OnePlus 8 Series Tops DisplayMate A+ Rating, Establishes New Standard of Visual Quality with Dual MotionEngine, Always HDR and Adaptive Display Innovations from Pixelworks
SAN JOSE, California and SHENZHEN, China, April 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Pixelworks, Inc. (NASDAQ: PXLW), a leading provider of innovative video and display processing solutions, and OnePlus, a premium global smartphone manufacturer, today announced that the new OnePlus 8 Pro flagship smartphone incorporates the fifth generation Pixelworks® visual processor with unique, industry leading features, including MotionEngine® technology with Dual MIPI processing, Always HDR Experience, also known as “HDR Boost,” and Tone Adaptive Display. In addition, the new flagship series phones – OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro – incorporate Pixelworks visual processing software running on the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 865 Mobile Platform with Pixelworks industry-leading color accuracy, flesh tone reproduction, flicker-free screen dimming and ultra-smooth adaptive brightness.
The OnePlus 8 series smartphones utilize the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 865 5G Mobile Platform and have top-of-the-line flagship specifications, culminating with the OnePlus 8 Pro, which features a dynamic 120 Hz AMOLED display at 6.78″, 19.8:9 aspect ratio, QHD+ resolution (1440 x 3168 pixels), yielding a pixel density of 513 ppi and up to 1300 nits of peak brightness, supporting an infinite contrast ratio. The breathtaking OnePlus 8 Pro Fluid Display is the industry’s first 120 Hz with the patented MotionEngine® solution with Dual MIPI from Pixelworks, optimized for high refresh rate displays to ensure superior visual quality across the widest range of video use cases, including those with graphics, text or a GUI (graphical user interface).
“We designed our flagship OnePlus 8 series smartphones to have the best display you will lay your eyes on in 2020. The OnePlus 8 Pro Fluid Display is a standout among 120 Hz smartphones, with some of the industry’s most advanced visual processing technologies from Pixelworks to make your 5G enabled entertainment truly unforgettable,” said Pete Lau, Founder and CEO of OnePlus. “We are pleased to partner with Pixelworks in this ongoing collaboration to push the boundaries of the smartphone visual experience for consumers.”
“We are excited to team with OnePlus to enable cinematic big screen technology in the OnePlus 8 series with our most advanced technologies that harness our 22 years of video and display innovation,” said Todd DeBonis, President and CEO of Pixelworks. “As an industry leader, OnePlus continues to redefine the market with a compelling technology vision aimed at exceeding expectations for flagship phones, and Pixelworks technology helps them take that vision to the next level. We look forward to continuing to advance the quality of 5G video, gaming and entertainment in future OnePlus models.”
In independent testing by DisplayMate, the new OnePlus 8 series 120 Hz Fluid Display shattered 13 industry records for visual quality, taking mobile entertainment to a whole new level with the most advanced suite of technologies from Pixelworks.
The following Pixelworks features are only available in the OnePlus 8 Pro smartphone:
Dual MotionEngine® Technology – Not all 120 Hz screens are created equal. The OnePlus 8 Pro leverages patented Pixelworks MotionEngine technology with Dual MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface) support. This improves overall visual quality while preserving the intended motion appearance for movies, live TV, sports, shared video and other dynamic multimedia content.
Always HDR Experience – Not all HDR-capable mobile displays are created equal, either. Today, an estimated 98% of available global video and gaming content is in SDR format1. The OnePlus 8 Pro leverages Always-HDR technology to upconvert all content for a cinematic experience that is visibly superior to the original SDR content.
Tone Adaptive Display – Pixelworks adaptive display technology in the OnePlus 8 Pro utilizes the phone’s RGB sensor to automatically adapt the color tone of the display to match the color temperature of the ambient light and reduce blue light. This provides superior eye comfort for sustained gaming, movie watching or reading in a wide range of lighting conditions.
The following Pixelworks features are included in the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro smartphones:
Absolute Color Accuracy – Every OnePlus 8 series smartphone is factory tuned with Pixelworks’ patented, high-efficiency calibration software and runs Pixelworks color management software on the display processing unit of the Snapdragon 865 to optimize power while delivering a smartphone industry-record color accuracy for all apps and content spanning the sRGB and DCI-P3 color gamuts.
True Flesh Tones – A calibrated flesh tone solution ensures accuracy across all display modes to convey true-to-life skin tones for all content involving real people, whether photos, video captured on the phone or popular movies.
Brightness Smoothing – Finely tuned, automatic luminance control enables ultra-smooth display brightness transitions and mitigates screen flashing as ambient lighting changes, particularly in dimly lit viewing environments.
DC Dimming 2.0 solves a key eye strain and visual sensitivity issue that can occur at low brightness on AMOLED screens. To dim the screen, the Pixelworks solution dynamically adjusts the display’s current to mitigate the screen flickering associated with conventional Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) dimming. This feature is enabled on both OnePlus 8 models.
As a Hollywood award-winning industry leader in motion processing, Pixelworks has evolved its patented Motion Estimation Motion Compensation (MEMC) technology for smartphones with multiple levels of content-specific optimization and a new Dual MIPI architecture with parallel processing that produces superior visual quality across a very wide range of content, video formats, frame rates and multimedia apps. As part of the Pixelworks fifth generation visual processor, the new Dual MotionEngine® technology featured in the OnePlus 8 Pro smartphone is mobile-optimized for high refresh rate displays and reduces power consumption by up to 50% as compared to the previous generation motion processing solution from Pixelworks.
About Pixelworks Pixelworks provides industry-leading content creation, video delivery and display processing solutions and technology that enable highly authentic viewing experiences with superior visual quality, across all screens – from cinema to smartphone and beyond. The Company has a 20-year history of delivering image processing innovation to leading providers of consumer electronics, professional displays and video streaming services. Pixelworks is headquartered in San Jose, CA. For more information, please visit the company’s web site at www.pixelworks.com.
About OnePlus OnePlus is a global mobile technology company challenging conventional concepts of technology. Created around the “Never Settle” mantra, OnePlus creates exquisitely designed devices with premium build quality and high-performance hardware. OnePlus thrives on cultivating strong bonds and growing together with its community of users and fans. For more information, please visit OnePlus.com.
Note: Pixelworks, MotionEngine and the Pixelworks logo are registered trademarks of Pixelworks, Inc. Qualcomm and Snapdragon are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries. Qualcomm Snapdragon is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. DisplayMate is a registered trademark of DisplayMate Technologies Corporation.
1Sources: Streaming Observer (2019), Trusted Reviews (2019) and Pixelworks research and analysis. 2Source: Average color accuracy based on independent testing by DisplayMate. Just Noticeable Color Difference (JNCD) is a measure of absolute color accuracy where lower is better and a value of less than 1 means indistinguishable from the reference color by the human eye.
CHONGQING, China, April 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — According to Chongqing Liangjiang New Area Administrative Committee, Chongqing Liangjiang New Area ranked the first among all 14 regional new areas in the third-party evaluation on China Demonstration Base for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in 2019. At present, Liangjiang New Area is vigorously implementing strategic innovation-driven action plans led by big data and intelligence. Enterprises that carried out intelligent transformation have hedged against the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and some even have achieved bounce-back development.
Located in Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, Lianchuang Electronics Co., Ltd., which mainly provides integrated touch display products for enterprises such as BOE, Tianma, and Vivo, has seen a surge of orders recently. What makes the electronics industry “go up against the trend”? One important factor is the high-end development in the industry. In recent years, the Liangjiang New Area has been focusing on the upgrading of the entire electronics industrial chain (Chips, LCD panels, intelligent terminals, core components and Internet of Things) towards the intellectual industry. Enterprises that focus on innovation and transformation achieves higher flexibility against market risks.
As the first national development and opening-up new area in inland China, Chongqing Liangjiang New Area welcomes its tenth anniversary of establishment in 2020. Now it is embracing the opportunities emerging from the initiative of the National Digital Economy Innovation Development Pilot Zone and the National New Generation of Artificial Intelligence Innovation Development Pilot Zone. By boosting the integration of high-end, high-quality and high-tech industries and “cloud computing” components, it has become a pillar in the development of the western region in the new era, a driver in the Belt and Road initiative as well as a model in advancing the sustainable development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
The electronics industry is one of the pillar industries of the Liangjiang New Area, home to a large number of electronic terminal and supporting industrial chain enterprises. By planning and carrying out the epidemic prevention and control of COVID-19, as well as economic and social development, Liangjiang New Area takes the strategic opportunity through leading enterprises, resuming the entire industry chain production and the national and global supply systems integration, ensuring smooth operation of the supply chain. The enterprise above designated size in the electronics industry have resumed in full operation and seen an increase of orders.
Thanks to a high degree of smart development, Chongqing Laibao Technology Co., Ltd has seen its production capacity recovered in a short time. As the world’s leading manufacturer of medium-and-large-size capacitive touch screen shipments, its current output has exceeded 20% over the same period with only 70% employee returning to work. Thanks to its highly automated production line, it has maintained the normal operation with improved quality and efficiency.
Chongqing Liangjiang New Area provides enterprises with tax exemptions, talent training and other industrial preferential policies. To tackle the difficulties caused by COVID-19 pandemic, a series of policies have been implemented to help local enterprises, including labour transportation service, subsidies and “cloud promotion”. The new area hopes to become a major investment destination with sound business environment and stable development of foreign trade.
LOS ANGELES, April 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — There have been many firsts for Southern California based Tukatech Inc. Today, the leader in fashion technology announced the first ever virtual digitizing and home plotting/printing system to the apparel industry. These new features, accessible through TUKAcad subscription, allow users to digitize patterns on any flat screen and print them in the comfort of their home, no need for a clunky station with large digitizing and plotting equipment.
Tukatech Introduces Industry’s First Virtual Digitizing and Home Printing
Users can access the Virtual Digitizer in TUKAdesign (pattern making and grading system) to trace physical patterns using a flat screen monitor in place of a digitizing board. Digital photos or scans of patterns can also be imported for a more flexible workspace.
Plotting is now possible with any home printer. The new printing tool breaks the pattern pieces across a grid of standard-sized pages. A simple layout guide shows where to join the pages, at which point the pattern pieces can be cut out with scissors. Watch an overview of Virtual Digitizing and Home Printing.
“As people continue to work from home due to COVID-19, these new features become significant for designers and pattern makers. They can easily equip themselves with a complete end-to-end solution without the bulk. One CAD system, a monitor and a printer are all you need,” says Sean Kim, Director of Technical Services at Tukatech.
Earlier in January, Tukatech disrupted the industry with the first ever Automatic Pattern Making solution, TUKA-APM. With TUKA-APM, a person of any skill level can complete a graded pattern in seconds. “Since the start of Tukatech in 1995, my focus has and remains to simplify the product development process. Tukatech is known to be the innovators of fashion technology and the first to introduce many new features and solutions,” says Ram Sareen, Founder and CEO of Tukatech. “The virtual digitizer and home plotting features not only simplify the process but put less strain on those strapped with cash and do not have a digitizer or a plotter in their current budget. This is an affordable and quality option for home businesses to help run their business,” continues Sareen.
About Tukatech – Tukatech was founded in 1995 with the objective to have pattern makers create patterns digitally on the computer. On their silver anniversary, Tukatech is an influentialfashion technology company known worldwide for innovative solutions and superior technical support. They are the industry’s leading provider offashion software and machinery for product development, cloud collaboration, andgarment manufacturing.Visit us at:https://tukatech.com/.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold made a triumphant debut last year at Galaxy Unpacked along side the Samsung Galaxy S10 series. It’s announcement and eventual roll out to consumers has made it one of the first commercially available foldable smartphone. Packing a unique form factor and multiple screens, the foldable has the unique ability to provide even larger visual real estate when unfolded.
Being one of the first on the market has its merits, however, does its form factor show promise? Is it worth buying? Is it a must have? Or are we still in early days when it comes to foldables?
Those are the questions we’re looking at as we unfold the Galaxy Fold and its many features in this review.
Design
It comes as no surprise that the Galaxy Fold’s design would be the talk of the town. In the past decade, we’ve not seen a smartphone come with a design that allows it to bend the same way. In fact, the combination of Samsung’s design, the multiple displays and the design materials used, make the smartphone truly unique.
Let’s start off with the aesthetics. The Galaxy Fold is undoubtedly a looker. It’s a smartphone cum tablet that is designed from the bottom up to be a premium device. The outer later of the Galaxy Fold is made of a combination of metal and glass, like many Samsung flagships before it. The outer shell of the smartphone feels sturdy and well built. The shimmer and reflective nature of the outer glass layer gives it a sense of allure and prestige. The hinge’s outer design complements this quite perfectly.
Since we’ve mentioned the hinge, it was one of the problem areas for Samsung when it initially sent out review samples. However, the company was quick to delay its commercial launch and improve the hinge design. It capped the sides of the hinges with plastic T-caps to prevent dust getting into the hinge and wreaking havoc. Personally, I think the tighter design of the hinge lent to more sturdy build of the device.
That said, one thing that stood out like a sore thumb to me was the gap between the two halves of the screen when the smartphone is folded. The Galaxy Fold leaves a gap of about half a centimetre at the hinge and tapers down to the edges when folded. While I know that Samsung designed the hinge as such to prevent creasing, some people are definitely going to find this a little aesthetically unpleasing.
Let’s move on over to the inside of the Fold, where the 7.6-inch display of the Galaxy Fold lies. Samsung should design their tablets like this! The sides of the screen are flanked with a raised plastic bezel which prevents the screen from getting scratched should you place it on the table face down. The plastic bezel also elegantly frames the dual camera sensors on the inside of the Fold. The outlook of the Fold’s insides scream premium and are pretty nice to use and interact with. I’d go so far as to say that it was made for pudgy fingers like myself!
The location of the volume rocker, power button and the fingerprint sensor make so much sense on the Galaxy Fold. Everything is in reach. You don’t have to struggle to power on or scan your fingerprint to unlock your phone. In fact, the smaller form factor of the Fold when folded makes for some of the most ergonomic placements for the buttons. But, it also lends to a display that I found a little bit of a let down. We’ll dive into that in the display section of this review.
Hardware
Samsung didn’t compromise much when it came to hardware in their first foldable flagship. They’ve packed a top of the line Snapdragon 855 paired with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal memory. You’ll definitely have more than enough performance to go around. With these specifications, you can expect smooth sailing when it comes to doing performance intensive tasks or running larger apps.
That said, Samsung’s approach to the multiple displays on the Fold leaves a little bit to be desired when it comes to practicality. That said, the company didn’t hold back when it comes to display quality – well, at least for the foldable screen. We’ll dive into the nitty gritty later on.
Aside from the screen, the hardware on the Galaxy Fold is commendable. Everything from having wireless charging, a unique battery design, supporting eSIM and even having HDR10+ all lend itself to an overall experience I can grow to like – with time and refinement.
The User Interface on the Galaxy Fold is your run-of-the-mill Samsung OneUI interface. That said, Samsung has introduced some optimisations specifically for the Galaxy Fold. These optimisations make the overall experience of the Fold truly cohesive and more productive compared to any of their other flagships out there.
The first is multiwindow. Yes. I know, any Android device out there can do multiwindow. However, the way Samsung has made optimizations for the Galaxy Fold allows you to be more effective with your work and productivity with the increased screen space. Naturally, I really couldn’t be effective using multiwindow in the smaller screen. There simply isn’t enough screen.
The second is app continuity. Samsung has made so that some applications are able to seamlessly move between the two screen environments of the Galaxy Fold. They automatically go from a the normal experience we’re used to on any phone to a tablet optimized one on the 7.3-inch foldable screen. That said, not every app is able to do this with some apps getting stuck in a 4.6-inch window. These apps end up as 4.6-inch letterboxes in the middle of the 7.3-inch display. The only way to get out of the app is to go back to the smaller screen and relaunch the app from the 7.3-inch display. This was particularly apparent with high intensity apps such as games.
The biggest difference between the Galaxy Fold and the other Samsung and Android devices is that there are two environments which you interact with. The smaller, 4.6-inch display on the outside and the foldable 7.3-inch screen. The optimisations are great – individually. However, when it comes to how Samsung has dealt with the experience, it feels disjointed and bridged. What I mean is, the spaces on the 4.6-inch screen and the 7.3-inch screen feel like they are two separate spaces. The home screens have to be set up individually. While I can appreciate the fact that some of us may customize our home screens differently with the two experiences, others may just want to setup a home screen that works on both displays. The experience feels like a scaled back version of Samsung’s KNOX. I would have much preferred if the home screen experience was more cohesive. Even if it was an option to turn on, it would have made the user experience a little better overall.
Other than that, the UI and user experience (UX) on the Galaxy Fold is pretty well optimized – as is expected from a Samsung device. The UI is similar on both screens which makes sense. You wouldn’t want to learn two different UIs on a single device. However, the let down when it came to UX is the poorly optimized apps when it comes to the larger display. Android’s lack of native tablet or large screen optimizations is glaring in the Fold but that’s not something that Samsung has control over. They are limited to the offerings and backbone that is provided by Google’s Android development.
Performance
The Galaxy Fold was no slouch when it came to performance. The device was pretty consistent and was able to take quite a beating when it came to high performance apps. The processor and software optimizations lent themselves to one of the most delightful smartphone experiences I’ve had to date.
Call Quality & Connectivity
Call quality on the Galaxy Fold was pretty good as is expected. The Fold was able to provide consistent call quality. The person on the other end sounded really clear and warm. There wasn’t any tinny resonance or distortion when it came to the speaker. People on the other end also noted that the audio was clear. In fact, I jumped from the smaller screen to the larger one during a call and the person on the other end couldn’t tell the difference between the two modes. This was literally a jump from an earpiece to speaker. This was a pleasant surprise for me.
The Galaxy Fold was pretty consistent when it came to connectivity over WiFi and even on cellular (4G). The smartphone was able to pick up line where my S9 was struggling to. This was a welcomed surprise. It is also most probably due to the updated antennae that come with an update processor. Even when I was getting no signal on the S9, the Fold was able to register one to two bars. That aside, there were no dropped calls or sudden drop in cell and WiFi signal when I was using the Fold. Even when it came to using Bluetooth headphones on the Galaxy Fold, the connection was pretty stable and was able to be maintained even when I left the room.
Multitasking
Multitasking on the Galaxy Fold is a truly enjoyable experience – especially when it came to the larger screen. With the added display real estate and Samsung’s optimisations, I was able to get more done with more windows. As mentioned before this, the smaller screen was a little too small when it came to multitasking.
Samsung enhanced the multiwindow multitasking on larger display of the Fold. I was able to use 3 – 4 apps simultaneously which allowed me to be more productive. I was constantly using my email, note taking and to do apps simultaneously when I was working on the Fold. Even with the keyboard activated, there was still ample display to read and reply emails while taking notes. I was also using apps like Spotify for music in the background.
During these multitasking sessions, I rarely experienced any lag or stuttering. In fact, the experience was pretty smooth. I’d go so far as to say it was a lot smoother than the experience I’ve had on many other flagship class smartphones. The optimizations that Samsung has put into the Fold are a boon to the smartphone’s uniqueness.
Gaming
Gaming on the Galaxy Fold was a rather mixed bag. This was mainly due to the poorly optimized apps on Android itself rather than a problem with the device itself. Many gaming apps couldn’t use the extra display real estate afforded to it by the larger screen of the Fold effectively. Many, if not all, of them simply stretched the smartphone layout which really didn’t do justice to the Fold’s extra real estate. However, gaming on the smaller screen was not too bad as it was more native for the apps.
That said, when it came to performance, the Galaxy Fold wasn’t hindered. Games such as PlayerUnknown’s Battle Grounds (PUBG) ran well on both displays and this was at the maximum settings afforded by the game. There wasn’t much tearing or lag and the gameplay was as good as it could get. Other, less intensive games, were able to run smoothly and games such as Candy Crush, Two Dots and even Angry Birds managed to retain a pretty good user experience even on the larger display.
Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy Fold had really good battery life especially considering that it had two displays – one larger than most smartphones. I managed to get about one and a half days usage on average during my time with the foldable. However, when I was doing more intensive tasks, this was a lot lower at about 10 hours. That said, the inclusion of fast charge both through wired and wireless charging allowed me to quickly top off charge if battery levels dropped too low. This managed to get me through whatever I was doing until I could charge it properly.
Benchmarks
The Benchmarks for the Galaxy Fold are commendable. However, as with all our mobile reviews, we reiterate that benchmarks only tell part of the story. In fact, in the previous sections, it has been highlighted that the hardware of the Fold isn’t the main drawback. It has more to do with software optimizations and app support.
Displays
The Samsung Galaxy Fold comes with two displays: a 7.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED display and a 4.6-inch Super AMOLED Display. Both are good displays but there may be a few things that put the smaller screen at a disadvantage.
7.3-inch Foldable Dynamic AMOLED Display
The foldable display is one of the first of its kind in the world. Samsung wasn’t fooling around when it was designing the fold. The company decided to go with one of their best displays on the Fold and this definitely bolstered the viewing experience on the device.
The Dynamic AMOLED display is definitely one which allows content to shine. The colour reproduction and accuracy is one of the best when it comes to smartphone displays. The larger size of the display also lent to content being more immersive. The display was sharp and crisp. It had no problems when it came to performing under bright light. I was able to use and interact with the display without problems.
There is, however, one major issue with the display – the crease. Given that it’s a first generation foldable, I’ll cut it a bit of slack; But, to be honest, the display experience of the Galaxy Fold is disrupted, quite literally, by the crease. It is especially jarring when you’re viewing content that’s bright. Even when you’re using apps like Amazon’s Kindle app or reading a piece on a website, it’s hard not to notice the crease. In fact, you’re reminded of it every time you run your finger to swipe on the display.
The screen is also pretty fragile. Samsung had to repeated remind us to not press or interact with the screen recklessly. In fact, they reminded us that even putting your credit card in the middle of the fold could lead to the credit card number being permanently indented into the screen. While I didn’t have much issues with the screen getting scratched or indented during my time with the device, it was always in the corner of my mind. This also meant that I was constantly walking on eggshells when I was using the smartphone.
4.6-inch Super AMOLED Display
The cover screen is a run-of-the-mill Super AMOLED Display. The details were crisp and sharp and the lower resolution was really not noticeable cause of the screen size. Colour reproduction and accuracy left a little bit to be desired and, to be honest, it was constantly highlighted by the Dynamic AMOLED display underneath.
While I understand prioritizing the larger display, the smaller screen essentially became the one I was interacting more with since I would answer calls and texts with it. I was constantly looking for more display real estate when it came to the front screen. The elongated display and design of the screen made it so that things felt cramped which led me to do most of my typing on the larger display. I was also beginning to realise the flaws in colour reproduction and accuracy more and more as I used the Fold cause of the immediate availability of the larger Dynamic AMOLED Display in the Fold. Samsung could have opted to have a lower resolution Dynamic AMOLED Display for the cover display to have a more cohesive experience.
That said, the displays aren’t a deal breaker though. They serve their purpose and, to be very honest, I wasn’t consuming much media when I was using the front display. Instead, I found myself spending more time on the larger display as it was easier on the eyes, had more screen real estate and it was also more functional.
Cameras
The Galaxy Fold has six cameras in total. That’s more than a lot of smartphones when it first released. Samsung’s design sees a triple camera array as the main camera, a single camera on the cover and a dual camera setup in the Fold. It’s smart, but I think a bit of an overkill when it comes to cameras.
I found myself favouring the back camera array. The pictures taken with the main 12-megapixel sensor was always crisp and had really good details. This was the same for the 12-megapixel telephoto and the 16-megapixel ultrawide sensors. It was a really easy to use experience with photos turning out really detailed (with the right conditions). Samsung’s AI features also bolstered the camera experience giving suggestions and activating relevant modes seamlessly when I was in shutterbug mode.
The front, cover camera is a single 10-megapixel sensor and it became my go to camera when it came to selfies. The details and crispness of the photos were comparable to any other Samsung flagship. While the dual sensors would have allowed for more modes to shoot in, the convenience of having this camera on the outside made it a default for selfies.
The cameras I used the least were the ones in the Fold: the 10-megapixel and 8-megapixel dual sensor setup. Perhaps it’s cause I was rarely in video calls, but it felt more seamless taking pictures with the front, cover camera. However, when I did use it, the pictures and video were really good. I could see a lot of detail and even when I was in video calls, people on the other side remarked that the image was a lot clearer compared to other smartphone cameras.
So Much Potential, Let Down by Software that Feels Like a Work in Progress
All in all, the Galaxy Fold is a device I would get – in the future. The smartphone is definitely a step in the right direction when it comes to foldables, the Fold still feels like a work-in-progress. It feels like a collection of ideas which need a little bit more tweaking to be ready for prime time. The form factor has a lot of potential but it feels like Samsung was a bit rushed with the Fold. It doesn’t have that Samsung finesse we’re used to seeing with their flagships and higher end devices.
That said, the Galaxy Fold is in no way a bad device. It’s actually one of the best devices that Samsung has designed to date. It’s a breath of fresh air in an increasingly stale smartphone market. Samsung was able to excite a market that had grown to become routine with minimal design updates. In fact, if you do have the cash to spare, it can be a valuable investment especially if you’re the type of person that is always looking to be productive on the go.
Sony Interactive Entertainment (PlayStation) is kicking off a new initiative called Play At Home for their PlayStation community. The new initiative comes in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing number of countries going into lockdown to curb the spread of the disease. Play At Home is an initiative from the company to reward their players for staying indoors and also to ensure the sustainability of a vibrant, growing indie gaming development.
The first part of the new initiative is to keep gamers entertained indoors – in the most literal way, to encourage gamers to Play At Home. To this end, PlayStation is making Unchartered: The Nathan Drake Collection and Journey available for free on the PlayStation Store.
Unchartered: The Nathan Drake Collection collects three entries from the acclaimed Unchartered series from Naughty Dog – Unchartered: Drake’s Fortune, Unchartered 2: Among Thieves and Unchartered 3: Drake’s Deception which have been remastered for the PlayStation 4. Journey, on the other hand, is an indie adventure game by Thatgamecompany which conveys a simple, yet profound message as gamers travel towards a mountain in the distance. The critically acclaimed game brought a new dimension to game play with players able to interact with each other but without words.
The games will be available to download for free starting 15 April, 2020 at 8PM (PDT) until May 5, 2020 at 8PM (PDT). Once redeemed the games will become part of the players game library.
However, Sony Interactive Entertainment isn’t just stopping there. Play At Home is also the company’s commitment to Indie Gaming. As such, Sony is earmarking USD$10 million to support its indie developers. The fund looks to help indie developers in a time when a lot of the world’s economy is being disrupted. The company is looking to use the earmarked fund to help maintain and support indie studios who may be more affected by the disruptions. The company will make more details for the fund available soon.
Apple has announced the latest addition to their iPhone line up, the new iPhone SE. Yep. It’s not the iPhone SE 2 or the iPhone SE 2020, the company has simplified things by just naming it the iPhone SE. The new affordable iPhone will be replacing the iPhone 8 which will be halting sales after the new smartphone hits stores.
Apple hasn’t compromised much when it comes to the new iPhone SE. The company is packing it with some of the latest technology that comes with iPhone 11 series; making the new SE one of the most feature packed offerings in the market for its price point.
The iPhone SE comes with the new A13 Bionic processor that the company launched with its iPhone 11. The SE also comes in a familiar package retaining the iPhone 8’s design and chassis. That’s not all that it retains, it also brings back the home button and Touch ID sensor that Apple’s iPhone flagships have done away with since the iPhone X. The iPhone SE is also smaller overall. It comes with 4.7-inch Retina HD display with True Tone which allows for a more comfortable experience with the smartphone. It has a resolution of 750 x 1334 pixels in a familiar 16:9 aspect ratio. The phone also comes with Haptic Touch which enables the Quick Actions functionality in iOS.
On the camera front, the iPhone SE comes with a single 12-megapixel sensor. The sensor has an f/1.8 aperture and is equipped with a wide angle lens. Apple is touting the SE’s single sensor camera as one of the best on an iPhone yet. It enables some of the most used camera features nowadays such as Portrait mode with Apple’s six Portrait Lighting effects and Depth Control using the Neural Engine of A13 Bionic processor. This also translates to the front camera of the iPhone SE. The single, 7-megapixel sensor is able to take portrait pictures using machine learning and also what Apple calls monocular depth estimation. The main camera supports 4K UHD video recording of up to 60 frames per second (fps) while the front facing camera supports up to 1080p.
The SE will be running iOS 13 out of the box and will also be able to support augmented reality (AR) experiences available on apps in the Apple App Store. It also supports eSIM and dual SIM functionality.
Pricing & Availability
The iPhone SE will be go on pre-order starting from 5 a.m. on April 17, 2020. It will be available in stores and via carrier partners starting April 24, 2020 in the U.S. an in 40 other countries.
Source: Apple
It will be retailing at USD$399 for the 64GB version, USD$449 for the 128GB version and USD$549 for the 256GB version. The iPhone SE will be available in White, Black and (PRODUCT)RED. Proceeds from the sale of the (PRODUCT)RED version of the iPhone SE will contribute directly to the Global Fund to combat COVID-19.
No official availability has been announced for Malaysia just yet. However, the iPhone SE is listed on Apple Malaysia’s Website. The official Pricing in Malaysia is as follows:
The COVID-19 pandemic has been taking the world by storm. It has had an unprecedented affect on every country in the world and the world economy. The world is also beginning to realise the value of front liners such as doctors, nurses, scientists and janitors. That said, Google and Apple and lending a hand in fighting the pandemic by working together.
The companies announced a joint effort to help with the current pandemic. The effort comes in the form an APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) which will help with contact tracing. Contact tracing is becoming increasingly more important in the battle against COVID-19 to help with the mitigation of the viral spread. Countries which have started or have been doing contact tracing have shown better disease control in the current pandemic.
Apple and Google are looking to assist with Contact Tracing by using Bluetooth on smartphones. The APIs will work with together with operating system level technology to allow the tracking of potential spread of COVID-19. Essentially, authorised applications will be able to use Bluetooth on both iOS and Android smartphones to help identify individuals who have potentially come in contact with infected individuals. As of right now, it seems like these APIs will be made available to government and public health agencies to help mitigate the spread of the pandemic.
Apple and Google have both stressed that user privacy, transparency and security will be central to the development of these APIs. They are looking into broader, more robust applications of the APIs being developed which allow more individuals to participate, should they choose to via an opt-in. These broader application are being explored in consultation with other interested stakeholders. The effort comes after a number of public health authorities, universities and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) around the world kick started an effort to develop opt-in contact tracing technology.
The APIs and its functionality will be rolled out in stages given the dire need for contact tracing in the current pandemic. The initial stage will be the rollout of the APIs in May which will enable interoperability between the mobile platforms. Official apps using these APIs will be available in the Google Play and Apple App Stores. After this, Google and Apple will be working to enhance and enable broader Bluetooth based contact tracing enabling more robust applications. The companies have stated that they will be openly publishing information their work to be analyzed by others during this process.
Last night was a special night. Last night (it is night in Malaysia, morning or daytime in wherever the OnePlus was launched) was the big launch of OnePlus’ highly anticipated follow up to the OnePlus 7 line-up. It is the launch night of the OnePlus 8 series.
The OnePlus 7 series was something quite special to us. We like it a lot. Then again, we have always liked the OnePlus brand. We loved the OnePlus 7T, launched later in the year is a big reinforcement of the OnePlus 7.
The OnePlus 7 Pro was also the first time we praised its camera when we tested it last year. For the first time, we liked the photo quality from a OnePlus. We think that that could be thanks to some expertise borrowed from OPPO. I doubt that they will give credits to OPPO for that though.
The OnePlus 8 then, the replacement to the OnePlus 7 series. They start with the display of the device. On the older OnePlus 7, they pushed boundaries with 90Hz in refresh rate. This year, after OPPO’s Find X2 launch, we suspected that the OnePlus 8 series will get the same sort of display. We guessed right on that one. It even has the same punch hole that fits a front-facing camera. Yes, they are ditching the pop-up mechanism as well. That also means that it is an IP68 rated device now.
Source: OnePlus
It is a 6.7-inch 120Hz QHD+ display, exactly same as the OPPO. It also boast 10-bit format display which produces 10-billion colours on the OnePlus 8 Pro. That 120Hz refresh rate is also paired to 240Hz in sampling rate. We loved the display on the OPPO Find X2 (review coming soon). It is ultra-responsive, ultra-smooth, and very beautiful. I personally used it for PlayStaion Remote Play for Death Stranding, and we can really appreciate its colours and resolution.
Then comes the camera, they fit a bigger camera this time too. It is a 48-Megapixel main camera that is flanked by another 48-Megapixel ultra-wide angle lens on the side. Yes, it is sounding like the OPPO Find X2 Pto. It even has Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) to pair with. In that case also, you can expect this smartphone to impress your eyes with its photos.
Source: OnePlus
You also get the ultra-powerful, ultra-snazzy Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. Paired to the Snapdragon 865 is 12GB of RAM for even smoother and better multitasking. That is sort of where the similarities between the OnePlus 8 Pro and OPPO Find X2 Pro ends though.
Videos can go up to 4K. But this time, you get audio Zoom as well and 3D audio capture so you can add some dynamics to your videos. Smartphone videos have come a long way and some film makers are already starting to use smartphones in their arsenal of tools. Take us for example.
There is a new haptic feedback machine that is designed to give you more immersion during gaming. That is different from the OPPO’s haptic feedback vibration engine. It also has a wireless charging capability. Its 4,510 mAh battery is VOOC FlashCharge capable too, but you can wirelessly charge the OnePlus 8 Pro at 30W, fastest ever on a wireless charger so far. It even reverse charges other wirless charging devices.
Source: OnePlus
Other things that the device comes with are software based. You can do Live Captioning with audio and video recording, which is something else really. That is also thanks to OnePlus working with Google. In that collaboration as well, you get to take advantage of Google’s extra 100GB space of Google Drive for you. You can also access to selected Stadia titles on your OnePlus. Time to spend on a decent controller for your smartphone. It is also Amazon Alexa compatible should you prefer the Amazon based assistant.
Then there is the OnePlus 8, the regular one. It is just a slightly smaller version of the OnePlus 8 Pro. It packs the same Sony IMX586 sensor that pushes 48-Megapixel. Paired to it though is a 16-Megapixel ultra-wide camera. That is also supported by a Macro lens at the other side. It has a smaller display too, at 8.55-inch. The 8.55-inch is not a 120Hz display though. It is a 90Hz Fluid display that we saw on last year’s OnePlus. That also means that it is a Full HD+ display instead of a QHD+. Still a nice display though.
Instead of the 4,510mAh battery you get on the Pro variant, it makes do with a 4,300mAh battery. It is a smaller smartphone after all. At least you still get the 30W wireless charging capability. Both OnePlus 8 devices also support 5G out of the box, which is nice.
Source: OnePlus
Source: OnePlus
Source: OnePlus
Source: OnePlus
Source: OnePlus
The OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro is available in three colour choices. One of which is called Interstellar White, which is claimed by OnePlus to be a pain for photoshoots. No, not its camera, it is a pain to other cameras because apparently it does not stay in the same colour in all sorts of angles. That is not good for us. But still, we might like it.
The OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro will be available in selected markets April 2020 onward. The regular OnePlus 8 will set you back US$ 699 (MYR 3,028*) for the 8GB + 128GB variant, and US$ 799 (MYR 3,462*) for the 12GB + 256Gb variant. The OnePlus 8 Pro will set you back US$899 (MYR 3,895*) for the 8GB + 128GB variant and US$ 999 (MYR 4,329*) for the 12GB + 256GB variant. There are no word yet on when that device will reach Malaysia. If the OnePlus 7 series is any indication though, we are guessing that the distributor will start selling the OnePlus 8 by May 2020 onward. We can only wait though.
*Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.33 as of 15/4/2020
It is already 9 weeks since our first podcast. To be honest, we are still experimenting with our contents. The 9th installment of the first season of the Tech & Tonic show has no guest.
What? No guest? That is absurd.
That might be what you are thinking. Thing is, we are going a little basic on the 9th episode of Tech & Tonic. Basic, and bare. We have decided to make it a little more relaxing and less structural. We spoke about plenty of things that happened in the past week, including the fact that the Malaysian authorities have extended the Movement Control Order period all the way to 28th May 2020. That is effectively making our state-imposed quarantine last to the end of the fifth month of the year 2020.
There are still some things to look forward to though for 2020. For one, Sony’ PlayStation 5 (PS5) will be released at the end of the year. We have not seen what it will look like yet, every other person wants to know how it will look like. After all, the Xbox Series X has broken the covers and shown itself in skin. What we got last week though was a closer look at its attached controller. It is not DualShock anymore. This time it is DualSense, which is pretty in-line with the whole immersion focus they are going with the PS5.
Speaking of PS5 we also got our copy of Final Fantasy VII Remake, thanks to Sony Interactive Entertainment. While we have not finished the game, we still can appreciate the smooth and clear graphics of the game. We spoke a little bit on the mechanics of the game in the podcast too.
If you are a gamer, it’s more than likely you already know who Double Eleven is. If you don’t, they are one of the UK’s largest game development studios. Yep, game development. They have produced a number of games including the Pixel Junk series on the PC, Goat Simulator on Xbox and Playstation) and the LEGO Harry Potter series.
“Malaysia’s high calibre talent and its great ecosystem between governments, universities and businesses are among key reasons for our entry. We’re excited to be taking our people first approach with this expansion and tapping into Malaysia’s highly capable local talents, hoping to become an integrated and active member of their burgeoning games industry,”
Lee Hutchinson, founder and CEO of Double Eleven
As the next step in their expansion, the studio has recently established an office in Bangsar South, Malaysia. Recruitment for the studio is currently ongoing. However, Double Eleven has officially opened its studios in Malaysia with the appointment of Ian Ng as the Studio Head of Double Eleven Malaysia. Ian Ng brings over 20 years of experience in game development. Previously, Ian worked at studios such as Tap4Fun, Ubisoft Singapore and LucasArts. He has been credited in a number of gaming titles including the Assassin’s Creed Franchise.
“I look forward to building a studio that embodies the same culture and values as the Double Eleven studio in the United Kingdom. After a number of years working in Bangkok and Singapore, I’m excited to make a positive impact on the fast-growing games industry in my home country of Malaysia”.
Ian Ng, Studio Head of Double Eleven Kuala Lumpur
The studio has been around since 2009 and was a Sony exclusive studio until 2012. The company has now grown and is expanding their global footprint to support more development. Having worked on big titles such as Little Big Planet Vita and the PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the popular platformer LIMBO, the studio is now developing the popular game, Rust, for consoles, co-developing Minecraft Dungeons with Mojang and working with Paradox on Prison Architect.
“Malaysia has developed a vibrant and successful digital creative content industry over the past 15 years, with numerous international companies choosing to set up studios here. The current focus on realising the Digital Content Ecosystem Policy (DICE) reinforces Malaysia as the Heart of Digital ASEAN for animation and games content development.”
Hasnul Hadi Samsudin, Vice President, Digital Creative Content, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)
The establishment of Double Eleven’s new Malaysian studio comes after the announcement of Sony Interactive Worldwide and Lariat’s announcements late last year at the LEVEL UP Gaming conference in Kuala Lumpur. Double Eleven joins a growing number of game developers who are using Malaysia as a launch platform for their Asian presence. Malaysia’s government announced their Digital Content Ecosystem Policy which was spearheaded by the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and the Ministry of Technology. The new policy aims to make Malaysia the “Heart of Digital ASEAN”.
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