[UPDATE 25/06/2021] The Lenovo Legion Phone Duel 2 is now available in Malaysia via Lenovo Exclusive Stores nationwide and via online official stores on Lazada and Shopee with prices starting from MYR 3,299 (12GB +256GB) and MYR 3,899 (16GB + 512GB).
Lenovo’s first gaming smartphone, the Legion Phone Duel was quite an eccentric device. Just like the ROG Phone, it was made to make gaming on a smartphone as comfortable and as optimised as possible. It was also made with some practicality in mind, with two smaller batteries instead of the usual one larger one. It also has an interestingly positioned pop-up selfie camera that acts as more of a streaming camera when you game than just a regular selfie camera. Of course, the first gaming smartphone from Lenovo’s Legion division had to pack the most powerful hardware of its time.
It did not seem too long ago that Lenovo released its gaming smartphone in Malaysia though. Now, there is a new one. Technically, Lenovo just announced it with no mentions of local (Malaysia) availability yet.
Source: Lenovo
The Lenovo Legion Phone Duel 2, they call it. In our opinion, the name is still quite a handful. But enough on the name, more on the device.
The new second generation Legion gaming smartphone packs a lot of similarities to the older generation Legion Phone Duel. For one, it has a similarly placed pop-up selfie camera. It also has two batteries, like the older device. It is also supposed to pack more bite within its aluminium and glass silhouette though.
The main rear cameras are placed differently this time too. Instead of the regular top placement of the device, the main cameras are now at the mid-section of the smartphone. The layout change does give way to additional space for Lenovo to fit two cooling fans into the device though. That also means that the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel 2 does not need an external cooling fan like the ROG Phone. But that also means that the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel 2 is a little on the thick side. We would not know yet though, we have not had a hands-on with it.
Source: Lenovo
The cameras are still the same 64-Megapixel main and 16-Megapixel ultra-wide shooter at the back though. There are dual USB Type-C ports as well still with up to 90W in fast-charging capabilities. Hardware wise, these are where the similarities end.
The Lenovo Legion Phone Duel 2 gaming smartphone packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 System on a Chip (SoC), the most powerful 5nm SoC you can find in a smartphone today. That powerful SoC is paired with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The powerful internals help push Android 11 along the 6.92-inch 144Hz Full HD AMOLED display.
The same display supports HRD10+ and up to 720Hz of touch sampling rate. 720Hz touch sampling rate, at its availability, makes the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel 2 the fastest responding smartphone in the current market. To make gaming even more immersive with the device too, you get dual haptic feedback system for a more precise response and feel to your games. With up to 8 virtual programmable keys, including four ultrasonic shoulder buttons, you are automatically getting a competitive advantage just on the Legion Phone Duel 2.
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
The Lenovo Legion Phone Duel 2 is available in China April onward in Black and White color schemes. It will be available in Europe May 2021 onward with prices starting at EU€ 799 (MYR 3,933*) for the 12GB + 256GB variant or EU€ 948 (MYR 4,667*) for the 16GB + 512GB variant. That is about US$ 950** and US$ 1,128** respectively. There is no information on its availability in the North American region and South East Asian region for now. For more information on Lenovo’s new gaming smartphone, you can visit Lenovo’s press room.
*Based on approximate exchange rate of EU€ 1=MYR as of 09/04/2021 on xe.com
**Based on approximate exchange rate of EU€ 1=US$ 1.19 as of 09/04/2021 on xe.com
South Korea has become one of the biggest electronic giants the world has ever seen. With the likes of Samsung and LG, it is no wonder the South Koreans are highly regarded in the modern era of technology. The two electronic giants have conquered everything from televisions to even washing machines in 2021. They make some of the best-selling televisions, fridges, even down to a water purifier.
They have also been a leader in the smallest things we carry with us every day. Samsung and LG have been at the forefront of smartphone technologies for the past few years now. But there has been some interesting development for the past few weeks or so. One of them is the fact that LG has made an announcement that they are no longer interested in the smartphone business.
The announcement from LG’s very own newsroom describes that LG Electronics Inc. will close its mobile business unit as per approved by their board earlier in the day. What that means is that LG will give up its smartphone business unit and not dabble in the smartphone market in the future.
To be fair, the company has been considering the exit for a while now. LG’s Mobile Business Unit, or its smartphone division has been posting losses for the past five years at least, and they show no sign of recovering. The company has been focusing on selling some mid-range smartphones while developing interesting concepts that produces smartphones like the LG Wing. They also showed some concept of a rollable smartphone, something we do not expect to see LG producing ever with the announcement.
As per the announcement as well LG will continue to make their current inventory available for sale. LG will also continue to provide support and software updates for their current customers and their existing products until an unspecified time. Although there is no indication to when they will end their product life support. They only indicated that it will be varied by regions.
This also means that the company will have to repurpose its workforces from its mobile business units. They mentioned that this will be determined at a local level as well. Still, they have some time to repurpose everyone within the business unit.
LG is expecting the close to complete by the 31st July 2021. While LG will no longer be officially selling their devices by the end of July, they expect some existing stocks to still be available after specified date and those will still be on sale. LG will still be involved in the development of mobile technologies, however. They will continue to work on 6G network related developments even after the Mobile Business Unit concludes its closure.
The Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) is a huge yearly ensemble for Apple. The annual conference is one of Apple’s most significant in a year. We see Apple upping the ante for WWDC every year too, and this year is no different. Apple this year is looking to make WWDC21 the biggest one yet.
WWDC is where we see the evolution, or the new iterations of Apple’s software. You can expect to see a new macOS, tvOS, watchOS, iOS, and even iPadOS. Sometimes, you might get to see some new hardware, or get an announcement as big as hardware dependency change like last year’s announcement. If you forgot, WWDC20 saw Apple announcing that they are moving away from relying on partner processors and move their supply chain to rely on their own Apple Silicon processors. Later in the year 2020 we saw the Apple M1 chip.
2020’s WWDC was also completely online due to the global situation that is the pandemic. There are some good that came out of last year’s WWDC though. It was accessible to everyone in the world, no matter their location or time zone. Last year’s WWDC was what Apple claimed to be its largest ever so far. They are expecting around 28 million developers around the world to tune in for this year’s WWDC.
While hardware has not been much of a focus for WWDC, we should not be surprised when Apple does make some announcements on hardware additions to their line-up. In 2019 and 2017, Apple launched new devices and even desktops during their WWDC keynotes. As usual also, there are no new details on what Apple will announce this year at WWDC. Although, some are speculating that Apple might launch their long-awaited AR glasses or some sort of VR headset. These are rumours based on the visuals Apple chose for this year’s WWDC21 tease.
Apple’s WWDC 21 is happening 7th June 2021 onward all the way to the 11th of June 2021. As per the current pandemic situation and like 2020, the event will be an all-virtual affair. For more information on WWDC21 you can head over to their website.
Years ago, when Nokia introduced our little world to the magic of wireless charging with the first ever Qi enabled Nokia Lumia 920, we could not fathom what the technology would evolve to. We remembered being excited about wireless charging when they introduced the technology with the Samsung Galaxy Note4. We personally experienced wireless charging first on the Samsung Galaxy Note5.
At the time, wireless charging is not just a luxury. It was a novelty that sort of works. No, it does work, just not all the time. The technology was finnicky at best and wireless chargers do not typically last you for long. Some of them will work for a few months to a year and they become even more finnicky than a broken cable.
The attraction to wireless charging though is massive. Wireless charging opens up a lot of possibilities for users and manufacturers. It opens up your table too, with more manageable cabling. You do not need a flailing cable for your smartphone, at the very least. There is always a designated spot for charging, amazing.
With the dawn of fast charging technology, we see the likes of Xiaomi and OnePlus taking the lead in pushing wireless charging technology as far as possible. We see Xiaomi taking the plunge with their 40W wireless charger back in 2020, and later pushing the envelope to 50W wireless charging. OnePlus brought their 55W charging into the fray too.
But we never thought that it was possible to push wireless charging further. Until Xiaomi pulled the veils on their new Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra. We are not talking about the device thought, we are talking about the accessories they come with. We are talking about the 80W wireless charger and the charging pad.
80W Wireless Charging Stand
Source: Xiaomi
Xiaomi’s big number that accompanies this new charger is 19 minutes to 100%. The wireless charger is capable is filling up a typical smartphone battery at 4,000mAh from empty to 100%. Of course, the said battery also must be able to be charging at 80W.
The thing is no devices in the current market supports 80W charging just yet. That also means that you are not going to obtain this piece of kit for just current devices. You are future proofing yourself for future generations of device that supports up to 80W wireless charging.
Xiaomi Wireless Charging Pad
Source: Xiaomi
Then there is this new familiar looking piece of kit. We saw it when Apple revealed their wireless charging pad called the AirPower. It was meant to be the base of Apple’s wireless charging devices. But Apple’s vision of a wireless charging pad never came to fruition.
Xiaomi beat them to it with a wireless charging pad that features 19 charging coils that allows you to simply place your wireless charging capable devices on the pad and start charging. There are no orientation requirements at all with the pad, which is its beauty. The charging pad also has enough juice to charge up to 3 devices at the same time at 20W.
Price and Availability
The Xiaomi 80W wireless charging stand will cost CN¥ 499, which is about US$ 76. It comes with a 120W power brick that could easily charge any other smartphones and even low-powered notebooks. If you get the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro, it is a CN¥ 199 addition. The charging pad will set users in China back CN¥ 599 which is about US$ 91. That is the catch with these charging docks, however. These accessories are only available in China for now. There are no mentions yet on its global availability too.
If you checked your Touch ‘n Go eWallet app these past few days, you would have noticed a new feature, or a new icon. You might have come across ‘GO+’. I know I have, and a few of our friends have asked us what it was before today’s official launch of Touch ‘n Go’s GO+. Now that it is officially launched, we can properly explain what GO+ is.
Welcome to GO+, your gateway to small time investments and mainstream financial services. Essentially, you are investing with Principal, an asset management platform anchored by CIMB. In turn, GO+ is anchored by Principal, in alliance with CIMB, specifically their e-Cash Fund platform.
GO+ will take advantage of Principal’s asset management platform to sort of make investments to grow your financial assets via Touch ‘n Go’s eWallet platform. By putting as little as RM10 into the platform will supposedly guarantee a growth rate of 1.43% per annum. While that may not seem like much, it is more than putting your money into your bank’s savings account or current accounts.
The growth is not credited over a year long period too. You get returns on a daily basis and the returns are credited to your GO+ account every day. That also means the growth is an immediately visible one. Principal also promises no risks to the platform, so you can be rest assured that you will only be seeing growth.
What makes GO+ even better for users is that because it is integrated with Touch ‘n Go eWallet app, you can transfer the funds from GO+ into Touch ‘n Go eWallet accounts immediately at any given time, and vice versa. It does not stop there though; you can transfer credits from GO+ to any of your registered bank accounts immediately too. You can even use your GO+ account to pay for things via Touch ‘n Go eWallet app. That also means with GO+, you are more flexible than anything else you can currently find on the Malaysian market.
To get yourself on GO+ now, you can look into your Touch ‘N Go eWallet app and immediately register and upgrade your account to a GO+ account. You can start investing with GO+ with as little as RM10. For now, the service is only available to Malaysian citizens above 18 years of age. The Touch ‘n Go eWallet app is available for free from Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store for Android and iOS respectively
OPPO finally launches their flagship class OPPO Find X3 Pro in Malaysia. Thankfully, the OPPO Find X3 Pro did not take long to arrive to the Malaysian shores. The Find X3 Pro launched globally on the 11th of March 2021, which also means that it took exactly two weeks for the device to arrive Malaysia.
The OPPO Find X3 Pro is OPPO’s latest flagship smartphone to arrive in Malaysia. It packs the industry leading Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G platform for maximum attack. The powerful System on a Chip (SoC) is not for nothing though, other than the 5G connectivity of course. The powerful chip keeps two powerful 50-Megapixel sensors happy and taking great looking photos. The OPPO Find X3 Pro also features a unique microscopic lens that offers up to 60x magnification for the finer things in life. These cameras can take up to 10-bit photos too. That also means you get up to 1-billion colours in your photos.
The 10-bit photos can be viewed and appreciated via the 6.7-inch QHD+ (1440p) OLED display. The display also boasts 10-bit colours with OPPO’s Full-path 10-bit Colour Management System. With 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio for even more true to life colours and images. On top of that LTPO OLED that adapts between 5Hz to 120Hz also means that your OLED display saves battery power.
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
On the subject of power-saving, the OPPO Find X3 Pro packs a 4,500mAh battery pack within its glass formed body. The 4,500mAh should last you longer than a day too, as per the Find X2 series. But when the battery goes flat, you get up to 65W charging via OPPO’s SuperVOOC 2.0 flash charge. You can charge wirelessly too at 30W via AirVOOC. If you have other wireless charging devices, you can share power via reverse charging at 10W too.
The new ColorOS 11.2 (Android 11) flagship form OPPO is available 9th April 2021 onward. The OPPO Find X3 Pro will be available in either Gloss Black or Blue. The OPPO flagship will retail at MYR 4,299. You can pre-order your OPPO Find X3 Pro today onward from. All pre-orders will also come with free gifts worth a total of MYR 1,935. For more information, you can visit OPPO’s website.
How do you know when you have a winning product? Well, if you’re Nintendo, it’s when everyone seems to be looking at mimicking it. In a report from Android Police, it looks like Qualcomm might be the latest in line with plans to create a gaming console similar to Nintendo’s money making Switch.
While it may seem like Qualcomm is looking to get into the console gaming space, the report says otherwise. Instead, the company is looking to spur innovation for its partners in adopting new, unconventional form factors for devices. This also means that the device could likely be a limited run – unless Qualcomm is working to get into the hardware space.
The Qualcomm powered mobile gaming console looks to be mimicking the form factor of the Nintendo Switch. According to Android Police, it shares the same detachable “joycon” controllers. However, the console itself seems to be resembling a thicker smartphone. The chonky design choice is apparently meant to help with cooling which will allow Qualcomm to push the processor a little bit harder. Speaking of, it seems like the console will be coming with the next generation Qualcomm processor. This seems to be supported by the fact that Qualcomm is looking to release it sometime in Q1 of 2022.
The console will apparently be equipped with 5G connectivity albeit with the current generation X55 modem. It’s expected to come with the standard array of connectivity options we see in standard mobile phones. This includes GPS, Bluetooth, accelerometers and some haptics. However, it’s uncertain whether Qualcomm will be using a standard chip design or using specially customised one like the Snapdragon 855+ which was on the ROG Phone. It’s reported to have an SD Card slot as well and a large 6,000mAh battery. No screen size has been confirmed however, Android Police and XDA Editor in Chief Mishaal Rahman estimates it to be about 6.65-inches. It’s uncertain whether the console will comes with a dedicated port for TV out or go with the USB-C port like the Nintendo Switch. However, the console will be running Android 12 with a customised skin.
I heard it'll have a 6.65" Full HD+ display, a 6000mAh battery, and support a fan. It apparently doesn't even have a rear camera.
That aside, it looks like Qualcomm might be gearing up for some serious gaming content. The console will apparently be launching with Epic Game’s app. The company is also looking to build its own content library portal for the console. It’s still unclear if they will be teaming up with XBOX, NVIDIA or Google Stadia for even more content but it’s likely that they are looking to keep most of the gaming content offline to showcase the graphics capabilities of their SoC.
The move is an interesting one given the current landscape where we are seeing an increasing number of people gaming on mobile. However, it could also indicate that Qualcomm might be signalling that it’s ready to start making chips for portable consoles like the Nintendo Switch. This would be a big jump as the Switch currently uses a customised NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor while other consoles like the PS5 come with a customised AMD processor. The push for unconventional form factors is another interesting move from Qualcomm and could be the impetus we need to see an other N.Gage hit the scene.
The OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro launched alongside a certain OnePlus Watch. There was a third OnePlus smartphone that launched on the side though. This was not part of the global launch for a simple reason. It will only be available mid-April onward in India and China for now. That device is the OnePlus 9R.
We talked about the cheaper variant of the OnePlus 9 series before. It is expected to be the least powerful version of the OnePlus 9 series, but still pack enough power to match most other flagships. We also expected it to be a 5G device, but not pack the state-of-the-art Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G System on a chip (SoC).
It packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 for that matter. It is still a very powerful flagship level chip with 5G capability derived from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 7nm chip of last year. You can opt for up to 12GB of RAM too with 256GB of storage in tow. With 4,500mAh in battery size and 65W with Wrap Charge 65T, the device will still impress.
That is not all that you get though from the OnePlus 9R. You get one more camera than the vanilla OnePlus 9. What you have is a 48-Megapixel main shooter (Sony IMX586), a 16-Megapixel ultra-wide lens, a 5-Megapixel Macro sensor, and 2-Megapixel depth sensor. Technically, you are getting the same camera array from the OnePlus 8T. In that case, it looks more like an enhanced OnePlus 9. It even packs the same 120Hz OLED display from the vanilla OnePlus 9 at 6.55-inch Full HD+.
The OnePlus 9R, as previously mentioned, will be available in India and China in mid-April onward. The device will be available with about the same colorways as the OnePlus 9 except that it also gets an exclusive matt black colourway. The OnePlus 9R will be retailing at IN₹ 39,999 or around US$ 550 (MYR 2,276*) for the 8GB + 128GB variant and IN₹ 43,999 or around US$ 600 (MYR 2,503*) for the 12GB + 256GB variant. They are cheaper than the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro. There are no mentions on whether or not the onePlus 9R will make it to markets outside China and India at the time being.
*Approximate value based on conversion rate IN₹ 100.00 = MYR 5.69 on xe.com as of 24/03/2021
It is not the first time we see iconic camera brands enter the smartphone market. You see it first with HUAWEI’s P9 smartphone with Leica’s input in the camera department. Last night you saw Vivo and Zeiss getting together launching the X60 flagship. You even see Sony’s Alpha department dabbling into Sony’s Xperia smartphones.
Today, it is a little bit different though. Today marks the night that one of the most iconic camera manufacturers taking a dive into the smartphone market. Tonight, is the night that a certain medium format icon makes its name in the smartphone camera scene. Tonight, Hasselblad has entered the smartphone camera game.
If you have not understood the significance of the launch of the OnePlus 9 series yet, put it this way; the first camera that landed on the moon was a Hasselblad. It took that iconic photo of the astronaut on the moon. So, a partnership of this magnitude could be a significant step forward to smartphone cameras.
Enough of Hasselblad for now though. We have to talk about the smartphone for a while. We start with the OnePlus 9 Pro.
OnePlus 9 Pro
Source: OnePlus
The OnePlus 9 Pro is OnePlus’ true tech flagship with the most powerful processing chip in the world so far. It packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G 5nm System on a Chip (SoC) with a new cooling system they call OnePlus Cool Play to keep the phone at comfortable temperatures. Alongside the Snapdragon 888 SoC is a healthily sized RAM at 12GB. You get up to 256GB of storage with that RAM but with no MicroSD expansion slot.
All those things contribute to showing the minimalistic and simplistic OxygenOS, now based on Android 11. The Oxygen OS is paraded on the large 6.78-inch display that refreshes at 120Hz (up to) and pushes QHD+ resolution. They call it the Fluid Display 2.0. It is an LTPO variable refresh rate (1Hz – 120Hz) display that boast 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut for even more true-to-life colours on the device. You also get a maximum of 240Hz in touch sampling rate for a near instant response time from touch to display.
Before we move on to the back, we can take the time to appreciate the one thing OnePlus devices have that no other Android device has. We can take our time to appreciate the silent and vibrate switch above the powerbutton. Once you have admired that switch, it is time to move to the back, the main package everyone wants to see.
You get a power bulge that is the camera array module. Under the metal plate that spells the icon that is Hasselblad are four impressive cameras. You have one 48-Megapixel Sony IMX789 sensor as the main hitter in the camera array. Alongside the 48-Megapixel sensor is a very powerful Sony IMX766 50-Megapixel that shoots out of an ultra-wide lens. The ultra-wide sensor is supposed to be about three times the size of the sensor you can find on the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max. The ultra-wide lens is a free-form lens too to ensure there is less distortion on your photos. There is also a powerful 13-Megapixel 3.3x optical zoom sensor. There will also be one 3-Megapixel macro lens on the Pro variant of the OnePlus 9 series.
The Hasselblad input on OnePlus 9 Pro’s camera supposedly improves colour science. Hasselblad cameras are known for their excellent and highly accurate colour science. That is what OnePlus 9 Pro will get from Hasselblad’s investment. That, and up to 12-bit RAW photos. The result is photos that looks like they come from actual DSLRs.
The cameras now can also shoot videos at 8K 30p. while 8K is a bit of a stretch today still, you can dial that down and shoot videos at 4K 120p to create even more stunning videos or create slow-mo videos. For even better looking videos, the OnePlus 9 Pro features something called DOL-HDR mode for better and more detailed exposures on your captured videos.
The OnePlus 9 Pro comes with a punch hole on the front. That punch hole houses the front-facing camera obviously. You get 16-Megapixel out the front that can also record videos at 4K resolution.
Under all of that glass and metal is a 4,500mAh battery that should guarantee the device lasting all day. If the OnePlus 9 Pro’s battery drains though, the battery can Wrap Charge at 65W (Wrap Charge 65T) via its USB Type-C port. Of course, the OnePlus 9 Pro can be charged wirelessly too at 50W for a quick 43-minute pit-stop.
OnePlus 9
Source: OnePlus
The vanilla OnePlus 9 is not a completely different story from the OnePlus 9 Pro. You still get the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 platform to work with. You get less RAM and storage at 8GB and 128GB though. No, you do not get a MicroSD card expansion slot here still.
Instead of a large 6.78-inch display though you are getting a 6.5-inch Full HD+ OLED display. 6.55-inch is not exactly small though. You still get 120Hz too, which will still make the OnePlus 9 feels extra smooth.
You also will still get the powerful 48-Megapixel Sony IMX689 and 50-Megapixel Sony IMX766 sensors as the biggest feature on the camera array module. You get the Hasselblad branding too, of course. You still get the telephoto lens too but lose the macro lens to make this a triple lens camera set-up.
You still get the same 4,500mAh battery from the OnePlus 9 Pro too with 65W charging capabilities. The vanilla OnePlus 9 still gets wireless charging, but not the full 50W beans that charges the device in 43 minutes. Instead it wirelessly charges at 15W that should still wirelessly charge the device in less than 3 hours.
OnePlus Watch
Source: OnePlus
Alongside the OnePlus 9 series smartphones, OnePlus also introduced their new Watch. It measures in at 46mm and is made with 316L standard stainless steel. It boasts a glass protected 1.39-inch round AMOLED display that boasts 326ppi. Of course, to ensure that you can customise the OnePlus Watch to your tastes and style, it features a regular 22mm lug. That also means you are not stuck to buying proprietary straps.
It is a smartwatch of course. That is why you will find the regular array of sensors you can expect from a smartwatch or fitness tracker. You can find GPS, altimeter, and also blood oxygen sensor on the wristwatch. It even recognises over 110 exercise modes for maximum flexibility in your workouts.
To keep your smartphone away when you go for a run, the OnePlus Watch can store up to 500 songs (mp3, we assume). To keep it safe and working after a rigorous workout, a swim, and even extreme activities that involved plenty of dirt, it is IP68 and 5ATM certified. All of that, and you get a whole week of battery life in a 20 minute charge. At full charge, the OnePlus Watch lasts 14 days, longer than almost all the available smartwatches that packs the same features.
It is clever at home too. You can use it as a remote for the OnePlus TV. It will automatically lower the TV’s volume when you receive a phone call. It even turns off the TV for you when you fall asleep in front of the OnePlus TV. You need a OnePlus TV for all these functions to work though.
Pricing and Availability
The OnePlus 9 Pro will be available in three colour variants. You can get it in Stellar Black, Pine Green, and Morning Mist. The vanilla OnePlus 9 will be available in Winter Mist, Astro Black and Arctic Sky colour options. Alongside the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro, they introduced a bunch of bumper cases and a trigger buttons you can attach to any OnePlus smartphones. The OnePlus 9 will be available at US$ 729 (MYR 3,005*) while the OnePlus 9 Pro starts at US$ 1,069 (MYR 4,407*).
The OnePlus Watch will be available in two Classic variants and one Limited Edition variant. The classic variant boasts either Moonlight Silver or Midnight Black colour schemes. That will start at US$ 159 (MYR 656*). The Limited Cobalt Edition comes with leather straps and Sapphire Glass material alongside its Cobalt body. No mentions yet on its pricing and availability.
*Approximate value based on conversion rate US$ 1.00 = MYR 4.12 on xe.com as of 23/03/2021
Instagram today just introduced a brand-new feature for content creators. They call it ‘Reels’ to help content creators make even more variety of contents on Instagram stories at least. Of course, short form contents on Instagram Stories can be shared across to Facebook as well.
Reels for Instagram will bring the long-awaited Instagram Music feature that has been available in other regions for a while now. But Reels is not just about taking the Music feature into Instagram Stories for Malaysia. It is also about helping content creators to create more varieties of contents on Instagram.
There are a few tools that comes with Reels too to make it a speedy content creator tool of choice for the many content creators on Instagram and Facebook. You can control your video speed for one, to make seamless and great looking slow-motion videos. You can record your videos now without even touching your smartphones too with a timer and countdown function now. You can add timed texts and stickers on selected parts of your video too now, instead of guessing and just hoping for the best. You can even align yourself up from previous videos to create a smooth, seamless transition in videos. Most of the time as well, on your smartphone, you are shooting free-handed so Instagram Reels can touch-up the videos to add extra stability and control over your short form videos.
Obviously, bringing Music feature into Instagram and Facebook in Malaysia is huge too. Creators in Malaysia now have access to an expanded licensed music library for their own contents on Facebook and Instagram. Users can also use music stickers on their Instagram and Facebook Stories and even easily add lyrics on their contents. It does not stop there too, you can now have music on your Facebook Profile.
If you think that Reels adds some ‘TikTok like’ functions and features to Instagram and Facebook, you may not be completely wrong. The rise of TikTok has empowered plenty of content creators to quickly make compelling short form contents that you can easily follow on their platform. TikTok has also appealed to plenty of Instagram and Facebook content creators thanks to the innovative tools that TitTok has provided for quick and seamless content creation. The introduction of Reels and its suite of content creation tool should bring some content creators back to Instagram and Facebook.
Reels is now available for Instagram and Facebook users in 50 regions. Malaysia is a part of those 50 countries with Reels introduced in Instagram and Facebook. Music is available in 90 countries so far and Malaysia is now part of those countries to have Music features available. Instagram and Facebook are two free apps available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
