How does the dual rear camera lens on the Xiaomi Redmi Pro work?

When Xiaomi introduced their new Xiaomi Redmi Pro not too long ago, I think it's safe to say that most of the people were surprised to see a dual camera lens at the back of the device, what's more, this is their first smartphone to sport such feature of combining a 13MP Sony IMX258 sensor + 5MP Samsung sensor as well as an OLED display. But how does the camera work?

Here's what we can dig up so far, the two camera modules have a f/2.0 aperture for each sensor, the auto-focus was reported to be quite fast thanks to the phase detection pixels inside. Journalists that were present at the press conference think that perhaps why Xiaomi added a second 5MP camera is to capture the image simultaneously with the 13MP camera, and then after that, the device will allow the user to refocus the image. A slider feature is also present that allows the user to control the bokeh effect, similarly to the Huawei P9 series.

Below are some picture samples that were taken from the Redmi Pro, but for some reason they didn't include any low light settings. We can't wait to get our hands on it to see how it would fare with the Huawei P9 series and maybe even Samsung Galaxy S7 series too. Until then, stay tuned for more news at Technave.com!


How easy is it to use the Apple iPad for work in today’s Android environment?

Apple have long touted their iPads as more than just a tablet. Is it actually “unlike any computer” as the marketing copy on their web site suggests? How easy is it to just pick up a brand new Apple iPad and use it for work in an Android environment these days? The short answer is: depends on your usage.

For the longer answer, read on and find out for yourself.

First off, let’s take a look at the design. As a productivity device the Apple iPad (in this case we used anApple iPad 10.2) is unassumingly portable and doesn’t seem like it is enough for most of my laptop needs. However, thanks to the clear 10.2-inch Retina screen, the details of the letters stand out and the tablet itself is super light and super portable. So, in that sense, it certainly looks “unlike any computer”.

A closer look at the keys reveal a grippy surface

The keyboard cover connects to the iPad directly

Side view reveals that the keyboard cover juts out a bit but at least there's still a 3.5mm audio jack

You can detach the cover and just go with the Apple Pencil anytime

The bundled keyboard cover looks a bit strange at first to be honest. It’s not streamlined (the keyboard bit juts out) and you have to pull it all out with both hands before you can form the triangle that makes the stand portion. While the chiclet keys are indented, they also have a rather matte finish, which is good for texture but feels off-putting at first. It grows on you and you get used to it, but it may take some time.

For the most part, the whole keyboard cover works. You can lay it on the table or on your lap, but you can’t adjust the angle and if you lean back with the tablet suddenly, it may just tip over. Thankfully, once it’s closed, you can stick the Pencil on the back, so at least there’s a place for it too. Fortunately, there's a lot of more affordable bluetooth alternatives available now too.

The Apple App Store is quite a friendly place now

To be honest, this isn’t the first time I’ve tried to use an Apple iPad for work, I tried before with an Apple iPad mini 2 but that was ages ago, and it was even more painful then than it is now. Starting from scratch isn’t as bad as it was before and setting up a new Apple ID is fast and easy now (the App store didn’t demand my credit card number before letting me download Google Docs at least). So, you can see that Apple is trying to make the process easier.

Getting back to the task at hand, the hardware on this “normal” iPad is simply awesome. The Retina screen is super clear and detailed, more than enough for me to work even without my glasses on. Battery life was superb as a single charge could get me through 2 or more days (almost 40 hours) without any issues.

Battery life on the iPad 10.2 is superb, easily lasting 2 days and more on a single charge

Working on the iPad 10.2 is fine after some adjustments

However, since we’re focusing on its productivity potential I did have some serious nitpicks with their keyboard… at first. I understand, it’s a brand new iPad that I’ve set to dual languages (English and Bahasa Melayu) and it’s learning my style of writing, but the super aggressive predictive auto correct and auto replace can often result in completely different text then what you intend. You can see how the 1st para in this piece first turned out below:

Apple have long touted Thieriot iPad’s as as mode than just a tablet. Is it actually “unlike and Computer” as the marketing copy on Thieriot web situ suggestive ? How easy is it to just picu-picumu a brand new Apple iPad and use it for work in an Android environment? The short Anser is depan diang on you usage.

Once you turn off auto correct and predictive settings in the keyboard, it became nearly perfect for me, as corrections only came up as suggestions rather than being auto typed. I do lose out on the fact that the keyboard is no longer learning my style so much, so if you’re someone who likes to rely on the keyboard more than me, leave those settings on and go for 1 language at a time.

Thanks to recent iPadOS updates (13.4 and above to be exact), practically any compatible iPad can connect a bluetooth mouse. Connection was fast and simple, just like any other setup with an Android device and the addition of mouse control really helps things get done as I don’t have to learn anything new.

Thankfully, you can now easily connect most bluetooth mice due to the recent iPadOS updates but you can see more of that in the video below

For the most part, the mouse works well in most situations, which is certainly better than having to use just your finger or the Apple Pencil. While we're on that, the Pencil does take some getting used to, but I can certainly draw and annotate better with the Pencil. This was particularly useful for editorial work as commenting on our writers work and adding suggestions or corrections is easier now.

For simple writing, editing with the Apple Pencil and commenting on other people’s work, the iPad is really “unlike any computer” or normal laptop I’ve used for work before. Its portability, ease of use and smooth and silent performance will outperform most laptops.

Google Meet works just fine on the Apple iPad

Since this is now the time of online meetings, I have to mention that I had no problems at all with online meeting apps like Zoom or Google Meet. In fact, they worked better on the iPad than with an Android device. Connectivity was smooth and the 1.2MP front camera is surprisingly clear and lag free. Unfortunately, there’s still a few kinks and bumps which Apple should work on.

First of all, sharing between non-Apple devices is still impossible wirelessly using either Bluetooth or WiFi. Thankfully, you can transfer files online by saving files on Google Drive or Dropbox then downloading onto the iPad. About 5 or 6 years ago this would have been impossible or very difficult due to sluggish Internet speeds but now this isn't an issue anymore and Apple has been quick to offer plenty of Share options that utilize this.

However, while I can share from the Google Sheets app I can’t download the spreadsheet file from Google Drive and share it on WhatsApp Web as a document like I’d normally do. I’m pretty sure that once I get used to how Apple does things, it will go a lot quicker and smoother, but having to learn all that just means it isn’t that easy to pick up a brand new iPad and get working instantly in a non-Apple environment. Perhaps Apple could drop in an easy 1st best practices tutorial for beginners or non-Apple users (if you're willing to search, there's a bunch of them on their YouTube channel)?

While the native photo editor may be limited you'll get a lot more satisfaction work-wise with a third-party app like PicsArt Photo Studio (which is better if you pay for it)

Secondly, while the image editor in the Photos image gallery is fast and intuitive, there's no feasible way to resize your images according to the pixel size. Like the Excel files before, I also had problems downloading them to the iPad to work on from Google Drive (there was no option to do so at all). For the image resizing I had to download a third party app called Image Resize for that but it would have been nice if such a basic feature was also available in the built-in image editor (I know, these are mostly my tasks and don't apply to everyone).

If you're interested in a more satisfying and productive time with the Apple iPad you will have to do what practically every other Apple user has gotten used to: you'll have to buy it. This isn't entirely a bad thing though as there are pretty good paid apps in the App Store. I went with my usual PicsArt Photo Studio (free 7-day trial to RM25.90 a month or you can keep clicking X on the ads) but there's also Pixelmator Photo for RM19.90.

Other productivity apps that I used weren't that much of an issue as Microsoft Office worked just fine. However, it is interesting to note that there's a whole lot third-party apps for WhatsApp but for our and probably your office communication needs, the best WhatsApp experience is through WhatsApp Web on the Safari browser.

I normally use WhatsApp Web on my laptop anyway

Overall, the Apple iPad is definitely more than just a tablet and with a little bit more work and learning how Apple does things, I’m sure I’d soon find it an indispensable part of my productivity workflow. For a normal laptop user, I can easily see the iPad replacing their laptop and working well with their Android smartphone but it does work a lot better with an Apple iPhone.

So, how easy is it to use the Apple iPad for work in an Android environment? Can you just pick up a brand new iPad and instantly get started working? Yes. Yes you can. But you will have to keep an open mind and be ready to relearn a number of things and to pay for more things (like apps, covers and the Apple Pencil). The difficulty level is definitely easy but you may need some time to learn before it becomes smoother.

As it is, apps for productivity are not an issue at all as both WhatsApp Web and Microsoft Office apps like Word and Excel both worked fine on the iPad. Work involving annotation or commenting got done very well with the Apple Pencil while the ability to use practically any compatible bluetooth mouse is awesome.

While there are now quite a lot of similar Android tablets for productivity, the iPad 10.2 tablet's surprisingly affordable price of RM1449, reliability, beautiful screen and build quality makes it almost the better choice. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 and Huawei MediaPad M6 / Huawei MatePad Pro 5G all come in at RM3099, RM1899 and RM3299 respectively but these are meant for the upper end markets after all.

You'll have to buy the keyboard cover or a bluetooth keyboard and a mouse separately for all of them though (which won't cost more than RM200 if you're willing to look). Only the recent Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite gives the iPad a run for its money thanks to its current bundled keyboard promotion and RM1699 price tag. The Huawei MatePad is at RM1399 but it doesn't offer GMS and other Google app support.

So, if you’ve been thinking of replacing your computer or laptop with an Apple iPad, then we think it’s certainly something you should consider. It’s certainly a lighter and more portable option compared to most laptops these days but it would have been even better if Apple could solve some of the other issues highlighted above.

What do you think? Would you want to buy the Apple iPad to replace your laptop? Have you already done so? Let us know in our Facebook page and stay tuned to TechNave.com


How fashion and technology come together with Huawei Smart Life

When it comes to technology, people normally wouldn't associate it with fashion. If anything, the closest thing that most people can think of is perhaps the cool gadgets from the James Bond franchise but the thing is it's already happening now.

Since the release of the Huawei Mate 30 series, Huawei Malaysia have been trying to rethink design and technology going hand-in-hand together. We have been talking about the Smart Life products for quite a while now, so if you're looking to get yourself a nice Smart Life upgrade, check out what the Mate 30 Pro, Huawei X Gentle Monster Eyewear and the Watch GT2 can do for you.

Starting with the flagship, the Mate 30 Pro features a few tricks up its sleeve aside from having a Kirin 990 chipset. Using a Horizon Display, the curved edge screen allows a side touch interaction for adjusting the volume controls and taking a selfie, so there's no need for any physical buttons anymore. On top of that, the latest EMUI 10 operating system added a new AI gesture system where you can scroll your phone without touching it, which is great when you're having fried chicken with your hands. There's no need to worry about overheating issues as well since it also has graphene film cooling technology.

Next, the Huawei X Gentle Monster Eyewear are new smart glasses featuring dual speakers on both of the inner sides. This allows you to listen to your favourite songs and even receive incoming calls without people noticing just like a spy! To receive incoming calls, just double-tap on the exterior side frame and this works for playing/pausing songs too.

It doesn't stop there too, you can even continue playing mobile games on the phone while using your glasses for network calls. Also, if you take off your glasses while listening to songs or a podcast - it will automatically pause and vice versa! That's pretty cool.

Finally, the Huawei Watch GT2 lets you count every step, play songs and enjoy other entertainment features while exercising. It doesn't matter if you're walking, running or hiking if you have an incoming call, as long as it's connected to the phone - you will be able to talk on the wearable via Bluetooth just like in those James Bond movies!

The wearable also has a wide variety of themes and styles for those who are looking for cool and beautiful dials. Besides that, the user can access and monitor their heart rate, pressure, and motion record just by using the button operation mode to slide the screen. If you like, the virtual assistant on the watch can also remind you of your heart rate, blood oxygen level and more.

In terms of sports, you can enjoy multiple gym modes (like swimming) for as long as you like. If you happen to have the 46mm Watch GT2 Sports edition, it can last you for about 2 weeks without any charging experience. Never worry about running out of battery again!

So these are some of the features that can enhance your Smart Life experience, from fashion to living a healthy life, you can experience much more when purchasing the Mate 30 series (from RM2799), Huawei X Gentle Monster Eyewear (RM1599) and Watch GT2 (from RM799). With Huawei committed to building a Smart Life experience, there are also the Matebook 13 (from RM3599), Freebuds 3 (RM679) and the WiFi Q2 Pro (RM499).

The Huawei Smart Life experience is now available in Malaysia, you can check out more information through their official website and Facebook right over here. Stay tuned for more Huawei promotions at TechNave.com.


How good is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor that will be used in the Nokia 6 actually?

The recent news of the Nokia 6 made quite a few "mehs" with most of those directed at the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor it uses. Other tech specs like the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage didn't get as much flak so we thought we'd check out the Snapdragon 430 processor using our similarly powered ASUS ZenFone 3 Max 5.5 or ZC553KL. Granted, there are differences between the two phones which you can see with our comparison tool, but the Nokia 6 does have the same display and more memory, so the differences in performance should be negligable if not better.

To start off, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor is an octa-core processor clocked up to 1.4GHz. It features an Adreno 505 graphics processor and X6 LTE modem for 4G LTE Cat 4 connectivity. Using CPU-Z and the CPU centric Geekbench 4 benchmark we got some fairly interesting results which you can see below:

CPU-Z on the left and Geekbench on the right for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430

Pretty good scores in Epic Citadel for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 powered ASUS ZenFone 3 Max

To put things into perspective the Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 powered ASUS ZenFone Max ZC550KL had a Geekbench 4 single core score of 368 to 521 and a multi-core score of 342 to 1462. Remembering the ZenFone Max, it was an energy efficient machine that couldn't run most games without some lag but our current tests with the ZenFone 3 Max 5.5 reveals that it not only runs faster but lets you play games relatively smoothly which you can see in the video and benchmarks below:

The Geekbench scores for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 powered ASUS ZenFone Max

Find out how good the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor really is

Of course, this sort of performance is not on par with the higher-end crowd but the octa-core Snapdragon 430 should offer the Nokia 6 a reasonable amount of performance while saving battery life which is probably why Nokia (and ASUS) chose it in the first place.


How good is the Super Steady mode on the Samsung Galaxy Note10+?

During the Samsung UNPACKED event in New York, one of the many features they highlighted was the Super Steady Video Recording on the Galaxy Note10+ and comparing with the predecessor, it's very much improved. But when we thought about it, we didn't really do much with the Note 9's video recording stability back then so to see if the claim is legit, we decided to test it out by ourselves.

According to Samsung, the Super Steady mode can be toggled on the video mode before you start recording. The icon is the hand with two wavy lines beside it (you can't miss it) and you can't switch off and on during recording. Anyway, without further ado, below is our Super Steady Video Recording footage from the Galaxy Note10+.

From our experience, turning on the Super Steady mode is a no brainer and this is a super useful tool for any vlogger. The video stability on walking, running and even jumping is commendable so this shouldn't be a problem at all. Moreover, you can also set the video recording mode to the 'sports' setting if you plan to do so. As you can see, even if you don't have a stabilizing gimbal, a normal smartphone holder is already good enough for carrying the Note10+ with Super Steady mode on.

We are still in the midst of exploring the Samsung Galaxy Note10+ so stay tuned for our future review post where we'll explore more features like Super Steady mode. Also, the Galaxy Note10 series are already on sale in Malaysia starting from RM3699. Come check it and Super Steady mode out yourself or you can purchase the phablet on their website right here.


How good is the macro camera on the Samsung Galaxy A51?

When the Samsung Galaxy A51 was first introduced in Malaysia, it brought many improvements in terms of design, tech specs, and features to the Galaxy A series. Other than what was mentioned, one of the biggest improvements was the fact it's equipped with a quad-camera setup in the rear.

More specifically, the device came with 48MP main camera, 12MP ultra wide camera, 5MP dedicated macro camera as well as a 5MP depth camera. With all that said, this makes the Galaxy A51 a rather versatile and capable camera phone for taking pictures in any setting such as lowlight photography and landscape photography. Let’s take a closer look at the camera and how it performs in various situations.

The shallow depth of field causes the numbers and the little details on the lock pop out more!

Look at the details between the crevices of this wallet!

Starting off with the macro camera of the A51, the smartphone comes with a 5MP macro lens which is great for taking a really close up shot of a subject. Not only that, but it also has a much more shallow depth of field, blurring the background of the object or person that you’re taking more naturally.

In order to achieve the best results, make sure you are about 4 centimetres away from the subject and adequate lighting in order to achieve the sharpest and well-lit image possible. Don’t be afraid to experiment with the distance, as well as the lighting in order to achieve the look you are going for.

Bright and sunny skies. Perfect for taking pictures!

I really like the contrast between the flower petal and the leaves!

So sharp you could see the small intricate details

Moving forward, the pictures taken by the 48MP main camera in the rear came out very clear and sharp. But that’s not all, having a higher resolution image sensor also gives me the freedom to crop any unwanted part of the image without losing much fidelity.

Other than that, these smartphones also come with an ultra wide camera which can come in handy in almost any situation such as taking pictures of a landscape or a large group photo. However, do bear in mind that the ultra wide camera has a fisheye effect which makes anything in the middle appear smaller than usual.

If you’re having trouble figuring out how to take a good photo, you might want to consider turning on Shot Suggestion which can help suggest where to point your camera for the perfect shot. With all that said, the Samsung Galaxy A51 is quite a capable and versatile midrange camera phone that can take surprisingly good pictures in almost any situation from macro to landscape photography.

If you require a much higher resolution camera, you might want to get the Galaxy A71 instead due to the fact that it comes with a much higher 64MP main camera. If you want to find out more about the phones or even purchase them for yourself, head over to Samsung Official website.

With all that said, what do you think of the pictures taken with the Samsung Galaxy A51? Tell us what you think on our Facebook page and for more updates like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.


How is the 5G network performance so far in Malaysia? Here's our first-hand experience

Today, Samsung Malaysia invited us to Putrajaya to test out the 5G network performance with the Galaxy S21 Ultra. If we are being honest, we weren't expecting anything too mindblowing since the 5G network is still at its infant stage. Nevertheless, we did a couple of tests to see the speed performance so here's what you need to know.

As per standard, the app to go to is using the Speedtest by Ookla. We and the media were given a Galaxy S21 Ultra unit to speed test the 5G network in Dataran Putra, Putrajaya. Upon reaching there, the first thing we tested is the mobile internet speed between 5G and 4G. Of course, this shouldn't come as a surprise as 5G is obviously way faster than the latter but we noticed something interesting.

(L-R) Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra with YES FT5G, Apple iPhone 12 Pro with Digi, and realme 3 with Maxis

Highest speed test we got(DISCLAIMER - We are aware that the label there says Yes 4G but we assure you that we have chosen the Yes 5G network for testing)

At some spots, we got pretty good connection speeds

Since all of us were given the Galaxy S21 Ultra, we decided to compare the speed test with each other. For some reason, the speed test varies from 200+ Mbps to 900+ Mbps and it doesn't matter which spot we were in. Some were under the trees, some went to the roundabout in Dataran Putra and even stood on the benches just to see how the speed tests turn out. In the end, we can only conclude that it's not consistent, including the upload speed tests.

On the other hand, I also tested out the download speed between my iPhone 12 Pro (using Digi) and the Galaxy S21 Ultra (YES FT5G). I used both phones to download the Asphalt 9 game app because it's a huge file (2.55GB). Naturally, I thought the Galaxy S21 Ultra would finish downloading it first but to my surprise, my Digi line was done while the former was a quarter away from being complete. To be fair, my other media buddy tried the same thing and got the opposite result using his Celcom line.

The Digi line managed to complete the download first

Meanwhile, watching a 4K YouTube video was smooth and you didn't need to wait long if you skipped to other parts of the video

So what can we learn from this? As aforementioned, we weren't expecting anything groundbreaking. Of course, a 5G network will always be faster than its predecessor but at the moment, the speed tests are quite wonky and inconsistent. This is to be expected since the 5G network infrastructure is still in development.

If you already have 5G connectivity, you will still probably experience 4G when making a phone call or sending a message. It will take years for 5G connectivity to mature and stay consistent, so it's hard to say when we will finally get a full 5G experience. Despite all this, we remain optimistic about the potential of what 5G could bring to the table.

Have you experienced 5G yet? If so, let us know in the comments below about your experience. Also, continue to stay safe and stay tuned for more tech reviews only at TechNave.com.


ASUS MeMO Pad 8 ME581CL AnyPen hands-on with a Chilli stylus

As one of the latest tablets in the market the ASUS MeMO Pad 8 ME581CL offers some really top-of-the-line technologies, including AnyPen technology. AnyPen allows you to use many different objects as a stylus and we go hands-on with a pencil, metal chopstick and chilli. Other notable tech specs include an 8-inch full HD 1080p display, 4G LTE, NFC and a fast 64-bit Intel processor. Thankfully, the screen on the MeMO Pad 8 ME581CL is really tough and scratch resistant thanks to a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3, so it can take most pointy things without any scratches. Retailing at RM1099 the MeMO Pad 8 ME581CL is now available for even lower around RM959 or so at third-party sellers like SatuGadgetDotCom and DirectD. Check out the hands-on video below for yourself and stay tuned for the full review.


How many episodes can you watch on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE until the battery depletes?

A few months ago, we tested the Galaxy S20 Ultra's battery by running it on a movie marathon and it took 7 movies (2 hours average) before its battery ran out of juice. So being stuck at home again due to the CMCO situation, it was another opportunity to binge watch some movies and TV shows on Netflix that came pre-installed inside the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G. So in this article, we are testing how many episodes can you watch on the Galaxy S20 FE until the battery depletes?

Like our previous Galaxy S20 Ultra battery test, the Galaxy S20 FE test will be a bit different. Since it doesn't have a QHD+ resolution (3200 x 1440 pixels), we maxed out the refresh rate to 120Hz and the screen brightness too. It's also worth noting that at the time of writing this, Netflix has yet to add HDR support for the phone but oh well, let's get on with the test.

For those who aren't horror fans, this mini TV series which consists of 6 episodes was already released since July 2020 but I digress. Each episode is about 28 minutes on average so that's a total of 168 minutes watch-time. I started the show at 3.26 PM and before an hour passed, the battery dropped to 78% from 89%.

After finishing the 6 episodes, the battery stopped at 60%

Dropping 9% after an hour is almost the equivalent of playing Asphalt 9 for 30 minutes (which is another topic for another day). There was some heat at the back though, due to the polycarbonate build but not to the point of being uncomfortable. Anyway, after finishing the whole 6 episodes, the battery stopped at 60%. Assuming if I started from 100%, that's an estimated 30% drop.

After that, I continued to test out some more by watching Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba (my first time watching, lol). After coming back home and having my dinner, I took a look at the list and there is a total of 26 episodes with 23 minutes for each. Could I really finish watching the whole season in one go? Well, here's how it ended up.

Starting with the first episode at 8.06 PM, battery level 58%

After briefly starting the 11th episode, I decided to stop at once. It took 4 hours to almost completely drain the Galaxy S20 FE battery capacity from 58%. Combining that with the first round, that also means that it took 16 episodes in total to nearly deplete the battery completely. However, since I started at 89%, the phone theoretically could add in 2 more episodes.

On paper, that's about 18 episodes but remember that I also maxed out the refresh rate at 120Hz, volume and screen brightness. In normal circumstance, a normal viewing wouldn't need to max out all these 3 features at all so I believe that anyone in that situation could very likely finish a full whole season (26 episodes) in one go.

Before I end this article, I also have some extra thoughts on the Galaxy S20 FE features. Thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate, watching Demon Slayer on the Super AMOLED display was enjoyable and the colour representation was really on the spot. Screen brightness really showed its true colours throughout but I'd advise not to do that in the dark (take care of your eyes, mmkay?). Also, the sound is REALLY LOUD for a phone so you don't need to wear a pair of earphones or earbuds, unless you want a better cinematic sound experience or you have sensitive neighbours, of course.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is currently on sale at every Samsung Experience Store, authorised dealer and its online store here. Slated at RM3399, the Fan Edition comes with a complimentary and exclusive Clear Standing Cover worth RM119 (it's also on a first come first served basis, so while stocks last). There are also six different colours to choose from - Cloud Navy, Cloud Lavender, Cloud Mint, Cloud White, Cloud Orange and Cloud Red. You can learn more about the device right here.


How many movies can you watch before the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G's battery runs out?

It's a bummer to be a movie fan this year because of the current circumstances. Multiple movies are delayed, our local cinemas are closed until further noticed, and at the very least, we can only catch new movies premiering on Netflix. But then again, having this time given also allows us to catch up on the movies that we missed.

Watching movies on your smartphone may not be the best way, but some people do enjoy being a couch potato doing that. As for me, this period is the perfect time for me to catch up on a few movies I missed and test out the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G's battery durability at the same time. With that said - How many movies can you watch before the phone's battery runs out?

In order to test the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G's battery, I turned on the resolution up to 3200 x 1440 pixels (QHD+) in Vivid mode with max screen brightness. Also, the movies I selected for this marathon are visually high-quality with good contrast (like 1917, Onward, Bloodshot, etc). It's worth mentioning that the battery is 5000mAh so it'd be interesting to see how long it can last. Without further ado, let's get on with it.

The phone was fully charged (well, almost) and I started my movie marathon at 14:13 hours. The first movie I watched was 1917 which has a runtime of 2 hours, and I did multitask some stuff while watching the movie - occasionally turning on the hotspot for a few minutes for my laptop and replying messages. After a duration of two and a half hours, the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G's battery dropped from 97% to 82%.

What? Just 15%? To be honest, I expected it to drop more than that but ok, it was only the first movie. I then continued on with Bloodshot, which was a more visually striking movie (albeit the storyline was quite boring), then followed by Guns Akimbo and Knives Out as the last movie of the day. So after a total of 9 hours, the battery stopped at 39%. Not bad, huh?

9 hours of movie marathoning may seem like a rookie number to those hardcore movie fans (guess I'm getting old), but since the phone's battery was at 39% (and it dropped down another 10% for the night), I decided to recharge the phone again up to 50% this time. With just a few movies left, I started watching after lunchtime until the evening.

At the end of the evening, the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G's battery stopped at 11%. I didn't manage to finish all the movies but with a total time of 6 hours (more or less) combined with some hotspot and social messaging, I think it's not bad that I was able to watch 8 movies in a row. However, I did recharge the phone a bit on the second day so to be realistic, I think it would take 7 movies (with an average of 2 hours each) to watch before the phone's battery runs out completely.

Forgotten to take a screenshot before starting day 2, but anyhow it ended at 11% after around 6 hours of movie-watching time

Before I end this article, I also have some comments from my movie marathon experience on the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G. Thanks to the QHD+ resolution setting, watching movies on the phone was quite nice. The colour contrast was presented strongly particularly in movies like Onward, Bloodshot, Guns Akimbo, and even Midsommar. For movies like 1917 and The Invisible Man, the dynamic range looked great and because of the 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen panel, the black areas in several scenes remained truly black without any noises or distortion which was pleasant.

But if I had just one minor issue to note, it was that the phone's stereo speaker wasn't loud enough. So to solve it, I had to connect it to a Bluetooth speaker all the time. Ah yes, I almost forgot - the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G was connected to a Bluetooth speaker all this time during my movie marathon weekend. How about that?

The dynamic range is pretty great on the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G's 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display

Taking a pic of this doesn't do any justice because you can't exactly screenshot the 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display's quality

Watching animated movies is also great on the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G

So this was my experience with the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G's battery test. I think if I was testing it with mobile games, it should last me like 5 hours or so since the phone sips around 20% in an hour of mobile gaming. However, for movies, it can easily last you the whole day with 14 hours of entertainment (more or less). A great way to pass time while staying at home, don't you think? Then again, keep in mind that the phone's battery lifespan is different for everyone based on their daily usage.

Usually, if I'm travelling in an aeroplane, I would watch a lot of movies on the phone. So having experienced the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, I can say that this is definitely the best device (so far) to watch movies when travelling long hours. A good 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display and a 5000mAh battery is all that I need for a mobile movie marathon. If you would like to learn more about Samsung's latest flagship, you can visit their official online store.

But what do you think? Do you like to watch your movies and TV series on the phone too? Let us know on our Facebook page and stay tuned for more tech reviews at TechNave.com.


How much RAM and battery (mAh) does the Apple iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus have?

The Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have both been revealed finally, but in typical Apple style, they haven't revealed all of the tech specs and details yet. One of the main questions many of our readers and more tech spec inclined users would like to know is:

This question is especially relevant as it gives a better idea as to how the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones will perform along with how long they will last on a single charge. Check out our analysis below.

So far, Apple has revealed that both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will have the same Apple A8 processor. Sure, we know that it is 64-bit and is 25% faster than the A7 processor, which was used in the Apple iPhone 5S. The A8 graphics are also said to be 50% faster than that of the A7 but again, Apple have not revealed what GPU or chip they are using to power the graphics exactly yet either. Apple have also not revealed at what speed the A8 processor is clocked at.

For now, we know that the A8 chipset is fabricated using the 20nm fabrication process and that it has about 2 billion transistors, quite a lot more than the A7 which had more than 1 billion transistors annd was fabricated on a 28nm process. More transistors will usually mean an increase in both performance as well as heat, despite the better energy efficiency of the 20nm chipset. Will the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus run hot or warm because of this? What do you think?

As one of Apple's most leaked devices, the Apple iPhone 6 smartphones have even been benchmarked before their release. These leaked benchmarks reveal that the Apple iPhone 6 will likely have just 1GB of RAM which is still quite low, even for an optimized system like iOS. The good news is that the Apple iPhone 6 Plus could have 2GB of RAM, so if you're a performance junkie and an Apple fanboy, you should know which Apple iPhone 6 to pick when it comes out.

For the battery, Apple have said that the Apple iPhone 6 will last about 1 to 4 hours longer than the iPhone 5S indicating that the battery or mAh will be larger. Considering that the iPhone 5S only packs in a a non-removable 1560 mAh battery, we assume based on this increase that the iPhone 6 will pack in a battery about 1800 mAh or so. The larger iPhone 6 Plus is said to last a lot longer than either the iPhone 6 or iPhone 5S and we estimate the battery size to be around 2900 mAh based on the battery size of current 5.5-inch display tablets out there.  We should not have to wait too long to find out for sure as the release date is expected on 19 September 2014, but for now, what do you think?[Source, Source]


How much RAM do you actually need on a smartphone?

Smartphones these days, particularly flagship gaming smartphones, are equipped with RAM capacity going up to as high as 18GB of LPDDR5 memory. With that in mind, many might wonder whether having that much RAM would be considered overkill for their usage habits.

In this article, we'll be detailing how RAM works. Then, we discuss how much RAM you may actually need when gaming, scrolling through social media, and more. With all that being said, let's get into it.

The Legion Phone Duel comes with up to 16GB of RAM

RAM (Random Access Memory) is a type of high-speed internal storage that temporarily holds data such as application state or pre-loaded graphics. Such data can then be quickly accessed by the chipset. It is important for gaming smartphones to pre-load as much of a game's graphical assets to the RAM as possible. This reduces stuttering and improves the average framerates, resulting in a more immersive and responsive gaming experience.

For example, say you are watching a video on YouTube and had to switch over to WhatsApp to reply to a message. You can continue where you left off once you switch back to it because YouTube's application state is stored in your RAM. That being said, if you have a higher RAM capacity, you can switch between more apps before your phone starts chugging.

Sure, there is Virtual RAM, which allocates some of the phone's internal UFS storage as RAM. It is a lot slower compared to a dedicated RAM module. But for tasks where fast performance isn't necessary, such as loading webpages or a video, Virtual Memory is usually good enough.

ASUS ROG Phone 5 Ultimate has 18GB of RAM!

With that all out of the way, how much RAM do you actually need on a smartphone? There's no simple answer to this question, as it really depends on your usage habits. An avid mobile gamer will definitely require more RAM to pre-load graphical assets. On the other hand, someone who uses their phones for watching videos or taking pictures don't need as much.

As a rule of thumb, you can't go wrong with smartphones with 4GB of RAM for daily use. This works if you only check social media, watch videos, do light multitasking, or play games like Candy Crush. Smartphones with 6GB to 8GB of RAM can be considered great all-rounders. They're suitable for playing any mobile games out there smoothly and are great for multitasking, all within a reasonable price.

OnePlus Nord N10's gaming mode known as "Fnatic Mode"

But if money is no object, there are smartphones out there with up to 18GB of RAM. These provide the best gaming experience and almost limitless multitasking on smartphones. But there's more! These phones are usually equipped with some kind of "Game Mode". The feature can terminate other non-gaming apps to free up more RAM for improved performance in mobile games.

It’s all about marketing. By shipping phones with higher RAM capacity, you’re increasing the perceived value of a particular smartphone even if it provides a small difference in terms of smartphone performance.

The Oculus Quest 2 only has 6GB but it's still great at games!

For example, gamers who are looking for a phone for gaming are most likely to purchase a device that’s equipped with a higher RAM capacity (at a slightly higher price) compared to another phone with slightly less RAM. Another factor would be future-proofing so that they’re able to run any mobile game or AR games that will be released in the future.

Sure, it may seem like a sound argument, but unless we have a gaming desktop-grade graphic processing unit fitted into our smartphones, it is highly unlikely that the textures and 3D models from games are going to take up a significant portion of our RAM. As for AR, even a standalone VR headset like Facebook’s Oculus Quest 2 is only equipped with 6GB of RAM and still able to run games smoothly.

To conclude everything mentioned above, having more RAM doesn't necessarily give you more performance as there are many factors at play such as whether the app or mobile game is capable of utilizing all of the available RAM. If you're not sure how much RAM you need then getting a phone with 6GB to 8GB of RAM would be a safe bet. But, if all you want to do is make calls, send instant messages, and watch a few videos then 4GB of RAM is definitely more than enough.

With all that said, is RAM a determining factor when it comes to picking your next mobile phone? Let us know on our Facebook page and for more updates like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.


How much RAM do you need on a laptop or computer?

When it comes to laptops and computers, RAM is a crucial component that affects how well they perform. However, doubling the RAM capacity of a computer does not necessarily mean that you will get double the performance.

This article will take a closer look at how much RAM you would typically need on a laptop or computer. With that said, let’s get into it.

RAM, also known as Random Access Memory, is a volatile memory that is one of the essential components in a computer that stores data temporarily, which the processor can quickly access. The reason why it’s called volatile memory is because it loses all stored data as soon as power is off.

While that may sound like a huge drawback, the reason why RAM modules are used in computers today is that they are usually more than 10 times faster than the fastest SSD that’s available on the market today. Speed is critical as any slowdown in the data transmission between the memory module and the processor could cause the entire computer system to stutter and lag.

If you have an abundance of storage space, you could allocate some of it to act as virtual RAM that your laptop computer can utilise to store programme data. However, it is best to note that Virtual RAMs are usually much slower as the speed is dependant on the speed of the solid-state drive or hard drive.

Thankfully, computers these days can intelligently determine how the data should be allocated between the RAM module and virtual RAM. For example, they will assign data from games into the RAM as it will be accessed more frequently, while data from web browsers are stored onto virtual RAM.

Unlike smartphones, graphic cards on computers come with a specialised memory called GDDR (graphics double data rate) that’s significantly faster. But, they are only dedicated to storing models, textures, and more for the graphics card to quickly process and output on the user’s display.

Much like our “How much RAM do you need on a smartphone” article, how much RAM you need on a laptop or computer heavily depends on the software you usually run and user habits. For example, someone who uses their computers to browse the web and watch videos will require much less RAM than gamers, video editors, or 3D modellers who need significantly more RAM.

If you’re planning to get a new laptop or computer soon, I highly recommend having at least 8GB of RAM as a minimum to at least run games. However, you might run into stuttering issues if the game is a lot more demanding or if you have Google Chrome running in the background.

Sure, you can make do with 4GB RAM, but do note that Windows 10 64-bit requires a minimum of 2GB which is already 50% of your capacity, leaving just enough room to run a few essential software. In this day in age, I would say the ideal RAM capacity would be around 16GB, as it provides a lot more headroom for gaming or light video editing while allowing other programs such as streaming software and a web browser to run in the background.

Acer's Chromebook 514 only comes with 4GB of RAM

If you’re running on a Chromebook, you don’t have to worry because Chrome OS does not require much RAM to run smoothly, thanks to a clever memory management trick called zRAM that compresses data and stores it in the RAM for quick access. In the event the entire RAM has been used up, it will then move the compressed data to the virtual RAM on the solid-state or hard disk drive.

However, when it comes to video compositing in Adobe After Effects or 3D modelling on Blender, you might want to consider getting more than 32GB of RAM. Your RAM directly correlates to how well the software mentioned earlier runs because the video preview is usually stored on your RAM for smoother playback.

Compared to smartphones, computers tend to be more modular because they let users download more RAM add a higher-capacity RAM and storage module after purchase. With that in mind, two users with the same laptop or computer could have different storage and RAM capacity.

To check how much RAM you have in your computer, you could either head over to the Task Manager by pressing CTRL + Shift + ESC key on your keyboard. Alternatively, you can right-click on the “This PC” icon on your desktop and click on properties.

Google Chrome is notorious for gobbling up RAM

I’m sure many of you are aware that Google Chrome constantly takes up a lot of RAM to run smoothly. The web browser uses a functionality called sandboxing, which runs each tab and plugins on a separate process so that if it crashes, it does not cause the entire browser to crash along with it.

Furthermore, Google Chrome also pre-loads some of the web pages that you might visit onto the RAM so that it loads instantaneously as soon as you click on the link. Also, the web browser will unload inactive web pages to free up RAM for other processes.

With that in mind, 4GB RAM is more than enough as long as you keep your tabs to a minimum, as having more of them open will take up more RAM. However, if it’s necessary to have many tabs open at once or some web pages require more RAM to run, you might want to consider upgrading to either 8GB or even 16GB of RAM.

Top: RAM module with 2133Mhz speed while the bottom is slightly faster at 2400Mhz

When shopping for a RAM module, I’m sure you’ve seen RAM with speeds like 2133Mhz or 2400Mhz. It might not matter much to the layman, but if you’re keen on squeezing every bit of performance out of your computer, then you might want to consider it.

For example, to get as much performance out of the AMD Ryzen 5000 series processors, you can consider slotting in RAM modules that are clocked at 4000Mhz because the Ryzen 5000’s Infinity Fabric is clocked in at 2000Mhz. However, you can still get away with RAM modules that are clocked at 3200Mhz to 3800Mhz if you’re on a budget. Another thing to consider is RAM timing that could directly affect performance as RAM with 4-4-4-8 timing will perform faster than RAM with 8-8-8-24 timing.

To conclude, if you’re only using your computer for web browsing or light gaming, 8GB RAM should be more than enough. You might want to double that number to 16GB if you plan on playing games while streaming in the background.

However, if you work on complex software such as Adobe After Effects, 3ds Max, or Blender, you might want 32GB or higher. Also, don’t forget you can increase your laptop or computer’s RAM capacity in the future, provided you have enough slots for it.

With all that said, how much RAM do you use on your computer? Let us know on our Facebook page and for more updates like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.


How much could the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 coming to Malaysia next week cost?

As the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is due in just a day, we’re asking the biggest question on the minds of most Malaysians, How much could the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 cost in Malaysia? Serial leakster @rquandt has revealed the UK price of the 512GB storage version at 1099 GBP (~RM5764) while the 128GB version could cost 899 GBP (~RM4715), so our estimate would be around RM3699 to RM3799 for the 128GB version and RM4599 to RM4699 for the 512GB version. Check out our math below.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus 128GB storage version currently goes for RM3769 while the official UK price for this version is 869 GBP (~RM4557.88). This results in a difference of RM788.88, so if we apply this to the leaked UK price for the 128GB Note 9, the Malaysia price would be RM3926.

Now do remember that the current Galaxy S9 Plus 128GB has received some recent price cuts (originally it was priced at RM3999) so we would put our estimates for the 128GB Note 9 at a range of RM3699 to RM3799, partly because the 128GB version is now the base model instead of 64GB worth of storage. The other main reason is that the previous Galaxy S9 Plus pricing was affected by GST, so there should be a slight decrease to the Malaysia price.

It would be great if the price goes lower than our guesses so you should take these guesses with a hint of salt. Incidentally, Samsung Malaysia have also let us know that the Galaxy Note 9 could well be coming to Malaysia next week with an estimated date of 15 August 2018. Regardless, we should know more about the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 very soon though, so stay tuned to TechNave.com and we’ll let you know as soon as we do.


How powerful the AMD Ryzen 4000 series processor can be?

Ever since AMD announced the Ryzen 4000 series processor back in early January, the enthusiastic gamers around the world have been thinking what kind of performance can they expect. Is this a big deal? Yes, it is and very much so for the gaming industry. To put it in a layman's context, imagine transferring a powerful processor from a desktop to an ultrathin laptop, yet able to retain its performance and battery efficiency. But is this possible?

Well, we had the opportunity to visit their HQ in Austin, Texas to check out what they have to offer. Granted, we don't have a Ryzen 4000 series gaming laptop model yet to truly test its capability but we do have the data and numbers on paper. So in this article, we will go through how powerful the AMD Ryzen 4000 series processor can be in three key areas - Performance Overview, Gaming and Content Creation capability, and finally, Battery Life.

Just a random pic to prove that I was at their HQ haha

Designed for elite gaming and content creation, the Ryzen Mobile 4000 series is the world's first 7nm x86 Mobile Processor with up to 8 Cores + 16 Threads. This bad boy's core right here can also go up to 4.3GHz Boost (3.0GHz base) and with all these top features, can an ultrathin laptop really take it?

Based on the data they showed us, the numbers from the Ryzen Mobile 4000 series performance do show its quality. In the multi-thread performance, the result is nearly double from the Cinebench R20 nT benchmark test, followed by the 3DMark Time Spy (graphics) which is around 28% higher than its competitor. As for single-thread performance, both results are quite similar.

All the AMD Ryzen 4000 series processors for ultrathin laptops

The performance overview in single-thread, multi-thread and graphics

AMD was also proud to show us more of its gaming graphics comparison charts, but to be honest, all the games that were shown at that point can still be played on a more mediocre laptop. So to get into that, we're moving to the next category.

As the online joke goes, the PC Master race is the most supreme because we have the best gaming capability (lol). I mentioned earlier that the games shown on the chart earlier were mediocre ones, AMD knew that, so they also prepared a triple-A game graphics chart comparison. It was obvious that the Ryzen Mobile 4000 series blew the competition away, the top two games that got a tie were Hitman and Rise of the Tomb Raider which were 30% higher than AMD's competitor, but the one that struck gold was Vulkan, a GPU Bench Test program which was 59% higher.

The Ryzen 9 4900HS processor performance

Besides gaming, AMD didn't forget the content creators as well. In another chart, the processor was put to the test on various programs such as Adobe Premiere, PCMark, and others. As expected, the Ryzen Mobile 4000 series dominated the chart and the same thing happened when the company benchmarked the Ryzen 9 4900HS processor. Even though it was only on 35W, it proved too much for the competitor's processor (that has 45W) except for the Digital Content Creation PCMark 10 DCC benchmark.

AMD will prepare a Radeon Software for the Ryzen Mobile 4000 series processors with their laptop brand partners. Like any gaming laptop, the software functions as a Gaming Centre to help you access games quicker, check the latest system updates, image sharpening, anti-lag, game boosting, and optimizing the games for the best immersive experience.

Radeon Software will be integrated into future gaming laptops to assist the new processor

Radeon Boost comparison, can you tell the difference?

If there's one thing about gaming laptops, it's that the battery life tends to be short when unplugged. Moreover, it's necessary to keep it plugged in at all times when you're playing a triple-A title game. So how will the battery life fare with the Ryzen Mobile 4000 series processors? Will it suck the life out of the battery faster? Perhaps not.

From the data, AMD has the best CPU core and if you do know the basics, a 7nm structure does help keep the battery alive longer with better energy distribution. The company claimed that it has 20% lower SoC power and yet, two times the performance per watt. How did they do it? Long story short, the AMD engineers had to figure out a better SoC design for the components to manage low power states and switch back to full performance fast, as well as reducing the penalty of power state transitions. That way, the battery power won't get sapped so much.

Compared with the Ryzen 3000 Mobile series processor, the Ryzen 4000 Mobile series processor consumes 59% less power during the PCMark 10 app benchmark testing

Another chart between the Ryzen 4800U and its competitor

So those were the major factors that determine the better performance of the Ryzen 4000 Mobile series processor. Everything sounds good on paper but as mentioned before, we have yet to receive an actual laptop equipped with a Ryzen 4000 Mobile series processor thanks to the recent COVID-19 outbreak. Anyway, we can't wait to get our hands on one and put it to the test!

By the way, AMD has officially announced the Ryzen 9 4900H mobile gaming processor. It features a 7nm SoC processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, a 4.4GHz boost clock, a 3.3GHz base clock, 45W TDP and more which you can learn here. So what do you think? Are the numbers convincing enough for you? Let us know at our Facebook page and stay tuned for our first impression + hands-on of a Ryzen 4000 Mobile series gaming laptop only at TechNave.com.


How the Acer TravelMate Spin P4 boosts up your productivity at home

It's been more than a year now since many of us have been working at home. With the given circumstances, we don't think the FMCO will end anytime soon and we hope that most of you have a comfortable workstation at home. However, if you're actually looking for a new laptop, one particular device to consider could be the Acer TravelMate Spin P4.

For your information, the TravelMate Spin P4 was just recently released in Malaysia at a starting price of RM4699. So what does the laptop offer that justifies the price? Well, quite a few actually so strap on your seat and read on below about the key features that may boost up your productivity at home.

So let's start with the basics, the TravelMate Spin P4 features two kinds of processors - an Intel Core i7-1165G7 and Intel Core i5-1135G7 alongside an Intel Iris Xe graphics. For context, the Intel Iris Xe graphics are usually used for entry-level graphics so it's obviously not for heavy-duty gaming. However, it's quite similar to the performance of an NVIDIA GeForce MX series where it provides enough power for daily work, so it shouldn't be a problem for most users.

On top of that, the memory configuration is quite noteworthy as well. There is ample storage with 512GB worth of space, so you can definitely keep lots of document files, photos, videos and whatever that is important for your work. If that's not enough, you can still use OneDrive or Google Drive but that's a no brainer by now. Also, the TravelMate Spin P4 has 8GB of DDR4 RAM by default but it can be upgraded all the way up to 32GB.

Having good hardware is one thing but having a good connection is essential especially for working from home. Good thing that the TravelMate Spin P4 has functions for that, featuring an Intel WiFi 6 AX201 which provides a much faster Internet speed than previous generation laptops. If you want an even faster connection speed, the laptop is also LAN ready with a gigabit ethernet port.

As the popular saying goes - do not judge a book by its cover. What does it have to do with the TravelMate Spin P4? Well, while it certainly looks compact (which it is), Acer managed to install several useful ports around the laptop. If you want to connect it to a monitor, the HDMI port is ever ready. Want to transfer your photos? There's a microSD card reader too.

It also has a built-in or garaged stylus for you

Moreover, the laptop also features 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (with one that supports a power-off USB charging) and a USB Type-C port for faster transfer speed. If you want to have total concentration while listening to a video, the 3.5mm audio jack is also ready as well.

This one is pretty straightforward, as in this time of working from home, having online meetings with friends, family and colleagues from the comfort of your seat with the TravelMate Spin P4 also feature a webcam. Not only that, but it's an FHD webcam so that's great for clearer online communication. Thanks to the versatile hinge you can also fold it over for a display only online meeting.

Fold your laptop and have a better video call

Last but not least, the TravelMate Spin P4 is running on Windows 10 Pro. Why does that matter? To many users, both Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro seem similar but there's a key component that sets them apart - BitLocker device encryption.

What does a BitLocker device encryption do? To put it in layman's term, this function was designed to protect your data via encryption for an entire volume. If your laptop happens to be lost or stolen, BitLocker can put everything on lockdown so nobody can access your system or important work data. In addition, the TravelMate Spin P4 also has Windows Information Protection (WIP) to help protect potential enterprise apps and data leakage.

Comparison between Windows 10 Home (left) and Windows 10 Pro (right)

The warranty is quite impressive as well, providing up to three years of onsite warranty with the first year delivering International Travelers Warranty. Combine this with the data encryption and this makes the laptop safe both externally and internally to give you better peace of mind.

We mentioned earlier that there are two processors, so there are also two prices which are RM5399 (i7) and RM4699 (i5). It may seem a bit hefty but you get what you pay for and considering the features above, we think it's worth it. If you would like to learn more about the TravelMate Spin P4, you can visit the official Acer Malaysia store right here to find out more.

So what do you think of the Acer TravelMate Spin P4? Do you think the features can boost up your productivity at home? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more tech gadget reviews at TechNave.com.


How the Apple iPhone’s camera evolved over the years

With the Apple iPhone 11 series introduced, there are new camera features such as the 12MP ultra-wide lens, Slofie (slow-motion selfie), along with the existing 4K video recording at 60fps. These are all pretty cool features but you will need a good data plan to keep it up as well, but before we get into that - let's take a look at how iPhone photo and video quality have evolved over the years.

Since the OG iPhone many years ago, the average photo size was just a mere 1600 x 1200 pixels and now fast forward to 2018, it has grown exponentially up to 4032 x 3024 pixels which are roughly around 3MB per image, more or less. It doesn't need a lot of data, but it becomes a mountain if you download or upload a few every day.

Another media that requires a lot of data is downloading or uploading a video. There are a lot of factors on how much data you need for it, such as resolution, screen ratio, frames per second, video format, modes and others. Thankfully, some folks from Lifewire.com compiled a list of how many megabytes a general video file size is. You can check out the table below for reference:

For just a minute, it can already take up 400MB in 4K HD @ 60fps!

Infographic of iPhone photo resolution by lifeinlofi.com

This year, there is a new Apple iPhone camera feature called Deep Fusion and at first glance, the first impression was that the new iPhone 11 series photo size would be increasing again but that's not the case. Deep Fusion compiles a total of 9 images (4 short and 4 secondary images taken before you press the shutter + 1 long exposure photo) and combines the best of them, through 24 million pixels in just a second.

With this, it's safe to say that Deep Fusion won't increase the photo data file that much, as the resolution will still be 4032 x 3024 pixels regardless. Let's not forget about the video capability as well which requires a huge amount of Internet data if you're planning to upload them.

Here's the latest iPhone photo at 4032 x 3024 pixels

A portrait photo, file size 1.28MB and has the same (3024 x 4032) pixels

As we mentioned earlier, sending a few photos a day takes up a huge chunk of data (especially your relatives in family group chats, we know lol). So if they send 10 iPhone photos and a 1-minute 1080p video footage @ 30fps, that's a total of 159.6MB in a single time. Now, wouldn't it be nice if there is some sort of affordable unlimited Internet data?

Thankfully, there are two ways to own the latest iPhone 11 series - UPackage, a monthly instalment plan that lets you own the all-new iPhone 11 Pro from just RM151/month! 0 upfront payment, 0% interest and 0 worries. You can also own the latest iPhone series through U Mobile’s best unlimited plans – Unlimited HERO P139 or P99.

On top of that, you can also take full advantage of the P139's Unlimited HD Streaming on the complimentary Apple TV+ bundle, as well as its Unlimited high-speed data (no speed cap!), Unlimited calls to all networks, free data for roaming on Roam-ONZ Global in 36 destinations across 5 continents, and 50GB mobile hotspot! With this, you don't need to worry about running out of data by using U Mobile's UNLIMITED DATA plan!

U Mobile's offering plans for the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max will start from 27 September 2019 onwards. Stay tuned for more local tech deals at TechNave.com.

*RM19.90/month after free trial. One subscription per Family Sharing group. Offer good for 3 months after eligible device activation, starting 1 November 2019. Plan automatically renews until cancelled. Restrictions and other terms apply.


How the Apple iWatch might have looked if it was revealed last night

While we didn't get an Apple iWatch announcement yesterday, it doesn't mean that some people aren't still hopeful. For those of you looking at possibilities (Apple iWatch design team, hint, hint) Thomas Bogner came up with an awesome concept render design which looks like it would work great. The design looks a lot like the Nike Fuelband although we wonder if it is a bracelet like the Fuelband or the bottom part opens up like a latch. Quite a number of Apple iWatch smartwatch concepts have been cooked up already but with the iWatch supposedly set for a late 2014 release we're feeling a bit skeptical. As usual, since this is not an official Apple render or press image do take this with a pinch of salt. We admit it would be great if it did come true, but for now, check out the other iWatch concepts below:


ASUS MeMO Pad 8 ME581CL review - Powerhouse Full HD 8-inch tablet with nearly everything

There aren't that many full HD tablets around and most are quite thick or only have the one full HD display as their main feature. The ASUS MeMO Pad 8 ME581CL is one of the few exceptions to the norm featuring not only an 8-inch full HD display, but also offering 4G LTE connectivity, NFC and a powerful 64-bit Intel processor. Does the MeMO Pad 8 ME581CL manage to bring everything together for an awesome Android tablet? Check out our full review of the ASUS MeMO Pad 8 ME581CL below to find out.

In terms of design, the ASUS MeMO Pad 8 ME581CL takes a step away from the more rounded look we've been seeing for the other ASUS tablets. It is slimmer and thinner at just 7.45mms with a flat and thin look and recessed 5MP rear camera with chrome trim that feels very premium. Unlike the other MeMO Pad or FonePad tablets that slant the controls at an angle, the ME581CL controls are flat and straight. We found that this makes it a bit easier to turn on accidentally but it does help to make the tablet sleeker looking. At 299g it is one of the lightest tablets of this size and the 8-inch full HD 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution display simply looks stunning. Protected by a strong layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3, the screen is surprisingly tough and scratch resistant. This helps it to use variously different objects as a stylus with the AnyPen technology. For a full listing of all the features and tech specs see the following:

At 7.45mm, the tablet is very thin and light

Feature-wise, the AnyPen technology lets you use a normal pencil, metal chopstick or even a chilli as a stylus and we found it to be accurate enough to write or even draw pictures. One design feature which we did not like was the open microSD slot. It would have looked better and been more secure if it had the same tray cover as the SIM slot. Apart from that, every other feature is a level above anything we've seen for ASUS tablets, even the software and this includes an interesting dual screen feature which allows you to open two apps at the same time. While the apps that you can open are limited it does offer some built-in multi-tasking potential. The NFC back cover also serves to offer a bit more with a possibe Tap and Pay feature also available (which we weren't able to test anyway).

The dual screen feature offers some multi-tasking capabilities

The Tap & Pay feature could offer some wireless transactions in the future

Checking out the AnyPen technology on the ASUS MeMO Pad 8 ME581CL

The ASUS MeMO Pad 8 ME581CL does work with an OTG USB flash memory drive

While the 64-bit processor in the ASUS MeMO Pad 8 ME581CL is certainly capable the graphics are definitely higher-end. This is reflected in the rather lower than expected AnTuTu score of 39370 (which is still a very good score). Graphics performance is much better though with a very high 16566 on 3DMark and 60.1 frames per second score in Epic Citadel. Asphalt 8: Airborne played very smoothly with no lag even on high visual quality settings. The tablet does get hot when you play 3D intensive games or apps but it doesn't get too hot (like some other tablets which just shut down). While offering powerhouse performance, battery life is truly exceptional with the MeMO Pad 8 ME581CL with a standby time of 12 to 18 hours per 2% of battery life. On medium to heavy usage (game marathon, browsing, doing work, photo editing, etc) the tablet lasted well over 1 day and a half. Videos were awesome and while the dual speakers are located on the back, quality is clear if a little less loud than we would have liked. Camera performance is good, despite just a 5MP rear camera with good low-light performance and clear resolution.

While not as high as expected, the AnTuTu score is still very high

The ASUS MeMO Pad 8 ME581CL scored exceptionally in 3DMark

Even on Full HD, the tablet delivers very smooth 60.1fps in Epic Citadel

Performance is lag free even on high quality settings for Asphalt 8: Airborne

Despite just offering a 5MP rear camera, low-light performance is still very good

Overall, the ASUS MeMO Pad 8 ME581CL well deserves it's place as the top tablet in ASUS range of tablets for Malaysia. It's powerhouse performance and various high-end features ensure that you get to do whatever you want without having to sacrifice anything. While it officially retails for RM1099 it is currently available for as low as RM949 at certain third-party sellers making it an awesome value buy for just below RM1K. Apart from it's hot graphics, we can't find much issue with the tablet as even the 5MP rear camera provides great performance. Those who like to draw or use a stylus will definitely enjoy the AnyPen technology while those looking for a powerful yet powersipping (battery efficient) tablet will also enjoy the ASUS MeMO Pad 8 ME581CL. We hope that the limited features like dual Screen and Tap to Pay get some more attention in the future, but even without these, the MeMO Pad 8 ME581CL is one tablet more than worthy of your consideration.

Check out our unboxing video for the ASUS MeMO Pad 8 ME581CL

Check out our hands-on video for the ASUS MeMO Pad 8 ME581CL

*TechNave.com would like to thank ASUS Malaysia for providing us with the ASUS MeMO Pad 8 ME581CL tablet for this review. It allowed us to do a more in-depth review and highlight more features.


How the HP Envy series combines the best of both design and security

In a world where technology allows us to share information across the globe seamlessly, tech gadgets like laptops have become an integral part of our lives. First, it started as just a necessity for work but then through the years, laptop brands like HP have changed it to a lifestyle for everyone.

That said, if you've always wanted a cool looking laptop among your friends and family that can work and play while ensuring that your privacy remains intact, you should definitely check out the HP Envy and Envy x360. Both offer flat and thin monolithic designs so that you can do all you need to do with a laptop in style.

Offering unique designs with a distinctive body build by combining lightweight and premium materials, these laptops stand out with a geometric pattern speaker grill across the backlit keyboard. The new innovative hinge lifts the laptop up for a more comfortable typing experience and better sound while retaining the angular design. The micro-edge display keeps the bezels thin while the full keyboard lets you comfortably type or game with ease, something that not many other laptops offer this kind of look and feel!

You might have also come across some newer laptop models hiding the webcam underneath the keyboard, or monitors with a pop-up webcam on the top of the screen panel. Heck, there is even a photo of Mark Zuckerberg covering his own laptop webcam with a plaster over it. Why does this matter? Because hackers can spy on your webcam and invade your privacy.

Geez, it's like nobody can take a break. So what can we do? Well, instead of getting paranoid plastering your laptop's webcam and wearing a tinfoil hat, the HP Envy and Envy x360 have got you covered. But can the HP Envy / Envy x360 actually protect your privacy? How does it do so? Check out these three innovative security features.

Since laptop brands are slowly coming up with ways to hide the webcam, HP came up with a way where you don't have to buy a sticky tape to cover it. With just a simple switch, it allows you to turn off the webcam completely and that's it. Now you can protect your privacy with a Privacy Camera Kill Switch, and you can be you without being embarrassed.

Like most new laptops nowadays, there's a dedicated fingerprint reader on the keyboard surface on the HP Envy and it's a new upgrade. Pretty straightforward and you can just do a biometric login without having to remember long and complicated passwords.

Lastly, should you ever lose your data - you can always rely on HP Bios Recovery. If there's any corrupted or threatening attack on your laptop, BIOS Recovery will turn your laptop to its original factory setting. To learn how to create and restore the BIOS data, you can watch the tutorial here and here respectively.

On top of that, you can also enjoy some entertainment features as well with the 13.3-inch 3-sided micro-edge display (up to 4K resolution) and Audio by Bang & Olufsen. By the way, both the Envy 13 and Envy x360 have similar features, the major difference is that the Envy 13 is using the latest 10th Gen Intel Processor whereas the latter is using an AMD processor.

With this, the HP Envy and Envy x360 are two laptops that can complement your daily life in work and play. Light, powerful, and smart security features – they empower life on-the-go, with cutting-edge security features and ultra-sleek design – protect your data and privacy, everywhere you go. If this is what you're looking for, both laptops are available now at authorized HP retailers and the company's online store as well.

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


How the Huawei Freebuds 3 enhance your Smart Life

Have you ever tried to enjoy a peaceful weekend only to be disturbed by a building under construction nearby? Or having a nice cup of coffee in a cafe reading a book, then along comes a group of loud teenagers. In situations like this, active noise-cancelling headphones or earphones would certainly be useful and there are plenty of them in the market. But today, we will be taking a look at the Huawei Freebuds 3.

The Freebuds 3 have been released in Malaysia for a few days now since late November for RM679. Not so bad for a price tag, right? If you're wondering what does it offer, well here's where we come in for some of the key highlights.

The design is really simple as Huawei uses a semi-in-ear earphone design, where the shape can fit into our ear canal nicely. But it also has a convenient touch sensor control, you can double-tap on the outer part of the earphone to take an incoming call or hang up, as well as playing or skipping a song (on the right side) and turning the active noise cancellation on or off (on the left). If you take off one of the earphones, it pauses a song and comes back on once you put it back!

According to Huawei, how the Freebuds 3 achieve noise reduction is by sending a reverse soundwave to cancel the ambient noise. After connecting to a Huawei Mate30 series phone (which is almost instantaneous), the noise reduction effect comes online. The closer the reverse soundwave is to the noise, the better the noise reduction. For example, if you're wearing the Freebuds 3 on the subway or on the road, the ambient noise can be reduced by half and you won't need to turn on the song's volume too much.

The active noise-cancelling technology also works during a phone call, even when there is a train nearby. This is due to the bone voiceprint sensor that can cope with any sudden incoming noise to a certain extent. On top of that, Huawei also prepared 9 different parameters for you to adjust according to the structure of your ear and wearing habits, which is useful for adjusting the noise reduction effect.

Besides bein able to handle phone calls, the Freebuds 3 also have low latency and low power consumption thanks to the Kirin A1 chip, AAC coding and its 14mm dynamic coil. Combined with a unique dual-channel synchronous transmission technology, it allows the left and right earbuds to communicate directly with the mobile phone so there is hardly any delay in audio performance.

Speaking of performance, the Freebuds 3 could help mobile gamers on their gaming experience as well. For instance, hearing footsteps or other vehicles nearby is easier now on screen, as the stereo channel and sound effects are able to distinguish the sound's location. Then for watching videos, it can be argued that users can have a more immersive experience with the enhanced stereo sound effects

As mentioned earlier, the Kirin A1 chip enables low power consumption as it can be used for around 4 hours for listening to songs. Coming with a charging casing, the battery life can go on for the whole day easily. To add on, the charging casing can also be charged via wireless charging which the Huawei Mate30 series has through its reverse wireless charging feature.

Before we end the article, it's worth mentioning that the Huawei Mate30 series has some innovative and futuristic features such as the AI Gesture Control, AI Screen Rotation, and AI Information Protection. Together with the Freebuds 3, it can be the start of your personal Smart Life experience! To connect the Mate30 series with the Freebuds 3, just simply sync it via Bluetooth and you'll be good to go. It's super easy, barely an inconvenience.

In conjunction with the release, Huawei recently launched its 50GB cloud storage for all of their Mate30 Series. You can claim it and enjoy a three-month free cloud storage of 50GB by just logging in with your HUAWEI ID on your device Settings (Malaysia setting configuration), then go to Setting > Account > Cloud > Upgrade Cloud Storage > Claim 50 GB (valid for 3 months only).

To know more on other Huawei Smart Life products, simply visit their official Facebook page right here to check it out. To purchase the Freebuds 3, it can be bought at their website. Stay tuned for more Huawei promotional news at TechNave.com.


How the Huawei Mate30 series connects with the Huawei Freebuds 3 + Huawei Watch GT 2 to make an all-in-one Smart Life experience

As many of you already know, the Huawei Mate 30 and the Mate 30 Pro are already launched in Malaysia with attractive tech specs and features. Despite the slow sales start, their latest flagships still managed to surprise us with the latest Kirin 990 chipset, the dual 40MP main cameras, the 7680fps super slow-mo, AI Gesture Control and more. But that's not the only product they launched, there's also the new Huawei Freebuds 3 wireless headset and the Huawei Watch GT 2 as well.

From connectivity to audio, design and monitoring your healthy lifestyle, we take a look once again on how these three products can potentially lead us into the future of living the Smart Life. If you're curious, read on below to check them out!

Equipped with the latest EMUI10 operating system, users now can experience a new user interface (UI) design and optimization in various ways. The AOD design has been enlarged and the colours are more refined. Besides that, the UI design is now using a magazine's typographic style so that the user can have that similar feeling of reading a hardcopy magazine.

At the same time, EMUI10 also allows the user to utilize the Multi-Screen Collaboration between the Mate 30 series and a Matebook laptop. You can even project a COD Mobile game on the screen panel from your phone, how cool is that!

Huawei's first-ever wireless headphones, the FreeBuds 3 is equipped with a Kirin A1 chipset which can support both wireless audio devices and smartwatches. Not only does the chipset effectively improved the connection stability, audio processing and anti-jamming features, but its dual-channel synchronous transmission technology allows the left and right earbuds to communicate directly with the mobile phone.

Furthermore, the FreeBuds 3 has low power consumption and latency, making it able to last all day long. Huawei mentioned that it sounds better to a more intense sound style such as pop songs due to the middle and lows sound frequency. Last but not least, it also has a new bone sound sensor that can detect our voice by sensing the vibration. This effectively reduces the impact of environmental noise.

As the popular song goes by The Police - "Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take", the Huawei Watch GT2 watches you. This wearable can help you record daily steps, turn on songs, take incoming Bluetooth calls when hiking, assist your sports activity and more.

In pursuing fashion and technology, the Watch GT2 comes in a variety of styles and theme dials for the users to choose from. In addition, you can also select and edit your favourite photos as a dial design, giving you more options and customization for the wearable.

In terms of functionality, you can access your heart rate, pressure monitoring and motion record page just by sliding the touch screen and using the button operation mode. There are also 15 different kinds of sport modes and this includes a few gym modes and even swimming. It's literally your personal virtual coach but do you know what's the best part? The Watch GT2 (46mm) can last up to 2 weeks without any charging at all. You almost never have to worry about not bringing a watch charger at all.

Let's continue more about the Mate 30 series. The flagship has an 88° ultra curve Horizon Display and certainly catches the attention, offering an edge-to-edge immersive viewing experience and let's not forget the interactive side touch for increasing the volumes without any buttons! Furthermore, it's accompanied by a Halo ring at the back housing the quad rear camera module making it one of the most distinctive looks ever on a smartphone.

Speaking of the quad rear camera setup, it is equipped with:

So how does the Smart Life sound for you? Apart from the aforementioned devices, there is also the MateBook 13 (from RM3599), Huawei x Gentle Monster (RM1599) and the WiFi Q2 Pro (RM499) as well. To experience much more with the Huawei Mate 30 series (from RM2799), FreeBuds 3 (from RM679) and the Watch GT2 (from RM799), you can visit the nearest Huawei authorized store for a hands-on experience, as well as their online store right here or Facebook page here.

Stay tuned for more Huawei promotion news at TechNave.com.


How the Huawei MateBook and Watch GT makes the Mate 20 Pro a more complete smartphone

Recently, I took a business trip with the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and while it is one of the most revolutionary smartphones around, the extra MateBook X Pro laptop and Watch GT smartwatch I brought with me really helped to make it a more complete experience. Read on to find out how exactly the Huawei MateBook and Watch GT can make the Mate 20 Pro a more complete smartphone.

Initially, I brought the Huawei Mate 20 Pro along with an additional Miracast dongle so I could take advantage of the wireless projection and PC-like EMUI Desktop but it turns out many of the TVs in Malaysia's hotels don't actually have HDMI ports. Turns out big screen size is the only thing going for them as the one in my room also didn't have Miracast built in. Perhaps if they don’t all suddenly malfunction, most hotels don't really change their TVs to newer models regularly.

Thankfully, I'd packed along the Huawei MateBook X Pro and while I have no problems with working on the Mate 20 Pro with an extra bluetooth keyboard, the bigger 13.9-inch FullView display with 3000 x 2000 pixel resolution was a delight to work on. While teeny tiny text and images were super crystal clear, what really struck me was the sheer premium build quality of the laptop as I didn’t end up using the bluetooth mouse I’d brought with me thanks to the smooth Gorilla Glass protected touchscreen.

Thanks to the quad Dolby Atmos speakers, the MateBook X Pro also played all my favourite orchestra pieces with no problems (even the really high notes, which is really impressive). While I didn’t actually have the chance to do so, if I’d coupled this ability to fill my entire hotel room with great sound along with the FullView display, I expect that the MateBook X Pro would be an excellent all-in-one presentation device too.

You just need one touch to pass the login using the fingerprint scanner built into the power button

The recessed web camera is normally hidden as a function key

The recessed web camera pops up when you need it and it even has a mini light for those dark situations

Other interesting features I found particularly useful on the MateBook X Pro included the fingerprint sensor built into the power button, which unlocked the laptop quickly and securely. I also found the unobtrusive recessed web camera hidden as a small pop-up function key in the keyboard to be another clever yet secure design, especially since it also comes with a built-in mini light, to help take better pictures or video in the dark.

However, the Mate 20 Pro still takes the better pictures and videos (much better actually) so I still used it for all of my photography and video recording needs. Now, one of the main reasons why I don’t really like to bring laptops about is that it is so tedious to transfer files from your camera to the laptop. Having to deal with all the cables, adaptors and readers can be a real hassle (the struggle to remember to bring them is real, yo). Thankfully, with the Mate 20 Pro and MateBook X Pro there is the fast and wireless Huawei Share.

Looks like frozen icicles when they're actually moving water

Is that a glowing ghostly fish following its brothers? ... nah, its just the Mate 20 Pro capturing clear reflections

While Huawei Share also uses bluetooth to transfer files (it doesn’t use your mobile data but it also uses wifi), it is significantly faster than bluetooth transfers. If you were to use normal bluetooth to transfer say a 2 minute and 40 second FHD video file (about 286MB) it would take a bit more than 1 hour. With Huawei Share it only took around 2 minutes with no fuss using the import function. You do have to connect your Huawei phone to your Matebook laptop using the PC Management app, but this is super easy to do.

Since the business trip was going to be a couple of days, I’d also brought along the Huawei Watch GT keep me up to date with all the notifications that I get, as Huawei said that it has an awesome 2 week battery life. In my time with it (nearly a week) it was still more than 50% and it not only kept me up to date (without having to bother anyone else) but it also tracked my health, heart rate, steps and sleep patterns without having to worry about water or splashes thanks to its 5ATM water resistance, TruSeen 3.0 heart monitoring and TruSleep 2.0 sleep tracking.

While the Mate 20 Pro and MateBook X Pro both offered awesome battery life unplugged, and the Mate 20 Pro had 40W SuperCharge 2.0 for 100% back in a bit more than an hour, the Watch GT remained the only Huawei device of the three to last longer than the business trip (it still hasn't been charged yet!), so this is pretty amazing compared to most smartwatches, which need to be charged back in a day or 2. In addition, all three devices definitely turned heads with their premium styling, so I looked good with any of them.

Overall, having a Huawei MateBook like the MateBook X Pro and the Watch GT certainly helps to make the Huawei Mate 20 Pro experience more complete. Sure, you can get a different laptop or smartwatch, but who doesn’t want faster wireless transfer speeds and longer battery life while looking awesome with your brand new Mate 20 Pro? For the most part, the benefits certainly outweigh the cons (I don’t think there are any cons, lol) but you can decide yourself by dropping by a Huawei Experience Store and checking out all three devices face to face or you can wait for 11.11 (11 November 2018) for huge discounts online.


The Huawei Nova 3 has introduced various improvements such as Huawei’s very own HiSilicon Kirin 970 chipset, 2 front-facing selfie cameras and 2 rear facing cameras. In this review, we’ll be taking a look at the cameras to see how well this device performs and see How the Huawei Nova 3 turns you into a Selfie Superstar.

To give a brief overview of the camera specs the Huawei Nova 3 is equipped with, the front of the device comes with a 24MP f/2.0 + 2MP depth sensor which handles low light situations well due to the high megapixel count of the sensor. Not only that, but the high megapixel count also allows us to take a much higher quality pictures along with well exposed HDR photos.

Selfie with bokeh in the background, notice the blur?

NPU in action softening the skin and blurring the background

The bokeh effects on the Huawei Nova 3 also looked very natural due to the NPU (Neural-network Processing Unit) built into the Kirin 970, which uses artificial intelligence to help detect a person’s facial features and blur the area around the subject.

The NPU is not limited to only bokeh, it is also capable of detecting various scenes and instantly applies tweaks to improve the colour tones of the image. It is definitely fast enough for you not to notice as you take hundreds upon hundreds of photos for your social media account.

The Huawei Nova 3 also comes with a myriad of effects for you to play around with to make your picture look more interesting. As of now, the Huawei Nova 3 currently has effects such as monochrome, Cinematic Portrait Mode, as well as AR Lens mode.

The Monochrome Mode comes with 3 different sub-modes that works differently compared to one another. For example, the Normal Mode uniformly applies the black and white monochrome effect throughout the entire photo. Aperture mode, on the other hand, applies the same monochrome effect, but with an additional bokeh effect applied.

The last mode applies the Monochrome effect to the existing portrait mode. Next, the Cinematic Portrait mode allows the user to take a cinema-like picture that has a aspect ratio of around 21:9, which is great for group selfies.

Group selfie with Cinematic Portrait Mode

Last but not least, the AR Lens mode lets the user apply motion tracking masks which tracks the user’s face and apply an effect on to them. There is also a new Gesture effect on the AR lens, which will show different effects based on the gestures your subject is performing.

The Huawei Nova 3 performed well in our tests thanks to the HiSilicon Kirin 970 chipset, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage. Those who are interested in owning the device can head over to Huawei’s official website to purchase it for the price of RM1699. For more updates and tech articles like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.


How the Samsung Galaxy Watch3 and Galaxy Watch Active2 are more than just smartwatches

In these trying times, most of us have different ways to keep ourselves sane. There's gaming, reading, and binge-watching movies and TV shows. Some people also pick up new hobbies or try to stay fit. But if you have been doing exercises at home, you may have noticed that it's rather hard. Your surrounding environment may not be suitable, or you may not have the right tools available.

Besides having gym equipment or a yoga mat, technology also has a part to play for fitness enthusiasts. In this case, smartwatches or fitness bands are often used to help people keep track of how well they are doing. But how useful are these accessories? In today's article, we'll tell you how the Samsung Galaxy Watch3 and Galaxy Watch Active2 are more than just smartwatches.

Before we get started, maybe you're one of those who tell yourself that you don't need a smart wearable to tell you what to do. Yes, you are right but not everyone has the utmost discipline. A virtual assistant can be helpful thanks to the SmartOS that all smartwatches use, so it is more than just telling you the time and incoming notification.

While there are plenty of smartwatches (and fitness bands) out there, a true smartwatch is a watch that looks out your health and life activities in real-time. So like the Galaxy Watch3 and Galaxy Watch Active2, it enables you to download third-party apps that can enhance your life in terms of wellness, fitness, productivity and multitasking. Ladies and gentlemen, a smartwatch on your wrist may help your well-being more than you think!

Treating your body well is important, especially these days. You definitely shouldn't overburden your body to the point of dropping dead (#touchwood). With the Galaxy Watch3 and Galaxy Watch Active2, you get phone-level productivity and world-leading health technology to manage your life and health. One of the things they can do is send you alerts if your heart rate is below normal levels with the health monitoring app. You can also set a reminder to wash your hands for hygiene.

By the way, did you know that the Galaxy Watch3 has a red LED and infrared sensor to detect your SpO2 level? Located at the bottom of the smartwatch, it can estimate the amount of oxygen in your bloodstream depending on different physical exercises. On top of that, both the Galaxy Watch3 and Galaxy Watch Active2 can record your REM cycles, deep sleep, and total sleep time. This is so that you can monitor and improve the quality of your rest.

Of course, the Galaxy Watch3 and Galaxy Watch Active2 can also auto-detect workouts. There are over 120 types of activities to choose from, so you can easily just choose one or two simple exercises to do at home with the virtual assistant. If you want to go running around your neighbourhood, the Galaxy Watch Active2 can also track your movement and record it.

For runners, the Running Coach is a handy function that can give you advice in real-time. Moreover, the running analysis can measure your VO2 max values and keep up with your daily, weekly, and monthly performance via your phone. With these features, you can start making genuine improvements to your running form and prevent injuries.

Last but not least, you can always rely on the Galaxy Watch3 or Galaxy Watch Active2 for the integrated smart assistant. It allows you to answer incoming calls and messages, even when you're away from your phone or computer. On top of that, you can control the phone's camera and control presentations from your watch!

If you're feeling too lazy to scroll through messages from your group chat, you can just use the Galaxy Watch3 to read the chat history so you won't miss a thing. Don't worry about replying with a long text either. You can reply to messages using the smart reply function! This feature provides users with appropriate responses to message, so you can choose the best one accordingly. You may personalise your own Bitmoji too!

So there you have it! The above features help make the Samsung Galaxy Watch3 and Galaxy Watch Active2 more than just smartwatches. Feature-packed smartwatches like that will be very useful during this period. For those who still think that you don't really need them, that's fine too. The most important thing is to stay safe and healthy during this pandemic.

But if you need a device's help to maintain your fitness levels, as well as balancing work and play, get a smartwatch! For more details, do check out the Samsung Galaxy Watch3 and Galaxy Watch Active2 from the official webpage right over here. Stay safe, stay healthy and stay tuned for tech reviews at TechNave.com.