Category Archives: Android

Huawei Embraces the Merdeka Spirit with Special Offers

It’s almost time to celebrate Merdeka, and Huawei is joining in on the celebration this year with an array of exciting offers on their smartphones!

From now until 30 September, 2023, you can enjoy savings on select Huawei smartphones at the HUAWEI Merdeka Carnival. Whether you’re in the market for flagships like the P60 Pro or the affordable Nova 11 Pro, Huawei’s got you covered with an assortment of discounts.

huawei merdeka

You can head over to your nearest Huawei Experience Store to enjoy these special deals before it ends. Here’s a glimpse of the promotions that await you:

  • HUAWEI Mate50 Pro Kunlun Edition
    • Special Promotion: RM1,000 off
    • Trade In Program: RM500
  • HUAWEI Mate50 Pro bundle with HUAWEI MatePad 10.4
    • Special Promotion: RM1,399 off
  • HUAWEI P60 Pro
    • Special Promotion: RM500 off
    • Trade In Program: RM500 instant rebate

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to get your very own Huawei devices at a special discounted rate! For more information or to stay updated on the latest promotions, you can visit HuaweiI’s Official Facebook or Instagram.

Honor Prepares to Unfold Tomorrow on September 1, 2023

Honor is prepared to take its thinnest foldable smartphone, the Magic V2, global with an announcement coming up at IFA in Berlin. On September 1, 2023, at 10 am CEST, we can expect Honor Magic V2 to make its global availability known. However, it seems like there may be another smartphone in the works for the announcement as well. It’s rumoured that Honor may announce a second flip-style foldable during the event as well. There’s also a teaser on the website’s announcement of the IFA 2023 Keynote with a mathematical formula.

Screenshot 2023 08 08 at 09 23 55 HONOR IFA 2023 KEYNOTE HONOR Global

The Honor Magic V2 debuted earlier this year in July exclusively in China. It stunned with its 4.8mm thickness when unfolded and 9.9mm thickness when folded. It’s also not shying away from being a full-fledged flagship with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, dual 50-megapixel sensors and a 20-megapixel telephoto sensor on the back and a 16-megapixel sensor for the selfie camera. Together with this, the Magic V2 comes with a large 7.92-inch inner screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and a large 5,000 mAh battery.

With the increasing number of choices for foldable smartphones increasing this year, it’s going to be very interesting to see how brands continue to edge each other out with design and software. Honor is currently one of three brands with a globally available flagship large-screen, foldable device. If rumours are any indication, the space is about to exponentially more competitive with brands like vivo and OnePlus joining the foray.

Flip Out with the Galaxy Z Flip5 & Galaxy Z Fold5 in Flip Town!

Samsung is cooking up something in the vibrant Golden Triangle…and has unleashed Flip Town! From now until 31 August, visit Flip Town to try out the latest Galaxy Z Flip5 and Galaxy Z Fold5 before they hit the stores!

To start your Flip Town adventure, start at the Bukit Bintang crossing, where you’ll see six Galaxy Z Flip5 lifestyle visuals by local Malaysian artists. This will also be your opportunity to snap OOTDs while flipping the cityscapes around you for Instagram-worthy moments.

If you head on over to Optimist Coffee on Jalan Bukit Bintang, you can also take pictures with loan units of the phones at the selfie stations until 13 August . Don’t forget to claim your free stickers! There are also convex mirrors that will allow you to experiment with unique angles to make your photos pop. Samsung is also giving out free coffee when you follow the @GalaxySpaceMY page.

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Next – this one’s for the BTS ARMY! Look out for the wall poster of BTS’s Jimin and strike your best poses next to the giant Galaxy Z Flip5 prop. Don’t miss out on visiting the Flip Town Experential Zone, where you can take photos with the wall poster of BTS’s Suga with the FlexCam. Snap more photos with loan phones at this pop-up station until 16 August for fresh, trendy shots next to Suga.

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Stay connected with the Flip Town community by using the hashtags #GalaxyZFlip5, #GalaxyZFold5, #JoinTheFlipSide, #MYFlipTown. You can also follow @GalaxySpaceMY and @samsungmalaysia for updates.

If you’re itching to own the Galaxy Z Fold5 or Galaxy Z Flip5, pre-orders are now available until 17 August 2023. Visit the Samsung website to learn more.

vivo Launches the Y78 5G in Malaysia for MYR 1,399 – Flagship Parts, Entry-Level Price

Budget smartphones can be a nightmare sometimes. Most of the time we will only recommend a budget smartphone for those who are looking for a secondary device to work with. If you are looking for a daily driver, we would say that you might be much better off spending a little more on mid-range smartphones. It is 2023 though and things change all the time, entry-level smartphones can be good devices now, like this vivo Y78 5G that they just launched.

On paper, it ticks all the right boxes. It has 8GB of RAM, 256GB in storage, Android 14, and even a 64-Megapixel camera. The processor though is not a mid-range system on a chip (SoC) like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 700 series processors. Instead, you get the entry-level Snapdragon 695. That does not mean that you are getting short handed here. You still get 5G connectivity like most modern smartphones do now. It is also capable of taking videos at 4K resolution when you need it to. It will last even longer than most flagships today thanks to its 5,000mAh battery and the fact that the SoC is less power hungry than even the latest mid-range smartphones.

What greets you when you pick up the device is not some random LCD display that offers 720p resolution. You get a proper 120Hz AMOLED experience with a Full HD+ resolution on the 6.78-inch display. There is a 16-Megapixel front facing camera too on top of the display for video conferencing and selfies. Out the back is a 64-Megapixel shooter that is helped also by two other 2-Megapixel cameras for better depth and detailing; that is all you need really.

Within all the glass and aluminium body, you will find a huge 5,000mAh battery as mentioned before. It is not some old battery technology that offers you days of battery life but keeps you near a wall socket when it runs out too. It still offers 44W fast charging to keep charging times below two hours. There is even support for dual-SIM, which is expected these days.

  • Vivo Y78 5G Launch 2023 1
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Price and Availability

The Vivo Y78 5G will come in Dreamy Gold and Flare Black colour options. It will set you back MYR 1,399, which is really not a lot of money for a smartphone at this calibre. For more information on the new entry-level smartphone, you can visit Vivo’s website.

Pre-Order the New Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 and Flip5 with CelcomDigi 

If you’ve been itching to get in on the foldable smartphone wave, CelcomDigi has your back!

CelcomDigi Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Flip5 Pre Order KV

From today until 17 August 2023, you can pre-order the brand new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 via the Celcom and Digi Online Store or walk into any of Celcom Bluecubes, Celcom Certified Partners, Digi Stores or Digi Store Express. Once pre-ordered, devices will be delivered from 9 August 2023 onwards.

Double your storage for free during the pre-order period

Most of us are not strangers to the pain we experience when it comes to transferring old files and photos to a new device. Luckily, those who pre-order the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 or Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 during this pre-order period will be able to enjoy a free storage upgrade from 256GB to 512 GB. 

Enjoy extra rebates and free 5G access

In addition to the free upgrade, pre-orders will come with a plan rebate of RM480 that will be applied to your monthly contract. The plan also comes with free 5G access so you can enjoy your new devices at the fastest possible speed.  

If you miss out on the deal, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 will be available for purchase in all Celcom Bluecubes and Digi Stores from 18 August 2023 onwards. 

For more information on pre-orders, you can also visit the official Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 Celcom storefront and the official Digi Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 storefront.

Kaspersky Redefines End-Point Protection – Go Standard, Plus, or Premium 

Cybersecurity is a big talking point today. It is not a new thing; it really has been a concern since the digital age. There are always going to be perpetrators out in the wild who try to cheat, game systems, and even do harm to others for their own benefit. The most recent security threat, and still is one of the biggest threats to cybersecurity, is ransomware.  

The thing is, while there are numerous talks about how cyber security should be implemented in corporations and company devices, we often forget that the cyber-first world encourages users to also use their own personal devices for work and at work – your smartphones for example. Where your organization’s issued devices are locked down and secured, your own devices are not. Where Your organization implements security measures on their own back-end digital infrastructure, your own devices are often left untouched. Where your company protects itself, you are left unprotected. So, what do you do?  

You get yourself a protection plan of yourself of course. You get yourself Kaspersky’s latest and most comprehensive protection program. For 2023 Kaspersky introduces products that are more streamlined than ever and more comprehensive for all kinds of budget. With updated UI, the Kaspersky protection suites are also made to be more intuitive than ever while offering the most comprehensive protection and control back to users. Their latest suites also offer protection for Windows, Mac, Android, and even iOS. 

Kaspersky Standard, or Plus, or Premium 

The product naming scheme has become even more simplified than before too. Now you pick between the Standard, Plus, and Premium protection plans that offer different coverage and protection layers. Of course, they come with different price points too.  

With the Standard package starting at MYR 70/year (1 device), you get the full might of Kaspersky’s antivirus program that will also detect and remove viruses or malware even before you get your Kaspersky security suite. On top of that, you get real-time protection against the latest known threats to your devices. Kaspersky standard also comes with Safe Browsing and Anti-Phishing suites alongside Firewall and Network Monitor to further protect yourself from malicious websites, downloads, extensions, and even applications. Unlike older cybersecurity suites that tend to slow your PC down, the new Kaspersky security suite offers Quick Startup, PC Speed-up, and Disk Cleanup Tools to ensure that your PC is always working optimally. If you game on your devices too, Kaspersky offers a Game and Do Not Disturb modes to ensure that your devices work to offer the best performance for your games while ensuring that you are not disturbed in an intense battle.  

The Plus suite from MYR 96/year (1 device) onward adds an unlimited VPN subscription and Premium Password Manager to the mix. You also have access to Data Leak Checker that monitors the internet and dark web for compromised personal data while offering steps to ensure that your data is always protected. The plan also offers users the ability to monitor their home network and the devices that are connected to the network. 

The Premium plan offers the full might of what Kaspersky can offer you for MYR 139/year (1 device) onward. On top of everything you get from the Standard and Plus plans, you also get Kaspersky’s identity protection suite and premium technical support that can even help you install your Kaspersky application for you, if it is too much of a hassle for yourself to do. They also offer the occasional PC health checks done by a professional if you need. In terms of identity protection, they offer something they call an Identity Protection Wallet that stores copies of your sensitive data including identification documents and even licenses in an encrypted format. There is also a one-year free subscription of Kaspsersky Safe Kids suite to further protect your family.  

Price and Availability 

Kaspersky’s Standard, Plus, and Premium protection plan is now available for MYR 70/year onward (Standard, 1 device) all the way to MYR 195/year (Premium, 5 devices). You can get them from Kaspersky’s website or authorized retailers across the nation. If you choose to get your Kaspersky protection suite now from their website, you are entitled to a 17% introductory discount for your 1-year subscription.  

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Streamlined for Productivity & Creativity

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S series is getting much-needed housekeeping and streamlining with the introduction of the Galaxy Tab S9 series. Samsung has removed a lot of the confusion and mess that was present in the previous iterations of the Tab S series. Every variant from the base Galaxy Tab S9 to the Tab S9 Ultra has the same design ethos and features unifying the experience across the board.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 4

The Tab S9 series is the first tablet to have an IP68 rating making it water and dust resistant. This also means that you will be able to use Samsung’s latest tablet come rain or shine. The tablet also comes with support for the S Pen. This time, you won’t need to worry about the orientation of the S Pen when attaching it to the back of the tablet to charge it. Samsung has made the charging mechanism for the S Pen orientation independent allowing you to charge it in any orientation. Samsung also announced a special Creator Edition S Pen which comes with better tactility and a wider tilt angle for drawing.

All the variants of the Tab S9 series come with a Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The base Tab S9 comes with a 11-inch display while the Tab S9+ comes with a 12.4-inch display and the Ultra tops the series out with a 14.6-inch display. The media experience of the Tab S series is rounded off with a quad-speaker setup that is professionally tuned by AKG. The speakers are 20% larger than the previous Tab S and also support Dolby Atmos.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5

The Galaxy Tab S9 series comes with all the software features we’ve come to expect when it comes to a large-screen experience with Samsung devices. Multiwindow gets an improvement with support for up to 3 simultaneous apps in an organised grid. DeX is also making a comeback on the Tab S9 series bringing a desktop experience to the tablet.

The Tab S9 series comes with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy. This is complemented by up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of internal storage. On the camera end of things, the front camera on the S9 and S9+ is a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera while the S9 Ultra comes with a dual 12-megapixel setup. On the back, the base S9 comes with a single 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor while the S9+ and the S9 Ultra come with a dual sensor setup with a 13-megapixel main sensor and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide sensor.

Samsung is also partnering with apps to bring them exclusively to the Galaxy Tab S9 series. Popular video editing app LumaFusion, note-taking app GoodNotes and CAD and design application ArcSite will be available exclusively on the Tab S9 series with special offers for users with the Tab S9.

Pricing & Availability

The Galaxy Tab S9 series will be available in two colours – Graphite and Beige. In Malaysia, prices for the Galaxy Tab S9 series will start from MYR3,699 while it will retail internationally with prices starting at USD$999. Detailed pricing is in the table below.

ModelRRP
Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra 5G with keyboard(512GB)RM7,149
Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra 5G with keyboard (256GB)RM6,649
Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra with keyboard (512GB)RM6,499
Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra with keyboard (256GB)RM5,999
Galaxy Tab S9+ 5G with keyboard (512GB)RM5,849
Galaxy Tab S9+ with keyboard (512GB)RM5,199
Galaxy Tab S9+ 5G (256GB)RM5,249
Galaxy Tab S9+ (256GB)RM4,599
Galaxy Tab S9 5G with keyboard (256GB)RM4,849
Galaxy Tab S9 with keyboard (256GB)RM4,199
Galaxy Tab S9 5G (128GB)RM4,349
Galaxy Tab S9 (128GB)RM3,699

Preorders for the Tab S9 series start today and end on the 17 of August 2023. Preorders are entitled to a free double storage upgrade worth MYR600, 50% off the Book Cover Keyboard and a free 12-month subscription to Viu. If you buy from the Samsung Online Store you’ll be able to get an MYR100 e-voucher for your next purchase.

The New Galaxy Z Flip5 Debuts with FlexWindow and a Gapless Hinge

Samsung’s foldable devices were one of the first devices to make it on the scene. This year, the company is working on refining the smartphone experience with new software enhancements and features as well as fine-tuning the design with meaningful updates. The new Galaxy Z Flip5 is leading the charge with an even bigger cover display – now known as the FlexWindow and a refined hinge.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 01 1

The cover display of the Galaxy Z Flip5 has been supersized and replaced with a 3.4-inch display which covers the whole top cover of the smartphone. The new FlexWindow comes with a totally revamped experience with more functional widgets and a whole new user experience. Like its predecessors, the FlexWindow will still support features like using it for epic selfies with FlexCam and glancing notifications. Using gestures, you’ll be able to access features like Samsung Wallet to access IDs, boarding passes and payment cards as well as widgets from your favourite apps.

The second biggest change is the hinge that the Galaxy Z Flip5 uses. Samsung has reduced the number of moving parts in the new Flex hinge. This has not only reduced the thickness of the Flip5 by about 2mm but has also eliminated the gap on the smartphone when closed. Yes – there is no gap in the hinge when closed.

Under the hood, the Galaxy Z Flip5 comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy. This is complemented by up to 512GB of internal storage and up to 12GB of RAM. The Z Flip5 comes with a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The cover display is a Super AMOLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate.

The main camera of the Flip5 is a dual camera setup with a 12-megapixel wide sensor and a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor. On the front, is a 10-megapixel selfie camera. The new foldable’s cameras come with Nightography which Samsung has been pushing with their flagship Galaxy S23 series and Galaxy A series. It also comes with auto-framing to help enhance the hands-free camera experience with Flex Mode.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 10

This year’s Galaxy Z Flip5 will also be foregoing the BESPOKE edition we’ve come to expect from the Flip line up. Instead, Samsung is introducing the FlipSuit Case which allows you to customise your Flip5 without the hefty price of a new phone. All you have to do is pop on the case and use one of the NFC enabled plates and it will seamlessly synchronise your FlexWindow with the design of the case. Samsung informs us that there will be new designs and exclusive partnerships coming at a later date.

Pricing & Availability

The Galaxy Z Flip5 will be available in Mint, Graphite, Lavender and Cream at launch. Additional colours like Yellow, Green, Gray and Blue are available exclusively on Samsung.com.

In Malaysia, the Flip5 will be retailing at MYR4,499 for the 256GB version and MYR4,999 for the 512GB version. Internationally, it will be available starting at USD$999.

Galaxy Z Flip5 Galaxy Z Fold5 Pre Order

Pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 start today and end on August 17 2023. Pre-orders will be entitled to a free double storage upgrade worth MYR500 and up to 40% off purchase-with-purchase on Samsung accessories, Samsung Care+, Galaxy Tablets, Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Buds series. If you pre-order from the Samsung Online Store, you’ll be able to get an e-voucher worth up to MYR600 on your next purchase.

During the pre-order period, trade-ins of older devices will be entitled to an additional rebate of up to MYR600 under the Enhanced Trade-in Program.

Samsung’s New Galaxy Z Fold5 Is Built for Productivity with a Slimmer S Pen & Slimmer Silhouette

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold5 is looking to further the company’s approach to larger display foldable devices. It keeps a lot of the best of the Z Fold lineup while improving where its predecessors lacked. The new Z Fold5 is 2.4mm slimmer when folded and has a sturdier hinge.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 15

The Galaxy Z Fold5 comes with Samsung’s new Flex Hinge. The new hinge comes with fewer moving parts and a slimmer, more seamless profile. It also helps prevent creasing on the display by keeping it in a waterdrop shape. The hinge is also sturdier and can fold at more angles than before allowing you to get more functionality from FlexMode. It’s also water resistant this year with an IPX8 rating.

The cover screen on the Galaxy Z Fold5 is a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with HD+ resolution. The main screen is a Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display with a QXGA resultion of 2176×1812 pixels. Both screens have a 120Hz refresh rate. The Z Fold5 cotninues to support the S Pen. In fact, Samsung has redesigned the S Pen for Fold and made it slimmer and sleeker. The new S Pen case also integrates the S Pen silo seamlessly without added bulk.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 02

The Z Fold5 comes with the same camera setup as the Fold4. The main sensor is a 50-megapixel wide Dual Pixel sensor with Phase dectection Autofocus (PDAF) and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). This is complemented with a 12-megapixel ultra wide sensor and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. On the front, on the cover display, there’s a 10-megapixel selfie camera while under the flexible display, there’s a 4-megapixel selfie camera.

Under the hood, the Fold5 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy. It comes complemented by 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of internal storage. Powering all of this is a 4,400mAh battery wwith support for Fast Charging and fast wireless charging 2.0.

Pricing & Availability

The Samsung Galaxy Fold5 will be available in Icy Blue, Phantom Black and Cream. Additional colours like Gray and Blue will be available exclusively from the Samsung Online Store.

In Malaysia, the Fold5 will be available in three configurations. The 256GB version of the smartphone will cost MYR6,799; the 512GB version will cost MYR7,299; while the 1TB version will cost MYR8,299. Internationally, prices will start at USD$1,799.

Galaxy Z Flip5 Galaxy Z Fold5 Pre Order

Pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 start today and end on August 17 2023 together with the Flip5, Tab S9 series and Watch6 series. Pre-orders will be entitled to a free double storage upgrade worth MYR500 and up to 40% off purchase-with-purchase on Samsung accessories, Samsung Care+, Galaxy Tablets, Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Buds series. If you pre-order from the Samsung Online Store, you’ll be able to get an e-voucher worth up to MYR600 on your next purchase.

During the pre-order period, trade-ins of older devices will be entitled to an additional rebate of up to MYR600 under the Enhanced Trade-in Program.

Android KitKat Takes Its Final Break as Google Play Officially Ends Support

Google’s dessert-themed Android update has become stale. Well, not really. It’s just that Google Play is officially ending support for devices running Android 4.4 KitKat. This doesn’t come out of the blue as Google has been actively retiring support for older versions of the OS to ensure that the OS platform and the Play Store remain secure.

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Source: Google

Android 4.4, aka Android KitKat, has been around for nearly 10 years already. The update was one of the most significant updates for the Android operating system at the time. The update brought an overhaul and standardization to the design language of Android at the time.

According to the latest breakdown of Android versions on the market, Android KitKat stood at 0.5% of devices currently available globally. It seems like it’s enough for Google to finally end support for the version on the Google Play Store. The same report also indicated that Android 5.0 and Android 6 are at 1.8% and 2.3% respectively.

It goes without saying, if you have a device running Android KitKat you may want to update it before August 2023 if you can. Otherwise, you won’t be able to use the Play Store anymore. If there’s no official updates, many Android smartphones and tablets are well supported by the community with more updated versions of the OS based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) that you can sideload.