Xiaomi Mi 9T vs Samsung Galaxy A80 — by the numbers

The Xiaomi Mi 9T and Samsung Galaxy A80 are both mid-range devices from their lineups. Both offer 48MP primary cameras, Snapdragon 730 chipsets and motorized selfie cameras. That’s where the similarities end though, as the two phones are really quite different.
Design
Samsung actually calls this a “striking design” on the Galaxy A80’s sales page.
At first glance, the Xiaomi Mi 9T is definitely the prettier of the two. But of course, that’s pretty subjective. Some might prefer the more conventional design of the Galaxy A80, but definitely not us.
Guess they haven’t seen the Xiaomi Mi 9T…
If you consider the design of the Xiaomi Mi 9T to be too flashy, you can always slap on the included case, and the Xiaomi Mi 9T will look as premium as the Mi MIX series. And that is truly the definition of a premium smartphone.

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Winner: Xiaomi Mi 9T
Gaming
With the powerful Snapdragon 730 chipsets powering both these phones, gaming on them is going to be a real treat. Not to mention the beautiful bezel-less AMOLED displays. No notches, no cutouts, nothing to hinder your gaming experience. But the Xiaomi Mi 9T does come out on top here. How?
No dongles needed.
It has a 3.5mm headphone jack. While I have accepted that some day, there won’t be any phones left with 3.5mm headphone jacks, today is not that day. Not with the Xiaomi Mi 9T still in the market. I can’t emphasize enough how important is a headphone jack for my PUBG Mobile gaming sessions, and the Mi 9T delivers just that.
Oh and the 4000 mAh battery that powers the Xiaomi Mi 9T also promises better battery life, not only because it is larger than the Galaxy A80’s 3700 mAh one, but also because the display on the Xiaomi Mi 9T is a bit smaller, which does usually translate to lower power consumption.
Winner: Xiaomi Mi 9T
Photography
The Xiaomi Mi 9T is one of the more affordable devices in the market that offer a triple camera setup. A regular 48MP f/1.75 Sony IMX582 camera is mated to 8MP f/2.4 telephoto and 13MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle shooters to offer coverage in all focal lengths. The Galaxy A80 is no slouch either, with a 48MP f/2.0 primary camera, an ultra-wide 8MP f/2.2 camera and also a 3D ToF sensor. But when it comes down to real flexibility, the Xiaomi Mi 9T takes the cake with its truly usable triple camera setup.

The higher resolution ultra-wide angle is nice to have, as an ultra-wide lens means that you will be capturing more of the scene in front of you, and a higher resolution will allow you to appreciate the details better. A 3D ToF camera does come in handy, but the uses are somewhat more niche. For the primary 48MP cameras, the Xiaomi Mi 9T’s wider aperture would be a better pick than the Samsung Galaxy A80.
Ignoring reliability concerns, the Samsung Galaxy A80 should offer better selfies.
Selfie addicts might still prefer the Galaxy A80 though, given that its rear-facing 48MP camera swivels forward when summoned for selfies. However it is worth noting that the Xiaomi Mi 9T does take higher resolution 20MP shots for selfies, rather than the 12MP ones that the Galaxy A80 takes by default.
Winner: Xiaomi Mi 9T
Size

Both devices feature impressive bezel-less displays, with the Samsung Galaxy A80 featuring a larger 6.7″ Super AMOLED display, while the Xiaomi Mi 9T touts a 6.39″ AMOLED panel. The Xiaomi Mi 9T features a denser display with a 403 ppi count, versus the Galaxy A80’s 393 ppi. The difference in pixel density is going to be pretty negligible though.

What’s less negligible is the size and weight difference. The Galaxy A80 is going to be noticeably heavier at 220g versus the Mi 9T’s 193g, while being thicker, wider and longer. Depending on your needs, whether you want a smaller, lighter device or larger, bulkier device, either one of these phones will give you the maximum screen area any manufacturer can cram on a smartphone.
Winner: Tie
Value
While both smartphones offer their own perks, when it comes down to value, there can only be one winner. And I believe this is something that all of us would have expected. It’s Xiaomi, after all. The Xiaomi Mi 9T has a starting price of less than half that of the Samsung Galaxy A80, and yet is still able to offer a number of advantages over the Samsung Galaxy A80.

Xiaomi Mi 9T
Samsung Galaxy A80

CPU
Snapdragon 730, octa-core up to 2.2 GHz, 8nm FinFET
Snapdragon 730, octa-core up to 2.2 GHz, 8nm FinFET

GPU
Adreno 618 @ 610 MHz
Adreno 618 @ 610 MHz

RAM
6GB LPDDR4x
8GB LPDDR4x

Storage
64GB / 128GB UFS 2.1
128GB UFS 2.1

Screen
6.39″ FHD+ AMOLED
6.7″ FHD+ Super AMOLED

Rear camera
48MP f/1.75 + 8MP f/2.4 telephoto + 13MP f/2.4 ultra-wide
48MP f/2.0 + 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide

Front camera
20MP f/2.2, popup camera
Nil, rotating from rear

Battery
Li-Po 4000 mAh
18W Quick Charge 3.0
3700 mAh
25W Super Fast Charging

Price
RM1199 / RM1399
RM2499

Winner: Xiaomi Mi 9T

After reviewing the Xiaomi Mi 9T, I literally felt that it was a good alternative to the Xiaomi Mi 9 for those who have a tighter budget. It was a solid device, and for RM1199, it was a steal. If you would like to see more comparisons like this, drop us a comment and we will see what we can do!
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HONOR Intelligent Lifestyle Festival Promo To Run From 6 To 31 March 2020

With HONOR launching a host of their intelligent lifestyle products at Barcelona recently, HONOR Malaysia is promoting their current ecosystem products with the HONOR Intelligent Lifestyle Festival.
HONOR Intelligent Lifestyle Festival 2020

Starting from 6 to 31 March 2020, you can enjoy special deals and freebies on most of their smartphones and wearables.
Here’s the full list of deals that they’re offering:

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ModelFreebiesRRPPromo priceHONOR 9XHONOR Band 5i, giftbag with gifts worth RM169, HONOR 10,000mAh power bank and giftboxRM999N/AHONOR 20 PROHONOR backpackRM1999RM1599HONOR 20HONOR backpackRM1399RM1199HONOR 20 LiteHONOR 10,000mAh power bank and giftboxRM799RM749HONOR 8X MaxHONOR 10,000mAh power bank and giftboxN/ARM899HONOR 8AHONOR food container or tumblerRM499N/AHONOR 8S32GB SanDisk microSD cardRM399N/A
Well that’s for the smartphone side of things. They’ve also got some deals for some of their wearables, which includes:
ModelFreebiesRRPHONOR MagicWatch 2 46mm (Charcoal Black)HONOR waterproof bag or universal adapterRM699HONOR MagicWatch 2 46mm (Flax Brown)HONOR waterproof bag or universal adapterRM749HONOR Band 5HONOR waterproof bag or universal adapterRM129
The HONOR Intelligent Lifestyle Festival offers will be available in the promo period and you can get them at all HONOR Experience Stores and selected partners stores nationwide.
Pokdepinion: See something that’s on offer that you like?
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OPPO F9 Starry Purple Officially Launched

OPPO has today launched their latest OPPO F9 Starry Purple which is set to be available tomorrow, 3rd October 2018 and also introduced their special Shuseido edition.
OPPO F9 Starry Purple Launch

Coming in with two color variants, Sunrise Red and Twilight Blue previously, the brand is releasing a limited edition Shiseido gift box to celebrate the Starry Purple arrival.

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Local artist Ayda Jebat as well as international star Hebe Tian made an appearance as they are the smartphone’s official ambassadors.

The special edition Shiseido OPPO F9 Starry Purple comes with Shiseido Rouge Rouge lipstick in Primrose Sun that’s worth RM108 and a flash make upservice card that allows customers to experience a makeup service that Shiseido themselves designed exclusively.

It is available exclusively at OPPO’s e-commerce partner, Lazada online store starting from 3rd October 2018. As for the normal edition, preorder has already begun and will last until the 5th of October 2018. You could also head to OPPO Concept Stores, OPPO authorized dealer stores to purchase the OPPO F9 Starry Purple.

Now for price. You can get the OPPO F9 Starry Purple at RM1,399. Wonder on how much is the Shiseido limited edition set? Well it is priced at the same price tag at RM1,399 but you may want to be quick as it’s available only while stocks last.
Pokdepinion: So if you seem to be interested in getting the Starry Purple version of the F9, you might as well go for the Shiseido set as they are priced the same.
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realme Sub-brand Dizo Teases Its First Phone

Dizo, realme’s sub-brand that makes primarily AIoT products has just released a teaser of its upcoming phone on social media. The tease was posted on the brand’s official Twitter account which includes a barely visible look at the titular phone itself and a caption that reads “LOOKS THAT DON’T DECEIVE”.

Premium design coupled with the best features is just what you need to #BeDifferent.
Get the complete package, soon. Can you guess the product ?#DIZO #realmeTechLife pic.twitter.com/RHvNTJ0U6g
— DIZO (@DIZOTech) July 2, 2021

realme sub-brand Dizo teases new phone
Teaser with enhanced brightness
The phone in the teaser is pretty hidden in the dark but when you pump up the brightness you can clearly see that Dizo’s first phone is not a smartphone but in fact a feature phone. This corroborates with the recent FCC listing, which showcases two feature phones; Dizo Star 500 and Star 300.

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          Image credit: FCC            Image credit: FCC            Image credit: FCC
Judging by the circular camera design, the phone teased in the picture looks to be the Dizo Star 500 which was listed on the FCC back in May. According to the listing, the Star 500 will feature dual-SIM support with dual-band 2G connectivity, a 1,830 battery, a single camera with LED flash and microSD support. However, the teaser photo shows a more textured back design rather than the plain back with a large Dizo branding. Either the device is a completely new device or it has been slightly redesigned.
          Image credit: FCC            Image credit: FCC            Image credit: FCC
The other feature phone listed in the FCC last May is the Dizo Star 300. The Star 300 is the smaller brother of the Star 500 and comes with a smaller screen but a bigger 2,500mAh battery and also features dual-SIM support with dual-band 2G connectivity, microSD support as well as a single camera with LED flash.
As of right now, there isn’t much information regarding the realme sub-brand’s first phone apart from the teaser. Be sure to stay tuned to us at Pokde.net for more news about this.
Source
Pokdepinion: In all honesty, I was not aware of the brand’s existence until now and after checking out their catalogue of products they look pretty solid.
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POCO M3 Review — Drawing The Line For Entry-Level

We take a look at POCO’s latest entry-level smartphone in this POCO M3 review. Seeing how well they did with both the POCO X3 NFC and POCO F2 Pro, will the M3 offer a similar, attractive value? Let’s find out.
Unboxing
POCO M3 Review – Unboxing
From the box, you can expect the following to be included:

The POCO M3
USB-C cable
22.5W charging brick
TPU case
Screen protector
Documentation
SIM ejector

Appearance
POCO M3 Review – Front
On the front of the device, the POCO M3 comes with a 6.53-inch FHD+ (1080 x 2340) IPS panel display. As you can see, there are slight bezels on the sides and it comes with a DotDrop notch which houses the 8MP front camera.

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POCO M3 Review – Bottom
Taking a look at the bottom, you’ll find the microphone, USB-C port, and also the phone’s speaker.
POCO M3 Review – Bottom
You’ll only find the SIM tray on the left side of the POCO M3.
POCO M3 Review – Right
On the opposite side of the device is the fingerprint scanner which doubles as the power button. As you’d expect, you can find the volume rockers on this side as well.
POCO M3 Review – Top
On the top, you can find its secondary mic as well as secondary speaker, which is an interesting offering for its price segment. It is then completed with the POCO M3’s 3.5mm headphone jack.
POCO M3 Review – Back
Turning to the back, you can clearly see the big POCO branding on the top right. In case you’re wondering, the material that houses the cameras is made out of plastic. Other than that, the rest of the back is also plastic but it offers a leather-like feel.
POCO M3 Specifications

CPU:
Snapdragon 662 Octa-core (4 x 2.0GHz Kryo 260 Gold + 4 x 1.8GHz Kryo 260 Silver) 11nm

GPU:
Adreno 610

RAM:
4GB

Display:
6.53″ FHD+ (2340 x 1080) IPS, 19:5:9 ratio

Storage:
UFS 2.1 64GB/ UFS 2.2 128GB

Camera:
Main camera(s)
48MP f/1.8 PDAF
2MP f/2.4 macro
2MP f/2.4 depth
LED, HDR, Panorama, Night Mode
Front camera
8MP f/2.1
HDR, AI, Portrait

OS:
MIUI 12 based on Android 10

Connectivity:
LTE Band 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/20/28/38/40/41
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)
Bluetooth 5.0

SIM:
Dual SIM

Battery:
Li-Po 6000mAh (non-removable)
18W fast charging
22.5W charger (included in box)

Dimensions:
162,3 x 77.3 x 9.6mm

Weight:
198g

Performance
POCO M3 Review – Antutu
The POCO M3 uses a Snapdragon 662 SoC inside. We’ve tested one before in the form of the OPPO A73 and seeing the test here on Antutu v8, the POCO M3 managed to score higher.
POCO M3 Review – Geekbench
Here, we see a similar result, with the POCO M3 coming in with a slightly higher single-core score than the OPPO A73. Surprisingly, it even manage to perform better than the realme 5i, which uses a higher Snapdragon 665 chipset.
POCO M3 Review – 3DMark
Again, the POCO M3 sits just above both the OPPO A73 and realme 5i in 3DMark. It scored better in both Ice Storm Unlimited and Sling Shot Extreme compared to the OPPO A73 but it falls a little short to the latter in the Sling Shot test.
POCO M3 Review – PCMark Work 2.0
On the other hand, the POCO M3 scored the lowest when it comes to PCMark’s Work 2.0 benchmark.
POCO M3 Review – PCMark Work 2.0 Battery
In all honesty, I expected the POCO M3 to offer long battery life considering that it packs a chunky 6000mAh capacity. PCMark’s battery benchmark doesn’t showcase that however as we found that it managed to last just 11 hours and 2 minutes. This shows that it’s not the best when it comes to power efficiency.
For my personal day-to-day use, the result is similar. It can last up to 2-days for me but when that time comes, it would be around 15 to 30%. I wouldn’t consider myself a heavy user as the list of app I used consists only of Gmail, WhatsApp, Facebook, Messenger, and Telegram.
While the brick that they’ve provided is a 22.5W fast charger, the phone only supports up to 18W charging. In a 30-minute charging period, I found that it manage to charge from 8% to 28%, which definitely is far from fast but understandable given the large capacity.
User Experience
POCO M3 Review – Display
The first thing that I noticed about the POCO M3 is that the display is rather dim. Even with the auto brightness turned on, the brightness was still low. In the end, I had to manually adjust it which didn’t give me the best of experiences.
With the smartphone coming with dual speakers, it definitely made videos more enjoyable. It’s not common for a smartphone at this price point to offer that feature and for that, I give my hats off to POCO.
POCO M3 Review – Material
Weight and comfort-wise, the phone is not the most lightweight of smartphones and this is probably because of the big 6000mAh battery that’s fitted inside. With that being said, we’ve tested smartphones that are heavier than this one so it’s perfectly fine.
One thing that I like about the device is the design on the back. Yes, it is plastic but POCO has designed it to offer a leather-like texture. It offers a nice grip on the hands and I’d take designs like this over those glossy ones that attract fingerprints or stains.

While the POCO M3 wasn’t made to be a gaming smartphone, I decided to take it out for a spin and in this case, Call of Duty Mobile. While the game is able to run on the highest graphic settings, I felt that the phone warmed up rather quickly. Take it down to medium and it was much more of comfortable experience. I was able to play normally without any issues but it does show some signs of lag when you’re at the menu.
POCO M3 Review – UI
Continuing on the topic of lag, it offers a similar experience when it comes to the overall UI experience. I feel that the skin used is a bit heavy and it definitely needs more than the 4GB RAM that’s provided with the device. I understand that the POCO M3 is a device aimed for the entry-level market, but if you’re coming from a higher end device, you will definitely notice the slow performance.
With my usual use of apps including Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, Gmail, and Telegram, it definitely couldn’t handle the workload. If you want a smoother experience, you certainly need to close some of the background processes.
POCO M3 Review – Camera UI
If you have used Xiaomi devices before, the camera UI for the POCO M3 is similar. You got the basics displayed on the home screen and if you’re looking to add more there, you can easily tweak it to fit your needs.
          Normal            Normal          Low light              Low light            Normal            Normal              Normal          Close up            Normal              Normal            Normal              Night Mode            Low light normal            Selfie            Normal
In proper lighting conditions, the POCO M3 does a decent job in shots. Due to the lack of image stabilization, you will need to keep your hands steady in low light environments. This doesn’t help given that it takes some time to process images once you’ve taken your picture. I would’ve liked it if this smartphone offers an ultra-wide or telephoto camera but then again, considering it’s price, maybe I’m asking too much.
Check out the full-sized images right here.
Conclusion
POCO M3 Review – Verdict
All in all, the POCO M3 does seem to perform well for the entry-level market. For just the price of RM499, you’re getting what you pay for. I can see this device being used by the younger generation or as a secondary smartphone.
It definitely could use some improvements here and there, but that would probably increase the price tag for the device. If you’re someone who wants something basic in a smartphone, the POCO M3 would be a good option.
We would like to thank POCO/Xiaomi Malaysia for providing the POCO M3 that was used in this review.
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New Acer Predator Helios 300 and Nitro 5 Gaming Laptops Launched

At the launch of the It Lies Within roadshow at Sunway Pyramid today, Acer Malaysia has officially launched the new Acer Predator Helios 300 and Nitro 5 gaming laptops. It has been refreshed with new 12th Gen Intel Core CPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series GPU. On top of that, there are freebies and discounts for you to enjoy as well.
Predator Helios 300

The Acer Predator Helios 300 is powered by the 12th Gen Intel Core i7 paired to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 with support for higher MGP of 150W for an improved gaming experience. As for memory, it comes with up to 2TB SSD and 32GB 4800MHz DDR5 RAM. It features metal chassis and a thin light bar for better aesthetics and build quality.

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The display is a 15.6-inch QHD resolution with 100% DCI-P3, 165Hz refresh rate, and 3ms overdrive response time. As for cooling, it comes with dual 5th Gen AeroBlade 3D fans with liquid thermal paste to keep the device running optimally over a long period of time. As for connectivity, you get Wi-Fi 6E and Killer DoubleShot Pro for a more consistent networking experience.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 gaming laptop will be available from today onwards with a retail price of RM7,999 and comes with 2 years on-site warranty with accidental damage and theft protection. You can get it on the Acer eStore, official stores on Shopee and Lazada, authorized Predator retailers, and at the It Lies Within roadshow at Sunway Pyramid. If you were to purchase this before 14th July 2022, you can enjoy cashback up to RM150 and free merchandise worth RM833.
Acer Nitro 5

The new Acer Nitro 5 has a slight change in the look with a facelift chassis. It’s powered by up to the 12th Gen Intel Core i7 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti with up to 32GB DDR4 RAM and 1TB SSD. There is also an additional 2.5-inch SATA slot if you want to expand the storage.
For display, you have the choice of either a 165Hz QHD IPS display or a 144Hz FHD IPS display, both of which has 100% DCI P3 and 45% NTSC colour gamut. Apart from that, you get a 4-zone RGB keyboard and a dual-fan cooling system. Certain variants will come with higher MGP for improved performance.
The Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop will be available from today onwards with a retail price of RM4,399 and comes with 2 years local warranty with 1-year international travel warranty. You can get it on the Acer eStore, official stores on Shopee and Lazada, authorized Predator retailers, and at the It Lies Within roadshow at Sunway Pyramid. If you were to purchase this before 14th July 2022, you can enjoy cashback up to RM150 and free merchandise worth RM833.
It Lies Within Roadshow

To celebrate the launch of the laptops and their other new products, the It Lies Within roadshow will be running from today until 3rd July 2022. There will be flash sales, discounts, and special activities with prizes up for grabs. If you’re particularly interested in the flash sale, it will be happening on 2nd and 3rd July 2022 from 10AM to 12PM, and the items up for sale is the following:

Product
Flash Sale (RM)
Retail Price (RM)

Acer Thin and Light USB Wireless Mouse AMR020
1.00
99.00

Acer Urban Entry Backpack V2 (Fits Up To 15.6″)
1.00
59.00

Predator Reflective Mask
9.90
49.00

Acer Laptop Sleeve 14 inch (Blue)
19.00
169.00

Predator Mousepad M Size (Meteor Shower)
29.00
89.00

Predator Snapback Cap
29.00
69.00

Predator Reflective T-Shirt
39.90
89.00

Predator Portable Vacuum Suction Bottle
49.00
99.00

Source
Pokdepinion: I do wonder how big of a difference the higher MGP will make in terms of performance, but I also really hope the cooling systems on each laptop can sustain the performance when gaming.
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Samsung Introduces Samsung Rewards – Earn More As You Spend!

Samsung Pay has been around since February 2017 and since then has been payment method preferred by tech shoppers. With that in mind, Samsung Malaysia Electronics are introducing Samsung Rewards to award them.
Samsung Rewards
Samsung Rewards, a first of a kind rewards program for Samsung Pay, works just like similarly like a point-based credit card based program. Everytime a user makes a purchase through Samsung Pay, they will be rewarded points.
The reward program has loyalty tiers, namely Gold, Silver and Bronze, which comes with point multipliers enabling consumers to earn double or quadruple points (depends on how often they use it in a month).

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To level up through the tiers, users would have to make certain amount of transaction. The higher the user’s level, the more points they will get.
We are always looking for ways to offer Samsung customers more value, to enhance their experience with Samsung products and services, and, ultimately, make their day-to-day lives a little more convenient. Samsung Pay helps people slim down their physical wallets, and Samsung Rewards helps to keep their digital wallets full. We want to build on the success of Samsung Pay by giving new users even more reasons to try it out – not to mention, thank our existing customers for using a service they already love KM Liew, Head of IT and Mobile Business, Samsung Malaysia Electronics
Besides that, users can also collect points from limited-time bonus offers. Samsung Rewards will partner with retailers and small businesses to give users opportunities to earn even more points. In order to start earning these points, users would need activate and update their Samsung Pay to the latest version on their device. Upon completion, 450 welcome points will be given automatically to the user’s account. Note that this will be for a limited time only.
Local merchants that are currently participating with the rewards program are Juice Works, dal.komm Coffee, GSC, Kenny Rogers, Lazada, and Dominoes. Rewards include Wireless Charger Stand, Battery Pack, and the Gear S3 Frontier from Samsung.
For more info on the rewards program, you can click on the link here.
Pokdepinion: Yeah, if you are an avid Samsung user, might as well use the Samsung Pay. Might as well get something when you shop shop shop!
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ZOTAC Brings Seven New Models Under RTX 4060 Family

The RTX 4060 family will spawn a total of seven variants under ZOTAC’s GPU lineup – with three each for both RTX 4060 Ti versions (8GB & 16GB) plus a single-fan model for the RTX 4060. Both RTX 4060 Ti models feature dual-fan designs, with standard Twin Edge, OC White Edition, and a special Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse bundle that feature special backplate designs.

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Physically, all three cards are identical in size with 225.5 x 123.2 x 40.1 mm (WxHxD) that occupies 2.2 slots, with the same IceStorm 2.0 cooling that features horizontal heatsinks. As a 160W card, the power connector utilizes the traditional PCIe 8-pin for power delivery. As for the clockspeeds, the stock black Twin Edge model is the sole model without factory overclock applied at 2535MHz, while the Spider-Verse variant features a +15MHz overclock at 2550MHz. White Edition cards feature the highest overclock with +30MHz bump to 2565MHz.
The company also introduced the single-fan RTX 4060 8GB SOLO model, however just like the RTX 4060 Ti 16GB models, users will have to wait for 2 more months before they hit the store shelves in July. As for the pricing, ZOTAC only noted that the standard Twin Edge versions will follow MSRP, which is $399 for 8GB version and $499 for 16GB version. The single-fan RTX 4060 SOLO will also follow MSRP of $299, too.
Pokdepinion: I only just realized the heatsink design is quite unique compared to most cards.
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MSI’s AMD X670 Series Motherboards Now Available

MSI’s latest X670 series motherboards are now available in Malaysia – with four X670(E) models leading the way:
MPG X670E CARBON WIFI

The MPG X670E CARBON WIFI features heatsinks and heatpipes for chipset cooling, plus a 18+2+1 phase VRM (Vcore+SOC+Misc) powering the AM5 socket and its components. Also featured are PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots with screwless Shield Frozr design, onboard 2.5GbE LAN, Wi-Fi 6E, and USB-C support with DisplayPort 1.4 HBR3.

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PRO X670-P WIFI

The sole vanilla X670 model launched today, the PRO X670-P WIFI supports 14+2+1 phase (Vcore+SOC+Misc) VRM, PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot with double-sided M.2 Shield Frozr design, onboard 2.5GbE LAN and Wi-Fi 6E, as well as DisplayPort 1.4 HBR3 support for USB-C.
MEG X670E ACE

For users looking for extreme performance, MSI’s MEG X670E ACE offers among the most robust VRMs with a 22+2+1 phase Vcore+SOC+Misc design, plus the same PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot – now situated on the right side of DDR5 slots, with magnetic M.2 Shield Frozr screwless heatsink. Onboard networking is now powered by a 10GbE LAN with Wi-Fi 6E, with front panel USB-C capable of outputting 60W PD for charging laptops or mobile devices.
MEG X670E GODLIKE

As MSI’s flagship motherboard model, the MEG X670E GODLIKE is armed with 24+2 phase DRPS/105-amp power stage for extreme power delivery under overclocking applications. Similar to ACE, the PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot is placed on the right side of DDR5 slots – screwless designs are also featured here. This model provides the most robust networking options with dual 10GbE + 2.5GbE LAN ethernet plus Wi-Fi 6E, while the front panel USB-C provides up to 60W PD output. M-Vision Dashboard connects to the motherboard for users to view essential system metrics.
Read more details on MSI Malaysia’s website.
Pokdepinion: I wonder if GODLIKE might be featured in XOC leaderboards at some point soon?
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Samsung Advantage Offer Hassle-Free Solutions For Your Samsung Galaxy Device

To an average person, the smartphone is one of the most important pieces of technology to have in the modern era. It is usually the first thing you look at in the morning and the last item you put down at night. It is beside you at all times to keep you connected and informed. With Samsung Advantage, Samsung is going beyond the standard smartphone offerings, as we
know it is the small details, from when and how you purchase, transfer data, connectivity, protection, support and rewards that add up.
Take advantage of your Samsung Galaxy device with Samsung Advantage

To showcase what Samsung Advantage is all about, Samsung is launching a series of films, featuring nine influencers from 8 July until 7 August. Each influencer of #TeamGalaxy will highlight a pain point many people face with their smartphones. The cast includes Yaya, Shu Faye, Jovane, Imran, Vanessa, Wafiy, Alvy, Eric and Mia.

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We all want a high-quality phone that won’t break the budget, especially when many of us are in financial straits. Wafiy, a social media influencer, will showcase Samsung’s Easy Instalment Plan, which allows customers to buy a Samsung Galaxy phone with no interest.

Your smartphone should let you connect your ecosystem to a world full of devices and appliances. Allow Yaya to demonstrate how simple conveniences like accepting calls on your tablet and arranging appointments on your Samsung watch can make your day go much more smoothly.
With the majority of us staying at home, having a platform where we can browse and buy the latest smartphones and have them delivered the same day allows you to spend more time doing the things you enjoy. So, when you make an online purchase before 11AM, let Jovan show you the thrill of receiving your smartphone the same day.
Your loyalty to Samsung is a privilege, and the company will continue to reward you when you make a transaction using your Galaxy mobile. Watch as an animated Eric demonstrates how tiny purchases may build up to significant savings and rewards.

When you switch from an old to a new smartphone, Imran understands the dread of losing your valuable photos, material, and data. He can effortlessly and flawlessly move data from his old device to his new one using Samsung Smart Switch.
We’ve all been in the situation of waiting in line for customer service and gradually becoming dissatisfied by the lack of attention. With the Z Premier Service, Alvy does not have this problem because she can easily get her issue resolved right away.

Accidentally damaging your phone, whether through falls, liquid spills, or water submersion, is a serious concern for all smartphone owners. Allow Mia and Faye to demonstrate how you can rest easy knowing that your Samsung smartphone is secured with Samsung Care+.
When Vanessa has a problem with her Galaxy device, she can call our 24/7 support and care line, Samsung Customer Care Services, and they can troubleshoot the problem remotely. Not to mention complimentary gadget health checks to ensure that her smartphone is in tip-top shape.
You can check out the preview of the Samsung Advantage video showcase down below.

To know more about Samsung Advantage, you can head over here.
Pokdepinion: I like what Samsung is doing with Samsung Advantage because God knows how annoying and cumbersome it is when your smartphone has issues.
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Grab Takes Over Uber – What Does This Mean To The Average User?

Well it’s been circulating over the web, Grab has now acquired Uber here in Southeast Asia, their biggest competitor for ride-sharing business.
Grab Now Owns Uber In SouthEast Asia
With the takeover done, the deal is the largest-ever deal of its kind in the whole region. Not only will Grab integrate Uber’s ride-sharing, but also their food delivery business as well into Grab’s existing multi-modal transportation and fintech platform. This takeover will also see Grab drive towards becoming the number 1 online-to-offline mobile platform in Southeast Asia and a major player in the food delivery business.
In exchange to the deal, Uber will be receiving a 27.5% stake in Grab, in which this is reflective of the companies’ respective market shares. In addition to that, Uber CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi will join Grab’s board of directors.

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It will introduce GrabFood, businesses in Indonesia and Thailand to two more countries, that being Singapore and Malaysia. GrabFood will be made available for all major Southeast Asian countries in the first half of 2018.
Besides that, Grab will expand its suite of offering under Grab Financial, that includes mobile payments, micro-financing, insurance, and other financial services for their consumers, entrepreneurs and small businesses in the region. GrabPay as a mobile wallet will be available across all major Southeast Asian countries by the end of this year.
In order to make the transition smooth, Grab and Uber are working together to migrate Uber drivers and riders, Uber Eats customers, merchant partners and delivery partners to Grab’s platform. The Uber app will still continue to operate for two weeks to ensure stability for Uber drivers, where else Uber Eats will run until the end of May where they will then be moved to the GrabFood platform.
Pokdepinion: This is quite the news, and a big one to add. I do know some people that prefer using Uber rather than Grab, not sure how they feel about this. What do you think of the move? Let us know in the comment section!
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Snapdragon 888 Pro in the works, devices to arrive in Q3 2021

When the ROG Phone 5 was released, I came to the conclusion that there might not be a Snapdragon 888+, considering how ASUS usually packs overclocked chips in the ROG Phone series. But apparently there is going to be a Snapdragon 888 Pro, and it’s already being sampled by Chinese smartphone vendors.
The Snapdragon 888 Pro is reportedly going to appear in more Chinese smartphones than its predecessor, however I do wonder how they plan on further improving upon the performance of the Snapdragon 888. The Snapdragon 888 in its current form is already quite toasty as evident in our reviews of the ROG Phone 5 and Xiaomi Mi 11, so a simple overclock is probably going to overwhelm most devices.

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Rumors point to higher clocks on the prime Cortex-X1 core, which will boost the single-core performance in the Snapdragon 888 Pro. Given the history of Qualcomm’s overclocked flagship chips, we will also probably see higher GPU frequencies as well. Hopefully all that will be accompanied by a further refined manufacturing process, as the current Samsung 5nm process node appears to be quite inefficient and may be partly to blame for the toasty temperatures we see in the Snapdragon 888 devices today.

On top of that, you most probably won’t need that extra performance from the Snapdragon 888 Pro for anything particular, as even the Snapdragon 865 is still more than capable of tackling anything you throw at it today. It will be more of a bragging right, rather than something you need. I don’t expect the Snapdragon 888 Pro to appear in more consumer-centric flagships, as even the current Snapdragon 888’s thermal output is capable of overwhelming them, resulting in the devices overheating when tackling more intensive workloads like extended video recording sessions.

Instead, the Snapdragon 888 Pro is most probably targeted towards gaming phones, which are often equipped with more impressive cooling facilities to handle the higher thermal output of the Snapdragon 888 Pro. Of course, with proper tuning, any device should be able to keep the chipset from overheating, but that usually entails throttling and I don’t see why you would try to pack a faster (and presumably more expensive) chipset just to throttle it.
Well, I guess all there’s to do now is to wait for Q3 2021 and see what our favorite smartphone makers have to offer with the Snapdragon 888 Pro!
Source
Pokdepinion: What if the Snapdragon 888 Pro is clocked the same, but Qualcomm opted for a more efficient manufacturing process? It will then produce less heat, and be able to deliver greater performance while also consuming less power.
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Sudio Nivå True Wireless earphones review — small earphones with a big sound!

Introduction

Sudio has always been one to deliver great looking earphones that sound as great as they look. After the Sudio TRE earbuds, we were basically just waiting for Sudio to come up with their rendition of the latest truly wireless earphones. Truly wireless, as in there are no wires between the earpieces too. Not one to disappoint, we have here the Sudio Niva, true wireless earphones infused with Sudio’s design language and sound signature. How do we find it?
Unboxing

The Sudio Niva’s packaging is simple. Lots of white, with the product image smack dab in the center. This is a theme we have seen used across Sudio’s lineup of products, and we can’t say we don’t like it. It’s simple, yet eye-catching enough to draw your attention to take a closer look, perfect for store displays. As you draw closer, you will also spot the small text along the bottom which tells you what’s in the box, as well as the expected battery life. The other side of the box you will find even more details of the Sudio Niva.

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Lifting off the lid reveals the minimalistic design of the Sudio Niva’s charging case. The letters NIVÅ are engraved into the top cover of the charging case, and the black foam surround it charging case serves to not only protect the Sudio Niva, but also to highlight the simple design of the charging case here. Nice.

And upon lifting the charging case out of packaging, we find some stuff like different sized silicone tips, user guide, USB cable and the exclusive guarantee certificate that’s a black card. We would have loved a soft pouch to protect the charging case too, but sadly that was not a part of the deal.
Appearance

What’s a part of the deal are earpieces that are just as minimal as the charging case. Smooth curves are the order of the day here, contrasted by the concentric circle pattern on the sole button on the earpieces. Look closely and you can see Sudio even added a glossy rim where the flat top meets the sides. Excellent attention to detail here, despite not having lots of space to express it on. I believe Sudio could have further refined the design by making the top half meet the lower half more smoothly for a seamless look, but no one is going to see that seam once these are in your ears. Some dirt did get lodged in the seam of our white unit in less than a week of use though, which definitely mars the appeal.

Paying some attention to the minimalistic charging case, we see it sports four LEDs indicating the battery level of the charging case. A little cleft on the bottom half allows you to easily snag the lid’s edge and open it. The lid then flips up exactly like a compact powder case. Small design touches, but they do make it that much more intuitive to use.

Meanwhile, over on the other end we find the microUSB charging port. With Type-C gaining prevalence, some adoption of the newer standard would have been nice to see here. As you can see in the background, the Sudio Niva charges up with a red LED. On the white model, the red LEDs are actually bright enough to shine through the cover on the charging case, making it look like some sort of round demonic apparition in the dark.

In charge of charging the earpieces are these pogo pins, as well as a firm magnetic grip that holds the Sudio Niva firmly in the charging case. The lid features a magnet to help it stay closed securely too, minimizing your chances of losing your pair.
Specifications

Drivers:
6.2mm dynamic driver

Frequency response:
18 Hz – 22 KHz

Sensitivity:
105 dB

Impedance:
32 Ω

Input:
Bluetooth 4.2 (SBC)

Battery life:
3.5 hours playback, charging case provides 3 charges

Charging:
10 minutes quick charging, 60 minutes to full charge

Weight:
10g

User Experience

Pressing down for 3 seconds on the single fancy button on the Sudio Niva turns it on. Holding it down for another 3 seconds brings you to pairing mode. The LED here flashes red when in pairing mode, just like their other models. If you put them into your ears, you can hear the Sudio Niva speak to you in a robotic female voice. Power On. Pairing. Device Connected. Now at this point, it is important to note that the right earpiece (marked with a R on the lower half) is the one that will connect to your smartphone. As you turn on the other side, you will hear: Left Channel. Right Channel. Second device connected. Pretty cool if you ask me. It could be even cooler though, if it powered on automatically upon removal from the case. The button also works for picking up calls and controlling music playback.

Once again like the other products from Sudio, a blue status LED will flash intermittently when the Sudio Niva are on. While they aren’t nearly as bright as the Vasa Bla’s LED which can light up half a room, the fact that they do not synchronize and blink at the same pace triggers me a little. Tossing them back in the case and letting them satisfyingly click into place with the solid magnetic pull automatically powers the Sudio Niva down and initiates charging.

By now, you would probably be wondering how do they sound. Not too bad at all, actually. The highs and mids are nicely detailed, and I wasn’t left wanting here. There is lots of bass here too, making for a very fun sound signature. The emphasis on bass frequencies is a double edged sword though, with the bass frequencies overpowering the mids slightly in bassier pop and EDM tracks, taking away some clarity. Tuning for a bassier than neutral sound is definitely Sudio’s signature, but Sudio may have given the bass frequencies just a bit too much boost with the Sudio Niva. It’s not to say these are great to listen to, as these are great fun for all music genres. Sadly, tip rolling isn’t an option with the Sudio Niva, as the nozzles here have a much bigger bore than your average earphones’. The included tips are fine, but the massive nozzles knock out the option of playing with the sound signature with different tips. There is also no support for AptX, which might have enabled even better sound quality.
Noise isolation is great, with surrounding noise being blocked out effectively. You can literally use these as earplugs in noisier environments. The good noise isolation also contributes to a safer listening experience, as “leaky” headphones often result in users turning up the volume to drown out the noise, increasing the risk of damage to their hearing. For those who intend to use it as a cool hands-free when driving, you can use only the right earpiece to maintain awareness of your surroundings. However the call quality is sub-par, with the person on the other end complaining of wind noise that’s picked up by the microphone.
The battery life of the Sudio Niva is pretty decent, with me clocking 3 hours 15 minutes before it powered down automatically. This is slightly shorter than the 3 hour 30 minute listening time claimed by Sudio. Their previous products has always over-delivered in terms of battery life, so it’s surprising to see them fall short of their claim this time around.  Charging up again took 1 hour 20 minutes, once again under-delivering on Sudio’s claim of a full-charge in just an hour. The case is good for a bit more than 3 full charges, right on the mark with Sudio’s claim. Sudio claims 3 charges on the packaging, while claiming 4 charges on their official website. Well, at least the packaging got it right. Overall, the battery life is decent enough, as you have plenty of power for a gym session. With the case, you should be well set for around a week or more of listening. The case takes a rather long time to juice up fully though.
Conclusion
For RM425, it’s priced at less than half of what Apple is charging for their AirPods. It’s priced quite reasonably if you are in the market for true wireless audio. The lack of AptX support is quite disappointing, especially after seeing it added to the Sudio TRE previously.

Further sweetening the deal is our exclusive discount code POKDE2018, which will slash 15% off the price. Sudio is also currently running a special 2018 Hari Raya promotion until 17 June, where you can get a free Gift Box, Sudio Eco-friendly Tote Bag and Free Delivery with every purchase of a Sudio Niva. And if you are an OCD freak, get the black one. You can thank us later. While there are some drawbacks like the sound signature being a bit too bassy for audiophiles, it is really great fun to listen to. We will award this with our Silver PokdeWard, as it is just that good.

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HyperX Cloud Alpha Review – Best Value Gaming Headset in Recent Times?

We took one of the most sought after gaming headsets, the HyperX Cloud Alpha, for a spin. Could this actually be the best value gaming headset around?

HyperX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset Review

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It’s no secret that HyperX makes some really good gaming headsets. Their older Cloud headsets were critically acclaimed and many expect the company to continue improving their quality moving forward. Today, we’re going to dive into one of the most highly sought after gaming headsets by them, the HyperX Cloud Alpha. Let’s take a look, shall we?
Unboxing the HyperX Cloud Alpha

We actually made an unboxing post for the HyperX Cloud Alpha gaming headset earlier on. There may be some bits and pieces of information there that you might be interested to know. If you want to get up to speed, click right here to check that out. If you just want to see the unboxing video, we included that right above here.
Appearance

The HyperX Cloud Alpha looks quite similar to the Cloud II headset, assuming you’re looking at the same colour scheme of course. It has a more rounded earcups, the headband which has 2 wires connecting to the earcups for additional support, and the aluminum frame holding said earcup as well as connecting to the headband.

The earcups with its plush memory foam covered in faux leather not only gives it a premium look, but also adds to the overall comfort. And of course, you can spot the red HyperX logo embossed on the back of the earcup as well. The red aluminum frame is very solid and makes it a rather fierce looking headset, perfect for gaming.

The headband has a memory foam cushion in faux leather, just like the earcups. This ensures that the top of your head remains in a comfortable state even after long hours, while also adding to the premium factor of it. There’s also two wires connecting to the earcups which was done so to distribute the weight better and prevent the headset from sliding down your head / ears. Looking at the headband from the top, you can see red threads sown in and HyperX typography in black, blending in perfectly with the overall design.

While most gaming headsets would have the microphone as well as the cable attached to it, this one does not. The HyperX Cloud Alpha utilizes detachable headset cable and a detachable microphone. The latter brings longevity to the headset as there are times when the microphone may become problematic and you’re forced to buy a new one if you need to use it. In this case, just get a replacement mic.
Without a doubt, the HyperX Cloud Alpha is one of the best looking gaming headsets around and it does so in a practical manner since it is quite a comfortable wear. The detachable cable / microphone makes it even easier to pack this for travelling purposes, so you don’t have unnecessary cables dangling around or potentially facing a damaged microphone situation. What would be a major plus is if you can fold the headset, which makes travelling extra convenient. Regardless of that, good job, HyperX.
Specifications

Drivers:
Custom dynamic, 50mm dual chamber with neodymium magnets

Frequency response:
13 Hz – 27 KHz

Type:
Circumaural, closed back

Impedance:
65 Ω

Microphone:
Electret condenser microphone, detachable

Features:
Detachable headset cable, PC extension cable, multi-platform compatibility (PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, smartphone)

Weight:
298g (336g with microphone)

User Experience

Before I get started in talking about how it sounds like, I would like to point out that you are not connecting this to your PC via USB. Instead, it uses a single 3.5mm plug, which will allow you to use both the headset and the microphone if you have a combo audio jack like on laptops, PS4, and even smartphones. They’ve included an extension cable which also splits into a headphone and mic input.

For my testing purposes, I connected it directly to my motherboard’s input jack with the splitter for audio and microphone. I am using the ASRock Fatal1ty AB350 Gaming ITX/ac, in case you need that as a reference point.

Whether you’re watching videos on YouTube, gaming to your heart’s content, or even just listening to music, the HyperX Cloud Alpha never fails to deliver clear audio that well-defined, balanced, and somewhat bassy sound signature. It doesn’t have that over-the-top bass feel like the EdifIer G4 or the Sony MDR-XB950BT, so you never have bass overpowering every other sound coming to the HyperX Cloud Alpha.
While it does not have any form of surround sound or virtual surround, you can always connect it to a Dolby Atmos-capable machines like your Windows 10 PCs which should do the trick. However, I’d prefer refraining on my experience here as this is not meant for virtual / surround sound, so experience may differ for many people.

As for the microphone, well, we could tell you how good it is but you can never truly understand it unless you hear it for yourself since everyone has their own definition of “good”. Which is why we made a short and simple microphone test video for all of you to enjoy right above here.
While it is not close to what you’d expect from a standalone condenser microphone, the quality is not far off either. As you might hear from the video, you can definitely hear my voice clearly and with some depth in it too. You don’t hear any static noise, hiss, or any unwanted annoyances. For streamers and gaming content creators on a budget and can’t splurge on a mic, this is the perfect choice.

If you plan on using this with your PlayStation 4 console, be sure to connect it (without the splitter) to your DualShock 4 controller. You will be able to receive audio as well as use the microphone for in-game voice chat. I also tested it with the Nintendo Switch via its headphone jack and it works great.
Interesting note with the microphone, if you connect the HyperX Cloud Alpha to your smartphone without the use of the extension / splitter, you can use the microphone. While this may be overkill, you can actually use this as a handsfree kit. I have tested this with my ASUS ZenFone 5 (ZE620KL) smartphone and it works great.

Overall, the HyperX Cloud Alpha is a great gaming headset as it produces some awesome audio and also has a pretty good microphone to go along with it. This is also highly dependent on what you use to connect the headset. While connecting to your PC directly like I did should suit most people, you may want to consider investing in a DAC for the best experience possible.
HyperX Cloud Alpha Verdict

The HyperX Cloud Alpha gaming headset is arguably one of, if not the best analogue gaming headset around and its performance is only limited by the device that you are connecting it to. While some may groan at its use of the 3.5mm connection, this gives the headset a level of versatility that only a few others can match with.
Of course, it’s not to say that it is the best audio ever, as there are definitely better sounding headphones / headsets around but considering its price point and overall package, it’s going to be very difficult to find anything that can top the value that this headset offers. This is why I’m proud to award the HyperX Cloud Alpha gaming headset with our coveted Gold Pokdeward!

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Oppo Joins GSMA in Hopes of Achieving More Innovation

Oppo Joins GSMA

Oppo recently announced that it has joined the GSMA. What is GSMA you might ask? GSMA is trade association representing the interests of the global mobile communications industry. The GSMA includes nearly 800 operators with almost 300 companies in the mobile ecosystem, including smartphone manufacturers, software companies, equipment suppliers and internet companies. The GSMA is also responsible in producing major industry events such as the Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai, Mobile World Congress Americas and the Mobile 360 Series.

So yeah this is a big thing for Oppo because as a result of Oppo being a member of the GSMA, they get to be involved in a variety of working groups and programs dedicated to the advancement of tehnology. Which basically means that with Oppo’s inclusion in this association, Oppo gets first dibs at whatever’s the latest trends and technologies of  the worldwide telecommunications industry. This particular perk is useful considering that their target demographic has always been the young and hip people around the world.

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Oppo’s association with GSMA will also bring wonders in terms of innovation especially when it comes to their smartphone cameras. Their past few devices have been very camera focused and so far their camera technology have been getting better and better with each new device release (check out our review of the R9s right here) and this could definitely benefit them in improving their camera technology.
Pokdepinion: Personally I feel that this is a fantastic move by Oppo. They have been dishing out solid phones over the past year and it’s been more popular than ever amongst the Gen Y crowd. Them currently sitting pretty at the number four spot in the global smartphone rankings is proof of their ever growing popularity. If they continue in this current trajectory, things can only get better and better from here.
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This Is Why Gamers Aren’t Playing COD Vanguard According To Survey

Call of Duty Vanguard has given gamers mixed feelings since its release, where the sales hasn’t impressed compared to previous entries from the franchise too. It seems that a survey has revealed some of the reasons why it hasn’t been played by players.
Survey reveals why players aren’t playing COD Vanguard

The survey was done by GI.biz, where they’ve teamed up with EGX and PAX where they’ve took the thoughts of 671 “hardcore gamers” from the US and UK respectively. From that list, it seems that 284 of them has bought a Call of Duty game over the past 5 years but only a 59 of them had bought the latest game from the series.

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It appears that the biggest reason why they haven’t bought the game is simply because they were too busy playing other games, where 55% of them responded.
There’s also a number of them, at 14% that said playing Call of Duty Warzone, which is free-to-play, is already enough to have their gaming needs satisfied.

Other than that, 34% of them said they were exhausted from the franchise and needed a break from the game while 24% said they did not approve of the World War II setting. Reviews has also played an impact as 20% said they were not intrigued by the game’s reviews and finally 11% voted that they were waiting for different games instead, particularly Halo Infinite and Battlefield 2042.
Finishing off the list is 6% of them didn’t want to support Activision while 4% of them were not interested in the game simply because of the price tag, 3% because of cheaters, the single-player mode isn’t good enough makes up for 2% and finally another 2% said that the download size of the game is way too much.
COD Vanguard is available to play on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net
Source
Pokdepinion: While you may think that the sample size of the survey is small or how did they categorize “hardcore gamers”, regardless, it’s still worrying signs for Activision and the Call of Duty franchise in general. For me personally, I stopped because it was getting repetitive, What’s your take in this?
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Two New Characters Coming to Super Smash Bros Ultimate – They’re From Castlevania

During the Super Smash Bros Ultimate Nintendo Direct presentation, we had official confirmation on two new characters from Castlevania coming to the game.
Two New Characters from Castlevania Coming to Super Smash Bros Ultimate

The legendary vampire hunter Simon Belmont comes to Super #SmashBrosUltimate from the #Castlevania series! pic.twitter.com/q1L6wc7Aol
— Nintendo Versus (@NintendoVS) August 8, 2018

As one of the most anticipated titles of the 2018 holiday season, Super Smash Bros Ultimate is bringing over every character seen so far from the series across its almost 20 year history. Now the next game in the series will also be bringing over some new faces from Nintendo’s own Castlevania.

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Enough talk, have at you! Richter Belmont joins Super #SmashBrosUltimate as an Echo Fighter of Simon Belmont. pic.twitter.com/byiuBKQNDC
— Nintendo Versus (@NintendoVS) August 8, 2018

During today’s Nintendo Direct for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, series director Masahiro Sakurai revealed that Castlevania‘s iconic protagonist Simon Belmont will be joining the roster as the next fighter for the massive fighting game, alongside Richter, the protagonist from Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, who will be an Echo Fighter for Simon.
For those of you who aren’t aware, Echo Fighters are characters who share the same moveset as another character. This doesn’t mean that they function the same as they may have different properties with their attack from the character whom their moveset is based on. Examples of Echo Fighters are like how Lucina is to Marth.
In addition to the confirmation of Simon and Richter, Nintendo also revealed that more additions from the series will be present in Ultimate, including a new map based on the iconic Dracula’s Castle. Symphony of the Night‘s Alucard will also be entering the fight as a new Assist Trophy for players to wield in battle.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will release for Nintendo Switch on 7th December 2018.
Pokdepinion: Well, I’m certainly getting more excited about the game. December could not come any sooner.
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HUAWEI Launches HUAWEI Women Developers Programme To Empower Women Developers

HUAWEI has just launched a new developers programmes that aim to empower women developers to create applications and tools that can change the world. The HUAWEI Women Developers programme (HWD) is intended to encourage more women to join in technological innovation by providing participants with more opportunities and platforms for career development and skill training. The programme is open to all women across the world.
HUAWEI Women Developers programme is now open!

In a recent statement regarding the programme, HUAWEI said that more opportunities and support must be given to women to ensure they have access to the education and training that they need to be fundamentally competitive in the digital economy. Equipping women with these skills has proven to promote social integration and inclusive and diversified societies.

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The HUAWEI Women Developers programme will provide participants with training on technological innovation and career development paths, along with opportunities to meet with experts in cutting-edge technologies from various fields and to participate in hands-on scenario-based experiments and drills. The programme is also the latest initiative by HUAWEI in its efforts to promote gender equality in tech.

Furthermore, HUAWEI’s existing Shining-Star programme also offers women developers special incentives to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. Participants from this program who develop outstanding projects with big potential will have the opportunity to be featured in future campaigns and invited to other official HUAWEI events.
So far, Huawei has successfully launched similar digital skill training programs for women in many countries around the world. These countries include Ireland, Argentina, Bangladesh, Kenya, and South Africa. Over 30% of trainees in HUAWEI’s other ICT training programs, such as Seeds for the Future, are women.
Those interested to join the HUAWEI Women Developers programme can do so via the official HUAWEI Women Developers programme website.
Pokdepinion: I’m all for programmes like this as I believe gender equality is something that should be improved upon.
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Enjoy Deals And Discounts From Xiaomi Malaysia With #ShopOnlineWithMi Sales

Xiaomi Malaysia will be hosting their latest round of livestreaming sales promotion #ShopOnlineWithMi, where they are offering a host of deals and discounts for their products.
Xiaomi Malaysia #ShopOnlineWithMi
The special sales livestream will highlight some of the fan favorites from their lineup, offering both smartphones as well as IoT products. For smartphones, they’ve included the latest Redmi Note 9S, Mi Note 10 Pro, as well as the Redmi Note 8 Pro.
If you’re looking for some of their IoT items, well they are offering deals for their Mi Smart Projector Mini, Mi Air Purifier Pro, and Mi Robot Vacuum among others.

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There will also be Purchase-with-Purchase (PWP) deals for certain products during the livestream sales event.
In the livestream, you can earn yourself voucher codes which you can use to unlock the special deals that’ll be offered. These codes can only be use during the one-and-half hour livestream, something that you should take note of.
Interested in seeing what exactly they are offering? Well you can check the details below:

Product
RRP
Free Gift/PWP
Voucher Code
Final Price (w/o PWP)
Final Price (with PWP)

Redmi Note 9S (6GB + 128GB)
RM899
Free Gift box
RM50
RM849
RM849

Mi Note 10 Pro (8GB
+ 256GB)
RM2,499
Free Redmi 8A
150
RM2349
RM2349

Redmi Note 8 Pro (6GB + 128GB)
RM999
Mi Band 4 at RM119 (PWP)
RM70
RM929
RM1,048

Redmi Note 8 (4GB + 64GB)
RM699
Redmi 20,000 Power Bank at RM70 (PWP)
RM50
RM649
RM719

Redmi 8A (2GB + 32GB)
RM459
Redmi 10,000mAh Power Bank at RM45 (PWP)
RM50
RM409
RM454

Mi Smart Projector Mini
RM1,899
–
RM150
RM1,749
–

Mi Robot Vacuum
RM1,,199
–
RM100
RM1,099
–

Mi Air Purifier Pro
RM988
–
RM130
RM858
–

Mi Induction Cooker
RM259
–
RM40
RM219
–

Mi Home Security Camera 360° 1080p
RM159
–
RM20
RM139
–

So if you are interested in joining on the #ShopOnlineWithMi livestream, you can checkout their Facebook page and their official store on Lazada from 2pm to 3.30pm today (20th April 2020).
Pokdepinion: Be sure to tune in to enjoy them sweet deals on Xiaomi products!
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iPhone 11R to have less cameras but equally ugly square camera hump?

The iPhone XR represents Apple’s initiative to target a lower price segment. It does drop stuff like the iPhone XS and XS Max’s dual camera, stainless steel build and AMOLED “Super Retina” display for a single camera, aluminium and an IPS LCD panel to keep costs low. The iPhone 11R (iPhone XIR? iPhone XR (2019)?) will probably follow a similar pattern, at least according to these leaks.
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As the iPhone 11 or iPhone XI series are expected to tout up 3 cameras, the iPhone 11R will apparently sport a dual camera configuration. The unfortunate thing is that it will not share the older dual-camera hump that Apple has popularized, but instead opt for a new, ugly, square camera hump, with the flash module where the iPhone 11’s 3rd camera is.

Other than that, the iPhone 11R looks pretty much like its pricier iPhone 11 siblings. Of course, Apple might still use a cheaper LCD panel instead of AMOLED and also an aluminium frame in place of the pricier but more resilient stainless steel frame. Previous iterations of “budget” iPhones has never worked out well for Apple, because Apple iPhones has gained a reputation as a status symbol. Who wants a status symbol that says they are too poor to afford the regular iPhone though?
Pokdepinion: We thought the HUAWEI Mate 20’s triple camera configuration was ugly… Well, Apple just knows how to one up the competition, don’t they?
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Blizzard Looks To Release New Warcraft Game For Mobile

Activision has revealed that Blizzard Entertainment is looking to launch a Warcraft game for mobile devices this year, which would excite fans of the franchise.
Warcraft game coming soon to mobile devices

Despite that, there’s not much details that’s been given. According to the source, it seems that the company is working on “substantial new content for the Warcraft franchise in 2022” where it includes “all-new mobile Warcraft content”.

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As of today, there’s only Hearthstone from them that’s available on mobile devices, which was released back in 2014.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Source
Pokdepinion: It’s definitely interesting to see what kind of game they’ll introduce. No offense to Hearthstone players, but I’m not attracted to card games. We’ll sure to update you should there be more news on the game, so stay tuned till then.
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Acer Hit With Data Breach, 160GB Data Stolen As Hackers Offer Sale

The breach has hit document servers for its technicians – however no customer data was affected, says Acer.
Image: PCMag
A hacker claims to have stolen confidential data from Acer, including files on the company’s products. The hacker is selling access to the stolen files on a forum, including confidential presentations, product model documentation, and BIOS-related data used on its computers, accounting for 160GB of data. Unsurprisingly – the hacker is only transacting through cryptocurrency as it’s much harder to track, which makes it popular among hacking groups.
Acer meanwhile confirms they have indeed suffered a data breach. “We have recently detected an incident of unauthorized access to one of our document servers for repair technicians. While our investigation is ongoing, there is currently no indication that any consumer data was stored on that server,” Acer told PCMag in a statement.

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This is not the first time Acer has suffered with data-related incidents. Two incidents were recorded in 2021 alone, first in February (which the hacker group REvil demanded $50m in ransom), then another in October concerning its after-sales service system in India.
Source: PCMag
Pokdepinion: As a consumer there’s nothing you should be worry about for now – though Acer really needs to up its defenses.
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New Dell Latitude 5000 Series is The Company’s Most Sustainable Laptops Yet

As part of their 2030 goal for a more positive social impact, the new Dell Latitude 5000 series laptops are the company’s most sustainable ones yet. Here’s what we know thus far.
Dell Latitude 5000 Series: Most Sustainable Laptops Yet

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The new Dell Latitude 5000 series laptops makes use of a number of recycled materials in its components and packaging, making it their most sustainable laptop series yet. The reason why they implemented it for this series is because the Dell Latitude 5000 series is their most popular, allowing the company to make the biggest social impact yet.
From what we understand, the laptops make use of more reclaimed carbon fiber from large amounts of ocean plastic than before, renewable rubber substitute made from castor bean oil for the feet, and the lid is made of a combination of recycled plastics, tree-based bioplastics, and reclaimed carbon fiber.
As for the packaging, it is said to be made from 100% renewable / recycle materials while still being 100% recyclable on its own. It’s made up of plastics with paper alternatives, making use of an inner tray made from bamboo and sugar cane. The tape used to seal the packaging has switched from plastic to paper-based adhesive strips. This move goes in line with the Dell Moonshot Goal to reduce environment impact by the year 2030.
The sustainable packaging design isn’t just available for the new Dell Latitude 5000 series laptops but also the company’s Precision workstations and XPS devices. We will likely see more products making use of it down the road unless Dell plans to make further improvements to it.
Source
Pokdepinion: I do wonder if you could turn the packaging into a laptop stand on its own. I mean, technically you can do that with almost any laptop box, but I mean like is it easy to do so.
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Brave Frontier Celebrate 4-Year Anniversary; Collaborates with Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2

Turning 4 this November, Brave Frontier has some awesome stuff planned out, including a collaboration with Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2.

Brave Frontier Celebrate 4-Year Anniversary

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Brave Frontier turns 4 this November and is delighted to bring fans a new feature as well as a collaboration with the popular fighting game, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2.
With the collaboration set in motion by gumi Inc. and Arc System Works, fans of the popular fighting game can now bring the fight to Brave Frontier.

Get Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 Units as they take center stage!

Iconic Guilty Gear characters such as Baiken, Leo Whitefang, May and Johnny will be joining the fray alongside returning collaboration units like Milia, Dizzy, Jack-O’ and Ramlethal. For a limited time only, players can summon these powerful Guilty Gear units to aid their battles.
They can also clear Collaboration Dungeons “Neo New York” and “Royal Court” to get Sol and Ky (Exclusive Guilty Gear Omni Units). Those who are able to prove their mettle and clear the “Neo New York Again” dungeon can acquire Junkyard Dog, Sol’s Summoner Avatar weapon! It will be available from November 8th to December 6th 2017.

Frontier Rift: Battle Royale and Collaboration Dungeon “The Magnum Wedding”
New to Brave Frontier is the Frontier Rift feature, an Advanced Summoner Program. A special Guilty Gear Frontier Rift is opened for players to battle these Guilty Gear heroes and obtain special Collaboration Spheres and Rift Tokens.
Rift Tokens can be exchanged for some special items, including the Omni Tridon, at the Rift Bazaar. The Top 1,000 ranked players will get extra rewards, including an exclusive Collaboration Sphere! Now, who will be the king of this hill?
Shaking things up at “The Magnum Wedding” dungeon are Sol, Ky, Millia, Dizzy, Jack-O, Ramlethal and Elphelt. They will make a special appearance to a lucky and formidable few. So grab the rare opportunity to challenge these ultimate fighting masters and gather exclusive materials to craft special Collaboration Spheres. It will be available from November 16th to November 29th 2017.

Login and Milestone Campaigns

On top of the current running anniversary login campaign, log in for 7 days during the collaboration period to enjoy exciting rewards, including up to 5 Gems and 1 Summon Ticket.
Players can receive additional rewards of up to 20 Imps, 10 Elementum Tomes and 1 Summon Ticket by meeting the Milestone Target Scores of “Battle Royale” Frontier Rift.

Brave Frontier Celebrates 4 years With a Look Back
An Infographic detailing significant stats of Brave Frontier’s players through the years is released to commemorate its 4 Brave Years.
If you want to download Brave Frontier for your respective mobile device, click here or use the button just below here:
Brave Frontier Download

Pokdepinion: Well, if you’ve been playing Brave Frontier, you’ll definitely have something awesome to look forward to. I wonder how powerful the Guilty Gear guest characters will be like.
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Upgrade to a new smartphone by trading in your old one at SNS Network

Smartphones are kinda expensive. Sure, there are plenty of affordable options out there, but I am pretty sure your dream smartphone isn’t. So to make it easier on your wallet, SNS Network is offering a trade in program which accepts Samsung and Xiaomi smartphones as well as iPhones, in exchange for any devices carried by SNS Network.

via GIPHY
SNS Network is actually running two different trade in programs right now, with one that is valid only at the SNS Network HQ, and another that’s applicable at all iTworld outlets. For the former, they are only accepting Samsung, Xiaomi and Apple smartphones, while the latter accepts the aforementioned devices as well as iPads in exchange for the latest iPads and iPhones.

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SNS didn’t mention the trade in value for any of the devices, and requests interested consumers to head over to a participating store. They even accept devices which have been repaired by third parties, with the only restriction being devices that no longer work.
All iTworld outlets are involved, while for the other trade-in campaign, you can head over to SNS Network HQ, Ipoh to get a valuation of your old device.

You can have a look at SNS Network’s smartphone offerings on GLOO. Also, don’t forget to let us know your experience after you trade in to upgrade!
You can check out the terms and conditions of the iTworld trade in program as well as SNS Network’s trade in program.
Pokdepinion: Hm.. should I trade in my POCOPHONE F1 to get an iPhone X?
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AMD Radeon Pro 5600M comes with HBM2 in the 16″ MacBook Pro

While none of the desktop AMD Navi GPUs came with HBM2 memory, AMD has decided that the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M should come with HBM2. Probably that has something to do with it debuting in the 16″ MacBook Pro, as we all know that Apple can get away with charging more than most OEMs can. Well, regardless, lets take a look at what the Radeon Pro 5600M offers.
Right off the bat, the Radeon Pro 5600M is more similar to the desktop Radeon RX 5700 XT than the Radeon RX 5600 series. It packs a Navi 12 GPU with 40 CUs, which gives it the same 2560 stream processors as the current flagship Radeon RX 5700 XT. AMD pared back the clocks to just 1035 MHz though, for efficiency’s sake.
Of course, the HBM2 memory is the highlight of the day, and it runs at a good 1.54 Gbps with a 2048-bit wide memory bus for a sweet 394 GB/s of memory bandwidth. It’s still a bit slower than the 448 GB/s that the Radeon RX 5700 XT is capable of, but the gains in terms of efficiency and PCB area saved should be substantial enough for AMD and Apple to consider such a design. Speaking of efficiency, the Radeon Pro 5600M boasts a ridiculously low 50W TGP. That’s the same TGP rating AMD placed on the much weaker Radeon Pro 5300M, so the Radeon Pro 5600M is really quite impressive.

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AMD Radeon Pro 5600M Specs

Navi 12 @ up to 1035 MHz, 7nm FinFET
40 CU, 2560 stream processors, 5.3 FP32 TFLOPS
8GB HBM2 @ 1.54 Gbps, 2048-bit, 394GB/s bandwidth
50W TGP

Apple may be the only OEM to offer the Radeon Pro 5600M, but then again I can’t think of any other laptop packing Radeon Pro GPUs. Now, about the price… Apple will charge you an additional RM2800 to upgrade to the Radeon Pro 5600M from the default Radeon Pro 5500M in the 16″ MacBook Pro. Yeah, that’s one pricey upgrade.
Pokdepinion: Well, that’s an impressive GPU, but for an additional RM2800, I am not sure if it is going to be worth it. I mean, that’s the cost of a whole mid-range laptop right there.
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WD and SanDisk 64-Layer 3D NAND SSD now available in Malaysia

Today the laughters were filled at Yellow Apron restauran in Petaling Jaya as Western Digital announced the availability of it’s latest offering, the 64-Layer 3D NAND Solid State Drives (SSD). Since the acquisition of SanDisk that happened last year, this means that the technology is also now available in SanDisk SSDs.
Being the first in the world, these SSDs deliver higher performance at even lower power consumption while offering higher capacity capabilities and endurance.

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These powerful WD SSDs target DIY enthusiasts, resellers and system builders as it boasts industry-leading 1.75M hours MTTF (Mean Time To Failure), as well as the QC backed by WD Functional Integrity Testing Lab (F.I.T. Lab) certification. The SanDisk Ultra 3D SSDs on the other hand, are intended for gaming and creative industry enthusiasts who want better performance out of their machines.
The WD Blue is available in 2 form factors; 2.5-inch/7mm cased drives as well as singe-sided M.2 2280 form factor.
The SanDisk Ultra 3D SSDs on the other hand are only available in 2.5-inch/7mm cased drives.
Both drives come with 3-years limited warranty. Prices of the drives are as follows:

Type
Brand
Capacity
MSRP

2.5” case
SanDisk
250GB
RM620

2.5” case
SanDisk
500GB
RM1,100

2.5” case
SanDisk
1TB
RM2,000

2.5” case
SanDisk
2TB
RM3,800

2.5” case
Western Digital
250GB
RM620

2.5” case
Western Digital
500GB
RM1,100

2.5” case
Western Digital
1TB
RM2,000

2.5” case
Western Digital
2TB
RM3,800

M.2 2280
Western Digital
250GB
RM640

M.2 2280
Western Digital
500GB
RM1,150

M.2 2280
Western Digital
1TB
RM2,100

M.2 2280
Western Digital
2TB
RM3,950

Pokdepinion: 3D Layer NAND technology allows multiple planes for storage with reduced die physical size from 43nm all the way down to 15nm, opening up a whole load of possibilities that were not possible before. Welcome to Malaysia, new technology!
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Acer Swift 5 & Acer Swift 3 Unveiled With 12th Gen Intel Core Processors

Acer has recently made an update to their Swift lineup where they’ve unveiled the latest models for the Acer Swift 5 and Swift 3, coming with the latest 12th Gen Intel Core processors.
Acer Swift 5 & Acer Swift 3
Acer Swift 5
With the new Acer Swift 5 (SF514-56T), it comes with CNC-machined unibody chassis and is powered by a 12th Gen Intel Core Processor featuring up to 12 cores plus Intel Iris Xe graphics. It’s light where it weighs only at 1.2kg.
You have 16GB of dual-channel LPDDR5 RAM as well as up to 2TB of PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage to take advantage of.

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The laptop has also been Intel Evo verified and it’s slated to offer 10 hours of battery life. Its OceanGlass touchpad has been made from ocean-bound plastic waste, where they claim it offers a “sleek glass-like feeling”.
For the display, it comes with a WQXGA (2560×1600) touchscreen display with a 92.22% screen-to-body ratio. As for video calls, there’s the FHD MIPI webcam at the front where it leverages the brand’s Temporal Noise Reduction (TNR) technology to provide good video feedback even in lowlight and Acer PurifiedVoice with AI Noise Reduction to ensure that your voice is loud and clear in calls.
Acer has said that the Swift 5 comes with an array of thermal solutions where the backlit keyboard features an air inlet design that’s supposedly expels 8%-10% more heat than your usual keyboard. There’s also an upgraded TwinAir dual-fan system and D6 heat pipes to improve airflow and thermal efficiency.
Aside from that, it has two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a single HDMI 2.1 port, and two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports.
Exact specifications and prices vary by region but the Acer Swift 5 is priced at US$1,499 (~RM6,307).
Acer Swift 3
Then we have the Acer Swift 3 (SF314-512) that sports a 14-inch QHD touch-screen display. As mentioned earlier, it also comes with a 12th Gen Intel Core CPU. It Offers up to 2TB of SSD storage.
Besides that, it also comes with Wi-Fi 6E connectivity and DTS Audio for a better streaming experience. The ports are covered as well where it includes a USB Type-C port, USB Type-A, and HDMI 2.1.
They claim that with a 30-minute charge, the laptop can offer up to 4 hours of battery life. The laptop starts at the price of US$849.99 (~RM3,576). Local price and release date is yet to be revealed but be sure that we’ll update you once they become available. Till then, stay tuned to Pokde.net for more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews.
Pokdepinion: Who wouldn’t want to bring around a laptop that’s light, right? What do you think about the price? Will it be close to the local price here?
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PNY CS2241 SSD Review – Who Says SSDs Can’t Be Cheap?

PNY this time around has sent us the CS2241 SSD – though as you see from the thumbnail above, we didn’t get just one to test drive. In fact, PNY has given us four of them, from the 500GB all the way up to 4TB to see the their performances in different capacities.
Unboxing & Appearance
Packaging
The packaging is fairly straightforward: it’s essentially just a paper-based packaging and plastic shroud with the SSD housed inside. You’ll need a knife to cut open the rear in order to access the SSD, or perhaps tear it off if you’re rather desperate. All the basic numbers are labeled on the top left, which should give you a brief idea on what segment the CS2241 SSD is aiming for.
SSD Front
SSD Rear (500GB model shown)
As for the design of the SSD itself, it’s nothing too fancy. It’s worth noting that all four models utilize just one side of the SSD (even with 4TB capacities), leaving the other side completely flat – which should make it fit within the thinnest of laptops. It also lacks dedicated DRAM for write buffers, which also helps saving the extra space in this M.2 2280 form factor to fit more NAND chips, giving it higher data density.

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Specifications
PNY CS2241 SSD

Capacity
500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB

Form Factor
M.2 2280

Interface
PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe 1.4

Controller
Phison E21T

NAND Type
Micron 176-layer QLC NAND

DRAM
None, HMB (Host Memory Buffer) only

Read/Write Speed (Rated)
500GB: 4,700 MB/s (Read), 1,700 MB/s (Write)
1TB: 5,100 MB/s (Read), 3,200 MB/s (Write)
2TB: 5,000 MB/s (Read), 4,200 MB/s (Write)
4TB: 5,000 MB/s (Read), 4,200 MB/s (Write)

IOPS
Unspecified

Write Endurance
500GB: 160TBW
1TB: 320TBW
2TB: 640TBW
4TB: 900TBW

MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure)
1,500,000 hours

Warranty
5 years

Test System

CPU
Intel Core i9-13900K

Cooling
ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO
Cooler Master MasterGel Maker

Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 HERO

GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition

Memory
Kingston FURY RENEGADE RGB DDR5-6400 CL32 (2x16GB)

Storage
Samsung SSD 980 PRO 256GB (Boot)
Kingston NV1 1TB
(As tested:)
PNY CS2241 500GB
PNY CS2241 1TB
PNY CS2241 2TB
PNY CS2241 4TB

Power Supply
Cooler Master MWE Gold 1250 V2 Full Modular 1250W

Case
VECTOR Bench Case (Open-air chassis)

Operating System
Windows 11 Pro 22H2

Performance
CrystalDiskMark

PNY CS2241 500GB

PNY CS2241 1TB

PNY CS2241 2TB

PNY CS2241 4TB

Performance-wise, this is pretty respectable as far as rated speeds go. In fact, PNY may have slightly undersold the performance of the 2TB and 4TB variants, with the measured write speed 200MB/s and 300MB/s higher respectively than the rated 4,200MB/s figure seen on the label. In terms of random 4K I/O, the 2TB variant is the “sweet spot” where it achieves the highest read and write I/O in average.
On the 500GB model, the write speed is significantly lower than its larger capacity siblings, down to just 1,785MB/s as tested (the drive is rated at 1,700MB/s). Still, in realistic usage scenarios you’re very unlikely to see any performance differences between all four drives, given that A – all drives achieves similar I/O performance; and B – you really have to be comparing it side-by-side to see the differences, which by SSD standards are measured in mere milliseconds.
AS SSD Benchmark

PNY CS2241 500GB

PNY CS2241 1TB

PNY CS2241 2TB

PNY CS2241 4TB

AS SSD’s numbers are slightly different than what CrystalDiskMark says. On one hand, the results sees universally lower read/write speeds, and not in the values that PNY advertised. The other fact is that according to the software, the 4TB model achieves the highest score. Still, you’re looking at access times in the nanosecond range – 18 nanoseconds at most.
Anvil’s Storage Utilities

PNY CS2241 500GB

PNY CS2241 1TB

PNY CS2241 2TB

PNY CS2241 4TB

As for Anvil, the similar trend continues. Scores point to all three larger drives are within the same ballpark of performance, with the 500GB model drops quite a few bit of scores due to its relatively weak write performance (emphasis on ‘relatively’).
AIDA64 Disk Benchmark

PNY CS2241 500GB

PNY CS2241 1TB

PNY CS2241 2TB

PNY CS2241 4TB

AIDA64’s benchmark pushes the drives with sustained write test. All four drives here shares one single exact same trait: the maximum write speed can only sustain up to 25% of the total capacity before it tanked to figures that at best matches HDDs (for 2TB and 4TB models), and at worse slower than that.
The CS2241 would be perfectly fine in most use cases though, as you rarely do file transfers large enough to overwhelm the SLC cache it contains (on top of overprovisioning space). We don’t recommend using this drive for full drive transfers however – as you can see with the timer in all the images above, it’s not gonna be a quick one.
Value

Here’s the killer part. Thanks to ongoing NAND oversupply issue, SSDs can be had for incredibly cheap prices these days. For this particular drive which is already budget-oriented to begin with, you’re looking at capacity so cheap that it’s almost unthinkable just two years ago the price would’ve been doubled from what you see here (or half the capacity, if you look at it the other way). If you want the absolute best value, both 1TB and 2TB versions land right on that sweet spot.
Warranty

PNY offers 5 years of warranty for all CS2241 models, and as usual – warranty enquiries can be directed at Fusion Tech Supply Sdn Bhd (PNY local distributor) or simply head to PNY Malaysia’s Facebook page. Just make sure your product contains the sticker as seen above, and you’re well covered.
Conclusion

While we have four of the CS2241 SSD here, and each of them perform slightly differently to each other, they all have the same traits: value. Value is a good thing, but of course corners has to be cut to keep prices relatively reasonable – especially for those who may be still hanging on with HDDs that may soon become obsolete (Bethesda’s Starfield is set to be the very first game that completely eliminates HDDs, and Cyberpunk 2077 is in the process of phasing out HDDs in their latest content expansion update).
Being a budget SSD meant it also have a few quirks: namely, the lack of DRAM onboard, as well as QLC-based NAND chips that bogged down the overall performance to some extent. You may want to avoid doing super long sustained write operations, as the speeds will tank once SLC cache dries up. That said, filling up your drive will not affect short-term performance thanks to overprovisioned space. Still, if you need absolute performance – PNY also has the XLR8 gaming line to scratch that itch if you need to.

Thankfully, the Phison E21T controller which comes with HMB (Host Memory Buffer) mitigates the lack of DRAM somewhat by using your PC’s RAM to assist in copying and disk writing operations – just make sure you have a good amount of RAM available, as it may take up a few GBs in your system during large file transfers. On that note, thermals largely isn’t a concern here – especially with motherboard heatsinks involved. The single-sided chip design should make it fit within ultrathin laptops as well.
The pricing for PNY CS2241 SSD are RM155 for 500GB, RM225 for 1TB, RM435 for 2TB and RM1,179 for the uber-large 4TB version. It’s definitely on the cheaper side, and as far as limited number of 4TB SSDs that exists out there, it’s among the cheapest option you can get if you really need all that space to, presumably, fit in your massive Steam library. In any case, if you need an abundance of storage on the cheap while still need that sweet SSD speeds, this makes for a very compelling option indeed.

Thanks to PNY Malaysia for providing us all four CS2241 SSD models for this review.
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