There were rumours that Telegram will start offering a “premium” plan that allows users to have access to a more powerful Telegram than regular users. That rumour is not a rumour anymore though. As of today, Telegram has made that rumour a reality for about US$ 5 a month (MYR 22.99*).
Now is the time to ask; “why do you need to pay for Telegram Premium?”
As paying users, you get access to upload files with up to 4GB in size. That means you can technically send out an entire Full HD movie out to your friends via Telegram. Regular users can upload files up to 2GB. Paying users also get to download their files faster than before, as fast as your internet connection can go, which means that a 4GB file might not be too big of an issue when you have high-speed internet.
You get your limits doubled too with Telegram Premium. You can follow up to 1000 channels and groups. You can pin up to 10 chats instead of five. Instead of two accounts in a single app, premium users get to work with up to four accounts. At the same time, you can now write a longer bio on your Telegram profile with links in it. At the same time, with up to 400 saved GIFs, responding to texts with witty images is faster than ever.
Paying users can also convert voice to text within the chat now. Instead of listening to a voice note, you can just get Telegram to convert voice messages to texts. It also improves over time with your rating and input.
At the same time, paying users get to have unique reactions to texts. You have exclusive stickers that is only available to paying users and over 10 new exclusive emoji to react to messages. Even your profile pictures can be animated now, alongside a premium badge on your profile so that others know you are paying for Telegram. If you want, you can even change your app icon on your smartphone. Of course, the other improvement to Telegram with Premium is that you do not get served ads in public channels.
To get Telegram Premium, you must update your app to version 8.8 which is currently only available on iOS for now. The 8.8 update is coming to Android devices very soon, so we should see some paying users from both the iOS and Android realms. More information and improvements on Telegram version 8,8 can be found on their blog.
WhatsApp last week rolled out a new update to their app. No, they have not added the Communities functions yet. They are still testing the feature and they tell us that they are getting ready to launch it soon.
The update we are referring to last week is mostly an update to their privacy feature and a few other functions. One of the newer things they have finally added to give you more control over your own privacy is the ability to limit the information you share with the people you choose to share or not share them with. You can now block specific contacts from viewing your WhatsApp profile photos and statuses.
While this is a new feature to WhatsApp, Telegram users are already quite familiar with the function. In Addition to that, Telegram now also do not require users to register a phone number to be attached to the messenger account. WhatsApp still requires you to attach a phone number to your messenger account, which might not change for a while.
There is more that WhatsApp has updated. While group calls have been a thing for a long time on WhatsApp, the more granular control to group admins has not been a feature. Users must be responsible for their own call controls. While this may not be a bad thing in regular social calls, users who wants to use WhatsApp as their main instrument in corporate calls might find it annoying.
To address that, WhatsApp now allows hosts of group calls to mute other users. It could help a lot in muting users who might have forgotten to mute themselves in the call. Either that or if you do not want to listen to that person at all.
Muting people in a smaller group call could be easy but monitoring a large group (up to 32 participants) can be rather difficult. Since you can only rely on the small screens of your smartphones, there is also a limit to how many people can fit in your display. WhatsApp is making the interface much easier to work with though for larger group calls. The indicator not only helps you monitor large group calls but also alert you of late joiners to the call.
WhatsApp is looking to transform itself from being a simple messenger service to something that users can even rely on in a corporate setting. They announced the Communities feature a few months ago and that is still on track to becoming available to every WhatsApp user by the end of the year. It is now also a video calling and audio calling tool for its users as long as they get data or internet. Even with the backlash that was their privacy policy update last year, WhatsApp is still one of the most popular mobile messenger services we have come across and is still the messenger of choice by many Malaysians. The announcements made today are mentioned on WhatsApp’s Twitter account.
Sony announced the Xperia 1 globally a little over a month ago. Their new flagship smartphone is doubling down on its camera functions and also the ethos of being an exceptional creator’s device. It continues Sony’s minimalistic design and also still features some of the best when it comes to the company’s imaging technologies.
The smartphone is now available in Malaysia for pre-orders. It will be retailing for MYR6,099 – a very hefty ask in the current market. However, Sony is sweetening the pot by throwing in their popular WF-1000XM4. The true wireless, wireless earbuds retail for MYR1,099 by themselves. The earbuds have been lauded for their impressive audio quality and also their fit. You can get our take on them in our full review.
Packed with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and 12GB of RAM it’s definitely got the makings of a powerful device. With 256GB of internal memory and support for up to 1TB of additional storage with a microSD card, you wouldn’t be too hard-pressed for space when you shoot your content. The large 6.5-inch 4K HDR OLED screen will be able to show you everything in vivid detail.
On the optics side of things, the Xperia 1 IV comes with a triple sensor setup for its main camera. The main sensor is a 12-megapixel 24mm wide camera. This is complemented by a 12-megapixel 16mm ultrawide sensor and a 12-megapixel 85-125mm telephoto sensor for that telescopic zoom. There’s a lot more to the cameras than just the hardware, you’ll be able to get all the details in our coverage of its international launch.
The pre-order in Malaysia will be happening from 10 June 2022 until 10 July 2022. So, don’t miss your chance to get both the Sony Xperia 1 IV and the Sony WF-1000XM4.
Samsung’s Galaxy M lineup was initially launched back in 2019 to serve an online-only market alongside the Galaxy A series. However, it seems like the Galaxy M is starting to encroach upon the Galaxy A series territory with its latest release – the Galaxy M53 5G.
Source: SenHeng/SenQ
The new smartphone comes with a 6.7-inch, FHD+ SuperAMOLED+ display. It comes with a resolution of 1080×2408 pixels and also Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. It also supports a 120Hz refresh rate. The Galaxy M53 will be running on the MediaTek Dimensity 900 processor with support for 5G connectivity. The 6nm processor promises more efficient power management which should mean better battery life with the 5000mAh battery.
The Galaxy M53 5G comes with a quad-camera setup for its main camera. The main camera sensor is a 108-megapixel wide angle sensor with an f/1.8 aperture. This is complemented by an 8-megapixel ultrawide sensor, a 2-megapixel macro camera sensor and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. On the front is a 32-megapixel sensor for all your selfie needs.
Source: SenHeng/SenQ
Connectivity-wise, it’s capable of Bluetooth 5.2, WiFi 6 connectivity and your regular GPS connectivity. It has support for 25W fast charging via its USB-C port.
However, that’s not where the phone encroaches on Galaxy A territory; the phone is now available for pre-order from Senheng for MYR1,999. That’s just shy of the MYR2,099 of the Galaxy A73 and more expensive than the Galaxy A53. While the Galaxy A does offer more in terms of software and features, the Galaxy M53 does have a lot of the software features that we see in the Galaxy A and Galaxy S series. So, where does the line stand with the Galaxy A and Galaxy M? Will you be getting it?
Telegram is arguably one of the more popular messaging apps. The app rose to prominence when the world was looking for an alternative to the Meta-owned WhatsApp and Messenger messaging apps. The app’s robust features propelled it into the limelight and it has continued to grow since.
That might be slowing down soon as the company looks to expand the app further. In order to support the many features and extensive development and adoption of the app, its founder, Pavel Durov, took to Telegram to say that they will be introducing a paid “Premium” tier to the app. It’s unclear what exactly the “Premium” tier will bring in terms of features and support, but it looks like the free version isn’t going anywhere soon.
In his announcement, Durov states, “…many have been asking us to raise the current limits even further, so we looked into ways to let you go beyond what is already crazy. The problem here is that if we were to remove all limits for everyone, our server and traffic costs would have become unmanageable, so the party would be unfortunately over for everyone…. After giving it some thought, we realized that the only way to let our most demanding fans get more while keeping our existing features free is to make those raised limits a paid option.”
While it seems like an earnest effort to help expand and improve the application, Durov is also looking into expanding the company. He reassures that the app’s current features will continue to be offered free of charge. However, those that choose to subscribe to Telegram Premium will get early dibs on new features and some extra benefits like larger file sizes when sending files. Telegram Premium will be rolling out sometime this month according to the announcement.
A dive into the Telegram Reddit uncovers some rumours that Telegram Premium will be available for MYR5. If you subscribe, it looks like you’ll be able to access extended emoticons and even access to send files of up to 4GB in size. This is twice the amount present in any gaming PC so far. Reddit also theories that the Premium subscription could start from USD$5.
HTC was one of the largest competitors in the smartphone space back in the 2010s, however, the company abruptly turned heels in 2018. Its last true, international flagship was the U11 which was released in 2017. That said, the company seems to be gearing up to release another flagship smartphone this June.
HTC Taiwan released a teaser on their Facebook and Twitter pages teasing a new smartphone coming on the 28th of June 2022. Of course, the company’s recent focus on VR and their Metaverse competitor, Viverse, isn’t left behind. It looks like the upcoming smartphone is going to play an integral part in the Viverse. The teaser comes as quite the surprise as the company’s MWC 2022 promises seemed to have hit a snag shortly after.
The teaser doesn’t reveal much, however. The poster just shows a rectangular outline with some perspective as other rectangles fade into the largest one. However, if you look close enough, you can see two indentations in the rectangle which many are suspecting might be an indication of some of the upcoming phone’s I/O features. There are two visible on the poster, one on the right side which looks like a side-mounted fingerprint reader and another up in the top right corner which could indicate a 3.5mm jack.
Other than this, there isn’t really much on the upcoming HTC phone. Given their focus on the Viverse, we wouldn’t be surprised if the smartphone is a true HTC flagship with top-of-the-line specifications. We are hoping that HTC brings a powerful, capable smartphone to give some competition internationally to companies like Samsung and Apple. We specify internationally because, as of last year, HTC has been releasing a few new smartphones within the Taiwan market.
We’ve seen some indication that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 could be powering the smartphone. However, there hasn’t been any confirmation from HTC themselves just yet. Guess we’ll just have to wait for 28th June 2022.
Apple’s iPad ecosystem is one of, if not the most successful tablet line-up in the entire world. Even though we have always been fans of the Android ecosystem, even we must admit that the Android tablet experience pales in comparison to the modern iPad, especially when you consider the iPad Pro line-up. Sure, the Android tablet experience have improved tremendously over the years with more choices popping up at the same time. Even then, the basic iPad will still be our tablet of choice, if a decent basic tablet is what you are looking for.
Of course, every story today has a humble beginning. For the iPad, it started out as an oversized iPhone that runs on iOS. The iOS that was on the iPad evolved to become iPadOS though, and it started differentiating itself from the iPhone counterpart pretty much from the get-go. Now with iOS 16, we have iPadOS 16.
To be fair, the iPadOS 16 is not the 16th generation of iPadOS. The iPadOS was an adaptation of the iOS for much larger screen formats, hence its confusing yet dignified naming scheme. Still, the iPadOS 16 is most likely the most significant iPadOS that Apple has ever developed for modern Apple iPad devices.
The whole idea behind the iPadOS 16 is making use of the Apple M1 chips you can now find on the Apple iPad Pro devices from 2021. Since the iPadOS can take advantage of the bigger display of the iPad devices anyway, it is built with more multitasking functions than ever. To make the iPad more of a productivity beast than ever before, there are more collaboration tools and capabilities built into the interface too.
Messaging, but Even Better
Source: Apple
Messaging on the iPadOS should be a little more distinctive even compared to the regular messaging app you can find on iOS. On the iPadOS 16’s messaging app, you can edit or recall messages that are recently sent. If you have mistakenly deleted a message, you can even quickly recover them. In case you need to save your messages for later, you can even mark them as unread to remind yourself to come back to it later.
Work And Collaborate, but Smarter than Ever
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Apple introduces Freeform, a new collaboration tool that gives users the ability to see, share, and collaborate within a single space and with full support for Apple Pencil. You can contribute to the board and edit the contents of the board at any given time, in real-time. You can even create and start a board right from FaceTime and see real-time updates in your messages thread.
Mail is even better too. Like the iOS version of the Mail app, messages can be recalled and cancelled before it reaches the recipient’s inbox. You can even schedule emails to be sent at your desired time. If you so wish to, you can even set your emails in your inbox folder to ‘Remind Later’ just so you can look at it again at a more appropriate time. If you need to pull up older messages, the new search algorithm also ensures that you can easily find your older emails quickly and accurately.
Check the Weather on iPad, Finally
The weather app for the iPad is now here and is much better than before. Well, it is a weather app, there is no running from its basic functions of telling you the current weather and other weather predictions. Instead of a plain image or background though, the weather app tells you weather with interactive animations that changes according to the current weather and weather predictions. Users who live in high-risk areas can even get notified if a severe weather alert is issued for their area. At the same time, users can even check the air quality in a particular area with easy to read, color-coded scale.
Professionally Adapted
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
The iPad Pro can now become another rather useful tool in a content creator’s arsenal. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro comes with a brilliant Liquid Retina XDR display that is rather wasted if not properly utilized. With iPadOS 16, users can now use the 12.9-inch display of the iPad Pro as a reference display for colour grading purposes and even compositing images.
There is also something called Display Zoom. It allows users to increase the pixel density of their display so that they can see more in their apps. When needed, Virtual Memory Swap can also adapt the iPad’s storage to expand available memory for differing application (up to 16GB) depending on their demands.
Apple also introduced Stage Manager, an iPadOS exclusive feature. It is a unique multitasking interface that automatically organizes apps and windows on top of one another so that users can easily and quickly switch between tasks. Windows can be stacked and overlapped atop one another in a single view too for more versatility in multitasking. Apps can also be grouped together if needed so that they can be quickly accessed when needed. Stage manager can also be used with external displays thanks to the power of Apple’s M1 chip.
More Mac Like that iOS Like
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
The biggest thing we think that Apple did not elaborate on with the Apple iPadOS16 is the fact that you can now run desktop, Mac class apps on M1 powered iPads. While there has not been too many examples or apps that is meant to run on the iPadOS and iPad devices, the potential of having a full desktop app like Adobe’s suite or even their own Final Cut Pro is a huge deal, considering that many are looking to replacing their current laptops and desktops with an iPad Pro.
Let us talk about Apple’s first foray into the silicon market – the Apple M1 chip. It was a somewhat successful endeavor. The M1 powered MacBooks proved to be rather popular among fans and even to new users. It is also the first successful implementation of a System on a Chip (SoC) solution for a major computing device with a desktop interface that is the MacOS in this case.
Of course, the success of the M1 chip also has something to do with the fact that Apple has somehow engineered the MacOS around the integrated silicon. But it also has something to do with the Apple M1’s specific build to optimise and be optimized with apps designed for MacOS.
Of course, while we expected Apple to come up with more powerful versions of their silicon last year, we were a little wrong to expect the second-generation of Apple’s silicon to be announced then. Instead, Apple launched variants of the M1 chip. You get larger footprints of the M1 that also comes with a lot more grunt from the SoC. Everything changes for 2022 though with Apple’s M2.
Welcome to the Apple M2 silicon, supposedly an evolution of the M1 chip. Obviously, it will be more powerful than the regular M1 chip. As with the M1 chip as well, the M2 will start out its life in the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Why Should You Care?
Source: Apple
PC users might snicker at the thought of an SoC running their Windows system. It is not too far-fetched of an idea though. Windows 11 seems to be more SoC friendly, and Qualcomm is working on a solution for that as we write this piece.
But the M1 is prove that an SoC can power a desktop class computing solution. The M2 just solidifies that position for Apple as the only manufacturer that dare to go beyond conventions. While Apple did point out that the M2 can game better with Metal accelerator, it still will not game like Windows PC can.
Instead, the M2 is tailor built to ensure that the MacOS is fully optimized and runs as fast as it can. The M2 chip is designed specifically to ensure that the MacOS and its apps are getting enough processing power in all the right places to ensure smooth, snappy experience. It just does everything that the M1 does, but better.
Bigger, Badder, Better
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Footprint wise, the M2 is slightly larger than the M1 chip. It is built with he second-generation 5nm technology, technically the current most advanced transistor technology. The new construction allows Apple to push the envelope a little bit with the M2.
It is supposed to be about 18% faster than the M1 in terms of CPU performance. In terms of GPU performance, it is supposed to 35% better than the older chip. The M2 is also supposed to pack a dedicated Neural Engine that is about 40% faster than before. While the M1 tops out at 16GB of memory bandwidth, the basic M2 can support up to 24GB in unified memory. You can find all 24GB powering the updated 13-inch MacBook Pro.
The larger footprint can be contributed to the fact that Apple has squeezed 25% more transistors than the M1. More transistors also means that the chip can deliver up to 100GB/s in memory bandwidth with the speedy unified memory. At the same time, with a larger cache, the M2 does not require any more power than the M1 demanded. At the same maximum power consumption. The M2 still beats out the M1 in all processor aspects.
Faster Workflow = Better Productivity
Source: Apple
The result of all that can be seen in all the Apple silicon optimized apps. Thanks to the wider bandwidth, the M2 supports up to 8K H.264 and HEVC video encoding. It is supposed to also be able to stream more 4K and 8K videos on more displays, if you can find enough dongles or displays to plug the MacBook Air or the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
At the same time, while not spoken at length, the M2 features better security all around. Apple’s Secure Enclave ensures that your data is locally stored and protected instead of it being uploaded to iCloud. Of course, to fully take advantage of the chip’s power, you need Apple’s latest MacOS Ventura.
The MacBook Air – Now a Proper Baby MacBook?
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
For the first time ever, the MacBook Air got a redesign. Instead of the wedge-shaped aluminium slate, it now looks like a thinner version of the regular MacBook. It is not a bad thing.
It now features a more updated “MacBook” look in a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display with the weird notch in the top middle section of the display. That notch houses an 1080p Full HD FaceTime camera and other sensors.
The US 1,199 (starting from) device now looks a little more up to par to a regular MacBook too, at least on paper. It now features dour speakers and MagSafe charging has made its way back into the thinnest and lightest version of the MacBook family. There are still no fans in the notebook for any significant cooling performance, but the M2 is an SoC that does not really need a dedicate cooling fan. The MacBook Air also comes in four different colour finishes now instead of the usual two that was offered before.
Every year at WWDC, Apple always says that their latest update to iOS is the biggest one ever. To be fair, iOS has come a long way since we first saw it in the first Apple iPhone. It got an App Store a few generations later and never looked back. But the modern iOS is more than its app store, it is the updates that Apple has added to the iOS that makes it such a versatile interface we know today.
Apple is not technically wrong to say that the iOS 16 update is the biggest ever for the iOS interface. In terms of visuals at least, iOS 16’s interface could be the most visually distinct iOS ever. It also seems like Apple is finally going into a completely different direction with making the iOS better than ever. The update, technically, is the most feature packed major update ever.
Lock Screen – Not Just a Screen Anymore
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Lock screens have always been the most plain looking part of the iOS experience. It is basically a transitional screen before you get to your main home screen. Most of the time, you probably use it as a sort of clock or watch replacement too, a quick glance to tell you the time of day and date.
The thing is, there is a lot more you can do with the lock screen. It is technically a blank canvas for quick glances. That is what they implemented on the iOS 16.
They say that it is an inspiration from the Apple Watch. The home screen is now an information throve but designed in such a way that you can absorb everything by just quickly glancing through it. It now updates you on your next calendar agenda, battery levels, the weather, upcoming alarms, time zones, and even your activity ring progress. Of course, your essential time and date information will always be the front and center of your lock screen notification center. Of course, there is only a limited amount of space for information as well, so you get to choose which widgets go on your lock screen.
At the same time, users get to work with multilayered effects to really personalize their lock screen. You can artfully choose a lock screen image and iOS can cleverly layer your clock and widgets behind the art subject to create this rather interesting 3D layering of your lock screen. It is not really a Live Wallpaper kind of thing, but it is still rather interesting to work with.
Focusing on the Important Stuff
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Not much here, but Apple have claimed that they have improved Focus on the new iOS 16. To activate different focus modes, all you need to do is to swipe to differing lock screens you have on your iPhone. Different focus modes can also be customized to notify and show different notifications to ensure that users are given relevant information at whatever focus mode they choose to work with at any time.
A Shared Library
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
With the power of iCloud, you can now share your photo library with your family. The Shared Photo Library feature gives users the ability to collaborate or share the library with up to five other people. Each user can also share photos from their own personal library to be included in the shared library. Each user in the library can also add, delete, edit, and favourite their photos or videos in the library.
Unsend Stuff on Messages
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Usually, when you send messages, once it gets through, you can hardly retrieve it. With the introduction of new messenger apps like Telegram, you can now unsend messages that you sent to unintended parties. WhatsApp also recently introduced the same “delete message” feature with a certain time limit to it. Now the feature to unsend a message is available of the iOS native messaging app. They did not stop there/
You can now mark messages as unread, just so that it still can appear on your message list as unread, just so you can come back to it later. You can also recover recently deleted messages if you accidentally delete an important message. SharePlay is also new on iOS Messages. You get to enjoy synced movies or songs and even control their playback all while through messaging via Messages.
Mail Better
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
With the Mail app, you can now schedule your emails ahead of time, just so that you have a lot more control over your working time. Just in case, the Mail app gives you time to cancel the delivery of emails before it hits the recipient’s inbox. With Remind Later and Follow Up features, Mail can remind users to follow up on emails they might have missed after a while. Search is also now better on the Mail app than ever. Apple claims that the Mail app’s search algorithm is much more accurate and relevant compared to its predecessors to help you find older emails.
More Intelligent, Even On-the-Go
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Live text is now cleverer than before. You can use the feature in videos now by just pausing the video and interact with texts within the image or frame. You can even use Live texts as your personal translator or currency converter.
Beyond that though, Visual Look Up is also now improved. Instead of just recognizing a subject, users can now duplicate the subject and place it in other messenger apps. It also now recognizes birds, insects, and statues.
Apple’s Pay app is also improved at least in the United States (U.S.). They just introduced their very own microfinancing service in Apple Pay Later. If you have used Grab’s Pay Later wallet, it works very similarly there. The Pay Later feature also allows you to pay for your items in monthly instalments with no additional charges for now.
CarPlay is also improved with new features that makes it a powerful and versatile interface for in-car infotainment systems. CarPlay can now provide for multiple screens in a car to ensure that the CarPlay experience is consistent throughout a vehicle. There is more integration as well with CarPlay. Other than climate controls, CarPlay can also provide readings from multiple sensors in the car like fuel level, engine temperature, and even speed. Users can completely change what they see on their dash as well, if they choose to do so.
And more …
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
There are plenty of minor updates and improvements done on Safari, Apple maps, Siri, and even the Fitness app. For example, the Fitness App no longer requires users to own an Apple Watch to track their fitness goals. Apple News also now has My Sports section to allow users to easily follow their favourite sports teams in their favourite games. Spatial Audio is also improved on the iOS 16 to allow for a more precise and immersive audio with TrueDepth camera for a more personally tuned experience.
Availability
Apple’s iOS 16 is now available as a preview for members of Apple’s Developer Program. You can find it on their developer website. A public beta of the iOS will be available in the coming month. iOS 16 and its features will be available for iPhone 8 and later. For more information on iOS 16, you can visit their microsite for it.
If you want to get a fitness tracker, and you have a good budget to work with, we will always put Garmin on the top of your list. They are, undoubtedly, the kings of fitness trackers at this point. They have the fēnix series, a multipurpose and extreme activity tracker at a premium price point. They also make the vívosmart series that is meant to be an entry-level fuss free fitness tracker.
They also make rather focused fitness trackers too, specific to different sport functions. One of the most popular models in their line-up is the Forerunner series. It is hardly surprising though, the Garmin Forerunner series is made specifically for running, one of the simplest activities you can do to start getting in shape. It is also probably something you have been doing for a while now.
Garmin introduced their Forerunner 245 about two years ago. The Forerunner 245 is made for the intermediate runners, or people who are already quite familiar with running. It packs all sorts of tech that a runner might want. You get GPS, an adaptive training plan feature, specific sensors to track your stride lengths, ground contact time, balance, and whatever you need to know about your running posture. Of course, there is a heart-rate sensor built into the watch.
That was two years ago, it is 2022 and the Forerunner 200 series needs a successor, a modern refresh of some sorts. Welcome to the Forerunner 255, the new and improved mid-range Forerunner.
Better in Every Way
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Very much like the Forerunner 245 it replaces; it is made for the enthusiast runners. It is better though, with longer battery life – 14 days on a single charge. It has an accurate GPS as well, in GPS tracking mode, it will last up to 30 hours.
It is also lighter at just below 50g. It is so light; you are not going to feel any resistance or weight in your arms as you go for your run. Of course, you might want to wear it to sleep as well, which means the lack of weight will not affect your sleep at all.
They made it to be more durable too. The entire body is made to be as rugged as a runner’s watch can be. Its included silicon band is made to last a long time and to withstand plenty of sweat without disintegrating.
Of course, the Forerunner 255 also retains all its exercise tracking functions to not just track your running, but to improve your lifestyle as well. it features more than 30+ exercise modes including a triathlon mode to make the Forerunner 255 even more versatile than before. Its advanced sleep tracking function not only measure your sleep patterns and heart rate. It also gives you suggestions to improve your sleep and to get through your day.
If you are going for a race, the watch can also be your coach in recommending programs for you to hit your goals. It helps you understand your body a little better too with a recovery time recommendation and performance condition tracking. At the same time, the watch tracks your training history and intensity to optimise your trainings and fitness regimes. In a race, it can even predict your training’s impact and estimates your finishing time.
Of course, to keep track of everything, you do not need to just rely on the small watch face you get on the Forerunner 255. Despite the brilliant 1.3-inch display protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3, you still want to see all your efforts in a report on a larger display. That is where the Garmin Connect app compatibility comes in. It also supports Garmin Pay, in case you need to quickly pop-by for coffee or any other things.
Price and Availability
The Garmin Forerunner 255 is now available in the North American region. The most basic Forerunner 255 is retailing for US$ 349 (MYR 1,532*) onward. There is also a music variant that allows your Garmin Forerunner to connect to your wireless earbuds and play music directly from the smartwatch itself for US$ 399 (MYR 1,751*) onward. You can get your Forerunner 255 in either 41mm or 46mm watch face sizes. There are no announcements yet on its availability in other regions, including Malaysia. Of course, we expect to see Garmin launching their Forerunner 255 in Malaysia in the coming months.
*Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.39 as of 06/01/2022 on xe.com
