12 things to get started with the Galaxy S21

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Thinking to pick up or already got your new Galaxy S21 to kick start the new year? That’s one great purchase you have made whichever model you have decide to go for, the Galaxy S21 series are the most feature packed smartphones that Samsung has ever released, which can be a little overwhelming if you are upgrading from an old phone and have no one to help you get it all set, hence we have listed these essential to-dos and things to try out.

Purchase a case

Samsung no longer offers a TPU case since the Galaxy Note20 and that can mean trouble if you have a tendency to drop your phone all the time, Samsung has fortunately released several nice original cases that you can opt to purchase separately, the Smart Clear View and Smart LED View cover are particularly good if you care about hygiene as they come with an antimicrobial coating  to fend off bacteria.

If you have purchased a Galaxy S21 Ultra, don’t forget that it supports the S Pen stylus that comes with the Smart Clear View and Silicone cover.

Purchase a fast charger and powerbank

Apart from omitting a case in the box, Samsung hasn’t included a charging adapter for the Galaxy S21 series due to environmental reasons, chances are is that you might be stuck with an old USB-A charger or powerbank that could not take advantage of Samsung’s 25W fast charging, here are a few chargers that you can consider:-

Charby Pico 65W Charger
 – A relatively small sized charger that supports up to 65W of maximum power with two USB-C and one full-sized USB port. Watch our review here.

Samsung 25W Travel Adapter
 – The default charger that’s guaranteed to work.

Samsung 25W 10000mAh Powerbank with Wireless Charging
 – Samsung’s very own power bank has 10000mAh of juice and supports fast wireless charging

Migrate your old smartphone with Samsung Smart Switch

Setting up your new Galaxy S21 is a chore when you switch over from your old phone, do take advantage of Samsung’s Smart Switch feature to save some time, which supports transferring data over from other Android phones and iPhones, if you have an old Android phone that uses USB-C, remember to use the included USB-C to USB-C cable to connect for faster transfers.

Choose between Google Discover and Samsung FREE

The Galaxy S21 ships with the latest One UI 3.0 based on Android 11, which now gives you the option to choose between two news briefing screens when you swipe right on your main home screen, Google Discover is selected by default but if you prefer Samsung’s FREE that offers some instant games apart from news, all you need to do is to pinch out of your main home screen and swipe right, you will then have the option to switch between them or disable it.

Set up Samsung Pay

Samsung Pay needs no introduction if you want to make contactless credit card payments from your Galaxy S21, it supports credit and debit cards from most Malaysian banks, loyalty cards and Boost, which lightens your wallet (of cards) in a cool way.

Customize the power button

Bixby isn’t going anywhere yet and you will discover its existence when you press the Galaxy S21’s power button for the very first time, no doubt it is still a decent voice assistant but if you need to, you can make it a power button, just like what it is supposed to be.

Change navigation method

Whether you prefer swiping gestures or pressing buttons to get around the Galaxy S21, you can always configure this in Settings->Display->Navigation bar

Eye Comfort Shield

If you are always exposed to different lighting ambiance, this is a great feature that you should take advantage as the Galaxy S21’s beautiful display adaptively adjusts color tone to offer a comfortable viewing experience.

Try the improved Zoom

Whether you have landed yourself on a Galaxy S21 or S21 Ultra, definitely give their periscopic zoom a try and you will be surprised with how much it has improved over their predecessors, you don’t even need a tripod to focus on your subject now all thanks to the new Zoom Lock feature that stabilizes your image when zoomed to the max.

Shoot videos at 4K 60fps for all lenses on the Galaxy S21 Ultra

The Galaxy S21 Series continues the legacy of their predecessors with support for 8K video recording, however the Galaxy S21 Ultra has gone the extra mile to offer smooth 4K video recording at 60 fps on all four lenses, so whether you are shooting videos from an ultra-wide perspective or getting as close as possible to your subject, you can finally do that with a super smooth motion like seeing it in real life.

Be the director with the Director’s View

Taking videos is now effortless and fun with the new Director’s View mode, as you can easily have the front and back cameras of the Galaxy S21 record videos at the same time with a picture-in-picture or split view, while the powerful processor of the phone allows all cameras to be activated during recording so that you can immediately decide which lens to switch to on the fly.

Get the new Samsung Galaxy S21 series
here
.

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Galaxy S22 Ultra seen on Samsung’s official support website

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As we get closer to the end of the year, it seems that Samsung is preparing to
launch
 their next line of phones in their Galaxy series, with their flagship Galaxy S22 Ultra on its way soon as rumors suggest. Although not much information has been revealed about the device, it was apparently seen on Samsungs official website.

On Samsung’s support page, it showed a new phone under the
model number SM-S908U
, which is suspected to be the new Galaxy S22 Ultra. Other leaks also claim that its name could be the
S22 Note
 as the Samsung Note series was expected to be canceled. The device was also suspected to have started production as tipped by Snoopy on Twitter, with thousands of parts being shipped per day.

According to my Info, Samsung is producing and shipping thousands of parts per day for the S22 Series. So the production is in “full swing”. Mostly Pet-Sheets and Flex-Cables, 10-20k per Week. Tab S8 Production also started, but only a few hundred parts were made last week.
https://t.co/b6XPwPIrYT

— Snoopy (@_snoopytech_)
December 11, 2021

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra was also reportedly
spotted on Geekbench
, with its score and some specifications revealed.  Depending on where you will purchase the phone, it is expected to come with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC or the Samsung Exynos 2200 SoC that would come with either 12 GB of RAM and up to 256GB internal storage or 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of internal storage. It’s also expected to come in 4 colorways – Dark Red, Black, White, and Green.

Do keep in mind that this is just pure speculation and leaks with no official confirmation from Samsung about the Galaxy S22 Ultra, and it is just a quick look at what is to be expected, so we will be sure to keep you updated on any further news.

Source –
Gizmochina
 ,
GSMArena

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Galaxy S23 Ultra 1 Week Later: a worthy successor or not?

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With all the leaks and rumors leading up to the introduction of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, there’s no doubt that many would have simply assumed that the phone is a mere iterative upgrade with a faster processor and better cameras. While that might be the case on paper, my experience with the S23 Ultra after a week has proven otherwise, Samsung has delivered a Ultra flagship that others will have a hard time defeating its overall package.

Granted, the S23 Ultra might resemble its predecessor in every way you look at it, but Samsung has definitely done some refinements on the aesthetics by using a less curved edge display, which gives it a more expansive viewing experience and I find it surprisingly to be more comfortable to use than other curved edge screen phones I have with me.

To be honest, I am trying out five other flagships alongside the S23 Ultra at this time of writing, and I have been switching between them for occasional social media browsing and gaming, and I ultimately find the S23 Ultra to be more a more enjoyable device to use than the others when it comes to software and user experience, which isn’t surprising as Samsung has made One UI 5.1 to be more customizable than ever when it introduced its Good Lock customization suite with it.

While I have yet to fully explore all the features within Good Lock, I am actively using the One Hand Operation + customization and have never been more happy to have it installed, as it allows me to customize edge swipes to do more things such as calling the app switcher and going to the app launcher, it certainly feels like a jailbreak hack but no, it is an official customization that works on One UI without requiring any sort of modification on the phone’s firmware.

Powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 For Galaxy chipset, the S23 Ultra is undoubtedly a much faster and responsive device than its predecessor, and for the very first time, I haven’t experienced any form of stutters even after filling my unit with apps after a week, as with previous Samsung flagship phones, performance have been very inconsistent especially when switching between apps.

The improved performance isn’t just attributed to the faster custom developed chipset by Qualcomm for the S23 Ultra, but Samsung has also finally cared to made improvements to the phone’s thermals this time with a larger vapor chamber, which the company claims is 2.7x larger than the previous model, therefore leading to lesser chances of being throttled when it is running intensive tasks, this is perceivable when I use it to shoot 4K videos for a good 10 minutes and game for an hour, the phone still gets warm next to the camera array despite that but isn’t uncomfortable to manage, which I think many customers will be happy to hear.

Continuing the ‘Nightography’ hype from last year, Samsung is claiming improved low light performance with the S23 Ultra, which I have no doubt that it is better than its predecessor, the new 200MP main camera also sounds promising when the company talked about how it binned the pixels to form larger pixels for better details and light intake.

To find out how good it really is, I compared the S23 Ultra with other great flagship phone cameras I have in my store – the vivo X90 Pro, Google Pixel 6a and iPhone 14 Pro.

Camera Sample 1

iPhone 14 Pro
Google Pixel 6a
Galaxy S23 Ultra
vivo X90 Pro

Camera Sample 2

iPhone 14 Pro
Google Pixel 6a
Galaxy S23 Ultra
vivo X90 Pro

Camera Sample 3

iPhone 14 Pro
Google Pixel 6a
Galaxy S23 Ultra
vivo X90 Pro

Camera Sample 4

iPhone 14 Pro
Google Pixel 6a
Galaxy S23 Ultra
vivo X90 Pro

Fortunately, the S23 Ultra’s camera isn’t the worse shooter among the competition but isn’t the best either, while I like that it doesn’t try to over brighten pictures like the vivo X90 Pro, the undeniable thing about having a small sensor size is that details aren’t as refined as the camera software reduces noise, but I assume that Samsung still probably has some optimization work to do on the camera and will report back in the final review.

For the first time ever, I have never needed to worry about battery endurance on a Samsung flagship phone, though I only maxed out 2 hours and 30 minutes of screen on time during the period, I never need to charge it every single day like I do on the S22 Ultra despite having the same 5000mAh battery, I also realized that its 45W fast charging has been more consistent than before, while it still doesn’t beat other phones with faster charging output, I can definitely live with it.

Overall, I’m really happy to see Samsung being consistent with its annual flagship upgrade, the S23 Ultra might not have a brand new design language or a fancy new feature like the ‘Dynamic Island’, it stays true to its roots of what a flagship Android phone should have – good performance, great battery life and excellent camera system.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra starts at RM5,699 and you can preorder the phone
here
.

Watch our unboxing and first look of the Galaxy S23 Ultra

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Galaxy S7 Active leaked with massive rubber bumpers

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The Samsung Galaxy S7 Active has definitely been anticipated to be unveiled some time this year, considering the fact that Samsung has been launching tough and rugged versions of its flagship line since the Galaxy S4 a couple of years ago. The S7 Active was leaked among a list of supported devices of an app on the Google Play Store. This time, a couple of photos of the alleged handset has surfaced, and it sure looks like a tough one to beat.

Based on the image, the Galaxy S7 Active is retaining the same military-like camouflage look on its rear side, like on last year’s Galaxy S6 Active. One significant difference is the set of tough-looking bumpers, which seems to be rubberized, replacing the metal frame enclosing last year’s S6 Active. Rubber bumpers would mean that the S7 Active will survive drops better, or in other words, with less damage to the device.

The S7 Active is said to sport the same IP rating of IP68, which is already a good protection to begin with. Also seen in the images are physical buttons like on the Active phone from last year. The device is rumored to pack a Snapdragon 820 SoC plus 4GB of RAM, pretty much identical to the released S7 series. We should be expecting Samsung to unveil the Galaxy S7 Active pretty soon.

Source:
SamsungVN

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Galaxy S7 Active listed in Google Play Store

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Samsung has accidentally listed a yet-to-exist Galaxy S7 Active in the list of supported devices for its Samsung Level app on Google Play Store, and it has probably remained uncorrected, or not removed as we speak.

The fact that the device is listed out there proves that there will be a Galaxy S7 Active, although Samsung has brought back dustproof and waterproof features to its S7 line recently unveiled and launched at MWC last month. Last year’s Galaxy S6 saw an absence of an IP rating, a somewhat step backwards from the Galaxy S5’s IP67 rating. The Galaxy S7 returned with an IP68 rating, on top another missing from the S6 – micro SD expansion.

The Active variants of the Galaxy S series started of in 2013, with an Active version of the Galaxy S4. Active variants are known for their rugged build, water and dust resistance. Since the Galaxy S7 already comes with an IP68 rating, chances are that the Galaxy S7 Active will come with an even higher IP rating, or added ruggedness to achieve near indestructibility. It will probably come packed with a massive battery capacity, another known feature of the Active lineup. What’s your bet on the existence of the Galaxy S7 Active?

Source:
Samsung Level (Google Play Store)

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Galaxy S7 Active listed on GFXBench along with specs

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Just recently, we saw a couple of leaked images of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Active in the wild, sporting the same camouflage design but huge rubber bumpers in place of the metal fram seen on the S6 Active from last year. Now, we’re looking at the supposed spec sheet of the rugged handset after it was listed on benchmark site GFXBench.

As expected, the Galaxy S7 Active will turn out to be a powerhouse as well, packing flagship specs under the hood. On the front, we’re looking at a 5.5-inch display in detailed QHD resolution. Also, we will be expecting a Snapdragon 820 processor as listed on the benchmark result plus 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. On the camera side of things, we’re likely looking at the same 12MP primary camera as seen on the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, coupled with a 5MP selfie cam.

The Galaxy S7 Active will be running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out of the box. This will definitely be a phone built for the wild, or for the reckless and careless folks out there who want their devices to last at least a year or two. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Source:
GFXBench

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Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in 24K gold?

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The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge didn’t change much physically from last year’s S6 and S6 Edge. However, the sleek design and build of this year’s flagship line still remains. If you’re looking for more than just that, there are gold plated versions available for sale, but of course, not from Samsung.

Luxury brand Truly Exquisite has super premium versions of the S7 and S7 Edge available for pre order right now. Both flagships are available in 24K Gold, Platinum or 18K Rose Gold and they will cost quite a fortune as well. The 18 karat Rose Gold model will set you back £1,700 (RM9,924.21), and that’s just the starting price. The 24K Gold version will be at a higher price point.

These exquisite and exclusive flagship handsets will be shipped in a luxury wooden box. Also shipped along with it is Samsung’s Gear VR headset (not gold plated, unfortunately) and a wireless charging plate (not gold too). Ever wanted a luxury gold plated smartphone that is water and dust resistant? Truly Exquisite will ship out the orders soon after Samsung officially releases the S7 and S7 Edge on March 11th.

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Galaxy S7 caught exploding on camera

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Samsung’s efforts to curb its Galaxy Note 7 woes have been dealt with yet another blow. But this time, not involving the Galaxy Note 7. In a CCTV footage of a restaurant uploaded by The Sun UK, a Galaxy S7 explodes after it was said to be overheating in a user’s hand.

In all fairness, cases like this do happen though they are reported to be very rare for the Galaxy S7 series. Unless incidents like this particular one occur over numerous units of the same model smartphone like the Galaxy Note 7, chances are that this shouldn’t be much of a worrying issue. Nevertheless, you’re probably curious as to what went down at the restaurant.

Based on the video uploaded by The Sun, Sarah, the Galaxy S7 user is seen with the device in her hand, before it apparently overheated. The rest was history when she dropped the phone onto the table, and within seconds, the S7 appears to be fuming with white smoke coming out of it. Sarah claimed that the phone expanded in her hand as it overheated, before it turned to “barbecue”. She went on to stress that the device wasn’t charging during the incident.

According to Samsung, the incident happened to be the first they’ve ever heard of, and a Samsung representative has stated that the issue is currently under investigation and they are in contact with Sarah regarding the incident. Samsung has also claimed that there are no known safety issues regarding the Galaxy S7 series. As expected, the Galaxy S7 was rendered useless after the incident, resulting in a total loss of data according to Sarah.

While reporting incidents like this might be nitpicking Samsung at the moment, let’s hope that the Galaxy S7 won’t be another Note 7. Let us know your thoughts at the comments section below!

Source:
The Sun

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Galaxy S7 might boast insane battery life

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It is well known that Samsung’s flagship devices are always on the forefront in terms of specs. But whenever it comes to battery life, they only produce sub par to barely on par performances which continue to disappoint fans every year. However, a claim from a popular leak spokesperson suggests that the upcoming Galaxy S7 will have insane battery life.

According to Eldar Murtazin on his Twitter feed, he claims that the Galaxy S7 is able to bring out 17+ hours of video playback on full brightness. Considering the fact that 5 hours of on screen time is impressive on the S6, this claim is a near impossible feat for the S7.

Earlier rumors have suggested a bump in the battery capacity to 3000mAh, but that still seems quite a far fetch to the claim mentioned earlier. Based on simple calculations, a 450mAh increase in battery capacity won’t get you as much as 17 hours of video playback on full brightness on a Super AMOLED QHD display.

If the above claims are accurate, the S7 might just be the phone which is the nearest to achieving perfection by consumer standards. We’re counting down to MWC so stay tuned with us!

Source: Eldar Murtazin (
@eldarmurtazin
 on Twitter)  Via:
Phandroid

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Galaxy S7 might feature micro SD expansion

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Samsung took a leap of faith last year, or rather, a risk of faith, when removing many features in the company’s Galaxy S6.

The 2015 flagship device had many missing features, intentionally, compared to that of the Galaxy S5. The key significant ones are the lack of expandable storage, having a non-removable battery, and ditching the waterproofing feature. All these sacrifices, in exchange for a whole revamped look of the S6.

Many critics are adamant that the features mentioned above won’t be returning to the Galaxy S line but some sources suggest otherwise.

It turns out that one of the features might be making a comeback in the Galaxy S7, namely, expandable storage via micro SD. But how?

Rumors suggest that the S7 will have dual-SIM tray, which also works as a one SIM one micro SD tray, giving users the option to have either two SIM’s or one SIM and the liberty of having expandable storage. This feature is definitely not something new in smartphone land, let alone Samsung’s devices, but never on its premium S line.

Don’t go too far on that road just yet since a rumor is still a rumor. It is good to hope, but not too much to risk being disappointed. The Galaxy S7 with expandable storage. Any takers? Let us know below!

Source:
Pocketnow

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Galaxy S7 to come in both Snapdragon and Exynos variants

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Rumors are pouring in like a waterfall as we approach MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2016 and Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S7 is no stranger.

With high anticipation for its launch at MWC, more leaks have surfaced for the Korean company’s next flagship device. A leaked screenshot from Geekbench shows a device model numbered GM-930W8 and Antutu benchmarks shows a different model number (GM-G930F).

According to source SamMobile, the GM-930W8 will be shipped to Canada and the GM-G930F will be heading to Europe. Both these models are tipped to be sporting an octa-core Exynos chip. The Snapdragon models will avail itself to US and Chinese markets.

The stunning results on Geekbench, with 500 points more than the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge on a single-core score of 1873, suggests that the S7 will be a tough one to beat this year in terms of processing power.

The S7 is also tipped to have a QHD 5.1/5.2 inch screen, 4GB of RAM, 64GB internal storage and Samsung’s own 12MP camera. The flagship device seems likely to have a pressure sensitive display, and will come with a larger battery.

With tonnes of speculations out in the wild, let’s see how many of these rumors and predictions will come to life.

Source:
9to5Google

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Galaxy S7 won't charge if it's still damp

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Samsung omitted its water resistance feature last year with the Galaxy S6, S6 Edge and S6 Edge Plus. While Samsung had many shots fired at them for that move, it decided to bring it back to its flagship lineup this year, having launched the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. With online manuals of the
S7
 and
S7 Edge
 available for download, in them are user warnings about not charging the devices right away after water submersion to avoid hardware problems. Smart Samsung knows that there are ignorant, non-manual-reading users out there (guilty as charged), hence it might have placed a safety feature, which doesn’t allow you to charge your S7 if the device detects moisture.

An XDA forum user, “xxaarraa”, got lucky, claiming that the phenomenon occurred to him after taking an underwater photo. The post reads:

I took an underwater photo this morning and put the phone away (S7E). 4 hours later I plugged it into the wall (fast charger) for a top-up and the phone popped up an error message “moisture detected in charging port..” and the phone won’t charge.

Is this a safeguard? I will try charging again in a few hours, but curious if anyone else observed this so far..

The strict “safeguard” might turn out frustrating for some users, based on the fact that the XDA forummer waited four hours prior to the device’s rejection to charge, or is it a safety precaution for Samsung to avoid the headaches and hassles of warranty replacements? But it looks like xxaarraa might have succumbed to using a hairdryer to speed up the drying process, or the Asian way – burying the S7 Edge in rice and hoping that some yellow skinned fellow why mythically dry out the device.

What do you think about this safeguard by Samsung? Let us know your thoughts!

Source:
xxaarraa (XDA forums)
  Via:
SamMobile

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Galaxy S8 Active confirmed to exist, by accident

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Samsung’s Active line of rugged designed smartphones typically launch a couple of months after the company’s main flagship lineup is out. The Active series of Galaxy handsets have existed since the days of the S4, the most recent being the Galaxy S7 Active. We recently came across rumors that that there will be an S8 Active this year, and that news has more or less been confirmed.

A document has been uploaded on Samsung’s website, most likely by accident. The document consists of the full list of applications available on a device, with the title “Galaxy S8 Active LTE (G892A) Application List”. This confirms that the Galaxy S8 Active is indeed real and will make an appearance later this year.

The Galaxy S8 Active, like its predecessors, will most likely be spec-ed similarly to the regular Galaxy S8 – a 5.8-inch Infinity Display, Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 12MP camera. Since it is ruggedized, the Galaxy S8 Active will definitely feature a more hardy build with extra shock resistance to protect it from drops, which will result it being thicker than the standard variant.

The Galaxy S8 Active is also slated to be an AT&T exclusive, which happens to be the case for all Galaxy Active phones so far by Samsung.

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This is what the Galaxy S8 Active looks like

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The Galaxy S8 Active is due for a release later this year as part of Samsung’s routine to have a rugged variant of its S series flagship annually. Most of us do wonder whether Samsung is able to do it this round with the near bezel-less display of the Galaxy S8, and the company seems to have nailed it, according to these newly leaked renders and the handset’s manual courtesy of the folks at Android Police.

As usual, the Galaxy S8 Active retains the general shape of the regular Galaxy S8, including the bezel-less Super AMOLED Display on the front. As it is made to withstand more drops and knocks by the user, the Galaxy S8 Active is no doubt more beefy when compared to the standard Galaxy S8, featuring a military grade body and a durable metal design. The display is also shatter resistant for up to five feet on a flat surface.

The internals are pretty much the same – a Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. Battery however, is at a larger 4,000mAh compared to 3,000mAh. Other than that, the cameras are of the same as well – a 12MP dual pixel rear camera and an 8MP selfie shooter.

Unfortunately for us, the Galaxy S8 Active will likely be an AT&T exclusive in the US once again. However there is no info on that so far so I guess it’s no harm to keep our hopes up. What do you think?

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Galaxy S8 Active unveiled with bigger battery

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The annual Active variant of Samsung’s Galaxy S series has arrived once again. This time, the company faces a tougher task of retaining the same Infinity Display of the regular Galaxy S8, but it seems like Samsung has somewhat succeeded in doing so, hence the Galaxy S8 Active.

The Galaxy S8 Active is as what you would expect, a rugged version of its regular sibling. The first and foremost feature to note is definitely the toughness of the Galaxy S8 Active, with Samsung claiming it to be shatter resistant on top of the usual water and dust resistance. It is of course built out of military grade materials for knocks and shocks.

The display of the Galaxy S8 Active is of the same 5.8-inch QHD display in an 18.5:9 aspect ratio just like the regular S8. But unlike the latter handset, the Galaxy S8 has larger bezels surrounding its display, most notably at the top. The rest of the specs are pretty much the same – a Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a rear 12MP camera and a front facing 8MP camera. It also features wireless charging. However, the battery of the Galaxy S8 Active is significantly larger at 4,000mAh.

The Galaxy S8 Active unfortunately still remains as an AT&T exclusive in the US. It also costs the same as the regular Galaxy S8+ at a price of $849.99 (RM 3,642.63).

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Galaxy S8 Active will feature same high end specs as the regular S8

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Samsung’s Galaxy Active line are typically exclusive to US carrier AT&T. If you haven’t known, the Galaxy Active devices are essentially rugged variants of the Galaxy S series of annual flagships. Last year saw the launch of the Galaxy S7 Active a couple of months after the Galaxy S7/S7 Edge. Now we’re getting news of the Galaxy S8 Active as it has been allegedly spotted on benchmarking site Geekbench.

According to tech site My Smart Price, a Geekbench result was spotted online of a device with the model number SM-G892A, claimed to be the Samsung Galaxy S8 Active. My Smart Price states that the Geekbench scores for both single core and multi core are pretty similar to that of the regular Galaxy S8. The result also indicates that the device runs an octa core Qualcomm processor with a 1.9 GHz clock speed, presumably the clock speed of the lower four cores. The processor will most likely be the Snapdragon 835, given the fact that the Galaxy S7 and S6 Active sport the same internals as their respective regular counterparts.

Further details of the result suggest that the Galaxy S8 Active will feature 4GB of RAM just like the regular S8. It is also likely that the S8 Active will sport the same display as its regular sibling, but will have rugged features with its design, such as a thicker and protective body according to a recently leaked render.

The Galaxy S8 Active will most likely be an AT&T exclusive as well, like all of its predecessors. Would you get one yourself?

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This Galaxy S8 clone will pack a whopping 5,500mAh battery

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The huge market in China makes it one of the more potential markets for smartphones compared to other countries. The demand for smartphones definitely fuel copycat manufacturers to make dirt cheap handsets which look nearly identical to the more popular ones, and it is probably the reason why these companies can thrive in China.

Vkworld is one of the many companies that specialize in making smartphones like these. The company’s upcoming Vkworld S8 not only carries the same name of the Galaxy S8 by Samsung, but will also feature a near bezel-less display on the front.

The Vkworld S8 will also sport a dual camera setup on the back, like other smartphones following the dual camera trend. The processor that powers the device has yet to be known, but the Vkworld S8 will come with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The main highlight however, will be its battery. Conventional smartphones typically pack batteries with capacities around the 3,000mAh mark, and that is also the case for 18:9 displays with sharper QHD+ resolutions. The Vkworld S8 on the other hand will bring that to the next level with a massive 5,500mAh battery.

That’s all we know so far of this deliberate clone of the Galaxy S8. The huge battery in the Vkworld S8 definitely makes it an interesting device to look out for. What do you think?

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Galaxy S8 pre-orders exceed 1 million in South Korea

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Samsung continues to impress us with its latest flagship Galaxy S8 series days before its official release on April 21. This time round, pre-orders for the Galaxy S8 has reportedly exceeded the 1 million mark in Samsung’s home turf South Korea. This has turned out to be the highest ever recorded figure in terms of pre-orders in South Korea.

The South Korean manufacturer has set a 60 million target for the sale of its flagship series, which is 8 million more than the Galaxy S7 units sold. Counterpoint Research suggests that Samsung will be able to surpass that figure, with a prediction that the company will sell over 50 million units of the Galaxy S8 in this year alone. Moreover, Samsung is slated to keep its high sales momentum till Apple launches its next iPhone later this year.

It is no surprise that the Galaxy S8 series is currently in high demand. Many claim the handset to be the most beautiful device that has ever been made. The S8 screams premium throughout – an edge to edge display with an 18:9 aspect ratio, along with extremely minimal bezels, the top of the line Snapdragon 835 processor, plus an impressive camera package altogether. Speaking of which, the pre-order units of the Samsung Galaxy S8 in Malaysia have been sold out, so you might have to wait for the next batch if you haven’t yet ordered yours.

Source:
The Investor

1 million units target sales
malaysia
preorders
samsung galaxy s8 plus
south korea


Galaxy S8 sales 15% higher than Galaxy S7

338

2016 saw the Galaxy S7 being the sole flagship series launched by Samsung. The discontinuation of the fire prone Galaxy Note 7 resulted in Samsung having to hold onto marketing its older flagship for the rest of the year, which boosted the sales of the Galaxy S7 series. But according to Dongjin Koh, Samsung’s president of mobile communications business, the Galaxy S8 series currently boasts 15% higher sales than the Galaxy S7 series when compared under the same duration.

The above claim by Dongjin Koh at a Taipei press conference proves that the Galaxy S8 is definitely the more popular device when taking its predecessor into account. He also stated that the momentum of sales for Samsung’s current flagship will carry on to Q3 and Q4 this year.

The Galaxy S8 series sports a design which is now deemed as the going trend for smartphones – a bezel-less front with a 2:1 display aspect ratio (18:9.5 for the S8). With sales going this strong, Samsung will be having a ball prior to the launch of the Galaxy Note 8 which is slated to be unveiled late next month.

The upcoming phablet has been rumored to feature a similar design display on the front, along with a brand new dual rear camera setup, tipped to work just like the iPhone 7 Plus.

What do you think of Samsung’s performance with the Galaxy S8 series? Let’s hope Samsung does not screw up again like it did last year.

galaxy note 7
galaxy note 8
galaxy s7
galaxy s8
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samsungg


Galaxy S8 to feature UFS 2.1 storage and possible 8GB of RAM

312

Samsung plans to start off 2017 with a bang after this year’s Galaxy Note 7 crisis ended in a a literal boom. Many speculate that the South Korean manufacturer will be going the extra mile just to make up for what might have been the best phone of 2016. In an attempt to recover from its losses, Samsung has been claimed to pack a total of 8GB of RAM in the upcoming Galaxy S8.

The above claim originated from a tipster on Chinese micro blogging site Weibo, “upping the ante” for Samsung after previous rumors suggest that the Galaxy S8 will have 6GB of RAM. If that happens to be the case, the Galaxy S8 might turn out to be the world’s first smartphone with 8GB of RAM, though we’re pretty sure that 8GB of RAM will still be an overkill for at least the next two years.

On top of that, the Weibo user has also claimed that the Galaxy S8 will feature UFS 2.1 storage, an upgrade from the current UFS 2.0 standard. This claim on the other hand is rather reasonable, since the storage standard was published back in March earlier this year. But then again, imagine the Samsung Galaxy S8 with 8GB of RAM, UFS 2.1 storage and probably a Snapdragon 835 processor. Will the next Samsung flagship be totally lag free?

Source:
Weibo

2017
21
7
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ufs


Galaxy S9 hype grows with a powerful camera, 3D emojis and Benchmarks

340

It is 10 more days to the unveiling of the Galaxy S9 over at MWC 2018, and Samsung is starting to build more hype around its next flagship device by posting three videos over at the Korea YouTube channel. In a recent report, we learned that the Galaxy S9 will feature stereo speakers, have better tracking on its ‘animoji’ feature known as 3D Emojis, and before that we did also learn that the S9+ could come with a powerful f/1.5-f/2.4 dual camera system. The videos posted by Samsung seem to confirm some of the these features we have learned about the S9.

For instance, this video seems to be focused on speed with fast moving subjects, which we can definitely expect that as the Galaxy S9 and S9+ are going to be powered by either a Snapdragon 845 processor or Exynos 9810 processor, while the S9+ is expected to come with 6GB of RAM. Samsung is also said to have included AI machine learning in its new flagships too as a response to Huawei’s efforts on the Mate 10 series.

Apart from that, a leaked Antutu screenshot of the Snapdragon 845 variant of the S9 shows at least 40% of improvement over the current S8.

Next, this video actually shows how well the Galaxy S9 can capture bright and detailed low light photos, as it tends to demonstrate that for the shot of the deer at the end. We would also like to assume that it does well in video recording too, as shown in the beginning of the clip.

Finally, this clip confirms the existence of 3D emoji on the S9, which tends to show how accurate the S9’s facial tracking system can do to track all sorts of facial reactions, which we definitely can’t wait to see where it can be used across the S9’s software, as the iPhone X’s animoji is only limited to iMessage at the moment.

Expect more things to come as the day draws nearer to February 25. What are your thoughts on the Galaxy S9?

galaxy s9
mwc 2018
s9
samsung
samsung unpacked


Galaxy S9 spotted in new hands on image

306

The Galaxy S9 flagship by Samsung is slated to make an appearance at CES 2018 which is a little over a month from now. As all the talk will be about display and screen to body ratio, Samsung is expected to take things a step further with the Galaxy S9. Just when you think the Galaxy S8 features minimal bezels, its successor trims the bezels even more, as shown in the alleged hands on image above.

The image shown is by popular tipster Benjamin Geskin, who is known for his accurate renders and images of smartphones before their actual launches. We can likely count on him on this one as well, as it is rather difficult to discredit the image right away. While the overall design of the Galaxy S9 resembles that of its predecessor the Galaxy S8, the bezels have been significantly trimmed to provide more screen real estate on the front. The chin of the Galaxy S9 is noticeably smaller, making it hardly existent, while the top bezel has also been sliced till it is just enough to fit the selfie camera, other sensors and the ear piece above the display.

This Galaxy S9 definitely supports claims that it won’t be as revolutionary in terms of design, but rather a more refined version of the Galaxy S8. The former device is expected to be powered by the Snapdragon 845 processor, along with an iris scanner on the front like on the current Galaxy Note 8.

bezels
display
galaxy note 8
galaxy s8
galaxy s9
leak
snapdragon 845


Galaxy Unpacked 2021: No new Galaxy Note, but S Pen for foldable phones confirmed

1.3K

The latest
editorial
 from Samsung’s newsroom has confirmed two things — there will be no Galaxy Note 21 this year, but the rumoured S Pen for the Galaxy foldable phones is now confirmed.

Samsung’s focus falls on the Galaxy Z this year, not the Galaxy Note

In the upcoming event, Samsung will be focusing on its Samsung Galaxy Z phones, the Galaxy Z Fold3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3. This the third generation of its foldable phones in which the former folds like a book and the latter reminds you of your old flip phones.

“The upcoming Galaxy Z Fold combines the very best that smartphones and tablets offer and delivers completely new ways of working, connecting and creating, while the upcoming Z Flip exhibits an even more refined style, armed with more durable, stronger materials,” says Dr. TM Roh, the President and Head of Mobile Communications Business of Samsung Electronics.

We may also get new watches

Image credit: Android Headlines

We are also expecting to see the next Galaxy Watch4 Active and Classic; though it’s not mentioned in the editorial, Samsung briefly brought up their One UI Watch user interface.

A special S Pen is coming!

More importantly, Samsung confirmed the
S Pen
 that will be compatible with its foldable phones. This stylus is expected support Air Actions, allowing users to control it as if it’s a wand.

galaxy unpacked 2021
Galaxy Z Flip 3
Galaxy Z Fold 3
s pen


Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (44mm) Review: the future of Wear OS is bright

1.9K

Samsung has had great success with its Galaxy smartwatches over the years, they are in fact one of the best smartwatches that I can easily recommend if you needed one to go with your Android phone, even if you don’t own a Samsung smartphone.

However, things get a little interesting this year, as the Galaxy Watch 4 no longer comes with the company’s Tizen OS but rather, it runs on Google’s Wear OS or to be more specific, Wear OS 3.0, which is a collaborative effort to make Wear OS a more serious rival to Apple’s watchOS.

The question is, can Samsung redefine the future of Wear OS with the Galaxy Watch 4?

The Galaxy Watch 4 looks almost identical to the two-year old Galaxy Watch Active 2, what’s different this time is that the Watch 4 comes in two case sizes of 40mm and 44mm while only available with an aluminum case, the stainless steel case is reserved for the more expensive Watch 4 Classic, which succeeds the much older Galaxy Watch 3.

My 44mm model feels extremely lightweight and I like that it doesn’t feel oversized when worn on my wrist, the provided silicone strap is very comfortable even when my wrist got sweaty after workouts and it fits my 20cm wrist well when securing the buckle to the last hole, though I wished Samsung had provided a shorter strap for smaller wrists as some will prefer a tighter fit.

Compared to the Galaxy Watch Active 2, the Watch 4’s bezels has chamfers and the secondary button is now square shaped instead of round, the two buttons serve as sensors for measuring body composition and other health metrics, which is a great hardware inclusion that makes it more valuable than Apple’s entry-level watches.

Although Wear OS is the core operating system as the Galaxy Watch 4, Samsung has made navigation and transitions similar to Tizen OS with two major differences. First, the Watch 4 pairs with your phone using the Galaxy Wearable app instead of the Wear OS app, hence you can’t pair the watch with an iPhone since the app isn’t available on the App Store; second, you download apps from Google Play rather than Samsung’s own Galaxy Store, which means you get higher quality apps on top of Samsung’s existing Tizen OS apps.

Setting up the Galaxy Watch 4 with a Samsung phone is a breeze as you would already have most extensions and core files available, but that’s a different story for other Android phones as you are required to download several components and apps to make it work, so that’s quite a bit of effort when it doesn’t use the Wear OS app to pair.

While Samsung isn’t exactly trying to fix Wear OS entirely on the Watch 4, it brings several improvements to the user experience with more refined tiles and Samsung themed menus, but there are certain areas that I feel that Samsung should have stuck with Wear OS 2.0, such as notifications management, as I find browsing notifications by pages require some effort compared to swiping up from the bottom of the display to get to a list of notifications.

Despite having full Google Play services, the Watch 4 surprisingly leaves out Google Assistant but uses Bixby if you need to perform voice commands, it does annoy me a little when I want to use it to control my lights or ask my watch to play my Spotify playlist which you can’t do it with Bixby, Samsung and Google hasn’t commented on if they are ever going to bring Google Assistant to the Watch 4 in a future update, but I’d keep my expectations low on that one.

Overall, the Watch 4’s user experience feels very responsive with the new Samsung Exynos W920 chip paired with 1.5GB of RAM, I don’t encounter any freezes when launching or switching apps, the amount of watch faces you get to choose and customize is a very refreshing experience compared to other Wear OS smartwatches, and since this is a Samsung wearable, you get the additional benefit of using Samsung Pay, Samsung Health and controlling your Samsung earbuds.

I have been using the Watch 4 quite extensively to track my gym workouts and occasional outdoor runs, though I guiltily admit that I am not the most active person as I usually do three days of workout in a week with an average of an hour per session, I find the tracking accuracy in terms of steps and calories to be rather similar to my Apple Watch Series 6, but I realized that my heart rate can be a little inconsistent during my run, which I suspect that is due to the watch isn’t tight enough on my wrist as sweating can cause the watch to move a little, causing inaccuracy to the heart rate sensor.

The Watch 4 is a very comfortable watch to wear to sleep if you ever want to keep track of that, it tracks my sleep accurately and provides a sleep score judging from my sleep stages, it will also keep track of your blood oxygen and snore if you want to, though snore tracking requires you to subscribe to a service called Sleep Cycle and uses your phone’s microphone instead of the watch’s microphone, which can be a hassle since not everyone places their phone next to their bed due to health concerns.

The body composition measurement feature is good to have but doesn’t provide the most accurate measurements, as I compared results with an Inbody 570 body composition analyzer in the gym, measurement values such as my body fat and muscle mass have a variance of 0.6% to 1%, hence I suggest treating those values on the watch as a casual reference.

To be honest, I was wearing the 40mm Galaxy Watch 4 provided by Samsung before purchasing my own 44mm unit, but due to a really terrible battery life I experienced on the former that doesn’t gets you half way through the day, I decided to find out if it was just as bad on my unit, it fortunately turned out to be way better than expected.

Starting the day at 9am with tons of notifications buzzing the Watch 4 and a one hour gym workout tracking, my 44mm Galaxy Watch 4 will usually leave me 35% of juice when I end my day at 10pm, which still gives me enough battery life to wear to sleep, I will need to charge it the next morning as a 6-hour sleep tracking with blood oxygen monitoring turned on will use up around 10% of juice, very much fulfilling the claims of the watch lasting up to two days on a single charge.

Using the same magnetic charging puck as its predecessor, I’m glad that the Watch 4 can also be charged using Samsung’s own Qi wireless charging pad or if your watch urgently requires some juice, you can always use Wireless Powershare on your Samsung phone to reverse charge it if your phone supports it.

The Galaxy Watch 4 is an excellent smartwatch to pair with your Samsung and other Android phones, though I would say that the collaborative efforts between Google and Samsung in the software department doesn’t necessarily improve the original Wear OS experience, let alone setting a standard on how future Wear OS smartwatches should perform.

Having Samsung adopt Wear OS on their smartwatches is an important goal for Google to convince more partners to make smartwatches running Wear OS, considering the strong branding the company has over other OEMs, the fact that they allow Samsung to tailor-made their own software experience on the Galaxy Watch 4 could be a sign that we can probably expect more custom software experiences from other brands, which is ultimately a big win for consumers and Samsung has definitely shone a bright road ahead for Google’s Wear OS with the Galaxy Watch 4.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (44mm)

The Galaxy Watch 4 offers comprehensive fitness tracking and smartwatch features without a premium price, setting a gold standard for the future of Wear OS powered smartwatches.

KLGadgetGuy

Design

9

Performance

9

Features

8

Battery Life

8

Value

9

The Goods

Works best with Samsung phones

Comfortable fit and strap

Auto workout and sleep detection works great

Reasonable 2-day battery life

The Bads

Body composition measurement lacks accuracy

Doesn't work with iOS

Doesn't come with shorter strap

 8.6

Average Score

galaxy watch 4
galaxy watch 4 review
samsung


Galaxy Watch3: Samsung’s smartwatch can measure blood pressure, ECG and SpO2

498

Samsung
 also launched the Galaxy Watch3, the next-generation smartwatch that comes with blood pressure tracking.

Galaxy Watch3 can measure blood pressure, ECG and SpO2

Being able to track blood pressure using a smartwatch is a first for Samsung watches. Users just have to stand really still while the watch measures blood pressure for better accuracy. Apart from that, the Galaxy Watch3 also supports bloody oxygen saturation and ECG tracking.

Improve fitness with Running Analysis

The Galaxy Watch3 also helps users improve their fitness routines. With Running Analysis, the watch can help improve the user’s running form to prevent accidental injuries. There are over 120 different home training programs for those who prefer to workout at home.

Price and availability

The
Samsung Galaxy Watch3
 is available in two variants — 41mm and 45mm — and comes in Mystic Silver, Mystic Black and Mystic Bronze. It’s priced at RM1,699 for the smaller model and RM1,799 for the bigger one. Those who pre-order the Galaxy Watch3 at Samsung Experience Store, Samsung Authorised Partners and Samsung Online Store will be given a complimentary wireless charger pad worth RM239.

Galaxy Watch3
samsung


Galaxy Watch5 Pro Review: one of the best smartwatch for outdoor fitness enthusiasts

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When I reviewed the Galaxy Watch4 last year, I commended Samsung for breathing new life into Google’s ailing smartwatch operating system and gave it a future, and I am glad that it is continuing the effort with the Galaxy Watch5 series, which I have been wearing the Galaxy Watch5 Pro for a month now and got it paired to a non-Samsung phone two weeks ago, here’s my review of it.

The Watch5 Pro is slightly chunkier than the regular model for several good reasons, it features a titanium case and sapphire crystal glass that’s more robust against bumps and drops, and it fits a huge 590mAh battery, which is the largest battery size that we have ever seen on a smartwatch that can comfortably deliver 3 straight days of battery life with regular use.

Thankfully, it doesn’t feel too hefty to wear despite its larger size and I usually wear it to sleep. Unlike other smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch5 Pro comes with a very convenient D-Buckle Sport Band that looks really handsome even if you were to wear it to a meeting or dinner, it also resists water and sweat very well which I don’t find uncomfortable even when wearing for a long hectic day.

There’s absolutely no way to lay the Galaxy Watch5 Pro on a flat wireless charger, unless you remove the strap.

However, the D-Buckle Sport Band can be a little inconvenient when I want to charge the watch with Samsung’s wireless charging pad, which is usually a life saver if I don’t have access to the watch’s provided charging cable, as unlike a regular watch band, there’s no way you can lay it flat with the D-Buckle on and you will need to detach it to do so.

Samsung has also yet to sell a dedicated charging dock for the Watch5 Pro while the current charging accessories it sells doesn’t support the watch’s faster 9W charging, hence it takes almost three hours to get fully charged with the old 5W cable or Samsung’s official fast wireless charging pad if it runs out of battery.

While I was a little disappointed that the Watch5 Pro didn’t have a physical rotating bezel that was on the Watch4 Classic, the touch bezel is still pretty good at scrolling through tiles and pages which I do not have an issue with, though I wished the haptic feedback could be a little more subtle like what I’ve experienced on the Apple Watch when using the Digital Crown.

I was using the Galaxy Watch5 Pro with the Galaxy Z Flip4 back when I started reviewing it, but later switched to an Honor Magic4 Pro to find out if there were any complicated setup process or missing features. To my surprise, setting it up through the Galaxy Wearable app on a non-Samsung phone isn’t too hard and all I needed to do is to install the Galaxy Watch5 Plugin Manager, Samsung Pay Watch Plugin and Samsung Health, and pretty much everything works just as usual.

The Watch5 Pro’s software experience is very much the same as the Watch4, you still get the same Tizen-style notifications and widgets, and you can finally pick Google Assistant over Bixby as your voice assistant. Fitness tracking on the Galaxy Watch5 Pro works great, I like the quick automatic workout detection as soon as I start walking for about 2 minutes, and for the more adventurous individual, the Watch5 Pro has an exclusive feature that lets you import GPX files for turn-by-turn route navigation, which you can do it through the Samsung Health app.

As a casual user, I don’t have any issues with the Watch5 Pro’s battery life and I daresay it has the best battery life ever on a Wear OS based smartwatch, but for those who intends to go for an outdoor adventure or hiking without bringing the charger, a 3-day battery life might not be sufficient, and you will most definitely want to bring a powerbank and the watch’s charging cable along.

Ultimately, the Galaxy Watch5 Pro will work very well as both a fitness tracker and smartwatch for those who daily drives an Android phone that does a lot more outdoor activities than the regular user, it is also more rugged than the regular Galaxy Watch5 and the ability to do off-road navigation is definitely one thing to consider despite its RM1,899 price tag, but if you just need a good regular smartwatch that tracks your usual gym workouts, the regular Galaxy Watch5 is a good choice starting at RM1,099.

Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro Review

Finally, a Galaxy Watch for the Pro fitness enthusiasts.

KLGadgetGuy

Galaxy Watch5 Pro

8

The Goods

Excellent fitness tracking features

More rugged than regular Galaxy Watch5

Works well with other Android phones

3-Day battery life

Faster charging

The Bads

D-Buckle makes it hard to charge on flat wireless Samsung chargers

Outdoor fitness tracking may not be as complete

Expensive

 8.0

Average Score

galaxy watch5 pro
galaxy watch5 pro review
galaxy watch5 review


Galaxy Z Flip 3 Review: All about the convenience

2.3K

I have switched to the Galaxy Z Flip 3 from my trusty iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Yeah, big mistake right? Trust me, I was super reluctant to do that as I have dreaded the poor battery life on the Z Flip 3, test driving it for a week is sufficient to make one wonder why would you spend RM4000 on a phone that under delivers in several areas when you can perfectly buy a Galaxy S21+ that has more cameras, better battery and reliability with a slight cash top up.

However, after actually using the Z Flip 3 as my main phone for a week, it finally occurred to me why I no longer don’t find these compromises an issue.

It’s all about the form factor and convenience.

Back when I was reviewing the Z Flip, I fell in love with how it can effectively shrink the size of a candy bar form factor with flexible display tech, although the phone came with build reliability concerns and an expensive price tag, I would have bought it without a heartbeat if not for these issues.

The Z Flip 3 is Samsung’s most celebrated foldable device to date with significant upgrades over its predecessor, it added IPX8 water resistance, a larger external display, a bright 120Hz foldable display, which all these additions are amazing technological feats and more importantly, the base 128GB storage model is priced RM1000 cheaper at launch compared to its predecessor and costed a mere extra RM200 for double the storage.

Moreover, the Z Flip 3’s design is distinctively different from other Samsung phones, the two-tone design matches well with any color you choose and the dual camera system resides conveniently in the black bar that doesn’t require it to have a separate camera bump like the old Z Flip.

Overall, the Z Flip 3 is a gorgeous fashion statement that anyone will say ‘WHOA’ when they look at it.

Unfortunately, it isn’t a phone that delivers a gorgeous flagship phone experience.

With a Snapdragon 888 chip, the Z Flip 3 is a beast on paper and can definitely excel all your texting and social media browsing tasks effortlessly, but in real world use the Z Flip 3 can struggle to keep up when you are doing a lot of app switching, I can switch between WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger a lot in a busy day, and by merely doing that I can already feel the phone warming up even if it is a mere 5 minute use.

As the Snapdragon 888 is infamously known for its high temperatures, Samsung has to throttle the phone’s processor to keep temperatures low, which kind of makes you wonder why they would want a super powerful chip on a slim fashionable phone that users would probably only use 20% of its power, graphics performance is also affected even when I play simple games such as Homescapes.

As you can see, the Z Flip 3 requires multiple charges in a day if you are playing games or monitoring the crypto market

This brings us to the Z Flip 3’s battery life, which comes with a 3300mAh pack split into two cells and similar to its predecessor, you easily lose 2% of battery with just 5 minutes into browsing your Facebook feed, leaving it on idle for eight hours while I sleep consumes around 15% of power, let’s not forget to mention the phone requires 2 hours to get it charged from 10%-100% with 15W of power.

While compact phones do come with caveats of not being able to include a larger battery or faster charging, the situation would have improved if Samsung had used a Snapdragon 865 and a 90Hz refresh rate display, because let’s face it, smartphone enthusiasts would most likely go for the S21 Series or Z Fold 3 for the best cameras and performance, the Z Flip 3 doesn’t need to be an enthusiast phone to be sellable because it has the convenience that others don’t.

What really made me appreciate the Z Flip 3 is the larger external cover display, apart from showing fancy clock faces and being able to customize them, I use it a lot to check notifications and read a quick excerpt of a long email in a typical busy day.

I can easily access my credit cards by swiping up and make a payment with Samsung Pay while placing my thumb conveniently on the side mounted fingerprint reader, change my Spotify music playback, check what’s next on my calendar, do a quick voice recording, set a timer, take better selfies with my girlfriend and frame myself if someone sucked at photography is holding the phone for me to take pictures.

All of these were not possible on the Z Flip and any other smartphones I have owned, and I assure you that this is one thing you will miss if you want to switch away from the Z Flip 3 for a standard candy bar form factor smartphone.

The foldable display isn’t without its conveniences as well, Samsung has optimized certain apps such as Google Duo and YouTube to show your ongoing video call and streaming video respectively on the top part of the display when the Z Flip 3 is folded up half way, which I use a lot if I don’t want to hold the phone or peering over the screen when it is laid flat on a table.

The Z Flip 3’s camera system is pretty good by flagship standards, although both the wide and ultra-wide camera shoots at a modest 12MP resolution, photos have decent dynamic range and detail in good lighting, low light shots are also pretty impressive and Samsung’s scene optimizer algorithm does a good job in reducing light flare, though it does tend to over sharpen photos a little when Night mode is used.

Video wise, the Z Flip 3 supports shooting up to 4K resolution at 60fps and doesn’t disappoint as a vlogging camera, shooting from the external display gives you a fixed 1440×1440 resolution video at 30 fps – perfect for Instagram format videos.

I have no regrets switching over to the Z Flip 3 as my daily driver despite battery life being the biggest issue here, I use Android Auto in my car so it is charging while I’m driving and I’ll just leave it on my wireless charger when I reach the office, so even if it is a busy day of back to back meetings out of the office, I have no issues getting it charged on time when it shows the low battery warning.

The Z Flip 3 still isn’t dust resistant, which means debris and dust can still potentially damage it if not careful.

At RM3999, the Z Flip 3 is a recommended purchase if you are onto your first foldable phone and especially when you are sick of gigantic smartphones in your pocket, the only question that remains for now is how reliable the Z Flip 3 is over the ownership period, the display crease is still present and there’s no dust resistance which can still potentially damage the internals over time.

However, I can certainly assure you that the Z Flip 3 will be the most exciting smartphone you have ever owned.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G

Price:
 RM3999
Buy Now

At RM3999, the Z Flip 3 is a recommended purchase if you are onto your first foldable phone and especially when you are sick of gigantic smartphones in your pocket, the only question that remains for now is how reliable the Z Flip 3 is over the ownership period, the display crease is still present and there's no dust resistance which can still potentially damage the internals over time.

KLGadgetGuy

Design

9

Display

9

Camera

8

Battery

5

Performance

8

Features

8

Network

8

Value

8

The Goods

Improved build quality

Useful external display

Decent cameras

Beautiful 120Hz AMOLED flexible display

The Bads

Battery life and 15W charging

Snapdragon 888 underperforms

Not dust resistant

Lack of telephoto camera

 7.9

Average Score

Galaxy Z Flip 3
z flip 3 review


Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G First Impression: 2021’s trendiest-looking smartphone

1.2K

We’ve got our hands on the
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G
 that is announced two days back during the
Galaxy Unpacked Event
. Apart from its local price that hasn’t been revealed, here are my initial thoughts on the Z Flip3.

Design

This is by far my favourite aspect of the phone. The two-toned design is why I think the Z Flip3 is a fashion statement — the larger cover screen and new colours are the main contributors to this.

With a cover screen that’s four times larger than before, almost half the phone — when folded — is occupied by the screen and camera module. That’s why it’s two-toned — it’s a mixture of black (screen and camera setup) and the colour of the phone.

I find the new colours of the Galaxy Z Flip3 more appealing — Cream, Green and Lavender. Of course, the phone already stands out because it’s foldable, but the new colours really boosts the overall aesthetic.

Display

The larger screen also makes it easier to read notifications, plus Samsung also added a few widgets to be used on the cover screen. Now, you can check the weather, control music playback, set alarms and timers. Samsung also demonstrated using Samsung Pay not he cover screen, but I’ve yet to see the widget on the phone, so it’s likely to come in a later update.

As for its front display, the Z Flip3 now supports up to a 120Hz refresh rate. Its 6.7-inch Flex Infinity display doesn’t disappoint – I’m still getting vibrant colours and sharp visuals. However, there’s still a crease at where the phone folds — this is still an issue with all the foldable devices, so it’s something we have to make do with for now until a solution is found.

Durability

Samsung did improve on the overall durability of its foldable phones, so now the Z Flip3 5G has an IPX8 rating and won’t fail you when it comes in contact with water. The build is also stronger because Samsung uses Armor Aluminum, a material that promises a 10% increase in durability.

Performance

Like any other Snapdragon 888-equipped phone, the Z Flip 3 perform most tasks smoothly. It can handle most games well, except for Genshin Impact. The phone still lags and overheats quickly when it comes to Genshin — but since most flagship phones out there are facing the same problem, this is hardly the Z Flip3’s fault. Games like PUBG and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang run smoothly, but you may need some time to get used to the controls that are further apart as the phone is taller than usual smartphones.

Camera

Another great feature of the Z Flip3 and its cover screen is the ability to preview your photos when you’re using the rear camera. There’s no need to use the front camera (though it’s fairly good) because you can just fold the phone and use the rear cameras to take selfies. I’ve taken a few and they all turned out great in terms of colours and clarity.

Battery

A 3,300mAh battery can be underwhelming to many of us who are used to large battery-smartphones. The Z Flip3 supports 15W fast charging and needs to be charged daily, but the bright side to this is a shorter charging time because of the smaller battery size.
At least, that’s how I console myself when using this phone
.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G: Verdict

The Galaxy Z Flip3 5G still feels like a luxury, but the improvements and changes gave me more reasons to want one as compared to the previous model, especially the design. Its $999 price tag will make you consider twice, but if you’re not tight on budget, the Z Flip3 5G is an interesting phone to own and flex.

Galaxy Z Flip3 5G
samsung


Galaxy Z Flip4’s great battery life convinced me to switch over as my main smartphone

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As a tech reviewer, it is very common that we carry multiple devices in our pockets due to the nature of our work, though one device will remain as our staple for work as we can’t be switching devices all the time due to the potential loss of data, and that staple as of recent is the Galaxy Z Flip4, which apart from its great compact foldable form factor, I really appreciate its great battery life and have continued to use it since concluding the review a month ago.

Although having a 3700mAh battery might seem paltry for modern Android smartphone standards, it is still a significant increase over the Z Flip3’s 3300mAh battery, coupled with the more power efficient Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, the Galaxy Z Flip4 can last me more than a day with lightweight usage, and in most cases, I usually get 15% battery left when I end my heavy 14 hour work day with a 4 hours screen-on-time.

Mid to heavy usage on the Z Flip4

To be frank, that’s almost two times of battery usage time that I used to experience on the Galaxy Z Flip3, although I don’t get to enjoy the faster 45W charging on the Z Flip4, the improved 25W fast charging is more than sufficient to quickly get the small battery capacity up from 10% to 50% in merely 25 minutes.

What further impressed me is the battery drain when doing heavy tasks such as gaming, as I merely got a 10% battery drop in Genshin Impact after 25 minutes of gameplay with graphics quality set to the max, the phone also doesn’t heat up and throttles performance terribly when I’m gaming indoors.

When it comes to taking photos and videos, the Z Flip4 has been a superb road trip camera and with a mixture of taking over 100 photos and 30 minutes worth of 4K videos outdoors, it consumed about 40% of battery which is very reasonable for its battery capacity.

Of course, I would have loved if Samsung had included a slightly larger battery as I don’t mind the phone being slightly bulky, as the Z Flip4 clearly doesn’t have the best battery endurance in the flagship smartphone tier, but the power efficiency improvement over its predecessor has made it to be a worthy everyday foldable smartphone, not to mention it convinced me to switch over from my iPhone 13 Pro.

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Samsung officially announces the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Galaxy Z Flip3 5G

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Samsung launched multiple devices during the
Galaxy Unpacked Event
 — this includes the two foldable phones, the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G.

This time, Samsung included an IPX8 rating for both phones and introduced a new protective film that’s supposedly 80% more durable than before. The phones are also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus on both front and back while their metal frames and hinges are built with a stronger material called Armor Aluminum.

Galaxy Z Fold3 5G

The bigger of the two foldable is the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G, sporting a 6.2-inch screen that expands to a 7.6-inch Infinity Flex display when unfolded. Its cover screen uses a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel paired with 120Hz refresh rate support; when you unfold it, you’ll get a full-screen experience with no obstructions because Samsung uses an under-display camera for its front.

The under-display camera uses a 4MP sensor; the cover camera is a 10MP selfie lens; and the rear camera setup consists of three 12MP lenses — a wide lens, an ultra-wide lens and a telephoto lens.

Under the hood, this foldable phone is powered by a Snapdragon 888 chip. It’ll come with 12GB of RAM storage and 256/512GB of storage. The UI is also optimised for multi-tasking — Samsung adds Taskbar for easy access. In addition, Samsung is teaming up with various partners like Spotify, YouTube, and TikTok for better app experience. The Galaxy Z Fold3 5G has a 4,400mAh dual battery that supports 25W fast charging and 10W wireless charging.

The Galaxy Z Fold3 5G now comes with
S-Pen support
. There are two variants to choose from — the S-Pen Pro and S-Pen Fold Edition. The former is compatible across different Galaxy devices, has Bluetooth and supports Air Actions. The latter is only compatible with the foldable phones, does not come with Bluetooth, but is lighter and shorter.

Galaxy Z Flip3 5G

The Galaxy Flip3 5G comes with an interesting two-tone design this time. You can get it in seven different colours including Cream, Lavender, Green and Pink. The cover screen is also larger than the previous model, allowing the display offer more functionality.

This foldable phone has a 6.7-inch infinity Flex display and finally supports up to 120Hz refresh rate — it only supported 60Hz refresh rate previously. The cover screen now measures at 1.9 inches and supports 8 different widgets including Samsung Pay, Bixby and Spotify.

The Z Flip3 5G has a 10MP camera on the front and a dual 12MP + 12MP camera setup on its rear. You won’t even need to flip the phone open to start recording video or capturing photos; just use the cover screen as preview while you shoot your footages.

Similar to the Z Fold3 5G, this phone is also powered by a Snapdragon 888 chip. You’ll get 8GB of RAM with this phone and either 128GB or 256GB of storage. However, it has a smaller 3,300mAh battery and only supports up to 15W fast charging. Still, you’ll get the same 10W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse charging.

The Galaxy Z Fold3 5G starts at $1,799 whereas the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G starts at $999.

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Samsung to introduce in-display selfie camera in Galaxy Z Fold3 next year

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An in-display, or under-display selfie camera is the next smartphone innovation people are looking forward to – it can potentially rid smartphones of any bezels without adding to the body’s heft like with pop-up selfie camera phones.

The technology was introduced as a
concept
 all the way back in June of 2019 – but it seems that we may finally be able to see it in action for real sometime in 2021.

The likes of Samsung, Xiaomi, and
OPPO
 will be some of the first to use the technology, but on which models, we don’t know.

Image credit: Gizchina

Samsung’s plan, however, is less of a secret – according to
reports
, next year’s Galaxy Z Fold3 will be the brand’s first to sport an in-display camera. With that, we can expect a foldable device with little to no bezels.

Also good to note is that the Galaxy S21 (or possibly Galaxy S30)
series
 will not come with the feature – we’re guessing there are limitations to what you can pack for a selfie lens that’s placed under the display, so a mainstream flagship like the Galaxy S series would want to push boundaries in terms of image quality rather aesthetics – which the in-display camera is mostly about.

Well, as far as smartphone innovations go, let’s all enjoy 5G connectivity first, which is still kind of a wishy-washy thing in Malaysia without any widespread availability yet.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3 5G Malaysian price leaked

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The Malaysian pricing of the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Galaxy Z Flip3 5G have been leaked recently on its official site — the former starts at RM6,699 and the latter starts at RM3,999.

Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is still a pricey device to purchase

As announced previously, the
Z Flip3 5G
 will come in seven colours; three are exclusively available online — Gray, Pink and White. This price leak is discovered by
Mdroid
, a Chinese news site; the Z Flip3 5G costs RM3,999 for its 8GB + 128GB storage variant and the 256GB model is expected to be RM300 to RM500 more expensive.

Image credit: Mdroid

Galaxy Z Fold3 5G not as expensive as the first Galaxy Fold

On the other hand, the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G is pricier with a starting price of RM6,699 for the 12GB + 256GB model. The larger 512GB model should be priced above RM7,000, but it wasn’t revealed on the site’s page.

While the local launch has yet to be announced, those who are interested in these devices can
pre-register
 their interest and get an extra RM300 Samsung e-voucher when the pre-order for the upcoming devices are open.

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The Gamdias Achilles is a gaming chair with RGB lighting

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Most gaming peripheral companies are already over obsessed with RGB lighting on their products, and this isn’t coming to an end yet, GAMDIAS has managed to add RGB lighting on their new Achilles gaming chair, which the company has been showcasing at its Computex booth. The Gamdias Achilles is the first gaming chair that the company has ever produced, it uses PVC leather upholstery and has a head rest pillow, 4 way arm rest like most other chairs, but what’s unique to this chair is that it has a leg rest cushion that extends from below the chair, making it a rather comfortable chair to sit and rest on.

Turn the chair to the back, you will find the RGB lighting right under the head rest, which illuminates once you connect to a power source with the well hidden USB cable under the seat, Gamdias says that you can change the lighting styles and color with its Hera software when connected to your PC. In addition, Gamdias will provide an extra long USB cable out of the box so that you won’t trip over the cable if you aren’t careful.

Gamdias intends to ship the Achilles later this year to the Malaysian market, no pricing has been announced just yet but it should cost around RM1000-RM1300 when it launches here. The Achilles is also available in five color options – Blue, Black, Purple, White and Yellow.

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GAMDIAS HADES Extension Laser Gaming Mouse Review: Fully featured and solidly built

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As an avid gamer, you probably have heard enough of brands like Razer and Steelseries, ignoring any other brands on your way because you simply can’t live without them. Well, the gaming peripheral market is becoming more like the smartphone market, just because there are branded stuffs doesn’t mean there aren’t other great brands out there. GAMDIAS, a Taiwanese gaming peripheral manufacturer created and founded by gamers, just made its way out of its homeland into the Malaysian shores, and the Hades Extension Gaming Laser Mouse is just one of the first few products that the company has decided to introduce to the gaming market here.

GAMDIAS HADES Extension Laser
Gaming Mouse
 Highlight Features

GAMDIAS HADES Extension Laser
Gaming Mouse
 Video Review

Solid and Serious Looking Hardware

The GAMDIAS brand may not be popular here, but the company isn’t designing crappy gaming hardware here, the HADES has a really nice and ergonomic form factor, it also feels light that you won’t feel the strain after using it for hours. The mouse features four programmable buttons and a DPI switcher onboard, it’s laser sensor supports an extremely high precision at 8200 DPI.

The HADES’ cable is pretty durable as well and it comes with a gold plated USB connector as standard.

GAMDIAS has emphasized ergonomics on the HADES, the company has included three sets of interchangeable magnetic side panels that fit different thumb sizes and that’s an extremely thoughtful feature. The side panels can be easily exchanged by just pulling it out, it’s held on by extremely strong magnet so it’ll require some effort to swap them, but to have them installed, it’s as simple as pie.

Despite being a
gaming mouse
, the HADES doesn’t look funky and mechanical like most gaming mice, it looks more like a standard desktop mouse with a few extra buttons, however once you hook it up to a USB port, it becomes extremely serious looking with its comfortable looking LED lights on both the GAMDIAS logo and the middle button. One thing to note, the middle button’s LED light serves as a profile indicator light which you are able to identify the profile being activated on the mouse.

In our tests, the GAMDIAS HADES
gaming mouse
 is extremely smooth and precise in its movements, and you don’t really feel the strain when gaming long hours, the left and right buttons are solid, however the side buttons can be slightly sharp on the edges and requires some time getting used to press on. Overall, we would rate our experience with the mouse to be very pleasant thanks to its ergonomic form factor and light weight.

Easy to Configure Software

GAMDIAS called it’s configuration software HERA, which is created universally for its full range of products including keyboards and
headphones
. The app can be downloaded from GAMDIAS support website, there isn’t exactly an installation executable but rather, the software automatically detects a GAMDIAS product attached to your system and downloads the correct software. HERA doesn’t install like a Windows application, but it is an executable that lets you access anytime to configure the mouse one shot, since the HADES has 256K of memory onboard, it makes perfect sense for GAMDIAS to design the application to be a simple executable that lets you configure the mouse. Despite of that, we still wish the mouse configuration software to be installed as an application that can be easily accessed via Control Panel or on the taskbar. HERA shouldn’t be too difficult to use for an experienced gamer, the software itself basically has Basic and Advanced mode, but we prefer to use the latter as it feels much simpler to use than the Basic mode despite being called ‘Advanced’, probably you should call us too advanced to become a basic user. The main interface basically lets you play around with the buttons around the mouse, you have a variety of actions to configure as well and it just works. Also, you’ll noticed that there are six profiles for you to choose from and everything is saved into the HADES’ internal memory.

Macro management is also pretty straightforward, you can create a set of actions or even record them as you move along. It’s mouse control section feels extremely sophisticated and we actually like the user interface, you’ll definitely love it.

Here’s the fun part of the software, you can set the middle button’s profile color in the Mouse Luminance section and it changes on the fly. However, the sound part can be a gimmicky and annoying, which you can configure a sound to play as you press on respective buttons, I’m personally not sure what I can do with that but you certainly won’t use that feature, imagine pressing a button and the software starts playing a heavenly sound from your speakers, we would rather have the mouse vibrate, really.

Finally, you’ll have the muscle memory section, which technically shows you the number of times you’ve pressed on each buttons, and how much you’ve moved the mouse, this is pretty cool information as you get to see the overall lifespan of the mouse just like your car’s odometer. GAMDIAS has tested the buttons to be able to click over 10 million times, so if you really clicked that much and it still works, this is really one hell good toy to have.

Verdict

The GAMDIAS HADES Extension Laser Gaming Mouse is one of the very best gaming mouse that the Taiwanese company has introduced, priced at RM189, the mouse offers unrivalled gaming comfort and a great software experience to boot.

The Good

+ Comfortable ergonomics

+ Great precision laser sensor

+ Easy to use configuration software

+ Doesn’t look too funky

+ Comes with 3 sets of magnetic side panels

+ Good cable quality

The Not so Good

– HERA software isn’t installed as an application

– Sharp edges on the side buttons

We rate the GAMDIAS HADES Extension Laser Gaming Mouse at 4.5 out of 5 stars.


GAMDIAS Hades P1 Gaming Mouse supports Qi Wireless Charging

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COMPUTEX is a place where you tend to easily find gimmicky PC peripherals and components, while this year is no different, with manufacturers showing off pretty much RGB in every products, GAMDIAS has managed to capture my attention with their latest Hades P1 Wireless Gaming Mouse, which was placed on a NYX P2 mouse pad that sports a wireless charging pad at the top right corner, while I was simply fiddling with the mouse and started to click on it, GAMDIAS’ marketing manager came forward and told me that the Hades P1 can be recharged by simply placing it on the Qi-compatible wireless charging pad.

I placed the mouse on the wireless charging pad, and the LED on the middle button turns into red instantly to indicate that it is charging, I then placed my Mi MIX 2s on the top, it started charging too without a doubt. I was awed, and exclaimed that I’m so going to get these two when it gets released, simply because I can finally do with a wireless mouse that does wireless charging, without forgetting the fact that I could also use that wireless charging feature to charge my iPhone X.

That alone, the GAMDIAS Hades P1 is by all means a very practical gaming mouse, there’s the usual RGB treatment that can be customized by the company’s Hera software, it features an advanced optical gaming sensor that can go up to a resolution of 12000 DPI, it also supports charging via a MicroUSB port and can still be used while charging, the side panels are magnetic which you can attach grips on to it.

GAMDIAS told me that both the Hades P1 and NYX P2 will be sold separately, but there are plans to introduce both as a bundle when it goes on sale officially.

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Gamdias Hermes P1 RGB Review: I’ve never looked back to my old keyboard

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I have a love and hate relationship with mechanical keyboards, though I do appreciate them when it comes to gaming, however most of the time I will be hammering my keyboard away on e-mails and my writing job, that clicky sound would easily annoy my colleagues in the office, which is why I was forced to switch to a simple Logitech wireless keyboard that I’m still rather contended with. When I received the Gamdias Hermes P1 Mechanical keyboard, I thought it was just another noisy mechanical keyboard when I realize that it uses blue switches, but after using it for a while I find it to be not as annoying as my Razer Blackwidow X Chroma keyboard, and I was surprised on how much I have enjoyed typing on this than my wireless keyboard, which leads me to write this review with it.

Design and Hardware

The Hermes P1 RGB keyboard is a rather premium looking mechanical keyboard, I like the brushed aluminium material on the top panel and it certainly doesn’t feel like a $120 product, Gamdias has also provided a palm rest out of the box, though it is just a piece of plastic but it does help in terms of ergonomics. I would prefer that the fonts on the key caps aren’t that funky because it makes the keyboard feel cheap, some keys have their fonts laser etched or printed, otherwise the paint job is decent and the RGB lighting illuminates on each of the keycaps beautifully.

Like any gaming mechanical keyboards, the Hermes P1 has a braided cable and uses a gold USB connector, the keyboard has rubber pads on both the flip out feet and base to make it stay on your desk, there’s also two drain holes that helps to drain water should you accidentally spill on the keyboard, a nice addition here would be the inclusion of a keycap puller that helps pulling them out should you need it.

The Hermes P1 RGB’s uses Gamdias certified mechanical Blue switches, though the company hasn’t specifically mentioned on where it acquires the switches, we took out one of the key caps and found out that the keyboard is using TTC’s Blue switches, though not as well-known as Cherry MX and Kailh, they don’t sound as noisy as they should and offers a good response when typing on it.

Functions

Gamdias has kept the features of the Hermes P1 RGB pretty straightforward, you get to have your row of multimedia keys from F2-F8. You can record macro on the fly with the F9 button, and the Hera software will prompt you to save it either to the G1 or G2 macro key, which is located on the space bar and B key. I’m glad that Gamdias allow you to switch keyboard profiles by pressing on the number row from 1-6, which is rather convenient.

Even without software, the keyboard allows you to change the RGB lighting styles by pressing the row of keys above the arrow keys, the Insert key shows a wave effect, home key changes the direction, page up key speeds up light motion, delete key shows a rotating effect, end key makes the light static, and the page down key slows down the light motion.

Gamdias has taken the courtesy to switch positions of the Windows and Function key, which avoids accidental presses when gaming, you can switch them back if you want by using the hera software.

Gamdias Hermes P1 RGB Typing Test Video

Software

Though not as polished as certain mechanical keyboards, Gamdias’ hera software is a very functional program and it is used for configuring the company’s products, the key assignment feature is a great one as you can remap any of the keys to perform a certain function, such as launching your favourite program or shortcut.

In addition, you can set timers and sound to make you remember things if you find yourself too addicted to games.

The fun part of the app is how you are able to play around the keyboard’s RGB lighting, you can either choose a static lighting, create a custom pattern on a row of keys using drag select, or choose from a list of cool lighting effects that you want to spice up your desk.

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GAMDIAS HERMES Ultimate Mechanical Keyboard Becomes Legendary in the eSports Industry

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GAMDIAS is a fairly new player in the gaming peripheral market, the company has just landed itself on our shores and they are already making some great actions here. The company’s flagship mechanical keyboard HERMES is starting to get legendary in the eSports industry as claimed by the company.

The HERMES mechanical keybaord features 13 additional macro keys that are situated ergonomically on the keyboard that are suitable for both left and right handed gamers. Furthermore, there is a rigid magnetic wrist-rest that also acts as a dust cover to prevent damage from food and drinks. The addition of GAMDIAS ELEMENT coupled with Cherry MX Blue mechanical switches bring GAMDIAS gamers 20% faster response time to dominate in any battlefields.

The HERMES Mechanical Gaming Keyboard features show how almost every aspect takes the demanding gamer into consideration like the patented GAMDIAS engineering for faster keystroke snapback, and dampened keystroke clanking noise. These are full Cherry mechanical switches for up to a 50 Million keystroke lifecycle. There is also a 32-bit ARM Cortex premium micro-processor that offers superior computing performance. This is great for running the software that GAMDIAS has created to go along with the products. There’s even 512KB of onboard memory to store up to 10 profile settings, unlimited on-the-fly macro key settings, and voice recorded keys. In addition there are six levels of illumination on individually backlit keys and Anti-ghosting with full N-key roll over and finally a Windows key lock during In-Game mode.

To make it even more versatile there are 13 Additional keys for customized macro assignment. It comes with a USB pass-through port and 3.5mm Audio-In/ Mic-Out jacks that allow for quick access for your multimedia and USB devices. Lastly, it features a Quick-Attach Wrist Rest. This ergonomic wrist rest provides comfort for prolonged gaming and instantly detaches into keyboard protector when not in use. We can’t wait to see the HERMES Ultimate Mechanical Keyboard in stores soon, stay tuned as we’ll try to get one for review.


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GAMDIAS is a fairly new player in the gaming peripheral market, the company has just landed itself on our shores and they are already making some great actions here. The company’s flagship mechanical keyboard HERMES is starting to get legendary in the eSports industry as claimed by the company.

The HERMES mechanical keybaord features 13 additional macro keys that are situated ergonomically on the keyboard that are suitable for both left and right handed gamers. Furthermore, there is a rigid magnetic wrist-rest that also acts as a dust cover to prevent damage from food and drinks. The addition of GAMDIAS ELEMENT coupled with Cherry MX Blue mechanical switches bring GAMDIAS gamers 20% faster response time to dominate in any battlefields.

The HERMES Mechanical Gaming Keyboard features show how almost every aspect takes the demanding gamer into consideration like the patented GAMDIAS engineering for faster keystroke snapback, and dampened keystroke clanking noise. These are full Cherry mechanical switches for up to a 50 Million keystroke lifecycle. There is also a 32-bit ARM Cortex premium micro-processor that offers superior computing performance. This is great for running the software that GAMDIAS has created to go along with the products. There’s even 512KB of onboard memory to store up to 10 profile settings, unlimited on-the-fly macro key settings, and voice recorded keys. In addition there are six levels of illumination on individually backlit keys and Anti-ghosting with full N-key roll over and finally a Windows key lock during In-Game mode.

To make it even more versatile there are 13 Additional keys for customized macro assignment. It comes with a USB pass-through port and 3.5mm Audio-In/ Mic-Out jacks that allow for quick access for your multimedia and USB devices. Lastly, it features a Quick-Attach Wrist Rest. This ergonomic wrist rest provides comfort for prolonged gaming and instantly detaches into keyboard protector when not in use. We can’t wait to see the HERMES Ultimate Mechanical Keyboard in stores soon, stay tuned as we’ll try to get one for review.


Gamdias Zeus P1 RGB Optical Gaming Mouse Review

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When it comes to gaming, or just using a PC regularly, the mouse actually plays a more important role that you might think. From the shape, to its build, software and features, it can make or break your game and experience. The good thing is that you don’t have to sell an arm and leg to afford a good mouse, although it all depends on its features. If you’re looking for something that can be customized to suit your habits, then take a look at the new Zeus P1 RGB gaming mouse by Gamdias.

Aesthetics

Personally, i try to avoid mice with a rubbery surface. Although it does give more grip, the rubber usually tend to disintegrate with heavy use or with time. Fortunately, the Gamdias Zeus P1 comes with a sleek solid plastic surface instead, with the only rubbery part being the scroll wheel, and a patch of textured rubbery surface on both sides of the mouse for grip.

What I am quite happy about is the size of the mouse. It isn’t too small for guy’s hands, nor is it so bulky that only giant’s hands can hold it comfortably. I suppose you would say it is an average size that would probably fit regular sized hands, although a little on the “fuller” side.

Speaking of rubbery, the areas that are covered in rubber do pick up dust and fluff pretty easily. Cleaning can be a pain especially at the bottom slip-proof rubber pads as dust and lint tend to get stuck between the tiny little groove on the rubber pads. I had to use a blade to slowly pick the lint out after a few gaming sessions. To be fair, most mice have the same issue, however the groove on the Zeus P1 is also part of the rubber instead of being the joints between the plastic and the rubber.

You know how wires can be so fragile nowadays that it snaps easily? Well, that won’t happen with this mouse as its connecting cable is covered in braided nylon to ensure durability. It just needs some time to stop being stiff and sticking up in the middle of your desk.

The scrollable wheel is nestled between the left and right buttons, with two buttons below it that allows you to change your DPI on the fly, as well as another 3 programmable macro buttons.

Light Up Your Life

As soon as you pop the USB into your PC, the Zeus P1 comes to life. By default, every spectrum of colour will pulse around the mouse, as well as its logo located right in the centre of its body. You don’t have to settle for rainbow though; by using Gamdias HERA software, you can customize your glow to your favourite colour or even none at all. In fact, you can decide to change the colours every other day since there are millions of combinations you can come up with.

Customization

Installing the software isn’t hard; you can just get it off Gamdias official website. Thankfully, customisation is straightforward without any unneccessary beating-around-the-bush fluff. It also isn’t a heavy software, and if you have more than one Gamdias peripheral, then you can access all your settings in one place. If you can’t be bothered to customize, the mouse also works well straight out of the box using just its default settings.

If you are the type who will make full use of shortcuts and macro keys, don’t let the simple layout of the Zeus P1 fool you. It may seem that it only has a few buttons, but in fact, you can actually customize all 8 buttons with each fully programmable using this same software. 2 of the buttons are placed on the left side of the mouse, just above the rubber grip; 3 are at the wheel area, with the wheel being 1 button itself so that makes it 4 buttons there, and 2 more are your left and right click buttons.

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Game developer sues Steam users over negative review

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In a move that is as absurd as it reads, a game developer has attempted to sue Steam users over negative reviews of it’s games.

The game developer in question is Digital Homicide, a company known for developing games of dubious quality such as The Slaughtering Grounds. Over the weekend, Digital Homicide’s boss, James Romine, was granted a subpoena by a court in Arizona. With this subpoena, Romine is now allowed to demand the release of “identification and associated data” of anonymous Steam users. This wouldn’t be the first time Digital Homicide has courted controversy, as the company was entangled in a public feud with video game personality Jim Sterling prior to this incident.

Valve has not responded kindly to Digital Homicide’s little stunt of course, and they have since removed all of the developer’s games from being sold on Steam. Digital Homicide’s reaction to this is rather predictable, saying that they will seek legal action against Valve. We have no idea if Digital Homicide has the funds necessary to hire any lawyers to represent them in this case, but should they have the money to do so, the legal battle between Digital Homicide and Valve will be an entertaining one to witness.

Source:
Digital Homicide
,
Ars Technica

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