Shopee Launches Raya Campaign & New AutoMall Section with Attractive Deals

Shopee just launched its Raya campaign, and the e-commerce platform is offering quite a number of interesting deals. On top of that, the platform also unveiled a brand new section exclusively for vehicles, which include both cars and motorbikes.

And get this: you can even purchase properties from S P Setia on Shopee now. Naturally, there are attractive incentives if you buy these properties from Shopee. Let’s break down everything Shopee announced recently.

One of the most interesting announcements today has to be
the new AutoMall section
. As its name suggests, you can purchase a range of vehicles on AutoMall. These include cars from Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Ford, and BMW.

If you’re into motorbikes instead, YesRide is offering various bikes on AutoMall. It has Yamaha, Kawasaki, KTM, and many other motorbike brands.

So why should you purchase vehicle’s from Shopee AutoMall? Well, for one, the booking fee can be as low as RM1, though this is up to each individual retailer to decide. For example, the booking fee for a
Honda City
 costs only RM9, while you need to pay RM200 to book a
Toyota Yaris
.

But the most attractive deal is definitely the promised interest rate and discount if you purchase vehicles on AutoMall. According to Shopee, you can get interest rates from as low as 1.8% per annum, as well as discounts up to 29%. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

In order to purchase vehicles on AutoMall, you’ll have to first “buy” your desired vehicle on Shopee (which serves as the booking fee), enable push notifications, fill in a form, and a dealer will contact you to confirm appointment. From there, you’ll have to complete your purchase and paperwork at the dealership.

For motorbikes, the steps are a little different. Once you’ve purchased a bike on Shopee, the seller with contact you for JPJ registration; the motorbike will then be delivered to you once it’s ready. Of course, there is also an option to select 0% instalment plan.

Besides AutoMall, Shopee also talked about S P Setia’s
first digital store
 on its platform. Currently, there are several properties from the developer on Shopee, which are located in Selangor, Penang, and even Johor. You’ll have to pay RM688 booking fee for either of these properties, and once you’ve done that, the developer’s sales assistant will contact you within three working days to proceed with the purchase.

Right now, the first eight buyers to (successfully) purchase an S P Setia property on Shopee will get several incentives. You can get up to 25% off on “selected prime locations,” Shopee vouchers worth RM3,888, and a free home kit worth RM5,000, which include electrical and home appliances.

If you’re not looking to get a new property or vehicle, Shopee’s Raya campaign has a number of good deals too. Not only are there different promotions every day until 6 June, you also get free shipping with lowered minimum spend of RM20 with DHL (until 24 May) and J&T Express (until 9 May).

Besides that, Maybank Visa Signature Card users can also get 10% Shopee Coin cashback for the whole duration of the Raya campaign. If you don’t have that card, worry not: Visa card holders can get RM15 off with a minimum spend of RM150 on selected days.

With the launch of the AutoMall section and properties (albeit only limited to S P Setia now), Shopee is really becoming one of the most complete e-commerce platforms now. Granted, Lazada had a short collaboration with Volkswagen last year, but that was a one-off thing – AutoMall is a permanent fixture on Shopee.

Nonetheless, if you’re planning to do any Raya shopping, Shopee got you covered with deals until 6 June 2019.


Oppo F11 Pro Avengers Limited Edition Now in Malaysia for RM1,399

In conjunction with the release of Avengers: Endgame, Oppo introduced the F11 Pro Avengers Limited Edition. As its name suggests, it’s a limited edition device with Avengers styling here and there, and it looks pretty darn good.

The best part is, it doesn’t cost all that much either in comparison to the standard F11 Pro. But is it worth your hard-earned money? I spent a brief time with the Avengers-themed device to find out.

What you get in the box with the F11 Pro Avengers is a pretty sleek casing that is inspired by Captain America. The casing is nice to the touch, and there’s even Captain America’s shield on the back. It’s not just there for looks either: it doubles as a ring holder.

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of smartphone ring holders, but I wouldn’t mind using this particular casing. When you don’t need the ring, you can just pop it back into the case. Aside from that, the casing is also quick thick, so it should be able to protect the phone quite a bit.

Another thing that is bundled with the phone is a “Collection Certificate” to show that this special edition F11 Pro is a legitimate Avengers product. It’s a nice little token to keep, and I like the heft and design of the badge.

Coming back to the phone itself, the back panel has a sleek, gradient-like finish with hexagonal patterns. Oppo calls the colour Space Blue, and of course, there’s also the Avengers logo on the back of the phone in striking red. Overall, I really dig the rear panel’s design – it gives the phone a unique aesthetic.

Besides the rear panel’s design, what differentiates the F11 Pro Avengers edition from the standard model is the storage capacity. Instead of the regular variant’s 64GB of storage, the Avengers edition comes with double the amount of storage at 128GB. RAM capacity, on the other hand, is still 6GB.

Beyond that, other specifications of the Avengers F11 Pro are identical to the standard model. It still has a MediaTek Helio P70 chipset, a 6.5-inch 1080p IPS display, 48MP + 5MP dual camera system on the back, and a 16MP motorised selfie camera.

Despite its plastic construction, I’m really surprised with the build quality of the F11 Pro Avengers edition. It doesn’t feel plasticky at all, and I’m quite sure it can take a beating or two. It’s rather impressive how a plastic phone can have such solid build quality.

And then we have the phone’s 6.5-inch 1080p IPS display, which is reasonably good. Not only is this a notch-less screen with no cutout to affect your viewing experience, it has bright, vibrant colours too.

On top of that, I’m perfectly fine with the display’s 1080p resolution. See, the F11 Pro has a generous 4,000mAh battery. Combined with the 1080p screen, you can expect really good battery life out of this phone. It should have little to no difficulty returning at least a day’s worth of battery life.

As mentioned, powering this phone is a MediaTek Helio P70 chipset. Generally, MediaTek chipsets are seen as…well, “inferior” to processors from other brands, but that is not the case with the Helio P70. It can offer a similar level of performance as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 SoC, and that’s really good enough for a mid-range smartphone like the F11 Pro.

In my brief time with the phone, I didn’t notice any serious stutter or lag. In fact, it actually feels quite responsive. Chances are, this device should be more than adequate to run most mobile games well too.

When it comes to camera performance, the F11 Pro Avengers edition is quite capable. The 48MP + 5MP dual camera system can capture good-looking shots, and the camera does not feel sluggish. However, I didn’t manage to try out the camera’s low light performance. Most phones – especially mid-rangers – struggle in situations with less than ideal lighting. It’ll be interesting to see how the F11 Pro would fare in this regard.

As for the 16MP motorised selfie camera, I like it. The camera module moves up and down relatively quickly, and it can take flattering selfies too. Of course, as is the case with all moving parts, there is always a chance the camera mechanism could fail, but Oppo claims that it can be activated over 100 times every day for up to six years.

The Oppo F11 Pro Avengers Limited Edition is a sleek and stylish smartphone with a unique design. And retailing at RM1,399, it only costs RM100 more than the standard model. You’re also getting double the amount of storage at 128GB.

If you’re a fan of Avengers, or you’re looking to get the F11 Pro anyway, it’s really quite a good buy. Yes, you can get
faster, higher-end phones
 in the same price range, but this
is
 a limited edition device. Not many phones have a notch-less display like the F11 Pro either.

However, those who want to get their hands on this Avengers-themed F11 Pro should act fast: there are only 2,000 units of the phone in Malaysia. Pre-orders for the device is currently ongoing, and it will end on 3 May 2019.


Acer Predator Triton 500 Review: Striking the Right Balance

The Acer Predator Triton 500 is the Taiwanese company’s latest thin and light gaming laptop, and I’ve been using it as my daily driver for a few weeks now. Not only is it a really impressive gaming machine, the Triton 500 works surprisingly well as a productivity laptop too.

Even though it’s not exactly an affordable gaming laptop, the Triton 500 strikes a good balance between price and performance. This is especially the case with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 model I am reviewing here.

Specifications

Display
15.6-inch 144Hz FHD IPS (1920 x 1080)
Processor
Intel Core i5-8300H (2.3GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4GHz, 8MB cache)
GPU
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GDDR6 VRAM
RAM
16GB 2667MHz DDR4
Storage
256GB + 256GB PCIe NVME SSD (Raid 0)
Camera
HD resolution
Battery
82WHr
Dimensions
358.5 x 255 x 17.9 mm
Weight
2.1kg
Audio
Bottom-firing stereo speakers
Ports
1x USB Type-C (Thunderbolt 3)
3x USB 3.0 Type-A
1x RJ45
1x HDMI
1x Mini DisplayPort

Design

As far as gaming laptops go, the Triton 500 has an understated, minimalist design. It doesn’t have any aggressive styling commonly found in other gaming laptops, and the only indicator that this is a gaming machine is the illuminated Predator logo on the lid.

Personally, I really like the Triton 500’s design language. It wouldn’t look too out of place in an office environment, and it’s a breath of fresh air to see a gaming laptop that doesn’t scream “gaming” when you look at it.

Another strong suit of the Triton 500 is its solid build quality. It feels incredibly robust, the metal chassis feels good to the touch, and it doesn’t creak with applied pressure. The Triton series has always been touted as one of Acer’s more premium offerings, and the build quality of this laptop really shows that.

And then there’s the Triton 500’s highlight feature: its thin and light nature. Weighing only 2.1kg and measuring 1.79mm thin, it’s one gaming laptop I wouldn’t mind lugging around. In fact, I would happily bring it around in my backpack while I’m out and about covering media events.

Of course, you’ll still feel the weight of the laptop, but this
is
 a powerful gaming machine in a relatively compact form factor.

Like most modern gaming laptops now, the Triton 500 has very small screen bezels. Even though there’s still a chin at the bottom of the display, it still looks very sleek. Plus, the small bezels also reduce the overall footprint of the laptop, making it that much more portable.

In terms of connectivity options, the Triton 500 has plenty of them. It has three full-size USB-A ports, one USB-C connection with support for Thunderbolt 3, an HDMI input, a mini DisplayPort, as well as an RJ45 connection.

Overall, the Triton 500 is a well-designed, lightweight gaming laptop. I love its understated design, small screen bezels, and of course, thin chassis. Now, let’s get to the actual experience of using the laptop – it has a couple of surprises in store.

User Experience

Now, gaming laptops usually have disastrous battery life, but that’s not the case with the Triton 500. With the power plan set to power saver and the display dimmed to a comfortable level, I managed to get about six hours of battery life with this laptop consistently. This is not exactly groundbreaking battery life, but it’s certainly much better than most gaming laptops.

I mentioned how the Triton 500’s keyboard could use with more key travel
in my hands-on
, but after using it for a few weeks exclusively as my daily driver, it doesn’t bother me as much as I initially thought.

The keyboard has just enough travel to provide a comfortable typing experience, and I really like the tactility of the keys. I wouldn’t mind doing a lot of typing with the Triton 500, and gaming with this keyboard is an equally pleasant experience too.

However, I do have one issue with the keyboard’s layout: the key to activate the PredatorSense software is located right beside the backspace key. I hit that key by accident so many times I honestly lost count. It’s quite annoying to have the software pop out every time I’m working on an article.

Nonetheless, let’s move on to the Triton 500’s excellent trackpad. As it uses Windows Precision drivers, the trackpad is very accurate. So much so, in fact, that I didn’t even bother plugging in a mouse when I’m using the laptop to do anything besides gaming. The accuracy of the trackpad really surprised me quite a bit.

Sporting a fast 144Hz 15.6-inch 1080p IPS display, the Triton 500 has a fantastic screen too. Thanks to the high refresh rate, everything looks incredibly fluid on this display. Whether I’m gaming or working on this laptop, the 144Hz display makes a huge difference compared to a conventional 60Hz panel.

As for the display quality itself, I have no complains at all. It can get really bright, viewing angles are great, and the panel itself is quite colour accurate as well.

While the Triton 500’s display is impressive, its audio quality isn’t quite as remarkable. Even at maximum volume, the bottom-firing stereo speakers aren’t quite loud enough. That being said, the stereo separation is really good: I can clearly differentiate between the left and right channels.

Speaking of which, the system noise of the Triton 500 is reasonably good too. In heated gaming sessions, the laptop does make itself heard, but it’s not
all that
 unpleasant. With headphones on, I can barely hear the fans spinning up.

When it comes to thermals, the Triton 500 does a respectable job for a thin gaming laptop. Under prolonged gaming sessions, the GPU went up to 75°C, while the CPU got up to 91°C. The CPU temperature certainly isn’t ideal, but it’s not in critical territory either. Nonetheless, no matter how hot the laptop got, the palm rest area stayed cool.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed using the Triton 500 as a gaming laptop and my daily driver. It has very good battery life for a gaming laptop, and I can’t get enough of that fantastic display. Its input devices are above average too.

Performance

Powered by an Intel Core i5-8300H processor paired with 16GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, the Triton 500 is a very capable gaming machine. Without a doubt it is powerful enough to serve as a productivity-focused laptop, and it can run most – if not all – modern games with good frame rates as well.

I tested a number of games with the Triton 500, and even at maxed out graphics settings, the games ran very well. See for yourself with the table below.

Games (Maxed Out Settings @ 1080p)
Average FPS
Witcher 3 (HairWorks disabled)
57.39
Apex Legends
89.49
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
70.82
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
59.68

It’s worth noting that both Sekiro and Witcher 3 are locked at 60fps, which is why the average frame rates on these two games are not quite as high as the others. Considering the fact that all these games were running at maxed out graphics settings, these are very good numbers.

Sure, the RTX 2060 can’t quite make full use of the Triton 500’s fast 144Hz display, but these are very playable frame rates. Rest assured, you are getting very good performance level with the Core i5 CPU and RTX 2060 GPU, especially if you take into account the price to performance ratio.

Competition

There are three different variants of the Triton 500 in Malaysia, and the one right here is the most affordable one, which retails at RM6,799. Recently, however, Acer refreshed the Triton 500 with Intel’s 9th generation processors.

Instead of this review unit’s Core-i5-8300H processor, the newer model ships with a slightly faster Core i5-9300H chip. That being said, the updated Triton 500 also costs more at RM6,999. Nonetheless, at this price point, this gaming laptop has a number of noteworthy competition.

MSI GS65 Stealth

Much like the Triton 500, the MSI GS65 Stealth is a thin and light gaming laptop. In fact, it is ever so slightly smaller than the Triton 500, and it also measures only 17.9mm thin. To top it off, it is also a tad lighter, tipping the scales at 1.9kg.

Other specifications of the GS65 Stealth are very impressive too, which include a higher-end Core i7-9750H processor paired with 16GB of RAM, an RTX 2060 GPU, a whopping 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD, as well as an even faster 240Hz 15.6-inch 1080p display.

But all of that power comes at a very dear price: the GS65 Stealth costs RM9,999. That’s RM3,200 more than the Triton 500, and the latter still offers an equally thin and light chassis with only slightly less power and half the SSD storage – 512GB of space is still plenty.

Asus ROG Strix Hero II

If you can live with a slightly thicker and heavier gaming laptop, the Asus ROG Strix Hero II is a good alternative to the Triton 500. Although it measures 26.1mm thick and weighs 2.4kg, it still has a sleek-looking design with small screen bezels.

Plus, the Strix Hero II also comes with a 15.6-inch 1080p IPS display with 144Hz refresh rate, a faster Core i7-8750H processor (albeit only paired with 8GB of RAM), an RTX 2060 GPU, and a 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD. How much does it cost? RM6,499. That’s right, it’s slightly more affordable than Acer’s offering.

Opting for the Triton 500, however, will get you a sleeker gaming machine. Its Core i5-8300H processor isn’t quite as powerful, but you’re getting 16GB of RAM in exchange, as well as a lighter, thinner, and more compact gaming laptop.

Conclusion

The Acer Predator Triton 500 is a fantastic thin and light premium gaming laptop that strikes a very good balance between price and performance. Yes, the RM6,799 price tag doesn’t make it a particularly affordable gaming laptop, but considering its feature set, you’re getting a lot of value for your money here.

If you want a powerful gaming laptop that you can carry around easily, the Triton 500 is a very attractive option. On top of that, it can even serve as a very good productivity laptop with its remarkably good input devices and battery life – not many gaming laptops can offer what the Triton 500 does.


Deal: Grab the iPhone XR with RM450 Discount Now

As far as latest generation iPhones are concerned, the iPhone XR is the most affordable device in the lineup now. Well, you can get it at an even lower price point today: the iPhone XR with 64GB of storage can be yours
for only RM3,149
.

This deal is offered by well-known retailer Thunder Match on its Lazada store. Originally priced at RM3,599, the 64GB iPhone XR is offered by Thunder Match for RM3,199 now. If you use the code TMTAPR50 (only valid until 30 April), you can
further reduce the price to RM3,149
.

In total, this deal saves you a total of RM450. Pretty good discount for a brand new iPhone XR.

However, only the iPhone XR in Blue is offered in this deal. On top of that, two units are left at the time of writing. If you want to get this deal, it’s probably a good idea to act quickly.


Deal: Save RM600 on a Brand New Samsung Galaxy S10+

The
Samsung Galaxy S10+
 is an impressive flagship smartphone, but it’s not exactly an affordable device. However, it’s been a while since it was introduced, and you can now
save over RM600
 on a brand new unit of the flagship smartphone.

This deal is offered by Preferred Shopee retailer TOS Wholesales. Originally retailing at RM3,699, TOS is listing the 128GB Galaxy S10+
for only RM3,099
. That’s quite a sizeable discount.

That being said, only the Prism White and Prism Black models are offered by the retailer; no Prism Green model is available here. Nonetheless, warranty is provided by Samsung Malaysia itself.

If you’re not sure the Samsung Galaxy S10+ is for you, then check out our comprehensive review of the phone
right here
. It should help you make up your mind.


Acer TravelMate P614 with 20 Hours Battery Life Lands in Malaysia Q3 2019 for RM5,699

Acer launched a number of business-centric products today, and one of them is the Acer TravelMate P614. It’s a premium, productivity-focused laptop, and not surprisingly, it demands an equally premium price tag too.

That being said, the TravelMate P6 promises up to
20 hours of battery life
. If the laptop can really deliver anywhere close to this quoted battery life, that would make it an incredibly attractive productivity laptop. Let’s see what it has to offer.

Without a doubt one of the highlight features of the TravelMate P6 is its promised battery life of up to 20 hours. That’s a very lofty estimate, and it will be very interesting to see if the laptop can last that long. Besides that, the TravelMate P6 can charge up to 100% within two hours of charging. If you’re in a rush, you only need 45 minutes to charge it up to 50%.

Another impressive feature of the TravelMate P6 is its lightweight nature. Tipping the scales at only 1.1kg, this is a very light 14-inch laptop. On top of that, it’s relatively thin too, measuring 16.6mm thin. Portability is important for productivity-focused laptops, and in this regard, the P6 fares very well.

So how is the TravelMate P6 so light? Acer achieved this through the use of magnesium alloy, which is both lightweight and durable. After all, this laptop is MIL-STD 810G certified; it can withstand drops from 122cm and 60kg of pressure. Needless to say, this is one durable laptop.

This durability really shows in the TravelMate P6’s build quality. Despite its lightweight chassis, the laptop feels really solid. It doesn’t creak with applied pressure, it feels premium, and there’s no extreme flexing either.

But in terms of aesthetics, the TravelMate P6 does not look all that premium. This comes down to the thick bezels surrounding the 14-inch display. Yes, the bezels are not
that
 thick, but it definitely pales in comparison to the slim bezels of, say, the
Asus ZenBook 13
.

Looks aside, I love the security-centric features of the TravelMate P6. The laptop’s webcam, for one, can be completely hidden behind a physical cover. Acer isn’t the first brand to come up with this, of course, but it’s certainly a very nifty feature.

In terms of biometric security, the webcam comes with Windows Hello support, which allows you to log into the laptop by just looking at the webcam. If this isn’t convenient enough for you (especially if you prefer to disable the webcam completely), you can always use the fingerprint sensor that’s built into the power button itself.

Sporting a 14-inch 1920 x 1080 IPS touch display, the TravelMate P6 has a decent-looking screen. While I do wish the maximum brightness could be better, it’s still a reasonably good display with great viewing angles and punchy colours. For its intended use (productivity tasks), this display would do just fine.

Now, let’s talk about two of the most important hardware for a productivity laptop: the trackpad and keyboard. The TravelMate P6’s trackpad, for one, is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass NBT. My fingers can glide effortlessly on the smooth surface of the trackpad, and it’s pretty darn accurate too, thanks to the use of Windows Precision drivers.

Unfortunately, the TravelMate P6’s keyboard isn’t quite as impressive. The key travel is quite short, lending to a “shallow” feeling keyboard. Thankfully, the keys are pretty tactile, so the typing experience is still relatively good. It’s not great (not by a long shot), but I can certainly live with it.

The Acer TravelMate P614 will be arriving in Malaysia sometime in the third quarter of 2019, and it will retail at RM5,699. For that kind of money, the P6 is equipped with an Intel Core i7-8565U processor, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD. Warranty wise, it comes with a three-year on-site warranty.

At this price point, the TravelMate P6 is certainly not an affordable productivity laptop, but that’s how much you’ll have to pay for a business-class notebook anyway. Plus, if the laptop can indeed deliver 20 hours of battery life, I would gladly fork out the money for it. That kind of battery life, in itself, is a very good selling point.


Deal: Black Shark 2 Going for Only RM2,299 Now

Launched just last month in Malaysia, the
Black Shark 2
 is now more affordable than ever. Originally retailing at RM2,499, you can currently get the 128GB variant
for only RM2,299
.

Considering the fact that it hasn’t even been that long since it was introduced here, RM200 discount is a relatively good amount of saving. On top of that, this deal is offered by
G Store on Lazada
, which is one of the most reputable retailers on the platform.

Naturally, this is not an import unit. According to G Store, it is offering original Malaysian units of the Black Shark 2 for this particular listing. Rest assured, warranty claim should not be an issue here.

Right now, the Black Shark 2 is only one of only two flagship smartphones in Malaysia with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset – the other being the
Xiaomi Mi 9
. While RM2,299 is still quite a sum of money, you’re getting a really good gaming smartphone – check out
our hands-on
 if you’d like to learn more about the Black Shark 2.


iPad mini (2019) Hands-On: The Best Small Tablet to Date

After four years, the iPad mini is finally refreshed. Even though its design still remains the same, the internal upgrades make it quite an attractive tablet. This is especially the case for folks who want a powerful, compact tablet – it’s basically a non-existent segment right now.

Plus, retailing from RM1,699, the iPad mini 2019 isn’t outrageously expensive either. Yes, it’s not exactly an “affordable” tablet, but for what you’re getting, the iPad mini is a very good buy.

Looks wise, the iPad mini has the exact same design as its predecessors. Thick bezels surround the display, there’s still a physical home button with Touch ID, and on the bottom, you’ll find a Lightning port. Yeap, unlike the iPad Pro tablets, the new mini still doesn’t have a USB-C connection.

But under the hood, the iPad mini gets some much needed upgrades. Powering the compact tablet is Apple’s new A12 Bionic chip, which is the very same processor found in the latest crop of iPhones. Needless to say, this makes it a very capable iOS device.

In my short time with the iPad mini, the A12 Bionic certainly showed its high level of performance. The tablet felt speedy, responsive, and as far as I can tell, there were no noticeable stuttering or lag as I was using the tablet. While I didn’t manage to run any mobile game on the mini, I reckon it will be a very enjoyable experience.

Although the iPad mini’s display size still remains the same at 7.9-inch, the screen has been updated. Not only is it brighter and more vibrant now, it also supports Apple’s True Tone technology. On top of that, it is laminated too, so the display doesn’t have any noticeable air gap.

Speaking of which, the small display – and overall size – of the iPad mini is one of its most attractive features. A powerful tablet in a small form factor like the mini is simply not available at this point in time; it’s in a class of its own. That’s a great position to be in, and personally, I hope the release of the iPad mini will prompt more brands to
take small devices more seriously
.

It feels incredibly surreal to be able to hold a powerful tablet like the iPad mini with only
one
 hand; you can’t do that anymore with the majority of tablets. Plus, the small size of the mini also makes it a lightweight device. Tipping the scales at 300.5g (308.2g for the cellular model), holding the tablet for long periods of time won’t be too tiring.

In the camera department, the iPad mini has a 7MP f/2.2 front-facing shooter, and an 8MP f/2.4 rear camera. The selfie camera should be good enough for FaceTime calls, and the 8MP rear shooter…is serviceable, to an extent.

Although the camera interface is very responsive, the autofocus speed and image output of the 8MP camera leaves much to be desired. Then again, it’s not exactly realistic to expect amazing camera performance out of a tablet, let alone from a device in this price range. In a pinch, the 8MP shooter should be good enough.

For the Malaysian market, the new iPad mini is available in several variants. The WiFi only model retail at RM1,699 (64GB) and RM2,349 (256GB), while the cellular variant go for RM2,249 (64GB) and RM2,899 (256GB). If you don’t need cellular connectivity, going with the 64GB WiFi model will give you the most value for your money.

When you take into account that you’re basically getting the same level of performance as the latest iPhones with the iPad mini 2019, RM1,699 doesn’t sound all that bad. Granted, comparing a tablet to a smartphone isn’t exactly an apple to apple comparison, but if you just want a capable iOS device, the new iPad mini fits the bill perfectly.

And if you want a powerful, compact tablet, the iPad mini is basically your
only
 choice, for better or worse.


MSI GF75 Thin with GTX 1650 & 9th Gen Core i7 Now in Malaysia for RM5,199

It was only last week when Nvidia officially unveiled the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti and 1650 mobile GPUs. Now, you can already get MSI laptops with the brand new GPUs in Malaysia, and one such product is the new MSI GF75 Thin.

Equipped with a GTX 1650 GPU and 9th generation Intel Core i7-9750H processor, the GF75 is a relatively capable gaming laptop. However, retailing at RM5,199, it doesn’t exactly offer a lot of value for money. Nonetheless, I got to spend some time with the GF75 laptop, and it’s…an “okay” gaming machine.

As its name suggests, the GF75 Thin is a slim and light gaming laptop, especially for a 17.3-inch gaming laptop. It weighs 2.2kg, and it measures only 23.1mm at its thickest point. Compared to other laptops with a similar display size, these measurements are quite impressive.

Even though its slim chassis and lightweight nature are great, the GF75’s build quality is a different story. Like most MSI laptops, the bottom chassis of the GF75 is made out of plastic. This makes it feel like a cheap laptop, which it isn’t at all.

Thankfully, the palm rest area and lid of the GF75 are metal; the former is especially important to ensure a comfortable gaming experience. Aside from that, I dig the overall minimalist design of the laptop. It doesn’t have the aggressive styling of conventional gaming laptops.

While we’re on the topic of design, the slim bezels of the GF75’s 17.3-inch display also give it a sleek aesthetic. Although there’s still a chin at the bottom of the display, it’s not as thick as other competing laptops. Plus, the minimal bezels also reduce the overall footprint of the gaming laptop.

As for the display itself, it’s quite good. The GF75 features a 17.3-inch 1080p IPS display, and it can get bright enough for comfortable use outdoor. Colours and viewing angles are also great on this panel, and I imagine it will be enjoyable to game on this screen.

Unfortunately, the display is only a conventional 60Hz panel. In a market where more and more gaming laptops feature high refresh rate screens, the GF75 doesn’t look particularly great in comparison.

In terms of gaming performance, you can expect to game relatively well on this laptop, thanks to the GTX 1650 GPU and Intel Core i7-9750H processor. I haven’t had the chance to game on the GF75 yet, but considering the fact that the new GTX 1650 is faster than its direct predecessor (the GTX 1050 Ti), it should be powerful enough to run most games well at medium to high graphics settings.

According to Nvidia, the GTX 1650 can deliver over 60fps in popular battle royale games like Apex Legends, Fortnite, and even PUBG with high graphics settings at 1080p. I’ll definitely put this to the test in a full review of this gaming laptop.

When it comes to connectivity, the GF75 is reasonably well-equipped. It features three USB Type-A ports, an HDMI output, a USB-C connection, and an RJ45 port.

Next, we have the GF75’s keyboard, which comes with red backlighting only; no RGB lighting here. Regardless, the keyboard as a whole is quite good. The key travel is just long enough for a pleasant typing experience, and the keys are plenty tactile too.

Surprisingly enough, the trackpad is also very decent. Most gaming laptops have pretty bad trackpads, so the accuracy of the GF75’s trackpad caught me off guard. That being said, the trackpad on the unit I tested felt “loose,” especially on the bottom portion of the trackpad.

I’m not entirely sure if this is only an issue with the unit I tested, but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless.

The MSI GF75 Thin is only available in one variant in Malaysia, which is priced at RM5,199. For that kind of money, you’re getting 8GB of RAM, as well as 512GB of SSD storage – that’s not a lot of RAM capacity. Plus, at this price point, you can easily get more powerful gaming laptops too.

But the GF75 is not meant for gamers who want the best value for their money. Rather, it’s targeted at those that are looking for a thin and light 17.3-inch gaming laptop. If this is what you’re looking for, the GF75 is a good option.

Not a particularly fantastic option, but definitely worth a consideration.


Deal: Get the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 for as Low as RM2,359

It’s been a while since the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 was introduced, so naturally, it is a lot more affordable now. If you’re quick, you can grab a brand new unit of the Note 9
for only RM2,359
.

To put this into context, the 128GB Galaxy Note 9 retailed at RM3,699 at launch – you will save exactly RM1,340 with this deal. On top of that, the retailer is also throwing in a complimentary 32GB microSD card. That’s a nice icing on the cake.

As far as we can tell, this is the lowest price we’ve seen the Galaxy Note 9 retail at. Of course, warranty for this deal is also provided by Samsung Malaysia itself. If the need arises, you should not have any issue with warranty claim.

There’s no telling when – or if – the retailer will adjust the price. So if you’d like to grab the Galaxy Note 9
for only RM2,359
, it’s best to act fast.


Deal: Huawei Mate 20 Drops Below RM2,000

The Huawei Mate 20 is the Chinese company’s latest Mate device, and if you’ve been eyeing to get it, good news. Originally retailing at RM2,399 after a price revision back in January, the Mate 20 can now be yours
for only RM1,999
.

This deal is offered by Preferred Shopee retailer FinalChoice. On top of the smartphone itself, the retailer is also bundling a number of freebies. These include a tempered glass screen protector, a selfie stick, and an extra USB-C cable.

Warranty for this deal, of course, is covered by Huawei Malaysia itself. At the time of writing, there are only
four units of the Midnight Blue model
 in stock. The Black colourway, on the other hand, have seven units left. If you want the Midnight Blue model, you may want to act fast.


Oppo Reno Is Coming to Malaysia – What You Need to Know

The Oppo Reno series was introduced globally just last month, and Oppo Malaysia confirmed recently that the company’s latest flagship-tier smartphone will be coming to our shores. Oppo doesn’t release a lot of high-end smartphones, so the Reno is definitely an interesting device.

Sporting a unique pop-up selfie camera, an all-screen design, and the ability to do 10x hybrid zoom, this is not your run-of-the-mill flagship smartphone. If you’re keen to get this device, here’s what you need to know about the Reno.

Before we get to the good stuff, it’s worth noting that there are two versions of the Oppo Reno. There’s the regular, mid-range Reno, and the higher-end, flagship Reno 10x Zoom Edition. Yes, as its name suggests, only the flagship model can do 10x hybrid zoom. In fact, it’s the
very same camera system we tested
 back in MWC 2019.

Thanks to the periscope-style lens arrangement, the Reno 10x Zoom Edition has the impressive zooming capability without added thickness. On top of that, the 10x hybrid zoom is made possible with the camera’s three sensors: a primary 48MP f/1.7 shooter, a 13MP f/3.0 telephoto camera, and an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle sensor.

As for the standard Oppo Reno, it features a dual camera system instead, consisting of a 48MP f/1.7 shooter and a 5MP f/2.4 sensor.

Despite the different rear camera systems, both variants of the Reno share the same 16MP f/2.0 pop-up camera module. Unlike other smartphones with a similar camera mechanism, the Reno features a wedge-shaped motorised camera that is said to be much quieter and quicker. According to Oppo, the selfie camera can be activated in only 0.8 seconds.

Because there’s no need to make space for a selfie camera on the front of the phone, the Reno has a sleek, almost all-screen design; there’s still a bit of bezel at the bottom of the display. The standard Reno has a 6.4-inch 1080p AMOLED display, while the higher-end Reno 10x Zoom model comes with a slightly bigger 6.6-inch 1080p AMOLED panel.

Regardless of which variant of the Reno you buy, you will get an in-screen fingerprint sensor. Compared to Oppo’s older implementations, the new sensor is said to be up to 28.5% faster. We’ll definitely put this to the test once we got our hands on the Reno smartphones.

Other specifications of the standard Reno and the 10x Zoom model differ quite a bit. The former, for one, is packed with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chipset paired with up to 8GB of RAM, either 128GB or 256GB of internal storage, and a reasonably big 3,765mAh battery.

Naturally, the higher-end Reno 10x Zoom Edition is more well-equipped. It comes with a Snapdragon 855 chipset paired with 6GB or 8GB of RAM, up to 256GB of storage, and a slightly larger 4,065mAh cell. Both variants of the Reno run on Oppo’s ColorOS 6 software based on Android 9 Pie.

Interestingly, the Reno 10x Zoom also comes with a more robust cooling system. Oppo says that the flagship phone uses three different cooling technologies: cooling gel, triple graphite layering, and copper pipes. Supposedly, these three cooling technologies can bring down the phone’s temperature by 13%. We imagine this will come in handy during heated gaming sessions.

At the time of writing, it’s not known yet if Oppo Malaysia will bring in the standard Reno, or the flagship Reno 10x Zoom Edition. As a matter of fact, it’s entirely possible both models will be made available in Malaysia, though this is only mere speculation on our part.

Nonetheless, both variants of the Oppo Reno are definitely exciting smartphones, and it’ll be interesting to see exactly when Oppo Malaysia will bring either one (or both) of these devices into our market. We were told it will be happening “very soon,” so rest assured, we will keep a close eye on the local availability of the Reno.

Needless to say, the Malaysian pricing of the Reno will be our top priority too.


Asus TUF Gaming FX505 with Ryzen 7 & GTX 1660 Ti Landing in Malaysia 23 May

Asus’ affordable series of gaming laptops, the TUF Gaming FX505, has been refreshed with AMD’s Ryzen processors and Nvidia’s latest GPUs. As many as five different variants will be offered in Malaysia, and they’re set to be available here on 23 May 2019.

I got my hands on the GTX 1660 Ti model with a Ryzen 7-3750H processor, and after testing it out for a while, I can definitely see the FX505’s appeal. If priced right, it could be a really attractive gaming laptop for budget-conscious gamers.

It may seem odd for Asus to go with an AMD processor for the new FX505, but the company said there are a couple of reasons why it went for an AMD solution. For one, the Ryzen 7-3750H is a 12nm processor, which gives it an edge when it comes to power efficiency. In comparison, Intel’s latest 9th generation mobile CPUs are still built on 14nm process.

But can the Ryzen 7-3750H provide a good level of performance? Well, it’s still too early to tell, but I reckon it will be powerful enough to not bottleneck this gaming laptop. After all, when it comes to gaming, the GPU is the most important factor.

Speaking of which, powering this variant of the FX505 is a GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, and it’s a very promising GPU. Generally, it’s said to be in the same league as the older GTX 1070 Max-Q. Considering the fact that the GTX 1660 Ti is a successor to the GTX 1060, that’s really quite impressive.

In fact, even when compared to the newer and costlier RTX 2060 GPU (the mobile variant, of course), Nvidia says the GTX 1660 Ti is only about 5% slower. While you don’t get RTX-specific features like ray tracing, it may not matter too much to some folks. Ultimately, GTX 1660 Ti gaming laptops are more affordable than RTX 2060 machines.

I managed to play a couple rounds of Apex Legends with the FX505, and the frame rate hovers around 70 to 80fps. Compared to the
Acer Predator Triton 500
 with an RTX 2060 GPU, I was getting closer to 90fps. That’s not too big of a difference.

Further enhancing the gaming experience of the FX505 is its fast 120Hz 15.6-inch 1080p IPS display. Thanks to the high refresh rate, gaming on the laptop is very enjoyable, especially with games that can push more than 60fps. Compared to conventional 60Hz displays, you can definitely see the difference in motion clarity with this laptop’s 120Hz panel.

That being said, I was told by Asus that for the consumer versions of the FX505, only the RTX 2060 model will come with a 120Hz screen. Other variants of the laptop will be equipped with a standard 60Hz display for the Malaysian market. So if you wanted a GTX 1660 Ti model with a 120Hz panel, you’re out of luck.

Nonetheless, when it comes to screen quality, the FX505 has a reasonably good display. While the dynamic range of the panel isn’t the most impressive, it can get quite bright for comfortable use outdoor. On top of that, viewing angles are good too, and the thin bezels give the laptop a modern-looking design.

If there’s any aspect of the FX505 that leaves much to be desired, it would be the laptop’s build quality. You can really see (and feel) the affordability of the FX505 in its build material. Practically all of the laptop’s exterior is made out of plastic, making it feel cheap. Then again, this is unavoidable: Asus had to sacrifice certain things to bring down the price of the FX505.

In terms of connectivity, the FX505 sports two USB 3.1 and one USB 2.0 Type-A ports, an HDMI 2.0 connection, an RJ45 port, as well as a 3.5mm audio jack. Oddly enough, there’s no Type-C connection available. This variant of the FX505 also comes with 8GB of DDR4 2666MHz RAM and 512GB of fast PCIe NVMe SSD storage.

As for the FX505’s keyboard, I quite like it. It has a decent amount of travel, the keys are tactile, and it has RGB lighting too – fitting for a gaming laptop. Surprisingly enough, even the trackpad is very accurate, thanks to the use of Windows Precision drivers.

Those who are looking to get a capable gaming laptop that won’t put too much of a dent in your wallet should really give the Asus TUF Gaming FX505 a consideration. Even though its build quality isn’t the best, Asus promises good value for money and gaming performance with this gaming laptop.

However, the retail prices of the FX505 have not been revealed yet, so it remains to be seen just how competitive it will be priced at. We’ll find out for ourselves come 23 May 2019, when the FX505 series of gaming laptops are set to arrive in Malaysia. This laptop’s review will also be posted around the same time too, so keep your eyes peeled for that.


Deal: Razer Phone 2 Price Drops to Only RM2,298

The
Razer Phone 2
 was launched in Malaysia earlier this year, and it retailed at RM3,449 at the time. Since then, the gaming smartphone’s price
has steadily dropped
, and you can now get a brand new unit of the Razer Phone 2
for only RM2,298
.

For comparison’s sake, this deal will save you exactly RM1,151; that’s a reasonably huge amount of discount for a gaming smartphone like the Razer Phone 2. Granted, it’s a 2018 flagship, but it’s still plenty capable right now. Plus,
for RM2,298
, you’re getting pretty good value for money.

As always, this particular deal on the Razer Phone 2 is offering official Malaysian unit of the gaming smartphone; we don’t (usually) write about deals on imported devices. At the time of writing, there are only eight units of the phone left.

Can’t decide if the Razer Phone 2 is for you? Then check out our hands-on of the gaming smartphone
right here
.


Google Unveils Affordable Pixel 3a & Pixel 3a XL – What You Need to Know

Google I/O keynotes are mostly all about software, but surprise surprise, Google unveiled two new phones at this year’s event. Enter the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL, which are Google’s latest mid-range smartphones with a modest set of hardware.

But don’t let that deter you from getting either one of these two smartphones: they have some of the
best
 cameras in the business. So much so, in fact, that the camera performance of these two phones is in the same league as more expensive flagship smartphones. Without further ado, let’s get to know the new Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL.

First, hardware. Both phones are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 chipset; a decidedly mid-range SoC. In terms of performance, the Snapdragon 670 should be able to deliver enough processing power for a relatively good user experience. It wouldn’t be amazing, but hey, some things have to give to lower the price point of the phones.

Besides that, these phones also come with 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage (non-expandable, unfortunately), and get this: a 3.5mm headphone jack. Even the higher-end Pixel 3 doesn’t have such a port.

What differentiate the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL are two things: display size and battery capacity. The standard Pixel 3a comes with a 5.6-inch 1080p display and a 3,000mAh battery, while the XL model sports a bigger 6-inch 1080p screen and 3,700mAh cell. Thankfully, both phones don’t have any display notch or
hole-punch cutout
.

Surprisingly enough, despite the fact that these are affordable smartphones, both variants of the Pixel 3a come with OLED displays. Basically, you will get punchy colours and very deep blacks with these panels. At this price point, not many smartphones come with OLED screens, except for a number of exceptions like the
Samsung Galaxy A30 and A50
.

However, what sets the Pixel 3a smartphones apart from other mid-range devices is their camera performance. Both models feature the very same 12.2MP f/1.8 rear camera and 8MP f/2.0 selfie shooter found on the higher-end Pixel 3, Based on user reviews so far, they can capture
really
good-looking shots.

In theory, the Pixel 3a would be able to take the exact same pictures as the Pixel 3, but there is one catch: the former lacks Google’s custom Pixel Visual Core processor, so the image processing is done with the CPU and GPU instead.

This results in a slight difference in image processing, but unless you’re a professional photographer, you probably won’t notice the difference. But what you
will
 notice is image quality that is on par with other flagship smartphones at a fraction of the price; that’s one of the main appeals of the Pixel 3a.

Despite the impressive camera performance, there is no escaping the fact that the Pixel 3a smartphones are mid-range devices. This is made very clear when it comes to design and build material. There are rather thick bezels at the top and bottom of the display, and you don’t get any fancy in-screen fingerprint sensor. Instead, you get a conventional sensor on the back of the phones.

On top of that, both variants of the Pixel 3a also sport polycarbonate chassis. Chances are, they will not feel quite as premium as other smartphones made out of glass and metal; some of which occupy the same price point as these two phones.

Personally, however, I think it’s a worthwhile trade-off. If living with a plastic phone means I can get flagship-tier camera performance at a lower price point, I would take it in a heartbeat. Plus,
build material may not matter all that much
, especially if you’re just gonna slap on a casing anyway.

The Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL present a compelling case. Even though they feel and look like standard mid-range smartphones, they feature
flagship-tier camera performance
, not to mention the fact that they run on Google’s minimalist version of Android. Thanks to that, you will get the latest Android updates very quickly for three years from the time the phones are introduced.

Collectively, these make the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL very interesting mid-range smartphones. Unfortunately, it remains to be seen if they will be made available in Malaysia. After all, previous Pixel smartphones were never sold on our shores.

Nonetheless, the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL are now available for purchase in the US, and they retail at $399 (about RM1,655) and $479 (around RM1,985) respectively.


Deal: Samsung Galaxy S10e Can Now Be Yours for Only RM2,219

Previously, we saw the Samsung Galaxy S10e’s price
drop down to RM2,369
. If you’ve been holding out, you’ll be happy to know that it is even more affordable now: you can currently purchase Samsung’s compact flagship
for only RM2,219
.

Compared to the Galaxy S10e’s launch price of RM2,699, this deal by Preferred Shopee retailer Mobile Gadgets will save you over RM480. On top of that, the retailer is also offering
the full range of colours
, which include Prism Green, Prism White, and Prism Black.

Warranty is also provided by Samsung Malaysia, so you shouldn’t have any issue with warranty claim if it becomes necessary. You also get a couple of freebies like a selfie stick and USB car charger from Mobile Gadgets itself.

At this price point, the Samsung Galaxy S10e is a very,
very
 good buy, especially if you want a
powerful, compact smartphone
. To learn more about the S10e, check out our
extensive review of the phone
.


Deal: Score the Samsung Galaxy S10+ for Only RM3,069

Discounts on the
Samsung Galaxy S10+
 have been going around quite a bit since its release, and the latest deal we found is the best we’ve seen yet. Originally going for RM3,699, the Galaxy S10+ 128GB can be yours
for only RM3,069 now
.

Basically, this deal saves you exactly RM630, and it’s offered by well-known Lazada retailer Wow Phone. Even though the Galaxy S10+ is listed at RM3,099, you can collect a RM30 discount voucher from the retailer to reduce the price
down to RM3,069
.

However, only the Prism Black model is listed at RM3,099; the Prism White and Prism Green models cost slightly more at RM3,183. Warranty, on the other hand, is provided by Samsung Malaysia itself.

As always, if you’re unsure if the Samsung Galaxy S10+ is for you, check out our
comprehensive review of the phone
 – it should help quite a bit.


Samsung Launches 8K QLED TV in Malaysia for RM299,999

Samsung just unveiled its brand new range of QLED TVs in Malaysia, and the star of the show is definitely the Korean company’s impressive 8K QLED TV. However, that kind of cutting edge product also demands a premium price tag: the 98-inch model retails at an eye-watering RM299,999.

But if you want something more…well, within reach, Samsung also launched its other series of QLED TVs. Let’s break them down.

We’ll start with the flagship QA900R, a true 8K QLED smart TV with a resolution of 7680 x 4320. Yes, there are very limited 8K content right now, but the QA900R can upscale 4K content into 8K. According to Samsung, this is done through machine learning with the Quantum Processor 8K powering the TV.

Naturally, the QA900R also supports HDR10+ – the very same HDR standard the company’s
Galaxy S10
 smartphones support. Besides that, it also comes with a feature called Direct Full Array Elite. By directly “controlling each individual light unit,” this feature promises to improve contrast quite a bit.

Now, let’s talk prices. The QA900R is available in three sizes: 75-inch, 82-inch, and 98-inch. The smallest model retails at RM59,999, while the 82-inch and 98-inch variants go for RM99,999 and RM299,999 respectively. Premium price tags for an equally premium QLED TV.

Next, we have the more “affordable” QA90R 4K QLED smart TV that sits just below the QA900R. As far as 4K TVs go, the QA90R is Samsung’s most premium offering. It’s powered by Samsung’s Quantum Processor 4K, which upscales content to 4K. Samsung claims that the processor can do so with “sharp detail and refined colour.”

Much like the higher-end QA900R, the QA90R also supports HDR10+ and Ultra Viewing Angle. No matter which angle you’re looking at the TV from, you’ll still get a good viewing experience. However, this is at the expense of lower contrast ratio.

Speaking of contrast, the QA90R features Direct Full Array 16X. While it’s not quite as sophisticated as the QA900R’s Direct Full Array Elite system – it controls the backlight by zones instead – it would still improve contrast to an extend.

Only two sizes of the QA90R 4K QLED TV are available in Malaysia. The 65-inch model is priced at RM18,999, while the 75-inch variant goes for RM29,999.

If you want something
even more
 affordable, there’s the QA75R 4K QLED smart TV. As expected, it’s not quite as feature-rich as the higher-end models. It has a simpler Direct Full Array 4X system for improved contrast, and it doesn’t have Ultra Viewing Angle either. That being said, it does still come with a Quantum Processor 4K and support for HDR10+.

Three different sizes of the QA75R are available here. The 55-inch model retails at RM7,999, while the 65-inch and 75-inch models are priced at RM13,999 and RM19,999 respectively.

Last but certainly not least is the most affordable model of the lot: the QA60R 4K QLED smart TV. Just like its higher-end siblings, the QA60R features a Quantum Processor 4K and HDR10+ support, though it lacks any form of Direct Full Array system for improved contrast.

Five different sizes of the QA60R are sold in Malaysia: 49-inch (RM4,999), 55-inch (RM6,499), 65-inch (RM8,999), 75-inch (RM13,999,) and 82-inch (RM19,999).

All of the Samsung QLED smart TVs mentioned here are now available for purchase in Malaysia. On top of that, Samsung is also running a roadshow in Mid Valley right now until 12 May, and there are several interesting promotions. The 49-inch QA60R QLED TV, for one, can be purchased there for only RM3,499 instead of RM4,999.

To learn more about Samsung’s 2019 range of QLED TVs, head on over to company’s
official website
.


Deal: Grab the Asus ZenBook 13 (UX333) with Over RM600 Discount

The
Asus ZenBook 13 (UX333)
 was one of the best ultraportables we’ve reviewed in recent times, and you can get it at a pretty good price right now. Originally retailing at RM4,999, you can now get the Intel Core i7 variant of the laptop
for only RM4,378
.

This deal would save you exactly RM621 on the ZenBook 13, and it is offered by Shopee retailer EIT Store. The laptop is listed at RM4,428, so you’ll have to use the retailer’s RM50 voucher code (RYEI501) to reduce the price to RM4,378.

However, only the Icicle Silver colourway is offered, and there is only
one
 unit left
 at the time of writing.

If you want the more affordable ZenBook 13 with a Core i5 processor instead, you can get it at a reasonably good discount too. EIT Store is listing this model for only RM4,039, and you can use the same RM50 code to cut the price
down to RM3,989
. Compared to the RM4,499 launch price, you’re saving RM510.

Of course, much like the Core i7 variant, there are very limited stocks: only two units of the Core i5 ZenBook 13 in Icicle Silver are available right now.

At these price points, the Asus ZenBook 13 is a very good buy. To learn more about this ultraportable, check out our
comprehensive review
.


Realme 3 Pro with Snapdragon 710 Now in Malaysia from RM899

Last year, I reviewed the
Realme 2 Pro
, and it proved to be a really good mid-range smartphone. Today, Realme just launched the successor to the device. Aptly dubbed Realme 3 Pro, it is better in almost every way.

Sporting a fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chipset, a large battery capacity, and competitive price tags, those who are looking to get an affordable mid-range smartphone should definitely give the Realme 3 Pro a consideration – let’s see what Realme’s latest mid-ranger has to offer.

First off, specifications. The Realme 3 Pro has a 6.3-inch 1080p IPS display, a Snapdragon 710 chipset paired with up to 6GB of RAM, either 64GB or 128GB of expandable storage, and a generous 4,045mAh battery. On top of that, it also has a 16MP f/1.7 + 5MP f/2.4 dual camera system and a 25MP f/2.0 front-facing shooter.

These are respectable hardware for a mid-range smartphone, but what makes the Realme 3 Pro such a compelling device is its sheer value for money. The base model with 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM goes for RM899, while the 128GB variant with 6GB of RAM retails at RM1,099.

Considering the hardware you’re getting for that kind of money, the Realme 3 Pro offers
exceptional
value for money. After all, there are no other Snapdragon 710 devices in this price range, and it’s more powerful (on paper) than its closest rival: the
Redmi Note 7
.

Design wise, the Realme 3 Pro is mostly made out of plastic, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Use of plastic is totally fine for smartphones in this price range, and most importantly, it doesn’t
feel
cheap. The back panel is nice to the touch, and the matte finish frame makes it a comfortable device to hold.

Aesthetically, the Realme 3 Pro is quite a looker too. Yes, there’s a notch at the top of the display, but at least it’s not a wide one. Besides, the bottom bezel is quite minimal, giving the phone a sleek, modern look. I also love the gradient design of the back panel.

As for the 6.3-inch 1080p IPS display, it looks reasonably good for a mid-range smartphone. There are no noticeable issues with the screen quality, viewing angles are good, and the colours are punchy too. Plus, the 1080p resolution would help with battery life too.

And when it comes to battery life, I reckon it will be one of the Realme 3 Pro’s main appeals. Featuring a large 4,045mAh battery, I’m confident this phone can deliver – at the
very least
 – a day’s worth of battery life. On top of that, it also supports VOOC 3.0 fast charging, which is said to be able to charge up the phone to 50% from empty in 30 minutes.

In the performance department, the Realme 3 Pro’s Snapdragon 710 chipset should be able to deliver very good performance level. Most smartphones in this price range only offer Snapdragon 6 series SoCs, so the Realme 3 Pro definitely have the upper hand in this area.

Granted, I haven’t been able to put this phone through its paces yet, but it seems very capable from the brief time I’ve spent with it. It feels fast, responsive, and I didn’t notice any serious stutter or lag. Powered by an Adreno 616 GPU, the Realme 3 Pro should also be powerful enough to provide an enjoyable gaming experience.

When I reviewed the Realme 2 Pro last year, its camera performance leaves much to be desired. Needless to say, I was excited to see if the Realme 3 Pro could change this, and it’s actually…quite promising. The 16MP + 5MP dual camera system can take good, properly exposed daylight pictures, and it can lock in focus pretty quickly too.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take any low light pictures with the Realme 3 Pro, but the company claims that the camera’s “Super Nightscape” mode allows the phone to capture good-looking shots even in less than ideal lighting. Without a doubt I’ll put this feature to the test in a full review of the Realme 3 Pro.

In the crowded mid-range segment, the Realme 3 Pro stands out by offering a high level of processing power at a competitive price tag. Its improved camera performance is also great to see, not to mention the bigger battery capacity and sleeker, more updated design.

If you want the fastest mid-range smartphone for the least amount of money, the Realme 3 Pro offers just that – on paper, at least. Until I have the opportunity to test the phone thoroughly in a full review, I can’t say for sure yet if it is
the
 mid-range smartphone to get.

The Realme 3 Pro will be available for purchase in Malaysia from Lazada on 15 May. If you want to get it from a physical store instead, you can do so from 18 May onwards.


OnePlus 7 Pro Lands in Malaysia; Retails from RM2,999

Update, 21 May:
 The OnePlus 7 Pro is now in Malaysia, and it is available in three variants. The 128GB variant with 6GB of RAM goes for RM2,999, while the more generous 256GB models with 8GB and 12GB of RAM retail at RM3,699 and RM4,199 respectively.

The original article follows.

The OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro mark a drastic change for the Chinese company. Not only is it launching two new flagship devices simultaneously for the first time, the Pro model is also OnePlus’ most expensive smartphone yet.

But the higher asking price of the OnePlus 7 Pro isn’t for nothing: it comes with a plethora of improvements, including a faster display, sleeker design, and a much improved camera system. I spent a brief time with the 7 Pro, and truth be told, I’m quite excited to review it now – it’s a really promising flagship smartphone.

Let’s talk about specifications first. The OnePlus 7 Pro comes with a fast 90Hz 6.67-inch 3120 x 1440 “Fluid AMOLED” dual curve display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset paired with up to 12GB of RAM, 128GB or 256GB of fast UFS 3.0 storage, and a generous 4,000mAh battery. Very respectable list of hardware.

In the camera department, the OnePlus 7 Pro has a 48MP f/1.6 (primary) + 16MP f/2.2 (wide angle) + 8MP f/2.4 (telephoto) triple camera setup, which is touted to be OnePlus’ most impressive camera system yet. According to DxOMark, the 7 Pro’s camera performance got a
total score of 111
 – that’s just one point behind the current leader, the
Huawei P30 Pro
.

Compared to its predecessors, the OnePlus 7 Pro is the first device to come with a 1440p dual curve display. Unlike the majority of smartphones in the market now, it also has a fast 90Hz refresh rate. The only other high profile flagship with a similar refresh rate is last year’s
Asus ROG Phone
. But Asus’ offering is a niche gaming smartphone; the 7 Pro has a much more mainstream appeal.

Nonetheless, the 90Hz display makes a lot of difference. In comparison to a typical flagship’s 60Hz screen, the OnePlus 7 Pro’s 90Hz display is technically 50% faster. The higher refresh rate benefit is very noticeable: everything from animations to scrolling look incredibly fluid.

Display quality of the 7 Pro is very good as well. It supports HDR10+ (much like the
Samsung Galaxy S10
 phones), it has vibrant colours with deep blacks, texts and images look sharp on the 1440p display, and viewing angles are good too.

When it comes to processing power, the OnePlus 7 Pro should be able to deliver a high level of performance. The Snapdragon 855 powering the phone is a very capable flagship-tier chipset, and in my short time with the phone, it feels very responsive and fast. This can also be attributed to the lightweight nature of OxygenOS, of course.

Build quality of the 7 Pro is very good as well. It feels solid, it has a nice heft to it – though some folks may find it a tad too heavy at 206g – and overall, it’s a comfortable device to hold for long periods of time. The curved back panel and display definitely help with ergonomics.

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room: the 7 Pro’s pop-up 16MP f/2.0 motorised selfie camera. While it takes a bit of time to activate, it’s fast enough to not feel cumbersome to use. If you’re worried about durability, OnePlus claims that the camera module can be activated over 150 times a day for 5.5 years without any issue.

As there’s no need to make space for a selfie camera on the front of the OnePlus 7 Pro, it has a handsome, all-screen design. There is, however, a small bit of bezel at the bottom of the screen, but it’s small enough to not detract from the phone’s sleek appearance.

OnePlus also improved the in-screen fingerprint sensor of the 7 Pro, which is said to be larger than the sensor found in its predecessor. What caught me by surprise was the
sheer speed and accuracy
 of the optical sensor. In fact, this is probably the quickest in-screen fingerprint sensor I’ve ever tried – even more so than the
Xiaomi Mi 9
 and
Galaxy S10+
‘s sensors.

Finally, there’s the triple camera system. Even though the OnePlus 7 Pro has a 48MP primary sensor, it shoots at 12MP by default. This is done because of pixel binning to improve the overall image quality, and from what I’ve observed, it seems to be really quite capable.

Now, I only managed to try out the 7 Pro’s camera for a short while, but it does feel a lot more capable than its predecessor’s camera system. There
is
 very noticeable shutter lag in between shots, but the image output have good dynamic range, colours, and detail preservation. Plus, the telephoto sensor can do 3x optical zoom – most telephoto lenses only does 2x zoom.

All in all, I’m eager to put the 7 Pro’s camera system through its paces in a full review – the 111 DxOMark score has to mean something, right?

I say this with every new iteration of the OnePlus series, but I really do mean it: the OnePlus 7 Pro is the company’s most refined, most impressive flagship smartphone yet. Yes, it still lacks any form of IP rating and wireless charging, but other aspects of the phone make it a very worthwhile option to consider.

That being said, it is also OnePlus’ most expensive smartphone yet. In the US, the 7 Pro retails from $669 (about RM2,790) for the base model with 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM. It goes all the way up to $699 (approximately RM2,920) and $749 (around RM3,125) for the 256GB variants with 8GB and 12GB of RAM respectively.

These prices are approaching the territory of other flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S10 and
Huawei P30
 smartphones. It’s not easy to stand toe to toe with these behemoths, and this is especially the case if you don’t have any major price advantage. Regardless, we will only know how much the 7 Pro will cost here once it arrives in Malaysia next week on 21 May.

As impressive as the OnePlus 7 Pro is, it will be tough for it to compete on an equal playing field with other established flagship smartphones that are now priced too closely to it. Is the 7 Pro worth picking over other flagship smartphones? Only a full review of the phone can shed some light on this.


Deal: Razer Phone 2 Price Drops Further to RM2,199 – Comes with RM499 Freebies

Since its Malaysian debut earlier this year, The
Razer Phone 2
‘s price has dropped drastically. Previously, it was going for
as low as RM2,298
, but you can now get it
for only RM2,199
. On top of that, you are also getting RM499 worth of freebies.

This deal is offered by Lazada retailer Go Mobile, and needless to say, it is offering original, Malaysian units of the Razer Phone 2. What makes this offer particularly interesting are the freebies worth RM499, which include a Razer Hammerhead Pro V2 earphones, a Razer Mugholder, as well as a Huawei SoundStone Portable Bluetooth Speaker.

To put this deal into context, the Razer Phone 2 used to retail at RM3,449, so you’re saving
well over RM1,250 here
; that’s not even including the cost of the freebies. However, if you want to get this deal, act fast – there’s a good chance it is only valid for today.

Not sure if the Razer Phone 2 is for you? Then check out our
hands-on of the gaming smartphone
.


Pixel 3a XL Hands-On: The Nexus 5X Lives On

Ever since the Pixel smartphones succeeded the Nexus series, there’s a void that was never filled. It’s a void that was previously taken up by the likes of the Nexus 5X and Nexus 4: affordable smartphones that offer excellent, clean Android experiences.

Now, we have the
Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL
, and I like to think of them as spiritual successors to the aforementioned Nexus devices. Although they don’t have flagship-tier hardware like the latter, these phones offer a lot of features found in the higher-end Pixel 3 for
half
 the price.

I got to play with the Pixel 3a XL for a bit, and if you value excellent software experience and camera performance above all else, this is the phone for you – if you’re okay with importing it.

Before we get into detail, let’s outline what features you get from the higher-end Pixel 3 with the Pixel 3a XL. Arguably the most important feature is the 3a XL’s camera systems, which is the very same 12.2MP f/1.8 rear camera and 8MP f/2.0 selfie shooter found in the Pixel 3. But do you get the same camera performance? Not quite.

Unlike the Pixel 3, the Pixel 3a XL does not come with Google’s custom Pixel Visual Core processor, so image processing is done with the CPU and GPU instead. This could result in slightly different image output, but for the most part, you’re getting very similar camera performance.

I managed to capture a few shots with the 3a XL, and I was
very
 impressed with the camera performance. While it takes some time to process every image I took, the camera is very responsive, there’s no noticeable shutter lag, and the image output is
fantastic
. Even the selfie camera’s Portrait mode works extremely well, even though it does have some trouble separating my hair and glasses from the background.

All in all, I’d say the Pixel 3a XL has my favourite smartphone camera,
period
. In fact, I would happily photograph with the 3a XL over any other flagship smartphone. Granted, I haven’t tested out the camera extensively yet, but that’s just how favourable my initial impression of the camera is.

Beyond camera performance, the Pixel 3a XL also has identical software experience as the Pixel 3, with at least three years of confirmed Android updates. In a market where most Android smartphones are not updated to the latest version of Android, the Pixel smartphones remain the best option for those who want to experience the latest and greatest features Android has to offer.

As expected of a Pixel smartphone, the 3a XL has a very clean version of Android with polished software experience. It is intuitive to use, the user interface is pleasant to look at, and it feels really lightweight.

Okay, now for the not so good aspects of the Pixel 3a XL. At the end of the day, it’s meant to be an affordable mid-ranger, so some things have to be sacrificed. One such thing is processing power: the 3a XL has a decidedly mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of non-expandable storage. While it doesn’t sound very impressive, it should be able to offer a reasonably good level of performance.

I didn’t run into any performance issue in my brief time with the 3a XL, but chances are, the Snapdragon 670 will show its limitations as I spend more time with the phone. Apps won’t launch as quickly, it will struggle in graphically demanding mobile games, and overall, it won’t feel quite as zippy as the flagship Pixel 3.

Then again, this
is
 a mid-range smartphone. You would have to manage your expectations accordingly.

When it comes to looks, the Pixel 3a XL could definitely be better-designed. It has huge chunks of bezels at the top and bottom of the screen, and the glossy plastic frame makes it a lot more slippery than expected. However, I do like the back design, especially the matte finish on the bottom half of the panel.

Most importantly, the 3a XL does not feel cheap despite its all-plastic construction. Okay, I wouldn’t say it feels premium, but it certainly feels rock solid. And if you’re gonna put on a casing, the build material
wouldn’t really matter anyway
.

Sporting a 6-inch 1080p OLED display, the 3a XL has an above average display. OLED panels have excellent black levels with punchy colours, and that really describes this phone’s screen quality. Naturally, it has great viewing angles too.

Thanks to the combination of a 1080p display and a sizeable 3,700mAh battery, the Pixel 3a XL should have reasonably good battery life as well. Sure, a larger cell would be appreciated, but it’s still a plenty big battery capacity for a phone of this size.

In the US, the 3a XL retails at $479, which comes up to about RM1,995 – that’s definitely on the higher side of things for a mid-ranger. Plus, there are other smartphones in this price range that offer flagship-level performance, including the
Xiaomi Mi 9
 and
Pocophone F1
.

So why would you get the Pixel 3a XL? For two reasons: you want excellent camera performance and software experience no other smartphones can offer in this price range. You won’t get the best processing power for your money with this phone, but you
will
 get to enjoy a fantastic camera system and a clean, constantly updated version of Android.

The only problem? There is no indication the 3a XL will ever arrive here in Malaysia officially. Without a doubt retailers will import in the device, but any form of warranty claim will be difficult. Personally, I’m not keen to purchase a smartphone without official warranty support, no matter how impressive it is.


The Sleek Oppo Reno with All-Screen Design Arrives in Malaysia for RM1,999

Oppo Malaysia confirmed a couple weeks ago
the new Oppo Reno
 smartphones are coming to our shores. Well, the most affordable device in the series, the standard Reno, was launched here yesterday; the Reno 10x Zoom Edition will makes its way here on 27 May instead.

Sporting a modest set of hardware, sleek design, and promising camera performance, the standard Reno is quite an attractive mid-range smartphone. However, retailing at RM1,999, it’s a bit of a tough sell. Without further ado, let’s get to the hands-on.

Powering the Reno is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chipset paired with 6GB of RAM, putting it in the upper mid-range smartphone segment. While it’s not as powerful as the flagship-tier Snapdragon 8 series, it’s still a reasonably capable SoC. Besides that, it also comes with a very generous 256GB storage, which somewhat explains its high asking price.

Other specifications of the Reno include a 6.4-inch 1080p OLED display, a big 3,765mAh battery, a 48MP f/1.7 + 5MP f/2.4 dual camera system, a 16MP f/2.0 front-facing shooter, and ColorOS 6 based on Android 9 Pie.

If there’s any standout element of the Oppo Reno, it would be the phone’s design. Featuring a sleek, almost all-screen design, the Reno looks quite stunning. There’s still
a bit of a chin
 at the bottom of the display, but it is small enough to not be a distraction.

The all-screen design is possible thanks to the use of a motorised, wedge-shaped 16MP pop-up selfie camera. Unlike other phone makers’ implementations, the unique “shark fin” pop-up camera is a lot quieter when activated. However, it’s also noticeably slower to rise up.

Nonetheless, if you were to drop the Reno while the pop-up camera is activated, the phone would automatically retract the camera module. Although it’s a feature that’s present on almost all phones with a similar camera mechanism, the fall detection works quite well on the Reno.

Build quality of the Reno, on the other hand, is excellent. Even though it has a smaller display than the flagship Reno 10x Zoom, both devices essentially share the same chassis. The metal frame is nice to the touch, it has a good heft to it, and the glass back panel looks and feels great.

There are two different textures to the back panel, depending on which colour you get. The Jet Black colourway has a glossy finish, while the Ocean Green variant (my personal favourite) has a matte, frosted glass-like appearance that’s more resistant to fingerprints. In fact, it reminds me a lot of the
Oppo R17 Pro
‘s back panel.

Coming back to the display, the Reno’s 6.4-inch 1080p OLED screen looks really good. It has vivid, punchy colours, very deep blacks, and although it’s “only” a 1080p display, it looks plenty sharp. Basically, you won’t be disappointed with the screen quality.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the Reno’s in-screen fingerprint sensor. Oppo claims it is 28.5% faster, but from what I can tell, it’s…well, quite average. It works as intended, no doubt, but the sensor’s speed and accuracy will not blow you away.

And then we have the Reno’s camera performance. In my brief time testing the 48MP + 5MP dual camera system, it feels capable. The camera interface is very responsive, there’s little to no shutter lag, and the image output has good detail preservation.

But I only tested the camera under good lighting; the real test for smartphone cameras lie in low light photography. It will be interesting to see how the Reno’s camera system would fare in less than ideal lighting, especially the “Ultra Night Mode 2.0” feature, which promises “stunning detail in low light conditions.”

The Oppo Reno may not be quite as powerful or feature-packed as its higher-end sibling, but it’s still a very respectable mid-range smartphone. After all, you’re getting mostly the same design and build quality here, giving the Reno an edge over other mid-rangers.

However, it also carries a steep price tag. Retailing at RM1,999, it’s in the same price category as
certain flagships
, and it costs much more than another Snapdragon 710 smartphone: the
Realme 3 Pro
. Granted, the 3 Pro doesn’t feel or look as premium, and the Reno definitely has superior camera performance.

At the end of the day, RM1,999 is still a lot of money for “just” a mid-ranger like the Reno, even if it has the look and feel of a flagship smartphone. It’s the
same conundrum with the R17 Pro
 – it has style in spades, but it doesn’t offer particularly good value for money.


Deal: Save Over RM2,000 on the Samsung Galaxy S9+

The Samsung Galaxy S9+ may not be the latest flagship smartphone anymore, but it is
a lot
 more affordable now, making it quite an attractive buy for those who don’t want to pay top dollar. In fact, you can
save over RM2,000
 on a brand new Galaxy S9+ right now.

This deal is listed by Lazada retailer Deal Direct, and it is offering original units of the Galaxy S9+ with official warranty from Samsung Malaysia. Originally going for RM4,399 at launch, the 256GB variant of the S9+ is retailing at only RM2,399 now – that’s a whopping RM2,000 discount.

If you want the 128GB model instead, the very same retailer is listing it for only RM2,099, saving you RM1,900 from the Galaxy S9+’s launch price. However, only two units of the Midnight Black model are left at the time of writing.

Without a doubt the Samsung Galaxy S9+ is a very good buy at these price points. Even if it’s not the latest device anymore, the Galaxy S9+ is still a very capable smartphone with excellent camera performance, among other things.


Google Pulls Huawei’s Android License – What Does It Mean?

This is likely one of the biggest news the tech industry has ever seen: Google suspended its business with Huawei, which will greatly affect the Chinese company’s smartphone business. On top of that, Google isn’t the only one suspending business with Huawei – Qualcomm, Intel, and even Broadcom are doing the same.

Why are these companies doing so? Well, it’s in response to the US government’s decision to put Huawei in the “Entity List.” Companies in that list will be unable to buy technology from US companies without government approval.

So what does this mean to you? How will losing the Android license impact Huawei’s smartphone business moving forward? We will outline the most notable implications in this article.

You Can Still Use Google’s Services on Your Huawei Smartphones

If you are currently using a Huawei smartphone, you can still use your device as it is. You will still have access to the Google Play Store, YouTube, Gmail, and so on – it would be as if nothing happened. At least, that’s the case for the time being. And in case you’re wondering, this applies to Honor devices as well.

Naturally, app updates will not be affected either. These updates are delivered from the Google Play Store itself, so rest assured, you will still get proper support for the apps on your phone. If you don’t know about Google’s suspension, you wouldn’t even notice any changes.

However, you will definitely notice this next issue in the near future, which is..

No More Android Updates

That’s right, there will no more Android updates for current Huawei smartphones.
According to Reuters
, one of the most notable impacts of this suspension is the fact that Huawei “will immediately lose access to updates to Google’s Android operating system.”

Basically, whatever version of Android your Huawei phone is running now, you’ll have to live with it for the foreseeable future. Fortunately enough, the company reassured consumers that security updates will still be delivered to existing Huawei and Honor smartphones.

Upcoming Huawei Smartphones Will Be Greatly Affected

This goes without saying, of course. Now that Google is suspending business with Huawei, the company
cannot
 make use of Google’s services on its upcoming smartphones. The Google Play Store is obviously one of the biggest omissions, and so are other indispensable features like Google Assistant.

These Google services practically
define
 the Android experience, so not being able to integrate them into any future Huawei or Honor smartphone is a huge loss. While Huawei can still use the Android operating system itself, which falls under the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), it won’t be possible for the company to include any dedicated services from Google.

Granted, many Chinese phone makers are offering Android smartphones in China without Google’s services, but the Chinese market is very different from the rest of the world. The country practically have alternatives for every application we use everyday, which are not quite as popular outside of China.

What Are the Future Implications?

Even if you’re not a fan of Huawei smartphones, you should care about this suspension. Without a doubt Huawei is one of the biggest players in the Android landscape, and its absence from the market will leave quite a void in the smartphone industry. The
Huawei Mate X
? Probably won’t even see the light of day until
something
changes.

More importantly, when there are less competition in the market, other phone makers may not be as willing to push the envelope; to innovate in key areas that will ultimately benefit consumers. Take Huawei’s
incredible improvement in smartphone photography
. In order to make their own devices more appealing, other brands will attempt to outdo Huawei in this regard.

To lose that kind of competition in the smartphone market could very well mean a loss for us consumers too. Of course, it’s not that we won’t see innovation in the smartphone market anymore, but there may not be as big of an incentive with the absence of a big competitor like Huawei.

What Will Huawei Do Moving Forward?

Business has to go on, and it will be interesting to see exactly how Huawei will deal with this setback. The company has mentioned numerous times it has been developing its own operating system for this very scenario, but there are no concrete details yet on this proprietary software. Is it Android-based? Can it replicate the usability of Google’s services? And will it be compelling enough to consider over any other version of Android?

Only time will tell if Huawei can pull through out of this. It definitely has the resources to make the best of the situation, but without Google’s Android (and businesses with chipmakers like Qualcomm and Intel), the phone maker has an uphill battle ahead.

That is, unless Huawei is taken out of the US government’s Entity List. But what are the chances of that happening?


Deal: Xiaomi Mi A2 Now Retailing from RM699

Even though the Xiaomi Mi A2 was released last year, it is still one of the most interesting mid-range smartphones under the Android One program. If you happen to be looking for an affordable smartphone with good software experience, this deal may pique your interest: the Mi A2 can be yours
from only RM699
 now.

This offer is available right now from Xiaomi’s official Lazada store, so without a doubt this is a legitimate deal. The Mi A2 with 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM is
listed at only RM699
, which saves you RM200 from the phone’s original asking price.

If you want more storage, the 128GB variant with 6GB of RAM can be purchased
for only RM899
 now. Similar to the 64GB model, this deal is RM200 off the regular RM1,099 price tag. Naturally, both models come with official warranty support from Xiaomi Malaysia.

The Xiaomi Mi A2 may not be the perfect device (its 3,010mAh battery is decidedly average), but it offers excellent software experience and good camera performance. At these price points, the Mi A2 is really worth a consideration.


Asus TUF Gaming FX505 Quick Review: A Rare Beast

The Asus TUF Gaming FX505 series of gaming laptops has just been launched in Malaysia, and it’s priced pretty competitively. It’s also one of very few gaming laptops that pairs an AMD CPU with an Nvidia GPU, and if you’re looking for a reasonably powerful gaming machine without breaking the bank, you should really look at this one.

I spent a few weeks testing out the GTX 1660 Ti variant of the FX505 extensively, and overall, it’s a good gaming laptop that offers great value for money. That being said, it is not perfect, so let’s see in which area this laptop excels…and where it underperforms.

What It Is

There are as many as five different variants of the FX505 in Malaysia, but the one we have here is arguably the most interesting one. It comes with an AMD Ryzen 7-3750H processor paired with 8GB of DDR4 2666MHz RAM, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti GPU, 512GB of PCIe NVMe SSD, and a 15.6-inch 1080p IPS display.

That last hardware is quite interesting, to say the least. See, the FX505 I’m reviewing here comes with a 120Hz panel, but the consumer version of the very same GTX 1660 Ti model only gets a 60Hz screen. If you want a 120Hz display, you’ll have to opt for the top of the range RTX 2060 variant.

Nonetheless, pairing the GTX 1660 Ti model with a 60Hz display does lower its price quite a bit: it retails at only RM4,399. The RTX 2060 variant, on the other hand, costs more at RM5,199. Now, you may think the RTX 2060 would be the better option to get higher performance and a faster display, but that’s not the whole picture – I’ll explain in the next section.

Connectivity wise, the FX505 is pretty alright. It has an HDMI 2.0 output, two USB 3.1 and one USB 2.0 Type-A ports, an RJ45 port, as well as a 3.5mm audio jack.

The Good Stuff

Gaming laptops in this price range don’t typically offer the kind of gaming performance you can get out of the FX505, and that really is its best selling point. If you’re concerned the Ryzen 7-3750H can’t keep up with the GPU, worry not: it can definitely deliver.

Well, judge for yourself with the gaming benchmarks below.

Games (Maxed Out Settings @ 1080p)
Average FPS
Witcher 3 (HairWorks disabled)
54.12
Apex Legends
85.53
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
62.10

Previously, this level of gaming performance is usually reserved for gaming laptops that cost a lot more than the FX505. In fact, it is
very close
 to the
Acer Predator Triton 500
‘s gaming performance, and that laptop comes with an RTX 2060 GPU. While RTX 2060 is still slightly more powerful, the GTX 1660 Ti comes very close to it.

In the display department, the 15.6-inch 1080p IPS screen is quite good. Now, I can’t say for sure how the 60Hz panel in the consumer model is like (for obvious reasons), but as far as this 120Hz screen is concerned, it’s definitely above average.

The dynamic range could be better, but the brightness is good, it has great viewing angles, and the high refresh rate makes it an enjoyable display to work and game on. Plus, the slim bezels also give the laptop a sleek, modern-looking design.

One area where the FX505 really surprised me is its battery life. On average, I was getting about six hours of usage out of this laptop – that’s impressive for a gaming laptop. Of course, I set the power plan to battery saver, and the display was dimmed to a comfortable level to get this kind of battery life. Nonetheless, it’s certainly power-efficient.

Input devices of the FX505 are above average too. The keyboard has good amount of travel, the keys are tactile, and the backlight effects are good, even though it only supports single-zone RGB lighting. As for the touchpad, it’s accurate enough for everyday use, thanks to the Windows Precision drivers.

The Bad Stuff

Considering the affordable price point of the FX505, some things have to be sacrificed, and the most obvious one is build material and quality. The laptop’s exterior is made completely out of plastic, right down to the palm rest area, bottom chassis, and even the lid.

Now, it’s worth noting that the review unit I have here actually has a metal lid, but the consumer version will come with a plastic lid instead. It’s not all bad news, of course. Despite its all-plastic construction, it feels robust enough. On top of that, it is also MIL-STD 810G certified.

Another area where the FX505 could do better is software. Throughout my time with the laptop, I got numerous pop-ups from McAfee. Granted, I could easily uninstall it, but it’s still an issue worth pointing out; it negatively impacts the user experience. Besides that, the keyboard shortcut to adjust the brightness level doesn’t work sometimes, which can get quite frustrating.

Thermal performance of the FX505 could be better too. In extended gaming sessions, the GPU got up to 83°C, while the CPU is toastier, heating up to 89°C. These temperatures are still
okay
 for a gaming laptop, but I definitely expect better numbers from a laptop as thick as the FX505.

Is It Worth It?

Personally, I highly recommend the FX505 with the GTX 1660 Ti for one simple reason: it offers the best performance for your money. For RM4,399, it performs very closely to the higher-end RTX 2060 model, which costs RM800 more. For those who are shopping on a budget, that amount of saving could be well worth it.

But if you absolutely want RTX-specific features and a 120Hz screen, the RTX 2060 model isn’t a bad buy either. RM5,199 for an RTX 2060 laptop with the FX505’s feature set is really quite good.

Again, for those who want the absolute best gaming performance for the money, look no further than the GTX 1660 Ti model. It’s only slightly slower than the RTX 2060, and even if its 60Hz display isn’t quite as impressive as the 120Hz screen found on the higher-end model, some consumers may not care at all about the higher refresh rate.

At the end of the day, which variant to get will depend on each individual’s personal preferences. And to answer the question: the Asus TUF Gaming FX505 gaming laptop is definitely worth it.