Xiaomi Mi 2K Gaming Monitor 27″ Coming to Malaysia Soon for RM1,699

Launched alongside the
Redmi Note

11 series
 is the Xiaomi Mi 2K Gaming Monitor 27″. As its name suggests, it is a fast 27-inch gaming-centric monitor with an affordable price tag.

Priced at RM1,699, the Mi 2K Gaming Monitor offers reasonably good value. For that kind of money, it features a (obviously) 27-inch 2560 x 1440 screen with a fast 165Hz refresh rate, support for adaptive sync, and even wide viewing angles thanks to the IPS panel.

Xiaomi also promises good colour accuracy with the Mi 2K Gaming Monitor. After all, it covers 132% of the sRGB colour space, along with 95% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. With a max brightness of 400 nits and support for VESA DisplayHDR 400, it should be a pleasant monitor for content consumption as well.

Unfortunately, there’s no confirmation on exactly when the Xiaomi Mi 2K Gaming Monitor 27″ will be available for purchase in Malaysia, though we were told it will be landing here very soon. To recap, this gaming monitor retails at RM1,699 for the Malaysian market.


Pre-Orders for PS5 Open Yet Again From Sony Centre Mid Valley

More than a year after its arrival in Malaysia
, it’s still a challenge to get a unit of the highly sought-after PlayStation 5. If you’re feeling lucky, good news: Sony Centre Mid Valley is accepting pre-orders of the PS5 yet again.

Well, sort of. In order to be in the running for a
chance
 to pre-order the PS5, you’ll have to fill up
this form
. If you’re fortunate enough to be selected, you will be contacted on 14 February – now wouldn’t that be a great Valentine’s Day – to finalise your pre-order of the next-gen console.

Do note that you only have until 12 February at 10PM tomorrow morning to register your interest for the PS5 pre-order. This isn’t a first-come, first-served sale either; filling up the form just means you’re in the running to be chosen to pre-order the PS5.

While it wasn’t mentioned, it’s likely that stocks are very limited, so don’t be disheartened if you’re not chosen to pre-order the PS5. If you want a better chance of securing a unit, we recommend checking in with your favourite game shop to get into the waiting list – if the store has one.


Hearthstone Mini-Set, Onyxia’s Lair, Coming 15 February

Blizzard just announced a new Mini-Set for
Hearthstone
‘s current Fractured in Alterac Valley expansion, Onyxia’s Lair. Set to introduce 35 new cards to the game, the Mini-Set can be purchased with cash or in-game gold – there’s even an all-Golden set if you’re feeling…extravagant.

Onyxia’s Lair Mini-Set bundles 66 cards, which are multiple copies of the 35 new cards. These are made up of 4 Legendary cards (x1), 1 Epic card (x2), 14 Rare cards (x2), and 16 Common cards (x2). How much does the Mini-Set cost? $14.99 (about RM60) or 2,000 in-game gold.

What about the all-Golden set? Well, that will set you back $69.99 (approximately RM295).

The first Mini-Set (Darkmoon Races) was introduced back in January 2021 as part of the Madness at the Darkmoon Faire expansion. Generally, Mini-Sets offer great value, especially for free-to-play players. If you’ve got 2,000 gold lying around, it’s definitely worth getting the new Mini-Set once it drops next week.

Onyxia’s Lair will be available in Hearthstone come 15 February next week. So far, a limited number of cards in the Mini-Set have been revealed – you can follow
Hearthstone’s Twitter account
 to see the new cards as they’re unveiled over the next few days.


Samsung Galaxy S22 & S22+ Hands-On: Better Design, Brighter Screens, Slight Price Hike

The Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22+ may not get the “Note DNA” like the bigger
S22 Ultra
, but for those that don’t need the S Pen, these two flagship phones are now better than ever. Not only do they get a slightly redesigned, more ergonomically-friendly chassis, they also get some noteworthy upgrades in other aspects.

Of course, with these added improvements, there is a slight price hike, but curiously, this only applies to the Galaxy S22+ and S22 Ultra. Anyway, if you’re looking for a capable, sleek flagship phone, it’s worth shortlisting the standard S22 and S22+.

The Samsung Galaxy S22+

First, let’s talk prices. The Galaxy S22 is offered in two variants: 128GB (RM3,499) and 256GB (RM3,699), both with 8GB of RAM. Compared to its predecessor, the S22 sits at the
exact
 same price points. Given all of the upgrades you’re getting with the new model, it’s great that Samsung managed to retain the same prices.

It’s a little different for the larger Galaxy S22+. Also offered in two models – both with 8GB of RAM as well – the 128GB configuration goes for RM4,099 (a RM100 increase over the S21+), while the 256GB variant costs RM4,299 (no price increase!). That’s right, if you want the 256GB model, you’re paying the same amount of money for the S22+.

The Samsung Galaxy S22

Unlike the Galaxy S21 series, the differences between the S22 and S22+ are not quite as much. The two phones only differ in three areas: display, charging speed, and of course, battery capacity.

The S22+ has a larger (and brighter) 6.6-inch Full HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen, while the S22 is packed with a similar, but more compact 6.1-inch panel. Naturally, both of them have a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate between 10Hz to 120Hz.

In terms of charging speed, the Galaxy S22 can do up to 45W fast charging, while the regular S22 maxes out at 25W. As for battery capacity, the S22+ has a 4,500mAh cell; 3,700mAh battery for the S22.

From left: Galaxy S22 Ultra, Galaxy S22+, Galaxy S22

The Galaxy S22 next to the S22 Ultra

Beyond these differences, the Galaxy S22 and S22+ share the same hardware. These include a fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset – yes, the Malaysian market is finally getting the Snapdragon version instead of the usual Exynos variant – the same triple camera system (50MP primary + 12MP ultra-wide angle + 10MP telephoto), and a 10MP selfie camera.

That means you can expect to get the same level of performance and camera capability with the Galaxy S22 and S22+, not to mention the same build quality. After all, last year’s S21 had a polycarbonate back, while the S21+ got a more premium glass back.

Speaking of which, I really,
really
 like the new design of the S22 and S22+. Aside from the fact that both phone feature glass backs now, their frames are also flatter. This makes for a more ergonomically-friendly device, as it’s much easier to get a good grip on the phone with the flat sides.

It’s worth noting that the glass back panel of both phones also have a slight bevel near the frame. It’s a small touch, to be sure, but it does give the devices that
extra
bit of refinement. All in all, these are well-built, premium-looking phones that also feel great in the hands.

Another positive of the Galaxy S22 and S22+ are their bright and vibrant Dynamic AMOLED 2X displays. Though the S22+’s screen is brighter on paper, both of them look equally stunning with deep blacks, wide viewing angles, and fast refresh rate for an extra fluid user experience.

While the Full HD+ resolution of the S22 and S22+’s displays don’t quite compare to the sharper QHD+ panel of the S22 Ultra, it’s really a non-issue – in my opinion, at least. Unless you’re comparing the two displays side-by-side, it’s not easy to tell the difference in screen quality.

In short, you’re still getting a stunning, vibrant AMOLED screen with the S22 and S22+.

Last but definitely not least is the camera performance of the Galaxy S22 and S22+. In my brief time with the two phones at the media preview, the triple camera system feels very capable with fast autofocus, good detail preservation, and responsive camera interface.

Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to share images taken with the two phones at the preview, and given the brief nature of my testing, I can’t quite give a definitive impression of the camera performance. For what it’s worth, the images I took with the phones do look very promising.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22+ improved upon their respective predecessors quite a bit, especially the former. Not only does it retain its (relatively) compact form factor, the S22 finally gets more premium build quality – while still sitting at the same price points.

Yes, the S22 and S22+ are not significantly different over the previous models, but Samsung has made improvements in areas that matter. As a result, these two phones are more refined, sleeker, and most importantly, more ergonomically-friendly with flatter sides.

Yes, I really do like the redesigned chassis of the two phones quite a bit. You have to hold them in person to grasp just how nice they feel in the hands now!


Horizon Forbidden West (PS5) Review: Game of the Year Material

Horizon Forbidden West is finally here. This highly anticipated sequel to the original Horizon Zero Dawn brings with it a slew of new mechanics, vast graphics improvements, and most importantly (in my opinion), a continuation of a very engrossing narrative.

Even though there are some aspects of the game that could’ve been better – there are a number of graphics issue – it is still a strong contender for 2022’s game of the year. Whether you’re a (lucky) PS5 or PS4 owner, Horizon Forbidden West is absolutely worth picking up.

What It Is

After saving the world from extinction in the first game, Aloy now has to venture to the Forbidden West to…well, save the world yet again from another threat. On her journey there, she will meet old friends, ally with warring new factions, and of course, unravel the mysteries of the ancient past.

Available on both the PS4 and PS5, Forbidden West is
priced at RM249 and RM299 respectively
. However, do note that the more affordable PS4 copy offers a digital upgrade to the PS5 version, saving you RM50. But if you prefer getting a physical copy instead, this doesn’t matter.

Physical copies of the game cost the same, though there are more options to choose from, including an exorbitant Regalla Edition for an eye-watering RM1,099. You do get quite a lot of items for that kind of money, including a statue of Aloy and Tremortusk.

The Good Stuff

Horizon Zero Dawn tells one of the most engrossing storylines I’ve come across, so naturally, I was looking forward to how Forbidden West will continue the narrative. Without going into spoiler territory, suffice to say that I’m very happy with how the story turned out…for the most part.

While I’m not particularly satisfied with the ending, I do love the plot and character development of Forbidden West. Zero Dawn had some big expositions, and Forbidden West expands upon them in a meaningful manner. Guerrilla Games certainly knows how to craft a good story.

On top of that, it’s quite a lengthy story too! I focused almost solely on progressing the main quest of Forbidden West – while also taking the time to upgrade some of my equipment – and I only saw the credits roll after crossing the 28-hour mark.

Further improving the narrative of Horizon Forbidden West are the amazing facial expressions of character models. Every emotion is rendered very well, and this even extends to seemingly random NPCs in side quests. Paired with excellent voice acting and visual fidelity, it provides a very immersive experience.

Speaking of which, Horizon Forbidden West looks amazing on the PS5, especially in Fidelity mode. Aloy’s character model is
painstakingly
detailed, and the environment looks equally detailed and lush. The only downside to Fidelity mode is having the frame rate set at 30fps (as far as I can tell).

I prefer getting a higher frame rate over visual fidelity – especially for an action-packed game like this – so I played the game almost exclusively on Performance mode, which seems to push the frame rate to 60fps. The screenshots you see in this review are all taken in this performance setting.

Of course, Forbidden West doesn’t look quite as sharp in Performance mode, but unless you’re comparing the two side-by-side, the difference in quality is not immediately noticeable. For context, here’s a comparison between Fidelity and Performance mode.

Fidelity mode (left) and Performance mode

Gameplay wise, Horizon Forbidden West is a ton of fun. The combat system, for one, is quite a bit more complex (in a good way). Melee combat has added intricacies now, and the new Valor Surge system offers different ability augmentations to suit players’ different playstyles.

Aside from that, Forbidden West’s open world is
very vas
t, not to mention filled to the brim with content. Even after spending more than 30 hours in the game, my completion rate is still only at a mere 28%. Basically, you can expect hours upon hours of content in Forbidden West.

Oh, did I mention you get to
fly
now? Exploring the open world has never been more fun.

Last but not least are Forbidden West’s use of the DualSense’s refined haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. Whether I’m soaring in the sky or galloping across the field, the DualSense’s vibration motors can convey these experiences very well.

Of course, the adaptive triggers add another element of immersion too. I can feel the triggers “tightening” as Aloy draws back on the bow, and using heavier weapons change how the triggers behave too.

The Bad Stuff

Even though Horizon Forbidden West looks stunning on the PS5, there are a number of issues. In certain cutscenes, especially when there are a lot of elements on the screen, the resolution drops quite a bit. Just look at the screenshot below:

You’ve got something on your face, Aloy

Aside from that, there are some graphical glitches and clipping throughout my time in Forbidden West; the game even crashed in the middle of a quest once. Needless to say, these issues do affect the overall immersion of the game.

However, we were told that Forbidden West will get a day one patch that would solve a slew of bugs, which could include these as well. Hopefully, players won’t be facing any of these issues once the patch is live.

In terms of loading times, Forbidden West does load the game relatively quickly, even when I’m fast travelling from one corner of the map to another. However, an update in the middle of the review period somehow made the loading times longer, though it’s still fast enough to not be much of an annoyance.

My last qualm with Forbidden West isn’t a big negative, but it’s definitely worth mentioning. In order to really appreciate the main story of the game, you
have
 to know the narrative of Zero Dawn quite a bit, even the story of The Frozen Wilds.

If it’s been some time since you’ve played the original – it was released back in 2017, after all – you’ll have to get familiarised with the intricacies of the story so far. What is the Faro plague? How exactly is Earth repopulated after the extinction of all life?

Is It Worth It?

Without a shadow of a doubt. Though RM249 (PS4) is a steep price tag, Horizon Forbidden West is worth every single sen. It offers a compelling – albeit a little complicated at times – narrative, stunning graphics, new and improved gameplay mechanics, and a vast open world (that you can now fly around!).

With that in mind, Horizon Forbidden West is the first to receive our new Nextrift Recommends badge. It’s our way of endorsing a particular game or product for its entertainment value, refinement, unique appeal, or even just sheer value for money.

In short, Nextrift Recommends will make it easier for our readers to find out whether a product is worth picking up or not, and Forbidden West
easily
 fits the criteria.

Horizon Forbidden West launches on the PS5 and PS4 on 18 February.


Genshin Impact Yae Miko Banner Revealed – Arrives 16 February With Thoma, Fischl, Diona

The much anticipated Yae Miko is finally coming to Genshin Impact this Wednesday on 16 February. The event wish for the 5-star Electro character will be accompanied by Thoma, Fischl, and Diona.

Just like Genshin Impact’s
previous character

event wishes
, the “drop rate” of Yae Miko, Thoma, Fischl, and Diona will be increased. In the case of Yae, the first 5-star character you get will have a 50% chance to be her. If you got a different character, the
next
 5-star character you roll is guaranteed to be Yae.

Since Genshin Impact’s pity system for character banners ensures that you will get at least one 5-star character every 90 wishes, you will have to do 180 rolls for a guaranteed Yae Miko. The same rule applies to 4-star characters (guaranteed every 10-roll instead), but given that there are three of them featured in the banner, it’s a little bit more random.

Basically, when you’re guaranteed a 4-star character from the banner, you will get either Thoma, Fischl, or Diona. If you’re aiming to get either one of these three characters, you will likely have to roll a good number of times, depending on your luck.

Yae Miko’s “Everbloom Violet” event wish will go live in Genshin Impact on 16 February 2022 this Wednesday. Her banner will be available right after the Version 2.5 update until 8 March – it’ll be replaced by the Raiden Shogun’s and Sangonomiya Kokomi’s event wishes then.


Introducing Our New Review Guideline – Nextrift Recommends

Here on Nextrift, we review quite a number of products, and it can be a little tough to find out whether or not a particular product is worth picking up. With that in mind, we’re introducing a new guideline for our reviews: Nextrift Recommends.

As its name suggests, Nextrift Recommends is a badge that we award to products that are, well, worth recommending. It’s our way of endorsing products for their unique appeal, refinement, entertainment value, or even just sheer value for money.

The first recipient of our Nextrift Recommends badge is
Horizon Forbidden West
, which is set to be released this Friday on 18 February for the PS5 and PS4. Moving forward, expect to see this award on more products we review, including
smartphones
,
laptops
, and of course,
keyboard products
.

To make it even easier for you to find products that received the Nextrift Recommends badge, just follow
this tag on our reviews
. Rest assured, every product that is awarded with this badge is worth picking up – that’s our promise.


Experience MTG Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty in VR at 4 Game Stores in Malaysia Tomorrow

In conjunction with the launch of Magic: The Gathering’s new set,
Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
 tomorrow on 18 February, Wizards of the Coast is organising a virtual art exhibition on the same day. The exhibition will feature art from the new set drawn by 83 artists, including
Yoji Shinkawa
, the art director of Kojima Productions.

There are a couple of ways you can experience the virtual art exhibition. One of them is by visiting one of four Wizards Play Network (WPN) stores in Klang Valley to watch the exhibition in VR. These include Classroom Cafeteria, Classroom Cafeteria 2.0 (Damansara Utama), Cards & Hobbies, and Invictus Forge.

Alternatively, you can view the art exhibition from the comfort of your home
through this link
. If you’ve got a VR headset of your own, you can enjoy the exhibition in VR. Don’t have one? No worries: you can still view it through your browser.

Magic: The Gathering’s virtual art exhibition for Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty will begin from 18 February tomorrow – the same day as the set’s release – until 24 February. Once you’ve viewed all 134 cards in the exhibition, you can fill up a form to be in the running to win one of five B2 size poster autographed by Tetsuo Hara of First of the North Star fame.


Honda City Hatchback RS e:HEV Costs RM108k in Malaysia – Hybrid With 253Nm Torque

Honda Malaysia finally revealed the pricing of the Honda City Hatchback RS e:HEV for our local market. Just like
other variants
 of the B-segment hatchback, this hybrid model is priced slightly higher than its sedan counterpart of the same trim.

For the Malaysian market, the City Hatchback RS is priced at RM107,783.09. Compared to the City RS sedan (RM105,950.45), the hatchback version costs exactly RM1,832.64 more. Of course, this price includes the 100% sales tax exemption for locally assembled (CKD) cars, which is
set to end on 30 June 2022
.

What makes the City Hatchback RS unique is its Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD) powertrain that delivers 109PS and 253Nm of torque out of an electric motor; this is what powers the car most of the time. The RS has a 1.5L engine too that does 98PS and 127Nm of torque, but it mainly acts as a generator for the electric motor – the 1.5L mill is only used at higher speeds.

It’s also worth noting that the City Hatchback RS is the only model to get the Honda Sensing suite of driver assistance safety system in the lineup. It’s made up of Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Collision Mitigating Braking System (CMBS), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS), Road Departure Mitigation (RDM), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), and Auto High Beam (AHB).

If the Honda City Hatchback RS piqued your interest, you can head to your nearest Honda dealership to place a booking. Alternatively, can also book it online
here
, or even through the HondaTouch app – you can download it from the
Apple App Store
 and
Google Play Store
.


Honda City Hatchback Received Over 5,200 Bookings

Back at the Malaysian launch of the
Honda City Hatchback
 in early December 2021, over 2,000 bookings were placed for the B-segment hatchback. Fast forward two months to now, that number has grown to 5,200 bookings – quite a respectable figure.

Previously, Honda Malaysia shared that it’s targeting to sell 1,000 units of the City Hatchback every month. Given that the Japanese carmaker has received 3,200 more bookings between December 2021 and now – which is about two months – it’s certainly hitting that target.

Unfortunately, there’s no specific breakdown of which City Hatchback variant received the most bookings. However, historically – for the City sedan, anyway – the V model is usually the most popular trim level.

To recap, the City Hatchback starts at RM75,670 for the base S model, going up to RM83,080 for the mid-tier E trim. The V variant, on the other hand, goes for RM87,860. As for the range-topping RS e:HEV hybrid model, it’s
priced at RM107,783.09
.

If you’re keen to get the Honda City Hatchback, you can head to your nearest Honda dealership to place a booking. Alternatively, you can also book it online
here
, or even through the HondaTouch app – you can download it from the
Apple App Store
 and
Google Play Store
.


Uncharted Movie Review: Not a Faithful Adaptation, But Can Still Be a Fun Watch

News of a live-action Uncharted movie started circulating a whole
decade
ago, and it’s quite surreal that the movie is finally releasing on 17 February tomorrow for us here in Malaysia. As a long-time fan of the Uncharted game franchise, I was really looking forward to the movie.

But unfortunately enough, the Uncharted movie is not a faithful adaptation of the game, which will likely annoy fans of the franchise. Nonetheless, for those who are unfamiliar with Uncharted, the movie is still a fun watch, and it could be the start of a Sony film franchise with the teaser of a sequel.

Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg – two big names in the industry – star as the iconic dynamic duo Nathan Drake and Victor Sullivan in the Uncharted movie. Antonia Banderas is also another big name in the movie, who plays Santiago Moncada, the antagonist who is after the same treasure as Drake and Sully.

To aid him, Moncada hired Jo Braddock (played by Tati Gabrielle), who used to work with Sully at some point before the movie. Speaking of which, Chloe Frazer (Sophia Ali) is also another Uncharted character that’s brought to the movie – she is introduced as Sully’s partner in crime.

Just like any Uncharted game, the movie revolves around the search for a lost treasure; more specifically, fortune amassed by one Ferdinand Magellan. But unlike the games, the Uncharted movie takes place before Drake is a full-fledged treasure hunter, so we’re seeing a younger Drake and Sully.

But even with that in mind, it almost feels like the Uncharted movie is completely separate from the game franchise. While Holland plays a reasonably convincing Drake, the same cannot be said of Wahlberg’s performance as Sully.

Walhberg’s Sully appears to be a selfish, self-centred man who only recruited Nathan Drake to seek Magellan’s treasure for his relationship with Sam Drake. Yes, Nathan’s brother (who was only introduced in Uncharted 4) is in the movie too.

Anyway, in contrast, the Sully that we know and love in the game franchise isn’t quite as…well, egoistic. His demeanor is more laid-back too, unlike Wahlberg’s almost frantic take on the character. In short, it’s like he’s not trying to replicate Sully at all.

Granted, it’s unrealistic to expect Wahlberg to be a perfect representation of Sully on the big screen, but it’s hard to see any semblance of the character in his performance. Holland may not be perfect as Drake – it’s tough to match the witty voice performance of Nolan North in the game – but at least he displays a semblance of the character.

But beyond the performances of Holland and Wahlberg, the Uncharted movie doesn’t take into account the lore established in the game either. The origin of Nathan’s relation to Francis Drake isn’t the same as the game, and Chloe Frazer’s parentage isn’t accurate either – as far as the game is concerned, anyway.

For those who are familiar with the game franchise, it can be disheartening to see that the Uncharted movie ignores the established lore of the characters featured.

That being said, if we put aside the inconsistencies of the Uncharted movie to the games, it’s still a fun, thrilling film to watch and enjoy. The signature over the top action sequences of Uncharted are well-represented here, including the much-advertised plane sequence that was taken from Uncharted 3.

Of course, we also get some interesting twists on history in the Uncharted movie, along with some puzzle-solving and traversals that are (again) very much synonymous with Uncharted. The movie’s lore and characterisation may not be accurate to the game, but at least it has these aspects of the franchise down.

Sharp-eyed Uncharted fans – if you’re planning to catch the movie – will spot some interesting Easter eggs hidden in the movie too. While not strictly related to the movie, I like the new PlayStation Productions opening sequence that was played at the beginning too.

Chances are, we can expect to see more film and series adaptions of PlayStation’s exclusive titles moving forward, including a confirmed live-action TV series of The Last of Us.

As a fan of the Uncharted game franchise, I’m not too thrilled with the direction the movie took. But for those who are more familiar with Tom Holland than Nathan Drake, they may find Uncharted to be a decent film, especially for fans of the Spider-Man actor.

There’s also the aforementioned setup for a sequel, but whether or not the second film will materialise likely depends on how well the Uncharted movie does in the box office. While it’s not be a faithful adaptation of its game counterpart, it certainly has big names to carry the film.

Uncharted opens in cinemas on 17 February.


Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio Pre-Orders Open in Malaysia – From RM7,399 to RM11,999

As promised
, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is now available for pre-order in Malaysia. This product is Microsoft’s flagship laptop – replacing the
Surface Book
 lineup – so naturally, it has some capable hardware and an interesting design.

Three variants of the Surface Laptop Studio are offered in Malaysia. The base model with an Intel Core i5-11300H processor, Iris Xe Graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD retails at RM7,399. The Core i7-11370H configuration, on the other hand, costs RM9,399.

For that kind of money, it packs a faster Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD.

Interestingly, there’s also another Core i5 variant of the Surface Laptop Studio for RM11,999. While it has the same Iris Xe integrated GPU as the base model, it features much more RAM and SSD storage at 32GB and 1TB respectively. It’s worth noting that this configuration is exclusive to Harvey Norman.

The most unique selling point of the Surface Laptop Studio is its “Dynamic Woven Hinge,” which allows the laptop to transition between three modes: laptop, stage, and studio. Laptop is self-explanatory, while stage props up the 14.4-inch PixelSense Flow display (2400 x 1600 at 120Hz) right behind the trackpad; much like
Acer’s ConceptD 3 Ezel
.

As for studio, it’s…basically transforming the Surface Laptop Studio into a tablet. But tipping the scales at 1.7kg and 1.8kg for the Core i5 and Core i7 models respectively, this is not exactly a lightweight machine.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is now available for pre-order in Malaysia with a RM7,399 starting price. It is set to start shipping from 8 March onwards.


UMW Toyota Sold 7,528 units in January 2022 – Whopping 96% YoY Improvement

UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) is off to a great start this year. In January 2022 last month, the company sold 7,528 Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Compared to the same period in 2021 (3,845 units), it’s a huge 96% increase in sales.

However, it’s worth noting that Malaysia was under lockdown in January 2021 due to COVID-19, which affected car sales quite a bit at the time. Nonetheless, 7,528 sales in a month is still a respectable figure, especially for a foreign car brand.

Of the 7,528 units sold by UMWT, the Toyota Vios contributed 28% of total sales. This makes the B-segment sedan the company’s best-selling passenger vehicle. Things look even better in the commercial side – which include pickup trucks – where the Toyota Hilux made up 38% of last month’s sales.

UMWT also shared an interesting bit of news for the recently launched
Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid
: over 40% of sales for the C-segment SUV consists of the hybrid variant. This is quite a high percentage for a hybrid model, and it’ll be interesting to see if this trend will continue in the next few months.

“We are thankful for the government’s decision to extend the SST exemption incentives for passenger vehicles. This has greatly helped automotive players like us to recover from the impact of the pandemic during the last two years,” said the president of UMWT, Ravindran Kurusamy.


I Want This Nvidia GeForce RTX Artisan Keycap, But I (Probably) Won’t Get It

We’ve seen some
pretty interesting artisan keycaps
 in the past, and now, even Nvidia wants a piece of the action. Enter the company’s new “GeForce RTX” keycap, an artisan keycap finished in brushed aluminium, and I want one.

Unfortunately, this artisan keycap is not for sale (boo). Instead, the GeForce RTX keycap is a limited edition community reward. In order to win it, you’ll have to keep a close eye on Nvidia’s social media pages, including
Twitter
,
Instagram
, and
Facebook
.

Bring the reflections of GeForce RTX to your real-world keyboard with our new community reward keycap!
Want one?
🔁Retweet
↩ Reply with a game you would love to see remastered with RTX Graphics
pic.twitter.com/CZrWN1rdxa
— NVIDIA GeForce (@NVIDIAGeForce)
February 14, 2022

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NVIDIA GeForce (@nvidiageforce)

In fact, the giveaway is happening right now on Nvidia’s Twitter and Instagram pages. All you have to do is just retweet (or like the post on Instagram), and reply with a game you want to see remastered with RTX graphics. What’s the selection criteria? Well, the company is “looking for anyone who has a passion for games, graphics, and technology in our replies.”

According to Nvidia, there will be “plenty of giveaways and opportunities to win (the GeForce RTX artisan keycap) over the next few months.” If you want to try your luck, keep a close eye on Nvidia’s social media pages.


17 – 23 February Fuel Price: RON 97 up Again By 6 Sen, Others Unchanged

The price of RON 97 continues its upward trajectory. From today until 23 February, RON 97 is going up by 6 sen per litre. Of course, the prices of RON 95 and diesel are maintained, given that their price ceilings have been reached.

To recap, the price of RON 97 is set at RM3.27 per litre (up from RM3.21). The price of RON 95, on the other hand, stays at RM2.05 per litre. As for diesel, it still costs RM2.15 per litre.

These prices will be in effect from 17 to 23 February 2022. New fuel prices will be announced every Wednesday, so stay tuned to Nextrift next week for fuel price update!


Samsung Galaxy S22 Series Pre-Order Deal Revised – Now Offers Galaxy Watch 4 Worth RM899

Previously, Samsung Malaysia
offered a RM800 voucher
 (along with some accessories) with every pre-order of the new Samsung Galaxy S22 series. Curiously, the company revised the pre-order: it is now offering a Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (40mm) worth RM899 instead.

The smartwatch is bundled with every pre-order of the Galaxy S22 and S22+. As for the Galaxy S22 Ultra, you’re also getting the Galaxy X LAMY Safari Twin Pen (worth RM269) on top of the Galaxy Watch 4. All in all, you’re getting RM1,168 worth of freebies with the range-topping model.

This pre-order promotion for the Galaxy S22 series is valid until 3 March 2022; ample time to take advantage of the deal. You can pre-order the phones from
Samsung Malaysia’s online store itself
 to get the Galaxy Watch 4, though
other retailers seem

to still offer the RM800 voucher
.

Anyway, you can check out our
hands-on of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
 if you’d like to learn more about this spiritual successor to the Galaxy Note. We also checked out the Galaxy S22 and S22+
right here
.


Samsung Galaxy S22 Series Pre-Orders Now Shipping From 1 April 2022 in Malaysia

Seems like the
Samsung Galaxy

S22 series
 is proving to be quite popular among Malaysians. If you’ve placed your pre-order of the S22 series earlier, it was estimated to start shipping on 4 March. But for new pre-orders, deliveries will only begin the following month on 1 April now.

This applies to all three phones in the series, including the Galaxy S22, S22+, and the S22 Ultra. However, do note that this is only reflected on
Samsung Malaysia’s online store
 – it’s possible you can still get the phone earlier
from other retailers
 who are taking pre-orders of the S22 series.

Currently, every pre-order of the Galaxy S22 series
now comes with a Galaxy Watch 4 (40mm) worth RM899
 instead of an RM800 voucher. If you get the S22 Ultra instead, you’ll also get a Galaxy X LAMY Safari Twin Pen (worth RM269) on top of the smartwatch.

If you’d like to learn more about the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, check out our hands-on of the flagship phone
right here
. Want something more affordable? Then consider the
Galaxy S22 or S22+
.


Oppo Reno 7 Series Launch in Malaysia Set for 22 February

The latest Oppo Reno 7 series is coming to Malaysia next week. Set to be launched here on 22 February, at least two devices in the lineup will be introduced here: the standard Reno 7 and Reno 7 Pro.

After all, Oppo Malaysia is promoting these two smartphones quite a bit on its social media pages. On top of that, both the Reno 7 and Reno 7 Pro are prominently featured on the
company’s official website
.

The Oppo Reno 7

The Oppo Reno 7 Pro

Unfortunately, the hardware of the Reno 7 series have not been revealed yet, though the photography capability of both phones – especially in regard to portrait shots – seems to be the main focus. The unique “meteor texture” on the phones’ back panels are highlighted too.

We’ll find out more about the Oppo Reno 7 series – including its asking price – once it is introduced in Malaysia next week on 22 February. Also set to be unveiled locally alongside the new phones are the Enco Air 2 wireless earbuds and Oppo Watch.


Proton Sold 100k SUVs in Malaysia – Claims Number 1 SUV Brand

Proton just made a
rather interesting announcement
: the national carmaker has sold over 100,423 units of the exceedingly popular
Proton X50
 and
Proton X70
 locally. According to the carmaker, this is enough to make it the number one SUV brand in Malaysia.

This figure is taken from sales of the X50 and X70 between 12 December 2018 to 31 January 2022. Of course, given the impressive figure, both the X50 and X70 are the best-selling SUVs in their respective segments.

Unfortunately, Proton did not give an exact breakdown of the units sold, though it’s worth noting that more units of the X50 were sold last year. To be specific, as many as
28,774 units
 of the B-segment SUV were delivered in 2021, while the X70 found 16,375 homes in the same period.

The sheer value proposition of the Proton X50 and Proton X70 certainly helped in the success of these two SUVs. If the national carmaker can keep up the momentum, there’s a good chance it can meet its
150,000 sales target
.


Honda Malaysia Sold 53k Cars in 2021 – Maintains Top Spot in Non-National Passenger Car Segment

Honda Malaysia finally revealed its sales figure for 2021. With over 53,031 units sold last year, the Japanese carmaker maintains its position as the number one non-national passenger vehicle segment for
eight consecutive years
 – that’s quite the achievement.

Out of that figure, the central region in Peninsular Malaysia contributed the most sales with more than 25,000 units sold. This is followed by the southern and northern regions with 9,800 and 9,100 units sold respectively.

Not surprisingly, the Honda City continues to be Honda Malaysia’s best-selling model, contributing 36% of total sales. Aside from the B-segment model, the HR-V and CR-V SUVs proved to be popular too, taking up 21% and 14% of total sales respectively.

Of course, given the extended (and multiple) COVID-19 lockdowns in Malaysia, it’s no surprise that Honda Malaysia’s sales in 2021 isn’t quite as high as the previous year; in 2020, the carmaker
sold 60,469 units
. Nonetheless, Honda still managed to maintain its top spot in the non-national passenger vehicle segment in Malaysia.


Honda Malaysia Introducing 2 All-New Models This Year – 2022 Honda HR-V & BR-V?

Now this is quite exciting: Honda Malaysia just revealed its plan to introduce two all-new models locally sometime this year. Chances are, the Japanese carmaker is bringing in the new 2022 Honda HR-V and Honda BR-V to Malaysia.

After all, the new HR-V and BR-V have already been spotted – with the latter already launched there – in our neighbouring country Indonesia. It only makes sense for the two models to also be available in Malaysia in the near future.

It’s also worth noting that Honda Malaysia mentioned it is planning to bring in more models packed with the carmaker’s range of technologies. These include e:HEV technology, its VTEC turbocharged engine, Honda Sensing, and even Honda Connect. Chances are, we can expect to see these features in the 2022 HR-V and BR-V.

Of course, this is merely our own educated guess at this point in time, though it’s certainly in the realm of possibility for Honda Malaysia to launch both the 2022 Honda HR-V and BR-V here sometime this year. We’ll just have to wait and see.


Honda Malaysia Targets 80,000 Sales in 2022 – Focus on New Model Launches & Mobile Service Programme

Honda Malaysia made a slew of announcements yesterday, including its sales target for the year. In 2022, Honda is aiming to sell 80,000 cars; that’s a whopping 50% increase from its 2021 sales performance, where it
sold 53,031 units
.

The Japanese carmaker plans to achieve this lofty sales target by by introducing two all-new models and improving its aftersales service, including a mobile service programme. Though Honda Malaysia did not reveal the two new models it plans to launch this year, it’s very likely the
2022 Honda HR-V and Honda BR-V
.

After all, these two models have already made their debuts in the ASEAN market – it only makes sense for Malaysia to get them too. It’s also worth noting that Honda Malaysia mentioned it is planning to bring in more models packed with the carmaker’s range of technologies.

These include e:HEV technology, its VTEC turbocharged engine, Honda Sensing, and even Honda Connect. Chances are, we can expect to see these features in the 2022 HR-V and BR-V.

As for the mobile service programme, it allows Honda customers to get their car serviced at a location they prefer. Bookings can be done through the Honda Touch app – you can download it from the
Apple App Store
 and
Google Play Store
 – though the service is not available just yet.

With the upcoming launch of two new models – along with the recent introduction of the
new Civic
 and
City Hatchback
 – and improved aftersales service, Honda Malaysia’s 80,000 sales target is definitely achievable. What do you think: are you excited for the 2022 HR-V and BR-V?


Squabble – Wordle in Battle Royale Mode

Can’t quite get enough of Wordle? Then check out Squabble. It is basically Wordle…but in battle royale format. That’s right, Squabble allows up to 99 players to guess the right five-letter word in six attempts.

But given the battle royale format of Squabble, you’ll be given a new word if you successfully guessed the first one. This will continue until everyone else is eliminated, and you can even deal damage when you guessed the correct word.

Of course, the reverse is also applicable; you’ll take damage if you guessed wrong. Players also take one damage every second, so you’ll have to guess the right word before your “HP” goes down to zero.

You can also create your own multiplayer game in Squabble. The same rule applies, though you do have to make sure you start the “right” game mode. There are Blitz and Royale: the former only supports two to five players, while Royale – as its name suggests – requires between six to 99 players.

You can give Squabble a shot
right here
. Do note that it is still in beta, so you may come across some bugs.


Oppo Enco Air 2 Unboxing & Hands-On: Affordable Wireless Earbuds

The Oppo Enco Air 2 is the Chinese company’s latest wireless earbuds. Not only does it offer a number of interesting features – especially for the money – it also has a rather unique-looking, translucent “jelly” case lid.

Ahead of its launch alongside the
Oppo Reno 7 series
 next week, here’s our unboxing and hands-on of the Enco Air 2. Even though it’s an affordable product, the unboxing experience doesn’t feel cheap at all.

Let’s start with the packaging of the Enco Air 2, which looks great, especially for a budget-friendly product. Open up the box, and you’ll be greeted by the charging case with the earbuds in it. Beyond that, there’s…nothing much to it.

Underneath the cardboard that holds the Enco Air 2’s charging case in place is a small black box, which only includes some leaflets. That’s right, for some reason, these earbuds do not come with a charging cable, even though there’s clearly a slot in the box for it. Thankfully, it charges over USB-C, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find a compatible charger.

Anyway, let’s get to the Enco Air 2 itself. The charging case has a nice, soft texture, and I quite dig the translucent “jelly” lid. After all, most (if not all) charging cases have opaque casings, so it can be a little tricky to figure out if the earbuds are already in the case or not – not a problem with these earbuds.

I also like how easy it is to store the Enco Air 2 earbuds in the charging case. Thanks to the use of magnets, I can just slip the earbuds into the slot, and it’ll just click into place. That being said, the glossy surface of the earbuds does make it quite slippery, so it can be a little tricky to pull it out of the charging case.

Hardware wise, the Enco Air 2 features a 13.4mm “composite titanised diaphragm driver,” which is said to offer good audio quality. It also promises up to a whopping 24 hours of battery life: the earbuds themselves can last up to four hours on a single charge, which can be extended up to 24 hours with the charging case.

Another noteworthy feature of the Enco Air 2 is its IPX4 rating, making it water and sweat resistant. If you plan on wearing the earbuds for your workout sessions, you won’t have to worry about water or sweat damaging them – just make sure your workouts aren’t
too
 strenuous.

The thing is, the Enco Air 2, much like Apple’s AirPods, does not use silicone ear tips for a more secure, customisable fit. Instead, it has a one-size-fits-all hard plastic design, so depending on the size and shape of your ears, the earbuds may fit snuggly in your ears…or too loose.

Because the Enco Air 2’s hard plastic tips are fitted in your ears, they don’t feel particularly comfortable either; at least, that’s my initial experience with these earbuds. I’ll spend more time with them to see if I can get a more comfortable fit, though I’m not feeling very optimistic.

There’s also another negative to this design: it’s tough to get a good seal without the use of silicone tips. As a result, the Enco Air 2’s noise isolation isn’t great, so you’ll still hear the outside world quite a bit. That is, unless you crank up the volume, but you’d probably want to avoid doing that to avoid damaging your ears.

Beyond these negatives, the Enco Air 2 still has some genuinely good features. Its lightweight design, for example – each earbud weighs only 3.5g – helps with comfort when wearing the earbuds for long periods of time.

Low latency is another advantage of the Enco Air 2. When game mode is activated, you won’t suffer from out-of-sync audio; that’s what Oppo promises. It also has pretty good touch controls too, though I do wish it supported single taps as well, It only offers double, triple taps, and long holds.

As far as first impressions go, the Oppo Enco Air 2 looks to be a reasonably good pair of wireless earbuds with equally good value for money. Of course, exactly how attractive it’ll be will depend on how much it’s priced at for the Malaysian market.

For context, the Enco Air 2 retails at 199 Chinese yuan in China; that comes up to about RM130. If it’s priced around the same price point for the local market, I reckon it will be a good option for folks that want a budget-friendly pair of wireless earbuds.


Redmi Note 11 – More Than 6,500 Units Sold in 24 Hours in Malaysia

Xiaomi Malaysia just revealed an interesting sales figure for the all-new
Redmi Note 11
 in Malaysia, which starts at just RM749. According to the company, over 6,500 units of the budget-friendly phone were sold locally
in just 24 hours
 last week.

Needless to say, this is an impressive feat, though Xiaomi Malaysia did not reveal the sales figure for the other devices in the Redmi Note 11 series. Nonetheless, Xiaomi will be running three roadshows from 23 to 27 February to further promote the series.

These roadshows will take place in Sunway Pyramid, Selangor; Queensbay Mall, Penang; and Aeon Tebrau City, Johor. Any purchase of the Redmi Note 11 series at the roadshows will come with freebies worth RM457, including a RM100 Xiaomi AIoT voucher, Redmi Buds 3 Lite, and even a Mi Smart Scale 2. Of course, these freebies are only offered while stocks last.

“We are so grateful to our customers and fans for their great support in our latest Redmi Note 11 series,” said the country manager of Xiaomi Malaysia and Singapore, Nicolas Shi. “To make it better, it also comes with a truly affordable price tag —making flagship-level smartphone performance more accessible than before,” he added.

To recap, the Redmi Note 11 series roadshow in Malaysia will take place from 23 to 27 February this week at these locations: Sunway Pyramid, Selangor; Queensbay Mall, Penang; and Aeon Tebrau City, Johor.


Spy Shot: 2022 Honda HR-V Spotted on Malaysian Road!

Just last week, Honda Malaysia confirmed the launch of
two all-new models
 sometime this year, which are likely the 2022 Honda HR-V and Honda BR-V. Well, the former has just been spotted on Malaysian road!

This image came from local automotive site
WapCar
. The heavily camouflaged B-segment SUV is likely the HR-V based on its silhouette, even though the trade plate is mounted on the rear bumper instead of the tailgate.

Speaking of which, this is definitely Honda’s trade pate; it was previously used on a
BR-V test mule
 back in 2016.

So what can we expect out of the 2022 HR-V? Well, aside from its much more modern styling, Honda Malaysia is likely bringing in both the e:HEV hybrid model and the 1.5L turbocharged VTEC engine option, which should make it more appealing to a wider range of customers.

On top of that, the new HR-V will likely feature the Honda Sensing suite of driver assistance safety systems too. It may even feature the Honda Connect telematics system as well, much like the new
Honda Civic
 and
Honda City
.

Now that Honda Malaysia is already testing the 2022 Honda HR-V on our local roads, there’s a good chance it will be launched first, followed by the 2022 BR-V. Granted, this is only our own educated guess at this point in time – we’ll just have to wait for an official announcement from Honda Malaysia.


Meletrix Zoom65 Review: Incredible Value for Money

We’re seeing more and more budget-friendly custom keyboards as of late, and the Meletrix Zoom65 may just be the one to beat right now. Retailing at only $179 (about RM750) it offers
a lot of keyboard
…for not a lot of money.

Granted, the Zoom65 does have its fair share of shortcomings, but at this price point, you’d be hard-pressed to find another 65% keyboard (not to mention a knob) that offers the same typing feel and sound profile.

If you’re looking for a custom keyboard with a deep, “thocky” sound profile and soft typing feel without spending an exorbitant amount of money, consider the Zoom65 – you will not be disappointed,
especially
 for the money.

What It Is

The Meletrix Zoom65 is a complete keyboard kit that offers the keyboard itself, smooth JWK linear switches, and even a double shot PBT keycap set in the popular Olivia colourway. This set is officially authorised by Olivia herself, as Meletrix puts it.

Beyond that, the Zoom65 also features a gasket mounting system, full aluminium case, rotary encoder, polycarbonate plate, and of course, a hotswap PCB with QMK and VIA support – what you’ve come to expect from a proper custom keyboard, basically.

It’s also worth noting that the Zoom65 is
particularly enticing
 for us here in Malaysia, as it is officially brought in by Rebult Keyboards
for RM759
; you can still pre-order it now too. This means you won’t have to pay for expensive shipping to Malaysia, which further bolsters its value proposition.

The Good Stuff

Let’s start with the two most discussed qualities of any custom keyboards: sound profile and typing feel. In these two regards, the Zoom65 is sure to appeal to most folks. Not only does it have a deep sound profile, it also offers a soft, flexible typing experience for improved comfort.

These two qualities are mostly found on more expensive custom keyboards, such as
Owlab’s Jelly Epoch
. The fact that you can get these features at
this
price point really is a big plus for the Zoom65.

Aside from that, there’s also the rotary encoder of the Zoom65, which can be used to control the volume; you can even click on it to mute your device. The knob itself also feels great to scroll with a nice tactile feedback with every actuation.

In my opinion, the design of the Zoom65 is worth commending too. Yes, the front of the keyboard doesn’t look all that different from other 65% customs in the market now, but it’s a different story on the back. It has a nice aluminium weight with a different finish (and engraving) that gives it a unique aesthetic.

And then there’s the JWK linear switch of the Zoom65. It is quite smooth out of the box thanks to the factory lubing, and its nylon bottom housing offers a nice, “cushioned” bottom out as well. This, in turn, improves the typing comfort of the keyboard.

Oh, the Olivia double shot PBT keycaps of the Zoom65 are really good too. The keycaps don’t have an overly rough texture despite being made out of PBT plastic, and while the legends aren’t quite as sharp as a GMK set – which is also far more expensive – it’s more than acceptable at this price point.

That brings us to the
best
 aspect of the Zoom65: value for money. Again, retailing at only $179 or RM759, the sheer value you’re getting with this custom keyboard is incredible. Not only is it a really good keyboard, it’s even bundled with switches, keycaps, and WS screw-in stabilisers from Wuque Studio.

Most keyboard kits don’t even include stabilisers, let alone switches or keycaps.

The Bad Stuff

As impressive as the Zoom65 is, there are a few areas where it could be better, such as the finishing of the keyboard. While the e-coating feels reasonably good to the touch, some parts of the finish are not as smooth as it should be – this is where the budget nature of the Zoom65 becomes apparent.

Another aspect of this keyboard that I’m not too crazy about is the rotary encoder. It doesn’t feel particularly natural to operate due to its small size and awkward positioning – my fingers have a tendency to hit the surrounding keys because of this.

Last but not least is the build experience of the Zoom65, which can be a bit of a challenge to those who are new to the custom keyboard hobby. Some switches are oriented differently (depending on the layout you want), and the many foams that come with the keyboard further complicates the build process.

Granted, there’s a
build guide
 to make the assembly process easier, but it can still be a little intimidating.

Is It Worth It?

The Meletrix Zoom65 is absolutely,
absolutely
 worth it. Yes, it has some shortcomings, but you’re getting a lot of winning qualities for the money. While it’s a little hard to get your hands on the keyboard now, Meletrix (and other official vendors) will keep the keyboard constantly in-stock; at least, that’s the plan.

The Zoom65 is a fantastic first custom keyboard from Meletrix, and I’m excited to see where the brand will go from here. As a sub-brand of Wuque Studio, it’s certainly delivering equally good products at an affordable price point.


Nintendo Finally Opens Malaysian Website, But No Digital Store

Surprise surprise,
Nintendo Southeast Asia
 just announced the opening of its official websites for
Malaysia
 and
The Philippines
! This comes four months after the Japanese game company did the same for Singapore.

However, just like Singapore, this looks to be just a website for Nintendo-specific news. There is no digital store in sight, which is really what most gamers are looking forward to. After all, players in markets where the My Nintendo Store is unavailable have to purchase digital games from other regions, such as the
US store
.

Instead, if you’re browsing through any products on the Nintendo Malaysian website, a
Shopee
 and
Lazada
 link will be given to Maxsoft’s stores instead. This makes sense, given that Maxsoft is the official distributor of Nintendo products in Southeast Asia.

Nonetheless, the fact that Nintendo has opened an official website for Malaysia is still a promising sign. Hopefully, the company will eventually release a digital store in our local currency for easier access to digital games.


Oppo Reno 7 Pro Lands in Malaysia – DSLR-Style Portrait, MediaTek Dimensity 1200, RM2,999

Oppo Malaysia just launched its latest premium phone on our shores, the Oppo Reno 7 Pro. Promising DSLR-style portrait shots (even for the front-facing camera) with a sleek design, the Reno 7 Pro may appeal to selfie lovers.

Only one variant of the Reno 7 Pro is offered in Malaysia: it features a generous 12GB RAM and 256GB of internal storage for RM2,999. It will be available from now until 4 March 2022, and every pre-order will come with up to RM1,406 worth of freebies.

What makes the Reno 7 Pro particularly unique are its camera sensors. More specifically, the Sony IMX709 sensor for the 32MP front camera – it’s touted as the world’s first phone to use this hardware – and IMX766 for the 50MP primary rear shooter, which is also paired with an 8MP ultra-wide angle lens and a 2MP macro camera.

According to Oppo, the Reno 7 Pro’s Portrait Mode features “25 levels of adjustable blurring, bokeh, and light spot size,” which promises DSLR-style portrait shots for both the rear and front-facing cameras. Those who love taking selfies should appreciate this level of customisability.

Other specifications of the Reno 7 Pro include a 6.5-inch 1080p AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, a MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset, a 4,500mAh battery with support for 65W fast charging, and ColorOS 12 based on Android 11 out of the box.

To recap, the Oppo Reno 7 Pro retails at RM2,999 in Malaysia. It is now available for pre-order until 4 March 2022.


Oppo Reno 7 Now in Malaysia – Also Made for Portrait Shots, MediaTek Dimensity 900, RM1,999

Launched alongside the Reno 7 Pro is the more affordable Oppo Reno 7. Naturally, the standard model still focuses on delivery good portrait shots, and more importantly, it’s slightly more affordable too.

For the Malaysian market, the Reno 7 is only offered in one variant. Sporting 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, it is priced at RM1,999, and it is available for pre-order now until 4 March 2022.

Just like the Pro model, the Reno 7’s portrait mode promises DSLR-like portrait shots, thanks to its Portrait Mode with “25 levels of adjustable aperture.” It also has a 32MP selfie camera, along with a 64MP primary shooter, an 8MP ultra-wide angle lens, and a 2MP macro camera.

Rounding out the specifications of the Reno 7 are a 6.4-inch 1080p AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, a MediaTek Dimensity 900 chipset, 5G connectivity, a 4,500mAh battery with support for 65W fast charging, and ColorOS 12 based on Android 11 out of the box.

The Oppo Reno 7 is now available for for pre-order in Malaysia until 4 March 2022 for RM1,999. Every pre-order will also come with freebies worth up to RM1,406.


Oppo Watch Free & Enco Air 2 Wireless Earbuds Launched in Malaysia for RM449 and RM249

Aside from the
Oppo Reno

7 series
, Oppo Malaysia also introduced two wearables: the Oppo Watch Free smartwatch and
Oppo Enco Air 2
 wireless earbuds. Both of them are quite affordable products in their respective categories.

Let’s start with the Enco Air 2, which is priced at RM249. For that kind of money, it offers a 13.4mm “composite titanised diaphragm driver” – it’s said to offer good audio quality – as well as up to a whopping 24 hours of battery life.

The earbuds themselves can last up to four hours on a single charge, which can be extended up to 24 hours with the charging case. With an IPX4 rating, you can even wear the Enco Air 2 without worrying about water or sweat damaging the earbuds.

As for the Watch Free, one of its most impressive features lies in its battery life: it promises up to 14 days of usage on a single charge. Paired with over 100 sports modes and sleep monitoring capability, it looks to be a great entry-level smartwatch for the health-conscious.

Interestingly, you can get the Oppo Watch Free and Oppo Enco Air 2 with a 50% discount if you also purchase the Oppo Reno 7 series. If you’re interested with the Enco Air 2, check out our hands on and unboxing of the wireless earbuds
right here
.


Oppo Reno 7 Z Coming to Malaysia in April 2022

Oppo Malaysia dropped a surprise announcement today at the launch event for the
Reno 7

series
. The Chinese company revealed that the unannounced Oppo Reno 7 Z will also be coming to Malaysia in the near future.

How soon will that happen? Well, according to Oppo Malaysia, the Reno 7 Z will be available locally sometime in April 2022. Unfortunately, the hardware of the phone were not revealed, though it’s said to be the “portrait expert,” just like other devices in the Reno 7 series.

Based on the product page of the Reno 7 Z on
Oppo Indonesia’s official website
, it will not be powered by a MediaTek chipset like the rest of its siblings. Instead, it’s said to be packed with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset, which should offer a reasonably good level of performance.

We’ll find out the full specifications of the Oppo Reno 7 Z once it is officially launched. It’ll be interesting to see how it would compare in terms of pricing to the
Reno 7 Pro
 and standard
Reno 7
, which go for RM2,999 and RM1,999 respectively.


Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 With 12th Gen Intel Core i9 Coming to Malaysia in March 2022 From RM8,099

Asus Malaysia revealed the local availability of a wide range of new gaming laptops, including the sleek Asus ROG Zephyrus M16. Just like
its predecessor
, it sports an almost bezel-less display, and it’s now packed with Intel’s latest 12th gen Core processors.

In fact, all variants of the Zephyrus M16 for the Malaysian market feature the same Core i9-12900H processor with
14 physical cores
. Needless to say, you won’t have to worry about processing power with this gaming laptop.

Anyway, three variants of the Zephyrus M16 are offered in Malaysia. The base model features an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 (6GB GDDR6) GPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD for RM8,099. A tier up is the RTX 3070 Ti (8GB GDDR6) model with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD for RM11,499.

Want even better gaming performance? Then consider the RTX 3080 Ti (16GB GDDR6) configuration of the Zephyrus M16. Not only does it feature that beefy GPU, it also comes with a very generous 2TB SSD and 32GB RAM…for a cool RM16,499.

Other specifications of the Zephyrus M16 include a Pantone Validated 16-inch 2560 x 1600 IPS display with a 165Hz refresh rate and 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 colour space, a 19.9mm thin chassis that tips the scales at 1.9kg, as well as support for WiFi 6E.

Curiously, only the RTX 3070 Ti and RTX 3080 Ti variants of the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 will be available in Malaysia next month in March 2022. The more affordable RTX 3060 model, on the other hand, will only arrive here sometime in April or May 2022.


2022 Asus TUF Gaming Laptops With 12th Gen Intel & AMD Ryzen 6000 Chips Launched in Malaysia – Starts at RM4,999

If the
Asus ROG Zephyrus M16
 don’t quite fit your budget, then consider the new Asus TUF Gaming laptops. Available with Intel’s latest 12th gen chip or AMD’s equally new Ryzen 6000 processor, this gaming laptop series offers good value for money.

Asus TUF Gaming A15

Let’s start with the more affordable laptop in the series, the TUF Gaming A15. Offered in four different configurations, all variants are powered by a Ryzen 7 6800H octa-core processor. The base model with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 costs RM4,999, while the RTX 3050 Ti configuration goes for RM5,199; both feature 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.

A tier up is the RTX 3060 model of the TUF Gaming A15. Packed with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, it retails at RM6,199. And then there’s the range-topping model with the same GPU, but with a brighter, more vibrant display, and a larger 1TB SSD for RM6,699.

Asus TUF Gaming F15

Next, we have the TUF Gaming F15, which is essentially the Intel version of the A15. Available in three variants, all of them are equipped with a Core i7-12700H processor and 512GB of SSD storage. The most affordable RTX 3050 model retails at RM5,299, while the RTX 3050 Ti configuration is priced at RM5,499. These two models also have 8GB of RAM.

As for the range-topping RTX 3060 TUF Gaming F15, it goes for RM6,499 with a more generous 16GB RAM. Beyond the different CPU and GPU options, both the TUF Gaming F15 and A15 feature a 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080 IPS display with a 144Hz refresh rate.

Asus TUF Gaming A17/F17

Oh, there are also 17-inch variants of the two laptops. The TUF Gaming A17 packs a Ryzen 7 6800H processor paired with 8GB of RAM, an RTX 3050 GPU, a 17.3-inch 1080p IPS display with a 144Hz refresh rate, and a 512GB SSD for RM5,199.

In the Intel camp, the TUF Gaming F15 features a Core i7-12700H processor paired with 16GB of RAM, an RTX 3060 GPU, a 17.3-inch 1080p IPS screen with a 144Hz refresh rate, and a 512GB SSD. How much does all of these cost? RM6,699.

Availability

All AMD variants of the Asus TUF Gaming series – so that’s the A15 and A17 – will be available in Malaysia sometime in March 2022. The TUF Gaming F15 will also be arriving here in March next month, but the F17 will only be sold here sometime in April 2022.


24 February – 2 March Fuel Price: RON 97 up Again By 2 Sen, Others Unchanged

The price of RON 97 is increased yet again this week. For the next seven days, RON 97 is going up by 2 sen per litre. Of course, the prices of RON 95 and diesel are maintained, given that their price ceilings have been reached.

From tomorrow onwards, the price of RON 97 is set at RM3.29 per litre (up from RM3.27). The price of RON 95, on the other hand, stays at RM2.05 per litre. As for diesel, it still costs RM2.15 per litre.

These prices will be in effect from 24 February to 2 March 2022. New fuel prices will be announced every Wednesday, so stay tuned to Nextrift next week for fuel price update!


Honda Certified Used Car Now Available in Malaysia – Offered at 6 Dealerships

Honda Malaysia just launched its own used car business. Dubbed Honda Certified Used Car (HCUC), it offers pre-owned Honda vehicles through an “accessible, trustworthy platform,” as the company puts it.

All Honda pre-owned cars that are sold through HCUC are no older than five years, and their mileage are said to be below the 100,000km mark,. Aside from that, they have gone through a stringent 288-point inspection as well conducted by Honda Certified Inspectors.

Of course, they’re also fitted with genuine parts and are “free from major accidents and flood damage.”

“Honda Malaysia is committed to offering products and services of the highest quality and ensuring that all our cars, be it new or pre-owned, provide a feeling of joy to the car owners,” said the MD and CEO of Honda Malaysia, Madoka Chujo.

“As such, we rolled out HCUC as an additional option for customers to own their preferred Honda cars and enjoy being a Honda owner,” she added.

At the moment, HCUC is available at six Honda dealerships: MJN Motors (Selangor), Tiong Nam Motor (Selangor), Kah Motor (Penang), Kah Motor (Johor), Yong Ming Motor (Johor) and Chuan Thye Motor (Pahang). Honda Malaysia said that HCUC will be gradually expanded to meet the growing demand for used cars in Malyasia.


Asus ROG Flow Z13 Gaming Tablet Arriving in Malaysia March 2022

The
Asus ROG Flow Z13
 is arriving in Malaysia very soon! Touted as the “world’s fastest gaming tablet,” it’s really a capable, portable gaming machine, and it will be sold here here as early as March 2022 next month.

Thanks to its tablet form factor – which is similar to
Microsoft’s Surface tablets
 – the Flow Z13 weighs only 1.1kg with a 12mm thin chassis. Despite its lightweight, slim design, it’s still a reasonably powerful machine. The Z13 can be configured with Intel’s latest 12th gen Alder Lake-H Core i9-12900H processor and an Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU (35W TGP).

If you need more power, the Flow Z13 can be connected to Asus’ ROG XG Mobile external GPU enclosure. The new 2022 model now features an AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT or RTX 3080 GPU, along with a number of connectivity options.

Other specifications of the Flow Z13 include a 13-inch touch-enabled display (either a 4K 60Hz or 1080p 120Hz panel option), up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of PCIe Gen4 SSD, a detachable keyboard case, an adjustable kickstand, as well as a 56Wh battery.

To recap, the Asus ROG Flow Z13 is set to arrive in Malaysia sometime in March 2022 next month. Given the premium positioning of the gaming tablet, expect it to carry a premium price tag as well.


The 2022 Acer Swift 5 Has 12th Gen Intel Chips & OceanGlass Trackpad Made From Recycled Plastic

Acer just updated the Acer Swift 5 productivity laptop with Intel’s latest 12th gen processors. On top of that, it also has a number of other improvements, including a larger, taller screen and a trackpad made from recycled plastic.

Dubbed OceanGlass trackpad, this is the same one used in the
new

Swift X
. Despite the fact that the Swift 5’s trackpad is made out of recycled plastic, it still feels quite smooth to the touch. At least, that was the case with the Swift X.

Of course, the new Swift 5 also sports Intel’s latest 12th gen processors (up to 12 cores) with Iris Xe graphics. Just like its predecessor, it also remains thin and light with a 14.95mm slim chassis that tips the scales at 1.2kg.

Other specifications of the Swift 5 include a new, taller 16:10 touch-enabled screen with a 2560 x 1600 resolution and 92.22% screen-to-body ratio, up to 16GB of RAM and 2TB of PCIe Gen4 SSD, a fingerprint reader built into the power button, and up to 10 hours of battery life.

The 2022 Acer Swift 5 will be available in EMEA markets from March 2022 onwards, while China and the US will get it sometime in April and June respectively. No word yet on when the new Swift 5 will be offered in Malaysia.


PlayStation VR2 Headset Finally Revealed – Familiar Design, Lighter, Now With a Vent

After many months of teasing, the headset of the PlayStation VR2 system has finally been unveiled. At a glance, it looks quite similar to the original PS VR, though it has some notable improvements, including the inclusion of a vent.

So what’s the purpose of the vent? Well, air circulation! Thanks to the vent, the lenses won’t fog up as you’re immersed in a VR game. Speaking of which, there’s also a lens adjustment dial now so that players can match the lens distance between their eyes for a more pleasant VR experience.

Aside from that, the PS VR2 headset is also lighter and slightly slimmer than its direct predecessor. This is quite impressive, given that there’s now a built-in motor for the headset’s feedback feature. The lighter design should improve the comfort of the headset as well.

Also unveiled alongside the PS VR2 headset is the final design of the PS VR2 Sense controller. While it looks similar to previously released images of the controller, the colourway is now matched to the headset’s black and white colour scheme.

No release date has been given yet for the PlayStation VR2, though it’s confirmed that game creators have gotten their hands on the development kit. Hopefully, we’ll see the VR system hit store shelves sometime this year.


PlayStation Plus March 2022 Free Games Include Ghost of Tsushima: Legends & Ghostrunner

PlayStation Plus’ March 2022 free games have just been announced! The lineup includes Ghostrunner (PS5), Team Sonic Racing (PS4), Ghost of Tsushima: Legends (PS5 and PS4), and for us here in Asia, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PS4).

It’s worth noting that in certain regions, such as the US, Ark: Survival Evolved is offered instead of Brothers. Nonetheless, the latter is still a well-received game with a unique mechanic that requires players to control both brothers simultaneously.

Interestingly, unlike
previous PS Plus

free games
, not all of the games this month are available on the PS4; only the PS5 version of Ghostrunner is offered. But hey, at least PS4 players are still getting three games this month.

These four games can be claimed by PS Plus members from 1 March to 4 April 2022. That means you have until this coming Monday (28 February) to get your hands on February 2022’s free games, including
Dragon’s Crown Pro an
d
 UFC 4
.


Oppo Find X5 Pro Official – MariSilicon X Imaging NPU, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, IP68 Rating

Oppo just launched its latest flagship smartphone, the Oppo Find X5 Pro. Sporting the Chinese company’s latest MariSilicon X Imaging NPU, the X5 Pro promises improved camera performance, especially when shooting low light 4K videos.

According to Oppo, the MariSilicon X NPU allows the Find X5 to shoot night videos in 4K with “less grain and superior colour reproduction,” thanks to the use of an advanced AI noise reduction algorithm designed by the Oppo Research Institute.

Of course, whether or not this is the case, we’ll have to reserve judgment until we can try out the phone for ourselves.

Aside from that, the Find X5 Pro has a triple camera system made up of a 50MP primary camera – complete with a “first-of-its-kind” five-axis OIS system for more stable videos and sharper still photos – a 50MP ultra-wide angle lens, and a 13MP telephoto camera with 5x hybrid zoom. It also features Hasselblad Natural Colour Calibration in Pro Mode for…well, more accurate colour reproduction.

Naturally, the Find X5 Pro is also powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset for flagship-tier performance. After all, it’s said to offer 30% improved GPU performance while sporting 25% better power efficiency, thanks to its 4nm manufacturing process.

Rounding out the specifications of the Find X5 Pro include a 6.7-inch WQHD+ curved AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, a generous 5,000mAh battery with support for 80W SuperVOOC fast charging, an IP68 rating, a ceramic back, and ColorOS 12.1 based on Android 12 out of the box.

No word yet on the Malaysian availability of the Oppo Find X5 Pro, but given Oppo’s large presence locally, we reckon it’s only a matter of time before the flagship phone is launched on our shores.


Oppo Find X5 Also Unveiled With MariSilicon X, Sony IMX766 Sensor, 80W SuperVOOC Charging

Launched alongside the higher-end Find X5 Pro is the more affordable Oppo Find X5. Sporting the same MariSilicon X imaging NPU as the former, the standard Find X5 should be able to deliver comparable camera performance (especially in low light 4K videos) in a more modest-looking design.

However, the Find X5 is still very much a premium phone powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset. It also offers the same Sony IMX766 sensor found in the Pro model for the 50MP primary and 50MP ultra-wide angle shooters, along with a 13MP telephoto lens and a 32MP selfie camera.

Given the Hasselblad branding on the back of the Find X5, it should feature the Hasselblad Natural Colour Calibration in the camera’s Pro Mode for…well, more accurate colour reproduction.

Other specifications of the regular Find X5 include a 6.5-inch 1080p OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 4,800mAh battery with fast 80W SuperVOOC charging, and a more “understated, yet ultra-premium finish, with frosted, matte glass and fingerprint-resistant chassis,” as Oppo puts it.

Just like the Pro model, it remains to be seen exactly when the Oppo Find X5 will be available in Malaysia, though we reckon it will be sold on our shores in due time.


Infinix Zero X Pro & Zero 5G Arrive in Malaysia 3 March – Starts at RM1,099

Infinix is steadily bringing in higher-end phones to the Malaysian market, such as these two new phones: the Infinix Zero X Pro and Infinix Zero 5G. Retailing from only RM1,099, both phones offer reasonably good value for money.

Let’s start with the more affordable phone of the two, the Infinix Zero 5G. Priced at RM1,099, it offers a MediaTek Dimensity 900 chipset paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage, a 6.78-inch 1080p IPS display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a triple camera system (48MP primary + 13MP telephoto + 2MP “virtual”), a 16MP selfie camera, and a 5,000mAh battery.

The Infinix Zero 5G

As for the Infinix Zero X Pro, two variants are offered in Malaysia. The 128GB model costs RM1,199, while the 256GB configuration goes for RM1,299; both feature 8GB of RAM. Aside from that, it is also powered by a MediaTek Helio G95 chipset.

Other specifications of the Zero X Pro include a 6.67-inch 1080p AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, a triple camera system (108MP primary + 8MP periscope telephoto + 8MP ultra-wide angle), a 16MP selfie camera, and a 4,500mAh battery.

The Infinix Zero X Pro

Both the Infinix Zero X Pro and Zero 5G will be available for purchase in Malaysia next week on 3 March. You can place your order of the two phones through
Infinix’s official Shopee store
 on that day.


Oppo Find X5 Pro Also Offered With Dimensity 9000 in China

For the global market, the
Oppo Find X5 Pro
 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. But for those residing in China, there’s actually another version of the flagship phone packed with a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chip instead.

Dubbed Oppo Find X5 Pro Dimensity Edition, it is one of the first phones to be powered by the new flagship MediaTek chipset, though this particular version seems to be exclusive to the China market at the moment. Aside from the different chipset, this (seemingly) China-only X5 Pro has a number of other differences too.

Most notably, the Find X5 Pro Dimensity Edition does not feature Oppo’s heavily marketed MariSilicon X Imaging NPU; this means the Qualcomm variant may be able to deliver better camera performance. Curiously, the MediaTek model doesn’t have the Hasselblad branding or the five-axis OIS system on the 50MP primary camera either.

Beyond these differences, the Dimensity 9000-powered Find X5 Pro has similar hardware as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 model. These include a 6.7-inch WQHD+ curved AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, a generous 5,000mAh battery with support for 80W SuperVOOC fast charging, an IP68 rating, and a ceramic back.

The Oppo Find X5 Pro Dimensity Edition is only offered in a single configuration in China. Sporting 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, it is priced at 5,799 Chinese yuan (about RM3,855). For the sake of comparison, the equivalent Qualcomm model is slightly more costly at 6,299 yuan (approximately RM4,185).


You Can Pre-Order the “Oppo Find X5 Lite” in Malaysia Right Now for RM1,999

Also unveiled alongside the
Find X5 Pro
 and the regular
Find X5
 is the more affordable Oppo Find X5 Lite. If the phone looks familiar, that’s because it’s essentially a rebranded
Reno 7
 for the European market.

The Reno 7 was launched in Malaysia just a few days ago, so you can technically pre-order the “Find X5 Lite” in Malaysia right now. Priced at RM1,999, the Reno 7 is offered in a single configuration with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM.

The Oppo Find X5 Lite

Just like the Reno 7 Pro, the standard Reno 7’s portrait mode promises DSLR-like portrait shots, thanks to its Portrait Mode with “25 levels of adjustable aperture.” It also has a 32MP selfie camera, along with a 64MP primary shooter, an 8MP ultra-wide angle lens, and a 2MP macro camera.

Rounding out the specifications of the Reno 7 are a 6.4-inch 1080p AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, a MediaTek Dimensity 900 chipset, 5G connectivity, a 4,500mAh battery with support for 65W fast charging, and ColorOS 12 based on Android 11 out of the box.

The Oppo Reno 7 is now available for for pre-order in Malaysia until 4 March 2022 for RM1,999. Every pre-order will also come with freebies worth up to RM1,406.


Oppo Pad Official With Snapdragon 870 & 11″ 120Hz Display From 2,299 Yuan

Oppo recently unveiled its first-ever Android tablet in China, the aptly named Oppo Pad. Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chipset with an 11-inch 120Hz screen – not to mention good value for money – it’s quite an interesting tablet.

Though the Snapdragon 870 chipset isn’t cutting-edge, the Oppo Pad more than makes up for this with its affordable price tag. In China, it retails at only 2,299 Chinese yuan (about RM1,530) for the base model with 128GB of internal storage and 6GB of RAM. If you want more storage and RAM, there’s the 256GB + 8GB variant for 2,999 yuan (approximately RM1,995).

For that kind of money, the Oppo Pad features the aforementioned Snapdragon 870, which should be able to offer a reasonably good level of performance. It also has an 11-inch 2560 x 1600 LTPS screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10 support, a 13MP rear camera, an 8MP selfie camera, and a reasonably big 8,300mAh battery with 33W fast charging.

It remains to be seen when (or if) the Oppo Pad will be available outside of China. But if it does, we reckon Malaysia will get the Android tablet, given Oppo’s prominent presence here.


Drop Releasing Gateron-Made “Holy Panda X” Tactile Switch on 1 March – Rounder Bump, $1 Per Switch

Drop is releasing a new tactile switch dubbed “Holy Panda X” this coming Tuesday on 1 March. Compared to the original Holy Panda, this switch will be made by Gateron, and it will feature a rounder bump with a more “aggressive” return…and a pretty steep price tag.

First, let’s talk prices. Drop will price a box of Holy Panda X switches – which contains 35 units – for $35 (about RM145). Basically, you’ll be paying $1 (approximately RM4.20) per switch; that’s quite a steep price tag, even when compared to other high-end aftermarket switches.

Image source:
Quakemz (Reddit)

That being said, you can place a pre-order of the Holy Panda X for slightly cheaper on 1 March itself – a box of the tactile switch will cost $29 (around RM120) on that day. The regular pricing will be implemented “shortly thereafter,” though no specific timeline was given by Drop.

Anyway, for that kind of money, the Holy Panda X promises a more rounded tactile bump than the original Holy Panda. The return/upstroke of the switch is also described to be “more aggressive, coming back sooner and slightly harder.”

According to Drop, reviews of the Holy Panda X switch will be released on 1 March itself. If you’re keen to purchase it, you can do so
right here
 this coming Tuesday.


2022 Honda Odyssey Facelift Now in Malaysia – Imported From Japan, New Exterior & Interior, RM275k

Honda Malaysia just launched the updated 2022 Honda Odyssey facelift on our shores. Sporting a new exterior and interior, the premium seven-seater MPV is fully imported (CBU) from Japan, so it gets 50% sales tax exemption until 30 June 2022.

So how much does the facelifted Odyssey cost? A cool RM275,311 on-the-road without insurance. Given that the sales tax exemption is
set to end on 30 June
, expect the price of the premium MPV to increase in the second half of the year.

Compared to the pre-facelift model, the updated Odyssey has a number of exterior changes. These include a new front grille, LED headlights, redesigned taillights, as well as new rear and front bumpers. It also gets 17-inch alloy wheels now with sequential turn signals.

Step inside the 2022 Odyssey and you’ll be greeted by a more premium interior. There’s a new dashboard design, a 7-inch digital instrument cluster, an 8-inch infotainment screen with support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with combination leather upholstery.

Other equipment of the new Odyssey include the familiar 2.4L DOHC i-VTEC NA engine (175PS/225Nm), a CVT automatic, Honda Sensing, and a powered tailgate with foot sensor for added convenience.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey facelift is now available for booking in Malaysia. It is offered in three colours: Platinum White Pearl, Premium Twinkle Black Pearl, and Super Platinum Metallic.


Huawei MateBook E With OLED Screen Makes Global Debut – Microsoft Surface Competitor

Announced in China back in November last year, the Huawei MateBook E just made its global debut at Huawei’s Spring 2022 Smart Office launch. Even though it’s touted as Huawei’s first OLED laptop, it’s really a Windows tablet that can be connected to a keyboard case, much like
Microsoft’s Surface Pro 8
.

But unlike the Surface, the MateBook E relies on the keyboard case to be propped up; it doesn’t have a built-in kickstand like the former. Of course, once it is connected to said case, the MateBook E is similar to the Surface Pro 8 – in terms of form factor, anyway.

Under the hood of the MateBook E are Intel’s 11th generation Core processors – it maxes out at a Core i7-1160G7 chip – Iris Xe integrated graphics, a 12.6-inch 2560 x 1600 OLED screen, up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD, a 13MP rear camera, an 8MP front-facing shooter, as well as support for the 2nd gen Huawei M-Pencil stylus.

No word yet on the Malaysian availability of the Huawei MateBook E, but given Huawei’s prominent presence here, we reckon it’s only a matter of time before the Windows tablet is officially sold locally.


Huawei MateBook X Pro 2022 Features Larger, Sharper Screen With Smaller Bezels

Also unveiled alongside the new
Huawei MateBook E
 is the Chinese company’s latest flagship laptop, the Huawei MateBook X Pro 2022. Compared to its predecessor, the new laptop features a larger, sharper, and faster screen, while also reducing the bezels surrounding the panel.

This, in turn, makes for a sleeker, more modern-looking productivity laptop. The new MateBook X Pro now features a 14.2-inch 3120 x 2080 LTPS touch-enabled display with a 90Hz refresh rate. With a peak brightness of 500 nits, it also supports VESA’s DisplayHDR 400 standard.

Other specifications of the updated MateBook X Pro include an 11th gen Intel Core i7-1195G7 processor paired with 16GB of RAM, Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics, a generous 1TB SSD, a 60Wh battery, as well as a 15.5mm thin chassis that tips the scales at 1.38kg.

For the European market, the Huawei MateBook X Pro 2022 retails at 1,899 euro (about RM8,910). It remains to be seen exactly when the flagship laptop will be available in other regions, including Malaysia.


Poco X4 Pro 5G Official, and It’s Coming to Malaysia for RM1,199 – Early Birds Get RM250 Discount

The Poco X4 Pro 5G has just been announced at MWC 2022, and it’s…very similar to the
Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
, except for some styling differences. Anyway, just like the latter, the X4 Pro is a budget-friendly phone, and it will be available for purchase in Malaysia this week on 3 March.

Two variants of the X4 Pro are offered in Malaysia. The base model with 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM goes for RM1,199 – the exact same starting price of the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G – while the more generous 256GB configuration with 8GB RAM is priced at RM1,499.

As mentioned, the Poco X4 Pro 5G is very similar to the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G. Both phones feature the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset, a 6.67-inch 1080p AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, a triple camera system (108MP main + 8MP ultra-wide + 2MP macro), a 16MP selfie camera, and a 5,000mAh battery with support for 67W fast charging.

The only real difference between the two phones lies in design; more specifically, the camera module. The Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G’s camera array has a smaller footprint, while the camera module of the Poco X4 Pro 5G stretches across the whole top of the phone, complete with the Poco branding.

It’s also worth noting that the X4 Pro is offered with more storage capacity; there’s no 256GB configuration of the Note 11 Pro 5G for the Malaysian market.

You can purchase the Poco X4 Pro 5G in Malaysia from 3 March onwards exclusively on Shopee, and you can get it at only
RM1,099
 (128GB) and
RM1,249
 (256GB) on that day – that saves you RM100 and RM250 respectively.


Poco M4 Pro Unveiled With 90Hz AMOLED Screen & 5,000mAh Battery From RM799 in Malaysia

Aside from the higher-end X4 Pro 5G, Poco also unveiled the more affordable Poco M4 Pro at MWC 2022. Sporting a relatively fast 90Hz AMOLED screen with a generous 5,000mAh battery, this budget-friendly phone is also arriving in Malaysia this Thursday on 3 March.

Two variants of the M4 Pro are available in Malaysia. The base model with 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM is priced at RM899, while the 256GB configuration with 8GB of RAM costs RM1,099. To sweeten the deal, these two phones will be discounted to RM799 and RM949 respectively from
Lazada
 on 3 March.

Despite its affordable nature, the M4 Pro still features a vibrant 6.43-inch 1080p AMOLED display with a reasonably fast 90Hz refresh rate. On top of that, it also has a large 5,000mAh battery – Poco said this battery can last “more than two days.”

Other specifications of the Poco M4 Pro include a MediaTek Helio G96 chipset, a triple camera system (64MP primary + 8MP ultra-wide angle + 2MP macro), a 16MP selfie camera, as well as support for 33W fast charging.


Custom Keyboard Stabiliser Showdown! TX vs. Staebies vs. Durock V2

We’ve got (arguably) three of the most popular keyboard stabilisers in the market now, and we’re putting them to the test to see which one will reign supreme! Will it be the new kid on the block, TX, the incredibly popular
Staebies
, or the OG
Durock V2
?

All of these stabilisers were tested on an FR4 plate and PCB of the
Mode SixtyFive
 (stay tuned for our full review of this excellent custom keyboard). We lubed all three stabilisers with Krytox XHT-BDZ on the wires, and Krytox 205g0 on the housings – no mods of any kind were performed.

Of course, we’ll be posting our full review of the TX stabilisers very soon on
our YouTube channel
 and this website. In the meantime, listen for yourself how these three stabilisers sound in stock configuration and after they’re lubed!


Honor Magic 4 Series Official – Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, 100W Wireless Charging, From 899 Euro

Honor just unveiled its latest lineup of flagship smartphones, the Honor Magic 4 series. Featuring Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset and a premium design, the Magic 4 Pro and standard Magic 4 are high-end phones through and through.

Let’s start with the higher-end Magic 4 Pro. It features a triple camera system made up of a 50MP primary sensor, a 50MP ultra-wide angle shooter, and a 64MP periscope telephoto lens that can do 3.5x optical zoom. These sensors are housed in a unique circular camera module.

Other specifications of the Magic 4 Pro include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset paired with 8GB of RAM, a 6.81-inch 2848 x 1312 OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 256GB of internal storage, a 12MP selfie camera, an IP68 rating, and a 4,600mAh battery with support for 100W wired and
wireless
charging; that’s quite impressive.

As for the standard Magic 4, it has similar hardware as the Pro model, though it does have some distinct differences here and there. Instead of a 64MP telephoto camera, it features an 8MP periscope telephoto lens instead; it also has a slightly bigger 4,800 battery and an IP54 rating.

The Honor Magic 4

The Honor Magic 4 series will be available globally sometime in Q2 2022. The standard Magic 4 is set to retail from 899 euro (about RM4,215), while the Magic 4 Pro starts at 1,099 euro (approximately RM5,155). The latter is
already confirmed for the Malaysian market
, though it remains to be seen if the standard model will also be coming to our shores.


Honor Magic 4 Pro With 100W Wireless Charging Coming to Malaysia Soon

The Honor Magic 4 series has just been unveiled, and it appears the Magic 4 Pro will be coming to Malaysia soon. This was revealed by Honor Malaysia itself on its official website.

In fact, Honor Malaysia already has a
product page
 for the Magic 4 Pro; it’s said to be “coming soon to Malaysia” as shown below. Unfortunately, there’s no confirmation for the regular Magic 4, so it remains to be seen if the more affordable variant will be made available here.

One of the highlights of the Magic 4 Pro is its triple camera system. It’s made up of a 50MP primary sensor, a 50MP ultra-wide angle shooter, and a 64MP periscope telephoto lens that can do 3.5x optical zoom. These sensors are housed in a unique circular camera module.

Other specifications of the Magic 4 Pro include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset paired with 8GB of RAM, a 6.81-inch 2848 x 1312 OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 256GB of internal storage, a 12MP selfie camera, an IP68 rating, and a 4,600mAh battery with support for 100W wired and
wireless
charging; that’s quite impressive.

The Honor Magic 4 Pro is set to be available globally sometime in the second quarter of 2022 with a 1,099 euro starting price – that’s about RM5,170. Chances are, the Malaysian market will receive the flagship phone in the same timeframe.


Honda Malaysia Now Offering up to RM15,000 Discount for March 2022

Last month, Honda Malaysia
offered up to RM12,000 discounts
 for its range of models. For March 2022, it’s even better: the Japanese carmaker is now offering up to
RM15,000 discount
 for the whole month.

Naturally,
the Honda Accord
 gets the best discount. Both the range-topping TC-P and more affordable TC variants of the D-segment sedan receive a generous RM15,000 rebate, though this is only for models manufactured in 2021. If you want a 2022 model instead, you’ll only get a RM4,000 rebate.

The next best deal is for the seven-seater
Honda BR-V
. Both the E and V trims get a RM7,000 discount for the 2021 model; RM1,000 savings if you opt for the 2022 model instead. All variants of the 2021
Honda HR-V
, on the other hand, receive a RM5,500 rebate. As for 2022 models of the SUV, you’ll only get a RM1,000 discount.

Next is the
Honda City
, which is offered with a RM5,000 rebate for all 2021 variants, while the 2022 models get a RM2,000 discount. Last but certainly not least is the CR-V: you can get a RM4,000 rebate for all 2021 models, while the 2022 ones are offered with a RM1,000 discount.

Do note that these discounts are only applicable for vehicles registered between 1 to 31 March 2022. More information on these discounts can be found
here
.

If you’re interested to get any of these Honda models with the aforementioned rebates, you can place your booking online
here
. Alternatively, bookings can be done through the HondaTouch app as well – you can download it from the
Apple App Store
 and
Google Play Store
.


SINGAKBD’s Popular Unikorn Custom Keyboard In-Stock Sale Happening Soon – 600 Units Only

Local brand SINGAKBD’s very,
very
 popular Unikorn custom keyboard is back for 2022. Set to be sold as an in-stock product – albeit through a raffle – only 600 units of the highly sought-after 60% keyboard will be available.

So far, two colours of the Unikorn 2022 have been confirmed: Berlin Blue and Reseda Green. More colours could be made available at a later date, though there will not be a polycarbonate version of the keyboard for this round of sale.

According to SINGAKBD, 600 units of the Unikorn 2022 are available in-stock; they will be sold in two runs (300 units each) or three runs (200 units each). The keyboard’s sale will be done through a raffle instead of a first-come-first-served format as well.

No word yet on how much the SINGAKBD Unikorn 2022 will cost, though the brand said that it should be priced higher compared to the previous round – where it went for RM1,600 – due to higher metal prices. It’s not confirmed yet when the raffle for the Unikorn will take place, though we reckon SINGAKBD will make an announcement on its
official Discord channel
.


The Batman Review: Not Your Typical Superhero Movie

There is no shortage of superhero movies. From Marvel’s increasingly big (and complex) Cinematic Universe to the DC Extended Universe, you’re spoiled for choice. But as far as
standalone
 superhero movies go, there aren’t as many out there.

Well, you get exactly that with Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Starring Robert Pattinson as the titular character, this is a dark, gloomy take on the superhero franchise. Not only is this a standalone superhero movie, it doesn’t even
feel
 like a superhero movie, which is…actually a good thing.

Without further ado, here’s our spoiler-free review of The Batman.

Okay, The Batman is still obviously a superhero movie complete with some iconic Batman characters and some cool gadgets – including a
very impressive
 Batmobile – but it wouldn’t be far-fetched to call it a detective crime thriller either.

Much of the movie is about Batman unraveling the mysteries and riddles left by, well, the Riddler (Paul Dano). Aiding the vigilante is none other than his trusty partner, GCPD lieutenant James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright). It’s worth noting that he is not the commissioner yet in this movie, so this is still early days for Batman.

In fact, it’s only been two years since Batman started hitting the streets of Gotham in the movie, and it’s evident that he is still figuring out
how
 to be the Dark Knight. In this sense, Pattinson did a great job of portraying a younger, more inexperienced version of the “World’s Greatest Detective,” even if he looks a little too…brooding.

See any difference?

Really, even when he assumes the role of his alter ego in the movie, Bruce Wayne, Pattinson still wears the same kind of persona. In my opinion, this is a stark contrast to the suave billionaire’s more well-known cool, calm, and collected demeanor.

Granted, Reeves’ The Batman isn’t a particularly lighthearted take on the superhero – not that it’s known to be a cheery franchise – so perhaps portraying Bruce Wayne as a charismatic, carefree individual would be at odds with the tone of the movie. While a few jokes and banters were thrown throughout the movie, these moments are few and far between.

Nonetheless, Pattinson plays a very convincing, almost menacing Batman with a seething anger. Even if I’m not too fond of him as Bruce Wayne, there’s no denying that he’s very much the Dark Knight – maybe even
too
 dark, at times.

Other casts in The Batman are strong in their own right as well. Zoë Kravitz’s Selina Kyle/Catwoman has great chemistry with Pattinson’s Batman, and I’m especially surprised at Colin Farrell’s performance as Oswald Cobblepot – more commonly known as the Penguin.

It’s no exaggeration to say that he is almost unrecognisable in The Batman. Both his demeanor and voice acting fits the Penguin’s character, and it’s entertaining every time he’s on-screen; it’s a good thing he has a fair number of scenes in the movie.

Of course, Paul Dano’s the Riddler in The Batman is…well, straight out of a nightmare. He is cruel, unsettling, and most of all, dangerous. Though the Riddler here is markedly different from previous Batman titles – think sadistic like Saw’s Jigsaw than aloof – he does make for a worthy villain.

Greig Fraser’s cinematography in The Batman is also
amazing
. He previously worked on other big titles like Dune and Rogue One, and there are more than a few moments in this movie that are very,
very
 awe-inspiring.

One scene that stuck with me involved Batman going through a hallway (obviously filled with enemies) illuminated only by gunfire as he dealt with them one at a time. You can catch a glimpse of this in the trailer below.

For the sake of not spoiling the movie, I won’t elaborate any further – just know that you’re in for a good time!

While The Batman is not strictly an origin story, it does explore the beginning of Batman’s superhero career as he gets the hang of being the Dark Knight. Running for almost three hours long, the movie did not feel like a slog at all, which shows just how entertaining it really is.

But be warned: The Batman is, as mentioned, not your typical superhero movie. if you walk into the cinema hall expecting elements of a regular Marvel (or even DCEU) movie, you may be left disappointed. Instead, director Matt Reeves is putting the crime thriller elements of The Batman ahead of everything else, and in my opinion, he’s done this to great success.

The Batman is now open in Malaysian cinemas
.