Apple and Google hardly agree on many things when it comes to their consumer offerings. When we say that they hardly agree, of course we do not mean that they are always on each other’s throats on every single issue. They offer two wildly different products that arrive at the same solution most of the time. Take Android and iOS for example, both highly successful smartphone platforms that offer an app ecosystem, smart integrations, and even machine learning based digital assistants. Both platforms look vastly different and function even more so in the hands of consumers though. There is a common denominator for both Google’s and Apple’s offerings though – privacy and security.
In this case though, while Apple and Google share the same concern over privacy and security, their approach can also be quite different. Android’s privacy and security layer has a slightly different depth compared to Apple’s. The Apple Play Store and Google Play Store ensure that app developers comply to certain practices and regulations to stay relevant, but both Apple and Google offer slightly different guidelines for their app marketplaces. Still, if developers want to have their app listed on both stores, their apps naturally must comply to both Apple’s and Google’s guidelines. Not so for location tracking devices so far though.
Apple introduced a clever Bluetooth based location-tracking tool we now know as AirTags. While the AirTags were intended as a sort of keychain or tool to keep track of your things at home or as a reminder for you not to leave things in your favourite café, the reality is a little different. A few weeks after AirTags were introduced, there were reports of the tiny pucks used for stalking purposes. To be fair, while AirTags was the center of attention in many of these cases, Apple’s solution was not the one being used in privacy invasion cases. Solutions from manufacturers like Samsung got involved shortly after they were introduced. To be fair though, thanks to the sophistication of the AirTags, offenders preferred Apple’s solution.
Over the years, Apple has introduced new measures as a stop gap solution to ensure that users are not being unwantedly tracked by other individuals. One of the solutions was a sort of notification when an AirTag device that your iPhone does not recognize comes in proximity via Find My app on the iOS. But this is only a solution for AirTags, what about others in the field? This is where Google also comes in.
Google does not make their own Bluetooth based location-tracking tool, but their partnering manufacturers do. Players like Samsung, Tile, and a few others make tracking devices that can easily pair to both Android and iOS devices. That also means there needs to be a standardized specification to ensure that all the trackers are as safe as one another to use. Yes, it is a beneficial thing for us the users.
Google and Apple’s partnership in the issue of standardizing Bluetooth based locating-tracking tools is a big step forward for this segment in the industry. In one way, it allows other players in the industry to catch up to what Apple has done with their AirTags. It ensures that industry players comply to a certain standard in making these little tracking devices, meaning there will be standardized parts produced by a single or multiple manufacturers creating economies of scale allowing the technology to be a lot more accessible. Standardized parts not only ensure that the industry can be policed at higher standards, but it also offers plenty more compatibility for users. It could allow Android users to use an AirTag to track their keys, for example and vice versa.
For now, standardized specifications for these trackers are not yet a reality. Google and Apple have submitted their draft proposal to the authorities for now, which means you can only expect to see some sort of results in the coming few months. Samsung, Tile, Chipolo, eufy Security, and Pebblebee have expressed their support in the program, which is a good sign for the proposal. Google and Apple expects to have some sort of production guideline and implementation by the end of 2023 with support for both iOS and Android in the same timeline.
Last year, iOS users got their first dibs in unlocking their cars; well, their BMWs with their smartphone. They call this a Digital Key Plus and it was made exclusively for the iPhone. With ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, a sort of secure wireless communication technology that was introduced in the iPhone not too long before. They also introduced the same technology in Samsung’s Galaxy device and a few Android devices a few years ago onward. To be fair, the technology was introduced specifically for modern cars that now offers keyless entry technology. The technology was meant to be worked into a digital key that you can use to unlock and drive your car even without the original key from the manufacturers for the specific cars. So far though the only manufacturer that has been progressive enough to introduce digital keys for smartphones is BMW, for iPhone users.
That will not be the case anymore though, at least in terms of only iPhone users getting BMW’s love. BMW have updated their cars to bring digital keys to Samsung and a few Google Pixel devices running Android 13 and supporting UWB connection. Samsung devices from the Galaxy S21 Ultra onward with UWB support can now unlock BMW cars. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, Z Fold 3, Note 20 also can now support UWB digital keys. Select Google Pixel smartphone like the Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro can unlock BMW cars with UWB digital keys too.
There is another caveat too with the new UWB digital key function. The function will only work with BMW vehicles produced November 2022 onward with older vehicles to be added in the future via a software update.
BMW says that the function can be easily activated via the My BMW app, available on the Google Play Store. Once activated, your smartphone becomes your Digital Key Plus. That also means that you can leave your physical keys in the drawer and drive your car as if it had a key in it just if you carry your smartphones with the My BMW app with you. It does not just unlock your car and allow you to drive it wherever you want to go, you can also program the BMW to lock itself as you walk away from your BMW. That way you can walk away from your car without worrying about locking your cars.
For now, BMW has not opened the function to any other Android devices. As more Android smartphones feature UWB function on the smartphones, we are suspecting that BMW will also start offering more Digital Key Plus support to other devices. BMW will not be the only manufacturer that jumps on the Digital Key bandwagon too as more smartphones support UWB.
If you are looking for a flagship smartphone experience like no other, you are spoiled by choice today. You can choose between offerings from Samsung, OnePlus, OPPO, HONOR, Xiaomi, and even Apple, if you please. The thing is these manufacturers make rather similar smartphones. They always come in the same recipe – metallic frame, glass backing that houses a high-resolution camera, and a glass front that protects a rather large high-resolution display. They also always promised some sort of state-of-the-art cooling solution. If you are looking for something different, the flagship from these manufacturers might not cut it.
For a while now, if you have been looking for a different flavour on your flagship smartphone, you can go the route of gaming smarpthones from the likes of Razer, Blackshark, and most recently, Lenovo. But these manufacturers have sort of phased out too. There are no more Blackshark smartphones for 2023, Razer has not updated their Razer Phone line up, and Lenovo has yet to update their latest handheld gaming creation. The only one we can look to right now is ASUS and their ROG Phone. In that case if you want a unique flagship smartphone for 2023, ASUS’ ROG Phone series is the one for you.
Welcome to the ASUS ROG Phone 7 series, the latest creation from the skunkworks of ASUS. It is the latest and currently the most powerful gaming smartphone you have ever seen. As with any previous ASUS ROG Phone devices, it is one of the most striking looking devices you have laid your eyes on, at least amongst all the flagships you can find in the current market.
Formidable Power
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
It packs an immensely powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform. Alongside the powerful system on a chip (SoC) is a 16GB LPDDR5X RAM (up to) and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. All these are designed so that the top-of-the-line ASUS ROG Phone works through games as fast as the current technology allows. It is made to be the ultimate expression of a gaming handheld that is also a smartphone.
Wrapped around the powerful uniquely tuned internals is something ASUS calls the GameCool 7 thermal control system. That means you get even an even better gaming performance out of the ROG Phone 7 smartphone than any other flagship you can find in the current market. At the same time, the new cooling system keeps the smartphone running at a lower temperature over regular flagship smartphones while keeping power consumption lower than even regular smartphones. They say the new GameCool 7 system offers a new rapid-cycle vapor chamber design that offers 168% heat dissipation efficiency that the ROG Phone that came before.
Better Audio, Better Cooling, Better Controls
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
The result is a quite a beefy shell with a few tricks up its sleeves. Within the beefy device is a new stereo speaker that is said to be 50% more powerful than before. The new speaker system is also tuned by Dirac, an audio specialist. You can also turn it into a 2.1 channel system when you attach the new AeroActive Cooler 7 accessory to the device. If you prefer a more personal experience in a crowd, the Dirac tuned Dirac Virtuo 3.5mm headphone jack offers an unparalleled theatre-like spatial sound experience. If you prefer a more wireless approach, the Snapdragon Sound technology offers super-low-latency high-fidelity Bluetooth audio experience.
The new AeroActive Cooler 7 attachment is one of the things that makes the ROG Phone 7 series even more unique than ever before. It offers a cooling solution that does not just cool the glass surface of the device’s back, the new fan design allows for more effective basic active cooling, but a unique AeroActive Portal air inlet system allows the fan to cycle even more air throughout the device’s internals for even more efficient cooling.
ASUS also kept certain things that kept the ROG Phone unique since its inception. One of them is the Air Trigger ultrasonic buttons at the side of the device that offers even more control avenues and options of the ROG Phone device. It is also what gives users of the ROG Phone even more advantage in an already overpowered gaming device in games. It is not the basic haptic feedback touch buttons that they used to be in the first ASUS ROG Phone though. The latest AirTrigger offers a slew of gesture controls including Dual Action, Press and Lift, and even Gyroscope gaming, just like the Nintendo Switch and even the Steam Deck for fine tuning your aim. Within the ROG Phone 7 series devices are 10 motion controls and X-axis liner motors that offers powerful haptic feedback like no other smartphone can.
The Best Display Ever
All these things great hardware goes into creating the most immersive gaming experience you can have on a smartphone with a large Samsung AMOLED display that offers up to 165Hz in refresh rate. The panel also offers up to 720Hz in sampling rate for the lowest-in-class input latency, useful in gaming. The Pixelworks tuned AMOLED panel also offers ΔE<1 and a maximum of 1,500 nits in brightness for not only stunning, colour accurate visuals indoors, but also outdoors.
For the ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate there is an additional matrix colour display that sits at the back of the device they call the ROG Vision. The feature, first presented in the ROG Phone 6 Ultimate offers users extra information like charging status, incoming calls, X Mode activation, personalized animations, and even more.
Price and Availability
ASUS Malaysia has confirmed that the ASUS ROG Phone 7 series will make its way to Malaysia by the 10th of May 2023. There is no official pricing just yet for Malaysia. In Europe though, prices start at EUR€ 999, which is about MYR 4,849*. It will be available in Phantom Black and Storm White colour options. For more information on the ROG Phone 7 series, you can always visit ASUS’ website.
*Approximately based on the exchange rate of EUR€ 1 = MYR 4.85 on xe.com as of 18/04/2023
vivo’s sub-brand iQOO is bringing high performance to a more affordable price with their new iQOO Z7 and Z7x. The two new phones bring Qualcomm’s best mid-range processors to smartphones that cater for those who need powerful devices on a budget.
The iQOO Z7 spearheads the new lineup with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 782G. Qualcomm’s processor strikes a balance between performance and power efficiency. The 6nm process allows Qualcomm the leeway to combine both performance and power efficiency cores with Qualcomm’s Kryo technology. iQOO combines this processor with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage to complete their affordable performance smartphone. The Z7x makes the package even more affordable with the Snapdragon 695 5G. On the Z7x, this is paired with a maximum of 8GB of RAM with up to 256GB of internal storage.
Both the iQOO Z7 and the iQOO Z7x come with a 6.64-inch LCD display with 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut. The display also comes with a 120Hz refresh rate for faster, smoother visual performance. Together with this, the phones come with NFC support and dual stereo speakers. The Z7 also comes with a 3.5mm combo audio jack and an infrared blaster. Both also run on Android 13 with vivo’s Funtouch OS.
On the camera side of things, the Z7x comes with an 8-megapixel selfie camera while the Z7 comes with a 16-megapixel camera. The main camera setup is a dual sensor setup with a 64-megapixel main camera with optical image stabilization (OIS) on the iQOO Z7 while the Z7x comes with a 50-megapixel main camera. Both are complemented by a 2-megapixel depth sensor.
The two smartphones come with large-capacity batteries. The iQOO Z7 has a 5,000mAh battery with support for 120W dual-cell FlashCharge while the Z7x comes with a larger 6,000mAh battery with support for 80W FlashCharge.
Pricing & Availability
The iQOO Z7 is available in its signature Matrix Blue colour while the Z7x is available in a slightly different Tropical Blue as its signature colour. Both are also in Metallic Black. Prices for the devices and available variants are as below. Purchases of the smartphones
Model
Variant
Price (MYR)
Free Gift Offer
iQOO Z7
12GB RAM + 256GB onboard storage
1,499
– 1-year extended warranty – 1-year screen crack protection – Free gifts worth RM248, including an iQOO backpack or a Marshall key *Eligible for RM50 iQOO Student Discount programme voucher*
iQOO Z7
8GB RAM +128GB onboard storages
1,299
– 1-year extended warranty – 1-year screen crack protection – Free gifts worth RM248, including an iQOO backpack or a Marshall key *Eligible for RM50 iQOO Student Discount programme voucher*
iQOO Z7x
8GB RAM + 256GB onboard storage
1,099
– 1-year extended warranty – 1-year screen crack protection – Free gifts worth RM248, including an iQOO backpack or a Marshall key *Eligible for RM50 iQOO Student Discount programme voucher*
iQOO Z7x
8GB RAM +128GB onboard storage
999
– 1-year extended warranty – 1-year screen crack protection – Free gifts worth RM248, including an iQOO backpack or a Marshall key *Eligible for RM50 iQOO Student Discount programme voucher*
The Sony Walkman brand started in 1979 with personal battery powered cassette players. That was genesis for the portable audio industry, one of the first personal audio player small enough to fit in your pockets. The boom in the stereoscopic headphone industry can also be attributed to that.
In 2001, Apple brought their famous iPod to market. When that launched, the iPod became the household name for portable audio. All the other brands, including Sony’s Walkman, had to take a backseat.
Today, something like an iPod is ‘old-fashioned’. You can store lossless audio files and even play them on a modern smartphone. There are many streaming platforms today as well offering you music and even podcasts at the same time.
For all of these, you trade audio quality for convenience. Proper audio processors will make your smartphones bigger. Your streaming platforms use highly compressed audio for better economy, latency, and efficient storage.
For audiophiles and purists though, convenience is a hindrance to purity and greatness. A dedicated media player is always the way to go. Sony’s Walkman is still one of the biggest brands in this space. In the Walkman stables, there are also options to fit different budgets.
One of their latest additions to the Walkman family is the NW-A306, a mid-range media player for enthusiasts. It packs Android 12, like a smartphone. It is an extra device in your gear bag that will set you back MYR 1,599. In that case, is this relevant? Is it even worth the asking price?
Design
It looks like a rather compact and thick smartphone. Thanks to Android 12, it feels like an actual smartphone. Unlike a smartphone though, this has more buttons than the usual on/off an volume rocker buttons.
The front of the device is a glass plane protecting a 3.6-inch LCD panel and Sony branding at the bottom. The camera-less ridged back plate with a Walkman badge carved into it is aluminium. The ridge is meant to improve grip, we think. We reckon that a cheap silicon case would do a better job.
The sides are also aluminium like the back plate. On the right side of the device is where all your media and volume control buttons are. There is also a ‘hold’ toggle to prevent accidental presses. The entire device speaks quality and feels rigid, durable.
You can only get the NW-A306 in boring ol’ black. It is not meant to attract attention though. We would go so far to say that the Sony NW-A306 is meant to be subtle and stealthy.
Hardware
Sony does not mention the sort of processor inside the device. It is made with audio in mind though. For that, Sony has several effects processors inside for better audio reproduction and immersive effects.
USB Type-C (USB3.2 Gen1) Bluetooth 5.0 (A2DP, AVRCP, SPP, OPP, DID) LDAC AptX AptX HD DSEE Ultimate Vinyl Processor ClearAudio+ 360 Reality Audio Hi-Res Audio Hi-Res Audio Wireless 10-band equaliser
Features
You can upload MP3 files in the thousands, which would be a waste. You want FLAC or WAV format in the NW-A306 to get the best out of it. If you can, you want DSD format audio for it.
Android 12 Interface
Android is a familiar interface. Everything is intuitive and where you expect to find them. Even if it is not the most updated Android 13, it is familiar and simple to work with.
You still get Bluetooth and WiFi, but that is about it for connectivity. You will not be able to customize too much in terms of your back, recent apps, and home button too. But they are there, like a regular Android.
You can access Google Play Store. You can install Netflix and Prime Video, but you watch movies at HD resolution and on a miniscule screen, we do not recommend it. You can install other media players for it if you want alongside Spotify and Tidal.
DSD Audio Playback
All the NW-A306’s hardware goes into supporting one of the best lossless audio formats you can get. While technically you do not lose too much audio artifact through 32-bit FLAC and WAV formats, you still lose some artifact thanks to limited sampling rate at up to 384 KHz. That is not the case for DSD format.
The specific DSD format the NW-A306 plays is up to DSD 256, or DSD 11.2 Mhz. Whichever way you look at it, 11,289,600 Hz is plenty more than 384,000 Hz, meaning you get a lot more detail in your audio. FLAC and WAV formats offer better depth though. At up to 32-bit, you technically have much higher volume floors offering more powerful and full low-end sounds. Even then, 1-bit DSD 256 format audio contains somewhat more detail and with the right headphones, you might prefer it.
The difference is marginal and might not sound too different over untrained ears. You also need quality headphones with neutral and balanced drivers to tell the difference. Sony does not include any earphones with the NW-A306.
Direct, or Processed
The amount of customization and upscaling you can get from Sony’s media player is nothing short of astonishing. If you thought that Sony’s wireless headphones do well in upscaling audio, you might want to try one of these with a decent pair of headphones.
You get DSEE Ultimate, DC Phase Linearizer, Dynamic Normaliser, Vinyl Processor, and if you are too lazy to find out what you like; you get ClearAudio+ to cleverly transform your music listening experience via a single toggle. If you do not like any of those upscaling artifacts, you can even get to bypass all of Sony’s filters and effects via Direct Source mode or tune it to your personal preference with a 10-band equalizer.
We are not going to go into the technical bits of each effect that Sony offers. All you need to know is that each effect offers a different enhancement to your audio and some of them are pretty self-explanatory. Vinyl processor for example, offers a vinyl like listening experience which adds some warmth and reverb into your audio. We simply turned on ClearAudio+, which will turn off access to every other individual effect.
ClearAudio+ offers Sony’s DSEE Extreme, and other clever AI based effects to enhance your audio from a single toggle. You get more details in your music and the algorithm boosts your volumes a little too. Without ClearAudio+, we set the media player at more than 80% volume. With ClearAudio+, we only need to turn it up to 75% at the maximum.
Sony’s clever DSEE and ClearAudio+ does not just work for the regular DSD or FLAC audio you put into your media player. It also works for the music streaming apps like Spotify and Tidal. You can turn on Hi-Res streaming and the NW-A306 will cleverly upscale your output to 192kHz/32-bit quality.
Your Portable DAC
If you plug it into your PC via a USB cable, you might see a DAC mode on offer. It is not the straightforward plug-and-play solution we expected though. You want to have Sony’s Music Center app for your PC, or Hi-Res Audio Player for Mac. On PC, you are limited to 32-bit 48kHz input/output, which is not quite Hi-Res. Once you have your app installed, and you plug in your device to the PC or Mac via USB, and then select USB DAC mode, you must go into the Walkman app and find “USB DAC” button on the main library screen. Only once you activate DAC mode from there then only you can start enjoying it as your DAC.
With the NW-A306 as your DAC your music listening experience is transformed and you really feel like you are listening to a completely different device even with Tidal and Spotify. You get a much wider sound stage and improved dynamics. Your highs and lows are more distinct and plenty more detailed. You even get deeper lows and better volumes out of your PC.
There is a small matter of delay though. Pressing play on your Tidal or Spotify player takes about a second for the action to turn into audio. It is negligible for music, but it may not be ideal for Gaming or Movies.
Bluetooth Audio + LDAC + Qualcomm aptX HD
Unlike plenty of traditional media players, the Walkman can be used with Bluetooth enabled headphones. It is not just Sony’s headphones though. You can use it with any Bluetooth headphones. We tested it with the Sony WH-1000XM4.
The WH-1000XM4 is not a Qualcomm device with aptX HD chip. Instead, it works with Sony’s proprietary LDAC for the best possible Bluetooth audio experience. If you do have any other headphones that supports aptX HD though, you can work with the media player.
While it is Bluetooth enabled, the sound quality is only as good as Bluetooth 5.0 allows it to be. It also highly depends on the version and calibration of the Bluetooth gear. We think that using a wireless set-up with the NW-A306 is not the best. It is convenient though.
360 Reality Audio
The NW-A306 is marketed to be capable of 360 Reality Audio. The effects of the surround sound are highly dependent on your listening gear too. You want to have a compatible set-up for this. The WH-1000XM4, for example, is sufficiently capable.
We can also only get 360 Reality Audio music and audio from Tidal at this time. That also means that you have to rely on using Tidal to take advantage of 360 Reality Audio. The Walkman app refuses to play 5-channel FLAC and DSD audio files.
We spoke about 360-Reality Audio at length when we reviewed the WH-1000XM4. In that case, we are not going to elaborate on the 360 Reality Audio experience here. In short, we like it.
Performance – There is a Difference
The NW-A306 is not a gimmick. Even at this price range, there is an actual difference between listening to audio with this media player over your modern smartphones. That does not only come from us.
We pitted the NW-A306 against a modern smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, and used Tidal as the benchmark. We used a Shure SE535 in-ear monitor earphones on both devices with custom cable from KZ. For the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, we used a USB Type-C to 3.5mm DAC adapter from UGreen.
Smartphone Versus NW-A306
Even with Tidal, there are differences. You get slightly more dynamic range from the NW-A306 than you get on the smartphone. Volumes do not necessarily differ all that much between the two devices, but you get more granular control over volume with the media player. There are also slightly more details in the music on the NW-A306.
Just so that we eliminate any fanboy bias, we let others test the NW-A306 against the smartphone. Most are not able to define the difference, but they preferred the listening experience from the Sony media player. While there are differences, they are so marginal that most might consider it negligible.
Going Hi-Res
Once we get to FLAC and DSD files though, the media player makes more sense. Those who have tested the media player with FLAC and DSD audio reports that you get a significant boost in sound quality. Most of them also prefers DSD audio formats than FLAC. To be fair, we could only get our hands on 24-bit/192kHz FLAC files at the maximum while the DSD files go up to 11.2MHz at 1-bit.
With FLAC, WAV, and DSD format audio, you are getting a tremendous amount of detail pumped into your ears. You get a full sense of width and depth of the dynamic range with these files. You are technically getting CD quality sounds and better. Audio is not just accurate; it also sounds great and clean.
Some Electronic Interference
It is not perfect though. There is still some electronic hiss that goes through to the headphones. You are likely going to put your audio levels at about 70 – 75% volume and the hiss is noticeable at those volume ranges. Once you start playing your music though, the hiss disappears behind the music.
Only 10-Band?
You can switch off ClearAudio+ to select the effects you want and tune your audio via the 10-band equalizer. We think that Sony could give us more than 10-band in their equalizer option for even more control. This is still better than what you get with your Sony Music app on your smartphone though.
Battery Life
Sony says you can get 36 hours of non-stop music playing time with MP3 music. If you play DSD 11.2MHz files exclusively, you only get 14 hours of playback time. This is also considering that you are using a wired 3.5mm jack headphone. That easily covers an entire flight from Kuala Lumpur to London for example.
In our tests, we have not been able to extend the battery life to 14 hours while playing FLAC and DSD files. We estimated that the battery can last up to 10-12 hours in a single full charge at least in our test with music played through the Walkman app. We do recon that you can get about 14 hours of playback time out of it though if you keep your screen turned off while playing music.
The Sony NW-A306 – You Do Not Need it, But You Kind of Want It
At MYR 1,599, it is not what we will call a budget or even sensible buy. While it does sound better than the regular ol’ smartphone, it is marginal if you are only relying on music streaming platforms like Spotify and Tidal. To most, the difference is not enough to justify spending MYR 1,599 for an extra piece of kit to carry. The tiny HD resolution display is not exactly the best to enjoy Netflix and Video Prime on. To source for FLAC or DSD files is an effort too.
When you make the extra effort though, the NW-A306 makes sense. You get an elevated music experience over smartphones. It is no larger than a modern smartphone, making it rather portable. You have the convenience of wireless headphones but spending extra money on a great pair of wired headphones gets you an uncompromised listening experience. You can even use it as a DAC for your PC. If you can appreciate all of that, MYR 1,599 now seems more reasonable.
Is it relevant? We think it is. It is made for those who do not want to compromise too much on sound quality – audiophiles. It is for those who want to keep their devices separate from each other by function. It is for those who want no distraction from their music, a sort of separation between work and enjoyment.
At MYR 1,599, this NW-A306 is reasonably accessible. There are going to be other costs that is attached to buying this music player. You are going to have to spend more on a decent pair of wired headphones. You are also going to be spending a little bit of money on your music collection. Thing is, if audio quality is everything to you, it is worth it.
Google just updated their policy just last week to ensure that users have more control over their own data on apps and account on their selected apps. This week, they are updating the app itself to add a little bit more automation on the app. While it may sound a little counter-intuitive especially with the whole initiative in giving users more control over their own smartphone and data, it is a good update for users.
Smartphones in the modern world allow you to have thousands of apps in your smartphone. In fact, you would install thousands of apps on your smartphone. All these takes up precious storage on your smartphone and when you find a new app you could use, you run out of storage space before you know it. To install the new app, you must clear up your storage by deleting things on your smartphone, uninstall apps. Thing is, you might want to keep those apps still because they could come in handy. You want to ensure that your app data is still in your smartphone in case you want to start running the app again. There is a way, thanks to Google’s latest update to Google Play.
You can now opt-in for Google Play’s new ‘auto-archive’ function. According to Google’s developer blog update, the function will help the user free up space on their smartphones without the need to manually uninstall apps from their smartphone. Google Play cleverly partially remove an app that you have not used for a long time on your smartphone to give way for newer and more functional apps. It is not really completely uninstalled though; the app’s data is still stored within the smartphone and you can re-download the app when you want to use it again as long as the app is still available on Google Play Store.
Of course, the function is not only an opt-in for the user, but also for developers. Their apps would have to have the function built into their app. They would also have to be using App Bundle to publish their apps on Google Play Store. Once their app enables the auto-archive function, the apps will be less likely to turn up on uninstall suggestions when users want to clear their smartphone’s storage.
Source: Google Blog
For users to opt-in, a prompt will trigger when a user tries to install an app on their smartphone with full storage. The prompt will appear and ask if the user would like to enable auto-archive. Once the user enables auto-archive, Google Play will cleverly do its thing to archive apps you hardly use or have not been using for a long time to free up some storage space for the new app. No, you do not have to do much, just make sure your Google Play Store is up to date to get the function.
Ever since HONOR has stepped out as an independent smartphone manufacturer, the brand has gone from strength to strength. They have successfully launched their own smartphones packing their own MagicOS based on Android with Google Play Store access for a couple of years now. While they have not been able to completely shake off their HUAWEI ties or association, they do make respectable smartphones that are rather appealing too.
Their latest addition to the stable is the Magic5 series announced in MWC 2023. You get to choose between vanilla model or a Pro variant in this series. They also launched a rather interesting foldable, the Magic Vs alongside the Magic5, but we are going to focus on the Magic5 series here.
HONOR Magic5 Pro
Source: HONOR
The Magic5 Pro is built to be the true 2023 flagship for HONOR. They started out with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 system on a chip (SoC), the fastest and most powerful processing chip for an Android smartphone to date. The octa-core chip is then paired to 12GB of RAM for good measure and to avoid bottlenecks in multitasking conditions. You get 512GB of storage too for good measure.
Part of the 512GB of storage holds the Android 13 based MagicOS 7.1 interface that shows on the large 6.82-inch display. The OLED panel offers 2,848 by 1,312 pixels, which is not quite QHD+, but more than Full HD+. It is a 10-bit display offering up to 1.07 billion colours and up to 1800nits in brightness though. It is also an LTPO panel that offers up to 120Hz in refresh rate for that extra smooth feel. The glass that protects the display also protects a 12-Megapixel front-facing camera supported by a 3-Megapixel depth sensor with up to 4K resolution video recording capabilities.
The HONOR Magic5 Pro’s party piece, the Falcon Triple Main Camera as HONOR puts it, is its main camera array at the back. Arranged in a familiar ‘halo’ design, the HONOR Magic5 Pro offers three 50-Megapixel sensors at the back. One is obviously a regular 24mm wide-angle shooter, the other is an ultra-wide shooter, and the last one is a telephoto lens capable of 3.5x optical zoom and up to 100x digital zoom. All of them offer optical image stabilisation (OIS) too if you are worried about your clammy hands. Of course, the camera array supports video recording at 4K resolution. They say also that the camera is faster than ever before, hence the name Falcon.
Keeping everything running for an entire day and possibly more is a 5,100mAh battery pack within the glass and aluminium constructed body. It supports HONOR’s 66W Supercharge technology which will still allow you to get going with a full charge in just about an hour’s time. If you prefer to just leave your device on the table to get it wirelessly charging, the device is capable of a 50W charge wirelessly.
HONOR Magic5
Source: HONOR
The more premium Magic5 Pro may be appealing and can be recognised as the true flagship for HONOR. The vanilla is not too far behind though, in that case we think that the vanilla Magic5 is worth more than a look thanks to the value it offers. It is everything that is the Magic5 Pro with a few minor differences.
It packs the same SoC, for one. It also comes with the same amount of RAM. The storage is a little smaller though at 256GB. While the display is smaller at 6.73-inch, you still get an OLED panel that offers more than Full HD+ in resolution. You still get up to 120Hz in refresh rate and DCI-P3 colour gamut at up to 1600nits in brightness.
You lose one camera out in front. You also lose a little resolution the camera at only 12-Megapixel, but no matter, you still shoot videos at 4K resolution. Out the back is a more powerful main camera at 54-Megapixel. The ultra-wide camera remains the same at 50-Megapixel. The trade off is on the telephoto camera that offers 32-Megapixel and only up to 50x digital zoom.
It is still an Android 13 device offering MagicOS 7.1 interface though. Within the glass and aluminium construction is still a large 5,100mAh battery. It still charges at 66W but does not get wireless charging.
Price and Availability
Source: HONOR
The HONOR Magic5 starts at MYR 3,499. You can get one in either Glacier Blue or Black colour. The vanilla HONOR Magic5 will go on sale starting 28th of April 2023. There are no pre-order programmes for this one.
The HONOR Magic5 Pro does have a pre-order programme. You can now pre-order your HONOR Magic5 Pro up until the 13th of April 2023. Shipping starts the day after that and you can pre-order your device from their own online stores, partner retailers, and even their official stores on Shopee and Lazada. Each pre-order entitles you to free gifts worth over MYR 1,200 while stocks last. The HONOR Magic5 Pro is available in Meadow Green and Black Colour options for MYR 4,299). For more information on HONOR’s Magic5 and Magic5 Pro, you can visit their website.
Xiaomi’s Redmi lineup has long been one of the most affordable smartphones available on the market. With the Redmi Note 11 series, the lineup took a step closer to bringing flagship-class specs with its 108-megapixel camera. This year, the series inches even closer with a 200-megapixel camera and high-performance display.
The new series comes with three entries – for now. Spearheading the lineup is the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G which comes with a 200-megapixel camera and the MediaTek Dimensity 1080. The Note 12 Pro+ 5G also comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage and runs on Android 12 with MIUI 14. On the entry-level side of things is the Redmi Note 12 without 5G which comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 685 with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage and comes with a 50-megapixel camera. Sitting right in the middle of the lineup is the Redmi Note 12 5G which comes with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1. It comes with a 48-megapixel camera and up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal space.
The hallmark of the new lineup is the 200-megapixel sensor which comes as the main sensor on the Pro+. This main sensor is complemented by an 8-megapixel ultrawide sensor and a 2-megapixel macro camera. On the front of the Pro+ is a 16-megapixel selfie camera. The Pro+ comes with a 6.67-inch FHD+ Flow AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 900 nits peak brightness and Dolby Vision support. The Pro+ is also the only one in the lineup which comes with a dual-curved design making it more ergonomic.
The Redmi Note 12 5G’s 48-megapixel sensor is complemented by 8-megapixel ultrawide and 2-megapixel macro sensors. It comes with a 13-megapixel on the front. Display-wise it comes with a 6.67-inch AMOLED DotDisplay with a 120Hz refresh rate, 1,200 nits peak brightness and Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The 5G version of the Redmi Note 12 comes with a curved back.
The Redmi Note 12 without 5G comes in a completely flat form factor. It has the same camera setup complementing its 50-megapixel sensor and selfie camera as the Redmi Note 12 5G. Even the display is the same. The major differences here are its processor, the lack of 5G connectivity and the 50-megapixel sensor.
The smartphones are IP53 splash and dust resistance certified. Xiaomi has also opted to keep the 3.5mm combo jack and IR blaster. All versions come with side-mounted fingerprint sensors which are embedded into the power button. They also all come with a 5,000mAh battery with 33W Fast Charging. However, Pro+ ups the ante a little bit with 120W HyperCharge.
Pricing & Availability
The Redmi Note 12 series will be available for pre-order in Malaysia starting on April 6, 2023. During this pre-order, purchases will be entitled to a free Redmi Smart Band 2. The e-commerce exclusive Redmi Note 12 (6GB + 128GB) will be available at a discounted price of MYR659 during this period.
In-store sales begin from April 15 onwards. Purchases made from this date onwards will be entitled to free Redmi Buds 4 Lite while stocks last.
Purchases and Pre-orders can be made at authorised Xiaomi dealers and the Xiaomi storefronts on Shopee and Lazada.
The official pricing and variants available are listed below.
Data privacy and security is a big topic. It is also something Apple and Google, the world’s largest tech firms, have been working on for a long time. Over time, Google and Apple have both separately introduce new measures and policies for their developers to improve on security and giving more privacy access to their users. In their latest policy update, Google might make things easier for you if you wish to opt out or finally delete an app you no longer want to use.
As of yesterday, Google has introduced a few key initiatives for their Google Play store for 2023 and beyond. In their latest blog update, they are looking to achieve a few things with their initiative an policy update. Ads is still a big thing for Google, but they are looking to soften ads served to users. You are not getting any less ads, but Google seems to limit the amount of data that you share with apps and therefore shared across ad algorithms.
Google is also introducing a new Play Integrity API that is supposed to better protect their developers and the IP that comes with the apps. Alongside the enhanced API, Google is also introducing Google Play SDK Index so that developers have better overview over their SDK uses. In all this, they also look to balance the experience for developers and users by ensuring that there are better policies in place to ensure that data collection is done as responsibly as possible. At the same time, they want to make Google Play even safer for children and families, all through the updated policy.
Source: Google
The biggest emphasis, at least according to another blog update, is allowing more data control for its users. It is not just about accessing and viewing more data than ever. While that is also a part of an improved transparency over users’ data, the policy update requires developers to allow their users to have even more control and deliberation with their own data on their selected platforms. It is also more than just allowing you to choose which data or hardware that the app gets access to.
Modern apps requires us to hold a virtual account with the provider’s platform to use. Even if you are using a Google account to sign into different apps, the platform technically creates another account for you just for their platform. If you wish to create a separate account, you can too via the apps. What most apps does not allow you to do though is to reverse that process. That is about to change.
In Google’s latest policy for developers, developers are going to be required to enable in-app account deletion or at least initiate the account deletion process via their apps. Google also requires the developer to allow the app deletion process and initiation to be done completely online too so that users do not have to reinstall an app just to delete their account. Since the account deletion process can be done completely via your app, you also do not have to access two different devices to delete your user data off their platforms.
Source: Google
With the policy as well, Google states that any account deletion must also be accompanied with a complete deletion of a user’s data from their database. In that case, users also get an option to either keep or delete their data from a developer’s database when their delete their accounts. There are going to be cases where developers might require data retention for security, fraud prevention, or regulatory compliance. In that case, the developer must clearly state that they will have hold your data for whatever reason they cite.
Google is looking to enforce their policy starting December 2023. They are allowing for extensions for developers up until May 2024. That also means that you can expect all your apps to include your account deletion feature from 2024 onward. Of course, this policy will not just affect Android users with access to Google Play. This most likely will also translate to users of other platforms since the policy does affect most developers that are on both Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Technically, this is not the first we heard of Samsung partnering with AMD to bring Radeon graphics into the mobile space. AMD technically licensed their RDNA architecture to Samsung in 2019. That partnership gave birth to something called the Samsung Xclipse, a mobile GPU with AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture built into it. It was the first of the world’s mobile GPU with ray-tracing and variable rate shading capabilities. It was also rumoured to match the performances of modern gaming consoles.
Samsung Xclipse did not see the light of day in our everyday products though. While we expected Samsung to integrate the product in to their Samsung Galaxy S flagship smartphones and Galaxy Tab S tablets, it never really happened. Instead, the Samsung Galaxy S23 and Galaxy Tab S line-up today features a third-party Qualcomm Snapdragon system on a chip (SoC). You will not be able to opt for Samsung’s in-house Exynos chips with the flagship devices too globally, because that high-end Exynos chip does not exist as of yet.
That might change in the coming iterations of Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab S device though. As per the title, Samsung has just signed a new licensing agreement with AMD. This agreement is not a renewal, but rather an expansion of the original agreement with AMD. The expansion now allows Samsung to integrate AMD’s Radeon RDNA architecture into an expanded portfolio, that includes more Exynos chips. This is where it could get interesting.
The expansion could allow Samsung to integrate the RDNA 2, or even RDNA 3 technology into their latest Exynos chips. While Samsung has yet to reveal a high-end world beater SoC, they are putting their Exynos chips into mid-range smartphones. You could potentially get a Samsung Galaxy A series smartphone with RDNA 2 or even RDNA 3 built into their Exynos platform. That also means that Samsung could boast console level gaming experience on their more accessible mid-range smartphone series. In that case, their mid-range smartphones could be a lot more appealing than flagship smartphone if all you are looking for in your smartphone is raw processing power.
The expansion could also mean that Samsung has been holding back on high-end Exynos chips because they have been working with AMD behind closed doors to offer that fabled Exynos SoC with RDNA 2 or even RDNA 3 graphics architecture in tow. In which case, they might have bragging rights in introducing the world’s first flagship smartphone that is capable of hardware ray-tracing and variable rate shading. You will also get console level gaming experience out of the device, obviously.
The thing is, we are not expecting to see the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series with Samsung’s Exynos with AMD Radeon graphics in tow anytime soon. The soonest we can expect to see the AMD Radeon name gracing a Samsung Galaxy device is probably in 2024, with the Samsung Galaxy S24. Even that is a far-fetched speculation we think and a very early one at that. All we can do currently is wait.
