New One Piece Mobile Game Unveiled by Tencent And It Looks Amazing

One of the longest-running anime and manga series to ever be created is getting another game adaptation as Tencent has unveiled a new One Piece mobile game coming soon. Here’s what we know thus far.
New One Piece Mobile Game Unveiled by Tencent

As reported by renowned videogame analyst Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX), there is a new One Piece mobile game unveiled by Tencent. It’s said to be a fighting game under the name Project Fighter. Clearly, the name is simply a placeholder and the actual name will be revealed at a later date.

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The development studio in charge of the game is Morefun Studios, which is a Tencent internal game development studio in Shenzhen, China. Needless to say, this mobile game has been officially authorized by Bandai Namco.
We see notable characters like Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, Sanji, and Dracule Mihawk. Interestingly, we only get a glimpse of the characters and events prior to the timeskip, so no word yet on whether they will include characters and setting all the way up to the latest story arc or not. Given the sheer number of characters in the series, we do expect to see a whole bunch of them included in the game at one point or another.
At the moment, this One Piece mobile game is only confirmed for China, with no word on a launch in other countries. If it does happen, we will report it as soon as information becomes available so stay tuned.
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Pokdepinion: For a mobile game, it does look quite good for an anime adaptation. It feels like something from the PS2 towards the end of its lifecycle. I just hope it’s not just a simple cash grab and actually has decent depth.
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Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earbuds Basic Review — TWS Earbuds That Won’t Kill Your Wallet

In this review, we take a look at Xiaomi’s Mi True Wireless Earbuds Basic, their entry level TWS earbuds. Being one of the most affordable TWS earbuds, can it impress? Let’s find out.
Unboxing the Mi True Wireless Earbuds Basic

Inside the box, you will find the following items:
Quick guide bookWarrantyThe charging caseBuds (inside the case)Extra ear tips
Appearance

The charging case for the Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earbuds Basic is rather simple and comes in black. While it’s not the smallest out there, it’s still one of the more portable ones out there. The whole case is made out of plastic.

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You’ll find the charging port at the back of the case. Unfortunately, it’s still using microUSB instead of Type-C.

They’ve also used plastic on the buds themselves. It’s shaped more like a pebble.
Specifications
Drivers7.2mmFrequency ResponseN/ASensitivityN/AImpedanceN/AHeadphone TypeTrue wireless, ear budsConnectionBluetooth 5.0Wireless Range10mNoise-cancellingN/ABatteryEarphonesUp to 4 hoursCharging Case3x Full Charge (total 12 hours)WeightEarphones4.1 gramCharging Case35.4 gramColourBlack
User Experience
Pairing

Just like pairing your typical TWS earbuds, you simply need to take them out of the case and connect them to your smartphone via Bluetooth. It’s exactly the same with the Mi True Wireless Buds Basic.
After the initial pairing, you will need to wait 1 to 2 seconds for them to connect to your smartphone again. In terms of speed, the pairing isn’t the fastest that I’ve experienced but it’s within acceptable speeds.
Sound

I was honestly surprised by the audio quality of the Mi True Wireless Buds Basic, especially when taking the price into account. No, I’m not saying that they offer the best sound around, but it’s definitely adequate.
Thanks to its design, it isolates noise outside noise decently and it doesn’t need any sort of active noise cancellation for you to enjoy your music in peace. The sound is quite loud, where I don’t myself ever needing to go above 50%. The bass is quite punchy but not too aggressive.
In terms of latency, well we didn’t expect much, thanks to its price. You will notice delay while you play your fast-paced mobile games such as COD:Mobile.
Comfort

When it comes to comfort, this is the area that I feel is lacking. There’s nothing wrong with the size and shape of the earbuds themselves (they even have extra tips for that), just the touch gesture.
What exactly is the issue you might ask? Well, both sides of the buds come with a clickable button for you to control your music. So if you wanted to pause a song, you would simply need to push the buds even deeper in, which is a bit uncomfortable.
As for the controls, the Mi True Wireless Earbuds Basic offers:
Skip song: 1 x clickActivate voice assistant: 2 x click
As you can see here with only two options, it’s pretty basic, which is fitting with the model name. There’s no option for you to control your music (except pause) with the earbuds.
Battery Life

Xiaomi claims that the battery life of the buds can last up to 4 hours of music playback. In real life usage from my own experience, the result is similar. Putting the volume at 50%, I managed to squeeze roughly 3 hours and 40 minutes.
Charging the case is quite fast as I only needed 25 minutes to fill its juice up. I would’ve liked it better if they had offered a USB Type-C port instead since most gadgets nowadays have shifted away from microUSB.
Conclusion

Considering it’s price tag of just RM99, it’s certainly a value for money purchase. It is in fact the cheapest TWS earbuds in the market right now and you’ll able to enjoy decent audio quality with it. It’s a great option if you’re looking to lose all the hassles that come with cables and are looking for something more portable to bring around.
If you can push aside the issues that I’ve voiced out in the comfort section, then this would definitely be a viable option. After all, you could always opt to control your music directly on your smartphone or with a wearable.
At the end of the day, it exactly does the job that it’s meant to do. All things considered, I give the Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earbuds Basic our Bronze Pokdeward.

A big thanks to Xiaomi for providing the Mi True Wireless Earbuds Basic that’s used in this review!
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vivo Partners With Celcom For #vivoWithTheFlow Campaign

vivo Malaysia has announced today of their partnership with Celcom where they’ve introduced the #vivoWithTheFlow campaign where you can win big just by being creative.
#vivoWithTheFlow contest

The campaign lasts for a month where vivo invites you to create a short video or a photograph of your newfound skill or hobby that you enjoy doing while staying at home. It can be anything from learning how to paint to even learning a new TikTok dance challenge.

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You can submit your entry in the form of Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #vivoWithTheFlow and a caption on why you should be selected as the winner of the competition, with points given to the creativity of the caption as well.
In order to be eligible for the contest, you will need to purchase any vivo smartphone through the Celcom MEGA postpaid plans from now till the 15th of April 2021. The submitting entries with the highest number of likes will stand a better chance of winning a set of Philips electronics products such as a 55-inch Android 4K TV and Sound Bar and much more.
For more information about the contest, you can head to the link right here. Stay tuned to Pokde.net for the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews.
Pokdepinion: Can’t say that I’ve learned a new set of skills all this time working from home.. but if you did and feel that you’re creative enough. Why not take a shot at the contest? Who knows, you might be the lucky winner.
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Based on information gained on the official livestream, we now know the 5-Star character banner reruns coming to Genshin Impact 2.6. Here’s what you need to know.
Genshin Impact 2.6: 5-Star Character Banner Reruns Revealed

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Looks like the leaks and rumours were true after all. The 5-Star character banner rerun for Genshin Impact 2.6 will be Kamisato Ayaka and Venti. To be precise, It will start out with new character Kamisato Ayato and Venti in the first half, followed by the new character’s sister Ayaka in the second half.
It’s worth noting that this means there will be no rerun for Kaedahara Kazuha in update 2.6, unless miHoYo makes some last minute additions, which will likely not be the case. If you’re planning your upgrades / gacha rolls ahead of time, this should provide you with adequate details.
Genshin Impact 2.6 will be launching on 30th March 2022 for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Android, iOS, and PC. A Nintendo Switch port of the game is still in development.
Source
Pokdepinion: Cryo supremacy! Also, hope everyone managed to redeem those free Primogems in time. Even if you’re not gonna spend it in this update, it’s still good to have nonetheless.
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Acer Introduces Chromebook Spin 714, In Both Standard And Enterprise Editions

Both models are virtually identical aside from enterprise-focused features such as remote management.

Acer has revealed the new Chromebook Spin 714 (and its Enterprise namesake), both powered by the same hardware apart from CPU, with the Chromebook Enterprise Spin 714 getting Intel Core i7 vPro CPUs while the standard models run on standard Intel Core i7 models. CPU differences aside – both models receives Intel Evo certification which means up to 10 hours of battery life, and fast charging capabilities that provide 4 hours of usage with 30 minute charging.

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The display, which supports a 360-degree hinge, is a 14-inch 16:10 FHD+ panel with 100% sRGB coverage. Covering it is the antimicrobial Corning Gorilla Glass which protects against scratches and “odor-causing bacteria”. Both models also feature optional USI stylus support with 4096-level pressure sensitivity and tilt detection for natural note taking.

Acer gave the Chromebooks a fairly advanced webcam capable of QHD resolution. It’s assisted by temporal noise reduction to maintain picture quality; meanwhile, a physical shutter is available to physically block the camera’s functions. Other connectivity features include Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, HDMI and two Thunderbolt 4 ports. Like other models, the device consists of PCR plastics with the laptop packaging made entirely using recyclable materials.
Both models are currently set for launch in EMEA and NA regions starting in May – no word on local availability just yet.
Pokdepinion: By Chromebook standards, the hardware is fairly solid.
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NVIDIA Computex 2023 Recap: ACE, Simultaneous Scene Encoding & 14-inch Studio Laptops

While it’s not exactly the biggest of announcements as far as keynotes go, NVIDIA’s visit to Computex this year has brought in some new features, new laptop designs, and of course – AI.

The chipmaker first kicked off the event with CEO Jensen Huang demonstrating the new ACE (Avatar Cloud Engine) that puts generative AI right into in-game NPCs. The goal is for game developers to use this feature to potentially cut down developmental time and let the AI take the wheel as needed, though this will take a while before games come with ACE baked-in. There’s also a small introduction of the new ELMB 2-powered monitors – some of which are eligible for a firmware update to achieve better motion blur reduction.

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Another small but notable announcement is the new Simultaneous Scene Encoding feature from Video Codec SKD 12.1: for GPUs with two NVENC blocks (RTX 4070 Ti and up), the GPU can now utilize both encoders at the same time to speed up video renders as much as 80%, with no visual quality loss. Professional GPUs such as RTX 6000 Ada, which contains more NVENC blocks should see further performance increase. The new feature will require explicit support from rendering software, and Capcut is the first one to support it.
ASUS Zenbook Pro 14
Finally, NVIDIA introduced a new class of 14-inch creator laptops powered by RTX graphics – with NVIDIA Studio drivers coming for the new models such as Acer Swift X 14, ASUS Zenbook Pro 14, GIGABYTE Aero 14, Lenovo’s Slim Pro 9i 14 and MSI Stealth 14. In the blog post, the company also noted the new May Studio Driver includes AI updates to MAGIX VEGAS Pro, D5 Render, Jianying (剪映) and VLC Media Player; with AI model optimisations for WinML apps including Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, ON1, and DxO, and more.
Pokdepinion: AI is the theme here – unsurprising, but at the same time it felt like gamers were put on the sidelines this time around.
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Could This Be The New ASUS ZenFone 7?

As you might well know, ASUS releases their ZenFone series on a yearly basis. This year we’d expect for ZenFone 7 to come out and according to a leak, it could be coming very soon.

Judging from the leak, it seems that ASUS isn’t going with the flip camera design of the ZenFone 6. It appears that they’ve implemented a camera housing at the back, fitting a triple rear camera setup.
The front also seems to be sporting a punch-hole selfie cameras and there’s no sign of a fingerprint scanner. This could suggest that it could feature an under-display sensor instead.

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It is expected to come with the latest Snapdragon 865, which would come with a 5G modem.
Will it ever its way in Malaysia? Well that’s just not confirmed yet. Fret not, we will update should there be any news of it. Stay tuned.
Pokdepinion: I’m hoping for ZenFone to make a come back here in Malaysia. The previous ZenFone 6 was an interesting device. I was sad when it turned out that they didn’t bring it to our shores.
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Amazfit Launches Brand-New T-Rex 2 Fitness Watch

The Amazfit T-Rex 2, an outdoor, robust, and durable smartwatch, was introduced in Malaysia today by Amazfit, a premium smart wearable hardware brand owned by Zepp Health Corporation.
The T-Rex 2 has undergone 15 military-grade tests and, thanks to its ultra-low temperature operating capability, can work in temperatures as low as -30°C. It has dual-band, 5-satellite location, route-import, and real-time navigation for the best outdoor use, and its battery life can last up to 24 days. The watch is made to withstand any terrain and temperatures up to 70°C, humidity for 240 hours, salt spray and shock for 96 hours.

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The Zepp app, which is powered by the Zepp operating system and features a rich ecosystem of over 10 mini-applications for seamless interactions, allows users to construct their own training regimens for 11 different sports. The T-Rex 2 offers a wide range of 150 sports modes, including the triathlon mode, the track run mode, and the more casual golf swing mode.
The watch is available in Astro Black & Gold, Ember Black, Wild Green, and Desert Khaki. The wearer can download thousands of watch faces with complementary always-on displays or custom graphics thanks to its tough design and HD AMOLED display.

The T-Rex 2 has a starting price of RM799 with a one-year warranty. From 6 July to 8 July, the watch will be sold only through Shopee Online Store at launch-celebration pricing.
Additionally, one Powerbuds Pro, one GTS 2 small, and one Band 5 are up for grabs during the promotional period. The first 100 T-Rex 2 purchasers will receive a free Amazfit sports bottle and screen protector.
If you’re interested in the Amazfit T-Rex 2 smartwatch series, feel free to visit the company’s official website or Shopee store.
Pokdepinion: A watch can last longer than an average human in harsh conditions? Nice. I’m wondering how far deep can it go when deep diving in the ocean.
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Windows 10 20H2 Could Damage Your SSD If You Do This

Typically, software updates are great and people should get them as soon as possible. In the case of the Windows 10 20H2 update, you might want to steer clear from it, at least for now, as using the chkdsk function could damage your SSD storage.
Windows 10 20H2 Could Damage Your SSD In ChkDsk

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For PCs with the WIndows 10 20H2 update, do not run ChkDsk (Check Disk), especially if you’re using an SSD. There is a possibility that it could damage the files on your SSD, especially with the “/f” parameter, which is added to fix the disk.
When you run the command, your PC will reboot in order to start running ChkDsk. Unfortunately for SSD users, it might result in blue screen of death (BSOD). There is no idea as to why exactly this happens and because it damages the files in SSD storage, you will need to initiate an automatic or manual repair to get your PC up and running properly again.
There is no fix yet for this issue. If you already have the Windows 10 20H2, don’t initiate ChkDsk to avoid potential issues. For those of you who have yet to update your Windows 10 to this version, best to avoid it for now in case there are other, undiscovered issues.
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Pokdepinion: Well, I’m definitely putting the update off for a while until I hear that it’s definitely safe. Can’t risk having my main PC down.
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HUAWEI EMUI 10 Is Set to Arrive This Week – Based on Android Q

HUAWEI EMUI 10 Is Set to Arrive This Week

The folks over at HUAWEI announced that they will be holding the HUAWEI Developers Conference. It will be taking place from 9th August to 11th August 2019. One of the major highlights of the conference will be the official unveiling of the EMUI 10.
EMUI 10 is said to be arriving on the first day of the conference, which is 9th August 2019. It was mentioned that the development of smartphones from basic communication to entertainment and social assistance to intelligent assistants witnessed massive changes. People have started to depend on these features but the variety of terminals makes it hard to enjoy the best cross-terminal experience. EMUI 10 seeks to solve this problem, at least for HUAWEI users.

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According to the company, EMUI 10 will break the terminal boundary and allow a seamless flow between devices. Wang Chengdu, president of HUAWEI’s consumer BG software department, said:
We will reveal this mysterious technology at the HUAWEI Developer Conference.
At present, the exact details of EMUI 10 are scarce. It will be based on Android 10, otherwise known as Android Q. Due to the fact that this Android version isn’t publicly available yet, it may take some time before we can see the update reaching the masses. From what we know thus far, it will be coming with features such as GPU Turbo, EROFS super file system, and the Ark Compiler.
Source: gizchina
Pokdepinion: Really looking forward to the update for my Mate 20 X.
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MSI readies VR Ready gaming notebooks for launch

Gamers on the go better take a look at MSI’s latest offerings that will be launched at Lowyat Plaza on the 16th of August. MSI is going to bring VR Ready performance to its entire range of gaming notebooks. The GT83VR, GT73VR, GT72VR, GT62VR, GT72VR, GT62VR, GS73VR, GS63VR, GE72VR, GE62VR and GP62MVR will all come with the latest cooling designs, Intel Core i7 CPUs, ranging all the way up to the i7 6820HK unlocked CPU, refreshed design and better audio.

Audio is handled by Dynaudio speakers to ensure powerful immersive sound. Nahimic 2 and Audio Boost 2 enhance the sound by software means. Meanwhile, the Cooler Boost feature is now in its fourth iteration, promising even better cooling performance to keep even a highly overclocked i7 6820HK cool.

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The MSI GS63 Stealth Pro won the COMPUTEX 2016 Best Choice Golden Award for being the world’s lightest gaming laptop at 1.9kg, with a powerful cooling system and no-compromise performance levels, all in the 17.7mm ultra slim chassis.

Meanwhile, the GT72VR and GT62VR Dominator will feature enhanced cooling thanks to the Whirlwind Blade fans. The GT72VR Dominator is also equipped with a 120Hz/5ms panel, the quickest mobile display ever. With MSI’s True Color Technology, the monitor can cover almost the full sRGB gamut, or if you opt for the 4K IPS variant, 100% AdobeRGB coverage.
With these exciting new notebooks from MSI coming, why not head over to Lowyat Plaza on the 16th of July to have a first-hand experience of what MSI can do to shatter the desktop performance cliche?

Pokdepinion: It’s amazing that MSI is going to pack VR Ready performance into its whole line up, instead of only the flagships like before.
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Intel demonstrated new prototype “Star Brook”

IDF 2015 located at Shenzhen, China, Intel has demostrated their new prototype notebook running with latest Intel Skylake processor, the notebook called Star Brook, introducing new technologies and features for the future.

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So what the deal with this Star Brook? It is using latest Intel Skylake processor, it does not required any power supply interface, but how is this happening? Thanks to the USB 3.1 type C interface, the new standard supports up 100 watt as power source, and an average notebook only use about 65 watt.

Other than that, the Star Brook is only 20mm thin and weighs less than 1KG, It’s running Windows 10 preview with 2560×1440 resolution on a 12.5 inches diplay. Other than this information, the other specifications are not revealed yet.

Now that we have glimpse on a new notebook lineup, we hope skylake offers an upgrade in terms of performance, battery life and cooler operating temperature. This could really be great for consumers (if it come with good pricing, of course).

source : mobilegeeks
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Release Date And New Official Photos From Cowboy Bebop Unveiled By Netflix

Netflix has just revealed our very first official look at their upcoming live-action adaptation of the popular sci-fi anime series Cowboy Bebop from the 90s. The official photos showcases actors John Cho, Mustafa Shakir and Daniella Pineda as Spike Spiegel, Jet Black and Faye Valentine respectively.

First look at Cowboy Bebop released
Here is a brief description of the upcoming Netflix series:

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Cowboy Bebop is an action-packed space Western about three bounty hunters, a.k.a. “cowboys,” all trying to outrun the past. As different as they are deadly, Spike Spiegel (John Cho), Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), and Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda) form a scrappy, snarky crew ready to hunt down the solar system’s most dangerous criminals — for the right price. But they can only kick and quip their way out of so many scuffles before their pasts finally catch up with them.
Based on the beloved anime series, Cowboy Bebop is executive produced by André Nemec, Jeff Pinkner, Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg of Midnight Radio, Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements of Tomorrow Studios, Makoto Asanuma, Shin Sasaki and Masayuki Ozaki of Sunrise Inc., Tim Coddington, Tetsu Fujimura, Michael Katleman, Matthew Weinberg, and Christopher Yost. Nemec serves as showrunner. Original anime series director Shinichirō Watanabe is a consultant on the series, and original composer Yoko Kanno returns for the live-action adaptation. The series also stars Alex Hassell and Elena Satine.

Check out the official images of the show down below. Cowboy Bebop is set to premiere on Netflix this coming 19 November.
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Pokdepinion: Not gonna lie this looks very promising. The look and feel of the characters based on the pictures look like they jumped straight from the animated world to the live-action one. Can’t wait to watch it when it finally releases.
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ROG Phone 3’s design revealed by TENAA listing

The ROG Phone 3 has smiled for the cameras at TENAA, with a surprisingly fresh design. The front appears largely unchanged, but the rear side definitely gets some major changes. For starters, it appears that they have dropped the metal bits that made the ROG Phone 2 more unique compared to the slew of glass-backed smartphones in the market.

They are still keeping the RGB-lit logo, and it seems that the camera is going to see a major upgrade in addition to getting a third member in there, looking at the size of the camera hump. ASUS will probably also continue making a second-gen Lighting Case for the ROG Phone 3 as well, with a separate LED below the flash module.

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Meanwhile the TENAA listing also lists a few interesting specifications. It will, for some reason, sport an iris sensor. The chipset also appears to be a Snapdragon 865+, with higher clocks than the Snapdragon 865, despite earlier rumors of the Snapdragon 865 not getting a Plus variant. It might be an ROG-exclusive deal again though, similar to what ASUS managed to get with the first ROG Phone.

Up to 12GB RAM and 512GB of storage will come with the ROG Phone 3, although I do expect ASUS to offer a 1TB option later, as the ROG Phone 2 came with up to 1TB of storage for the ROG Phone 2 Ultimate Edition. The battery appears to be reduced to just 5800 mAh, which might be a bummer coming from the ROG Phone 2’s 6000 mAh.
What do you think of the ROG Phone 3’s design this time around? Is it better that they went for a more understated look, or do you prefer the ROG Phone 2’s metal-glass hybrid that looks way more aggressive?
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Pokdepinion: I must say, the ROG Phone 2 does look a bit better than this… Also I am not too sure about that huge camera hump.
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Logitech G303 Shroud Edition Officially Announced

If you’re looking for a new gaming mouse, this might be the one you’re looking as the Logitech G303 Shroud Edition has officially been announced. Here’s what you can expect from it.
Logitech G303 Shroud Edition

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The Logitech G303 Shroud Edition has been officially announced. The mouse itself is based on the Logitech G303 Daedalus Apex Performance gaming mouse that is built based on the specifications and demands of ex-CSGO pro Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek.
This new mouse has pretty much the same shape as the original, but resized to Shroud’s hand, and is now wireless. Logitech made use of their LIGHTSPEED wireless technology for ultra-low latency, and it also uses their HERO 25K sensor that allows you to change the sensitivity from 100 to 25,000 DPI. It also has a mouse acceleration of 40g and USB report rate of 1ms.
It’s being claimed that the battery life of the Logitech G303 Shroud Edition can last up to 145 hours but constant motion will see it go down to roughly 70 hours. The mouse is very light, weighing in a mere 75g, and it’s rechargeable via USB-C.
The Logitech G303 Shroud Edition has been available since October 2021 and will be retailing for USD $129.99. Local pricing and availability has yet to be announced so stay tuned for further updates.
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Pokdepinion: I’m not surprised to see special editions in collaboration with notable community figures but I didn’t expect it to be vastly different. I’m very curious to see how well the mouse can perform.
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THQ Nordic Acquires Game Development Studio; When Publisher Takes Over Developer

It looks like THQ Nordic has acquired the development studio that made games like Helldorado, Rogue Stormers, and Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back.
When it comes to gaming  news, it’s not always just about the games. There’s also news surrounding the people behind them. The developers, the publishers, among many other things. Today, we received word that THQ Nordic has bought over a game development studio. Perhaps, we can expect better things in the near future.

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THQ Nordic Acquires Game Development Studio

Black Forest Games, the development studio that created games such as Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams, Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back, Helldorado, and Rogue Stormers, has recently been acquired by publisher THQ Nordic.
Although the amount that was paid by THQ Nordic has not been publicly disclosed, we do know that the rights for a number of Black Forest Games’ intellectual properties have been acquired. The shares that belonged to Black Forest Games’ 5 founders have been completely purchased by THQ. However, each of those founders will remain on the studio’s board for the time-being.
Black Forest Games is currently in the process of developing an unannounced game for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
Recently, one of THQ Nordic’s upcoming titles was seemingly leaked on an Amazon listing as a post-apocalyptic kung-fu action RPG titled Biomutant. The game has been described as having a deep exploration and progression system for players to delve into across 3 systematically-generated worlds.

Black Mirror was a trilogy of adventure games that began back in 2004. The publisher also recently announced the reboot of the franchise that will be coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, and Linux on November 28th, 2017. Currently the game is playable at Gamescom 2017.

Pokdepinion: Well, I’m still not sure what to expect from this acquisition but one thing’s for sure, it’s usually a sign of better things to come. Perhaps the purchase came because Black Forest Games are actually in a bad situation. At least this time around, their IP will still be alive and well instead of being left out in the cold.
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Acer Reveals New Acer Chromebook Spin 713; Based on Intel’s Project Athena

Acer has just revealed their brand new addition to their Chromebook lineup, the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 which is co-engineered and verified as part of Intel’s Project Athena innovation program. In addition to this, Acer unveiled the business oriented Acer Chromebook Enterprise Spin 713 and a more budget friendly Acer Chromebook Spin 311.
Acer Chromebook Spin 713

As mentioned above, the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 is based on Intel’s Project Athena which is a set of standards set by Intel designed to incubate and deliver the most advanced laptop experiences and designs. Under Intel’s supervision the Chromebook Spin 713 underwent rigorous testing to achieve the technology specifications and key experiences ensuring that it consistently delivers the responsiveness, instant wake and battery life.

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Under the hood of the Chromebook Spin 713 is a 10th Gen processor (i7 or i5), up to 16 GB DDR4 SDRAM, up to 256 GB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage and fast-chargeable battery that offers 10 hours of usage. Other features include a 13.5-inch IPS “VertiView” display with a 3:2 aspect with a 2K (2256 x 1504) resolution, dual integrated stereo speakers with dual microphones and a backlit keyboard. Plus, the touchscreen and touchpad are both made of Corning Gorilla Glass.
Furthermore, it has two USB 3.1 Type-C ports, both supports USB 3.2 Gen 1 (up to 5 Gbps), DisplayPort over USB-C, and USB charging. It also includes an HDMI port, USB 3.0, MicroSD card reader, dual-band Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (802.11ax) with 2×2 MU-MIMO technology and Bluetooth 5.0.
Additionally, the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 is U.S. MIL-STD 810G compliant with reinforced design and shock-absorbing bumper. It can survive drops from heights of up to 122 cm (48 inches) and withstand up to 60 kg (132 pounds) of downward force.

The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 has a convertible design and can be opened a full 360-degrees, enabling its touchscreen display to be used in four different modes: display mode for presenting, tablet mode for entertainment, clamshell mode for keyboard input and tent mode to make the most of small spaces.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 (CP713-2W) will be available in North America in July starting at USD 629.99 (±RM 2693) and in EMEA in June, starting at EUR 699 (±RM 3379).
Acer Chromebook Enterprise Spin 713
The Acer Chromebook Enterprise Spin 713 is a more business focused offering from Acer. It comes with the Chrome Enterprise Upgrade included, a solution that helps businesses to manage devices at scale. Chrome Enterprise helps create a secure and productive environment for cloud-based workers, ideal for those in health care and retail.
The Acer Chromebook Enterprise 713 will retail for USD 1099 (±RM 4698) and will be available in North America in August and in EMEA in August, starting at EUR 899 (±RM 4346).
Acer Chromebook Spin 311

Acer also introduced a more budget conscious Chromebook Spin 311 which is a 11.6-inch convertible Chromebook geared more towards students. It features a Mediatek MT8183 processor, 4GB LPDDR4X RAM, up to 64 GB eMMC storage, dual integrated stereo speakers and battery life up to 15 hours. It also has a wide field-of-view webcam, 802.11ac 2×2 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 311 is also quite light, weighing only 1 kg (2.2 lbs). Easy for kids or students to carry around in their backpacks.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 311 will be available in North America in July starting at USD 259.99 (±RM 1112); and in EMEA in June, starting at EUR 299 (±RM 1445).
The new Chromebook Spin 713, Chromebook Enterprise Spin 713 and Chromebook Spin 311 will fully support Android apps via Google Play,
Pokdepinion: I’m a fan of Chromebooks. Love how seamless it is to use alongside your Android device. For more on Acer’s new product launches, be sure to check out here.
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PNY GeForce RTX 3060 VERTO Dual Fan Review – Good Deal For No Frills

While NVIDIA is still rolling along with the RTX 40 series, budget-conscious gamers may look elsewhere for better deals. Today we’re looking at the RTX 3060 courtesy of PNY’s VERTO series – this card while not exactly the newest at this point, is a relatively cheap GPU if you’re after some decent 1080p or even 1440p gaming experience.
Unboxing
Box front
Box rear
A very simplistic box – though not sure why the VERTO logo is slapped on after-the-fact… still, the box kind of reminds me of the TITAN RTX, but obviously here it looks more in line of a budget-oriented packaging. Behind the box you get your standard feature summary and all the certification stuffs.
Box contents
Opening the box gets you only two things: the install guide, and the RTX 3060 itself. Not much else going on here.

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Appearance
GPU front view
This being the budget RTX 3060 offering from PNY meant it’s very much on the basics: relatively simple shroud, and dual fans that doesn’t use rimmed edges like modern flagship AIB GPUs.
Top view
Top side looks pretty busy: the key here is no space wasted and pretty much everywhere isn’t occupied by PCB components is filled with heatsink fins. The PNY logo is illuminated, but only white. Power connector is courtesy of a single PCIe 8-pin connector, which is sufficient for the power this card is consuming (170W) when combined with up to 75W of power the PCIe slot provides.
Bottom view
Same goes to the bottom side, looks pretty cramped in general. The PCB itself is very short, which allows the heatsink to take the entirety of the right side for extra surface area. The thermal pads in the middle for the VRAM is rather thick – so contact isn’t likely to be an issue here.
Backplate view
The backplate, while a short one, is very generous when it comes to flow-through cutouts. The size certainly isn’t much smaller than even the largest of GPUs out there. There’s even a small part of PCB exposed through the huge backplate cutouts on the lower-left corner. Since this is a basic model, no dual-BIOS to be seen here.
I/O layout
I/O is your bog-standard layout: triple DisplayPort 1.4 paired with a single HDMI 2.1 capable of 4K144 outputs. The perforations reminds me of the old blower-style cards, but obviously being the open-air cooling system means this is mostly for aesthetics.
GPU powered on, running on our bench rig.
A single piece of LED illuminates the PNY logo on the top side, but no RGB here. Connect the single PCIe 8-pin connector, and you’re off to the races.
Specifications
PNY GeForce RTX 3060 VERTO Dual Fan

GPU Core & VRAM:
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060

GPU Core Variant
GA104-150-A1

Microarchitecture
Ampere

Process Node
Samsung 8N

Transistors
17.4 billion

Die size
392mm²

Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs)
28

CUDA Cores
3584

Tensor Cores
112

RT Cores
28

Cache
3MB (L2)

VRAM Configuration
12GB GDDR6 192-bit

Memory Bandwidth
15Gbps, 360GB/s peak

Add-in board:
PNY GeForce RTX 3060 VERTO Dual Fan

Base / Boost Clock
1320 / 1777MHz

TDP
170W

Recommended PSU
N/A

Dual BIOS Mode
No

Display Outputs
3x DisplayPort 1.4
1x HDMI 2.1
*Max output resolution: 7680×4320 (8K) @ 60Hz (native)

Power Connector
1x 8-pin PCIe connector

Bus Interface
PCIe 4.0 x16

Dimensions
2-slot, 247.4 x 118.4 x 40.6 mm

One thing worth mentioning here: unlike the initial production of RTX 3060 that uses GA106, this particular card uses the leftover GA104 dies from 70-class cards which is identical on the basic specs for the most part – but given its larger die area it should provide slightly better thermals (both variants are rated at the same 170W TDP).
Test System

CPU
Intel Core i9-13900K (24C 32T, 5.8GHz)

Cooler
ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO
Cooler Master MasterGel Maker

Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 HERO

GPU
PNY GeForce RTX 3060 VERTO Dual Fan

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

Storage
Samsung SSD 980 PRO 256GB (Boot)
Kingston NV1 1TB

Power Supply
ASUS ROG Thor 1000W Platinum II

Case
VECTOR Bench Case (Open-air chassis)

OS
Windows 11 22H2

Performance
All benchmarks are done in out-of-the-box settings, unless otherwise specified. Games are tested under these settings (upscaling features such as NVIDIA DLSS or AMD FSR are turned off):

Forza Horizon 5 (RT ON)
Maximum settings (all settings maxed out to EXTREME preset when available, Ray Tracing set to EXTREME).
Forza Horizon 5 (RT OFF)
Ultra High preset – Ray Tracing turned off.
Red Dead Redemption 2
All settings set to ULTRA – slightly higher quality over ‘Favor Quality’ from the in-game settings slider.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (RT ON)
HIGHEST preset. RT Shadows set to ULTRA (which overrides default Shadow settings).
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (RT OFF)
Same as the previous run – with the exception of RT Shadows turned OFF, with Shadow settings set to ULTRA instead.
F1 2022 (RT ON)
ULTRA HIGH preset. Ray Tracing is set to HIGH under this preset. (RT is always ON in all quality preset levels.)

Synthetic Benchmarks

For reference, we pitted against RTX 3060’s big brother – the RTX 3080 Ti – for reference. The general theme here is basically half the performance, but at the same time, half the power (350W vs 170W). Ray tracing fells behind a bit further, but most people isn’t really inclined to use RT features on a mid-range GPU (pairing it with DLSS is another topic altogether). Same goes to Superposition 4K – which makes sense given this card’s memory bandwidth isn’t really designed to deal with 4K resolutions.
Gaming – 4K (3840×2160)

Strictly speaking, RTX 3060 isn’t designed for 4K gaming of any sort, but here are the numbers on our benchmark runs just for science. Despite that, if you’re willing to turn down some of the graphical settings for certain games (say, Forza Horizon 5), 4K60 is achievable. The general theme here is – don’t bother with ray tracing in 4K. Alternatively, you can use DLSS to boost the frames even further – the resulting FPS should match or at least get close to the numbers in the chart below.
Gaming – 1440p (2560×1440)

Down to QHD resolutions. F1 2022 with RT remains difficult to drive for this card; but otherwise the performance is pretty workable with generally 50FPS and up despite all settings maxed out. Again, you can always turn downs the settings slightly to achieve 60FPS across the board – or have DLSS help you boost the framerates.
Gaming – 1080p (1920×1080)

On 1080p, 60FPS is generally achievable even with graphical settings cranked to max. For older games like SOTTR – you can achieve 120FPS or more with RT turned off (settings otherwise maxed out), and the numbers shouldn’t be too far away if you chose to use DLSS to boost it to 1440p resolutions instead.
Thermals

Now, for some reason when we fired up HWiNFO64 for monitoring, there’s one key metric missing here: VRAM temps. Our raw telemetry data has only given us core temperature and core hotspot temperature (among other things), so we’ll go with that.
To summarize, the GPU peaked at 71°C in this 10-minute Furmark run before settling in at about 68°C at the end of the 10th minute; and the same curve happened to the fan speeds as well – peaking at about 1,650RPM before slowing it down slightly to 1,600RPM. The power remained consistent at 170W for the entirety of this run, and fans is relatively silent so it’s unlikely you’ll notice it especially when the card is enclosed inside a PC case.
Conclusion
This tiny 2-slot GPU is pretty respectable in performance and thermals, and it’ll just about fit any case you’ll ever throw at it. In SFF cases you’ll probably be needing to push the fans a bit further for better thermals, but generally for those who don’t like huge cases and prefer the portability, this is among the options available to them. While not much creature comforts are available on this card, you do still get a zero-RPM mode when the GPU is idle.
Performance wise, depending on your appetite for eye candy you’ll need to pick one: resolution or graphics. DLSS may get you both – but in my experience that only works on certain kind of games (Forza Horizon 5 for example just breaks the car’s interior speedometer due to DLSS’s temporal scaling nature). Generally you should be able to achieve high refresh rate on 1080p Medium settings no problem.

The PNY GeForce RTX 3060 VERTO Dual Fan is priced at RM1,399 – and with that you get a pretty bare-bones GPU that does not much else other than making your games run (pretty nicely at that). But if you don’t really care about the bells and whistles of a GPU, and just needs something to work – this is pretty much it.

Special thanks to PNY Malaysia for providing the GeForce RTX 3060 VERTO Dual Fan GPU for the purposes of this review.
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You Can Now Get ASUS ROG RTX Graphics Cards At Cheaper Prices

It seems that the folks at ASUS ROG Malaysia is hosting a special promo for their RTX graphics cards, where you can get the ROG Strix RTX 2080, ROG Strix RTX 2070 as well as the ASUS Dual RTX 2060 at cheaper prices.
ASUS Dual RTX 2060 now at a promo price of RM1,899
Starting off with the ASUS Dual RTX 2060 graphics card, you can get it at promotional price of RM1,899, which saves you RM691.
Get your hands on the ROG Strix RTX 2070 at just RM2,999
You can also get the ROG Strix RTX 2070, which is now at RM2999. It’s a pretty fine card, if you aren’t into extravagant RGB lighting. To learn more on the ROG Strix RTX 2070, read more on our thoughts here.

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ROG Strix RTX 2080 now available at RM3,799
Last but not least is the ROG Strix RTX 2080 graphics card, where it comes with a beefy brace and cooler that looks aggressive. Offering the performance you want for AAA games, the card is now at promotional price of RM3,799.
These promo prices are up and running. It’s worth noting that the offer will last until the 21st of June 2019. So if you’re on the lookout for an RTX graphics card, be sure to check them out.
ASUS ROG Malaysia Summer Sale 2019
Not to forget, ASUS ROG Malaysia is hosting their Summer Sale, which is up and running until the 21st of June 2019. In the promo period, you can purchase any ASUS GeForce 1650 graphics card and above or an ASUS G-Sync monitor for a chance to win some cool limited edition ROG merchandise that includes the ROG Umbrella and ROG Hoodie.
ROG Umbrella and ROG Hoodie
ROG Umbrella outer look
So once you’ve made your ROG product purchase, you can then register yourself here to be in the running of winning an exclusive ROG giveaway!
Pokdepinion: Maybe I’m due for an upgrade…
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LG Releases A New Flip Phone With The LG Folder 2

While we were more curious on what LG had to show following their Raindrop design teaser, it seems that they’ve unveiled a new flip phone that’s called the LG Folder 2.
LG Folder 2
LG Folder 2 flip phone
Aimed for those who would like to prefer it to be simple, the LG Folder 2 will definitely not attract many with its specifications. Coming with a Snapdragon 210 chipset under the hood, it only has 1GB RAM that’s paired with 8GB of storage.
Seeing that it’s a flip phone, it has two displays with a 2.8″ QVGA being the primary one while the other is a 0.9″ monochrome panel to showcase all your text and call notifications.

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Designed like back in the days, the phone has both SOS and Hotkey buttons, where the latter lets you access the AI voice service or to even start the call recording option.
Other than that, the LG Folder 2 comes with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and 4G support. It weighs 127 grams and under the hood is a 1470mAh battery to power the device up.
LG has released the LG Folder 2 at US$160 (~RM693) in South Korea but we’ll probably won’t be seeing the phone here in Malaysia.
Source
Pokdepinion: I don’t know about you, but the price is a bit too high for my liking, considering what it offers..
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Samsung’s Good Vibes App Allows The Deafblind To Communicate

In today’s world, communication is easier than ever thanks to the technology that surrounds us. Unfortunately some have the difficulty in doing so due to disabilities. Over at Samsung India, it seems that they’ve introduced an app that helps the deafblind to communicate.

The app, which is called Good Vibes, allows a deafblind person to send a message from the app by tapping on the screen by using Morse Code, where all the letters of the English alphabet are combination of dots and dashes.
Samsung Good Vibes UI
If they were to receive a message, they can understand the messages through vibrations, where a small vibration means a dot and a long vibrations would mean a dash.

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The Samsung Good Vibes app has an ‘Always On’ setting. Once it is installed in Deafblind mode, the setting allows the app to automatically open on the phone of the deafblind, even after a restart.
Deafblind is a term that’s used when a person has a combination of impaired vision and hearing.
Pokdepinion: A good initiative from them. Everyone deserves a chance in life.
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Genshin Impact 3.0 Leak Reveals Sumeru Tree of Dreams Rewards

Genshin Impact 3.0 Leak: Sumeru Tree of Dreams Rewards

With the arrival of 3.0, we receive a new ‘tree’ system akin to the Sacred Sakura of Inazuma, named the “Tree of Dreams” for Sumeru!
#GenshinImpact #原神 #Sumeru pic.twitter.com/1vNwTbePIu
— SipSipSquad (@sipsipsquad) August 3, 2022

If you’ve been playing Genshin Impact, then I’m sure you’re aware of the sheer number of collectibles available in every region in the game. In the case of the upcoming update 3.0, Sumeru’s Tree of Dreams will make use of Dendro Sigils, and we know what players can get based on a recent leak.
According to Twitter user @sipsipsquad, the rewards appear to be rather similar to the Sacred Sakura Tree, with the exception of requiring more Sigils per level. To be precise, Sumeru’s Tree of Dreams require 35 Dendro Sigils per level whereas the Sacred Sakura Tree required 25 Electro Sigils per level.

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This could be a potential sign that there might be an abundance of Sigils in Sumeru than Inazuma, or that chests would contain more Sigils when found. If the leak is accurate, you would require a grand total of 1,750 Dendro Sigils to reach the max level for Sumeru’s Tree of Dreams, which will yield Primogems, Talent books, Acquiant Fate, Crowns, and more.
Genshin Impact is currently available for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Android, iOS, and PC. A Nintendo Switch port of the game is still currently in development.
Source
Pokdepinion: Was excited for a moment until I saw the number of Sigils needed. Now, it looks like it’s too many to collect, and I’m not sure if I will have the luxury of time for it.
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Samsung Galaxy J7+ review; Samsung’s budget dual camera phone

Introduction

Samsung is pushing way into the high end market with their Samsung Galaxy S and Note series, with the Galaxy Note 8 knocking on the RM4000 barrier. Sure, the Galaxy Note 8 is feature-packed beyond anyone’s imagination, but the stratospheric price places it beyond the reach of many. For budget-conscious consumers, Samsung offers the Samsung Galaxy J series and Galaxy A series which should fulfill the needs of most smartphones users anyway. The latest Samsung Galaxy J7+ is the top-of-the-line in the entry-level Galaxy J family, so it should be a pretty decent mid-ranger right? It’s also one of the few Samsung smartphone to be packing a Mediatek under the hood, so I am quite curious about the Galaxy J7+ here since Samsung has a good Exynos line up now.
Unboxing

It seems like blue packaging is the standard for smartphones destined for the lower end market. The one here is simple, with just text here on the top surface.

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The back lists out some of the highlight features like the full metal body, dual rear camera and also some basic specifications.

Lifting off the lid, we find the Samsung Galaxy J7+ wrapped in a clear plastic wrapper, with the same highlighted features printed on it.

Here are all the contents of the package. We get a few booklets, the SIM tray ejector pin, a 5V @ 1.55V charger, microUSB cable and of course the phone itself. We didn’t get earphones here, which I believe is an important inclusion especially in lower end smartphones where the prospective owners are less likely to own high end IEMs.
Appearance

I must say the Samsung Galaxy J7+ looks like a typical Samsung device with a nice big screen, curved corners and a home button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner. The back button is also on the wrong side, also typical of a Samsung device. Less typical is the front facing flash, which we will talk about later. The 2.5D curved glass makes for a slightly more premium appearance.

The back of the device is metal, unlike the recent flagships from Samsung and the Galaxy A series. The dual camera system also makes it the second smartphone in Samsung’s stable with two cameras on its back. The reflective rings around the camera lenses add a touch of style to what is otherwise a pretty bland black back on the Samsung Galaxy J7+. Two antenna lines lie flush across the top and bottom, color-matched just like the sunken Samsung logo for a cleaner look.

On the right we find the power button in its usual position and the the not-so-usual loudspeaker too. For some reason Samsung has placed the loudspeaker on the left of the Samsung Galaxy J7+ instead of the more conventional position beside the USB charging port. The volume buttons and an oversized SIM tray slot takes up the left side. I found that having the volume buttons on the opposite side of the power button makes for really easy screenshots, but that could be just me.

Sadly, Samsung is still using a microUSB port here. Considering its entry-level aspirations, this is a pretty good choice though as consumers who get these devices often already have an array of microUSB cables to charge their devices anywhere they want, and will not want to be forced to purchase a whole new set of USB Type-C cables to use with their smartphone. We also find the equally classic 3.5mm jack here. The top is bare except for a secondary microphone.
As a whole, the Samsung Galaxy J7+ looks decent with its all-metal body and sleek black front panel, but it won’t be a conversation starter until people notice the Samsung emblem and the dual camera, which aren’t a combo you see everyday.
Specifications

CPU/Chipset:
MediaTek Helio P20 MT6757 (4 x Cortex A53 @ 2.39 GHz, 4 x Cortex A53 @ 1.69 GHz)

GPU:
Mali-T880 MP2 @ 900 MHz

RAM:
4GB

Display:
5.5″, FHD (1080p) Super AMOLED, Always On Display, Corning Gorilla Glass 4

Storage:
32GB (expandable with microSD up to 256GB)

Camera:
Main Camera
13MP f/1.7 +  5MP f/1.9
AF (only on the primary 13MP camera), Live Focus mode, single LED flash
Front Camera
16MP f/1.9, single LED flash, Selfie Focus mode, Beautify mode

OS:
Android 7.1.1 Nougat with Samsung Experience 8.5

Connectivity:
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz
Bluetooth 4.2
VoLTE

SIM:
Dual nanoSIM (one nanoSIM slot doubles as microSD slot)

Battery:
Li-ion 3000 mAh

Weight:
180 g

Performance
We have already talked about how the Samsung Galaxy J7+ is a rare breed of Samsung devices with a MediaTek chipset inside. The SoC in question is the MediaTek Helio P20, a member of MediaTek’s mid-range SoCs. As such, it features eight Cortex A53 cores and a Mali-T880MP2 GPU. 4GB of RAM that is most probably of the LPDDR3 variety should keep it running smoothly in light multitasking, while the 3000 mAh battery should suffice for a day of usage or more with the MediaTek Helio P20 built on TSMC’s 16nm FinFET process like the Kirin 950 and Kirin 65x in Huawei/Honor devices.

In Antutu, the Samsung Galaxy J7+’s does a lot better than the lesser Snapdragon 430-powered devices, but is still some ways away from the Samsung’s in-house Exynos 7880 Octa SoC that powered the Galaxy A7 (2017).

The eight Cortex A53 cores in the Samsung Galaxy J7+ makes a good showing in Geekbench, besting most of the smartphones with fast Cortex A53 cores in the single-core benchmark due to its fast performance cluster clocked at 2.39 GHz. However it falls behind once we take a look at multi-cored tests. Once again, the Galaxy A7 (2017) pulls ahead with the Exynos 7880 Octa when we are looking at the multi-core scores, with the Samsung Galaxy J7+ only beating the OPPO R9s and Honor 6X in the multi-core benchmark.

The Mali-T880 MP2 GPU offers quite a solid punch in Sling Shot Extreme which tests OpenGL ES 3.1 performance. It does not shine as brightly in the other two benchmark runs we did, with it falling behind all the devices with the Snapdragon 625 which pack the Adreno 506 GPUs. The Galaxy A7 (2017)’s Mali-T830 MP3 does a fair bit better than the Samsung Galaxy J7+ and it’s Mali-T880 MP2, while the Honor 6X’s Mali-T830 MP2 has fallen beyond our cut-off point for this chart.

PCMark tests the general performance of a device in productivity-related workloads. It doesn’t do well at all in this benchmark, with scores comparable to the ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro which packs the weaker Snapdragon 430 chipset. Even then, the Galaxy A7 (2017) and the Galaxy C9 Pro with its much beefier Snapdragon 653 aren’t that much faster than the Samsung Galaxy J7+, which probably means Samsung has to optimize their devices better for these workloads.

The battery life figures of the Samsung Galaxy J7+ aren’t that impressive either, with only 8 hours and 30 minutes squeezed out of its 3000 mAh battery. While it may look inline with the Nokia 8 and Samsung Galaxy S8, do note that both devices pack a ton more performance than the Samsung Galaxy J7+. This means that the MediaTek P20 mediocre performance isn’t really compensated with great battery life.

In my real world usage, I managed to eke out nearly 4 hours of screen on time, after more than 25 hours away from the plug. This is with a mix of WiFi and mobile data use, as well as Always On Display…well, always on. Recharging takes some time with the charger only outputting [email protected] It puzzles me as to why Samsung didn’t just throw a basic 10W charger in the box and call it a day here.
User Experience

With a 5.5″ display, the Samsung Galaxy J7+ isn’t going to force you to stretch out your fingers just to hold it in your hand. The thin bezels help you hold it more easily too, but the fact that there is no palm rejection of any kind may make it a little more difficult to actually use the device if you have fat palms. I can’t remember how many times I was frustrated with a non-responsive display simply because the fleshy part of my palm was contacting the display. The display is pretty good in its price range, being of the Super AMOLED variety and featuring a 1080p resolution. It also goes very dim on one extreme and really bright on the other, so you should have no problem at all viewing the Samsung Galaxy J7+ in your pitch black room or under direct sunlight.

One of the best parts of having an AMOLED display is the fact that you can have Always On Display without sacrificing a lot of battery life. While Nokia has successfully implemented it on an IPS display, they didn’t really make it always on. The implementation here is true to its name, and it never goes off.

The next thing that I noticed was the missing backlights behind the back and multitasking keys. This is the first time I have seen it on a Samsung and considering that they have inverted the position of the two keys as compared to Google’s standard, I find backlighting really necessary here. The fingerprint sensor embedded in the home button works really well, unlocking the device really quickly with the lightest of touch. It is a tactile button, but you won’t have to wake the device before the fingerprint scanner gets to work.

Whatever reasons Samsung had to justify the unorthodox location of the loudspeaker, it works pretty great. The location above the power button is good as it is nearer to your ears, and it is plenty loud for notifications. It does sound okay too. I would say it’s good enough for Facebook videos and the like, but not for music. Samsung did pack the Samsung Galaxy J7+ with a comprehensive suite of sound tuning options including Adapt Sound which allows you to tune the audio output of your earphones to suit your hearing range.

Samsung’s second dual camera system understandably pales in comparison against its flagship, featuring a primary 13MP f/1.7 camera for actual photos coupled with a 5MP f/1.9 camera that captures depth information. A single flash on the back helps you to take slightly better photos in dimmer environments. The front facing selfie camera is a 16MP f/1.7 one with a single LED flash, taking a page out of the “Selfie Phone” book with the front camera sporting a higher resolution than the rear one.

The camera UI here is basic, with the Live Focus accessible with a tap and the other modes like the Pro and HDR (Rich tone) are within a swipe and tap away. Live Focus mode is what Samsung has decided to call the enhanced “bokeh” mode on the Samsung Galaxy J7+. It has a slider at the side to adjust the intensity of the blurring, but since you can play around with that after taking the photo, I don’t really find it important to manage that before shooting. Sadly the Pro mode here is not a full-fledged manual mode, lacking proper shutter speed and manual focus controls. You do get to adjust the ISO and exposure compensation though. HDR mode does what it says on the can, but processing can take some time even in the best of lighting conditions. It seems to fire the shots off in quick succession, so you won’t really have to wait for it to finish processing before moving your phone. Selfies can also be enhanced with a Selfie Focus mode, with some blurring of the background.

Image quality is acceptable in optimal lighting but finer details are visibly missing from the shots even in daylight. The HDR mode really enhances the dynamic range of the photos, without the halo effect certain smartphones have when they overdo the HDR processing. Low light performance is not the best, even when shooting in Pro mode with the ISO turned down to just ISO 100. The considerably wide f/1.7 aperture does help a bit with the images turning out a little brighter than I expected, but details are smoothened out into oblivion. How does the dual camera mode add to the photography experience with Live Focus mode? Well, the blurring effect is quite good but it can look a little unnatural in certain conditions. It performs great when taking photos of food though, which is probably the most common usage scenario with smartphones nowadays. Selfies look better with some background blurring, but busier backgrounds can confuse the software and make it blur out your hair, or even consider a face in a poster as a person and decide not to blur that part of the image.

A little nifty feature that I nearly missed in this review was the use of image recognition in the Gallery app to categorize images. It greatly enhances your ability to search through your photos, but I am not sure how often I will use it.

The general user interface looks rather good, but the emphasis on whites seems a little off considering AMOLED displays are most efficient with dark backgrounds. Nonetheless, all the settings are where you expect them to be. Bixby is present here too, but I was unable to speak to it. Oh well, there’s still Google Assistant for everything I need. The UI is pretty fluid with animations that take their own sweet time, but once I started multitasking like browsing on Chrome and chatting on Messenger at the same time, serious stuttering was observed. Fire up the camera when you are doing anything else and the same happens. The Samsung Galaxy J7+ failed to offer me a smooth user experience in my usual usage scenarios and I am gonna have to dock a few points for that.

It’s really quite a pity that it doesn’t do multitasking all that well considering it has both the standard Nougat multiwindow mode and Samsung’s own Pop-up View multitasking.
Conclusion
Is the Samsung Galaxy J7+ a good buy at RM1599? It is definitely not a bad one, but stutters when switching between apps put me off. I believe it may be held back by its software considering the benchmark scores are acceptable and I had smartphones which score less offer a better experience. The display, camera and overall hardware build is actually decent, but the lack of a smooth user experience even in light multitasking prevents me from recommending the Samsung Galaxy J7+ as your next smartphone. The Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) that can be gotten for just 50 bucks more on Lazada looks set to be a better deal with its IP67 rating and better overall performance. Let’s not forget that the Galaxy A7 (2017) features NFC which the Samsung Galaxy J7+ lacks strongly tilts the scales in the former’s direction. With NFC comes Samsung Pay, and whether you use it or not, Samsung Pay is definitely a nice feature to have for more convenient payments.

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PS VR Horror Game “The Inpatient” Has Been Delayed – Will now release next year

The doctor won’t be seeing you… yet

Sony Interactive Entertainment Hong Kong Limited Singapore Branch (SIES) announced today that the release date for The Inpatient has changed. Instead of the game coming out this 22nd November 2017, The Inpatient will release on the 24th January 2018. Sony explained that the reason for the release date shift is to ensure the development teams have the time they need to make these games as enjoyable for players as possible.
Which is corporate talk “for the game isn’t 100% complete yet and the developers need some additional time to iron out the kinks.”

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Before we go any further, here’s a brief synopsis about The Inpatient.
Discover who you are before it’s too late in The Inpatient; a PS VR Exclusive set in the Blackwood Sanatorium, over 60 years prior to the 2016 BAFTA award-winning Until Dawn.
With deep immersion that places YOU in the game, you take on the role of an amnesiac inpatient who must find out who you are and why you are in the Sanatorium. With a branching narrative, and different endings; every choice you make can drastically affect the way the game plays out.
As you’ve probably guessed from the synopsis above, The Inpatient is developed by Supermassive Games, the guys behind 2015’s popular horror game Until Dawn, in which this PS VR exclusive is a prequel of. Unlike Until Dawn, The Inpatient is played from a first person perspective as opposed to the original’s third person perspective.

This game employs the same branching story mechanic that made the original game so memorable. Choices and consequences are integral to the gameplay. Your life (and the lives of those around you), are dramatically affected by the decisions you make. To add to the players’ immersion, Supermassive Games employed elements of psychological horror, which included them recording three-dimensional binaural audio (a recording process that utilises two separate microphones to simulate a create 3D stereo sound) supplement the visuals.
So be prepared for a terrifyingly good time.
The Inpatient will release on the 24th January 2018 and will be priced at RM 159 and RM 149 for both the Blu-Ray edition and the digital edition respectively.
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Take Part In vivo’s “Malaysia V Boleh” Photography Contest And Win A New vivo Y20s G Smartphone

In celebration of the upcoming 64th Merdeka Day, vivo Malaysia has launched a “Malaysia V Boleh” photography contest on Facebook and Instagram, which will run until August 30 to encourage Malaysians to participate and express their love for the country in unique ways.
vivo’s “Malaysia V Boleh” Photography Contest

The National Day celebration may be a fun time when everyone gets together digitally to celebrate their patriotism through photographs for a chance to win a vivo Y20s G smartphone and other great prizes like the vivo Wireless Sport Lite, a robot vacuum, and a Rever gift box.

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Participants must upload their creative images to their Facebook or Instagram accounts with the hashtags #MalaysiaVBoleh and #vivoMalaysia, as well as tag vivo Malaysia on Facebook and Instagram, with the theme “Merdeka.” The winners will be announced on August 31st.

Below are more detailed steps to join vivo’s “Malaysia V Boleh” Photography Contest:

Take a creative photo with a “National Day” element in a creative way
Upload the photo to your Facebook or Instagram account (remember to set your post to public)
Include the hashtags #MalaysiaVBoleh and #vivoMalaysia, and tag @vivo Malaysia’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts

The vivo Y20s G is powered by a MediaTek Helio G80 SoC and features a triple camera setup, 6GB RAM, 128GB internal storage and a 5,000mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging. The vivo Y20s G is currently retailing for RM749.
Pokdepinion: I think this contest is pretty neat. Times are tough right now and something fun like this should be a real distraction from everyday life. Also, you get a chance to win a new smartphone while doing it.
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Digi Partners With Senheng In Introducing PlusOne Connect Plan

Digi has teamed up with Senheng in launching a new PlusOne Connect prepaid plan, which is available at all 104 and senQ outlets in Malaysia now.
Digi and Senheng introduces PlusOne Connect plan

With the PlusOne Connect plan, it gives customers with a range of 30-day 4G network plans starting from the price of RM28, where you can enjoy 6GB internet and unlimited social media access to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Aside from that, you will be able to enjoy unlimited calls to other members as well as the chance to earn Senheng’s 10% EZ Credit Rebate, that’s redeemable at Senheng or senQ stores. To make things better, customers will get 30% EZ credit rebate as part of an introductory offer for the month of October.

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For a limited time only, you can unlock free 10GB data quota upon subscription to the plans. This bonus can be redeemed a maximum of 10 times is only applicable for usage between 1pm to 7pm daily.
Want to learn more on the PlusOne Connect plans? You can head to the link right here for more details.
Pokdepinion: I guess it’ll benefit you if you happen to shop at Senheng/senQ often to get them rebates. What do you think of the packages? Let us know below.
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Apex Legends Hitbox Details for Each Legends – Wraith is A Slippery Devil

Apex Legends Hitbox Details for Each Legends
Image credits to: Reddit User u/zhrooms

I’m sure many of you have played Apex Legends and thought to yourself that the difficulty seems to vary when it comes to attacking other players or getting attacked yourself. It seems like the hitbox for each Legend seems to vary but it’s hard to prove this aside from first hand experience.
Now, we have a very clear idea as to how the hitbox varies with each Legend.
From the picture at the top of this post, you can see that Wraith is the hardest to hit. Not only is it because of her body size, which is very similar to Lifeline, it’s also because of her body stance as she seems to be slouched further down. To no one’s surprise, Gibraltar and Caustic are the easiest to hit due to their sheer size but what seems odd here is Pathfinder.

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You can see that there are empty areas around Pathfinder where the hits will still register. This makes him a bigger target than expected, literally. Even the space between the legs has a noticeable hitbox area.

For a clearer idea, you can refer to the picture right above here. Keep in mind that this will vary depending on when the player moves around. EA and Respawn Entertainment has mentioned that they are looking to rebalance the hitboxes in a future update, so this may change either drastically or minimally in the future. For now, feel free to use this as reference.
Pokdepinion: Well, now I know why it feels easier to play Lifeline compared to Gibraltar. If anything, it looks like I know half of the Legends that I won’t be picking anymore. How about you? Were you surprised to find out that the Apex Legends hitbox varies quite a bit with each Legend?
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ASUS ROG Mothership GZ700GX Has Finally Landed in Malaysia

The ASUS ROG Mothership GZ700GX is one of the most innovative gaming laptops ever created. Many have dubbed it as the Microsoft surface of gaming laptops due to its form factor. For those of you who have been anticipating this beast, it has finally landed in Malaysia.
For those of you who aren’t aware, the ASUS ROG Mothership GZ700GX has all the major components seated behind the monitor as opposed to being on the keyboard where it will be placed flat on a surface. This reimagined gaming laptop design allows for better cooling thanks to unrestricted access to airflow.

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The keyboard can be separated, folded, and used in both wired and wireless modes for added flexibility, giving consumers the freedom to position it to their liking. Detaching the keyboard will unveiled a row of four speakers that will directed towards the user for a more wholesome audio experience.
For all the firepower it is packing, it is surprisingly thin at just 29.9mm. This was made possible becaused of its CNC-machined body which is milled with precision for the perfect fit. The display is also perfect for the power its packing as it’s a Full HD IPS display with a 144Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time. This makes it a viable choice for professionals and gaming enthusiasts.
If you want to check out the ASUS ROG Mothership GZ700GX specifications, we’ve listed it right below here:
ASUS ROG Mothership GZ700GX Specifications

CPU
Intel Core i9-9980HK (8C / 16T @ up to 5 GHz), 16M Cache, 45W TDP, 14nm

RAM
16GB 2666MHz DDR4 x 4

GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 8GB GDDR6

Storage
512GB PCIe G3X4 NVMe M.2 SSD x 3 (RAID 0)

Display
17.3″ FHD (1920 X 1080) 144Hz Anti-Glare IPS display with G-Sync (3ms response)

Keyboard
Chiclet Keyboard with NKRO, Per-Key RGB and Aura Sync

Connectivity
Wireless:
802.11ax Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 5.0
I/O:
3 x Type-A USB 3.1 Gen 2
1 x Type-A USB 3.1 Gen 1
1 x Type-C Gen 2
1 x Type-C Gen 2 with DisplayPort 1.4
1 x Kensington Lock
1 x HDMI 2.0
1 x SD card reader
1 x Proprietary Charging Port

Audio
4 x 4W Speakers with Smart AMP technology
1 x Combo Audio Jack
1 x Mic Jack
Array Microphones

Power
76Whr 6-cell Li-Ion Battery

Dimensions
410 x 320 x 29.9 mm (W x D x H)

Weight
4.7kg

The ASUS ROG Mothership GZ700GX will be retailing for RM26,999 with a 2-year warranty period, and will come with an ROG Backpack, ROG Gladius gaming mouse, and an ROG gaming headset as free gifts. It will be available in Malaysia starting mid-July 2019.
If you want to check out the official Malaysian page for the laptop, click right here.
Pokdepinion: Thinking if my kidney would be enough for me to get one for myself. Jokes aside, I’d definitely want to take this for a test run.
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WhatsApp Accuses Tech Firm of Attacking US Servers

It looks like Facebook is stepping up with their lawsuit against technology and surveillance firm NSO Group for the WhatsApp call exploit attacks. Specifically, the WhatsApp team has filed accusations that NSO Group relied on US-based servers to stage their spyware attacks using the Pegasus software.
Allegedly, the NSO Group utilized the LA-based Quadranet service for “more than 700 times” to infect users with malware. An Amazon server was also said to be involved. Ultimately, this contradicts their claims that they cannot run operations in the US and support claims that they are a hacking service rather than simply a software developer if proven true.

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Furthermore, the Facebook legal team is shooting down NSO Group’s belief that it’s out of their jurisdiction and that they have immunity due to their government clientele. They’ve specifically noted how the company has yet to list a specific country that is buying their surveillance offerings or any evidence that proves that they can’t be held responsible for what their clients do. Essentially, they are trying to protect themselves with the immunity of their customers.
NSO Group Responds to WhatsApp Accusations

A representative of NSO Group did not address the claims directly. Instead, they repeated their earlier statements that they “do not operate” Pegasus for customers, and that it can’t be used against devices or phone numbers with the US.
If proven true, the technology and surveillance firm will be in trouble regardless of their defense. It would certainly improve their chances of the lawsuit being brought forward and challenge the idea that they are a simply a bystander in this matter.
Sourced from Engadget
Pokdepinion: It’s hard to say who is in the right here. I am a firm believer that responsibility lies on the “gun user” rather than the “gun manufacturer” but if they can prove that manufacturer played a part, then it’s a different story.
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PSVR 2 Expected to Launch This Year – PS5 Reveal Teased?

PSVR 2 Expected to Launch This Year

It’s no secret that Sony has not given up on virtual reality. Many gamers have expected to see a PlayStation VR 2 sometime in the future that can make the technology better suited with the new hardware of the PS5. It appears that the PSVR 2 may pop up sooner rather than later.
The information stems from the financial report of the publisher of Immersive VR Education Ltd (Apollo 11 VR and Titanic VR). In the financial report, the PSVR 2 was mentioned.

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In 2020, Sony will release PlayStation 5 and a new version of the PlayStation VR headset (PSVR), which will further expand the high-end VR user base – the group intends to support this device with its current software package.

The PlayStation VR is one of the most successful premium VR headsets around. You get the complete VR experience at a rather affordable price compared to the competitors like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. It did lack some of the more advanced features but that is expected to be addressed with the PSVR 2. Some of the new features expected are eye-tracking and wireless connectivity.
Recent leaks have suggested that the PlayStation 5 will be officially unveiled sometime in February 2020. It was also suggested that the PSVR 2 may appear alongside the console. No word yet on an exact release date but we’ll be reporting more on this as soon as information becomes available.
Source: TechBriefly
Pokdepinion: Not surprised by this at all but I also didn’t expect it to pop up so soon. Well, guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
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HUAWEI Y Max review — proof that size matters

Introduction

Some people want a big screen and a big battery for gaming. Some people just want a big screen and a big battery to enjoy the latest shows. HUAWEI serves the former crowd with the HUAWEI Mate 20 X, and the latter, maybe with the HUAWEI Y Max. It’s just a pinch more than 1/3 the price, while offering a screen that’s just nearly as large.
The rest of the specifications are notably toned down, but if your primary concern is a large screen and a large battery, the HUAWEI Y Max might just be the phone for you. Read on to see if the HUAWEI Y Max ticks your checkboxes.
Unboxing

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The packaging is reminiscent of the HUAWEI Y9 (2019)‘s. Interestingly HUAWEI doesn’t call this the HUAWEI Y Max (2019), so I do wonder what will they call the successor.

Inside the package is what you would normally expect from a mid-range device. No earphones, so that’s a bummer. The HUAWEI 18W Fast Charger we received was unsuitable for our wall sockets, but rest assured if you buy one from authorized HUAWEI resellers here, you would get one that works straight out of the box. It’s nice to see a fast charger in the box though.
Appearance

I really dig the HUAWEI logo on the bottom bezel. It reminds me of those times when bezel-less displays weren’t a thing yet, and HUAWEI chose to position their logo on the lower bezel. The waterdrop notch is a tad deeper than what most recent smartphones tout, but that’s probably to make way for a larger speaker at the top. More on that later.

The back of the HUAWEI Y Max unique because HUAWEI went with faux leather here. I very much prefer this over glossy plastic, regardless of what fancy finishing you apply to it. This is still plastic, but it’s replete with faux stitching. Once again, it brings back my memories playing with a Galaxy Note 3 which had a pretty similar finishing.

It’s pretty busy down here on the bottom end of the HUAWEI Y Max. We have a microUSB port, a 3.5mm jack, the loudspeaker grille and the microphone hole just right beside it. Having microUSB here is also a throwback to devices of yore, but not in a good way. The top is home to the secondary microphone.

On the left is the SIM tray while the right is where you will find the volume rocker and power button. All in their usual places. Just nice. Worth mentioning is that the frame is all metal, unlike the HUAWEI Y9 (2019) which sports plastic along the sides.
Specifications

CPU/Chipset:
Snapdragon 660 (4 x Kryo 260 @ 1.96 GHz, 4 x Cortex A53 @ 1.8 GHz), 14nm FinFET

GPU:
Adreno 512 @ 850 MHz

RAM:
4GB

Display:
7.12″ 18.7:9 FHD+ (1080p) display

Storage:
128GB eMMC 5.1 (expandable via microSD card up to 256GB)

Camera:
Main Camera(s)
16MP f/2.0 + 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor
LED flash, AI stabilization, AI scene recognition
Front Camera
8MP f/2.0
Beauty mode, AR Lens (stickers)

OS:
EMUI 8.2 based on Android 8.1 Oreo

Connectivity:
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 GHz)
Bluetooth 4.2

SIM:
Dual nanoSIM

Battery:
Li-ion 5000 mAh (non-removable), fast charging (18W)

Dimensions:
177.6 x 86.2 x 8.5 mm

Weight:
210 g

This is one of the rare HUAWEI’s to feature a Snapdragon chipset instead of their in-house Kirin processors. The Snapdragon 660 here is the slower variant though, clocked at 1.96 GHz instead of 2.2 GHz. The main highlights are of course the expansive display, huge battery and also the spacious storage. The camera chops seem pretty limited, as is the WiFi connectivity which doesn’t even offer 5 GHz connectivity. Overall a pretty balanced phone with good hardware where it counts. It doesn’t attempt to cover all the bases, but HUAWEI clearly knows size matters, and has upsized all the important parts.
Performance

The HUAWEI Y Max scores the lowest in Antutu versus the other underclocked Snapdragon 660-toting devices. It does come in below the HUAWEI Y9 (2019) though. Could HUAWEI’s decision to go with the Snapdragon 660 been a mistake?

The CPU performance is probably the reason behind the lower Antutu scores. It comes up a bit short in terms of single core, but the multi-core scores are actually pretty decent. The underclocked Snapdragon 660 doesn’t offer what the HUAWEI Y9 (2019)’s Kirin 710 can though.

3DMark is where the HUAWEI Y Max is visibly more impressive. It distances itself from the HUAWEI Y9 with its superior GPU, making up for what it lacks in terms of CPU performance.

Productivity workloads doesn’t seem to be the HUAWEI Y Max’s strong suit…

But battery life definitely is. Despite having the second largest display here, it makes a strong showing with its equally sizeable battery.

In daily usage, the HUAWEI Y Max delivers more than 6 hours of pretty continuous usage. I used it during my journey back to my hometown, so I used Waze to avoid traffic, and when I arrived, I spent a lot of my time on social media. So while 6 hours 38 minutes may not seem all that impressive, it is actually amazing considering that I used GPS for more than 3 hours. Recharging is pretty quick, with the 18W fast charger. 25% was regained in 30 minutes, which is good given the massive size of the battery.
There are no issues with gaming with the HUAWEI Y Max. The Snapdragon 660 is plenty for PUBG Mobile, and then some. It should make a good pick for mobile gamers who want an easier viewing experience without breaking the bank. However its size might be its downfall too, but we will talk more about that later. Daily usage is pretty smooth, with nary a stutter during my usage.
User Experience

It is definitely a handful with that humongous screen. Even as an 1.8m tall guy, the HUAWEI Y Max made my hand feel inadequate to properly handle it. It was quite impossible to use it in one hand, so you can just forget about that, unless you really have gargantuan hands.
The dual speakers enhanced by Dolby Atmos is amazing to listen to. They aren’t the best sounding, but the stereo separation is great, and the balance is still pretty good despite the fact that the bottom loudspeaker isn’t front facing. Worth noting is that there is only Widevine L3 support here, so no HD streaming on Netflix.
Gaming with the HUAWEI Y Max is a pretty fun experience. There’s more than sufficient performance for most games, and it was indeed easier to spot enemies running around in PUBG Mobile, but the sheer size of it does sometimes gets in the way when in intense firefights. There’s no semblance of palm rejection, so my thick padded palms got in the way a number of times during my PUBG Mobile sessions.

EMUI 8.2 will be familiar for anyone who has used a recent HUAWEI device. HUAWEI hasn’t made huge changes to EMUI since EMUI 5 way back in 2016, so it does look a little long in tooth versus more modern UIs like MIUI 10. It’s complete with all the features you want though, even gesture navigation in case you really wanna maximize your enjoyment of the 7.12″ display.

The camera UI is also very familiar, but HUAWEI has shoe-horned in some AI chops to keep up with the times. It’s puzzling why there isn’t a Night mode like the HUAWEI Y9 (2019) when the latter is actually cheaper than the HUAWEI Y Max we are looking at here. Most curious omission.

Speaking of which, the camera hardware does seem to be the most disappointing part of the HUAWEI Y Max. The 16MP resolution usually means smaller pixels, and the f/2.0 aperture probably won’t help. f/2.0 was really awesome a few years back, but f/1.8 is where most smartphones are at nowadays. Still, with HUAWEI’s experience in software, perhaps the HUAWEI Y Max can pass muster still despite the cards being stacked against it?
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Images do turn out okay when the lighting is good, but once you get into dimmer surroundings, the HUAWEI Y Max is quite visibly challenged. Images turn out quite grainy, and the lack of a dedicated Night mode to use longer exposures to get better images in dark conditions definitely isn’t working in its favor. AI mode can send the vividness through the roof, so approach with caution. You can check the full-sized samples on Flickr here.
Conclusion
The HUAWEI Y Max goes all out with a huge battery and a huge screen, but we can clearly see where the corners are cut. For starters, the camera is really quite subpar, coming up short even when comparing against its cheaper brother, the HUAWEI Y9 (2019). HUAWEI also didn’t get the Widevine L1 certification for the HUAWEI Y Max. HD streaming would have been a great feature to have on such a large display. I have to admit I am nitpicking at this point, because I actually enjoyed my experience with the HUAWEI Y Max a bit more than I expected.
Priced at RM1299, the HUAWEI Y Max is a pretty good deal if you enjoy having a big screen and a big battery to go along with it. Having a fast charger in the box was also a nice touch, as recharging the massive battery could definitely take a while otherwise. I loved the leather back too, as it is a nice shift from the glossy finishes that’s all too common now. I would definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoys watching media while on their daily commutes. I wouldn’t suggest it for anyone who has small hands though…

Our thanks to HUAWEI Malaysia for providing the HUAWEI Y Max used in our review.
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Tekken 8 Sees The Addition of a Longtime Character in Brand New Trailer

At the Tekken World Tour 2022 Finals competition, some new details have surfaced on Tekken 8, including the return of a longtime character.
Tekken 8 Sees The Return of Nina Williams

Nina Williams, a popular character from the Tekken fighting game series, has been confirmed to return in Bandai Namco’s upcoming Tekken 8. The announcement was made at a showcase during the Tekken World Tour 2022 Finals. Nina, an Irish-born assassin, made her debut in the first Tekken game in 1994 and has appeared in every main-series game and spinoffs such as Tekken Advance and Tekken Tag Tournament 1 and 2.
The new trailer shows Nina in a stylish blue evening gown and black leather jacket, equipped with dark-tinted sunglasses and dual wielding pistols. She demonstrates her fighting skills through spinning and flipping kicks. Along with bringing back a classic character, the developers also revealed a new mechanic, the Heat System, in a 40-minute video released during the e-sports competition. The video goes into detail on how to use and counter the system.

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The Heat System in Tekken 8 is a feature that allows characters to enter an “awakened” state that increases priority for certain attacks and enables special “smash” moves. The state is triggered by various moves and lasts for 10 seconds, but the timer can be extended with every attack or block.
The Rage System also increases attack power when a character’s health drops below a certain level, and a health recovery gauge can be activated by hitting or blocking an opponent. The game was officially announced in September of last year, but no release date has been set yet by Bandai Namco. The development team is actively working on the game and the director promises to make it available as soon as possible.
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Pokdepinion: Let’s be real here, she’s been around since the first game, is it really a surprise to see her here again? I’m guessing Harada-san wants to save some of the bigger surprises for later on since there’s no point making people too excited when we don’t have a release date yet.
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U Mobile announces Power-Up for Pokemon GO

U Mobile is offering its customers even more benefits with their Power-Up for Pokemon GO contest. U Mobile will set up lures during the event period from 10th August to 10th September 2016 at random locations which will be announced later to make it easier for players to catch ’em all with the increased number of Pokemon appearing in the area.
U Mobile customers will also get discounts for their Uber rides to allow Pokemon trainers to travel to their Pokestops or Gyms faster. They will also get exclusive discounts when they purchase powerbanks from Lazada during the event period.
Aside from these niceties, U Mobile customers can also participate in the Power-Up for Pokemon Go Contest.

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 U Mobile will be uploading the selected Pokémon characters that customers have to capture for the day on its Facebook, Instagram and website during the two (2) week contest period.
All U Mobile customers need to do to get their hands on a prize is to hunt down capture the virtual Pokémon. To participate, customers have to screen capture their catch, post the image on Instagram with a creative caption and include the #pokeonz and #Umobile hashtags. The creative caption should begin with ‘I want to Power-Up for Pokémon Go with U Mobile because …’.
U Mobile will select 35 daily winners based on the overall best caption. Winners will be announced via its Facebook, Instagram and website every three (3) days.

Five (5) daily winners will win a 4000 Ah powerbank each
The other 30 daily winners will receive RM100 postpaid or prepaid credits

At the end of the two-week contest period, ten (10) grand prize winners will be picked from the pool of daily winners based on the overall top ten (10) best caption. The ten (10) grand prize winners will each receive an iPhone 6s. Winners will be announced via U Mobile’s Facebook, Instagram and Website.

So what are you waiting for? Go out there and catch ’em all!

Pokdepinion: U Mobile is definitely targeting the right crowd with their latest contest. And everyone please stay safe while looking for their Pokemon.
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