Comparison: Apple iPhone 6 vs iPhone 6 Plus vs iPhone 5S vs iPhone 5C and everything else

The Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have already arrived in the US and other select markets. While there are no Malaysia release dates or pricing details yet, many are expecting the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to reach us in November 2014, so we still have time to decide which Apple iPhone to get. Following the iPhone lineup in the US, we estimate that for Malaysia there will be the Apple iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C. For this comparison we'll see which Apple iPhone you should get as we compare the Apple iPhone 6 vs the Apple iPhone 6 Plus vs the Apple iPhone 5S vs the Apple iPhone 5C. Check out our detailed analysis below:

The Apple iPhone 6 offers a slightly larger 4.7-inch display and new Apple A8 processor with M8 motion co processor. Amongst the three iPhones listed here, it is the thinnest at 6.9mm. It also provides the middle ground in terms of size as it isn't too small like the iPhone 5S (yes, it feels small now) and isn't too big for your pants pocket. While the 4.7-inch display is larger by about 0.7 inches, it maintains the same 326 pixel density by raising the Retina HD pixel resolution up to 750 x 1334 pixels.

It also packs in the latest 8MP iSight camera with phase detection autofocus and dual tone flash so it still provides the best you can get from an Apple iPhone camera. Unfortunately, one of the few downsides is that Apple have decided to use a new still unbranded shatter proof glass rather than Corning Gorilla Glass or sapphire crystal. Drop tests have shown that it may not be as strong as the other two materials. However, this is still the iPhone to get if you want to get the most out of your iOS 8 experience and the easiest to get used to compared to the much larger iPhone 6 Plus.

The Apple iPhone 6 Plus uses almost exactly the same hardware and tech specs as the iPhone 6. The major difference is that the display is 5.5-inches in size with a full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution. While it is still thin at 7.1mm this also means that it probably won't fit in your pants pocket, unless you like wearing baggy pants or cargo pants. The other major difference is that the iPhone 6 Plus packs in optical image stabilisation, making this perfect for those of you who can't stay still when taking pictures or have shaky hands.

If you've always wanted an Apple iPhone phablet, then this is the iPhone for you but bear in mind that it is also the most expensive of the bunch so come prepared with the deep pockets. Recent drop tests also prove that it is the least tough iPhone in the bunch as the heavier body makes drops harder. While the new frame is tougher than before, the seemingly weaker glass makes the screen on the iPhone 6 Plus less likely to survive a drop compared to other iPhones.

Sure, this may be last year's Apple iPhone, but the iPhone 5S still has a lot going for it. The Apple A7 processor inside it is still very fast and offers future proofing for 64-bit Apple apps while supporting practically every other feature iOS 8 might have to offer on the newer iPhone 6 smartphones. It is the thicker than the newer iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus at 7.6mm but this is still very thin compared to other smartphones out there.

The Apple iPhone 5S is priced from RM1999 without any plan

At 112g and measuring in at 123.8 x 58.6mm with a 4-inch display, it is also the smallest iPhone in this comparison and should be perfect for those who like to travel light. As it is, telcos are likely to start  bundling it for free when the iPhone 6 smartphones arrive, so this is a very good value iPhone if you don't mind the older, thicker look and smaller display. That being said, it is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass which in previous drop tests did much better than the supposedly shatter proof glass covering the two newer iPhones, making it the better protected iPhone of the bunch.

In terms of hardware, the Apple iPhone 5C is basically an Apple iPhone 5 with a plastic backside. The A6 processor is two generations older than the current A8 processor and is not 64-bit. At 9mm thin it is the thickest iPhone available while bearing the same 4-inch display as the iPhone 5S. While it may not lag as much as the iPhone 4S with the current iOS 8, we expect it to have serious performance issues next year when iOS 9 comes out.

The Apple iPhone 5C looks to be priced at RM1499 on it's own

In addition, the iPhone 5C is priced at RM1499 with every indication that this price will not drop once the Apple iPhone 6 smartphones arrive (the current US price is at $450 or RM1455). All of these factors make the iPhone 5C hard to recommend unless you really like colourful plastic Apple iPhones. The Apple iPhone 5C is already being offered for free on some local telco post paid plans.

Here at TechNave.com you can always use our phone comparison tool to do a full comparison of all the tech specs and features available between any smartphone you'd like to compare against. As such, feel free to check out some samples below:


Comparison: Apple iPhone 7 Plus vs iPhone 6s Plus - Is it worth upgrading?

The Apple iPhone 7 Plus is one of the most expensive smartphones ever released in Malaysia, coming in at an RM3799 price tag for just the 32GB memory model. This alone already beats several other flagship phones in terms of price. Many critics are also calling it un-innovative, due to late-coming features which most phones already have and as well as minimal differences compared to its predecessor, the iPhone 6s Plus. If you happen to be a 6s Plus user and are having a dilemma deciding if you should switch, we're here to help.

Right off the bat, there is certainly a difference between the 7 Plus and 6s Plus. Here's a quick brief of how the devices' tech-specs differ from each other:

Despite the obvious differences in tech specs, unfortunately, we didn't feel there was much difference when it came to normal usage such social apps browsing or even playing games. The user interface also gave us a smooth experience thanks to the iOS 10, and there's nothing much to say about the storage capacity too.

Even for the camera quality, it was also quite hard to see the difference. According to many reviewers and our own review, the iPhone 7 Plus' display contrast has been improved by 25% so the colours will be a bit more "lively". However, camera performance at night is still grainy and there wasn't much improvement despite the aperture changes. Many reviewers have speculated that the 3GB RAM was installed to assist the telephoto lens from the dual rear cameras.

Speaking of reviews, the battery is also praised for its longevity. The 6s Plus can last about 9 hours on average, but the 7 Plus is quite a monster in this department even though it only increases the juice by 200 mAh. From our experience, if you're just a casual user doing your routine everyday tasks of browsing social apps and taking photos, with occasional gaming or video playback, your 7 Plus could actually last more than a day, which is impressive.

Now onto the design compartment, this is where the 7 Plus failed to shine, heck, both devices even have the same measurements in 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm, with the 7 Plus just slightly lighter than the 6s Plus (188g vs 192g respectively). The only notable changes are the relocation of the antenna line (meh), the new dual rear camera bump, and of course, the long-gone headphone jack.

They may look the same, but feature-wise, the 7 Plus has some tricks up its sleeve. It features a brand new Haptic Home Button, and it gives a clicky sound whenever you press it which can be changed in the setting. We also welcome the new IP67 water and dust resistant feature which has been long overdue, and the dual stereo speakers is a nice addition as well.

Just in case if you're wondering whether we miss the headphone jack, well, in my experience, not really. As aforementioned about the excellent battery life, there's little reason to charge and listen to your songs at the same time; but if you want to transfer your files, there's Dropbox, Google Photos, Airdrop (for iOS devices) and others to help you do that anyway.

Oh, before we forget. The iPhone 7 Plus has a nice Jet Black and Matte Black option which looks great, but the Jet Black is really vulnerable to scratches.

In case you didn't know, the iPhone 6s Plus price tag was slashed ever since the 7 Plus made its debut. Currently, it's RM3199 for the 32GB model on the Apple Store, which is RM450 more than the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (which has better camera quality, if I might add).

Of course, your local telcos are offering good prices for the 7 Plus, but if you're not such a heavy gamer or camera user, we think it's not a device we'd recommend customers to buy since the tech-specs difference between the 7 Plus and 6s Plus is minimal. Also, if you want a smaller handset there is the iPhone SE. Which by the way, has the exact same specs as the 6s Plus, but it's only RM2199 (64GB model).

Then again, if you don't really care and want the absolute best iPhone in the market; we can't really stop you now, can we? (lol). Anyway, that wraps up our comparison between the iPhone 7 Plus and 6s Plus, if you're curious on how the iPhone 7 Plus camera difference compared to the Galaxy S7 edge and Huawei P9, visit either of the links below, and stay tuned for more comparisons at Technave.com!


Comparison: Apple iPhone SE 2020 telco plan by Celcom, Digi, U Mobile and Maxis

The Apple iPhone SE 2020 is now available for purchase in Malaysia starting from RM1999 and as usual, our local telcos have prepared their package offers to those who are interested. In this latest comparison article, we will be taking a look at Celcom, Digi and U Mobile's package plans for the iPhone SE 2020. Maxis have yet to reveal their plans, so we will update it when they do. Meanwhile, read on below to check out which one is best suited for you!

Starting with the blue telco, Celcom is offering all three iPhone SE models (64GB, 128GB and 256GB) with their MEGA Lightning Pass series. The most affordable one is none other than the 64GB model for just RM57 per month with an Internet data pool of up to 70GB on the Lightning XL Pass (worth RM108)! Of course, there's also the Mega Postpaid plan (worth RM80) bundled together with 30GB of data, totalling up to 100GB worth of data with RM245 per month in total.

Celcom's iPhone SE pre-order seems pretty straightforward so nothing too complicated here. All three colours - white, black and PRODUCT(RED) - are available so to learn more, you can visit their official website here.

Next, the iPhone SE 2020 is part of Digi's trademark PhoneFreedom 365 once again with the lowest ALL-IN monthly (phone + plan) payment. According to their website, the lowest iPhone SE price you can get is on the Digi Postpaid 190 for RM53 per month. This postpaid plan also features 2 x 100GB All Day Internet, Unlimited Calls and 5GB roaming Internet.

That said, it's not the lowest ALL-IN monthly payment though. The lowest one is on Digi Postpaid 80 with GBoost, where you can pay a total of RM158 per month (RM68/month for the phone + RM80 for the plan + RM10 for GBoost). It's also worth mentioning that the company is also offering an iPhone SE (128GB or 256GB) + Apple Watch Series 5 combo starting from RM151. A pretty sweet deal, if you ask me!

As for U Mobile, you can purchase the new iPhone SE bundled with either the Unlimited HERO P139 or Unlimited HERO P99. Should you choose the former, you will get to enjoy a savings of RM1500 which means the iPhone SE 2020 is only RM499! On the other hand, if you prefer paying on an instalment plan, you can go for the UPackage from as low as RM41 per month with 0% interest.

U Mobile didn't stop there though, the orange telco is also giving out GoInsure 3 for those who purchase the new iPhone SE on the Unlimited Hero P139 package. For those who don't know, GoInsure 3 is a Personal Accident (PA) insurance product with COVID-19 coverage for up to RM13,000 and the company will offer it for 24 months free of charge. To learn more about U Mobile's plan, you can visit the website here.

Finally, Maxis was the last one to present their package plans for the iPhone SE 2020. According to their website, it seems that only the 128GB model is available with all the 3 aforementioned colour options. As usual, you can opt to choose either the Zerolution or normal contract from as low as RM64 for 2 years.

If you're eyeing on the RM64 payment for the device, that is on the MaxisONE 188 plan which you can get up to 60GB worth of Internet data, Unlimited calls and SMS, as well as up to 4 Share Lines with your friends and family. All the MaxisONE Zerolution plans offer RM0 upfront payment but if you want a normal contract, you can only choose MaxisONE Plan 188, 158 and 128 from as low as RM645.

So these are our local telco package plans for the iPhone SE 2020. By the way, you can use our telco phone plans comparison tool on our website as well if you're looking for something else (you're welcome). Which telco package plan is your favourite? Let us know on our Facebook page, stay safe and stay tuned for more local tech deals at TechNave.com.


Comparison: Camera Battle - OnePlus 5 vs Apple iPhone 7 Plus

Welcome to another camera battle where in this round, it's between the OnePlus 5 and the Apple iPhone 7 Plus. So why did we choose these two particular flagships? Well, it's because both are using a telephoto lens as their secondary camera. Also, we also can't help but point out how both look so similar but in spite of this, the price difference is quite far apart at RM2388 vs RM3699.

Obviously, the OnePlus 5 wins in terms of money value but we still want to see how the camera quality fares. Before we get into that, for the sake of fairness we have decided to put both telephoto picture samples at x8 only because that's the maximum of how far the OnePlus 5 can go. So...without further ado. Check out the comparisons below!

Judging from the zoom in photo samples, it is clear that the ones taken from OnePlus 5 tend to be a bit brighter than the iPhone 7 Plus, yet also containing more noise. Granted, the iPhone 7 Plus has some noise too but it is just not as obvious. Although that's the case, this also means the iPhone 7 Plus tends to stick to the original colour as seen in Telephoto round 3. Being able to bring in more light is not always a good case either, as evident from Telephoto round 5 of the sunset radiant colours. Overall, I think if we exclude the zoom in photos, most of the normal auto shots are quite similar and it's a bit hard to tell the difference especially the close-up shots, but not for my selfie (lol).

So what do you think? Which one do you prefer more? Let us know in the comments below, we also recently just did a OnePlus 5 review so check it out if you want to know more. Stay tuned for more comparisons articles at TechNave.com.


Comparison: Camera Battle - Samsung Galaxy S8 vs Huawei P10 vs Apple iPhone 7

Finally, after great effort, we managed to get these three top-tier smartphones against each other in a battle of photography. First up, we have the Samsung Galaxy S8 (RM3299) featuring a Dual Pixel 12MP camera against the improved 12MP RGB + 20MP monochrome camera sensor on the Huawei P10 (RM2499), and facing off the hipster's device Apple iPhone 7 (RM3199) using a normal 12MP camera. So which phone takes better pictures? Well, we have taken a bunch of photos using all three devices so check them out below, you be the judge!

As you can see, each of the three phones excel in certain shots. It remains difficult to pin down which phone rocks the most though. For example, the colour contrast on the red car looks great on all three phones, however, a sharp eye would notice that glass in the P10 image appears to be darker by a bit, which is the case for most of the image samples here. The food looks "fresher" on the Galaxy S8 and the iPhone's selfie picture looks just "right", while the P10 has the advantage of the portrait mode in the outdoor shot with our boy, Bernard. In the end with all these tiny details, it really depends on the user's preference.

So what do you think? Which photo do you like the most? Why? Let us know in the comments below, thanks for reading and stay tuned for more comparisons at TechNave.com.


Comparison: Celcom, Digi, Maxis and U Mobile launch plans for the Samsung Galaxy Note20 5G series

Two weeks ago, we did a comparison article on the Samsung Galaxy Note20 5G series between Celcom, Digi, Maxis and U Mobile. If you have decided to skip the pre-order for the official launch, but also wonder if the four telcos are launching it differently, you have come to the right place. We have some first-hand information so without further ado, here are the telco launch plans for the Galaxy Note20 5G series.

Kicking off this list with a bang is Digi's official launch plan for the Galaxy Note20 series. Compared to all the other telcos, Digi's launch plan is the most exciting because everyone stands a chance to bring home a brand new Samsung 50-inch 4K UHD Smart TV. And there's a total of 20 units available, so get lucky!

But how do you enter the lucky draw? Well, you will have to sign up to the Digi PhoneFreedom 365 plan for RM108/month and this applies to both the Galaxy Note20 5G and the Note20 Ultra 5G. As a bonus, the plan brings you savings of up to RM1707, up to 200GB of Internet data, unlimited calls, a free phone upgrade, and free 2-year phone protection with Digi Shield (worth RM696). To find out more about Digi's plans, visit the website here.

Next up is U Mobile, which will be hosting its Galaxy Note20 5G series launch at the U Mobile Experience Centre, Berjaya Time Square (Ground Floor). Customers who are planning to get the flagship devices will also be entitled to purchase the Samsung Galaxy Active 2 44mm (Aluminium Bluetooth edition) at a special price of RM819. For your information, the original price is RM1099 and this offer is available from the 21st of August to 30th of September 2020. To learn more, check it out on their official page here.

As for the blue telco, Celcom will be giving away a complimentary UV Sterilizer that doubles as a Wireless Charger, as well as a Wireless Charger Convertible. For your information, the UV Sterilizer with Wireless Charger is worth RM299 whereas the latter is worth RM209.

Apart from the freebies, you should also know that you can choose between Celcom MEGA Unlimited (unlimited data) or Lightning Pass (high-speed internet) for as low as RM99 monthly with EasyPhone. There's a ton of Internet data of up to 120GB too as well as free-roaming! For more information, check them out right here.

Finally, it seems that Maxis is doing a 2x Galaxy Note20 5G or Note20 Ultra 5G exclusive offer with savings up to RM2262 on their trademark Zerolution program. In addition, the Zerolution program also offers zero upfront payment and free gifts (the UV Sterilizer/Wireless Charge and Wireless Charger Convertible), as well as a complimentary theft and damage protection for 3 months by Maxis.

It's also worth mentioning that according to Ookla Speedtest Intelligence (Q1-Q2 2020), Maxis was rated as the fastest mobile network and they are working towards the 5G connectivity. So if you are getting your phone from them, you might have a better 5G experience with your Galaxy Note20 5G series on Maxis. Also as aforementioned, Maxis' 2x phone bundle allows you to have the biggest savings. You can learn more from their webpage here.

So there you have it, these are all the telco launch plans for the Samsung Galaxy Note20 5G series. Personally, Digi's launch plan is the most exciting one as we've mentioned but you will have to pray to Lady Luck if you want to win the 50-inch Samsung TV! You can also use our telco phone plans comparison tool on our website, and learn more about the latest flagships' tech specs and features from our news coverage on the Galaxy Note 20 series here.

Stay tuned for more local tech deals at TechNave.com.


Comparison: Celcom, Digi, Maxis and U Mobile pre-order plans for Samsung Galaxy S9 | S9+

As some of you already know, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ pre-order has started yesterday and our local telcos were quick to announce their pre-order plans for the flagships as well. If you're having trouble on which package to get, we got it covered for you and here is the comparison pre-order plans between Celcom, Digi, Maxis and U Mobile.

First and foremost, Celcom is offering the Galaxy S9 and S9+ in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB with all three colours (Lilac Purple, Midnight Black and Coral Blue). However, do keep in mind that you can't go beyond 64GB if you only want the Galaxy S9 since that's the original plan after all, as well as the Galaxy S9+ 256GB model is only available in Midnight Black. Of course, you also get a free Harman Kardon Oynx Mini speaker upon purchasing, which starts from RM1788 for FIRST Platinum Plus, with a subscription fee for RM188/month. The highest one is getting the Galaxy S9+ 256GB model at RM3398 with a subscription fee for RM98/month for FIRST Gold Plus.

If you're on a tight budget, Celcom Easyphone is also on board with the flagship pre-order and you get it as low as RM95/month (FIRST Platinum Plus) without having to pay the monthly subscription fee. But like all telco contracts, you will be bound to 24 months once you sign up for it.

As usual, Celcom postpaid plan offers you a lot of free Internet data, as it can go up to 100GB (weekday and weekend combined), unlimited calls to all networks and SMS, unlimited Whatsapp and WeChat, as well as Video and Music Walla. To find out more about the plans, check out their pre-order page here and their Easyphone details here.

Next, you will also receive a free speaker upon signing up for either one of the three Digi postpaid plans which are Digi 80 with GBoost, Digi 110 and Digi 110 with GBoost. If you've never heard of GBoost, it's basically a new add-on feature that allows you to combine your weekday and weekend Internet data at the cost of just RM10. And although Digi does have a more affordable option than Celcom, which is paying RM90/month from Digi 80 with GBoost, the starting price of the Galaxy S9 is RM2269 and for some reason, the only colour available for that model is Midnight Black. For the Galaxy S9+, it starts from RM2859 in all three colours but only with the 128GB model.

Digi postpaid plans also offer unlimited calls to all networks, GBoost (only the postpaid plans with that name), Free Roaming and IDD (only Digi 110) and up to 60GB Internet data. You can head over to their official pre-order page here to find out more.

Similarly to Digi, Maxis also only have the 64GB and 128GB model for the new Samsung flagships, but at least they have all three colours available (and the free speaker). Is it available on Maxis Zerolution program? Yes, it is! So there's no cash upfront payment for that program and you will have to pay RM97/month for 24 months based on the contract. If you're still in the middle of your contract and want to switch your current phone, you gotta pay up RM44/month for the upgrade fee.

The Zerolution plans for Galaxy S9 (top) and Galaxy S9+ (bottom)

Alternatively, you can opt for the postpaid plans and get it as low as RM2099 which will be from the MaxisONE Plan 188. MaxisONE Plan 128 and 158 is available too and if you're going for this, you will need to prepare an upfront payment of RM954 (MaxisONE 188), RM834 (MaxisONE 158) and RM516 (MaxisONE 128) respectively. But hey, if you've been a good boy or girl, your upfront payment can be waived. How do you know if you're eligible? You can check by using your MaxisID and login to the online store.

The postpaid plans for Galaxy S9 (top) and Galaxy S9+ (bottom)

MaxisONE Plan offers an All-Day Internet data up to 60GB (it combines both weekday and weekend), unlimited calls and texts to all networks and up to 4 Shared Lines. You can also check out the nearest Maxis store location at their Zerolution or pre-order page here.

Lastly, U Mobile's Ultimate Device plans are as affordable and you can get it as low as RM1819 but will only come in Midnight Black and Coral Blue, as well as 64GB and 128GB model only. Subscription fee starts from RM60/month up to RM130/month and you will get plenty of Internet data. If you're familiar with U Mobile, they offer unlimited Music-Onz, App-Onz, Video-Onz, Roaming-Onz of 8GB, unlimited Waze and up to 10GB of Internet data.

Like Maxis, you will have to fork out an advance upfront payment of RM360 (UD60), RM600 (UD90) or RM960 (UD130), but that can waive off as well if you purchase the Galaxy S9 or S9+ with your credit card or if you're already an auto-debit subscriber. Oh, also, you will get a complimentary free mini speaker.

For more information about their pre-order, check it out right here.

So these are the four telco pre-order plans, do keep in mind that the pre-order will end on 4 March 2018 and those who pre-order it during the period will likely have their new flagship delivered by 9 March 2018. Are you getting one today? Stay tuned for more local tech news at TechNave.com.


A Samsung Galaxy J7 Duo appeared then disappears online, revealing basic tech-specs

So apparently, the Samsung website in India has revealed a brand new Galaxy J7 Duo only to be taken down afterwards. But what happens on the Internet stays on the Internet. So without further ado, let's see what does this budget Samsung phone offers.

According to sources, the tech-specs on it looks more like a mid-range tier device as it sports an octa-core processor clocking in at 1.6GHz, the chipset is a mystery and it could be either the Exynos 7884 or 7885 model. For the memory, it runs on 4GB of RAM and its internal storage has 32GB only, but you can always have extra space with a microSD card. The battery is 3000mAh.

As for the exterior design, it looks really simple with a 5.5-inch display and it's using a Super AMOLED panel, the resolution is said to be 720p only, though. There is an 8MP front camera on top, a home button (cum fingerprint sensor) and navigation button at the bottom. The speaker is located behind together with the 13MP + 5MP dual rear camera and LED flash.

Knowing the Galaxy J series is quite popular in Malaysia, we think this model might actually come but until Samsung Malaysia says so, we will just have to wait for the official news so stay tuned for that at TechNave.com.


Comparison: Disney+ Hotstar, Netflix & more, which TV streaming service should you subscribe to?

In case you missed it, Disney+ is finally arriving in Malaysia and it will be launched as Disney+ Hotstar here. That being said, there are now a plethora of TV streaming services and sometimes it can be a dilemma to choose which channel you should subscribe to. Price is one thing, but the movie and actual TV show content also matters to many Malaysians nowadays especially during this pandemic period.

Besides Disney+ Hotstar, there's also the ever-popular Netflix, as well as HBO Go, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, iflix, Viu, and many more. We thought of including Tubi TV and tonton as well but you can practically watch these for free (with advertisements). As for dimsum, it's going to close down soon this year on 30 September 2021.

Anyway, without further ado - here is our comparison for the top TV streaming services in terms of price and content for Malaysia.

As of today (1 June 2021), Disney+ Hotstar is now official in Malaysia. Currently, there are two ways to subscribe to it. Either you subscribe directly to the platform on Android or iOS for RM54.90 for three months or have it on your Astro package as a Movie Pack customer with an additional RM5 on top of your Astro fee. Do note that if you already have a Movie Pack, you're already kinda forced to have it without any consent. Astro is currently making Disney+ Hotstar available on the Ultra and Ulti boxes by the end of the year.

Upon subscribing, you will have access to Disney licensed movies in Ultra HD 4K with Dolby Vision and Dolby Audio (note, only some). This includes Star Wars movies and TV series like The Clone Wars. Of course, you will also get access to a huge catalogue of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and TV shows like the recent movie The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. The launch in Malaysia also means we will be just in time for the upcoming Loki TV series. However, do note that Disney+ Hotstar won't have premier access like the one in the West where Cruella is already released. Disney+ Hotstar is also viewable on any web browser, Android TV and Apple TV.

That's not all, though. Disney+ Hotstar will include many local films such as J2 J Retribusi, Zombitopia, Ada Hantu, Ejen Ali The Movie 2 and others. Even other unrelated Disney IP like The Walking Dead, The Simpsons, Grey's Anatomy, and Alien will be available. Considering the subscription fee and the huge catalogue of movies and TV shows, Disney+ Hotstar is arguably the most costs effective. Although one account can only be viewed on two separate screens at the same time, this also means you and your movie kaki buddy will have to pay RM9.15 per month. But since the fee is only accounted for quarterly, that's just RM27.45 for 3 months. You can visit the official DisneyPlusHotstar.my or Astro's version for more information.

Netflix doesn't need any introduction but in case you're not subscribed, here's the gist of what you should know. Netflix is the only one that offers package flexibility according to your needs - Mobile (RM17/month), Basic (RM35/month), Standard (RM45/month) and Premium (RM55/month). Obviously, each package plan also offers different features. Mobile means you can only watch them on your mobile or tablet at 480p, whereas Premium offers 4K resolution content for up to four users watching at the same time on any platform.

In terms of content, there isn't really much excitement if compared with Disney+ Hotstar. The most recently hyped release was Attack on Titan Final Season Part 1 but after that, there are still some occasional movies or TV series to check out (like Shadow and Bones, Vincenzo and others). That said, Netflix does have a huge library of shows ranging from documentaries to anime, original Netflix movies, Korean TV dramas and many more. There's something for everyone here.

HBO Go (not to be confused as HBO Max, totally different) is like the weird kid that nobody really pays attention to but doesn't care. Initially, it was launched for Astro customers as part of the Movie Pack or standalone for RM25/month but now users can subscribe to it online via iOS and Android for RM34.90/month.

Content-wise, you can watch any video-on-demand that is part of the HBO license and this includes HBO original series like Game of Thrones, Westworld, Lovecraft Country, Raised by Wolves, His Dark Materials - and films, and originals specially curated from HBO Max. If you're a DC superhero fan, you should also know that HBO has already released Zack Synder's Justice League (and there's a grey version!) and continues to expand the DC Universe on the platform with other DC series such as DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow and Swamp Thing, a slew of DC Universe: Animated Movies, and more.

When it comes to TV streaming platforms, Amazon Prime Video is not usually the one that comes up. Can you even get it here? Well, actually yes but the fee is at $5.99/month (~RM24/month). However, if you're a Digi user, you should have come across the Amazon Prime Video subscription deal at RM14 for the first six months, then RM27/month after that.

Compared with the others above, the payment rate is not as high but what kind of content can you watch on it? For starters, you can watch the critically acclaimed superheroes gone bad The Boys which will have a season 3 soon this year. Besides that, there are many original TV shows like Fear The Walking Dead, Star Trek: Picard, as well as animated movies like Shrek. There are also a good number of Indian TV shows and movies on Amazon Prime Video as well.

You can also find Apple TV+ on selected smart TVs and obviously, on your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac and especially Apple TV. For the record, it's only RM19.90/month and even better, it comes free for one year if you purchase a new Apple device starting from November 2019. However, it's a bit weird that Malaysian Apple users don't really talk much about Apple TV+ (including me).

Like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ has a lot of original content as well. One of them is The Morning Show starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell, as well as Jason Mamoa in an original movie 'See'. Other than that, Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso has gotten quite popular as well and season 2 is coming this year too. However, Apple TV+ is very much American-based, with almost no local or non-American foreign content (to my knowledge). You can have a free trial of 7 days just to test it out.

Ah... iflix. This used to be a popular local streaming platform but make no mistake, many Malaysians are still using it. There are currently two ways to watch iflix - either you pay RM10/month or watch it for free. Of course, there are ads if you don't subscribe, so paying RM10 is quite worth it if it has the content you intend to watch.

In case you have been living under a rock, iflix offers a lot more local and Asian content such as those from South Korea, Indonesia, Japan and others. It should be noted that more Chinese shows have been added as well after its acquisition by Tencent in June last year. If that's your cup of tea, we think it's not that bad but unfortunately, it's rather overshadowed by the other aforementioned TV streaming services above.

Viu is also just as affordable as iflix in that it only charges RM10/month or you can watch it for free with ads. This service has been around for quite a long time already, but it started in Hong Kong first in 2015 and now it has certainly proven to be popular in Malaysia especially amongst the hardcore Korean fans.

This is mainly because Viu is a streaming platform that is mostly dedicated to the latest Korean TV drama series and entertainment shows. On top of that, you can also find a ton of Japanese shows and anime series, Chinese and Taiwanese dramas, as well as Malaysian soap operas. Viu is the perfect channel for serious Korean TV fans, or anything Asian-related.

So there you have it, we know there are some more that we didn't include but we just think these are the ones that should be on the list. Subscribing to more than one streaming platform is certainly hefty as well. If you take both Netflix (standard) and Disney+ Hotstar together, that's RM60.30/month or RM180.90 for three months. Our suggestion - you should find some 'movie-kaki' who are willing to share a family package just like Spotify and YouTube Premium. For example, the YouTube Premium Family Sharing Plan allows up to five members and dividing the cost is just RM5.70 each. Only then, it will be less of a burden on your wallet by a lot.

But what do you think of these streaming services? And which one have you subscribed to? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more trending tech articles like this at TechNave.com.


Comparison: HTC U 11 or the HTC U Ultra, a closer look

The tech scene has suddenly become saturated with the latest HTC U 11 after its recent release but wait, didn’t the HTC U Ultra just make an appearance just a couple of months ago? With both phones being top notch, let us see which one will take the cake.

On paper, it would seem that the two phones would be largely similar in terms of specs but in terms of significance, the HTC U 11 clearly takes this round. Why? Let us take a close look;

The most obvious difference is that the HTC U 11 would be packing the latest flagship octa-core processor, the Snapdragon 835 with the Adreno 540 compared to the HTC U Ultra’s quad-core Snapdragon 821 with the Adreno 530. Performance-wise, this already gives the HTC U 11 a huge advantage as an octa-core chip will usually have better processing and multi-tasking power over a quad-core chip. On top of that, it is also a known fact that the Adreno 540 GPU performs 25% better than the Adreno 530.

Moving on, the HTC U Ultra has a bigger screen with its 5.7-inch super LCD5 screen as compared to HTC U 11’s 5.5-inch super LCD5 screen. Yes, the larger screen size does appeal to the big screen fans but based on our previous review of the HTC U Ultra, the large phone size does make it a bit hard to wield and may prove to be a challenge for small handed individuals. A larger screen size also puts the HTC U Ultra at a slight disadvantage in case of power consumption as both phones pack a 3000 mAh battery. Due to its large screen, the HTC U Ultra will only pump out a 312 h standby time in contrast to the HTC U 11 with a standby time of 336 h.

In terms of design, both phones look almost identical

Now in terms of design, not much difference can be seen from both of them asides from colour options. The U Ultra’s larger size and the slightly larger edge of the HTC U 11 (No doubt to house the Edge Sense feature) set them apart but ultimately, both of them look largely similar in terms of design. Did I mention that both phones do not sport a headphone jack? I for one am not a fan of the headphone jack removal but this is just a difference in opinion and is highly subjective.

Moving on to features, this is where it gets a bit lopsided. Where the HTC U Ultra is made to be a large phablet device with a cool dual-display feature, the HTC U 11 however, was built with physical functionality in mind with its featured Edge Sense and IP67 water resistance. Although it is too early to say anything about Edge Sense and how well it works, it is still a cool new feature to have.

Both phones feature a 360-degree audio recording features to improve on immersive video recordings but the HTC U 11 was introduced with an improved noise cancelling feature.  However, how good this improvement is still remains to be seen so no verdict can be passed off here. So let’s just call it a draw for now.

In terms of camera features however, both phones sport the same 12MP rear camera as well as the 16MP front camera but the HTC U Ultra narrowly wins with its extra Auto-HDR and phase detection autofocus camera features. But wait! In terms of camera performance however, DxOMark has given the HTC U 11 a score of 90, which is the highest camera rating ever as of this moment. The rest is self explanatory.

Price comparisons can be a bit tricky at this point of time because the HTC U 11 still does not have a confirmed Malaysian price. However, based on the US pricing of 650USD (RM2800) or ~RM3000 to be safe, the HTC U 11 may be considerably more expensive than the HTC U Ultra which had its price slashed to ~RM2400 recently.

The justification for forking out a potential extra RM600 for up to 25% improved performance and a handful of cool new features with improvements can be a bit of a stretch. However in my own personal opinion, the potential future-proof and dust and water resistance features of the HTC U 11 makes it worth it and is a good deal to consider.

So do tell us what you think. A bigger, decent/safe phone with a lower price tag or a faster, more expensive device with a handful of cool new features? Feel free to leave a comment and stay tuned to TechNave.com to stay informed with the latest tech news and updates.


Comparison: Huawei Mate 10 Pro vs Apple iPhone X

Hey TechNavers, our comparison battles have been long overdue but we are back and do we have a treat for you. Obviously, you're here to see what we have to say about the Apple iPhone X and we are pitting it against the Huawei Mate 10 Pro. Who comes up on top? Without further ado, check out the 8 aspects below on which flagship is the better one.

Right off the bat, the Mate 10 Pro is probably the most favoured one here compared to the iPhone X. The Mate 10 Pro is using a 6-inch FullView display with an 18:9 screen-to-body ratio. That's almost covering the front phone and with that, the fingerprint scanner has to be moved to the rear unlike the Mate 10. Speaking of the rear, Huawei has added colour shading at the dual camera area, overall making it look quite elegant to make up for the camera bump (just saying, heh).

On the other hand, the iPhone X has quite a unique design, it's one of the few phones that actually maximise the display fully, even more so than the Mate 10 Pro since it reaches the bottom and the top, well partially thanks to the notch that's in the middle sporting a number of sensors including the 7MP front camera, infrared camera and others for FaceID. Despite using a 5.8-inch Super Retina OLED display, the iPhone X does not feel too big when holding it.

The Mate 10 Pro would have taken the first win here, but we will have to say it's a tie because while people with OCD do get annoyed with the notch while watching a video horizontally, there's an option to cover that seamlessly so it's no big deal, honestly.

This is a tricky one, both flagships are incredibly powerful and while we could have easily put the benchmark scores here, AnTuTu and other benchmark apps don't really show a definitive clear comparison. So we will just have to go with what each other has.

First up, the Mate 10 Pro features a 2.8GHz octa-core Kirin 970 (Huawei's first), a Mali G72MP12 (another first), a dual ISP, NPU and 6GB of RAM. For starters, NPU stands for Neural-network Processing Unit and it's designed to work together with the new Kirin chip + GPU + dual ISP together for the purpose of increased performance and energy efficiency. If that sounds familiar, that's because it is supposed to be in-sync with EMUI 5.1's machine learning A.I. to optimise your phone usage to its best in the long run, and more advanced stuff (more on that later).

Meanwhile, the iPhone X has also its own Neural engine alongside with a 64-bit A11 Bionic processor six-core M11 motion coprocessor and a 3GB of RAM. Now, obviously people would look down on the 3GB RAM but that's because Apple processors normally don't need that much RAM power to keep its apps running in the background. From experience, the A10 chip was already strong and A11 is just on another level just to support augmented reality (AR).

If you think we are putting the two flagships tied again, you're mistaken. In this section, there isn't much to say as the Mate 10 Pro's battery energy is almost twice as much as the iPhone X, which is 4000mAh vs 2716mAh. Granted, the way Android and iOS consumes battery is not the same but since the iPhone X's A11 Bionic processor caters to AR, we will have to give this round to the Mate 10 Pro. Seriously, Apple, at least make it 3000mAh mah (lol).

Moving on, the camera is a tough one and once again it's really subjective and it really all comes down to preference. Let's take a look at what the two flagships offer:

You can see the Food scene icon appearing automatically at the bottom right

On a side note, It's also worth mentioning that Huawei has integrated an artificial intelligence (A.I) real-time scene and object recognition, which helps to the user to determine which setting is the best for a photo, from landscape to animals, and plants to food, in fact they have 13 scene recognition modes altogether so that's quite something. Let's not forget it has a dedicated monochrome sensor too.

For the iPhone X, it has a new Portrait Mode that gives five filters of Portrait Lighting Mode that's currently in beta mode and each filter is really taking advantage of the telephoto lens, bringing out "personality" and it sure looks impressive. It's a shame that it's not available on the iPhone 7 Plus, though (could have just added in as an update, no?).

Aside from having the same water and dust resistant grade feature, both the Mate 10 Pro and iPhone X have a few tricks up their sleeves. Let's start with the Mate 10 Pro first, shall we?

As we mentioned earlier, the NPU does more than just managing the performance and battery efficiency. The NPU also helps to assist image recognition and sorting out the best setting given, for example - automatically applying the correct scene setting (night, pets, sports, food, landscape, macro, people, etc) in real-time. In addition to that, there's also an A.I. voice reduction that intelligently amplifies or reduces noise for the speaker and listener while on the phone (so cool). Speaking of voice, there's also a language translator at your disposal.

Meanwhile, Apple has a new Animoji feature which is another impressive technology, but it can only be shared among iPhone 8 and X users. Also, not forgetting the FaceID biometric security system but so far we have been hearing some "funny" incidents like a child unlocking her mother's iPhone X effortlessly, and the fact that it can be unlocked from a much-effort 3D dummy face when Apple said it couldn't.

Did I also mention that you can turn your Mate 10 Pro into a PC Desktop-like EMUI Desktop via Easy Projection? With this, we are giving this round to the Mate 10 Pro.

While we are still on the topic of features, we should also check out the connectivity performance. It's true that connectivity performance usually relies on which local telco you use, but the phones have an important part to play too because nobody would want the connection to die in the middle of the road. Both flagships are capable of transmitting VoLTE and utilizing a 4G LTE network, but the Mate 10 Pro can go up to 4.5G LTE (Cat.18) which is kinda fast but at this moment it's not that useful in Malaysia yet because the telcos are still working on it. As for iPhone X, it has WiFi with MIMO technology.

But do you know what the Mate 10 Pro has that the iPhone X doesn't? A Dual hybrid nano-SIM card slot which is a favourite among Malaysians and both nano slots supports 4G data. So another round for Huawei.

Like most high tier smartphones, both of them are capable of playing MP3, MP4, 3GP, OGG, AMR, AAC, FLAC, WAV, MIDI sounds and more. Apple has a slight edge if the user purchases songs from the Apple Music because it automatically stores as Apple's own Lossless sound quality with protected AAC. On the other hand, the Mate 10 Pro supports aptX / aptX HD and LDAC HD Audio, if you have no idea what any of these means, basically it produces really good music in terms of clarity.

We would like give a point to Huawei here simply because of flexibility for supporting aptX while for Apple, you actually have to purchase songs from Apple Music.

Last but not least, I think we all know who is the winner here in this price segment. For what the two flagships possess, it is just plain ridiculous that the iPhone X costs over RM5k while the Mate 10 Pro just retails at RM3099, that's almost an RM2k difference and you can literally get another mid-range smartphone with that! Enough said.

With the final score of 8:3 in favor of the Mate 10 Pro, I think the facts above really speak for themselves. Both are high tier flagships, yet the Mate 10 Pro is more affordable than the iPhone X, also not forgetting the accessible features that the Mate 10 Pro offers you such as the Easy Projection, which I think is a big win. But what do you think? Do you agree with our list? Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more comparison articles in the future at TechNave.com.


Comparison: Huawei Mate 7 vs Huawei Mate 8, should you upgrade?

It's been about a month now since the Huawei Mate 8 landed in Malaysia, and it has gained quite a buzz due to how fast and “lag-less” it was due to the new Kirin 950 SoC chipset. That being said, it's been only a year since the Mate 7 came out and if you're wondering whether you should upgrade your device or not, we got you covered with a comparison below so read on to find out!

As mentioned earlier, the Mate 8 has the latest Kirin 950 SoC chipset clocked in at quad core 2.3GHz + quad-core 1.8GHz. Not only that, it also has an i5 Intelligent co-processor that enhances speech recognition and a low-power consumption system that improves energy efficiency which is really great. The Mate 7 isn't that so bad itself either, as it carries a Kirin 925 SoC clocking in at quad-core 1.8GHz + quad-core 1.3GHz.

Besides that, the RAM and ROM section is not that far off. The Mate 7 has two variants – 16GB internal memory + 2GB RAM and a 32 internal memory + 3GB RAM, whereas the Mate 8 has three instead, a 32GB internal memory + 3GB RAM, 64GB internal memory + 4GB RAM and lastly 128GB internal memory + 4GB RAM. Both have an expandable storage up to 128GB.

Perhaps it's interesting to note that the Mate 7 has a slightly higher battery power than the Mate 8, with 4100 mAh to 4000 mAh. However, the Mate 8 has a superior quick charging and it's said that within 30 minutes of charging, the device can be used for a whole day, which is fantastic. Nonetheless, both have huge batteries which can last around 2 days on average usage.

The Mate 8 also has superior camera specs than the Mate 7. The Mate 8 features a 16MP and double LED flash lens on the rear with 8MP on the front, while the Mate 7 only has 13MP with a single LED flash lens for the main camera, while the front camera is 5MP only. Lastly, the Mate 8's OS is Android 6.0 Marshmallow, but the Mate 7 cannot be upgraded to that. So with all these specifications, I think it's obvious the Mate 8 has better overall tech specs and features.

Both models are like twins actually and you can't really tell the difference except for the fingerprint sensor, as the Mate 8's fingerprint sensor is round shaped but the Mate 7's version is square. Even the screen display is the same 6-inch FHD display (same 1920 x 1080 resolution too), but the Mate 8 is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 4 (more shock resistant) instead of the Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on the Mate 7. Not only that, the Mate 8 is available in four colours, Space Gray, Champagne Gold (premium only), Moonlight Silver and a never-seen before Mocha Brown (premium only). The Mate 7 only comes in black or white. And not to forget, the low-power consumption feature by the i5 Intel processor is a highlight for the Mate 8 for sure.

In terms of pricing, the Mate 7's value should have dropped by now after a year and according to various sources, the standing price now is around RM1856 – RM1959. You might also suspect that the Mate 8 would be expensive for a new flagship phone, but surprisingly from our coverage, it was revealed that the price will be RM2099 with third-party sellers offering it as low as RM1845. If you're thinking of the premium version, it's currently RM2399 but third-party sellers have it going for RM2249.

While it may seem that the Mate 8 is superior than the Mate 7 in every way, for me, if you're already satisfied with the Mate 7 then there's actually no reason to upgrade yourself to get the Mate 8 as the design is nearly identical. However, if you feel that your Mate 7 has been chugging along lately, then the much faster Kirin 950 (on par with the latest processors from Qualcomm) in the Mate 8 should make things a lot smoother, especially in the latest games. In addition, the price is quite affordable for a high-end smartphone. So that's our verdict, what do you think of the Mate 8? Know anyone using one? Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more comparisons in the future at Technave!


Comparison: Huawei P9 Plus vs HTC 10 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 edge

In March, the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge became a hot gadget-to-have in Malaysia thanks to its many improvements, especially the Dual pixel camera technology. Recently Huawei's P9 and P9 Plus also arrived in Malaysia, this time with its Leica powered dual rear cameras. Yesterday, so did HTC's much-hyped HTC 10 which garnered enough positive impressions to make many think HTC is making a comeback. As usual, a comparison between the three beasts is inevitable. So which of these titans stands out the most? Read below to find out.

Starting off, these three flagships have really powerful processors. To each of their own, the HTC 10 is equipping the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 820; while Huawei has developed their own Kirin 955 chipset; the Galaxy S7 edge is supposed to have the same Snapdragon 820 too but in Malaysia; the chipset is the Exynos 8890, and possibly has the best CPU as well with an octa-core (2.35GHz +16.GHz quad) and quad-core (2.15GHz + 1.6GHz dual). The other two are lower with P9 Plus's quad-core (2.5GHz + 1.8GHz dual), and HTC 10's dual-core (2.15GHz + 1.6GHz). And although it's a general rule that with higher clocking speeds tend to make the smartphone hot faster, the Galaxy S7 edge has little trouble with that from our experience (read our review about it).

Besides that, all three share the same RAM and ROM memory with 4GB and two storage variants of 32GB and 64GB. The P9 Plus is the only one that doesn't have a 32GB internal storage option though, but has an expandable memory via microSD card just like the other two.

The Galaxy S7 edge also comes up on top with the bigger battery capacity with 3600 mAh, followed by the P9 Plus (3400 mAh), and HTC 10 (3000 mAh). Despite HTC 10 being the lowest, it comes with a Quick Charge technology and reports said it can charge up to 50% in just 30 minutes, not bad, but so does the Galaxy S7 edge, charging up to 60% in 30 minutes while the P9 Plus also has Dual-IC Rapid Charge as well.

Screen size isn't that much of a difference as well, except that the HTC 10 is shorter with 5.2-inch display compared to the duo of 5.5-inch display. Resolution-wise, Huawei is the lowest with 1080 x 1920p, losing out to both HTC 10 and Galaxy S7 edge (1440 x 2560p) but it is the only one to offer force touch, allowing for other control options based on how hard you press. Oh, all have the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow too.

Design-wise, I personally think there's not much competition to this because the Galaxy S7 edge has the dual-curved edge screen. However, the overly chamfered HTC 10 does take chamfering to a whole new level, enough to make it look fairly unique compared to some other devices. The P9 Plus maintains a full metal body with rounded metal frame but it is also the thinnest of the three at 7mm.

Like what our review said, the Galaxy S7 edge has the best camera and image quality so far. Even though it dropped to 12MP from 20MP from its predecessor, the Dual Pixel technology really helped a lot, and has OIS, hand-gesture assist, LED flash and can capture a 4K video recording. That is until Huawei came along with their latest P9 and P9 Plus dual 12MP Leica rear camera, one for taking monochrome pictures and the other with colours, with awesome light painting and monochrome mode features that make it better than some DSLRs but just full HD video recording. HTC 10's 12MP rear camera with OIS (which the front has too), laser autofocus, 4K video recording and dual tone flash is also gaining good impressions as well, it even got a DxOMark score of 88 for camera quality.

In other features, HTC 10's BoomSound was redefined by the company and is said to make your ear/headphone listening experience even better. For the P9 Plus, it features the aforementioned Press Touch which is the same as Apple's 3D Touch technology and it also packs in an infrared blaster allowing you to use the phone as a Universal remote controller. But both don't have the IP68 grade water resistance that the Galaxy S7 edge has, not to mention it also has the game launcher support, and the Always-On display which proved useful without having to turn on the device to see notifications and time.

And of course, all three have fingerprint sensors but the Galaxy S7 edge is the only one with wireless charging. It is also the only one with a micro USB port, while the other two have USB Type C ports.

Now the question that you might have been waiting for, what bout the price tag? Well, the Galaxy S7 edge is really expensive costing RM3099 in Malaysia. As for the other two, the HTC 10 is going for RM2799 while the Huawei P9 is the lowest priced flagship at RM2599. All three are currently available in Malaysia.

Granted, these three flagships are quite amazing on their own. I guess for camera lovers like myself, they can consider going for either the P9/P9 Plus or the Galaxy S7 edge. If not, the HTC 10 itself is a fine smartphone (on paper), and it has the new BoomSound technology as well which I think music lovers would like to have.

Personally, after some time using both Samsung and Huawei's latest flagship, I'd choose the P9 Plus because of its dual Leica rear cameras technology, cheaper price, some nice "Plus" features and fantastic camera functions such as the monochrome mode (which we've seen in our Huawei P9 review) really do put many entry-level DSLRs to shame. We'd be interested to see how the HTC 10 stacks up and we'll update you as soon as we get some hands-on experience.

So which one do you think is better? Do you think both the HTC 10 and P9 line up can challenge Samsung's flagship in the camera section? Let us know in the comments below, thanks for reading and stay tuned for more comparisons at Technave.com in the future!


Comparison: Huawei P9 vs Huawei P9 Plus ~ What else does the P9 Plus offer?

The larger version of the Huawei P9, the Huawei P9 Plus has yet to officially arrive in Malaysia but we managed to get some time with it. Featuring a larger 5.5-inch display the P9 Plus isn't just about a bigger screen. Find out all the details using our comparison tool or read on in the comparison below.

While the Huawei P9 looks premium enough with matte metal back, the Huawei P9 Plus takes all the same design elements and adds on a shinier hairline brushed metal effect on the metal parts, including the sides and back. Despite packing in a larger 5.5-inch display, the P9 Plus maintains the same 7mm thin metal unibody chassis. Placing them side-by-side, we have to admit that the P9 Plus looks better.

The Huawei P9 Plus has a hairline brushed metal back ...

This larger size only adds on another 18g for a fairly light P9 Plus at just 162g (the P9 weighs in at 144g). While it also features a rear fingerprint sensor, the power button on the side of the P9 Plus has been highlighted in metallic red, giving it a bit more premium look.

The power button on the Huawei P9 Plus is highlighted with a metallic red

It isn't just about the bigger screen for the Huawei P9 Plus, although there are differences in tech specs there as well. Unlike the P9, the P9 Plus uses a more colourful but energy efficient Super AMOLED screen and in addition, has an enhanced Press Touch which recognizes different pressures of touch to the screen, activating sub menus for various Huawei apps.

Using press touch here in the Gallery zooms up on the image.

The larger display means a larger body and therefore, a larger 3400 mAh battery for the P9 Plus. Other extra features include an infrared blasted located on the top of the P9 Plus. Other features and tech specs like a 4K video recording dual 12MP rear camera developed with LEICA remains the same all the way down to the Kirin 955 processor, 4GB RAM and USB Type-C port.

A bigger screen also means a bigger 3400 mAh battery for the Huawei P9 Plus

Clearly, the Huawei P9 Plus offers a number of extra features that the P9 does not. The more vibrant Super AMOLED screen should ensure better overall movie watching while the prettier brushed metal design should turn heads even more than the already beautiful P9. You can also turn your P9 Plus into a universal remote control thanks to the infrared blaster while the Press Touch feature should add on a bit more depth to your controls.

We're still unclear about Malaysia Pricing details yet but sources close to Huawei Malaysia say that the P9 Plus is coming here on 10 June 2016. Since the Huawei P9 is already a priced at RM2099 we expect the P9 Plus to go for RM2399 or RM2499 but the extra features should be worth the larger price tag. We'll continue to update you on the P9 Plus so stay tuned for more at TechNave.com.


Comparison: Jaringan Prihatin by YES 4G, Yoodo, Digi, Celcom, Maxis and U Mobile

As some of you already know, the Jaringan Prihatin Programme has already begun on 5 May and all the telco brands have already started to launch their own plans for the Rakyat. We have posted some news from YES 4G not too long ago but more telco brands are releasing theirs. With this, we figured that we will just make a compilation of all the Prihatin packages.

In this compilation, we have YES 4G, Yoodo, Digi, Celcom, Maxis and U Mobile. Without further ado, check out the Jaringan Prihatin Package comparison below!

In an effort to help the B40 citizens, YES 4G will offer free phones and mobile data for an entire year. Called the YES Prihatin Learn-From-Home Families and Learn-From-Home Individuals, both are free of charge.

Both plans are more or less the same which includes the aforementioned free phone, FrogAsia Mobile app access and an RM50 Shopee voucher. The only difference is the mobile data which are 30GB and 15GB mobile data per month respectively for a year. For more information, you can check out their official Prihatin page here.

In Yoodo's case, the company's Jaringan Prihatin package offers 80GB of mobile data for RM20/month and the registration for it has already begun from 5 May until 31 July. Users will have access to this offer for 12 straight months until 31 July 2022, which is also the final redemption date for the subsidised offer.

By the way, Yoodo users can check their eligibility to register for the service via the Yoodo app. The name is called Prihatin Pass 20GB which would enable users to claim an additional 2GB daily for free that can be used in an hour. For more details on Yoodo’s Jaringan Prihatin offering, you can visit www.yoodo.com.my/jaringanprihatin.

In the yellow telco corner, they are offering two package plans - an RM180 rebate for a prepaid and postpaid plan, as well as an RM300 device subsidy. The registration has already begun on 5 May and it will end on 31 July 2021 for current and new Digi users.

For the 180 rebate plan for both prepaid and postpaid, qualified users can receive a monthly rebate of RM15 and an extra 2GB of mobile data daily, for up to one year. If you're looking at the latter plan, only Malaysian families are eligible for this and can receive an RM300 subsidy with a 4G phone or tablet. You can view the official gadget list here, whereas you can visit the official webpage over here.

Like Digi, Celcom is also offering both prepaid and postpaid rebate packages. The prepaid rebate is quite straightforward, where Celcom prepaid users can have an RM15 rebate for a year. There's also a Celcom Just4Me which is a personalized special offer with free 2GB of mobile data daily for a year.

Then for the Celcom postpaid users, they can browse Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp and WeChat with unlimited data. Moreover, they can get a free phone (prepaid too!) with an XP Lite plan for as low as RM38/month and also enjoy 60GB of mobile data for free which is the most affordable postpaid plan now. If you already have a family, there's an RM300 rebate on phone purchases. In addition to the government subsidy of RM300, Celcom is adding extra rebates of RM60 making it the highest offer in the market.

The XP Lite is paired up with Pass L (family or individual) and Pass M with a few selected smartphones. So for more information, you can visit the blue telco's Prihatin page right over here.

Yup, you read that right. Maxis Hotlink users can enjoy a subsidy of RM300 on any eligible Hotlink devices under the Hotlink Postpaid 60 plan. However, do keep note that this is only for households with children. For individuals, you can also enjoy a subsidy of RM180 on a wide variety of phones as low as RM1.

Besides that, Hotlink prepaid, Hotlink postpaid, Maxis postpaid and Maxis Home 4G WiFi users get to claim free credit worth RM180 (RM15 x RM12 months). On top of that, the free 2GB daily is included as well which can be redeemed on the Hotlink or Maxis app. More information about Maxis' Prihatin can be found here.

Last but not least, eligible U Mobile users can opt for free gadgets with a bundle or subsidized data plans. For the gadget bundles, they can claim a Samsung A02, Samsung A02s, realme C11 and OPPO A54 being bundled as part of the plans for free. Plus, they can even choose a Lenovo Tab M10 HD (Gen 2) tablet for as low as RM249. You can check out the graph below for your reference.

For the subsidized mobile data plans (refer to the graph above), U Mobile users may look forward to paying as low as RM15/month for a year for the Giler Unlimited GX30 prepaid plan. For the postpaid plans, only the GX68 and GX50 are part of the Prihatin plans going as low as RM25/month. You can visit the official webpage to learn more or go to u.com.my/prihatin to check eligibility and register for it starting today onwards (7 May) until 31 July 2021. An additional 2GB of mobile data for 1 hour every day will be given to all customers who have successfully signed up.

Phew, that's a lot of information but that's all the Malaysian telco Jaringan Prihatin Programme plans. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below and do sign up for it as soon as possible before the due date on 31 July 2021. Stay tuned for more local trending tech news at TechNave.com.


Comparison: Nintendo Switch OLED vs Standard vs Lite version

Earlier this week, Nintendo made a surprise announcement regarding the Nintendo Switch. If you weren't aware, there are pieces of rumoured news about a potential Switch Pro console over the past few months. Dubbed as the Nintendo Switch OLED, it is scheduled to be released on 8 October 2021 for $349.99 (~RM1455) RM1699.

Of course, Switch fans have also gotten into a debate of whether the OLED variant is worth upgrading to. And for those who plan on purchasing a Switch during the pandemic, is it worth getting the new variant over the standard or Lite one? To give you a clearer picture, let's compare the three of them.

In the video promo, the first thing that Nintendo highlighted was the enlarged OLED display measuring 7-inches. In comparison, the Standard Switch is just 6.2-inches, and it uses an LCD panel. It should be noted that the Switch OLED isn't actually that much larger. As listed on the official webpage, the dimensions haven't really changed. In fact, it's just a 0.1-inch longer with Joy-Cons attached. In other words, the Switch OLED is still the same size but with smaller bezels.

As for the rest of its specs, the Switch OLED's internal storage got bumped up to 64GB (from 32GB). It also has a much wider adjustable stand, and the audio quality has been upgraded. Furthermore, the dock now has an extra Ethernet LAN port for those who want the fastest Internet speed possible. By the way, the old dock and Joy-Cons are still compatible with the new Switch OLED.

But what about the rest of the internal tech specs? Unfortunately, the Switch OLED's CPU and RAM remain the same as the Standard Switch model (even the battery life). We can't really compare pricing yet because there's no local price tag for it. But if we have to assume, it should be around ~RM1455 or a lot more. For reference, the Standard Switch's starting price is at least RM1299. The official local price is RM1699 but since you're only getting a minimal upgrade in specs, we don't think it is worth upgrading to if you already have a Standard Switch.

Next, let's compare the Switch OLED with the Switch Lite. In this case, the choice to upgrade or not is an easier one. Since the OLED variant is a slightly better version of the standard variant, the OLED is by far the superior choice. That being said, what is the purpose of the Switch Lite then?

The answer is simple - some people play on the dock while others don't. Hooking up the Nintendo Switch dock to a TV or monitor would give you a more enjoyable console playing experience. But if you don't have one, then the Switch Lite should be more than enough for you. To add on, it's also important to note that some Switch games that require Joy-Con motion controls won't be compatible with the Lite variant. Of course, you can still connect compatible wireless controllers to the Lite variant.

However, if you are short on budget, then the Switch Lite is obviously the one to get. In Malaysia, the standard price is RM949. Compared with the Switch OLED, that's a potential difference of RM500, which is a lot for most Malaysians. Enough said.

Before we conclude, let's recap on the features of the Switch Lite. It sports a 5.5-inch LCD touch screen, 32GB of internal storage, and its battery life can last up to 7 hours (depending on playing time).

Upon analysing the pro and cons of the Switch OLED, you can almost say that it's the baby of the Standard Switch and Switch Lite. The Switch OLED will definitely have a better handheld gaming experience thanks to the 7-inch OLED display, adjustable stand, and better audio quality. On the other hand, if you play with the console docked most of the time, you're better off sticking to the standard Switch.

I have a mixed feeling about the Switch OLED, mainly because it doesn't have a CPU and RAM upgrade. It's definitely not pointless, though, because people who want a new Switch can just get the OLED variant and enjoy the aforementioned updated features. Well, the choice is yours.

But what do you all think about the Switch OLED? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned for more tech reviews at TechNave.com.


Comparison: OPPO Reno6 series plans by Celcom, Digi, Maxis and U Mobile

From time to time, we would publish an article comparing all the package plans offered by our four local telcos - Celcom, Digi, Maxis and U Mobile. Usually, it would be about the latest iPhones or Samsung Galaxy devices, and some special postpaid plans they would offer. This time, we will be touching on the OPPO Reno6Z 5G and Reno6 5G together. Let's get right to it.

So starting with a bang, Celcom will actually offer free Reno6 Z 5G + gifts worth RM502 if you subscribe to a Celcom MEGA Lightning XL plan. That's pretty great for those who are looking for a new phone and postpaid plan altogether. However, Easyphone is not available for the Reno6 Z 5G.

On the other hand, the Reno6 5G will be RM799 with the Celcom MEGA Lightning XL plan if you decide to go for the Device Bundle. For Easyphone, it will be more affordable for those who prefer an installation plan from RM51 per month. By the way, Celcom postpaid plans have up to 120GB of high-speed internet data and unlimited calls. The gift bundle seems to consist of a pair of OPPO Enco wireless earbuds and OPPO Cloud.

Next, Digi is offering the Reno6 Z 5G and Reno6 5G with its trademark PhoneFreedom 365 plan. If you want to pay the lowest fee, you will have to subscribe to Digi Postpaid 150 which offers the two phones at RM30 per month and RM50 per month respectively.

There are other postpaid plans, of course, such as the Digi Postpaid 60, 90 and 120. However, only Postpaid 120 and 150 have a special discount at RM15 and RM20 for 24 months which explains why the fee is so low. From just the Postpaid 120, you can save up to a total of RM1679 and RM1459 on the Reno6 5G and Reno6 Z 5G respectively.

Both OPPO phones are also available in the Family line plan with 50% off. You can also get up to 85GB of high-speed internet data, unlimited network calls and 1000 free SMS.

As always, you can choose either the Maxis Zerolution or a normal contract. Also as always, choosing the highest postpaid plan (Postpaid 188) will offer you the lowest device fee for the Reno6 Z 5G and Reno6 5G at RM39 and RM69 per month respectively. Other postpaid plans include the usual Postpaid 158, Postpaid 128, Postpaid 98 and Postpaid Share 48 (not available in the normal contract).

However, the real catch is that you can actually get the Reno6 Z 5G and Reno6 5G at just RM1 only as an upfront payment and new share line. This is only eligible if you go for the normal contract with Postpaid 128 and Postpaid 158 respectively. It sounds like a viable plan but it's up to you.

Maxis' postpaid plans go to up to 100GB of high-speed internet data, unlimited calls and SMS, and a maximum of four shared lines. There are some gifts bundled too that include OPPO Enco Buds, 1 Year HeyTap Cloud Service, Powerbank, Smart Tag, Bluetooth Speaker.

Finally, U Mobile's offer is also quite low. If you go for the UPackage, the Reno6 Z 5G and Reno6 5G is only at RM29 and RM59 per month respectively. The standard package isn't so bad either, offering RM219 and RM889 respectively with Unlimited HERO Postpaid plans. Speaking of the Unlimited HERO Postpaid plans, only the Reno6 Z 5G has an extra postpaid which is the P79.

Gifts included are a powerbank, Bluetooth Speaker and a Smart Tag, all worth RM277. Plus, all the postpaid have unlimited high-speed internet data, 3GB roaming data, up to 100GB mobile data hotspot, unlimited network calls and unlimited HD video streaming quality.

So that's all, folks. You can visit the links below to grab your new Reno6 Z 5G or Reno6 5G from your preferred telco from today onwards (while stocks last). Stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.


Comparison: OnePlus X vs OnePlus One

As you may know, the OnePlus X is already out on the end of October officially. But one thing that has caught our attention is that both the OnePlus X and OnePlus One have the same Snapdragon 801 processor, so we can’t help ourselves but to compare between these two gentlemen here. Check out our comparison below or go see our tech specs comparison tool for all the features.

Let’s start with the measurements, first off the X is actually slightly smaller than the One (you’re gonna hear this one a lot lol) at 140  x  69  x  6.9 mm, while the One is 152.9  x  75.9  x  8.9 mm. Which one is better? Well, it depends on the user, some like it small and thin or big so it’s subjective. Oh, and since the X is slightly smaller that also means the weight is lighter too.

Moving on, even though both models possess the Snapdragon 801 processor, Adreno 330 GPU and 3GB RAM; the One wins in the processor department with a quad-core 2.5 GHz processor. And not forgetting the battery as well, packed with a 3100 mAh Li Po battery as the X offers a 2.3 GHz processor and 2525 mAh only. Both also offer 16GB internal storage, but the One also offers a 64GB option. Hold on your horses, the X came up with a back up for that which is the microSD that’s capable of keeping 128GB worth of space.

Now onwards to the camera section, both main cameras are tied but the X has the upper hand on its selfie snapper (8MP to the One’s 5MP). Ironically though, video recording-wise the X seems to lose out on this one; it can only reach [email protected] while the One doubles that at [email protected] or 30fps. As mentioned earlier, the X is slightly smaller than the One so the screen display is only 5-inches (the X is 5.5-inches). But nonetheless, both have the same 1080 x 1920 pixels.

Overall, the rest of the tech specs are more or less the same. For myself, I would prefer the OnePlus X because it's lighter, has better camera MP and has extra storage. This also goes for those who want a lot of space for taking pictures and the mobility to carry it around. Not to mention, on average, the X is more affordable than the One especially those with A0001, A1001 and bigger storage models (according to Lazada). Other than that, the normal models cost around the same which would average around RM1299.

What do you think? Which one do you prefer? Share this with your friends and family who are deciding between the two and thanks for reading!


A Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Tesla Edition could be in the works

If you can recall, there are some smartphone manufacturers that launched a special edition under a car brand theme. For example, you have Huawei and its Porsche (Design) on the flagships, the OPPO Find X has the Lamborghini edition, and OnePlus is with McLaren. Should the latest rumour be true, Samsung might actually partner up with Tesla.

This was found on a Weibo thread by a Chinese blogger who claimed that there will be a Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Tesla Edition. He even went out to do his own concept image render of it, the phablet appears to be covered with a grey metallic body with red frames all around, as well as the trademark Tesla logo right in the middle. Also, the S Pen looks super bloody cool.

Of course, since this is a fan-made render, it's best to take this with a grain of salt. However, sources from an anonymous guy in a supply chain said that there will be a red variant of the Galaxy Note 10 and maybe, just maybe the company could name it Cardinal Red just like for the Galaxy S10 series.

Samsung is known for releasing funky colour models for their smartphones to cater to the new generation of smartphone users, as well as releasing them one by one after a period of time and depending on the region. We are only less than two months away so stay tuned for more Galaxy Note 10 juicy news at TechNave.com.


Comparison - Samsung Galaxy A series (2017) vs Galaxy A series (2016), should you upgrade?

As of 5 January 2017, both the Samsung Galaxy A7 and A5 (2017) smartphones were revealed in Malaysia for RM1899 and RM1699 respectively. While we're on this topic, we actually did a comparison between the original Galaxy A series to the Galaxy A series (2016) last year, so this begs the question - Should you upgrade your Galaxy A series (2016) to the latest Galaxy A (2017) models? Read below to find out!

For simplicity's sake, we will compare the A7 (2017) and A7 (2016) since both aren't so far apart from their A5 (2017) and A5 (2016) counterparts

Now obviously, the 2017 version is a lot more superior than the 2016 version, especially if we look at the camera. This is certainly a huge departure as comparing the double 16MP front and rear cameras of the A7 (2017) to the measly 13MP rear camera + 5MP front camera of the A7 (2016). While the A7 (2016) does offer OIS or Optical Image Stabilization, the PDAF or Phase detection autofocus cameras offer clearer and more detailed shots in both low-light and daylight conditions.

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017), Auto ~ check out the details in this low-light shot!

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017), Auto ~ easily capture water in motion

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017), Beauty face ~ the improved beauty face mode clears up skin while leaving all the details that matter for a more natural "beautified" look!

Other improvements include a bigger battery, slightly bigger display, and a lot more storage even by today's standards, not to mention the microSD card now allows up to 256GB as opposed to the previously supported 128GB microSD storage space. The processor speed has also improved to 1.9GHz from 1.6GHz, though we aren't too sure if this will heat up the phone quickly since the RAM is still the same 3GB. Until we get the units in hand, then we will let you know.

The new Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) and Galaxy A5 (2017) bring flagship design and features to the midrange!

Moving on, the design looks a lot nicer than the predecessor. If you haven't checked out our hands-on video above yet, the Galaxy A (2017) series just looks beautiful with the curved edge design on the back along with new Mint Blue and Peach addition. That's not to say the Galaxy A (2016) looks awful, it's just that the latest one stands out a lot more.

In the features corner, both editions have the same Samsung Pay support, Fingerprint sensor, Samsung KNOX, Dual SIM card slot, and S-Voice. Except that the Galaxy A (2017) now uses a USB Type-C port, and has a surprising IP68 certified water and dust resistance certification! That being said, this is possibly the most affordable water and dust resistant mid-range tier smartphone device that anyone can now own in the Malaysia market, such as the wet and wild millennials who don't have to burn their pocket money to get a high-end device just for that feature.

Now here comes the best part, in terms of price, both the Galaxy A7 (2017) and A7 (2016) have the same official RM1899 price tag (assuming that the 2016 version price has not depreciated much). But even if the A7 (2016) is cheaper, you actually get more out of the Galaxy A (2017) version than the predecessor by a lot, as it has IP68 grade water and dust resistance, better camera specs, bigger battery, more storage space and a more elegant design. Enough said.

As for the A5 models, the latest one is RM100 more than the A5 (2016) model, but just like comparing the A7 (2017) and A7 (2016) phones; the A5 (2017) is just as worth upgrading to too, as you can check out with the comparison between the two here. For now you can get both on pre-order with a free Samsung Level U Pro headset via participating Samsung outlets or online from Lazada.com.my, 11street.my, Courts, Harvey Norman, SenQ and SenHeng.

So there you have it, did you manage to check out the new Galaxy A7 and A5 (2017) phones yet? Let us know what you think, thanks for reading and stay tuned for more comparisons at Technave.com!


Comparison: Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) vs Galaxy A7 (2017)

Last year, when the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) and Galaxy A7 (2017) came out, we quickly compared the two as the tech-specs were quite similar back then. Fast forward to one year later, the Galaxy A8 (2018) is coming out real soon so if you have the Galaxy A7 (2017), you might have wondered if it's worth it to upgrade or not. Just in case you were wondering, no, there's no Galaxy A8 (2017) model and the last time that an A8 model did come to Malaysia was way back in 2015. Anyway, check out our comparison below.

First up, the Galaxy A8 (2018) is now using a new mid-range tier processor called the Exynos 7885. It's an octa-core processor with two cores running at 2.2 GHz Cortex-A73 while the remaining six runs at 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53. This is an improvement from the Galaxy A7 (2017), running at 1.9GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 for the Exynos 7880 chipset. For memory, the Galaxy A8 (2018) also has more - 4GB of RAM and 32GB worth of space, while the Galaxy A7 (2017) stays at 3GB of RAM and 32GB internal storage, but it can still use the expandable memory though for up to 256GB. The Galaxy A8 (2018) is using Android 7.1.1 Nougat whereas the Galaxy A7 (2017) is still at Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Apparently, the Galaxy A8 (2018)'s battery got a decrease to 3000mAh. It's weird because the Galaxy A7(2017)'s battery is 3600mAh, so why the drop? Perhaps it's due to the Exynos 7885 taking up a bit more space, not to the mention that the cores are separated into two parts for certain tasks. Despite the 600mAh drop, the Galaxy A8 (2018)'s battery doesn't deplete as fast as we thought, as it can go on a day easily with average usage. Even with intense gaming, the phone doesn't really heat up that much so that's great.

On top of that, it's worth mentioning that the Galaxy A8 (2018) has superior connectivity, and is able to support top 4G speed and Bluetooth 5.0.

Before and after using the Live Focus adjustment feature

The camera sensors on both devices are the same 16MP on both back and front with an aperture of F/1.9. However, the Galaxy A8 (2018) now has a secondary camera on the front, an 8MP + F/1.9 and this marks Samsung's first Dual Front Camera on a device. What's the secondary camera for? It's similar to the way Galaxy Note 8 works with its Live Focus, creating a bokeh effect for a more natural "portrait" shot. There's also some Beauty and Stickers effect too so you can say the Galaxy A8 (2018) is made for the selfie lover.

Since the Galaxy A8 (2018) has chosen the path of the full-view display, you might think its display is bigger than the Galaxy A7 (2017) but surprise, surprise, it's not. Although the difference is not that far apart, it has shrunk down from 5.7-inch to 5.6-inch. The Galaxy A8  (2018) is also thicker than the Galaxy A7 (2017), as well as more rectangular-ish (somehow) since the measurement is 149.2 x 70.6 x 8.4 mm against 156.8 x 77.6 x 7.9 mm. Despite being slightly smaller, this also means the Galaxy A8 (2018) offers a better grip for the user.

Moreover, the Galaxy A8 (2018) has an 18.5:9 aspect ratio (covering about 75.6% on the front), which is more than the Galaxy A7 (2017) which only has around 73.6% screen-to-body ratio. Both are using the same Super AMOLED display, but if I have to choose, the A8 looks better in terms of a more premium look, as it features an Infinity Display.

For features, both have the same IP68 water and dust resistant grade, Samsung Pay and fingerprint sensor (the Galaxy A8 (2018)'s fingerprint sensor is at the back and the Galaxy A7 (2017)'s one is at the front home button). Fast charging is available and for the Galaxy A8 (2018), it takes less than 2 hours to fully charge. Oh yeah, the Galaxy A8 (2018) also has Bixby ready to assist you on your daily schedules.

When the Galaxy A7 (2017) first made its debut, it was RM1899 and here's the kicker - the Galaxy A8 (2018) actually costs RM100 less which is RM1799 officially as of January 2018, From the price alone, this is definitely a better buy due to having a better processor, dual front cameras, dual front camera, the more comfortable grip, its beautiful design and a full-view 18.5:9 aspect ratio display. Otherwise, the Galaxy A7 (2017) is just fine as it is.

However, if you prefer having a bigger screen, the Galaxy A8+ (2018) stands tall with a 6-inch full-view display and slightly wider body than its younger brother. To add on to that, the plus variant has a bigger battery too at 3500mAh and more memory as well, utilizing 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. However, do keep note that it also costs RM2499 but if you have the budget and need the space, we aren't stopping you.

So how does the Galaxy A8 (2018) sound to you? Is this something you're looking for? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more comparisons at TechNave.com.


Comparison: Samsung Galaxy J3 2016 vs Galaxy J5 2016 vs Galaxy J7 2016

So one of the new Samsung Galaxy J series 2016, the Galaxy J3 2016 is already available in Malaysia, whereas the other two, the Galaxy J5 2016 and Galaxy J7 2016 might be coming soon this or next week with an official announcement. While we wait patiently for the new trio, we took some time to do some comparison between the three just like how we did with the Galaxy A 2016 series back then. Without further ado, read below to see the differences between the three new J series.

Now from the name itself, it's pretty obvious that the J7 would be the strongest one, followed by J5 and J3. First things first, from the tech-specs we've gathered (thanks, Mr. Anonymous!), both the J7 and J5 have the same 2GB RAM + 16GB ROM (microSD up to 128GB), the J3 on the other hand, has the lowest with 1.5GB RAM + 8GB ROM only; but still has an expandable slot of 128GB via microSD card. Also, all three support 4G LTE connection, so that's nice.

Moving on, the rest of the specifications are different. The J7 features a 1.6GHz octa-core processor, 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display, and a 3300mAh battery. Then J5 with 1.2GHz octa-core processor, 5.2-inch HD Super AMOLED display, and 3100 mAh battery, and finally a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 5-inch HD Super AMOLED display and a 2600mAh battery inside the hood. All batteries are removable.

Although the OS version is nowhere to be seen from our spec-leak, both the J5 and J7 are expected to have Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and the J3 should come with 5.1.1 Lollipop with the given tech-specs.

Continuing the tech-specs above, the camera features are also different from each other except for the front camera shooter (5MP + LED flash). As expected, the J7 carries the highest rear camera spec with 16MP (LED flash), followed by 13MP (LED flash) by J5 then 8MP (LED flash) by J3.

According to the leaked chart summary above, it's noted that only the J3 is made out of plastic, the measurement is 142.3 x 71 x 7.9 mm and weighs 138g only so expect the device to be super lightweight.

The latter two, J5 and J7 will come in a full metal body and actually weigh quite heavy with 159g and 170g (the Galaxy S7 Edge weighs 157g only by the way). The J7 is also the biggest among the three, measuring in 151.7 x 76 in height and diameter (7.8 mm thick); and J5 has the thickest body in 8.1mm along with 145.8 x 72.3 (height and diameter).

Lastly, none of these phones have a fingerprint sensor. If you want to see more of J3 leaked body images, visit the link here to check it out.

According to Mr Anonymous, these phones are economically cheap, the J3 will cost RM649 while the J5 and J7 may go for RM849 and RM1049 respectively. So to say, it seems that Samsung will continue the J series as a budget friendly device for a different target segment. And if I were to get one, I would most probably go for the J7 version because of the better tech-specs. But that doesn't mean that we should look down on J3 and J5, because they're both affordable too and it's great for being a secondary phone for business purposes or as a backup phone.

We're expecting an official announcement or launch (hopefully) of the trio Galaxy J series (2016) on 9 June 2016 or 15 June 2016, so stay tuned for more news at Technave.com!


Comparison: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 series telco plan by Celcom, Digi, Maxis and U Mobile

Looking to get yourself a new Samsung Galaxy Note20 or Galaxy Note20 5G Ultra? Don't know which telco package you should take? For all these questions and more, we got you covered. As always, we have explored and listed all the package plans from Celcom, Digi, Maxis and U Mobile so without further ado, here is the Galaxy Note20 5G series telco plan comparison.

On the blue telco's website, you can take up either the EasyPhone or Device Bundle plan. On EasyPhone, you can own the Galaxy Note 20 5G from RM99/month with Celcom MEGA Lightning XL plan, whereas the Device Bundle offers the same phone from RM2198 onwards with the same plan. If you are one of the first 50 customers who pre-order the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G online, you will also get to bring home a free Galaxy Buds Live in Mystic Bronze. The Galaxy Note 20 4G is nowhere to be seen.

By the way, the Celcom postpaid plans (as well as others) have a ton of Internet data - up to 80GB - so I won't worry of running out at all. The pre-order period is set from 6 to 16 August and will be delivered to you starting from 21 August 2020. There will be a second wave of pre-orders as well between 17 to 20 August 2020. You can find out more details on this webpage.

Next, Digi is continuing the PhoneFreedom 365 and like Celcom, the Galaxy Note 20 4G is not listed on their website (I'm starting to see a pattern here). Anyway, the only postpaid plans available for the phones are the Digi Postpaid 120, 160 and 190 plan from RM108/month or All-in RM248/month (Phone RM128/month + Plan RM120/month). Pre-order period will end on 20 August and delivery starts the day after.

On top of that, the bundle gifts are also available and it's the same as Samsung Malaysia's. Pre-orders of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G and the Galaxy Note 20 5G will be bundled with a free Galaxy Buds Live and Galaxy Buds+ respectively. It's worth mentioning that there's no upfront payment or interest rate here and Digi is offering a free phone upgrade and the 365 phone protection. To learn more, you can visit their website here.

Maxis is also offering zero upfront payment and zero-interest instalment on their postpaid plans. On the Zerolution plan, you can get the Galaxy Note 20 5G from RM128/month with Maxis Postpaid 188 with 100GB Internet data. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G on the same plan is from RM159/month.

If you opt for a normal contract of up to 24 months, the Galaxy Note 20 5G and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G will cost RM2599 and RM3299 respectively. The gifts for pre-ordering either one of the smartphones is the same as the two telcos above and delivery will commence from 21 August 2020. You can visit this link to find out more!

Finally, the usual U Mobile UNLIMITED Hero P99 and P139 plan are available for the Galaxy Note 20 5G and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G (no 4G variant again) for RM2565 and RM3319 respectively. With that price reduction, you get to enjoy savings of up to RM1880 with no upfront payment.

On top of that, getting either one of the postpaid plans will grant you a free GoInsure 3 coverage for the first month. For your information, GoInsure 3 is a Personal Accident (PA) insurance product with COVID-19 coverage for up to RM13000. Nice.

If you're asking us which one is the best, ultimately the choice is up to you based on your preference. You can also use our telco phone plans comparison tool on our website, as well as our news coverage on the Galaxy Note 20 series here to get a better idea. Stay tuned for more local tech deals at TechNave.com.


Comparison: Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Galaxy S7 edge, what's the diffference?

The pre-order for the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in Malaysia is already over before the end of the day, and if you happen to be one of those who are thinking that it's kind of similar to the Galaxy S7 edge, you aren't alone because we thought the same too. So what's the difference between the two devices anyway? Well, that's why we decided to do a comparison between the Note 7 and S7 edge. Read below to find out!

Since both the Note 7 and S7 edge are similar in some ways, let's start with the fact that both devices do feature the same Exynos 8890, 64 bit and 14 nm fabrication processor, they're even clocked at the same 2.3GHz +1.6GHz quad. With this, we can expect the Note 7 not to overheat easily since our experience (read the review here) with the S7 edge didn't encounter such problem.

Another similar specification is the Dual Pixel 12MP (F1.7 and Smart OIS) rear camera + 5MP (F1.7) front camera, yes, it's exactly the same so the Note 7 should be able to catch some awesome photography. However, it may even beat out the S7 edge due to a HDR chip installed inside the Note 7 which is usually used in their TV product lineup. We can't wait to get our hands on it to see if how much different it is from the S7 edge, also, both have Android 6.0.1 inside the hood.

Both have 4GB of RAM too, but as for the ROM, that's where the similarities come to a stop. The S7 edge's is 32GB ROM, but the Note 7 comes with a default 64GB; plus an extra 256GB expandable storage, the former only has a 200GB expandable storage, but nonetheless, that's still a lot of spaces.

Battery power difference isn't that far off either, although the Note 7 is strangely below the S7 edge (3600 mAh) with just 3500 mAh. We think it should be at least the same since the Note 7 comes with a S Pen, a slightly bigger display with 5.7-inch Quad HD (both have the same 2560p resolution) and more features as well.

Speaking of features, although both have quick charging technology that can charge up 60% in 30 minutes, the Note 7 also has an option of wireless charging or USB Type-C (S7 edge only has USB 2.0) which is nice and convenient. Okay, we know that has nothing to do with the need of 3600 mAh battery, but it has an Iris Scanner. This new security system uses biometric measurements to unlock your phone, not to mention, the HDR chip that gives better contrast, and the symmetrical S Pen that now allows users to do "oil painting" on the device, edit GIF files and even translate words with it which is awesome.

Did we mention that the S Pen is also graded IP68 water and dust resistance like the Note 7 and S7 edge? Because it is, we can expect taking pictures under the water will be much easier now compared to the S7 edge, since it's kind of hard to press the shutter in it, but then again, you need two hands to carry the Note 7 and S Pen to capture an image underwater, best not to let the S Pen slip off from your hand.

Design wise, the Note 7 follows the footstep of the S7 edge of using dual-edge curved displays but with a new upgrade, the glass is an all-new Corning Gorilla 5, and it's slightly bigger too measuring 153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9 mm to 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7 mm (S7 edge). That being said, that makes the Note 7 heavier than the S7 edge with 169g to 157g respectively.

Although it was not mentioned whether the game launcher and live broadcast feature from the S7 edge will be on the Note 7, don't be surprised if it will. Other than that, both devices also sport a fingerprint sensor, NFC and Always-on mode.

Now, if you happen to be a S7 edge owner and is tempted to switch to the Note 7, hold on to your horses there. Sure, the Note 7 is actually a more superior version of the S7 edge, but we don't think it's wise to drastically change your phone since both are similar in a lot of areas. Let's not forget that the Note 7 cost RM3199 which is the most expensive smartphone in Malaysia to date, just a RM100 more than the S7 edge.

The S7 edge is still a good device and still stand as one of the best camera-centric phones in the world that one could ask for, the Note 7 on the other hand, is a type of device that wants to be everything, and we are sure that users who love Galaxy Note 5 will love the Note 7 with the huge upgrade jump (you can see the comparison here). So as you can see, the S7 edge is more specialized in camera whereas the Note 7 is balanced for both work and play. So with this factor, I'd chose the S7 edge over the Note 7 because it's good enough for me and less expensive too.

So what do you think? Do you prefer the Note 7 over the S7 edge? Any of your friends and family getting one today from the pre-order? Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more comparisons at Technave.com!