ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2021) Review — when the best gets better

Ah, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14. The laptop that appears in my wet dreams… The last-gen version packed a potent AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS and the GeForce RTX 2060 into a svelte 14″ body, and I was already absolutely smitten. This year, they refreshed it and threw in the Ryzen 9 5900HS and the GeForce RTX 3060, while applying tiny changes across the deck. Can the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 live up to its legacy? Well, let’s find out!
Unboxing

The ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 comes with a pretty extensive set of accessories. You get a laptop sleeve included with the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021, instead of the usual laptop bag. As with most ROG Zephyrus laptops, you also get two power adapters: the primary 180W power adapter that lets you take advantage of the full performance of the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021, and a more compact 100W USB-PD adapter for when you are on the go.

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The size difference between the two chargers is pretty stark, with the USB-PD adapter being half the size of the standard 180W one. This definitely contributes to making an already portable laptop even more portable, which is always good.
Appearance

The ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 is as sexy as ever in white, or Moonlight White as ASUS calls it, with there being only one tiny change: the ROG emblem is now lasered onto a chromed blue sliver of metal, rather than the warmer chromed finish of last year’s ROG Zephyrus G14. The Moonlight White finish is still as clean as ever, with half of it covered by the thousands of holes. Behind the holes, you have the LEDs that make up the AniMe Matrix panel. More on that later.

At the rear end of the laptop, you have the Zephyrus branding emblazoned between the two very aggressively slanted vents. The vents actually end up being blocked by the lid when the laptop is fully opened, which means that the heated air will get blasted onto the lower bezels of the display.

Speaking of bezels, you can see that they aren’t as thin as the likes of the ROG Zephyrus M16, and there’s still no webcam above the display. The keyboard deck is finished in silver, as is the keyboard itself. For those who fancy their RGB, the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 is not the laptop to get. All you get is white backlighting, which I do commend ASUS for. Why did they go with teal backlighting for the TUF Dash F15’s keyboard still baffles me to this day.

The underside of the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 is finished in silver too, with matching gray rubber feet. There are vents over the fans, as well as over the center of the laptop, which is presumably for the cooling of the SSD and memory modules. And closer to the front edge we have two more grilles, which are for the speakers.

And this is a quick look at the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021’s AniMe Matrix panel. If you thought the rest of the laptop was not fancy enough, this will definitely seal the deal. It’s entirely customizable, with 1215 individual LEDs making up half of the lid here, you literally have control over half the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021’s overall aesthetics. What you decide to put on the AniMe Matrix will determine the overall design of your laptop.
ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 Specifications

Processor
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS, 8C/16T @ 3.1GHz (Boost up to 4.5GHz), 35W TDP, 7nm

RAM
16GB DDR4-3200 (8GB on-board + 8GB SO-DIMM), dual-channel

GPU
AMD Radeon Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6, 60W (80W with Dynamic Boost 2.0)

Storage
1TB Samsung PM991a M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe SSD

Software
Microsoft Windows 10 Home
NVIDIA Studio Driver 471.96
Radeon Software
Armoury Crate
MyASUS
Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019 (license bundled)
McAfee Personal Security

Connectivity
Wireless
MediaTek MT7921 Wi-Fi 6, 802.11ax
Bluetooth 5.1
Wired
1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 (10Gbps) Type-C (USB-PD, DisplayPort)
1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 (10Gbps)  Type-C
2 x USB 3.0 Type-A

Display
14″ WQHD 120Hz IPS-level LCD, Adaptive Sync, 300 nits Pantone Validated
1 x HDMI 2.0b
1 x DisplayPort over USB-C, G-SYNC support

Audio
2 x 0.7W tweeter
2 x 2.5W speaker with smart AMP
1 x 3.5mm combo jack

Power
76WHr, 4-cell Li-ion battery
180W power adapter
100W Type-C USB-PD power adapter

Dimensions
324 x 220 x 19.9 mm

Weight
1.7kg

Performance
Synthetic

You get the latest PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD from Samsung, the Samsung PM991a. Interestingly enough, this is a DRAM-less solution, although you can rest assured that this is one of the fastest DRAM-less SSDs you can find in the market. In any case, we can see that the read speeds are really good, although write speeds aren’t that great. Still a much better drive than the QLC-based Intel 660p that was featured in the ROG Zephyrus G14 from last year though.

The Ryzen 9 5900HS in the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 is a really formidable processor, easily outpacing its predecessor featuring the Ryzen 9 4900HS. It is also faster than the Core i7-11800H in the MSI Pulse GL76, which is a pretty interesting result, considering that it has a lower 35W TDP. Compared against the TUF Dash F15, we are seeing better single-core scores from the Intel-powered laptop, but poorer multi-core scores, simply because it has half the number of cores.

As you would expect, the upgrade from the GeForce RTX 2060 to the GeForce RTX 3060 is also pretty significant. It’s a good 23% upgrade, but I think the highlight here is that the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021’s RTX 3060 is performing right on par with the other RTX 3060 laptops we have previously tested, even when compared against the larger ones like the MSI Pulse GL76.

3DMark Time Spy sees the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 slot right in between the other two RTX 3060-powered laptops we have tested, which is a pretty good showing. In this benchmark, the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 is about 18% faster than its predecessor, which is to be expected given the CPU and GPU upgrade.

Once again, we see the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 being right between the two other laptops. Raytracing performance is apparently 31% faster here with the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 versus its predecessor. Ampere does offer much better raytracing performance than the Turing generation, so that’s what we are seeing here.

PCMark also shows that the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 represents a good upgrade from the original Zephyrus G14. Interestingly enough, it is also the fastest laptop we have tested, and damn near comes close to being the fastest in every section of the benchmark. Only the MSI Pulse GL76 puts up a challenge, and that’s only in the Digital Content Creation section. Needless to say, this is one powerful laptop to satisfy all your needs.
Gaming

I guess in our review of the ROG Zephyrus M16, we have already established that the GeForce RTX 3070 was not really up to the task at 1440p. And we are definitely not going to see the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 with its lesser GeForce RTX 3060 push playable frames at 1440p. Almost every game ran at below 60FPS, with the sole exception being Far Cry 5, which managed 65FPS.

1080p sees more games being playable at above 60FPS, although you will still have to turn the graphics if you want to enjoy a good experience in games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Watch Dogs: Legion. If esports titles are more your thing, you should be getting a relatively good experience, with us getting 189FPS in Rainbow Six Siege at 1080p.
Cooling
We will be testing in the Turbo performance profile, which is the most aggressive preset when it comes to performance and cooling. There’s also a Manual mode that lets you manually adjust the CPU power limit, overclock the graphics memory and also tune the fan curve, but we won’t be testing that today.

In Realbench, the Ryzen 9 5900HS initially draws a whopping 72.5W, before quickly tapering down to around 40~50W. After that, it further dropped down to 35W all the way until the end of the test. In the initial boost, we see clocks of up to 4.35GHz, although it hovers at around 3.27GHz on average for most of the 15-minute stress test.
Temperatures are quite high, with a peak of 95.8°C towards the end of the run. The average temperatures were around 90°C, which is pretty reasonable, when you consider that the Ryzen 9 5900HS here in the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 was running at more than 600MHz faster on average than the Ryzen 9 4900HS in the ROG Zephyrus G14. Seems like the liquid metal TIM is really doing its job.
While there is a GPU load in the Realbench Stress Test from the LuxMark rendering, the GPU is capped at 60W here as the CPU is prioritized. Temperatures are relatively tame, being below 80°C for most of the run, and clocks are similarly low at just 1174MHz on average.

When we switch over to a GPU-focused stress test like 3DMark Time Spy, we can see the Dynamic Boost 2.0 kicking in to allow the GeForce RTX 3060 to stretch its legs with its full 80W power limit. This allows the GPUs to run at up to 1489MHz on average. Temperatures are still very good, averaging 77°C, with a peak of 80°C. The CPU is definitely not heavily loaded here, drawing just 12W on average while staying below 78°C throughout the test. CPU clocks are also really low, hovering between 2.7GHz to 3.5GHz, averaging 3.1GHz.
While the CPU and GPU temperatures might get pretty toasty, the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 is still pretty comfortable to game on thanks to the intakes from the keyboard area. The WASD cluster and the area near the Enter key are kept pretty cool, which means that you should be able to play most games without worrying too much about toasting your fingertips. However the center of the keyboard which doesn’t get any airflow can get quite warm, but that’s pretty much a given for most laptop designs anyway.
Battery Life

One thing that I absolutely loved with the original ROG Zephyrus G14 was its battery life. With nearly 8 hours of juice, it was more than sufficient for my needs. The ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 on the other hand doesn’t exactly impress, as the same 76WHr battery now has to contend with not only a higher display resolution, but also the AniMe Matrix panel, so I guess the difference is acceptable. Previously we have established that disabling the AniMe Matrix can eke out an extra hour of battery life, but what’s the point of having the AniMe Matrix then?
In any case, I also tested dropping the refresh rate to 60Hz, resulting in an additional 30 minutes of battery life. This laptop might not have as good battery life as its predecessor, but with 6 hours of battery life, you are already getting a lot more than what many larger laptops with larger batteries can offer you. If you really want longer battery life to work on the go, the TUF Dash F15 might be the better pick, with its more efficient CPU. Of course, the TUF Dash F15 has its own drawbacks due to its weaker CPU, but battery life is definitely in its favor.
User Experience

The ROG Zephyrus G14 2021’s 1.7kg weight makes for a very portable gaming machine, which makes the relatively lackluster gaming performance quite forgivable. It’s also really compact, since it has a 14″ display, instead of the 15.6″ panels that you usually find on gaming laptops. Overall, the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 packs the performance you need in a very mobile package, which is something that I always appreciated from the original ROG Zephyrus G14, but now you get even more performance in the same footprint and weight class, which makes it all the more lovable.

Since this is a ultraportable gaming laptop, you will be carrying it around with you. Security is going to be important, so it’s nice to have a fingerprint scanner here. This is of the SSO variety, which means that all you need to do to sign in securely is to firmly press your registered finger on the power button to turn the laptop on, and you will be logged in to Windows, without having to touch the fingerprint scanner a second time. Pretty nifty stuff. Still find it odd that ASUS hasn’t implemented this in more laptops though.
Display and Audio

Last year, gamers and content creators were torn between a fast FHD 120Hz display, or a 1440p 60Hz display. This year you get the best of both worlds. The 1440p display here now supports up to 120Hz, while the FHD panel has been bumped up to 144Hz. Obviously, the choice is pretty clear this time around. In any case, this is one awesome panel, achieving 99.8% sRGB and 97.1% DCI-P3 gamut coverage, and 139.3% sRGB and 98.7% DCI-P3 gamut volume. In short, you can edit your videos very confidently on the panel here.
          99.8% sRGB gamut coverage            97.1% DCI-P3 gamut coverage            82.8% Adobe RGB gamut coverage
You will have to calibrate it first though, as the color accuracy is not that great out of the box. The average Delta E sits at 1.59, which is acceptable, but not as good as the Delta E < 1 figures we have seen from some of ASUS’ recent products. But if you are one to be concerned about your color accuracy, you will probably have a display calibrator lying around, so it is really no biggie. The only thing that’s missing is probably HDR support, as the display is not exactly that bright, with a measured brightness of just 315 nits. Still, it is more than sufficient for most usage scenarios, even if you plan on working in really well-lit cafes.

Moving on to audio, the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 debuted an impressive quad-speaker design that offered two tweeters under the keyboard, along with two down-firing full-range speakers. While it doesn’t do as well as the Zephyrus M16’s six-speaker system, the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 still sounds really amazing for a laptop, with the tweeters providing better reproduction of the higher frequency range, something which is usually somewhat lacking in designs that only have downward firing speakers. Aside from sounding great, I am also very impressed that ASUS added iridescence to the grille. Sweet.
Keyboard and Trackpad

The ROG Zephyrus G14 2021’s keyboard is slightly less tactile than some of ASUS’ newer models, but that’s not to say that the keyboard here feels bad. I do find typing on it to be quite comfortable with enough travel distance to not feel jarring, and one of the most important things that the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 does have over ASUS’ latest laptops is that THERE’S A PRTSC BUTTON! As mentioned earlier, there’s only white backlighting, but it does get three brightness levels, as well as various lighting effects like breathing and strobing, if you are so inclined.
The glass trackpad is slightly smaller than what you will find in most ultraportable machines, probably due to the large-ish keyboard. With that said, it is pretty precise with sufficiently effective palm rejection, so I am quite happy here. If you are on the go, the trackpad will suffice for basic navigation, but you might want to plug in a proper mouse for more intricate movements.
I/O Ports

On the left flank of the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 we have the power input plug, HDMI 2.0b port, along with the USB-C port that supports USB 3.2 Gen2, 100W USB-PD charging as well as the DisplayPort Alt Mode for the sweet G-SYNC compatibility and direct-from-GPU performance. And there’s also a 3.5mm jack.

On the other side we have two USB 3.0 ports and the second USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port. Overall, I would say that the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 does offer a pretty good complement of ports for such a compact design. Even significantly larger laptops have fewer ports, so this is excellent in a 14″ laptop. Two things that I would have loved to see in this year’s revision would be an SD card reader and Thunderbolt, but the latter not really an option with AMD laptops…
Pre-installed Software
          Armoury Crate: main page            Armoury Crate: GameVisual, color calibration              Armoury Crate: iGPU Mode            Armoury Crate: Manual Performance Tuning
You get Armoury Crate to handle everything from performance profiles to the AniMe Matrix customization, which is good. There’s nothing worse than having multiple apps each handling one specific feature. In any case, you pretty much all your system toggles in one place, and you even have stuff like manual color calibration, although it exclusively supports the X-rite i1 Display Pro, instead of more affordable stuff like the Datacolor Spyder5. Hopefully this will get updated with support for more calibration devices.

There is one system setting that you can’t change in Armoury Crate though, and that’s the battery charge limit. For that, you will need to switch over to MyASUS, where you get an option of either 60% or 80% maximum charge limit to extend the battery lifespan. There’s also Link to MyASUS, which lets you use your phone on your laptop. You will also need to get your BIOS and other system updates via MyASUS, with Armoury Crate updates being limited to the features that are handled by Armoury Crate.
AniMe Matrix, now with Omni
          Pokde!            Omni Virtual Pet
I mentioned the additional modes, and one of the biggest additions for this generation is Omni, a virtual pet. Personally, I don’t see the point, as the thing takes up space on your screen while also giving you a cute animation on the lid, which you can’t see. I rather the AniMe Matrix show off my affiliations to Pokde rather than a random cute animated pet, but that might just be me.

In any case, there are plenty of presets to choose from now, if you are lazy to personally customize it. 46 in total, including 34 that were added via the aforementioned updates. If you want to take the time to really make the AniMe Matrix yours, the options seems to have not been changed much, which is good. I didn’t have any issue with the AniMe Matrix customization on the ROG Zephyrus G14 2020, so to see the same UI return is somewhat of a blessing as well. Especially when we are talking about ASUS laptops, which often come with unnecessary changes for the sake of changes.
Conclusion

Priced at RM7699, the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 is priced the same as its predecessor, yet offers an upgraded CPU, GPU, display, storage and also a faster 100W USB-PD charger in the box. And it is still going to be one of the most portable gaming laptops you can buy, with it being one of very few gaming laptops with a 14″ display, while also tipping the scales at just 1.7kg. And did I mention just how cool the Anime Matrix is?

Overall, the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 is still the gaming laptop I will pick for myself in a heartbeat. While the performance isn’t quite up there against the heavyweights, the weight-to-performance ratio is definitely something that has me hooked. It ticks all the right boxes for me, with it being portable enough to be easily carried around when working, while still packing enough performance for me to kick back and enjoy some games during my free time.
There are things that I do wish that ASUS had done to make it more relevant for 2021, like adding a webcam in that upper bezel, or maybe going with a larger 3:2 or 16:10 display to fill up that bottom bezel. An SD card reader would also have been perfect to flesh out the content creator-oriented side of this laptop. Aside from that, I really don’t know what else could ASUS have improved with the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021.
Our thanks to ASUS Malaysia for providing us with the ROG Zephyrus G14 2021 for review.
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Days Gone Is Coming To PC This May And Includes Some New Features

After a surprise announcement last February, Days Gone is now officially coming to PC and is now available for pre-order on Steam and the Epic Games Store. Bend Studios, the developer for Days Gone also revealed several new features and enhancements that will be present on the PC version of their action-adventure survival horror game.
Days Gone PC comes with many new features

Here are all the new features and enhancements that have been added to the PC version of the game.

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21:9 ultra-wide monitor support
Mouse and keyboard support
Upgraded graphics. Now you can adjust the level of detail, draw distance and overall graphical customisation.
Comes included with all post-launch content

For more details, you can check out the complete features trailer down below.

Here’s a quick synopsis of Days Gone:

Days Gone is an open-world action game set in the high-desert of the Pacific Northwest two years after a mysterious global pandemic has decimated the world, killing most but transforming millions into mindless, feral creatures. Survivors live in a world where resources are scarce, violence and murder are common and Freakers roam the wilderness.
Players face this violent, new world as Deacon St. John, a bounty hunter and drifter who lives in the lawless wilderness outside the civilian encampments. Deacon survives by using skills learned before the world ended, riding for the Mongrels MC, an outlawed motorcycle club, where violence and mayhem were part of the riding the open road.
At the center of it all, Days Gone is an exploration of how any of us would react to these harsh conditions, and exploration of loss, love, friendship, revenge and desperation – learning that surviving isn’t living. For Deacon especially, it’s a struggle to ensure that hope never dies.

Days Gone is set to release on PC this 18 May with pre-orders open now on Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Pokdepinion: I haven’t actually played Days Gone myself but I will eventually. Opinions of the game have been pretty mixed across the board, even amongst my circle of friends. Some of them loved it while others, well, you can check out what my friend and our gaming guy, Aiman Maulana, had to say about it right here.
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1st Gameplay for Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition Revealed; In All Its Cute Chibi Glory

If you thought the announcement of Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition was rushed, you’d be surprised. Here’s a gameplay footage in all its cutesy chibi glory!

1st Gameplay for Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition Revealed

Back at Gamescom in Germany, Square Enix surprised many by announcing Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition, a mobile version of its successful J-RPG Final Fantasy XV.

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Gameplay footage for Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition has surfaced, and it looks promising for a mobile port of such a visually-pleasing game.
The game is rendered in a rather adorable chibi style, with the full main story of the original game included. The biggest difference is that it’s a bit more linear due to its episodic nature. The first episode will be free, and then there are going to be nine more episodes that you’ll have to pay for.

If you missed out on the announcement trailer, you can check it out just above here. Fair warning, it looks super adorable.
On the console front, Square Enix is keeping up with the updates Final Fantasy XV for both PS4 and Xbox One. Alongside the Assassin’s Festival crossover event, they recently released patch 1.15, while the story DLC Episode Ignis is scheduled for release in December.
Previously, we also heard a possibility of a Switch version of the game coming out, the resolution on Xbox One X, on top of more details on DLC and on the possibility of more crossovers.
Final Fantasy XV is currently available for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, while the Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition will release this fall for iOS, Android, and Windows 10 devices. A Windows Edition will then follow on PC via Steam in early 2018.

Pokdepinion: I’ve had mixed feelings with Final Fantasy XV. I mean, it was enjoyable…up to a certain point. After that, it was just all downhill. Perhaps a mobile version might save the game.
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POCO M3 Specifications Has Just Leaked Ahead of Its November 24th Launch

POCO is gearing up for a global launch of the brand new POCO M3 this November 24 via an online live stream. The online launch will be streamed at 8PM Malaysian time on POCO’s Facebook and Twitter pages as well as the POCO YouTube channel.

The new POCO M3 is joining the fray
Ahead of the global launch, several key specifications of the POCO M3 have been leaked, courtesy of Mukul Sharma of YouTube channel stufflistings. These key specifications include the phone’s model number, chipset, battery size, charging speed as well as its camera.

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Image credit: stufflistings
The POCO M3 will bear the model number of M2010J19CG which was spotted via a Geekbench benchmark listing. Other leaked specs include an octa-core Snapdragon 662 SoC with 1.8GHz clock speed and Adreno 610 GPU.  The leak also details device’s battery size which will be 6,000mAh as well as its 18W fast charging.
Sharma further added that the M3 will feature a 6.53-inch Full HD+ display with a Dot Drop notch – no mention if it’s an LCD or LED display though. As for the camera, the tipster stated that the POCO M3 will feature a triple camera display with a 48MP primary sensor. Moreover, he says that the device will pack a stereo speaker setup. So far, the only other POCO device to feature stereo speakers is their excellent POCO X3 NFC and the original Pocophone F1.
Image credit: stufflistings
Other specs are currently a mystery at the moment and we’ll just have to wait until the official launch on 24 November to know more about the POCO M3.
Pokdepinion: Specs looks pretty decent so far. Hopefully the price is decent as well.
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New MacBook Pro with M1 Pro, more ports and a notch priced from RM8799

Apple has taken the wraps off the latest MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16 based on the new M1 Pro and M1 Max chipsets, and they are looking pretty amazing, especially if you are deep in the Mac ecosystem. The new Apple M1 Pro and M1 Max promise even better performance and power efficiency than the existing Apple M1 processors, and you also get a slew of other upgrades across the board.
The new MacBook Pro has more ports!

The first major change is probably the design. Apple appears to be returning to a more squarish edge design, allowing them to cram in more ports. It is worth mentioning that it is marginally thicker, but I do believe it is the flatter edge profile that allowed them more space for the larger ports. Both the new MacBook Pro models mark the return of stuff like a HDMI port, as well as a full-sized SD card reader, stuff that content creators will definitely appreciate.

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The new MagSafe 3 quick-release connector is also probably a welcome upgrade, especially for those who has seen their laptops flying off the desk because they tripped over the power cord. Fret not though, as the MacBook Pros can still charge over USB-C. This is probably the first time I have seen something so considerate from Apple, but hey, we are seeing more ports on a MacBook. This is definitely not your usual MacBook. And there’s also a headphone jack!
120Hz Liquid Retina XDR!

Another major upgrade is the display. Apple is finally offering 120Hz displays with the new MacBook Pros, but in true Apple fashion, these also pack some really impressive specs aside from its refresh rate. Based on miniLED technology, the Liquid Retina XDR display can deliver up to 1600 nits of peak brightness. There’s support for the P3 wide gamut too.
And yes, there’s the contentious notch housing a 1080p webcam. The notch could probably have been smaller, considering it just houses a webcam. If there was Face ID, I would probably say that the notch is justified, but nah. I guess it helps you have a consistent experience of having a notch in the middle of your screen when looking up from your iPhone to your MacBook Pro’s display though. Apple has removed the other contentious feature, the TouchBar, so I guess it is an even trade?
Groundbreaking performance with M1 Pro and M1 Max

The new Apple M1 Max and M1 Pro processors are also absolute groundbreaking beasts when it comes to performance. The M1 Max and M1 Pro each pack 10 CPU cores, with the M1 Pro touting 16 GPU cores while the M1 Max doubles that with 32 GPU cores. As compared to the last-gen MacBook Pro 13, you are looking at up to 3.7X faster project builds with Xcode, and up to 13.4X faster 4K video rendering, with significant performance gains in AI workloads as well thanks to the 16-core Neural Engine. You can also go with up to 32GB RAM if you opt for the M1 Pro, or an insane 64GB with the M1 Max.
New MacBook Pro Specs and Price in Malaysia

MacBook Pro 14
MacBook Pro 16

Processor
Up to Apple M1 Max, 10-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 5nm

Memory
Up to 64GB unified memory

Storage
Up to 8TB SSD

Display
14.2″ 3024 x 1964 120Hz Liquid Retina XDR display, 1000 nits max brightness, 1600 nits peak brightness, P3 wide color gamut, True Tone
1 x HDMI
3 x USB-C (DisplayPort)
16.2″ 3456 x 2234 120Hz Liquid Retina XDR display, 1000 nits max brightness, 1600 nits peak brightness, P3 wide color gamut, True Tone
1 x HDMI
3 x USB-C (DisplayPort)

Connectivity
WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0
3 x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-PD, USB4, DisplayPort Alt Mode)
SDXC card
3.5mm headphone jack

Power
70WHr Li-Po battery
Up to 96W USB-C power adapter
100WHr Li-Po battery
140W USB-C power adapter

Weight
1.6kg
Up to 2.2kg

Price
From RM8799 to RM24 399
From RM10 799 to RM25 199

Apple offers the Apple M1 Pro in several other configurations, including an 8-core CPU and 14-core GPU one as well as a 10-core CPU and 14-core GPU option. Meanwhile the M1 Max is available with a 24-core GPU option as well. If you decide to get the fully-kitted out MacBook Pro 14, be prepared to shell out RM24 399, while the MacBook Pro 16 can go up to RM25 199.
Pokdepinion: Apple giveth thee more ports, and taketh a notch out of thy display.
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New Valorant Leak Hints At Backstory Rivalry for Reyna and Viper

Many gamers want to learn more about the lore in Valorant. In the newest leak, we get a hint of a backstory which involves an old rivalry between fan favourite Reyna and Viper.
Valorant Leak Hints at Backstory for Reyna and Viper
According to a leaked Valorant player card by u/clefairy13_ on Reddit, there appears to be a link between Reyna and Viper. The way both agents are looking at each other suggests a rivalry of sorts but what’s interesting here is that the card also shows Viper holding hands with a child.

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It’s possibly trying to illustrate a child being a test subject for Viper but as for who the child is, it may just be Reyna’s sister. The reason for this is because one of Reyna’s voice lines read “for you, Hermanita”. The terms Hermanita means sister in the Spanish language, but there’s no clue as to what exactly happened to her.
If we’re simply trying to fill the gaps, it may seem like Reyna’s sister may have passed way already, which is why there is some sort of rivalry between the two agents. However, this is simple hearsay and not confirmed just yet.
Until Riot Games officially adds the lore for Valorant, these are still considered rumours and speculations. After all, they could choose to change it anytime they want.
Source
Pokdepinion: There is still so many things to learn about the story and characters in Valorant, I hope they can push out in fast enough. If it gets too slow, gamers might end up moving to the next big trend, just like what happened with Overwatch.
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OnePlus Fooled Everyone With Their Foldable Smartphone Tease

A few days ago, OnePlus US posted a teaser on their social media supposedly teasing a new foldable smartphone. Of course, this got many people interested and excited. Little did they know the disappointment awaiting them when the company eventually revealed what the teaser was actually about.
OnePlus foldable phone fakeout
Well, it turns out that the teaser was nothing but a clever(?) advertisement for the OnePlus 9 going on sale at a 50% discount. What people thought was a foldable smartphone was just two smartphones placed side by side with a caption: Half off. Literally. Get the OnePlus 9 for 50% OFF.
Wow.

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Half off. Literally.
Get the OnePlus 9 for 50% OFF. https://t.co/O029HjXT0p pic.twitter.com/DRRzU3SmkZ
— OnePlus➕ (@OnePlus_USA) August 11, 2021

Safe to say not everyone appreciated the company’s attempt at creative marketing. With many expressing their disappointment with the company’s bait and switch tactic over on their social media page.

What’s more awkward is that the half-off deal isn’t really indicative of what was written on the tin. For one, you’ll have to get the device through the US telco T-Mobile for which you’re going to have to activate a new number. Not only that, the half-off deal isn’t really half-off. You’ll have to pay an initial full price for the OnePlus 9 and then half of that total will be dispersed through rebates off of the monthly bills over a period of 24 months.
It remains to be seen whether this marketing gimmick would actually bear fruit for the company but for now, they truly have made themselves look a little silly with this. Especially in the eyes of consumers everywhere.
Pokdepinion: Woah that was truly a doozy. They really ripped up the carpet underneath everyone’s feet now didn’t they? While I myself am appalled that they actually did something like this, I’m reminded of what Super Daddy always says, there’s no such thing as bad publicity. Just publicity.
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Cooler Master Unveils MasterCase H500M — Coming With FOUR Tempered Glass Panels and Two Addressable RGB Fans

Cooler Master has announce of their brand new MasterCase, the H500M. Representing itself from the company’s flagship H-Series, the H500M offers multiple customization and offers a choice between maximum airflow and aesthetics.
Cooler Master MasterCase H500M

Each of the front panel options compliment the design of the H500M in their own ways. Tempered glass is found on all four sides, ensuring great views on your build. In addition addressable RGB fans sit behind the front panel and of course, it comes with an addressable RGB controller.

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You have the option of choosing between the mesh front panel for better airflow or opt for the glass option for a balance of aesthetics and performance with the included accessory.
For connectivity, the I/O panel comes with a USB 3.1 (Gen 2) Type-C port, and also four extra USB 3.0 ports. With its included ARGB controller, you can manage the lighting of the system.

There’s a total of 9 covers that take clean building to the next level with a PSU cut out cover, providing the option of showing off your PSU or leaving it out of sight.
At the front panel, the case is compatible with up to a 360mm radiator, including support for one 200mm sized radiator. The top bracket supports up to 360mm radiator along with 200mm fans.
If you would like to purchase the new MasterCase H500M, you’re in luck. It is now available in the country at a price tag of RM779.
Pokdepinion: Wow, I am liking what I’m seeing with the case. It offers a lot of customization options, just the way you want it. Make it yours (was that too cringy?)

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Instagram Finally Lets You Post Photos Using Your PC

After so long, Instagram will finally be letting users post photos and other stuff on their PC rather than keeping it exclusive to its mobile app. Here’s what you need to know.
Post Photos on Instagram Using Your PC

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Previously, Instagram on PC (via browser) only lets you browse through the app and send DMs, which is great but not the full app experience. Soon, you will be able to post new pictures / videos from the comforts of your own PC.
Instagram has officially announced the new functionality for PC users, which has been in testing phase since June 2021. The feature will start rolling out everywhere on 21st October 2021.
This is a much-needed feature for many users, especially professional photographers and content creators who take the time to edit their creations using tools available on PC. While they can still upload their work just fine, it’s a little bit cumbersome to transfer over to smartphone, and then upload it. This will make the process much easier.
In other related news, Instagram will also be getting a new Live Mode testing option, the ability to make collaboration posts with other users, and more. We’re expected to hear more from on the new features very soon so stay tuned.
Source
Pokdepinion: This is going to make my work life a lot easier. It’s not particularly annoying to upload it from smartphone but given that I spend more time on PC, it’s just that much more convenient.
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Maxis Expands 5G Roaming Service to 29 Countries

Expect further expansions and no extra charges over 4G, says the telecommunications provider.

Following the announcement of Maxis being the first to provide 5G international roaming service in Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia since October 2021, the telecommunications company has expanded the list of countries to 29. You can view the list of countries and their respective rates here.

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“We are pleased that our customers can enjoy the best 5G experience in even more countries now, which is timely with the expectation of an influx of travelers for the year-end holidays. Together with our roaming partners, we are committed to providing the best connectivity experience wherever our customers are. We also look forward to further expanding our services to more countries in the near future,” said Arjun Varma, Head of Maxis Consumer.
The 5G roaming service will be seamlessly transitioned from existing 4G roaming service with any 5G-enabled device; no extra charges needed. Users can subscribe the service through Maxis app and select a plan under Maxis Roaming section. Alternatively, users can dial USSD code *100#, select ‘International Roaming’ and ‘Country’ to select one of the available passes.
The company ends the press release by stating they have ‘continuous plans’ to further extend their 5G roaming presence to more countries by the end of 2022.
Pokdepinion: No speed concerns going abroad now, I suppose.
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Teenager Caught Donating $20,000 On Twitch From Mother’s Bank Account

It’s not wrong to contribute to some of your favorite streamers if you find their content to be worthy. It is however wrong to donate money that’s not your though as one family found out that their bank account was missing a big amount of cash.
Son donates $20,000 on Twitch that wasn’t his
The teenager’s mother found out that she was charged a total of $19,870.94 in total in between 14th to the 30th of June 2020. In that period of time, her “years of savings” disappeared. Where did the money run off to? Well it went to Twitch streamers such as Tfue, Gorb, Ewokttv, Kurt Benkert, and Meyers Leonard.
Thankfully, she was able to regain most of the money lost thanks to Xsolla, a Twitch paying service partner that she contacted.

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The mother, who doesn’t want to be named, has said the following:
I am so relieved to have the money restored to my account and let the nightmare end. At this point, it’s within a few hundred dollars, and I’m happy to have received what I did, and am not going to pursue the difference.
As for the son, well it’s been reported that he’s “remorseful” and has been sent to counseling. The refund did come with consequence however as the account that was used is now blocked permanently to prevent from the incident to reoccur.
Source
Pokdepinion: That’s why you should always have an eye on your kids.. I’m just glad that she got her money back, it’s quite the amount!
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[Computex 2018] ASUS partners with Gal Gadot — aims to inspire a wider group of fans

Gal Gadot, the stunning beauty who played Wonder Woman, is ASUS’ partner to promote their latest laptops and all-in-one PCs. With the shared passion for creativity and inspiring others to find theirs, Gal Gadot has ASUS’ core values to unleash the creative power within. With the latest ASUS ZenBook and ZenBook Pro series, that is now easier than ever.

ASUS hopes that via this partnership with Gal Gadot, they can together inspire people across the world to show that everyone can use technology to create. One doesn’t have to be super techy or geeky to get the most out of technology. Gal Gadot serves as a role model to everyone around the world to unleash their creative power via ASUS’ innovative technologies.

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Designed to enable creators everywhere, ASUS’ ErgoLift design makes for a better typing experience, while the new ScreenPad adaptively offers access to what users need to create their best works. Having one of the most powerful Intel processors in the ASUS ZenBook and ZenBook Pro series also quickens the entire process.
Pokdepinion: It’s incredible that ASUS got Wonder Woman on board to help promote their products. It’s… wonderfully incredible.
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Redmi will debut the first MediaTek Dimensity 800 smartphone

The MediaTek Dimensity 800 was announced back in CES 2020 as MediaTek’s mid-range 5G chipset, slotting in below the Dimensity 1000. On paper, it looks like it will be competing against the Snapdragon 765 or 765G, so it is quite a beefy chipset. And the popular leakster “Digital Chat Station” (数码闲聊站) has just posted that Redmi will be the first to use the Dimensity 800.

The post does not go on in further detail, like which model will tout the Dimensity 800. Will it be a member of their premium Redmi K-series or will it be one of the upcoming Redmi Note devices? The timing does hint at the Redmi Note series though, but prior leaks have hinted at the Redmi Note 9 Pro featuring a Snapdragon 720G. Then there’s also the fact that the mid-range Redmi K30 5G already packs the Snapdragon 765G, so it would be a stretch for Redmi to slot in another 5G mid-range device in the Redmi K30 series.

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The Dimensity 800 packs a number of features that would make it relevant in today’s upper-mid-range smartphones as it comes with support for 64MP cameras, FHD+ displays up to 90 Hz as well as 5G sub-6.

Will we see a Redmi Note 9 Pro+ that will come with the Dimensity 800? Or maybe a Redmi Note 9 5G would probably be more in line with Redmi’s naming convention.
Pokdepinion: A Redmi Note device with 5G would really mean 5G is becoming mainstream, which is excellent news!
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Bandai Namco to build its own Metaverse, a $130 million business venture

Bandai Namco shares plans for its own Metaverse

“Metaverse” was a term you would otherwise have heard about in comics and movies, up until Mark Zuckerberg decided to push the moniker and concept onto his own company, Facebook by changing the company name to Meta. Several gaming companies have since followed in Zuckerberg’s lead by introducing their own initiatives.
Last week, in a mid-term plan presentation, Bandai Namco announced its intentions to build a virtual space with the goal of connecting with its fans, boosting IP value and improving its global presence as well as encourage sales outside of Japan.

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Bandai Namco’s IP strategy: build on social connections through a 3D virtual space

Pac-man owner, Bandai Namco aims to invest $130 million into the “IP Axis Strategy” in an effort to create a network that exists on virtual space, ultimately enabling customers to enjoy a wide range of entertainment on an IP axis. The plan will leverage the company’s unique strengths in combining physical products and venues in a digital climate. The plan also intends to build open frameworks to encourage building connection through communities for and with the company’s business partners and fans.
Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. is a Japanese multinational video game publisher based in Tokyo, Japan. The company boasted revenues of $5.4 billion, which is a 15.5% increase year-over-year, much of it driven by Japanese releases in its yearly financial report.
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Pokdepinion: Right now, I see the metaverse as just a promise. However, to have the opportunity to play with nostalgic characters from childhood games in a virtual space will be a dream come true.
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HUAWEI Launches My Omamori On The AppGallery App — Story-based Otome Mobile Game

HUAWEI Malaysia has today revealed that they’ve released My Omamori, a story-based Otomo game that you can get at their very own app store, AppGallery.
To celebrate the launch, they are giving out exclusively designed outfits and costumes, and players can visit the HUAWEI AppGallery gift centre to claim their Workplace Smarties outfit. The game is currently available in all Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Thailand. The English version of the game for Europe and an exclusive USA version will be arriving in two months time.
Pokdepinion: So if you’re into the story-based games on mobile and you own a HUAWEI/HONOR smartphone, why not check the game out and claim those freebies?

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Devil May Cry Makes Its Way To Nintendo Switch

It seems like the very original Devil May Cry is making its way to the Nintendo Switch, reportedly in summer. Despite the news, it’s still unconfirmed on whether we will see a straight port from the classic PS2 or more from the recent HD remastered version.

Relive the adventure that introduced the legendary Dante to the world with the original Devil May Cry, coming to #NintendoSwitch this Summer. pic.twitter.com/Hh8hFDnLQK
— Devil May Cry (@DevilMayCry) May 6, 2019

Though the game itself isn’t something new, the fact that Switch players will get a taste of the first Devil May Cry game from the series is indeed big. Here’s what the game series’ head, Hideaki Itsuno had to say when asked about the game’s protagonist, Dante, to be making an appearance on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate:
Devil May Cry has never been on a Nintendo platform. So it seems like the first thing to do would be to get Capcom to put Devil May Cry on a Nintendo platform in some way, shape or form–whatever game that might be. Hideaki Itsuno, Devil May Cry's series head
Pokdepinion: Definitely a good series to come to the Nintendo Switch. The first title from the series was a pretty good game to be honest.

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HONOR Globally Reveals The New HONOR 10X Lite Featuring 48MP Quad Camera And 5000mAh Battery

HONOR has today globally revealed the all-new HONOR 10X Lite where it comes with a quad camera setup that houses a 48MP main camera, a big 5000mAh battery and SuperCharge feature.
HONOR 10X Lite globally launched

The HONOR 10X Lite comes with a 6.67-inch punch-hole display and it runs on a Kirin 710A chipset. Aside from its 48MP main camera, it also sports a 8MP ultra-wide shooter, 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor.
Its big 5000mAh battery can be charged with its 22.5W SuperCharge charger. It also offers 2.5W OTG Reverse Charging function so that you can you charge your other devices with the HONOR 10X Lite.

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Other than that, it comes with 128GB storage which you can expand up to 512GB through microSD.
HONOR has also revealed that Wattpad and them will be launching the Emerging Writers Program to uncover 10 up and coming writers from across the globe, where they invite the people out there to submit short stories about their hopes and dreams for life after lockdown.
To top it all off, the HONOR x Red Bull Basement 2020 has also been announced. They are calling for global student innovators to drive positive change with the support of technology.
The HONOR 10X Lite comes in Midnight Black, Emerald Green, and Icelandic Frost and was unveiled at the price of €229.9 (~RM1,115). There’s no confirmation that the device will make its way here to Malaysia as of yet.
Pokdepinion: While I was pretty impressed with the capability of their previous Kirin 810 mid-range chipset, I wonder why they’ve switched to 710A.. Hopefully it’s good enough.
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Edifier TWS1 True Wireless Earbuds Review

True wireless earbuds are aplenty in the market now, but to find one that’s both sounds good and doesn’t cost a bomb can be difficult. We have had good experience with Edifier’s products, especially when it comes to bang-for-buck, so when they offered us to review the Edifier TWS1 True Wireless Earbuds, we took it on in a heartbeat. After all, how can we resist these when Edifier actually dubs them the truly affordable true wireless audio?
Unboxing

The front of the box is pretty simple. The name, and you get a first look at the design of the Edifier TWS1.

Over on the back we see much more about the Edifier TWS1. Edifier does have quite a lot going for it, with long battery life, Bluetooth 5.0 and support for aptX.

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The spread on offer here is pretty standard for earphones. You get the Edifier TWS1 in the charging case, two additional pairs of silicone eartips and a charging cable. I think the most outstanding object here is the activated carbon deodorizer. Usually I see silica gel included with my electronics, but this is the first time I see activated carbon.
Appearance

The charging case is pretty compact, which makes its capability of storing three charges all the more impressive. However the glossy plastic seen here is very irksome. Needless to say, scratches are an inevitability at this point.

Over on the back of the case we find a microUSB charging port. A USB-C port would have been preferable, but I would give the Edifier a pass considering its affordable price. Once again, more glossy plastic.

You can see that Edifier wasted no space in the charging case, with almost all available room taken up by the earpieces themselves. The Edifier TWS1 rank among the smaller TWS earphones we have seen.

There’s more of that glossy plastic on the Edifier TWS1’s earpieces. They charge via the two pogo pins in the case, pretty standard issue when it comes to TWS earphones. The eartips are grey, which allow them to blend in well into the minimal aesthetics of these earbuds.
Specifications
Drivers6mm dynamic bio-diaphragm driversFrequency Response20 Hz – 20,000 HzSensitivity:98 dBImpedance:16 Ω Headphone TypeTrue wireless, in-earConnectionBluetooth 5.0 with aptXQualcomm TrueWireless Stereo PlusWireless Range10mNoise-cancellingN/A for playbackcVc noise reduction for callsBatteryEarphonesUp to 8 hours playback1.5 hour full chargeCharging Case3x Full Charge (total 32 hours)WeightEarphones5g x 2Charging Case32g (without earpieces)ColourBlack
User Experience
Pairing

Pairing these to my Mi 9 was very simple. Took them out of the case, looked for them in the Bluetooth pairing screen, and that’s it. There wasn’t a need to press anything on the Edifier TWS1. They turn on automatically once taken out of the case too. The next time I took them out of the case, they were ready to go in less than 5 seconds, with both sides synced perfectly.
You can even use them separately if say you need to keep an ear out on your environment. Both left and right earpieces of the Edifier TWS1 work individually, although I had to manually pair the right one to use it alone. For some reason, the left earpiece works just fine from the initial pairing process.
Since it supports TrueWireless Stereo Plus technology, the Edifier TWS1’s left and right earpieces connect directly to the source (in this case, my smartphone), the synchronization is handled by the phone reducing latency. With that said, there is still a small amount of latency. I didn’t notice any latency watching movies on Netflix, but I still find it unacceptable for gaming.
If you are worried about audio skipping out as you move around, rest assured as the Edifier TWS1 maintained a strong connection to my Mi 9 even as I moved around quite a bit and put my phone in my back pocket just to add more between the earpieces and my phone.
Sound
As for sound quality, Edifier implemented support for the aptX codec. With the quality from the source well taken care of, it’s up to the Edifier TWS1 to convert those digital signals into analog sound, and it does a pretty good job. The sound signature is what I would call a fun sound, with ample bass to give life to the latest EDM hit.
Pretty standard-sized nozzles allow for tip rolling if you are into that.
The strong bass reproduction makes tracks like Good Things by Zedd and Kehlani and Apologize by OneRepublic sound amazing on the Edifier TWS1, although I noted that the bass frequencies tend to be a tad boomy and overpower the vocals. Perfect for listening to EDM tracks, but not great if you are looking to really appreciate the lyrics in your music. There isn’t much sparkle in the sound, with cymbals sound rather muted. The soundstage is also somewhat limited, making Hotel California sound like Eagles are playing right inside your ears.
Comfort
When it comes to comfort, the Edifier TWS1 demand a shallow insertion depth, at least with my ears. Pushing them further in causes an uncomfortable pressurization of my ear canals, one which didn’t go away by pulling on my pinna to relieve the pressure. With that said, sound isolation is still pretty good even with the shallow insertion. The Edifier TWS1 sat comfortably in my ears as I went about my day, hanging on surprisingly well despite the fact that I didn’t push them into my ears.

For controls, Edifier built in a touch-sensitive system. The system works as the following:
Play/Pause/Accept/End Calls: 1x tapSkip forward: 2x tapSkip backwards: 3x tapDecline a call: HoldClear pairing: Hold for 8 secsDisconnect from connected device: Hold for 5 secs
The control scheme is pretty simple, with the touch-sensitive area covering most of the outer surface of the Edifier TWS1. While that’s convenient, it also means that it’s hard to adjust the Edifier TWS1’s position in your ears without accidentally triggering something.
Edifier also claims IPX5 water resistance. While I didn’t feel like putting it under a shower, I do believe their claims considering the generally closed off design of the Edifier TWS1.
Battery life
One area which we have confirmed that Edifier has lived up to their claims is battery life. The Edifier TWS1 lasted around 8 hours when I was burning them in at around 80% volume. The charging case was also good for three charges, once again, just as claimed.
There’s a hidden LED under that lip.
For you to quickly check on the battery life of the charging, Edifier built in a LED that flashes to indicate the number of charges remaining when you open/close the lid. Three blinks = three charges remaining, two blinks = two charges. Meanwhile the earpieces will blink red when they are running low on power, although the earpieces are a much less complicated affair with the battery life visible on your smartphone. The LEDs also glow red when charging, instead of the blue which indicates normal operation.
Conclusion
Would I recommend the Edifier TWS1? It packs way more than its fair share of the latest technologies, and comes with a pretty fun sound signature to boot. Priced at RM159, I would say that these would be an amazing pair of true wireless earphones for EDM lovers.
I would probably not get it as my primary pair of earphones, as I prefer a little less bass, but then again, I am not against putting them on for some fun with the copious bass. At this price, I really wouldn’t mind just getting them as a second or third pair of earphones when I feel like embracing the future with true wireless audio.

Our thanks to Edifier Malaysia for sending us the Edifier TWS1 for review!
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Do You Feel Like You’re Paying More for Grab Nowadays? This Could Be Why

Ever felt like you’re paying more for Grab now than you were before? Did you also wonder why? Some recent changes in their policy could be the reason.
Do You Feel Like You’re Paying More for Grab Nowadays?

I’m sure you’ve heard some of your friends / family members / colleagues claiming that Grab has suddenly gotten more expensive or that they’re generally paying more. While there could be a variety of reasons such as traffic and the road taken, having no concrete information makes it hard to verify it.

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Well, according to a report that surfaced on RinggitPlus, this could actually be why.
Grab has updated its commission structure to comply with the new e-hailing regulations in Malaysia that was set by the Ministry of Transportation. One such change is higher peak hour fares for rides in the Klang Valley area. The increase was made to compensate for the high volume traffic during peak hours (morning and evening).
It’s also worth noting that it’s not the only change for Grab but mostly related to drivers. The commission charges that the company will take have been reduced to 20% (previously 25%). Keep in mind however that this will only apply to drivers that utilize the Auto-Accept feature. For those who are not using it, it will still retain the same 25% charge.
To incentivize the use of the Auto-Accept feature, Grab has made it a requirement to use it in order for the driver to be eligible for Hourly Guarantees and Flexi Incentives. Another thing the company is introducing is a “far pick-up bonus”, where drivers are guaranteed RM1 for each 1KM driven when picking up a passenger.
It seems that Grab is aggressively pushing for as many drivers to use the Auto-Accept feature to minimize the chances of passengers getting poor driver matches (such as driver being too far away). The company believes that their algorithm will always pair the best driver for the job so no utilizing it will end up affecting waiting time and pick up distance for both passengers and drivers alike.
Source: RinggitPlus
Pokdepinion: Lots of new changes to Grab it seems. Hopefully many people take note of this.
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TikTok Shop Officially Launched in Malaysia

TikTok Plans to Support Local SMEs

According to the company, Tiktok Shop is a part of TikTok’s effort to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that have yet to open a store to sell their products due to the high initial capital. According to Darren Quek, TikTok Malaysia Strategy Operations Manager, they hope that the platform will help define Malaysia’s e-commerce market and inspire more local SMEs to utilize TikTok Shop’s opportunities to interact with customers and create a successful business.
For business owners who are interested in TikTok Shop, the company only charges a 1% payment service fee and zero commission fees to all merchants at the current time. Existing customers can enjoy up to six free shipping vouchers every month and new customers will get an extra voucher for the platform.

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TikTok Shop Hari Raya Sale

TikTok Shop is commencing its Raya Sales campaign from now until 30th April 2022 for buyers to enjoy a variety of offers during this festive season which includes free shipping vouchers, discounts up to 99%, and discount coupons.
If you wish to learn more about the platform, you may visit TikTok Shop Malaysia’s recruitment page by heading over to their website right here. Furthermore, you can also sign up now to become a seller using your TikTok account through the Seller Centre.
Pokdepinion: As a frequent user of TikTok, I am really excited that the company has finally created more convenient access to local online stores in Malaysia where I can succumb to my unhealthy indulgence of baked goods.
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Modder Patched Bloodborne to Run at 60 FPS But There is a Catch

Holy crap I just tried it with boost mode and it’s a MASSIVE leap. I’ll get some good quality footage and put it on YouTube after I sleep.
— Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) April 28, 2020

One of the best games available exclusively on the PlayStation 4, aside from recent releases like Final Fantasy 7 Remake, is Bloodborne. You get the Dark Souls feels with some action and gore that’s just pure entertainment. One thing that many gamers didn’t like is that the game runs on 30 FPS. Now, a modder has managed to patch the game to run at 60 FPS, even with the base PS4 console.
60 FPS Bloodborne Patch Works on Base PS4 Model, However…

The modder, whose name is Lance McDonald, managed to get the 60 FPS Bloodborne patch to work on even the base PS4 model. However, the timing becomes off, making it play in double speed instead due to it being coded in 30 FPS. He managed to make it work as intended on a PS4 Pro, with boost mode further improving the graphics.

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With such a huge leap in performance and graphics possible on the PS4 Pro, it makes you wonder how much better it could be on the next-gen PlayStation 5. Even if the developers themselves won’t do much to improve it, online modders might be able to work their magic and blow our minds. For now, you’ll only get the good experience with the patch if you have a PS4 Pro.
Bloodborne is currently available exclusively on the PlayStation 4. You might be able to buy the game at a discounted price if you haven’t picked it up yet. You can check out how the game runs at 60 FPS in the tweet at the top of this post.
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Pokdepinion: I was genuinely surprised how big of an improvement the mod ended up being for the game. Would be interesting to see the potential in other games as well.
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As many of you may know by now, Among Us is expected to launch on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles, but we don’t have an official release date yet. However, it has been added into the PlayStation database which includes a potential release date.
Among Us PlayStation Database Entry Reveals Potential Release Date

According to the PlayStationSize Twitter account, Among Us has been added into the PlayStation database with a 31st August 2021 release date attached to it. This could potentially hint at the game’s release date on the PS4 and PS5 but there is also a chance that it might just be a placeholder date until they have the finalized date for it.

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With that being said, the Xbox port of the game might not have the same release date as well. It could be released earlier or later so for now, do take this information with a grain of salt. It’s still a good indication that the game will be coming to consoles very soon.
For those of you who aren’t aware, the console version of Among Us will come with some extra goodies, with PlayStation gamers getting an exclusive Ratchet & Clank skin, hat, and pet. Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be able to get the game for free. It’s also worth pointing out that the game is cross-play compatible on both platforms, so there will be no limitations on that.
We will update further on this when we have the official announcement so for now, stay tuned. If you can’t wait, the game is already available on PC, Android, and iOS.
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Pokdepinion: One of the best multiplayer games around will have more people being able to play. Sure, you can always play on the smartphone but who’s gonna say no to enjoying the game on a larger screen at the comforts of home?
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Minecraft Dungeons Review – Games Can Be Simple and Still Fun to Play

What is Minecraft Dungeons About?

Minecraft Dungeons Review – Trailer

Minecraft Dungeons is an action RPG / dungeon crawler spin-off of Minecraft. It is set in the same universe as the original game with its signature blocky visuals representing living beings and the environment. In this particular game, there is a proper, linear storyline for its campaign along with cutscenes to help push the narrative.
Once upon a time, a homeless “Illager” named Archie was rejected by everyone he met. Then, he finds a mysterious artifact called the Orb of Dominance, which corrupts him but also gave him powers. From that point on, he takes on the identity of “Arch-Illager”, with a mission of vengeance against those that wronged him, wreaking chaos all over the world, and turning villagers into his slaves.
Players will explore procedurally-generated dungeons in the map to fight all sorts of evil in a variety of environments. The ultimate goal here is to subdue the Arch-Illager, destroy the Orb of Dominance, and save the world. It will be a treacherous journey, but you can play with up to 4 players in either local or online co-op multiplayer.

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PC System Requirements
Minecraft Dungeons Review
The system requirements for Minecraft Dungeons is actually pretty light, so most gamers should have no trouble running the game. It will also look surprisingly great, at least within Minecraft’s blocky standards, if you’re running a fairly powerful system. We’ve listed the minimum system requirements below here:
CPUIntel Core i5 2.8GHz or equivalentGPUNVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 or AMD Radeon HD 7870 or equivalentRAM8GBStorage6GBDirectXDirectX 11OSWindows 10, 8 or 7 (64-bit with the latest updates; some functionality not supported on Windows 7 and 8)
Simple, Yet Addictive
Minecraft Dungeons Review
The idea of Minecraft Dungeons is very simple. It’s a Diablo-style action RPG made simple. It’s basically a point and click game where you can attack using melee weapons, use range attacks with your trusty bow, and use abilities via Artifacts that you gain along the way, such as shooting fireworks for an area-of-effect attack or dragging enemies with your fishing rod.
Even potions are technically unlimited as you don’t have a set amount of it. Instead, it simply cools down upon use, so you can use it again right after. While other similar games will have character classes, skill trees, and many other elements that can make it seem rather daunting, you don’t have to worry about any of that.
Minecraft Dungeons Review – Armour
While you do gain experience points and level up, there is no character classes to choose. Instead, you spend points to gain and improve abilities that are tied to equipment. This includes adding fire damage to weapons like sword, which deals a small bonus damage over time for a few seconds. This is applicable to melee weapons, bows, and armour.
As you may be uncertain as to what abilities you can get, you will most likely try out any and every weapon you find, even if it is a little weaker than your existing equipment. You don’t have to worry about losing out on ability points either as you can regain them by salvaging items. Moreover, you get emeralds from it as well, which you can use to purchase equipment.
Minecraft Dungeons Review
This may sound a little too flat for an RPG but I believe this serves as a good stepping stone to get people comfortable with the genre. Given how simple the game’s mechanics are, you will be more inclined to experiment with what is given to you, and anyone can start enjoying the game almost immediately. No worries about picking the “best” character class or stress out from making the “perfect” build, just go in and enjoy the game.
While it shouldn’t be a problem for those who play Minecraft Dungeons on console, it doesn’t seem to be gamepad-friendly on PC. I can’t get it to work with my Razer Raiju Ultimate, Razer Junglecat, DualShock 4, and Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. All these controllers work perfectly fine in other games, but perhaps it’s because Steam and Epic Games offer support for it instead of relying on the developers to add it on their own. It’s not that this game doesn’t support it, just that you can’t use any gamepad lying around.
Looking for a more story-driven game on the PS4? Check out our review of The Last of Us Part II by clicking right here.
You May Feel A Little Aimless
Minecraft Dungeons Review – World Map
Minecraft Dungeons doesn’t exactly have an open world environment. Instead, you go through stages, kill monsters like zombies and the franchise’s infamous Creepers, collect treasures, and complete the main objective. Typically, the main objective will have you reaching a certain part of the map, accompanied by some fights along the way.
Minecraft Dungeons Review – Stage Map
It’s not mandatory to explore every bit of the stage’s map, but I would recommend doing so not just to strengthen your character, but to also find good loot. The game does spoon-feed you to an extent, particularly in showing an arrow as to where you need to go. If you’re a good sense of curiosity and willingness to satisfy it, you don’t have to follow it at all as you would have checked every nook and cranny in the map anyway.

Minecraft Dungeons Review – DLC Trailer
As far as content goes, the game can be a bit short, at least within the genre’s standards, but it still can provide quite a bit of gameplay for you to enjoy. If you ever need more, you can always go for the DLC expansion, with Jungle Awakens DLC now available. This will let you play more levels, fight more enemies, and gain new loot. If you have the Hero Edition of the game, you can enjoy the expansion without having to spend extra.
After the completing the first level, you will find yourself in a camp area which serves as a hub world / rest area of sorts. Here, you can decide which level to play next and purchase items at the shop in exchange for emeralds that you gain from playing the game. You can’t purchase specific equipment but instead, you get random equipment for a set amount of emeralds.
Minecraft Dungeons Review – Random Gear
It feels kind of like a loot crate system, with the exception of it actually being practical. Usually, you get your standard class gear but at times, you’ll find yourself with rare equipment that can make the game more fun. A good example of this is a bow that can shoot at multiple enemies at once. You will get equipment that is within your character level, so it will never really be enough to cause a huge imbalance with the game.
While the game does have its storyline, you will find yourself a bit lost throughout the game as it doesn’t tell you about it enough. Especially given how mindless the game can get after a while, you’ll most likely skip through it anyway. Playing the game alone can get stale but when you play with friends, it gets a lot better.
Minecraft Dungeons Review
You can play with friends in either online or local co-op, up to four players. It’s easy to believe that the game is geared towards children when playing along, but it’s a whole lot more enjoyable for everyone when played with other people. In fact, given how simple the game is, it’s very easy for just about anyone to just hop into the game and start having fun.
Minecraft Dungeons Verdict
Minecraft Dungeons Review
Minecraft Dungeons is a decent action RPG. It is fun, but it’s a whole lot better when played with friends. It takes the Diablo formula and simplifies it to the point where anyone can enjoy it. It also serves as a good stepping stone for those who aren’t too familiar with the genre.
The game can get a bit mindless after a while, gamepad support is a bit lacking on PC, and you might find yourself lost where the storyline is concerned. However, the game does have quite a bit to offer and I find myself enjoying this game a lot more than I expected.
With that, I award Minecraft Dungeons with our Silver Pokdeward.

Big thanks to Double Eleven for letting us review this game.
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AMD Navi may feature variable rate shading like NVIDIA Turing

AMD may be looking to implement variable rate shading technology, according to a patent filed by the company in 2017. Considering that NVIDIA is already offering adaptive rate shading with their Turing architecture, it wouldn’t be too much to ask from AMD to implement the technology in AMD Navi.

Variable rate shading will allow the cards to deliver higher performance by simply having to shade less. NVIDIA’s implementation allows them to do up to 40% less pixel shading in areas which you won’t be paying much attention to, giving you the same visual experience while improving performance.

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AMD decision to go down a similar route, may be partially driven by the fact that they will be powering the next-gen consoles as well. Consoles have to be relatively affordable, so AMD can’t go ahead and cram massive GPUs like the Vega 20 just to support the 4K visuals that gamers will be expecting from the consoles. AMD’s variable rate shading might just be the solution to that.
Whether AMD will actually bring it to Navi remains to be seen, but we might be able to confirm it pretty soon with AMD expected to announce AMD Navi and AMD Zen 2 at Computex 2019.
Pokdepinion: Anything for better frame rates, as long as it doesn’t translate to worse quality visuals.
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This Microsoft AR Headset Costs A Whopping $3500

Previously available only for Microsoft’s business partners as well as developers, now the company has made their HoloLens 2 available for purchase at a huge price of $3500 (~RM14,964)
Microsoft HoloLens 2

The headset includes a carrying case, Type-C charger, straps, as well as forehead sizes for different sizes. It seems that the HoloLens 2 will only be available to online customers, where previously you can only get it through a special developers program or an official reseller. Sadly the headset is not available in the country here in Malaysia.
With the HoloLens 2, it comes with eye-tracking feature, where it not only lets you see UI elements but also gives developers a look to where you are seeing to better optimize AR applications.

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For the display, there’s support up to 2K and there’s a total of 7 cameras in the headset to track your head, eye, and giving you a depth view.
It has 5 channels for its microphone and comes with a built-in spatial sound speaker. They claim that it can last up to 2-3 hours on a single charge. The headset itself weighs in at 566 gram.
Other than that, it is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 chipset, 4GB RAM that’s paired with 64GB UFS 2.1 storage, and it comes with Bluetooth 5 connectivity.
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Pokdepinion: Well, I definitely can’t afford this, even if it makes its way here to Malaysia.
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Huawei Mate 20 X Review – The Titan That Stands Above All

Huawei Mate 20 X Review
Unboxing the Huawei Mate 20 X

If you missed out on our earlier post of our Huawei Mate 20 X unit, click right here to get up to speed.
Appearance

Unlike its Pro brethren, the Huawei Mate 20 X smartphone doesn’t have those curved displays. However, that doesn’t mean that it looks bad as it actually looks pretty good. If anything, the sheer size of its display alone is captivating. As a person who dislikes notches, this is probably the one I can accept as it is a very tiny notch which only contains the selfie camera.

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Our Huawei Mate 20 X is the Midnight Blue variant. While something like the Twilight colour available for the P20 Pro and Mate 20 Pro would have been a more attractive option, a smartphone of this magnitude would require a protective case which will most likely block you from seeing the colour of the smartphone anyway. Interestingly, there’s some slight accented lines here which you feel with your fingers. It does feel easier to grip with this compared to other phone with really glossy backs. Of course, you have the Leica Triple Camera system along with an LED flash which kinda makes it look like it has four cameras due to its square-shaped arrangement.

On the right side, you have the volume buttons as well as the power button. On the left side is where the SIM card tray is located.

On the bottom, you have the USB-C port as well as a single speaker grille. Lastly on the top, you have yet another speaker grille, an IR blaster, and a 3.5 headphone jack. Yes, it actually has both the IR blaster and a headphone jack, common features from the past which are getting increasingly rare nowadays but it’s something I personally need as they’re very convenient to have.
Overall, the Huawei Mate 20 X is a great looking smartphone with its size being the main focus here. If you’re a fan of curved displays, you most likely won’t bother with this but if your goal is to have the biggest screen possible, you know you want this. For something with a 7.2-inch display, it’s surprisingly easy to hold with one hand but to be fair, I do have rather long fingers so that might be why.
Specifications

CPU/Chipset:
Kirin 980 (2 x Cortex-A76 @ 2.6 GHz + 2 x Cortex-A76 @ 1.92 GHz + 4 x Cortex-A55 @ 1.8 GHz)

GPU:
Mali-G76MP10 @ 720 MHz

RAM:
6GB LPDDR4X

Display:
7.2″ FHD+ (2244 x 1080) OLED display

Storage:
128GB UFS 2.1 (expandable via NM card up to 256GB)

Camera:
Main Camera(s)
Leica Triple Camera
40MP f/1.8 (27mm (35mm eqv.)) + 8MP f/2.4 3x Telephoto (80mm (35mm eqv.)) + 20MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle (16mm (35mm eqv.))
Dual tone LED flash, laser AF, phase detection AF, CDAF, HUAWEI AI Image Stabilization (AIS), HDR, AI scene recognition, Portrait mode, Aperture mode, Pro mode, Night mode, [email protected] video, Underwater mode. Filters
Front Camera
24MP f/2.0
AR lens, Filters

OS:
EMUI 9.0 based on Android 9.0 Pie

Connectivity:
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (Wave 2) (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz)
Bluetooth 5.0
USB Type-C (USB 3.0)
LTE Cat. 21 download (1.4 Gbps), LTE Cat. 18 upload (200 Mbps)
LTE-FDD: Band 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/12/17/18/19/20/26/28/32
LTE-TDD: Band 34/38/39/40

SIM:
Hybrid dual nanoSIM (second SIM slot shared with NM card)

Battery:
Li-ion 5000 mAh (non-removable)
22.5W HUAWEI SuperCharge

Dimensions:
174.6 x 85.4 x 8.15 mm

Weight:
232 g

Performance

It’s interesting to note that the Huawei Mate 20 X, one of the biggest smartphones around, is using the world’s first 7nm mobile chipset, the Kirin 980. It is said to be better than the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, but of course, we’ll have to test the claim. For the purpose of having a fair benchmark, we will be running the tests without activating Performance mode.
For a glimpse of how Performance mode can improve the benchmark scores, click right here to find out.

On Antutu v7, the Huawei Mate 20 X does lose out to the Pocophone F1 and its Snapdragon 845 chipset. While not shown here, the Mate 20 Pro does score higher than both the 20 X and Pocophone F1, but all three devices aren’t far apart in terms of score. Realistically, this should mean that performance is about equal between the two chipsets.
On Geekbench, you can see that while the Mate 20 Pro still scored higher, the Huawei Mate 20 X still did beat out three Snapdragon 845 devices. The Exynos 9810 may have won in the single core test, there is a noticeable loss in the multi-core department. The Kirin 980 is shaping up to be a lot better than expected.

On 3DMark however, the Kirin 980 chipsets did not do so well. It definitely lost to the Snapdragon 845 devices by a big margin, and it even lost out to the Exynos 9810. This suggests that while the CPU is on par or possibly better, the Kirin 980 loses out in the graphics department.

PCMark is designed to give the most accurate results with real-world applications. We listed out devices from a variety of chipsets to give you a clearer idea as to how well it performs. The Kirin 980 as seen in both the Huawei Mate 20 X and Mate 20 Pro is essentially sitting between the Snapdragon 835 and 845 chipsets, which is nothing great but still pretty good on its own.

Pairing together the 7nm chipset in the Kirin 980 and 5,000 mAh battery, there is certainly a lot of expectation on the Huawei Mate 20 X battery life. One thing’s for sure, it definitely did not disappoint. It managed a respectable 803 minutes (13 hours and 23 minutes). In comparison to its Pro brethren, it managed a whole hour longer.

For my own usage which consists of auto-brightness on the lower spectrum, a mixture of Wi-Fi and mobile data, high accuracy location, zero gaming, almost consistently on social media, and few calls each day, I do manage to get two to three days of battery life. Realistically, I can definitely rely on at least two days but on days where I don’t do much or go out much, three days isn’t hard to pull off.
If you want some tips and tricks to maximize your battery life on the Huawei Mate 20 X, click right here. I did manage to get three whole days of battery.

It’s worth keeping in mind that the Huawei SuperCharger which comes with this unit is not as fast as the one that’s included in the Pro model. It’s a 22.5W SuperCharger, which is still pretty fast on its own. Just know that 30 minutes worth of charging can definitely last you a whole day’s worth of use so no worries there.

User Experience

With such a large size, I’m sure many of you are wondering if it’s hard to use the Huawei Mate 20 X. Personally, I still find it comfortable enough to use with just one hand. It’s a good thing it’s not slippery nor does it have any curved screens.  The curve on the back of the phone makes it easier to hold the phone. However, it’s worth nothing that my fingers are rather long, so if you have small hands, you may want to stick to the Mate 20 Pro or Mate 20.
Unlike its Pro brethren, it doesn’t have the IP68 rating or any IP ratings for that matter, which I feel is a bit of a shame. It does have an OLED display, 7.2-inches to be precise, with FHD+ resolution. While the Pro version may show more detailed visuals, it still does produce great detail with vibrant colours and amazing contrast just like with most OLED panels.

It’s worth noting that the Huawei Mate 20 X uses a different OLED panel from the Pro, which means it’s unlikely to face the green display issues that have been reported in some Pro models. Click here if you want to know more about it.

For a screen this size, playing games and watching videos is amazing and immersive. Although it does have a notch, it is a very tiny one, kinda like a dot, so for most parts, it will feel like it’s not even there. If you game a lot of watch plenty of videos, you definitely should get this.

On the sound department, the dual speakers on the top and bottom are absolutely great. It’s loud and rather wholesome, but the best of all is that it doesn’t suffer from the same drawback its Pro brethren is having. By that, I mean that the USB-C port isn’t the primary speaker output, so you don’t have to worry about audio being blocked while you’re charging it. If you need a more personal listening experience, this one does have a 3.5mm jack so you can easily plug in your favourite pair of headphones.

There are a variety of ways to keep your phone secure so other people won’t be able to simply use it; facial recognition, fingerprint, and PIN code. In the case of the facial recognition system, it is very accurate and takes a very short moment to recognize and automatically unlock the device. There are two downsides to it however.
For starters, you do need to be facing directly in front of the phone / front camera in order for it to work properly. The other is that when it’s dark, it does have trouble recognizing your face. It’s understandable as cameras need light in order to see anything but was hoping it could still manage to map it out well enough. Because of this, I still stick to the fingerprint sensor, which is located on the back (right below the camera) as it is the most reliable and fastest method of unlocking it.

EMUI 9.0 is very similar to the older version, with not much changes aesthetically and in terms of navigating around. It does have some new gestures for you to use but for me, I personally couldn’t be bothered to change my habits and found it easier to use without it. If anything, the only thing I decided to toggle is “Darken Interface Colours” in the battery section, which is pleasing to my eyes and the battery.

What I really love about the Huawei Mate 20 X, and also a lot of their smartphones, is that they have one thing that many other brands chose to omit in their newer devices; IR Blaster. This means I can use it as a remote control for my TV and more. This is especially helpful as it means I don’t have to buy AA batteries for my remote anymore and I don’t even have to bother about it. All I need is just the phone and I’m good to go.

What I don’t like about the Huawei Mate 20 X is its use of the proprietary NM cards for storage. It’s expensive and you can only get it from Huawei. From what I understand, it doesn’t have any notable benefits over MicroSD, which is why I’m baffled as to why they needed to have them in the first place. Since it does have a solid 128 GBs of internal storage, I can live with just this.
Camera

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Arguably the most exciting part about the Huawei Mate 20 X is the camera. It utilizes the Leica Triple Camera setup which has the wide angle, ultra-wide angle, and telephoto lens, giving you quite a bit of versatility in how you want to shoot. There are a number of modes that you can access via the camera app; Aperture, Night, Portrait, Photo, Video, Pro, and More.
Personally, I am in love with the camera. It is easily capable of taking great photos without toying around much with the settings. The phone does most of the work for you when it comes to optimizing your photos. Colours are very punchy but sometimes, it can be a little bit off. For example, I took a photo of brownies and ice cream covered in chocolate syrup. The chocolate syrup seems more reddish-orange rather than brown, despite it being truly brown in real life.
When it comes to low-light situations, you have the choice of shooting either in Night Mode and HDR mode. In the case of Night Mode, what it does is take photos with the shutter speed set up to 4 seconds. While HDR is generally faster and easier to capture, it usually results in a loss of colour so you have to play around with both to see which gets you the best photo. Alternatively, you can also opt to use the Pro mode for full control.
As for the front-facing camera, it’s generally able to capture good quality selfies but it’s worth noting that colours are more neutral in this one. This isn’t actually a bad thing as it makes it easier to edit afterwards. It doesn’t have stability like the wide-angle camera so be sure to steady your hands. Otherwise, you’re going to get some out of focus and blurry shots.

In older Huawei devices, you have the ability to switch between the multiple cameras by toggling them yourself. With the Huawei Mate 20 X, you switch between all three cameras by zooming in or out.
Upon opening up the camera app, you will be using the 40 MP Wide Angle Lens (f/1.8 aperture) by default. This is the best one for general use and will provide you with the best imaging performance.

As soon as you zoom out by pinching the screen outwards, you will see the zoom factor go from 1.0x to anywhere from 0.9x to 0.6x. At this point, the camera will automatically switch to the 20 MP Ultra Wide Angle Lens (f/2.2 aperture). This will allow you to capture more things within the frame itself, giving you a rather wide perspective compared to the standard Wide Angle Lens.

Notice the difference in colour between the top and bottom

As for the telephoto lens, it’s a bit tricky. It kicks in from 3x zoom onwards, but will only shift to the telephoto lens when it detects a face and a distinguishable object to focus on. From 1x to 2.9x zoom, it will not kick in no matter what. This was the case for the Huawei Mate 20 X and the Mate 20 Pro.
Interestingly, the 3x zoom via the telephoto lens is actually optical zoom so you will not face any loss in quality when zooming in, which usually happens in digital zoom. From 3x to 5x zoom, it will be using Huawei’s hybrid zoom feature, which we will explain in-depth in a future post.
One last note, you will not be able to zoom in or out if your picture resolution is set to 40MP. You will need to use either the 7MP options or, preferably, the 10MP option to fully make use of the Leica Triple Camera system.
I am in love with the camera on the Huawei Mate 20 X and I can’t see how anyone could be unhappy with it. Whether you’re a selfie aficionado or someone who likes to take snaps wherever you go, this can easily fit in all your needs for mobile photography.

Huawei Mate 20 X Verdict

Overall, the Huawei Mate 20 X is a great, titan-sized smartphone which certainly hits the mark in plenty of areas. It does have its fair share of quirks but some of them are very dependent on the person using it as well, and I don’t mean in terms of just preference.
The one thing that makes this one stand out is its sheer size. The display is big and great to look at but there’s no point going for it if you have a hard time using it with one hand. If you have some big hands or are willing to go through it anyway, then you’ll have yourself a smartphone that performs well in various areas, has a great camera, and a pretty good battery life.
With that being said, I award the Huawei Mate 20 X with our coveted Gold Pokdeward!

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Samsung Holds #BlueAndYellow Movement — Ongoing Until The 31st October 2018

Samsung has announced of their #BlueAndYellow movement, where you stand a chance in winning two tickets to enter the Selfie Museum inside Fahrenheir88, Kuala Lumpur weekly.
Samsung #BlueAndYellow
Well you probably should know the reason of why they chose the colors blue and yellow (hint: Note 9). Samsung Malaysia Electronics is calling all Malaysians to participate in their #BlueAndYellow movement to add a little creativity and happiness to their lives and to their social media timelines while at the same time unleashing their creative imagination through their art, picture, and videos.
Here are the steps to join the movement:

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

Snap a picture that largely consists of the colors blue and yellow.
Proceed to upload that picture onto your Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Add the hashtags: #BlueAndYellow and #GottaHaveIt
Tag Samsung’s social media page at @samsungmalaysia

If you’re out of ideas and in need for inspiration, you can visit the Samsung Galaxy Studio9 that is showcasing the elements of blue and yellow in the heart of KL City (in front of Fahrenheit88) from now until 31 October 2018. Just take your selfie/wefie in one of the three selfie spots followed by two additional hashtags: #GalaxyNote9 and #studio9MY, and you will stand a chance to win two tickets to enter the Selfie Museum inside Fahrenheit88, Kuala Lumpur weekly.
Pokdepinion: There you go folks, for a chance to win those tickets, get going with your selfie/wefie.

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Honor about to set stage with new smartphone; Reaching new height of performance and excitement

You know what actually excites me? Every time a company announces that they are about to release its “best” product ever. It puts a benchmark for the company and its competitors and it keeps the landscape always interesting for us. That’s exactly what Honor is about to do. Its going to introduce its best smartphone yet in Malaysia – one that is purpose-built to suit millennials and the adventurous consumer.
What it claims above all is that this smartphone will blur the smartphone line-up for affordable vs high-end devices. It is a result of several strategic partnerships in the areas of gaming, photography and virtual reality (two of these are my favourite, guess which ones). So this phone by honor will bring great user experience and performance that surpasses our expectations.
This Honor smartphone will feature next-generation technology, improved speed and an inspired design. It’s a surprise for now but promises to be a stand out from other smartphones in the same category. If you want a sneak peek, head over to their Facebook at www.facebook.com/HuaweiHonorMY.

 Join Pokde Telegram Channel

Pokdepinion: Do you like surprises? I love surprises!
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