HONOR Week sees up to RM400 slashed off the latest smartphones!

HONOR is running a promotion from now until 1st March with impressive discounts on the latest HONOR smartphones. In addition to discounts, HONOR Malaysia is also throwing in freebies to make the deals during this HONOR Week even more irresistible.

You can now get the HONOR 20 at just RM1199, while the HONOR 20 Pro goes for just RM1599. That’s RM200 off the HONOR 20’s SRP and RM400 off the HONOR 20 Pro’s, but that’s not all. You will also be getting a free HONOR Band 5 Sport with your purchase of both the HONOR 20 or HONOR 20 Pro!

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Meanwhile if you are looking for more affordable options, the HONOR 8X is now at RM749, while the HONOR 9X is available at RM999. These two mid-range smartphones also come with their own set of freebies to sweeten the deal. There’s also the HONOR 8X Max at RM899 if you want a bigger screen, or the HONOR 20 Lite at RM749, if you want a more premium design.

Last but not least, the affordable HONOR Band 5 is now even more affordable at RM119, making it possibly the most affordable fitness band with a color OLED display in the market right now.

You can check out our reviews of the following devices:

HONOR 20
HONOR 20 Pro
HONOR 20 Lite
HONOR 9X
HONOR 8X
HONOR Band 5

Don’t miss out on these HONOR Week promotions if you are looking for a new smartphone!
Pokdepinion: The HONOR 20 Pro looks pretty sweet right now… Hmm.
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Black Shark 2 is finally launched in China — comes equipped with vapor chamber cooling and 3D touch display!

The Black Shark Helo was somewhat of a curious addition to the Black Shark lineup. It didn’t improve much on the Black Shark, unless you count RGBae as an upgrade, of course. If you are looking for a real upgrade from the original Black Shark Helo, then it would be the Black Shark 2, which sports the Snapdragon 855.

While it will definitely draw attention for featuring a Snapdragon 855 at a sub-RM2000 price point, the Black Shark 2 has plenty more under the hood to make it a throughbred gaming phone. For starters, it has a vapor chamber and heatpipe to quickly wick heat away from the chipset. Black Shark claims the cooling system increases the ability of the Black Shark 2 to maintain maximal frame rates by 800%, compared to designs without the overkill cooling system.

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If you decide that passively conducting the heat away from the processor into the chassis of the device isn’t good enough for you, there’s also a fan attachment that is sold separately. Black Shark promises that the fan attachment can lower the Black Shark 2’s temperatures by up to 5°C, which can be pretty helpful when you are caught in long and intense gaming sessions.

Aside from improving the performance, Black Shark also upped the ante with stereo front facing speakers flanking the 6.39″ FHD+ display which supports 108.9% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. The display on the Black Shark 2 here also touts the MEMC technology that its predecessor had, as well as Super HDR thanks to an independent image processing chip. Under the display is an optical fingerprint scanner.
The Black Shark 2 also sports some kind of 3D Touch-esque pressure-sensitive display, with a industry-leading response time for more fluid gaming. The pressure sensitivity is supposed to allow you to perform more actions simply by applying pressure onto the display. The following are the specifications of the Black Shark 2:
Black Shark 2

Snapdragon 855, octa-core up to 2.84 GHz, 7nm FinFET
Up to 12GB LPDDR4x dual channel RAM
256GB UFS 2.1 storage
6.39″ FHD+ AMOLED display, 108.9% DCI-P3, Super HDR, MEMC
48MP f/1.75 + 12MP f/2.2 rear camera
20MP f/2.0 4-in-1 selfie camera
4000 mAh battery (27W Quick Charge 4.0)
6GB + 128GB: RMB 3199 (~RM1944)
8GB + 128GB: RMB 3499 (~RM2126)
8GB + 256GB: RMB 3799 (~RM2308)
12GB + 256GB: RMB 4199 (~RM2551)

The Black Shark 2 is available in three colors, Icy Silver, Shadow Black and Mirage Blue. The Icy Silver variant is only offered for the 8GB + 256GB variant.
Pokdepinion: Hmm, I wonder if a pressure sensitivie display is a good replacement for AirTriggers…
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AMD Ryzen 7 4700GE benchmarks reveal impressive Infinity Fabric clocks

The AMD Renoir-based desktop processors are probably some of the most anticipated chips. And the recently leaked AMD Ryzen 7 4700GE benchmarks seem to hint that even if you aren’t interested in the integrated GPU in the AMD Ryzen 4000 APUs, there might be a pretty good reason to get them. Their Infinity Fabric appear to be more robust and can clock higher than what the current AMD Matisse processors are capable of.
The GE suffix indicates that the AMD Ryzen 7 4700GE is going to be a low TDP part, which is slated to be 35W. But that apparently isn’t going to matter because the leaked benchmarks show off an impressive 2166 MHz Infinity Fabric clock or FCLK, and an equally exciting memory latency of just 47.6ns. For comparison sake, the current-gen Zen 2-based AMD Ryzen 3000 processors generally top out at around 1900 MHz FCLK and a latency of above 60ns.

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TecLab, which released these benchmark figures went on to mention that the AMD Renoir APUs can achieve a FCLK of around 2200 MHz. This will allow for higher memory speeds of up to 4400 MHz without sacrificing on FCLK speed and memory latency. And as we know, the integrated graphics will benefit from faster memory, and thus deliver better performance.

The optimization coming from AMD Matisse into Renoir appears to have been quite fruitful. However it is worth noting that memory that is capable of running at 4400 MHz is not going to be cheap, and will be quite unlikely to be paired with the Ryzen 4000 APUs. Hopefully, the Zen 3-based AMD Ryzen 4000 CPUs will offer similar gains.
Source
Pokdepinion: I wonder if memory overclockers will prefer Renoir over Vermeer.
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Setel Introduces e-Wallet Sharing Solution With Setel Share

Do you use Setel for your fuel purchases? Well the company has today announced of Setel Share, the first eWallet sharing feature in the country that allows you to pay for your loved ones fuel through the Setel app at PETRONAS stations nationwide.
Setel Share feature

Users can create a Setel Share group and invite up to two other members to pay from the same e-wallet balance. Owners of the group have full control to safely track and monitor any refueling expenses by the members.

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Aside from that, the feature will allow users to rack up Mesra points in one account without having the hassle of passing a physical card around that can be used to unlock more rewards.
Should it be needed, the group owner can set or remove the group members at any time and get real-time notification for any transaction made through the Setel Share wallet.
Not to forget, from now till the 31st of December 2021, Setel welcomes users to unlock badges to unlock even more rewards and bonus credit of up to RM50,000 upon successful referrals.
The Setel app is available for both Android and iOS devices through the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: It certainly is a welcoming feature to have if you share among others for fueling purposes. It’s way better than to have a physical passed around to get those bonuses.
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YES First In Malaysia To Launch 5G Services

The folks at YTL Communications has today announce that their YES telecommunications services will be launching 5G services in selected markets in the country, starting from today. This would make them the first Malaysian telco to do so.
YES launches 5G services in Malaysia

The company has prepped up both prepaid and postpaid 5G packages. With the launch, they are launching a series of special 5G plan that includes unlimited 5G access until the 1st of April 2022. Customers who sign up to any of the plans will be able to experience the fifth and latest generation of mobile technology, offering higher speeds, reliable coverage, reduced latency, with a supported 5G phone of course.

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If you are interested in signing up for their 5G plans, here’s how to:

Sign up to a YES FT5G Plan here, from an authorized dealer, or 163 MyNews Outlets across KL, Putrajaya, and Cyberjaya
If your smartphone supports 5G, activate the SIM through the MyYes App and insert the SIM into the phone to instantly experience 5G. If you are outside of 5G coverage, YES’ 4G network will be utilized instead

At the moment, 5G coverage areas include Putrajaya, Cyberjaya, and parts of Kuala Lumpur City Centre, with plans to expand to the whole of Klang Valley by end-2022.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: I wonder when will the rest of the telcos follow suit. Too bad the coverage is really specific at the moment. I guess the rest of the country needs to wait a little bit longer to enjoy 5G coverage.
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ASUS Chromebook Flip C434T Review

As Windows and Mac continue to be the mainstream Operating Systems (OS) of the computing world, alternative OSs like Linux and Chrome OS do have their own following, albeit being somewhat niche. These OSes’ functions and support may not be as complete as the mainstream, but they are gradually improving to be able to function as a daily driver for some.
Today we’ll be looking at the ASUS Chromebook Flip C434T, a Chromebook that is a rarity among its likes, as everything about this ChromeBook is built with a touch of premium. It is a breath of fresh air since other than a distinctive few, Chromebooks are entry-level notebooks that leave a lot to be desired.
Overview

Shod in a sleek aluminum casing, the ASUS Chromebook Flip C434T is a pleasant sight to behold. On the other side of the lid, the display is trapped behind glass and is an excellent complementary to the silver aluminum shell.

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What is interesting is the 14″ display that is packed into this laptop. The overall laptop size resembles a 13″ laptop, and it is due to the beautiful thin bezel that ASUS managed to squeeze a 14″ display into. What is remarkable is that many of the more affordable laptops are marketed with “Ultra-Thin Bezel,” but more often than not, they aren’t much slimmer than regular ones. The thin bezels you are seeing here is really thin by my standards.

The touch screen is a welcome sight since Chromebook accommodate Android apps. While most apps work well with keyboard and touchpad, some still need the touch screen. Most of these are games, such as PUBG Mobile that requires touch screen to play, although why are you playing PUBG Mobile on a 14″ laptop is beyond us.
Squeezing a big display in a small casing does have its trade offs. Add that on to its premium built, the ASUS Chromebook Flip C434T is a tad heavy to carry. Just shy of 1.5kg, it is an unusual weight for a laptop this size, but nonetheless compared to a conventional laptop, the ASUS Chromebook C434T is definitely lighter to carry around.
The Chromebook Flip C434T charges via USB-C
When it comes to I/Os, there is quite the assortment here. You get a USB Type-A, two USB Type-Cs, one audio combo jack, and a MicroSD slot. Despite the thin profile of the laptop, we appreciate that ASUS still managed to include a USB Type-A port, as most peripherals still rely on that. I am a little bit concerned about the absence of a HDMI-out port though, as without it, the laptop is unable to connect to external monitors or projectors, limiting its potential as a business laptop. Then again, modern projectors and TV nowadays often come with wireless casting function, and the USB Type-C slot allows for HDMI converters or extenders. Not to mention the fact that the number of displays supporting USB-C input are actually growing. An interesting addition to the features list is the presence of a volume rocker, a common sight on smartphones, reminding us that the Chromebook transcended from Android.
Specifications
CPUIntel Core m3 8100Y @ 1.1 GHz (up to 3.4 GHz Boost), 2C/4T, 14nm++RAM4GB LPDDR3 onboardGPUIntel UHD Graphics 615Storage64GB eMMCSoftwareChrome OSConnectivityWiFi 5 (802.11ac)Bluetooth 4.02 x USB-C (USB 3.0)1 x USB 3.01 x microSD card slotDisplay14″ FHD, NanoEdge slim bezel, 87% screen-to-body ratio100% sRGB gamutAudioStereo speakers1 x 3.5mm combo jackPower45W power adapter, Type-C48 WHr 3-cell Li-Ion batteryDimensions321 x 202 x 15.7 mmWeight1.45 kg

Compared against some of the laptops we have seen, this might not the grandest of components out there, but bear in mind, Chrome OS is not a hardware intensive OS, and it relies more on smartphone apps to get it running. Hence this package has more than what it needs to function smoothly.
User Experience

The first thing to address here is the gorgeous display. Covering 100% of the sRGB gamut, it is a joy to look at this display as the display’s colors are sufficiently vivid to make watching movies on the Chromebook C434T a real joy.

In the audio department, the speakers churn out the audio facing downwards but it sounds surprisingly well. The audio is crisp and clear, and has an audible presence of bass in it, bringing appeal to music played on the Chromebook Flip. I did enjoy listening to music with this laptop, more than I expected I would. In essence, I did not expect this level of audio quality on a laptop within this price range, let alone on a Chromebook.

The keyboard is full-sized with half-height arrow keys. It is sufficiently tactile and has a good amount of travel The typing experience is pleasant enough for long hours typing without feeling fatigued. All in all, this is a keyboard that you would want on a companion like a Chromebook.

Following the typing experience, the great user experience also extends to the touchpad. The touchpad area is wider than usual, which is always welcome. Bigger is better, especially when it comes to touchpads. ASUS equipped it with palm rejection, which I found it a blessing since I have pretty big hands. Needless to say, palm rejection worked well enough here for me to enjoy using the Chromebook Flip.
Battery life is just great on the Chromebook Flip. It is rare for me to come across a laptop that can give me more than 9 hours of continuous usage. I brought it out for a full day, meeting clients, showing PowerPoint presentations, with some typing thrown in between. I see myself ending the day with 30% battery on most days, which is really impressive in my book.
You can run Android apps!
Finally, I would like to address Chrome OS, in comparison to my initial experience with it a few years back. What used to be an odd idea from Google is now a highly refined operating system. The synergy in moving between Android and Chrome OS is phenomenal, and if you came from the Android OS, you would feel right at home after a few clicks.
Asus Chromebook flip or no flip? Conclusion
ASUS has built a solid machine that compliments the OS well. Great keyboard for an excellent typing experience, a beautiful screen for enjoying content on, phenomenal battery life courtesy of Chrome OS and the efficient hardware, all these in a gorgeous all-aluminium casing, this would be our idea of a definitive Chromebook.

It is however on the pricier side of things at RM2499, cementing its position as a premium Chromebook. With many good Windows laptops from ASUS themselves also vying the same price segment, you really need to ask yourself… Do you need a premium Chromebook? If you do, the Chromebook Flip C434T is an excellent choice.

Our thanks to ASUS Malaysia for providing us the ASUS Chromebook Flip C434T for us to test!
Also, check out our guide on how to install Linux’s Steam on Chromebook so you can access more games on Chromebook!
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OnePlus 9 series confirmed to feature Hasselblad-branded camera

OnePlus has officially announced their 3-year partnership with Hasselblad to produce the next generation of cameras for their upcoming OnePlus flagships. The first device from them to feature Hasselblad’s touch will be the OnePlus 9 series, which is launching later this month.
They even have a fancy new name for the camera system that features Hasselblad’s input — Hasselblad Camera for Mobile. For now, they are starting off with color tuning and sensor calibration, although there are plans to expand their partnership to encompass more aspects of the camera experience.
OnePlus and Hasselblad has reportedly jointly developed Natural Color Calibration with Hasselblad which is supposed to deliver more accurate and natural looking photos. There’s also going to be the new Hasselblad Pro Mode that is supposed to provide new levels of controls for pro photographers.

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OnePlus will not be the first Chinese smartphone brand to partner up with a camera maker to bring a better imaging experience to their devices. However unlike HUAWEI and Leica’s partnership which saw the two companies collaborate on both the hardware and software aspects of the cameras in the HUAWEI P series and HUAWEI Mate series flagships, OnePlus will apparently mainly focus on the software front with Hasselblad for the OnePlus 9.
Speaking of which, on the hardware end, the OnePlus 9 series will sport the custom Sony IMX789 sensor which will provide for 12-bit RAW images to really take advantage of the Hasselblad Pro Mode. If you are interested, stay tuned for the OnePlus 9 series launch this 23rd March.
Pokdepinion: I am pretty sure this partnership will be used to justify the increasingly exorbitant price tags of the OnePlus flagships…
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ASUS ZenBook Pro 15 (UX580G) review — two screens are better than one

Introduction

The ASUS ZenBook series of laptops are stylish laptops designed for a more mature audience. The ASUS ZenBook Pro 15 was launched back at Computex 2018, and our editor-in-chief who saw the laptop firsthand back then was really impressed by the second screen, or ScreenPad. The ScreenPad is definitely the highlight feature here, but the ASUS ZenBook Pro 15 still has plenty to offer.
Unboxing

ASUS decided to include a USB-to-Ethernet adapter and a velcro cable tie, befitting of its professional inclinations. We wish the laptop came with a sleeve though, but it didn’t. Surprisingly, the more affordable ZenBook 13 came with one, but this doesn’t.
Appearance

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ASUS has always stuck by their Zen-inspired concentric circle pattern, inspired by water ripples. Somehow the design looks timeless regardless of how many times they reuse the theme The ASUS ZenBook Pro 15’s pattern is a bit subtler than what we have seen before, with finer gaps between the lines.

The attention detail is pretty clear here. The rose-gold chamfered edge runs along the lower half in a nice small highlight. The little cleft to make it easier for you to open the laptop with one hand is also home to the status LEDs. And ASUS didn’t just drill a hole there and call it a day, they designed a four-hole aperture for the LEDs. Looks like a four-leaf clover, and hopefully will bring you good luck as well.

Over here we have a HDMI port, 2 Type-C USB 3.1 Gen2 ports with Thunderbolt 3 throughput, a HDMI jack and a power connector. I wish ASUS went with a Type-C charging port for a more modern look overall, but I guess that was not to be.

The keyboard here is a full-sized keyboard, but it lacks a numpad. A curious decision despite this being a 15″ laptop. The slim screen bezels are offset by the thick frame around the keyboard. The palm rests feature in a spectacular brushed metal finish that also catches light in a very interesting way. They could definitely cram a numpad in there, but perhaps to make sure it looks awesome, they decided against it. Besides, the ScreenPad can work as a numpad too, so technically you aren’t losing out on much?
Specifications

CPU
Intel Core i7-8750H @ 2.2 GHz (up to 4.1 GHz Turbo Boost)

RAM
16GB 2400 MHz DDR4 (dual channel, soldered)

GPU
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB GDDR5

Storage
1TB Samsung PM981 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe SSD

Software
Microsoft Windows 10 Home
ASUS SonicMaster
ASUS Splendid
ASUS BatteryHealthCharging
ScreenPad stuff

Connectivity
Gigabit Ethernet
802.11ac Gigabit WiFi (up to 1.7 Gbps)
Bluetooth 5.0
2 x USB 3.1 (Gen2)
2 x USB Type-C (USB 3.1 Gen2) Thunderbolt 3
microSD card reader

Display
Primary: 15.6″ 4K (3840 x 2160), 100% Adobe RGB color gamut, PANTONE validated, Delta E <2, 83% screen-to-body ratio, touchscreen
ScreenPad: 5.5″ FHD Super IPS+ display, anti-fingerprint anti-smudge glass cover, precision touchpad (PTP) supporting four-finger gestures
1 x HDMI 1.4

Audio
ASUS SonicMaster stereo audio system, smart amplifier
Harman Kardon-certified audio
1 x 3.5mm combo jack

Power
150W power adapter
71 Wh battery 8-cell battery

Dimensions
365 x 241 x 1.89 mm

Weight
1.88 kg

It is quite clearly designed for professionals with that prime example of a screen, two Thunderbolt 3 ports capable of handling a 4K 60Hz display each or an external GPU and unique ScreenPad features. The onboard RAM is rather unfortunate, closing the doors to upgrades later in the ASUS ZenBook Pro 15’s life. 16GB may seem sufficient now, but throw in Lightroom, 10+ tabs of Chrome, Photoshop and maybe some other productivity apps in the background and you will suddenly find yourself with limited breathing room. The lack of support for a 2.5″ drive also cuts off affordable options when it comes to upgrading your storage.
Performance

The storage performs up to expectations. There really isn’t anything more you can ask for. Except maybe two SSDs in RAID 0?

The CPU performance in the ASUS ZenBook Pro 15 is lower than what we saw in the ROG Strix SCAR II (GL504GS). The latter is actually 15.5% faster. Checking the thermals we see that it actually spikes to around 95°C, resulting in the ASUS ZenBook Pro 15 slowing down to around 3300 MHz ~ 3400 MHz even during the very short multi-core CPU rendering run.

The performance figures here are not too great, because both the CPU and GPU throttle down during heavy loads, the latter not as severely as the former. The CPU actually goes down below the 2.2 GHz base clock, which is bad. CPU temps hit 98°C, while the GPU hit 88°C.

The reason is probably because of the obscured vents. You can barely see the vents peeking out from under the back panel, and the hot air expelled from the vents are blocked from rising upwards between the screen and chassis, but are forced out through a gap which further shrinks when you open the laptop. There aren’t even vents on the bottom, thus further worsening the situation. The design might have been capable of handling the Intel Core U CPUs, but it doesn’t cut it here. The hot air is channeled towards the lid, which warms up drastically during the taxing benchmarks.
On the upside, battery life is good enough. 30 minutes of YouTube videos only shaved off 10% of the battery, which means you should be able to get more than four hours of YouTube videos out of the ASUS ZenBook Pro 15. If you were to work on spreadsheets and text documents, you should be able to get even more hours before needing a recharge.
User Experience

Portable performance is probably one of the ASUS ZenBook Pro 15’s main selling points. While it isn’t nearly as light as the ZenBook 13, anything below 2kg is good enough in my books. It also packs a lot of horsepower in this aluminium unibody. ASUS also solves any issue with security when working on the go. The fingerprint sensor here helps to keep the ASUS ZenBook Pro 15 secure without going through the hassle of keying in your PIN or password. It’s fast, it’s secure, and it helps me get back to work ASAP. Great stuff.

I can’t say that I am an expert at display quality, but this display is really nice to look at. The sharpness is just insane, with a PPI of 282. The Delta E <2 value means that the colors here are calibrated for accuracy. And since these are certified by the leading authority on colors, Pantone, you are assured that you will be editing your photos and videos on one of the best displays you can get. Oh and did I mention that it is a touchscreen that works with active styli? It does, but I didn’t have an active stylus with me to test it out.

The keyboard features 1.5mm of travel, which feels decent enough even for an avid mechanical keyboard user like myself. The keys also have a slight curve, for a slightly more ergonomic experience. Unfortunately the keys are rather mushy, which detracts from the premium appeal of the ASUS ZenBook Pro 15.
Sound quality from the downward-firing speakers are pretty decent. They sound punchier and livelier than I would expect from the average laptop, and I enjoyed some YouTube videos in my hotel room back in Taiwan with no issue.
Closer look at the ScreenPad

The best part of the ASUS ZenBook Pro 15? You get not just one, but TWO displays! The second ScreenPad display is really quite interesting. ASUS made the trackpad a display, serving multiple functions aside from being a very good trackpad. It’s actually a 5.5″ FHD SuperIPS+ display, probably the very same one in the ZenFone 3. Luckily ASUS was wise enough to use a matte glass cover to prevent fingerprints and smudges from messing up the second display.

The ScreenPad works for multiple modes. It can be a second display, media controller, a numpad, a calculator, or a wide variety of other things including turning off the display to use it as a good ol’ trackpad. The downside here is that it loses its function as a trackpad as soon as you fire up any of the other modes, which sort of defeats the purpose especially when it doubles as a numpad. And for some reason, there is a NumLock button in the numpad mode, which just disables the entire numpad without giving me back my touchpad feature. I have literally no idea why it’s there.

Now it works great in most of the modes I have tried, but when you use it as a second display, one very interesting issue crops up. It still works like a touchpad. Considering that both the displays are touch sensitive, I believe it would be more intuitive to allow the ScreenPad to work as a touchscreen when it’s in the Screen Extension mode. It’s really off-putting to see the cursor move around faster than your finger’s motion under your finger, because it’s still working as a touchpad. On the bright side, it works like a touchpad regardless, so you won’t lose the ability to move your cursor for finer movements. Apparently you will get to choose in a later update, but I haven’t seen the feature anywhere yet.

Aside from using it as a second display, a feature that I found really interesting was the ability to use the second screen as your smartphone. While there are applications out there that offer this, no other laptop out there has a second screen that allows you to keep your smartphone’s view off your primary screen. It’s actually a pretty cool way to boost productivity, without having to check your smartphone every few minutes for notifications, because you can turn the whole ScreenPad into a notification shade.
Conclusion
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 15 costs a pretty penny with its SRP of RM8899. While you may wonder why should you get this over just about any gaming laptop out there that offers the same innards as this laptop, the answer is pretty simple. The ASUS ZenBook Pro is more than just a laptop with powerful hardware. The ScreenPad brings with it possibilities that would need more than just the short time I had with the ASUS ZenBook Pro 15 to fully explore. While I usually just watch YouTube on the second screen while I work, with the ASUS ZenBook Pro 15 I did not have to sacrifice precious display area on my primary screen. This is just not possible with other, conventional laptops. That’s before you fire up any of the ScreenPad apps. The calculator is pretty cool, for one. or the ASUS Sync feature.
If you want to enjoy the ScreenPad and color-accurate 4K display, but can’t afford to fork out nearly RM9000 for it, you can opt for a slightly more affordable variant with a GeForce GTX 1050, and also half the storage and RAM at RM5999. With the non-upgradeable RAM, you might want to give it a hard thought first though. Or, you can also step it up a notch and get the RM10999 variant which features a Core i9 8950HK instead of the Core i7 8750H in the unit we tested here.
ASUS could definitely still do more work on the ScreenPad, but it is already way ahead of most other brands at the moment. ASUS could also do better with the cooling, and we believe just removing the flap blocking the airflow upwards would have done wonders to improve the cooling. As it stands, we would give it the Silver Pokdeward. ASUS has to work on the cooling before we can give it our highest accolade.

Our thanks to ASUS Malaysia for provisioning the ASUS ZenBook Pro (UX580G) used in the review.
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NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q may only deliver performance equivalent to a desktop GeForce RTX 2060

NVIDIA’s latest GeForce RTX graphics cards are pretty impressive on the desktop, but it seems that cramming them into laptops is quite a challenging task. Well given that the reference GeForce RTX 2080 sports a 215W TDP, downclocking would have been necessary to fit it into a laptop’s constraints, especially the thin-and-light models. But this might be a bit too much.

The GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q for laptops may come with a base clock of 735 MHz, less than half of the reference GeForce RTX 2080‘s 1515 MHz. Now it’s worth reminding that NVIDIA’s graphics cards rarely ever run at base clocks, but that’s quite a serious step down from the desktop variant. For comparison sake, the GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q‘s base clock is only 31% slower than the desktop GeForce GTX 1080.

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What this means is that getting a laptop with a GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q is no guarantee that you will be getting enjoying excellent gaming performance. The GeForce RTX 2080 for laptops can deliver anything from 37T RTX-OPS to 53T RTX-OPS. A desktop GeForce RTX 2060 is capable of delivering 37T RTX OPS, so your fancy high-end new laptop with a GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q may only be offering you performance on par with a desktop GeForce RTX 2060. Doesn’t sound too good at all, does it?

Of course, this is a worst case scenario. Most manufacturers will probably over-engineer the cooling in their laptops, allowing to enjoy higher boost clocks and thus more performance. Or if you desire the most performance from your gaming laptop, get one with a GeForce RTX 2080, sans Max-Q. That should give you much better performance, as those will be packed into more performance-oriented designs.
NVIDIA has specified pretty conservative figures for their whole lineup of GeForce RTX GPUs for laptops. Gamers who want to enjoy the maximum graphical fidelity should probably still stick to desktops. It’s quite surprising to see NVIDIA do this after the Pascal architecture closing the gap between laptops and desktops.
Pokdepinion: Well it surely would suck to get a high-end gaming laptop only to find it delivers performance on par with an entry-level GeForce RTX GPU.
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HONOR X10 5G Introduced With Kirin 820 And 40MP Triple Camera

HONOR has recently unveiled their first 5G smartphone in the form of the HONOR X10 5G which comes with several interesting features.
HONOR X10 5G

The HONOR X10 5G was launched in China and it comes with a Kirin 820 chipset and 4300mAh battery under the hood to power it up. It also comes with a 22.5W fast charger.
For the display, it sports a 6.63-inch Full HD+ display. As you can see from the picture, it comes with a popup camera, which is a 16MP lens. Over at the back, it comes with a triple camera setup; 40MP main camera, 8MP ultrawide as well as a 2MP macro camera. To boast, it comes with AIS Super Night Mode, 3D Portrait Lighting Effect, and 960fps Slow Mo recording (video).

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The HONOR X10 5G is priced from CNY1,899 (~RM1,163) for the 6GB+64GB variant and can go up to CNY2,399 (~RM1,470) for the 8GB+128GB version. There’s no announcement of a global release but rest assured that we’ll update the post once it becomes available.
Source
Pokdepinion: Seeing how impressed we were with the HONOR 9X Pro and HUAWEI nova 7i which are both powered by the previous Kirin 810, I’m definitely excited to see how this one will perform. Hopefully it’ll make its way here to Malaysia.

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Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Pre-orders Now Open In Malaysia

The folks at Microsoft has recently announced that they’ve opened the pre-orders for the new Surface Pro 8, where you can get some free goodies with your purchase.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 pre-order

The pre-order starts today where the price starts from RM4,950 and it comes with 11th Gen Intel Core processors built on the Intel Evo platform. Coming with two Thunderbolt 4 ports, the company has said that the laptop offers up to 16 hours of battery life.

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It sports a 13-inch PixelSense touchscreen with Adaptive Color Technology and Dolby Vision support. On the front is a 5MP camera. As for the back, it comes with a 10MP-4K camera instead.
There’s Dolby Atmos sound as well as dual far-field Studio Mics ensuring better audio quality. Aside from that, there’s the kickstand, detachable Surface Pro Signature Keyboard, and new Surface Slim Pen 2 to elevate your experience even further. Not to forget that the Surface Pro 8 supports up to 120Hz refresh rate.
The Surface Pro 8 will be available to the public on the 15th of February 2021 where pre-orders will get your hands on a free Surface Pro Signature Keyboard and additional free gifts worth up to RM1,499 from authorized resellers.
In terms of variants, it starts with Intel Core 5 until Intel Evo Core i7, with the RAM coming in at 8GB till 16GB and up to 512GB SSD storage. In case you’re wondering, the highest end model costs RM8,750.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net
.Pokdepinion: Well if you are indeed planning on getting one, it’d be wise to purchase them under the pre-order deal so that you can get those freebies.
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Official Xbox Games with Gold December 2017; Free Games for Xbox One

The official Xbox Games with Gold December 2017 free games lineup is finally here. Wondering what’s included this time? Here’s everything you need to know.
Official Xbox Games with Gold December 2017

Microsoft just announced the official free games lineup for Xbox Games with Gold December 2017 via the blog of Xbox Live Director of Programming Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb. For the month of December, Xbox Live Gold members will receive 4 new free games, 2 on Xbox One and 2 on Xbox 360, as part of the Games with Gold program. You can play both Xbox 360 titles on your Xbox One with Backward Compatibility.
On Xbox One, Xbox Live Gold members can download Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide (retailing for USD $39.99) for free during the month of December. Back to the Future: The Game – 30th Anniversary Edition (retailing for USD $19.99) will be available as a free download from December 16th 2017 to January 15th 2018.

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On Xbox 360 starting December 1st 2017, Child of Eden (retailing for USD $29.99) will be free for Xbox Live Gold members through December 15th 2017. Then on December 16th, Xbox Live Gold Members can download Marlow Briggs and the Mask of the Death (retailing for USD $14.99) for free through December 31st 2017.
As usual, both Xbox 360 games will be playable on Xbox One and Xbox One X via backwards compatibility so no worries, you will be able to play them. And that’s the Xbox Games with Gold December 2017 official free games lineup.
Since we’re still in November (at the time of this writing and hopefully when you’re reading this), if you’re a subscriber you can still grab the titles for this month, so you shouldn’t forget to do so before they get phased out.

Pokdepinion: Well, last month’s one was better but I’m not complaining. A free game is a free game, and the Xbox Gold membership is still worth the value it provides. Hope you enjoy the Xbox Games with Gold December 2017 free games lineup as it’s the last one for the year. It would be nice to end 2017 with a bang.
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Razer Updates Its Desktop Speaker Family With Nommo V2 Line

Razer today brings the Nommo speakers into the second generation with three new Nommo V2 models: the Nommo V2 X, Nommo V2 and Nommo V2 Pro. The Nommo V2 Pro features, as Razer claims, “the world’s first PC gaming speaker system to feature a wireless down-firing subwoofer”. The left and right channels feature 3-inch full-range drivers with aluminum phase plugs responsible for audio clarity.

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The speakers, which are THX certified will come with THX Game Profiles that provide pre-tuned EQs for specific games, such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, with more supported titles down the line. Also new is the Wireless Control Pod – a separate Bluetooth-connected control surface for volume and playback controls, this device will come in-box with Nommo V2 Pro and available as an optional accessory for Nommo V2 and V2 X.
The standard Nommo V2 will feature the same 2.1 speaker setup, albeit the subwoofer will remain wired instead of wireless; meanwhile, the entry-level Nommo V2 X will only feature two channels themselves, with no RGB lighting present.
The local pricing for the Razer Nommo V2 lineup are as follows:
Nommo V2 Pro – RM2,309
Nommo V2 – RM1,399
Nommo V2 X – RM859
All three months are set to launch in June, with the Wireless Control Pod launching in August this year (local pricing information unavailable as of this writing).
Pokdepinion: From what I can tell the physical appearance is just about the same, just better internals.
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The Xiaomi Mi 9 is now official — Snapdragon 855, 8GB RAM and three cameras for less than RM2000!

When the tech scene was buzzing about how the Xiaomi Mi 9 will overshadow the Samsung Galaxy S10, we were somewhat skeptical. While they still have some way to go before they can compete on the same level in terms of features, the Xiaomi Mi 9 may just be the bane of the Galaxy S10 series with its sheer value for money though.

The Xiaomi Mi 9 has just been launched, with pricing ranging from just RMB 2999 (~RM1820) to RMB 3999 (~RM2421). The highlight specifications have already been revealed well before the launch so there probably isn’t much left to see on that end. But if you want to see, you can see it here:

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Key Xiaomi Mi 9 Specifications

Snapdragon 855, octa-core up to 2.84 GHz, 7nm FinFET
Up to 12GB RAM
Up to 256GB storage
6.39″ FHD+ AMOLED display
48MP f/1.75 Sony IMX586 + 16MP f/2.2 wide angle + 12MP f/2.2 telephoto
20MP f/2.0 selfie camera
MIUI 10 based on Android 9 Pie
3300 mAh battery, 27W Charge Turbo, 20W Wireless Charging
6 + 128GB: RMB 2999 (~RM1820)
8 + 128GB: RMB 3299 (~RM1998)
12 + 256GB: RMB 3999 (~RM2421)

Xiaomi packed the Xiaomi Mi 9 with all the best hardware they can muster, including the fastest wireless charging we have seen. The triple camera is also very impressive, and might actually outperform the Mate 20 Pro with the zoom camera being of a higher resolution than the Mate 20 Pro. It does however lack any IP rating, so no dunking in the pool with the Mi 9.

The Xiaomi Mi 9 will be available in Piano Black, Lavender Violet and Ocean Blue, with the 12GB+ 256GB Transparent Edition available exclusively in China.
What do you think of the Xiaomi Mi 9? Seems like an interesting purchase for those who need the latest chipset in a beautiful package, without a horrifying price tag.
Pokdepinion: Well, it wasn’t as affordable as we thought, but it is still amazing value!
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Nokia Now Offering A New Trade-in Program — Nokia 8110 And Nokia 3.1 On Offer

Nokia Mobile Malaysia has announced of a new trade-in promo that’s already running from now till the 15th of November 2019 at selected Nokia authorized stores.
If you wish to get the Nokia 8110 at the promo price of RM199, you can simply trade-in any Nokia feature phone.
On the other hand, you can trade-in any smartphone to get a Nokia 3.1 for just RM299.

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To be eligible for this trade-in, you just need to make sure that the phones that you are giving are in working order.
For more details on the promo, you can check out the Nokia Mobile Malaysia Facebook page.
Just recently we’ve reviewed the Nokia 7.2, you can check that out right here.
Pokdepinion: Seems simple enough. You just need to make sure your device is working fine and you’re good to go.
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HP Inc. Malaysia Supplies 8,000 Laptops To Students In Johor

Just recently, the folks at HP Inc. Malaysia supplied 8,000 laptops and assorted accessories to the Johor State Education, Information, Heritage and Culture Committee.
HP supplies 8,000 laptops to Johor students

The laptops will be distributed to B40 Johorean students who will be sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) exams next year. The Chief Minister of Johor, Yang Amat Berhormat Dato’ Haji Hasni Bin Mohammad was present to deliver the devices to the Johor State Education, Information, Heritage and Culture Committee Chairman, Yang Berhormat Haji Mazlan Bujang at the handover ceremony together with HP Inc. Malaysia’s Managing Director, Alex Tan.

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Students will receive a HP ProBook 440 G8 laptop which comes bundled with a HP laptop bag, a pocket Wi-Fi dongle, and a SanDisk USB flash drive to help students stay on track with their studies.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: Not everyone has access to laptops or even a PC, so it’s nice to see that they’re getting help here from HP. Kudos to them for offering their help.
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CUBOT X18 Plus available exclusively on Gearbest — FHD+ 18:9 display for less than $80!

If you are in the market for an affordable 18:9 smartphone, you might want to check out this device here. The CUBOT X18 Plus won’t set any benchmark records, but if its a modern design you want, this one right here should satisfy you.

The chipset under the hood is a Mediatek MT6750T octa-core SoC, mated to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The battery is pretty big at 4000 mAh for all day long battery life. Top that off with Android 8.0 Oreo and you get the latest optimizations to squeeze as much as you can out of the hardware.

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On the imaging front, you will be getting a 13MP front camera and a 20MP + 2MP rear dual camera system. The rear cameras work together to deliver bokeh effects. Also on the back is fingerprint sensor, which CUBOT claims to unlock the device in a mere 0.1 seconds.

CPU/Chipset:
MediaTek MT6750T (4 x ARM Cortex A53 @ 1.5 GHz + 4 x ARM Cortex A53 @ 1.0 GHz)

GPU:
Mali-T860 MP2 @ 650 MHz

RAM:
4GB

Display:
5.99″ FHD+ (2160 x 1080) 18:9 display, 90% NTSC coverage

Storage:
64GB (expandable with microSD up to 128GB)

Camera:
Main Camera(s)
20MP + 2MP, AF, f/2.0 5P optics, 1A LED flash
Front Camera
13MP, fixed focus, 4P lens

OS:
Android 8.0 Oreo

Connectivity:
Wi-Fi 802.11 /b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0

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

Battery:
Li-ion 40000 mAh (non-removable)

All that costs just $129.99 (~RM507.73) on usual days. However, Gearbest is throwing a promotion right now, so you can get the CUBOT X18 Plus for even less, at just $79.99 (~RM312.41). The catch? You have to be the first 10 buyers at 9.00 AM UTC (5.00 PM Malaysian time). The promotion is valid until 9th March 2018, so if you are still deciding, make up your mind quickly. To get in on this promotion, just click on the button below:

Pokdepinion: The Mediatek MT6750T chipset may not be the best, but it should do well to power this entry-level device. At least the screen here features a higher resolution than the one in the ZenFone Max Plus M1.
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EK QuantumX Delta TEC water block is perfect to take the Intel Core i9-10900K to its limits

EK partnered up with Intel to release the EK QuantumX Delta TEC waterblock, a LGA1200-only waterblock that combines a waterblock with thermoelectric cooling (TEC) for sub-ambient cooling for your CPU. Intel’s contribution in the cooler is the Intel Cryo Cooling Technology, which ensures that the the TEC only works as hard as it needs to to cool the CPU, which avoids condensation happening.

Intel Cryo Cooling technology constantly monitors and adapts to the load on your CPU, which allows it to adjust the cooling afforded by the TEC. To get the cold side colder, the hot side will also get hotter, which is where the waterblock comes in. The EK QuantumX Delta TEC waterblock’s water flow is used to cool the hot side of the TEC plate, while the TEC’s cold side actively cools your processor.

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EK specifies a maximum power draw of 200W, which will be drawn through a 8-pin PCIe power connector. Needless to say, you would need a pretty beefy power supply if you want to run an overclocked Intel Core i9-10900K, the EK QuantumX Delta TEC and also a GPU powerful enough to not waste all the extra potential you are extracting out of the Core i9-10900K with this cooling solution.

The EK QuantumX Delta TEC is currently up for pre-order at $360 (~RM1484), which is pretty close to the price of an Intel Core i7-10700K. I do believe that such a pricey cooling solution might make more sense if paired with Intel’s HEDT platforms, but I guess Intel is going all out into their more mainstream LGA1200 platform.
Pokdepinion: I guess this is a good reason to build a custom watercooling system?
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Here’s why HUAWEI’s in-screen cameras are in the upper left corner instead of anywhere else

Selfies are the vainest of all photos. You are literally taking a photo of your face to show off to the rest of the world. This is why HUAWEI places great importance on the location of the selfie camera, especially in their new in-screen camera designs, so that you can look your best.

HUAWEI has shared that they have undergone extensive consumer research and user experience studies before designing their latest Selfie Superstar, the HUAWEI nova 4. Apparently, most users tilt their head slightly to the right when taking selfies. With the camera located in the upper left corner, it ensures that the camera will be in line with the usual tilt of selfie users. This naturally allows for a more natural look to the eyes of the selfie-taker, thus making the image look better.

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This design feature is also used by Samsung, and of course, HUAWEI’s sister brand, HONOR, in the HONOR View20 which also feature in-screen cameras. Positioning the camera in the center may seem great from a symmetry point of view, but it has a number of drawbacks. Aside from more unnatural selfies, they usually get in the way of important elements on screen in games and other apps.

Aside from an optimized positioning of the selfie camera, the selfie camera itself is also a feat of engineering. The 25MP f/2.0 camera is set in a tiny 4.5mm hole in the screen, allowing HUAWEI to deliver a screen-to-body ratio of 86.3% with the HUAWEI nova 4, all while touting one of the best selfie cameras out there.

The HUAWEI nova 4 has been designed from the ground up to deliver a better experience for youths. There are some pretty cool bundles for the HUAWEI nova 4, including an exclusive pre-order offer that you cannot miss!
Key HUAWEI nova 4 Specifications

Kirin 970 AI chipset, up to 2.36 GHz, 10nm FinFET
8GB RAM
128GB storage
6.4″ FHD+ display, 86.3% screen-to-body ratio
20MP f/1.8 + 16MP ultra-wide angle camera + 2MP depth sensor
25MP f/2.0 selfie camera
EMUI 9.0 based on Android 9 Pie
3750 mAh battery
RM1899 (SRP)

Do try out the Selfie Superstar and let us know what do you think of the selfie experience!
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Blizzard to Port Hearthstone to Nintendo Switch? The Answer May Disappoint You

It would seem that words has been going around about a potential Hearthstone port for the Nintendo Switch. Well, Blizzard has something to say about that and it might just disappoint you.
Blizzard to Port Hearthstone to Nintendo Switch?

There’s been a rash of disappointing news for Nintendo Switch fans expecting ports. Yesterday news spread like wildfire that A Hat in Time by Gears for Breakfast would not be making it to Nintendo Switch, and today a Blizzard representative has noted that a Nintendo Switch version of Hearthstone isn’t in development.

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News comes with publication PowerUp!’s interview with Dean Ayala, one of Hearthstone‘s principal game designer behind the Kobolds and Catacombs expansion. When asked whether recent rumors that Blizzard’s massively successful card game would be making its way to Nintendo Switch is true, he responded with a succinct dismissal:
There are no plans to move HearthStone to the Nintendo Switch.
While that initial rumor may seem far-fetched, it actually isn’t. At BlizzCon 2017, one of the game’s senior game designer Peter Whalen noted that people shouldn’t “rule out” the possibility of the game coming to Nintendo Switch one day, though nothing then was in the works either. These statements were further compounded by rumors from a well-established Reddit leaker who noted “Blizzard is preparing a Hearthstone port for the Nintendo Switch.”
While there is always a possibility that knowledge of the project is segregated in the Blizzard development scene, the far more likely answer is that the digital card game isn’t currently being developed for the Nintendo Switch.
Blizzard Entertainment’s Hearthstone initially released on PC in March 2014, and later made its way to mobile platforms.
Pokdepinion: You don’t have to be sad about not having Hearthstone on the Nintendo Switch. You could always just get it for your phone as it’s available for iOS and Android, and also for PC since it’s not a resource-intensive game.
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Intel brings back 22nm Haswell processors from the dead

If you thought Intel was only going to milk the 14nm process until the end of time, you are wrong. Intel is going a step further to bring back the 22nm Haswell processors from the dead.
In what should be a rather desperate move for Intel, they have brought back the Intel Pentium G3420, allowing OEMs to order them. The product was just discontinued a week ago, before being brought back today.
The Pentium G3420 was barely an interesting processor even when launched, coming in as an affordable 2C/2T part chugging at 3.2 GHz and supporting up to DDR3 1600 MHz memory.

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The chips will most probably not make it to shelves as there’s no reason for them to exist in the current scene where we have the much more interesting AMD Athlon 3000G for just RM209.
Hopefully no one gets duped into ordering a “new” PC with the 22nm Haswell-based Pentium G3420 before realizing that the chip powering the system is more than 6 years old now.
Pokdepinion: Well, anyone up for an aged 22nm Intel Core i7 4770K?
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LG Set To Introduce Their Very First UltraGear Gaming Laptop

The folks at LG has recently announced that they’ve unveiled their first gaming laptop, expanding the UltraGear lineup at CES 2022.
LG UltraGear Gaming Laptop
The laptop, model 17G90Q, packs an 11th Gen Intel Tiger Lake processor coupled with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Max-Q graphics card. It offers dual-channel memory as well as dual SSD setup. As you can tell by its model name, it offers a 17-inch display (IPS) where it gives 1ms response time and a 300Hz refresh rate.
In terms of thermals, it comes with a vapor chamber which they claim keeps the laptop running cool, even when pushed to the limits.

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Other than that, it weighs in at 2.64kg, comes with per-key RGB backlit keyboard, USB 4 Gen 3×2 Type-C, USB 3.2 Gen 2×1 Type-C, HDMI, RJ45, DC-in, as well as microSD/UFS ports. Not to forget, there’s a 93Wh battery under the hood, FHD webcam with dual mic, Wi-Fi 6E and Intel Killer Wireless, as well as 2 way speakers with DTS X Ultra.
There’s no news of it arriving here to Malaysia just yet but we’ll update should there be any word. Till then, stay tuned to Pokde.net for more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews.
Pokdepinion: All that’s on my mind when I saw this is how much will the asking price be? The specifications does look impressive and that surely brings up the cash needed. Well, let’s just hope that it’s reasonable enough.
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Destiny 2 Beta Opens Tomorrow – Get your guns ready

Beta is better?

Here the news you’ve been waiting for Destiny fans! Destiny 2’s open beta starts rolling out to gamers tomorrow, 19th of July at 2AM Malaysian time and ends on the 24th of July at 2PM Malaysian time. That means we get a little taste of the highly anticipated online first person shooter for a cool six days. The download size of the Destiny 2 beta will be a sizeable 15.6GB, so make sure you’ve got enough space on your PS4.

Here are some of the things you can expect to play in Destiny 2’s beta:

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Play Destiny 2’s opening story mission of the cinematic campaign, Homecoming. Here’s where you battle the Cabal’s Red Legion alongside some familiar characters from the first Destiny.
Take on the enemy threat in a 3 player Cooperative Strike called The Inverted Spire.
Put your competitive multiplayer skills to the test against others in 4v4 matches. There are two modes; Control makes a return here from the first Destiny, and also a mode that comes brand new with Destiny 2 called Countdown. This mode plays kinda like Counter Strike, where you attack and defend with only revives and no respawns.
Play alongside your friends or match-make with other Guardians. If you’re really lonely (or find yourself alone because your regular friends are busy) you could just solo this bad boy like a total boss.
There are also new sub classes; Downblade for Warlocks, Arcstrider for Hunters and Sentinel for Titans. All available for players to test out during Destiny 2’s beta period.

There’s also a new social platform for Destiny 2 called The Farm. It won’t be available for the most part of the beta period however, it’ll only go live on the last day and for only an hour.
Keep in mind that this is only beta and whatever progress you make during the beta period will not, I repeat will not carry over into the actual released game. You will instead get a special emblem which you can unlock in the full game. For more information, just move along here.
Destiny 2 is due out September 6th this year.
Pokdepinion: The first Destiny didn’t really fly with me back when it came out. I mean the expansions really helped make it an enjoyable ride especially The Taken King. Here’s hoping that Destiny 2 would actually tickle my fancy (because I really want to like this game).
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A number of smartphones have started to receive the Android 11 update after its beta testing phase. It looks like the new version will not be limited to just mobile phones however as it’s expected to make its way to Android TV, along with other electronics.
Android 11 is Coming to Android TV with Enhanced Gaming Features

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Android 11 for Android TV is set to include features that will improve the TV user experience, especially on gaming. One notable feature is better game controller support as Android TV running on the new version will have native support for the Nintendo Switch Pro controller over Bluetooth and USB. It will also have native support for the Steam Controller via USB. It’s worth noting that these are also reflected on smartphones as well.
Then we have the new Auto Low Latency Mode which utilizes the technology introduced by HDMI 2.1. It can turn off graphics post-processing and reduce latency, similarly to how Game Mode works on a variety of TVs out there now. Apart from that, it will have low latency media decoding, a new Tuner Framework, extensions to the HAL implementation of HDMI CEC, enhanced memory management and additional privacy features like one-time permissions.
For now, the Android 11 update is starting to roll out to ADT-3 developer kits so developers can prepare it for other devices. As for when it will be available will depend on the businesses who choose to pick it up. This means that for Android TV, certain brands may be getting the update sooner than others. We will update more on this as soon as information becomes available so stay tuned.
One Android TV that we reviewed not long ago is the Sony A8F 4K OLED TV. If you’re interested in getting an Android-powered TV, check it out by clicking right here.
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Pokdepinion: That’s a pretty solid addition in my opinion. The timing is great too since I’m sure many people will be looking to buy a new TV as next gen game consoles are coming out soon.
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Tencent Need for Speed Mobile Gameplay Leaked Online

Need for Speed Mobile by Tencent

🚨Need for Speed Mobile🚨
(Tencent)
Gameplay Leaked pic.twitter.com/FtALj7ESS6
— Shaun Weber (@just4leaks2) May 11, 2022

A leaked gameplay footage of Tencent’s unannounced Need for Speed mobile game has surfaced online courtesy of Twitter users and renowned leaker, Shaun Weber. The gameplay leak is about 46 seconds long and it shows off a Lamborghini Aventador and a McLaren being driven around in the streets.
It appears that this Need for Speed mobile game will have a focus on open world gameplay in a rather large map. While the game may still be in development, the environment does look impressive from a graphics standpoint considering that it is a mobile game. Aside from the usual controls found in the franchise, Need for Speed Mobile also features special drift moves, nitro boosts, and other special effects found from other entries in the series.

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Apparently, this same leaked gameplay footage surfaced on the Need for Speed subreddit but it was quickly removed. However, some of the people who saw it were quick enough to download it before it could disappear completely. There is no word on a release date and it’s expected to go through several improvements before its final release. We will report more on this as soon as information becomes available.
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Pokdepinion: I’m not sure if it’s just me but it certainly does feel like a lot of major franchises are suddenly appearing or reappearing in mobile form. Just Cause Mobile, Diablo Immortal, Lord of the Rings Mobile, and many more.
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Two College Students Reportedly Tricked Apple Nearly $1million In iPhone Replacements

It is reported over in the US that two Chinese students tricked Apple into giving them hundreds of thousands of dollars in iPhone replacements and are now facing charges in legal court. According to reports, the two students exploited Apple’s return policy by using fake iPhones.
Based on the report, it says that the two men smuggled thousands of counterfeit iPhones into the country from China and then delivered them to Apple to repair or replace, where they claim that their devices wouldn’t turn on. Interestingly, the company did replace the fake products with real iPhones, which reportedly costed them almost $895,800.
One of the factors of the whole issue is that Apple couldn’t determine if the products were authentic, thanks to the fact that they couldn’t turn the devices on. The two students also claimed that their devices was under product warranty. Additionally, it didn’t help that Apple didn’t require proof of purchase to replace the phones.

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In total, the two alleged scammers handed out 3,069 claims and got a total of 1,493 replacement iPhones as a result.
Pokdepinion: Well that’s one way to scam a huge company. I can’t believe the amount of devices they managed to swap. Certainly needs an update to their warranty/return policy.
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Final Fantasy XV for PC comes early next year; stunning graphics powered by NVIDIA GameWorks technologies

Fans of the Final Fantasy franchise who are adamant on sticking to the PC Master Race will be pleased to know that Final Fantasy XV is finally coming to PCs early next year, and will feature NVIDIA GameWorks. Thanks to the partnership between Square Enix and NVIDIA, a slew of NVIDIA technologies will make your experience in the JRPG title jaw-droppingly pretty.

Final Fantasy XV for PC comes early next year

What you are looking at is a combination of Square Enix’s Luminous Engine with GameWorks technologies like NVIDIA Hybrid Frustum Traced Shadow (HFTS), NVIDIA Voxel Ambient Occlusion, NVIDIA Turf Effects, NVIDIA HairWorks and NVIDIA Flow. Image quality will be pushed to the next level with the highest quality ambient occlusion, realistic grass and hair effects.

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Aside from all the NVIDIA GameWorks technologies, Square Enix will be throwing in 4K textures, HDR10 for the best color and contrast on compatible TVs and HDR monitors. Audio wise, Dolby Atmos will deliver surround sound that will immerse you in Eos.

What’s the point of having such a beautiful view with no way of capturing it, right? NVIDIA ShadowPlay and NVIDIA Ansel allows you to upload your gameplay videos and 360° screenshots to show off to your friends.
Final Fantasy XV has been out for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One since November 2016, after an ungodly amount of delays. New content is still being pumped into the game in the form of DLCs. We’re expecting something new to pop up by the time the PC version is officially released but who know? Only time will tell. Until then, the PC Master Race will just have to be a bit more patient.

Pokdepinion: With so many NVIDIA-optimized technologies, AMD cards are sure to suffer. I guess Final Fantasy fans have no choice but to go get green cards eh?
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Xiaomi 11T Review — Stuck In The Middle

Previously, we looked at the Xiaomi 11T Pro. Now, we’ll be checking out the standard variant in this Xiaomi 11T review. What exactly does it have to offer? Let’s find out.
Xiaomi 11T Unboxing

The package is similar to the 11T Pro apart from the 67W fast charger. In any case, you can expect the following to be included inside the box:

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Xiaomi 11T
Charging brick
USB-C cable
SIM ejector
Documentation
Soft TPU case

Appearance

Before we begin with the looks, we should probably say that it’s pretty similar to the Xiaomi 11T Pro. With that aside, we see that on the front, there’s a tiny notch in the middle that houses the selfie camera. The bezels around the display aren’t too thick, which is good but could be better.

Down below, you’ll find the SIM tray, microphone, USB-C port, as well as the first speaker grille.
On the right side, there’s the usual volume rockers and power button. As for the opposite left, it’s completely naked.

One thing that’s different from the Pro version would be the Harmon Kardon branding, which you can see that it isn’t available here. Aside from that, it’s pretty much the same thing; second speaker and IR blaster.

Again, the back is also the same as its brother, with it being reflective and glossy. Apart from that, there’s the standard Xiaomi branding on the lower left and the camera setup on the top-left corner.
Xiaomi 11T Specifications

CPU
Dimensity 1200 Octa-core (1×3.0GHz Cortex-A78 + 3×2.6GHz Cortex-A78 + 4×2.0GHz Cortex-A55), 6nm

GPU
Adreno 660

Memory
8GB

Storage
256GB

Display
6.67″ FHD+ (2400x 1080) AMOLED display, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus

Audio
Dual speakers

Camera
108MP f/1.8 main camera
8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle
5MP f/2.4 telemacro camera
AI Camera, Auto HDR, Pro Mode, Vlog Mode, Movie Effects, Portrait, Beauty

Selfie camera
16MP f/2.25 selfie camera

Connectivity
5G Band n1/n3/n5/n7/n8/n20/n28/n38/n40/n41/n66/n77/n78
LTE Band 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ 7/ 8/ 12/ 13/ 17/ 18/ 19/ 20/ 26/ 28/ 32/ 66
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, WiFi 6
Bluetooth 5.2
NFC

Software
MIUI 12.5 based on Android 11

Battery
5000mAh
67W fast charging

Dimensions
164.1 x 76.9 x 8.8 mm

Weight
203g

Ingress protection
N/A

Performance

As you might have known, the standard Xiaomi 11T is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset. As we can see here, the difference is quite substantial from the Pro version on Antutu V9’s test, with the Pro doing significantly better.
When it came to Single-Core performance on Geekbench 5, the Xiaomi 11T actually outperforms its brother. Despite that, we can clearly see that the previous Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro scored higher than the both of them.
Heading to graphical performance, we don’t see much of an impressive score from the device on all three tests on 3DMark. On two test, we can see that the POCO X3 GT, which uses an older Dimensity 1100, performing better too.

Over at PCMark Work 3.0’s test, we see that the Dimensity 1200 performed rather decently. However, there is still a gap between that and the Snapdragon 888-powered smartphones.

To be honest, I was expecting the phone to last longer than it did here. When I thought the Snapdragon 888 was a power-hungry, it seems that the Dimensity 1200 drains more. You might argue that it’s not by much, but it’s still something worth taking note of.
In terms of real-life usage, I find the battery to last almost as long as the Pro version, nearly 1 and a half day. As usual, I used the device with the usual string of apps, such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, some light gaming, and watching some videos.
Though the phone comes with a slower 67W fast charger, it is still fast. There were no issues of charging its 5000mAh to full in a 30-minute duration. It’s certainly more than enough for most consumers.
User Experience

Since the phone is similar to the Pro version, the experience is essentially the same when it comes to the feel of the device. It feels solid but there are definitely smartphones with a more premium, better build out there. Though I do like the design on both 11T and 11T Pro, I still despise glossy finishes on smartphones. This is subjective since there will always be a crowd that prefers this.
Both the 11T and 11T Pro are equipped with dual speakers but the latter is tuned by Harmon Kardon, I thought it’d be interesting to hear for myself if there really is a difference. In short, there is but there difference is minimal. I could hear that the 11T’s audio is less punchy but still decent nonetheless.
Video consumption is the same with its brother, enjoyable. Thanks to the AMOLED display plus 120Hz refresh rate, they’ve certainly made it an enjoyable experience in that area. Unfortunately, I have the same issue when it comes to gaming. The phone’s temperature wasn’t really good when playing Genshin Impact. I played the game for 30 minutes and it gets hot at around the 15 minute mark.

Since the UI is just the same with the Pro version, we’ve decided to just put that here, in case you’ve never seen it before. As for UI experience, I don’t have much to complain about. It’s easy to use and there are no issues of sluggishness.

The same could be said about the camera UI. But with the 11T series, Xiaomi has added a handful of video filters since they are focusing on videography with this lineup.

The camera is impressive when you have good lighting conditions, but it’s not too shabby under lowlight, especially with Night Mode enabled. Despite that, the tone of shots under Super Macro mode is a bit grainy. It’s not by much, but you can tell that it looks rather processed.
Overall the quality of shots is more than decent for your social media uploads and the diversity of modes is sufficient for most people out there. You will definitely find what you need to take the shots you want.
Check out the full-sized images right here.
Xiaomi 11T Verdict
If you take the same storage configuration for both 11T and 11T Pro, the difference in price would be just RM200. While you could get the smaller 128GB storage for just RM1,699, I find that the Dimensity 1200 could’ve done a little bit better, especially in the battery segment.
The phone does need some fixes here and there but if you don’t mind some of the flaws that we’ve mentioned, it does have decent cameras, lovely display, as well as a relatively fast 67W (still can’t beat the Pro’s 120W) fast charger to enjoy. Personally I’d go for the 11T Pro between the two, just for that small upgrade.
We would like to thanks Xiaomi Malaysia for providing the Xiaomi 11T that was used in this review.
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Nokia filed lawsuits against Apple — “It’s now our turn to pass the salt around”

It’s not uncommon to see businesses suing each other in today’s world. If one feels that a particular company is stepping on their toes, boom, lawsuit. Apple is no stranger when it comes to lawsuits, especially with their multiple battles of lawsuits and countersuits against Samsung that spanned multiple countries.
And this time around, it looks like Apple will be heading for a courtroom brawl with a different company, one that was considered the innovator of modern mobile phones as we know it.

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Nokia VS Apple: The Courtroom Brawl
Nokia announced that it has filed a number of lawsuits against Apple in the US and Germany with total of 32 patents. The patent infringement covers on technologies such as display, user interface, software, antenna, chipsets and video coding. The company is currently in the process of filing further actions in other jurisdictions.

Ilkka Rahnasto, Head of Patent Business at Nokia, said:

“Through our sustained investment in research and development, Nokia has created or contributed to many of the fundamental technologies used in today’s mobile devices, including Apple products. After several years of negotiations trying to reach agreement to cover Apple’s use of these patents, we are now taking action to defend our rights.”

After the acquisition of full ownership of NSN in 2013 and Alcatel-Lucent in 2016, Nokia now owns three valuable portfolios of intellectual property. Built on more than EUR 115 billion invested in R&D over the past twenty years, its tens of thousands of patents cover many important technologies used in smartphones, tablets, personal computers and similar devices.

Basically, Nokia’s own patent infringement complaint is that Apple has declined to establish licensing deals for Nokia technology that is currently being used in Apple products. It would be like stealing the secret sauce from McDonald’s and making money out of it without paying royalties or getting proper permission from the company. TL;DR, Apple got lawyered.

Pokdepinion: Some people might say that Nokia is in a desperate state to start patent trolling, but shouldn’t it be their right to protect their own intellectual property? More importantly, will Nokia pass the salt around?
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[Computex 2019] HyperX showcases all-new HyperX Alloy Origins and HyperX Cloud Orbit S

HyperX, the gaming arm of Kingston, have been hard at work it seems. They have prepared two new additions to their gaming peripherals lineup, the HyperX Alloy Origins mechanical keyboard and HyperX Cloud Orbit S. These two peripherals mark HyperX’s entry into the world of custom mechanical keyboard switches and planar magnetic gaming headphones.
HyperX Alloy Origins

This is the first keyboard by HyperX to feature HyperX’s very own mechanical switches. The switches are lighter than Cherry MX Reds, while also featuring an earlier actuation point at 1.8mm and a shorter 3.8mm travel distance. The HyperX mechanical switches are rated at 80 million clicks, which is longer than what Cherry promises.

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HyperX also designed the HyperX Alloy Origins to be better looking as well, going for a curved, all-aluminium build and of course, RGB illumination. Thanks to the design of the switch, HyperX also promises better lighting with the DIP RGB LEDs being closer to the keycaps than Cherry MX’s switches and their SMD LEDs.
The HyperX Alloy Origins will be available in Q3 2019, priced at $110 (~RM461).
HyperX Cloud Orbit S
These headphones quite literally blew my mind when I first put it on. Thanks to their partnership with Audeze and Waves Technology, HyperX is bringing gaming audio to the next level. These babies feature 100mm planar magnetic drivers instead of conventional dynamic drivers. The soundstage on these are just phenomenal, and Waves Nx 3D audio technology further enhances it with head tracking technology.

These won’t come cheap at $330 (~RM1381), but it may just be worth it for the ultimate gaming audio experience. The HyperX Cloud Orbit S is also slated for a Q3 2019 release.
Pokdepinion: The keyboard might take some getting used to, but the HyperX Cloud Orbit S is definitely what I want right now.
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Malaysia’s 5G Coverage Reaches 60% of Populated Areas, Nearing Government’s Target

The Communications and Digital Minister of Malaysia, Fahmi Fadzil, recently announced that the country’s 5G coverage has reached an impressive milestone. As of April, nearly 60% of populated areas in Malaysia are covered by 5G networks, bringing the government closer to its ambitious target of achieving 80% coverage by 2024. In this article, we will explore the progress made in expanding 5G coverage, address the challenges faced in Sarawak, and discuss the transition to a dual network model for 5G in Malaysia.
Expanding 5G Coverage in Malaysia

Malaysia has made significant strides in expanding its 5G network coverage. Over the past four months, the coverage rate has increased from nearly 50% to 59.5% by the end of April. This growth has been made possible through the establishment of 3,900 sites, providing access to approximately 15 million users across the country. Notably, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Selangor have already achieved over 90% coverage in populated areas.

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Despite the overall progress, Minister Fahmi expressed concern about the low access rate in Sarawak, which currently stands at only 34%. To address this issue, he has called upon the Sarawak state government to collaborate with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in identifying locations that require 5G access.
Additionally, the MCMC plans to engage all telecommunication companies to tackle the problem of non-functioning telecommunication towers in Sarawak, caused by the lack of satellite dishes. One proposed solution is to install antennas on water towers, thereby expanding network access. The Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC) has also constructed over 600 telecommunication towers to complement these efforts.

In a significant development, Malaysia plans to shift from the current single wholesale network model for 5G to a dual network model once coverage exceeds 80% in populated areas. This transition will involve the disposal of the government’s stake in Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), the current wholesale network operator, and the establishment of two new entities. One entity will manage the existing network, while the other will operate the country’s second network. As a result, major telcos such as TM and CelcomDigi have terminated their equity deals with DNB, signaling their participation in the future dual network model.
To facilitate the implementation of the second network, a special task force is being formed, comprising representatives from the Communications Ministry, Finance Ministry, DNB, and local network carriers. This collaborative effort aims to ensure a smooth and efficient transition to the dual network model, further advancing Malaysia’s 5G capabilities.
Malaysia’s 5G coverage has achieved a significant milestone, with almost 60% of populated areas now benefiting from the high-speed network. The government’s commitment to reaching 80% coverage by 2024 demonstrates its dedication to providing enhanced connectivity for Malaysians. While challenges remain in improving access in Sarawak, efforts are underway to address these issues through collaboration with the state government and telecommunication companies.
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Pokdepinion: The transition to a dual network model will pave the way for increased competition and innovation in the 5G sector. As Malaysia progresses on its 5G journey, the future looks promising for a digitally connected nation.
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Acer Unveils New RTX 30 Series and AMD Ryzen 5000 Series Nitro and Aspire Laptops

Acer has just new Nitro and Aspire laptops powered by AMD Ryzen 5000 Series Mobile Processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series Laptop GPUs. The powerful new AMD Ryzen Mobile Processors deliver fast and efficient performance for laptops. Meanwhile, the RTX 30 Series Laptop GPUs powered by the NVIDIA Ampere architecture, increase energy efficiency by up to 2x, and delivers stunning ray-traced gaming experiences in many top AAA titles.
Acer Nitro 5

The new Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop features both AMD Ryzen 9 5900 HX Mobile Processor and up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop graphics. The Nitro 5 also features two slots for either M.2 PCIe or SATA SSD (or both) that can support up to 2TB NVMe SSD or 2TB HDD, up to 32GB DDR4 3200 RAM as well as fast networking via Killer E2600 support and Wi-Fi 6.

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The new Acer Nitro 5 laptops feature two different size variants with 15.6-inch or 17.3-inch displays. Both display variants feature either QHD resolution with a 165Hz refresh rate or FHD display with a 360Hz refresh rate. The displays also feature thin bezels with a screen-to-body ratio of 80% as well as a 300-nit panel that covers 100% of the sRGB colour gamut.
As for thermals, the Acer Nitro 5 laptops comes equipped with twin fans, Acer’s CoolBoost technology and four exhaust ports. The CoolBoost technology monitors fan speed and increases it when necessary to optimise total performance. Thermal performance can also be monitored and managed manually through the built-in NitroSense software.
Acer Aspire 7

New models in the Aspire 7 line feature the powerful new AMD Ryzen 5000 Series Mobile Processor paired with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPU. The new Aspire 7 laptops also come equipped with up to 32GB of DDR4 memory and up to a 1 TB PCIe SSD and weigh just 2.15kg.
The Acer Aspire 7 features a FHD 15.6-inch display with a narrow bezel and has a screen-to-body ratio of 81.61%. It also comes with Acer Color Intelligence and Acer ExaColor to deliver highly accurate visuals. Acer Color Intelligence provides a more brilliant and vivid display with less CPU loading. It dynamically adjusts gamma and saturation in real-time to optimise screen colour and brightness without clipping or over-saturation.
In terms of connectivity, the laptops feature USB Type-C with transfer data of up to 5Gbps and dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax).
Acer Aspire 5

The newest Aspire 5 also features powerful new AMD Ryzen 5000 Series Mobile Processors, AMD Radeon RX 640 GPUs, 24GB memory and up to either a 1TB M.2 PCIe SSD NVMe or up to a 2TB HDD. It also features a 15.6-inch FHD IPS display with Acer BlueLightShield to reduce the emission of potentially harmful blue light.
Like the Aspire 7, it also offers the latest connectivity with USB-C for superfast data transfer as well as dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax).
Price and availability
The Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptops will be available in North America starting in February at USD749.99 (RM3032.58) and in China in January starting at RMB6,499 (RM4072.20). In EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) the Nitro 5 comes with a starting configuration of AMD Ryzen 7 Mobile Processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU and a 512 GB SSD and will be available in February starting at EUR1,299 (RM6417.07).
The Acer Aspire 7 will be available in North America in March starting at USD749.99 (RM3032.58) and in EMEA in February starting at EUR 899 (RM3635.11). The Acer Aspire 5 on the other hand, will be available in North America in March starting at USD549.99 (RM2223.88), in EMEA in February starting at EUR 699 (RM3452.16), and in China in January starting at RMB4,999(RM3132.31).
Lastly, the Acer Aspire 5 will be available in North America in March starting at USD549.99 (RM2224.32), in EMEA in February starting at EUR699 (RM3433.66), and in China in January starting at RMB4,999 (RM3124.27).
There is no news in regards to the Malaysian release and prices as of yet but be sure to stay tuned for that. To learn more about the new Acer Nitro and Aspire laptops, head over to the official Acer website right here.
Pokdepinion: Acer seems to always knock it out of the park with their Nitro series. Their price to performance ratio is just too good.
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