Category Archives: Lifestyle

Accessories, Computers, Gaming, Lifestyle, News

Predator Launches the X38 S Ultrawide monitor – The Ultimate Desktop Set-up

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We have always maintained that a gaming monitor is the final piece of the puzzle when you put together a gaming set-up. A good portion of your budget, when building your rig, should always go to a good gaming monitor. A good gaming monitor can make or break your gaming experience, it is that important.

For gaming, you want something immersive, and fast. You want something that looks good as well in that sense. If you have something that does colours well, you might be able to rely on it for content work too, if you are into that kind of stuff. But finding a good balance in those areas are quite difficult. Not with the Predator X38 S.

The Predator X38 S

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  • Predator X38 S 2022 Launch

Predator’s latest high-end gaming monitor followed a rather similar strategy as before. Pack the best of everything in an ultrawide form factor. For that, you get a rather vivid IPS panel that is curved to 2300R.

That IPS panel boasts UWQHD+ (3,840 by 1,600 pixels) resolution, just slightly more the regular ultra-wide QHD panels. It is also a higher resolution than before, this 37.5-inch curved panel. Still, IPS panels boasts up to 178o in viewing angles, so you would not be getting any sort of distortion anywhere you turn to anyway.

Predator has tuned the display to be as colour accurate as possible. It covers up to 98% of DCI-P3 colour gamut. It even has a Delta E<2 as well for colours so accurate you might have mistaken the images on your screen as the real thing. At DisplayHDR 600 and a maximum of 600 nits in brightness, images really come to live.

Of course, a gaming display must be a fast one. The NVIDIDA G-SYNC ULTIMATE display can be overclocked up to 175Hz refresh rate to not only ensure that images are tear free, but also silky smooth. It boasts a G-to-G response rate as low as 0.3 ms for almost instant responses between mouse clicks and action. There is even the NVIDIA G-SYNC Esports Mode that is designed to lower latency and improves details in dark scenes.

Of course, Acer’s most premium technologies to protect the eyes of its users are packed in with the Predator X38 S. LightSense and ColourSense automatically adjusts the screen’s brightness and colour temperature depending on the conditions around the display.

The Acer Nitro XZ342CUP

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If you feel like the Predator X38 S is a little too premium for your tastes, you can strain a little and go for Acer’s Nitro XZ342CUP 34-inch display. It features a QHD resolution at a regular 16:9 aspect ratio, which is still rather respectable. It is still quite a fast display at 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms VRB response time.

To ensure you get a tear-free gaming experience, the 34-incher offers AMD’s FreeSync technology. At the same time, Acer’s Flicker-less technology should keep images crisp and flicker free in any sort of conditions. There is also the Acer BluelightShield and ComfyView technologies to keep your eyes healthy.

Price and Availability

The Predator X38 S is now available for MYR 5,999. You can get your hands on one from Acer’s eStore, authorized retail partners nationwide, or official online stores on Shopee and Lazada. There are no colour options here, but at least the X38 S looks good in black.

The Nitro XZ342CUP is also now available in Malaysia. It will set you back MYR 1,799. You can find it in Acer’s eStore as well as official online stores on Shopee and Lazada. If you still prefer a physical buying experience, you can visit Acer’s authorized retailers nationwide for that. Again, there are no colour options here, just a regular black display with red coloured support pillar.

Computers, Gaming, Lifestyle, News

Predator Orion 3000 Launches in Malaysia – The Pocket Rocket is Here

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When we say Pocket Rocket, we do not mean that this desktop tower will fit in your pockets. Unless you have a pocket the size of a large shopping bag, you are not going to fit this tower in your pockets at all. What we are saying, in this case, is that the Orion 3000 that Predator just announced for Malaysia is a compact gaming PC that packs the power of a full tower with Intel’s 12th Generation Core processors.

The Predator Orion 3000

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To be fair, we would not call the Orion 3000’s chassis a Mini PC set-up. It is still a mid-tower PC with enough space within the chassis to fit even fit a water cooled AiO unit, if you really want to. Still, mid-tower is still the most popular form factor in the current desktop market.

The Predator Orion 3000 of course packs Intel’s latest 12th Generation Core i7 (up to) processor that is paired with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3070 GPU (up to). You also get up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM. If you need more memory speed, the motherboard is also ready to take up to four DDR5 RAM sticks for up to 64GB in RAM. For storage, you get up to 1TB in the form of a PCIe NVMe SSD. If you want, you can even expand that with another M.2 SSD. There are also two additional SATA slots if you need even more storage.

Plenty of processing power also means that everything needs some sort of cooling. To keep everything in check, there are two 92mm Predator Frostblade 2.0 chassis fans to keep airflow optimized and all the hardware inside cool. You can even control the fans with PredatorSense that is built into the PC. Of course, PredatorSense also controls the RGB strips and fans.

The Acer Nitro 50

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The Predator was not the only tower than made the show floor though. Acer’s own gaming brand also made it to the show with the updated Nitro 50 gaming PC.

You still get a compact set-up that packs a lot of power. You get Intel’s 12th Generation Core processors on tap for the Acer Nitro 50. You also get NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER GPU. There is no ray tracing here, but the GPU is still powerful enough to run the latest AAA titles in good quality in Full HD resolution.

You can pair the processors with up to 8GB of RAM. Storage wise, you get up to 512GB of speedy SSD space. All of these are packed into an 18-litre chassis.

Price and Availability

The Predator Orion 3000 is now available at Acer’s eStore, and official stores on Shopee and Lazada. If you want, you can head over to any authorized retail partners nationwide to get it too. The Predator Orion 3000 will set you back MYR 6,499 onward. You can visit Predator’s website for more information on the Predator Orion 3000.

The Acer Nitro 50 will set you back from MYR 3,599. You can get your hands on one from Acer’s eStore and official stores on Shopee and Lazada. You can also get your hands on one from Acer’s authorized retail partners nationwide. More information on the Acer Nitro 50 can be found on their website.

Accessories, Computers, Consumer Electronics, Gaming, Lifestyle, News

The Predator Gaming Projector is Real! The GD711 is a 4K LED Projector Made for Gaming at up to 240hz! 

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When you want to buy a display for your gaming rig, you first look at the gaming monitors. Gaming monitors are so common these days that you can spend anywhere between a few hundred Ringgit to a few thousands and get yourself a ‘gaming monitor’ of some sorts. Of course, if you want a good one, you are going to have to splurge a little bit.  

There is a small problem though. The current biggest gaming monitor you can find on the market is no larger than 43-inches. If you want to go bigger, you are going to have to buy a TV, a 4K TV set that is not really made for PC gaming. Most of the time, these TVs are made for console gaming, which usually only tops out at 120hz refresh rate. 

What if you want to go bigger than regular TVs, since the largest TV in the current commercial market tops out at 86 inches? You buy a projector that can go up to 110 inches with little issues. There are even projectors that can do much bigger than 110-inch, but those are industrial type projectors. There is still another problem here. Projectors are never targeted for gaming.  

GD711 3
Source: Acer

Not this one though, the Predator GD711 4K gaming projector. Yes, it tops out at 4K in resolution. At that, you do not get more than 60hz of refresh rate. Understandably, it does not have HMDI 2.1 to work with. But with gaming, refresh rate and frames per second (fps) is sometimes more important than resolution. That is why the Predator GD711 is made to refresh at 240hz in Full HD resolution.  

The best thing about having a projector is that you can get a large projection almost anywhere in your home. When you have friends over, you can get the screen to go as big as 300 inches. Imagine watching a good movie at 4K with that kind of size with your friends. You can even plug your consoles in and play multiplayer games at that with no fuss with that kind of real-estate. Acer recommends a throw range of 2.7m to get a 100-inch screen though.  

Projecting all the goodness from your PC or Consoles is an LED that is rated to last up to 30,000 hours with minimal drop in luminance. It is rated at 4,000 LED lumens, which is sort of equivalent to about 1250 ANSI lumens. We would say that at that brightness, you might want to think of using the projector in a slightly dimmed room.

Unlike traditional lamp though, LED projectors do boast much better colour reproduction. The Predator GD711 offers 125% of Rec.709 colour gamut coverage. You get sharp, vivid, and highly accurate colours with highly accurate details still. Even the blacks are going to be as black as your screen can be. On top of that, while you can hook it up to your sounds system, you can also rely on the 10W speakers of the GD711 if you plan on bringing it to your friend’s house or set it up in any other rooms in your house. You can even hook it up to a Bluetooth speaker if you want.  

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    Source: Acer
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    Source: Acer
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    Source: Acer
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    Source: Acer
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    Source: Acer
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    Source: Acer
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    Source: Acer

The Predator GD711 4K gaming projector is now available at Acer’s very own online store and their official stores on Shopee and Lazada. You can also get your hands on one from Acer’s partner retailers nationwide. There are no colour options, like any other Predator products it comes in matte black. It also comes with a remote control, for you to also control its Aptoide OS built into the projector. The Predator GD711 retails at MYR 4,999, which is quite a lot of money for a projector. For a 4K projector though, and one that can refresh at up to 240hz, the price now looks more like a bargain. More information on the Predator GD711 can be found on their website.

Computers, Gaming, Lifestyle, News

Acer Launches the Nitro 5 for 2022 with Intel’s 12th Generation Core CPUs

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Acer’s Nitro 5 was always known for its strong value proposition and being the budget champion in gaming laptops. 2021 was a little bit of a turning point for the Nitro 5 though. It stopped becoming an entry-level option. You still can get the Nitro 5 with entry-level specs and a price to match, but the Nitro 5 expanded its option pool to hit the upper echelons of gaming with AMD’s Ryzen 9 and NVIDIA’s RTX 3080 bundle option. It was shocking to say the least, but a welcome.

Fast forward to 2022 though, there is a new Nitro 5 in town, and it looks good.

We start with what it packs. It is a 12th Generation Intel Core i7 (up to) that is paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti (up to). While it just stops shy from its higher-end cousin that tops out at an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, the RTX 3070 Ti is plenty powerful enough for any sort of gaming situations. You also get to pack it with up to 32GB DDR4 RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage. There is an additional SATA slot to give users the option to upgrade the notebook with another SATA storage.

The powerful insides keep games running optimally at up to 165fps on the 165Hz refresh rate QHD display (up to). You can opt for a Full HD 144Hz display if you are on a budget. The display also boasts 100% of DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage which means that it is even more colour accurate than before. At the same time, if you are looking for a laptop for both work and play, especially if you are in the creative industry, the colour accuracy is what you want.

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Underneath the 4-zone RGB, Acer’s improved cooling system for the new Nitro 5 allows Acer to increase the maximum power draw of the GPU to extract even more performance and power from the GPU. At the same time, the Killer DoubleShot Pro wireless network module and WiFi 6E ensures that the Nitro 5 is always connected to the fastest available internet source.

The Acer Nitro 5 is now available from Acer’s own eStore, and official online stores on Shoppe and Lazada. You can also find the Acer Nitro 5 in Acer’s authorized retailers nationwide. It will set you back from MYR 4,399 all the way to MYR 8,699. For more information on the Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop, you can head to their website.

Advertorial, Consumer Electronics, Lifestyle

ShopeePay Day is Here with More Rewards Than Ever!

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*DISCLAIMER: This is a paid advertorial by SHOPEEPAY MALAYSIA SDN BHD. It does not reflect the opinions or views of the techENT editorial board or writers. * 

20220701 ShopeePay Day SM

ShopeePay Day is happening every 1st of the month! With ShopeePay Day around the corner, the Shopee App is brimming with offers and deals that are out of this world. In fact, these offers are available at physical shops near you – thanks to ShopeePay! How? Well, you simply need to click into your Shopee App and look for the “ShopeePay Near Me” icon. Inside “ShopeePay Near Me”, you’ll see a whole new way of using ShopeePay and be rewarded! You get to purchase vouchers that give you cashbacks and more discounts at stores near you.

For July ShopeePay day (1st July 2022), you can get 1 SEN ShopeePay vouchers that give you up to 100% cashback deals.

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, these 1 SEN deals have you covered. Either grab a meal with a friend or plan a feast with family, ShopeePay’s vouchers got you covered! 

  • Enjoy RM3.50 off any Salad with a free Coke Zero at Salad Atelier. OR
  • Get three regular pizzas at Domino’s Pizza for RM39.90

All you have to do is redeem these ShopeePay Vouchers and pay using your ShopeePay at the restaurant. 

0701 PDS77 B355 DominosPizza SM

Deals are getting even sweeter during Shopee 7.7 Mid Year Sale this 7 July! With the ShopeePay voucher, you can get:

  • Buy 1 Free 1 Kenny Rogers with a voucher for only RM 1.88, save up to RM 15!
  • A small tub of Ilao Ilao for only RM11 instead of RM13.90.
  • An RM10 cash voucher for LiHO Tea

All you have to do is to use ShopeePay! You can do this by either scanning a QR code or letting the cashier scan your QR Code. Remember to select the vouchers you have purchased when you pay! 

In addition to 1 SEN deals, ShopeePay is also giving even more cashback during ShopeePay Day. You can get up to 100% cashback at participating merchants.

Looking for a killer bargain? Shopee’s got your back with:

  • 100% cashback of RM1 with a minimum spend of RM1 at Childhood outlets, AND
  • 100% cashback of RM2 with a minimum spend of RM2 at Vivo Pizza

If you’re planning on splitting the bill after lunch, use your ShopeePay to pay them back! Why? Well, you’ll be in the running to win up to 177,777 Shopee Coins. That’s nearly RM2,000 in cash value! All you have to do is make a transfer with ShopeePay for as low as RM1 and you’ll be joining the lucky draw.

How to win Shopee Coins

Look out for even more deals that will be coming your way, only on ShopeePay Day, the 1st of every month. Wait no more, check out these 1st July ShopeePay Day deals now!

*DISCLAIMER: This is a paid advertorial by SHOPEEPAY MALAYSIA SDN BHD. It does not reflect the opinions or views of the techENT editorial board or writers. * 

Computers, Gaming, Lifestyle, News

Predator Launches the Brand-New Helios 300 – 12th Generation Gaming is here!

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Gaming laptops today are wonderful things. They are still not as powerful as their desktop counterparts, but still, they come close enough today. Because gaming laptops today packing the kind of power they do, they become some of the most popular choices even for among the hardcore gamers.

Even in 2021, before Intel introduced their most powerful CPUs ever, gaming laptops were the in thing. The Predator Helios 300 of 2021, for example, was a potent machine that could really take your gaming to the next level, anywhere and anytime. It packed Intel’s 11th Generation CPUs with the latest generation NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series cards for the best-in-class performance. It is 2022 though and the world needs something new, something a lot more powerful.

Welcome to the 2022 version of the Predator Helios 300. To be fair, this product should not be entirely new to you. It was launched globally a while back at one Next@Acer conference. It finally hits the shores in Malaysia though.

Helios 300 2022 03

To recap, the new Predator Helios 300 is expected to be the weapon of choice for any sort of gamers everywhere. Its 15.6-inch display is a rather compelling one at QHD resolutions as well. It also boasts 165Hz refresh rate with 3ms response time for fast and smooth visuals in all sorts of gaming situations. At the same time, it is one display you can also rely on when you work with colour grading tools and editing tools with 100% of DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage.

Keeping the screen happy and maxing the 165Hz refresh rate, the Helios 300 now comes with Intel’s 12th Generation Core CPU (up to Core i7). You get to pair it up with up to NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3080 and 32GB of 4800MHz DDR5 RAM memory. While that may not sound like it will amount to too much of a performance gain compared to the older Helios 300, Predator has given it a treatment like no other to make it outperform the older laptop by a significant margin.

Instead of the traditional regular thermal paste to keep the CPU die attached to the heat transfer panels, Predator now uses liquid metal. That should also translate to better thermal transfer performance which should also directly translate to a bump in CPU performance. You also get the help of Predator’s 5th generation Aeroblade 3D which is redesigned for even better airflow without compromising noise and therefore better cooling.

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The overall improvement in cooling performance also allows Predator to also increase the power draw of the GPU to increase its performance. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti now draws up to 150W of power to really give games a punch. You can also monitor the temperature of the Predator Helios 300 with the proprietary PredatorSense.

Besides up to 2TB in SSD space, the Predator Helios 300 now comes with mini-LED RGB backlit keyboard, which is an upgrade over the older Helios 300. You also get WiFi 6E connectivity with Killer DoubleShot Pro for more stable and faster internet speeds. Of course, there is always a Turbo button for you to overclock the laptop and make it even faster.

The Predator Helios 300 is now available from Acer’s official stores on Shopee and Lazada. You can also head to Acer’s authorized retail partners to get your hands on one. There will be no other colour option for it, but it is still a good-looking laptop, especially with the new light bar at the bottom of the laptop. It will set you back MYR 7,999 onward and tops out at 11,999. For more information on the Predator Helios 300, you can visit their website.

Accessories, Lifestyle, News

Wear OS Gets A Premium Addition with the Montblanc Summit 3 Smartwatch

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Android Wear’s successor, Wear OS, has been having somewhat of an uphill battle since its launch. Not many of the older Wear OS devices were getting the big Wear OS 3.0 update. In fact, to-date, the only notable smartwatch running Wear OS 3 is Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 series. That changes with the new Montblanc Summit 3 smartwatch.

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Source: Montblanc

Montblanc’s Summit 3 is being pushed as a premium smartwatch with a premium price and also premium build materials. Staying true to the Montblanc image, the smartwatch isn’t coming with a flashy, glammed up design. Instead, Montblanc has opted to stay with a classic watch design complete with a physical crown and two pushers which act as buttons to interact with the Wear OS 3. It’s overall facade is sleek and minimal. The face of the smartwatch is a 1.28-inch, circular AMOLED display with a 416×416 resolution. The screen is protected by a layer of Sapphire Glass. The watch itself is encased in a titanium case with a stainless steel bezel. The Summit 3 comes with a hand polished finish to complete the premium 42mm smartwatch. It comes with a pin buckle strap which is available in black calf leather or rubber.

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When it comes to sensors, the Montblanc Summit 3 is equipped with a heart rate sensor, a barometer, accelerometer, gyroscope and ambient light sensor. Like other Wear OS 3 devices, the Summit 3 is able to track pulse rate, blood oxygenation, steps taken and even sleep. Considering it does come with a blue rubber strap, it looks like you might even be able to track calories and workouts on the smartwatch. NFC is also built-in to the smartwatch. You’ll be able to use GooglePay and other compatible services where they are available.

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The Montblanc Summit 3 runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 4100+ processor with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. It is capable of Bluetooth 5.0 and WiFi connectivity as well. The smartwatch also comes with Google Play Store where users are able to download apps. You will need to connect it via the Montblanc Summit app.

Pricing and Availability

The Montblanc Summit 3 is available for pre-orders worldwide at the Montblanc website. It is available in three colours at launch – Black Titanium, Grey Titanium and Bicolour Titanium. It will be retailing for USD1,290 internationally. Locally, in Malaysia, it costs MYR5,700.

Accessories, Business, Computers, Lifestyle, News

ViewSonic Launches New Projectors and Smart Interactive Display for the Boardroom and the Classroom

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ViewSonic has just opened their new showroom in Malaysia. That is besides the point though. They are also one of the most known display manufacturers in the world at this point. Considering that they come from the humble beginnings from making budget computer displays, it is a huge feat.

They have come a long way from just making PC monitors though. They now also make several display related items and solutions that can be deployed in different situations. They also make projectors, if you have not known yet. They just launched a new one, alongside a smart display that is compelling for meeting rooms and even classrooms.

ViewSonic LS500WHE and LS550WHE

Product photos
Source: ViewSonic

Toe be fair, while there are two names you see here, they are really one product made for two slightly different use cases. The LS550WHE is more like a short throw version of the LS500WHE. Both are also LED Laser projectors.

The current LED projector technology only allows it to hit 3,000 ANSI Lumens in brightness. Comparatively, ViewSonic even sells a lamp-based projector at 3,800 ANSI Lumens. On paper, the lamp-based projector should be a better choice based on the projection brightness alone. But there is more to it than that.

The new LED projectors offer 125% in Rec.709 colour space coverage. That also means that the new projectors should be displaying images with vivid colours like no lamp projectors can display. In that case as well, the lower brightness count might not even matter with more vivid and better colours than ever before.

At the same time, because LED has a much longer shelf life at 30,000-hour cycles, replacing the lamp becomes a thing of the past. LED is also a lot more power efficient than lamp, which also means that your electricity consumption is nearly halved saving you more in terms of maintenance and usage. Of course, there is the fact that LED’s clarity drop off is much less drastic than traditional lamp.

ViewSonic ViewBoard Smart Display

Country Manager of ViewSonic Malaysia Mr Chaw Foo Hong
Source: ViewSonic

Then there is the ViewBoard, a large slab of touch screen display that is a real clever solution for classrooms and boardroom. To be fair, the ViewBoard is designed mostly for the education sector. It is a powerful tool even in the boardroom though.

What makes it powerful is not really its size or touch screen features. You can get a touch screen display from any manufacturer technically and will get pretty much similar experience. What makes it special is the software solution that is built for the ViewBoard.

They call it myViewBoard and it is web based, so it is compatible with all kinds of platforms including Windows, Android, iOS, and even Mac. It is really designed as a complete collaboration and learning tool. The platform allows you to turn the ViewBoard into a rather powerful smart display that can be shared with all the participants in the classroom and boardroom. From the board itself, you can control how an entire class or meeting flows.

Price and Availability

The LS500WHE LED projector is now available for MYR 3,599. The short throw variant of it, the LS550WHE is available for MYR 3,999. For the ViewBoard, you want to contact your local ViewSonic representative. More on ViewSonic’s new products can be found on their website.

Android, Camera, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

Xiaomi and Leica’s Partnership is Real – First Devices to Feature Leica Branding Coming 4th July 2022

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A few months ago, we heard a rumour. A little bird said that Leica is looking for a partnership with a mobile manufacturer. We heard that they are looking into another partnership with a different Chinese manufacturer at the time, Xiaomi. For a few months after that, the rumour seemed dead, quiet.

Leijun, the current CEO of Xiaomi global, today just confirmed that the rumours a few months ago was true after all. There were no big announcements too, no press releases. It is just a simple twitter post that also teases a 4th of July 2022 launch date for the Xiaomi 12S Series flagship smartphones. It is happening at 7pm at GMT +8 next week, which is good for us in Malaysia.

There is not too much that we know about the Xiaomi 12S series. To be fair, Xiaomi has not teased much about it and has been keeping mums about it quite well. Still there are a few things we may be able to expect out of the new flagship devices.

You can expect Qualcomm’s latest Snadragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip fitted into the new devices. It will effectively be the first devices in the world to pack Qualcomm’s new generation system on a chip (SoC). Technically at launch too, it will be the most powerful Android device available in the market.

You can expect up to 12GB of RAM too in the most premium variant of the Xiaomi 12S alongside up to 256GB of storage. In terms of display, you should get up to 120Hz in refresh rate, the highest you can sort of get in smartphones today anyway. Like Xiaomi teased a long time ago too, fast charging will still be a thing with the new device with up to 120W in charging speeds.

Of course, the Xiaomi 12S will be an Android 12 device at launch. It should be upgradable to Android 13 when it is available from Xiaomi. As with any other Xiaomi flagship that came before, it will come installed with MIUI 13 based on Android 12 too.

There are no confirmations on what prices the devices will launch with. There is also nothing to indicate its availability date in different regions. We are hoping that Malaysia will be in the list of countries that gets the Xiaomi 12S devices first. The Xiaomi 12S, with Leica’s co-engineered camera sounds a lot like a treat, and we are excited for it.

Android, Lifestyle, Mobile

Android Auto Says Goodbye to Phone Screens

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Google’s Android Auto experience is bidding goodbye to smartphone screens. The experience which was first announced back in 2015, will be moving exclusively to car screens in the near future. This news comes after Google released Android Auto for phone screens in 2019 as a stop guard measure as the platform matured for the in-car infotainment systems.

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Source: Android.com

It looks like that stop guard measure is now being replaced by Google Assistant’s driving mode. You would have realised that Google Assistant tends to notify you when it detects you driving or when you say “Hey Google, I’m driving”. The new driving mode isn’t a full-fledged Android Auto replacement, but it does provide easy access to all the apps you will need while driving.

While it does seem like a sudden move to remove Android Auto for Phone screens, it’s not as sudden as you might think. Google has been slowly removing support for Android Auto for phone screens since 2019. In its latest update, support for the app was reduced to only devices with Android 12 and above. Keep in mind, that the app for Phone Screens is already a whole generation behind Android Auto itself at this point.

Google Assistant’s Driving Mode has been in the works for a while now. It was only rolled out last year after extended delays. Moving forward, it seems like Google will be putting more emphasis on Driving Mode for phones and keeping Android Auto exclusively on Car infotainment systems.

Google Assistant's driving mode

Google Assistant’s Driving mode is available for Android smartphones running Android 9.0 or higher with a minimum of 4GB of RAM. According to Google’s own support page, the feature is available in selected regions only including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. However, we’ve been using it for the past month in Malaysia. So, it might need to be updated.

.Did you use Android Auto for smartphones? Are you using Google Assistant’s Driving Mode? Let us know in the comments.