AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Runs On A620 Nearly As Good As X670 Motherboards

Despite A620’s limited VRM capabilities, it won’t limit the gaming chip’s capabilities by much.

Korean YouTube channel ‘minteger’ (민티저) got themselves an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and some motherboards to run on it. That leaves a question waiting to be answered: how would the X3D chip perform on high-end X670 against the entry-level A620 motherboards?

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For a chip like Ryzen 7 7800X3D, most PC builders would opt for at least a B650 motherboard since these models offer adequate VRM performance with a healthy amount of I/O on tap. So this is a bit of an experiment to see if the cheapest A620 motherboards can handle the chip, though there’s no stopping motherboard OEMs from including a more robust VRM solutions on the A620, even if AMD recommends using 65W CPUs for it.
The content creator ran benchmarks on both an A620 motherboard (GIGABYTE A620 GAMING X, with air cooler) and the high-end X670 motherboard (MSI PRO X670-P WiFi, 420mm AIO). Both systems run on same set of DDR5-6000 memory, since both platform supports EXPO memory overclocking.

The tests revealed that clockspeed do differ between the two, with the X670 pushing the chip to 4.8-4.9GHz whereas the A620 can only make it run at 4.4-4.6GHz at best. Despite the clockspeed difference, it turns out the real-life performance discrepancy is relatively minor, with Cinebench R23 tests showing a mere 5% difference (despite the A620 pulling inconsistent power averaging 81W vs full 95W on the X670), while gaming is almost identical with only 3% worth of performance left on table.

Users with tight budgets perhaps can get away with using A620 motherboard in this case, though if you want better experience overall, even an entry-level B650 motherboard would’ve suffice, plus all the extra I/O options which may be useful for peripheral-heavy PC users.
Source: Videocardz | @harukaze5719 (Twitter)
Pokdepinion: Ryzen’s power efficiency really shows here when the low end motherboards can deliver performance almost as good as the high end ones.
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ASUS Plans To Shake Up Their Smartphone Business With The Zenfone Mini

Seems like everyone is making a smaller phone nowadays. Now it seems that ASUS is also looking to join in the compact phone club by releasing a Zenfone Mini. This comes after DigiTimes reported that ASUS is looking to revitalise their smartphone decision by releasing a compact version of their flagship Zenfone line. The Zenfone Mini is designed for those who prefer premium but compact devices, similar to the iPhone 12 Mini. No other information regarding the device is available as of yet.
Downsizing Zenfone with the Zenfone Mini

This is due to last year’s lower than expected shipment numbers. According to industry sources, DigiTimes says that in Q3 2020, ASUS reported profits of USD61.8 million (RM251,556,900), a figure that is split between older ASUS phone models with USD17.8 million (RM72,454,900) and newer ASUS phone models with USD42 million (RM170,961,000). According to ASUS, the less than stellar numbers are down to difficulties in sourcing components because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The report also mentions that the ROG Phone 5 might see an April release with March as another possible month the ROG Phone 5 could release. The ROG Phone 5 will feature a Snapdragon 888 SoC as well as a secondary display and AniMe Matrix display at the back. The report also claims that the ROG Phone 5 will be priced higher than its predecessors which I am not entirely sure why. Especially when the plan is to turn around their current sales slump. How much exactly is still up in the air.
Pokdepinion: I’m very interested in the rumoured Zenfone Mini if it’s true. I’m a big fan of compact devices, especially compact flagships. They’re just so comfortable to use.
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This Could Be The Upcoming HONOR 20 Pro

While the HONOR 20 series has yet to revealed to the public, it seems there has been several leaked render pertaining to them.  The design was posted on by a Facebook user of what seems to be the Pro variant of the HONOR 20.

While nothing is yet to be confirmed by HONOR, it looks like the HONOR 20 Pro will come with four cameras at the rear where they could consist of a ultra wide-angle lens, 3D ToF, 3x optical zoom optics, and its primary lens. Seeing that this could the Pro version of the HONOR 20, the standard variant might see it exclude the 3D ToF lens.

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There’s no fingerprint sensor found at the back, so we might see a in-display scanner on the HONOR 20 series. It seems that they’ve also substitute the normal ‘AI Cameras’ mostly found on their devices with ‘AI Vision’ with the upcoming series. It will probably use the latest Kirin chipset in the market, the Kirin 980. Expect more information to arrive in weeks to come.
Previously HONOR announced that they’ve partnered up with fashion label Moschino to create a special edition device for the HONOR 20 series. The HONOR 20 will be revealed and launched in London on the 21st of May 2019.
Pokdepinion: It definitely looks like the P30 Pro. That being said, HONOR has been known to come up with more affordable flagships compared to their sister company. Let’s hope that’s the case with the HONOR 20 series!
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[CES 2022] Razer Smart Home Lights Your House with Razer Chroma RGB

Out of the gaming PC and into your home as the Razer Smart Home app and Razer Chroma Smart Home were announced at CES 2022. Here’s what you need to know.
Razer Smart Home

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As announced at CES 2022, the Razer Smart Home app will be coming your way, which will let you make use of the Razer Chroma RGB lighting ecosystem for your home. Together with your gaming peripherals, the idea here is to integrate smart bulbs, light fixtures and more from other brands into their new app via the Razer Chroma RGB Smart Home program.
From what we know thus far, the integration plan currently includes over 50 hardware partners and 200 games. This includes Nanoleaf, LIFX, Yeelight, Monster, and Twinkly. With the announcement, there is hope for more companies to come on board. It’s worth noting that Philips Hue is missing, though the bridge integration can work with Razer Synapse to sync with peripherals.

In theory, it should work similarly to Philips Hue, but there’s not much to go about aside from a simple screenshot of the Razer Smart Home app. At the moment, it does appear to be limited to just lighting, which is said to come with 16.8 million colours and a suite of lighting effects.
For now, the Razer Smart Home app is expected to launch on both Android and iOS sometime in the first half of 2022. We will report more on this as soon as information becomes available so stay tuned.
Pokdepinion: Honestly, even if it’s just my Razer gaming peripherals, I would like to give this app a try. Sounds like it might be fun and easier to set the mood right.
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vivo Organises V20 SE Experience Event In Conjunction With vivo V20 SE Launch

vivo Malaysia recently released the new vivo V20 SE, its first special edition smartphones of their V series. To celebrate, vivo Malaysia will be running a special V20 SE Experience Event which will run for two days from 26 September until 27 September.

The special V20 SE Experience Event is open to the public at selected vivo stores across the country. Other than getting a hands-on look at the newly launched V20 SE, participants will be entitled to receive exciting gifts from vivo. Not only that, participants will also stand a chance to win a limited gift from vivo as well as Starbucks cards upon providing their feedback by scanning the provided QR code by vivo. Selected winners will be announced on 2 October via vivo’s Official Facebook page.

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The vivo V20 SE features a  6.44-inch AMOLED display, a triple camera setup (48MP + 8MP + 2MP), a Snapdragon 665 SoC, 8GB RAM, 128GB internal storage, a 4100mAh battery and 33W fast charging. It has a retail price of RM1,199. Check out below for the full phone specifications.
vivo V20 SE Specifications

CPU
Qualcomm SDM665 Snapdragon 665 (11 nm)

GPU
Adreno 610

RAM
8GB

Display
6.44″ AMOLED (1080 x 2400), Dewdrop display

Storage
128GB

Camera
Main Camera(s)
48 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP, F/1.8 +F/2.2+ F/2.4 aperture
Front Camera
32 MP, F/2.0 aperture

OS
Funtouch OS 11 (Based on Android 10)

Connectivity
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
Bluetooth 5
Type-C

SIM
Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)

Battery
4100 mAh

Dimensions
161.00 mm (H) X 74.08 mm (W) X 7.83 mm (D)

Weight
171 g

Ingress Protection
N/A

Pokdepinion: Looks fun. Good luck to everyone who will be participating vivo’s giveaways!
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NVIDIA GeForce RTX cards priced from $499 — offers up to 6.5x more performance than the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti!

After teasing us that whatever we know about the GeForce RTX was false, Jensen Huang went on to talk about the massive improvements that NVIDIA brings with the Turing GPU architecture. While raytracing technology isn’t readily available in current games, the upcoming games including Battlefield V will look insanely good with them. Now, onto the cards.

The new cards will feature Turing GPUs under the hood, with the fastest GeForce RTX 2080 Ti being 6.5x faster than the Titan Xp at raytracing. Even the GeForce RTX 2070 is nearly 4x faster than the Titan Xp. Now that’s some serious performance under the hood of a $499 (~RM2,048) card.

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The GeForce RTX 2080 Ti will feature a 260W TDP, while the GeForce RTX 2080 and RTX 2070 will have a TDP of 225W and 175W, respectively. The Founders Edition are higher clocked than reference designs, thus has a 10W higher TDP, but expect AIBs to deliver much higher clocked designs.
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The GeForce RTX cards are priced from $499 for the GeForce RTX 2070 from AIB partners. However if you want to get the Founders Edition, you will have to shell out $599 (~RM2458). And it is unavailable for pre-order yet.
Currently up for pre-orders are the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition for $1199 (~RM4920) and GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition for $799 (~RM3279). Both cards are already out of stock at the moment. The cards are expected to ship on 20th September, so that’s still some time away.
Pokdepinion: Maybe I will settle for the GeForce RTX 2070…
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Android 14 Now Has Native App-Cloning Feature For Multiple Account Logins

Some manufacturers already have this feature, but now stock Android will finally have it too.
Image: XDA Developers (Mishaal Rahman)
XDA’s Mishaal Rahman has found and enabled a hidden feature behind Android 14’s Preview 1 release, called ‘App Cloning’. Most users should be at least familiar with how this feature works, but if not, here’s a summary:
Much like what it says in the name, app cloning allows user to essentially create a separate copy of the same app to allow multiple, simultaneous account logins without the need to switch or re-entering account credentials. This is helpful for those who have two accounts at once and needs to have active notifications on both – whereas the traditional account-switching method often isn’t capable of sending notifications once logged out.

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As the Preview 1 release is still fresh from the oven (it’s only released few days ago), some of the feature are still half-baked (pardon the pun). First of all, enabling this feature in the first place isn’t straightforward, as the writer said enabling it requires some modification to ‘flags’ (settings intended for developers) in order for this to work. The feature may not eventually end up in the final Android 14 release, but it’s a start at least.
Source: Ars Technica | XDA Developers
Pokdepinion: Google is probably more than 5 years late (my Samsung from 2018 had this feature), but better late than never I guess?
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Esports Business Network Launches Malaysia’s First RM4 Million Esports City

The folks at Esports Business Network (EBN) has today launched Malaysia’s first Esports City, where they aim to make it as the go-to destination for International esports events.
EBN launch Malaysia’s first Esports City

In case you didn’t know, EBN was formed through a merger between two esport companies in the regions; Orang Esports Cafe and The Gaming Company.

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The RM4 million EBN Esports City is located at the top floor of Quill City Mall where it is recognized as Southeast Asia’s biggest esports facility. It is 65,000 square feet big in size where it comprimises the EBN Esports Arena, the Orange Esports Club, as well as the new Esports Business Network Headquarters and three live broadcasting studios. The Orang Esports Club is built as a esporst community event and lifestyle experiential space, catering to PC, mobile, as well as console players.

EBN’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Adrian Gaffor has said “Strategic partnerships will be among our main business strategies. We strongly believe that partnerships can amplify the growth of the esports industry. Moving forward, we will continue to work closely with key partners, brands and communities to materialize our vision”.
At the time of writing, Esports Business Network has said that Malaysia is ranked number 21 globally with more than 14 millions gamers and an estimated revenue of RM2 billion.
Pokdepinion: The one thing that I find lacking in the esports scene is the diversity of game titles. You’d usually see the mainstream ones over and over again but I can hardly blame anyone for that. It’s just nice to have options and offer support to a bigger community.
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vivo Partners With Malaysia International Film Festival — To Host 5-min Short Film Contest

The folks at vivo Malaysia has today announced of their collaboration with the Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) in organizing the vivo x MIFFest Short Film Unit competition, which will be on the theme of “Humanity”.
vivo x MIFFest 5min Short Film Unit

With the contest, it marks the 2nd part of the company’s Visual Creator campaign where they are inviting Malaysians to express themselves and become visual creators. You’ll find the contest available starting from today, the 8th of April until the 25th of April 2021 where it will feature a panel of judges representing both vivo Malaysia and MIFFest.

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Xiamen University Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC) and New Era University College will be co-steering the competition.
If you are interested in participating in the contest, you can follow these steps:

Film a 5-minute short video using your vivo smartphone in line with the theme “Humanity”
Send your short film to [email protected] and fill in your personal information (name, contact information, video story concept)

As you can see from above, the video must be captured by a vivo smartphone and the content must be produced after 8th April 2021. This means that old videos aren’t eligible for the contest. All of the winners will be announced on the 3rd of May 2021, where you stand a chance in winning prizes worth more than RM15,000, including a brand new vivo X60 Pro and a certificate of participation.
Previously they’ve revealed their short film, The Incident, which was taken fully with the X60 Pro. Read more on that by heading to the link right here. For the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: Find yourself as a creative person when it comes to shooting videos? Why not try your skills out? You might be the winner that they are looking for.
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Acer Malaysia’s New Affordable AOpen Monitor Lineup Arrives From RM289

The folks at Acer Malaysia has recently unveiled their latest range of affordable monitors under the AOpen brand, providing more options for those seeking practical monitors at more affordable prices.
AOpen monitors arrive in Malaysia
To celebrate the arrival of the new lineup, they’ve also brought an array of promotions that includes up to 14% cash back in a 9-hour shocking sale as well as new arrival promotion that offers freebies worth up to RM168.
The AOpen monitors comes with Acer’s BlueLight Shield and Flicker-less technology. Not to forget, they feature a unique form of 6-axis color adjustment to aid you in obtaining exact colors and hues.

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AOpen 22CV1Q
First in the lineup is the AOpen 22CV1Q, a 21.5-inch FHD VA panel display. It offers a basic 60Hz refresh rate or 1920 x 1080 FHD resolution at 75Hz through HDMI and 5ms response time. You can get it at the price of RM289.
AOpen 24CL1Y
It’s bigger brother, the Aopen 24CL1Y is 23.8-inch in size where it uses a IPS panel that they claim can preserve image clarity and prime colors from every angle up to 178-degrees, which you can get at RM379.
AOpen 27HC5RP
Last but not least if you need something more more feature packed, there’s the AOpen 27HC5RP. As you might have guessed, it is 27-inch in size and it is a curved monitor that can be overclocked up to 165Hz refresh rate with AMD FreeSync support. It also comes with Zero Frame design, VESA mount as well as tilt adjustable stand. The price? It comes with a recommended retail price of RM699.
All three of them are now available for purchase. Acer Malaysia has collaborated with several authorized resellers to reward buyers with a wired mouse, Acer Vacuum Flask, Predator Cestus 310 Mouse as well as DisplayPort cable for the purchase of the new monitors. The promotion runs from now till the 12th of June, with limited units available.
Not to forget, Acer is also hosting a 9-hour Shocking Sale on Shopee with limited units of the AOpen 22CV1Q at RM40 off and AOpen 24CL1Y at RM50 off. This deal will take place on 12 midnight on 7th of June 2020. The freebies are unfortunately unavailable for this Shocking Sale.
Pokdepinion: Hmm I really am not sure whether I’d take the freebies or enjoy the discounted prices..
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ASUS ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti OC Edition 6GB GDRR6 review — a mid-range card with high-end trim

Introduction

The rumored GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is finally official. It packs Turing shaders and drops the RT and Tensor cores for good ol’ rasterization horsepower. Designing a GPU without the RT and Tensor cores also makes for a smaller die, thus translating to cost savings for NVIDIA, and of course, you.
Then there are the questions: how much less performance are you getting versus a GeForce RTX 2060, and also should you upgrade from your Pascal card? We have here the ASUS’ ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti OC Edition 6GB GDDR6 to play around with, so let’s go.
Unboxing

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While the RTX was supersized on the packaging of ASUS’ ROG Strix GeForce RTX cards, the GeForce GTX branding here is less in your face. Also a shift we notice from the previous generations is the way they show the model number in a separate block. NVIDIA clearly wants you to know that the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is a member of the GeForce GTX family. The rest of the packaging’s appearance is pretty similar to the GeForce RTX cards, and the product image interestingly shows the use of Axial-tech fans here.

The back of the box is where we find more details. And sure enough, there’s the highlight explaining more about the Axial-tech fans. Considering ASUS used the older Wing-Blade fans for the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2060 and RTX 2070, seeing it here is indeed somewhat of a surprise.

There isn’t much in the packaging of the ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, but there’s a CD too many. Time to go green ASUS, and give us one of those fancy ROG pendrives that you throw in with your premium ROG motherboard.
Appearance

The ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti looks indistinguishable from the flagship GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, partly due to the use of the Axial-tech fans here. The shroud around it appears to have been reworked as well, with a rougher texture which we noticed since we reviewed the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2060.

The backplate is where we find some cost savings. Just like the ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1060, ASUS for some reason decided that the ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti’s backplate doesn’t need the RGBae treatment. You get a printed ROG logo, and that’s it.

My favorite feature from the GeForce RTX cards is here too. I loved the brace on ASUS ROG Strix cards because it looks great while also helping to support the weight of the cooler. Seeing it on the ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti was somewhat unexpected as the last flagship GeForce GTX under the ROG Strix branding didn’t come with such strong branding. Here the brace is also important for the cooling, helping to cool down the VRM as well as the VRAM.
The entire card is a 2.5-slot design, a bit thicker than ASUS’ ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1060 2-slot design despite both cards touting the same 120W TDP. More surface area for heat dissipation is always good, but for those of you who are using cases with very limited room for graphics cards, you might want to make sure this baby fits.

It touts the same outputs as the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2060. No USB-C port here for VirtualLink. According to NVIDIA, the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti fully supports VirtualLink, and it is up to whether board partners like ASUS wants to include it. ASUS probably decided against it, as people who get the ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti probably aren’t going to be spending on expensive VirtualLink VR headsets anyway.

On the other end of the card we find ASUS’ AURA SYNC header, as well as two FanConnect II headers. We also see that ASUS is using just three heatpipes here, down from the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2060’s five. Even the ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1060 has four heatpipes, but the older card sports a thinner heatsink as compared to the ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti.

As we have no RGB on the backplate now, you will have to settle for the illuminated RGBae accents on the front shroud. It really needs no introduction as all the cards we recently reviewed all feature the same general design. It looks good, and if the GeForce RTX 2060 cards from other brands are anything to go by, the ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti may be one of the the best looking GeForce GTX 1660 Ti out there.
Specifications
ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti OC Edition 6GB GDDR6

GPU
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (TU116)

Clocks
OC Mode
Boost – 1890 MHz; Base – 1530 MHz
Gaming Mode
Boost – 1860 MHz; Base – 1500 MHz

Cores
1536 CUDA cores

Memory
6GB GDDR6

Memory Clocks
12 000 MHz

Memory Interface
192-bit

Display outputs
2 x DisplayPort 1.4
2 x HDMI 2.0b

Power connector(s)
1 x 8-pin

Recommended PSU
450W

Multi-GPU support
No

Dimensions
30 x 13.2 x 5 cm

As usual, ASUS slaps a pretty impressive overclock out of the factory for their ROG Strix OC Edition cards. NVIDIA specifies a boost clock of just 1770 MHz, but ASUS goes ahead and offers up to 1890 MHz out of the box. As with any recent NVIDIA card, we can expect to see effective boost clocks to be much higher depending on the thermal headroom offered by the cooling solution. The TDP specified by NVIDIA is just 120W, but with a single 8-pin power connector, we are looking at maximum theoretical power draw of 225W, which is just short of double the TDP. More than enough for any overclock you have in mind.
Test Machine

CPU
Intel Core i7-5820K @ 4.125 GHz

Motherboard
ROG Rampage V Extreme

Memory
4 x 4GB Kingston HyperX Predator 3000 MHz CL15

Storage
256GB Samsung 850 EVO SATA SSD
512GB Plextor M9PeY PCIe 3.0×4 NVMe SSD
256GB Toshiba PCIe 3.0×4 NVMe SSD
1TB Seagate FireCuda SSHD

Power Supply
Cooler Master V850 Gold

Monitor
BenQ EL2870U

GPU Driver
GeForce 418.91

The GeForce 418.91 drivers were specially released for us to test the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti by NVIDIA.
Testing Methodology
We will be running in-game benchmarks where available, at the specified resolution(s) and at the maximum graphics preset, unless otherwise specified. Average framerates during gameplay will be recorded with Fraps, in the event of a benchmarked game not having an in-game benchmarking tool. Temperatures will be recorded with HWiNFO, and the maximum temperature in a 45-minute long Superposition stress test run will be reported. Fan speeds will be according to the default fan curve as defined by the manufacturer. At 4K we will turn off anti-aliasing (AA) where possible, or set it to the lowest available setting, as it is unrealistic and absolutely unnecessary to use AA at that resolution. The latest drivers available will be used, unless otherwise specified. Default clocks will be used, unless otherwise specified.
Performance
Synthetic Performance

There’s no raytracing here, so we can’t do the 3DMark Port Royal benchmark. We ran SuperPosition on it though, and a score of 5160 places it right in the middle between the GeForce GTX 1060 and GeForce RTX 2060.
Gaming Performance

The ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti actually comes up closer to the GeForce RTX 2060 than the GeForce GTX 1060.

The trend continues in Far Cry 5…

And here it actually beats the GeForce GTX 1070 Ti. Rainbow Six Siege is quite a peculiar game but it appears to be able to take advantage of the new features that Turing brought to the board.

Meanwhile in AC: Odyssey it once again comes up close behind the GeForce RTX 2060.

Surprisingly the ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti did well in Battlefield V, giving me a playable experience even at 4K. It was somewhat unexpected from a mid-range card like this, but it proved itself worthy.

In The Division, the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti comes up behind the GeForce RTX 2060 again, but the ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1060 is left really far behind in the dust.
The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti visibly slots between the GeForce GTX 1060 and GeForce RTX 2060, but it actually performs closer to the latter rather than the former. It’s just 12% slower than the GeForce RTX 2060 on average, but a whopping 40% faster than the GeForce GTX 1060. It isn’t great for 4K, but it’s going to be a great card for 1440p at the same TDP as the GeForce GTX 1060.
Boost/Temperature

The ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti maintained a temperature reading of below 60°C throughout most of the 45-minute Superposition run we use to gauge the cards we test. Boost maintained at around 1950 MHz. We are looking at it running cooler than any of the cards we have tested recently. The Axial-tech fans do their job quietly, even when under load. Turning the fans up to the maximum speed and the sound level ramps up just a tiny bit, testament to ASUS’ engineering prowess.
User Experience

ASUS still provides physical switches in case you don’t want to install their software to manage the RGB effects or fan curve. ASUS’ dual BIOS feature is pretty cool because instead of tweaking the power limits to throttle the cooler card to make it run cooler with less noise, the Q-mode here just plays around with the fan curve for a quieter card. Same performance level, just quieter operation. Of course it’s worth noting that with GPU Boost you will probably see lower clocks as well as it adjusts to your reduced cooling performance.

In terms of software, ASUS is still using GPU Tweak II to tune the card and AURA to play around with the RGB effects. If you have installed GPU Tweak II and AURA, the physical switches can be forgotten about. Overclocking, fan curve adjustments and whatever you need to max out your card is all available in GPU Tweak II.
Conclusion
So the ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is about 12% slower on average versus the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2060. So it will definitely have to be at least 12% cheaper. ASUS somewhat surprised us when they told us the price of the ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti. It was going to be RM1599, which is a good 32% less. You are giving up on RT cores and Tensor cores, but then again there is like a total of 4 titles out there that takes advantage of the technologies out there now.

If you are coming from a GeForce GTX 1060 or GeForce 1070, you probably won’t be seeing too much of a benefit from upgrading to the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti. NVIDIA isn’t even targeting you with this GPU. But if you are coming from an slower card then yes you might really want to consider upgrading to the ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti. It comes with everything Turing has to offer, sans RT and Tensor cores, allowing it to deliver better performance in games that can take advantage of its newer features. The TU116 powering the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is a strong mid-range GPU, and ASUS packed the ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with high-end features, making this a very solid card for gamers who aren’t into DLSS, RTX and all that jazz.

Our utmost gratitude to ASUS Malaysia for providing the ASUS ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti OC Edition 6GB GDDR6 in this review, and also NVIDIA for the information and drivers used for this review.
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Sony’s New EXTRA BASS GTK-XB72 Wireless Speaker Now Available At RM1,499

Sony has freshen up their EXTRA BASS wireless speaker lineup with the introduction of the new GTK-XB72 high power speaker.
Sony GTK-XB72 wireless speaker
With the new GTK-XB72, it offers a large cabinet and big woofers that creates stronger bass ans expand the sound field for powerful sound. Thanks to its LIVE SOUND mode, you can enjoy a three-dimensional (3D) experience as if you were at a live venue. With the mode, it expands the area of the sound through angled speakers and Digital Signal Processing technology, giving 3D sound which puts you in the thick of the music, as if you were at a music festival.
The wireless speaker’s range is ideal for hip-hop, dance, and rap music lovers with bass the main focus of their music taste. Thanks to a built-in accelerometer, the speaker reacts when you tap on it and create unique lighting and sound effects. In addition, you can enjoy a range of party features on the XB72 through the Fiestable app, which allows you to customize your party with voice control, motion control, and an interactive party light.

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The Sony GTK-XB72 is now available in the country at Sony Stores as well as all authorized dealers at RM1,499.
Pokdepinion: I Guess this one is for the party people out there. Looks cool, but I’d rarely use it I think.
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OnePlus 2 launching on the 27th of July

Yep, the successor to the much-hyped OnePlus One, the OnePlus Two will be launched on July 27th 7.00 p.m. PST (10.00 a.m. in our timezone). Notice that I didn’t put in a location? That’s because OnePlus will be unveiling the Two to the world completely in VR, so everyone around the world can stream it and be a part of it. It will be the world’s first ever product launch in VR.
They also designed a cardboard VR headset tailored to the OnePlus One, available for free, excluding shipping. They believe the experience will be more impressive with the custom headset they designed.
Earlier this month, they teased a “secret” launch project when they asked their fans to create videos of their OnePlus stories and best smartphone photography. The fans who won those contests will help them present the entire launch of the OnePlus 2 in VR.

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A VR launch lets you stand right next to our team and our fans as we unveil our new flagship. You’ll be able to look around as you check out the phone in a new way and maybe even find a few hidden Easter eggs. It’s a new way of thinking about a product launch. We aren’t talking at you; we are talking with you.
The confirmed specifications for the OnePlus Two are a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, USB Type-C port and of course their own custom skin of Android, OxygenOS since they are no longer affiliated to Cyanogen.

SOURCE: TheNextWeb

Pokdepinion: We really like flagship killers like the OnePlus One, bringing flagship hardware with an affordable price. But since OnePlus has officially confirmed the Two won’t be as affordable as the OnePlus One, we can only hope the pricing will still be affordable for the specifications. OnePlus should also come up with a better invite system. Malaysia only got the OnePlus One a year after it’s official launching. Before that they weren’t even officially available in Malaysia and can only be purchased from grey importers.
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ARMAGGEDDON MKA-5R RGB Hornet mechanical keyboard review

After reviewing the ARMAGGEDDON MKA-11R RGB Raptor mechanical keyboard, it changed my perception towards China-made mechanical switches, particularly Kailh ones. The ARMAGGEDDON MKA-5R RGB Hornet uses similar switches, but tosses the numpad away to be smaller than the MKA-11R RGB Raptor. This is my review on the MKA-5R RGB Hornet, a TKL keyboard with Kailh Blue mechanical switches.

Unboxing

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I really dig the black and yellow colour scheme. The ARMAGGEDDON MKA-5R RGB-Hornet’s box features the same black and yellow theme as its bigger full length brethren, and by extension, almost every ARMAGGEDDON product.

Detailed information of the MKA-5R RGB Hornet is found on the back of the packaging, as well a little graphical comparison of each kind of mechanical switch options available.

With the flip cover, we can take a proper look at the keyboard. The MKA-5R RGB Hornet sports a 87-key layout, or better known as a tenkeyless layout. The unit I received comes with Kailh Blue mechanical switches. The MKA-11R RGB Raptor I reviewed also came with Kailh Blue switches, so at least I have a rough idea of what to expect from this keyboard.

Inside the box, we have the MKA-5R itself, a key-cap puller, user manual and also a driver CD.

Appearance

THe MKA-5R RGB Hornet is a pretty compact keyboard. It features no bezels to speak of, with the keyboard taking up only as much space as the keys do.

The ARMAGGEDDON MKA-5R RGB Hornet and MKA-11R Raptor are similar in the way that they feature an exposed backplate. The only different between the MKA-5R and the MKA-11R is the numbers of keys. It still keeps the clean look which also makes it easier to clean the keyboard.

Braided cables are a nice touch, as they help to improve the durability. At least you won’t have to worry of flaking cables after a year or so.

Cable routing channels are cut into the underside of the keyboard. I do find them quite pointless since they all exit the body from the top edge, but oh well. The flippy feet offer a single level of tilt, or none at all.

Essentially a MKA-11R Raptor with the numpad chopped off, the MKA-5R Hornet is understandably lighter. In fact, it is one of the lighter keyboards that I have ever used. My sample here is still using the same Kailh Blue RGB mechanical switches as the MKA-11R Raptor I reviewed before this.

Specification

Body material
Brushed aluminium top, plastic base, TKL form factor

Keycap
ABS keycaps

USB report rate
125/250/500/1000 Hz

Switch type
Kailh Blue RGB

Microprocessor
N/A

Cable
1.8m, non-detachable, sleeved, gold plated USB connector

Weight
N/A

Included accessories
N/A

User Experience

With the shorter length, it actually allows me to postion both my hands closer on the keyboard and mouse. One more thing which I noticed is the small form factor actually allows for a more comfortable typing experience. The TKL layout resulted in me positioning my hands much better. I know TKL keyboards are supposed to be better for ergonomics, but I didn’t really expect such a difference. However, if you frequently use the numpad, you will be seriously annoyed when you use a TKL keyboard. My daily routine does not only involve reviewing components, but also quite a lot of data entry. As expected, the numpad is utilized quite a lot when doing data entry, thus causing me to seriously miss my usual full length keyboards despite the extra comfort of using TKL keyboards like the MKA-5R RGB Hornet.
Although it using similar mechanical switches, the form factor has made some changes in way I’m typing. While it hard for me when I needed the numpad, but it really helps a lot when me typing an articles. About the switches, I really like the Blue Kailh switches, as it feels very much like Cherry MX Brown mechanical switches but with more “clickiness”.  As I have mention before in the MKA-11R RGB Raptor review, I really like the Kailh Blue switches and it is still one of my favorites.

When I reviewed the MKA-11R RGB, I was bitching about the software that crashed so frequently it should never learn to drive. But this time it never even crashed once. It looks like ARMAGGEDDON has fixed the issue and I hope that they will keep on improving it. The software interface is similar to the MKA-11R’s driver software too, but is now more stable and responsive. It look like there are more customization options and effects available in the latest software compared to the prior version.

Conclusion
I kept the review short as there is really not much to talk about. The ARMAGGEDDON MKA-5R RGB Hornet has its own pros and cons when compared with the MKA-11R RGB Raptor. It still uses the same mechanical switches but the form factor of MKA-5R RGB Hornet really brings a new experience when typing. For me if you rarely use the numpad, the MKA-5R RGB Hornet is the one you should get. If you do, then get the full length version, the MKA-11R RGB Raptor, instead.

The ARMAGGEDDON MKA-5R RGB Hornet is perfect for those who spend a lot of time typing text. With a cheaper price compared to the MKA-11R RGB Raptor, I found that the MKA-5R is more value for money if you’re spend more time on typing text and gaming. I awarded the ARMAGGEDDON MKA-5R RGB Hornet a Silver Pokdeward for the great typing experience. You can get this TKL keyboard from online retailers, priced at around RM370, with two years manufacturer warranty.
p/s: After so long working with ARMAGGEDDON, I finally managed to spell it correctly in this review. No more ARMMAGEDDON OR AMMAGEDDON after this :-)

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Razer Goliathus Now With Chroma – Cause You Know You Need Everything In Chroma!

Razer announced yesterday of their best selling Goliathus gaming mousepad is now available with Chroma.
Razer Goliathus Chroma
The company’s best selling soft mouse mat now is available with Chroma where gamers can utilize and customize it with up to 16.8 million color options with an array of lighting affects of their choice.
Razer Goliathus Chroma follows in the footsteps of the Razer Firefly, the original Razer mouse mat to come with RGB lighting and the latest to join in the Chroma family which includes the DeathAdder Elite gaming mouse, the BlackWidow Chroma V2 gaming keyboard, the Razer Kraken 7.1 V2 gaming headset to name a few.

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Some of the preset lighting affect of the Goliathus Chroma include spectrum cycling, breathing, and reactive. Users can also further customize it beyond when the mat is synced with Chroma enabled products through Razer’s Synapse 3 software.
Co-founder of Razer, Min Liang has said that the Razer Goliathus is the most popular gaming mats out of all of their selections due to its simplicity and portability.
The mat is optimized for all sensitivity settings, sensors, and play-styles. It features micro-textured cloth making it easier for gamers to maneuver. This while having a rubber base, ensuring that it stays in place no matter what.

In addition to the Razer Goliathus Chroma, there’s is also another option that they have introduced. If you feel that you need something bigger than the Goliathus Chroma offers you, fret not. Razer are also bringing in their Razer Goliathus Chroma Extended. While the name of it is self explanatory, the Goliathus Chroma Extended is an oversized version of the Goliathus Chroma,
The Razer Goliathus Chroma is available now at Razer’s own website while for worldwide, it will be made available in the 2nd quarter of 2018 at a price of $39.99 (RM154.40). On the other hand, the extended version is not yet available but will be released in the 2nd quarter of this year as well at a price tag of $59.99 (RM231.62).
Pokdepinion: Dang, that is kind of pricey for a mouse pad. But it comes with Chroma…
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Transcend announced StoreJet Cloud 110 and StoreJet 210 Cloud storage – Up to 8TB to be access anywhere

Transcend has announced the release of its brand new StoreJet Cloud 110 and StoreJet Cloud 210 Personal Cloud Storage products. Transcend’s StoreJet Cloud offers a centralized 4TB and 8TB storage capacity and fast transfer speeds for users to access and share their files whenever and wherever they are. The StoreJet Cloud 210 supports up to 2 hard disk and RAID 1 meanwhile the StoreJet 110 is a single hard disk solution.
RAID 1 Mode for Data Mirroring

With RAID 1 mirroring mode, the 2-bay StoreJet Cloud 210 provides users with dual redundancy by internally mirroring files to ensure high reliability and data integrity. By storing two copies of the same data in two separate disk drives, the StoreJet Cloud 210 guarantees continuous operation in case of single drive failure.

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Anywhere Access and Secure Sharing
ARVE Error: need id and provider
Transcend’s StoreJet Cloud allows users to access all of their data-wherever they might be-while storing it all at home. With a stable Internet connection, users can freely access all personal files stored on their StoreJet Cloud through Transcend’s exclusive StoreJet Cloud web link and iOS or Android app. Transcend’s StoreJet Cloud also allows multiple personal accounts to be created by family members and friends. Each account is individually maintained and securely protected. Users can also easily share digital files via the public folder, instead of spending hours transferring files with traditional sharing schemes.
Fast and Easy Auto Backup

With up to 8TB of storage capacity, users can backup files on their desktops, laptops, and mobile devices to a central location. When connected to their home Wi-Fi network, StoreJet Cloud can automatically back up all photos and videos stored on users’ mobile devices the moment they get home. Transcend’s StoreJet Cloud also offers a one-touch backup function when a USB flash drive or external hard drive is connected to the rear USB 3.0 port. For Mac users, StoreJet Cloud works with Apple Time Machine, enabling fast and easy backup.
Media Streaming for Mobile Entertainment

The Transcend StoreJet Cloud is DLNA certified to ensure smooth sharing and playback of media files among DLNA compatible devices, such as Smart TVs, Xbox and PlayStation consoles. Transcend’s StoreJet Cloud also supports AirPlay, iTunes and Chromecast. Users can play videos, music, and photos stored on the StoreJet Cloud on mobile devices via the exclusive StoreJet Cloud app for both home and mobile entertainment.
Warranty
Transcend’s StoreJet Cloud 110 and StoreJet Cloud 210 are both backed by Transcend’s Two-year Limited Warranty.
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Kingdom Hearts 3 Trophy List Surfaces Online – Minor Spoilers Alert

Kingdom Hearts 3 Trophy List Surfaces Online

One of the most highly anticipated games of 2019, Kingdom Hearts 3, is coming very soon. As the release date draws near, it’s inevitable that more information on the game will become available. Now, we have the full trophy list for the game.
The trophy list first surfaced on Reddit from user DeftonesBand.PSN. While some may be quick to claim that it’s a fake, this isn’t the first time the user has shared the trophy list of upcoming games, and it has generally been confirmed to be real.

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We will include this trophy list for Kingdom Hearts 3 right below here but fair warning, there might be some minor spoilers:

Platinum – KINGDOM HEARTS III Complete Master – Unlock all other trophies.
Bronze – A New Journey – Begin your brand new adventure.
Bronze – Clash of the Gods – Adventure through Olympus and complete the story.
Bronze – A Wish at Twilight – Adventure through Twilight Town and complete the story.
Bronze – Inseparable Friends – Adventure through Toy Box and complete the story.
Bronze – Happily Ever After – Adventure through the Kingdom of Corona and complete the story.
Bronze – The Power of Laughter – Adventure through Monstropolis and complete the story.
Bronze – An Act of True Love – Adventure through Arendelle and complete the story.
Bronze – Way of the Pirate – Adventure through The Caribbean and complete the story.
Bronze – Making a Difference – Adventure through San Fransokyo and complete the story.
Bronze – Home Again – Adventure through the Hundred Acre Wood and complete the story.
Bronze – The Hearts Joined to His – Gather the seven guardians of light.
Bronze – No Matter What – Reunite with Kairi.
Silver – The Battle to End All – Begin the final confrontation with Master Xehanort.
Gold – Another Chapter Closed – Finish the game and view the ending.
Gold – Hidden Kings – Complete the lucky Emblems section of the Gummiphone.
Bronze – Know Thine Enemy – Complete the Adversaries section of the Gummiphone.
Silver – No Stone Unturned – Complete the Treasures section of the Gummiphone.
Silver – Synthesist – Complete the Synthesis section of the Gummiphone.
Bronze – One for the Books – Complete the Game Records section of the Gummiphone.
Bronze – Tall Enough to Ride – use an attraction to defeat enemies for the first time.
Bronze – Heartbound – Use a link to defeat enemies for the first time.
Bronze – Grand Mage – Cast grand magic for the first time.
Bronze – Knight – Defeat 1,000 enemies.
Bronze – Bishop – Defeat 3,000 enemies.
Silver – Rook – Defeat 5,000 enemies.
Silver – Flanmeister – Complete all of the Flantastic Seven missions.
Bronze – Salvager – Use the gummi ship to obtain 20 unique treasures.
Bronze – Stargazer – use the gummi ship to find and photograph all of the constellations.
Gold – Thermosphere – Destroy the Schwarzgeist, menace of the Ocean Between.
Bronze – Centurion – Score at least 12,000,000 pts. in Verum Rex: Beat of Lead.
Bronze – Festive Dancer – Score at least 70,000 pts. in the Festival Dance.
Bronze – Shield Shredder – Score at least 600,000 pts. in Frozen Slider.
Bronze – Datascraper – Get an A rank on both Flash Tracer courses.
Silver – Dreadnought – Fully Power up the Leviathan.
Bronze – True Captain – Sink 200 enemy ships in The Caribbean.
Bronze – Say Cheese! – Snap your first photo.
Bronze – Lasting Memories – Hold on to 50 photos.
Bronze – Cornucopia – Collect every type of ingredient.
Bronze – Full Course – Earn your first “Excellent” while preparing cuisine.
Silver – Master Chef – Earn an “Excellent” while preparing every type of cuisine.
Bronze – Muscle Memory – Get a new high score in one of the Classic Kingdom games.
Silver – Classically Trained – Get a new high score in every Classic Kingdom game.
Bronze – Blademaster – Obtain a Keyblade that is fully powered up.
Silver – Ultima Weapon – Synthesize the Ultima Weapon.
Silver – Leveled Out – Raise Sora to LV 99.

Kingdom Hearts 3 will be coming to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 29th January 2019. Japan will be getting it a few days earlier, on 25th January 2019 instead.
Source: Reddit
Pokdepinion: I am getting more and more excited for the game now. The release date is so close.
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OPPO Reno Now Available At RM58 Per Month With Digi PhoneFreedom 365

If you’d like to get your hands on the latest smartphone offering from OPPO, the OPPO Reno, well Digi is offering you the phone through their Digi PhoneFreedom 365 plan.
Through the plan, you can get the phone from as low as RM58 per month. With the plan, you can get your hands on zero upfront payment, zero interest for 12 months, a free phone upgrade and a Digi Shield that can protect your device from damage and theft. Additionally, you can get your hands on the Reno backpack, worth RM159 when you purchase the OPPO Reno.
To learn more on the package, you can check out Digi’s website right here. You can also check out our previous post on the phone’s launch here in Malaysia.

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Pokdepinion: Looks like a deal if you’re an O-fan plus a Digi user.
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There were rumours on a new Nintendo Switch model being in development for quite some time now. It’s expected to be a more powerful version of the existing one. Now, more details have surfaced thanks to Taipei-based publication, Economic Daily News.
Report Suggests New Nintendo Switch Model In The Works

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According to Economic Daily News, there is expected to be a new Nintendo Switch model in the works. It’s expected to have hardware-based improvements, including an improved display, and “upgraded interactivity”. While the former would point towards a potential boost in CPU / GPU power, the latter portion sounds vague at best.
With that being said, there is expected to be notable improvements, which includes getting rid of the Joy-Con drift issue once and for all. If what Economic Daily News reports is accurate, then this new Nintendo Switch model is expected to enter into production sometime this year with an estimated release window of Q1 2021.
This may be a little odd given that Nintendo’s fiscal year starts and ends in March, while Q1 2021 would suggest anywhere between January and March 2021. With that being said, we can interpret it as entering the production phase anything between now until March 2021, with a release window going no later than end of June 2021. Why? Because if we count by Nintendo’s fiscal year, March to June 2021 is considered as Q1 2021.
For now, there have been no official confirmations made yet so do take this information with a grain of salt. We will be reporting more on this as soon as information becomes available so stay tuned.
Source
Pokdepinion: Better hardware is great and all but I’m not sure if I really need it since it already plays fine on its own, at least for me. If it has better battery life, then maybe I might just consider.
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HUAWEI nova 7 Coming This 7 July With Freebies Worth RM1,315

With the HUAWEI nova 7 coming soon on the 7th of July 2020, HUAWEI Malaysia has revealed that they will be offering something special for pre-order customers.
HUAWEI nova 7 coming soon

Priced at RM1,999, the HUAWEI nova 7 will be available for pre-orders on the 7th of July with several offers, which includes:
HUAWEI nova 7 gift pack worth up to RM1,315 – mini speakers, nova 7 casing, HUAWEI Video (Dimsum), Cloud Storage 15GB (valid for 12 months), Member Center Rewards worth up to RM1,000HUAWEI SuperCharge Powerbank 10,000mAh (worth RM259)A chance to win the HUAWEI MateBook 13 (worth RMM3,499)
The HUAWEI nova 7 is equipped with a Kirin 985 5G chipset and it features a 6.53-inch OLED display. It sports a quad camera setup at the back, featuring a 64P main camera, 8MP telephoto lens, 8MP ultrawide shooter, as well as a 2MP macro camera.

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At the front is a 32MP camera for your selfies. While under the hood, it packs a 4000mAh battery that you can charge with its 40W fast charger. If that’s not enough, it also has support for a 5W reverse charging.
We’ve previously reviewed the HUAWEI nova 7’s siblings, the HUAWEI nova 7i and HUAWEI nova 7 SE. Do check them out to find out more on their lineup.
Pokdepinion: Interesting.. a flagship level 5G smartphone that cost less than RM2k. I wonder how the phone will be like…
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10 minutes email – Stop getting junk just because you signed up to that website!

So you find a rather interesting website that has content that totally excites you but they wont allow you to read it unless you sign up to their service, and suddenly, the next thing you know, you’re receiving countless unwanted junk from that website. Sounds familiar? I’ve been in the same position too in the past and used to be rather annoyed by this. Until I discovered 10 minutes emails (click here to go there. This is NOT an affiliate link whatsoever. We use our URL shortener just to track clicks).

Once you get to the website, a unique email address will be immediately generated for you. You can then use this email for 10 minutes to sign up to whatever services you want to. As most of these services require email address confirmation, your confirmation email will land right into this page automatically. Since it’s AJAXified, you do not really have to refresh the page. Once the email is in, it will automatically appear there. Click on your confirmation link, and you’re all good to go.

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Just thought we’d share with you because I was surprised how people didn’t know about the existence of this awesome service when I told them about it. Feel free to share it with your friends too :)
Click here to visit 10 minutes email website.
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Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus chips may be launched sooner than expected

Qualcomm has just only launched the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 very recently, and we only have one smartphone featuring the chip in Malaysia, namely the Samsung Galaxy S22 series. However they are reportedly pushing production of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus forward, presumably to move away from the shortcomings of the existing flagship chipset.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus manufactured on TSMC 4nm to offer lower thermals?

According to the rumor by 手机晶片达人, Qualcomm is intending to replace the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus. For a chipset that’s barely two months old, it does seem rather premature, although a quick Google will probably suffice to explain why Qualcomm wants to do away with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 as quickly as possible.

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As everyone is probably well aware of, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is currently manufactured on Samsung’s 4nm node, and also exhibits a lot of the same issues that the Snapdragon 888 did, including toasty thermals. Instead of simply optimizing the processor, Qualcomm is reportedly going with TSMC’s 4nm process to manufacture the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus.
TSMC’s manufacturing has been widely considered to be superior to Samsung’s, so it will remain to be seen if the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus will indeed turn out to be a more efficient and cooler chip. Based on rumors, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus will be dubbed SM8475, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 currently bears the SM8450 code number.

Usually TSMC doesn’t give the “Plus” variant their own model number, instead tacking on the “AC” suffix. A new model number hints that the new chip will probably offer a number of improvements over the ailing Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, on top of just the usual higher clock speeds seen with prior Plus versions of the contemporary flagship chipset.
Of course, take these rumors with a pinch of salt, as it is quite unlikely that Qualcomm will render their latest flagship chipset obsolete that quickly. The usual launch window for the “Plus” falls in the second half of the year, so maybe we will see the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus arrive in Q2 2022.
Source
Pokdepinion: With rumors of Samsung not being able to supply enough Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, I wonder if we will see even fewer Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus chips, since TSMC is even more heavily overloaded.
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Unifi Air With Unlimited Quota For RM79 Per Month Now Open To All

Despite Unifi Air being introduced back in August 2019, it was initially available for existing Streamyx subscribers only. Now it seems that TM has opened the service to those who are interested in it.

Unifi Air comes with a free HUAWEI B618 4G LTE wireless router. As for the price, it still remains the same RM79 per month for everyone (original price for existing Streamyx users), down from the initial RM129 price that was put for non-Streamyx subscribers.

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The plan comes with a 24-month contract. If you aren’t interested in such a deal, you can also get it without it, though you will need to have your own wireless router for the same price of RM79. Speed wise, the download speed is at 20Mbps.
With the HUAWEI B618 router, it can connect up to 63 devices at the same time and it comes with a 12-month warranty. The promo is now up and running and will last until further notice. If you are interested in checking out the plan, you can head to the link right here.
Pokdepinion: Nice to see that TM is making their service more enticing to users besides their subscribers as well.
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Recently, Xbox head honcho Phil Spencer was interviewed by Kotaku. One of the more notable aspects of the interview is the inclusion of Xbox exclusives on the Nintendo Switch, such as the Ori and the Blind Forest and Cuphead. Can we expect more ports for Nintendo’s gaming system coming in the future?
Could More Xbox Exclusives Be Making Their Way To The Nintendo Switch?

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According to Phil Spencer, Microsoft has a “good relationship with Nintendo” and that all the conversations have been really easy. However, the Xbox games that have made their way to the Nintendo Switch has apparently been special cases and exceptions. It’s unlikely that more Xbox exclusives will be coming to Nintendo’s gaming system, at least not on a regular basis.
One of the reasons why is because porting it over isn’t a sustainable business decision for Microsoft. Furthermore, Phil Spencer mentioned that they would need the full Xbox ecosystem, such as Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live, in order to support more Xbox games being ported over to the Nintendo Switch. However, both Nintendo and Sony aren’t interested in bringing the full Xbox experience to their platforms. It’s worth noting that Phil Spencer did correct himself by stating that he “shouldn’t speak” for those companies, and they should the ones to answer that.
Based on this, we can’t completely disregard on the possibility of more games being ported over. However, we also need to be realistic about our expectations, like Halo Infinite will definitely not make its way out to other platforms, at least not anything within the first few years of its launch. We can expect some of the smaller titles to come to other platforms at least.
Xbox Series X, along with the Xbox Series S, will be launching on 10th November 2020.
Source
Pokdepinion: I don’t expect most of their games to pop up for the Nintendo Switch, just some of them. However, having any single one of them is better than having none.
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Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 Released in Malaysia

Microsoft announced today that the Surface Laptop Go 2 is now available in Malaysia through business-authorized resellers and approved retailers. The device comes with improved features and specs that come with Windows 11 for a starting price of RM3,488.

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Users can utilize an Instant On, and Windows Hello through the fingerprint reader incorporated into the power button, all of which have been carefully engineered to bring Surface’s hallmark premium design and functionality in an ultra-portable compact.

The Surface Laptop Go 2 has a 3:2, 12.4″ PixelSense touch display, an enhanced HD camera, and dual Studio Mics. The typing experience is also enhanced thanks to the huge precision trackpad. The device has an all-day battery life and rapid charging.
The device weighs only 1,127g and is powered by a Quad-core 11th Gen Intel Core i5 CPU. The gadget is now available in Platinum, a long-lasting, cool metal finish.
The starting price of the Surface Laptop Go 2 with Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD at RM3,488, and with Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD at RM3,788.
To commemorate the release of the Surface Laptop Go 2 in Malaysia, authorised shops will give out additional free items valued up to RM590 through 31 July 2022, or while stocks last.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is available for purchase through commercial authorized resellers such as Maxis, and authorized retailers such as All IT, Gloo by SNS Network, Harvey Norman, PC Image, Senheng, and TMT by Thundermatch.
Pokdepinion: A new laptop that features mobility and convenience that you can consider for your work or studies.
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Neffos X9 review — forward to the past

Introduction

Neffos previously launched a pretty good camera phone in the form of the Neffos N1, and a not-so-interesting Neffos C7. Neffos’ recent launch introduced four more entry-level devices with pretty affordable price tag. The Neffos X9 is Neffos’ second dual-camera smartphone, which is interesting considering the Neffos N1 was quite impressive. Let’s take a closer look.
Unboxing

The top surface of the packaging is pretty simple. Neffos is touting the FullView Display here, and nothing else.

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Here we see the list of specifications.

For such a simple packaging I am quite impressed by its contents. You actually get a screen protector along with the Neffos X9, not something you see everyday. The EarPod-lookalike earphones are also a nice touch, considering most mid-range smartphones don’t include any earphones.
Appearance

The front is dark here, just the way I like it. The Neffos branding at the bottom also helps the Neffos X9 to stand out a little from the flood of devices with dark front panels.

The back of the device looks pretty good. The raised camera hump has a concentric circle pattern going on, while the antenna lines here are chrome, standing out instead of blending in with the metal.

On the right we find the volume rocker and power button. The chrome antenna lines extend to the sides too.

The bottom is where you will find the array of holes for the microphone and loudspeaker. The classic microUSB port is present, but that’s standard at this price range.
Overall the Neffos X9 looks better than you would expect at this price range.
Specifications

CPU/Chipset:
MediaTek MTK 6750 (4 x Cortex A53 @ 1.5 GHz + 4 x Kryo 385 @ 1.0 GHz), 28nm

GPU:
ARM Mali-T860 MP2

RAM:
3GB

Display:
5.99″, HD+ (720p) IPS display

Storage:
32GB (expandable via microSD card up to 128GB)

Camera:
Main Camera(s)
Primary: 13MP f/2.0, PDAF
Secondary: 5MP depth detection
Dual LED flash, HDR, portrait mode, filters, Pro mode
Front Camera
8MP f/2.2
Beauty, HDR, portrait mode, filters

OS:
NFUI 8.0 based on Android 8.1 Oreo

Connectivity:
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz)
Bluetooth 4.1
LTE FDD: Band 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/20

SIM:
Dual nanoSIM (second nanoSIM slot shared with microSD slot)

Battery:
Li-ion 3060 mAh (non-removable)

Dimensions:
159.5 x 76.3 x 7.9 mm

Weight:
168 g

The Neffos X9’s list of specifications are really quite disappointing. The competition offer much better chipsets and more compelling features than what Neffos is offering for this price.
Performance

This is the first MediaTek MT6750 we have tested on the new Antutu v7 benchmark we are using now. It is also the slowest (and oldest) in our chart here.

In Geekbench, it does slightly better than the Snapdragon 430 devices, but is still a long way from any other recent device.

Gaming performance is very poor, as what you would expect from a chipset that’s more than 2 years old by now. The MT6750 never broke any benchmark records back then as it was introduced as a mid-range chipset, and in 2018, it’s just sad.

The Neffos X9 makes a better showing in PCMark, besting the higher end Neffos N1. There seems to be no correlation between the performance in PCMark with any other benchmark though, except that the Neffos X9 excels at productivity-related workloads.

Battery life is unspectacular. That’s what you get when you use a 2-year old chipset and a battery that would have perfectly adequate 2 years ago, but the chipset is inefficient and the battery is relatively small now.
The performance of the Neffos X9 is as disappointing as its specifications. What we are seeing here definitely does not justify what Neffos is asking for for the Neffos X9.
User Experience

The screen is pretty good. It doesn’t go retina-searingly bright, nor is it the sharpest with the 1440 x 720 resolution, but it is serviceable. I am somewhat irked by the lack of curved corners on the 18:9 display here, as the edges just look cheap on this not-very-cheap device. Audio quality is so-so, with the speaker not being the loudest we have heard, but should still suffice to wake you up in the morning.

I have praised Neffos for their UI, which is a lot better than what most new brands offer. It strongly resembles EMUI, but Neffos goes for an app drawer by default. It’s a pretty cheery looking skin with bright colors everywhere, which is quite appealing to me. The experience, not so appealing. It’s sluggish, even when doing menial tasks like scrolling through Facebook.

The dual rear camera setup is what you would expect at this price range now. It’s a pretty standard issue, a 13MP f/2.0 mated to a 5MP secondary sensor for depth perception. The Neffos X9 offers portrait mode, which was introduced into Neffos’ lineup with the Neffos N1. Pity the camera here isn’t nearly as great though.

The camera interface is pretty decent. It comes with niceties like a full manual mode and you can apply watermarks if you are feeling proud of your new Neffos X9. There’s a weird monochrome mode which probably means they borrowed this version of the camera app from the Neffos N1, which had a monochrome sensor.

Images taken in good lighting conditions actually look pretty good. Don’t expect anything good in lower light conditions. The portrait mode is quite heavy-handed and looks very unrealistic at its highest setting, but Neffos allows you to tweak the blurriness after you have taken the shot. Shutter delay is appalling, as is the absolutely horrendous shot-to-shot delay if the auto HDR/night optimization decides you need to optimize the shot for better low light performance. Without the optimizations, noise is very apparent, so you will need it. If you want a smartphone to fire off quick shots of your children or pets, this is not the one for you. Go ahead and have a look at our full-sized samples on Flickr.
Conclusion
For RM599, I find it difficult to recommend the Neffos X9. The battery life is poor, the performance is definitely unworthy of a device launched in 2018, and the dual rear cameras do not impress at all. My main concern back then with the Neffos N1 was the market reception towards a 16:9 screen when everyone and their moms were going towards 18:9 display. The Neffos X9 brings with it a modern 18:9 display but drops almost everything that was good with the Neffos N1. My only question to Neffos is, why? It’s an iterative upgrade to the Neffos C7, with more RAM, storage and a secondary camera added for the same price, but it needs way more than little upgrades like that that to be relevant in this increasingly competitive market.
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Sony Electronics Unveils BRAVIA XR TV 2022 Series

Sony Electronics unveiled the new BRAVIA XR television series recently, which includes the X95K 4K Mini LED models, MASTER Series A80K 4K OLED models, and X90K 4K LED model.
BRAVIA XR 2022 Series

The Bravia XR 2022 series pushes visual and sound to new heights with Cognitive Processor XR. For a lifelike experience, Sony’s innovative processor on BRAVIA XR TVs replicates content the way humans see and hear it. The images are cross-analyzed and improved, particularly around the focal point, to provide real-life depth, contrast, and vibrant colours.

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Furthermore, the XR Backlight Master Drive, powered by Cognitive Processor XR, utilizes a Sony-developed local dimming algorithm to control thousands of tiny, ultra-dense Mini LEDs with absolute precision and independence, delivering exceptional brightness, impressive dynamic range, deep blacks, and natural colours.
Not only that the TVs feature Acoustic Surface Audio+ / Acoustic Multi-Audio and 360 Spatial Sound Personaliser offer an immersive and optimized spatial sound experience with minimal configuration. BRAVIA CAM also has gesture controls, video chat, and plenty of other exciting new features. Users can enjoy the TVs by connecting their device to the BRAVIA CAM and it can detect where the users are in the room and how distant they are from the TV, then changes sound and picture settings accordingly.
The BRAVIA XR TVs do not only feature Google TV but also a similar app called the BRAVIA CORE app that comes with a pre-movie subscription that allows for the redemption of up to 5 latest release or catalogue feature films, as well as up to 24 months of unlimited streaming of dozens of other movies. Thanks to the BRAVIA XR technology, Pure Stream, and IMAX Enhanced, you can enjoy the movie’s outstanding graphics and dynamic sound quality.
X95K 4K Mini LED TV and X90K 4K LED TV

The Sony X95K 4K Mini LED and the X90K 4K LED TV feature Cognitive Processor XR that analyzes how humans perceive and hear, resulting in a game-changing experience that thoroughly immerses viewers in their favourite entertainment.
The TVs feature not only the BRAVIA CORE Calibrated mode but also the XR Backlight Master Drive, XR Triluminos Pro, and XR Contrast Booster to manage the latest Mini LED backlight for outstanding contrast of high brightness and deep blacks, the X-Anti Reflection to reduce reflection for an uninterrupted viewing experience and the X-Wide Angle technology to deliver vibrant real-world colours from any angle while keeping more colour and brightness.
Acoustic Multi-Audio and the Acoustic Center Sync utilize sound placement tweeters to guarantee high-frequency sounds arrive from the correct location in the scene and improve the audio experience by optimizing sound output from the TV and soundbar.
The X95K 4K Mini LED and the X90K 4K LED TVs are compatible with BRAVIA CAM accessory, Hands-free voice capabilities, and Ambient Optimisation as well as Google TV for limitless entertainment. The Simple Remote has an easy-to-use design that is also easy to clean where all buttons are treated with an antimicrobial coating.
The X95K 85” 4K Mini LED TV is currently available in Malaysia at a starting price of RM28,999.
The X90K, on the other hand, has four variants whereby the 85″ variant is priced at RM19,999, the 75″ at RM11,999, the 65″ at RM7,899, and the 55″ at RM5,899.
For more information about the X95K and the X90K TV, feel free to visit their official websites by clicking the link here and here.
A80K OLED TV

The Sony A80K OLED TV has similar features as the X95K 4K Mini LED and the X90K 4K LED TV. However, the TV has a three-way stand that offers three stand positions; narrow for a reduced footprint, hero for eliminating distractions, and soundbar for elevating the TV and integrating a soundbar system.
The A80K comes with three variants whereby the 77″ variant is priced at RM24,999, the 65″ at RM13,899, and the 55″ at RM9,599.
For further information about the A80K OLED TV, feel free to visit Sony’s official website.
Pokdepinion: With so many features and a price like that, I really do hope the TV would last me at least 10 years with no issues.
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eGG Network and Axle Sports’ E1 Championship’s New Season Registrations Starts Today

The E1 Championship, Malaysia’s and the region’s biggest simulator racing competition, has returned for a new season with a total prize fund of USD15,000 (RM63,299.97) on the line. Registration will be open from August 2nd through August 6th, with the season beginning on August 25th, 2021.
Register now for eGG Network and Axle Sports’ E1 Championship

Teams and drivers will compete on the iRacing platform over eight rounds of fierce action over some of the world’s most famous tracks in Season 2 of the E1 Championship. Aspiring sim racers may register at this site, with a significantly cheaper entrance cost of USD2,500 (RM10,550) for a team of two drivers compared to prior seasons. The entire season will be broadcast live on eGG Network, with Daniel Woodroof, Dez Corkhill, and Alex Yoong presenting and commentating.

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“This upcoming season is going to be our most exciting one yet. We are introducing joker rounds to dial up the drama and make things more unpredictable for both drivers and fans,” said Alex Yoong, former Malaysian F1 driver and Founder of Axle Sports, the organiser of E1 Championship. “We will also have fixed setup races with some iconic cars on the iRacing platform, along with an oval race and some night races as well. We want to bring motorsports fans a real treat week after week, so be sure to tune in.”

The next season will include some of the region’s best simulator racing talent. Flash Axle Sports (Singapore), Blackwolf Racing (Singapore), Stratos Motorsports (Malaysia), GT Radial Eurasia Motorsports (Philippines), SafeHouse (South Korea), BlackArts Racing (Macau), and i1Racing are among the confirmed teams (Brunei).
From August 25, 2021, all rounds will be televised live on eGG Network’s channel in 8 countries and on its Facebook page on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. For the most up-to-date information on the next season, fans may follow the E1 Championship on Facebook and Instagram.
Pokdepinion: I don’t really play all that many racing games but I do enjoy watching them.
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Xiaomi to release new Snapdragon 855 and Snapdragon 730 devices soon

The Snapdragon 855 might be almost two years old now, but it seems like Xiaomi will be reusing the last-gen flagship chipset for their upcoming mid-range devices. Rumors point towards it being featured in the POCO X3 Pro, which will give the POCO brand its first Snapdragon 855 device, two years late.
While it might not be the latest Snapdragon flagship chipset ever, the Snapdragon 855 still delivers potent performance well beyond what the current mid-range chipsets like the Snapdragon 765G can offer. If Xiaomi manages to price it right, the POCO X3 Pro might still be a pretty popular device, even if it lacks features like a 5G modem. I mean, we don’t exactly need 5G support anytime soon in Malaysia anyway.

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Xiaomi is also expected to release yet another device powered by the Snapdragon 730 series chipset, presumably the Snapdragon 732G. The chipset has debuted in the POCO X3 NFC, so it should probably belong to the Redmi family this time around.
Older chipsets might not be nearly as exciting as the freshest chips from Qualcomm’s oven, but they still offer more than enough performance to provide a good user experience. But of course, whether the devices are worth getting will depend on how they are priced.
Source
Pokdepinion: I still think the Snapdragon 855 is plenty powerful for most users, even if you game on your smartphone.
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ROG Phone 5 specs confirmed by DxOMark ahead of launch

DxOMark is usually better known for their camera reviews, rather than leaks, but well, I guess times are tough. They have just published the ASUS ROG Phone 5 audio review, applauding the great audio performance of the stereo speakers. The ROG Phone 5 is now DxOMark’s best smartphone for audio playback and recording. Aside from that, they also revealed a lot more about the device.

For starters, I think the greatest highlight would be the return of the headphone jack. The headphone jack was sorely missing from the ROG Phone 3, so it is nice to see it return. ASUS will also be making the return of the headphone jack sweeter by adding an ESS DAC to further improve the audio quality from the headphone jack. As previously revealed, the ROG Phone 5 touts a Snapdragon 888 chipset under the hood.

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The high-res product image also reveals the triple-camera on the back along with the 64MP Quad Bayer text under the camera bump. It appears that ASUS will not switching away from the Sony IMX686 to pursue the 108MP trend that has pretty much taken over the rest of the smartphone industry. And of course, there’s the RGB dot matrix panel on the back which looks downright stunning.
And oh, the stereo speakers sound really great with DxOMark noting that it offers great spatial performance too, which is something you would need in a gaming smartphone. It also delivers a good representation of the bass, mids and treble frequencies, which is definitely great news.
Well, I guess all we need to know now is the price of the ASUS ROG Phone 5. The launch is happening on 10th March, so stay tuned for more details that will definitely be trickling out about what might be yet again the best gaming phone of the year!
Pokdepinion: I am just happy that there’s a headphone jack again.
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra may be the true successor to the Galaxy Note series

Samsung may have added S Pen support to the Galaxy S21 Ultra, but it is still no Galaxy Note. The fact that it doesn’t have proper stowage for the S Pen, and instead relies on a case to store the stylus, indicates that S Pen support was more of an afterthought than a key feature in the series. But that may change with the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: now with S Pen stowage

According to leaked renders of the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the upcoming flagship may feature a proper slot for the S Pen. This would dramatically improve its appeal to longtime Galaxy Note fans, as even the latest Galaxy Z Fold3 doesn’t tout proper stowage for the S Pen. The edges of the phone are very curved presumably to accommodate the tubular S Pen inside, resulting in the Galaxy S22 Ultra looking like a flat oval from the top and bottom.

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The display will also tout a subtle curve, although not as much as what the Note 20 series had. Speaking of the display, the leaked renders do not seem to allude to an under-display selfie camera, which is quite interesting to note. Considering that Samsung debuted the technology on the Galaxy Z Fold3, one would assume that Samsung will continue to refine it and use it for the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

The rest of the design might not be as appealing, as it seems that Samsung will be whittling down on the camera bump, resulting in an odd P-shaped hump. In any case, these are renders and might turn out to be pretty off from the actual device. The arrangement of the four cameras on the back appear to be pretty similar to this year’s Galaxy S21 Ultra, so I do hope that they continue the rather nice wraparound camera hump from the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Previous rumors have hinted that the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s camera system will be pretty similar to the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s so it wouldn’t be too farfetched for them to just port the design over as well.
Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus: More of the same?
Samsung Galaxy S22
Along with the leaked renders of the Galaxy S22 Ultra, there are also leaks of the Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus, both of which are looking pretty similar to their respective predecessors, for better or worse. They both share the same design elements, and I do think that this is one of the more refined camera hump designs that we have seen in the Android smartphone space recently.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus
I do hope that Samsung will bring back the sweet Phantom Violet color option for the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus, as that’s the prettiest color in my opinion. In any case, the renders are hinting towards an Olive Green Galaxy S22 Plus and White Galaxy S22, both of which are also look quite nice.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus are slated to offer pretty nice camera upgrades, so you might be more interested in these devices. They should also be more affordable than the Galaxy S22 Ultra, so there’s that as well. As always, take these leaks with a pinch of salt, as these may always turn out to be false rumors.
Sources (1, 2, 3, 4)
Pokdepinion: I am glad that Samsung is bringing a key feature of the Galaxy Note back in the Galaxy S22 Ultra! Not a fan of that weird camera bump though…
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Apple defends Lightning connector in the face of the EU’s push for standardized charging ports

I guess the people in the European Union are sick of not being able to use their friends’ powerbanks, so they are now pushing for “binding measures” to make sure all industry players use standardized charging ports. With most smartphone makers already on USB-C, there’s only one who’s really outspoken against it. Yep, it’s Apple.
According to an announcement on the European Parliment’s website, the previous move to “encourage” tech companies to use standardized charging ports has fallen short. It also mentioned that an estimated 51 000 tonnes of electronic waste per year are made up of old chargers.
Apple has already been pretty against it, as they mentioned that they believe that stopping the use of Lightning will “freeze innovation” and be “bad for the environment”, citing that they have shipped over a billion Apple devices with the Lightning connector in a statement made last year.

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With that said, Apple might actually be prepared for this development as their recent iPad Pros have already adopted the USB-C port. Even the latest iPhone 11 Pros come with a USB-C to Lightning cable. While their smartphones still feature the Lightning port, I suspect the days are numbered for the proprietary connector.
The EU plans to have a common charger connector for all smart devices including smartphones, tablets, e-book readers and other portable devices. Among the candidates are USB-C and microUSB, and I do believe the former will be the victor in this competition.
Pokdepinion: There’s literally no reason for a proprietary connector to exist except to generate more revenue from the sales of accessories.
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Acer Revo One Hello Kitty Edition now available — starting from RM1499!

Acer’s award winning Revo One is now available in a limited Hello Kitty Edition for fans of the character. If you are interested to get one of the limited Acer Revo One Hello Kitty edition, know that there are only 600 units available in Malaysia.

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The Acer Revo One Hello Kitty edition is everything the ordinary Acer Revo One is, with the exception of the cute Hello Kitty and a pink paint job. Aside from looking cute, it is perfect for duty as a home entertainment hub with its 7.1 audio output, HD resolution and large storage capacity. The Acer Revo One Hello Kitty also supports the Acer Revo One Suite app which turns any Android phone or device into a remote control for this lightweight home PC.

The Acer Revo One Hello Kitty edition will come in two variants, one with the Intel i3 4005U processor and another with the Intel Celeron processor, 2957U. The Acer Revo One Hello Kitty edition comes packaged with a matching Acer exclusive keyboard and mouse and is available at select Acer resellers.

Pokdepinion: For fans of the color pink or Hello Kitty, this seems like a great media PC to have. However the last-gen CPU is a little off-putting for me.
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New Midnight Black and Cosmic Red DualSense Controllers Coming To Malaysia June 10

Sony has just announced that the new colour variants of the DualSense controllers; Midnight Black and Cosmic Red, will be coming to Malaysia very soon. The two new controllers will be going on sale starting from 10 June this year.
Midnight Black and Cosmic Red DualSense controllers coming soon

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The Midnight Black and Cosmic Red DualSense controllers were first announced by Sony a few weeks ago. Both controllers carry a design that is based on the themes of Galaxy. The Midnight Black Dual Sense controller features two subtle hues of black and light grey that is meant to reflect how we view space through the night sky. While the Cosmic Red Dual Sense controller comes in a black and red design that’s meant to emulate the unique vivid shades of red found throughout the cosmos.
Both the Midnight Black and Cosmic Red DualSense controllers will be available starting from 10 June and will have a retail price of RM349 and RM369 respectively.

Pokdepinion: I don’t have a PS5 yet but I’m definitely going to go for the Cosmic Red controller when it launches. Seeing that the controllers are fully supported on Steam, I’ll be using them on PC for the time being.
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Beware: Counterfeit Samsung 980 PRO SSDs Circulating In The Market

While Samsung’s 980 PRO SSD are one of the highest-performing PCIe 4.0 SSDs on the market, these counterfeit ones are not.

Over at Baidu Forums, one user has showed a photo of what looks like a Samsung 980 PRO SSD – which the user claimed they bought it off from a second-hand market of Taobao. However, under the heat spreader is an entirely different thing: unlike the real product with Samsung’s in-house Elpis controller and dedicated DRAM, this counterfeit version (which reports itself as the Samsung drive) comes with a DRAM-less design and is using Maxio MAP1602-I as the controller.

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As a result, the performance figures do not match the real deal. As shown on the photo below, the counterfeit drive only manages 4.8GB/s read and 4.4GB/s write performance, far from the 7.0GB/s / 5.1GB/s read/write performance the real drive is rated for.

The Chinese-made Maxio controller does support the PCIe 4.0 standard, however this does not belong to any of the (actual) 980 PROs in existence. Also worth noting is the NAND flash themselves, which is reported as YMTC – another Chinese company specializing in memory chip products. Like the controller, Samsung also produces its NAND in-house so these chips are not supposed to be in the 980 PRO as well.

If you’re buying SSDs from the second-hand market – be very sure to deal with trusted sellers, and inspect the drive and its performance wherever you can before you make the purchase.
Source: Wccftech | @haruzake5719 (Twitter)
Pokdepinion: Pay attention when buying drives wherever you can.
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Xiaomi 12 Series Finally Unveiled — Powered By Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 And Snapdragon 870

Xiaomi has finally announced the Xiaomi 12 series, which consists of the Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12 Pro, and Xiaomi 12X.
Xiaomi 12 series announced

The vanilla Xiaomi 12 comes with the smallest display out of the three where it sports a 6.28-inch AMOLED FHD+ display and comes with 120Hz refresh rate. There’s an under-display fingerprint scanner and it features Corning Gorilla Glass Victus to offer protection from scratches.
It is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset and a 4500mAh battery, which you can charge with its 67W fast charger. There’s also 50W wireless charging support as well as 10W reverse wireless charging capability as well.

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Heading to the cameras, it comes with a 50MP Sony IMX 766 lens that’s accompanied by a 13MP ultra-wide lens and 5MP tele-macro camera.
Over in China, it is priced at CNY 3,699 (~RM2,427) for the basic 8GB+128GB variant, CNY 3.999 (~RM2,624) for the 8GB+256GB option, and finally CNY 4,399 (~RM2,886) for the high-end 12GB+256GB model.

Moving on the Pro model, it sports a bigger 6.73-inch panel with 1440p resolution as well as LTPO 2.0 support, which gives variable refresh rate to up to 120Hz. Similar to the standard version, it also comes with an under-display scanner and Gorilla Glass Victus.
The Pro brings three 50MP cameras with the primary one being a Sony IMX707 sensor coming with OIS, a portrait lens, and an ultra-wide shooter. They’ve introduced a new night mode algorithm that’s supposed to capture more light in low-light areas while keeping noise levels low.
Under the hood is a 4600mAh battery and it comes with a faster 120W wired charger plus offering support to 50W wireless charging.
The price for the Pro version are CNY 4,699 (~RM3,083), CNY 4,999 (~RM3,280), and CNY 5,399 (~RM3,542) for 8GB+128GB, 8GB+256GB, and 12GB+256GB memory configurations.

Finally we have the Xiaomi 12X, where it is less capable version out of the three. It sports the same display and refresh rate as the Xiaomi 12, triple cameras, 4500mAh battery and 67W charging but is powered by an older Snapdragon 870 chipset instead. In addition to that, there’s no wireless charging support here.
As for the price, it starts at CNY 3,199 (~RM2,099) for the 8GB/128GB option, CNY 3,499 (~RM2,295) for the mid-tier 8GB+256GB configuration and finally CNY3,799 (~RM2,492) for the high-end 12GB+256GB storage.
Global release and pricing for the series is yet to be known but we will update accordingly should it reaches to our shores here in Malaysia. For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Source
Pokdepinion: Design wise, I’m pretty sure it’s got mixed feelings from people. Personally I like the dedicated cut between each lens but I do know some that don’t like it. At the end of the day, I’m more intrigued with how the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 will perform here.
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