Infinix introduces Note 12 2023 mid-range gaming phone in Malaysia

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Infinix has launched the Note 12 2023 smartphone in Malaysia today, this is a mid-range gaming phone that’s set to retail at an affordable price of RM799 and comes with a set of hardware that will entice mobile gamers on a budget.

The Infinix Note 12 2023 is powered by a Mediatek Helio G99 processor paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage, the former can be expanded virtually by up to an additional 5GB RAM, while gamers can expand the phone’s storage for more media and games.

Sporting a 6.7-inch FHD+ True Color AMOLED Display, gamers will be treated to a premium visual experience with the display’s vivid colors and excellent brightness, the Note 12 2023 is also a Widevine L1 certified device so that you can stream Netflix in HD.

To complement a great gaming experience, the Infinix Note 12 2023 is fitted with dual stereo speaker that’s DTS and Hi-Res certified, it also comes with a strong linear 4D vibration motor that gamers will get even more immersed in their gameplay. Furthermore, the Infinix Note 12 2023 comes with a large 5000mAh battery that will last multiple gameplay sessions in the day and charges fast with 33W Fast Charging.

In terms of cameras, the Infinix Note 12 2023 features a triple camera system that includes a 50MP primary camera, a 2MP depth and QVGA AI camera, selfies are taken care with a 16MP that supports AI beautification and portrait.

The Infinix Note 12 can be purchased starting October 7th onwards at
Infinix Malaysia’s AIOT official store
 on Shopee, it is available in trendy colors of Volcanic Grey, Tuscany Blue and Alpine White, customers who purchase the phone on October 7th will be able to purchase the phone at RM699, which is RM100 off its usual price.

Watch Infinix Note 12 2023 Unboxing

Head
here
 to purchase the Infinix Note 12 2023.

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Infinix introduces ZERO 30 5G with 4K60 front camera

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Infinix is taking smartphone videography a step further with the introduction of the ZERO 30 5G smartphone, an upper mid-range phone that features a powerful 50MP front camera capable of taking 4K videos at 60 fps, which will no doubt thrill content creators when it arrives in Malaysia.

Powered by the Mediatek Dimensity 8020 processor, the phone comes with up to 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage, a 6.78-inch FHD+ AMOLED display that refreshes at 144Hz, and a 5000mAh battery that supports 68W fast wired charging and can charge the phone from 1% to 80% in a just 30 minutes.

On the back, the phone has a triple camera array that houses a 108MP f1.7 main camera with OIS, 13MP ultrawide camera and 2MP AI lens, the main camera is also capable of taking up to 4K videos at 60 fps, however the ultrawide should be limited to 1080p 60 fps as with similar class phones.

The ZERO 30 5G will ship with XOS 13 based on Android 13 out of the box, which includes features such as an updated Folax voice assistant that integrates ChatGPT, Smart Search and AI Wallpaper Generator.

Available in color options of Golden Hour, Pink Rose, Rome Green and Fantasy Purple, local availability hasn’t been announced yet but in India, the 8GB+128GB variant retails for INR23,999 (RM1,348) and the 12GB+256GB variant retails for INR24,999 (RM1,404), expect prices to be much lower as usual when it eventually launches in Malaysia.

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Infinix launchces HOT 30 series smartphone in collaboration with Free Fire

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Infinix has officially launched the HOT 30 series smarpthones, comprising the HOT 30, HOT 30i and HOT 30i NFC, these phones are set to disrupt the segment once again with its upgraded mid-entry hardware at an exceptional value.

To attract budget gamers, Infinix has also collaborated with Free Fire to co-brand the devices with customized themes and ringtones, while both parties will hold several activities including a TikTok challenge to encourage users to share their in-game highlights.

Compared to its predecessor, the Infinix HOT 30 is now powered by a more powerful Mediatek Helio G88 processor paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage, it maintains a big 6.78-inch IPS display with a Full HD+ resolution that refreshes at 90Hz, while touch sampling rate and brightness is rated at 270Hz and 600 nits.

With a rather attractive yet lightweight glass-like texture design, the Infinix HOT 30 has a 5,000mAh battery under the hood that supports 33W fast charging, it also comes with DTS dual speakers, a 50-megapixel camera with enhanced night scene effect, a front facing 8MP camera, and it ships with Android 13 out of the box with Widevine L1 support.

On the other hand, the HOT 30i is a lower end device that’s powered by a Unisoc T606 processor, paired with 4GB RAM and 128GB of storage, it has a smaller screen size at 6.56-inches that pushes HD+ resolution with a 90Hz refresh rate, while it has a single 13MP camera and 8MP front camera, its battery is a 5,000mAh cell that supports 18W fast charging.

In addition, the HOT 30i NFC is basically the same device as the HOT 30i except that it adds on NFC and double the RAM of the original at 8GB.

At this time of writing, Infinix Malaysia has already started selling the HOT 30 smartphone for RM549, which you can purchase
here
 at Shopee and it is the most affordable Helio G88 powered smartphone in the market.

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Infinix launches HOT 20 series smartphones from RM499

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Infinix is gaining momentum in the Malaysian market as it has introduced the HOT 20 series smartphones here, comprising the HOT 20 and HOT 20i, these are value for money smartphones that is set to appeal to budget phone hunters with great cameras and performance.

Image Credit: GSMArena

The Infinix HOT 20 is a Mediatek Helio G85 powered smartphone that sports a large 6.82-inch HD+ IPS display that refreshes at 90Hz, making it one of the largest phone screens of the same class that comes with a smooth refresh rate, it also has a 180Hz touch sampling rate that will benefit mobile gamers, the phone sports 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage and users can further expand the RAM up to 11GB if they desire to do so.

For those who takes a lot of photos on their phones, the Infinix HOT 20 comes with an interesting 50MP f/1.6 camera that’s said to excel in low light, while a secondary QVGA lens helps with AI scene recognition, the front camera is however a modest 8MP sensor.

The HOT 20 has a 5000mAh battery to power your day and supports 18W fast charging, though it will definitely take some time to juice up the phone but it is better than the regular 10W charging.

The Infinix HOT 20i is essentially an entry-level device that’s powered by a Mediatek Helio G25 chip paired with 4GB RAM and 128GB of storage, but it still offers great value with a large 6.6-inch display that has great outdoor visibility, a 13MP f/1.8 main and 8MP front camera, and a 5000mAh battery that offers days of usage.

Customers will be able to purchase the Infinix HOT 20 series at offline retail channels on 4th November 2022 onwards, the Infinix HOT 20 and HOT 20i retail at an affordable price of RM599 and RM499 respectively, the phones will only be available at
Infinix’s Official Shopee Store
 on 11 November 2022.

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Infinix launches Note 30 series smartphone from RM699

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Shortly after its global launch, Infinix has taken the wraps off its highly anticipated Note 30 series smartphone in Malaysia, comprising the Note 30 and Note 30 Pro, they are Mediatek Helio G99 powered devices and offer quite the feature set for under RM1,000, giving other brands like Realme and Xiaomi’s Redmi Note lineup a run for their money.

Leading the series, the Note 30 Pro features a 6.78-inch FHD+ AMOLED display that produces 10-bit colors and refreshes at 120Hz, it comes with 8GB of RAM that can be virtually expanded by an additional 8GB, and 256GB of internal storage that can be expanded with a MicroSD card without needing to use up the second SIM slot.

Furthermore, the Note 30 Pro’s display also features a 360Hz touch sampling rate and 1920Hz PWM Dimming, while its peak brightness is rated at 900 nits, making this one of the best smartphone displays within its class.

Taking the entertainment and gaming experience up a notch is its JBL Tuned stereo speakers, which has also impressively received the Hi-Res audio certification from the Japan Audio Society.

The Note 30 Pro continues to impress with a premium build quality that features a satin glass back, it also has enhanced cell reception with its self-developed Ultra Power Signal technology which helps to boost reception in weak coverage areas such as elevators and basements, Infinix claims that the Note 30 Pro can achieve up to 40% increase in cellular signal strength and 100% increase in WiFi signal strength in landscape mode.

Camera wise, the Note 30 Pro is equipped with a 108MP main camera assisted by two 2MP cameras, while the front camera is a 32MP shooter, Infinix has included features such as Dual View mode that allows capturing photos from both front and rear cameras, Sky Remap that adjusts the sky in photos and a Street Photography Filter.

What will impress the lot is the phone’s fast 68W wired charging speed and it is the only phone under RM1,000 to come with 15W wireless charging, juicing up the phone is a beefy 5,000mAh battery that offers up to two days of moderate usage. Furthermore, Infinix has also introduced Bypass Charging on the phone, which has the phone powered directly by the AC charger and eliminates overheating issues while gaming.

On the other hand, the Infinix Note 30 carries over most of the hallmarks of the Note 30 Pro, though you get a 6.78-inch IPS display instead of AMOLED but it still refreshes at 120Hz and has a 240Hz touch sampling rate, the main camera resolution has been halved to 64MP, it doesn’t come with wireless charging and has a slower wired charging rate at 45W, which is still nonetheless a very decent device.

Infinix Note 30 Series Malaysia Price and Availability

The Infinix Note 30 series will be available for purchase starting 25th May 2023 onwards at the Infinix Official Store on
Lazada
,
Shopee
 and TikTok, both phones will come in one single storage variant of 8GB RAM+256GB storage, the Note 30 retails at RM699 and comes in color options of Obsidian Black and Interstellar Blue, while the Note 30 Pro retails at RM899 and comes in color options of Magic Black and Variable Gold.

On top of that, Infinix Malaysia will be doing a First Day Sales Promo from 29th May to 2nd June 2023 on both online and offline sales channels, customers who purchase the Note 30 series during the period will receive a limited edition Infinix x MLBB MSL Championship Gift Box while stocks lasts, you can also participate in the Spend & Win contest to win prizes over RM20,000, which includes the Infinix INBook X1 i5, Infinix X1 Android Smart TV 32-inch and Infinix True Wireless XE27 earphones.

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Infinix Malaysia brings in ZERO X Pro and ZERO 5G mid-range phones

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Infinix has certainly made waves last year with its most affordable 5x optical zoom smartphone, the smartphone brand has rode on that momentum and launched the ZERO X Pro and ZERO 5G mid-range phones in Malaysia.

ZERO X Pro – 108MP camera, 120Hz display, 45W Fast Charging

The ZERO X Pro rides on the success of the ZERO X Neo and the brand is going as far as calling it the camera flagship killer, the phone houses quad camera system that comprise an optically stabilized 108MP ultra-night Venti camera, an 8MP periscope lens that does 5X optical zoom and 60X hybrid zoom, and an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a macro lens.\

Powered by a Mediatek Helio G95 chipset, the phone has 8GB RAM and two storage options of 128GB and 256GB, while probably the most attractive hardware feature of all is by having a 6.67-inch Full HD AMOLED that refreshes at 120Hz, which only devices like the Redmi Note 11 Pro have at this time, it also supports 45W quick charging that will juice up its 4500mAh to 40% in 15 minutes.

The Infinix ZERO X Pro will retail at RM1,199 for the 8GB+128GB model and RM1,299 for the 8GB+256GB model, it comes in color options of Nebula Black, Starry Silver and Tuscany Brown.

ZERO 5G – Affordable 5G phone with 5000mAh battery

The ZERO 5G is just as attractive as the ZERO X Pro, while it doesn’t sport the same camera setup, what makes it so attractive is its RM1,099 price tag while packing features such as a 5000mAh battery with 33W fast charging, a capable Mediatek Dimensity 900 5G SoC, a 48MP main camera that does up to 30X digital zoom and a 16MP front camera with dual flash, which gives several phone models in the market a run for their money, and this will no doubt be one of the best mid-range phones to consider should you need 5G connectivity.

Both the Infinix ZERO X Pro and ZERO 5G will be made available for preorder starting 3rd March 2022 on Infinix’s official Shopee store, where the first 200 customers can get RM100 off and a free Infinix Smartwatch.

The phones will generally be available on 9th March 2022 and if you purchase by then, you will still receive RM100 off their usual price on that day and during Shopee’s Mega Campaign and Shopee PayDay Sale, which will happen on 15th March and 25th March respectively.

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Infinix Malaysia confirms GT 10 Pro launch on 12th September

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Get ready your wallets, as Infinix has teased the arrival of the GT 10 Pro gaming phone in Malaysia is happening on 12th September 2023, the GT 10 Pro is the brand’s most ambitious phone release yet as it features a flagship grade gaming processor with an expected retail price of below RM1300.

Featuring a unique mecha design with a notification LED strip on the back, the Infinix GT 10 Pro is powered by the Mediatek Dimensity 8050 processor paired with 8GB RAM and 256GB of expandable storage, it has a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display that refreshes at 120Hz, a triple camera array with a 108MP main, 2MP macro and 2MP depth cameras, a 32MP front camera, and a 5000mAh battery that supports 45W wired fast charging.

What the GT 10 Pro really impressed us is its excellent gaming performance, where it is able to play heavy graphics game titles at the maximum graphics settings with no lag while remaining cool in a long duration gameplay, it also comes with a bloatware free XOS 13 for GT software skin running on top of Android 13. Other features include an under display optical fingerprint reader, WiFi 6 connectivity and battery bypass charging, which are features usually only available on more expensive phones.

The Infinix GT 10 Pro can be purchased at
Infnix’s Official Shopee Store
 on 12th September 2023, while its price is still unknown at this time of publishing, Inifnix will be offering a free Infinix XE27 earphone worth RM99 when you purchase the phone by then.

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Infinix Note 11 Pro introduced: Comes with MediaTek Helio G96 and 6.95″ display

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Inifinix has just launched the
Note 11 Pro
 and it comes with a bunch of nifty improvements in a large package.

Like the
Note 8
 that we reviewed before, the Note 11 Pro is a huge device measuring at 6.95-inches – its IPS LCD display is capable of pushing up to 120Hz refresh rate. There’s also a 180Hz touch sampling rate which is great for gaming and scrolling.

Under the hood, you get a MediaTek Helio G96 SoC along with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 128GB of internal storage.

For imaging, you get a 64MP main lens alongside a 13MP telephoto camera. The phone is able to zoom up to 30x digital. For selfies you get a 16MP lens.

The Note 11 Pro also comes with a set of top- and bottom-firing speakers called the Digital Theatre System – we’re expecting this to function like your standard stereo audio system you’d find on smartphones today.

Powering this hunkering mammoth is an equally-large 5,000mAh battery; there’s also support for up to 33W of fast charging.

In terms of software, the phone runs on XOS 10, which is based on Android 11; plus there’s also virtual RAM that borrows 3GB of memory from the phone’s internal storage.

The company hasn’t disclosed the product’s pricing or availability, but if it’s anything like the Note 8 we mentioned, anyone looking for a decent affordable phablet should set their eyes on this.

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Infinix Note 12 2023 to get 256GB storage variant at just RM899

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It wasn’t too long that Infinix introduced the Note 12 2023, a budget mid-range gaming smartphone that we have been very impressed in our review, the brand has announced the arrival of a larger 256GB storage variant that will go on sale at RM899, and if you place your order on October 27th, you’ll be able to score RM100 off its usual price, which essentially makes it the most affordable 256GB storage smartphone under RM1000.

The Note 12 2023 is a minor refresh of the Note 12 G96, it is powered by a more powerful and efficient Mediatek Helio G99 paired with 8GB RAM and can be extended by an addition 5GB RAM, the phone features a 6.7-inch AMOLED display that refreshes at 60Hz and a strong linear vibration motor for a great gaming experience, it is also one of the few mid-range phones to come fitted with dual stereo speakers.

Gamers will be satisfied with its power efficiency all thanks to the large 5000mAh battery and you can quickly get back in action with its 33W fast charging when battery runs low, the Note 12 2023 is also quite the performer in the camera department with a 50MP f/1.8 main camera, though its supplementary 2MP depth and QVGA auxiliary camera is very much there for cosmetic purposes.

Head
here
 to purchase the Infinix Note 12 2023 256GB from Infinix’s Shopee Store.

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Infinix Note 4 Pro Review: Galaxy Note Alternative with Great Potential

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Since the inception of the Galaxy Note and S-Pen, we have seen many companies creating an alternative. Unfortunately no company succeeded in creating one, and these so-called ‘Note’ smartphones are either left in the dust with no further software improvements and successors, while current smartphones apart from Samsung with the Note moniker are mostly devices with huge displays. As Samsung succeeds with the Galaxy Note 8 this year, Infinix Mobile thinks there’s still demand for an alternative, hence it produced the
Note 4 Pro
 smartphone, which comes with a stylus called the X-Pen and retails four times cheaper than the Note 8. Is the Infinix Note 4 Pro a worthy alternative to the more expensive Note 8 or Note FE? We find out.

The Infinix Note 4 Pro looks pretty much like an older Galaxy Note in many ways, first it has a 5.7-inch display, which has been a standard size since the Galaxy Note 3, it also has a familiar front facing fingerprint scanner. Turn over to the back, you find a design that pretty much resembles an HTC device or more recently, a OnePlus 3T. For a smartphone that is released in 2017, I won’t consider the Note 4 Pro to be a modern looking device, but I’ll look past that for a device that costs below RM1000.

Nonetheless, the Infinix Note 4 Pro has a solid build quality and it certainly doesn’t feel cheap with an all metal design, due to the huge battery and large screen size, the phone is rather heavy at 205g, once you snap on that beautiful smart cover that houses the X Pen stylus, it further extends the phone’s width, which some may find it troublesome to have the phone in their pockets, otherwise that extra bulk does serve as a better way to hold the device when scribbling notes with the stylus.

As a 2017 device, the Note 4 Pro doesn’t attract for what it has under the hood, even though the MediaTek MT6753 octa core chip still works fine in terms of smartphone performance, it is actually missing a whole lot of stuffs that smartphone processors today are already capable of, such as the more power efficient FinFET process and dual SIM 3G standby. Otherwise, the rest of the hardware remains pretty decent for a sub RM1000 device, it has 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a 5.7-inch Full HD IPS display with 500 nits brightness and a 4350mAh battery that supports the company’s proprietary X Charge quick charging technology. Additionally, I’m glad that Infinix has given dedicated slots for dual SIM and memory expansion, hence there’s no need to compromise each of the slots should you require two SIM cards and to expand the phone’s memory.

Although the Note 4 Pro didn’t ship with the latest build of Android Nougat, I’m glad that Infinix hasn’t stuck around with Android Marshmallow like certain Chinese phone makers, but like many other Chinese smartphones, the Note 4 Pro is preloaded with several bloatware, which fortunately most of them can be removed if you don’t want them. XOS, the company’s proprietary software launcher, unsurprisingly feels like most Chinese smartphone launchers, there is an app drawer that lets you quickly browse through your apps, but you can’t stop installed apps from adding on to the home screen, removing them from the home screen simply means uninstalling the app.

Fortunately, things aren’t entirely bad with the phone’s software, I particularly love the lock screen wallpapers, which has high quality images and shows inspirational quotes every time I turn on the display, I also have my home screen configured with a 5×5 app grid size so that I can show more icons on the large display, browsing between app folders is also rather convenient as you merely need to swipe left or right.

In addition, XOS has a set of useful apps, you can hide apps, secure files and create second instances of apps, I find the latter to be the most useful as it doesn’t limit adding secondary app instances on just messaging and social apps, in fact you can pretty much add any installed apps on the phone, such as a second instance of Spotify, if you happen to have a second account.

The X-Pen is an interesting hardware, unlike Samsung’s solution, the stylus is battery powered and draws power from the phone’s battery to charge when the smart cover is used, the 3-pin gold connectors are also used to detect the pen’s presence. The X-Pen requires some effort to pull out from the silo, which you will eventually get used to, and once it is out you will find a familiar carousel of features found on its competitor, though the experience isn’t as intuitive as Samsung’s solution, the stylus pressure is decent enough for casual note taking and art drawing, which I would consider it to be on par with the Galaxy Note 3.

Surprisingly, the Note 4 Pro supports off screen memo, though you can’t pin it to the lock screen like you do on the Note 8, it does work when you pull out the stylus when the screen is off, the X Note app is basically a toned-down version of the Samsung’s S Note, it only supports exporting notes in to PNG and JPG files. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to create Live Messages, action memos, perform instant translation or even drag and drop content from one app to the other, which is why the phone costs RM3000 less than the Galaxy Note 8.

While I haven’t had high expectations for the Note 4 Pro’s camera, the camera software is a surprisingly good one with a proper professional mode, image settings such as exposure, shutter speed, ISO and focus can be adjusted with the cool camera dial on the software.

[fshow url=https://flic.kr/s/aHskx1562R]

For casual social media uploads, the Note 4 Pro’s main 13-megapixel camera is going to be sufficient, I was rather impressed with the picture quality the camera was able to produce in good lighting, contrast and color reproduction is surprisingly decent for its class, but once you move indoors, it begins to show its limits with soft focusing issues and high noise levels. On the other hand, the front 8-megapixel camera comes with a rather bright LED flash light, and unlike other smartphones, you can adjust the LED’s brightness in the settings, picture quality is also decent.

As a productivity centric device, I appreciate that Infinix didn’t fit a paltry battery size for the Note 4 Pro and with that said, I was even more impressed with the inclusion of an extremely fast 5A charging capability, a solution that is like OnePlus’ Dash Charging, which you will require to use the included power brick and cable to make it work. In my tests, the phone’s battery life works fine, but not great, it will last till the end of the day with moderate use, but devices with such battery sizes in today’s standards should have lasted more than a day, hence I blame the 28nm Mediatek chip and the power-hungry display.

Connectivity wise, I haven’t had any issues with the phone’s wireless connectivity, though it is a shame that you can have 3G standby when the main SIM is used for 4G, I was happy that Infinix has enabled 5GHz WiFi, which gets you up to 150Mbps of wireless transfer speed. I am also happy to report that the phone’s GPS works properly, as you may know that old MediaTek chips tend to have issues in positioning, call quality was also great with strong LTE signals.

Verdict

The Infinix Note 4 Pro surprises me a lot as a Galaxy Note alternative, the company’s claim of it being #TheBetterNote does tick a few boxes that Samsung’s flagship doesn’t, it is cheaper, comes with a much faster charging technology, and a better after-sales service package. As a standard for all Infinix devices in Malaysia, the company is providing a 1-to-1 exchange within 15 days of purchase if you encounter any issues with your device, and it also comes with a complimentary 6-month screen crack warranty. The Note 4 Pro isn’t a perfect device, and for the price of RM999 inclusive of the smart cover and X Pen, you really can’t deny that this is the best Galaxy Note alternative if you merely require a stylus to do simple note taking on a phone.

The Good

Decently priced

Great accessories bundle

Quick Charging

Decent note taking features

Acceptable camera performance

The Not so Good

Dated processor

Battery life is average in today’s standards

Interested in getting one? Click
here
to purchase from Lazada.

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Infinix Note 8 Review: good value all-rounder plagued by bloated software

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I’ve had a fair bit of experience with Infinix smartphones a few years back and they are actually pretty good, but sadly right after I reviewed the Infinix Note 4 Pro a few years ago, we haven’t heard of the company releasing any upcoming products despite having several announcements over the years.

Until recently, we were approached by Infinix Malaysia and got to know that they have decided to make a comeback with the launch of the Infinix Note 8, which I had the pleasure to evaluate and it’s time to find out if it plays up to the competition for what it brings to the table.

Like other smartphone brands, Infinix is playing the value game here, as the Note 8 comes with a really huge 6.95-inch display that no other smartphones are offering at below RM700, although the HD+ resolution and standard 60Hz refresh rate might sound underwhelming but in reality, it isn’t a bad display as the colors aren’t washed out like some budget phones I have come across. Besides, the Infinix Note 8’s unique display size and resolution gives it a 20.5:9 aspect ratio so you get to enjoy a cinematic viewing experience that no other devices of the same class could offer.

The Infinix Note 8’s 20.5:9 aspect ratio enables a cinematic movie experience

Design wise, I find the Infinix Note 8 a rather attractive device with a relatively simple looking triangular holographic design on its back, the camera bump isn’t terribly thick and reminds me of the one used by last year’s Samsung Galaxy S20. On top of that, the phone doesn’t feel terribly heavy to hold despite being a really huge device, which I think some will be happy to know.

There’s two hardware features I am pretty happy about on the Infinix Note 8, the first being its side mounted fingerprint reader built into the power button, which is starting to make a comeback on many mid-range phones and I personally prefer it over the under screen solution; second, it is one of the few mid-range phones to come with stereo speakers and that is one feature I have always hope to see on phones like this, they are also thankfully good sounding speakers which you can crank up the volume without hearing any distortion.

The Infinix Note 8 is powered by a Mediatek Helio G80 processor supported by 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which is sufficient for mid-range phone standards that you won’t feel underpowered for your daily productivity tasks, it delivers decent gaming performance as I was able to run Asphalt 9 at 60fps, though in more graphics heavy games like Genshin Impact you may have to lower graphics setting for better frame rates.

The Infinix Note 8’s XOS 7.0 software is extremely ad infested and has lots of unnecessary bloatware preinstalled with many of them not able to uninstall

One thing the Infinix Note 8 loses out is that it is still running on Android 10, although I have no questions on Infinix’s track record on software updates as they usually guarantee at least one major OS upgrade on their phones, I urge the company to scrap XOS off their future phones as it has too many unnecessary bloatware that can’t be uninstalled, let alone a number of preinstalled games that you probably won’t bother playing, I have spent a good amount of time disabling a handful of apps before I deem the phone usable, I even loaded up Nova Launcher to avoid seeing ads on the default launcher.

The OPPO A74 is Widevine L1 certified and supports Netflix HD

When it comes to the phone’s cameras, this is where the Infinix Note 8 is doing unnecessary things once again, although I will not discount the main 64MP camera as it takes reasonably nice photos for a mid-range device, the other three lenses are utterly pointless, they are a 2MP macro, 2MP depth and 2MP AI lens, I haven’t had the slightest idea of how the last camera sensor can help identify scenes better compared to other phone cameras.

The phone holds up pretty well in a single charge and I managed to get up to two days of usage with 4.5 hours of screen on time, which is what you should be expecting from a 5200mAh battery but you do need a little patience to juice it up as charging is limited to 18W of power, which isn’t too bad but I wished Infinix could have included their flash charging tech that’s available on other models.

Well, it’s definitely not easy to make a purchase decision on smartphones these days considering the amount of choices we have. From a hardware perspective, the Infinix Note 8 definitely ticks most of the boxes as a good value-for-money smartphone, but it’s software experience is the one thing that might put someone off if they aren’t looking forward to be bombarded with ads and unnecessary suggestions every time.

Hence, the question remains if you value a large 6.95-inch display and stereo speakers on a budget smartphone, if so, this is a pretty good media consumption device for RM699.

The Good

Decent display despite HD+ resolution

Stereo speakers

Battery life

The Not so Good

Ad infested UI and preloaded bloatware

Secondary camera could be better

Next major Android update questionable

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Infinix Note 8: Big features, massive display, small price tag

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The problem with most budget-friendly phones is that they aren’t always feature-laden; in other words affordable smartphones tend to compromise on certain features that you may actually need.

With the Infinix Note 8, you no longer need to compromise on great features when you are cash-strapped for a new smartphone, because it even comes with certain bells and whistles even certain premium phones do not. Let’s find out why.

Large 6.95″ Infinity-O Display and Dual Speakers

The Infinix Note 8 sports a 6.95-inch Infinity-O display, which is the largest display offered on a phone of the same class; this lets you enjoy watching movies, or even offer you a big canvas to view your e-mails on.

Furthermore, the 20.5:9 aspect ratio means widescreen content will fit better thanks to thinner black bars, so that you can enjoy watching videos as if you were in a cinema.

Additionally, the phone sports stereo loudspeakers with DTS surround so that you don’t need to connect to an external speaker. Now that’s a cinema that you can fit right in your pockets.

Work and Play Smoothly with the Helio G80 SoC

Powering the Infinix Note 8 is the Helio G80 SoC, this is a gaming centric chipset that offers a smooth mobile gaming experience on mid-range smartphones. It performs relatively better than the Snapdragon 665 chipset, which is a chip still frequently used on many mid-range phones today.

In fact, the Helio G80 SoC is so powerful that the Infinix Note 8 makes full use of it with the Thunder Back Mode feature that lets you run two apps at the same time – talk about true multitasking on a mid-range smartphone.

Six intelligent cameras and powerful imaging software

The Infinix Note 8 features a total of six camera lenses that intelligently capture beautiful photos with a single tap of the shutter button. The main camera can snap 64MP pictures, or even shoot pixel-binned 16MP photos for brighter images in low light conditions.

Alongside the main lens are a portrait and AI lens that intelligently applies beautiful bokeh effects on portraits. It also identifies scenes for the best color reproduction in photos, while a macro lens is also present to get you up close with your subject matter.

Taking selfies couldn’t be better with the phone’s dual front cameras, which takes 16MP photos. The main lens is assisted by the portrait lens to produce a professional bokeh shots; results are almost as if it was taken by a mirrorless camera. To top it off is the AI Beauty feature that helps remove imperfections on your skin.

Furthermore, the Infinix Note 8’s camera software packs a bunch of useful shooting modes that you don’t usually find on other mid-range phones – think converting a picture into a document with the AI Document 2.0 mode, Ultra Night Mode 2.0 for brighter and detailed low light shots, and 1440p video recording at 30fps with support for Super Steady video.

Large battery that lasts long and charges fast

Be it work or play, the Infinix Note 8 easily gets you through the day with a large 5,200mAh battery that incorporates its Power Marathon Tech, which intelligently learns your usage patterns and prolongs your battery life so that you get the most out of every charge.

The Infinix Note 8 charges fast over USB-C with 18W of power using a dual charge engine. Unlike other mid-range phones, this lets the phone remain cool while being charged, enhancing the lifespan of the battery for up to 3 years.

XOS – Clean, secure and feature-packed

The Infinix Note 8 runs on XOS 7.1 based on Android 10 – what you’re getting is a clean and easy-to-use UI. It even has new tools such as Xclone and Xnote 4.0. The former lets you clone your important apps like Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, so if you have personal and business accounts, you can easily separate them using Xclone.

If you enjoy taking notes, you can also use the Xnote 4.0 that now comes with several new features. For example, you can circle and select certain characters via circle identification to be modified, or even insert pictures into your notes when necessary.

Sounds great! How much does it cost?

Now isn’t the Infinix Note 8 a great value smartphone that everyone can own? If you’re convinced, the phone retails at RM649 in Malaysia. But to sweeten the deal, there will be a flash sale happening this 30 April on Infinix’s Shopee store, where you can snag a unit for yourself at an even lower price!

Visit the brand’s
Shopee
page to make your purchase, or their
Facebook
 page for updates.

This article is sponsored by Infinix

infinix
infinix note 8


Infinix Note4 Pro is open for pre-order for RM999

449

Ever wanted a phone that had a stylus but at the same time not pay an arm and a leg for it? Infinix has heard your cries and has finally opened the pre-orders for the Note4 Pro, a smartphone that comes with a nice big screen and has a stylus all for the price of RM999

The phone comes equipped with a MediaTek Helio X10 processor, 3GB of RAM, a nice 5.7-inch IPS FHD display, 32GB of internal storage expandable to 128GB via microSD card, and Android 7.0 out-of-the-box which will be updated to Android Oreo later on. On the photography department, there is a 13MP camera on the rear and 8MP front-facing camera and powering all of this is a huge 4500mAh battery which supports Infinix’s XCharge 4.0, giving you a full day battery with just 30 minutes of charging.

The stylus which they are calling the XPen is not a fun scribbling tool, as it has features like Air Command which is similar to what is seen the Samsung Note devices, and you can take notes even if the phone is in sleep mode. The XPen will require a charge for usage, if you do run out of battery, simply charge the pen with the phone for 20 seconds and you can continue using it for the next 40 minutes.

From now till 9 October 2017, you can pre-order the phone on
11street
 which will get you a free Infinix XE02 headphones that is worth RM199 with colour options of either Black or Gold for the phone. Shipping will start on the 10 October 2017.

11street
free gift
infinix
note4
pre-order
pro
stylus
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xpen


Infinix smartphones to go on sale this 23-25 January

3.1K

Want to own a new Infinix smartphone this Chinese New Year? Get ready your wallets on 23-25 January, as Infinix Malaysia is hosting a Pay Day Sale on its Lazada and Shopee official stores, which you can score up to RM200 of a new Infinix smartphone.

On Infinix’s Lazada store, some highlights include the recent Infinix Note 12 2023, in which the 256GB model can be purchased at RM799 instead of its usual price of RM899, it is a decent mid-range phone for gaming which sports a large 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED display and is powered by a very capable Mediatek Helio G99 chipset

The most discounted phone would be the Infinix HOT 11 Play, a value entry phone that offers a large 6.82-inch display and 6000mAh battery, in which the 4GB+64GB variant will be sold at RM399 instead of the usual RM519 price tag, that’s a great deal if you are looking to get a phone for your kids or parents.

As for Infinix’s Shopee store, the Note 12 G96 and HOT 20i are the phones that will go on sale, in which the Note 12 G96 256GB model can be purchased for RM755 instead of the usual RM869 price tag, and the HOT 20i 4GB+128GB model can be purchased for RM440 instead of the usual RM499 price tag.

In addition, customers looking to pair these phones with a brand new wireless earbuds can addon the Infinix XE25 TWS Power Monster Bluetooth 5.0 Earphones for only RM109 when they purchase together with these phones.

Therefore, do follow Infinix Malaysia’s official stores on
Lazada
 and
Shopee
, while you may also follow their
Facebook
 page for any updates.

infinix hot 11
infinix hot 20i
infinix note 12 2023
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Infinix Zero 5G 2023 is a serious mid-range contender

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The Infinix Zero 5G 2023 is definitely one phone to anticipate for its local debut if it ever happens, as this mid-ranger has been beefed up from its predecessor with a more powerful Mediatek Dimensity 1080 5G chipset and comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB of internal storage, though it still sports the same OPPO Find X5 Pro like curved camera bump design on the back.

Sporting a 6.78-inch FHD+ display that refreshes at 120Hz, the Infinix Zero 5G 2023 has a triple camera system that comes with a 50MP primary main lens, a 2MP macro and 2MP depth lens, the supplementary cameras are unfortunately a downgrade from its predecessor as it previously came with a 13MP telephoto and 2MP auxiliary lens, the front camera however remains its 16MP resolution in a punch hole cutout on the display.

Battery endurance should be similar to its predecessor with a 5000mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging, the phone comes preloaded with XOS 12 based on Android 12 out of the box, which we should expect Infinix to offer at least one major Android OS update in the near future.

No pricing details have been announced by the company, but we should expect it to be priced around the RM1,000 range if it made its way here, it will be available in colors of black, orange and white.

infinix malaysia
infinix zero 5g 2023


Infinix ZERO X NEO Review: is the 5x optical zoom camera the real deal?

5.6K

Infinix phones have always attempt to challenge the status quo by offering some high end hardware at an affordable price, and the most recent entry for that is the Infinix Zero X NEO, a sub RM1000 phone that features a 48MP f/1.7 main camera and a 8MP periscope lens that does 60x digital zoom, which is shockingly attractive if you judge it on paper and it delivers as advertised, but is it worth considering over other mid-range phones? Let’s find out.

The ZERO X NEO is unbelievably handsome considering that it isn’t a flagship device, although its glossy plastic back means it doesn’t get spared from fingerprints and smudges, it has a glittery black finish that gives it a very premium look, the camera bump design also resembles recent flagship phones and has a red 60x zoom text capturing your attention.

The overall aesthetic of the ZERO X NEO feels very similar to the
Note 8
 that I reviewed early this year, it feels hefty and lengthy, while the bezels around the display also isn’t the slimmest of its class. The phone has a side-mounted fingerprint reader built into the power button, a mono speaker resides at the bottom which sounds loud enough but lack clarity and warmth, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The phone employs a pretty respectable 6.78-inch IPS LTPS display with a Full HD+ resolution and 90Hz refresh rate, it feels a little lengthy for one handed usability but I face no issues in touch sensitivity and enjoyed typing on it, colors are also on point for an IPS display but sadly doesn’t support HDR, the phone also doesn’t support Netflix HD playback due to the lack of Widevine L1 certification, which is quite a shame considering that it is a pretty good display for movies.

With a Mediatek Helio G95 chip and 8GB of RAM powering the phone, the phone has no issues in dealing with my social and productivity tasks, however what truly annoys me is the amount of bloatware and proprietary system apps that the phone comes preloaded with, you also occasionally get spammed by notifications by apps that you didn’t even launch.

Fortunately, after spending some time of spring cleaning, the software experience is greatly improved and I urge you to do the same if you intend to purchase this phone.

In terms of gaming, we are no stranger to the Helio G95 as it demonstrates really good mid-range gaming performance, although you won’t be able to go all high on graphics and expect smooth 60 fps on every game, it will handle games like PUBG Mobile and Genshin Impact fine at their default graphics setting, it also gets slightly warm after 5 minutes onto a game but thankfully doesn’t feel uncomfortable to hold.

Camera wise, the ZERO X NEO’s main camera is neither a great nor bad when it comes to taking photos in ideal lighting conditions, I’d just give it a pass when it comes to taking general everyday photos as it tends to generate a lot of soft focus in the photos I take, colors look washed out and faraway subjects can also get grainy at times and such imaging performance falls behind several mid-range phones of its class.

Infinix ZERO X NEO Camera Samples

Infinix ZERO X NEO 5x Telephoto Lens Camera Samples

To my surprise, the main camera does a pretty decent job in low light when I shoot photos using the camera’s night mode, noise levels are well under control and details are sharpen decently, but again, it isn’t the best low light camera for mid range standards.

Like I mentioned at the beginning, the telephoto lens does it’s job as advertised, it does capture photos at an optical 5x zoom and gets you closer to subjects than most other phones, however like the main camera, it suffers from color inaccuracies and soft focusing issues, things go totally out of hand when you go to the 60x digital zoom, and while I hadn’t done any moon shots during the review period, I really don’t expect any extraordinary imaging results out of it and commend Infinix for bringing such a telephoto lens to a sub RM1000 phone.

During a moderate day of use with 3 hours of screen on time, the ZERO X NEO will easily get you through the second day before requiring a charge, though it is a little disappointing that the phone will only get juiced with 18W of power, which means you can’t get back up fast if you forget to charge the phone, in my tests it takes around 100 minutes to get fully charged from 5%.

To consider the Infinix ZERO X NEO a jack of all trades is an understatement, because it is an excellent smartphone to own if you don’t want to spend your average monthly Malaysian pay check on a phone to get a super zoom lens, it’s fair to accept certain compromises for what it is priced at and it really stands out in the mid range phone competition.

While I might be picky on a phone’s software experience regardless of its class, some may not mind as much as long as it doesn’t cause app crashes and freezes, and if you can live with bloat on a phone, then I have no problems recommending the Infinix ZERO X NEO at RM879, which you can head over
here
 to purchase one.

Infinix ZERO X NEO

The Infinix ZERO X NEO tries to undercut expensive flagships with a 5x periscopic camera, camera performance is however average at best and loses out to many other mid range phones.

KLGadgetGuy

Design

8

Display

8

Camera

6

Battery

8

Performance

7

Features

7

Network

8

Value

9

The Goods

Attractive design

Telephoto lens can be useful

Great battery life

Affordable

The Bads

Feels lengthy to hold

Full of bloatware

Main camera takes average photos

 7.6

Average Score

infinix
ZERO X NEO


Photos of alleged Infinix Zero X Pro leaked, revealing a 108MP camera setup

1.2K

Photos of a new Infinix phone have been
leaked
, allegedly the Infinix Zero X Pro. If the leaked photos are real, then the upcoming phone will be the first Infinix phone to sport a 108MP camera.

108MP camera and periscope lens only available on the Infinix Zero X Pro

As the leaked phone looks similar to the renders that were revealed by
XDA Developers
, it’s highly likely that it’s the another model in the Infinix Zero X series. Both the leaked photos and the renders share a similar phone design with a slight change in camera bumps, so the phone with a 108MP camera could be the Infinix Zero X Pro instead of the vanilla model.

See Beyond the Horizon 🔭
#shootforthemoon

#SeeBeyond

#FromZeroToHero

#Infinix

pic.twitter.com/G6q1En6W2Z

— Infinix Mobile (@Infinix_Mobile)
September 9, 2021

 You’ll also get a periscope lens on the Zero X Pro; this lens has a 125mm focal length paired with an f/3.4 aperture and promises up to 60x digital zoom. The last lens will be a 13mm ultra-wide lens.

Other specs

Other reports suggest that the Zero X Pro will come with a 6.7-inch AMOLED display that pushes FHD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. You will probably see the same display on the Zero X, but perhaps in a smaller size.

Image credit: GSMArena

Under the hood, both models are expected to be powered by the Helio G96 chipset and has up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. They’re also going to get a 5,000mAh battery that supports 40W fast charging.

We will find out more when these phones launch on September 13. Check out Infinix Mobile’s
Facebook
 page for more information. You can also check out our review of the Infinix Note 8
here
.

infinix
Infinix Zero X Pro


Influencers are going to fall in love with the vivo V27e

15.5K

Want to take a good portrait in the middle of a beautiful night cityscape or restaurant but your smartphone camera just doesn’t capture the best of you?

The vivo V27e with the magical ‘Aura Light’ has arrived in Malaysia, not only it is set to change the way your night portrait looks like, but it is going to turn heads because this stylish phone is also packed with big upgrades over its predecessor, here’s what we like about the vivo V27e.

A unique Fluid Design like no other

To make one standout from the rest, the vivo V27e employs a unique Fluid Design that combines a minimalist yet attention seeking design elements, the Lavender Purple color model in particular uses a nano-scale photoetching technique that features a glowing peacock feather pattern, yet having a gradient hue when in contact with light, giving it a feel of elegance that one would be proud of holding and showing off to their friends.

64MP Super OIS Camera + Aura Light – Perfect for Naturally Bright Night Portraits

Having a great camera sensor isn’t only crucial to great low light photos, but you also need good lighting to make your subjects look better, this is why the vivo V27e features a 64MP Super OIS camera that’s assisted by the ‘Aura Light’, which helps to naturally brighten up faces in dark with a studio-level soft light that doesn’t blind the subject.

OIS, otherwise known as Optical Image Stabilization, is crucial to taking low light photos as it helps stabilizes the phone if you have shaky hands, this is a hardware feature that’s only found on more expensive smartphone cameras, while complemented with vivo’s AI low light portrait feature, they both deliver a picture perfect night shot even if you aren’t a Pro.

Furthermore, the vivo V27e’s camera software is infused with AI Portrait capabilities that delivers great subject and background separation, which enables users to take DSLR-like bokeh low light portraits effortlessly.

Multiple portrait styles are also built into the camera app, where you can apply different filters to make your portraits stand out, these filters are also supported by hardware and AI algorithms, which is why portraits shot on the vivo V27e can look better than the competition.

Powerful performance and 120Hz Sunlight AMOLED display

The vivo V27e isn’t just about its cameras but also offers great everyday performance with the efficient Mediatek Helio G99 chipset, there’s also 8GB RAM which can be extended with additional 8GB for better multitasking, and 256GB of internal storage that can be further expanded with a MicroSD card for more apps and photos.

In addition, the vivo V27e completes the fast and speedy user experience with a beautiful 6.62-inch FHD+ Sunlight AMOLED display that refreshes at 120Hz, every thing you do on it simply feels blazing fast and effortless.

Large 4600mAh battery with 66W FlashCharge

The vivo V27e never lets you down with its large 4600mAh battery that boasts 12.6 hours of ultra-long standby time. When its time to charge, vivo 66W FlashCharge juices up the phone’s battery to 50% in a mere 18 minutes, so there’s no need to take a long break whenever you want to continue taking more awesome low light portraits.

Funtouch OS 13 based on Android 13

Beating many other current mid-range phones to the race, the vivo V27e comes running Funtouch OS 13 based on Android 13 out of the box, which is the most recent version of Android and offers more customization such as changing UI and app icon color, while it also offers better privacy protection on your photos where you can control which apps have access to all or selected photos on your device.

vivo V27e First Sale with exclusive gifts up to RM666

With all these features, the vivo V27e is sure to attract many with its Instagramable design and powerful AI low light portrait photography features.

The vivo V27e is now available for purchase in Malaysia for
RM1,299
 with color options of Glory Black and Lavender Purple, get your vivo V27e now at vivo Concept Stores,
 vivo E-Store
, vivo Official Store on
Lazada
,
Shopee
 and Tiktok Shop.

For a limited time from 4 March till 3 April, customers who purchase the vivo V27e will receive free gifts worth up to RM666 while stocks lasts, which includes:

Smart Tag

Bluetooth Speaker

1+1 Year Extended Warranty

1-Year Screen Crack Protection Warranty

vivo malaysia
vivo v27e
vivo v27e malaysia price


Infographic: Use of Smartphone in Our Daily Life

273

 Co-produced by :
Rebateszone
 &
KLGadgetGuy

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rebateszone
smartphone


Information about Apple's upcoming iPad Pro and display leaked

273

Shortly after Apple sent out the invitation for its September 7th event, we now have a new batch of leaks various Apple products that are not the iPhone 7.

First on the list of leaks is the iPad Pro. According to Bloomberg’s sources, Apple is rumoured to be rolling out new iPad software features either as part of an upgrade to iOS 10 that is scheduled to occur in the first half of 2017, or as part of the next major iOS version at the later end of 2017. This iPad update is expected to bring with it improvements to the Apple Pencil, with one of the features allowing users to annotate objects in many applications across the whole operating system, similar to how the Samsung Note smartphone does. The iPad hardware will also be refreshed next year, giving the tablet faster display technology that allows for smoother zooming, panning and scrolling. Alongside the hardware update, Apple is expected to introduce a 10.5″ iPad Pro.

The other piece of information is that Apple is apparently working on a new standalone monitor. As many of you may know, Apple has discontinued the manufacturing of the 27″ Thunderbolt display. Now, Apple is reportedly working with LG on a new monitor with a hi-res “5K” screen. “5K” displays aren’t exactly new territory for Apple as the company has been selling iMacs with built-in 5K panels for a while now, but a 5K display created by a collaboration of both LG and Apple is fascinating nonetheless.

Interesting though the information may seem, all of the leaks mentioned above will not be at Apple’s September 7th event. Suffice to say, you shouldn’t expect solid information on both the new iPad Pros and the alleged 5K display until 2017.

Source:
Bloomberg

5k
apple
display
ipadpro
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Information about devices that may be shown during Microsoft's Surface event leaked

840

On Thursday, Microsoft will be revealing a bunch of new devices that is rumoured to be under the Surface brand. Today, leaks have sprung up over these devices, and it confirms that the rumoured Surface All-in-One will indeed be a real thing.

Let’s begin with the All-in-One. Known internally as Cardinal, the Surface All-in-One has been confirmed to be called Studio. While the specifics are still vague, a patent image was found for the Surface Studio, hinting at what the device will be look like when it is finally announced.

While the Surface Studio is a device that we know is coming, there are other devices that remain mysterious thus far. The Trademark Ninja has discovered that a Microsoft shell company in Slovenia has recently trademarked Surface Laptop, Paint 3D, Surface Dial, and Dial. Surface Laptop and Paint 3D is pretty self-explanatory, but the interesting one part has to do with the Surface Dial. Many are speculating that the Surface Dial could be the Surface Phone, while others believe that it may be a software interface that would work with other Windows apps. There are also some that guess that the Surface Dial may be an upcoming smartwatch.

Microsoft’s event is scheduled to be held on Thursday morning local time, so we won’t need to wait for too long to find out what Microsoft has in its pockets.

Source:
Thurrott
,
The Trademark Ninja

event
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paint3d
surface
surfacedial
surfacelaptop
surfacestudio


Information regarding AMD's Vega GPU leaked

286

With AMD’s Polaris cards now available for the public, the spotlight now focuses on AMD’s next generation of GPUs: Vega. Today, a source from VideoCardz has received some information from AMD’s internal server roadmap, and it paints a picture as to what to expect from Vega.

The first piece of info is related to Vega 10. Releasing sometime in the first quarter of 2017, this card will come with 64 Compute Units and 24 TFLOPS of 16-bit computing power. Vega 10 will be based on the 14nm architecture codenamed GFX9, it will sport 16GB of HBM2 memory with a bandwidth of 512GB/s, and its TBP is clocked in at around 225W. Interestingly, the source also states that a dual Vega 10 card is in the works, and will be released in the second quarter of 2017. This dual Vega 10 card will have a TBP of around 300W.

AMD will also be releasing the Vega 20 GPU. Based on the 7nm GFX9 architecture, the Vega 20 will come with 64 Compute Units, 32GB of HBM2 memory with roughly 1TB/s of bandwidth, and a TBP of around 150W. Vega 20 will support PCIe 4.0, a feature that will only be present sometime next year. Finally, we have Vega 11. No specifications were given for the Vega 11, although the source did mention that AMD is looking to replace Polaris with Vega 11 next year.

Like always, until AMD personally confirms the specifications listed above, you should not take this information as gospel.

Source:
VideoCardz

amd
gfx9
hbm
pciexpress40
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Inside the Honor 5C: Something BIG, Something Little

333

Behind the shell of every smartphone is a processor that makes it tick. Such is the case for the Honor 5C. Powering the Honor 5C is the Kirin 650 chip from HiSilicon, a 16 nm chip that is created out of state of the art technology known as FinFET.

What is FinFET? Known as Fin Field Effect Transistor, FinFET is a type of “3D” transistor that is used in the design of modern day processors. At the core of this technology is the way the source and drain are pulled tall, creating a 3D planar structure which increases the surface area of contact between the gate and channel.

Prior to the advent of FinFET, transistors commonly utilised the metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) architecture. However, the problem with MOSFET was that below 20 nm, there was no way of controlling conductivity effectively as electrons might sneak from source to drain, causing leakage. In short, MOSFET was inefficient. With the introduction of FinFET, the creation of chips using this method allows the transistor to break the 20 nm bottleneck and become smaller while preventing any leakage, allowing the chip to operate efficiently. It is because of FinFET that the Kirin 650 was able to be efficient, all while measuring at only 16 nm in size.

On top of FinFET, the Kirin 650 also features ARM’s “big.LITTLE” architecture. Many of you who are familiar with Huawei’s devices would know about “big.LITTLE,” but for those who don’t, this architecture allows the Kirin 650 to fit four powerful processor cores and four less powerful cores into a single chip.

The idea behind “big.LITTLE” is simple, the four powerful cores will be utilised for larger chunks of data, while the smaller, less demanding tasks will be handled by the lesser cores. However, one of the problems that plagues the “big.LITTLE” architecture is the time lag created by the exchange of information between the four powerful cores, and the four less powerful cores. The solution to this problem? Integrating better sized and stronger cores within a smaller space. As the transistor becomes denser, the core surface area shrinks. So what does all this technical jargon mean? Well, this allows for greater functions and performance, better control of power consumption and heating, as well as savings on electricity/battery consumption.

This combination of the “FinFET” architecture and the “big.LITTLE” architecture found in the Kirin 650 means that this chip is one of the most efficient chips that Huawei has ever produced. Furthermore, with the Kirin 650 being the chip of choice for the Honor 5C, this makes the Honor 5C the only device in the sub-1K segment to be equipped with a 16nm chipset, something that is usually reserved for flagship-level devices such as the iPhone 6S.

finfet
honor
honor5c
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Instagram accounts will be private by default for users under 16

1.1K

Instagram recently
announced
 several changes to protect younger users; this includes setting private accounts by default for those who are below 16 years old.

The number of
younger users
 on social media has grown rapidly over the years, which is why social media platforms need to make changes to provide a safer experience for these users.

Private accounts are safer for young users

Setting accounts to private by default can help prevent the younger ones from getting unknown messages from people they don’t know. It also gives them control over who can interact with their posts and stories, and prevents their posts from appearing in the Explore tab — lessening the chances of unknown predators from preying on them.

Instagram also did research to find out whether the younger users prefer a public or private account. Turns out, 8 out of 10 of them chose to have a private account when they register.

It’s private by default, but you can still change it

Private by default only works for new users on Instagram, but the company has actually started its effort to create a safer experience a few months back. Those who are below 16 or 18 — depending on your country — will get notified on the benefits of having a private account.

Of course, the final decision is still made by the users themselves.

instagram


Instagram adds stickers, and "Hands-Free" video to Instagram Stories

344

Instagram has recently hit 600 million users for its platform, with 100 million coming from the last six months alone. The photo sharing platform has come really far from just a photo posting app to the feature filled app of today, though lately Instagram has been known for being one of the greatest copycats of Snapchat. Having enabled live video and the ability to save posts,
Instagram has added stickers to its Instagram Stories.

Instagram has launched stickers for Instagram Stories, with a Christmas themed holiday twist. This definitely looks like another rip off feature from Snapchat. Stickers come in different styles, moods, and a couple of customizable ones that shows the time and the location at the time of post. The holiday twists comes in whereby Instagram has readied a bunch of Christmas themed stickers to add joy to the season.

Another newly added feature which Snapchat should copy instead is the new “Hands-Free” video option. Instead of having to hold down the capture button when recording a story, users now have the option to go hands-free. This means that users only have to press the record button and press it again to stop recording, allowing them to do much more with non-occupied hands. The “Hands-Free” video is available as a mode on the Stories screen.

Also, Instagram for iOS now allows you to save all your Instagram Stories from the last 24 hours into a single video, to your local camera roll. What do you think of these newly added features on Instagram?

Source:
Instagram

free
hands
instagram
snapchat
stickers
stories
video


Instagram and Facebook are taking actions against those who use “sexually suggestive” emojis

984

Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are done with people misusing emojis and will start to limit sexually suggestive emojis.

It’s not like there are emojis of penises and vaginas on Android or iOS, but people have been using several emojis frequently to represent sexual aspects. For example, emojis like the eggplant, peach and water drips have often been used in sexual contexts.

Naturally, it’s not like Facebook and Instagram will ban anyone who uses these emojis; you just have to make sure that you’re not using them in a sexually suggestive manner. According to
Malay Mail
, if a user is caught to do so, the social media platforms are allowed to remove the post and even deactivate the user’s account if the user repeatedly commit the same mistake.

In addition to that, the social media platforms also don’t allow posting of nude photos censored with emojis, sharing and also spreading of links that will lead to adult materials.

Simply put, keep your comments and postings clean unless you want to be erased from the social media platforms.

emoji
facebook
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Instagram beta now available for Windows 10 mobile

346

Back in 2013, Instagram arrived to the Windows Phone Store. As much as users Windows mobile users rejoiced, it was only available for Windows 8 devices. Also, that version of Instagram, which was in beta, had somewhat limited functionalities that can’t possibly be excused in 2016. The beta app didn’t have video support, in-app image capturing and photo tagging, proving itself to be a slight disappointment for Windows mobile fanatics.

Fast forward to today, the photo social app has arrived on Windows 10 mobile devices but unfortunately, still maintaining the beta form. This doesn’t come as a surprise due to the number of notable bugs in the app. For instance, the app crashing on itself when editing and taking photos. As much as the full fledged beta version of Instagram is out, bugs like those really have to go.

Nevertheless, it’s still worth giving the app a try just for the sake of acknowledging their efforts, and some of you out there probably have Lumia phones lying around which are Instagram-short. But definitely, do try it before the app rating plunges from the current 3.9 out of 5. The Instagram beta app for Windows is available
here
. Till then, stay tuned!

Source:
Microsoft Store

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Instagram’s new update lets users browse posts together over video chat

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To prevent the spread of inaccurate information regarding the coronavirus outbreak, Instagram has introduced a few measures to help the community.

Instagram is not only adding educational messages when users search for coronavirus-related information but also launching new stickers related to preventive measures like washing hands and social distancing. In addition, COVID-19 accounts will be removed from account recommendations and contents that aren’t factually accurate will be down-ranked.

Since everyone should be practising social distancing, Instagram added media sharing — a feature that is accessible over video chat. When you video chat your friends on Instagram, you can look at liked, saved and recommended posts together.

Last but not least, Instagram also introduced its Donation sticker in additional countries and added a new “Stay Home” sticker in which users who use the sticker will be included in a shared Instagram story.

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You can now post collages directly within Instagram with its new Layout feature

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Instagram rolled out a new Layout feature for its Stories today, so users can now post multiple pictures in a story — just like a collage.

If your Instagram is already updated to the latest version, you should see the ‘Layout’ option among other modes. As of now, there are six different types of layout that can be used. Instagram users will be able to upload between two to six images at once, but sadly Layout doesn’t support a combination of photos and videos.

It would’ve been great if there were options to edit the photos separately, but sadly that’s not the case. Still, Instagram has come a long way; from Boomerang to Countdown to today’s Layout mode.

Just last month, Instagram also launched a TikTok-like feature called Reels, where users can make 15-second videos with music in the background. The company also launched a new policy recently to better accommodate for younger Instagram users, so you’ll have to be at least 13 years old to be able to create new Instagram account.

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Instagram comments will be moving into threads like Facebook

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Remember those days where Facebook comments are often a mess? That was before the social media platform decided to tidy up on its comments section for its post, by putting them into threads. This means that when you reply to a comment, a conversation thread will form automatically from the main comment. That feature was implemented back in 2013, and it looks like Instagram is about to follow suit.

This is definitely not a surprise as Instagram is owned by Facebook. To neaten conversations and comments on Instagram posts, the app will be introducing comment threads to keep the conversation going. Currently, a “reply” button is available in the comments section but tapping on that will only automatically tag the person you’re replying to before you begin typing a comment, turning the reply into an extra comment instead of it being under a thread.

Soon enough, we’ll probably forget the convenience of comment threads on Instagram posts. The feature is currently on the roll out to both the App Store for iOS and the Play Store for Android. Instagram claims that it will roll out globally over the next few weeks.

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Instagram counters bullying in community using AI

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In conjunction of October’s National Bullying Prevention Month in US and UK’s Anti-Bullying week, Instagram is introducing a new feature that uses AI to first-handedly detect captions comments on posts and live videos before the content is sent to human moderators to be reviewed.

Last year, Instagram introduced a system called DeepText which could counter the spam issue in the app.The system learns the semantics of the sentences through the data given by humans and resulted in less spam in the Instagram community. Instagram’s then CEO, Kevin Systrom, then tried to use DeepText eliminate offensive and against the guidelines comments, which still managed to overlook some negative comments.

This year, Instagram introduce the bullying filter which is more practical, considering that the final review will be done by human moderators. More importantly, the Instagram photos are also included in this new filter, for example, images with split-screen are usually used for comparison, which have the possibility of undermining a subject in the image.

Img source : Instagram

Though it is still uncertain if the new feature will be a success, Instagram is also launching a new camera filter called to spread positivity in the community to boost user engagement. Words relevant to kindness will appear in different languages as a background effect when using the back camera, whereas the front camera gives heart-shaped light effects.

The feature will be rolling out in the upcoming weeks, and could be a huge factor in improving the quality of the Instagram community.

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Instagram’s new policy requires date of birth when you sign up for a new account

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Instagram’s new policy is starting to limit younger users from using the app by only allowing individuals aged 13 and above from having an account. According to the company, this will help them provide more age-appropriate and safer experience to the younger Instagram users.

What this means is that new users who register for an Instagram account will have to provide their date of birth to the social media platform — and you have to be at least 13 years old. However, this can easily be bypassed by faking your age since Instagram doesn’t require age verification methods like providing pictures of your identity card and so on. Your age will also be hidden from others on Instagram.

With your age information, Instagram says that they will tailor the overall app experience accordingly by including “education around account controls and recommended privacy settings for young people”. In addition to that, Instagram is also providing more controls on who can send you direct messages, so you can set to only allow people you follow to message you and add you to group threads. This prevents unknown individuals from sliding into your DMs or replying to your Insta-stories at random.

However, Instagram can also extract your date of birth if your Facebook account is connected to your Instagram account. If you change your date of birth on Facebook, the information will also be changed on Instagram.

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Instagram adds gift cards and online food orders to support small businesses

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COVID-19 has affected many businesses and industries, but particularly the smaller ones. To aid the affected small business, Instagram has decided to introduce some additional tools such as gift cards, online food orders and fundraisers.

Although these tools — excluding the fundraisers feature that is coming soon — are only available in the US and Canada for now, they will be rolled out globally in the next few weeks. Soon, global users will be able to put down their food orders via Instagram stories and get gift cards through the account’s Instagram page.

Instagram did not describe much about the fundraiser stickers, but it’s safe to assume that it’s a sticker that will allow you to raise funds for the Instagram account to help out financially. Instagram will also be working on more features that can be used by small businesses.

Business owners, this is your chance. Use your Instagram well and it’ll hopefully lessen your burden during this pandemic.

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Instagram icon gets makeover

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Not too long ago, the UI of the Instagram has been redesigned to a more cleaner and simplistic look. That was during late April and oddly, Instagram did not officially announce the overhaul of their app design. Last night, Instagram has finally announced their redesigned app UI, alongside a new rainbow icon for the app itself.

Let’s face it, the old Instagram icon has gotten a little boring, not to mention aged over the years. After a much needed makeover, the new Instagram icon boasts more color compared to the old, plus it looks pleasantly simple. Boomerang, Hyperlapse and Layout also had their icons redesigned in the same manner, to fit into Instagram’s family of apps.

Overall, the redesigned app UI and the icon seems very much iOS inspired, what do you think? The brand new Instagram icon and the overhauled UI are currently on the rollout to iOS and Android platforms.

Source:
Instagram

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Instagram is bringing in-app translation in the coming month

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We’ve seen advertising on Instagram last year and in the coming month, the Facebook owned app will come with in-app translation that is able to translate posts and comments into the user’s preferred language. If you have been using the translation feature in Facebook, it should work similarly on Instagram as users will be able to tap the ‘See translation’ option in a comment or caption, the text will then be instantly translated into the smartphone’s display language. Instagram has been fairly slow in catching up with other social media platforms in terms of features, the translation feature is definitely a great news for those who have always wanted to learn foreign languages that their friends posted. Instagram has mentioned that the translation feature could be made available as soon as July with a limited number of supported languages to begin with, so do keep your Instagram app updated all the time, because you never know it could even appear earlier than usual.

In the coming month, you’ll see a translation button on feed stories and profile bios written in languages different from your own. The Instagram community has grown faster and become more global than we ever imagined. And we’re excited that you’ll soon be able to understand the full story of a moment, no matter what language you speak. To learn more about translation on Instagram, check out help.instagram.com.

A photo posted by Instagram (@instagram) on
Jun 22, 2016 at 10:00am PDT

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Instagram is introducing a Snapcodes-like feature called Nametags

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We all know that majority of features on Instagram is adopted from Snapchat, so it is not a surprise that yet another feature coming to Instagram has been taken from Snapchat and this time its Nametags. Similar to Snapcodes, it allows someone to add and follow you on Instagram by simply pointing their phone camera to your Nametag.

Currently, it is being tested by a small group of people which is not new, as we know before a new feature becomes available on the app, it goes through testing by a group of users presumably picked by Instagram. This is also a good way for the company to gain more users as some people share their Snapcodes openly on the Internet, may it be Twitter or Facebook. With Nametags, it would make it easier for these users to pull their followers over to their Instagram account, away from Snapchat.

You will be allowed to customize the design of your Nametag with emojis, colours and some effects. The company did not say when this feature will become available to all users, but just like their other features, we should be seeing it in the next couple of weeks if everything goes well with the test

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Instagram is prohibiting content promoting vaping, tobacco products and weapons

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2019 has been a year of cleansing for Instagram; the company is now prohibiting content that promotes vaping, tobacco products and weapons.

Instagram has been hard at work for the past few months — the company decided to remove AR filters related to cosmetic procedures back in October and limited the promotion of weight loss products and cosmetic surgeries back in September. In addition to that, they are monitoring the usage of sexually suggestive emojis and introduced a feature that allows users to restrict offensive comments on their posts.

The updated policy will be enforced within the coming weeks, and goods like alcohol or diet supplements will also be affected. While the two products mentioned will not be prohibited, there will be special restrictions — we’re assuming younger users will be unable to view such posts.

Apart from that, Instagram is also opening up Facebook’s Brand Collabs Manager to some Instagram creators. These creators will be able to enjoy the marketplace tool that allows them to share their insights and engagement with brands. This is a smart move since Instagram recently started hiding like counts, which could’ve affected creators negatively since brands can no longer assess them through like counts.

For more information, check out Instagram’s
announcement
 on their page.

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Instagram is testing a payment system within the app

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Instagram has silently released a payment option to some users which have not been officially announced yet. It comes after Facebook added a payment feature to Messenger, so it makes sense that they would add the same feature to Instagram.

Slash Gear which was one of the few profiles that have access to this feature said that the feature is very basic for now. The settings are located in the profile settings under the Payment Settings option, it allows you to add a debit or credit card and lets you add a PIN which is the second stage of security. The company has already put some plans in motion for this feature like allowing users to buy movie tickets and other things directly from the app. Brands can also showcase their products and take advantage of this feature as a payment gateway for their online stores.

We have already some Malaysian users using the platform to sell some of their items, but we were still limited to doing bank transfers or Cash on Delivery. With this payment feature, it would give a peace of mind to both the seller and the buyer.

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Instagram is testing out feature that lets you group your Instagram followers/followings

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Instagram is testing out a feature that we may not have expected it to; reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong discovered the company trying to group Instagram accounts in several categories.

Based on what she has discovered, Instagram might offer

the ability to create categories to organise your followers and following. Some of the automatic categories include “Least Interacted With” and “Most Shown in Feed”, so it’s easy for you to remove those accounts that you don’t often see or talk to.

Instagram is testing to “group the accounts you follow to make them easier to manage”, such as:

“Least Interacted With” and “Most Shown in Feed” which are counted in the last 90 days
pic.twitter.com/REykEoMqu5

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane)
October 19, 2019

In addition, you may be able to categorise the Instagram accounts based on topics of interest, meaning it’s possible that you could customise your Instagram feed based on the categories you’ve created, resulting in a more specific feed. This should be useful for those who have several different interests and like to look at them separately instead of all mixed together.

Unfortunately, the original chronological feed will not be making any comebacks, despite many users still requesting for it. Instagram has yet to comment on its availability, so we’re also clueless to when it will be released or if it’ll ever be released.

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Instagram’s “Latest Posts” feature is partially like the long-requested chronological feed

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Instagram may never give us chronological feed again, but at least they’re secretly prototyping a “Latest Posts” feature. Discovered by reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong, this new feature will pop-up over your Instagram news feed and give you the option to either check out the latest posts from your network, or stick to the same algorithm.

Instagram users have complained over the years about Instagram feed’s current algorithm. It causes many to miss out on posts that they don’t interact (like, comment) with, even if their intention is not to skip those posts. After all, there are people who prefer to just scroll through their feed instead of commenting and liking every single post they see.

Image credit: Jane Manchun Wong

Based on what Wong has posted, it seems like the “Latest Posts” feature will only consist of new posts from the past 48 hours, so you’re still be missing out if you don’t check your Instagram at least once in two days.

This feature may or may not be launched in the coming months, but to be honest, I’m sure most of us are still praying for chronological feed to come back.

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Instagram launches Automatic Alternative Text for visually impaired users

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Instagram is introducing two new updates on its media platform for people with visual impairments.

“With more than 285 million people in the world who have visual impairments, we know there are many people who could benefit from a more accessible Instagram,” Instagram stated.

The first update introduced is the “Automatic Alternative Text” feature, which allows user to hear description of photos through the screen reader while users scroll through the News Feed, Explore, and Profile. The feature uses object recognition technology to generate a description of photos for screen readers so the user can hear a list of items that photo may contain as they browse through the app.

The second update is the “Custom Alternative Text” feature, where users are able to add description on their photos when they upload a photo. People using screen readers will be able to hear this description.

These new updates are just the first few steps of Instagram’s initiative to make their platform more accessible for everyone.

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Instagram’s first Ramadan campaign starts with its new camera effect, ‘Lantern’

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Ramadan is here and Instagram is participating in this festive season by launching its first Ramadan campaign with a new camera effect, ‘Lantern’.

Accessible through Instagram Stories, the new camera effect is made to encourage Instagram users to share their celebrations and joy. It features bokeh effects with shapes that are closely associated to Ramadan, including crescent shapes with Arabic or English words in it. There are three variations of this camera effect and can be changed through tapping the screen.

Alongside with ‘Lantern’, Instagram also encourage the community to use the hashtag #MonthOfGood to share their Instagram stories whether it be an act of kindness or just a greeting to their friends and family. This is to encourage users and to influence more individuals to be kind and generous, especially during Ramadan.

‘Lantern’ is already available but if you don’t see it yet, maybe try updating your Instagram app on App Store or Play Store.

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Instagram lets you restrict others who post offensive comments…and they won’t know

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Instagram is always trying to improve their user community and reduce acts of bullying. Today, Instagram introduced two new features that can further reduce offensive comments and encourage a healthy community.

One of the features is a notification that will appear when offensive comments are detected before posting. This means that if you’ve decided to write a negative comment that could be inappropriate or hurtful, Instagram will nudge you with a “Are you sure you want to post this?” notification so that you can think twice before posting.

The second feature is called ‘Restrict’. Instagram believes some users are reluctant to block, unfollow or report their bullies, so this is Instagram’s alternative to those methods. You can now restrict your bully — without he/she noticing — leading their comments to be only visible to them and no one else. They’ll also be unable to view if you’ve read direct messages they sent you and when you’re active on Instagram.

Which feature do you think is more useful? I believe the second feature is a very practical and convenient feature that many will appreciate.

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Instagram’s new policy limits the promotion of weight loss products and cosmetic surgeries

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Instagram will start restricting underage users from viewing posts revolving cosmetic surgeries and weight loss products due to its new policy.

Everyone is on Instagram these days, including teenagers and children under the age of 18. At the same time, many influencers and celebrities are using Instagram to promote brands and products, including weight loss pills and drinks and also cosmetic procedures to “fix their flaws”. This is especially unhealthy for the younger audience who have higher tendency to be influenced by whoever they idolized.

In addition, social media has been reported to be a factor in pressuring its users to conform to certain expectations, hence why Instagram is taking additional measures to ensure that the platform is “a positive place for everyone”.

View this post on Instagram

@ashleytisdale starts her day with a hot cup of Fit Tea ☕ #ad

A post shared by
 FitTea
 (@fittea) on
Nov 7, 2016 at 1:19pm PST

It wasn’t that its previous policy allowed promotion of said products, but with the growing influence from famous individuals on the platform, the company had to implement the new policy.

As reported by The Verge, age restriction will be applied to posts that come with the price of the (weight loss) product and/or posts that encourage users to purchase the products. If the posts claims miraculous results and links commercial offers like discount codes, then it will be removed entirely from Instagram.

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Instagram Live Stories is now available globally

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A couple of months back, Instagram launched Live Stories, which allows users to live stream from the app itself. The new feature arrived after Instagram started having Stories, which was a direct copy of Snapchat. Live Stories on the other hand, was inspired by Facebook’s Live Videos. However, the Live Stories feature only happened to roll out to users at certain regions – the United States for example. As of these couple of days, Instagram Live Stories has finally being pushed out globally.

To recap, it is pretty simple to start a live stream from the Instagram app. Users will only have to swipe right to the app’s camera, and select “Start Live Video”, and you’re good to go. Users can also check out other videos at “Top Live” in the “Explore” section of the app. If you happen to not have gotten the new feature, just make sure that you have updated your Instagram app to its latest version. The latest version on the Play Store is version 10.5.1 so do keep an eye out for that.

Live broadcasting seems to be the future as many social media platforms have been scrambling to get their own take on live streaming running on their own social spaces. It is also a good tool for celebrities and businesses to reach out to their audiences in a more “intimate” manner, if you get the gist of it. Have you tried Instagram Live Stories?

Source:
Android Authority

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Instagram might let users with new usernames keep previous ones for 14 days

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Instagram’s new checkout feature is not the only thing the company is working on. Discovered by Jane Manchun Wong, the company is said to be testing out a new name-changing feature.

Wong reverse-engineered the apps and found that Instagram plans to lock users’ old usernames when they switch to new ones. This locking system will last for 2 weeks so that users will still be able to change it back if they want to.

Instagram will start locking old usernames for 14 days after changing so the previous owner can revert to it within the grace period

This is the end of username grabber bots 😀
pic.twitter.com/mAAgbDYny2

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane)
March 20, 2019

However, the old usernames will be available for others to use after 14 days. This is a useful feature for those who want to test out new usernames without risking losing their old usernames. Wong also mentioned. “This is the end of username grabber bots,” because its possible for bots to steal high quality usernames whenever they get the chance to to sell it to others who are taking advantage of those usernames.

The company also told Fortune that the feature is still not fully developed, and its goal is to ensure that their Instagram users can feel free to make changes without worrying that their original usernames are immediately claimed by others.

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Instagram might let you share the link to a specific story in your Instagram Stories

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Jane Manchun Wong works her magic again, revealing Instagram’s newest plan to share link to Instagram stories through her skills in reverse engineering.

In her tweet just minutes ago, Wong posted a screenshot that reveals more options when you click on the three-dots on the bottom left of your Stories. Amongst these options are two new ones called “Share Link…” and “Copy Link”, allowing users to share the link of that exact story for others to view without having to go through all his/her Stories.

Instagram is working on Sharing Link to one’s own specific Story

For example, link to my Szechuan stirred noodles Story:
https://t.co/6TDgexC8Ve

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram too 😉
pic.twitter.com/hNVewsSa6Q

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane)
May 21, 2019

Currently, the closest thing an Instagram user can do is send the specific story to other Instagrammers, but that will be limited to individuals who are in the app. With the new feature, the link could be shared to other platforms, or users can just copy the link of the story and send it to their friends in other platforms. Either way, it expands the ways people can view an Instagrammer’s Stories.

However, you’ll need to be logged in to view the Stories, so you’ll definitely need to have an Instagram account. There are no official statement on whether this feature will be implemented, or when it will be released.

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Instagram’s new features help draw attention to mental health awareness

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During these trying times, it’s important that we stay positive as best we can, and Instagram believes in the sentiment too with their #RealTalk campaign, which puts its users’ mental well-being at the forefront of attention.

The campaign sees NGOs, health experts, and content creators pull together to spark conversations about mental health by way guides, talks, and more.

In a press release shared by Instagram, the organization quotes a survey by Ipsos (market research group) which finds an alarming 44% of Malaysians being affected mentally during the COVID-19 pandemic; the campaign is a response to that statistic – a new
Instagram
 Guides feature that helps users discover useful content on the platform.

View this post on Instagram

Much love ❤ This post is all about how we can move from #innercritic to #innercoach This is a great example of a #growthmindset . . This character was created for the lovely @wholeheartedschoolcounseling with text/info added by myself for the @journey_to_wellness_ page. 💛 . . . #therapyskills #therapytools #therapytips #therapyresources #yourthoughtscreateyourreality #counsellingresources #teachingresources #journeytowellness

A post shared by
 MIASA Malaysia
 (@miasa.malaysia) on
Nov 2, 2020 at 2:46pm PST

Mental health NGOs MIASA Malaysia and
Naluri
 are the first local bodies to create for Instagram Guides to educate users on the importance of being mentally healthy.
Simpley
 visit their profiles to view their posts and stories which are full of guides.

To reinforce the movement, Instagram had also introduced new tools to keep your Insta browsing experience toxic-free. These features tools include Messaging Control that lets you manage who can message you directly and who can’t reach you at all; Tag and Mention Controls, which allows you to choose who can tag you in a comment or caption.

View this post on Instagram

Depression varies from one person to another and knowing how to talk to someone living with depression can be a great way to support them ⋅ 💚 In conjunction with #WorldMentalHealthDay, get access to professional health coaching from a dedicated team of health and wellness experts on Naluri for only RM10 for the first month! Offer valid to new members, until 31st October 2020. Sign up link in bio ⋅ #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthforall #mentalhealthawareness

A post shared by
 Naluri Hidup
 (@naluri_my) on
Oct 15, 2020 at 1:51am PDT

Any social media comment section is notorious for breeding toxic behavior – so on Instagram, hides certain comments that that resemble those that’ve been reported before; comment warnings alert people when they’re about to post something potentially harmful; and lastly comment management for removing up to 25 comments at one time, or even pin your
favourite
 comments to the top.

Visit Instagram’s community safety page
here
 to find out how to access these features.

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Instagram has a new Superzoom feature and Halloween filters

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Instagram has a new feature added to its iOS version which brings a new Superzoom feature to give users a dramatic close-up effect when recording Stories. This feature can be accessed next to the Boomerang option under the record button and it will add suspenseful music when the camera automatically zooms in.

The feature will zoom into the subject by following the dramatic suspenseful music which works out much better than we expected. We took it for a run in the office and it is a really fun feature to try on on almost anything. Alongside this new feature, they have also added five new Halloween themed face filters and stickers which will be available on November 1st.

These filters can transform you into a vampire, zombie, ghost and other nightmarish creatures and the sticks include pumpkins, candy corn, and other Halloween related stickers. If you do have an iPhone with Instagram updated, you should really try out this feature as its the perfect time of the year to use this.

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Instagram now allows you to replay live videos

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The now feature filled Instagram app continues to further optimize and enhance its existing bells and whistles to further improve the user experience, and also to further crush Snapchat, which inspired Instagram Stories. Instagram introduced live streaming capabilities with Live Video last year, available in Instagram Stories. Live videos typically disappear once the user finishes the broadcast, but that has now changed.

Instead of live videos vanishing right after you broadcast it, Instagram now allows users to keep their live videos 24 hours after broadcasting. This means that broadcasted live videos will be available in for 24 hours like how Instagram Stories work. But the decision to make the live video available to viewers after broadcasting still lies within your hands.

When a user keeps his or her broadcasted video on Instagram Stories, a play icon will be seen on the profile picture of that user in your Instagram Stories feed at the top. When tapping into the video, you will be able to see all the likes and comments that were made when the video was broadcasting. On top of that, tapping right will fast forward 15 seconds while tapping left will rewind 15 seconds.

This new feature certainly gives users more liberty and control over their own content, which can prove useful to frequent Instagram live streamers. What do you think?

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Instagram now allows users to follow hashtags

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Instagram has come a long way since its earlier days a few years ago. Still known for being a Snapchat copycat for its Instagram Stories feature, the app has definitely crushed Snapchat in the competition. While most of us would prefer having more followers on Instagram, the company has decided that we can now follow not only people, but hashtags as well.

Instagram wants to make life easier for the explorer in you with this new feature. In order to follow a certain hashtag, #slime for example as shown above, all you have to do is to type out “slime” in the search bar, tap on it and there will be an option to follow the hashtag. In doing so, the top posts under that hashtag will be featured in your Instagram feed. Stories with the hashtag will also appear on the Stories bar alongside Stories from people you follow.

The privacy settings still remain the same, meaning that if your Instagram account is private, only your followers will be able to view which hashtags you follow, and vice versa. What do you think of this new feature? Sounds like a handy way to further explore to the depths of Instagram.

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