All posts by Jonathan Tay

LG Unveils New K Series Smartphones

LG, mainly known for its home appliances in Malaysia, has unveiled three new phones. The three phones will be under the K series line-up consisting of K61, K51S and K41S. All three phones are expected to be available soon later in March 2020. 

This is the first time the K series phones came without a thick bezel on the top to house the front-facing camera and earpiece. This time around LG has joined the trend of thin bezels with big screen to body ratio. LG has also opted for the punch-hole design for the selfie camera on all three of its new K series phones. 

Source: LG

Other upgrades are to the camera. LG is finally integrating a multi-camera set up into their flagship devices. Specifically, the LG K61 will be coming with a quad camera set-up with a 48-Megapixel main camera with phase-detect auto focus (PDAF). The second camera is an 8-Megapixel ultra-wide lens, followed by a 2-Megapixel macro lens and lastly a 5-Megapixel depth sensor. As for the front facing camera LG packed a 16-Megapixel shooter in the punch hole housing. 

Source: LG

Configuration for the LG K51S on the other hand is a little different from the K61. the main sensor is a 32-Megapixel with PDAF, followed by a 5-Megapixel ultra-wide, a 2-Megapixel macro lens, and lastly a 2-Megapixel depth sensor. The last smartphone, the LG K41S has the same camera configuration as the LG K51S except for the main PDAF lens. The main PDAF lens on the K41S is a lower 13-Megapixel sensor. For the selfie camera the K51S comes with a 13-Megapixel and the K41S comes with a 8-Megapixel sensor. 

Source: LG

None of the phone pricing has been released, but LG says three new K series phones will be available starting in the Americas followed by markets in Europe then Asia in the second quarter of 2020. Malaysia specifically? We might not even see them, but one can dream.

OPPO dipping their hands into the bag of microchips

OPPO is reportedly getting into the chip making game. This is not the first time a phone manufacturer creates its own chipsets to be used in their own smartphones. You know these brands too, they are Samsung and Huawei with Exynos and Kirin respectively. They call it the Mariana Plan. Not to be confused with the Mariana Trench, the plan will be led by Qualcomm’s former technical director in collaboration with engineers from Oppo’s sister companies, OnePlus and Realme.

In the past, OPPO mentioned of a big R&D push for an ecosystem of smart devices with an investment of RMB 50 billion which is just slightly over US$ 7 billion. Yes, that is what it takes to get into the game with the likes of Qualcomm and MediaTek.

There is no obvious reasons yet on why OPPO would make their own chipset. At the moment as OPPO has been great partners with Qualcomm and Mediatek. There is no indication as well on OPPO dropping the partners anytime soon. Possibly, OPPO sees a market that its missing out on or just a long term cost effective move to install its own chipsets into their phones. The chipsets could also be sold to other phone manufacturers to integrate them into their phones expanding the variety of chipset and value. 

With the on going US trade ban, HUAWEI is unable to integrate Qualcomm’s chipset into their phones. Fortunately HUAWEI has their own chipset to lessen the blow of the ban. Based on this logic, OPPO could be developing this new project as their own safety net.

At this point, OPPO has developed one of the best and best known Android iteration in ColorOS. There is no telling yet on what they can do with their chips. If their Android UI development is any indication, they could develop great chips at a fraction of the price of other manufacturers.

Xiaomi Mi 10 Series Unveiled!

Just nine months after the release of their flagship phone and four different products after that, the Chinese manufacturer known for their value-for-money smartphones, Xiaomi is already launching a new flagship phone for the year 2020. New year; new flagship, am I right? Just like all flagships, the device carries the latest top-of-the-line processor – the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865.

Source: Xiaomi

XIaomi’s Mi 10 Series are the first devices in the year 2020 to pack Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 865 processor with 5G capabilities. Overall clock speed has increased (obviously), but clock speed is so yesterday. 5G on the other hand is the latest buzz. The new Octa-core processor though has a maximum clock speed of 2.84GHz; a 25% increase of performance in both CPU and GPU compared to last year’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 855. It is also supposed to consume less power; specifically 35% less power than its predecessor.

With great power comes great responsibility picture quality. Xiaomi is stepping up its game with a quad camera system with a 108-Megapixel main camera in both the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro. But that is all the similarities between the cameras of both devices in the series. On the Mi 10, you get a 13-Megapixel Ultra-Wide lens, a 2-Megapixel Macro lens, and another 2-Megapixel depth sensor.

The Mi 10 Pro on the other hand come with a better 8-Megapixel telephoto lens, a 12-Megapixel 50mm portrait lens (technically also a 2x optical zoom telephoto lens), a 20-Megapixel Ultra-Wide lens. Thanks to the insane 108-Megapixel camera and the new super powerful System on a Chip (SoC) both devices are able to capture 8K (7,680 x 4,320 pixels) videos. Using the 8K video you are also able to capture clear 33MP (technically 8K resolution anyway) photos while recording.

Source: Xiaomi

While most of the fancy features are reserved for the main camera. The selfie camera is not neglected. It shoots at a decent 20-Megapixel. Still that is 12-Megapixel less than the Xiaomi Mi Note 10. The camera is nestled in the punch hole at the top left of the display, not the usual tear-drop style taht we are used to like in the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro.

Speaking of cameras, you need a display to view the photos that you take with the super powerful cameras. The Xiaomi Mi 10 comes with the usual curved Full HD+ AMOLED curved DotDisplay measuring in at 6.67-inch compared; bigger than the 6.47-inch of the Mi Note 10. While you lose out on ppi counts, the device makes up for it in its 90Hz refresh rate for a super smooth navigation experience. 60Hz feels sluggish when you put it next to the Xiaomi Mi 10 series devices. The AMOLED DotDisplay also boast some of the best colour accuracy in the market with ΔE<1.1.

Watching movies is a joy with the highly advanced and fast display. Dual stereo speakers on the Mi 10 series devices helps boost the immersive experience. Unfortunately though the Xiaomi Mi 10 will not ship with a 3.5mm jack. Rather, you get a 3.5mm jack dongle in the box. That kind of sucks.

For you to enjoy hours of mindless video content the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 4,500 mAh battery and the Xiaomi Mi 10 comes with 4,780 mAh battery. The Mi 10 Pro has 50W fast charging that is able to charge from 0% to 100% in just 65 minutes; Impressive.

Source: Xiaomi

There will be three variants of the Mi 10, an 8GB RAM + 256GB storage, 12GB RAM + 256GB storage and 12GB RAM with 512GB of storage. Prices starting from RMB 3,999 that translates to about RM 2,373.

The Mi 10 Pro also has three variants starting with, 8GB RAM + 256GB storage, 12GB RAM + 256GB storage and lastly 12GB RAM + 512GB storage. Where the Mi 10 Pro starts at RMB 4,999 with roughly translates to about RM 2,966.

Samsung Galaxy S20+ (Cosmic Black) Hands On

The recent Galaxy Unpacked saw the announcement of a new generation of Samsung flagships with the GalaxyS20 series. The Galaxy S20 Plus sits snugly in the middle of the series. It strikes a balance between the series helming S20 Ultra and the lower specc’d S20. It comes with a 6.7-inch WQHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display.

The new S20+ is 5G ready with either the Exynos 990 or the Snapdragon 865. This is complemented with at least 128GB with 8gB of RAM. If lack of storage is your main concern. One does not have to worry about such issue as it is upgradable with just one small addition to the phone. A micro SD storage is available that is compatible up to 1TB of storage to get your off your mind of limited storage.

However, it does not come with the 100X Space Zoom but instead, comes with a maximum 30X hybrid zoom. But not to worry about the hybrid zoom as the phone still comes with an impressive 64MP main camera to give you clear pictures and videos. With the Galaxy S20 you are now able to capture smooth 8K Videos with built in camera stabilizers within the phone itself.

With that 8K picture quality you can turn a still from a video into a photo. Worried that it will be blurry as the still is from a video? Not to worry as video stills are captured in 33MP pictures.

The S20+ is going to retail from USD$1,199. In Malaysia, it will be retailing for MYR3,999. Pre-orders will be happening from February 12, 2020 until February 26, 2020 in Malaysia.

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Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra (Cosmic Black) Hands-On

Samsung has just announced their new flagship series, the Galaxy S20 series. The top most variant of the series is the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. It is also the variant with the largest screen with a 6.9-inch WQHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display.

The new S20 Ultra comes with the Exynos 990 or the Snapdragon 865 equipped with 5G connectivity. This is complemented with 128GB with 12GB of RAM. It is the only one in the series with a quad camera setup capable of 100X Space Zoom.

Being able to capture is 8K and with slow motion is going to take up a lot of space but not to worry as the phone comes with a 128GB internal storage with an expandable storage of up to 1TB by using a micro SD memory card.

If 1TB is still is not enough storage for you. Fear not as the phone is 5G ready for you to back up all of your important files, documents, pictures and videos rapidly to and fro from the cloud.

5G technology is still fairly new and security concern over the internet are still on high alert. But with Samsung Knox rest assured that your digital life is safe from prying eyes.

The S20 Ultra is going to retail from USD$1,399. In Malaysia, it will be retailing for MYR4,999. Pre-orders will be happening from February 12, 2020 until February 26, 2020 in Malaysia.

It will be available 4th March 2020 onward. The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra will be available in two colors; Cosmic Grey and Cosmic Black. The one you see here is the Cosmic Black variant.

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Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra (Cosmic Gray) Hands On

Samsung has just announced their new flagship series, the Galaxy S20 series. Giving birth to a new generation of phone photography. The top most variant of the series is the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. It is also the variant with the largest screen with a 6.9-inch WQHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display.

The new S20 Ultra comes with the Exynos 990 or the Snapdragon 865 equipped with 5G connectivity. This is complemented with 128GB with 12GB of RAM. It is the only one in the series with a quad camera setup capable of 100X Space Zoom.

With 108MP in the main camera you will be able to take photo and video in 8K. Having the sensor size almost three times bigger you will be able to capture more in the dark. By utilizing night mode the phone will use all its camera to take multiple shots at once and merging the photos to get a better image with less blur and noise.

Being able to record videos in 8k has its benefits to it. It has an anti-rolling stabilizer that balances your camera giving you clear and stable video. Other than that if you found a special or funny moment in the video but want it as a picture instead? Not to worry as you will be able to capture stills off the video and it will still be 33MP stills.

The S20 Ultra is going to retail from USD$1,399. In Malaysia, it will be retailing for MYR4,999. Pre-orders will be happening from February 12, 2020 until February 26, 2020 in Malaysia.

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