DDPAI gives you a chance to get your purchase for free this 12.12!

DDPAI has just announced two of their latest products, the HUAWEI Car Smart Screen and Wireless Charging, developed in partnership with HUAWEI HiCar and HONOR Choice. Targeted towards delivering a better in-car experience for HUAWEI users, with them working seamless with HUAWEI’s existing ecosystem.

The HUAWEI Car Smart Screen can seamlessly pair with HUAWEI and HONOR devices for in-car entertainment, video calls as well as access other features on your smartphone without having to touch your device. Meanwhile the Wireless Fast Charging Car Holder charges your smartphone at up to 15W wirelessly. It also touts a smart clamp that will grip your smartphone when you hover it in front of the charging pad.

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These products are unavailable in Malaysia for now, but what DDPAI is offering here are some interesting dashcams like the Mini, Mini 5 as well as the Mola N3, which we have reviewed. From 12th to 14th December, you stand a chance to get your purchase for free if you are the first 50 orders on Lazada after 12am on 12th December. They will also be offering RM20 off for purchase over RM200 from 12am to 2am on 12th December, so make sure to take advantage of the deals!
Pokdepinion: I think I should get a dashcam for my better half…
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Qualcomm’s answer to the Apple M-series chips will come in 2023

Apple shook up the entire industry with their Apple M1 and the subsequent M1 Pro and M1 Max processors. Shedding their reliance on Intel, they managed to develop their own processors to deliver impressive performance and efficiency. Seeing the success of Apple and their Arm-based processors in the PC market, Qualcomm is also apparently harboring ambitions of developing their own processors to compete against Apple’s M-series chips.
Qualcomm to compete against Apple M-series chips in 2023

Qualcomm already has a lineup of PC-oriented offerings under their Always Connected PC platform. Their flagship Qualcomm 8cx series is far from matching the performance of mobile x86 processors from Intel and AMD, but they promise built-in connectivity and longer battery life than your average AMD or Intel laptops.

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To close the rather substantial performance gap between the current Qualcomm PC processors and what AMD and Intel have to offer is already going to be a challenge, and yet Qualcomm is gunning for Apple’s M-series processors, which has already quite handily trounced Intel and AMD’s laptop processors in both performance and efficiency.
With that said, Qualcomm may have a chance here. They acquired NUVIA earlier this year, a company helmed by Gerard Williams who was a part of the teams that developed Apple’s custom CPUs as well as Arm core architectures’ in the past. Perhaps NUVIA might be able to develop a core architecture that can allow Qualcomm to close the gap between Qualcomm and the competition in both performance and efficiency.
According to information shared during the company’s Investor Day, Qualcomm plans to deliver its next-gen CPUs to vendors nine months before its launch in 2023, which does fit in with the previous roadmap of a new custom CPU core architecture in 2022.

It is however worth remember that by 2023, Apple would probably be shipping their third-gen M-series processors, and we don’t even know how far Intel will have come by then. Qualcomm would have to be cooking up something really potent right now to be able to compete against what Apple, AMD and Intel can come up with in another two years’ time.
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Pokdepinion: If Qualcomm manages to compete with what Apple has to offer in 2023, they would probably be even more impressive in the following year.
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Final Fantasy 7 Remake Review – The Gold Standard of Remakes

This review is made based on an officially received copy of Final Fantasy 7 Remake from PlayStation Asia. There may also be some minor spoilers but we will avoid giving out vivid details of the storyline to the best of our abilities.
What is Final Fantasy 7 Remake About?

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Review – Trailer
Arguably the most highly-anticipated remake of all time, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a reimagining of the original game. The game primarily follows the story of former Shinra First Class soldier turned mercenary Cloud Strife who was hired by eco-terrorist group Avalanche, led by Barret Wallace.
Avalanche has the ultimate mission to save the planet as they believe the Shinra Corporation have been draining the planet’s life energy to provide the world with an energy source. Unfortunately for the heroes, the quest to save the planet is on a far grander scale than anyone has expected.

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This is the first episode of the multi-episode format of Final Fantasy 7 Remake. The game has vastly expanded content including playable areas and storyline compared to the original iteration. As such, playing only the original game will still yield a fresh, new experience for any gamer.
More Than Just a Pretty Face
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Review
As I’ve mentioned earlier, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is more than just a graphical leap from blocky visuals to real-time polygonal graphics. The game itself feels like an action-adventure game, giving you more freedom to move around and interact with the environment.
Furthermore, Midgar has gotten significantly larger so you have even more areas to explore that didn’t exist before. While the developers tried to recreate areas as accurately as possible in glorious high-definition graphics, you’ll most likely find yourself only recognizing specific areas and landmarks at best. This is great as it gives anyone a brand new experience.
For the most part, you have two things that you can focus on; main quests and side quests. The main quests are tasks that will further the game’s storyline whereas the side quests are optional and will yield interesting rewards. While main quests are mandatory, it doesn’t mean you have to take it immediately. In fact, the game always makes sure you’d want to proceed further as you would potentially lose out on rewards.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Review – Example of Choices
There are certain times during main quests where you are presented with choices. Most of the choices you make will have specific effects in the game, such as rewards, cutscene changes, and side quest availability. It helps build anticipation for what could be coming next and it also improves replayability as you will need to play it more than once to fully experience the game.
There are a wide range of side quests available ranging from simple fetch quests to subduing specific monsters in certain areas. These usually involve you helping a local resident on issues that they are facing. There isn’t that many side quests throughout the game, and some can be easy to miss.
Moreover, you will be greeted by a Shinra intern early in the game which offers you Battle Intel requests and VR Missions in exchange for Materia. These Battle Intel requests not only help you familiarize with the game, it also adds a sense of challenge for you to enjoy. While some quests may be a little draggy, it’s worth going through all of them just for the cutscenes alone as it enriches the whole experience.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Review – Minigames
One great addition to the game is minigames. At times, you will be thrusted into minigames, both mandatory and optional, which can yield rewards. They also serve as a good break away from the standard gameplay. I’m surprised that I didn’t find any of them as a waste of time and thoroughly enjoyed it. I personally wish for a Dance Mode to be added into the game. Maybe it will appear in a future update but no guarantees there.
I am also genuinely surprised that I find myself really enjoying the soundtrack of the game. Not just new renditions of the old music but also the new ones. The mesmerizing, upbeat feeling, and general sound profile seems like something from Final Fantasy XIII, which I personally love. This goes for both in and out of battles.
One problem that the game has is loading speed. It can take about 2 to 3 minutes for the game to start after loading a save, and there are times when an NPC takes about 5 to 8 seconds before they start talking. This issue is due to limitations of an HDD as the PS4 storage, which can be painful given how big Final Fantasy 7 Remake is. When we finally make the leap to SSD in the next generation, this will no longer be a problem.
Fluid Combat
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Review – Combat
At the start of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, you are given a difficulty choice of Classic, Easy, and Normal. We played it on Normal as it is how the game was intended to play. In this mode, the combat follows an action-oriented Active Time Battle (ATB) system similar to Final Fantasy XV. As such, you are free to move and dodge without waiting for your turn.
Each playable character has a regular attack and unique ability, with the latter’s functionality differing with each character. For example, Cloud’s unique ability changes his fight mode whereas Tifa will have a special attack that can change based on how many times she has has used Unbridled Strength. It’s interesting how each character can give a very unique experience in combat.
As you continue fighting, your ATB gauge will increase. You can use the ATB gauge to execute commands such as using items, casting magic, and special abilities. The gauge will only increase as you attack so doing nothing won’t help. Magic will be dependent on the Materia you have equipped and special abilities can be learned by mastering them from specific weapons. The latter is as simple as using the ability over and again until you have reached 100% proficiency.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Review – Upgrade Weapons
As you level up, you will gain Skill Points which can be used to upgrade weapons. It appears is a Crystarium-style skill tree where you can upgrade stats, damage, defense, and more. Each weapon for a specific character will have the same number of points so you don’t have to worry about spending them.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Review – Materia System
The iconic Materia system makes a return in this game. Each equipment will have a set of slots where you can equip a variety of Materia. This includes magic, parameter boosts, buffs, debuffs, and more. Linking Materia can lead to bonus effects like chain casting. Most Materia can be leveled up with AP which is gained through combat. What’s most interesting is that the equipped Materia will actually be shown on the character itself. It’s just colours but it’s a good visual addition nonetheless.
One special Materia that works differently and has its own special slot is Summon Materia. You can’t use it anytime you want and there are some conditions to it, such as taking a lot of damage or if a battle goes on for too long. You will know when you can use it when a Summon gauge appears and fills up automatically.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Review – Summon
How it works is simple enough as you will have another ally in battle, albeit non-playable. You can use your ATB gauge to issue specific commands for the Summon. When the gauge depletes, it will unleash a devastating attack before leaving the battlefield. While its use can be rather random, it works better and more often than in Final Fantasy XV.
When engaging enemies, there is a Stagger gauge that you need to take advantage of. Essentially, attacks will fill up the gauge and when it fills up, the enemy will be temporarily disabled. You will be inflicting bonus damage during this period, with certain attacks further boosting the bonus damage potential. This adds a layer of strategy as you will need to take into account enemy weaknesses to be able to fully utilize the Stagger gauge.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Review – Limit Breaks
Limit Breaks also make a return. As you continue taking damage, your Limit gauge fills up, which will allow you to unleash a flashy, devastating attack when filled. While it is great to have with awe-inspiring theatrics, I didn’t like how you can’t exactly save up your Limit Breaks for a future battle. Most of the time, the gauge will deplete after battle regardless of use. It’s not annoying, but would help when dealing with certain boss fights.
One thing I didn’t particularly like about the combat system is the camera angles. Smaller areas like tunnels can result in odd camera angles when locked on to specific enemies. In other words, your view gets obstructed. Furthermore, it seems to have trouble tracking locked-on enemies at times. It’s worth noting that the issue isn’t as prevalent as in Final Fantasy XV, but I do believe it can be fixed in future software updates.
If you prefer turn-based combat instead, check out our review of The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3 by clicking right here.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Verdict
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Review
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a great game for both newcomers and gamers already familiar with the original game. The seamless transition with battles and cutscenes feel like a natural evolution as there’s plenty of new content for everyone to enjoy.
It does have its fair share of issues, like awkward camera angles and loading speed for example, but this is a definite must-have on the PlayStation 4 regardless. Even if you don’t consider yourself a “good gamer”, you can always play it in either Easy or Classic Mode to enjoy the game.
If you believe you can skip out simply because you’ve played the original, you’re gonna be missing out on a lot of new things. I won’t spoil it for you, but there are some storyline changes that take place. With that, I award Final Fantasy 7 Remake with our Gold Pokdeward.

Big thanks to PlayStation Asia for providing us an official copy for this review.
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Apex Legends Steam Launch Confirmed for November 2020

As many of you may know by now, EA has been adding more and more of their games on Steam. Now, we have the official Apex Legends Steam launch date, and it’s happening very soon.
Apex Legends Steam Launch Confirmed

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The Apex Legends Steam launch date has been confirmed fpr 4th November 2020. The launch date will coincide with the launch of Season 7 of the game. If you have been previously playing via an EA Origin account, all of your progression and unlocks will transfer between the two platforms.
Furthermore, Steam players will be getting the Half-Life and Portal-inspired gun charms for free as long as they have logged into the game in Season 7. Given how many PC gamers there are on Valve’s digital storefront, the Apex Legends Steam launch will definitely see a huge spike in player base.
In other related news, Apex Legends was slated for a Nintendo Switch launch this year but unfortunately, it will be delayed until next year. It was recently rated by the ESRB so an announcement will be coming anytime now.
For now, Apex Legends is currently available for free on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Origin. They’ve even implement cross-play now, albeit in public beta.
Source
Pokdepinion: I foresee a spike in the player base, so you’d have more players to have fun with. Hopefully it doesn’t get too toxic, though.
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Microsoft’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard Faces Legal Hurdle as FTC Appeals for Injunction

Microsoft’s plans to acquire gaming giant Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion have hit a legal roadblock as the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) appeals for an injunction to temporarily block the merger. The FTC argues that the proposed acquisition could harm competition in the console, cloud gaming, and gaming subscription sectors. The case is now in federal court, where the decision will determine whether the merger poses a threat to consumers.
Microsoft / Activision Blizzard Deal Isn’t Going Smoothly Thanks to the FTC

The FTC’s appeal is not the first instance of regulators expressing concerns over Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Earlier this year, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ruled against the deal, citing allegations of anti-competitive practices in the gaming industry. These regulatory hesitations highlight the complexities surrounding the merger and the need for thorough assessments of its potential impact.

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In an attempt to address concerns and solidify partnerships, Microsoft previously signed a 10-year agreement with Nintendo. The deal ensures that future Call of Duty titles will have simultaneous releases on Nintendo systems, maintaining feature parity with other platforms. They have also extended a similar Call of Duty agreement to Sony, further emphasizing their commitment to collaboration and inclusivity.

Moving forward, prominent executives from Microsoft, Sony, and Activision Blizzard are expected to testify in US federal court. Microsoft’s key figures, including Xbox Game Studios CEO Phil Spencer and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, will defend against the FTC’s injunction request during the court proceedings scheduled for Friday. Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Jim Ryan and Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick are also anticipated to present their perspectives in court.
The FTC’s appeal for an injunction to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard underscores the ongoing legal challenges facing the tech giant. As regulators express concerns about potential harm to competition, the legal proceedings will determine the fate of the merger and its impact on the gaming industry. Stay tuned for further updates as the legal proceedings unfold.
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Pokdepinion: With key executives from Microsoft, Sony, and Activision Blizzard set to testify, the court hearings will provide an opportunity for all parties to voice their opinions. The outcome of this case will have significant implications for the future of the gaming landscape and the dynamics of industry competition.
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Intel Raptor Lake Refresh Likely Continues 13th Gen Naming

Documents has confirmed that the upcoming 14th Gen is strictly for ‘Meteor Lake’ CPUs.

In the document from Intel’s oneVPL (Video Processing Library) API, the chart has mentioned various generations of Intel CPUs, including the upcoming 14th Gen Core processors. However, with the rumors that Team Blue is releasing refreshed versions of Raptor Lake (officially named Raptor Lake Refresh), such names are not mentioned in the 14th Gen CPUs, which should imply that the upcoming products will continue with the ’13xxx’ naming.

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This is not new, of course: certain Intel products has received minor refreshes in the past, however it’s usually on the low-end SKUs. One such example is Core i3-10105 – which replaces the original Core i3-10100 CPU. Given the scale of the refresh, it’s possible that Intel may give bigger numbers in the model names, such as Core i9-13950K (should it replaces the existing Core i9-13900K).

The leaked roadmap so far has pointed to a desktop-exclusive release, so laptops will continue using existing chips as-is. On the motherboard side of things, the 600 and 700 series chipsets should be able to see one more ‘generation’ (being a refresh) of products before it’s superseded by the upcoming LGA1851 (800 series) platforms. Do expect the Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs to arrive within Q3 this year.
Source: Videocardz
Pokdepinion: In Intel terms, having 3 full years for socket support on a motherboard is quite decent. They haven’t really been great when it comes to platform lifecycle compared to Socket AM4 especially.
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HUAWEI devices banned by VLC — but here’s how you can still download it

HUAWEI users have been leaving 1-star reviews on VLC’s Play Store download page, and it has resulted in VideoLAN banning recent HUAWEI devices from downloading the app from the Play Store. This is apparently due to HUAWEI’s overzealous background-app-killing policies.

PSA: @HuaweiMobile phones are now blacklisted and cannot get VLC on the Play Store.
Their ridiculous policy of killing all background apps (except their own) breaks VLC audio background playback (of course).
See https://t.co/QzDW7KbV4I and many other reports…@HuaweiFr
— VideoLAN (@videolan) July 25, 2018

HUAWEI’s AI is supposed to detect and kill unnecessary background tasks to preserve battery life, but it is currently overdoing it and killing background apps, even those that the user wants to have running. VLC needs to run in the background to play music in the background, but HUAWEI users who could not use the feature were disgruntled and left poor reviews on the  You can actually allow the apps to keep running in the background, but those who left 1-star reviews apparently do not know how to do that.
You can still download the VLC APK from VideoLAN’s website and install it yourself. If you know how to do that, you should be capable of allowing the app to run in the background. The downside of sideloading is that you won’t get automatic updates.

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Are manufacturers being too aggressive with their management tools, or are users just expecting everything to work out of the box without any intervention? Given that manufacturers are all touting AI that learns your usage behavior, you can’t really blame them though.
Source: Android Authority
Pokdepinion: I think smartphones should not kill any background apps at all, unless they are known to be malicious in nature.
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DJI Hosted Media Experience Day For Mavic 3 Pro At Gamuda Cove, Selangor

With the launch of the new Mavic 3 Pro tri-camera drone, DJI hosted the Media Experience Day event on Gamuda Cove wetlands, Banting, Selangor earlier this week to let the press and content creators try out what the new Mavic is capable of.
The new model features three cameras, with the main shooter courtesy of a 4/3 Hasselblad sensor, which supports 12-bit RAW photos and 12.8 stops of native dynamic range, plus two tele cameras alongside it (with 24mm, 70mm and 166mm focal length). It can shoot at 5.1K 50FPS or DCI 4K at 120FPS in 10-bit D-Log M color mode. Meanwhile, the 70mm tele camera is packed with a 1/1.3″ sensor and 3x optical zoom, with 48/12MP image and 4K 60FPS video support. The third camera meanwhile is capable of 7x optical zoom with 28x hybrid zoom.

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All three cameras support Apple ProRes 422 HQ, Apple ProRes 422 and Apple ProRes 422 LT encoding; it also comes with 1TB onboard SSD as well as 10GbE LAN and Wi-Fi 6 rated for 80MB/s transfer speeds. The onboard battery allows up to 43 minutes of flight time, with DJI’s Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing tech and transmission range of up to 15km.
DJI offers four options for the Mavic 3 Pro, with the standalone model costing RM9,799 – which are now available on DJI online stores on Shopee and Lazada, as well as various authorized retail channels.
DJI Mavic 3 Pro (DJI RC): RM9,799
DJI Mavic 3 Pro Fly More Combo (DJI RC): RM12,399
DJI Mavic 3 Pro Fly More Combo (DJI RC Pro): RM14,999
DJI Mavic 3 Pro Cine Premium Combo: RM21,999
Pokdepinion: A very capable unit. Let’s see what creators can do with these.
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New Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Leak Offers Detailed Look At Design And Colours

Looks like we’re getting another pair of TWS earphones with the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2. 91Mobiles has supposedly gotten their hands on what they claim to be official renders of Samsung’s new earphones which includes details pertaining to the design as well as colour options.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Leaked!
Image credit: 91Mobiles
Looking at the renders, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 will sport a slightly different design language than what we’re used to with the older Samsung Galaxy Buds and Galaxy Buds+. The charging case seems to feature a two-tone finish with a white outside while on the inside will be based on the colour of the earbuds. The case is also square-ish in shape more akin to the charging case of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live. Certainly a cleaner and more minimalistic look than before.
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As for the colour options of the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2, the renders seems to indicate that there will be four different colour options. These colours include white, black, purple and green. The Galaxy Buds 2 is also said to not come with active noise cancellation features but rather active noise reduction features. The earphones’ rubber tips will further provide passive noise cancellation.
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Furthermore, the charging case will feature wear detection, a 60mAh battery with support for 2.5W charging. The leak also indicates that’s the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 might either be unveiled tonight during MWC 2021 or in August, together with the unveiling of the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 (not Flip2).
Source
Pokdepinion: I personally like the two-tone design of the new Buds 2. To me, it looks very elegant and classy and not at all tacky.
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Xiaomi Mi Watch arriving 20th January at RM469

The long awaited Xiaomi Mi Watch has finally landed on our shores! Slated for a December 2020 launch, it got delayed until recently when they started teasing the arrival of the watch. In between, Xiaomi Malaysia also slotted in a Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite, so if you are interested, you can check out our review of that as well.
The Xiaomi Mi Watch is designed for those who like to keep track of their physical activity. It supports a total of 117 exercise modes, to keep track of all the activities you are into. It comes with a slew of sensors that allow for heart rate and SpO2 monitoring as well as GPS tracking and a built-in barometer to collect all the data to help you keep tabs on your fitness.

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On top of its fitness features, you can also get notifications complete with emojis on your wrist, voice control, camera remote function and over 100 watch faces to customize that sweet 1.39″ AMOLED display on the Mi Watch. If you are worried about having to constantly worry about the battery with so many features crammed onto the Mi Watch, well, fret not as it is capable of up to 16 days of battery life.
The Xiaomi Mi Watch will be available in Black, Orange, Navy Blue, Beige, Olive and Yellow starting 20th January at RM469. You can get it from the official Xiaomi stores on Lazada and Shopee as well as offline at authorized Mi Stores and other official retailers.
Pokdepinion: The OLED panel itself makes it worth the upgrade from the Mi Watch Lite!
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POCO F4 GT Launched Alongside POCO Buds Pro Genshin Impact Edition and POCO Watch

POCO has finally launched its latest flagship POCO F4 GT smartphone at affordable prices. Additionally, the company also took the opportunity to launch its first-ever AIoT products: the POCO Buds Pro Genshin Impact Edition and POCO Watch.
POCO F4 GT

The POCO F4 GT features a flagship 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor and an octa-core processor running at 3.0 GHz which increases CPU performance by 20% and GPU performance by 50%. The phone comes with a full-fledged LPDDR5 RAM with up to 6400Mbps for faster load times, as well as an improved UFS 3.1 ROM.

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Supported by their latest LiquidCool Technology 3.0, POCO F4 GT advanced cooling system helps with heat management in order to allow the phone to run for long periods of time. The 4,860mm² twin VC cooling system successfully reduces high temperatures, resulting in a powerful phone designed for intense gaming sessions.
The POCO F4 GT has POCO’s first 120W HyperCharge with a 4,700mAh large battery that charges in 17 minutes. In addition, for gamers who want additional energy in the middle of a game session, the POCO F4 GT’s battery can be recharged to 100 percent in just 27 minutes.
The phone’s innovative levitating magnetic pop-up triggers can withstand up to 1.5 million presses which have been tested on over 100 popular games. This provides unbeatable steadiness, reactivity, and durability. The triggers may also be utilized as a shortcut for quick access on the fly, such as a camera, screen recording, or flashlight shortcut when not in-game mode.
POCO’s newest 6.67-inch flat AMOLED and 10-bit TrueColor display, when paired with the snappy 480Hz touch sampling rate and up to 120Hz refresh rate, provides the user a realistic experience when using the phone.
POCO F4 GT comes in two variants; the 8GB + 128 GB and the 12GB + 256GB can be purchased with early bird prices of RM1,999 and RM2,199 on their official Shopee and Lazada store. The retail prices for both variants start at RM2,299 and RM 2,499 respectively.
Shopee: 8GB+128GB | 12GB+256GB
Lazada: 8GB+128GB | 12GB+256GB
POCO Buds Pro Genshin Impact Edition

For all Genshin Impact fans, POCO Buds Pro Genshin Impact Edition features an entirely new design based on one of Genshin’s iconic character, Klee. Fans will instantly recognize a familiar voice notification that is voiced by Klee when the earphones are switched on. Remove the earbuds that are placed in a carrying case inspired by Klee’s rucksack and indulge yourself as if you’ve already started the game.
The POCO Buds Pro also features AI-assisted noise suppression with IPX4 water-resistant rating whereby rain, sweat, and minor splashes would not damage the device. The earbuds can also support up to 28 hours of battery life which can be charged within 10 minutes. The charging case can also support wireless charging and can be charged within an hour.
Pricing starts at RM299 with a limited early bird price of RM259 which will be available at POCO’s official Shopee and Lazada store.
POCO Watch

The POCO Watch is the company’s latest fitness watch which comes with a 1.6-inch AMOLED touch display with more than 100 customizable watch faces. The watch supports up to 100 exercise modes with a built-in Multi-system GPS. In addition, it also comes with a 24-hour heart rate tracker, sleep monitoring function, and blood oxygen sensor. The watch can last up to 14 days with intense fitness activities and when the battery runs low, simply put it into the convenient magnetic charger and it will be ready for the next usage.
POCO Watch is priced at RM299 with a limited early bird price of RM249 which is available at their official Shopee and Lazada stores.
Source
Pokdepinion: As a Genshin Impact fan and having to own Klee, the POCO Buds Pro has me sold! THEY’RE SO CUTE!! The POCO Watch sleek design does look similar to the Apple Watch which is suitable for someone who has a small wrist like me.
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The OPPO A93 Is Now Available At A Lowered Price Of RM1,199

Good news O-fans! The retail price of the OPPO A93 has been slashed and is now available for purchase at RM1,199 compared to its original RM1,299 price. The price cut will be in effect starting from 1 December.
OPPO A93 just got a lot cheaper!
The OPPO A93 was first released back in October and is powered by a MediaTek Helio P95 SoC and comes with a 6.43 Super AMOLED Display that houses a dual punch-hole selfie camera (16MP+2MP).

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Moreover, the A93 features a quad camera setup which includes a 48MP main camera, 8MP wide-angle camera, 2MP mono lens, and another 2MP mono camera. It runs on ColorOS 7.2 based on Android 10, comes with 8GB RAM as well as 128GB internal storage which is expandable to up to 256GB via microSD. On top of that, the A93 comes with a sizeable 4,000mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging.
The OPPO A93 is available to purchase via OPPO’s official online store, official Lazada store or their official Shopee store.
Pokdepinion: This is a pretty nice phone and I’m glad to see it becoming more accessible to the masses with its price cut.
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Setel Introduces New RM5 Referral Program

If you’re using Setel and you would like to enjoy some free credits, they have recently introduced their new referral program where you can score precisely that.
Setel referral program

Wonder what’s the app all about and what you can do with it? The app allows you to refuel and shop at PETRONAS stations by using your device. So if you would like to enjoy that RM5 credit, you can follow the following steps:

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In the app, tap on ‘More’ and select ‘Refer a friend’
Share your unique referral code through WhatsApp, SMS, or social media
Get your family and friends to register for a Setel account with your referral code AND spend an accumulative total of RM30 via the Setel App consisting of Setel Wallet top ups, fuel purchase, purchase at Kedai Mesra, and purchase via Deliver2Me

Once that’s done, you and your friend will get RM5 credit each. You can find out more details on their referral system right here. For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: Who doesn’t love free credits, right? Unfortunately I don’t usually refuel at PETRONAS so I doubt I’d take advantage of the app.
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PS Plus Asia February 2020 FREE Games Lineup

It’s that time of the month again where PlayStation Asia reveals the upcoming free games for PlayStation Plus subscribers, this time for the month of February 2020. Without wasting any time, let’s jump straight in. Here are the PS Plus Asia February 2020 free games lineup.

Bioshock: The Collection

BioShock: The Collection is a remastered compilation of the ever so popular BioShock game series. Developed by Blind Squirrel Games, the game sets you in the cities of Rapture and Columbia where the game includes the original BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite.

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The Sims 4

If you’re unfamiliar with the Sims franchise, well the game is a life simulation game that’s published by EA (Electronic Arts). The game gives you the power to create and control people, where you can experiment on creativity, humor, escape, and the freedom to play with life in Sims 4.
Firewall Zero Hour

Own a PlayStation VR headset? Well you’re in luck as Firewall Zero Hour is a virtual reality first-person shooter game, where you get to play with up to 8 players, going face-to-face against each other in two teams of four. You’ll be given objectives and critical intel along the way.
Pokdepinion: I’d say this months lineup of free games is pretty decent. I wouldn’t mind playing BioShock again.
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Xiaomi Mi 11 will be China’s only Snapdragon 875 smartphone for some time

Xiaomi has come a long way since their humble beginnings, and the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 11 is slated to not only be powered by the Snapdragon 875, but also be the only device in China to tout Qualcomm’s latest chipset for some time. According to serial leakster Digital Chat Station, Xiaomi has worked out an exclusivity deal to debut the Snapdragon 875 in China while also getting limited-time exclusivity for the chipset in the region.

Xiaomi did announce that the Mi 10 series will be among the first to pack a Snapdragon 865 at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Tech Summit 2019, and we can probably expect to see a similar scenario happening this year. With that said, the global debut of the Snapdragon 875 has been rumored to be spearheaded by the Samsung Galaxy S21 series.

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While Samsung may be the first to bring the Snapdragon 875 for regions other than China, there’s a good chance that we will ultimately see Xiaomi debuting the Snapdragon 875 here with the Xiaomi Mi 11 series in Malaysia. Samsung has traditionally offered the Exynos version of their smartphones here, and that might actually be a good thing this time around.

The Snapdragon 875 has essentially been confirmed to be manufactured on the 5nm node, but rumors have pointed to both TSMC and Samsung making them, so we aren’t exactly sure which fabs will the Snapdragon 875 come from.
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Pokdepinion: I wonder whether we will see a POCO F3 Pro based on the Snapdragon 875 bringing insanely good value once again next year!
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Best Netflix Titles In Malaysia 2019

With 2019 concluding soon, the folks at Netflix has revealed what are the top 10 shows/titles that Malaysians watch on the streaming platform.

Taking number one spot is 6 Underground which stars Ryan Reynolds and the movie is directed by Michael Bay, so if you haven’t watched the show yet, expect the show to come with a ‘bang’.
Following it is Murder Mystery and The Witcher, based on the hugely successful game/book title (by the same name). That makes the top three of the list.

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Completing it are Isn’t It Romantic, Tall Girl, Triple Frontier, The Perfect Date, The Umbrella Academy, Secret Obsession, and Fractured.
Do you think there’s a show that they’re missing out on that list? Let us know in the comments.
If you want to know what to watch come January 2020, check out our previous post right here.
Pokdepinion: I’m quite surprised that The Witcher didn’t come on top, it’s a pretty darn good series. Other than that, I thought The Umbrella Academy is quite a decent show too. If you haven’t seen any of these shows, you may want to check them out.
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Xiaomi Pad 5 passes SIRIM certification before launch in China

We have not seen a Xiaomi tablet for quite some time. The last one was the Mi Pad 4 back in 2018. Now, we will apparently be seeing the Xiaomi Pad 5, and it has pretty much been confirmed for Malaysia, after passing by SIRIM. While the device has yet to have been unveiled, rumors of Xiaomi Pad 5 are already all over the interwebs.

If the rumors are to be trusted, it seems that Xiaomi will be re-entering the tablet with a premium offering. The Xiaomi Pad 5 has allegedly been spotted with stuff like 5G connectivity, 67W fast charging and more. There will also apparently be three variants, with a 5G version, a WiFi-only variant as well as a “Lite” version that only comes with 33W fast charging.

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The “Lite” tablet is expected to arrive with a Snapdragon 860, while the higher-end Xiaomi Pad 5s are slated to arrive with the Snapdragon 870. The version that was certified by SIRIM bears the codename 21051182G, which hints at it being the “Lite” version that has 33W fast charging, rather than the higher-end version, which are codenamed M2105K81AC for the non-5G variant and the M2105K81C for the 5G-capable configuration.

Other rumored specifications revealed in what is supposed to be a leak banner include a 2K 120Hz LCD display with extremely narrow bezels on the front, as well as a nice looking dual-camera setup on its back. As usual, take all rumors with a pinch of salt. Overall, I believe the most interesting aspect of the Xiaomi Pad 5 would be its pricing, as that would determine if people would pick them up.
Premium Android tablets have gone up quite significantly in terms of pricing recently, so if Xiaomi can beat them, they might have a good chance of competing. I generally don’t think Android tablets are that enticing devices, but as always, if the price is right…
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Pokdepinion: Here’s hoping that it will come with the PC Mode introduced with the Mi Mix Fold…
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Grand Theft Auto 6 Release Year Potentially Leaked

I’m sure many of us are looking forward to Grand Theft Auto 6. After all, its predecessor was first released in 2013, which is 7 years ago. While we have no idea when exactly it will be coming, we may have an idea as to which year it will be released in.
Which Year is Grand Theft Auto 6 Coming Out?
It appears that Take-Two Interactive has filed a new 10-K SEC filing, something they do on an annual basis. The newest report shows that in the coming fiscal years, they have indicated on planned spending for each 12-month periods. Interestingly, they are looking to spend about USD $89 million is fiscal year 2024, which is over double the second-highest planned budget. Before that, the highest marketing expenditure was expected for fiscal year 2023, but it has since changed.

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You may be wondering how this involves Grand Theft Auto 6. As the franchise is the biggest game they got, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them spending top dollar for marketing, especially for the next big entry. After all, GTA 5 recently passed 130 million copies sold, so they’d be more than keen to spend some good money on its successor.
If the information becomes accurate, and most importantly unchanged, there is a good chance that the game will be coming out sometime in 2023. How so? The company’s 2024 fiscal year starts on 1st April 2023 and ends on 31st March 2024, so it will happen anytime within that range. With GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 launching within Fall rather than Spring, we could expect the same for this one as well.
This would mean that we are still years away from seeing Grand Theft Auto 6. Of course, we expect details on the game to come out way before that, so we will have a clearer idea of the game as time goes by. When it does release, we expect it to be available on console first, namely the PS5 and Xbox Series X, before reaching PC years later.
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Pokdepinion: It’s gonna take a long time, but it’s going to be worth the wait…at least based on previous games.
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[E3 2019] Three New EA Originals From Known Indie Developers Coming Soon

Apart from announcements from major game developers and publishers, you can’t forget the smaller, indie game developers around. That’s precisely why EA Originals is brough to focus apart from the other EA Play announcements at E3 2019 as they’re set to publish three games from known indie developers.
The first new project under EA Originals is from Zoink Games, the developer behind last year’s release of Fe. Lost in Random is the name of Zoink’s latest title and it focuses on action and strategy, while also adding a certain element of randomness.
Glowmade is currently developing RustHeart, a new co-op game that allows you to create your own robotic companion. RustHeart is an action adventure game that focuses on the customization that comes with creating your own robot prior to journeying through the game’s vibrant world.

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Lastly, EA announced that it would indeed be publishing a new EA Originals game in the future from Hazelight Studios. Hazelight, led by the infamous Josef Fares, released A Way Out last year. The latest project from the studio still doesn’t have a name, but Fares has confirmed that it will again focus on co-op. In fact, Fares announced last year after A Way Out released that Hazelight would be working with EA once again, so this announcement today is more just a formal reveal rather than having new information to share about the new game.
Further information such as platforms and release windows for each of the three games in question here have yet to be given, but EA will surely divulge more in the future. Until that time, the next EA Originals title, Sea of Solitude, is set to release next month on 5th July 2019.
Be sure to check out the video at the top of this post where EA detailed about some of the EA Originals coming our way.
Pokdepinion: These small development studios have big potential so I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us gamers.
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HP Inking Colouring Contest with Modern PC is happening this Saturday

If you are aged between 9 to 12 years, you can be in the running to win prizes worth up to RM339. All you have to do is get down to the HP Concept Store at Level 1, AEON Cheras Selatan this Saturday, and participate in the inking colouring contest for kids to win prizes.
The HP Inking Colouring Contest with Modern PC is happening this:

20th April 2019 (Saturday)
1.30 pm – 5.00 pm
HP Concept Store @ Level 1, AEON Cheras Selatan

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There are four prizes to be won, including a HP OMEN 800 Headset worth RM339 and a HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 2676 AIO Printer worth RM269.

Aside from the inking colouring contest, you can enjoy special prices for HP Modern PCs with prices starting from as low as RM2449 while enjoying savings of up to RM615. You will also get to enjoy an extra RM50 rebate if you buy any HP laptop priced above RM1699.
But that’s not the end of the promotion yet. From 19th April until 20th April 2019, AEON Vouchers are also up for grabs when you purchase HP products:

Any HP laptop < RM2500 – RM50 AEON voucher
Any HP Laptop ≥ RM2500 – RM100 AEON voucher
Any HP Printer – RM10 cash rebate

If you are in the vicinity, why not go ahead and check out the HP Concept Store this weekend to enjoy some savings and rebates!
Pokdepinion: Maybe I should go check out some HP printers…
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Loctek DLB851 Monitor Arm Review – It’s Got The Goods

Unboxing The Loctek DLB851

The Loctek DLB851 comes with a single box that is fairly self-explanatory on what it’s capable of. Inside the box you get various components which include:

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Monitor arm
Clamp mount (pre-assembled)
Grommet mount (requires assembly)
Rubber covers for mounts
Clamp mount covers (includes cable management channel)
Screws & Allen keys
VESA quick release mount for monitors
User manual

Specifications
Loctek DLB851

VESA mounting sizes
75x75mm, 100x100mm

Compatible monitor size
17″ – 36″

Compatible monitor weight (load capacity)
3-12kg

Tilt range
-90° to +15°

Swivel range
-90° to +90°

Screen rotation
360°

Material
Aircraft-Grade Aluminum, Steel, Plastic

Cable management channels
Yes

Installation options
Clamp & Grommet
*Recommended desktop thickness:
Clamp: 20 – 100mm
Grommet: 25 – 100mm

Color
White, Black

For this review we use the BenQ EL2870U 28″ 4K monitor for the demonstration.
The Good

I personally has installed desktop VESA mounts before – and I have dealt with more complex installation processes than this. Since many parts has come pre-assembled, the most you need to do is open some packages, install the protective rubber, screw in the mounts (in our case we picked clamp for this review), clamp it on the desk – and voila, the Loctek DLB851 is ready to go.
Design wise, the lines and shapes are sharper than other offerings – which often leave little thought to the design of the monitor arm itself. So if you have a contemporary looking desks, this will have no problem blending in just fine. It also comes with white color if you’re the type that uses bright color desks.
Cable management channels are included too – for those who prefer cleaner looks. Most cables should fit just fine, unless your monitor uses thicker AC cables (which you need to jam harder to push into the channel). The first section is removable for easier cable management while the bottom channel is embedded; additionally you can install the cover on the clamp for extra cable management channels.
This being a gas strut monitor arm of course meant it has certain strengths compared to coil springs-based solutions – which include a more silent operation and less “kick back” on release. Both of which makes arm articulation a bit easier to operate – certainly useful if you use it in an office environment and don’t want to annoy your colleagues as you adjust the monitor on the fly.

Loctek recommends slightly overtighten the counterweight screw on the arm to minimize drift over time – something that is more common on gas strut-based designs. You can use the included Allen Key to adjust the counterweight depending on your monitor’s weight.
The Bad

Now, while I appreciate the reduced parts required for manual assembly, one thing that irks me during installation is the lack of clear description of the installation process. The user manual did not clearly specify which way I should install the VESA quick release mount into the arm itself, so I was stuck for a good few minutes trying to figure out which way it should go in first. (Tip: align the notches on the monitor arm with your VESA plate. You’re welcome.)
Another minor complaint is down to the form factor itself: the relative lack of counterbalance meant that you have to be careful installing heavier monitors, despite it still within the manufacturer’s specifications. You’ll need a desk that has a more solid construction or you might risk breaking the desk with the amount of uneven torque pushed into that small clamp area. If you’re using a thinner table, you can add an acrylic sheet or a similar material on the clamp for improved support.
Verdict

The Loctek DLB851 comes at RM269 – certainly not the cheapest monitor arm out there, but it got all the things you need to have a clean desktop setup. The installation process is fairly quick and simple, bar the non-descriptive parts that left me confused for a good minute. Due to the form factor, I’d advise caution when installing heavier monitors though – while the arm itself won’t have issues as long as it fits within the specs, the desk is the one you’ll need to pay attention to.
At the end of this review, I award the Loctek DLB851 with Silver Pokdeward.

Thanks to Loctek Malaysia for sending us this unit for the purposes of this review.
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#PokdePicks Best Smartphones of 2022

We’ve reviewed a good number of smartphones this year, and this is the time where we pick out the best smartphones of 2022. Without further ado, let’s dive right into.
#PokdePicks Best Smartphones of 2022
Apple iPhone 14 Pro

Alongside the 14 Pro Max, the Apple iPhone 14 Pro is the only truly new iPhone this year. It’s powered by the new A16 Bionic chip which further elevates an already strong performer while also being more energy efficient, and we finally see the departure of the notch. The latter brings the new Dynamic Island feature, which to us is a smart way of making the most out of the situation, which is adding function to a hardware limitation.

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Topping it off with an excellent camera setup, great stereo speakers, and Super Retina XDR with ProMotion, you get an excellent daily driver that is capable of serving virtually anyone well. The only thing stopping people here would be due to the use of iOS over Android, Lightning port over USB-C, and its asking price which starts at RM5,299.
Check out our Apple iPhone 14 Pro review by clicking right here.
HUAWEI P50 Pocket

The HUAWEI P50 Pocket is the first foldable we reviewed this year, but it certainly left an impact despite newer foldable coming out later in the year. It’s a flip-style foldable smartphone with a unique, eye-catching look, a gapless hinge which eliminates the worry of dust, decent battery life, and 120Hz refresh rate.

What it lacks is what newer models in 2022 offered in both foldables and standard devices, which are 5G support, inconsistent image processing, as well as newer and more efficient SoCs as this is powered by the Snapdragon 888. At RM5,999, it can be a bit hard to stomach but these days, you can get it a noticeably lower price so it’s still worth considering.
Check out our HUAWEI P50 Pocket review by clicking right here.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is arguably the most refined foldable to launch this year. It builds on the success of its predecessor and brings notable upgrades in its durability and camera, with the latter now being on par with their standard flagship smartphone in terms of hardware.

Personally, I wished that the cover display was bigger, similar to the HONOR Magic V, to make it more comfortable to use but otherwise, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is more than enough to use as a daily driver, especially when used with the S Pen. With its asking price starting from RM6,999, you certainly get a lot and barely miss a thing moving from a standard smartphone. Just be mindful of its hefty size and weight.
Check out our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 review by clicking right here.
ASUS ROG Phone 6D

This may seem like a surprising choice but we were honestly blown away by the ASUS ROG Phone 6D. Not only does it bring excellent performance with reliable cameras and class-leading display for a gaming phone like the standard ROG Phone 6, it proves that MediaTek is capable producing great chips with the Dimensity 9000+. Personally for me, the ROG Phone 6D’s Space Gray is the best looking one of them all.

Furthermore, with its asking price of RM3,499, the value proposition just skyrockets compared to other devices, in non-gaming ones. We did review the ROG Phone 6 Pro, but that is priced much higher at RM4,999 but you could always go for the standard version if you really want a Snapdragon chip. They may be different chips but for the most part, they will bring you the same good experience so you can’t go wrong with either.
Check out our ASUS ROG Phone 6D review by clicking right here. Alternatively, check out our ROG Phone 6 Pro review by clicking here instead.
POCO M4 Pro 5G

Of course, we can’t always just focus on the flagships as not everyone is willing to splurge. When it comes to more affordable devices, the POCO M4 Pro 5G easily takes the cake. Despite being positioned as a lower midrange device, it doesn’t look like one with an attractive design, good display, stereo speakers, decent camera, 5G support, and good battery life.

Sure, the performance could be better, there’s a bit of input lag with the display, inconsistent camera performance, and the stereo speakers can feel unbalanced but for the price of RM999, it’s really hard to complain. If one does not require much complex use of their smartphone, one could easily make do with this for a few years, which says a lot.
Check out our POCO M4 PRO 5G review by clicking right here.
And that’s all for our picks of the best smartphones of 2022. None of these are necessarily better than the other as everyone’s use case and needs for a smartphone is different. We believe that any of these will be able to serve you well. If you feel like we missed out on anything, make sure to drop a comment and let us know.
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COUGAR Forza 85 and Forza 50 CPU Coolers Launched in Malaysia

If you’re shopping around for a new CPU cooler, then perhaps this might be what you’re looking for. Via their official Malaysian distributor, Fusion Tech, the COUGAR Forza 85 and Forza 50 CPU coolers have finally arrived. As part of the Forza series, it aims to stay cool and look cool while doing so, equipped with the COUGAR MHP 120 high performance radiator fans with a metallic-reinforced motor hub as seen in the COUGAR Poseidon GT AIO cooler.

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The COUGAR Forza 85 is the more premium offering, coming with nickel-clad copper base and six 6mm heat pipes for better thermal conductivity. The bigger footprint will allow it to cool down the CPU in a more efficient manner, making it more suitable for CPUs with higher TDP. As for the COUGAR Forza 50, it is the entry-level offering of the series featuring Heat Pipe Direct Touch technology along with four 6mm heat pipes. This is designed for more budgeted PC builds. You can pair it with another COUGAR MHP 120 fan for extra airflow, which is available as an add-on purchase.

The COUGAR Forza 85 will be retailing for RM249 whereas the more affordable Forza 50 will be retailing for RM159 instead. Both CPU coolers will come with 2-years local warranty and supports the latest Intel LGA 1700 and AMD AM5 mounting. You can purchase them at Lowyat Plaza, Digital Mall Petaling Jaya, Malaysian IT Hyperstore, PC resellers and authorized online resellers. Alternatively, you can also opt to purchase them on the official COUGAR store on Shopee as well.
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Pokdepinion: I always enjoyed seeing more affordable CPU coolers around, just to see what they are truly capable of. You may never know what a steal it might be until you try, and since it’s affordable, you’re not really losing out. Of course, if you’re on something like an i9-12900K, then you need to look for something more substantial.
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AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Benchmark Leaked in CPU-Z and Geekbench

There is still some time away from Ryzen 7000 series launch, however benchmarks are starting to surface on the benchmarking websites – this time, a Ryzen 7 7700X appears in the CPU-Z benchmark and Geekbench 5 results. The entry has since been removed on CPU-Z, however it was spotted by leaker TUM_APISAK and the results are as follows:

The 8-core processor has seen running at 5.425 GHz all-core, slightly above the stock boost clock of 5.4GHz. While the official specs for this particular model maxes out at 105 watts of TDP, there’s no indication on the actual power usage on running all cores full-tilt, for now. Powered by Zen4 architecture, this CPU also supports DDR5 and PCIe Gen5 with Socket AM5 600-series motherboards.

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In this particular test, the CPU is housed inside a GIGABYTE X670E AORUS MASTER motherboard with DDR5-6400 CL30 memory. The results yield 774 points for single-thread and 8381 points for multi-thread CPU-Z benchmarks.

The Ryzen 7 7700X sits in between Core i5-12600K and i7-12700KF for single threaded tests. 21% improvement over 5800X, its predecessor.

For multicore workloads, the Ryzen 7 7700X roughly equals to both Core i9-12900K models, however do keep in mind both Intel processors are likely running exclusively on 8 P-cores, leaving 8 E-cores unused (as this test is performed with 16 threads only; Intel has 24). It also surpassed its direct predecessor, Ryzen 7 5800X, by 28%.
This is not the only benchmark surfaced however – another one running on a different motherboard (ASUS ROG Crosshair X760E Hero) has popped up in Geekbench database running 64GB of DDR5-6000 memory.

Here, the CPU scored 2209 and 14459 on Geekbench 5 single-core and multi-core tests respectively, which makes for a 16% improvement in single-core over Core i7-12700K and 2% in multi-core benchmarks.
AMD’s Ryzen 7000 series processors will launch on 27th September, with first reviews (alongside AMD X670 motherboards) set to be published the day before.
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Pokdepinion: Based on my knowledge of Zen 4 so far, it’s harder to determine the performance from benchmarks alone compared to previous generation – guess we’ll have to see how it does in real life once the CPU launches later this month.
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If you’re looking forward to playing Resident Evil 8, otherwise known as Resident Evil Village, with a fresh new experience, then you will need to be extra wary when you go online. Spoilers on the game have made its way to the internet now.
PSA: Resident Evil 8 Spoilers Are Now Out On The Internet

As some of you may know by now, Capcom had a major security breach not long ago. As a result of that, new information on the company’s projects have come to light, including the storyline for Resident Evil 8, otherwise known as Resident Evil Village.

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From what we understand, the leak doesn’t just involve the plot of Resident Evil 8, but also the game’s ending. This is particularly bad for those who are looking forward to the game. If you know what’s going to happen already, you have one less reason to get the game. With that being said however, Capcom may still have time to change some parts of the story as the game is set for release next year. At the same time, we wouldn’t be surprised if the game gets delayed because of storyline changes.
This is purely a public service announcement, and I am not going to tell you what those spoilers are. If anything, I would like to kindly ask you to avoid spoilers and if you happen to see them, please do not share them. Keep the experience fresh for as many gamers as possible out there.
There may be more details coming up based on information found from the data breach, such as upcoming games. That one would still be relatively okay for us to talk about but we will try our best not to ruin the experience for any one of you out there.
For now, Resident Evil 8 will be coming to the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and PC sometime in 2021.
Source
Pokdepinion: Definitely keeping my eyes off of that. Unless I get to play the game early, I don’t want to spoil my experience.
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HP Lends Aid To Government, Businesses, And Communities In Malaysia

HP Malaysia recently announced their support to aid government bodies, businesses, and communities in the country in an effort to recover from the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
HP Malaysia lends a hand

For the initiative, HP has provided support for personal protective equipment (PPE), 3D printed face-mask adjuster, employee and HP Foundation donations, enhanced customer support capabilities, remote working and learning initiatives, as well as customer and partner reliefs.
They’ve also supported ‘Learning From Home’ initiative where they’ve donated 60 HP 14 laptops to low-income families with school children through their #iMovewithHP campaign.

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They focus on helping the country in adapting to thrive in the new normal while prioritizing their health and safety.
Here’s what they had to say about the initiative:
As a trusted global technology brand with a local soul that prioritizes the well-being of our people, customers, partners and communities, it’s our responsibility to go above and beyond our usual business parameters to support Malaysia’s future as we adapt to thrive in this new normal. I believe that the resources, reliefs, capabilities and technology tools that we’ve put in place will benefit many Malaysians as they rally to keep working, keep learning and keep going for a better future together.Fayza Mohamed Amin, Malaysia Managing Director of HP Inc
The HP Foundation has contributed RM2.17 million to Mercy Malaysia’s COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan, where the donation will be used to pilot targeted mass COVID-19 testing programs targeted at high risk and vulnerable communities in the country. They will also be used to provide PPE supplies for frontline healthcare workers and hospitals.
Pokdepinion: It’s good to see that they are lending a hand to provide support to the country!
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GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC Review — a lot more money for a few extra frames

We got our hands on the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC, which is GIGABYTE’s mainstream GeForce RTX 3090 card. I use the word mainstream quite liberally though, as we all know that a $1499 graphics card is far from mainstream, but just because GIGABYTE has the AORUS Master and AORUS Xtreme cards as well. But if you want to “save some money” and not go balls-to-the-wall with your choice of graphics card, well the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC might be your choice.
Unboxing
          Front            Back
The packaging of the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC might seem familiar for long-time GIGABYTE fans, with the eye motif still being used here. However GIGABYTE refreshed the graphics, adding a bit more details just for that extra geekiness. Over on the back is where you will find more details about the technology that GIGABYTE implemented on the card like the fan and contact plate design.

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In the box you get the graphics card, a reminder to register for extended warranty as well as a quick guide, in case you have never installed a graphics card before, but decided to try plugging in NVIDIA’s highest end one as your very first one. That’s it, and there’s probably no reason to throw in anything else into the box anyway.
Appearance

GIGABYTE designed the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC with a section cut away from the area over the fan closest to the PCIe bracket. This design also resulted in said fan being smaller, measuring in at 80mm instead of 90mm like the two other fans. While it does look rather peculiar on the Eagle OC card, it somehow looks a bit better here as the plastic shroud and abundant angles help mask the missing chunk.

Unlike with the GeForce RTX 3080 cards, the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC actually has a use for the cut-away section: to accommodate a NVLink bridge. Unlike most of NVIDIA’s partners which show off the capacitors behind the GPU, GIGABYTE decided to go with a full cover backplate over the back of the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC. It still sports a cutout towards the rear end of the graphics card to allow hot air to pass through directly though.

There’s very minimal RGB here, with only the GIGABYTE logo and a tiny strip below it capable of glowing. It’s an extremely small area, but GIGABYTE did cram in addressable lighting, so kudos to them for that. The hawkeyed might also notice that the power connectors are right at the end of the card, unlike most of the GeForce RTX 30 series cards that sport a relatively short PCB. More on that later.

You get two HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 1.4a ports here. This combination still limits you to four monitors, as that’s all NVIDIA supports, but you can mix and match more flexibly here with the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC than with cards that follow NVIDIA’s specifications that call for three DisplayPort 1.4a and one HDMI 2.1 port. The PCIe bracket is also very airflow-friendly, even though you will barely get any hot air out the back with the way the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC’s cooler is designed.

We see two screw holes on the other end of the card, which will presumably accept GPU support brackets. While the metal backplate of the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC is very sturdy, the plastic shroud does not contribute much to the rigidity of the card, which might necessitate the use of a GPU support brace to avoid sagging.

And here’s how the card looks with the RGB on. It’s not a lot, but it’s something. Just enough to satisfy those who need RGB on everything, and not too much so that those who don’t particularly like RGB lighting won’t complain. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be. The smoothness of the color transitions can also be improved, as it is quite jarring to watch the colors change here.
Specifications
GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC

GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (GA102)
Samsung 8N

Clocks
OC BIOS
Base Clock: 1395MHz
Boost Clock: 1755MHz (+60MHz from FE)
Quiet BIOS
Base Clock: 1395MHz
Boost Clock: 1725MHz (+30MHz from FE)

Cores
10496 CUDA Cores
328 Tensor Cores
82 RT Cores

Memory
10GB GDDR6X

Memory Speed
19.5Gbps

Memory Interface
384-bit

Display outputs
3 x DisplayPort 1.4a
2 x HDMI 2.1

Power connector(s)
2 x 8-pin

Recommended PSU
750W

Interface
PCIe 4.0 x16

Multi-GPU support
2-way NVLink

Dimensions
32.0 x 12.9 x 5.7 cm
(~3.2 slot)

Test Machine

CPU
Intel Core i9-10900K @ 5.1GHz

Motherboard
MSI MEG Z490 Unify

Memory
2 x 8GB T-Force Xtreem ARGB 3600MHz CL14

Storage
250GB Samsung 850 EVO SATA SSD
960GB Kingston UV500 SATA SSD
256GB Toshiba PCIe 3.0×4 NVMe SSD

Power Supply
Cooler Master V1200 Platinum

Monitor
BenQ EL2870U

GPU Driver
NVIDIA GeForce Graphics Drivers 456.38

Performance
Synthetic

It posts a pretty clear lead over the GeForce RTX 3080 cards we have tested, which is what you would expect from a beefier GPU.

The lead shrinks considerably in 3DMark Time Spy though, which is a theme that you will observe later down the line. For those upgrading from the last-gen GPUs, the GeForce RTX 3090 will be an even bigger leap forward in terms of performance.

Raytracing performance also sees some impressive gains, especially if you compare with the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti from 2 years back. However these are all synthetic figures, so let’s check out the real world gaming performance.
Gaming

As you might expect, almost every game runs at above 60 FPS, unless you decide to throw on raytraced effects without enabling DLSS. With DLSS enabled, 4K60 won’t be an issue whatsoever.

1440p is a waste for the GeForce RTX 3090, where we see the actually posts very similar performance figures to the GeForce RTX 3080 cards we tested, but more on that later.

Once we get down to 1080p, it becomes illogical for anyone to use the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC for 1080p gaming unless you absolutely need to play at max settings while also taking advantage of your high refresh rate display.
Thermal

Temperatures are controlled pretty well, thanks to an adequate fan profile and thick heatsink.

The total power draw hovered at around 351W, while clocks were running quite high at 1815MHz on average throughout our 30-minute Superposition stress test run. The fans spin at around 1843 RPM, which is still low enough that they don’t make too much noise at all. The GPU temperatures were maintained at below 67°C at all times, which is decent enough.

You also get a Dual BIOS switch with the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC that actually affects the clocks, instead of just changing the fan curve like what ASUS did with the ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080. 30MHz isn’t going to be too noticeable, but the slower fan profile sees the fan run at about 300RPM lower, averaging 1575 RPM. The temps were allowed to climb all the way up to 72°C, which the average clocks seen were 1800MHz.
One thing that was pretty worrying with the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC were the backplate temperatures. Measured with an infrared thermometer, we saw temperatures in excess of 64°C in our usual stress test. At that point, it was not possible to keep a finger on the backplate without wincing. However this is definitely expected given the design of the GeForce RTX 3080, which requires memory chips to be installed on both sides of the PCB. If you are using it in a case, make sure that there’s plenty of airflow around your card, as the backplate is not actively cooled by the fans.
User Experience

One pretty smart design touch that GIGABYTE applied was this PCIe power connector extension thingy. While the shorter PCB with the GeForce RTX 30 series meant that the PCIe power connectors were not located at the end of the card, GIGABYTE added an extension block to put the PCIe power connectors at the end of the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC. This meant that cable management will be slightly easier with the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC, but it also means that the passthrough airflow is going to be lower due to the fact that the cables and connectors are in the way.
          AORUS Engine            RGB Fusion 2.0
Software wise, RGB Fusion 2.0 and AORUS Graphics Engine are what you get to tweak and customize your GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC. RGB Fusion 2.0 is rather basic, allowing you to play around with the tiny ARGB strip on the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC. Meanwhile AORUS Graphics Engine is where you can overclock the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC or change the fan speed. The font and UI colors are definitely far from optimal, but I guess branding matters more to GIGABYTE than overall visual appeal.
GeForce RTX 3090 vs RTX 3080?

At 4K, the average difference in performance vs the RTX 3080 is 19%, if you compared against the relatively slower GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3080 Eagle OC. Against the ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 OC Edition, we actually saw the difference to be significantly smaller. If you wait for the likes of GeForce RTX 3080 AORUS, we might see an even smaller delta than what we see here, due to the higher TGP limits that will potentially be applied to those enthusiast cards, allowing them to clock higher than what we are seeing with the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC.

1440p sees the gap narrow, which is what you would expect. But the gap is actually so narrow that at times, the TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 is right up against the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC, which was definitely not what we expected.
Conclusion

The GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC comes in priced at RM7899, which is quite a lot to pay for one graphics card. But I do think that you might want to spend even more on one of the more premium GeForce RTX 3090 cards, for example the ones from GIGABYTE’s AORUS series as I assume that the more premium ones may sport a higher TGP limit to give the GA102 GPU more boost headroom to stretch its legs. The current 350W TGP limit appears to hold it back from reaching its fullest potential, causing it to offer marginal gains over higher-clocked GeForce RTX 3080 samples.
Of course, there’s also the case of NVIDIA not even targeting the GeForce RTX 3090 at gamers, unless maybe if you game at 8K. The GeForce RTX 3090 is intended for creators who need the ample 24GB VRAM it offers on top of all those sweet CUDA, RT and Tensor cores. If you can make use of that much memory, well, you don’t have that many other options. At least until the GeForce RTX 3080 20GB arrives…
You can even use two of them in SLI!
For gamers, you would be better off with the significantly more affordable GeForce RTX 3080 cards. Slap on a healthy overclock and you might even be able to match GeForce RTX 3090-levels of performance in most of today’s games. The GeForce RTX 3090 doesn’t make much sense from a value perspective for gamers, but as with all top of the line, crème de la crème products, it doesn’t need to.
Our thanks to GIGABYTE Malaysia for sending us the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC for review.

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Lenovo To Launch Smartphone With Quad Cameras

It appears that Lenovo will be releasing a quad camera smartphone soon as an official poster by the company was teased on Weibo.
Lenovo To Come With Quad Camera Smartphone

The teaser was posted by Chang Cheng, who is the Vice President of the company itself. The teaser has shown that the camera is arranged in a square, with the flash being in the middle of those four lenses. It is hinted that the cameras would be water proof. It would be interesting to see that though.

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As of now, we’re not sure of what Lenovo smartphone model will feature the cameras. Despite of the news, it may not be the first phone to come out with quad cameras. That record might go to Samsung, who recently teased a new slogan “4X Fun”, which is said to be named the Galaxy A9 Star Prom.
We will update the news once we got more information on it. Until then, watch this space.
Source: Pandaily
Pokdepinion: Now that design really looks like the one HUAWEI teased earlier for their Mate 20 device… don’t you think so?
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Lenovo K8 Note Review; As stock as it gets!

Introduction

First, put the typical ‘Note’ hat aside because it’s been a paradigm lately that devices having the word note in their name would have a stylus because it’s not the case here. Secondly, subsequent to the previous Lenovo K6 Note, you might be wondering, where is the Lenovo K7 Note and why are we jumping straight to Lenovo K8 Note? Well, that’s because the Lenovo K8 Note is two generations ahead of its predecessor, putting it into the leader’s throne. That said, here’s our review of the Lenovo K8 Note.
Unboxing the Lenovo K8 Note

As usual, here’s our official unboxing video of the Lenovo K8 Note. The box is rather catchy with lime green scheme giving it a pretty tangy and refreshing look. Inside, it’s pretty standard, the device comes with a charger, cable, SIM tray pin and user guide. As you may have noticed, the earphones are missing here. I don’t know about you, I no longer use bundled earphones anyway, but I think something basic would have been sweet for some users.
Appearance

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Today, if I pick and shuffle 20 different devices and put them next to each other facing front, it would be harder to identify which device is which. The conventional look has spread pretty much across every device that we can find in the market and it’s getting tougher to innovate this facade. I suppose, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it? Then again, similar doesn’t mean same. You’re looking at a 5.5-inch Full HD display that has a pixel density of 441 ppi and 450 nits brightness 178° viewing angle IPS panel. Being a mid-range device, this display is perfectly a sweet spot and I couldn’t have been happier with it. It doesn’t end there, the 2.5D glass curves gracefully over the metallic sides with a solid protection layer of Corning Gorilla Glass with an oleophobic coating to keep smudges reduced.
The top is donned by the speaker piece sandwiched between the 13MP f/2.0 camera and the front LED flash, while at the bottom you can see the slowly-becoming-rare haptic feedback supported softkeys.

Turning it over to the other side, the dual camera with 13MP + 5MP configurations decorate the bulging section on top of the metal body, sitting right above the fingerprint sensor of which I’m not a fond of it’s location (contrary to Vyncent’s opinion, I prefer my biometrics to be front facing which I believe should be the industry’s practise). The antenna strips span across the device horizontally on both top and bottom sides. What’s actually interesting about this back, is that it’s made from 6000 series Aluminium as a unibody metal frame ensuring durability is taken seriously. Further at the top most, you will also find the noise-cancelling microphone which is definitely a bonus.

Indeed, the 3.5mm jack is still present here. Which amplifies the disappointment that there should have been a pair of earphones bundled here.

On the left side, you can see the dual sim tray slot next to the micro SD tray slot. I’m a total sucker for this compared to the nonsensical combo slots that feels like their manufacturers are just not giving it away genuinely, so kudos to Lenovo for this! Next to these is a music button with a red accent around it to make it stand out. You can long press it to play or pause, double click it for next track or triple click for previous track. Music aficionados are definitely going to love it!

On the right side, we have the power button and the volume rocker which are not aliens to anyone already.

Lenovo decided to settle with the conventional Micro USB instead of adopting the newer standard Type-C but that’s totally fine. Next to this are machine drilled speaker grille that delivers pretty remarkable sound. The Lenovo K8 Note can definitely take some mild water splashes since it has P2i coaring, but it’s not rated water resistant, so don’t really bring it to the pool.
Specifications

CPU:
MediaTek Helio X23 (Deca-core 2.3GHz)

GPU:
ARM Mali T-880 MP4

RAM:
4GB

Display:
5.5″ FHD (1080p) IPS, 441ppi, 450nits, Corning Gorilla Glass 3

Storage:
64GB (expandable with MicroSD up to 256GB)

Camera:
Main Camera
13MP + 5MP (depth of field) f/1.7, phase detection, autofocus, dual-LED, dual-tone flash
Secondary Camera
13MP f/2.0, LED flash

OS:
Android 7.1.1 Nougat (planned upgrade for Android 8.0 Oreo)

Connectivity:
Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 4.2 with A2DP and LE
GPS, FM Radio

SIM:
Dual nano SIM

Battery:
Li-Po 4000mAh

Performance
The Lenovo K8 Note houses a 20nm based MediaTek Helio X23 (MT6797D) deca-core CPU that has the following breakdown of the cores:

4 x power efficient cores clocked at 1.4GHz
4 x powerful cores clocked at 1.85GHz
2 x high performance cores clocked at 2.3GHz

This is also paired with 4GB of RAM that would deliver a rather remarkable performance; at least I’d expect it to. On paper, these specs are definitely worth putting against some powerful players in the market so I didn’t go soft on the Lenovo K8 Note. It is also worth mentioning that the Lenovo K8 Note has a 4000mAh Li-Po battery for endurance so let’s see where it stands in our charts. Take note that we filter our charts based on the closest proximity in comparison and it’s not a head-to-head competition.

First we begin with our usual overall test just to get a rough estimate of where it stands in our hall of fame charts. I think you would be surprised enough to see how it stood ahead of the Snapdragon 600 series based devices giving it quite an edge. Let’s move to my favourite test.

I don’t know how many times I’ve mentioned this in my reviews, but PCMark’s Work 2.0 Performance is my favourite test of all time. But I’ll repeat myself again. The PCMark Work 2.0 Performance puts the device through the real world scenarios that you will be using the device in. Rendering web pages, running intensive javascript via AJAX, adding AJAX items using Android’s WebView are some of the most important tests that are done. Most websites utilise hefty jQuery manipulation and AJAX HTTP calls (including our own website) and these scripts are redundant on responsive based websites. Javascript is the costliest overhead for browsers and being able to chuckle while rendering is big boasting task. Apart from that, it also pushes the device to play, edit and save a video using OpenGL ES 2.0, the Android’s native MediaCodec API and Exoplayer. Then, a productivity test is carried out using Android’s native EditText view and PdfDocument API. Next, it runs PhotoEditing 2.0 which it harnesses Android renderscript API. Finally, it ends with a data manipulation process that parses data from various file formats, measuring frame rates while manipulating dynamic charts.
You can see from the results that then Lenovo K8 Note managed to catch up close with some pretty higher tier devices, and putting some rather powerful devices to shame.

Geekbench specifically puts the CPU to test and it seems like even having 10 cores didn’t really stood a chance against devices with lower number of cores. I’m pitting it against Snapdragon CPU mostly because the X23 itself in its own range is rather superior.

Moving on to 3DMark test, we push the devices for some OpenGL tests. It seems like the Lenovo K8 Note is more optimised for ES3.1 tests which is a good thing. The Sling Shot test fell short compared to most devices and the ES2.0 was just subpar. It seems like rendering videos is not the big thing for the Lenovo K8 Note.

Finally, we move on to the battery test. The 4000mAh Li-Po battery failed miserably in our tests. So much that some devices using 3000mAh battery managed to perform better too. I guess the CPU Helio X23 needs some work in terms of power efficiency afterall. I tried this test a couple of times and got the same results but I couldn’t believe what I saw.
User Experience
I love 5.5″ smartphones! At most I’d go 6.0″ and under desperate measures, might consider 6.5″ but nothing above that. 5.5″ is where things hit the sweet spot for me. It feels just right in palms and pocket. Everything is accessible easily and within reach even while using in one hand. That was definitely the motivation for me to put the Lenovo K8 Note to test here.

See that? It’s easy to grip, fits gracefully between my fingers and the palm and it’s just accessible. I think it would have been awesome to have this device having a 18:9 display configuration since it’s the trend now because it does have plenty of room for it. The FullHD display is definitely to fall in love with. Glowing at 450 nits with a 441 ppi density, the display really looks beautiful, it’s hard to believe that this is actually a mid-range device. That’s not all that is to appreciate here, though. Lenovo has kept the device raw stock using Android 7.1.1 which will see an Oreo upgrade soon. There’s just no bloatware here. Nada. It’s plain ol stock Android OS, keeping things super snappy and butter smooth! And since Nougat already supports split screen, I really don’t see any other reasons to bloat the device. I’m hoping that keeping stock Android will at least motivate Lenovo to deliver OTAs sooner than their users expect.
Lenovo has even taken the liberty to include the Microsoft productivity tools so you don’t have to install them separately. It’s basically a fire and go device. No utter nonsense, simplicity combined with practicality.

Yup, you saw that right. The haptic feedback buttons are not backlit and it’s kinda disappointing in dark conditions. I’m used to devices with the back key on the right side, so while using the Lenovo K8 Note, I kept hitting the multi tasking key instead when I couldn’t see the buttons. I think we’ve sent this feedback to countless brands in the past and saw them solving this so, dear Lenovo, if you’re reading this, please accept our message.

Let’s move on to the camera. You can find two cameras on the back of the Lenovo K8 Note, one being a 13MP camera which is handling the duties of actually taking the pictures, while the other being a 5MP camera which is dedicated in identifying depths of the object. The camera definitely feels very much like what you would find on Motorola G5s Plus and X4 but that comes at no surprise. It has the same depth-enabled and normal mode so you can make your pick. It does seems a bit struggling under low light conditions, but it manages to take fair shots nonetheless.
One thing that you can really appreciate immediately is the fact that it has a pretty elaborate PRO mode too.

Yup, PRO mode is also available in the front camera mode as well. Now, enjoy some shots that we took with the Lenovo K8 Note.

The 64GB storage is definitely a bliss and the separated micro SD slot is god sent! You can actually use the micro SD without having to sacrifice the second SIM slot – I just wish every manufacturer could follow this. To make things even more interesting, the Lenovo K8 Note supports USB OTG too which means, you can just hook up a pendrive to the device if you need to.
The Lenovo K8 Note comes with Dolby Atmos sound system which definitely means something. The Lenovo K Note series has always been the crown holder when it comes to sound and the Lenovo K8 Note is no exception. It has what Lenovo calls a “virtualized 360° surround sound impact” and auto tuning of frequency to optimize the listening experience. More importantly, the spekaers are loud. Like, really LOUD! Loud enough that if you are on the hunt for a phone that just has loud audio, get the Lenovo K8 Note! It also has a dedicated button for music. I know what you’re wondering. Can I use the media button on the Lenovo K8 Note for something else? Indeed! You can associate it with any app on the device. Use it to launch the camera, or the browser, or pretty much anything you please! This is your button!
Conclusion
The Lenovo K8 Note is priced at RM1,299 which is definitely a perfect price point for this device. The specifications are very well balanced, the design is elegant and overall, it makes a very good phone! I love the display, I love the sound and above all, I just love the 5.5-inch size. The battery needs a little work here, but otherwise, this is definitely a super practical smartphone for today!

From today until December 14th, 2017, you can get the Lenovo K8 Note at an even awesomer price of RM999! Just click the button below!

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ASUStek aims to be the top in Indonesia market — 5 millions handsets in 2016

ASUStek aims to increase its share in the smartphone market to 18 percent which equals to 5 million units by next year in Indonesia’s smartphone market.

In this year alone, ASUS has successfully shipped a total of 4 million units which is around 15 percent from the market. “Our goals is to overtake Samsung’s market share by 2017”, Jerry Shen, the Chief executive officer said in a ASUS smartphone event launch in Jakarta, last Thursday.

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He add that ASUS will be able to gain top positions in the market because of their expertise in sales methods. With exponential growth in South East Asian markets, ASUS expects to ship a total of 10 million smartphones to Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Philippines in 2016.

Jerry Shen also aims to ship 30 million smartphones globally next year, a step up from this year’s estimate of 20 million units. With a total population of 250 million in Indonesia, a target of 5 million smartphones shouldn’t be that hard for ASUS to achieve.
The launch of the ASUS Zenfone 2 was delayed because of a government policy enacted in August which requires all 4G devices be manufactured locally. Xiaomi also had this problem with their Xiaomi Mi4i.

Source : Taipeitimes
Pokdepinion: I am a member of a few ASUS Zenfone Indonesia groups and to be honest their community is amazingly supportive. ASUS provides longer support for their smartphones which might offer a certain appeal to consumers to get ASUS smartphones. For example the ASUS Padfone S which was launched with Android KitKat is set to receive the Android Marshmallow update.

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Borderlands 3 Might Not Be At E3 2018? Might Only Appear Next Year

After the very brief teaser that way posted not too long ago and with E3 2018 just around the corner, it might seem like Borderlands 3 will be absent at the show. This comes from Take-Two Interactive’s financial conference call.
Borderlands 3 Might Not Be At E3 2018?

During Take-Two Interactive’s financial conference call for the fiscal year which ended on 31st March 2018, President Karl Slatoff talked about their plans for E3 2018. With many people expecting E3 2018 to show off a bunch of new games, it’s not a surprise that many are expecting a big reveal of some kind from them.

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Unfortunately however, Slatoff talked about Take-Two Interactive’s lack of plans for E3 2018, at least for what concerns new games. Slatoff confirmed that the publisher, which includes 2K Games and Rockstar Games, isn’t planning to show any new games at the show in Los Angeles.
This comes just after the company revealed that a “highly-anticipated title from one of 2K’s biggest franchises” has been delayed to fiscal year 2020, which means between 1st April 2019 and 31st March 2020.
While no official confirmation has come from Take-Two Interactive, this game is widely believed to be Borderlands 3. Whether this is accurate or not, it’s unknown whether the company planned to reveal the game at E3 2018 prior to the delay or not.
However, keep in mind that this might just be a way for them to pull off a swerve so they can surprise us if it were to happen. In times like this, it’s always best to hope for the best but also expect nothing to avoid disappointment. For all we know, the surprise might not even be Borderlands 3. Only time will tell.
Pokdepinion: I am very excited to get my hands on Borderlands 3, so much so that I’ve played the previous games and even the pre-sequel about 3 times by now. At the same time, I’d rather wait out and have a stable game than play a rushed product that is riddled with bugs.
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