OnePlus 8 Series Malaysian Pricing Revealed; Retails From RM2,899 to RM4,099

Unveiled globally just last week, the Malaysian pricing of the
OnePlus 8 series
 has just been revealed. Both the standard OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro will be made available on our shores, and the pair of flagship smartphones are priced pretty competitively for our market.

Let’s start with the higher-end OnePlus 8 Pro. Two variants are available here: the 128GB base model with 8GB of RAM goes for RM3,699, while the 256GB option with 12GB of RAM is priced at RM4,099. Curiously, these price tags are actually
lower
 than the pricing of the smartphone for the US market – that’s quite a surprise.

As for the more affordable OnePlus 8, two variants are also offered here. The 128GB + 8GB model carries a RM2,899 price tag, whereas the 256GB + 12GB option retails at RM3,299. Again, these prices are lower than how much the phone costs in the US, which is quite peculiar.

Anyway, at these price points, the OnePlus 8 series still cost more than their predecessors here in Malaysia, but they do offer quite a number of upgrades. The OnePlus 8 Pro, for one, features a 6.78-inch 3168 x 1440 Fluid AMOLED screen with a fast 120Hz refresh rate; an upgrade over the previous model’s 90Hz panel.

Besides that, the OnePlus 8 Pro also has a more elaborate quad camera system. It’s made up of a 48MP f/1.78 primary sensor with optical image stabilisation, a 48MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle shooter, an 8MP f/2.44 telephoto lens, and a 5MP f/2.4 colour filter camera. Not the most sophisticated camera array, but it does look promising.

Other specifications of the OnePlus 8 Pro include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset, 5G connectivity, a 16MP f/2.45 selfie camera, a 4,510mAh battery with support for 30W wired and wireless charging, an in-screen fingerprint sensor, and an IP68 rating.

As for the standard OnePlus 8, it’s quite a well-equipped flagship smartphone too, though it’s not quite as feature-rich as its Pro sibling. It’s still powered by a Snapdragon 865 chipset with 5G connectivity, but it comes with a smaller 6.55-inch 2400 x 1080 Fluid AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate.

Aside from that, it also has a simpler triple camera configuration consisting of a 48MP f/1.75 main sensor with OIS, a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle shooter, and a 2MP f/2.4 macro lens. Rounding out the specifications of the OnePlus 8 are a 16MP f/2.45 selfie camera, a 4,300mAh battery, an in-screen fingerprint sensor, and – though
this is debatable
 – an IP68 rating for certain models.

The OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro will be available for pre-order in Malaysia later tonight at 12AM. Early pre-orders will also get a number of added benefits, including a two-year warranty, a year of screen crack protection, and several freebies. You can place your pre-order over at
Shopee
as well as
Lazada
.


Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 With Ryzen 7 4800HS CPU & 240Hz Screen Appears on Malaysian Website

We know that Asus is bringing in at least
two gaming laptops
 with AMD’s new
Ryzen 4000 series processor
 to Malaysia, and it seems like the Taiwanese company is planning to offer even more product with the chip locally. Enter the new Asus ROG Zephyrus G15, which is now listed on Asus Malaysia’s official website.

Now, to be clear, the Zephyrus G15 is an existing product in our market, but it was refreshed back at CES 2020 with AMD’s new Ryzen chips. We spotted this new model on Asus Malaysia’s website, which shows that it is packing a Ryzen 7 4800HS processor and a fast 240Hz screen.

However, clicking on the link only directs
to the older model
 with a Ryzen 7 3750H chip and an Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q GPU.

What makes the Zephyrus G15 particularly interesting is the processor under the hood of the gaming laptop. As mentioned, it’s powered by a Ryzen 7 4800HS processor. It’s quite a big deal, given just how
capable and power-efficient
 AMD’s new chip is.

Besides that, the new Zephyrus G15 is also expected to feature a 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080 display with a blazing fast 240Hz refresh rate for our market, as reflected in the local product listing. On top of that, it’s said to be powered by an RTX 2060 GPU too, which should be powerful enough to run AAA titles with high graphics settings.

This being a Zephyrus-branded product, the Zephyrus G15 is quite a thin and light machine – at least, for a gaming laptop. Measuring only 19.9mm thin and tipping the scales at 2.1kg, it’s not the lightest or slimmest laptop around, but it’s certainly more portable than most gaming notebooks.

Connectivity wise, the Zephyrus G15 has a good selection of ports. These include a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C connection with Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4 support, three USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, an HDMI 2.0b output, as well as an RJ-45 jack.

Other specifications of the Zephyrus G15 include up to 32GB of DDR4 3200MHz RAM, 512GB or 1TB of fast M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD storage, and either Windows 10 Home or Pro out of the box.

We’ve reached out to Asus Malaysia regarding the local availability of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G15, and the company confirmed that this product will in fact be launched alongside the Asus TUF Gaming A15 and A17. These AMD-powered gaming laptops are
expected to arrive next month
.

Update 9PM:
 We’ve updated the article with the confirmed local availability of the Zephyrus G15
.


Xiaomi Will Offer Its Range of Smart TVs in Malaysia This Year

This has been asked for a long, long time now, and it appears Xiaomi is finally doing it: the Chinese company will bring in its smart TVs to Malaysia soon. In fact, this could happen as early as this year. It’s really quite exciting, given the sheer value for money the company’s range of Mi TVs offer.

The Malaysian availability of the Mi TV series is confirmed in an
interview between Xiaomi and Amanz
. This bit of information comes directly from the Country Manager of Xiaomi for Malaysia and Singapore, Nicolas Shi. “We are planning to bring the Mi TV into the market within this year. That is something that everyone can look forward to,” he said.

On top of that, Shi added that Xiaomi is also gearing up to launch a number of other products in Malaysia, including a gaming monitor, router, and even the Mi Watch. It remains to be seen exactly when this will happen, but it’s great to see that the company is focusing to offer more of its products on our shores officially.

It’s not confirmed yet which generation of the Mi TV that Xiaomi is planning to offer here in Malaysia, but we can look at our neighbouring country, Indonesia, for what could possibly be sold here as well. For the Indonesian market, both the Mi TV 4 and Mi TV 4A are available.

Out of the two smart TVs, the Mi TV 4 is the higher-end offering. Two sizes are sold in Indonesia: 43-inch and 55-inch. The former offers a 1920 x 1080 screen, while the bigger 55-inch model comes with a sharper 3840 x 2160 panel. How much does these two models of the Mi TV 4 cost?

Well, that’s where it gets really exciting. The range-topping 55-inch Mi TV 4 costs only 4,999,000 Indonesian rupiah (about RM1,400), while the more affordable 43-inch model goes for 3,499,000 rupiah – that comes up to only
RM980
. Needless to say, you’re getting a lot of value for your money with these two smart TVs.

As for the Mi TV 4A, two sizes are also available. The 43-inch model with a 1080p display carries a 3,499,000 rupiah price tag (the same price as the 43-inch Mi TV 4), while the 32-inch option with a 1366 x 768 panel retails at 1,899,000 rupiah (around RM530).

If Xiaomi can offer the Mi TV 4 or Mi TV 4A at these price points for the Malaysian market, we reckon it will be very well-received. Rest assured, we will keep a close eye on the local availability of the Mi TV.


The Motorola Edge+ Is The Company’s First Flagship Smartphone in 4 Years

Motorola is making its foray back into the high-end smartphone market after four long years – its last flagship was the 2016 Moto Z – with the Motorola Edge+. On paper, the new flagship device offers a number of impressive features, including a dual curved 90Hz screen and a triple camera system with a 108MP sensor. There’s also the more affordable, regular Motorola Edge for folks that want a mid-range smartphone instead.

As mentioned, the Motorola Edge+ has a dual curved display, but it’s not like the curved screens of, say, the
Samsung Galaxy S10+
 or
OnePlus 7 Pro
. Rather, it’s more akin to the “Waterfall” display of the
Vivo Nex 3
. According to Motorola, the Endless Edge display of its new phone wraps around the sides at a nearly 90-degree angle.

Looking at renderings of the Edge+, the steep curvature of the screen does give the phone a rather unique, sleek-looking design. However, it’ll be interesting to see if it would suffer from any major ergonomic issue, especially when it comes to proper palm rejection.

Anyway, the panel itself is a 6.7-inch 2340 x 1080 OLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate. It’s not quite as fast as the displays found on its main competition, but it’s still much better than a conventional 60Hz screen. Plus, the 90Hz refresh rate won’t be as power-hungry, which should improve battery life.

Right, the Edge+ features a huge 5,000mAh battery, so you can expect to get very respectable battery life. However, it only supports 18W wired charging; that’s not particularly fast. It also comes with wireless charging, but it’s only limited to 15W.

And then there’s the triple camera system of the Motorola Edge+. The primary sensor is a 108MP f/1.8 unit with optical image stabilisation, which is complemented by a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle shooter and an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto lens (also optically stabilised) that can do 3x optical zoom. There is also a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor to capture depth information.

Rounding out the specifications of the Edge+ include Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 chipset with 5G connectivity, 12GB of RAM, 256GB of internal storage, a 25MP f/2.0 selfie camera, an in-screen fingerprint sensor, and even a 3.5mm headphone jack.

If the Edge+ is too rich for your blood, there’s also the standard Edge. This more affordable model has the same design as the Edge+, but its list of hardware are not quite as potent. It’s powered by a Snapdragon 765 chipset – so it still gets 5G connectivity – and it has a smaller 4,500mAh battery with no wireless charging support.

Of course, the Edge’s triple camera system isn’t quite as sophisticated either. It sports a 64MP f/1.8 main sensor, a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle shooter, and an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto lens that can do 2x optical zoom instead of 3x. The front-facing camera, on the other hand, is the same 25MP f/2.0 unit found in the Edge+.

Other specifications of the Edge are 4GB or 6GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot (you don’t get this with the Edge+ for some reason), and just like its higher-end sibling, a “pure version of Android,” as Motorola puts it.

The Motorola Edge+ will be available in selected markets from May 2020 onwards. In the US, it is exclusive to Verizon, and it retails at $1,000 – that’s about RM4,360. As for the regular Motorola Edge, it is set to be rolled out in the coming months to certain markets in Asia Pacific; Italy will get the device in May for €699 (around RM3,295). It’s not known yet if the Edge or Edge+ will be landing here in Malaysia.


Deal: Get This 18W Fast Charging Power Bank for Only RM49.90

Power banks are indispensable to some smartphone users, so if it’s time for a replacement, this deal may pique your interest. You can now grab the Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 3 with a 10,000mAh capacity and 18W fast charging
for only RM49.90
.

This deal is offered by Lazada retailer Dasher, and both the Silver and Black models are currently in stock. On top of that, a silicone casing is also bundled with the power bank, and looking at the comments from buyers for this listing, it appears the retailer is still shipping even during this MCO period.

One of the most attractive features of the Mi Power Bank 3 is its ability to do 18W fast charging, and that applies to both input and output. Basically, you can charge a connected device at 18W, and the power bank itself can also be recharged at the same charging rate. Xiaomi says that the 10,000mAh cell can be fully charged in four hours.

If you’re keen to grab the Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 3 for only RM49.90, head on to the
listing on Lazada right now
.


Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite With S Pen Coming to Malaysia Soon

Samsung has been releasing quite a number of Android tablets with S Pen support over the past couple of years – including the
Galaxy Tab A 8.0
 – and the latest tablet with such a feature is coming to Malaysia very soon. Of course, we’re talking about the recently unveiled Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite.

As usual, we were doing our routine check of SIRIM’s database when we came across two new devices registered under Samsung Malaysia. These two devices are the SM-P615 and SM-P610, which appeared in SIRIM just today on 27 April. Using these two model numbers, we manage to locate the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite’s
support page
 on
Samsung Malaysia’s website itself
.

So what’s the difference between the two model numbers of the Galaxy S6 Lite? Well, looking at the SIRIM certification of both devices, the SM-P615 is the LTE model, while the SM-P610 is the WiFi only variant. This means that Samsung Malaysia will likely offer both options for our market.

What makes the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite particularly interesting is the accompanying S Pen, which has been redesigned for the tablet. It weighs 7.03g, and it’s said to feature improved pen latency and a 0.7mm pen tip to deliver “greater precision for note-taking and drawing.” The S Pen also snaps magnetically to the right side of the tablet.

That’s right, the Tab S6 Lite doesn’t have any slot to store the S Pen, though there is a casing for the tablet that has a compartment for the stylus.

Besides that, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is a reasonably capable tablet. It’s powered by an Exynos 9611 chipset, which is the same SoC found in the
Samsung Galaxy A50s
 mid-range smartphone. The Tab S6 Lite also has a 10.4-inch 2000 x 1200 TFT LCD display with relatively slim bezels surrounding it, giving the tablet a rather sleek-looking design.

Other specifications of the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite include 4GB of RAM, 64GB or 128GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, an 8MP f/1.9 rear camera, a 5MP f/2.0 selfie camera, a 7,040mAh battery, and One UI 2 based on Android 10 out of the box.

At the moment, we have yet to hear from Samsung Malaysia on the local availability and pricing of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite. For the sake of comparison, this Android tablet starts at $350 for the US market, which comes up to about RM1,525. Rest assured, we will keep a close eye on the Malaysian availability of the Tab S6 Lite.

Read more:

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite With S Pen Support Now in Malaysia for RM1,699


Xiaomi Mi 10 Youth Edition 5G Launches in China With 50x Zoom & 2,099 Yuan Price Tag

Xiaomi just added a new device to the Mi 10 series in China, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Youth Edition 5G. At a glance, it looks very similar to the
Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G
. In fact, it appears both smartphones share the same chassis, but the former does come with a more sophisticated camera system that can even do 50x zoom.

This is evident with the branding on the rear camera module of both smartphones. On the Mi 10 Lite, the 48MP primary sensor is highlighted, but the Mi 10 Youth Edition focuses on the 50x zooming capability instead. Granted, the Mi 10 Lite’s full camera hardware has not been revealed yet, so it’s not quite as clear-cut that these two camera systems are different.

This is the Mi 10 Youth Edition: notice the periscope-style telephoto sensor on the bottom right
The Mi 10 Lite doesn’t have the same sensor

But looking closer at the four camera modules of the Mi 10 Youth Edition, it’s clear that the sensor on the bottom right of the camera module is a periscope-style telephoto lens. The Mi 10 Lite, on the other hand, does not have a similar sensor on the same location, so we believe these two devices are different from each other.

Anyway, let’s talk about the quad camera configuration of the Mi 10 Youth Edition. The primary sensor is a 48MP f/1.79 unit, which is complemented by the aforementioned 8MP periscope telephoto lens that can do 5x optical or 50x digital zoom. The other two sensors are an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle shooter and a macro lens.

Beyond the camera system, the Mi 10 Youth Edition shares most of the Mi 10 Lite’s hardware. It has a 6.57-inch 2400 x 1080 AMOLED notched display with a 180Hz touch sampling rate, which is not to be confused with a screen’s refresh rate. The 180Hz sampling rate improves the responsiveness of the display to touch inputs, reducing input lag.

Powering the Mi 10 Youth Edition, on the other hand, is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset, giving the phone 5G connectivity and a good level of performance. Other specifications of this phone include 6GB or 8GB of RAM, three storage options (64GB, 128GB, and 256GB), a 16MP selfie camera, a 4,160mAh battery, as well an in-screen fingerprint sensor.

The Xiaomi Mi 10 Youth Edition 5G will be sold in China from 30 April onwards in four distinct variants:

64GB + 6GB: 2,099 yuan (~RM1,290)
128GB + 6GB: 2,299 yuan (~RM1,415)
128GB + 8GB: 2,499 yuan (~RM1,535)
256GB + 8GB: 2,799 yuan (~RM1,720)

At the moment, it remains to be seen if the Mi 10 Youth Edition will be made available outside of China. If it does, it’ll be interesting to see if Malaysia will receive this particular model or the Mi 10 Lite 5G, given the similarities between the two smartphones.


The Last of Us Part II Releasing on 19 June; Ghost of Tsushima Delayed to July

Great news: Sony Interactive Entertainment
just confirmed
 that The Last of Us Part II will be released on 19 June 2020. Previously slated for a 29 May release, the highly anticipated game from Naughty Dog was delayed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, the actual delay isn’t as long as some had though.

That being said, the new release date for The Last of Us Part II does mean another PlayStation 4 exclusive will be delayed: Ghost of Tsushima. Originally set for a 26 June release, Sucker Punch’s new game since Infamous Second Son (which was released back in 2014) will arrive on 17 July 2020 now. Not too long of a wait from the initial release date.

Regardless, it’s great that these two exclusive games for the PlayStation 4 platform are still releasing within a month of their original launch dates. However, it’s worth noting that this is actually the third release date for The Last of Us Part II.

After all, the game was planned to be released as early as 21 February. According to Naughty Dog, the game had to delayed to May (at the time) to make more time for the final polishing process of the game. This is done instead of compromising parts of the game, which is a good step in our opinion.

The announcement of the new release date for The Last of Us Part II comes after a leak of the game, which supposedly contains major spoilers for the story. “It’s disappointing to see the release and sharing of pre-release footage from development,” Naughty Dog said on Twitter. “Do your best to avoid spoilers and we ask that you don’t spoil it for others,” the studio added.

Needless to say, we will not be linking any coverage of the leak to avoid any form of spoiler. Personally, we’re also doing our best to avoid spoiling the story for ourselves. Given that it’s been seven long years since The Last of Us was released, it would’ve been disheartening to get the story spoiled merely months before the sequel is released later in June 2020.

To recap, The Last of Us Part II will be released exclusively on the PlayStation 4 on 19 June. Ghost of Tsushima, on the other hand, will be coming the following month on 17 July. At the moment,
only the latter
 is available for pre-order on the PlayStation Store; The Last of Us Part II was previously removed from the store when it was delayed indefinitely. We expect the game to be listed again very soon.


New Realme 6 Variant With 8GB RAM Now in Malaysia for RM1,199

The
Realme 6
 was launched in Malaysia last month, and the Chinese company just announced a new variant of the mid-range smartphone on our shores today. What makes this new option interesting is its amount of RAM: with 8GB of RAM, this new model has twice as much RAM over the more affordable variant.

When the Realme 6 was launched locally back in March last month, only the 128GB model with 4GB of RAM was offered. It’s a decent amount of RAM, and given the RM999 price tag of this variant, it’s a fair trade-off. This new model, on the other hand, still offers 128GB of storage, but the RAM has been bumped up considerably to 8GB.

Of course, that also drives up the price of the Realme 6 quite a bit: this new model goes for RM1,199. You’ll be paying RM200 more to get double the amount of RAM.

Beyond the RAM upgrade, other specifications of this new Realme 6 model remain the same as the more affordable option. It’s still powered by a MediaTek Helio G90T chipset, which promises
up to 26% faster performance
 than the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 SoC. It’s a lofty claim, but it does show the G90T’s level of performance.

Besides that, complementing the relatively fast chipset is a 6.5-inch 2400 x 1080 IPS display with a 90Hz refresh rate. At this price point, not many devices have a screen with this kind of refresh rate. On top of that, the panel also has a 120Hz touch sampling rate, making it more responsive to touch inputs to minimise input lag.

In the camera department, the Realme 6 features a quad camera system. It’s made up of a 64MP f/1.8 main shooter, an 8MP f/2.3 ultra-wide angle sensor, a 2MP f/2.4 macro camera, and a 2MP f/2.4 monochrome lens. As for the selfie camera, it’s a 16MP f/2.0 sensor positioned in the hole-punch cutout on the top left of the screen.

Other specifications of the Realme 6 include a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, a generous 4,300mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging – the company claims that the phone can be fully charged in only an hour – Realme UI based on Android 10 out of the box, and two colour options: Comet Blue and Comet White.

The Realme 6 with 8GB of RAM will be available for purchase in Malaysia from 2 May onwards. Priced at RM1,199, it’s not quite as affordable as the RM999 model with 4GB of RAM, but the price difference may be acceptable to folks that really need the extra RAM.


Another Mysterious Xiaomi Smartphone Appears in SIRIM; Redmi Note 9?

It seems like Xiaomi has been quite busy here in Malaysia. Not only has the yet to be released
Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
 appeared in SIRIM’s databse, we spotted yet another device registered under the Chinese company. Chances are, this is the Redmi Note 9, which is also – you guessed it – not released yet.

In our routine check of SIRIM’s database, we notice that Xiaomi Malaysia registered a device with the model number M2003J15SS just today on 29 April. We did some digging, and
multiple

sources
believe that this is the Redmi Note 9. For the Chinese market, this device could be marketed as the Redmi 10X instead.

Looking at its list of leaked specifications, the Redmi Note 9 seems to be a more affordable alternative to the existing Redmi Note 9 Pro – rebranded as the
Redmi Note 9S
 for the Malaysian market – and Redmi Note 9 Pro Max. While its higher-end siblings sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chipset, the regular Redmi Note 9 is believed to be powered by the upcoming MediaTek Helio G85 processor.

Besides that, the Redmi Note 9 has a slightly different design as well. Its hole-punch cutout, for one, is positioned on the left side of the screen instead of the middle. It also has a rear fingerprint sensor rather than a side-mounted one, which is positioned right under the square camera module.

Unfortunately, the Redmi Note 9’s exact camera hardware still remain unconfirmed, though the primary sensor is said to be a 48MP shooter. Chances are, it should also feature an ultra-wide angle lens, just like the rest of its siblings. The front-facing camera, on the other hand, is said to be a 13MP unit.

Other rumoured specifications of the Redmi Note 9 include a 6.53-inch 1080p IPS screen – slightly smaller than the Redmi Note 9S’ 6.67-inch display – up to 6GB of RAM, three storage options (32GB, 64GB, and 128GB), a microSD card slot, a generous 4,920mAh battery, and MIUI 11 based on Android 10 out of the box.

It remains to be seen exactly when the Redmi Note 9 will be officially revealed, though Xiaomi is planning to introduce a new member of the Redmi Note 9 series tomorrow on 30 April
alongside the Mi Note 10 Lite
. We’ll find out tomorrow whether it will be the Redmi Note 9, or just the global variant of the
Redmi Note 9 Pro Max
.


Black Shark 3 Gaming Smartphone Lands in Malaysia for RM2,799

The Black Shark 3 is now in Malaysia, and it’s priced pretty competitively for a high-end gaming smartphone. Retailing at RM2,799, you’re getting good value for your money here. On top of that, early birds can also get it for only RM2,649.

In order to grab the Black Shark 3 for RM2,649, you’ll have to be the first 400 buyers to purchase the device when it is available later tonight on the company’s
official Shopee store
. On top of that, the first 150 buyers will also receive RM800 worth of freebies. These include the FunCooler Pro, screen crack protection warranty for one year, a mousepad, and a “mystery merchandise set.”

But what about the
Black Shark 3 Pro
? Well, unfortunately, the range-topping model will only be arriving here sometime next month in May.

Nonetheless, the standard Black Shark 3 still offers quite a bit of impressive hardware. For one, it’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset, so rest assured, you will get top-notch gaming performance with this smartphone. Of course, you also get 5G connectivity with the Snapdragon 865.

Besides that, the Black Shark 3 also has a 6.67-inch 2400 x 1080 AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate. It would’ve been great if it had a faster display, but at 90Hz, it should still be able to provide reasonably good motion clarity.

More importantly, the Black Shark 3’s screen has a blazing fast 270Hz touch sampling rate. This improves the responsiveness of the display, so input lag will be minimised quite a bit. Needless to say, mobile gamers who want every advantage they can get will definitely appreciate this feature.

As the Black Shark 3 is a gaming smartphone, there are also two capacitive shoulder buttons on the right side of the phone. It’s not quite as impressive as the physical shoulder buttons of the Pro model, but they do offer the same functionality.

Other specifications of the Black Shark 3 include a triple camera system (64MP f/1.8 primary + 13MP f/2.3 ultra-wide angle + 5MP f/2.2 depth), a 20MP f/2.2 selfie camera, a 4,720mAh battery with support for 65W fast charging, and an in-screen fingerprint sensor.

The Black Shark 3 will be available for purchase later tonight at 12AM from the company’s
Shopee store
. As mentioned, the first 400 buyers can grab the phone for only RM2,649. The Black Shark 3 Pro, on the other hand, will be coming to Malaysia sometime in May next month.


LG GX “Gallery” 4K OLED TV Is Coming to Malaysia

Back at CES 2020, LG unveiled a number of new OLED 4K TVs, which is headlined by the GX “Gallery” series. If you’ve been waiting for the high-end TV to be available for purchase, you’ll be happy to know that it is coming to Malaysia very soon.

So far, we can confirm that the 65-inch model of the GX OLED TV will be sold on our shores; it is the only variant so far (OLED65GXPTA) that’s been registered under LG Electronics in SIRIM’s database. That being said, this TV is also offered in 55-inch and 77-inch sizes in other regions, so we reckon the Malaysian market will receive these two options as well.

LG’s GX lineup of OLED TVs are dubbed the Gallery series for their slim, minimalist designs. They can also be placed flush against a wall thanks to a new custom mount design; LG describes this as being “akin to a piece of art in a gallery.” In fact, this is a similar approach taken by Samsung’s The Frame 4K QLED TV.

But in comparison to Samsung’s offering, LG’x GX series has very tiny bezels surrounding the screen, not to mention the fact that it is a slim TV as well. The 65-inch model, for example, measures only 20mm thin. Given that all of the key components and ports are built into the TV itself, this is really quite impressive.

Of course, the thin profile of the GX series can be achieved through the use of OLED panels. After all, OLED screens do not require any form of backlighting, so this allows for LG to “integrate state-of-the-art picture quality in an ultra-thin form factor,” as the Korean company puts it.

Given the premium positioning of the GX series, it offers a number of high-end features. For one, the 3840 x 2160 OLED panel has a native 120Hz refresh rate, and it is also Nvidia G-Sync compatible. It supports AMD FreeSync too, so if you plan to game on this TV, you will not be disappointed.

At the time of writing, we have yet to hear from LG on the Malaysian availability of the GX Gallery series of 4K OLED TVs, though it should be landing here soon after appearing in SIRIM’s database. Local pricing has not been revealed either, but expect it to cost quite a bit of money. After all, for the US market, the GX series retails from $2,699 for the 55-inch model, which comes up to about RM11,590.


Realme 6 Pro Finally Confirmed for Malaysia; Launches 11 May

After launching the
Realme 6
 and
Realme 6i
 on our shores, the Chinese phone maker is finally ready to introduce the range-topping model of the series in Malaysia. Of course, we’re talking about the Realme 6 Pro, which is quite a bit more capable than the other two devices in the lineup.

For one, the Realme 6 Pro is the only device in the series that’s powered by a Qualcomm chipset, the Snapdragon 720G. This puts it in direct competition with another budget-friendly smartphone that features the very same SoC, the
Redmi Note 9S
.

But unlike Xiaomi’s offering, the Realme 6 Pro sports a more sophisticated quad camera system. It’s made up of a 64 MP f/1.8 main sensor, a 12MP f/2.5 telephoto shooter, an 8MP f/2.3 ultra-wide angle camera, and a 2MP /2.4 macro lens. That’s right, it has a telephoto sensor, which isn’t typically offered in this segment.

On the front, the Realme 6 Pro has two selfie cameras: a standard 16MP f/2.0 sensor, and an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle shooter. If you take a lot of selfies, you will appreciate the flexibility afforded by these two cameras. You can snap regular selfies with the 16MP camera, and switch to the 8MP ultra-wide shooter when you need to take group selfies.

The two camera sensors are positioned in an oblong-shaped hole-punch cutout on the top left of the screen.

Speaking of which, the Realme 6 Pro also comes with a rather fast 6.6-inch 2400 x 1080 IPS display with a 90Hz refresh rate. Thanks to this, every motion on the screen will look extra smooth, giving the impression of a faster device. Compared to standard 60Hz screens, you will get better motion clarity with the 90Hz refresh rate.

Battery life of the Realme 6 Pro should be quite good too with its 4,300mAh battery. It’s not the largest cell we’ve seen in a mid-range smartphone, but it does support 30W fast charging. According to Realme, this allows the phone to be fully charged in only one hour.

Other specifications of the Realme 6 Pro include 6GB or 8GB of RAM, two storage options (64GB and 128GB), a microSD card slot, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and Realme UI based on Android 10 out of the box.

The Realme 6 Pro will be introduced in Malaysia through an online live stream on
Realme’s Facebook page
. The launch event is set to take place on 11 May at 11AM.


Redmi Note 9 & Redmi Note 9 Pro Official; Retails From $199, Arriving in Malaysia Mid-May

Xiaomi just unveiled the Redmi Note 9 and Redmi Note 9 Pro today. As expected, the latter is basically the global variant of the
Redmi Note 9 Pro Max
 for the Indian market. As for the Redmi Note 9, it’s a brand new device that’s meant to serve as the most affordable option in the series.

Let’s start with the Redmi Note 9 Pro. Most of its hardware are shared with the
Redmi Note 9S
, including a 6.67-inch 2400 x 1080 IPS display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chipset, and a very generous 5,020mAh battery. However, it does have a number of neat upgrades, including support for 30W fast charging.

On top of that, the Redmi Note 9 Pro also comes with a slightly more sophisticated camera system. It consists of a 64MP f/1.89 main shooter, an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle camera, a 5MP macro lens, and a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor. Still no telephoto shooter, but it’s not typically offered in this segment anyway.

Other specifications of the Redmi Note 9 Pro include a 32MP front-facing camera, 6GB of RAM, two storage options (64GB and 128GB), a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, an IR blaster, and even a 3.5mm headphone jack.

And then there’s the regular Redmi Note 9. Given its more affordable price tag, it’s not quite as well-equipped as its other two siblings. That being said, it’s still quite capable, powered by MediaTek’s brand new Helio G85 chipset. In fact, this is the first smartphone to feature the chipmaker’s new processor.

As for the display, the Redmi Note 9 has a 6.53-inch 1080p IPS screen; slightly smaller than the Pro’s 6.67-inch panel. It also offers a quad camera configuration, though it’s not quite as sophisticated. It’s made up of a 48MP f/1.79 primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide angle sensor, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. The selfie camera, on the other hand, is a 13MP shooter.

Rounding out the specifications of the Redmi Note 9 are 3GB or 4GB of RAM, two storage capacities (64GB and 128GB), a 5,020mAh battery with 18W fast charging, and a rear fingerprint sensor.

So how much does these two smartphones cost? Well, the Redmi Note 9 retails at only $199 (~RM855) and $249 (~RM1,070) for the 64GB + 3GB and 128GB + 4GB variants respectively. As for the Redmi Note 9 Pro, it goes for $269 (~RM1,155) and $299 (~RM1,285) for the 64GB and 128GB models respectively.

Both the Redmi Note 9 and Redmi Note 9 Pro will be hitting store shelves in the middle of May next month, including Malaysia. That’s not a surprise, given that the Redmi Note 9 has already been
registered with SIRIM yesterday
.


Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite Announced With €349 Price Tag; Launching in Malaysia Mid-May

Aside from the
Redmi Note 9 and Redmi Note 9 Pro
, Xiaomi also introduced a brand new smartphone under a separate series: the
Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
. Like its name suggests, it shares quite a bit of hardware as the other two
Mi Note 10
 smartphones, though it does remove some features to bring the price down.

What differentiates the Mi Note 10 Lite from its higher-end siblings is the camera system, and…that’s it. Instead of a penta camera system, this Lite model has a more pedestrian quad camera configuration. It is made up of a 64MP primary shooter, an 8MP ultra-wide angle sensor, a 5MP depth camera, and a 2MP macro lens.

Unfortunately, the Mi Note 10 Lite does not offer any form of telephoto sensor. Besides that, the selfie camera has also been swapped for a 16MP shooter.

Beyond these differences in the camera configuration of the Mi Note 10 Lite, it is practically identical to the other two Mi Note 10 smartphones. For one, it’s still packing a 6.47-inch 1080p AMOLED screen with a notch at the top. The panel itself curves at either sides as well, giving the phone a sleek and premium aesthetic.

Of course, the Mi Note 10 Lite is also powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G chipset. It’s not an awfully powerful processor, but it should be fast enough to provide a good user experience. After all, the Snapdragon 7 series chips are no slouch, and it’s worth noting that the 730G is built on a power-efficient 8nm process.

This power efficiency should translate to good battery life, and the Mi Note 10 Lite should be able to ace it in this particular aspect. After all, it features a huge 5,260mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging. Xiaomi also claims that this phone can deliver “more than two days of battery life.”

Other specifications of the Mi Note 10 Lite include 6GB of RAM, 64GB or 128GB of internal storage – there’s no microSD card slot, so you’ll have to make do with the provided storage – an in-screen fingerprint sensor, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and MIUI 11 based on Android 10 out of the box.

The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite will be available in Malaysia sometime in the middle of May this month. Local pricing has not been revealed yet, though it’s set to go for €349 (~RM1,640) and €399 (~RM1,875) for the 64GB and 128GB models respectively in European markets. Do note that these prices include VAT, so expect the Mi Note 10 Lite to be more affordable once it reaches our shores.


Realme X50 Pro 5G With Snapdragon 865 & Affordable Price Making Its Way to Malaysia

Realme has been mainly focusing on its mid-range offerings for the Malaysian market, but this may change in the near future. We have good reason to believe that the Chinese company’s current flagship, the Realme X50 Pro 5G, will be arriving in Malaysia very soon.

In our routine search of SIRIM’s database, we notice that Jie Communication registered a device with the model number RMX2075 last week on 30 April. A quick Google search shows that this is in fact the Realme X50 Pro, which was introduced in India back in February 2020.

Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset, the X50 Pro is a fast high-end smartphone. Of course, with the inclusion of this SoC, 5G connectivity is also on board. When it comes to raw processing power, you will be getting the best performance with the Snapdragon 865 – at least, that’s the case in the Android space.

The display of the X50 Pro is worth a mention too: it’s a 6.44-inch 2400 x 1080 Super AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate. While this is not the fastest panel we’ve seen on a smartphone, it’s still markedly better than a conventional display with a 60Hz refresh rate. Plus, it won’t be quite as power-hungry as faster 120Hz screens too.

Speaking of which, the X50 Pro has a reasonably big 4,200mAh dual-cell battery. A cell of this capacity should be able to comfortably offer (at the very least) a day’s worth of use, and if you do need to charge it up, the phone supports 65W “SuperDart” fast charging. According to Realme, the phone can be fully charged in only 35 minutes.

When it comes to photography, the X50 Pro features a quad camera system. The main sensor is a 64MP f/1.8 unit, and it’s complemented by an 8MP f/2.3 ultra-wide angle shooter, a 12MP f/2.5 telephoto lens, and a 2MP f/2.4 monochrome portrait camera. According to Realme, this camera configuration lets the phone do “20x hybrid zoom.”

Other specifications of the X50 Pro include two selfie cameras (32MP f/2.5 primary + 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle), up to 12GB of RAM, two storage options (128GB and 256GB), an in-screen fingerprint sensor, and Realme UI based on Android 10 out of the box.

It remains to be seen exactly when the Realme X50 Pro 5G will be launched in Malaysia, though we expect it to happen soon since it has appeared in SIRIM’s database. It’ll be interesting to see how much the X50 Pro costs here, given that it retails from 37,999 Indian rupee in India – that comes up to only about RM2,175.


Oppo A92 Lands in Malaysia for RM1,199; Features 5,000mAh Battery & Snapdragon 665

Oppo just launched its brand new mid-range smartphone in Malaysia, the Oppo A92. Sporting a generously sized 5,000mAh battery, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset, and a quad camera system, the A92 is a reasonably good mid-ranger with a sleek design.

For the Malaysian market, the Oppo A92 is offered with 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM; only this sole variant is sold here for RM1,199. Pre-orders of the phone
are open now
, and two colour options are available: Shining White and Twilight Black.

For that kind of money, the A92 has a number of pretty nifty features, including a sizeable 5,000mAh battery. Thanks to this large capacity, the A92 should be able to return very respectable battery life. If you’re not a heavy smartphone user, we reckon it’s possible to get up to two days of use out of this phone. Besides that, there’s also support for 18W fast charging.

Powering the A92, on the other hand, is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset. Built on an 11nm process, it’s a reasonably power-efficient processor, even if it’s not a particularly new chip. Regardless, the Snapdragon 665 should be able to offer a good level of performance for day-to-day use.

Design wise, the A92 is quite a sleek-looking smartphone, thanks to its hole-punch design and gradient colourway of the Shining White. On top of that, it also comes with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, which also doubles as the power button. It’s a neat design element that also makes it a more ergonomically-friendly device.

In the camera department, the A92 is packed with a quad camera system on the back. It’s made up of a 48MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide angle shooter, a 2MP monochrome lens, and a 2MP portrait camera. Unfortunately, there’s no telephoto sensor here. On the front, it features a 16MP selfie shooter.

Other specifications of the A92 include a 6.5-inch 2400 x 1080 IPS display with a claimed 90.5% screen-to-body ratio, a microSD card slot for further storage expansion, stereo speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and ColorOS 7.1 based on Android 10 out of the box.

The Oppo A92 is now available for pre-order in Malaysia; you can place your order with a
RM100 deposit on Oppo’s online store
. Those who pre-order the mid-range smartphone will also receive a complimentary Bluetooth speaker (worth RM199) and a year of extended warranty valued at RM99.


Garmin Vivomove Style Quick Review: A Smartwatch in Disguise

Garmin isn’t exactly a brand name that comes to mind when we think of mainstream smartwatches. Mostly known for its range of high-end, rugged wearables, I was quite excited when Garmin unveiled the latest iterations of the company’s Vivomove hybrid smartwatches.

After spending a few weeks with the Garmin Vivomove Style, I’m genuinely impressed by it. Not only does it have very respectable battery life, it is also both sleek and functional. If you’re looking for a solid, stylish smartwatch, you should really consider it.

What It Is

There are a number of smartwatches under the Vivomove series, and the Style is the more premium offering. It features a 42mm watchface with a hidden 240 x 240 AMOLED screen protected by a domed Corning Gorilla Glass 3, a 20mm silicone or nylon strap, 5 ATM water resistance rating, and an anodised aluminium casing.

What makes the VivoMove Style particularly interesting is its quoted battery life. In smartwatch mode, it can deliver up to five days of use, which is reasonably good given the feature set of this wearable. On top of that, it will still work as a regular wristwatch up to an additional week after the battery’s drained.

Speaking of which, the Vivomove Style looks just like a regular wristwatch, which is great for those that don’t want a smartwatch that looks too much like a…well, smartwatch. Whenever you receive a notification, the minute and hour hands will sweep aside and display said notification under the watchface. It’s oddly satisfying to see the sweeping motion of the hands.

The Good Stuff

Garmin’s range of wearables don’t usually look particularly handsome, but the Vivomove Style is easily the company’s sleekest-looking smartwatch yet. I absolutely love the traditional wristwatch look: it’s understated, it doesn’t look out of place in the gym or in the office, and most of all, it still retains many smartwatch-like features.

This is thanks to the hidden AMOLED screen underneath the watchface, which only switches on when necessary. It’s not the brightest panel – it’s quite hard to see under bright sunlight – but it is still very usable. Notifications are also easy to read on the screen, so I can just take a quick glance at the watch before taking my phone out (if it was an important message).

Besides that, notifications are pushed to the Vivomove Style from my paired phone quite seamlessly without delay. I can even read through some of the notifications like emails, but there are some shortcomings here and there. I’ll get back to this further down this review.

And then there’s the battery life of the Vivomove Style. Much to my surprise, I can actually get five days of use out of this smartwatch comfortably, which is in line with Garmin’s claim. It’s worth noting that I wore the watch almost all the time throughout the five days, even when I’m asleep to test out the sleep tracking feature. I can’t say for sure if it can last for another week in watch mode, but I do love the fact that it still retains the timekeeping feature after the battery’s drained.

So how well does the Vivomove Style track sleep? Well, I wouldn’t say it’s awfully accurate or insightful, but it is fun to use. It can detect when I fall asleep and get out of bed relatively accurately, though the accompanying Garmin Connect app shows that I spend barely an hour in deep sleep. It’s an interesting feature, but I do question the accuracy of the tracking.

What about workout tracking? In this regard, the Vivomove Style does a good job. It can track quite a number of workouts, and during the workout itself, the watch hands will show my heart rate and what HR zone I’m in. At the end of the workout, it will also display how long the workout was, my average heart rate, and distance traveled for certain activities.

All in all, the Vivomove Style is not a super sophisticated fitness tracker, but it will serve regular, everyday consumers (myself included) well enough for workout tracking purposes.

The Bad Stuff

One of the biggest shortcomings of the Vivomove Style is its notification system. While notifications are pushed to the watch seamlessly, the watch has issues with certain apps. I use Telegram regularly, but the Style simply refuses to show any notifications from the messaging app. To me, this issue alone defeats the purpose of having a smartwatch.

Besides that, some notifications don’t show up particularly well on the Vivomove Style, especially emails. Messages are split between the top and bottom area of the watchface, and the layout is simply…not flattering. It’s difficult to navigate around too, which requires swiping to the left and right to read the rest of the message.

It would’ve been more seamless to do that if the Vivomove Style can recognise my inputs better. Not only does it have trouble recognising swiping gestures, double tapping on the screen to wake the watch doesn’t work consistently either. It’s not a huge issue, but it can get annoying. Understandably, this is not a traditional touchscreen, so it would be unrealistic to expect the same level of responsiveness.

Last but certainly not least is the cost of the Vivomove Style itself.
Retailing at RM1,499
 for this Silver model with Moss Green strap, it’s quite a costly smartwatch. At this price point, it has a number of other
more affordable
 alternatives, including the equally sleek
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
. It’s not a hybrid smartwatch, but Samsung’s wearable does offer a better notification system and superior feature set, though it cannot match the Style’s battery life.

Is It Worth It?

That depends on whether or not you’re willing to fork out a premium for the Garmin Vivomove Style’s design.
RM1,499 is not an affordable price point
 – the price even
goes up to RM1,750
 if you want the Graphite and Light Gold options with nylon straps instead – and while there’s the more affordable Vivomove 3 with a similar design and monochrome display, it’s still
quite costly at RM1,250
.

But if the looks of the Vivomove Style appeal to you, it may be worth the premium asking price. For what it’s worth, I’ve received a lot more compliment with the Style on my wrist than I ever got with other smartwatches. It may not be a very feature-rich wearable, but it sure is a handsome, stylish hybrid smartwatch.


Apple Unveils New 13″ MacBook Pro With Magic Keyboard; Now Starts at RM5,599

This is earlier than expected: Apple just updated its 13-inch MacBook Pro. Now featuring the Cupertino company’s new Magic Keyboard and Intel’s 10th generation processors, the refreshed MacBook Pro is better than ever. Of course, that also means there’s a slight price increase, though you do get more for your money now.

Previously, the 13-inch MacBook Pro with two USB-C ports (complete with Thunderbolt 3 support)
retails from RM5,499
. While that’s lower than the current starting price, that model only shipped with 128GB of SSD storage and 8GB of RAM. The updated base model we have now, on the other hand, costs RM5,599, but it offers
twice
 the amount of SSD storage at 256GB; that’s a much more practical capacity.

Of course, on top of that, the refreshed 13-inch MacBook Pro is also equipped with the new Magic Keyboard, which should be more durable than the previous butterfly keyboard. The typing experience is markedly better too, offering longer key travel and more pronounced tactile feedback. Basically, it will feel more like a traditional laptop keyboard.

Besides that, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro comes with Intel’s latest 10th generation processors as well, but this is limited to the higher-end model with four USB-C ports. Currently, only the variant with a quad-core Core i5 processor has its prices revealed on Apple’s Malaysian website; it remains to be seen just how much the faster Core i7 option will cost locally.

Aside from the new processor and Magic Keyboard, the updated 13-inch MacBook Pro is similar to its predecessor. It still comes with a 13.3‑inch 2560 x 1600 IPS display with True Tone technology, support for P3 wide colour gamut, and up to 500 nits of brightness. All in all, it’s the same screen people know and love, though it would’ve been great if the bezels surrounding the display were reduced too.

Besides that, all variants of the 13-inch MacBook Pro remain equipped with the Touch Bar, for better or worse. The Touch ID fingerprint sensor is also present, along with a physical Esc key now. Other specifications of this laptop include up to 32GB of LPDDR4X 3733MHz RAM and a whopping 4TB SSD storage, as well as Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645 or Iris Plus Graphics integrated GPU.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro retails from RM5,599 for the base model with an 8th generation Core i5 chip, 256GB of storage, and 8GB of RAM. It goes all the way up to RM8,799 for the 10th generation Core i5 option with 16GB of RAM and a generous 1TB SSD. Although the
local pricing of the new MacBook Pro
 has been revealed, it’s not known yet exactly when it will be available for purchase in Malaysia.


More Lenovo Legion Gaming Smartphone Details Leak: 144Hz Display, 90W Charging, Side Pop-Up Camera

Lenovo has been teasing its first-ever gaming smartphone – believed to be called the Lenovo Legion – for quite some time now, but we don’t really know exactly what to expect. But thanks to an
exclusive report from XDA Developers
, we now know what the device will look like, along with some of the features it offer; there is even a side-mounted pop-up camera.

According to XDA, it managed to get a hold of a number of teaser videos of the unreleased Legion gaming smartphone from a trusted source. These videos show almost the entirety of the device’s aesthetic, including its quirky design elements, such as the pop-up camera mechanism on the side of the phone.

That’s right, the Legion is said to have a side-mounted selfie camera. Given the gaming appeal of this smartphone, it sort of makes sense for the front-facing camera to be in this position: when held in landscape orientation, the camera can act as a webcam. We imagine Lenovo is targeting streamers with this camera orientation.

Besides the unconventional placement of the selfie shooter, the Legion is believed to come with a fast 144Hz screen; that’s the same refresh rate as the
Nubia RedMagic 5G
‘s display. On top of that, it’s said to support a high 270Hz touch sampling rate as well, so any form of input lag can be minimised. It’s the sort of feature you’d want on a gaming-oriented smartphone.

Another impressive hardware of the Legion is its claimed 90W charging rate. This is a
very fast
 charging rate, so many were sceptical of it. Well, Lenovo confirmed that this is really the case, and it can supposedly charge up the rumoured 5,000mAh dual-cell battery to full in only 30 minutes. There are also two USB-C ports for charging: one on the bottom, and another on the side.

Other leaked specifications of the Lenovo gaming smartphone include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset, a dual camera system (64MP primary + 16MP ultra-wide angle), a 20MP front-facing camera, and Android 10 out of the box.

If these leaked information of the Lenovo Legion are accurate, we’re looking at quite a peculiar gaming smartphone. It remains to be seen exactly when Lenovo will officially introduce the Legion, but given the plethora of leaks surrounding the upcoming device, it may be launched in the very near future.


Oppo Reno 3 Series Confirmed for Malaysian Release

Initially unveiled for the global market earlier this year in March, we just heard from Oppo Malaysia that the Oppo Reno 3 series is finally coming to our shores. Although the Chinese company did not specifically mention this, we reckon our market will receive the global variants of the Reno 3 and Reno 3 Pro, instead of the
ones for the Chinese market
.

Out of the two phones, the Reno 3 Pro is naturally the higher-end device, and it’s quite a handsome smartphone. Its back panel has a sleek gradient finish, it has tiny bezels, and the 6.4-inch 1080p AMOLED display with an oblong-shaped hole-punch cutout on the top left gives the phone a rather sleek aesthetic.

Besides that, the Reno 3 Pro also comes with a quad camera system. It consists of a 64MP f/1.7 main shooter, a 13MP f/2.4 telephoto lens, an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle sensor, and a 2MP f/2.4 monochrome camera. This device is equipped with two selfie cameras too: a 44MP f/2.4 primary shooter and a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor.

Other specifications of the Reno 3 Pro include a MediaTek Helio P95 chipset paired with 8GB of RAM, 128GB or 256GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, an in-screen fingerprint sensor, a 4,025mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging, and ColorOS 7 based on Android 10 out of the box.

And then there’s the regular Reno 3. Unlike the Pro model, the standard variant is powered by a Helio P90 chip instead. Given its more affordable price tag, it doesn’t look quite as sleek either. Rather than a hole-punch cutout, this model has a more conventional 6.44-inch 1080p AMOLED screen with a waterdrop notch at the top.

Its quad camera system, on the other hand, is actually quite similar to the Pro model, with just the primary sensor swapped out. The standard Reno 3 features a 48MP f/1.8 main camera, a 13MP f/2.4 telephoto shooter, an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle lens, and a 2MP f/2.4 monochrome sensor. The 44MP f/2.4 selfie shooter is also retained.

Rounding out the specifications of the Reno 3 are 8GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, a 4,025mAh battery with 30W fast charging, as well as an in-screen fingerprint sensor.

According to Oppo Malaysia, the Oppo Reno 3 series will arrive in Malaysia “in the coming weeks,” so there’s a good chance it will be launched here sometime this month. It’ll be interesting to see how much the Reno 3 series will cost locally.


Redmi Note 9 Series Arriving in Malaysia 11 May

Unveiled globally just last week, Xiaomi just confirmed that the
Redmi Note 9 and Redmi Note 9 Pro
 are arriving in Malaysia next week on 11 May. Sporting a new design language and affordable price tags, those who are looking for a sleek, value for money mid-range smartphone should consider these two smartphones.

This announcement comes from Xiaomi Malaysia’s Facebook page. Looking at the teaser of the online launch event, both the Redmi Note 9 and Redmi Note 9 Pro will be introduced locally on that day. If you’re hoping the
Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
 will also be launched at the same time – since these three devices are confirmed for a mid-May release in Malaysia – that’s unfortunately not happening; we’ve reached out to Xiaomi Malaysia to confirm this.

Anyway, in the Redmi Note 9 series, the Redmi Note 9 Pro is the higher-end offering. It features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chipset paired with 6GB of RAM, a 6.67-inch 2400 x 1080 IPS screen, and a generous 5,020mAh battery. Basically, same hardware as the more affordable
Redmi Note 9S
, but the Pro model does support faster 30W fast charging.

Besides that, the Redmi Note 9 Pro also comes with a slightly more sophisticated quad camera system. It is made up of a 64MP f/1.89 primary shooter, an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle sensor, a 5MP macro lens, and a 2MP f/2.4 depth camera. The front-facing camera, on the other hand, is a 32MP shooter.

Rounding out the specifications of the Redmi Note 9 Pro are two storage options (64GB or 128GB), a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, an IR blaster, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

As for the Redmi Note 9, despite its more affordable price tag, is still a reasonably adequate mid-range smartphone. For one, it is powered by a MediaTek Helio G85 chipset. This is a brand new SoC from the chipmaker, and this is the first smartphone to ship with it.

Just like its higher-end siblings, the Redmi Note 9 is equipped with a large 5,020mAh battery, though its charging rate is limited to 18W. Other specifications of this phone include a 6.53-inch 1080p IPS display, a quad camera setup (48MP f/1.79 primary + 8MP ultra-wide angle + 2MP macro + 2MP depth), a 13MP selfie camera, 3GB or 4GB of RAM, two storage capacities (64GB and 128GB), as well as a rear fingerprint sensor.

The Redmi Note 9 and Redmi Note 9 Pro will be launched in Malaysia via an online live stream on Xiaomi Malaysia’s Facebook page; it is taking place next week on 11 May at 2PM. Hopefully, the Mi Note 10 Lite will also be introduced here not long after.


Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (2020) Pre-Orders Live in Malaysia; Starts at RM7,299

Lenovo’s range of ThinkPad are considered to be some of the best business-class laptops in the market, and the flagship model, the 8th-generation Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon, is now available for pre-order in Malaysia. Retailing from RM7,299, it’s not an affordable product, but this has always been the case with premium ThinkPad machines.

Compared to its predecessor – which overhauled quite a number of things – the 2020 ThinkPad X1 Carbon is more of a hardware refresh. In fact, its chassis remains the same as the 2019 model. While that’s not particularly exciting, it’s not necessarily a bad thing either.

One of the best qualities of the X1 Carbon is its lightweight nature, thanks to the use of carbon fibre. Starting at only 1.09kg, it’s markedly lighter than most business-oriented laptops in the market. Measuring 14.9mm, it’s quite a slim machine as well. The slim, lightweight nature of the X1 Carbon makes it ideal for those who are always on the go.

Powering this new laptop is none other than Intel’s latest 10th-generation Comet Lake processors. The base model comes with a Core i5-10210U chip, which can be upgraded to a Core i7-10610U processor if you want the absolute best option for the laptop. Given the thin nature of the X1 Carbon, there’s no option for a dedicated graphics card, so you’ll have to make do with the integrated GPU of the processor.

There are also a number of screen options for the X1 Carbon. For the Malaysian market, two different displays are available. The default panel is a 14-inch 1080p IPS non-touch screen, while the other option is a RM420 upgrade for a higher resolution 1440p screen. If you want an even better display, there is actually an optional 4K IPS panel with support for Dolby Vision HDR, but we were told this is not offered in Malaysia.

Other base specifications of the X1 Carbon include 8GB of LPDDR3 2133MHz on-board RAM (upgradable to 16GB), 256GB of fast M.2 2280 SSD storage – adding RM250 gets you 512GB of storage, while the 1TB option costs RM720 – a fingerprint reader, and a 51WHr battery. According to Lenovo, this battery capacity can return up to 18 hours of use on a single charge.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (2020) is now available for pre-order in Malaysia. Starting at RM7,299, you can place your order on
Lenovo’s official online store
. You can also customise some of the laptop’s hardware there, and it is expected to ship within four weeks.


Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G Finally Coming to Malaysia; Most Affordable 5G Phone?

The
Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G
 was officially unveiled a couple of months ago alongside the global debut of the
Xiaomi Mi 10 series
. It’s been some time since the mid-range smartphone was introduced, and it is finally coming to Malaysia. Once the Mi 10 Lite is sold here, it could be the most affordable 5G phone on our shores.

Just today, a device with the model number M2002J9G was registered under Xiaomi Malaysia in SIRIM’s database. We have cross-referenced this model number with multiple sources, and we’re confident this is the Mi 10 Lite. The 5G certification in SIRIM’s listing supports this as well.

Compared to its higher-end siblings, the Mi 10 Lite isn’t quite as well-equipped, but it is still a very respectable mid-range smartphone. After all, it’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset. This is currently the chipmaker’s most powerful SoC outside of the Snapdragon 8 series.

Besides that, instead of the Mi 10 or Mi 10 Pro’s hole-punch design, the Mi 10 Lite has a more conventional-looking notched display. While this doesn’t look particularly pleasing to the eyes, it is quite a small notch, so it shouldn’t be too distracting in day-to-day use.

As for the panel itself, it’s a 6.57-inch 1080p AMOLED TrueColour display. Thanks to the inherent properties of AMOLED panels, you can expect to get deep blacks and punchy colours with this screen.

When it comes to battery life, the Mi 10 Lite should be quite long-lasting. It features a 4,160mAh battery, and while this isn’t a very big capacity, it will likely return (at the very least) a day’s worth of use on a single charge. When you do need to recharge the battery, the phone’s 20W fast charging should be able to top it up relatively quickly.

In the camera department, the Mi 10 Lite sports a quad camera system with a 48MP primary shooter. Unfortunately, Xiaomi
still
 has not released any details on the other three camera sensors, but one of them could be an ultra-wide angle lens. Given its more affordable positioning in the Mi 10 series, the Lite would likely omit a telephoto camera as well.

Other specifications of the Mi 10 Lite include a 16MP selfie camera, 64GB or 128GB of internal storage, and a USB Type-C connection.

At the moment, we have yet to hear from Xiaomi Malaysia on the local availability of the Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G, though it’s worth noting that it is said to be available globally sometime this month. Nonetheless, we’ll keep a close eye on the Malaysian availability of the Mi 10 Lite. Perhaps it will debut alongside the
Mi Note 10 Lite
, which is expected to arrive here this month.


The Microsoft Surface Book 3 Is Official, and It’s Coming to Malaysia

Microsoft just updated its 2-in-1 laptop, the Surface Book 3. While the design remains similar to its predecessor, there are some important updates internally. In fact, Microsoft says that the new convertible is now up to 50% faster; that’s quite a lofty claim.

Of course, given that the Surface Book 2 was launched back in 2017, it makes sense for there to be such a big performance gain. The Surface Book 3, as with most new laptops in the market now, ships with Intel’s latest 10th generation processors. The base model comes with a Core i5-1035G7 chip, which can be upgraded to a more powerful Core i7-1065G7 processor.

In the GPU side of things, there are as many as four options: Intel Iris Plus Graphics (integrated), Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q, GTX 1660 Ti, or Quadro RTX 3000. It’s quite an extensive list of GPUs that are meant to appeal to a wide range of audience, including gamers, professionals, and even mainstream users.

Just like its predecessor, the Surface Book 3 is available in 13.5-inch and 15-inch variants. The former has a 13.5-inch 3000 x 2000 display, while the bigger model features a 15-inch 3240 x 2160 panel. Both are PixelSense touch-enabled displays with a 3:2 aspect ratio.

What makes the Surface Book lineup more unique than the rest of Microsoft’s Surface products is its form factor, which combines the portability of a tablet and familiarity of a laptop. Most of the Surface Book 3’s parts are housed inside the display, while the keyboard is packed with a larger battery and GPU.

Depending on how you want to use the Surface Book 3, you can disconnect it from the keyboard to transform it into a tablet, and dock it back to get the functionality of a laptop. This level of flexibility is one of the Surface Book’s best qualities.

Other specifications of the Surface Book 3 include up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of fast M.2 2280 SSD (only for the 1TB and 2TB capacities), two USB-A ports, a single USB-C connection (still no Thunderbolt support, unfortunately), as well as an SD card reader.

The Microsoft Surface Book 3 is now available for pre-order in certain markets. In the US, the base 13.5-inch model starts at $1,599 (~RM6,915), while the more feature-packed 15-inch variant retails from $2,299 (~RM9,940). Without a doubt these are steep asking prices, but this has always been the case with the Surface Book lineup.

We haven’t heard from Microsoft yet on the Malaysian availability of the Surface Book 3, but it’s worth noting that both the 13.5-inch (model number 1900) and 15-inch (model number 1899) variants have already been registered with SIRIM, our local certification body. Chances are, the Surface Book 3 will be made available in Malaysia very soon.


Microsoft Surface Go 2 Features Faster Performance & Bigger Display; Malaysian Launch Imminent

Aside from the
Surface Book 3
, Microsoft also introduced the new Surface Go 2. Succeeding the
original Surface Go
 – which was launched back in 2018 – Microsoft’s smallest Surface tablet has gotten bigger in a few areas. Not only does it have a slightly larger display now, it also offers faster performance and better battery life.

Previously, the first Surface Go had a 10-inch 1800 x 1200 screen. While that’s still quite usable, some users may find it a tad too small. To address this, Microsoft fit the Surface Go 2 with a larger (and sharper) 10.5-inch 1920 x 1280 PixelSense display. Naturally, it still has a 3:2 aspect ratio.

It’s worth noting that despite the larger display, the Surface Go 2 shares the same dimensions and ports as the original Surface Go; the company merely reduced the bezels of the tablet to fit in the bigger screen. This gives it a sleeker-looking design, and the existing Surface Go Type Cover – along with any other accessories for the first Surface Go – will work with the new tablet seamlessly.

Another important upgrade is the processor of the Surface Go 2. While the base model still comes with an Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y processor – slightly better than the 4415Y chip in the previous Surface Go – Microsoft is now also offering an even faster 8th generation Core m3 processor. According to the company, the Core m3 brings up to 64% better performance.

The last notable improvement is the battery life of the Surface Go 2. Microsoft,
in an interview with The Verge
, confirms that the new Surface tablet has a larger battery. This, coupled with the power efficiency of the new processor, promises up to 10 hours of use on a single charge.

Beyond that, the Surface Go 2 also features an Intel UHD Graphics 615 integrated GPU, up to 8GB of RAM, either 64GB eMMC or 128GB SSD storage, and even LTE connectivity. Of course, that’s an optional feature; the WiFi only model is still offered.

The Microsoft Surface Go 2 will be sold in a number of markets from 12 May onwards. In the US, it starts at only $399, which comes up to about RM1,725. In comparison, the first Surface Go retails from RM1,749 when it was launched in Malaysia almost two years ago.

Speaking of which, we expect the Surface Go 2 to be available in Malaysia very soon; the LTE model (1927) has already been registered with SIRIM last month on 16 April. Rest assured, we will keep an eye on the local availability of this affordable and compact Surface tablet.


Asus Launching Complete AMD Ryzen 4000 Laptops in Malaysia on 12 May

As promised, Asus is launching its “complete lineup” of AMD Ryzen 4000 laptops in Malaysia next week. More specifically, it’s happening on 12 May, and a number of laptops will be introduced for the local market on that day, including the
Asus TUF Gaming A15, A17
, as well as the
ROG Zephyrus G15
.

Unfortunately, one highly anticipated gaming laptop from the Taiwanese company won’t be making an appearance at the launch: the compact
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14
. We’ve spoken to Asus Malaysia on this, and we were told that the G14 will only be available here at a later date. Rest assured, it
is
 coming to Malaysia.

The Asus TUF Gaming A15

Aside from these gaming laptops, it’s likely Asus will also update some of its VivoBook machines with Ryzen 4000 processors; the itinerary of the launch mentioned the VivoBook series. It remains to be seen exactly which laptop in the lineup will be updated with AMD’s new chips, but
it’s rumoured
 that at least the VivoBook 14 will be refreshed with the 15W, power-efficient Ryzen 5 4500U and Ryzen 7 4700U processors.

Coming back to the gaming laptops that will be launched on 12 May, we’ve got confirmation on the exact model of the TUF Gaming A15 that will be available in Malaysia. So far, only the Ryzen 7 4800H option is confirmed for our market. It’s not known yet exactly when (or if) the Ryzen 5 4600H variant will be sold here.

Anyway, the Ryzen 7 4800H processor of the TUF Gaming A15 will be paired with an Nvidia RTX 2060 GPU for the Malaysian market, so you will get very respectable gaming performance out of this gaming laptop. We reckon Asus will also bring in other GPU options here, including the GTX 1660 Ti for more affordable models.

To further improve the gaming experience, the TUF Gaming A15 comes with a 15.6-inch 1080p IPS screen with a fast 144Hz refresh rate as well. Thanks to this high refresh rate, you will get better motion clarity in fast-paced games. This is especially important in competitive titles like
Call of Duty: Warzone
 and
Apex Legends
.

Other specifications of the TUF Gaming A15 for our market include 16GB of DDR4 3200MHz RAM, a 48WHr battery, a whopping 1TB of fast PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD storage, and a two-year global warranty coverage; the first year is covered under the company’s
Perfect Warranty program
.

The Asus TUF Gaming A15 and a number of other Ryzen 4000 laptops will be landing in Malaysia on 12 May. Stay tuned to Nextrift on that day for our coverage of the launch.


Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite Landing in Malaysia 11 May

Well, this is a bit of a surprise. Although we were initially told the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite won’t be
launched alongside the Redmi Note 9 series
 next week, this is no longer the case. We just heard from Xiaomi Malaysia that the premium mid-range smartphone is also landing on our shores on 11 May.

Despite its more affordable price point, the Mi Note 10 Lite actually shares a number of hardware as its
higher-end siblings
; they are almost indistinguishable from each other. For example, the Lite is still powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G chipset, so you will get a respectable level of performance with this smartphone. It’s also worth noting that the 730G is built on a rather power-efficient 8nm process.

Complementing the power efficiency of the Mi Note 10 Lite’s Snapdragon 730G is a generous 5,260mAh battery; the very same cell capacity found in the other two Mi Note 10 devices. Thanks to this large battery, Xiaomi is confident that the phone can deliver “more than two days of battery life.”

Besides that, the Mi Note 10 Lite also has a 6.47-inch 1080p AMOLED screen with a notch at the top. While some may not be a fan of the notch, at least it’s quite a minimal cutout. It’s also worth noting that the display itself curves at either sides, giving the phone a sleek and premium aesthetic.

So what differentiates the Mi Note 10 Lite from the rest of its siblings? Just one aspect: camera. Instead of a sophisticated 108MP penta camera system, the Lite comes with a more pedestrian quad camera configuration. It consists of a 64MP primary shooter, an 8MP ultra-wide angle sensor, a 5MP depth camera, and a 2MP macro lens.

While the camera setup of the Mi Note 10 Lite is not quite as impressive as the other devices in the series, it will be ideal for consumers that don’t put much importance on camera performance. Plus, this
is
 a more affordable device that retains many of the Mi Note 10’s qualities.

Other specifications of the Mi Note 10 Lite include a 16MP selfie camera, 6GB of RAM, 64GB or 128GB of non-expandable storage – there’s no microSD card slot – an in-screen fingerprint sensor, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and MIUI 11 based on Android 10 out of the box.

The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite will be launched in Malaysia next week on 11 May alongside the Redmi Note 9 series. It’ll be interesting to see if the company will unveil even more devices, given that the
Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G
 has been
registered with SIRIM
 a couple of days ago.


Realme 6 Pro With Snapdragon 720G Lands in Malaysia for RM1,399

The Realme 6 Pro has finally been launched in Malaysia; two months after the
local debut of the Realme 6
. Compared to the other devices in the series, the Pro model features a number of notable upgrades, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chipset. This makes it the only smartphone in the lineup with a Qualcomm SoC.

Thanks to the Snapdragon 720G chipset, you can expect to get a reasonably good level of performance with the Realme 6 Pro. Of course, that puts it in direct competition with another notable mid-range smartphone that is powered by the same chip, the
Redmi Note 9S
.

Xiaomi’s offering costs only RM799 – or RM899 for the 128GB option – while the Realme 6 Pro is markedly pricier, retailing at RM1,399 for the sole 128GB model with 8GB of RAM.

But in comparison to the Redmi Note 9S, the Realme 6 Pro does offer a number of hardware advantages. For one, it comes with a faster 6.6-inch 2400 x 1080 IPS screen with a 90Hz refresh rate. Thanks to the high refresh rate, every animation and motion will look extra smooth on this display.

On top of that, the Realme 6 Pro also sports a more sophisticated quad camera system. It’s made up of a 64 MP f/1.8 primary sensor, a 12MP f/2.5 telephoto shooter, an 8MP f/2.3 ultra-wide angle camera, and a 2MP /2.4 macro lens. A telephoto sensor isn’t typically offered in this segment, so this gives the Pro an edge.

If you’re into selfies, you’ll be happy to know that the Realme 6 Pro features two front-facing cameras. The main shooter is a standard 16MP f/2.0 unit, which is paired with an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle lens. Thanks to these two sensors, you’re getting the flexibility of snapping regular selfies with the 16MP camera, and switch to the 8MP ultra-wide shooter when you need to take group selfies instead.

Other specifications of the Realme 6 Pro include a 4,300mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging, a microSD card slot for further storage expansion, an ergonomically-friendly side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and Realme UI based on Android 10 out of the box.

The Realme 6 Pro will be available for purchase later tonight at 12AM
 on Lazada
. Authorised dealers, on the other hand, will start offering the device from 16 May onwards. Retailing at RM1,399, every purchase of the Realme 6 Pro will come with seven different casings worth RM149, along with a 12-month extended warranty.


Redmi Note 9 Series & Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite Now in Malaysia; Starts at RM649

As promised, Xiaomi just launched three new mid-range smartphones in Malaysia. These include the
Redmi Note 9, the Redmi Note 9 Pro
, as well as the premium
Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly smartphone, consider these three options.

Redmi Note 9

Let’s start with the most affordable phone of the bunch, the Redmi Note 9. This is the very first device to ship with the new MediaTek Helio G85 chipset, which should be able to provide enough processing power for day-to-day use. Given its positioning as a gaming-centric chipset, you should get good gaming performance as well.

Aside from that, the Redmi Note 9 comes with a 6.53-inch 1080p IPS screen with a hole-punch cutout on the top left of the screen. The cutout houses a 13MP front-facing camera, and on the back, there’s a quad camera system. It’s made up of a 48MP f/1.79 main sensor, an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle shooter, a 2MP f/2.4 macro lens, and a 2MP f/2.4 depth camera.

Other specifications of the Redmi Note 9 include a microSD card slot, a generous 5,020mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging, and a rear fingerprint sensor. For our market, the Redmi Note 9 retails at RM649 and RM749 for the 64GB + 3GB and 128GB + 4GB models respectively.

The Redmi Note 9 is available for pre-order in Malaysia right now until 17 May, and it will be on store shelves the very next day.

Redmi Note 9 Pro

Next, we have the Redmi Note 9 Pro, the range-topping model of the series. It shares many of the
Redmi Note 9S
‘ hardware, including a 6.67-inch 2400 x 1080 IPS display, a Snapdragon 720G chipset, and a sizeable 5,020mAh battery. But unlike the Note 9S, the Pro supports faster 30W fast charging.

In the camera department, the Redmi Note 9 Pro also features a more sophisticated camera system. The four rear cameras consist of a 64MP f/1.89 primary shooter, an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle sensor, a 5MP f/2.4 macro lens, and a 2MP f/2.4 depth camera.

Rounding out the specifications of the Redmi Note 9 Pro include a 16MP front-facing camera, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of expandable storage, and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. Set to be available on 18 May in Malaysia – it’s also on pre-order until 17 May – the Redmi Note 9 Pro carries a RM1,099 price tag.

Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite

Last but certainly not least is the Mi Note 10 Lite, the most premium offering of the three phones launched today. It’s powered by a Snapdragon 730G chipset, the very same SoC found in the more costly
Mi Note 10 and Mi Note 10 Pro
. On top of that, it features a large 5,260mAh battery as well, and Xiaomi says that this phone can deliver “more than two days of battery life.”

Other hardware of the Mi Note 10 Lite include a 6.47-inch 1080p AMOLED dual curved screen with a notch at the top, a quad camera configuration (64MP f/1.89 primary + 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle + 5MP f/2.4 depth + 2MP f/2.4 macro), a 16MP selfie camera, as well as an in-screen fingerprint sensor.

Here in Malaysia, the Mi Note 10 Lite is offered with 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM for RM1,599. It will go on sale locally tomorrow on 12 May.


Huawei MateBook X Pro (2020) Coming to Malaysia 16 May for RM7,999

Huawei’s latest flagship laptop, the MateBook X Pro (2020), will be landing in Malaysia later this week on 16 May. Sporting Intel’s latest chip, a sleek design, and a unique new colour option, this thin and light productivity laptop is a premium machine through and through.

Of course, given its premium positioning, the MateBook X Pro does not come cheap. For the Malaysian market, only the range-topping model is offered. Packed with 16GB of RAM and a whopping 1TB NVMe PCIe SSD, this laptop carries a steep RM7,999 price tag.

To be sure, that’s a dear asking price, though Huawei
is
 throwing in quite a number of freebies with every purchase of the MateBook X Pro. These include the new Huawei Sound X Bluetooth speaker, a Huawei Band 4, a wireless Bluetooth mouse, and a Huawei-branded backpack. However, do note that these free gifts are only available while stocks last.

As for the MateBook X Pro itself, it still shares the same chassis as its predecessors, which is not necessarily a bad thing; it’s still a very sleek-looking laptop. As mentioned, the processor has been updated with Intel’s latest 10th-generation chips too, but only the Core i7-10510U option is available in Malaysia.

If you’re thinking of doing some light gaming on the MateBook X Pro, good news: the dedicated Nvidia GeForce MX250 GPU under the hood of this laptop should be able to do just that. It won’t be able to keep up with more graphically demanding AAA titles, but this isn’t exactly a gaming laptop to begin with.

For its intended use (productivity tasks), the MateBook X Pro has all the necessary hardware, including a sharp 13.9-inch 3000 x 2000 LTPS touch-enabled display. It has a 3:2 aspect ratio, so you’ve got more screen real estate to work with; it’s not quite as narrow as conventional 16:9 displays of other laptops.

There are also a number of neat design elements with the MateBook X Pro. Not only is it a lightweight laptop – it tips the scales at 1.33kg – it’s also relatively slim with a 14.6mm thin chassis. The smart pop-up webcam mechanism is, of course, still built into the laptop’s keyboard.

Other specifications of the MateBook X Pro include two USB-C ports, a single USB-A connection, a 56WHr battery, a fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button, and Windows 10 Home out of the box.

The Huawei MateBook X Pro (2020) will be available for purchase in Malaysia from 16 May onwards in Space Grey; the unique Emerald Green colour option will only be coming at a later date “in limited quantity.” With a RM7,999 price tag, it’s a costly laptop, but this is a premium laptop with top-of-the-line configuration. After all, you’re getting 1TB of fast SSD storage here.


Asus Launches AMD Ryzen 4000 Laptops in Malaysia, Including TUF Gaming A15 From RM3,499

Asus just launched a slew of laptops in Malaysia. All of these are powered by the new
AMD Ryzen 4000
 processors, making them the first wave of laptops to be available in Malaysia with the highly anticipated chips. As many as four laptops are introduced here today:
TUF Gaming A15 and A17
,
ROG Zephyrus G15
, as well as the VivoBook S14.

Let’s start with the TUF Gaming A15, the most affordable gaming laptop of the bunch. The base model with a Ryzen 5 4600H processor and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU retails at only RM3,499, and the price goes up to RM5,899 for the range-topping Ryzen 9 4900H model with an RTX 2060 GPU. Here’s the full price breakdown of the TUF Gaming A15:

Ryzen 5 4600H, GTX 1650, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD – RM3,499
Ryzen 5 4600H, GTX 1650 Ti, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD – RM3,799
Ryzen 7 4800H, GTX 1650, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD – RM4,099
Ryzen 7 4800H, GTX 1660 Ti, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD – RM4,699
Ryzen 9 4900H, GTX 1660 Ti, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD – RM4,999
Ryzen 7 4800H, RTX 2060, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD – RM5,699
Ryzen 9 4900H, RTX 2060, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD – RM5,899

Regardless of which model you get, all variants of the TUF Gaming A15 feature a 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080 IPS display with a fast 144Hz refresh rate. On top of that, the panel also supports adaptive sync, so you won’t have to deal with screen tearing on this gaming laptop. All configurations of the TUF Gaming A15 listed above are now available for purchase in Malaysia.

Next is the TUF Gaming A17, which is very similar to the A15, except for some of its hardware options and screen size. It sports a larger 17.3-inch 1080p IPS display with an equally fast 144Hz refresh rate, and the highest-end configuration comes with a Ryzen 9 4900H processor and GTX 1660 Ti GPU. Here are the two models available in Malaysia right now:

Ryzen 7 4800H, GTX 1650 Ti, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD – RM4,299
Ryzen 9 4900H, GTX 1660 Ti, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD – RM5,199

And then there’s the more premium ROG Zephyrus G15. Only one variant of the gaming laptop is offered here, which features a Ryzen 7 4800HS processor, a GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q GPU, a fast 15.6-inch 1080p IPS screen with a 144Hz refresh rate, 8GB of RAM, and a whopping 1TB SSD. The Zephyrus G15 is available right now in Malaysia for RM5,299, and if you’re wondering about the local availability of the
ROG Zephyrus G14
, this compact gaming laptop will reach our shores next month in June.

Last but certainly not least is the productivity-focused VivoBook S14. Two variants are offered locally, with just the choice of processor differentiating them. The Ryzen 5 4500U model costs RM2,899, while the Ryzen 7 4700U option goes for RM3,199. Both variants feature a 14-inch 1080p IPS panel, integrated Radeon Graphics, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD storage.

As mentioned, all of the laptops announced by Asus today are now available for purchase in Malaysia. This is a pretty big launch, given that there are no other Ryzen 4000 laptops in our market right now. Regardless, stay tuned for our
hands-on of the TUF Gaming A15
!


2020 Proton X70 Receives N95 Cabin Filter Upgrade; RM79 Retrofit for Existing Owners

Proton just announced a new upgrade for the
2020 Proton X70
 across all trim levels. Dubbed Proton Intelligent Air Purification System (P-IAPS), it’s basically an update to the C-segment SUV’s existing air purifier system. Now, it is fitted with an N95 cabin filter, improving in-cabin air quality of the vehicle even further.

Previously, the X70’s air purifier system was fitted with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter, which can remove 99.97% of particles larger than 0.3 microns in size. The new N95 cabin filter, on the other hand, can remove 95% of particles larger than 0.3 microns
and
 98% of PM2.5 dust particulates.

According to Proton, this makes the N95 cabin filter an effective barrier against smoke particulates, dust, bacteria, and other pollutants. It offers a “high level of protection against airborne pollutants for a cleaner and healthier environment,” the national carmaker added.

If you’re an existing owner of the Proton X70 – whether it’s the CBU or CKD model – you will be able to have the new N95 cabin filter retrofitted. It costs RM79 to do so, but note that this amount does not include labour charges. Service appointments to fit the new filter can be made from tomorrow onwards on 13 May.

Besides that, Proton will also be running a service campaign from 18 May to 18 August. In this time period, existing X70 owners can purchase the N95 cabin filter with 15% discount.

To recap, the Proton X70 is the company’s latest SUV. Initially introduced in late 2018, the locally assembled (CKD) version of the car was launched earlier this year. The new model brings a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission co-developed by Geely and Volvo.

Thanks to this new transmission, the X70 has slightly better performance than the previous CBU model, even though it soldiers on with the familiar 1.8L turbocharged direct injection engine. Proton said that the 7DCT gives the X70 5% more torque, bringing the figure up to 300Nm from 285Nm. Power output of the engine, on the other hand, remains the same at 181hp.

At the moment, only the Proton X70 will be fitted with the new P-IAPS feature. However, the CEO of Proton, Li Chunrong, said that “our designers and engineers are working to fit the N95 cabin filter in our other models too.” Chances are, P-IAPS will also be implemented in future Proton vehicles, which may include the carmaker’s highly anticipated B-segment SUV, the Proton X50.


Oppo Reno 3 Series Lands in Malaysia; Starts at RM1,699

Oppo just launched its latest mid-range smartphones in Malaysia, the Oppo Reno 3 series. As expected, we are getting the global variant of the Reno 3 and Reno 3 Pro. Though it’s not quite as impressive as the
China-only models
, they are still reasonably sleek mid-range smartphones with a gradient finish on their back panels.

Out of the two devices, the Reno 3 Pro is naturally the higher-end offering. It comes with a 6.4-inch 1080p AMOLED display with relatively small bezels, and there is also an oblong-shaped hole-punch cutout on the top left of the screen. The cutout houses two selfie cameras: a 44MP f/2.4 primary shooter and a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor.

Besides that, the Reno 3 Pro also comes with a quad camera system on the back. It is made up of a 64MP f/1.7 main shooter, a 13MP f/2.4 telephoto lens, an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle sensor, and a 2MP f/2.4 monochrome camera. It’s quite a versatile camera system with three different focal lengths, which is not typically found in this segment.

Powering the Reno 3 Pro, on the other hand, is a MediaTek Helio P95 chipset paired with 8GB of RAM. Other specifications of this phone include 256GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, an in-screen fingerprint sensor, and ColorOS 7 based on Android 10 out of the box. It’s also worth noting that the Reno 3 Pro’s 4,025mAh battery supports 30W fast charging.

And then there’s the regular Reno 3. Given its more affordable price tag, it’s not quite as sophisticated as the Pro model. For one, it doesn’t have a hole-punch display. Instead, it features a more conventional 6.44-inch 1080p AMOLED screen with a waterdrop notch at the top. It doesn’t look quite as sleek, but at least it’s still an AMOLED panel.

Aside from that, the Reno 3 also comes with a quad camera configuration, though it’s a more pedestrian setup. It consists of a 48MP f/1.8 main camera, a 13MP f/2.4 telephoto shooter, an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle lens, and a 2MP f/2.4 monochrome sensor. If you’re a big fan of selfies, you’ll be happy to know that the standard model retains the 44MP f/2.4 front-facing camera, but it doesn’t have the 2MP depth sensor.

Rounding out the specifications of the Reno 3 are a MediaTek Helio P90 chipset paired with 8GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, a 4,025mAh battery with 30W fast charging, as well as an in-screen fingerprint sensor.

The Oppo Reno 3 and Reno 3 Pro are now available for purchase in Malaysia. The standard model retails at RM1,699, while the Pro variant costs RM2,399. These are rather costly mid-range smartphones, though the Reno series has always occupied this price range.


The Poco F2 Pro Is Here, and It’s a Rebranded Redmi K30 Pro

After much anticipation, the successor to the
Poco F1
 is finally here: enter the Poco F2 Pro. Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset, it’s a powerful flagship smartphone with a sleek all-screen design. On top of that, it’s also a rebranded
Redmi K30 Pro
.

Of course, that’s not necessarily a bad thing; the K30 Pro itself is a handsome phone that offers excellent value for money. Complementing the fast Snapdragon 865 chipset of the Poco F2 Pro is a notchless 6.67-inch 1080p AMOLED display with a 180Hz touch response rate, which is something mobile gamers will appreciate. The high touch response rate ensures that any form of input lag is minimised.

But that’s not to be mistaken with refresh rate: the AMOLED screen of the Poco F2 Pro is still only a 60Hz panel. It would’ve been great if it had a higher refresh rate, but given the sheer value for money this device offers, we imagine it’s a “compromise” many consumers won’t mind, especially those that want the best performance for the least amount of money.

Photography wise, the Poco F2 Pro features a quad camera system on the back. The primary sensor is a 64MP shooter with optical image stabilisation, and the other three sensors are a 13MP ultra-wide angle camera, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 5MP telephoto macro lens. The pop-up selfie camera, on the other hand, is a 20MP unit.

Battery capacity of the Poco F2 Pro is quite sizeable too, rated at 4,700mAh. Poco claims that this gives the phone up to two days of battery life, which can certainly be achieved if you’re a light smartphone user. Besides that, it supports 30W fast charging as well; this supposedly allows the phone to be fully charged in 63 minutes.

Other specifications of the Poco F2 Pro include 6GB or 8GB of RAM, two storage options (128GB and 256GB), 5G connectivity, an in-screen fingerprint sensor, and Poco Launcher 2.0.

The Poco F2 Pro is now available in selected markets. In Europe, the 128GB model with 6GB of RAM retails at 499 euro (about RM2,345), while the 256GB variant with 8GB of RAM goes for 599 euro (approximately RM2,815). Do note that these price tags include VAT, so expect the phone to cost less in non-European markets.

Speaking of which, the Poco F2 Pro will be launched in Malaysia in the very near future. After all, it has already been registered with SIRIM. We will keep a close eye on the local availability of the affordable flagship smartphone.


Acer Launches Swift 3 With AMD Ryzen 4000 CPU & Spin 3 in Malaysia

Acer just launched two new laptops in Malaysia, the
Acer Swift 3
 and Acer Spin 3. Between the two products, the former is arguably the more exciting machine. After all, the Swift 3 is now powered by AMD’s new
Ryzen 4000 processor
, which is a very capable chip.

Of course, the Swift 3 is also available with Intel’s chip, but in terms of sheer value for money, the AMD variant is the one to go for. Only one configuration of the AMD-powered Swift 3 is available in Malaysia. It comes with a 7nm Ryzen 5 4500U hexa-core processor, 8GB of RAM, and a generous 512GB SSD. How much does this model cost?
Only RM2,599
.

In comparison, the Intel-powered Swift 3
starts at RM3,099
. For that kind of money, you’re getting the same amount of RAM and SSD storage as the AMD model, but the processor is (obviously) swapped out for a 10nm Core i5-1035G1 quad-core chip. Essentially, you’re paying RM500 more for this Intel model compared to the AMD variant.

Anyway, there’s also the range-topping configuration of the Swift 3 with a 10nm Core i7-1065G7 processor, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD storage, and a dedicated Nvidia GeForce MX250 GPU. If you want to do some gaming on the side, this is the model to go for, though you’ll have to
fork out RM4,299
.

Regardless of which configuration you go for, all variants of the Swift 3 features a 14-inch 1920 x 1080 IPS display. As for connectivity options, this productivity laptop has a single USB-C port, two USB-A connections, as well as an HDMI output. It’s worth noting that you will get an activated copy of Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019 with the Swift 3 too.

And then there’s the convertible Spin 3. One of the selling points of this laptop is the bundled Acer Active Stylus, complete with a dedicated slot to store it in the laptop. The stylus also uses WACOM AES technology, and it offers 4,096 levels of pressure.

Two variants of the Spin 3 are offered in Malaysia: the Core i3-1005G1 model with 4GB of RAM
retails at RM2,799
, while the Core i5-1035G1 option with 8GB of RAM
goes for RM3,299
. Beyond the choice of processor and RAM capacity, other specifications of these two models are the same. These include a 512GB SSD, as well as a 14-inch 1080p IPS touch-enabled display.

If you place your order of the Spin 3 by 15 May on
Acer Malaysia’s official store on Shopee
, you can get a number of freebies. The Core i3 model is bundled with Acer’s SuperCare 2 warranty, Redmi AirDots wireless earbuds, a Bluetooth speaker, and an Acer backpack. Collectively, all of these are worth RM746.

As for the Core i5 variant of the Spin 3, you won’t be getting the Redmi AirDots, but three extra goodies are offered: an Acer wireless mouse, a USB 2.0 portable DVD writer, and a Predator-branded cap. All of these are worth RM1,024.

Do note that these free gifts are only offered while stocks last, so if you want to grab them, place your order of the Acer Spin 3 quickly
on Shopee
. As mentioned, this promotion will end on 15 May.


The Sexy Dell XPS 15 (2020) Promises up to 25 Hours of Battery Life; Starts at RM7,999 in Malaysia

Dell just launched the new XPS 15, and it’s sexier than ever. Sporting the very same four sided InfinityEdge screen of the
XPS 13
 (with very little bottom bezel), the premium laptop can supposedly deliver up to
25 hours of battery life
 – that’s a very lofty claim.

Of course, that quoted battery life is for the XPS 15 with a 1080p display and large 86WHr battery “when using productivity applications like Word or Excel.” It’s worth noting that this is not the only battery capacity of the laptop; there is also a smaller 56WHr cell for certain variants. Regardless, Dell is confident that the XPS 15 “delivers the longest battery life of any 15-inch laptop.”

Besides that, the XPS 15 sports a new InfinityEdge bezel-less display that stretches to all four sides of the screen. This gives the laptop an impressive 92.9% screen-to-body ratio, and the 15.6-inch panel (available in either 3840 x 2400 or 1920 x 1200 resolution) has a 16:10 aspect ratio as well. It’s not as narrow as a 16:9 screen, so you get more vertical space to work with.

Naturally, the XPS 15’s display itself comes with a number of impressive features. Not only does it support VESA DisplayHDR 400, Dell also says that this panel covers 100% of the Adobe RGB colour space and 94% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. In short, it promises excellent colour accuracy, making it ideal for professionals that need such a display.

If you’re wondering, yes, the webcam is located at the top of the display now.

Under the hood of the XPS 15 is none other than Intel’s latest 10th-generation chips paired with up to 64GB of RAM and 2TB of SSD storage. The top-of-the-line configuration comes with a Core i7-10875H processor, while the most affordable model features a Core i5-10300H chip. There is also a more powerful Core i9-10885H option, but this will only be made available at a later date.

In the GPU side of things, there are only two options for the XPS 15: Intel UHD Graphics (integrated) or a dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphics card. While the GTX 1650 Ti is a reasonably capable GPU, it would’ve been great if there were a wider range of options.

The keyboard and trackpad of the XPS 15 have been revamped as well. The keycaps are now 9.7% larger with less lattice in between the keys, and the touchpad itself has grown by a a whopping 62%. The larger trackpad will definitely make it much more comfortable to use.

Set to be available in Malaysia from 15 May onwards, the new Dell XPS 15 starts at RM7,999 for the Core i5 model with a GTX 1650 Ti GPU. Yes, it is not an affordable product, but that’s the going price of premium laptops in the market.