TM Launches Unifi Air & Unifi Lite Plans – Streamyx Users Migrating to Unifi Lite for RM69 Per Month

Telekom Malaysia (TM) has a number of news to share today. Not only is it unveiling the new Unifi Air wireless broadband service, the company also has good news for existing Streamyx users. Those who are on Streamyx will be automatically migrated to the new Unifi Lite plan from 1 September onwards.

On top of that, these existing Streamyx users will only need to pay RM69 per month for Unifi Lite, even if they’re paying more than that amount with their current Streamyx plan. What if you’re paying less than RM69? Well, you can actually
keep paying
 that amount. That’s a pretty sweet deal.

Despite the migration to a different plan, Unifi Lite is still based on TM’s copper infrastructure, so you won’t be getting the speed of fibre optic connectivity. That being said, TM did say that users on Unifi Life can get speeds up to 8Mbps (with unlimited data, of course) where applicable – emphasis on the last part.

If you’re wondering, no, there is no additional contract with the new Unifi Lite plan for existing Streamyx users. On top of that, the migration will be done automatically come 1 September. Those who are eligible for the migration won’t have to do anything to be on Unifi Lite.

TM further elaborated that Unifi Lite is simply an interim solution pending the expansion of its fibre optic infrastructure. In that sense, this is not a permanent solution. It’s possible the company would introduce better plans in the future, though this is merely an educated guess at this point in time.

Interestingly, you can sign up for the Unifi Lite plan right now if you wish to do so. If you sign up before 31 August, you’ll get to enjoy the RM69 rate from 1 October onwards. But if you sign up after 1 September, you’ll have to pay RM89 per month instead of only RM69. Clearly, this new plan is meant to benefit existing Streamyx users the most.

And then we have TM’s new wireless broadband plan, Unifi Air. If your area is not under Unifi coverage, or if you’re an existing Streamyx user that wants a faster connection, this is the perfect option. The plan offers speeds up to 20Mbps, and there is no data cap either.

However, if you want to sign up for Unifi Air, do note that you’ll be tied to a 24-month contract. On the bright side, no upfront payment is necessary, and the LTE device – complete with a SIM card – will be given for free. With that in mind, you would only have to pay the monthly fee when you sign up for Unifi Air.

The introduction of Unifi Lite and Unifi Air are really meant to address consumers’ complaints with Streamyx, and they may be good enough as a stopgap measure until TM can further expand its fibre optic infrastructure. If you’ve got any questions regarding the migration of Streamyx users to Unifi Lite, click
here
.


Deal: Grab the PlayStation Classic for Only RM199 Now

The PlayStation Classic console was made available here back in December last year. It cost quite a bit of money then – especially for a novelty product – but right now, you can get the PlayStation Classic
for only RM199
.

To put this offer into context, the retro console went for RM429 at launch; you’re saving a whopping RM230 with this deal. On top of that, it’s also offered by Preferred Shopee retailer SaveallStore, so rest assured, this is a legitimate deal.

According to the listing, the PlayStation Classic comes with official warranty support from Sony Malaysia itself. If you need to claim for warranty (if necessary), there shouldn’t be any issue.

If you’re interested to get the PlayStation Classic for only RM199, act fast – there are only
three units left
 at the time of writing.


Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Launching Tomorrow – What to Expect

Samsung will finally take the wraps off the Galaxy Note 10 tomorrow. Based on numerous leaks and rumours surrounding the upcoming device, it’s shaping up to be quite the flagship smartphone; it may just be Samsung’s most exciting product yet.

Given that the Note 10 series will be announced soon – at 4AM tomorrow morning, in fact – here’s what you can expect from Samsung’s latest premium smartphones.

Two Different Variants

That’s right, there will be two Galaxy Note devices this year. There’s the standard Galaxy Note 10, and the even bigger Galaxy Note 10+.
Based on leaks

from WinFuture
, these two devices are separated by a number of key hardware.

Image credit: Droid Life

Let’s start with the smaller Galaxy Note 10. It will supposedly come with a 6.3-inch 1080p display, a Samsung Exynos 9825 chipset paired with 8GB of RAM, at least 256GB of UFS 3.0 storage, and a 3,500mAh battery. The Exynos 9825 is particularly interesting: while it’s similar to the Exynos 9820 found inside the
Galaxy S10
 phones, it’s built on a more power-efficient 7nm process.

As for the bigger Galaxy Note 10+, it’s said to feature a much bigger 6.8-inch 1440p display, the same Exynos 9825 SoC paired with 12GB of RAM, 256GB or 512GB of UFS 3.0 storage, and a very generous 4,300mAh battery.

New Infinity-O Display

Even though the Galaxy Note 10 series will continue using the Infinity-O moniker, the design is a lot more refined than the hole-punch cutout of the
Galaxy S10
. If leaked images and renders of the Note 10 are accurate, the Infinity-O cutout will be at the top of the display right in the centre. The camera cutout seems to be a lot smaller too, giving it an even sleeker appearance.

Image credit: Droid Life

Beyond this new screen design, the Note 10 should retain the Dynamic AMOLED display found on the Galaxy S10 smartphones. It should come with HDR10 support as well, along with an ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint sensor.

S Pen with Gesture Support

Naturally, the S Pen is getting an upgrade too. If last year’s S Pen gets Bluetooth support, the new Note 10 will feature an S Pen…with gesture support. This feature is revealed in
leaked marketing materials
 of the phone, which should further enhance the S Pen’s functionality as a remote control.

Image credit: Droid Life

At a glance, the new “air gesture” feature on the S Pen may seem gimmicky, but it’ll be interesting to see what it can really do. There could be useful applications of the feature.

Improved Camera System with ToF

Of course, as with any new Samsung flagship, the Galaxy Note 10 series will feature a more sophisticated camera system. Both the Note 10 and Note 10+ are rumoured to come with a triple camera system made up of a 12MP f/1.5 – f/2.4 primary sensor, a 16MP f/2.2 wide angle shooter, and a 12MP f/2.1 telephoto lens. Compared to the Note 9, the Note 10 adds a wide angle sensor.

Not surprisingly, the Note 10+ is expected to feature a slightly more comprehensive camera system. Further complementing the triple camera system is a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor that will improve the camera’s depth perception. This will make Portrait shots look more impressive, though we’ll have to wait and see exactly how Samsung will take advantage of the sensor.

No 3.5mm Headphone Jack & MicroSD Card Support

Okay, the microSD card support isn’t
totally
 gone from the Galaxy Note 10 series. Rumours are speculating that only the smaller, standard Note 10 will lose support for microSD cards. The bigger Note 10+, on the other hand, will retain the feature.

Unfortunately, it is believed that the 3.5mm headphone jack would be completely absent from the Galaxy Note 10 series. This would make it the first mainstream Samsung phone to get rid of the headphone jack. If this turns out to be legitimate, it’s highly likely future flagship devices from Samsung – such as the Galaxy S11 series – will eliminate the port too.

5G Model(s) Expected

Now, this shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering the fact that there’s a
5G version of the Galaxy S10
. Rumours are suggesting that Samsung will be releasing not one, but
two
5G variants of the Note 10; one for each screen size.

If this rumour pans out, there would be
four
 devices in the Galaxy Note 10 series. Regardless, whether or not the 5G models are happening, we probably won’t see them made available here anyway.

Most Expensive Note Device Yet

Considering the hardware upgrades the Galaxy Note 10 series are expected to come with, the prices will increase as well.
For the Malaysian market
, the standard Note 10 (256GB) retails at RM3,699, while the Note 10+ (256GB) goes for RM4,199. There’s also a 512GB model of the Note 10+, which costs a whopping RM4,799.

As a point of reference, the 512GB variant of the Galaxy Note 9 went for RM4,599 at launch, so you’re looking at a RM200 price difference.

Nonetheless, these are still unconfirmed leaks and rumours – except for the Malaysian pricing – surrounding the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 series, so not every single information here will be accurate. That being said, we’re pretty confident most are right on the money, especially the design of the upcoming smartphone.

Either way, we will know for sure once Samsung officially unveils the Galaxy Note 10 tomorrow morning at 4AM Malaysian time. If you’d like, you can register your interest for the Note 10
right here
 to get the latest updates.


Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Series Confirmed to Retail from RM3,699 in Malaysia

Now, this is a surprise: Celcom just revealed the retail prices of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 in Malaysia. On top of that, the telco also confirmed the existence of the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ ahead of their official launch event tomorrow morning.

Celcom revealed these information in its Galaxy Note 10 pre-order program. The standard Note 10 with 256GB of storage retails at RM3,699, while the higher-end Note 10+ – also the 256GB variant – goes for RM4,199. If you want the 512GB version of the Note 10+ instead, that will set you back RM4,799.

If you pre-order the Galaxy Note 10 with Celcom, you can get some pretty sweet goodies too. Pre-ordering the standard Note 10 with the telco company will get you a Samsung Galaxy Buds, a Samsung Battery Pack, as well as a one-year extended warranty.

It gets even better for the Galaxy Note 10+: you can get a free upgrade to the 512GB variant by just pre-ordering the 256GB model with Celcom. Of course, the Samsung Battery Pack and a one-year extended warranty will be thrown in too.

You can place your pre-order of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 with Celcom from tomorrow until 18 August 2019. As for the Note 10 series itself, Samsung will officially unveil it tomorrow at 4AM Malaysian time. In the meantime, check out
what to expect from the launch event
.


Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ Hands-On: The True Successor

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 smartphones are now official, and the star of the series is definitely this device right here, the Galaxy Note 10+. Even though it carries the “Plus” moniker, make no mistake: this is the true successor to the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, not the regular Note 10.

After spending a brief time with the Note 10+, I was left pretty darn impressed. In fact, this is easily one of Samsung’s most exciting phones to date; even more so than the
Galaxy S10 series
.

Smartphones with all-screen designs free of notches and hole-punch cutouts are increasingly common, but none of them – and I mean
none
 of them – look quite as stunning as the Galaxy Note 10+. See, even though there’s a camera cutout at the top of the display right in the middle, the screen
really
 stretches to the edges of the phone.

Now, the side bezels are virtually gone thanks to the dual curved display, but the most impressive design feat here is the lack of bezel at the top and bottom of the Galaxy Note 10+. There’s no forehead, there’s no big chin, only a very,
very
 sleek-looking smartphone. Interestingly, it’s the same size as the Galaxy Note 9 too.

However, I’m sure some folks are not thrilled with the Note 10+’s hole-punch cutout at the top of the display. If it’s any consolation, the cutout is really quite minuscule; it’s even smaller than the
Galaxy S10e
‘s camera hole. Plus, with the 10MP f/2.2 selfie camera positioned right in the middle, it gives the phone a symmetrical look.

Speaking of looks, I really dig the unique Aura Glow colour of the Galaxy Note 10+. While I only managed to get my hands on a regular Note 10 with the colourway, it should look identical on the bigger device. Besides that, this phone has really solid build quality as well. In short, it’s a premium smartphone through and through.

The standard Galaxy Note 10 in Aura Glow

But there is one design element of the Galaxy Note 10+ that I don’t quite like: all of the buttons are positioned on the left side of the phone. If you’re right-handed, it’ll require some finger gymnastics to reach for the volume rocker and power button. On the flip side, lefties will likely love this button arrangement.

Then again, it
does
 make sense for a device like the Note 10+. Say you’re taking a note with the S Pen: if you’re right-handed, you would already be holding the phone with your left hand. From there, the buttons are already right there for your thumb to reach.

While I understand Samsung’s design decision with the button arrangement, that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

And then we have the Galaxy Note 10+’s fantastic 6.8-inch 1440p “Cinematic” Infinity-O Display. Just like the Galaxy S10 smartphones, the Note 10+ features a Dynamic AMOLED display with support for HDR10+, and it looks brilliant.

Colours simply pop on this display, the blacks are pitch black, and thanks to the 3040 x 1440 resolution, everything looks razor sharp. On top of that, I imagine the sheer size of the screen would make content consumption on the Note 10+ very enjoyable. Samsung makes some of the best displays in the market, so it’s little surprise this phone has such an impressive screen.

There’s also an ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint sensor, though I wasn’t able to put it to the test; the feature is disabled on the demo units I’ve tried. Chances are, it should perform
like the Galaxy S10+’s sensor
.

In the performance department, the Galaxy Note 10+ is powered by Samsung’s brand new Exynos 9825 chipset paired with 12GB of RAM. While it’s virtually identical to the Exynos 9820 SoC found inside the Galaxy S10 series, it is built on a more power-efficient 7nm process. With that in mind, the Note 10+ should have the same level of performance as the S10 smartphones, but with the added benefit of better power efficiency.

Complementing the 7nm Exynos 9825 chipset is a generous 4,300mAh battery. Collectively, both of these hardware should make the Note 10+ a long-lasting smartphone. It’ll be interesting to see if it can offer two days of use once we have the device in for review.

Oh, DeX is also getting a nice upgrade on the Note 10 series: the desktop interface is now available on both Windows PC and Mac, along with support for drag and drop. Would these new additions make DeX worthwhile? It just might, though I’ll have to use it for myself first.

This wouldn’t be a Note device without the S Pen, so let’s talk about what’s new. On the Galaxy Note 10, the S Pen now sports a unibody design, as well as gesture support. That’s right, the S Pen now comes with a gyroscope and accelerometer for motion controls.

I tried out the new gesture controls in the Gallery app, and it worked relatively well. Swiping left with the S Pen moves to the next item, while swiping up or down reveals more information. However, to get the gestures to work, I would have to hold down on the S Pen’s button, perform a gesture, and release the button.

To be honest, it feels a little unintuitive, and the application doesn’t seem particularly…well, useful. Regardless, Samsung will release an SDK for developers to use the feature (if they want to), though I suspect not many will actually do so.

Compared to its predecessor, the Galaxy Note 10+ naturally has an improved camera system. It now comes with a 12MP f/1.5 – f/2.4 main sensor, a 12MP f/2.1 telephoto lens, a 16MP f/2.2 wide angle camera, and even a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor for better depth perception, among other things.

One of the applications of the ToF sensor is using it as a 3D scanner. Once you’ve scanned an object with the sensor, you can print it with a 3D printer, or even insert it into a photo. Groundbreaking? Not quite. But it does present some interesting possibilities.

Anyway, back to the Note 10+’s quad camera system: how good is it? Honestly, it feels a lot like photographing with the
Galaxy S10+
, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The camera interface is responsive, detail preservation and dynamic range are great, and it can lock in focus extremely quickly too.

That being said, I can’t help but to feel…well, a little underwhelmed. Of course, the Note 10+’s camera system is still very good, but next to smartphones like the
Huawei P30 Pro
 with its incredible zooming capability, it doesn’t feel quite as exciting.

Regardless, I will hold my judgment of the Note 10+’s camera performance until I can put it through its paces properly.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ is easily the Korean company’s sleekest, most premium offering to date. Not surprisingly, it also comes with a matching price tag: the 256GB variant retails at RM4,199, while the 512GB model goes for a whopping RM4,799. If you’re keen, you can actually
pre-order it right now
 until 18 August.

Without a shadow of a doubt the Galaxy Note 10+ is an expensive smartphone, but that’s the price you’d have to pay for the latest and greatest Note device yet. It may be able to justify that price tag, but we can only know for sure once we have the Note 10+ in for a full review.


Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Hands-On: A New Breed

It’s only natural to think that the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 is the direct successor to the Galaxy Note 9, but that’s not the case at all. Don’t be fooled by its name: the Note 10 is actually a new breed of Note device, and that, in itself, is an exciting prospect.

After all, one of the most definitive features of a Note device in the past is a large display, but that changes with the Galaxy Note 10. For the first time ever, you can now get a Note device in a compact form factor, and I’m really fond of it – let me tell you why.

First, let’s talk about the size of the Galaxy Note 10. If the
Note 10+
 is similar in size to the Note 9, the Note 10 is akin to the
Galaxy S10
. While it’s not quite as compact as the
Galaxy S10e
, the Note 10 is noticeably smaller than the Note 10+, so it doesn’t feel quite as unwieldy.

That’s not to say the Note 10+ is overly big or unwieldy, of course. It’s still in a perfectly usable form factor, but when it comes to ergonomics, the standard Note 10 fares better. it’s easier to fit into your pocket, it’s more lightweight, and more importantly, it would be easier to use with only one hand.

However, one-handed usage will still be quite a challenge with the regular Note 10 – unless you’re left-handed. That’s right, much like the bigger Note 10+, all of the buttons are placed on the left side of the phone. Good news? At least the dedicated Bixby button is gone.

While this button arrangement makes sense when you’re taking a note with the S Pen (you would be holding the Note 10 with your left hand if you’re right-handed), it would be quite inconvenient when you’re
not
 using the S Pen. More often than not, that’s the more prevalent situation.

Beyond the odd button arrangement, the Note 10 is as much of a looker as its bigger sibling. The new 6.3-inch 1080p Cinematic Infinity-O Display stretches right to the edges of the phone, resulting in very tiny top and bottom bezels. Side bezels, on the other hand, are effectively gone with the dual curved display.

Of course, some would argue that the hole-punch cutout at the top of the display takes away from the all-screen design of the Note 10. Yes, it’s certainly not ideal to have a screen cutout for the 10MP f/2.2 selfie camera, but at least it’s a tiny hole. In fact, it’s actually smaller than the camera cutout of the Galaxy S10e and S10.

As for the display quality itself, it’s really, really good. Yes, the Galaxy Note 10 “only” has a 1080p resolution, but it is still a Dynamic AMOLED panel. It supports the HDR10+ standard, so you will get a wide colour gamut and excellent black levels. Unless you’re comparing this display side by side with the Note 10+’s, you really won’t notice any difference in quality.

In the performance department, the Note 10 is powered by the same Samsung Exynos 9825 chipset found in the Note 10+. This is essentially the 7nm version of the Exynos 9820 SoC found in the Galaxy S10 smartphones, so you can expect the same level of performance as the latter. On top of that, it should have better power efficiency too, thanks to the smaller 7nm chip; the Exynos 9820 is built on an 8nm process instead.

The power efficiency of the Exynos 9825 will be needed to get good battery life out of the Note 10, given that it only comes with a 3,500mAh battery. While that’s not particularly small, it’s not very generous either for a phone this size. Nonetheless, the 3,500mAh cell, along with the 7nm chip and 1080p display, may just be good enough to return above average battery life.

Naturally, the S Pen of the Note 10 is identical to the one found on the Note 10+. It still has Bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to use it as a remote control. With the addition of a gyroscope and accelerometer, the S Pen can now recognise motion gestures too.

It’s an interesting new feature, but I do find the gesture control a bit gimmicky. At the moment, it only works with certain apps, and it remains to be seen if other developers will pick up on this feature. Samsung will release an SDK for them to integrate the motion controls if they so desire.

And then we have the camera performance of the Note 10, which should be very similar to the Note 10+. See, these two phones share the same triple camera configuration, minus the time-of-flight (ToF) sensor on the latter for better depth perception.

Made up of a 12MP f/1.5 – f/2.4 main camera, a 12MP f/2.1 telephoto lens, and a 16MP f/2.2 wide angle sensor, the Note 10 is a capable shooter. It can lock in focus very quickly, images look flattering, and overall, it reminds me a lot of the
Galaxy S10+
‘s camera.

While the Galaxy Note 10+ is the higher-end offering in the series, I’d argue the Note 10 is the more exciting product. Not only does it share quite a number of similarities with the Note 10+, it also introduces a brand new category of Note device. The prospect of a
compact
 Note is finally realised with the Note 10, and that’s a big deal.

But whether or not there is actually demand for a smaller, more ergonomically-friendly Note is still a question mark. Personally, I love the prospect of a compact Note smartphone. Heck, I’m a fan of
compact smartphones in general
.

Then again, the Galaxy Note 10 is not particularly affordable: it retails at RM3,699 for the 256GB variant with 8GB of RAM. For the sake of comparison, that is the exact price point for the Galaxy Note 9 at launch. Well, granted that variant of the Note 9 only comes with 128GB of storage space, but do note – excuse the pun – that the Note 10 no longer comes with a microSD card slot.

Whether or not the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 can rightfully command that kind of price tag can only be answered in a full review of the phone. If you’re interested to pick up the phone anyway, the Note 10 is
now on pre-order
 until 18 August.


Samsung Galaxy Note 10 & Note 10+ – Which Should You Get?

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 series, beyond the hardware and feature upgrades, is quite different from its predecessors. For the first time ever, you get to choose from two different sizes. There’s the smaller
Galaxy Note 10
 with a 6.3-inch display, and the higher-end
Galaxy Note 10+
 with a larger 6.8-inch screen.

Some folks will be more inclined to pick one over the other, but if you can’t quite make up your mind, we’ll walk you through the major differences – and similarities – between these two models.

The Galaxy Note 10+
The Galaxy Note 10

What’s the Same?

Other than sharing the same design and aesthetics, the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ also have a few key hardware and features in common, so let’s break it down.

Chipset

No matter which Note 10 device you get, you will find the Samsung Exynos 9825 chipset under the hood. This new chipset is basically the 7nm version of the Exynos 9820 SoC, which powers the Galaxy S10 smartphones. Chances are, you can expect to get the same level of performance with these two chips.

S Pen

Naturally, the S Pen on the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ are one and the same. The new S Pen still has Bluetooth connectivity for its remote control functions, and the addition of a gyroscope and accelerometer allow you to use motion gestures with the stylus.

Camera (Sort Of)

Now, this is a bit of a mixed bag. Even though the Galaxy Note 10 smartphones feature the same triple camera system (12MP f/1.5 – f/2.4 + 12MP f/2.1 telephoto + 16MP f/2.2 wide angle), the Note 10+ has an additional time-of-flight (ToF) DepthVision Camera.

The addition of the ToF sensor gives the Note 10+’s camera system better depth perception, which would translate to better portrait shots, among other things.
But
, beyond that, you should get very similar camera performance with the Note 10 too.

The Differences?

Given the price gap between the two Galaxy Note 10 devices, there are obviously some differences here and there. Depending on your priorities, however, these differences may not matter that much to you.

Display

This is really the biggest difference between the Note 10 and Note 10+. The former has a 6.3-inch 1080p screen, while the Note 10+ has a bigger, sharper 6.8-inch 1440p panel. Of course, given the higher resolution of the Note 10+’s display, it’s the more impressive screen here.

That being said, unless you’re comparing both displays side by side, you won’t really notice the difference in screen quality. After all, both of these are still Dynamic AMOLED displays with support for the HDR10+ standard. Plus, the smaller display of the Note 10 isn’t all bad: not only does it consume less power, it also makes for a more compact, ergonomic smartphone.

Battery Size

Not surprisingly, the bigger Galaxy Note 10+ comes with a very generous 4,300mAh battery, while the Note 10 has a smaller 3,500mAh cell. Chances are, the Note 10+ should have better battery life, though we can only really put this to the test once we have both devices in for review.

Also, it’s worth noting that the Note 10 has a smaller, lower resolution display, which wouldn’t use up quite as much power as the Note 10+’s far bigger 6.8-inch 1440p screen. With this in mind, the difference in battery life between the two phones may not be that that far off.

RAM Capacity

Remember when we talked about
how much RAM you really need in a smartphone
? Well, it’s very relevant here. The Note 10 comes with 8GB of RAM, while the Note 10+ features a whopping 12GB RAM. Yes, it’s always good to have more RAM, but trust us when we say 8GB of RAM is more than enough here.

Whether you’re an avid mobile gamer or a heavy smartphone user who needs to multitask on the go, the Note 10’s 8GB of RAM would prove to be more than enough to meet your requirements. In fact, even the
Galaxy S10+
 “only” has 8GB of RAM.

Storage & Expandability

Unfortunately, if you want a lot of storage, you have no choice but to go for the Note 10+. Even though the regular Note 10 comes with 256GB of storage – which is plenty – it doesn’t have a microSD card slot. The Note 10+, on the other hand, still has that card slot, and there’s even a 512GB variant of the device.

Price

For most consumers, pricing is the most important factor when making their decision. For the Malaysian market, the Galaxy Note 10 retails at RM3,699, while the Galaxy Note 10+ is priced at RM4,199 and RM4,799 for the 256GB and 512GB models respectively.

What separates the Note 10 and Note 10+ is RM500, which may be worth the extra cost, considering the amount of hardware upgrades you’re getting with the bigger smartphone. That being said, RM500 is still a lot of money, and if you don’t quite fancy the big size of the Note 10+, the standard Note 10 is still a very good option.

Personally, I’m more interested with the smaller Samsung Galaxy Note 10: it is a whole new category of Note device, thanks to its compact form factor marks. Plus, it still share a number of similarities with the Note 10+, though the absence of a microSD card slot does make it less appealing.

Nonetheless, no matter which Note 10 smartphone you get, you will get a very polished, premium product. To learn more about these two devices, check out our hands-on of the
Galaxy Note 10
 and
Galaxy Note 10+
.


Deal: Shopee Offering RM100 Cashback on Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Pre-Order

Thinking of pre-ordering the new Samsung
Galaxy Note 10
 series? Then this deal would pique your interest. If you
place your Note 10 pre-order
 with Shopee, you can get RM100 in cashback regardless of which variant you get – that’s quite a big discount.

Of course, the cashback would be given in the form of Shopee Coins. To be specific, you will get 10,000 Shopee Coins with this deal, which is worth RM100. For example, you can use 1,000 Shopee Coins to get RM10 discount on products from Shopee Mall and Preferred retailers.

To enjoy this deal, all you have to do is use the voucher code MOBAUG100 with your Galaxy Note 10 pre-order. However, do note that you will only get the 10,000 Shopee Coins once you’ve gotten your purchase. That’s the mechanism of the Coins: it will only be credited to your account
after
 you’ve confirmed receipt of the product.

Nonetheless, RM100 worth of Shopee Coins is a good amount of cashback. If you’re not keen to pre-order the Galaxy Note 10, no problem: the MOBAUG100 voucher code is valid
on all
mobile devices that hit the RM3,500 minimum spend. On top of that, the product doesn’t have to be from Shopee Mall or a Preferred retailer either. However, the voucher code is only valid until 18 August.

To learn more about the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+, check out our hands-on with the smartphone
right here
 or
here
 for our Note 10 hands-on. If you’d like to place your pre-order for the Note 10+ on Shopee,
click here
.


Sony Xperia 1 with 4K Display Arriving in Malaysia Soon

Update 13 August, 6PM:
 Well, it seems like the Sony Xperia X1 will indeed be coming to Malaysia. This is confirmed in
Lowyat.NET’s report
, which quoted a Sony Malaysia representative. However, there are no further information yet on the local availability of the phone, though it will be sold at Sony Store outlets.

The original article follows.

Sony’s mobile division has been absent from the Malaysian market for quite some time now, but there’s a chance the Japanese company will be making a comeback in the very near future. In fact, Sony could be bringing in its latest flagship smartphone: the Sony Xperia 1.

Surprisingly enough, Sony Malaysia itself registered the Xperia 1 with SIRIM last week on 8 August. While this does not guarantee the local availability of the smartphone, it’s definitely a promising sign. If it does come to Malaysia, here’s what you need to know about the Xperia 1.

What makes the Xperia 1 a unique flagship lies in its display. While other phone makers are sticking with 19:9 or 19.5:9 screens, the Xperia 1’s display has a taller 21:9 aspect ratio. It’s touted as the “cinematic” aspect ratio, so when you’re watching movies on this phone, you won’t get black bars on the top and bottom.

Now, I’d argue the 21:9 display’s sheer length affects the ergonomics of the Xperia 1 – based on my hands-on with the
similarly proportioned Sony Xperia 10 smartphones
 – but it does reduce the width of the phone, making it…somewhat easier to use with one hand. However, reaching for the top of the display, on the other hand, will be a challenge.

Nonetheless, the Xperia 1 does have an impressive screen on paper. Sporting a 6.5-inch 4K HDR OLED display, this is a
very
 sharp and vibrant panel. According to Sony, the colour accuracy of the screen will also “bring you a picture that’s true to the creator’s vision.”

It’s a lofty claim, and we’ll definitely put this to the test if the Xperia 1 does make it here. On top of that, it’ll be interesting to see how the 4K display will impact the phone’s battery life, especially with its rather average 3,330mAh battery.

In the camera department, the Xperia 1 features a triple camera system. All three shooters have different focal lengths and 12MP sensors, so you are getting a wide angle camera, a regular sensor, and a telephoto lens. As for the front-facing camera, it’s an 8MP shooter.

Other specifications of the Xperia 1 include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset paired with 6GB of RAM, 128GB of fast UFS storage, a microSD card slot, as well as an IP65/68 rating. Basically, befitting hardware for a flagship smartphone.

Given the cutting edge display and high-end hardware of the Sony Xperia 1, it’s a costly device. In the US, it retails at $950, which comes up to about RM3,985. Even for a flagship smartphone, that’s a pretty steep asking price. If the Xperia 1 arrives in Malaysia in that price range, it may be tough to recommend.

Of course, it wouldn’t matter if Sony Malaysia isn’t actually planning to bring in the Xperia 1. Rest assured, we will keep a close eye on the local availability of the flagship smartphone.


Samsung Unveils 108MP Mobile Camera Sensor – Made in Collaboration with Xiaomi

High megapixel count does not automatically make a camera system good, but it is useful in certain applications. Case in point: Samsung’s brand new 108MP camera sensor. Dubbed Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX, it’s a sensor made for mobile devices, which is said to be an industry’s first.

While the possibility of capturing 108MP images on a smartphone sound impressive, that’s not the big selling point here. Rather, the high pixel count is used to create high quality – and more practically sized – 27MP images via pixel binning. In retrospect, it’s a similar implementation used by
current crop of smartphones

with 48MP sensors
.

It’s worth noting that the Bright HMX sensor is “the result of close collaboration between Xiaomi and Samsung.” That’s right, Xiaomi plays a part in the development of this camera sensor. Chances are, the Bright HMX will be found in upcoming smartphones from Samsung and Xiaomi.

In fact, rumours are suggesting that the Mi Mix 4 will feature the new 108MP sensor, though there are no concrete details yet. In fact, both Samsung and Xiaomi have not announced which phone will use the new sensor, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

As for the ISOCELL Bright HMX itself, it’s quite an impressive sensor. As mentioned, it combines four pixels into one, which reduces the image output from 108MP to only 27MP. Not only is it a much more practical resolution for smartphones with limited amount of storage, there are a couple of benefits too.

For one, by combining information from four different pixels into one, you will get a much, much brighter image. This, in turn, would dramatically improve low light performance – in theory, anyway. At the end of the day, the camera performance would still depend on the image processing algorithm of each individual phone maker.

According to Samsung, the Bright HMX is also the first mobile camera sensor to adopt a 1/1.33-inch size. This large size allows the sensor to capture more light in less than ideal lighting conditions, which should (again) improve low light performance.

Beyond that, the HMX sensor can capture lossless 6K (6016 x 3384) videos at 30 frames per second too. On top of that, depending on the lighting condition, the “Smart-ISO mechanism” of the sensor will automatically adjust the level of ISO accordingly.

The
Xiaomi Mi Mix 3

Mass production for the Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX camera sensor will begin later this month, so we should see the sensor debut on a Xiaomi or Samsung smartphone in the coming months. Given that Xiaomi’s next big flagship smartphone is the Mi Mix 4, there’s a very good chance it will feature the HMX sensor.


Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Launching on 20 August – Malaysian Launch Imminent?

When the Xiaomi Mi 9T was unveiled, many were waiting for the eventual launch of the “Pro” variant. Well, it’s been a while, but here it is: the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro will be officially announced on 20 August, and it could be making its way to Malaysia very, very soon.

Some were afraid that the Mi 9T Pro is not in the pipeline at all, but Xiaomi Netherlands Facebook page confirmed the existence of the flagship smartphone, complete with a release date on the 20 August next week.

On top of that, a device with the model number M1903F11G was also registered with SIRIM under Xiaomi Malaysia. A quick Google search shows that
this is indeed the Mi 9T Pro
‘s model number. Chances are, Xiaomi Malaysia is gearing up to launch the device on our shores.

Compared to the standard Mi 9T, the Mi 9T Pro should share the exact same design. After all, both of these devices are basically global variants of the Redmi K20 series. While they look the same on the outside, under the hood of the 9T Pro is a faster Snapdragon 855 chipset instead of the regular 9T’s Snapdragon 730 SoC.

It’s also worth noting that the Mi 9T Pro should feature support for 27W fast charging. In comparison, the non-Pro model only has an 18W charging rate.

Other specifications of the Mi 9T Pro should be similar to the Mi 9T. These include a 6.39-inch 1080p AMOLED display, up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, a generous 4,000mAh battery, as well as an in-screen fingerprint sensor.

In the camera department, it has a triple camera system made up of a 48MP f/1.75 primary sensor, a 13MP f/2.4 wide angle shooter, and an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto lens. The front-facing camera, on the other hand, is a 20MP f/2.2 motorised module, so you get a display free of any notch or hole-punch cutout.

The Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro will be launching in Europe on 20 August. Now that the device has been registered with SIRIM, there’s a very good chance it will be made available here in Malaysia, though it remains to be seen exactly when that will happen.

Of course, we will keep a close eye on the local availability of the Mi 9T Pro. Who knows, it may just launch on our shores as early as this month, and it’ll be very interesting to see how much Xiaomi Malaysia will price the flagship smartphone.


Shopee 9.9 Super Shopping Day Offers Honda City & Yamaha Bikes for RM1

Shopee’s upcoming 9.9 Super Shopping Day is set to be a big one. Taking place from 19 August to 9 September, you can “purchase” a Honda City and 21 Yamaha bikes for only RM1 during the promotion period. No, that’s not a typo, but there are (naturally) some terms and conditions.

The Honda City and 21 Yamaha 135LC bikes will be offered as part of Shopee’s “One or Not” promotion, which allows you to purchase high-value products for only RM1. However, it’s really based on a lucky draw mechanism. Anyone can “purchase” said products for only RM1, but only one person will walk away with it.

If you’re not selected as the winner, the RM1 will be refunded back to your credit card or Shopee Wallet, as per usual. Do note that the Honda City and 21 Yamaha bikes will be offered throughout the 9.9 Super Shopping Day campaign on different days, based on the
calendar of the sale
.

Not particularly keen to try your luck to “win” a bike for RM1 with the One or Not promotion? Well, then you’ll be happy to know that Hong Leong Yamaha Authorised Dealer will give up to 30% discounts for certain bikes on 9 September itself. These include the Yamaha 135LC, NVX, and Y15ZR.

Of course, beyond this, the 9.9 Super Shopping Day also has a number of interesting promotions leading up to the sale. The minimum spend to be eligible for free shipping, for one, will be lowered to only RM9
throughout
 the campaign period.

Not having to pay for shipping is arguably one of Shopee’s most attractive features, and it’s made even better with the lowered minimum spend. However, do note that this is limited to the number of free shipping vouchers in your account, though there’s a chance Shopee will give out additional vouchers during the sale.

This wouldn’t be a Shopee sale without some form of Shocking Sale, so for the upcoming event, as many as nine deals will be offered in a day. You will get to purchase products from only RM1, so if you’re a sucker for good deals, make sure to keep track of the Shocking Sale section.

Interestingly, Shopee will also introduce a new feature in conjunction with the 9.9 Super Shopping Day. Dubbed “9.9 Voucher Mission,” you’ll have to invite your friends to…unlock daily vouchers. The e-commerce platform did not elaborate much on this new mechanism, but it could potentially offer some good discount vouchers.

The Shopee 9.9 Super Shopping Day campaign will commence from 19 August to 9 September. If you’d like to learn more about it, check out Shopee’s
full calendar of the sale event
.


Honor 20 Pro Hands-On: Potentially Honor’s Best Flagship Yet

The Honor 20 Pro is finally available in Malaysia, and it is quite possibly the Chinese company’s most impressive flagship smartphone to date. Sporting a sleek design, sophisticated quad camera system, and fast chipset, there is a lot to like here.

However, the Honor 20 Pro is also the phone maker’s most costly smartphone yet, retailing at RM2,299. While that still makes it a relatively affordable device in the flagship segment, can it really justify that kind of price tag? Let’s find out.

Aesthetically, the Honor 20 Pro is almost indistinguishable from the more affordable
Honor 20
. It has the same 6.26-inch 1080p LTPS display with a hole-punch cutout, a glass and metal construction, and a very similar-looking finish on the glass back.

That being said, you will feel the difference once you hold the device in your hands. Unlike the standard Honor 20’s flat back panel, the Pro model’s glass back tapers to the edges of the phone. This makes it a more comfortable device to hold for long periods of time, and it feels really premium too.

I also love the fact that Honor is retaining the hole-punch design with the 20 Pro. Compared to a notched display, the circular camera cutout doesn’t take up as much space, so it won’t be quite as distracting. Plus, a hole-punch cutout is a good compromise between an all-screen design – which requires a
pop-up selfie camera
 or a
sliding mechanism
 – and a notched display.

As for the display quality itself, the 6.26-inch 1080p LTPS screen looks good. It’s not the most amazing panel on a smartphone, but it is far from bad. Colours look great, texts and images look sharp enough with the 1080p resolution, and viewing angles are reasonably good as well, even if the display does dim slightly when viewed off-angle.

Powered by a fast Kirin 980 chipset, the Honor 20 Pro feels very fast and responsive. It’s the same SoC found under the hood of the
Huawei P30
 and
Mate 20
 smartphones, so without a doubt you’re getting a very good level of performance here. On top of that, the Kirin 980 is also built on a 7nm process, making it a power-efficient chipset.

That power efficiency will come in handy when it comes to battery life, which the 20 Pro should excel in. Thanks to its 7nm chip, 1080p display, and generous 4,000mAh battery, I reckon this phone can return excellent battery life.

In fact, seeing how I managed to get
over eight hours of screen on time
 with the standard Honor 20 – which had similar hardware, except for a slightly smaller 3,750mAh battery – I’m confident this Pro variant can last even longer on a single charge.

Many flagship smartphones now come with in-screen fingerprint sensors, but that’s not the case with the Honor 20 Pro, which isn’t exactly a bad thing. Granted, in-screen sensors are considered “higher-end” and more desirable, but traditional capacitive fingerprint sensors are still superior when it comes to speed and accuracy.

I’ve used quite a number of phones with in-screen fingerprint sensors, and none of them are as fast as the 20 Pro’s side-mounted capacitive sensor. Not only is it very fast and accurate – a quick tap is enough to unlock the device – I can also easily reach for the sensor with my thumb. This is great, given that the sensor also doubles as the power button.

Finally, there’s the Honor 20 Pro’s most talked about hardware: the quad camera system. It’s made up of a 48MP f/1.4 primary sensor, a 16MP f/2.2 wide angle shooter, an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto lens, as well as a 2MP f/2.4 macro sensor. The front-facing shooter, on the other hand, is a 32MP f/2.0 camera.

So how does the quad camera system perform? Pretty darn good, actually. The camera interface is responsive, autofocus speeds are relatively good, and even in low light conditions, it can still deliver properly exposed shots with a good amount of detail.

Evidently, the Honor 20 Pro didn’t receive a high DxOMark rating for nothing; with a
total score of 111
, it’s positioned right behind the
P30 Pro
 by only one point. The P30 Pro is considered to be one of the best mobile shooters in the market now, so that’s high praise.

Even so, until I can put the 20 Pro’s camera through its paces, I can’t truly say if the camera performance is fantastic or not. But for what it’s worth, it certainly shows a lot of promise. This is especially the case with the telephoto lens, which can do up to 30x zoom – digitally, of course.

Overall, the Honor 20 Pro is potentially the company’s best flagship smartphone yet. However, that also makes it the phone maker’s most
expensive
device to date. There is only one variant of the Honor 20 Pro for the Malaysian market, which comes with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM for RM2,299.

As mentioned, that price point still means the Honor 20 Pro is one of the more affordable flagship smartphones in our market, which is great. What’s
not so great
 is the fact that it will be a challenge for Honor – a brand that’s usually associated with budget-friendly devices  – to break into that price point.

Nonetheless, I have a feeling the Honor 20 Pro can command that kind of price tag, and I can’t wait to see what it can do in a full review of the flagship smartphone.


Black Shark 2 Pro Landing in Malaysia on 3 September

Officially introduced just earlier this month, the
Black Shark 2 Pro
 gaming smartphone is set to arrive in Malaysia on 3 September 2019. Powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 855+ chipset, the Pro variant of the standard
Black Shark 2
 brings with it a number of improvements.

This launch date was revealed by Black Shark Malaysia itself
on its Facebook page
. Even though the phone maker did not specifically mention the Black Shark 2 Pro, the back panel of the device is clearly shown on the teaser image of the launch event.

Compared to its predecessor, the biggest difference the Black Shark 2 Pro brings is the new Snapdragon 855+ chipset. Thanks to the overclocked 2.96GHz CPU and Adreno 640 GPU, the updated SoC promises up to 15% better gaming performance.

Raw performance aside, the response time of the Black Shark 2 Pro’s display has been improved too: the input lag is reduced from 43.5ms to only 34.7ms. That may not sound like much, but it does complement the phone’s gaming appeal.

However, compared to other gaming smartphones in the market now, the Black Shark 2 Pro still only comes with a conventional 60Hz display. Given that most devices in this segment have 90Hz screens – some even feature a 120Hz refresh rate – Black Shark’s offering certainly don’t seem quite as attractive.

Thankfully, the 240Hz polling rate of the Black Shark 2 Pro’s screen is retained, which further reduces the phone’s input lag. This, combined with the phone’s 6.39-inch 1080p AMOLED panel, should make for a pleasant gaming experience – even if the refresh rate is limited to 60Hz.

Other specifications of the Black Shark 2 Pro include a dual camera system (48MP f/1.75 primary shooter + 12MP f/2.2 telephoto sensor), a 20MP f/2.0 selfie camera, 12GB of RAM, 128GB or 256GB of non-expandable storage, and a generous 4,000mAh battery.

For the Chinese market, two variants of the Black Shark 2 Pro are available: the 128GB model goes for 2,999 Chinese yuan (about RM1,780), while the higher-end 256GB model retails at 3,499 yuan (approximately RM2,075). Pretty competitive pricing, given the high-end hardware of the phone.

The Black Shark 2 Pro will be arriving in Malaysia on 3 September 2019 next month. It remains to be seen if both variants of the gaming smartphone will be made available here, though we’re pretty confident Black Shark will bring them in. After all,
that was the case
 with the original Black Shark 2.


There’s a New HTC Wildfire Phone, but It’s Not Made by HTC

There have not been any new HTC-branded smartphone hitting the market for quite some time now, but for the Indian market, a new HTC device recently launched there. Enter the HTC Wildfire X, an affordable mid-range smartphone for the masses.

However, the Wildfire X…isn’t made by HTC. Rather, it’s manufactured by InOne Smart Technology – HTC is licensing its branding to the Chinese company. InOne is more known for its Lava-branded smartphones in India, so in short, the Wildfire X is unlike HTC smartphones of the past, for better or worse.

In terms of hardware, the Wildfire X isn’t too shabby. It’s powered by a MediaTek Helio P22 octa-core processor clocked at 2.0GHz, which should be capable enough to offer a reasonably good user experience. It’s not the most desirable mid-range chipset, but this smartphone
is
meant to be an affordable device.

Other specifications of the Wildfire X include 3GB or 4GB of RAM, two choices of internal storage (32GB or 128GB), a 3,300mAh battery with support for 10W charging, a rear fingerprint sensor, and Android 9.0 Pie out of the box. Again, not a particularly amazing spec sheet, but far from bad.

Aside from that, this mid-ranger also comes with a 6.22-inch 720p display, complete with a “waterdrop” notch at the top of the screen.

In the camera department, the Wildfire X features a triple camera system on the back. It consists of a 12MP primary shooter, an 8MP telephoto lens that can do 2x optical zoom, and a 5MP depth sensor. The front-facing camera, on the other hand, is an 8MP shooter.

So how much does the Wildfire X cost? In India, the 32GB variant with 3GB of RAM goes for 9,999 Indian rupee (about RM585), while the 128GB model with 4GB of RAM retails at 12,999 rupee (approximately RM765). These are definitely affordable price points, but for that kind of money…you can get better equipped smartphones.

A good example would be the
Redmi Note 7
. With a starting price of RM679 for the Malaysian market, Xiaomi’s offering has a much, much faster Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset, a more capable triple camera system, a bigger 4,000mAh battery, as well as a sharper 1080p display.

Nonetheless, it’s not like the HTC Wildfire X will be made available outside of India. For the time being, it will only be sold in the country from 22 August onwards. Now that HTC has licensed its branding to other companies, it’ll be interesting to see if there will be more devices like the Wildfire X in the near future.


Oppo Reno 2 with 20x Zoom Launching on 28 August

It hasn’t been that long since the
Oppo Reno
 series was introduced to the market, but it seems like the Chinese company is preparing to launch its successor very soon. Based on the phone’s teaser image, the Oppo Reno 2 will be made official on 28 August in India.

Compared to its predecessors, which only had two or three rear camera sensors – the Reno and
Reno 10x Zoom
 respectively – the Reno 2’s has a quad camera system, which appears to be more sophisticated. While the exact specifications of the camera configuration have not been revealed yet, there’s a good change it will feature a telephoto lens, a wide angle sensor, and of course, a primary shooter.

Leaked image of the Oppo Reno 2

On top of that, Oppo will likely retain the periscope-style lens arrangement found in the Reno 10x Zoom model for the telephoto sensor. Interestingly, the company also claims that the Reno 2 will sport better zoom capability: it can supposedly do
20x zoom
 now.

That does sound really impressive, though that level of zoom is likely achieved with a combination of optical and digital zoom. After all, that’s the same method the Reno 10x Zoom used for its 10x hybrid zoom feature.

So that leaves the fourth camera sensor, which we suspect could either be a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor for better depth perception, or a macro lens for close-up shots. However, this is only an educated guess on our part at this point in time.

New angles present new possibilities. Get ready for
#OPPOReno2

pic.twitter.com/Uhho6FjJj7
— OPPO (@oppo)
August 16, 2019

Not surprisingly, much like its predecessor, the Reno 2 will come with a motorised camera system; even the “shark fin” shape of the module is retained. With this in mind, the upcoming phone should sport an all-screen design without a notch or hole-punch cutout. It’ll be interesting to see if the bottom bezel would be reduced on the new device too.

Other specifications of the Reno 2 have not been revealed yet – or how many devices the series will debut with – but it’s rumoured to feature an AMOLED display, an in-screen fingerprint sensor, and a 4,000mAh battery. All in all, hardware you’d expect in a flagship smartphone.

The Oppo Reno 2 will be officially introduced in India on 28 August 2019. While there’s no word yet if the device will be made available outside of the country, there’s a good chance it will reach our shores as well – Oppo does have a quite the presence here in Malaysia.


You Can Shoot Landscape Videos Vertically with the Motorola One Action

Motorola recently launched a rather interesting mid-range smartphone. This is the Motorola One Action, and one of its most unique features is the ability to record landscapes videos…while holding the phone vertically. How cool is that?

This is accomplished with the 16MP f/2.2 wide angle sensor of the Motorola One Action’s triple camera system. The 16MP shooter is
physically rotated
 so that it will record videos in landscape orientation when you’re holding the phone vertically, and vice versa. It’s a little bit odd, but not having to hold the phone horizontally when recording wide angle videos may be a good selling point to some – or many – consumers.

Anyway, the 16MP f/2.2 sensor has a 117-degree field of view, so you can shoot wide angle videos like…well, an action camera. Of course, you can also take still images with the sensor, though you’ll have to get used to photographing in vertical orientation to get those wide angle landscape shots.

Complementing the wide angle camera are two other sensors that are decidedly more ordinary. The primary shooter is a 12MP f/1.8 unit, while the other 5MP f/2.2 sensor is for capturing depth information. There’s no telephoto sensor here, but personally, we find more use out of a wide angle camera anyway.

Interestingly, the One Action also has a 6.3-inch 1080 LTPS “CinemaVision” display with a hole-punch cutout and 21:9 aspect ratio. It’s a unique feature, given that there aren’t that many smartphones with a similar aspect ratio, except for the
Sony Xperia 1
 and
Xperia 10
 devices.

While the 21:9 aspect ratio makes the One Action taller than your usual smartphone with a similar display size, Motorola does say it is ideal for watching movies in their “original ultrawide format” – you won’t get black bars on the top and bottom. The phone maker further elaborated that this aspect ratio allows for more comfortable one-handed use.

Oddly enough, Motorola isn’t going with a Qualcomm or MediaTek chipset with the One Action. Instead, it’s packing a Samsung Exynos 9609 SoC, which seems to be a rather capable mid-range chip. Rounding out the specifications of the One Action are 4GB of RAM, 128GB of expandable storage, a rear fingerprint sensor, and a 3,500mAh battery.

Of course, this One Action is also an Android One device, so it runs on a very stock version of Android – perfect for Android purists.

The Motorola One Action is certainly a unique mid-range smartphone, and it is now available in Brazil, Mexico, and other European countries starting at 259 euro, which comes up to about RM1,200. Also, it’s worth noting that the mid-ranger has actually been registered with SIRIM under Lenovo Malaysia with the model number XT2013-2.

Now that it’s been certified with SIRIM, there’s a very good chance the Motorola One Action will be made available in Malaysia. As always, we will keep a close eye on the local availability of the One Action.


Acer Predator Helios 300 Review: The Default RTX 2060 Laptop for the Budget-Conscious

Acer’s line of Predator gaming laptops are meant to appeal to gamers who are looking for premium gaming machines. But truth be told, the Acer Predator Helios 300 never quite gave me that impression; until this latest iteration.

Now slimmer than ever, more powerful, and with a better design language, the new Helios 300 is finally a proper, premium gaming laptop. Even though it’s not perfect, it is easily one of the most attractive options in its price range.

Specifications

Display
15.6-inch 144Hz FHD IPS (1920 x 1080)
Processor
Intel Core i7-9750H (2.6GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4.5GHz, 12MB cache)
GPU
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GDDR6 VRAM
RAM
8GB DDR4
Storage
256GB PCIe NVMe SSD
Camera
HD resolution
Battery
58.7WHr
Dimensions
361.4 x 254.15 x 22.9 mm
Weight
2.3kg
Audio
Bottom-firing stereo speakers
Ports
1x USB 3.1 Type-C
3x USB 3.1 Type-A
1x Mini DisplayPort
1x HDMI
1x RJ45

Design

Compared to its predecessor, the new Predator Helios 300 is a lot sleeker-looking. It’s not quite as chunky anymore, and it looks like a handsome, modern gaming laptop now. Sure, measuring 22.9mm thick, it’s not a particularly thin gaming machine, but it’s certainly on the slimmer side of things.

Much like the higher-end
Acer Predator Triton 500
, the Helios 300 shares the same black and blue colour scheme; even the Predator logo on the lid is illuminated. Compared to other gaming laptops with more conventional black and red highlights, the Helios 300 certainly stands out from the crowd.

Build quality of the Helios 300 is really good too. The hinge feels solid – I can even lift up the lid with only one finger – there’s not much keyboard flex, and the laptop as a whole is very well put together. Basically, it feels like a premium gaming laptop.

There are, however, a couple of build material I’m not particularly fond of. Not only does this laptop have a plastic bezel surrounding the display, the bottom chassis is also made out of plastic. Granted, this choice of material doesn’t really affect the functionality of the Helios 300, but it doesn’t fall in line with the premium aesthetics of this product.

When it comes to connectivity options, the Helios 300 is well equipped. It has one USB-C port, three full-size USB-A connections, a mini DisplayPort, an HDMI output, and even an RJ45 port. Chances are, you won’t be wanting for more ports, though I would’ve loved the addition of an SD card slot.

Overall, the Helios 300 is a well-built, sleek gaming laptop. Its build material could’ve been better on certain parts, but given the competitive pricing of this laptop, some things had to be sacrificed.

User Experience

Battery life has always been one area gaming laptops struggle with, but the Predator Helios 300 fares quite well in this regard. On average, I was getting about five hours of usage on a single charge. To get this kind of battery life, I dimmed the screen to a comfortable level with the power mode set to power saver.

To game effectively, you need a good set of keyboard, and the Helios 300’s keyboard offers just that. There’s a good amount of travel, the keys are tactile, and of course, it supports RGB lighting too. This is, after all, a premium gaming laptop.

That being said, my gripe with Acer’s range of gaming laptops is still present on the Helios 300. That’s right, much like the Triton 500 and
Nitro 7
, the key to launch PredatorSense is positioned right beside the backspace key. While the amount of spacing is better than the Triton 500’s keyboard layout, I still find it too close to the backspace key.

And then we have the trackpad, which is very accurate and pleasant to use. Throughout my time with the Helios 300, I never plugged in a mouse to the laptop unless I needed to do some gaming. When I’m doing productivity tasks on this laptop, I relied exclusively on the trackpad – it’s
that
 good.

More and more gaming laptops are equipped with fast displays now, and the Helios 300 is no exception. Featuring a 15.6-inch 1080p IPS display with a high 144Hz refresh rate, it’s a joy to game and work on this screen. Whenever I’m gaming or just scrolling through articles, the extra frames make everything look extremely fluid.

How about the panel quality itself? Well, it’s great. It can get bright enough for comfortable use outdoor, viewing angles are excellent, and it has vibrant colours too. Whether you’re using this laptop for media consumption or gaming, you won’t be disappointed with this display.

System noise, on the other hand, is very good when I’m doing less intensive tasks like writing articles and image processing; rarely are the fans audible. When I start gaming, however, the fans
really
 make themselves heard. It is by no means unbearable, of course, but you will certainly notice the noise. If you game with you headphones on, you probably wouldn’t hear them.

As for thermals, it’s not too bad either. In prolonged gaming sessions, the palm rest area stayed relatively cool. As for the CPU and GPU, they go up to 91°C and 80°C respectively. Not great temperatures, but reasonable thermals for a laptop like the Helios 300.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed using the Helios 300 both for gaming and work. It has good enough battery life for some productivity work, it has a good, fast display, and the input devices are satisfactory too. Now, let’s get to what this laptop is made to do: gaming.

Performance

Powered by an Intel Core i7-9750H processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, the Helios 300 is a capable gaming laptop. Thanks to this CPU and GPU combination, this machine can run the majority of modern games very well with good frame rates.

As usual, I ran a few battle royale games and Witcher 3 on the Helios 300 – here are the results. Do note that Witcher 3 is the only game in the list that’s locked at 60fps.

Games (Maxed Out Settings @ 1080p)
Average FPS
Witcher 3 (HairWorks disabled)
58.41
Fortnite
88.49
Apex Legends
85.66
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
73.42

These figures are very similar to what I got with the Triton 500, which shouldn’t be a surprise, given that both laptops come with the same RTX 2060 GPU. Looking at the results here, you should be able to game very effectively on the Helios 300.

On top of that, it’s worth noting that you will also get features like ray tracing and Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) with the RTX 2060. Previously, these were only available on more expensive RTX 2070 and 2080 GPUs; the RTX 2060 is the most affordable GPU to have these RTX-exclusive features.

Competition

There are two variants of the Helios 300 in Malaysia. The Core i5-9300H model retails at RM5,399, while the Core i7-9750H variant – the one in this review – goes for RM6,199. At these price points, the Helios 300 has a number of alternatives.

Asus ROG Strix Hero II

Just like the Helios 300, the Asus ROG Strix Hero II comes with an RTX 2060 GPU and a fast 144Hz 15.6-inch 1080p display. What’s different? It has an older Core i7-8750H processor paired with 8GB of RAM, but it makes up for it with a much bigger 512GB SSD storage, slimmer display bezels, and (arguably) a sleeker design.

That being said, the Strix Hero II does cost more at RM6,499, and it’s a thicker, heavier laptop too, measuring 26.1mm thick and tipping the scales at 2.4kg. Of course, there’s also the fact that the Helios 300 comes with a newer, faster Core i7-9750H processor.

Acer Predator Triton 500

Yes, the Helios 300 has competition from its own family, and is is superior in almost every way. Not only is the
Predator Triton 500
 slimmer, lighter, and sleeker, it also comes with the same RTX 2060 GPU, double the RAM at 16GB, two 256GB SSDs in Raid 0 configuration, as well as better battery life.

The caveat? It costs a lot more money, especially if you want the Core i7-9750H model, which retails at a whopping RM7,599. However, the older Core i5-8300H variant is currently listed
at only RM6,099
 by renowned retailer Tech Hypermart. Sure, you’re getting a slower Core i5 processor, but if gaming is your concern, there’s
no big performance difference
 here.

Conclusion

The Acer Predator Helios 300 is a refined, premium, capable gaming laptop, and the Core i5 variant offers
ridiculously
good value for money. For only RM5,399, you’re still getting everything else the higher-end Core i7 model gets, including the RTX 2060 GPU.

There is only one other laptop that can offer the same level of value: the
MSI GL63 8SE
. But that gaming laptop is not exactly on the same level of refinement as the Helios 300, which has superior build quality, display, and portability.

If you want an RTX 2060 gaming laptop that offers the best value for money, no other product fits the bill quite like the Predator Helios 300; the Core i5 model, to be specific. It is one of the most affordable laptops with an RTX 2060 GPU, it has a fast 144Hz display, and all of that hardware are packed inside a premium package. What more can you ask for?


Gamescom 2019 Game Trailers You Have to Watch

Gamescom 2019 is here, so we’ve got a whole bunch of gaming-related news. Last night alone, a number of game trailers were shown, which include Hideo Kojima’s very perplexing Death Stranding, a gameplay trailer of Marvel’s Avengers, an extended look at Witcher 3 running on the Nintendo Switch, and a number of interesting indie games.

If you haven’t been following Gamescom 2019 closely, here are some game trailers you must watch from the event.

You Can Urinate in Death Stranding

Hideo Kojima, the man behind the Metal Gear Solid franchise, is back with Death Stranding. Developed under the now-independent Kojima Productions studio, the upcoming action game has a star-studded cast. These include Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Troy Baker, and even Guillermo del Toro.

In this latest gameplay video, we now know that you can make Norman Reedus’ character…urinate, which then sprouts a mushroom. On top of that, you can even rock the Bridge Baby to calm the infant. If that’s not confusing enough, the video above also gave more details on the character Mama and the baby itself.

There’s no denying the bizarre nature of Death Stranding, and it will be released for the PlayStation 4 system on 8 November 2019.

Marvel’s Avengers Gameplay Trailer Revealed

This gameplay trailer was actually showed behind closed doors at E3 2019 and San Diego Comic-Con, but here it is: an official look at how Marvel’s Avengers will play like. Developed by Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montréal (with Square Enix as the publisher), each character in the game have their own moveset.

Thor has his mighty Mjollnir to swing around, Iron Man can switch between ground and air combat effortlessly, and Hulk feels like…well, Hulk. You can smash your way through enemies with the green beast. Marvel’s Avengers is set to arrive on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, and Google Stadia on 15 May 2020.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Showcased on Nintendo Switch

Who would’ve thought a game like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will make it onto the Nintendo Switch? Of course, it’s evident the graphics are turned down substantially for the game to be playable on the console, but it’s still very impressive how CD Projekt Red managed to cram such a huge game into the Switch.

You can take a look for yourself how the game runs on the console with the lengthy gameplay video above. If you’ve always wanted to experience Witcher 3 on the go, this is as good as it gets. The Complete Edition of the game is set to arrive on the Nintendo Switch this 15 October 2019.

Hotline Miami Collection Coming to Nintendo Switch

For the first time ever, Hotline Miami and Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number are available on the Nintendo Switch. Both games are released on the console as part of the Hotline Miami Collection, which can be purchased right now
on the Nintendo eShop for $24.99
 – that comes up to about RM105.

The Hotline Miami franchise is well-loved for its fast-paced action sequences, and the top-down view of the game presents a unique perspective. That being said, the violent and gruesome nature of the game may not be for everyone, even if the art style somewhat masks these elements.

Ori and the Blind Forest on Nintendo Switch

Now this is an interesting one. Ori and the Blind Forest is developed by Moon Studios, and it was originally published by Microsoft for Xbox and Windows back in 2015. Now, the side-scrolling platformer is coming to the Nintendo Switch as a Definitive Edition.

Featuring hand-drawn graphics and beautiful backgrounds, this indie title plays a lot like classic side-scrollers. You can earn new abilities to get to previously inaccessible areas, it has challenging platforming sections, and overall, the game can prove to be pretty difficult. Ori and the Blind Forest will be coming to the Nintendo Switch on 27 September 2019.

First Look at Need for Speed Heat Gameplay

Announced just earlier this month, this is our first look at the gameplay of the new Need for Speed title. Looking at the trailer, Need for Speed Heat seems to have all of the elements of its predecessors. You can customise your car to your heart’s content, the cops impact your gameplay quite a bit, and obviously, there are tons of racing.

Interestingly, you can even download a mobile app – aptly dubbed
NFS Heat Studio
 – to customise your car before the game is released. Your personalised rides can then be imported to the game once it’s out on 8 November for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows.

Cyberpunk 2077 Releasing on Google Stadia

It’s a rather short trailer for Cyberpunk 2077, but the big news here is the game’s release on the
Google Stadia cloud gaming service
. It’s a big addition to the service, which should attract more gamers to subscribe to Stadia once it is officially launched sometime in November 2019.

Cyperpunk 2077 is CD Projekt Red’s next big project, which is the very same studio responsible for the Witcher series. Needless to say, that – and the shooter’s vast open-world metropolis – makes it a highly anticipated title. Plus, Keanu Reeves will be in the game.

So far, there’s no specific release date for Cyberpunk 2077 on Google Stadia; it’s only said to be available on the service in 2020. For every other platform, including PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows, the game will be available on 16 April 2020.


Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Official; Global Variant of Redmi K20 Pro

As promised
, Xiaomi officially introduced the Mi 9T Pro today. Basically, this is the global variant of the
Redmi K20 Pro
; only the branding on the back of the phone has been changed. Regardless, the affordable flagship smartphone is finally here, and it will come to Malaysia very soon.

Not too long ago, Xiaomi Malaysia started posting teasers of the Mi 9T Pro. Chances are, the phone maker is gearing up to introduce the flagship smartphone on our shores. After all, the device has already been registered with SIRIM earlier this month.

In terms of hardware, the Mi 9T Pro is a carbon copy of the Redmi K20 Pro. It’s powered by Qualcomm’s high-end Snapdragon 855 chipset paired with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM, so rest assured, you’re getting flagship-tier performance with this smartphone.

Interestingly,
Xiaomi global’s website
 of this phone states that the Mi 9T Pro with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM is only available in Indonesia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Other markets will supposedly only get the 64GB and 128GB models with 6GB of RAM. We don’t know yet if this applies to Malaysia as well, so we’ll just have to wait for the phone’s local launch to find out.

Just like the
standard Mi 9T
 model, the Mi 9T Pro features an all-screen design without the distraction of a
notch or hole-punch cutout
. To make this design possible, Xiaomi is using a motorised pop-up camera to hide the selfie shooter, which houses a 20MP f/2.2 sensor.

On the back, the Mi 9T Pro comes with a triple camera system. It’s made up of a 48MP f/1.75 primary shooter, an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom, as well as a 13MP f/2.4 wide angle sensor. If you recall, this is the exact same camera system found in the regular Mi 9T.

Other specifications of the Mi 9T Pro include a 6.39-inch 2340 x 1080 AMOLED display, a 4,000mAh battery with support for 27W fast charging – though the phone is only bundled with an 18W charger – an in-screen fingerprint sensor, as well as MIUI 10 out of the box.

The Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro is currently on sale in certain European countries from 399 euro, which comes up to about RM1,845. Now, do note that VAT is included in the price, so when the Mi 9T Pro is launched here (and in other non-European countries), the price
should
 be lower.

Right now, there’s no concrete release date yet for the Mi 9T Pro in Malaysia. We will, of course, keep a close eye on the local availability of the budget-friendly flagship smartphone.


Realme 5 & Realme 5 Pro Debut with Quad Camera System & Sub-RM1,000 Price

Just recently, the Realme 5 and Realme 5 Pro devices were launched in India, each with a quad camera system to boot. If you’re wondering, no, there was no Realme 4 series; it appears the phone maker is skipping the number four for its successors to the
Realme 3 lineup
.

Out of the two smartphones, the Realme 5 Pro is naturally the higher-end device. It comes with a 6.3-inch 1080p display with a waterdrop notch at the top, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 chipset paired with up to 8GB of RAM, two choices of internal storage (64GB or 128GB), as well as a microSD card slot.

Aside from that, this phone also features a generous 4,035mAh battery with support for VOOC 3.0 20W fast charging. Not surprisingly, it charges via a USB-C connection.

In the camera department, the Realme 5 Pro has four camera sensors on the back. It’s made up of a 48MP primary shooter, an 8MP wide angle sensor, a 2MP depth camera, and a 2MP macro lens. The selfie camera, on the other hand, is a 16MP shooter.

There’s no telephoto sensor here, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Most folks will probably find more use out of the wide angle shooter anyway. On top of that, this
is
an affordable smartphone; there’s only so much you can ask for from a phone below the RM1,000 price point.

And then we have the more affordable Realme 5, which is actually larger than the Pro variant. It has a bigger 6.5-inch notched display (though the resolution is down to only 720p), a Snapdragon 665 chipset paired with 3GB or 4GB of RAM, storage capacities from 32GB to 128GB, and a very, very generous 5,000mAh battery.

However, this phone charges via a microUSB port instead of USB-C with no support for fast charging.

Photography wise, the Realme 5 is equipped with a similar camera configuration as its higher-end Pro sibling, but the 48MP primary shooter is replaced with a 12MP sensor instead. The 16MP front-facing camera is also swapped out for a 13MP shooter.

The higher-end Realme 5 Pro will be available in India from 4 September onwards, and it retails from 13,999 Indian rupee – that’s about RM815. As for the more affordable Realme 5, it’s set to arrive in the same market on 27 August starting from only 9,999 rupee (around RM580).

At the moment, the Malaysian release of the Realme 5 and Realme 5 Pro are not confirmed yet. But given Realme’s strong presence in our market, we reckon it’s only a matter of time before the company launches these two smartphones on our shores.


Redmi Note 8 Series with 64MP Camera & Helio G90T Coming on 29 August

It seems like Redmi is gearing up to launch the successor to the budget-friendly
Redmi Note 7
. To be specific, the Chinese company will be introducing two new devices under the Redmi Note 8 series: the standard Redmi Note 8, and the Redmi Note 8 Pro.

Both of them will be unveiled at the same time next week on 29 August, though the differences between the two models have not been detailed yet. That being said,
MediaTek has confirmed
 that the Pro variant will come with the chipmaker’s new
Helio G90T chipset
.

Built on a 12nm process, the G90T isn’t quite as power-efficient as its competition. Take the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 and Huawei’s
Kirin 810
 chipsets: they are built on 8nm and 7nm processes respectively. This, in turn, means that the G90T may not offer quite as good battery life – in theory, of course.

Nonetheless, when it comes to performance, MediaTek claims that the G90T is superior to its competition. Compared to the Snapdragon 730, for example, the G90T is said to be up to 26% faster. Without a doubt that’s a bold claim, especially against a Qualcomm SoC.

Chipset aside,
Redmi is teasing
 that the Note 8 Pro will feature a quad camera system with a 64MP primary sensor. In comparison, its predecessor “only” had a 48MP camera. Chances are, the 64MP sensor will use pixel-binning to shoot in 16MP instead, which will improve camera performance; especially in low light conditions.

So what about the standard Redmi Note 8? Well, it will supposedly feature a quad camera system too, but it’s unlikely to come with the same 64MP sensor. Instead, it’s said to be equipped with a 48MP primary camera instead, much like its predecessor.

Given that the two smartphones will be launching soon, Redmi itself started revealing more of the phone’s design. In fact, the company even posted
a video on Weibo
 with quick shots of the upcoming phone. Looking at these snippets, it’s likely that the Redmi Note 8 smartphones will be the most premium offerings of the series yet.

The Redmi Note 8 series will be launching on 29 August 2019 next week. While there’s no news yet on the Malaysian availability of the upcoming smartphones, we reckon they will be arriving here in the near future. After all, most Redmi devices are sold on our shores officially.


Deal: Get the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 with RM1,000 Discount Tomorrow

The
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 series
 is finally available in Malaysia, and Samsung is offering a rather attractive promotion at five different roadshows to celebrate the launch. If you’re quick, you can get the Galaxy Note 10 with RM1,000 discount at these roadshows – that’s a very good deal for a brand new flagship smartphone.

Of course, in order to be eligible for this deal, there are a couple of terms and conditions. For one, you’d have to be the first 500 customers to purchase the Galaxy Note 10 or Note 10+ at these roadshows. On top of that, you’ll have to get two units (of any variant) to enjoy the RM1,000 discount.

If you’re not the first 500 customers to get the RM1,000 discount, don’t worry: there are other promotions at these roadshows. Depending on which Galaxy Note 10 device you get, you’ll be eligible for a number of free gifts worth up to RM1,248.

Those who purchase the standard Galaxy Note 10 at the roadshows will receive a
Samsung Galaxy Fit
 wearable, a one-year extended warranty, as well as a one-time screen protection plan. Collectively, these are worth RM649. If you get the Galaxy Note 10+ (256GB) instead, an extra battery pack will be thrown in along with the aforementioned items, which are worth RM818.

Naturally, the best deal is reserved for the 512GB variant of the Galaxy Note 10+. Instead of a Galaxy Fit, you’ll get a
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active
 smartwatch along with the battery pack, extended warranty, and screen protection. All of these are worth RM1,248.

Needless to say, these are attractive offers for the Galaxy Note 10 series regardless of which model you’re getting. Either you like the more compact form factor of the standard
Note 10
 or the bigger, sharper display of the
Note 10+
, you will get a good deal at these roadshows.

Can’t quite decide which Galaxy Note 10 device to get? Well,
this article we put together
 should help you decide. As a refresher, the standard Note 10 with 256GB of storage retails at RM3,699, while the higher-end Note 10+ go for RM4,199 and RM4,799 for the 256GB and 512GB variants respectively.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 roadshow will start tomorrow from 23 August to 25 August. The five roadshows will take place in Mid Valley, Kuala Lumpur; Queensbah Mall, Penang; Mid Valley Southkey, Johor; East Coast Mall, Pahang; and Imago KK, Sabah. To learn more about these promotions at the roadshows – including the terms and conditions – click
here
.


Sony Xperia 1 Retails at RM4,299 in Malaysia; Early Pre-Orders Will Get WH-1000XM3

We learned not too long ago that Sony Malaysia
will be bringing in the Sony Xperia 1
, marking the return of the Japanese company’s mobile division to our market. Well, pre-order details of the phone have been revealed, and it’s set to go for a whopping RM4,299.

That’s a steep asking price, especially given the fact that you’re only getting 128GB of internal storage and 6GB of RAM with the Xperia 1. Granted, there’s a microSD card slot for further expansion, but that still isn’t quite as good as having bigger native storage.

However, if you pre-order the Xperia 1 early, you will get a complimentary pair of Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones, which is one of the best headphones in the market now with active noise cancellation. On top of that, the XM3 is worth RM1,599, so that’s really quite a good deal. Sure, you can easily get it below that price now, but it’s still a good offer nonetheless.

There are, of course, some terms and conditions. There are limited units available, and the promotion is only offered at Sony Stores, Sony Store Online, and selected Sony Centres. For obvious reason, this pre-order deal is only limited to one unit per person as well.

To recap, the Xperia 1 is Sony’s latest flagship smartphone, and it features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset, an impressive 6.5-inch 4K HDR OLED display with a 21:9 aspect ratio, an IP65/68 rating, and a rather average 3,330mAh battery.

As for the camera system, the Xperia 1 features a triple camera setup on the back; all three are fitted with 12MP sensors and different focal lengths. One is a wide angle shooter, another is a telephoto lens, and the last one is a regular sensor. The front-facing camera, on the other hand, is an 8MP shooter.

The Sony Xperia 1 will go on pre-order in Malaysia from tomorrow onwards on 24 August. The pre-order will end on 6 October, with sales of the phone to begin two days later on 8 October. That’s quite a lengthy pre-order period, though we imagine the WH-1000XM3 will run out well before the pre-order ends.

If you’re keen to get the Xperia 1, you really should get it during this pre-order period; the XM3 is a
really
 good pair of headphones. You can place your pre-order from tomorrow onwards at Sony Stores, Sony Store Online, and selected Sony Centres.


Asus ROG Phone II Landing in Malaysia Q4 2019; Will Feature 12GB RAM & 1TB Storage

The
Asus ROG Phone II
 is arguably one of the most anticipated gaming smartphones this year, and if you’ve been waiting for it to arrive here in Malaysia, good news. Asus Malaysia just revealed that the gaming smartphone will be available on our shores in the fourth quarter of 2019.

On top of that, the company elaborated that the ROG Phone II will be introduced here in early Q4, so it could be launched in Malaysia this October 2019. It’s a bit of a wait, but hey, its predecessor was made available here
around the same time
 last year.

Besides that, Asus also detailed which variant of the ROG Phone II that will be coming to our market. Not only will it feature 12GB of RAM, we will also get the 512GB and 1TB models; that’s plenty of space to download your favourite mobile games. Given that the phone doesn’t have a microSD card slot, you will need the generous storage capacities.

Interestingly, Asus Malaysia also detailed the differences between the Malaysian and Chinese versions of the ROG Phone II. Overall, the variant set to arrive here is superior to the China-only Tencent model in almost every aspect. Take a look at the image below for the full comparison.

As a gaming smartphone, the ROG Phone II has some of the best hardware in the market now. It is one of the first devices to be powered by
Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 855+
 chipset, which promises up to 15% increase in gaming performance compared to the
standard Snapdragon 855
.

Other than that, the ROG Phone II also features a 6.59-inch 2340 x 1080 AMOLED HDR display with a fast 120Hz refresh rate. This is a noticeable upgrade over its predecessor, which had a 90Hz screen instead. To sweeten the pot, the touch sampling rate of the screen has been increased to 240Hz as well, which lowers touch latency down to only 49ms.

Naturally, the AirTriggers found on the
first ROG Phone
 are back on this year’s model. Basically, these are ultrasonic buttons placed on the right side of the phone to act as shoulder buttons. In shooters like PUBG Mobile and Fortnite, this feature is extremely handy.

Rounding out the specifications of the ROG Phone 2 are a very generous 6,000mAh battery, an in-screen fingerprint sensor, a dual camera system (48MP f/1.8 primary + 13MP f/2.4 wide angle), a 24MP f/2.2 selfie camera, and of course, a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The Asus ROG Phone II will be coming to Malaysia sometime in Q4 2019. Of course, there’s still no estimate of the phone’s local pricing yet, but it’s safe to assume it will cost quite a bit of money. After all, even its predecessor retailed from RM3,499, and that’s only for the 128GB model; the 512GB variant
went for RM3,999 at launch
.


Black Shark 2 Pro Hands-On: First Snapdragon 855+ Gaming Phone in Malaysia

The
Black Shark 2 Pro
 is set to land in Malaysia
on 3 September 2019
, but we managed to get a hold of the gaming smartphone ahead of its official local launch. Powered by Qualcomm’s latest
Snapdragon 855+ chipset
, the Pro variant of the
Black Shark 2
 is now more powerful than ever.

However, at the end of the day, it is still an incremental upgrade over its predecessor; it doesn’t quite match up to its competition in certain aspects either. In that sense, exactly how compelling the Black Shark 2 Pro would be will depend on how much the gaming smartphone will cost once it is launched here.

Since this is a gaming smartphone, let’s start with the gaming performance of the Black Shark 2 Pro. As mentioned, this device comes with a Snapdragon 855+ chipset, which is said to offer up to 15% increase in gaming performance.

In order to get this level of performance, the Snapdragon 855+ has its CPU and GPU overclocked. Beyond the fact that these two components are running at higher clock speeds, they’re the same Kryo 485 CPU and Adreno 640 GPU found in the standard Snapdragon 855.

So how does it feel like to game on the Black Shark 2 Pro?
Very
fun. I’ve played PUBG Mobile and Mortal Kombat on this gaming smartphone, and both games feel extremely fluid and responsive. This is especially noticeable in PUBG Mobile: the phone reacts to my inputs incredibly quickly.

In fact, that sheer responsiveness of the touch screen gives the illusion of higher frame rate. I always use PUBG Mobile as my gaming benchmark when I review smartphones, and the game never felt
this
 responsive before. Evidently, the Black Shark 2 Pro can run the game seamlessly with very low input lag.

This is thanks to the 240Hz polling rate of the phone’s display, which Black Shark claims reduces the input delay down to only 34.7ms. For comparison’s sake, the
original Black Shark 2
 had a 43.5ms input delay. Not a huge improvement, but I do believe it will give skilled players the competitive edge.

Unfortunately enough, the low input delay isn’t complemented with high refresh rate: the Black Shark 2 Pro still comes with a conventional 60Hz display. Compared to other gaming smartphones with faster 90Hz, or even 120Hz screens, the Pro doesn’t feel quite as…well, impressive.

Can you still game just as effectively on this smartphone? Probably, given that not many mobile games go beyond 60fps. Is this still a bummer? Definitely.

Gaming aside, other aspects of the Black Shark 2 Pro aren’t hugely different from its direct predecessor, except for a slightly tweaked rear panel. It now sports a more streamlined look with a strip of metal going down the middle of the phone, complete with RGB lighting. According to Black Shark, the redesigned back panel improves grip comfort in longer gaming sessions.

That being said, I didn’t notice any improvement in grip comfort. In fact, I reckon a good casing would provide better grip comfort. But hey, I do like the new design of the rear panel; it gives the phone a sleeker, more modern look.

Featuring the same 6.39-inch 1080p AMOLED panel as its predecessor, the Black Shark 2 Pro has a great display without any notch or hole-punch cutout. It has vibrant, punchy colours, viewing angles are great, and it has very deep blacks too. These are, after all, inherent characteristics of AMOLED screens.

Other specifications of the Black Shark 2 Pro include up to 12GB of RAM, 128GB or 256GB of internal storage, a USB-C port, and a 4,000mAh battery. Unfortunately, it still doesn’t come with a 3.5mm headphone jack and expandable storage. Considering the fact that this is a gaming-centric smartphone, not having these two features is really quite odd.

In the camera department, the Black Shark 2 Pro shares the same camera configuration as the non-Pro model. It still has a dual camera system on the back (48MP f/1.75 primary shooter + 8MP f/2.2 telephoto sensor), and the front-facing camera is a 20MP f/2.0 unit. It goes without saying gaming smartphones don’t have the best camera performance, and it shows when I’m photographing with this phone.

Shots I took with the Black Shark 2 Pro are either very saturated, or they’re simply overexposed. On top of that, the camera interface itself doesn’t allow me to take another shot until the previous one is done processing, which takes about a second or two. However, in a pinch, I’m sure this phone can take decent-looking pictures for social media postings; just don’t expect particularly great results.

As a gaming smartphone, the Black Shark 2 Pro is a good option. Even if it doesn’t have a fancy 90Hz or 120Hz display like its competition, the low input lag of the screen
somewhat
 makes up for this shortcoming. It would’ve been great if it had a display with higher refresh rate, of course, but do note that this is still a relatively affordable smartphone.

For the Chinese market, the Black Shark 2 Pro retails at 2,999 Chinese yuan (about RM1,770) for the 128GB variant; the 256GB model, on the other hand, goes for 3,499 yuan (approximately RM2,065). If Black Shark can price this gaming smartphone around the same price range, it may just be attractive enough to consider over other offerings in this segment.

Plus, once it is introduced in Malaysia on 3 September, the Black Shark 2 Pro would be the first Snapdragon 855+ device to be available here.


Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Coming to Malaysia 30 August; Starts from RM1,599

It’s finally official: the
Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro
 will be coming to the Malaysian market this Friday on 30 August. On top of that, the retail price of the affordable flagship smartphone has been revealed too, and it’s pretty darn competitive.

Two variants of the Mi 9T Pro will be available in Malaysia: the 64GB model retails at RM1,599, while the 128GB variant goes for RM1,799. Both models also come with 6GB of RAM, which
should be sufficient
 for most users’ needs.

At these price points, the Mi 9T Pro is easily one of the most affordable smartphones in Malaysia with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset, and this is really its biggest selling point. In a way, the Mi 9T Pro is really the closest thing to a successor of the
much loved Pocophone F1
.

Beyond the Snapdragon 855, other aspects of the Mi 9T Pro are quite good too. Compared to the standard Mi 9T, this Pro variant supports 27W fast charging instead of only 18W. That being said, the charger bundled with the phone can only output 18W.

Interestingly, the Mi 9T Pro also features a more robust cooling solution than the regular model. According to Xiaomi, this phone uses a custom cooling design that uses eight layers of graphite to dissipate heat “650% more effectively.” On top of that, the back of the phone also has heat-transmitting gel, graphite, and copper to help the CPU run at its peak performance.

This, in turn, reduces temperatures by up to 8°C when compared against more common cooling designs. It’s certainly an interesting claim, which we’ll put to the test in a full review of the device.

Rounding out the specifications of the Mi 9T Pro include a 6.39-inch 2340 x 1080 AMOLED display free of any notch of hole-punch cutout for the selfie shooter – thanks to the use of a 20MP f/2.2 motorised pop-up camera module – a generous 4,000mAh battery, as well as an in-screen fingerprint sensor.

Just like the standard model, the Mi 9T Pro comes with a triple camera system. It’s made up of a 48MP f/1.75 primary sensor, an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto lens, and a 13MP f/2.4 wide angle camera. The triple camera system can also record 4K videos at 60fps; something the regular Mi 9T cannot do.

The Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro will be available for purchase in Malaysia from 30 August onwards, and four colours will be available for our market: Carbon Black, Flame Red, Glacier Blue, and Pearl White. Curious to know if this affordable flagship smartphone is worth considering? Stay tuned for our hands-on later today!


Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Hands-On: Spiritual Successor to the Pocophone F1

The Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro has been anticipated for quite some time now, and it is set to be available in Malaysia
this Friday on 30 August
. Featuring a fast
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
 chipset and a competitive price tag, this is the ideal device for those who want a flagship smartphone that won’t break the bank.

Sounds familiar? It should be: it’s the very same strategy that made the
Pocophone F1
 such a successful product. In fact, I would even consider the Mi 9T Pro to be the spiritual successor to the F1.

To be clear, the Mi 9T Pro was never said to be a followup to the Pocophone F1, but in my opinion, it’s the closest thing to a successor for the latter. Sure, both devices don’t exactly have the same branding or design language, but they do share one important element; one that made the F1 such a compelling product.

That’s right, it is
sheer
 value for money. The Mi 9T Pro is easily one of the most – if not
the most
 – affordable smartphones with Qualcomm’s flagship-tier chipset (Snapdragon 855) with 6GB of RAM under the hood right now. If you recall, that was the case with the F1 when it was introduced with the Snapdragon 845 last year.

In retrospect, the two devices are actually priced pretty close to each other at launch. The Pocophone F1 retailed at RM1,299 and RM1,599 for the 64GB and 128GB models respectively, while the Mi 9T Pro is going for RM1,599 (64GB) and RM1,799 (128GB). Looking at these prices, the 64GB variant of the Pro actually sits at the exact same price point as the 128GB Pocophone F1.

Granted, you’re getting half the storage with the Mi 9T Pro, and it doesn’t support expandable storage like the Pocophone F1. On the flip side, you do get a sleeker, far more premium product with the Pro.

Okay, that’s enough comparison with the Pocophone F1; let’s focus on the Mi 9T Pro itself. As mentioned, it is a sleek, premium device in terms of look and feel. I love the aesthetic of the Flame Red colourway, the glass and metal construction feel great, and it has a nice heft to it, tipping the scales at 191g.

On the front of the Mi 9T Pro, you’ve got a 6.39-inch 2340 x 1080 AMOLED display with no
notch or hole-punch cutout
 to distract you. There’s no need to make room for the selfie camera as the phone uses a 20MP f/2.2 motorised module that pops up when activated.

But with all moving parts, there is a chance the camera mechanism would break over time, though Xiaomi did assure consumers that the module can be activated over 300,000 times without issue.

As for the Mi 9T Pro’s screen quality itself, it’s a great-looking display. It’s an AMOLED, HDR-capable panel, so it has deep blacks, vibrant colours, and good level of brightness. Basically, you won’t be disappointed with this display, especially at this price point.

If you’re concerned with the display’s 1080p resolution, don’t be: everything looks sharp enough on the 6.39-inch screen. Plus, the lower power consumption of the 1080p display – compared to a sharper 1440p panel – paired with the phone’s generous 4,000mAh cell, should return above average battery life too.

And then we have the Mi 9T Pro’s gaming performance, which is excellent. I managed to play a full match of PUBG Mobile with this phone, and never did the game feel sluggish throughout the whole match. Even the thermals are quite good; while the phone did get quite warm, it didn’t get to the point where it’s uncomfortable to the touch.

Evidently, the
graphite cooling system
 is working well.

When it comes to camera performance, the Mi 9T Pro is reasonably capable. The Pro’s triple camera system (48MP f/1.75 primary + 8MP f/2.4 telephoto + 13MP f/2.4 wide angle) can output good-looking images, especially the 48MP primary sensor. However, the 8MP telephoto lens isn’t quite as good: the detail preservation isn’t great, and this is amplified in low light conditions.

As for the 13MP wide angle sensor, there is noticeable edge distortion, though this effect may not be evident in wider landscape shots. Nonetheless, I definitely need to spend more time photographing with the phone to get a feel for the camera performance.

Also, it’s worth noting that even though the regular Mi 9T has a similar camera configuration, the Pro model features a Sony IMX 586 sensor, which allows it to do 4K video recording at 60fps. The regular Mi 9T, on the other hand, can only do 4K recording at 30fps with its IMX 582 sensor.

As far as first impressions go, I’m impressed with the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro. It is fast, it looks and feels premium, and most of all, it is priced
very
competitively. Not many phones can rival the Mi 9T Pro when it comes to sheer value for money, except maybe for the
Xiaomi Mi 9
. Then again, the Mi 9 doesn’t look quite as sleek as the Pro with its notched display, and it still costs slightly more.

Those who are looking to get an affordable flagship smartphone – or have been holding out for a successor to the Pocophone F1 – should definitely take a look at the Mi 9T Pro. With a starting price of RM1,599, you’d be hard-pressed to find another phone that can offer similar value for your money.