Redmi K30 Hands-On: 120Hz Screen on a Sub-RM1,000 Smartphone

It was only in the middle of this year when Redmi introduced the
K20 smartphones
, but that didn’t stop the phone maker from releasing the Redmi K30 series
earlier this month
. Although the K30 5G and K30 4G lose out on some of its predecessors’ features – including the sleek all-screen design – the upgrades they do get more than make up for this.

In fact, we got our hands on the Redmi K30 4G, and it’s a pretty darn impressive smartphone. If it ever makes it to markets outside of China, the K30 is one to look out for, especially if you want the most value for your money.

What makes the Redmi K30 particularly impressive is its fast display. Previously, the K20 had a conventional 60Hz 6.39-inch 1080p AMOLED screen. The K30, on the other hand, features a faster (and bigger) 120Hz 6.67-inch 2400 x 1080 IPS display.

Sure, it’s no longer an AMOLED panel, but the higher 120Hz refresh rate is a worthy trade-off – in my opinion, that is. Thanks to the 120Hz screen, everything looks extra smooth. Whether I’m just casually navigating around the home screen or scrolling through an article, the extra frames really make for a pleasant user experience.

As for the panel quality of the IPS display itself, it’s good. It can get reasonably bright, the colours are punchy, and viewing angles are alright. The screen does get darker when viewed at an angle, and the blacks are not as deep as what you get with an AMOLED screen, but hey, this
is
 an affordable smartphone. Plus, the 120Hz refresh rate is a great addition.

Beyond the display, the K30 is a rather handsome smartphone with good build quality. I like the heft of the phone, the glass back looks and feels great, and the metal frame is nice to the touch. Really, it’s hard to believe this is a budget-friendly smartphone.

Of course, the hole-punch cutout on the top right of the screen does slightly mar the aesthetics of the phone, but at least it’s a small cutout. In fact, it’s slightly smaller than the similarly-shaped cutout on the
Samsung Galaxy S10+
‘s display; I consider that a plus point.

When it comes to performance, the K30 4G is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G chipset. It’s a reasonably powerful upper mid-range chipset, and given that this is an 8nm chipset, its power efficiency should be good too. Together with the phone’s generous 4,500mAh battery, it will be able to return above average battery life.

To sweeten the pot, the K30 can also charge up relatively quickly. This 4G variant supports 27W fast charging, while the 5G model supports 30W. Either way, expect these two phones to charge up in a relatively quick manner. This charging rate is especially impressive for a pair of mid-range smartphones.

Oh, another thing. Unlike its predecessor use of an in-screen fingerprint sensor, the K30 only comes with a side-mounted capacitive sensor that doubles as the power button. While it doesn’t sound quite as impressive on paper, the physical sensor is
a lot
 more accurate and faster. I’d take this over the finicky in-screen sensor of the K20 /
Mi 9T
.

And then we’ve got the camera performance of the K30 4G. On the back, it has a quad camera system made up of a 64MP f/1.9 main sensor, an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle shooter, a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor, and a 2MP f/2.4 macro lens. There are also two front-facing cameras: a 20MP primary shooter paired with a 2MP depth sensor.

So how is the camera performance of the K30? Well, it’s reasonable good for a phone at this price point. Given enough light, the quad camera system can take good-looking shots, but there’s a noticeable drop in image quality – especially with the ultra-wide angle and telephoto sensors – in darker environments. Detail preservation suffers, noise level is amplified, and it has difficulty locking in focus.

However, I only managed to spend a brief time photographing with the K30. My initial impressions of the camera performance isn’t fantastic, but I do need to put it through its paces to see if the camera has any redeeming qualities.

All in all, given just how affordable the Redmi K30 4G is, I’m really impressed with the phone’s feature set. It comes with a fast 120Hz display, it has great build quality, and while the camera performance isn’t incredible, it’s above average for a device at this price point.

For the Chinese market, the K30 4G retails from only 1,599 Chinese yuan (about RM940) for the 64GB model with 6GB of RAM. The price goes up to 1,699 yuan (approximately RM1,000) for the 128GB + 6GB variant, while the 128GB + 8GB and 256GB + 8GB models retail at 1,899 yuan (around RM1,115) and 2,199 yuan (about RM1,290) respectively.

At these price points, the K30 4G offers incredibly good value for money. You’d be hard-pressed to find another smartphone in this price range with a similar set of features,
especially
 the 120Hz screen.

Then again, it doesn’t matter how impressive the Redmi K30 is if it is not accessible. Currently, the smartphone is only offered in China; there’s no news yet on the global availability of the K30 series. However, given that its predecessor was brought to the global market as the Xiaomi Mi 9T, there’s a good chance the same would apply to the K30 as well.

For now, we can only hope the K30 will be made available outside of China. It’s one heck of a budget-friendly smartphone, and it’s certainly a worthy successor to the well-received K20 / Mi 9T series.


Realme 5i Launching 6 January 2020; Likely Coming to Malaysia Soon

Realme is set to introduce a new smartphone soon, and it’s expected to be a budget-friendly offering. The phone in question is the Realme 5i, and it is launching next week on 6 January 2020 in Vietnam.

This bit of news comes from a teaser posted on Realme Vietnam’s official Facebook page. While the post is light on detail, we do know Vietnam will be one of the first countries to receive the upcoming Realme 5i. In fact, Malaysia could be in the list too.

We were going through SIRIM’s database when we noticed a particularly interesting mobile device with the model number RMX2030. Turns out, this mysterious phone is the Realme 5i. Given that it’s already registered with SIRIM, there’s a very good chance Realme Malaysia is gearing up to launch the unannounced smartphone on our shores.

As far as specifications are concerned, however, not much is known about the Realme 5i; officially, that is. Ahead of the phone’s official debut next week, Vietnamese e-commerce site FPTShop
has a listing of the device already
. Naturally, several key specifications are detailed in the listing.

Not surprisingly, it appears the Realme 5i has rather similar hardware as the
Realme 5
. At least, that’s what FPTShop’s listing is suggesting here. It will supposedly come with a 6.52-inch 1600 x 720 display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset, a very generous 5,000mAh battery, and a quad camera system.

Just like the Realme 5, the Realme 5i’s quad camera configuration is supposedly made up of a 12MP primary shooter, an 8MP ultra-wide angle lens, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro camera. The selfie camera, however, isn’t the same: the 5i is said to feature an 8MP shooter instead of the Realme 5’s 13MP selfie camera.

Other specifications of the Realme 5i include 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, a microUSB port, a rear fingerprint sensor, and ColorOS 6.0.1 based on Android 9 Pie out of the box. All in all, it’s your average mid-range smartphone.

But the Realme 5i’s biggest selling point would be its asking price. Looking at FPTShop’s listing of the device, the 5i will supposedly retail for 4,290,000 Vietnamese dong, which comes up to about RM760. That’s a reasonably inexpensive price tag, but it may not reflect the pricing of the phone in Malaysia.

See, the Realme 5 is considered to be a higher-end offering compared to the Realme 5i, but the former costs only RM599 for the 64GB model with 3GB of RAM. The 128GB variant of the Realme 5 with 4GB of RAM, on the other hand, goes for RM799.

Chances are, the Realme 5i will cost less than the Realme 5 once it is launched in Malaysia, especially if its rumoured list of hardware are accurate. Nonetheless, we’ll find out exactly how much the upcoming phone will cost come 6 January 2020, where it will make its debut in Vietnam.


This Could Be the Pixel 4A, and It Has a Hole-Punch Display

The
Google Pixel 4
 series may not have met the expectations of folks, but it seems like things are looking better for the (supposed) Pixel 4A. 91Mobiles, in collaboration with prominent leaker OnLeaks, published renders of
what the Pixel 4A could look like
. Compared to the Pixel 4, the more budget-friendly 4A is noticeably a lot sleeker.

This is thanks to the lack of bezels at the top of the display, which is said to be 5.7-inch or 5.8-inch in size. Instead, the Pixel 4A has a hole-punch cutout at the top left corner of the screen. The result? A much more modern-looking smartphone, though some would argue it looks generic and iterative.

Given the absence of the thick bezel at the top of the screen that the Pixel 4 had, there’s a good chance the Pixel 4A won’t come with Motion Sense; a feature enabled by Google’s Project Soli. After all, the sheer size of the Pixel 4’s top bezel was necessary to house the Motion Sense radar chip.

And of course, there’s also the fact that the Pixel 4A – if Google is even considering to release such a device – is meant to be budget-friendly. In order to drive down the price of the smartphone, we wouldn’t be surprised if Motion Sense is cut.

Plus, it’s not exactly a “killer feature” to begin with. We reckon most consumers won’t miss it.

Anyway, the unofficial renders also show off other rumoured details of the Pixel 4A, including a single rear camera. Despite not having the second camera sensor of the Pixel 4, the renders suggest that Google will still stick with the square camera module. Apparently, the module will house “more sensors,” though OnLeaks didn’t get into much detail beyond that.

Also of note is the return of the 3.5mm headphone jack at the top of the Pixel 4A, along with the same orange-accented power button found on the Pixel 4. On the back, there’s also a physical fingerprint sensor, so there is a chance Face Unlock won’t be available on the 4A. After all, the Pixel 4 doesn’t have any fingerprint sensor, relying exclusively on facial recognition for its biometric security.

These are interesting details on a possible Pixel 4A, though it’s worth noting that we still don’t know if the phone is in development or not. Granted, OnLeaks does have a good track record of being accurate in the past, so we’ll just have to wait and see. If the Pixel 4A is really happening, it could be announced sometime in May this year at Google I/O 2020.


Laptop Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Laptop for Students

Shopping for a brand new laptop can be a tough task, given the sheer amount of choices available in the market now. If you’re a student on a tight budget, it gets even harder; it’s not easy to find for an affordable laptop that also offers good feature set for students.

But just because you’re limited by budget doesn’t mean you’ll have to settle for a sub-par laptop. In a bid to make the shopping experience easier for you students out there, this buyer’s guide will highlight what you need to prioritise when shopping for a shiny new laptop to get your assignments done.

It Has to Be Affordable, But Not
Too
 Affordable

Granted, different individuals have their own definition of what “affordable” really is, so here’s a general rule of thumb: any laptop below the RM3,000 mark is deemed affordable. Of course, the lower you can go, the better! But you have to be careful about not looking
too
 far down the price range.

How far down is too far? Well, full-fledged laptops below the RM2,000 price point are usually not that great. Sure, these machines will work as intended, but if you want a pleasant user experience, it’s best to spend a few hundred more now than regret later.

See, laptops in this price range usually compromise on many crucial aspects, including processing power, RAM capacity, and
especially
 the type of storage you’re getting. The bottom line is, it’s simply not worth the headache just to save a couple hundred ringgit. Unless…these sub-RM2,000 laptops can still fulfill the following criteria, though they usually cannot.

Good Processing Power

When you’re going through the spec sheet of any laptop, look for an Intel Core i5 processor – from the U series family – as the bare minimum. Also, make sure it’s (at the very least) from the 8th Gen family. Compared to their 7th Gen counterparts, the newer 8th Gen Core i5 chips from the U series now come with four cores instead of only two. The extra two cores will offer noticeable performance gain.

What about graphics card? Generally, you don’t need a dedicated GPU for most productivity tasks; the integrated graphics from the processor will suffice. Plus, having a beefy GPU would only drive up the price of any given laptop.

SSD Storage & Good RAM Capacity

Now this is the reason why we’re looking for laptops above the RM2,000 mark. Regardless of your usage scenario as a student, always,
always
 get a laptop with an SSD storage; never get a machine with only a hard disk drive as the main storage solution. Trust us, an SSD makes
a ton of difference
. Programs open quicker, you get faster loading times, and the laptop itself will feel far more responsive.

Never get a laptop with only HDD storage

On top of that, look at how much RAM the laptop comes with out of the box. Ideally, you want at least 8GB of RAM for the best usage experience. The more RAM you have, the more applications you can have opened at the same time, among other benefits.

Thin & Light Design

Can you imagine lugging around a thick, heavy laptop wherever you go? Students are usually always on the go, so it’s essential to get a laptop that is both thin and light. Shop for laptops that weigh as little as possible while still sticking to the sub-RM3,000 budget. Less than 1.5kg is ideal, and it’ll be great if they’re also thinner than, say, 15mm.

Essential Software for Students

Chances are, you’ll need a number of important applications as a student, and no software is quite as essential as Microsoft Office. Whether you need to work on a lengthy assignment on Word, familiarise yourself with Excel’s range of formulas, or prepare for a presentation with PowerPoint, having Microsoft Office on your laptop is a godsend.

Unfortunately, not many laptops come with the full version of Office applications. While most are pre-installed with the software, you’ll need to purchase it in order to gain full access. Needless to say, this will cost you quite a bit.

Is There Any Laptop That Fulfill These Criteria?

As a matter of fact, there is: enter the Acer Swift 3. Not only is it an affordable laptop with great value for money, it also comes with an activated copy of Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019 pre-installed worth a whopping RM529. This gives you
lifetime access
to the full version of the application, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Naturally, the Swift 3 also fulfills all of the criteria mentioned above. It comes with a Core i5-8265U quad-core processor paired with 8GB of RAM, a generous 512GB SSD storage, a 14-inch 1080p IPS display, and tipping the scales at only 1.35kg, it’s a lightweight laptop. It also has a pretty slim chassis, measuring only 14.9mm thin.

As an added bonus, you can even purchase a variant of the Swift 3 with a dedicated GPU in the form of the Nvidia GeForce MX250. If you plan to play popular games like Dota 2 and Fortnite on the side, this GPU can definitely manage.

More importantly, the Swift 3 is a very affordable laptop. The base model with UHD Graphics 620 retails at only RM2,399, while the MX250 model costs merely RM2,699. Beyond the choice of GPU, other specifications of these two models are exactly the same. Did we mention this laptop also comes with a two-year local warranty?

Thanks to its great value for money, generous storage capacity, and portable nature (not to mention having full access to Microsoft Office), the Acer Swift 3 is definitely the ideal laptop for many students. If you’d like to learn more about the Swift 3, head on to
Acer’s official website
.

Disclosure: This article is sponsored by Acer Malaysia.


The New Dell XPS 13 Features a Sexy 16:10 InfinityEdge Display With No Chin Bezel

Ahead of CES 2020, Dell just introduced the latest iteration of its premium laptop. Meet the new Dell XPS 13, and it’s sleeker than ever. Unlike most Windows-based productivity laptops in the market now, the XPS 13 features a taller 16:10 screen, with no bottom bezel to boot.

That’s right, Dell’s signature InfinityEdge bezel-less display on the XPS 13 is now extended to all four sides of the screen, lending to a very sleek, modern-looking laptop. As mentioned, it’s no longer sporting a 16:9 display either, opting instead for a 16:10 screen.

Why is Dell going with a 16:10 display? Well, it makes sense for a productivity-focused laptop like the XPS 13 to have this kind of screen. In fact, all modern MacBooks come with this very aspect ratio. Unlike 16:9 screens, 16:10 displays are slightly taller, so you get more vertical space.

Say you’re reading an article on the XPS 13: having a taller display allows more of the article to be shown at any one point. Basically, any workflow that involves a lot of scrolling will benefit from the 16:10 screen, and it’s great to see that Dell is going with this direction for the XPS 13.

As for the display itself, it’s now a slightly larger 13.4-inch screen – the previous model
had a smaller 13.3-inch panel
. Just like its predecessor, there are also three screen options: the top-of-the-line model comes with a sharp 3840 x 2400 touch display, while the more affordable models feature a 1920 x 1200 touch or non-touch screen.

If you’re wondering, yes, the webcam is still placed at the top of the screen right in the middle. To make things even better, it even comes with Windows Hello support now, which is quite impressive for such a tiny camera module. If facial recognition isn’t quite your thing, you’ll be happy to know that the power button still doubles as a fingerprint sensor.

In terms of processing power, the new XPS 13 can be configured with an Intel Core i3-1005G1, Core i5-1035G1, or Core i7-1065G7 processor paired with up to 32GB of on-board RAM and a whopping 2TB PCIe SSD. Not surprisingly, there’s no dedicated GPU either; it only comes with Intel UHD Graphics or Iris Plus Graphics, depending on your choice of processor.

Unfortunately, port selection of the XPS 13 remains rather limited. Oddly enough, it even loses out on a USB-C 3.1 connection, so this premium laptop only comes with two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 support now. Thankfully, there’s still a microSD card reader, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a USB-C to USB-A adapter bundled with the laptop.

Design wise, the XPS 13 is still a very premium-looking laptop. Just like its predecessors, the palm rest area of the silver model is covered with carbon fibre composite, while the white version features a woven glass fibre finish. Interestingly, the keyboard now stretches edge-to-edge, allowing the keys to be 9% larger.

But it’s worth noting that the new XPS 13’s keyboard doesn’t have as much key travel anymore. The previous model’s keyboard offered 1.3mm of key travel, but the new laptop only has 1mm of travel. For context, that’s the same amount of travel the new 16-inch MacBook Pro’s keyboard offers, which feels
pretty shallow in my experience
.

Granted, I haven’t had the opportunity to try out the XPS 13’s keyboard for myself yet, so it’s only fair to reserve judgment until I’ve tried typing on the new keyboard. But given the limited amount of key travel, I’m not particularly optimistic it’ll be able to provide a pleasant typing experience.

On a brighter note, at least the glass Precision trackpad is now 17% larger. Navigating with the trackpad should be more comfortable with a bigger surface area to work with.

Battery life is important for a productivity laptop like the XPS 13, and traditionally, it fares really well in this regard. However, Dell is still using a 52WHr battery with the new model, and the quoted battery life is lower now: it’s said to last up to 19 hours instead of the previous model’s lofty 21 hours estimate.

Of course, 19 hours of usage is still very impressive, but manufacturers’ estimates rarely line up with real life usage. Regardless, I’ll definitely put the XPS 13’s battery life to the test once it’s available for review. I’m especially interested to see if the 4K model can return better battery life
than its predecessor
.

The new Dell XPS 13 will be available in the US, UK, France, Germany, and Sweden from 7 January 2020 onwards; other regions will only receive the laptop sometime in February next month. As for pricing, the regular Windows 10 model retails from $1,000 (about RM4,085), while the XPS 13 Developer Edition – it runs on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS – starts at $1,200 (approximately RM4,905). The latter will be available in US, Canada, and several European countries from 4 February.


Level51 Vapor 15 Pro Review: My (Almost) Perfect Gaming Laptop

For the longest time, I’ve been looking for the “perfect” gaming laptop that suits my needs. It must come with a fast display, a capable GPU, good battery life (to double as a productivity machine), and most importantly, it has to be in a compact form factor. Well, one such laptop that fulfills all of my requirements is this one right here: the Level51 Vapor 15 Pro.

Needless to say, I was more than excited to put the Vapor 15 Pro through its paces. After spending a few weeks with this laptop, I’m more than happy to say that it really does live up to my expectations. However, it is by no means faultless – there are a couple of things the Vapor 15 Pro could still improve upon.

Specifications

Display
15.6-inch 144Hz FHD IPS (1920 x 1080)
Processor
Intel Core i7-9750H (2.6GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4.5GHz, 12MB cache)
GPU
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB GDDR6 VRAM
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q 8GB GDDR6 VRAM
RAM
16GB DDR4
Storage
512GB M.2 NVMe SSD
Camera
IR webcam with Windows Hello support
Battery
94WHr
Dimensions
356.4 x 233.66 x 20.5 mm
Weight
1.87kg
Audio
Bottom-firing stereo speakers
Ports
1x USB 3.1 Type-C (Thunderbolt 3)
3x USB 3.1 Type-A
1x HDMI 2.0
1x SD card reader
1x RJ45
Price
RM5,999 (GTX 1660 Ti), RM7,499 (RTX 2070 Max-Q)

Design

Gaming laptops are usually “loud” with aggressive styling and striking colours, but that’s not the case at all with the Vapor 15 Pro. In fact, if you switch off the illumination of the RGB keyboard and light strip right beneath the trackpad, you’ve got a laptop that won’t look out of place in a professional setting.

On top of that, I’m a big fan of the Vapor 15 Pro’s completely blank and unblemished top lid. Not only is it free of any branding, it gives the gaming laptop a very understated, minimalist design. Of course, if you so desire, you can easily personalise the lid with your own customisations. It’s basically a blank canvas.

But the absolute best design element of the Vapor 15 Pro – to me, at least – is its sheer portability. Compared to other 15-inch gaming laptops in the market now, this notebook is a lot more compact, thanks to its minimal bezels on all four sides of the screen.

To put into context just how small the Vapor 15 Pro’s footprint is, I’ve compared it to my own 14-inch Lenovo ThinkPad T480s. Admittedly, the latter isn’t the most portable productivity laptop, but the Level51 laptop is only a tad wider than the T480s – that’s impressive.

The bottom bezel is smaller than most gaming laptops

It’s also worth noting that the Vapor 15 Pro is a lightweight, slim gaming laptop. It measures only 20.5mm thin, and it tips the scales at an impressive 1.87kg. Given that this machine has an absolutely generous 94WHr battery, I’m surprised it’s as light as it is.

So how is the Vapor 15 Pro so lightweight despite the huge battery capacity? Well, its chassis is made out magnesium alloy, which is a lot lighter than the aluminium chassis of other gaming laptops. Not only is it a lightweight material, it gives this laptop robust build quality too.

In terms of connectivity, the Vapor 15 Pro is very complete. On the back, there’s an HDMI output, a USB-C port with Thunderbolt 3 support, as well as an RJ45 jack. Either sides of the laptop, on the other hand, house three USB-A ports, a microphone jack, a headphone jack, and even an increasingly rare SD card slot.

Overall, I love the minimalist, compact design of the Vapor 15 Pro. Its lightweight nature and slim profile also make it easy to lug around, which is not something you can say of many other gaming laptops.

User Experience

Let’s start with something that you’ll either love or hate: the Vapor 15 Pro’s mechanical keyboard. On paper, this keyboard offers 2mm of key travel, which sounds great. However, once you start typing on it, you may not be quite fond of the typing experience.

Unlike the tactility of normal laptop keyboards with rubber dome constructions, the mechanical switches of the Vapor 15 Pro’s keyboard don’t offer the same “bounce” or feedback. It doesn’t have very pronounced tactile feedback, and coupled with the light actuation force of the keys, you will bottom out quite often.

Personally, I don’t quite mind the typing experience of this mechanical keyboard. I’m used to keyboards with lighter actuation forces, so I feel right at home with the Vapor 15 Pro; the long 2mm key travel is also very nice. Even though it doesn’t have fantastic tactile feedback, I can definitely type comfortably on this keyboard for long periods of time.

And then there’s the trackpad of the Vapor 15 Pro. Generally, it’s a relatively accurate trackpad, but I do have a couple of issues with it. For one, the build quality isn’t particularly great, feeling “loose” and wobbly whenever I tap lightly on the surface.

Besides that, throughout my time with the laptop, the trackpad would occasionally become unresponsive. While it usually fixes itself after a couple of minutes (a quick restart works too), it’s an oddity that’s worth pointing out. Given that this only happens occasionally, I suspect it’s a software issue.

Anyway, let’s move on to more positive aspects of the Vapor 15 Pro, such as its incredibly long battery life. Thanks to its large 94WHr battery, I was getting between seven to eight hours of use
consistently
 on a single charge. This is
very
good battery life for a gaming laptop.

Of course, when I was testing the battery life, I wasn’t doing any gaming on this laptop. Instead, I was using it like a productivity laptop, with lots of web browsing, writing, and content consumption. I also set the power mode to power saver and dimmed the display to a comfortable level to maximise battery life.

Speaking of display, the Vapor 15 Pro’s 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080 IPS screen with a fast 144Hz refresh rate is pleasant to look at and game on. It is bright, colours pop, and viewing angles are more than good enough. The high refresh rate also makes everything look extra smooth and fluid, especially when I’m gaming.

Given the relatively thin chassis of the Vapor 15 Pro, I expected the system noise to be quite pronounced; the cooling solution has only so much room to work with. Unfortunately, the fans do get quite loud when the laptop is running demanding games, so you may want to put on headphones when you’re gaming on this machine.

The good news? It’s whisper quiet when I’m using the Vapor 15 Pro as my work laptop. Whether I’m writing a long review or bingeing on the latest Netflix series, the fans never make themselves heard in situations outside of gaming, and that’s a very good thing.

Thermals of this gaming laptop is quite good too. While the palm rest area does get warmer when I’m running demanding games, it never gets to the point where it is too hot to the touch. Rest assured, you can still game comfortably on this laptop in extended gaming sessions.

All in all, I enjoy using the Vapor 15 Pro as my daily driver. It has long battery life, the fast display is a joy to game and work on, and while its mechanical keyboard may not appeal to some folks, I really quite like it.

Performance

There are two variants of the Vapor 15 Pro for the Malaysian market, and only the GPU differentiates the two models. There’s the GTX 1660 Ti variant (the one I’m reviewing here), and the higher-end RTX 2070 Max-Q model. Both GPUs are paired to a fast Core i7-9750H CPU.

Now, even though the GTX 1660 Ti doesn’t sound quite as impressive as the RTX 2070, it’s still a very capable GPU that can return respectable gaming performance. Judge for yourself with the results below.

Games (Max settings @ 1080p)
Average FPS
Witcher 3 (HairWorks disabled)
59.18
Borderlands 3 (DX11)
46.92
Fortnite (DX11)
90.09
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
77.92

Looking at these results, the GTX 1660 Ti’s performance isn’t very different than, say, the higher-end RTX 2060 GPU found in the
Acer Predator Triton 500
. Granted, you’re not getting RTX-specific features like ray tracing with the GTX 1660 Ti, but hey, it still provides comparable frame rate.

Yes, the frame rate at which these games run on the Vapor 15 Pro don’t exactly make full use of the laptop’s fast 144Hz display, but I was testing them at maxed out settings. If you want better frame rate, you can do so by just tweaking the graphics settings.

Competition

This GTX 1660 Ti variant of the Vapor 15 Pro retails at RM5,999, while the RTX 2070 Max-Q goes for RM7,499. Without a doubt these are steep price tags, and there are a number of noteworthy alternatives to this laptop at this price range.

Illegear Onyx Pro

Just like the Vapor 15 Pro, the
Illegear Onyx Pro
 is a slim and light gaming laptop, weighing only 1.55kg with an 18mm thin chassis. On top of that, both laptops are pretty similar in terms of dimensions too, with the Onyx Pro being ever so slightly wider and taller.

But unlike the Vapor 15 Pro, the Onyx Pro (by default) ships with an even faster 240Hz 15.6-inch 1080p screen with an RTX 2060 GPU. This particular variant retails at RM6,499, and upgrading the GPU to a more powerful RTX 2070 Max-P card drives up the price to RM7,598.

While that’s quite a bit more money than what the Vapor 15 Pro costs, you’re getting good value for money with the Onyx Pro. Not only is the 240Hz display more impressive than the 144Hz screen of the former, you’re getting more powerful GPU options too, along with the same Core i7-9750H processor, 512GB of RAM, and 16GB of RAM.

It’s also worth noting that you can even upgrade the Onyx Pro’s display to a sharper 4K AMOLED panel for RM799 more; Level51 doesn’t offer the same customisation.

That being said, there is one area where the Vapor 15 Pro is superior: battery life. Given that the Illegear Onyx Pro only has a 63WHr battery and a more power-hungry 240Hz screen, it wouldn’t be able to match the Vapor 15 Pro’s impressive battery life, thanks to its far bigger 94WHr cell.

Acer Predator Triton 500

While it’s not quite as compact as the Vapor 15 Pro, the
Acer Predator Triton 500
 is a much slimmer gaming laptop. With a chassis that’s only 17.9mm thin, the Triton 500 also features a Core i7-9750H processor paired with 16GB of RAM, a fast 144Hz 15.6-inch 1080p IPS display, GPU options that include  RTX 2060 and RTX 2070 GPUs, 512GB of SSD storage, as well as
respectable battery life
.

However, the Triton 500 is also a costlier machine. The Core i7-9750H model with an RTX 2060 GPU retails at RM6,999, while the RTX 2070 option with the same CPU goes for RM7,999. Evidently, you need to pay a premium for the slim chassis of the Triton 500, though it’s worth noting that Acer’s offering already comes with an activated copy of Windows 10 Home.

Oh, right. Both the Level51 Vapor 15 Pro and Illegear Onyx Pro only come with a trial edition of Windows 10. You need to add RM439 to get Windows 10 Home for the Onyx Pro, and RM479 for the Vapor 15 Pro.

Conclusion

The Level51 Vapor 15 Pro is not the fastest gaming laptop in the market now, and neither does it offer the best value for money. But it is still my favourite gaming laptop for its sheer portability, long battery life, and very respectable performance.

To me, this combination makes the Vapor 15 Pro almost the perfect gaming laptop, and it is legitimately one of very few gaming machines that I will gladly use as my daily driver. The only thing that would’ve made it even better if it was more affordable, but that is wishful thinking: a premium laptop of this calibre demands an equally premium price tag.

So if you want a gaming laptop with long battery life in a compact form factor, look no further than the Level51 Vapor 15 Pro. As far as I know, it is the only laptop in the market now that offers such a package.


The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite Is Here, but There’s Nothing “Lite” About It

After many leaks and rumours, the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite is finally introduced. Now, don’t be fooled by its “Lite” moniker: this is actually a pretty capable smartphone that can take on other flagship-tier devices in the current market.

Just like its regular
Galaxy S10 siblings
 – at least, those in the US market – the Galaxy S10 Lite features a fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset. Granted, this is last year’s flagship chipset, but there’s no denying the high level of performance this SoC offers.

Besides the high-end chipset, the Galaxy S10 Lite also has a new design language taken from the
Samsung Galaxy Note 10
 series. That’s right, it has an Infinity-O Display with a hole-punch cutout at the top of the screen right in the middle. In our opinion, we like the position of the cutout: it gives the phone a symmetrical look.

On top of that, Samsung made sure to mention that the Galaxy S10 Lite has a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED
Plus
 screen with a resolution of 2400 x 1080. According to the Korean company, this Plus panel “creates ergonomic design with thin and light display panel by adopting flexible OLED technology.”

While it seems to suggest that the Galaxy S10 Lite has a flexible, curved OLED panel of sorts, the render images don’t quite show this. If we didn’t know any better, we’d assume it’s just a regular, flat OLED screen.

Anyway, let’s move on to the camera department, and it’s quite an interesting change. Unlike other Galaxy S10 smartphones, the S10 Lite sports a triple camera system on the back arranged in a square module. It’s made up of a 48MP f/2.0 “Super Steady OIS AF” primary shooter, a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle sensor, and a 5MP f/2.4 macro lens.

That’s right, it doesn’t have a telephoto lens like the
Galaxy S10+
 and S10 models, opting instead for a macro shooter in its place. It’s a curious change, and we’re excited to see how the triple camera configuration would perform. As for the front-facing camera, it’s a 32MP f/2.2 unit.

Rounding out the specifications of the Galaxy S10 Lite include 6GB or 8GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, a generous 4,500mAh battery, and Android 10 out of the box.

Unfortunately, there’s no word yet on the price and availability of the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite, though the company did say it will be offered “at an accessible price point.” The new smartphone will be on display at CES 2020 next week, and it’s available in three colour options: Prism Blue, Prism White, and Prism Black.


Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite Offers the S Pen at a Lower Price Point

Unveiled alongside the new
Galaxy S10 Lite
 is none other than the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite. Just like its name suggests, the latest Note device offers the utility of the S Pen at a lower price point, along with the same design language as the higher-end
Galaxy Note 10
 smartphones.

Much like the S10 Lite, the Galaxy Note 10 Lite has a similarly-sized 6.7-inch 1080p Super AMOLED Infinity-O Display with a hole-punch cutout at the top of the screen in the middle. Going by the official spec sheet by Samsung, the Note 10 Lite does not have the exact same Super AMOLED Plus display of the S10 Lite, though it remains to be seen just how different the two screens are.

Besides that, the Galaxy Note 10 Lite also comes with the series’ indispensable S Pen. However, this stylus is more similar to the Galaxy Note 9’s S Pen than the latest Note 10. While the Lite model’s S Pen still features Bluetooth connectivity (allowing you to use it as a remote), it doesn’t have the Note 10’s Air Actions gesture controls.

Speaking of the Note 9, the Galaxy Note 10 Lite also shares the same Samsung Exynos 9810 chipset as the former. It’s a curious decision, given that the S10 Lite ships with a more powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset. In comparison, the Exynos 9810 is two whole generations behind the Snapdragon 855; that’s quite a noteworthy (excuse the pun) difference.

Anyway, at least the triple camera configuration of the Galaxy Note 10 Lite is more versatile than the one found in the Note 9. The new Note device features a 12MP f/1.7 primary shooter with Dual Pixel AF and optical image stabilisation, a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle sensor, and a 12MP f/2.4 telephoto lens with OIS.

While the Note 10 Lite doesn’t get the S10 Lite’s 48MP main sensor and macro lens, some may prefer the versatility of the Note’s three focal lengths, though we’d really prefer whichever camera configuration that can take the best-looking shots. The phone’s front-facing camera, on the other hand, is a 32MP f/2.2 shooter.

Other specifications of the Galaxy Note 10 Lite include a generous 4,500mAh battery – that’s even bigger than the higher-end Note 10+’s 4,300mAh cell – 6GB or 8GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, and Android 10 out of the box.

Not surprisingly, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite’s price and availability have not been disclosed yet, much like how it is with the Galaxy S10 Lite. Nonetheless, expect it to cost less than the flagship Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ phones, and it will be offered in three colour options: Aura Glow, Aura Black, and a striking Aura Red colourway.


Samsung Unveiling Its Next Flagship Smartphones on 11 February; 120Hz Displays in Tow?

The first wave of flagship smartphones for 2020 is coming soon, and as usual, Samsung is one of the earliest to announce its latest flagship devices. In fact, the Korean company’s next Galaxy Unpacked event is
set for next month on 11 February
, and we can expect more than one product to be introduced then.

Not surprisingly, like its previous invites for Unpacked events, not much is revealed from the teaser. Only two…square blocks are shown in the video, spelling out the Galaxy branding. Samsung also mentioned that it will “unveil new, innovative devices that will shape the next decade of mobile experiences,” so we’ll likely see the unveiling of quite a number of devices at the event.

Even though the teaser is very vague, many suspect that the first square is a nod to the next Galaxy S’ camera module. Previous leaks have shown that the successor to the Galaxy S10 – which will either be called the S11 or S20, as odd as that may be – will come with a square camera module. Very similar to the design of the
Galaxy S10 Lite
 and
Note 10 Lite
‘s camera sensors, in fact.

What about the second square? Well, that particular one is said to be none other than the
Motorola Razr
-esque Galaxy Fold 2; the rendering by Max J. below certainly make these speculations seem plausible. Given that the Fold 2 will supposedly come with a glass display, it’s really quite an interesting device.

The
#GalaxyUnpacked
 promo material reimagined!
pic.twitter.com/RoP4xKgEDq
— Max J. (@Samsung_News_)
January 4, 2020

Alleged leak of the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 (Image credit:
王奔宏
)

Besides the announcement of the launch date, renowned leaker Ice Universe also gave some details on the upcoming Galaxy S smartphones. Just like last year, as many as three S devices will be introduced: a standard model, a Plus variant, and lastly, an “Ultra” version.

Other than the name change (there’s no “e” device like the Galaxy S10e), there’s also the refresh rate of the devices’ displays. If Ice Universe is accurate, all three Galaxy S smartphones will feature fast 120Hz screens. It’s quite an attractive upgrade, given that 120Hz refresh rate on smartphone displays still remain relatively rare.

Galaxy
   S
120Hz
   S
120Hz
   +
   S
120Hz
 Ultra
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce)
January 5, 2020

This is how the Galaxy S11 / S20 could look like (Image credit:
91Mobiles
)

Based on these details, Samsung’s Unpacked event on 11 February next month is shaping up to be a rather exciting launch; even more so than last year’s Unpacked.


Asus Announces a Ludicrous 360Hz Gaming Monitor for esports With “Advanced” G-Sync

CES 2020 is in full swing tomorrow, and one of the most exciting products announced before the trade show opens its doors is the Asus ROG Swift 360Hz. As its name suggests, this is a gaming monitor with an incredibly fast 360Hz refresh rate. Needless to say, this display is made for esports.

Developed in collaboration with Nvidia, Asus’ ROG Swift 360Hz monitor naturally comes with G-Sync support. Not just regular G-Sync: it features an “advanced” G-Sync processor, though it’s not very clear exactly what it brings to the table.

So let’s talk about the 360Hz refresh rate of this gaming monitor. To put into context just how fast this panel is, it’s (technically) 50% faster than 240Hz monitors; that’s quite a noteworthy difference. On top of that, the 360Hz refresh rate also offers better “motion clarity, smoothness, and responsiveness,” as Asus puts it.

Given its ridiculously high refresh rate, the Swift 360Hz’s resolution is limited to only 1920 x 1080, which is more than good enough for its intended purpose. After all, only selected graphics card can push more than 360 frames per second in certain games, and most of them are competitive titles like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Overwatch.

Since it is focused on esports, it’s no surprise that the ROG Swift 360Hz isn’t an awfully big gaming monitor, measuring only 24.5 inches diagonally. While some folks may want a larger screen, a 24.5-inch panel should still be sizeable enough for comfortable competitive play.

Speaking of which, neither Asus nor Nvidia detailed the exact specifications of the panel used in the Swift 360Hz. But given the high 360Hz refresh rate, we reckon it is using a TN display. While an IPS or VA panel would provide better viewing angles and more punchy colours than a TN screen, we doubt either one of the screen technologies can hit 360Hz.

Design wise, the Swift 360Hz doesn’t look all that different from other Asus ROG gaming monitors. The back of the monitor has an illuminated ROG logo – presumably with RGB lighting – the stand is aggressively styled (complete with illumination at the base), and there’s intuitive joystick control to navigate the on-screen display (OSD).

The Asus ROG Swift 360Hz will be shown off at CES 2020, though the price and availability of this gaming monitor have not been revealed yet. Nonetheless, expect to pay a premium for a monitor of this calibre.


AMD’s 7nm Ryzen 4000 Mobile CPUs Bring the Fight to Intel

At CES 2020, AMD unveiled its new 7nm Ryzen 4000 series of mobile processors, and they are pretty darn impressive. Not only are they fabricated on a 7nm process – making them more power-efficient than Intel’s offerings – the performance level of these new chips are said to be superior too.

The new Ryzen 4000 processors are divided into two categories: 15W and 45W TDP. The former, which are dubbed U-series, will be found in productivity-focused laptops, while the 45W H-series processors are made for gaming notebooks. Notice how AMD’s naming convention matches that of Intel’s equivalent mobile processors.

Let’s start with the 15W chips. As many as five different processors are available across the most affordable Ryzen 3 4300U chip to the highest-end Ryzen 7 4800U. According to AMD, the latter is the first processor in the market to offer an eight-core, 16-thread design for ultraportable laptops.

Performance level of the Ryzen 7 4800U is particularly impressive too. Against the comparable Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor, AMD’s offering is 4% better in single-thread performance, 90% faster in multi-thread tasks, and even the integrated graphics perform 28% better in 3DMark’s Time Spy synthetic benchmark.

As for the Ryzen 4000 series in general, the fact that they’re 7nm chips give them an edge when it comes to power consumption. AMD claims that the new processors are twice as power-efficient compared to their predecessors, which were built on a 12nm process.

And then there are the 45W chips, consisting of the Ryzen 5 4600H, Ryzen 7 4800H, and the Asus-exclusive Ryzen 7 4800HS. Basically, the 4800HS offers similar performance as the 4800H, but in a 35W envelope, making it more power-efficient. However, it’s worth noting that even the regular 4800H’s TDP can be set to 35W, so the difference between the two chips isn’t crystal clear.

But what
is
 made clear is Asus’ exclusivity on the Ryzen 7 4800HS processor that’s used in the recently announced Asus ROG Zephyrus G14. The Taiwanese company will be the only manufacturer that can use this particular naming / chip for the first six months. After that, other laptop makers are free to use it.

So how does AMD’s H-series processors compare to Intel’s counterpart? Well, looking at AMD’s own benchmarks, very favourably. The chipmaker compare the Ryzen 7 4800H chip to Intel’s Core i7-9750H processor (which are found in most gaming laptops right now), and the 4800H performs 39% better in 3DMark’s FireStrike Physics test.

Processing power of the Ryzen 7 4800H is said to be better than the Core i7-9750H as well. The former is 5% better in single-thread performance, and it’s also 46% faster in multi-thread tasks. Evidently, the 4800H looks to be a very capable chip, not to mention the fact that it’s also 7nm in size, compared to the 14nm i7-9750H.

Expect laptops featuring AMD’s new Ryzen 4000 processors to hit the market in the next few months. If you’re in the market for a new productivity laptop or gaming machine, you may want to wait for the arrival of notebooks with the new chips – they’re very promising.


The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Is a Compact 14″ RTX 2060 Gaming Laptop With Unique LED Dot-Matrix Lid

Asus is usually relatively quiet during CES 2020, but
that’s not the case at all
 this year. Among the slew of new products unveiled at the trade show is the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, a 14-inch gaming laptop running on AMD’s latest Ryzen 4000 processor and Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 2060 GPU. Without a doubt this is a powerful gaming laptop in a compact form factor.

What makes the ROG Zephyrus G14 particularly interesting is the fact that this is, again, a compact 14-inch gaming laptop. Measuring only 17.9mm thin with a 1.6kg chassis, this is a lightweight, slim machine as well. Really, the compact form factor and portable nature of this gaming laptop is one of its best selling points.

In a market where such a powerful notebook practically doesn’t exist in this size anymore, the G14 is a very unique product; there’s no other gaming laptop quite like it.

Oh, there’s also the LED dot-matrix display on the lid of the Zephyrus G14 dubbed “AniMe Matrix,” giving it a one of a kind aesthetic. You can display GIFs, build custom animations, or even type text messages on the display. It’s a nice personalisation tool, though some may think it’s a gimmick. If you think so, don’t worry: the AniMe Matrix a completely optional feature.

Of course, this being a 14-inch laptop means you’ll be missing out on a larger display, though we imagine there will be folks who are completely fine with the Zephyrus G14’s 14-inch screen. Three panel options are available for the laptop: a standard 1080p display, a faster 120Hz screen of the same resolution, or a sharper 1440p panel with a standard 60Hz refresh rate.

It’s also worth noting that regardless of which display you’re getting with the Zephyrus G14, they are all Pantone Validated. Thanks to this certification, you should get good colour accuracy, and the screens will be able to cover 100% of the sRGB colour space. Interestingly, all three display options support Adaptive Sync too, though this is only available with the Ryzen 4000 processor’s integrated Radeon graphics.

Speaking of which, the Zephyrus G14 can be configured with the recently announced
Ryzen 7 4800HS chip
. Based on early benchmarks of the CPU from AMD, the 4800HS is noticeably more powerful than the comparable Intel Core i7-9750H chipset. On top of that, the Ryzen 7 4800HS is also a 7nm chip, which is more power-efficient than the 12nm i7-9750H.

Gaming laptops don’t usually have great battery life, but Asus is promising up to 10 hours of usage on a single charge with the Zephyrus G14. Again, this can be attributed to the power efficiency of the 7nm processor powering this laptop, not to mention its relatively generous 76WHr battery.

While Asus did not reveal GPU options available for the Zephyrus G14, the company did mention the most powerful GPU the laptop can be configured with is an RTX 2060 graphics card. It may “only” be the most affordable GPU with ray tracing, but it will have no issue running most – if not all – modern games with high frame rate.

While the Zephyrus G14 looks to be a very promising, compact gaming laptop, it does have its fair share of shortcomings. For one, it doesn’t come with a webcam, despite the fact that there’s more than enough space at the top bezel to squeeze one in. On top of that, it would’ve been great if the bottom bezel was more minimal.

Nonetheless, other specifications of the Zephyrus G14 are befitting of a premium gaming laptop. It comes with up to 32GB of DDR4 3200MHz RAM, up to 1TB of fast M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD, and a fingerprint sensor underneath the power button; this is said to be the first ROG laptop with such a feature.

Connectivity options of this gaming laptop is decent too. It has two full-size USB-A ports, two USB-C connections, an HDMI 2.0b output, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Interestingly, you can charge up the Zephyrus G14 with the laptop’s USB-C port, but you’ll still need to plug in the normal 180W barrel connector to get maximum performance.

Unfortunately, Asus has yet to reveal exactly how much the ROG Zephyrus G14 would cost, though it did say the laptop will be offered at a price “that brings gaming to an even wider audience.” Hopefully, it wouldn’t cost
too much
, even if slim, lightweight (and portable) gaming laptops usually don’t come cheap.

As for availability, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 will hit the market sometime in March 2020, while the AniMe Matrix model will follow suit in the month that follows. You can get the G14 in two colour options: Moonlight White and Eclipse Grey.


Microsoft Surface Pro X Malaysian Pre-Order Starts at RM4,599 – Should You Get It?

Microsoft just confirmed the Malaysian availability of its latest tablet, the Microsoft Surface Pro X. Set to go on pre-order tomorrow on 9 January, the ARM-based Windows tablet will retail from RM4,599 in Malaysia. Needless to say, that’s quite a hefty price tag, so should you get it?

Well, if all you want is a Windows system to do some light work on, you may be happy with the Surface Pro X’s slim form factor and sleek design. But if you need to do more “serious” work on the machine that requires a number of applications to work seamlessly…maybe not.

Here’s the thing: as the Surface Pro X is an ARM-based Windows tablet, app compatibility is an issue with the machine. In order to run apps made for Windows, the Pro X relies on emulation. Even then it is only limited to 32-bit x86 programs.

On top of that, performance is also not fantastic on the Surface Pro X. Not only is it running Windows apps in an emulation layer, it’s also only powered by the Microsoft SQ1 processor, which is a custom variant of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx chip. It pales in comparison to, say, the performance level of the Intel Core i5-1035G4 processor found in the
Surface Pro 7
.

Nonetheless, there’s no denying the sleek appearance of the Surface Pro X. Compared to, again, the Surface Pro 7, the former is noticeably thinner with smaller screen bezels. On top of that, the Pro X also comes with a larger 13-inch 2880 x 1920 PixelSense touch display over the Pro 7’s smaller 12.3-inch screen.

Another new addition to the Surface Pro X is the slimmer and lighter stylus, appropriately dubbed Surface Slim Pen. Unlike the stylus for previous Surface devices, there’s a slot right above the Pro X’s keyboard to store (and charge) the Slim Pen. It’s a small, but very convenient touch.

If you’re interested to get the Microsoft Surface Pro X, you’ll have to pay quite a bit of money for it. Two variants of the Windows tablet are available in Malaysia. The base model with 128GB of SSD storage and 8GB of RAM retails at RM4,599, while the 256GB variant with the same RAM capacity goes for a whopping RM5,799. LTE connectivity is available on both models.

However, only the 256GB Surface Pro X will be available for pre-order on 9 January; it’ll hit store shelves on 17 January. As for the more affordable 128GB variant, it will reach our shores much later on 21 February next month.

At these price points, the Surface Pro X is tough to recommend. For that kind of money – especially for the 256GB version – other Windows machine can offer better value for money. In fact, even the most affordable Surface Pro 7 variant with 256GB of storage – along with a Core i5-1035G4 processor paired with 8GB of RAM – costs less at only RM5,499.


The Sleek Huawei MateBook D 15 Landing in Malaysia 18 January for Only RM2,499

Huawei’s affordable MateBook D 15 productivity laptop is coming to Malaysia, the first market outside of China to receive the product. Retailing at only RM2,499, those who are looking to get a reasonably fast laptop with a sleek design (without breaking the bank) should give the MateBook D a gander or two.

What makes the MateBook D 15 particularly attractive is…well, how attractive it looks. With slim bezels surrounding the display, this laptop sports a modern aesthetic with an 87% screen-to-body ratio. On top of that, the minimal bezels also reduce the overall footprint of the notebook, making it that much more compact.

As for the display itself, it’s a vibrant 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080 IPS screen complete with an anti-glare coating.

Great productivity laptops are designed to be portable, and the MateBook D is no different. Weighing 1.62kg (or 1.53kg without an HDD), it’s not an awfully heavy notebook. Measuring 16.9mm thin, you shouldn’t have any issue slipping the laptop into your backpack either.

Another design element of note is the MateBook D 15’s 1MP webcam, which is hidden under the keyboard in a pop-up mechanism. This particular feature is also available on other Huawei-made laptops, and it’s quite a clever piece of engineering. It also acts as a privacy shutter of sorts.

Besides that, the MateBook D is a reasonably fast laptop too. Powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 3500U quad-core processor paired with 8GB of RAM, this notebook should be powerful enough to serve as a good productivity-focused machine. Unfortunately, there’s no dedicated GPU here, so you’ll have to make do with the built-in Radeon Vega 8 Graphics.

When it comes to connectivity, the MateBook D 15 features a relatively good selection of ports. It has a USB-C port for charging and data transfer, three full-size USB-A connections – one of which is a USB 3.0 port – an HDMI output, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Other specifications of the MateBook D include 256GB of fast PCIe NVMe SSD storage, a 1TB HDD for even more storage space, a 42WHr battery, a fingerprint sensor underneath the power button, and Windows 10 Home out of the box.

The Huawei MateBook D 15 will be available for purchase in Malaysia from 18 January onwards. Only one variant of the laptop in Mystic Silver is sold here for RM2,499. That’s really quite an attractive price tag, especially for a productivity laptop as sleek as the MateBook D 15.


Realme 5i With 5,000mAh Battery Launching in Malaysia 14 January

Just as we reported last week, the Realme 5i is indeed
coming to the Malaysian market
. Set to be launched here on 14 January next week, the affordable smartphone is quite interesting, thanks to its huge 5,000 battery and affordable price tag. Chances are, it should serve as an even more affordable alternative to the Realme 5.

After all, the Realme 5i shares a lot in common with the Realme 5; the former is only ever so slightly different in certain aspects. For one, it has an 8MP f/2.0 selfie camera instead of the Realme 5’s 13MP f/2.0 front-facing shooter. On top of that, the Realme 5i also sports a different back design (and colour) without the diamond-cut pattern.

Beyond that, other specifications of the Realme 5i mirror that of the Realme 5. It has a 6.5-inch 1600 x 720 HD+ IPS display with an 89% screen-to-body ratio, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset, a rear fingerprint sensor, and of course, a very generous 5,000mAh battery.

In the camera department, the Realme 5i features a quad camera system on the back. It’s made up of a 12MP f/1.8 main shooter, an 8MP f/2.25 ultra-wide angle sensor, a 2MP portrait camera, and a 2MP macro lens. Basically, the very same camera configuration as the Realme 5.

Other specifications of the Realme 5i include a microSD card slot – it supports cards up to 256GB – a microUSB port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and ColorOS 6.0.1 based on Android 9 Pie out of the box.

Despite its similarities to the Realme 5, the Realme 5i’s main selling point is its lower asking price. For the Indian market, the 5i retails at only 8,999 Indian rupee for the sole 64GB model with 4GB of RAM. Converted to our currency, that’s only about RM515.

To put this into context, the most affordable Realme 5 for the Malaysian market is the 32GB variant with 3GB of RAM, which goes for RM549. If the 64GB Realme 5i does make its way here with a similar price tag, it’ll be a really good buy for those on a tight budget.

Granted, there’s a chance the Indian pricing of the Realme 5i won’t be reflected here once the smartphone reaches our shores. Nonetheless, we’ll just have to wait until 14 January next week to find out exactly how much the Realme 5i would cost in Malaysia.


Shopee CNY Sale Offers RM1 Gold Bars & RM8 Prosperity Deals

In conjunction with the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration, Shopee is holding its annual CNY Sale. Offering a number of RM8 prosperity deals, RM18 free shipping, and RM1 gold bars
daily
 – yes, we’re talking about legitimate gold bars here – Shopee really is making it a festive sale.

Naturally, the RM1 gold bars are offered as part of Shopee’s One or Not promotion. Basically, it works on a lucky draw mechanism. You can “purchase” the gold bar – or any other product offered in the One or Not category throughout the sale period – for only RM1, but that doesn’t secure the product for yourself.

Instead, you’ll only walk away with any product you’ve purchased for RM1 if you are selected as the lucky buyer. If you’re not picked as the winner, fret not: the RM1 would be refunded back to you. Depending on your method of payment, the refund will be processed to your credit card or Shopee Wallet.

Throughout the promotion period, Shopee will also offer RM8 prosperity deals. Some of the products that will be sold for only RM8 include Chinese New Year hampers, a 24-can Coca-Cola pack, Tefal Cookware set, and of course, even Cheongsams to celebrate the festive season.

But what you really need to look out for is 13 January for the “
Huat Ah! Huat Ah! Sale
” – that’s this coming Monday. This particular day will be the highlight of Shopee’s CNY Sale, and you can expect “unbeatable promotions from all categories” on the e-commerce platform. Upsized Shocking Sale will be offered, along with a 10g gold bar worth a whopping RM2,250 for only RM1. Of course, the gold bar is a part of the One or Not promotion.

Shopee also revealed that it has appointed third-party logistics partner Ninja Van to prepare for the influx of orders for Chinese New Year. Given that Ninja Van can handle shipments of up to 90kg, this appointment is likely part of the reason why Shopee is able to offer free delivery for heavy, bulky items like washing machines, air conditioners, refrigerators, and more.

“The appointment of Ninja Van was imperative in order for us to ensure that our users are able to get their parcels on time,” said the Regional Managing Director of Shopee, Ian Ho. Hopefully, this means delivery times would remain consistent throughout the sale period.

The Shopee CNY Sale is currently ongoing, and it will end on 28 January. For more information on the sale, head on to the dedicated section
right here
. You can also check on the latest deals over there.


New Asus ROG Phone II Variant Arrives in Malaysia for Just RM2,499

The
Asus ROG Phone II
 is arguably one of the best gaming smartphones in the market now, but its RM3,499 starting price doesn’t make it a particularly accessible smartphone. Well, that’s no longer the case: there’s now a far more affordable variant of the ROG Phone II for the Malaysian market.

This new variant of the ROG Phone II was announced by renowned retailer DirectD, and it costs only RM2,499 – that’s RM1,000 less than the most affordable model launched late last year. So what’s the catch? Only the fact that this variant comes with 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. We’ve also confirmed with Asus Malaysia that this new model does come with official warranty support.

Beyond the storage and RAM capacities, this model of the ROG Phone II is identical to the higher-end variants. It still features a fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ chipset, which promises up to 15% better performance, thanks to the overclocked CPU and GPU.

Of course, the very useful AirTrigger buttons are still here too. Basically, there are two ultrasonic buttons on the right side of the phone that act as shoulder buttons. You can customise these buttons to activate certain parts of the screen, so in mobile games like PUBG Mobile, you can set the left button to aim, and the right one to shoot.

On top of that, you can even adjust the sensitivity of the AirTrigger buttons. This is especially useful if you’re having trouble activating them.

Other specifications of the ROG Phone II include a fast and vibrant 120Hz 6.59-inch 1080p AMOLED display, an absolutely huge 6,000mAh battery that can provide excellent battery life, a dual camera system (48MP f/1.8 primary + 13MP f/2.4 ultra-wide angle), a 24MP f/2.0 front-facing shooter, and ROG UI based on Android 9 Pie out of the box.

At a glance, this new variant of the ROG Phone II is great for those who can’t quite swallow the RM3,499 asking price of the previous base model. But do keep in mind that this gaming smartphones does not have a microSD card slot. If you do get this variant, you’ll have to make do with the 128GB internal storage, so keep that in mind.

Keen to get this new variant of the Asus ROG Phone II anyway? Then head on to
DirectD’s online store
. If you’re not sure this gaming smartphone is for you, then check out our
comprehensive review of the ROG Phone II
.


Samsung Galaxy S20 Name Confirmed With Leaked Live Images; More Details Emerge

This is our best look yet at the upcoming
Samsung Galaxy S20 series
, thanks to
a series of leaked images
. That’s right, the successor to the
Galaxy S10
 series will not be called the S11. On top of that, we’ve got several interesting details of the Galaxy S20 too.

For one, alleged images of the Galaxy S20 pretty much confirm previous renders of the new smartphone. Just like the
Samsung Galaxy Note 10
 devices, the upcoming S20+ will sport the Korean company’s Infinity-O Display – the hole-punch cutout for the camera is placed at the top of the screen right in the middle.

While it’s a little hard to gauge from the leaked image, it
seems
 like the circular cutout on the alleged Galaxy S20+ is a little smaller compared to the Galaxy Note 10+. Looking at the overall design of the phone, the S20+ does look sleeker than the latter, thanks to its more rounded corners. Did we mention it’s
said to be a 120Hz screen
 too?

It’s also worth noting that the Galaxy S20+’s display appears to be quite different than the dual curved screen of its predecessor. According to XDA’s source, the display “felt flat,” so it’s possible Samsung is doing away with the curved screen. At least, that seems to be the case for the S20+ – things could be different for the other devices in the series.

But the Galaxy S20+ not having a dual curved display could be a good thing. Ergonomically, a flat display makes a lot more sense, and users won’t have to worry about palm rejection with such a display. However, for better or worse, it appears the glass back panel of the S20+ still has sharp curves at either sides.

On the back of the phone, as expected, is the square camera module housing four separate lenses. The camera configuration for the Galaxy S20+ is rumoured to include a regular shooter, an ultra-wide angle sensor, a telephoto lens, and a macro camera. The rumoured macro sensor is quite interesting, given that previous Samsung flagships had a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor instead for better depth perception.

There’s also a rumour going around that concerns the primary camera sensor of the upcoming smartphone. Apparently, both the Galaxy S20 and S20+ would feature a new 12MP 1.8μm sensor, while the Galaxy S20 Ultra is said to come with a different main shooter. For the sake of comparison, previous Samsung flagships only had a 1.4μm camera sensor.

Basically, that’s a measurement of the sensor’s pixel size: the bigger it is, the more light it can collect, which should translate to better camera performance. This will be especially useful when shooting in low light environments.

S20 and S20 + will use the new 12MP 1.8μm sensor, which is also worth looking forward to.
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce)
January 11, 2020

Another thing to note is the button arrangement of the Galaxy S20+. Just like how it was with the Galaxy Note 10 smartphones, the dreaded Bixby dedicated button is no longer present. Instead, both the power button and volume rocker are now located on the right side of the S20+. It’s quite an interesting design change, given that these two buttons were placed on different sides of the phone for the longest time.

Of course, we cannot ignore the splash screen of the Galaxy S20+, showing that it will indeed come with 5G connectivity. In fact, all of the devices in the Galaxy S20 series are said to support 5G networks. These include the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and the top-of-the-range Galaxy S20 Ultra. Samsung is going all in with 5G here.

But what about markets that still don’t have 5G coverage? Will Samsung release 4G-only versions of the Galaxy S20 smartphones? As a matter of fact, it will; at least, that’s what XDA is saying. Both the Galaxy S20 and S20+ will have 4G-only variants, but that’s not the case for the Galaxy S20 Ultra. That particular model will supposedly come in a sole 5G model.

Besides that, well-known leaker Ice Universe also gave more details on the Galaxy S20 smartphones. Supposedly, all three devices in the series will come with 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM. It’s an interesting decision on Samsung’s part, given that this will definitely make each of the device costlier than usual.

Of course, that’s assuming this bit of information is accurate, though Ice Universe has a solid track record of being on the mark.

The standard configuration：12GB LPDDR5
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce)
January 13, 2020

The Samsung Galaxy S20 series is expected to be launched on 11 February at the company’s Galaxy Unpacked event next month. Of course, the Galaxy Fold 2 – which is now expected to be called the Galaxy Z Flip – will likely make an appearance there too.

Evidently, Samsung is starting 2020 on a strong note. With the (possible) introduction of four flagship-tier devices next month, it’s a big launch for the phone maker.


Realme 5i & Realme Buds Air Land in Malaysia; Retails at RM299 & RM599

Realme just launched two new products for the Malaysian market. There’s the
Realme 5i mid-range smartphone
, and a new pair of true wireless earbuds, the aptly dubbed Realme Buds Air. Both of these products are meant to be budget-friendly, and if you’re quick, you can even get the Buds Air with a pretty good discount.

Out of the two products, the Realme Buds Air will be available for sale online first; it’ll be offered on Shopee from 21 January onwards. Retailing at only RM299, it’s a reasonably inexpensive pair of wireless earbuds with some interesting features.

If you want to get the Buds Air at an even lower price, get it from Shopee at 12AM on 21 January; it’ll be offered for merely RM199 on that day only. A RM100 discount is nothing to sneeze at.

As for the Realme 5i, the sole 64GB variant with 4GB of RAM is priced at RM599. At this price point, it’s really quite a good buy for those on a tight budget. For the sake of comparison, the Realme 5 – which is a slightly higher-end device than the Realme 5i – retailed at RM549 for the 32GB + 3GB model when it was launched here.

So what does RM599 get you with the Realme 5i? Well, for one, this budget-friendly smartphone has a very generous 5,000mAh battery. Paired with a relatively power-efficient 11nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, you should be able to get above average battery life – perhaps even up to two days of usage on a single charge.

Besides that, the Realme 5i also has a sizeable 6.5-inch 1600 x 720 HD+ IPS display. With an 89% screen-to-body ratio, it’s a rather sleek-looking device too, though we do wish it came with a smaller bottom bezel. Nonetheless, we’re quite a fan of the rear panel’s design, especially this Aqua Blue variant. If blue isn’t quite your thing, this phone is also offered in Forest Green.

Speaking of which, the Realme 5i comes with a rear fingerprint sensor too. Not quite as fancy as an in-screen sensor, but it should be quicker and far more accurate. After all, even in-screen sensors used in flagship smartphones still can’t quite match the performance of conventional capacitive fingerprint readers.

Just like the Realme 5, the Realme 5i features a quad camera system. It’s made up of a 12MP f/1.8 main shooter, an 8MP f/2.25 ultra-wide angle sensor, a 2MP portrait camera, and a 2MP macro lens. There’s no telephoto sensor here, but we imagine most folks will find more use out of the ultra-wide angle shooter anyway.

Rounding out the specifications of the Realme 5i include an 8MP f/2.0 selfie camera, a microSD card slot that can accommodate cards up to 256GB, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and ColorOS 6.0.1 based on Android 9 Pie out of the box. Unfortunately, this phone still charges via a microUSB port; a common trait of budget smartphones.

And then there’s the Realme Buds Air. One of the best selling points of this audio product is its low latency, making it ideal for gamers who don’t want to deal with the hassle of wired earphones. According to Realme, the Buds Air has a 119.3ms latency in Gaming Mode. In regular usage, it has a latency of 243.8ms.

Realme says that the Buds Air’s latency can be reduced this much thanks to the R1 Chip under the hood. Not only can it provide low latency, it also offers a stable connection along with better battery performance. Of course, it uses the newer Bluetooth 5.0 standard as well.

Battery life of the Buds Air is quite respectable too. On a single charge, it can last up to three hours. With the provided charging case, it offers a total of 17 hours music playback. When you need to charge up the case, you can either plug in a USB-C cable, or charge it wirelessly. That’s right, the charging case supports 10W Qi wireless charging; not a feature you usually find on wireless earbuds at this price point.

Like many other wireless earbuds, the Buds Air support a number of touch controls. A double tap either answers a call or play / pause your music playback, a triple tap skips to the next song, while a long press on one side of the earbuds launches Google Assistant or ends / declines a call. Oh, there’s also a quick shortcut to enter or exit Gaming Mode to reduce latency. A a long press on both earbuds will do the trick.

While the touch controls of the Buds Air are reasonably good, it would’ve been great if it was possible to control the volume as well. But hey, this
is
 an affordable pair of wireless earbuds.

The Realme Buds Air will be available for purchase on Shopee from 21 January onwards at 12AM. For the time being, it will only be offered in White; the Yellow and Black models will arrive here sometime in the future. The Realme 5i, on the other hand, can be purchased at physical retail stores on 18 January. If you want to get the smartphone online instead, it’ll be available on Lazada from 28 January.


More Samsung Galaxy S20 Series Details Leaked: 108MP Camera, 120Hz 1440p Display, 5,000mAh Battery

Another day,
another set

of leaks
 surrounding the Samsung Galaxy S20+. Just like the previous one, these new details are courtesy of XDA’s Max Weinbach. This time around, his source gave us a closer look at several key specifications of the Galaxy S20+.

Let’s start with the quad camera configuration of the upcoming smartphone. Just like previous rumours have suggested, this new leak confirms the Galaxy S20+’s 12MP primary sensor with a 1.8μm pixel size. While that doesn’t sound particularly impressive, keep in mind that its predecessor’s main camera – while also a 12MP sensor – had a pixel size of 1.4μm.

Given the larger 1.8μm sensor of the Galaxy S20+, which allows it to take in more light, it’s safe to say it will have much improved camera performance.

Another interesting sensor in the quad camera system is the 64MP shooter. Surprisingly enough, this is thought to be the telephoto lens. It remains to be seen exactly why Samsung decided to use such a high megapixel sensor for the telephoto lens, but XDA’s source confirmed that the S20+ can do between 3x zoom up to 30x zoom.

What about the other two sensors? Well, renowned leaker Ice Universe seems to know a thing or two. Apparently, the quad camera setup also includes a 12MP sensor and a time-of-flight (ToF) shooter. If we were to take a guess, we’d say the 12MP unit is an ultra-wide angle camera.

On top of that, if Ice Universe is accurate – which is usually the case – it’ll confirm that there’s no macro lens with the Galaxy S20 smartphones.

S20：12MP+64MP+12MP
S20+：12MP+64MP+12MP+ToF
S20U：108MP+48MP+12MP+ToF
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce)
January 14, 2020

Another thing to note is the supposed camera configuration of the Galaxy S20 Ultra. Instead of the 12MP main shooter of the other Galaxy S20 smartphones, the Ultra comes with the much anticipated 108MP camera. It’s not known yet if this is the same 108MP sensor found in the
Xiaomi Mi Note 10
, but there’s a good chance it is. After all, that sensor is a collaboration between the two companies.

Also, instead of a 64MP telephoto lens, the Galaxy S20 Ultra features a 48MP telephoto shooter. Now, despite its lower megapixel count, this is actually a far more interesting sensor.
According to Weinbach
, that 48MP shooter can do a whopping 10x optical zoom.

Beyond the camera configuration of the Galaxy S20 smartphones, we’ve still got a number of interesting details with the Galaxy S20+. The rumoured 120Hz display? It seems to be accurate. XDA’s source revealed that the S20+’s screen does have a 120Hz refresh rate, but there’s a caveat here.

Even though the Galaxy S20+ (allegedly) has a 6.7-inch 3200 x 1440 WQHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display with a tall 20:9 aspect ratio, it’s only possible to set the screen’s refresh rate to 120Hz…in Full HD+ resolution. There is a chance this is merely a software limitation in the interest of battery life, but at this point in time, it doesn’t seem to be possible to set the display to 120Hz in WQHD+.

Design wise, the Galaxy S20+ really does sport a flatter display than its predecessor; a short hands-on video of the smartphone shows this quite well. Unfortunately, the 3.5mm headphone jack is also gone on the Galaxy S20+, making it the first Galaxy S phone to remove the port.

Fortunately enough, expandable storage is still available on the Galaxy S20+ and S20 Ultra. There’s no word yet whether or not the standard Galaxy S20 will come with a microSD card slot as well, and given that the
Galaxy Note 10
 doesn’t have one (while the higher-end
Note 10+
 does), it’s really quite hard to say.

Oh, there’s also an image of the Galaxy S20+ right next to its direct predecessor, the
Galaxy S10+
. Due to the taller 20:9 display, the S20+ is noticeably bigger than the S10+. It’s not immediately obvious from the picture, but it does seem like the S20+ is ever so slightly narrower too.

If you’re wondering, all three models in the Galaxy S20 family will supposedly feature 120Hz WQHD+ AMOLED screens with 20:9 aspect ratio.

Last but definitely not least are the battery capacities of the Galaxy S20 smartphones, which seem to be upgraded quite a bit. Looking at the
leaked images of the specifications
, the Galaxy S20+ is packing a generous 4,500mAh battery. In comparison, the Galaxy S10+ had a slightly smaller 4,100mAh cell.

Things get a lot more interesting with the Galaxy S20 Ultra. In a tweet, Weinbach wrote that the top-of-the-line device gets a sizeable 5,000mAh battery. Not only that, it can supposedly do 45W fast charging, allowing it to be fully charged from completely empty in 74 minutes.

The S20 Ultra 5G is going to keep the SD Card slot. Support for up to 1TB.
It will also be available in 128GB/256GB/512GB and have a 12GB and 16GB RAM option.
108MP main, 48MP 10x optical, 12MP ultra wide.
5000 mAh battery with 45W option fast charge. 0 to 100% in 74 min.
— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach)
January 13, 2020

The Samsung Galaxy S20 series is shaping up to be Samsung’s most exciting one yet. The sophisticated camera system is extremely promising, the 120Hz display is enticing, and the bigger battery capacities should translate to better battery life. Samsung will officially introduce the Galaxy S20 smartphones on
11 February
.


Final Fantasy VII Remake Hands-On: A Classic, Reimagined

No Final Fantasy game is quite as iconic as the seventh entry of the main franchise, so needless to say, Final Fantasy VII Remake is one of
the
 most anticipated games this year. Developed completely from the ground up, FFVIIR seems to be a very promising JRPG, and I managed to spend some time with a demo of the upcoming game.

While I only played a brief portion of FFVIIR, I was left pretty impressed with the overall gameplay. Even though its release date has been delayed to 10 April from 3 March, I’m excited to see more of the game once it is out.

The FFVIIR demo I played through – the very same demo shown in the video above – takes place in the first Mako reactor, and it showcases one very important change: it’s a very,
very
 fleshed out game. The boss fight (Scorpion Sentinel) in this sequence of the demo, for one, has a lot more depth now. What was once a straightforward boss fight in the original game is now divided into several phases, which involves the Sentinel frantically moving from one area to the next.

As I battle the boss, the fight will progress to the next phase once its health goes down a certain point. Naturally, the difficulty increases as its health gets even lower. All in all, it feels like a very dynamic boss fight, and that’s a good thing. Clearly, Square Enix put some serious thought into making the game feel like a brand new experience.

Of course, the turn-based combat system of the original game has been completely overhauled too. As with most modern JRPG titles, FFVIIR uses a real-time combat system. You can perform normal attacks by hitting the Square button, while dodging is done with the Circle button.

Despite this new combat system, there’s still a “turn-based element” here. Any time during combat, I can hit X to summon the Commands menu. Once I’m here, time slows down to a halt while I navigate the menu, which allows me to use abilities, spells, or items. When I’ve selected a target for my spell or ability, the game resumes.

Personally, I don’t quite like this system. I prefer a more “fluid” combat experience, and this menu disrupts the overall flow of battle. Thankfully, I can summon the shortcut menu with the L1 button. Here, I can perform four different actions instantly, eliminating the pause of accessing the Commands menu.

Another turn-based element present in FFVIIR is the need of Active Time Battle (ATB) to perform…practically every action except for normal attacks. If I want to use an item, spell, or ability, I need at least one ATB bar to do it. The bar will refill on its own gradually, but landing attacks will fill it up faster.

You can also alternate between different characters during combat. In the demo, I can switch between Cloud and Barrett by pressing up or down on the D-pad. Cloud is a close range attacker, so when I need some long distance attacks, that’s where Barrett is useful. Naturally, both characters have different sets of abilities and spells as well.

It can get a little overwhelming switching between these two characters (imagine if there were more!), and it feels quite clunky when I tried it out for myself. Then again, I imagine this is something most players can get used too in the long run with some familiarity.

In traditional Final Fantasy fashion, Limit Breaks are also present in FFVIIR. The Limit bar fills up as you get damaged or stagger enemies, and once it’s full, you can unleash a unique Limit Break for each character. Cloud’s Limit Break is Cross-Slash, while Barrett’s is Fire in the Hole. As expected, these attacks are very powerful and equally flashy.

Last but certainly not least is the ability to stagger enemies. Larger, more powerful enemies have a focus gauge right under their life bar, and once it’s filled, they will be staggered. In this state, enemies are defenseless, and they will take more damage. It’s the perfect time to unleash all of your characters’ Limit Breaks.

Overall, I dig the real-time combat system of FFVIIR. It’s easy enough to grasp in one sitting, and there’s enough depth here for more advanced players to explore. That being said, I do feel like it could be a
tad
 more dynamic. As it is, it feels a little too rigid.

For example, once I’ve committed to an attack, it’s not possible to cancel it with a dodge. Sure, it would’ve been fair if I was using a special attack ability, but even normal attacks cannot be cancelled. There were a couple of times where I wanted to dodge quickly, but it simply wouldn’t register until the attack’s animation is finished.

It’s not certain if this quirk will be present in the finished game, but I’m hoping it wouldn’t be. Granted, it’s possible this is done on purpose to punish players that are reckless or those who overcommit to an attack. More methodical and careful players will be rewarded in this case.

Regardless, I really enjoyed playing through the Final Fantasy VII Remake demo. However, there are a number of issues that need to be pointed out, which isn’t all that surprising for an early build of the game. These include some performance issues, limited access, and…well, just how the game looks as a whole.

Throughout the demo, the frame rate doesn’t feel particularly consistent. While the game runs at 30 frames per second for the most part, the frame rate fluctuates at certain scenes or when I turn the camera around. As a result, there’s noticeable stuttering as I navigate within the first Mako Reactor.

It’s not a huge deal (especially for an early demo), but it does warrant some concern for the game’s performance in the final version. This is especially the case for those who plan to play it on the standard PlayStation 4 – I played the demo on a Pro system.

Besides that, the FFVIIR demo doesn’t look quite that great in the graphics department. Cloud’s hair is a bit of a blurry mess, the environment doesn’t look like it’s rendered in high resolution, and the character models aren’t particularly detailed. Again, it’s worth noting that this is merely a demo of the game. Hopefully, the finished build of the game will look a lot better.

Last but certainly not least is the limited access of the FFVIIR demo. While I can use a number of spells, abilities, and Limit Breaks of both Cloud and Barrett, a key element of the gameplay is missing: the ability to switch modes. Each character in FFVIIR have two modes; Cloud, for example, has Operator mode – the default one – and Punisher mode.

Operator mode allows Cloud to move and attack quicker, while Punisher mode slows down his sword swings, but increases his damage output. The ability to switch modes would’ve added even more depth to the combat system, so it’s unfortunate I couldn’t try it out for myself in this demo.

Even with these issues I faced in the demo version, I’m pretty darn excited to get my hands on Final Fantasy VII Remake once it is released on 10 April 2020. It would’ve been great if the game is launching on the original 3 March release date, but if an extra month is all it takes to ensure a better, more polished game, I’m all for it.

You can now pre-order Final Fantasy VII Remake on the PlayStation Store
for RM243
. If you want the Digital Deluxe Edition instead – it adds on a digital artbook, a mini-soundtrack, as well as several extra summon Materia – it’s
priced at RM354
.

Alternatively, you can also purchase the physical copies of the game for about the same price from your local game store or retailers on e-commerce platforms.


Samsung Galaxy S20 Series Full Specifications Leaked: 10x Optical Zoom, 40MP Selfie Camera

As we get closer to the Samsung Galaxy S20 series’
official launch on 11 February
, we’re getting even more leaked information on Samsung’s upcoming flagship smartphones. This latest leak is quite substantial: it’s supposedly the full spec sheet of all three S20 phones.

This spec sheet comes from
Ishan Agarwal
 and
MySmartPrice
, citing an exclusive report containing the full specification of the Galaxy S20 smartphones. As expected, the Galaxy S20 Ultra is the highest-end device in the series with some interesting features.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra

Compared to previous Galaxy S series smartphones, the Galaxy S20 Ultra is shaping up to be the biggest device in the lineup yet. Sporting a huge 6.9-inch 3200 x 1440 Dynamic AMOLED display with a fast 120Hz refresh rate, this is quite a sizeable smartphone. Naturally, as previous leaks have shown, it has an Infinity-O Display with a similar hole-punch cutout as the
Samsung Galaxy Note 10
 devices.

Going down the spec sheet, there’s the Galaxy S20 Ultra’s impressive quad camera system. It’s supposedly made up of a 108MP main shooter, a 48MP telephoto lens with 10x (!) optical zoom, a 12MP ultra-wide angle camera, and a ToF sensor. The zooming capability of the telephoto lens is very impressive, and it’s said to offer up to 100x digital zoom too.

Selfie lovers will also be happy to learn that the S20 Ultra has a 40MP wide front-facing camera. On top of that, this particular shooter can also record 4K videos at 60 frames per second – that’s quite impressive.

Not surprisingly, this leak seemingly confirms two different versions of the Galaxy S20 smartphones for different regions: a
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
 model and an Exynos 990 variant. As usual, the Malaysian market should be getting the Exynos 990 model, so unlike earlier rumours, it doesn’t seem like Samsung will use the Snapdragon 865 chip for all markets.

While some folks may not be thrilled by this, we still don’t know exactly how the Exynos 990 stacks up to the Snapdragon 865 in terms of performance. But what we do know is the fact that the Exynos 990 is also built on a 7nm process like the Snapdragon 865; it’s possible the power consumption of these two chips would be similar.

Given its large dimensions, the Galaxy S20 Ultra also has a very generous battery capacity. According to the leaked spec sheet, the S20 Ultra is (
yet again
) said to come with a huge 5,000mAh battery. This large cell also makes the flagship smartphone a pretty hefty device, supposedly tipping the scales at 221g.

Other specifications of the Galaxy S20 Ultra include storage capacities from 128GB to 512GB, a microSD card slot, IP68 dust and water resistance, as well as One UI 2.0 based on Android 10 out of the box.

Samsung Galaxy S20+

What was previously the highest-end offering in the series now sits right in the middle between the regular S20 and S20 Ultra. Now that it’s no longer the top-of-the-line offering, the Galaxy S20+ doesn’t come with a number of features the Ultra model has, including a different camera configuration.

Unlike the S20 Ultra’s 108MP primary sensor and 48MP telephoto shooter, the Galaxy S20+ make do with a 12MP main camera and a 64MP telephoto lens. Now, just because the S20+’s telephoto shooter has a higher megapixel count doesn’t make it better. According to an earlier leak, the 64MP telephoto lens can only do between 3x zoom up to 30x zoom.

While that pales in comparison to the S20 Ultra’s (alleged) 10x optical zoom and 100x digital zoom, the S20+’s quad camera system still has respectable zooming capability.

Previous leaks of the Galaxy S20+

Besides the Galaxy S20+’s primary and telephoto sensors, the other two shooters include a 12MP ultra-wide angle lens and a ToF sensor. The front-facing camera, on the other hand, is a 10MP shooter. Not quite as potent as the Ultra’s 40MP sensor, but it can still do 4K video recording at 60fps.

Just like the S20 Ultra, the S20+ also has a 120Hz 3200 x 1440 Dynamic AMOLED display, though it is a slightly smaller 6.7-inch screen. Battery capacity of the S20+, on the other hand, is a very respectable 4,500mAh battery. In comparison, its direct predecessor, the
Galaxy S10+
, only had a 4,100mAh cell.

Rounding out the specifications of the Galaxy S20+ are an Exynos 990 chipset, at least 128GB of expandable storage, an IP68 rating, and One UI 2.0 based on Android 10.

The Galaxy S20+ (right) next to the Galaxy S10+

Samsung Galaxy S20

Last but certainly not least is the most affordable device in the series, the standard Galaxy S20. Based on its moniker, it succeeds the Galaxy S10, so unfortunately enough, there doesn’t seem to be any follow-up to the
compact Galaxy S10e
.

Despite being the smallest device in the series, the Galaxy S20 shares quite a number of features with its higher-end siblings. These include a 6.2-inch 1440p Dynamic AMOLED display with a fast 120Hz refresh rate, an Exynos 990 chipset, and a similar camera configuration as the Galaxy S20+ – minus the ToF sensor.

The rest of the Galaxy S20’s hardware detailed in the leak are befitting of a flagship smartphone too. It has a reasonably big 4,000mAh battery, a 10MP selfie camera, 128GB of storage (complete with a microSD card slot), IP68 water resistance, and of course, the same One UI 2.0 software based on Android 10 out of the box.

If this leak turns out to be accurate, the Samsung Galaxy S20 series is arguably the Korean company’s most complete flagship lineup yet. While there are still some big hardware differences between the three different smartphones, they still have WQHD+ 120Hz displays, large battery capacities, and the same level of performance.

The Galaxy S20 series will officially be unveiled come 11 February 2020 next month. According to Agarwal, all three S20 smartphones will likely hit store shelves around 13 March the following month, which is a reasonably quick rollout. Hopefully, that’s when the Galaxy S20 series will arrive in Malaysia as well.

(Featured image: MINU via
Twitter [Ice Universe]
)


Samsung Powerstick Jet VS9000 Quick Review: Worth RM3,599?

Most folks would associate Samsung with its mobile business, but the Korean company’s home appliances are pretty darn popular among consumers too. Well, that’s exactly what we have here: the Samsung Powerstick Jet VS9000, a high-end cordless vacuum cleaner with some very interesting features.

Given its premium positioning, the Powerstick Jet is without a doubt a costly product. So the question is, can this vacuum cleaner justify its exorbitant RM3,599 price tag? Let’s find out.

What It Is

The Powerstick Jet VS9000 is a versatile cordless vacuum cleaner. For the Malaysian market, the sole variant of the VS9000 comes with a wide array of attachments. These include the Turbo Action Brush, Soft Action Brush, Mini Motorised Tool, and even the Spinning Sweeper.

Turbo Action Brush
Soft Action Brush
Spinning Sweeper
Mini Motorised Tool
Extension Crevice Tool
Combination Tool

The Spinning Sweeper attachment is particularly interesting, as it turns the vacuum cleaner into a mop. It can also be attached with two kinds of cloths: disposable wet ones, or a microfibre cloth. Of course, you also get a number of attachments to extend the length of the vacuum cleaner.

Also bundled with the Powerstick Jet is a pretty elaborate charging stand. While some may not be a fan of the bulky design, it’s certainly functional. The vacuum cleaner’s various attachments can be clipped to the stand itself, and there’s even a charging slot in the base for a spare battery. It’s really quite a nice touch.

You can charge your spare battery here
Attachments can be clipped here

As mentioned, what makes the Powerstick Jet particularly enticing is its Spinning Sweeper attachment, which no other cordless vacuum cleaner offers. This, in turn, makes it a more versatile cleaning product.

The Good Stuff

For starters, the Powerstick Jet is a joy to use. Swapping between the different attachments, for one, is an easy and painless process. The three-button operation of the vacuum is also intuitive enough to use. Hitting the middle button switches it on, while the left and right buttons reduces and increases the power accordingly.

There are three power options: Min, Mid, and Max. At the maximum power setting, the vacuum does make itself heard, but it’s certainly quieter than your standard vacuum cleaner. Besides that, I wish I had more precise control over the power options. The difference in suction power between the three modes feels a tad too drastic for my liking.

Speaking of which, the Powerstick Jet’s suction power is more than adequate for all kinds of usage scenarios. Whether it’s to take dirt out of a carpet or using the Spinning Sweeper to mop the floor, this vacuum cleaner does it all very,
very
 well. In fact, I was confident enough to use it to clean up little bits of broken glass.

What about battery life? On average, I was getting about 30 minutes of usage when alternating between the Med and Max power settings. That’s reasonably good battery life for a 3,000mAh cell, though I’m not entirely convinced it can achieve Samsung’s quoted usage of up to an hour.

Another aspect of the Powerstick Jet that I really like is the ability to clean the
whole
dust bin; that’s not something most of its competition can do. The bin itself is completely removable, and practically every single one of its component can be washed. That being said, the 0.5l bin is on the smaller side of things.

Last but certainly not least is the overall design of the Powerstick Jet. The vacuum cleaner itself looks sleek, solid, and dare I say, futuristic. When it’s placed in the charging stand, it really does draw the attention of friends and family members that happened to glance at it. Since most vacuum cleaners are clumsy contraptions usually hidden away in a closet, the Powerstick Jet’s modern design is a breath of fresh air.

The Bad Stuff

For a product that costs as much as the Powerstick Jet VS9000, you would think it’s the
perfect
 cordless vacuum cleaner. But alas, as with any given product, there are some aspects of the VS9000 that could be improved upon.

There were a couple of times where I was trying to dock the Powerstick Jet to the charging station right after I’ve used it, but it wasn’t possible…because I’ve got the Combination Tool attachment on. There isn’t enough clearance, so I had to remove it, clip it to the stand, and only then it’s possible to dock the vacuum as per usual. It’s a minor issue, I admit, but if the stand was a couple of inches taller, it would have been great.

Aside from that, choosing from the myriad of attachments bundled with the Powerstick Jet can be a little overwhelming sometimes, especially when I’m looking for the right one for a certain task. I wanted to clean some small debris on my carpet with the vacuum cleaner, and I switched between the Soft Action Brush and Turbo Action Brush before finally settling on the smaller Combination Tool to get the job done.

Another minor issue I have with the Powerstick Jet is the weight of it. Granted, tipping the scales at 2.7kg, it’s not a particularly heavy vacuum cleaner, but it does get slightly tiring to use for extended periods of time. Carrying the vacuum around as I’m cleaning cobwebs on the ceiling or dusts on window sills isn’t exactly fun.

And of course, my last gripe with the Powerstick Jet is the sheer cost of it. Retailing at RM3,599, it sits right at the top of the price range of high-end vacuum cleaners. The good news? Retailers are actually listing this product for a lot less now. In fact, a Preferred seller on Shopee is offering it
for only RM2,813
 – that’s exactly RM786 off, not including the various vouchers you can apply to get additional discounts.

Is It Worth It?

There’s no denying it: the Samsung Powerstick Jet VS9000 is a costly product, but so are its closest competition. If you want the absolute best, premium cordless vacuum cleaner money can buy, the VS9000 fits the bill. To make it that much more enticing, it costs considerably less than its original asking price now, giving it an edge over, say, the even more costly Dyson V11 series.

On top of that, the Powerstick Jet’s ability to double as a mop – thanks to the Spinning Sweeper attachment – is something other cordless vacuum cleaners simply do not offer. It also helps that this is a sleek, modern-looking product that won’t look out of place even in the most stylish living spaces.

I mean, it even looks good when it’s docked at the charging station. Evidently, Samsung has put a lot of thought into the design language – and functionality – of the Powerstick Jet.