MSI GS65 Stealth Thin 8RF Review – The Golden Dragon with a Demon Soul!

Introduction

You see, a gaming desktop and a gaming laptop serve the same purpose, except the fact that gaming laptops try to sell you portability in a package. Which also means that you are expected to carry around your gaming laptop so that you can game anywhere. However, more often that not, that is a rare sight. That’s probably because most gaming laptops end up being bulky, making the journey a painful one, or they are too flashy, making them a little awkward to use as your daily driver. MSI has not been an exception here. For years, as much as I admired their performance, their idea of making the laptops look like sports car didn’t really jive well with me. Well, at least, until now! Introducing the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin 8RF gaming laptop.
Unboxing the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin 8RF

We prepared an unboxing video of the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin 8RF gaming laptop for you. The packaging is beautiful and compact. If it was not for the bag that comes with it, the inner box is just excellent for a gaming laptop’s packaging.
Appearance
This laptop lives up to its name; Stealth. The black finishing couldn’t have made this any stealthier and the golden blends around it makes it a pleasing sight. This is just the beginning of a glimpse of a massive behemoth underneath. Let’s take a tour around it, starting from the lid as usual.

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Clean and neat are the words to define here. There are no unwanted notches or scoops. Just a simple, elegant flat piece of Aluminium. Right at the top, centered absolutely is the MSI dragon logo etched in gold. This is the first time MSI is using a black and gold scheme for their extreme gaming laptop unlike the usual black, red and silver hues that they use before. Tell me, isn’t this simply graceful?

Moving to the back of the MSI GS65, you can see triangle and trapezium cut outs that stands behind the heatsink. Nothing else is here. Just heat dissipation opening. Nothing else is needed either. This is the view that everyone is getting when you’re sitting at Starbucks. No intimidations, humble, subtle and above all, stealth!

On the left side, you will see the similar triangle and trapezium openings that you saw at the back but this time, with gold encasing behind that gives it a fashion statement of its own. This is followed by an RJ45 Killer Gigabit LAN port, two Type-A USB 3.1 ports, a dedicated 3.5mm headphone socket and another one for the microphone. A rare sight in today’s gaming machine if you ask me.

The other side of the machine spots the similar black and gold vents which by now proves their points that MSI has put pretty substantial opening for the MSI GS65 to push out all that heat that will be developed.  This is followed by the Power socket, a HDMI 2.0 that supports 4K at 60Hz, a Mini-DisplayPort, a Type-C USB 3.1 Gen 2 that supports Thunderbolt 3 and DisplayPort, and another Type-A USB 3.1 port giving you a total of three conventional USB ports. The MSI GS65 has everything to get you going, whether you are planning to have a gaming session, or want to dive into deep productivity mode.

If you thought you have seen it all, we just began. Opening up the lid, and the first thing that you will notice is the super slim bezels around the display. It sits around 4.9mm thickness and gives a total of 82% screen-to-body ratio which is remarkable for a gaming laptop. Right at the top of these slim bezels, MSI still managed to cram in the VGA webcam which I believe is still the best place to have the webcam at. In case you didn’t notice, there is a silhouette of MSI logo at the bottom of the display which is barely visible, reminding you again that you are carrying a monster that carries the Stealth moniker after all.

Moving to the working area of the MSI GS65, things get even more interesting. At the top most of this area is a honeycomb designed section that revolves around the concentric designed power button. This area actually allows the cool air to be sipped into the fan that assists in pushing out the hot air from the rest of the areas. Just by looking at this, I am already convinced about the cooling under the MSI GS65. Next, is the keyboard. The fonts aren’t the most pleasant looking fonts but over time using it, it slowly sinks with you and becomes acceptable. This is a Steelseries per-key RGB keyboard which means there is nothing that you can imagine in RGB configuration that the keyboard cannot deliver. There are ample shortcut keys too and I will elaborate this later in the User Experience section.

Below the keyboard, you will find a very big touchpad.  At first glance, it would seem like the touchpad breaks the symmetry of the machine, but when you rest your palms on the MSI GS65, you will realize that this was intentional and how while the touchpad being so big, doesn’t get into your typing movement at all. In fact, a little nudge would break this experience. The touchpad itself has a gold lining around it and it supports multi touch gestures with the whole touchpad being clickable and has no buttons.
So, what you see as a simple black machine is much more than what you had imagined, right? Well guess what? The next parts are actually going to blow your mind even more. This is just how much surprised I was when I got the GS65 in my hands too.
Specifications

CPU
Intel Core i7-8750H (6C/12T) 2.2GHz (Turbo Boost at 4.1GHz)

RAM
16GB DDR4 2400MHz RAM

GPU
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 (MaxQ) 8GB GDDR5

Storage
512GB Samsung M.2 NVME PCIe Gen3 x4 SSD

Display
15.6″ FullHD (1920 x 1080), 144Hz, 7ms, IPS-Level

Keyboard
Steelseries Per-Key RGB Backlit Keyboard

Connectivity
Wireless:
Killer ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 5.0
I/O:
1 x Type-C USB3.1 Gen 2 (DP + Thunderbolt 3)
1 x RJ45 Killer Gb LAN
1 x HDMI 2.0 (4K @ 60Hz)
1 x Mini-DP
3 x Type-A USB3.1

Audio
2 x 2W Stereo Speakers with Hi-Res Audio
1 x Mic-in
1 x Headphone-out (HiFi)

Power
82WHr 4-cell Li-Polymer
180W Slim Adapter

Dimensions
357.7 x 247.7 x 17.9 mm (W x D x H)

Weight
1.88kg

Performance
I know, most of you are waiting for this part. As you already know, the MSI GS65 is powered by an 8th-Gen Intel Core-i7 with 6 Cores and 12 Threads. This is coupled to Nvidia GeForce GTX1070 8GB GDDR5 Max-Q GPU and hones a FullHD display. Contrary to popular belief that thinks that Max-Q GPUs are insufficient for gaming, I’ll prove otherwise here. The version in our hands is the highest configuration available (another option honing the Nvidia GTX1060 Max-Q).
The MSI GS65 comes with two RAM slots (only one being used) and two M.2 PCIe slots (also, only one of them being used) so you do have upgradability options here. However, being a slim form factor, upgrading the machine can be a tough process and you should seek experts help for that.

The unit that I have with me comes with a 512GB Samsung NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 SSD. This is one of the best OEM SSDs in terms of reliability and has a great track record in our tests so far. Looking at the speeds, we are getting 3.3GBps in Sequential Read and almost 1.3GBps in Sequential Write speed which are heavenly.

The CPU under the hood of this bad boy is the Intel Core i7-8750H that has 6 Cores and 12 Threads basic clocked at 2.2GHz with a Turbo Boost of up to 4.1GHz. This is probably the most common CPU that we see lately. Available in the ASUS ZenBook Pro 15, Lenovo Y530, ASUS TUF FX505, ASUS ROG Zephyrus S, just to name a few. My office rig runs on Intel Core i7-4770K which now officially loses to gaming laptops. To think that I built that rig some 4 years ago and is still powerful, shows how far gaming laptops have progressed too.

Unigine Heaven Benchmark shows an average of 91.4 fps with a minimum of 30.8 and 170.6 being the highest. This is especially important considering the fact that the pre-set we use is Extreme so you are likely to obtain some very sweet gaming performance looking at where this is going. Which leads us to the next segment, the games benchmark.
Take note that ALL games have been set to their maximum settings possible for benchmark testing purposes.

Starting with CS:GO, we clocked an average of 116 fps at the maximum settings available on the game. This pushed the system far enough to hit 92°C on the CPU and 81°C on the GPU. This takes advantage of the 144Hz display very well and there was no stuttering or tearing. While the temperatures were rather high, there was no throttling detected. If this is what the GS65 delivered on MAX settings, imagine what it could deliver if you just tone down the shadows and anti-aliasing only.

DotA 2 was able to churn out 97 fps on average.  Only in DotA 2 was there throttling detected when heavy ganks were happening. Then again, nothing like a little toning down of the graphics won’t solve.

Next up, we have Monster Hunter World that produced an average of 50 fps which is extremely good as we have yet to see anything higher than 60 fps on even the highest end rigs so far. Pushing it hard enough and we still managed to keep the temperatures under 93°C for CPU and 83°C on the GPU.

PUBG managed to get us an average of 64 fps and truth be told, the game actually ran pretty smoothly on the MSI GS65 without breaking a sweat.

Another demanding game, the Rainbow Six Siege managed to push 67 fps on average on the maximum settings. We know how demanding this game becomes at its maximum settings and hence, keeping things well under 93°C and 82°C for CPU and GPU respectively.
All in all, this is a very powerful machine! As you can see, the games run extremely well and the temperatures are well within the practical gaming means. Then again you would wonder why do you need a GTX1070 with Max-Q design when there are alternatives out there that are using the real GTX1070 chip. The answer to that? Battery life.
I think MSI has designed probably the best portable gaming machine that is suitable not only for gaming, but also for your daily productivity purposes. Let’s have a look at the battery usage itself.

Note that this is not synthetic battery test, but rather ACTUAL battery usage of the MSI GS65! I turned off the power at 17:16:23 and use it for productivity purposes. I have the Chrome browser, MS Word and Adobe Photoshop running among other background processes. 23:11:09 I am down to 22%. That is a total of 6 hours of total continuous usage and I predict the GS65 can run another one hour easily! Tell me this is not sufficient for your daily usage? This was on 80% brightness and without power saving enabled, in case you are wondering. MSI claims that it runs productivity at 8+ hours and they are not overclaiming this!
User Experience
So how does it feel like staying with the MSI GS65 as your daily driver? The first question you may want to ask yourself, is, how heavy is your current laptop? I was using the Acer Spin 5 that weighs around 1.6kg in total and the MSI GS65 is roughly 200g heavier than that. But what do I have in trade for that? A way more powerful laptop with sleek design that is capable of running triple A games. Not a bad deal, eh?

Let’s talk about the slim bezels. Sitting at 4.9mm on the thinnest side, this brings out the best view you could expect from a laptop, let alone a gaming laptop. I wasn’t bothered much about bezels before this but after experiencing this much viewing area, I don’t think I could ever go back. It’s a 15.6” IPS-level display which means it’s close to an IPS rendition.
The display is beautiful! The colors are crisp. Thanks to the 100% sRGB powered by MSI True Color Technology in partnership with Portrait Displays Inc. To protect your eyes, there is Blue Light filter mode too. The customizability of the display is pretty good. If you are very particular about the color calibration, you can even use the following colorimeters; X-Rite i1Display Pro SpectraCal C3 or SpectraCal C6 to calibrate using the built-in tools (found under the True Color application).

Now let’s talk about the keyboard which is my next favourite part. This is a gaming keyboard by Steelseries and if you don’t know Steelseries yet, you have much to learn about gaming peripherals. They make some of the most awesome looking gaming peripherals and this keyboard is a proof of that claim too. See, what makes a hardware like this excellent is not just the hardware itself, but how well can it work with the software. This is where the MSI GS65’s Steelseries keyboard shines even more.
On the hardware side, this is a per-key RGB keyboard that means, there is no color scheme that you can imagine, and this keyboard cannot display. But this is not just about having flashy keyboard. The switches are pretty tactile with decent travel distance. MSI is not judging you on what type of game you play and hence, there is no WASD or QWERTY marked keys here. In fact, MSI decided to channel into some extra attention to detail. The one that I like the most? The “Fn” key trigger.

You see, most laptops in the market put their Fn keys on the left side, sandwiched between Ctrl, WinKey or Alt. There’s no problem with that. MSI decided to do it the other way and placed it on the right side instead, between the Ctrl and Alt keys. To complement this, MSI also added the shortcut keys on the right most of the keyboard and with this placement, you can actually run all the essential triggers with just one hand rather than having to use both of them. That’s not all. Because Steelseries has co-engineered this, pressing the Fn Key turns off all the keyboard LEDs and only turn on the ones that will work in combination with it. Sweet isn’t it? These are the little details that I like when brands put their love into them.
Feeling patriotic and want to showcase your country’s flag? Go ahead!
As for the software bit? Steelseries came a long way with their peripherals to master the art of configuring the per-key RGBs. I can’t stress how many possibilities there are here because you can even bind different key configurations when running different applications and games too! Feeling patriotic about your country? Go ahead, colorize it!

Pretty complete for a gaming laptop, right? What about the audio? Oh, let’s not even get started on that! MSI has not budged down on that department at all. It features world-class Dynaudio sound system with compatibility of high-res audio that allows to deliver up to 24 bit/192 kHz sample rate. Dynaudio is famous for their Authentic Fidelity making audio equipment for home theaters and luxury vehicles. This is further optimized with Nahimic 3 that allows you to tweak the audio according to how you want it to be.

Now, let’s talk about the one feature that made me go WOW to the point that I actually decided to buy the MSI GS65. The battery life. I showed above how this machine makes an excellent companion for productivity purposes with well over 7hrs of total battery life. The secret behind this is how the GS65 predicts the charging level of the battery. For starters, if the machine is running at high performance, generating too much heat, the battery charging will cut off at about 90% – 95%. Look at the diagram below, the battery was cut off at 91% but the power adapter is still plugged in.

That’s not all, MSI also included their Dragon Center (which is a monstrous application on its own) and lurking inside it, is the Battery Calibration application that does exactly that – calibrate the battery. MSI recommends running this once in three months to keep the battery fresh and get the most out of it on the long run. What else can you ask for? This can save a lot of money for you in the future. If you have owned a laptop and had a dead battery before, you know what I’m talking about.

Since we are already talking about the Dragon Center, now this is another point worth highlighting. The Dragon Center is a beast of an application with plenty of features in it. Part of it is the System Tuner that allows you to configure various settings ranging from the DPI, CPU offsets (Cor Clocks and VRAM clocks), fan speed, display colour modes or even launching applications upon activation. When you push the machine to its maximum performance, it no longer remains library friendly that it usually is. When needed, the fans can spin very fast, and produce a lot of noise! How fast, you ask? In normal mode, only one fan spins at about 2000 rpm, keeping everything calm and subtle with almost no noise at all. When you switch it to performance mode, the backup fan activates and all fans spin at around 6500 rpm which is more than THREE times the normal spin rate. This sleeping dragon suddenly activates with so much noise, uncovering its once stealth, turning into the beast that is hidden down under.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is what the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin 8RF all about!
MSI GS65 Stealth Thin 8RF Cinematic Video

As a round up here’s a bonus item for you, our beloved readers. As we were capturing the unboxing video, we realized that this machine has more to give than it demands. It has some really neat aspects that deserves some attention and so, we decided to create a cinematic video with the idea of “Stealth” around it.
Conclusion
The hardest part about reviewing the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin 8RF was to find its shortcomings, because they’re almost non-existent! I am not even exaggerating here. It’s so powerful, yet it defines simplicity. It’s portable and it has one of the best battery life I have ever seen in a gaming laptop. The display is stunning, the customizability is never ending. The keyboard effects can kill your time. If all that is not enough, how about this? This turns out to be the first ever MSI Gaming Laptop that I actually put my hard earned RM10,699 on!

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Steam Controller 2 Patent Shows Radical Design Choice

A new patent has been published from Valve of a Steam Controller with swap-able components. pic.twitter.com/8X5IiKIHvm
— Tyler McVicker (@ValveNewsNetwor) April 11, 2020

As many of you may know by now, Valve has discontinued the production of the Steam Controller, which led to it being sold for cheap for the purpose of clearing stock. It appears that Valve hasn’t given up on gamepads just yet as patents for Steam Controller 2 has started to surface online.
According to Tyler McVicker on Twitter, he has discovered a brand new patent application by Valve which appears to be the new gamepad.

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Valve Possibly Looking to Launch the Steam Controller 2

The patent is definitely for a gamepad, most likely the Steam Controller 2. While not many things have been revealed about it and the appearance is seemingly similar to the previous version, there is one major redesign that could attract many gamers.
The trackpad-style thumb controls appear to be swappable. The patent seemingly indicates the possibility of swapping to a traditional d-pad and analog stick. If this is true, then it is definitely a step towards a good direction.
It’s certainly an innovative feature, but it’s not exactly original as we’ve seen something similar with the Thrustmaster eSwap Pro controller which we’ve reviewed. There may still be more up Valve’s sleeves so we’ll just have to wait and see what other new features or changes might come with it.
For now, a patent doesn’t guarantee that a new product is coming. However, it’s still a clear sign that Valve is indeed working on the Steam Controller 2. It’s just a matter of whether it will ever the see the light of day, or not.
Source
Pokdepinion: If it can swap the touch-based directional input to something else and it won’t cost much, I’ll be more than happy to buy it.
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AMD announces Ryzen PRO 4000 series mobile processors

The AMD Ryzen 4000 series mobile processors were launched sometime back with some absolutely chart-topping performance, and now they are bringing it to the business notebook segment with the AMD Ryzen PRO 4000 series mobile processors. AMD Ryzen PRO processors bring with them PRO-exclusive features like improved security, manageability and extended platform longevity. The features include:

AMD PRO security: Multi-layered approach embedding defenses at every level, from silicon through operating system and system level security features. AMD Memory Guard, exclusive to AMD Ryzen PRO processors, helps enable data and identity protection.
AMD PRO manageability: Enabling a full manageability feature set for simplified deployment, imaging and management that is compatible with modern IT infrastructures. AMD Ryzen PRO processors offer full support for Microsoft Endpoint Manager to deliver a flexible and integrated cloud management solution.
AMD PRO business ready: Enterprise-grade computing solution designed for quality and reliability, in addition to platform longevity. AMD Ryzen PRO processors feature 18-months of planned software stability and 24-months of planned availability

The AMD Ryzen PRO 4000 series will bring up to 2x performance per watt over the previous generation and deliver more battery life in the same ultra-sleek form factors. They will also offer up to 33% better multi-threaded performance than the competition, with up to eight cores and sixteen threads. The following are the specifications for the new AMD Ryzen PRO 4000 series mobile processors:

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AMD Ryzen PRO 4000 Series Mobile Processors Specs

AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U
AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U

Cores/Threads
8C/16T
6C/12T
4C/8T

Base Clocks/Boost Clocks
1.7 / 4.1 GHz
2.1 / 4.0 GHz
2.5 / 3.7 GHz

Cache
12MB
11MB
6MB

GPU
7 CU @ 1600 MHz
6 CU @ 1500 MHz
5 CU @ 1400 MHz

TDP
15W
15W
15W

It’s worth noting that with the exception of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U which appears to a Ryzen 5 4600U with additional PRO features, the Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U and Ryzen 3 4350U are entirely new SKUs to the product stack. So far it seems like the only major partner working AMD to bring the AMD Ryzen PRO 4000 series processors to the market is Lenovo, with a bevy of thin and light designs featuring the new processors.

However we wouldn’t rule out the other laptop makers to offer AMD Ryzen PRO-based laptops this generation, as they do offer great competition to Intel’s offerings.
Pokdepinion: I hope we will see an ASUS ExpertBook with the Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U!
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Handful Of Records Broken During realme 6i First Sale

The folks at realme Malaysia has revealed that they’ve broken several feats with their first sale of the recently released realme 6i.
realme 6i first sale
You might’ve remembered that realme was offering a special One Day Flash Sale on Shopee by offering the realme 6i (3+64GB) for just RM599 instead of the retail price of RM699.
Thanks to the discount, it appears that realme has won the No. 1 Best-Selling Smartphone Brand and Top-Selling Smartphone Model from the online first sale, where it also broke the fastest-selling smartphone by selling 1000 units in under 40 minutes.

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Aside from that, two more products were made available during the Flash Sale, the realme Buds Air and realme Buds 2 where the former claimed the Highest Selling TWS in 2020, in terms of unit sold and revenue.
Here’s what the company has said about the achievement:
For realme 6i, making its debut on the first sale day was a big achievement for realme team. By looking at the campaign held by Shopee, this is very special for us to share the Raya spirit with Malaysians with a smartphone that’s great in the processor spec, camera performance, battery, as well as gaming experience.Tiffany Teh, Brand Manager of realme Malaysia
Pokdepinion: Did you contribute to their feat by getting yourself the new realme 6i?
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Maxis Presents Fibrenation Stories – Watch how the Internet makes Malaysian lives better

The power of the Internet

A lot of people take the Internet for granted. Some use the Internet purely for superficial means like updating their social media for instance. Others use it as a means to possibly change lives and improve society as a whole. Inspired by this possibility, Maxis created a series of documentaries dubbed the “Fibrenation Stories” to highlight how the Internet can improve and empower us Malaysians.
“Fibrenation Stories” consists of three docu-series showcasing Malaysians who have used the Internet to create better opportunities for them and for those around them. Take a look at the documentaries down below.

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PS Plus March 2020 FREE GAMES Lineup for US & EU Regions

If you’re a PS Plus member then you have the privilege of enjoying some free games on a monthly basis. As March is getting closer, I’m sure you’re curious as to what you will be getting this time around. Here is the PS Plus March 2020 free games lineup for you to look forward to.
This lineup is for the US and EU regions. For the Asia region lineup, click right here.
Shadow of the Colossus Remake

Tales speak of an ancient realm where Colossi roam the majestic landscape. Bound to the land, these creatures hold a key to a mystical power of revival — a power you must obtain to bring a loved one back to life. Shadow of the Colossus is a breathtaking journey through ancient lands to seek out gigantic beasts. Armed with only a sword and a bow, explore the spacious lands and unearth each Colossus, presenting a unique challenge to test your wits, determination, and skill.
Sonic Forces

In Sonic Forces, the evil Dr. Eggman has conquered much of the world with help from a powerful and mysterious new villain named Infinite. Now, you must assist Sonic and build an army to reclaim the world as they fight against chaos and destruction. Defeat enemies with blazing speed as Modern Sonic, catapult past perilous platforms as Classic Sonic, and create your very own Custom Hero Character equipped with a variety of powerful gadgets.
PS Plus March 2020 Availability
Shadow of the Colossus Remake and Sonic Forces will be available for free as part of the PS Plus March 2020 free games lineup from 3rd March to 6th April 2020. In the meantime, you still have time to claim February’s lineup of fr games, which you can view by clicking right here.

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How do you feel about March’s lineup of free games? Join the discussion right below here:

Pokdepinion: If you haven’t played Shadow of the Colossus on the PS2 or even the remake on PS4, then this lineup is definitely worth getting. I have mixed feelings about Sonic Forces but if it’s free, why not, right?
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realme 5s vs realme 5 — same price, better value?

realme has recently launched the realme 5s, with an upgrade to the camera coming from the realme 5. Nothing much has actually changed though, so this will be a rather short review of sorts, mainly focused on the camera. If you want a full review, you can just check out our realme 5 review. Almost everything that was good (or bad) about the realme 5s still applies for the realme 5s.

Design wise, the two devices are literally twins. realme Malaysia is offering a new Crystal Red color option though with the realme 5s, which is a lot more striking than the realme 5 we have that came in Crystal Blue.

There’s a subtle difference here though: the realme 5s says 48MP instead of the realme 5 which boasts of its wide f/1.8 aperture instead.

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Now that we are talking about the camera, let’s take a look at the camera performance. I do find the realme 5s’ 48MP camera to be quite an interesting upgrade, to be honest. Images turn out surprisingly noisy at night, even noisier than what the realme 5 delivered. Hopefully this is due to early software, but at the moment I am most definitely not impressed. In good lighting, there’s slightly more detail than the realme 5.

Having more resolution also doesn’t give it an edge when it comes to cropping, as we do see the realme 5s and its Samsung GM1 sensor do rather poorly. You aren’t getting the image quality of the realme 5 Pro with the Sony IMX586, just to be clear. You are essentially making larger images without any additional detail, while also sacrificing the wider dynamic range brought about by the pixel binning method.

In addition to that, the drawbacks that were on the realme 5 are still present on the realme 5s, and that includes the 720p display, the microUSB port and the lack of support for fast charging. Which I must add is a serious issue as we are dealing with a massive 5000 mAh battery, and just 10W charging. It’s like trying to fill up a huge bucket with a trickle. You can just leave it to charge overnight though, and still enjoy the immense battery life on tap.

At RM799, it’s one of the most affordable 48MP smartphones out there. Hopefully once the image processing gets updated, you will be able to extract better images out of it. If you are really serious about photography though, just get the realme 5 Pro, which touts a much better camera and isn’t all that more expensive with the recent ongoing promotions.

It’s not like the realme 5s doesn’t come with its own fair share of deals though. realme Malaysia is throwing a rather aggressive promotion for the realme 5s too, with five free cases and a pair of free realme Buds 2 with every purchase of the realme 5s tomorrow on their online sales channels.
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BALAN COMPANY Is Square Enix’s Brand New Action Game Brand

Square Enix has just unveiled a totally new gaming brand called BALAN COMPANY. It is Square Enix’s new action game brand that brings together talented action game developers, visual and music creators from both inside and outside of the company.

What is BALAN COMPANY?
According to Square Enix, the term “COMPANY” in the name refers to the coming together of all their creative staff, in the manner of a musical cast or theatre troupe. It is a symbol of how professionals from different parts of the field can come together to create BALAN COMPANY. How they form a team like a company of players, with the game itself as their stage, to tell the greatest stories and provide the ultimate in action game entertainment to audiences around the world.

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Not much information has been revealed apart from a teaser site which you can check here. More information of future BALAN COMPANY games will be revealed soon.
Pokdepinion: Consider my sense of intrigue piqued, Square Enix.
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Xiaomi will offer China-only Xiaomi products here in Malaysia officially soon

Xiaomi Malaysia has been bringing in a large variety of their products, but it still pales in comparison to what Xiaomi offers in China. Parallel importers have been filling in the gap, giving Malaysians the chance to experience Xiaomi’s expanded range of products. Soon you will be able to purchase them officially on Shopee though.
Xiaomi Malaysia has launched the Xiaomi Official Store Global, which will bring in Xiaomi products from China. Xiaomi also promises that the products sold in the store will go through official quality certification, presumably SIRIM. The downside however is that you will apparently have to pay for any import taxes, custom duties and other related fees that might be imposed on your purchase when they are shipped to Malaysia.
Maybe Xiaomi will offer the Redmi Note 7 Pro with the 48MP Sony IMX 586 here in Malaysia too!
Another downer is that while Xiaomi Malaysia will provide after sales services, they will be following Xiaomi China’s warranty policies. Last but not least, you would have to have some level of understanding of Chinese as the products will most probably feature Chinese across its documentation and also its user interface.

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Xiaomi has yet to list any China-exclusive Xiaomi products on the store at the time of writing, but who knows what will Xiaomi offer later? They are running a giveaway until the 23rd May, so it won’t hurt to follow their Shopee store.
Pokdepinion: I wonder if this means that Xiaomi Malaysia will slow down the expansion of their product lineup…
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Samsung Might Be Working With Olympus To Develop Future Smartphone Cameras

Seems that Samsung is rumoured to be in talks with Olympus about working together on future Samsung smartphone cameras. According to leaker @heyitsyogesh on Twitter, Samsung is looking to partner up with the Japanese camera brand, to develop camera modules for their upcoming smartphones capable of producing high-quality pictures.
Samsung x Olympus phones incoming?

Ok this could be huge!
With the Note lineup out this year, Samsung is going big with the Fold 3.
Heard about this very briefly, Samsung might be jumping on the latest trend of partnering with a camera brand. We might see this possibly happen on a special edition Fold.
— Yogesh (@heyitsyogesh) April 6, 2021

Olympus is one of the leading camera brands that manufacture optical and reprography products. If this rumour is true, then Samsung will be the latest smartphone maker to partner with a camera brand such as with OnePlus’ partnership with Hasselblad, Nokia and vivo’s partnership with ZEISS, and HUAWEI’s partnership with Leica. The tipster also claims that we can potentially see the fruits of Samsung and Olympus’ partnership on a future special edition of the Samsung Galaxy Fold device or the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.

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Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Review
@heyitsyogesh claim has also been corroborated by another serial tipster on Weibo. Ice Universe, who has provided leaks that for the most part turned out to be accurate, posted on Weibo that Samsung is indeed looking to partner with Olympus to develop future smartphone camera modules.
Image credit: Gizmochina
As it stands, neither companies have put out statements concerning the potential partnership rumours. Until then, we’re going to have to take this little rumour with a huge pinch of salt, at least until a proper statement is out.
Source
Pokdepinion: I honestly believe that Samsung’s existing cameras are good enough and don’t need something like this. However, I do understand the need for them to try and push the envelope when it comes to smartphone photography and what better way to do that than with a reputable brand like Olympus?
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FIVE things Chrome OS does better than Windows

Chrome OS has undoubtedly become a trending operating system, being the pillar of Google’s effort to provide a more synergetic ecosystem for its wide user base. It is more often that not being compared to other mainstream OSes such as Windows and Mac OS. In this article, we explore 5 points on how Chrome OS proves superior compared to Windows OS, the leading OS in the industry.
1. Handle low power environment
The standard hardware offering for Chrome OS systems normally start at 4GB ram paired with an Intel Celeron processor. With this spec, the Chrome OS will still run as smooth as a baby’s butt. The fluid experience continues as the apps on Chrome OS mainly rely on Web apps & Android apps, which again have very low hardware requirements since it either rely on the server to process it or is designed to run in smartphone environment. An Intel Celeron processor and 4GB RAM is more than enough to handle that.

No OS can rock a Celeron like Chrome OS does

We can’t say the same for Windows in the same environment. A system with anything less than 8GB RAM offers merely a basic Windows experience, and an Intel Celeron is barely enough to run light workloads. Usually, to get a pleasant experience, the recommendation is to at least to upgrade from 4GB RAM to 8GB, and even then it is considered the bare minimum nowadays. Chrome OS would happily run on half that amount of memory.

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2. Accommodating multiple environment natively
For Windows to run Android apps and Linux app is definitely possible, but the process is not natively supported and requires 3rd party software to enable it. Need to run an android app? Use Blue Stacks! Need to run a Linux app? Why would you want to do that? But anyway, side load Linux! This is the beauty of Windows, there software for every single thing you can think of, well, almost.

Up left – Web App Google Doc, Up right – Online

But what is better than that? What could be better than software for everything? That would of course be the ability to uses other app built for other OSes natively! Chrome OS has expanded its support for not only web apps to also supporting Android apps some time back, which means you can now run all Android apps natively. Also, from the last few updates, Chrome OS now officially supports the Linux environment as well! Although the support is still in the beta stage, it definitely looks promising.
3. Security
How many times have you or your friends have gotten their Windows machines infected by viruses? It is a very stressful experience, and to that avoid it we installed antivirus, internet securities, and other mumbo jumbo yet it still seems to happen. Wouldn’t it be nice if the system is secured at the very get-go?

Chrome OS is based on Linux Kernel

Well Chrome OS definitely has security in mind during development. It is based on the Linux kernel, thus it was designed to allow everyone to submit changes to assist in updating the kernel. This means a great amount of highly skilled developers are looking at the kernel’s code in case anyone gets “creative”.
Furthermore, the apps designed for Chrome OS are what we call Web Apps, which means these apps are running through a browser, and in an individual sandbox environment every time. This means everytime you start a web apps, you’ve basically got a freshly installed version, fully updated, and fully secured by the developer.

But you can’t say Chrome OS is 100% fully secure environment. If there’s a will, there’s always a way. Google has given some thoughts into that, and to avoid the OS booting into an insecure environment, Chrome OS uses a method known as Verified Boot, which the OS will check if the system files are the same as they were when first installed. This ultimately ensures that Chrome OS always boots into a secure environment as Google intended.
4. Short setup time moving from machine to machine
After a fresh Windows installation, the next step is usually to install productivity software and other utilities. This process usually takes a while, but on a Chrome machine, the length of this process drastically shortened. This due to how Chrome OS is designed to rely on web apps to deliver most of its functionality.

Immediately after signing in with your gmail account, Chrome OS will start installing all your apps.

Need a word processing app? Head over to Google Docs. Need to prepare slides? Use Google Slides! Need to edit videos? Use WeVideo! Need to edit audio? Use AudioStudio! All of these apps are web apps, and for whatever app you can think of, it is likely that there’s a web app for it. Even when it comes to gaming, Google is developing Google Stadia, a cloud-based gaming platform that will allow users to game over the web. And while Stadia itself is in its early stages of development, Chrome OS is listed among Stadia’s supported environments.
5. No backup? No worries!
One thing that many Windows users dread is unsaved work disappearing. Having hours of work go missing is by far the worst thing that can happen to you. To counter this, most software nowadays have an autosaving feature in place, but still, it does not ward off all of these disastrous situations.

All work done on Google Docs are synced, hence you don’t need to back it up on a physical drive.

Perhaps one of the most beneficial features that web-based software offer is that all your work is synced online. That means that in the event say your device fails for whatever reason, your work will still be saved online and accessible the moment you get back online.
Of course it is possible to use web-based software on Windows machines as well, but Chrome OS has the advantage of being the one OS that was designed as a platform to harness web-based software on gets the cookie here.
Check out Acer ChromeBooks
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Intel Core i5-10600K Review — the de facto gaming CPU?

The mid-range segment is where gamers will generally get the most value. Intel offers the Core i5, and AMD serves up the Ryzen 5 parts in this segment, and they make up the bulk of processor sales for both companies anyway, and Intel definitely needs to regain lost ground in this segment. Enter the Intel Core i5-10600K, a 6-core part that comes with HyperThreading too, unlike its predecessor. The extra threads allows it to compete on equal footing with the 6C/12T AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and 3600X parts too, so which will it be?

Intel went with the new thin die STIM, although you won’t notice any differences from the outside. Intel still maintains cooler compatibility with the LGA115x processors, so you won’t need a new cooler with this. It also means that the entire CPU package is the same height despite a thinner die to improve thermal dissipation. Intel made up for the height difference of the unlocked K-series processors with a thicker IHS, although it looks exactly the same from the outside.

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On the underside is the 1200 pads that will contact the 1200 pins in the LGA 1200 socket. Of course, we didn’t count them. There’s a significant amount of SMD components packed into the center area of the socket, similar to the Core i9-10900K.
Intel Core i5-10600K Specifications

Cores / Threads
6C/12T

Base Clock / Max Boost
4.1 / 4.8 GHz

All Core Boost
4.5 GHz

Cache
12MB L3 cache

Memory
Up to 128GB, 2-channel, DDR4-2666

Integrated Graphics
Yes, UHD Graphics 630 up to 1.2 GHz

PCIe
16 lanes, PCIe 3.0

TDP
125W

Process
14nm

Socket
LGA 1200

One thing you might notice is that the Intel Core i5-10600K offers a lower officially support memory speed as compared to the higher-end 10th Gen Core i7 and Core i9 SKUs. While we didn’t test memory overclocking capability, we used our 3600 MHz CL14 RAM without a single hiccup, so it shouldn’t be too much of a limiting factor when it comes to RAM performance.
Test System

CPU
Intel Core i5-10600K

Cooler
Cooler Master ML240R

Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus XII Formula

GPU
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER

Memory
2 x 8GB T-FORCE XTREEM ARGB DDR4-3600 CL14

Storage
Kingston UV400 120GB
Kingston UV500 1TB
Seagate FireCuda SSHD 1TB

Power Supply
Cooler Master V850

For the stock settings, we set the BIOS to enforce all of Intel’s limits, and all the voltages are auto. The overclocked results are obtained by setting the multiplier to 49 and manually entering 1.350V for Vcore. Now, let’s take a look at the performance data.
Performance

Cinebench shows us that the Intel Core i5-10600K still has the lead in the mid-range segment, especially after getting an overclock to bump up the clocks a touch. At stock, it slots in below the AMD Ryzen 5 3600X and barely manages to beat the Ryzen 5 3600.

Realbench sees a pretty similar scenario, with it sandwiched between the Ryzen 5 3600 and Ryzen 5 3600X at stock, before pulling ahead of the Ryzen 5 3600X once an overclock is applied. However taking a closer look at the scores, it only manages to really pull ahead in the Image Editing, where single-threaded CPU performance is the main contributor to the scores. In the more heavily threaded tests like the H.264 Video Encoding and Heavy Multitasking, it actually falls behind the Ryzen 5 3600, even when running at 4.9 GHz.
          7-zip (Single-Threaded)            7-zip (Multi-Threaded)
The Intel Core i5-10600K doesn’t too well here, despite the higher clocks. The AMD Ryzen 5 3600X maintains a lead at all times in the multi-threaded tests, although the AMD chips lose the lead in the single-threaded runs for some reason.

As Intel heavily markets the 10th Gen Intel Core processor towards gamers, you would expect it to deliver a strong showing here. It scores above both the AMD Ryzen 5 processors.
Gaming

The Intel Core i5-10600K definitely doesn’t disappoint when it comes to gaming, coming extremely close to the Core i9-10900K, while handily besting both the AMD Ryzen 5 processors. Of course the gap is very minimal in more modern titles as compared to older titles like Rainbow Six Siege, but if you are a gamer, the Intel Core i5-10600K might just be the option to get.
Power
We decided to test the power draw with Realbench v2.56’s stress test instead of synthetic workloads which pull unrealistic amounts of power. Realbench is somewhat more realistic, instead stressing the system with simultaneous image editing, video encoding and file compression.

Before we got about to overclocking, we ran the CPU with the stock settings. You can see that it pulls a rather manageable 97.47W on average. Since that’s below the 125W TDP the Intel Core i5-10600K is rated for, it doesn’t throttle down through out the run. Clocks are maintained at the 4.5 GHz all-core boost it is rated for. Thermals are extremely manageable, and you should be able to use the Intel Core i5-10600K without an issue with a 120mm AIO liquid cooler.

Once we slap on the overclock, the Intel Core i5-10600K draws 128.86W. This is still relatively low and temperatures are also a non-issue here with our MasterLiquid ML240R. The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and Ryzen 5 3600X draw 66.34W and 65.98W in the same test at stock settings, which is significantly less, although the Intel CPU does seem a lot easier to cool than the AMD Ryzen processors.
Overclocking
We went with a simple multiplier overclock, and the Intel Core i5-10600K ran at 4.9 GHz at 1.35V. Any higher was just no go, and we didn’t really want to risk our CPU at above 1.35V. You should be able to squeeze more performance out of the Intel Core i5-10600K with an AVX offset, but we managed to get the Intel Core i5-10600K to finish 15 minutes of Realbench’s stress test, at 4.9 GHz without an AVX offset, so I guess it is reasonably stable at this frequency and voltage. Intel seems to have binned the 10th Gen Intel Core rather effectively, as our sample of the Intel Core i9-10900K managed to do 5.1 GHz at 1.355V, while the Intel Core i5-10600K didn’t even manage 5.0 GHz at the same voltage.
Conclusion

With better gaming performance and a poorer showing when it comes to productivity workloads than the competition, it seems that the Intel Core i5-10600K is destined for the gaming market. The Intel Core i5-10600K is definitely worth considering if you are upgrading from a much older system. Priced at $262 (~RM1141), it’s significantly more affordable than the Core i9-10900K, while offering pretty similar gaming performance. You could even pair it with a more affordable motherboard as the power draw of this 6-core part won’t really tax the overkill VRM on most of the Intel Z490 motherboards.

Against the competition, the Intel Core i5-10600K might have a harder time justifying itself, especially if you do a fair share of productivity as well. But if you mainly play esports titles or older, CPU-bound games, then you can surely opt for the Intel Core i5-10600K over AMD’s offerings. More modern games will give you less of a benefit, but one extra FPS is still one FPS more, and the Intel Core i5-10600K will be able to deliver more than that in most cases.

Our thanks to Intel for sending us the Intel Core i5-10600K for review.
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Leica Launches Their Very Own Smartphone Called Leitz Phone 1

We’ve known Leica to be featured in several smartphones in recent times but now it seems that they’ve produced their very own device and it’s called the Leitz Phone 1.
Leica Leitz Phone 1
If you’re living outside of Japan, well too bad. It appears that the Leitz Phone 1 is exclusively available in Japan. It is said to have the same internals as the Aquos R6, with the difference being the design (circular camera bump) as well as their own Leica-branded lens cap.
Powered by a Snapdragon 888, it sports a 6.6-inch IGZO OLED display plus an adaptive 240Hz refresh rate. What makes it special is the sensor of the camera, being a big 1-inch one. The 20MP main camera comes with an f/1.9 aperture as well as 19mm equivalent focal length. As for selfies, the front camera is a 12.6MP shooter.

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In terms of memory, it comes with 12GB RAM that’s mated with 256GB, which you can expand with a microSD card. They’ve said that it runs on Leica’s custom interface that’s based on Android 11. Under the hood is a 5000mAh battery and the phone comes with an IP68 rating.
The Leica Leitz Phone 1 is priced at JPY 187,920 (~RM7,028) in Japan for pre-orders starting from tomorrow. For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
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Pokdepinion: That’s a huge camera sensor to say the least. I wonder if the bump is as big as it looks. A protective cap is definitely needed if that’s the case.
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Sony Rolls Out Apple TV App To Select Smart TVs

Sony Malaysia has revealed today that customers can now gain access to the Apple TV app on select smart TVs, where the app will begin rolling out today on Sony’s X9000H series through software update.
Sony rolls out Apple TV app update

As you might have already know, the Apple TV app will give you access to Apple TV channels. Apple TV+ is Apple’s new video subscription service that offers original shows, movies, and documentaries such as The Morning Show, See, Defending Jacob, Ted Lasso, Greyhound, The Banker, Boys State, Beastie Boys Story and more.

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With the update, users can browse the Apple TV app to buy or rent content, including those that are available in 4K HDR and with Dolby Atmos.
Aside from that, select Sony TVs also support AirPlay 2 and HomeKit, With the former, users can play videos and other content from their iPhone, iPad, or Mac directly to their smart TV. Homekit on the other hand will allow you to easily control Sony’s smart TVs using the app or by asking Siri on their Apple devices.
You can subscribe to Apple TV+ for RM19.90 per month. For a limited time, you can purchase a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch or Mac and enjoy one year of Apple TV+ for free.
The Apple TV app will be available on selected 2018 models, and most 2019 and 2020 models by the end of the year.
Pokdepinion: Honestly I’ve never checked out fully on what’s on Apple TV. It doesn’t seem bad to have more option on what contents to watch.
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Celcom offers big value to help you work from home — Free Microsoft Office 365 too!

Find out more about Celcom’s RMO Promos
“Important Announcement: Celcom encourages all Malaysians to stay at home and practice social distancing during the Restricted Movement Order.”
During the Restricted Movement Order (RMO) happening in Malaysia due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us will be working from home. It is now more important than ever to stay connected, not only for work and staying in touch with your friends and family, but also to stay updated on the latest developments on the COVID-19 situation in Malaysia. Celcom will be making it easier for you to do all that with the following services.

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Unlimited calls and access to MCO Center, CPRC and virtual health advisors

Celcom customers will also get unlimited access to the Ministry of Health (MCO) hotlines and website, as well as the Crisis Preparedness Response Center (CPRC) hotline. Get the latest updates about the COVID-19 pandemic from the MOH website directly to avoid yourself from being influenced by fake news floating around the Internet. The following are the websites and hotlines that are included in the unlimited calls and access:

MCO Website: www.moh.gov.my
Virtual health advisors:

www.doctoroncall.com.my
www.bookdoc.com

CPRC Hotline: 03-88810200, 03-88810600, 03-88810700
MOH Branches:

Perlis: 04-9760712
Kedah: 04-7741174
Pulau Pinang: 04-2629902
Perak: 05-2433962
Selangor: 03-51237366, 03-51237367
WP Kuala Lumpur & Putrajaya: 03-26983757, 03-22687301
Negeri Sembilan: 06-7641326
Melaka: 06-2345999, 06-2883019
Johor: 07-238 2217
Pahang: 09-570 7910, 09-570 7914, 09-570 7909
Terengganu: 09-6229775, 09-6353752
Kelantan: 09-747 2089
Sabah: 088-219455, 088-512531, 088-512533
Sarawak: 082-443248
WP Labuan: 087-596160

Free Unlimited WhatsApp

For all Celcom prepaid and postpaid customers, Celcom is now offering free unlimited WhatsApp from 8am to 6pm until 14th April. This includes chat, voice calls and video calls too, to ensure that you can stay in touch with your colleagues for work as well as your friends and family without having to worry about running out of quota.
Unlimited Access to Microsoft Office 365
As a large number of people will be working from home, Celcom is also offering free unlimited access to Microsoft Office 365 from 8am to 6pm everyday for all Celcom customers until 14th April. This should lighten the burden of working from home as you will not have to expend your quota to work on Office 365.
2X More Unlimited Internet via Ultra Hour Pass for Celcom Xpax prepaid Users
From today until 14th April, Celcom Xpax prepaid users can enjoy Ultra Hour for twice as long. For just RM2, you will be able to enjoy unlimited Internet for 6 hours instead of the usual 3 hours when you subscribe to the Ultra Hour Pass. This promotion is available exclusively via the Celcom Life app.
Upgraded Celcom MEGA for Postpaid Users

Celcom Postpaid Users will get to enjoy 50% off the MEGA Unlimited Internet Pass. In addition to that, family lines are also 50% off during this period for new subscribers and customers switching to the Celcom MEGA plan, lessening the burden on your finances during this trying period. The 50% off deals are available on the Celcom Online Shop. In addition the Celcom MEGA passes, you can also add on Entertainment Walla bundles to enjoy video streaming, music streaming or gaming without consuming your main quota.

To make sure that you don’t have to risk yourself to enjoy all of these add-ons and services, they can all be subscribed from the safety of your home. You can do so via the Celcom website, Celcom Online Shop, or the Celcom Life app available from the Play Store, App Store and also the HUAWEI AppGallery.

Also, do not forget about your 10% cashback via Boost e-wallet during the RMO! Top up your credit or Internet reloads via the Celcom Life app. Simple as that!
Stay safe at home and stay connected during the COVID-19 RMO with Celcom.
Find out more about Celcom’s RMO Promos
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Nokia announces the Nokia 8.1 — Snapdragon 710, ZEISS Optics and Bothie for less than RM2000?

The Nokia 8.1 is finally official, and it Nokia’s latest value flagship. Coming in at a price of 399 euros (~RM1885), it is pretty affordable, but is it a flagship? Maybe not. It does come with all the features you would expect from a Nokia flagship though. Such as Bothie.

Remember Bothie? It debuted with the Nokia 8, where you can make use of the rear camera and front camera simultaneously in video calls. I can’t imagine that it took off, but it is back. This time, you will be taking advantage of the industry-leading 12MP sensor behind ZEISS Optics, which is coupled with a 13MP sensor, and the 20MP selfie camera. The 20MP front facing camera features a 4-in-1 supersampling technology too to improve performance in low light. And oh, there is OIS in the primary 12MP rear camera.

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The display is also pretty interesting, with Nokia putting in their all into the 6.18″ FHD+ PureDisplay which comes with HDR10 support. There is also a pretty cool 96% color gamut coverage — they didn’t mention which gamut though — and a 1:1500 contrast ratio. The only thing marring the PureDisplay, a notch. It totally takes away from the purity of it all.

Now I did mention that it comes with all the features you would expect from a Nokia flagship. But it doesn’t come with the hardware of a flagship. It is only powered by a Snapdragon 710, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. That’s pretty mid-range hardware there. Making matters worse is that the storage is of the eMMC 5.1 variety. Even budget mid-range devices have UFS 2.1 nowadays! The battery is decent at 3500 mAh, and it comes with 18W fast charging. It runs Android 9 Pie out of the box too, so you can squeeze more battery life out of the Nokia 8.1 with the optimizations brought about by the latest Android version.

All of that is put into a chassis with a glass back and a dual-tone anodized metal frame, which will be finished in Blue/Silver, Steel/Copper and Iron/Steel. Nokia goes on to detail how precise their machining work is to deliver a seamless experience, but it is, in all reality, just a premium mid-range, rather than a value flagship. It hits European retail channels mid-December, but when or whether it ever will arrive in Malaysia is still unknown.
Do you think Nokia is right in calling this a value flagship? Or do you agree with us, with this being a premium mid-range device rather than a flagship?
Pokdepinion: Well, all the leaks were true!
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Transcend SSD370S 512GB SSD review

Now, I have not used an SSD with my own personal laptop before. Reviewing the latest notebooks packing SSDs left me a little disappointed with my own laptop. Of course, as an enthusiast I thought of upgrading to an SSD. Back then, it was the Transcend SSD370 that attracted me with its great pricing and attractive performance. I never got around to getting it though. Just recently, Transcend sent me their revision of the Transcend SSD370, the aptly named Transcend SSD370S, for me to review. As quick as I could, I started to clone my drive and start using it. Here is my review of the Transcend SSD370S 512GB.

Packaging

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The front of the packaging is white and red, with a few highlight features listed. Worth noting is that MLC NAND is used here, which is said to be more reliable than the higher density TLC NAND.

Over on the back, more detailed information is made available. It is also here we find that it is covered by a three year warranty.

Opening it up we find the SSD itself, protected by a plastic shell and an electrostatic protection bag, the metal 3.5″ bracket and the usual documentation along with some brochures of their other products.

Appearance

The Transcend SSD370S feature a full metal case, a step up over the more common plastic cases. While solid state storage is inherently a lot more shock proof than its rotating media brethen, it does not hurt to have better resilience. In any case, the Transcend SSD370S looks quite premium.

Flipping the drive over we a sticker and some screw holes for mounting. The drive looks great with the bare aluminium finish, but then SSDs spend most of the time behind the scenes far away from sight, especially if it is used like the way I tested this review sample; putting it into a laptop.

Specifications

Testing Methodology

The Transcend SSD370S 512GB tested is set up as my OS drive, with the data on the original drive cloned with Macrium Reflect Free. The included SSD Scope suite does allow for system cloning but the features are far more sparse compared to Macrium Reflect. The drive is 41% filled with all kinds of data, including games, software, images and media files.
TRIM is turned on, write caching is enabled. I am running Windows 10 Pro Insider Preview on my Lenovo Y50 with an Intel Core i7-4710HQ and 16GB DDR3L-1600 RAM.

Performance

The Transcend SSD370S 512GB will be put to test with the AS SSD and CrystalDiskMark benchmarks, two benchmarks that I turn to when benchmarking storage performance in the gaming notebooks I have reviewed. Also used was BootRacer, which recorded a solid boot time of 31 seconds.

In CrystalDiskMark, it managed to show me numbers that are close to the speeds Transcend is touting for this drive. Transcend claims 560MB/s read and 460MB/s write, which sees our results being a bit lower for read speeds and just a bit faster at writing.

AS SSD reports similar speeds, with some insight into the (fast) access times.

Conclusion
The Transcend SSD370S 512GB is an amazing upgrade from slower conventional hard disk drives, offering everything that you need from an SSD. The SRP of this drive is a rather lofty RM749, but with some minimal effort I managed to find one at the affordable price tag of around RM638. At this price range, this performance is great and definitely makes a massive difference coming from slower 5400RPM HDDs. I will give it our Silver Pokdeward for its great value!

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MSI Debuts Latest Gaming Laptops With 9th Gen Intel Core i9 Processors

MSI has unveiled their latest gaming laptops, equipped with the newest 9th Gen Intel Core processors. Additionally, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 16-series also sees an introduction to their gaming series.
MSI GT75 Titan And GT63 Titan

First up is the GT Titan series, in the form of the GT75 and GT63. The series has been famous for performance that comes with high-end features. Armed with a 9th Gen Intel Core i9 overclockable processor, it comes with up to an RTX 2080 graphics card. To optimize its full potential, the GT series applies Cooler Boost Titan, dual fans and 11 pipes, which is able reduce operating temperatures. Coming with a 4K UHD displa, GT Titan delivers an immersive experience when it comes to visuals.

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Model
GT75 Titan 9SG
GT75 Titan
GT75 Titan

Processor
Intel Core i9-9980HK
Intel Core i7-9750H
Intel Core i7-9750H

Graphics
GeForce RTX 2080
GeForce RTX 20880
GeForce RTX2070

Display
17.3″ UHD (3840×2160)
4K IPS-Level
100% RGB color
Anti-glare
17.3″ FHD (1920×1080)
IPS-level 144Hz
72%NTSC, 100% SRGB
17.3″ FHD (1920×1080)
IPS-level 144Hz
72%NTSC, 100% SRGB

Storage
1x M.2 SSD slot (NVME PCIe Gen3)
2x M.2 SSD Combo slot (NVMe PCIe Gen3/ SATA)
2x M.2 SSD slot (NVMe PCIe Gen3), support Intel M.2 NVMe SSD device only
1x 2.5″ SATA HDD

Keyboard
Rapid Mechanical RGB Keyboard by SteelSeries

Audio
Sound by Dynaudio with Woofer
ESS SABRE HIFI audio DAC technology
Nahimic 3 Audio Enhancer

Dimension
428 x 314 x 321~58mm

Weight
4.56 KG

Price
RM21,499
RM16,499
RM13,499

MSI GS75 Stealth and MSI GS65

Next up is the GS Stealth series, where it comes with a convenient selection from an RTX 2060 up to the highest GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q design, perfect for different needs. Portable and stylish, the GS Stealth series comes with a 240Hz display to maximize gaming frame rates and offer flowing movements.

Model
GS75 Stealth

Processor
Gen Intel Core i7-9750H

Graphics
GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q

Display
17.3″ Full HD (1920×1080)
144Hz, 4-sided thin bezel
IPS

Storage
1 x M.2 SATA SSD
2 x M.2 SSD NVMe PCIe Gen3/SATA-SSD combo

Keyboard
Pre-Key RGB gaming keyboard by SteelSeries

Audio
Sound by Dynaudio
ESS SABRE HiFi audio DAC
Nahimic 3 Audio Enhancer

Dimensions
396.1 x 259.5 x 18.95mm

Weight
2.28KG

Price
RM14,599
RM11,099
RM9,799

Model
GS65 Stealth

Processor
Intel Core i7-9750

Graphics
GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q

Display
15.6″ Full HD (1920×1080)
240Hz, thin bezel
IPS

Storage
1 x M.2 SSD NVMe PCIe Gen3
1 x M.2 SSD NVMe PCIe Gen3/SATA SSD combo

Keyboard
Per-Key RGB gaming keyboard by SteelSeries

Audio
Sound by Dynaudio
ESS SABRE HiFi audio DAC
Nahimic 3 Audio Enhancer

Dimension
357.7 x 247.7 x 17.9mm

Weight
1.9KG

RM14,999
RM11,199
RM9,999

MSI GE75 Raider and GE63 Raider RGB

MSI’s GE series is known for their aesthetic design. The series comes with 17.3-inch and 15.6-inch 144Hz displays, 9th Gen Intel Core i9 processors as well as RTX graphics. Additionally, with the GE75, it is MSI’s first model with Wi-Fi 6 capabilities.

Model
GE75 Raider

Processor
9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H

Graphics
GeForce RTX 2080
GeForce RTX 2070
GeForce RTX 2060

Display
17.3″ Full HD (1920×1080)
144Hz, thin bezel
IPS

Storage
1 x M.2 SSD NVMe PCIe Gen3
1 x M.2 SSD NVMe PCIe Gen3/SATA-SSD combo
1 x 2.5″ SATA HDD

Keyboard
Per-Key RGB gaming keyboard by Steelseries

Audio
Sound by Dynaudio with Giant Speaker
ESS SABRE HiFi audio DAC
Nahimic 3 Audio Enhancer

Dimension
397 x 268.5 x 27.5mm

Weight
2.6KG

Price
RM12,999
RM9,799
RM7,999

Model
GE63 Raider RGB

Processor
9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H

Graphics
GeForce RTX 2080
GeForce RTX 2070
GeForce RTX 2060

Display
15.6″ Full HD (1920×1080)
144Hz, thin bezel
IPS

Storage
1 x M.2 SSD NVMe PCIe Gen3
1 x M.2 SSD NVMe PCIe Gen3/SATA-SSD combo
1 x 2.5″ SATA HDD

Keyboard
Per-Key RGB gaming keyboard by Steelseries

Audio
Sound by Dynaudio with Giant Speaker
ESS SABRE HiFi audio DAC
Nahimic 3 Audio Enhancer

Dimension
383 x 260 x 29.5mm

Weight
2.6KG

Price
RM11,099
RM9,499
RM7,899

MSI GP75 Leopard

Looking for a more affordable option in their new lineup? Well there’s the MSI GP75 Leopard. It comes with a brand new design, cosmological warship style and sports a grey color scheme. It offers a per-key RGB keyboard by SteelSeries. For processor, it comes with up to a 9th Gen Intel Core i7 and it is paired with up to GeForce RTX 2060 graphics. Unfortunately, there’s no official pricing for it yet.
MSI GL73 And GL63

With the GL73 and GL63, they make gaming more accessible for gamers. Both of which offers wide range of performance from RTX series to GTX 16-series, which serves the purpose to play modern AAA titles.

Model
GL73
GL63

Processor
Intel Core i7-8750H

Graphics
GeForce GTX 1660Ti
GeForce RTX 2060
GeForce GTX 1660Ti

Display
17.3″ FHD (1920×1080)
Anti glare
100% sRGB
15.6″ Full HD (1920×1080)
94% NTSC wide view panel

Storage
1 x M.2 SSD NVMe PCIe Gen3
1 x M.2 SSD NVMe PCIe Gen3/SATA SSD combo
1 x 2.5″ SATA HDD

Keyboard
Red backlight gaming keyboard

Audio
Giant speaker
Audio Boost
Nahimic 3 Audio Enhancer

Dimension
419 x 287 x 33mm
383 x 260 x 29.5mm

Weight
2.9KG
2.3KG

Price
RM6,299
RM5,899
RM6,099

MSI GF75 Thin and GF63 Thin

Last but not least is the addition to their GDF Thin series. The new GF Thin laptops is made even more compact and lightweight than their predecessor. The GF series is perfect for those who prefer simple aesthetics with great performance.

Model
GF75 Thin
GF63 Thin

 Processor
Intel Core i7-9750H
Up to 9th Gen Intel Core i7

Graphics
GeForce GTX 1650

Display
17.3″ Full HD (1920×1080), IPS with ultra-thin bezel
15.6 Full HD (1920×1080), IPS with ultra-thin bezel

Storage
1 x M.2 SSD NVMe PCIe Gen3/SATA SSD
1 x 2.5″ SATA HDD
1 x M.2 SSD NVMe PCIe Gen3/SATA SSD
1 x 2.5″ SATA HDD

Keyboard
Red backlight gaming keyboard

Audio
Audio Boost
Nahimic 3 Audio Enhancer

Dimension
397x260x23mm
359x254x21.7mm

Weight
2.2KG
1.86KG

Price
RM5,199
RM4,899

Pokdepinion: Hmm, tough decision. If I had to choose from one of them, I’d choose the GS Stealth series. I’m in love with their sleek looks.
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Samsung 990 PRO Set To Get Firmware Update As Lifespan Issues Looms

The mysterious glitch that cause the drives to “wear out” at high rate despite very little drive writes may see a fix soon.

Previously, reports of Samsung’s latest SSD, the 990 PRO started to surface with the common issue being rapidly deteriorating drive health despite very little drive writes made into the drive. One user, Neil Schofield reported his drive has only 64% health remaining despite written only 2TB worth of data (typical modern TLC SSDs can have endurance rating exceeding 1,000TB written, for reference).

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After reading your article, I thought I'd take a look at mine. The results are horrendous! 36% worn out after writing less than 2TB of data? @SamsungUK what is going on? pic.twitter.com/VdzLoEAarN
— Neil Schofield (@neilaschofield) January 22, 2023

Samsung is aware of the issue – in a German-language Samsung discussion post, moderator DavidB stated “Samsung is currently reviewing customer anomaly inquiries related to the SMART Percentage Used (on Samsung Magician) and/or Health Status (on Crystal Disk Info) of the Samsung SSD 990 PRO.” The company’s technicians managed to replicate the glitch on certain conditions, according to the moderator. A fix is on the way, with the moderator expecting the update to release somewhere later this month.
To recap, the aforementioned case wasn’t the only one that was seen with drive health issues. Another high-profile case comes from Neowin editor Robbie Khan, with his 2TB 990 PRO dropping to 94% within few days of use. The RMA came unfruitful, with the company unable to find issues and was thus returned back to him with the drive reformatted.
To make things worse, Puget Systems – builder of professional workstations, has temporarily halted the use of Samsung 980 PROs and 990 PROs (respectively affected by Read-Only firmware bug and the aforementioned drive health issue) and has been using equivalent Sabrent drives in its place. Puget stated that they came with this decision “while this situation unfolds and we learn more.”
As its systems have used Samsung SSDs for a long time, Puget also clarified: “we don’t often announce changes to our product line like this, as brands and models shift all the time, but because we have been so outspoken about Samsung SSD reliability in the past, we felt that it was important to speak up in this particular situation.” That being said, Samsung SSDs will continue to be used for 500GB-specced systems.
Source: Tom’s Hardware
Pokdepinion: It’s been a bad year for Samsung’s SSD division so far, isn’t it?
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The MSI Z690 motherboards are here to help you get the most from your 12th Gen Intel Core processors!

MSI has just announced their Intel Z690 motherboards that are designed to be the ideal partner for the new 12th Gen Intel Core processors. MSI went with the tagline “The Next Playground” for their lineup of MSI Z690 motherboards, which is a pretty apt name for these motherboards that literally let you “play” with your 12th Gen Intel Core’s processors full feature set.
MSI MEG Z690 Series – The Supreme Playground

As you would expect from the flagship MSI MEG series, you can get up to a direct 19-phase VRM with 105A smart powerstages. An all-aluminum design for the front-side covers ensure excellent heat dissipation for maximum sustained performance, while a backplate help further wick heat away from the components, while protecting the PCB from flexing. With up to five M.2 slots and two PCIe 5.0 x16 slots, the MSI MEG is purpose built for the hardcore enthusiasts.

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The MSI MEG Z690 ACE delivers all of that along with two headers for front panel USB 3.2 Gen 2×2. Instead of flashy RGB lights, its premium black finish is adorned with 24K gold. After all, only champions get gold.
MSI MPG Z690 Series – The Trendy Playground

Feel the need for RGB? The MSI MPG Z690 series is for you. While the MPG Z590 GAMING CARBON and Z590 GAMING FORCE were a a bit too similar, this time MSI has got the fans of white builds covered. The MSI MPG Z690 CARBON WIFI and MSI MAG Z690 FORCE WIFI both feature two PCIe 5.0 x16 slots, 5 onboard M.2 slots and an 18-phase VRM with 75A smart powerstages, but they differ in color.
The MSI MPG Z690 CARBON WIFI offers the classic carbon fiber aesthetic, while the MSI MPG Z690 FORCE WIFI adopts a clean silver white finish. If you prefer something more affordable, there’s also the MSI MPG Z690 EDGE WIFI, which comes with a slightly downscaled 16-phase VRM, but touts the same stylish aesthetics of the two other members of the MSI MPG family.
MSI MAG Z690 Series – The Triumphant Playground

Speaking of more affordable, the MSI MAG series is renowned for heavy hitters that deliver impressive features and performance, without the price tag usually associated with them. This year, you get the MSI MAG Z690 TORPEDO and MSI MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI, with an upgraded 16 Duet Rail Power System featuring 70A smart power stages. You get a single PCIe 5.0 x16 slot along with 3 M.2 Gen4 x4 slots, which are more than enough for you to dominate all your games.
As with their predecessors, both which feature a military aesthetic, with the MSI MAG Z690 TORPEDO retaining its pacific blue color scheme that was popular among MSI’s fans.
MSI PRO Z690 Series – The Brainy Playground

Now I am not exactly sure why MSI decided to call their PRO Z690 series “the brainy playground”, but it probably has something to do with the way that the PRO series are designed for enterprises and creators. The MSI PRO Z690-A and PRO Z690-A WIFI come with a 14 Duet Rail Power System, with up to four M.2 slots and one PCIe 5.0 x16 slot. The understated design is also perfect for those who want a system that doesn’t draw too much attention, so you can focus on your tasks.
You can find out more about MSI’s Intel Z690 series motherboards here.
Pokdepinion: Damn, I knew MSI would go flashy for their MSI MEG Z690 ACE, but I wasn’t expecting 24K gold!
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HUAWEI’s SME Support Program Aims To Help Economic Recovery In APAC

HUAWEI has just launched their SME Support Program with trusted ecosystem partners in Asia Pacific. The program is to help deliver further technical support for economic recovery amid the fight against the pandemic in the region.
HUAWEI’s SME Support Program to help drive the economy

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) account for over 97 per cent of all business and employ over half of the workforce across APEC economies. According to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, they contribute significantly to economic development, with their share of GDP varying from 40% to 60% in most APEC economies.

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Businesses have been forced to accelerate their digital transformation and switch to the cloud one to three years ahead of schedule due to the pandemic. HUAWEI CLOUD is committed to strengthening the digital economy to facilitate long-term economic recovery and currently works with over 19,000 partners and 1.6 million developers.
Each qualifying SME applicant for the SME Support Program, which will be valid until December 31, 2021, will receive coupons worth up to USD3,000 (RM12406.50) and free professional consulting services. These include cutting-edge cloud solutions for a variety of industry scenarios including Financial Service, Education, E-commerce, Gaming, IoT, Application Development, and Enterprise Applications.

SMEs who have an account on the HUAWEI CLOUD official website but have never used a paid service can apply for help from cloud experts on the SME Support Program page. Applications will be evaluated based on the company’s cloud requirements and workload preparation for cloud deployment.
HUAWEI CLOUD currently offers over 220 services across categories including compute, storage, network, security, big data, AI, and IoT, as well as over 210 solutions for a wide range of industries. For more information on HUAWEI’s SME Support Program, do check out the official website here.
Pokdepinion: Really great initiative from HUAWEI. God knows how much boosting our economy needs after getting itself kicked in the nads by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Samsung Galaxy SmartTag+ Arrives In Malaysia At Promo Price Of RM109

The folks at Samsung Malaysia has today announce the latest and improved Samsung Galaxy SmartTag+ where it’s equipped with both Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and ultra-wideband (UWB) technology.
Samsung Galaxy SmartTag+

Thanks to its BLE and USB support, you can use AR (Augmented Reality) technology to find your missing item. The AR Finder guides you on your UWB-equipped smartphone that allows it to show you how far you are from your Galaxy SmartTag+ and points towards its direction. Once near enough, you choose the option for it to ring loudly for an easier time of finding it.

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It can be attached to everyday items such as a backpack, keychain, so you can find them even if you’ve misplaced them. By leveraging SmartThings Find’s detection capabilities, you can find tagged items even on a map or even it’s somewhere very far away from where you are. Samsung has said that all data in SmartThings Find is encrypted and protected, so the tag’s location isn’t revealed to anyone else but you.
In addition to that, the SmartTag+ and SmartTag can also act as remote controls. Through the SmartThings app, you can choose different function you would like your tag to complete when you press or hold down the tag button.
Samsung Malaysia is hosting a promotional campaign from now till the 30th of June 2021 where you can save up to 26% upon purchase of selected Galaxy SmartTag or Galaxy SmartTag.

Model
Colour
Price
Promo

Galaxy SmartTag+
– Denim Blue
– Black
RM149
RM109

Galaxy SmartTag
– Oatmeal
– Black
RM119
RM99

Galaxy SmartTag (2-pack)
– Oatmeal
– Black
RM209
RM159

You can get the Galaxy SmartTag+ and SmartTag at Samsung Malaysia Online Store. For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: It’s definitely something that you’d want to get if you’re someone who misplace items easily. Having one wouldn’t be enough I think. But the question is, would you spend money for the tags?
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MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ revealed with support for 144 Hz displays

I guess MediaTek missed the memo where Qualcomm isn’t releasing a Snapdragon 865+, and went ahead to make the Dimensity 1000+. The chipset is heavily based on the regular Dimensity 1000, with the main difference being added support for 144 Hz displays on top of the 120 Hz display support that the Dimensity 1000 already offers.

The support for faster refresh rates also come with a new MiraVision image quality engine that enhances SDR video to HDR 10+, improving the visual fidelity of visual content on Dimensity 1000+ smartphones. The feature set is further fleshed out with stuff like 5G network support which MediaTek supplements with their 5G UltraSave technology to deliver up to 32% lower power consumption.

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In addition to that, HyperEngine 2.0 adds smart tuning for the CPU and GPU performance, network optimizations and a number of other technologies to deliver an even better gaming experience. Aside from these newly added features, the Dimensity 1000+ is expected to be pretty similar to the Dimensity 1000 in terms of specifications, with four Cortex-A77 performance cores, four Cortex-A55 efficiency cores and a Mali-G77MP9 GPU.

The first smartphone to feature the new chipset is going to be the iQOO Z1, so we will most probably not see it on our shores. Even the Dimensity 1000 has yet to appear in Malaysia, so I wouldn’t keep my hopes up too high to see this chipset in a smartphone offered here officially.
Pokdepinion: MediaTek does make some solid chips now, but after the recent benchmark cheating fiasco I doubt many OEMs would pick them to power their flagships…
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HUAWEI P30 Specifications and Price for Malaysian Market

HUAWEI P30 Specifications for Malaysian Market

This is the official specifications and price of the HUAWEI P30 smartphone based on information obtained during the official launch event in Malaysia.

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CPU/Chipset:
Kirin 980 Octa-Core (2 x Cortex-A76 @ 2.6 GHz + 2 x Cortex-A76 @1.92 GHz + 4 x Cortex-A55 @ 1.8 GHz), 7nm

GPU:
Mali-G76 MP10

RAM:
Up to 8GB

Display:
6.1″ FHD+ (1080 x 2340) AMOLED display, 19:5:9 ratio, 422ppi

Storage:
128GB

Camera:
Main Camera(s)
40 MP, f/1.8, 27mm (wide), PDAF / Laser AF
20 MP, f/2.2, 16mm (ultrawide), PDAF / Laser AF
8 MP, f/2.4, 80mm (telephoto), 3x Optical Zoom, OIS, PDAF / Laser AF
Leica Triple Camera, LED flash, HDR, panorama, 2160p @ 30 FPS videos
Front Camera
32MP Selfie Camera

OS:
Android 9.0 Pie, EMUI 9.1

Connectivity:
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac dual band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz), Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE, EDR, aptX HD
USB-C

Audio:
Mono speakers
3.5mm jack with active noise cancelling

SIM:
Single SIM (Nano) or Dual SIM (Nano)

Battery:
3,650 mAh
Fast Charging

Colours:
Twilight, Black, Aurora, Breathing Crystal

HUAWEI P30 Price in Malaysia

The HUAWEI P30 will be available in Malaysia starting 6th April 2019 onwards. The retail price will be set at RM2,699 (6GB RAM + 128GB Internal). It will be available in Black, Aurora and Breathing Crystal. Every purchase of the HUAWEI P30 will come with a special wireless charging case to add wireless charging capabilities.
Early bird customers who pick up the HUAWEI P30 series will also be receiving the HUAWEI Backup, which is a nifty little backup drive that allows you to backup while you Fast Charge your smartphone.
There is a trade-in program by HUAWEI that will allow you to get one at a lower price. Click right here for details.
If you missed out on the official launch event for the smartphone, click right here.
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TNB To Offer Discounts For Electricity Bills For Six Months

In order to lessen the burden of the public during the Covid-19 outbreak, the Energy and Natural Resources Minister, Datuk Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah has said that electricity bills will be given discounts starting from April.
TNB offers electricity bill discount
The minister has said that the discounts were announced on the 27th of February, through the 2020 Stimulus Package, which is followed by the Economic Action Council by our Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
It seems that the government will be offering a 15% discount on electricity consumption, which will start from the 1st of April 2020 up until the 30th of September 2020 to six selected business sectors; hotel operators, travel and tourism agencies, shopping complexes, convention centres, theme parks, and as well as local airline offices.

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Adding to that, Datuk Dr Shamsul has also said that there’s a 2% discount for domestic electricity users.
Here’s what he had to say on it:
I am happy to inform you that the discount cost of the electric bill will be funded by the Government through the Electric Industry Fund for the Peninsula. For Sabah and Sarawak, the cost of discount will be borne by the Federal Government. Energy and Natural Resources Minister, Datuk Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah
He has also said that TNB and Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd will not cut electricity connection for those who are late in their bill payment, during the Movement Control Period.
Source
Pokdepinion: Definitely a nice gesture of them to help with the current condition. Let’s hope we all will abide to the law and stay in our homes.
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Star Wars Squadrons Unveiled And It Looks Impressive

EA has recently unveiled their new Star Wars game, Star Wars: Squadrons where it is set to be released this year.
Star Wars Squadrons

The game will feature space combat, offering a first-person view experience. If you’re wondering on the timeline of the game, it is set after the Return of The Jedi.
It appears that the game showcase several ships from the original trilogy film titles, in addition to Rogue One. In the game, you can make customizations to your ship by unlocking items,

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Star Wars Squadrons
You can expect both multiplayer and campaign modes to be made available in Star Wars Squadrons. Thankfully, the game will come with no loot box system.
Star Wars Squadrons is set to be released on PC, PS4, and Xbox One on the 2nd of October 2020 and it will support VR.
Source
Pokdepinion: After seeing the trailer, it does seem impressive. But as it is with other games, hopefully it’s not all just show and something worthy to play.
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[WWDC 2023] Highly-Anticipated 15-Inch MacBook Air Unveiled: Bigger and Better Than Ever

Exciting news for Apple enthusiasts and laptop aficionados – the MacBook Air is now available in a highly-anticipated 15-inch size. Building upon the success of its predecessor, the new MacBook Air boasts a stunning Retina display, powerful M2 chip, and a sleek design that will surely captivate users. Let’s dive into the details of this eagerly awaited release.
15-inch MacBook Air @ WWDC 2023

Apple has delivered yet again with a vibrant 15.3-inch Retina display that offers an impressive 500 nits of brightness and a wide color gamut of 1 billion colors. The thin bezels surrounding the screen measure just 5mm, providing an immersive viewing experience. Additionally, Apple has integrated a high-resolution 1080p camera, ensuring crystal-clear video calls and captures.

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The 15-inch MacBook Air is remarkably slim, measuring a mere 11.5mm in thickness. Weighing just 1.496kg, this portable powerhouse is designed to keep up with your on-the-go lifestyle. Apple offers it in four stylish colors – midnight, starlight, space gray, and silver – allowing users to choose a device that matches their personal style.
At the heart of the 15-inch MacBook Air lies the cutting-edge M2 chip, delivering exceptional performance for demanding tasks. Similar to its 13-inch counterpart, the M2 chip features an 8-core CPU (comprising 4 performance and 4 efficient cores), a 10-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. The base configuration comes with 8GB of unified memory, but users can configure their device with up to an impressive 24GB. Thanks to the efficiency of the M2 chip, it offers an astonishing battery life of up to 18 hours on a single charge, ensuring productivity throughout the day.

Apple’s MacBook Air sets a new benchmark for performance with impressive speed gains. According to Apple, the new 15-inch MacBook Air is 12 times faster than the “fastest Intel-based MacBook Air” and twice as fast as the “best-selling 15-inch PC laptop with a Core i7 processor.” This significant leap in speed will undoubtedly enhance productivity and elevate the user experience.
The MacBook Air 15-inch is equipped with two USB-C Thunderbolt ports, allowing for seamless connectivity with a range of devices and peripherals. Additionally, it features a MagSafe charging port for convenient and secure charging and a 3.5mm headphone jack for audio needs. With three high-quality microphones and six speakers, the MacBook Air delivers exceptional audio clarity for calls, recordings, and multimedia consumption.
Excited to get your hands on the 15-inch MacBook Air? You can place your order today, starting at RM6,199 / $1,299 (RM5,729 / $1,199 for education). Shipments are expected to begin next week, so you won’t have to wait long to experience the power and versatility of this remarkable device.
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Pokdepinion: The 15-inch MacBook Air represents a significant milestone in Apple’s lineup, catering to those who desire a larger display and uncompromising performance. With its stunning Retina display, powerful M2 chip, and sleek design, it is set to redefine the boundaries of portable computing. Whether you’re a creative professional, student, or everyday user, ikt offers a perfect blend of style, performance, and portability.
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HUAWEI teases a cool HUAWEI Mate 20X — a gaming variant of the HUAWEI Mate 20?

HUAWEI has teased the HUAWEI Mate 20 and HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro for quite some time on Twitter by now. They have used the #HUAWEIMate20 and #HUAWEIMate20Pro hashtags previously, but yesterday they used the #HUAWEIMate20X hashtag.

In the heat of battle, stay cool with #HUAWEIMate20X. 16.10.18 #HigherIntelligence #UltimatePerformance pic.twitter.com/bZeRKhnOC3
— Huawei Mobile (@HuaweiMobile) October 8, 2018

The teaser shows a device encased in ice, and some gaming footage where the screen is supposed to be. It’s pretty obvious that there will be a cooling system in place for the HUAWEI Mate 20X. Is HUAWEI getting ready to face the upcoming Razer Phone 2 and ROG Phone with a gaming phone of their own?
Considering that they have been pushing very hard on the GPU Turbo 2.0 front, as well as promising massive gains in the GPU area for the Kirin 980, this isn’t too farfetched at all. Coupled with what should be an excellent cooling system in the HUAWEI Mate 20X, HUAWEI might have an interesting contender in the gaming phone arena.

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What do you think? Should HUAWEI dilute their HUAWEI Mate series branding with a gaming device? Let us know!
Pokdepinion: The Mate series has always been touted as productivity-oriented devices… This move is definitely off tangent, at least to me.
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Get Ready For Shopee 12.12 Birthday Sale With Deals For All

It’s that time of the year again where Shopee host their 12.12 Birthday Sale. Shopee recently signed a MoU with the Ministry of Rural Development’s appointed ecommerce enabler, Elokal. Following its success, they are launching a new automotive specialty store, Desaauto. Staying in automotive, they’ve also reveal that you can get the Proton X70 from Proton’s official store on the platform, where they are offering RM2000 cashback voucher for the first 50 customers to purchase.

Shopee has prepared a host of promotions during the period, which begins today until 12 December 2019 that includes daily RM12 deals, free shipping with RM12 minimum spend and 12 million Shopee coins up for grabs on Shopee Catch.
They’ve revealed that users can now reload their mobile and pay their Astro, water, and electricity bills through the all-new Reloads, Vouchers, and Bills feature on the app. Thanks to their Birthday Sale, you stand a chance to earn limited time 10% coins cashback when you use the feature (limited to one time cashback per user).

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As usual, you can expect discounts and bargain during their 12.12 Birthday Sale. For more information, you can head to the link here.
Pokdepinion: I hope they got some deals for earbuds!
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