[CES 2022] Updated ROG Zephyrus Duo 16, Zephyrus G14 and Strix SCAR deliver full graphics performance with a MUX switch

ASUS announced a slew of premium gaming laptops at CES 2022, including the new ROG Zephyrus Duo 16, refreshed Zephyrus G14, G15 and M16 laptops, as well as the new Strix SCAR and Strix G series of laptops. While they differ in design, features and specifications, all of them now share one major innovation: a MUX switch.
Get the most out of your GPU with a MUX switch

When it comes to gaming laptops, the communication between every component is vital to extract the most performance and battery life out of the machine. In most designs, laptop vendors will use technologies like NVIDIA Optimus to route the frames rendered by your discrete graphics to the integrated graphics, before sending it to your display.

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This is actually a very good design, as it allows the system to intelligently switch off the discrete graphics when it’s not needed. This is great for efficiency, but when you are gaming, you might be losing some of that sweet performance that your GPU is capable of. To overcome this, ASUS is now including a MUX switch in all ROG and ROG Strix laptops that allows the discrete graphics be connected to the display directly, giving you the full performance that the GPU can deliver. Now, let’s check out the laptops that feature this new feature.
ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022) — enhanced AniMe Matrix, all-AMD under the hood

The ROG Zephyrus G14 is what defines the portable gaming laptop category for me. With a 14″ display for a compact footprint, and a weight of just 1.7kg, it’s hard to disagree. This year, ROG has updated the ROG Zephyrus G14 with the latest AMD Ryzen 6000 series mobile processors and also the AMD Radeon RX 6000S mobile graphics. The new processor also brings with it support for DDR5 memory and PCIe 4.0 storage, to really amp up the performance in this svelte machine.
To better handle the updated hardware, ASUS is also equipping the ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022) with a custom vapor chamber, and a liquid metal application over its CPU. This vapor chamber appears to be more capable than the ROG Zephyrus G14 (2021)’s heatpipe-based cooling system, as the GPU is now rated for up to 105W, versus 80W in the last-gen model.

Another area which sees a rather major upgrade is the display. For this year’s refresh, we have the same diagonal dimensions, but we get slightly more viewing area, thanks to a new 16:10 aspect ratio. The ROG Zephyrus G14 can also be configured with the new ROG Nebula displays, delivering a QHD 120Hz experience with support for Dolby Vision and Adaptive Sync. Creators will also be pleased to know that it can display the full 100% DCI-P3 gamut, and it is Pantone Validated for precise color accuracy.
Behind the real display, we have the now-iconic AniMe Matrix display. While the 2020 and 2021 ROG Zephyrus G14s kept the same AniMe Matrix design, ASUS reworked the panel for 2022. This year, we have more than double the precision CNC-milled holes at 14 969 holes, up from 6536 in the older ROG Zephyrus G14. This means each hole is now finer, and with the increased number of mini LEDs under it, more personalization possibilities are available to you with the new ROG Zephyrus G14.
ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022) Specs

Processor
Up to AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS

RAM
Up to 32GB DDR5-4800

Graphics
Up to AMD Radeon RX 6800S 8GB GDDR6, 80W TGP (up to 105W with SmartShift)

Storage
Up to 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD

Display
ROG Nebula Display: 14″ 16:10 QHD (2560 x 1600) 120Hz IPS-level display, Adaptive Sync, 100% DCI-P3, Pantone Validated, Dolby Vision
or
14″ 16:10 FHD (1920 x 1200) 144Hz IPS-level display, Adaptive Sync, 100% sRGB, Pantone Validated, Dolby Vision
1 x HDMI 2.0b
1 x USB-C, DisplayPort Alt Mode

Connectivity
WiFi 6E + Bluetooth 5.2
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C), 10Gbps, USB-PD, DisplayPort support
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C), 10Gbps
1 x USB 3.0
1 x microSD card reader
1 x 3.5mm combo audio jack

Battery
76WHr
240W power adapter / 100W USB-PD

Dimensions
312 x 227 x 19.5 mm

Weight
1.72kg

ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 — Dual Spec display, six speakers and more screen
The ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 offered two displays in a single laptop, something which was pretty groundbreaking, and honestly quite useful. Now, how do you make that even more interesting? Well, you close the gap between the two displays. Firstly, you remove the large lower bezel and make it a part of the screen. The ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 touts a 16″ 16:10 display.

Aside from growing in size, the ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 is the first laptop to tout the new ROG Nebula HDR display, which features 512 mini LED dimming zones, a peak brightness of 1100 nits and VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification. When it comes to gaming, you have a QHD resolution and a 165Hz refresh rate, a perfect balance of resolution and refresh rate.
But that’s not all. The ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 can alternatively be configured with a Dual Spec panel, yet another ROG-exclusive panel. This panel can switch between 4K 120Hz and FHD 240Hz, allowing gamers and content creators to switch between resolution or responsiveness. The best part of it all is that the improved experience didn’t require a larger footprint, with the 2022 ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 actually boasting of a smaller footprint than its predecessor.

Next up, the ScreenPad Plus. While the hinges under the ScreenPad Plus in the older ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 models tilted the secondary display for a more ergonomic view, the ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 comes with a four-directional hinge that not only raises, but also slides the ScreenPad Plus back to meet the primary display, providing a near gapless experience.
This creates a large space under the ScreenPad Plus, which serves to improve the intake of fresh air by the cooling system, or what ASUS’ calls Active Aerodynamic System Plus 2.0. This is probably necessary to cool the new AMD Ryzen 9 6980HX and GeForce RTX 3080 Ti laptop GPU, the latter which is allowed to draw up to 165W with Dynamic Boost. That’s a pretty huge increase from last year’s GeForce RTX 3080 model, which was limited to just 130W!
On the audio end, ASUS also upgraded the setup to a six-speaker setup, similar to the one featured in the ROG Zephyrus M16. With Dual Force-Cancelling Woofers, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio and two-way AI Noise Cancellation, the ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 is ready to bring the party.
ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 Specs

Processor
Up to AMD Ryzen 9 6980HX

RAM
Up to 64GB DDR5-4800

Graphics
Up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU 16GB GDDR6, 140W TGP (165W with Dynamic Boost)

Storage
Up to 4TB PCIe 4.0 SSD with RAID 0

Display
ROG Nebula Display HDR: 16″ 16:10 QHD (2560 x 1600) 165Hz IPS-level display, Adaptive Sync, 100% DCI-P3, Pantone Validated, Dolby Vision
or
ROG Nebula Display: 16″ 16:10 4K 120Hz / FHD 240Hz IPS-level display, Adaptive Sync, 100% sRGB, Pantone Validated, Dolby Vision, Switchable
1 x HDMI 2.1
2 x USB-C, DisplayPort Alt Mode

Connectivity
WiFi 6E + Bluetooth 5.2
2.5GbE LAN
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C), 10Gbps, USB-PD, DisplayPort support
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-A), 10Gbps
1 x microSD card reader
1 x 3.5mm combo audio jack

Battery
90WHr
280W power adapter / 100W USB-PD

Dimensions
355 x 265.9 x 20.5 mm

Weight
2.5kg

ROG Strix SCAR and Strix G (2022) — new colors and updated hardware

Designed from the ground up for competitive gaming, the ROG Strix SCAR and Strix G series are ready to deliver the best possible performance for esports pro. The ROG Strix SCAR lineup packs an 12th Gen Intel Core, while the ROG Strix G series are powered by the AMD Ryzen 6000 series. Regardless of your allegiance, the ROG Strix family has something for you. Both the ROG Strix SCAR and Strix G series can be configured with up to the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti laptop GPUs for some serious horsepower.
Both the ROG Strix SCAR 15 and Strix G15 feature up to 300Hz FHD displays, while the 17″ models get 360Hz FHD panel options. This allows for a seriously responsive gaming experience, taking full advantage of the hardware under the hood.

The ROG Strix SCAR differentiates itself with a larger trackpad as well as fancier per-key RGB lighting on the keyboard. The armor cap in the corner is also interchangeable, with three different colors offered in the box, and customizable 3D-printable models available online as well, giving you plenty of customization options. Meanwhile the ROG Strix G series now feature Volt Green and Electro Punk color choices for a unique look that will help you stand out.
ROG Strix SCAR and Strix G (2022) series Specs

ROG Strix G15
ROG Strix G17
ROG Strix SCAR 15
ROG Strix SCAR 17

Processor
Up to AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
Up to 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900H

RAM
Up to 32GB DDR5-4800
Up to 64GB DDR5-4800

Graphics
Up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU 16GB GDDR6, 125W TGP (150W with Dynamic Boost)

Storage
Up to 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD
Up to 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD

Display
15.6″ FHD 300Hz IPS-level panel, Adaptive Sync, 100% sRGB, Dolby Vision
or
15.6″ QHD 165Hz IPS-level panel, Adaptive Sync, 100% DCI-P3, Dolby Vision
or
15.6″ FHD 144Hz, IPS-level panel, Adaptive Sync, 62.5% sRGB
1 x USB-C, DisplayPort Alt Mode
1 x HDMI 2.0b
17.3″ FHD 360Hz IPS-level panel, Adaptive Sync, 100% sRGB, Dolby Vision
or
15.6″ QHD 240Hz IPS-level panel, Adaptive Sync, 100% DCI-P3, Dolby Vision
or
15.6″ FHD 144Hz, IPS-level panel, Adaptive Sync, 62.5% sRGB
1 x USB-C, DisplayPort Alt Mode
1 x HDMI 2.0b
15.6″ FHD 300Hz IPS-level panel, Adaptive Sync, 100% sRGB, Dolby Vision
or
15.6″ QHD 240Hz IPS-level panel, Adaptive Sync, 100% DCI-P3, Dolby Vision
2 x USB-C, DisplayPort Alt Mode
1 x HDMI 2.1
17.3″ FHD 360Hz IPS-level panel, Adaptive Sync, 100% sRGB, Dolby Vision
or
17.3″ QHD 240Hz IPS-level panel, Adaptive Sync, 100% DCI-P3, Dolby Vision
2 x USB-C, DisplayPort Alt Mode
1 x HDMI 2.1

Connectivity
WiFi 6E + Bluetooth 5.2
2.5GbE LAN
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C), 10Gbps
2 x USB 3.0
1 x 3.5mm jack
WiFi 6E + Bluetooth 5.2
2.5GbE LAN
1 x Thunderbolt 4
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C), 10Gbps
2 x USB 3.0
1 x 3.5mm jack

Battery
90WHr
280WHr power adapter, 100W USB-PD

Dimensions
354.9 x 259.9 x 27.2 mm
395 x 282.1 x 28.3 mm
354. 259.9 x 27.2 mm
395 x 282.1 x 28.3 mm

Weight
2.3kg
2.8kg
2.3kg
2.7kg

Aside from these new models, ASUS also refreshed the ROG Zephyrus G15 and ROG Zephyrus M16 with the latest hardware from AMD and Intel announced during CES 2022, respectively. Both the ROG Zephyrus G15 and ROG Zephyrus M16 feature new upgrades, including DDR5, PCIe 4.0 storage and also can be configured with the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti laptop GPUs.

Availability and pricing of these beasts have yet to be known. If you think that these monstrous machines aren’t really your cup of tea, have a look at the new ROG Flow Z13 and refreshed ROG Flow X13, two ultraportable machines.
Pokdepinion:
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HONOR View20 Honkai Impact 3

In a recent recruitment drive by miHoYo, it appears that a new game might be in the works within the company, and it’s supposedly different from Honkai Star Rail. Here’s what we know thus far.
miHoYo Teases New Game in Latest Recruitment Drive

【お知らせ】
miHoYoではオフラインマーケティング、商品企画を募集中です！
ゲーム・エンタメ・広告業界の経験や
アニメグッズの企画監修の経験がある方大歓迎！
下記よりご応募お待ちしております！#miHoYo #崩壊学園 #崩壊3rd #原神 #未定事件簿#中途採用 #求人 #転職https://t.co/WjNqwkxdv8 pic.twitter.com/lxcvkUoI1V
— 株式会社miHoYo (@miHoYo_Japan) March 25, 2022

Recently, miHoYo Japan started a new recruitment drive on Twitter. This isn’t a surprise as they do this rather regularly anyway. What’s interesting here is the image that was tweeted out, which showed 3 doors representing 3 different projects; one for Teyvat (Genshin Impact), one for Hyperion (Honkai Impact 3rd), and one for Galaxia.

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The latter seems to be referring to a brand new game, and it’s unlikely to be Honkai Star Rail as during the beta, the name doesn’t pop up in any part of the game. This might be Honkai 4 Galaxia, which was trademarked back in 2020., though not much is known aside from the title itself.
Regardless, there is still plenty of mystery surrounding this 3rd door, and it may still be some time away before we can learn more about it. The latest beta for Honkai Star Rail has seen a new restriction in the form of no sharing any sort of gameplay, visual, or details. For now, stay tuned for further updates on the game.
Source
Pokdepinion: If they can come up with more quality games with plenty of waifus, I’m sure no one will complain. Different story if they start to neglect some of their other games like Genshin Impact, then we might see an enraged community online in protest.
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OnePlus 5 benchmarked by DxOMark; Two is not always better than One

The OnePlus 5 has just been benchmarked by the leading authority in camera performance, DxOMark, and it managed to score a high 87, placing it on par with the Huawei P10 and above the iPhone 7. DxOMark praised its autofocusing speed, accurate exposure and wide dynamic range.

However it’s high score cannot be attributed to its dual camera system. In fact, all the devices that scored higher than the OnePlus 5 sport single cameras. The HTC U11 which is the top dog with a score of 90, features a lone 12MP camera, and so does every device ranked higher than the OnePlus 5. This can be explained by the fact that DxOMark did not test the Portrait mode as well as the “lossless” zoom features on the OnePlus 5. DxOMark just solely tested the primary 16MP “wide-angle” 24mm camera’s performance.

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It is understandably difficult to compare zoom features when most other devices lack the feature, but here it really shows that having a dual camera setup will not help you get better images. More is not always better in the case of cameras. If it was, we would still be stuck with twin-lens reflex cameras.
Pokdepinion: The misconception that dual camera setups will always outperform single camera smartphones is really quite widespread. Have a look at NasiLemakTech’s commentary about the differences between the various dual camera systems around.
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realme XT Review — the next step forward

The realme XT is the first device from the realme X family to make it to Malaysia. It also marks realme Malaysia’s first step into the more premium category, heading into uncharted waters with a price tag that’s quite a bit higher than what we are used to from realme here. With that said, the realme XT does bring with it a strong set of features, which we will look into today.
Unboxing

You can watch the video above for an overview of the realme XT, as well as the full unboxing experience. Meanwhile, head on down below to see the spread of accessories that come with the realme XT.

If you have seen our recent reviews of the realme 5 series, you get much of the same. Once again, we received a VOOC charger that doesn’t belong in our region, but rest assured that you will be getting a UK plug when you purchase your realme XT here in Malaysia. That blacked-out TPU case is also pretty nice, although I really don’t see why would you want to have a tinted back when the realme XT looks this awesome.

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Appearance

Instead of the polygonal patterns on the back of the realme 5 series, the realme XT gives us a more elegant hyperbola light streaks design that I am a much bigger fan of. The color gently shifts from blue on the left to a purple hue on the right. And oh, it’s curved Gorilla Glass 5 glass here, instead of the hard plastic we have always seen on prior realme smartphones.
While you may think that the transition to glass is a small change, the feel in hand is definitely different. Glass feels smoother than plastic, and definitely gives off a more premium vibe when held. Of course, once you slap on a case, all that is moot. But if you are daring enough, do use the realme XT without a case, as it feels awesome.

Over on the front we find more Gorilla Glass 5. The realme 5 Pro came with Gorilla Glass 3+, which gives the realme XT a better chance of surviving a drop. We also see a slightly bigger 6.4″ Super AMOLED display here instead of IPS, giving the realme XT a much better looking display that goes brighter and looks way more vibrant. There’s a trivial increase in the screen-to-body ratio too, from 90.6% in the realme 5 Pro to the 91.9% with the realme XT.

While they have upgraded the back to glass, and put the screen behind better glassm the frame here is still plastic. realme did give the realme XT a touch of extra style though with a gold highlight on the power button. You can also see that the camera bump protrudes quite a bit from the back, probably an engineering necessity to accommodate the larger 64MP sensor and the larger optics that it requires.
Specifications
CPU: Snapdragon 712 (2 x Kryo 360 Gold @ 2.3 GHz + 6 x Kryo 360 Silver @ 1.7 GHz), 10nm FinFET GPU: Adreno 616 @ 550 MHz RAM: 8GB LPDDR4xDisplay: 6.40″ FHD+ (2340 x 1080), Super AMOLED, 91.9% screen-to-body ratioStorage:128GB UFS 2.1 (expandable via microSD up to 256GB)Camera: Main Camera(s)64MP f/1.8 + 8MP f/2.25 ultra-wide angle camera + 2MP f/2.4 macro + 2MP f/2.4 depth sensorNightscape, Expert mode, Chroma Boost, Ultra 64MP, Ultra macro, 4K30 video, 720p960/1080p120 slow mo, AI beauty, AI HDR, AI scene recognitionFront Camera16MP f/2.0 Sony IMX471AI Beauty, AI HDR, 1080p30 videoOS: ColorOS 6 based on Android 9 Pie  Connectivity:  LTE Band 1/3/5/8/38/40/41Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)Bluetooth 5.0SIM:Dual SIMBattery: Li-Po 4000 mAh (non-removable)20W VOOC Flash Charge 3.0Dimensions: 158.7 x 75.2 x 8.6 mm Weight:183gIngress protection:N/A
Performance
You would be right if you expected pretty similar performance to the realme 5 Pro. You get the same chipset, same amount of RAM, same amount of storage and a slightly smaller battery.

In Antutu, the realme XT barely edges out the realme 5 Pro. I would put it down to run-to-run variance, which is to be expected given the similarity between the two devices.

Geekebnch scores are a pretty similar case, with it trading punches with the realme 5 Pro in the single-core and multi-core runs.

Once again, no surprises here. The Snapdragon 712 in the realme XT definitely performs on par with the realme 5 Pro’s across the board.

This is so far the only benchmark which we see the realme 5 Pro come up ahead. There’s probably no reason for this though as both feature similar performance figures across the rest of our benchmarks.

Interestingly we see better battery life on the realme XT. The AMOLED panel may have been the reason here. Regardless, in real world usage we easily get more than a day’s use out of the realme XT, which is excellent. The realme XT doesn’t have a dark mode yet, so I expect to be able to squeeze even more out of the 4000 mAh battery once that update rolls out.
When I finally run down the battery, charging it up again was a quick affair. Thanks to the VOOC charger, I went from 15% to 62% in 30 minutes. 47% in half an hour is quite impressive.
PUBG Mobile Maximum SettingsCOD Mobile Maximum Settings
Gaming performance is good, with the ability to run 60 fps in COD Mobile. PUBG Mobile caps you to 40 fps even at the lowest setting, which is frustrating to say the least. The realme XT barely warms up during gaming though, which is a good sign that the cooling thingamajigs that realme used for the realme XT works.
User Experience

realme’s transition to a Super AMOLED panel means more than just a better screen. There’s also an under-display fingerprint scanner which glows white when reading your fingerprint. It unlocks the realme XT really fast, faster than any mid-range device with an in-display fingerprint scanner I have tested. Faster than some flagships too. In addition to that, you now get the true blacks and more vivid colors that AMOLED panels are known for.

There’s still no dual speaker functionality with the realme XT. The single speaker is positioned on the left of USB-C port, which leaves it vulnerable to being muffled by your palm if you hold it in the standard landscape orientation, i.e. the notch is on your left. With that said, the headphone jack is unfettered in this arrangement, which means a better gaming experience once you plug in headphones to the 3.5mm headphone jack. Luckily, realme has yet to make a smartphone without a headphone jack.
Software refinements abound

Now while realme has upgraded to a AMOLED panel, the realme XT still lacks a dark mode. realme does promise an update coming soon to bring the feature to the realme XT, and to be honest seeing realme’s track record, I am not too worried. realme’s custom skin is ColorOS 6, which has been present on their device since the realme 3. It’s clean, but there’s a lot of white all over the place, which isn’t what you want with a device touting an AMOLED display.

Speaking of the display, realme threw in OSIE Vision Effect, just in case the innate vibrance of the display isn’t enough. If you are especially sensitive to PWM flickering, the realme XT offers a flicker-free mode, or what another manufacturer would call DC dimming. Last but not least, there’s now an always-on display mode, although there’s no customization allowed. It’s just a toggle for turning it on or off.

 For sound, you get Dolby Atmos audio enhancement, yet another feature which separates the realme XT from the realme 5 Pro. You can’t turn it off when in speaker mode, but once you connect some headphones, you can do more just turn it off. It offers plenty of customization option, complete with a 10-band equalizer to tune the sound to just the way you like it.
#LeapToQuad, and a new 64MP sensor

In terms of hardware, you get most of the same stuff you would find on the realme 5 Pro. A 8MP f/2.25 ultra-wide camera, a 2MP f/2.4 macro camera and a redundant 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor. The main camera has been changed though, giving you a 64MP Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 here. It’s larger than the Sony IMX586 sensor in the realme 5 Pro, but that’s only because of its higher resolution, not because of larger pixels. And yes, realme is still highlighting the wrong lens with the yellow ring, although at this point everyone in the industry that does this seems to be doing the same thing.

The camera UI is similar to the realme 5 series’, with the only exception being that instead of an Ultra 48MP mode, there’s now an Ultra 64MP mode, as you might expect.

Images turn out pretty great, as the 64MP sensor performs well in great lighting. In poorer lighting it seems to turn in softer images than the realme 5 Pro though. It is interesting to note that realme had to resort to cropping the sensor for stabilization once again in Nightscape for the realme XT, despite the realme 5 Pro not having to lose any field of view in Nightscape. Results are excellent though, right up there with the flagships. Also commendable is the Portrait mode, with excellent accuracy for both the front and rear cameras. The macro and ultra-wide angle cameras are identical to the realme 5 Pro, and they are pretty decent. You can see the full-sized images here.
Conclusion
Now I think a lot of people would probably be squaring off the realme XT against the realme 5 Pro. I would too, to be honest. But then again, the realme XT offers just enough to distinguish itself from the realme 5 Pro.
The Super AMOLED screen is a fantastic addition to the realme lineup at this point, and the sleek design coupled with the more premium glass back are very welcome. realme has pretty much given me all I wanted with the realme XT, as I found the plastic backs of earlier realme devices being the only major flaw with them.

Priced at RM1399, the realme XT is RM300 more expensive than the realme 5 Pro. I would say that’s quite a small amount to pay for what you are getting extra. It’s also worth noting that the higher price bracket also means that the realme XT has to compete against a more premium range, which is where the Snapdragon 712 might come up short. Still, there’s plenty to love about the realme XT, with its only major shortcoming being its middling chipset.

Our thanks to realme Malaysia for sending us the realme XT for review!
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Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Operation Phantom Sight Now Online

If you’ve been waiting for the latest update for Rainbow Six Siege, well Operation Phantom Sight is now available to play. The second season of Year 4 of the game is now available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

In the new Operation Phantom Sight, it introduces two new Operators in the form of Nøkk and Warden. Nøkk is the latest Attacker that can activate the HEL Presence Reduction gadget. With it, Drones, Bulletproof Cameras, Evil Eyes as well as other observation tools will be unable to register Nøkk’s presence as she roams through the map unseen.
Nøkk
Warden
As for Warden, he is a Defender that uses the Glace Smart Glasses gadget that can prevent him from being blinded by flash effects, cleans an existing flash blindness and gain visibility through smoke. As long as he remains stationary, he can quickly turn a disadvantageous situation to his favor by activating his glasses, catching enemies off guard.

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The new update also saw rework of the Kafe Dostoyevsky map. Other than that, it also sees changes to Reverse Friendly Fire, where it has been upgraded and now takes into consideration the actions of an entire squad. It is now possible to activate the Reverse Friendly Fire feature for an entire squad if they are consistently hurting their teammates.
New skins has been added, which includes the new Lesion prototype Elite skin. For full details on Operation Phantom Sight season updates, you can check the link here.
Pokdepinion: I’ve recently played the new update and I’m quite satisfied with the changes. Glad to know that Clash is back as well after her absence.
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Intel 10nm Ice Lake-SP Xeons will come with 38 cores in 2020

Intel’s 10nm Ice Lake processors were announced earlier this year, starting with the laptop processors. Ice Lake marks the first generation by Intel to feature a different process node after the long streak of Skylake-based 14nm processors. For those who are looking forward to server and workstation Ice Lake-based processors, you will have to wait until Q3 2020.
This information was apparently divulged during an ASUS IoT seminar which revealed that the Ice Lake processors will be supported on the upcoming Whitley platform, which will debut a bit earlier with Cooper Lake CPUs. There will also be a new Socket P+ for the Whitley platform, supporting both Cooper Lake and Ice lake processors.

It seems like the Ice Lake-SP processors will be the first generation from Intel to support up to 64 lanes of PCIe 4.0 goodness. Ice Lake-SP will also bring with it support for Intel’s second-gen Optane DC Persistent Memory. Meanwhile, Cooper Lake-SP will still offer PCIe 3.0, although it does represent an upgrade over Cascade Lake with up to 64 lanes instead of the 48 Cascade Lake offers.

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The Ice Lake-SP processors will go up to 38-core, 76-thread configurations, with the platform supporting two sockets for a total of 76 cores. The TDP rating is slated at 270W, which is pretty decent for these amazing core counts.
With a Q3 2020 launch in mind, the Ice Lake-SP processors would probably be facing off against the third-generation EPYC processors, based on the upcoming 7nm+ process at TSMC.
Pokdepinion: It seems like Intel would be the one doing the catching up this time around…
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Tencent Is Working On A Cyberpunk Open-world Shooter Game Called SYN

It appears that Tencent is currently working on a new open-world cyberpunk first-person shooter game called SYN, where they’ve released a tech demo on the title.
Tencent’s SYN

SYN, is a game developed by Lightspeed and Quantum Studios, whom you might recall are the people behind PUBG Mobile. Though the video showcase several interesting ideas, they’ve said that nothing shown is in the final product stage.
Here’s what Tencent has said about the game:

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We tried to push forward state-of-the-art, real-time graphics in cyberpunk-style world with an intriguing universe and striking visuals. Our characters are realistic, yet stylish, with various customization features including cosmetics, skins, and extremely realistic effects achieved with our strand-based hair system through cooperation with Epic Games.
Despite revealing that SYN will come out for both consoles and PC, there’s no official release date just yet. Stay tuned to our site for the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews.
Source
Pokdepinion: I don’t know… somehow I get the feeling that it’ll be a free game and the way they earn money is with in-game purchases.. What do you think of the game? Let us know in the comments.
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honor 7A Flash Sale Special — Get It At Just RM429

honor Malaysia will be having their flash sale tomorrow (21st of June 2018) and will be offering their honor 7A smartphone for a price of just RM429.
honor 7A Flash Sale
honor 7A which was launched earlier of this month will be available on a lower price tomorrow, during honor’s flash sale. It features a 5.7-inch HD+ FullView Display and runs on EMUI 8.0, which is based on Android 8.0 Oreo. Powering the device is a Snapdragon 430 chipset and it comes with 3GB of RAM.
Storage wise, it offers 32GB of internal storage, which of course can be expanded through an SD card. On the camera’s department, it offers an 8MP rear camera and sports a 8MP selfie shooter on the front. Under the hood, is packs a 3000mAh battery.

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During this flash sale, you can get it a price of RM429, which is lower than its original RRP price of RM479.
honor 7A Specification

CPU/Chipset:
Snapdragon 430 Octa-core (4×1.4 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.1 GHz Cortex A53)

GPU:
Adreno 505

RAM:
3GB

Display:
5.7″ (2440 x 720) FullView Display 18:9, IPS

Storage:
32GB (up to 256GB via microSD)

Camera:
Main Camera(s) 13 MP + 2 MP f/2.2) PDAF, LED Flash Front Camera 8 MP, f/2.0 LED Flash

OS:
EMUI 8.0 (based on Android 8.0 Oreo)

Connectivity:
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, microUSB 2.0

SIM:
Dual SIM (nano SIM)

Battery:
Li-Po 3000 mAh (non-removable)

Weight:
150g

Pokdepinion: It’d be nice if they just make the price (RM429) permanent, since previously it was at that price for pre-orders when it first came out.

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[E3 2021] Get a Sneak Peek at Back 4 Blood Gameplay Here – Open Beta Confirmed

[E3 2021] Back 4 Blood Gameplay

At E3 2021 during the Xbox and Bethesda presentation, we were treated to some gameplay footage of Back 4 Blood. We managed to see the new swamp and PvP modes, with Special Infected gameplay bits included.
It appears that Back 4 Blood will be having an open beta session from 12th August to 16th August 2021. For those who pre-order the game, you will be eligible to play the game even earlier from 5th August to 9th August 2021. This will be the earliest that anyone gets to play the game prior to its release.

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Back 4 Blood will be coming to the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC on 12th October 2021. It will be available as part of the Xbox Game Pass when it launches.
Source
Pokdepinion: My friends and I have been preparing for this game for a while now, so much so that there has been a string of FPS games to make sure we can play it well when it’s out. I’m just looking forward to playing as the zombies and killing my friends, honestly speaking.
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Genshin Impact Leaks Reveal Banner Reruns, 5-Star and 4-Star Characters for 2.3, 2.4, and 2.5

There’s been a massive Genshin Impact leak that surfaced, potentially revealing banner reruns, 4-star, and 5 star characters for update 2.3, 2.4, and 2.5. Here’s what we know thus far.
Genshin Impact Leaks for Update 2.3, 2.4, and 2.5

Added a much-needed tl;dr timeline at the top of our Upcoming Banners page.
(We see you, Ganyu-savers, and we are collecting all the crumbs we possibly can.) pic.twitter.com/7BaM30pyx5
— SYP Team // Genshin Leaks (@SaveYourPrimos) October 22, 2021

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The popular Genshin Impact leaks Twitter account @SaveYourPrimos compiled a number of leaks which popped up recently for update 2.3, 2.4, and 2.5. Some of them we’ve reported before and the others might be news to you.
In the first part, which also comes from multiple sources, we can expect an Albedo rerun in the first half of update 2.3, followed by reruns for Itto and Gorou in the second half. Then, we are expected to see Yunjin in update 2.4.
As for the second part, which comes from a single reliable source, it’s suggested that Shenhe will be coming in update 2.4 while Yae will be coming update 2.5. As many of you may know by now, Yae was expected to launch earlier but that didn’t come true, which potentially points to the character getting a much needed rework or rebalance.
Finally for the third part, which has no credible backing and is more so a speculation, Xiao is expected to have a rerun in update 2.4, while Ganyu will be up for a rerun in update 2.5 alongside the new Yae banner.
While the last part is harder to believe, any of these could end up being false as well, so do take the information with a grain of salt. We will report more on this as information becomes available so stay tuned.
Genshin Impact is currently available for free on the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Android, iOS, and PC. A Nintendo Switch port of the game coming in the near future.
Source
Pokdepinion: I’m keeping a very close eye on Yae, as I’m about pretty sure there was some major changes in development for the character. She might just end up being much more interesting than initially expected. We’ll just have to wait and see for now.
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PS Plus Asia December 2018 FREE GAMES Lineup

If you are a PS Plus member, then you know that it’s more than just playing games online on the PS4. You are entitled to a number of free games every month. If you’re wondering what you’ll be getting this December 2018, then look no further. Here is the PS Plus Asia December 2018 free games lineup.

The first main highlight we have is Gravity Rush 2. Command the immense forces of gravity as Kat faces a new danger threatening to unravel the fabric of the universe. Alongside former rival Raven, uncover the secrets behind strange gravitational waves sweeping across Hekseville as a gravity storm of unprecedented scale approaches. Discover new gravity-bending play styles that can even alter the strength and direction of gravity itself as you try to save a vast floating metropolis from total destruction.

Next up, we have GOD EATER 2 Rage Burst. Start your journey in GOD EATER Resurrection as a new member of the GOD EATER elite squad. Your mission is to defeat the Aragami and gather material from them for research, but you come to realize that you are being drawn in to a giant conspiracy that will irreversibly alter the fate of humanity. Three years after the events of GOD EATER Resurrection, a mysterious red rain sparks a fatal pandemic called the Black Plague. Members of the Special Unit “Blood” are sent to investigate.

For the third highlight, we have Katamari Damashii No Vita. Roll everything from tiny ants to skyscrapers in this exhilarating “Shape-changing and Ball rolling” title. Use the touch panel and sticks to roll the ball as you wish. Change the ball’s shape with the flip of your fingers, expand the ball on a vast space or squeeze into gaps. See if you can break the records of friends around with the “near” function.
For the full PS Plus Asia December 2018 free games lineup, check it out right below here.
Full Lineup

Gravity Rush 2
GOD EATER 2 Rage Burst
Katamari Damashii No Vita
Mobile Suit Gundam: Battle Operation 2
Deracine

Pokdepinion: Personally, Gravity Rush 2 and GOD EATER 2 makes this lineup worthy of getting, assuming you haven’t played either of those games. They’re pretty fun.

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Moto G5S Plus Now Available – First From The G-Series With Dual Rear Camera!

Lenovo Mobile and Motorola Mobility have officially announce the Moto G5S Plus, which is now available for purchase in Malaysia.
Moto G5S Plus
Previously, we did a post on the exclusive invite we had to see first-hand the G5S Plus, you can click here to take a look on that.The new device features a bigger screen of 5.5-inch full HD display than the previous G5 Plus’ 5.2-inch display. G5S Plus features a dual 13MP rear cameras, which is a first in the G-series, that comes with depth editing software and features a f/2.0 aperture. There’s also a color balancing dual LED flash sitting near the cameras.
Users can play around with the selective focus mode, where you can add a blur effect to your pictures depending on where you want to focus at. Also available to tinker around are the selective black and white coloring (which we’ve shared in our previous post) or the replace background mode, a great way to make your boss think that you’re at the hospital.  You can also capture 4K Ultra HD videos at 30 fps.

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Now, we would like to inform that the G5S Plus doesn’t come with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) BUT you can get by this through a software, which is pre-installed in the device. Here’s a video to show you

 In the front, there’s a 8MP wide-angle shooter, accompanied with an LED flash. Additionally, there’s also a new panoramic mode to capture even more. The G5S Plus packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor and runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat.
It has 4GB RAM and paired up with 32GB of internal storage, which you can expand up to 128GB via a microSD card. The G5S Plus has a 3000mAh which also comes with a TurboPower charger. The charger allows you up to 6 hours of battery life in just 15 minutes of charging.
The Moto G5S Plus is priced at RM999 and is available for purchase at Motorola stores and authorized dealers. You can choose to purchase Motorola’s official e-store on Lazada. Currentyly there’s a promotion going on for the device. You can get special freebies worth RM587 when you purchase from Lazada Malaysia between the 6th to 11th of November 2017.
Pokdepinion: Seeing the specs, and the price, it’s a bargain. Especially if you compared it to the previous G5 Plus. You better act fast if you want those freegifts!
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PlayStation Asia Offering DualSense + NBA 2K22 Jumpstart Bundle At An Attractive Price

Looking to get an extra DualSense controller? This might be the perfect time as PlayStation Asia will be offering the new DualSense + NBA 2K22 JumpStart Bundle very soon.
PlayStation Asia: DualSense + NBA 2K22 Jumpstart Bundle

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PlayStation Asia has officially announced that the DualSense + NBA 2K22 Jumpstart Bundle will be on sale starting 10th September 2021 with a retail price of RM349. This bundle pack will contain the following items:

1 x DualSense controller
1 x Voucher for NBA 2K22 Jumpstart Bundle

In case you weren’t aware, the NBA 2K22 Jumpstart Bundle consists of 3 MyTEAM Packs and 2,500 MyTEAM Points. All you have to do is redeem that code on the PS Store and it will be yours. Just to be clear, you aren’t getting the game but the digital content intended for it.
NBA 2K22 will be coming to the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC on 10th September 2021. Pre-orders for the game are already up and running, so you can secure your copy now if you’d like.
Pokdepinion: Practically speaking, it’s basically a DualSense controller with a free NBA 2K22 Jumpstart Bundle. If you’re going to play the game, I see this as a win if you need an extra controller.
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AMD R9 290X beats the GTX 980 Ti in DX12

Who am I kidding, right? For a past-gen Hawaii XT based AMD R9 290X to match a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti is already ridiculous enough, but beat? Apparently, it does. In Ashes of Singularity’s benchmark, which is the first game to be based on DirectX 12, shows that for the 99th percentile frames per second benchmark — the minimum frame rate you can expect to see 99 percent of the time — the R9 290X actually beats the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti.

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A higher minimum FPS generally means a more playable experience. It is surprising to see AMD’s past-gen flagship actually beat NVIDIA’s second fastest single GPU card. AMD does lose to the GTX 980 Ti in the average FPS tests, but it still nips at the 980 Ti’s heels, which is an achievement on its own given the age of the 290X compared to the GTX 980 Ti.

Of course, we have seen the jump in draw calls that AMD’s GPUs can consume in DX12 compared to DX11, but I never expected an improvement of this sort. And what’s even more intriguing is that NVIDIA’s performance falls when using DX12 instead of DX11. This points to NVIDIA’s optimization issues more than a lack of raw power.

SOURCE: ArsTechnica

Pokdepinion: This is very good news for users of older AMD cards. They may have just found the reason not to upgrade and save up until the next generation Artic Islands or Pascal hits the market.
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HONOR Malaysia Niu Year Sale Offers Up To 60% Off Discounts

While previously we’ve reported on the leaked HONOR V40 specifications, the local HONOR Malaysia team has announced of their HONOR Niu Year Sale, where they are offering up to 60% off on their popular smartphones and accessories.
HONOR Malaysia Niu Year Sale
The Niu Year Sale takes place this 26 January till 14 February 2021 on hihonor where you can purchase the HONOR 9X and HONOR 9X Lite at RM100 off.
There’s up to RM150 off vouchers that you can use to purchase the MagicBook 14 (16GB+512GB) and HONOR Watch GS Pro.

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You can check the table below of their offerings and discounted prices:

Product
RRP
Niu Year Sale

HONOR 9X Pro
RM999
RM799

HONOR 9X
RM849
RM749

HONOR 9X Lite
RM699
RM599

HONOR 9S
RM359
RM299

HONOR 8A
RM469
RM419

HONOR 8S
RM369
RM299

HONOR 7S 3GB+64GB
RM429
RM399

HONOR Sport Pro
RM299
RM199

HONOR Band 5i
RM119
RM99

HONOR is also offering Flash Deals with RM300 off for the HONOR Magic Earbuds, RM150 off the HONOR 9A, and a special bundle price of RM999 for the HONOR Watch GS Pro plus HONOR Magic Earbuds.
Aside from that, you can also enjoy further reductions every Tuesday and Friday from 12pm-2pm during the period. Specific dates for each products will be revealed the day before on HONOR’s Facebook page.
Not to forget, you can grab vouchers worth up to RM150 daily during the campaign period. All you need to do is simply login to the campaign page and check in daily to see which vouchers are up for grabs.
Pokdepinion: Great news if you’re looking to purchase something from HONOR. The good thing is that the promo period is quite long, so you can take your time in thinking on what to get.
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Digi Reveals Enhanced PhoneFreedom 365 Plan  — HUAWEI P30 For RM122 Per Month

Digi’s very own PhoneFreedom 365 is now available with a wider range of smartphones for new registrations, port-ins and existing customers who want to own a device that suits their lifestyle, without the hassle of upfront payment and interest charges.
With PhoneFreedom 365, it gives customers the chance to own the latest phone, including the HUAWEI P30 Pro for RM122 per month with Digi Postpaid 120. The package include’s 80GB of internet and unlimited calls to all networks when they are at home and when abroad. Additionally there’s 5GB of roaming internet together with 60 minutes of roaming calls and another 60 minutes of IDD calls to 10 countries.
Aside from that, those who purchase the P30 Pro will also get gifts worth up to RM400. Digi will also be running an exclusive promotion for the first 100 customers to enjoy freebies up to RM728 when they purchase the HUAWEI P30 series at their Digi Store in Bangsar Shopping Complex.

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Pokdepinion: If you’re interested in the P30 series, why not head down yourself to their store in Bangsar Shopping Complex? The deal sounds quite attractive.
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Huawei P9’s camera not made by Leica

When Huawei announced the Huawei P9 which will pack a camera co-engineered with Leica, many smartphone enthusiasts were very interested in its camera performance, as well as how much Leica was involved in the development of the camera.
It was later found that the entire camera module was by Sunny Optical Technology, and not by the German company which has branded the camera lens so boldly as a member of the renowned Leica Summarit family. So now we know Leica was not behind the production of the lens, so what was Leica’s part in the development of the Huawei P9’s camera?

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Regarding the issue, Huawei officially released a statement regarding Leica’s involvement in the Huawei P9:
“The P9 and P9 Plus were co-engineered between Huawei and Leica. This is the first collaboration between the two companies following a long-term partnership that was announced in February. From the very beginning, Leica has been deeply involved in the development of these devices. There has been significant technological collaboration between Huawei and Leica around many aspects of the camera, including optical design, imaging quality, image data processing, optimization, and the mechanical construction of the camera module to the graphic user interface. The devices meet Leica’s highest imaging quality standards.”
So we know that Leica was very much involved in the development of the Huawei P9’s camera, but the manufacturing was outsourced to Sunny Optical Technology. Nonetheless, the Huawei P9’s dual-camera system is very unique, with its capability to capture data in both color and monochrome. What do you think of this piece of news? Let us know in the comments!

Pokdepinion: It would be difficult to imagine Leica actually producing the camera module, and this is actually quite a no-brainer to me. However I believe Huawei should have been more upfront about the involvement of Leica in the Huawei P9’s camera.
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Redmi K30 Pro aka POCO F2 might cost between ~RM1829 to ~RM2134

Lu Weibing has taken to Weibo to announce the coming of the Redmi K30 Pro this month, and has announced that it will launch after the HUAWEI P40 smartphones. The HUAWEI P40’s launch date has been set for 26th March, which doesn’t leave that many days for Redmi to reveal the next Redmi flagship.
Following the launch of the Redmi K30, many were anticipating that Redmi will launch a Pro variant, just like how there’s a Redmi K20 Pro (Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro) to the Redmi K20 (Xiaomi Mi 9T here). But since the Redmi K30 was also marketed in India as the POCO X2, we might also see the Redmi K30 Pro sold in the world’s second most populous country as the POCO F2 as a true successor to the POCO F1.

Supporting the possibility of the POCO F2 finally appearing is a recent PSA that POCO India has posted. While it may have been just a tease at our incessant demands for a true flagship from the POCO brand, it definitely caught our attention. Oh, and wash your hands.

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In addition to that, Lu Weibing has also been spotted responding to some Redmi fans on Weibo curious about the price of the Redmi K30 Pro. When a user suggested a 2999 CNY (~RM1828) price tag, the Xiaomi VP jokingly told him off before suggesting a user to wait for the Redmi K30 Pro when the user asked him for suggestions with a 3500 CNY budget. That strongly suggests that the Redmi K30 Pro will be positioned competitively in the 3000 CNY (~RM1829) to 3500 CNY (~RM2134) price bracket.
He also hinted that the Redmi K30 Pro won’t be a barebones Snapdragon 865 device, unlike the POCO F2 which only had one main selling point: being a ridiculously affordable Snapdragon 845 device. Perhaps we will see the Redmi K30 Pro come with niceties like an AMOLED display and a more advanced imaging setup.

The Redmi K30 Pro is slated to offer a 64MP shooter like its non-Pro brethren, but it also might offer a 108MP rear camera as Lu Weibing was also explaining on Weibo about why 2020 flagships cost more than previous years, with his example being that the cost of a single 108MP camera is actually higher than that of the ubiquitous 48MP triple camera setups from 2019. What would you want to see on the Redmi K30 Pro? Let us know!
Pokdepinion: The Redmi K30 Pro looks like an amazing option for those who want a Snapdragon 865 device without having to splurge a small fortune.
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Gamers Hideout Black Friday Sale Is Kicking Off Soon

Gamers Hideout has announced of their annual Black Friday Sale, which is happening tomorrow, on the 26th of November 2021.
Gamers Hideout Black Friday Sale
On the day itself, you can expect deals to be offered at their Sunway pyramid outlet, where the sale will lasts for 5 hours, starting at 5pm till 10pm.
They’ve revealed that those who have signed up and VIPs have priority to shop from 5-7.30pm. Should you not be in that category, you can still come at 5pm to get your time slot early and start shopping at 7.30pm, on a first-come-first-served basis.

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Every shopper will get a maximum of 15 minutes of shopping time in the store and only a maximum of 15 customers are allowed to be in the store at the same time as they are practicing COVID-19 safety measures.

There’s discounts where products are priced as low as RM1 as well as other deals for peripherals, games, and consoles. In case you can’t make it, they’ve mentioned that Cyber Monday is still coming with deals and plenty of gifts with purchase.

For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: I can imagine it’d be hard for people who work on weekdays to make it at 5pm on a Friday. Will you be making the trip down the store for their deals?
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Motorola Flash Sale – RM886 Worth Of Free Gifts Awaits!

Fancy getting a Motorola smartphone? Now’s your chance as Lenovo Mobile Business Group and Motorola Mobility will be participating in the Lazada Electronics Fair 2017 from 7 to 11 September 2017. Anyone who purchases any selected Motorola smartphone within this Motorola flash sale period will be entitled for free gifts worth up to RM886 in value!
So what Motorola smartphones are being offered in the promotion you ask? First up is the Moto G5 Plus. The offer for the device is from 7 to 11 September, so you can pick it up on one of these days at a special retail price of RM1099. The Moto G5 Plus has 5,2 inch Full HD 1080p display and packs Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor with a 2.0 GHz octa-core CPU and 650 MHz Adreno 506 GPU paired with a 4GB RAM and 32GB internal storage that is expandable. The promotion entitles you to get 32GB SD card, Moto Touch Flip Cover, and a screen protector which is worth all together RM188.
Next is the Moto Z, coming in at a special retail price of RM2299. The availability for this model is different from the Moto G5 Plus as it is only applicable on 8 September 2017. The Moto Z features a 5.5-inch Quad HD (2560 x 1440) AMOLED display and made from military aircraft-grade aluminium and stainless steel. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB of RAM. There is an option of 64GB storage and you can expand it up to 2TB of storage via a microSD card. You’ll get Moto Mod Incipio offGRID Power Pack and a Motorola Pulse 2 headphone which are included as free gifts, worth a total of RM638.

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Last but not least, Moto Z Play is also included in the promotion. It will only be available (for the promotional price) only on the last day itself, which is on the 9th September 2017. The Moto Z Play retails at RM1499. It is powered with Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, 3GB of RAM and available in 32GB internal storage with up to 2TB via a microSD card. Also, it’s battery capacity of 3510mAh deliver up to 45 hours of battery life and also supports TurboPower charging allowing user to get up to 7 hours in just a 15 minute of charge. The free gifts included for the Moto Z Play is exactly the same as the Moto Z, valued at RM638 worth of free gifts.
So be sure to look out at Lazada’s Motorola flash sale on these dates if you’re looking for a Motorola smartphone.
Pokdepinion: Well, what more should i say? Get them on those dates, Motorola fans!

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OPPO Sonica Wireless Speaker review — Hi-Fi over Wi-Fi?

For some people, they recognize OPPO as a smartphone brand, but for some people OPPO is a reputable manufacturer of audiophile equipment. OPPO Digital is not the same as the OPPO Mobile, as the company is independently operated in Silicon Valley since 2014 and specialize in high-end audio systems. Their Blu-ray player and headphones are highly reputable but they are not made for the masses, unlike OPPO smartphones. After the recent launch of the OPPO Sonica WiFi speakers in Malaysia, Pokde.net has been given an opportunity to test and experience the Sonica’s audio experience.
Unboxing
Packed in just a plain white rectangular box, I was once again reassured that it is not made for your usual consumer. There is nothing printed about the product from the packaging, as everything you need to know about the product can be found on the official product site.

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Opening the box, we have the OPPO Sonica itself, a power cable and a user manual guide. As it’s a wireless speaker, no accessories such as your usual 3.5mm AUX cable is included.

OPPO Sonica is a wireless speaker that packs a 2.1 stereo configuration into its body. It touts a max output power of 35 Watt, which is quite a lot considering its compact size. The speaker also uses custom drivers to delivers the best sound quality out of the box.
Appearance
At the beginning, I did not pay much attention to the design as I was more interested in the audio quality at the launch event. But when I took a closer look at the OPPO Sonica when it arrived at our office for review, it’s really well designed and definitely feels premium.

The front is dominated by a fabric mesh covering the drivers which was very nice to touch while also looking very pleasing. Not much to see from the exterior except for the OPPO logo, as all the important parts is placed behind the mesh. The Sonica have a single 3.5-inch bass driver coupled with dual 3-inch bass radiators and another two 2.5-inch drivers with Neodymium magnets.

Moving to the back of the speaker, I found a 3.5mm audio jack, a USB port, a LAN Ethernet port and a power connector. The speakers also come with wireless AC connectivity and Bluetooth 4.1, giving it great wireless capabilities too.

Under the OPPO Sonica, I found the product label where the MAC address and serial number are printed. There are holes for a wall mount which is sold separately.

If you looking for the buttons, the Sonica only features a single mute button and volume control button along the centerline with some status LEDs.

The Sonica’s curved design is achieved with molded tough, glass-filled ABS polymer compounds, and the enclosure’s shape was purposefully designed with curved surfaces not only for aesthetics, but also for a wider sound field. The speaker comes in two color option, black or silver to blend into any room. With the OPPO Sonica built out of all the high quality materials, the speaker weighs a pretty substantial 2.4kg.
Specification

Power Supply
100 V – 240 V ~ 50/60 Hz

Power Consumption
35 W / 6 W (Standby)

Size (mm)
301 (L) x 147 (W) x 135 (H)

Weight
2.4 kg (5.3 lb)

Wi-Fi Protocol
802.11.a/b/g/n/ac

Bluetooth Standard
Bluetooth 4.1

AUX Max Input
2 Vrms

Audio Formats
AAC, AIF, AIFC, AIFF, APE, FLAC, M4A, M4A (Apple Lossless) ALAC, MP2, OGG, WAV, WMA

Drivers
1 x 3.5” long displacement bass driver

2 x 3” balanced bass radiators

2 x 2.5” wideband drivers with Neodymium magnets

Operating Conditions
Temperature 5°C – 35°C

Humidity 15% – 75% (No Condensation)

Wall Mount
Optional

User Experience
The mute and volume button actually perform more than just being simple mute and volume rockers. When you press the mute button and volume down button at the same time, it will reset the wireless connection. Meanwhile the combination of mute and volume up button sets the speaker to be ready to be paired with Bluetooth devices. This is explained in the user manual, and this is why you should read the manual first before plugging it to a power source.

You can easily pair the speaker with your smart device over Bluetooth, but to connect via WiFi, first you should download the Sonica app. The app is available for both Android and iOS devices. The Sonica speaker is well tuned and the all you need to do is follow the recommendated presets for an optimized listening experience. It works flawlessly over a 2.4 GHz or a 5.0 GHz wireless signal too, which is great for those still stuck on older routers.

During the review, I connected the Sonica to my PC using the standard 3.5mm AUX cable, Bluetooth as well as over a 5.0GHz wireless connection. Explaining every detail about the Sonica app alone would extend this article to a TL;DR wall of text, so I would like to keep it simple. Basically, the Sonica app is a complementary software and is very important to take full advantage of the speaker.

The app is very responsive and actively updated on the Play Store during the review. It integrates with Tidal and Spotify (only for premium subscriptions). Also, you also can update the speaker firmware with the Sonica app, which is really quite seamless as you will download an OTA update to your phone which will then be transferred to the OPPO Sonica.

Before we talk about how great the Sonica sounds, I would like to talk about how to feed the OPPO Sonica your music. The Sonica is able to play from multiple sources at the same time. You can also control the volume from each source independently. I connected the speaker through AUX cable, Bluetooth, WiFi and also, I plug a USB drive and play from all the source and it all just worked. It’s great! I love it! Until the latest Sonica’s firmware and app update ended the fun. The fix might be a sad ending for me, but thinking about what might happen when multiple users connect to the speaker and play different songs at the same time. Total mayhem.

Now, let’s talk about the Sonica audio quality. For me, the presets are very important and you must calibrate it according to the guide. The Sonica is designed to fill the average room with music, so using it as background music speaker in a large space might not be the best idea. For me, the Sonica preset 1 is perfect for our Pokde.net office’s space.
I’m not an audiophile nor an audio enthusiast. I also believe every person has their own preference when it comes to music and sound, just like when we talk about keyboards and mice. There is no “one size fits all” with these. During the review, I played a lot of songs from a wide variety of genres and I also gamed with sound pumped out of the Sonica.
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During the review, I frequently listened to a set of songs, in lossless format, of course. Among them is Manchester Orchestra – Simple Math and AURORA – Running With The Wolves. For Chillwave, Triangle Music has been one of my favorites recently. For an adrenaline rush, I listen to Sabaton – Primo Victoria, and last but not least Mika – Happy Ending always accompany me two o’clock in the morning.
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When talking about the mids and bass, the OPPO Sonica covered them spectacularly for me. The mid frequencies are crystal clear allowing songs that emphasize the vocals come alive, especially the Manchester Orchestra – Simple Math. Meanwhile the bass is very clean and tight, giving you satisfying punches after punches when listening to eery – Her and olli. – II.

The only weak link I found on the Sonica is the treble, it’s quite difficult for me to notice the treble frequencies in most songs, as I am more used to headphone which are easier for me to identify the high frequencies with. I remember when I’m reviewing the PowerColor HDX Devil sound card which has really the best treble I have experienced, allowing you to experience the song like you never heard it before! Sadly, I could not enjoy the same mind blowing experience with the Sonica. However considering it is still a speaker system, to be able to deliver such a level of detail would be truly a technological marvel.

By the way, you can pair more Sonica speakers to create a stereo setup. In this mode, the Sonica will be able to deliver improved channel separation, a larger sound stage, and more power than a single speaker. Another option is you can add more Sonica speakers to your home and with the Sonica app to put you in the conductor’s seat, deciding what music is streamed to each speaker. You can group the speakers to play the same music in sync, or enjoy a different listening experience in every corner of your house.
Conclusion
Although I owned several speakers before this, most of which are pretty affordable, from Edifier, Logitech and Altec Lansing, this is my first time reviewing a speaker. The OPPO Sonica is delivers stellar mid and bass frequencies, but when it comes to treble, it takes a back seat. For me it’s acceptable as the Sonica is designed to pump a room full of music, while sporting an elegant design that doesn’t mess with the theme of your living space. If coverage of the entire perceptible frequency range is your priority, you might want to invest in more audiophile-class hardware.
As the Sonica receives updates, it will gain features and bug fixes over time. The latest update to the Sonica also brought support for the OPPO Sonica DAC which is coming later this year. Software wise, it is currently only available for Android and iOS, but I would love to see it available for Windows and MacOS as well. The OPPO Sonica is priced at RM1299 and is backed by a 1 year warranty. Considering how great it sounds, pricing, features, complement app and technical support, OPPO Sonica could still be further improved. Till then, the OPPO Sonica deserves our Silver Pokdeward.
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HGST surprised Seagate with Ultrastar 10TB Helium-filled HDD to the market

HGST a division company of Western Digital announced that they are shipping the world’s first 10TB perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) hard disk drive (HDD). The HGST Ultrastar He10 provide highest capacity, lower power consumption per TB and the highest reliability rating of all HDDs on the market.

The Ultrastar He10 HDD is the third generation helium driver expected to enable video, photo, business and other cloud-based applications. It offers a 25% increase in capacity over the previous generation and uses 56% fewer watts per TB compare to traditional air-filled HDDs.

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The Ultrastar He10 also offering 2.5 million mean-time-between failures rating as well as a five-year warranty, available to all enterprise customers as a bare drive, and will be in HGST’s Active Archive System for customers that require a petabyte-scale object storage system.

HGST continues to lead the industry in delivering the next highest capacity hard drive for enterprise applications, according to John Rydning, IDC’s research vice president. “HGST’s new Ultrastar 10TB He10 will help address the need for higher capacity, and higher density storage racks in enterprise data centers.

Pokdepinion: With 10TB helium-filled HDD, HGST has beat Seagate records which at 8TB, but the main question is will the HDD last longer with the current SSD price trend going to south day by day?
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vivo Partners With National Geographic To Launch The VISION+ Mobile Photography Competition

vivo, in partnership with National Geographic is launching a mobile photography competition known as the ‘vivo VISION+ Mobile Photography Awards’. The competition is part of vivo’s efforts to build a visual ecosystem and is open to smartphone users all over the globe.
Celebrate the Story of Malaysia with vivo’s VISION+ Mobile Photography Competition
vivo Malaysia is inviting smartphone users in the country to take part in the global competition and showcase the beauty of everyday moments of life in Malaysia. Winners of the VISION+ Mobile Photography Competition stand the chance to win prizes worth more than USD46,000 (RM191061). The competition is currently open for entry submissions and will close on 20 November 2020.

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The contest will allow smartphone users around the world to showcase their photography skills, in which outstanding entries will stand a chance for their submission to be entered into the international photography awards. The selected photos will then be submitted to a panel of judges, including world-class photographers, Steve McCurry and Michael Halsband.
Winning entries will be walking away with the following prizes:

Picture of the Year (1X prize): The vivo VISION+ prize of USD15,000 (RM62302.50), 1 vivo smartphone, an award certificate, and publication of winning entries in the National Geographic Magazine and relevant photography exhibitions.
Category Winners (6x prizes): The vivo VISION+ prize of USD5,000 (RM20767.50), 1 vivo smartphone, an award certificate, and publication of winning entries in the National Geographic Magazine and relevant photography exhibitions.
Category Winners (6x prizes): The vivo VISION+ prize of USD5,000 (RM20767.50), 1 vivo smartphone, an award certificate, and publication of winning entries in the National Geographic Magazine and relevant photography exhibitions.
Top 30: 1 vivo smartphone and an award certificate

For more information on the VISION+ Mobile Photography Competition, head over to the official website right here.
Pokdepinion: Good outlet for avid mobile photographers to showcase their abilities. Also, is anyone else hearing the National Geographic theme in their heads right now? Or is it just me?
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Dell Announces New Alienware, Dell G, XPS And Many More Other Products

In a recent launch event, Dell has revealed a few new products which include new workstations, PCs and accessories designed to help you create, play and do more from anywhere. These include models from the Alienware, XPS, Dell G, Precision and Latitude lines.
New Dell Precision and XPS products

Dell has updated its Precision 5560, Precision 5760, XPS 15 and XPS 17 laptops, making them compatible with the new Intel Core and Xeon mobile processors. These lightweight and stylish computers, which feature the latest NVIDIA RTX graphics and are backed by the NVIDIA Studio programme, come with everything you need to channel your imagination whenever and wherever inspiration strikes.

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Professionals searching for a powerful device with up to NVIDIA RTX A5000 laptop GPUs that can handle workloads like 8K HDR video editing and large 3D simulations can find it here.
Dell’s new Precision 7000 Series mobile workstations are capable of handling even the most demanding workloads, and they now have 5G capabilities for the first time.
New Alienware products

Dell also announced the new Alienware m15 R6 and Dell G15 gaming systems with the latest 11th Gen Intel Core H-series mobile processors and the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series laptop GPUs. Furthermore, they also gave a sneak peek at its next creation…the Alienware X Series.

Alienware will also reveal new a series of new, proprietary, thermal technologies to balance power and style in the thinnest gaming laptops it has ever made, later this quarter. The announcement will be made over at their Twitch channel on 1 June. Along with the X Series, Alienware will launch a new unboxing experience that pays homage to the line’s iconic style while using the same recycled packaging and technologies as the XPS and Precision lines.
New Dell products for the workspace

Dell recently released a new line of OptiPlex PCs, as well as an upgrade to the Precision 3000 Series towers, which now feature the newest 11th Generation Intel Core processors. Dell also included extra features such as 3200MHz memory, Thunderbolt 4, and 5G capability options for select devices around the Latitude, Precision, and XPS portfolios, in addition to the processor and graphics upgrades.
In the current Latitude 5421 and 5521, Dell has increased the use of bioplastics. Tall Oil is used to make this green material, which is used in the LCD coverlid (21% by weight). Dell Technologies is looking at incorporating more recycled and sustainable materials into its products.

The latest OptiPlex 7090 Tower and 7090 Small Form Factor, for example, are the world’s first PCs to use closed-loop recycled aluminium in the hard drive (20% by weight), and the XPS 15 and 17 are now EPEAT Gold certified 3. The Dell Ecoloop bags have a weatherproof coating made from recycled film reclaimed from car windshields, so Dell isn’t just worried about hardware.

Moreover, with the new Dell 32 4K USB-C Hub Monitor and the active noise cancelling Dell Premier Wireless ANC headset, users can connect and collaborate more seamlessly, so they can work their best.
Price and availability

PRODUCTS
STARTING SPECIFICATIONS
MALAYSIAN AVAILABILITY
STARTING PRICE

XPS

XPS 15
Intel Core i7, 16GB,
512GB, RTX3050Ti, FHD
June 2021
RM8,399

XPS 17
Intel Core i7, 16GB,
512GB, RTX3060, FHD
RM9,599

GAMING

Dell G15 TGL
Intel Core i5, 8GB, 512GB,
RTX3050, FHD
June 2021
RM 4,199

Alienware m15 R6
Intel Core i7, 16GB, 512GB, RTX3060, FHD
RM 7,999

Alienware x17
Intel Core i7, 16GB, 512GB, RTX3060, FHD
RM 10,999

LATITUDE

Latitude 5421
TBC
TBC
TBC

Latitude 5521

OPTIPLEX

OptiPlex 7090 Ultra
TBC
May 2021
TBC

PRECISION – TOWER WORKSTATIONS

Precision 3450
TBC
May 2021
TBC

Precision 3650

PRECISION – MOBILE WORKSTATIONS

Precision 3561
TBC
June 2021
TBC

Precision 5560

Precision 7560

Precision 7760

MONITORS & PERIPHERALS

Dell 32 4K USB-C HUB
Monitor (P3222QE)

End May 2021
RM 2,299

Dell Premier Wireless
ANC Headset (WL7022)

End June 2021
RM 1,349

All the products listed above will be available for purchase online here.
Pokdepinion: That’s quite a list of products there, Dell. I’m pretty interested to test out the new Alienware m15 R6 laptop when it comes out here in Malaysia.
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Lazada Malaysia Hari-Harimau New Seller Kickstarter Package to Help Local Sellers Online

Local offline sellers has experienced major impact in trying to stay afloat since the start of the pandemic. As such, Lazada Malaysia has launched the Hari-Harimau 2022 New Seller Kickstarter Package which help traditional and small businesses in their online transition in a growing digital economy.
In a continued effort to help local sellers grow their online presence, the initiative aims to assist businesses with educational, logistics and financial incentives to help SMEs ease operational costs and grow their online presence while setting them up for long-term growth and sustainability. The initiative is designed to aid small businesses in adapting to the current economical climate like customers’ new buying habits and e-commerce trends.

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New sellers who join the Hari-Harimau 2022 New Seller Kickstarter Package from 22 February until 31 December 2022 will enjoy benefits that include full access to Lazada’s suite of technology and innovative digital tools as well as hands-on support to facilitate their onboarding and growing their online customer base.
Key areas of support include:

Easing operational cost with free set-up cost, 0% commission fee, 2% payment fee waiver and free shipping service
Helping SMEs reach new customers with marketing support such as free ad credits for sponsored discovery worth RM150 and Exclusive Traffic and Exposure on the Hari-Harimau Campaign Page
Educational support with access to a wide range of training and platform support on Lazada University to scale and succeed in the long term
Free 1-month access to Customer Engagement Management (CEM) tool: a premium feature that enables Lazada sellers to proactively engage with the customers through customised messages for various scenarios, allowing them to reach out to more customers and boost their branding to a wider audience.

Lazada Malaysia’s initiatives in support of local MSMEs’ growth

As part of the company’s endeavours to support local communities in dealing with the adverse economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lazada offered a stimulus package known as “Pakej Kedai Pintar” for small and medium enterprises that was launched in April 2020. As a result, Lazada recorded an increase of new sellers onboard, achieving more than 300 percent of growth sales that has more than doubled by the end of 2020.
Aimed towards the support of local MSMEs as well as stimulate the local tourism industry, here are the list of initiatives Lazada Malaysia has launched in partnership with local authorities:

Partnered with the Ministry of Finance and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) to launch the Belanjawan 2021 initiatives, namely the Shop Malaysia Online and Go-eCommerce campaigns.
Partnered with Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (MDT) for the ‘Buy Malaysia’ campaign.
Collaborated with Invest Selangor, Selangor Information Technology and Digital Economy Corporation (Sidec) to organise four E-Bazar campaigns- E-Bazar Raya 2020, E-Bazar 11.11 Mega Sales, E-Bazar CNY 2021 and E-Bazar Raya 2021.
Joined hands with the Melaka State Government in July 2021 to host the ‘Melaka E-Bazar‘.
Launched its own digital philanthropic platform, LazadaForGood, that allows Malaysians to donate charitably to non-profit organizations and agencies such as Mercy Malaysia, Malaysian Red Crescent Society, UNICEF, Zoo Negara Malaysia, Hospis Malaysia, and Protect and Save The Children via secure online payment directly.

In the impending months, Lazada will continue its collaborative efforts with local government organizations and partners in order to develop and improve further initiatives to boost economic recovery for small businesses.
Lazada has been at the forefront of Malaysia’s eCommerce journey since 2012 with ten years experience building and strengthening the local eCommerce ecosystem. Lazada Malaysia has seen hundreds of thousands of MSMEs, SMEs, and brands expand their revenue streams.
Source
Pokdepinion: Lazada’s corporate social responsibilities towards reinvigorating the growth of small businesses and the local tourism industry in this current economical climate deserves an applause.
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A New Nokia Flagship Is Coming In November Claims Product Manager

It has been a bumpy road for HMD Global when it comes to flagship devices ever since the Nokia 9 Pureview came out. It came with several flaws and fans would’ve think that they’d improve and release a new flagship.. but it never came. Now it seems that a new one is coming later this year.
New Nokia flagship coming?

The claim was made by Zhang Yucheng, the Product Manager for HMD in China. According to the post, the company is looking to release a 5G flagship smartphone that will launch in the country on 11.11, which of course is called Singles Day, a huge shopping event in the country.

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As for details about the device, well… there’s not much to go from here. Seeing how Nokia has moved away from its former naming scheme, we’re not entirely sure what it will be called as well.
There was leaks of flagship devices from the company before and as you might have known, they didn’t come to fruition. Seeing how this is coming from their own representative however, hopefully that it’ll be true this time around.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, do stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Source
Update: The reply actually says 5G smartphone and not 5G flagship smartphone.
Pokdepinion: I hate to say it, I’m not expecting much from the company these days (speaking as a fan of the brand). It’s really hard to see what their marketing strategy is. I’d agree that the design is decent but when it comes to performance and hardware, it’s definitely something that they’ve lacked in recent smartphones. Don’t get me started with the pricing as well. I really hope that they can turn this around though.
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HONOR 9S Launching Soon In Malaysia With Collaboration With Tien Tien Yogurt

HONOR Malaysia has today announced that the HONOR 9S will be launching in the country real soon. To celebrate the occasion, they’ve collaborated with Tien Tien Yogurt.
HONOR 9S coming soon to Malaysia

The HONOR 9S is an entry-level smartphone where it features a MediaTek Helio P22 chipset where it comes with 2GB RAM that’s paired with 32GB internal storage (expandable).
Sporting a 5.45-inch FullView display, it comes with a 8MP main camera and a 5MP selfie camera at the front.

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As for the pricing and exact release date, well we will need to wait on that for the official announcement. Till then, stay tuned to Pokde.net for the latest news plus reviews on tech and gaming.
Pokdepinion: Pretty basic smartphone if you ask me. Maybe useful for those who wants a simple device. At the end of the day, it boils down to how they price it. What’s your guess?
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Bykski launches full-cover waterblock for ROG STRIX GTX GPUs

ASUS’s ROG Strix 1080, 1070 and 1060 cards share the same cooler, with their PCBs largely similar too. The advantage of this similarity is that third party manufacturers of full-cover waterblocks only have to come up with a single design to work with all three cards. Say hi to the Bykski ROG Strix 10X0 series waterblock.

As it features a full cover design, the Bykski ROG Strix 10X0 series waterblock cools the GPU, VRAM and also the power delivery system.

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The cooling block itself is nickel-plated copper for optimum thermal conductivity and resilience to oxidation.

The waterblock features a transparent acrylic top, designed with an engraved ROG logo for that unique identification as a member of the Republic of Gamers. Bykski didn’t stop just there, as certain parts of the top feature smoked clear acrylic, with a red faceplate covering it all.

The Bykski FOUR FR-N-GTX1080 full coverage waterblock is priced at 1099 RMB (around RM665), and is compatible with the ASUS ROG STRIX 1080, ROG STRIX 1070 and ROG STRIX 1060.
SOURCE: XFastest

Pokdepinion: I am sure enthusiasts will be thrilled at the possibility of customizing their latest ASUS ROG STRIX cards with these Bykski waterblocks. However I think it would interest the ROG STRIX 1080 and ROG STRIX 1070 users more as waterblocks are really necessary when you want a multi-GPU build on a compact motherboard.
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OPPO Adds Green Edition To Their R9s Line Up – Set For Mid-August

Set to hit Malaysian shores is the Oppo R9s Green Edition.With encouraging signs from their R9s smartphones, it is not surprise that OPPO are coming up with another edition to add to their line up. For those who seek some nature vibes, then this is for you.
OPPO R9s Green Edition

The OPPO R9s comes with both front and rear camera packing 16 Megapixels respectively, giving high performance no matter if it’s a selfie or a normal shot that you’d like to take. It has a 5.5″AMOLED display with vivid colors, deep blacks and sharp text.

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It runs on operating system ColourOS 3.0, which is inspired from Android Marshmallow 6.0. With Snapdragon 625, it delivers decent performance and a good battery life. Speaking about battery, it has VOOC which makes your charging routine seem less of a hassle.
Just to give a little flashback, the OPPO R9s is the world’s best selling Android smartphone in Q1 2017, with more than 8.9 million units shipped.
To see more on the OPPO R9s, you can check out our own extensive review on the smartphone by clicking here.
Update: It has been just confirmed. Those who are interested with the OPPO R9s Green Edition can pre-order at OPPO’s e-commerce platforms or offline at OPPO concept stores from 11th August 2017 onwards. It is set to retail at RM 1789. Customers who would want further personalization can head down to OPPO’s flagship store at Suria KLCC, where they provide complimentary laser engraving service for customers who purchase the R9s Green Edition. So its worth checking that out if you want something that’s extra.
Pokdepinion: Not really my kind of color to begin with. But hey, i’m sure there’s people out there who digs into these sorts of edition. Personally speaking, my favourite edition of the OPPO R9s is the Black Edition, which looks sleek and simple.
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Odd Trends In Malaysia’s Tech World

Who doesn’t love to shop right? It’s so easy to do that in today’s world where there’s plenty of platforms to go by. That being said, you might have noticed some of the odd trends that Malaysians face in shopping. Since we are all about tech, let’s check out some of the things that you may (and probably) have faced when you’re buying from the tech world.
Odd Malaysian trend in the tech world
Listed item with no price
Malaysia tech world trend – Items with no proper price
Don’t you just hate it when you’re on Facebook and you see someone posting up an item that’s up for sale but fail to mention on how much it actually is? Even more so that they will end up telling you to personally message them for more details on the price, which to be honest should be put in the first place.
Adding to that issue, sometimes they’d just put RM1 or RM123 as the price, which isn’t telling the truth. It is actually against the law if sellers fail to put up the price of products. I’m not a lawyer by any means but you can check up the Consumer Protection (Electronic Trade Transactions) Regulations 2021 act.

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Listed product with price, still asks for “PM”
Malaysia tech world trend – “PM tepi”
Here’s the opposite side of things from the previous point: the seller has admirably put on the price and mentioned all the details of the product, yet some of the viewers simply ask the seller to PM (private message) them for things that has been revealed. Come on people, the details are already there for you to read. It’s not fair to take only ones side point of view. See people, we are unprejudiced.
Too good to be true product listing but no action taken
Malaysia tech world trend – Shady product listing
We Malaysians sure do love us some good deals and cheaper prices. That being said, if you see a product that’s listed on platforms such as Lazada and Shopee at insanely cheap prices, they’re probably too good to be true. We’ve seen it happen before, shoppers get baited by the low prices and the scammers end up getting their money. Of course we wouldn’t want them to go on freely in tricking people and they deserve to be punished, but it seems there’s no actions taken..
If you ever find yourself in a situation like this, you might want to check our previous article on how you can lodge a report right here.
“No money, don’t talk” mentality
Malaysia tech world trend – Scalpers
Ever encountered a species that jacks up the price of products just because they know the stocks are limited? Of course you have. They are indeed the ‘scalpers’ and are the scourge for consumers everywhere in the globe.
Basically since they know that what they have is rare in a sense, they are willing to put the prices up to only those who can afford. When the rest of interested buyers see this, of course they would raise their voice in protest (who wouldn’t, right?). This then gets retaliated with the idea of if you don’t have the money to buy it at increased price, just stay quiet. Even more so annoying is when you find someone who backs up the seller in this scenario. Shame, just shame.
Biggest sale but best offer is just free shipping
Malaysia tech world trend – “Biggest Sale”
Again, Malaysians do love deals when they shop. When online shopping platforms promises “the biggest shopping sale!” to you, you’d expect that there’s huge discounts and promos up for grabs. So it’s sad to see that the only ‘offer’ is just free shipping. Yes, it saves you in a sense, but we’d definitely expect more for “biggest sale”.
Sure, there are some proper discounted items, let’s not deny that but most of the time, it’s just free shipping to enjoy.
Product reviews just to get the coins/rewards
Malaysia tech world trend – Review for the sake of it

One of the things we do to see if a product is legit or any good is by checking the reviews. As you may know, they have a specific section for that on ecommerce stores and that’s fine. The problem with that is that some of them aren’t useful at all. Like in the case of the picture above, that is a review for a smartphone.
Most of the times you can see unrelated pictures or people just typing out words, even repetitively, like someone who was writing for a school essay to get those minimum word requirements accomplished.
So that sums up some of the odd trends when it comes to Malaysia’s tech shopping trend. Know one that’s not on the list? Feel free to comment and let us know your thoughts down below or even on our Facebook page!
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ASUS latest Intel Z390 motherboards are here — pricing starts from just RM929

ASUS Malaysia has brought in their latest Intel Z390 motherboards. With prices ranging from RM929 to RM1889, the new motherboards come with all the new features of Intel’s latest chipset to enthusiasts in Malaysia. And then some of ASUS’ own magic.
Among the magic which ASUS added to their motherboards is AI Overclocking. This feature takes the guesswork out of overclocking by using an algorithm which gauges the quality of your chip and automatically optimizes the configuration of your system. It will increase clock speeds, tweak voltages, test for stability before aiming for higher clocks, just like any self-respecting human overclocker will.

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You can even allow continuous training so that the system intelligently adapts to upgrades, seasonal ambient temperature changes and dust buildup as well. AI Overclocking is a feature exclusive to ROG motherboards (except for ROG Strix Z390-H Gaming) and the Prime Z390-A and WS Z390-PRO motherboards. For the lower end motherboards, ASUS still offers OC Tuner which relies on pre-defined overclocking profiles.
For those who are into memory overclocking, the new ASUS motherboards also feature OptiMem II which promise lower interference via a dedicated ground plane and surround ground trace with via stitching. It also routes traces through different layers of PCB to cut down on crosstalk. Combined with the T-Topology trace layout, RAM speeds faster than 4266 MHz are achievable even with RGB RAM. For users who just want a hassle-free system, ASUS now offers MemOK! II which can be toggled. If a memory-related problem is related, MemOK! II automatically applies multiple profiles to ensure that your PC can boot every single time.

There are plenty of other features like quad M.2 drives, Intel Gigabit WiFi which uses Intel’s CNVi interface for faster networking and also ASUS Node header allows for monitoring and control from other devices connected to selected motherboards. The fully digital VRM on all their motherboards help deliver cleaner power to the CPU and SafeSlot reinforcement to protect the slots from damaged by heavy graphics cards.

Malaysians can pick from the:

ROG Maximus XI Formula – RM1889
ROG Maximus XI Hero (WiFi AC) – RM1499
ROG Maximus XI Hero (WiFi AC) Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Edition – RM1549
ROG Strix Z390-E Gaming – RM1229
TUF Z390-PLUS GAMING (WiFi) – RM929

All the above motherboards are available now, and all of them come with 3+1 year extended warranty.
Pokdepinion: The lineup of ASUS Z390 motherboards available in Malaysia is pretty limited, but they do cover all the bases!
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Razer Launches Restorify, A Traceable Carbon Neutral Checkout Solution

Razer Fintech (Razer’s financial technology division) has announced a new service to lower carbon emissions branded as Restorify. Launched during COP27 (27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), this service is said to be a ‘traceable carbon neutral checkout solution’, according to Razer.

The gaming peripheral company aims to support OECD’s vision to reach $147/tonne of carbon cost by 2030, if the world is set to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. “Our life-cycle approach allows us to develop interventions that drive emission reductions, but carbon credits will still have a role to play in the transition to becoming net zero,” says Min-Liang Tan, Co-founder and CEO of Razer.

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The company also stated that competing services may promise to offset carbon emissions in the future, Restorify consumers will offset their carbon emissions on product purchases right away as the checkout process completes. The platform will enable customers to view the carbon footprint on a product in order for them to make informed decisions; upon checkout, customers will be offered with the option to purchase carbon credits to offset the carbon footprint.
Razer also provides the businesses easy integration into their existing platforms; 50,000 merchants under Razer Fintech’s network will receive support for transition at no extra cost. AWS (Amazon Web Servies) will also provide support to Razer to ensure Restorify is available to more than 100,000 partners from 150 countries.
Pokdepinion: I personally haven’t saw a merchant that provides such option, maybe it’ll pick up the steam here in the next few years?
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