extremely good price tag for a GTX 1060 GPU, especially so for the 6GB model. After all, GTX 1060 6GB GPUs used to retail around the RM1,000 mark. Evidently, the introduction of the
GTX 1660
 – as well as the Ti version – is pushing the prices of these cards down.

On top of that, this is also a Galax GPU – the manufacturer is quite well-known in the hardware scene. And if you have any concern over the legitimacy of this deal, worry not: EIT Store is a reputable retailer.

Even though the Nvidia GTX 1060 GPU has been around for quite some time now,
RM699 for a card of this calibre
 is quite a bargain. Do note that this deal is done in conjunction with Lazada’s Birthday Sale – it’s likely it won’t be valid anymore tomorrow.