The question of ‘hackability’ and the overall security of our smartphones is one of those issues that seems to pop up in the news. After all, we use our smartphones for just about anything – sharing photos, ordering food, shopping online, sending emails and messages, banking and financial services, etc. – without realising all of the ways we could be putting our device and ourselves at risk, allowing cyber-criminals to get access to our sensitive data.
While many of us are better informed today about the potential dangers of being connected on our smartphones, hackers and cyber-criminals are also changing their methods of attack. As the global pandemic have left many of us stuck at home and more reliant than ever on our mobile devices, cyber-criminals have also adapted new ways to target users. Over the Movement Control Order (MCO), cybersecurity cases spiked by 82.5% compared to the same time last year, with 18% attributed to attacks against local companies and the remaining linked to home users and others[1].
Recognising Cyberattacks and the Need for Cyber-resilience
Among the new waves of attacks brought on by the pandemic are COVID-19 themed phishing lures, high-risk fake domains, and scams[2]. These new methods employed by cyber-criminals are aimed at taking advantage of the public fear of the virus, combined with heightened stress levels from unfamiliar ways of working. The most common attacks in Malaysia can be attributed to phishing attempts, the spread of malicious code via untrustworthy websites, and passwords, as below:
Phishing Emails – Reports have found that 91% of all attacks begin with a phishing email to an unsuspecting victim, with 32% of all successful breaches involve the use of phishing techniques[3]. While many of us have been educated on recognising phishing emails, these attacks are still effective, and can fool even tech-savvy individuals.
Malicious Websites – Compromised websites is a main avenue for spreading malware infections on mobile devices. Limiting your browsing activity to reputable websites can reduce the possibility of infection.
Password Security – A survey revealed that 59% of respondents use the same password for multiple accounts, citing convenience and a fear of forgetting their password as the reason for this practice[4]. However, this allows cyber-criminals to access all your accounts easily through one single credential. Therefore, it is advisable to use different passwords across accounts.
Cyberattacks continue to grow day-by-day, and it is crucial that we learn to minimise risk, with good cyber habits being a pivotal and essential first step in combatting threats.
Defending your Smartphone, the Moment it is Turned On
As such, while it is important to take steps and measures to protect yourself online, it is also crucial to have a strong security platform on your smartphone, helping you encrypt and secure confidential data. Most smartphone breaches happen because they may not be equipped with advanced security measures, have outdated systems that may not be able to withstand current attacks. Similarly, smartphone owners may also not consider the importance of securing their phones or performing regular security check-ups. However, there are certain devices that come with a safe and secure in-built mobile interface to keep your personal data protected.
For example, Samsung Knox sets a foundation of security to users at both the hardware and software level as a security platform that’s integrated within Samsung smartphones, tablets, and wearables to protect it against malicious threats. Whether it is protection against phishing attacks or potential malware infections, the Samsung Knox platform has security integrated into its DNA, providing multi-layered security with data encryption and run-time protection within Samsung devices to keep sensitive information safe from online threats. Users can safeguard passwords, save private files under a secured folder, and even secure mobile transactions with Samsung Knox. Getting to know your security platforms is just as important when considering the range of services that is available to ensure that it is updated to meet global information and technology security requirements. This helps its users stay ahead of the modern-day threats with its game-changing security features.
Given that smartphone usage has only grown exponentially over the past few years, it is important that we have more security platforms allowing us the freedom and peace-of-mind in staying connected. Similar to how Samsung Knox have.
On top of having a top-tier security platform for your data, having that protection extended to all the essentials in a mobile device is equally important. While many of us are familiar with installing apps on our phones, we may be unfamiliar with the authenticity of the sources producing these apps. Learning to identify unverified and suspicious sources can help users identify potentially harmful apps.
Similar to how Samsung devices come built-in with Google Mobile Services (GMS) to help ensure that your vital applications have the latest updates and patches from verified sources, using trusted sources from well-known app stores like Google Play can help protect you from downloading and installing apps that can harm your devices.
Staying Secure, Safe, and Savvy about Security
Cyberattacks are nothing new, the challenge is in identifying and combatting the updated approach that many cybercriminals are using when it comes to their targets and the frequency of their attacks. Whether it is a hacking attempt by a third-party app or a fraud email redirecting you to a malicious website, most cybercriminals have one common goal: exploit your personal data and use that data to make profit. As such, it is critical that we keep our sensitive information protected at all costs, with the help of a smartphone built with highly advanced security features to always keep you safe from unwanted threats.
Garmin has always been known for their very premium smartwatches. Some do not even consider their stuff ‘smartwatches’. They argue that the Garmin watches are more fitness trackers than anything. Whichever camp you come from though, we still like the brand and the devices they make.
As smartwatches and fitness trackers go, you cannot go wrong with a Garmin watch. Whichever your choice is, you are getting a smartwatch cum fitness tracker that will last you days at a time, while being reliable and durable enough to be in the harshest of weathers. There is an issue however; they are not exactly affordable. Garmin has an answer to that.
Source: Garmin
Welcome to the Garmin Venu SQ, SQ for ‘Square’. Garmin launched the Venu smartwatch last year and it became one of our favourite smartwatches very quickly. Its pretty interface and good looks are big contributors to our preference, of course. But round is not the only format people want in their smartwatch. Some people still prefer going for a square watch face on their smartwatch thanks to the larger perceived display real estate. That is the Garmin Venu SQ, for the ones that wants a square-faced smartwatch from Garmin.
The Garmin Venu SQ’s square-ish display measures at 1.3-inch and is protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 layer. The square LCD display pushes 240 by 240 pixels , which is not Full HD per se, but is still quite a pretty looking crystal display. You can use always-on mode on the Garmin Venu SQ as well, if you want to. Of course, always-on display will consume a little bit more battery life.
Source: Garmin
To be fair, not much else is known about the Garmin Venu SQ’s internals. We do know that the Venu SQ is just as capable as its more premium round-faced sibling though. It is also made with the same durable fiber-reinforced polymer material that the rounded Garmin Venu is built with. Inside is also all the same sensors that makes the Garmin Venu SQ as capable as any of its siblings.
You still have GPS capability within the watch with compass capabilities so that you can never get lost with the Garmin Venu SQ, in your adventures. In your adventures as well, you would appreciate the 5 ATM water resistant rating, just in case you need to get a little wet. A battery life that would last you up to 6 days at a time could also prove essential when you need it (14 hours on GPS mode without music). As a bonus, you do not need to keep it charged daily.
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
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Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Of course, the Garmin Venu SQ still has all the right sensors at the back of the watch as well. The sensors can monitor your heart rate, your blood oxygen levels, and more. It can even detect your swim stroke types, and even understand your sleep cycles.
The Venu SQ is now available in Malaysia in two variants. You can get a regular Venu SQ and a Venu SQ Music with Spotify and music storing capabilities built-into the device. The Venu SQ starts at MYR 999 and is available in Shadow Gray/Slate, White/Light Gold, and Orchid/Metallic Orchid colour options. The Venu SQ Music Edition will go for MYR 1,250 and is available in Black/Slate, Light Sand/Rose Gold, Navy/Light Gold, and Moss/Slate colour combinations.
Let us be fair a little bit. The Sony WF-800n is not a completely new product. As in, it is not the first time we see noise cancelling in Sony’s sports focused earphones. It is also not the first Truly Wireless (TWS) sports focused earbuds in the market. It is however, Sony’s latest TWS sports earbuds with their award winning and proven Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) technology.
Sony already had the remarkable WF-SP700n earphones before this. In our tests two years ago, the device performed remarkably well in all kinds of situations. It only had a battery life of 3 hours on a single charge though (just earbuds). While that was enough for a good workout, it was pale in comparison to plenty of the TWS earbuds that was coming out at that time. Still, it had a small packaging that was attractive and easy to work with. It even has its own app, Sony’s Headphones app that we think was great.
The new model, the WF-SP800N is not technically a follow up or a replacement model. It was not meant to be a successor to the WF-SP700n, although the naming moniker. It is also more expensive than the older WF-SP700n at MYR 849. At that price though, it is cheaper than the coveted WF-1000XM3, the true great Noise Cancelling earbuds.
In this case, is this a better buy than Sony’s holy grail in TWS noise cancelling, the WF-1000XM3? Is it a better buy compared to the WF-SP700n at an MYR 100 premium? Most importantly , is it worth your hard earned MYR 849? Let us face it, that is just MYR 151 shy of MYR 1,000 (yes, I can count). In that case, this is still worth a lot of money compared to some of its competition. Let us find out then, if this is worth every penny, or if you should be looking elsewhere.
Design
To begin with, the one we have here is a very neon Orange colour option. It has four colour options including this one – Blue, White, Black, and Orange. That is the same amount of colour options you get with the less expensive and more compact Sony WF-SP700n. You are choosing between different colours though. There are two more colour choices compared to the higher-end WF-1000XM3 too. So that is one point to the Sony WF-SP800N.
We cannot help it; the WF-SP800N’s orange reminds us of traffic cones. It is exactly the same colour, both the case and the headphones compared to a regular traffic cone in Malaysia. That makes it seem like we have pieces of traffic cones in our ears and our bags. There is some good in this though.
Being this bright and neon means that you are sort of visible, albeit a small dot in your ear might not make that much of a difference in visibility. But still, it makes you a little more visible in whatever conditions that Malaysia can throw at you, except for torrential rain that is. You would not want to be caught running in the rain though, why would you run in the rain in the first place?
Still the extra visibility means you are a little safer when you do your runs on the street. You want to be a little more visible since you are going to be using the Noise Cancelling feature to block out the world. We do advise that you turn on the ambient noise feature when you run on a busy route though, just so that you are aware of what is coming at you and your surroundings.
The buds themselves are about the same size as the WF-1000XM3 earphones. To be fair, even the charging case looks nearly as big with the bottom third of the case cut off. The case cap is also a little concaved from the inside to create a sort of dome cocooning the earbuds inside.
The wingtips (they call it the arc supporter) that is additional to the regular silicon eartips makes the SP800N look a little larger than the WF-1000XM3 though. This is a stark difference compared to the WF-SP700n too. The WF-SP800N is way larger and look a little more cumbersome compared to the WF-SP700n. The wingtips do make it more secure to work with than the WF-1000XM3 though.
Like any modern device with a battery, the Sony WF-SP800N charges via a USB Type-C port at the back bottom of the device. Because of its odd shape though, the case only stands on its cap. That exposes the USB Type-C port to the top. We still do not understand this design choice.
As with most modern TWS cases these days, the WF-SP800N’s case cap is magnetic and the buds starts charging the moment you fit the buds back in. That is magnetic too, as with the WF-1000XM3. All you need to do is drop the earbuds into the case and the buds will simply snap in its place to start charging.
On the WF-800N’s left bud, there is a very tiny notch that indicates that the left earbud is the master earbud. It is technical a small instruction or reminder that you are supposed to put in the left side first. The rest of the earbuds’ design language mimics the WF-1000XM3 though, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
The case is made entirely of plastic though. While that makes it light, some might say it feels cheaper and less significant. The matte finish makes it feel a little nicer and softer to the touch, but there is no soft touch or rubbery coating here. You might want to be a little more careful with handling the case too though, or maybe buy a protective case, because the case does tend to scuff a little.
Performance
Of course, an earphone is nothing without its driver and sound quality. Of course, coming from Sony, you expect something special. Sony, after all, is one of the best in the business of audio. The Sony WF-SP800N packs a relatively powerful 6mm Neodymium drivers encased in very Orange (our test unit) IP55 rated package. Mind you, the case is not water resistant rated, so do not put the case in the water with the earphones.
Sound Quality
This section has always been Sony’s party piece. In a sense, Sony is a trusted name in audio, so there is never a doubt that it would sound good. That is if you do not compare it to the WF-1000XM3.
If you compared it to the older Sony WF-SP700n, the WF-SP800N does win out a little bit in the area. It is not night and day with the sound quality between the WF-SP700n and the WF-SP800N though. There is still a difference, comparatively.
On its own, the WF-SP800N TWS earphones is a capable performer. The low frequencies are great, for an earphone with tiny 6mm driver. The bass line is punchy and full. This is mostly thanks to Sony’s acclaimed EXTRA BASS technology.
Because of EXTRA BASS though, the mid-range and high-end frequencies take a little bit of a back seat. It does not mean that the Sony WF-SP800N sounds like a muddled piece of kit though. Contrary to that, while the bass line sounds punchy and powerful, mid and low frequencies are still present and available. The low-frequency is still full of details though, not just a punch for punching sake.
We used Spotify in most of our audio tests. The simple justification of us using Spotify, even if TIDAL can offer Lossless and FLAC quality audio, is that it is the most widely used ‘Premium’ music streaming app in Malaysia. It is also one of the most affordable, so we will stick to Spotify Premium for now.
We listened to music like ‘Lost Without You’ by Freya Ridings, for that full mid-range frequency pull of the vocals. We are happy to report that vocals still sound crisp and meaty in this case. Even ‘La Vie En Rose’ covered by Daniela Andrade sounds great on the WF-SP800N. This is if you are more concerned with vocals than anything. Then there is the concern of a terrible high-frequency with bassy earphones. For that high frequency reach, we tested the WF-SP800N with a symphony of Final Fantasy VII’s Medley done by Video Game Orchestra. In the symphony also we could properly tell the balance of the earphones. Of course, thanks to EXTRA BASS, you would expect all the low frequency instruments to shine. But it does not mean that the Violins and the windpipes do not get their shine, they still really do.
Of course, the sound staging is a little less dynamic than the WF-1000XM3. In this sense, the WF-1000XM3 does win out in a significant margin. It is also not the most accurate earphone to work with, so if you are working with audio plenty and require natural and neutral sounding earphones, this is not for you. Then again, if you do not put them side by side, like us, the WF-SP800N is a formidable earphone on its own.
Compare it to its competition though, and it will blow them away. The Samsung Galaxy Buds+ for example has nothing compared to the Sony. The Sony WF-SP800N sounds clearer with better sound staging compared to the Samsung Galaxy Buds+. There is one thing that the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ do better than the Sony though, and that is a better and cleaner vocals and mid-range frequencies. You notice them too, but overall, the Sony WF-SP800N is still a much better sounding earphone with better overall detail in all frequencies. That superiority in sound quality alone may not be enough to justify its heftier price tag though. Its other features might just make up those few extra hundred difference.
360 Reality Audio
If you have apps that takes advantage of Sony’s 360 Reality Audio, even better. Sony’s new 360 Reality Audio technology technically is Sony’s audio enhancer that completely changes your experience with music. It takes Sony’s object based spatial audio technology and allows artists and musicians to record music in a completely new way. It allows musicians to place different instruments within a spherical sound field. Like the ‘360’ naming moniker then, it gives you a true spatial music experience.
Sadly, 360 Reality Audio is only available on select music streaming platforms though. It is currently only available on Deezer, nugs.net, and TIDAL. To be fair, you can get higher resolution music via those apps compared to Spotify. A little bit of technical talk here, TIDAL HiFi accounts allows users to stream 44.1kHz/16bit files at about 1411kbps. That is in the region of Lossless and FLAC audio file quality. Spotify Premium, on the other hand only streams at 320kbps. That is no where close to CD-quality or Lossless. Of course, there is a cost to all this. TIDAL’s HiFi subscription is worth MYR 29.80 a month while Spotify Premium works out to MYR 14.90 a month.
That extra cost, if you listen to 360 Reality Audio produced music on TIDAL (our app of choice for 360 Reality Audio), the TIDAL HiFi subscription is quite worth it. But we are reviewing the earbuds here, not the app. Of course, with 360 Reality Audio, the Sony WF-SP800N shines. Suddenly your sound stage changes from a two-dimensional experience to an immersive three-dimensional phenomenon. Close your eyes, and you will feel like you are in the concert hall or recording studio itself.
The thing is, you have to be on TIDAL HiFi subscription plan to fully take advantage of Sony’s 360 Reality Audio technology. That, or you have to pay for a Deezer subscription. They do not have as many music in their library as far as we know. There are no plans yet on Spotify’s side to support higher streaming quality or even have 360 Reality Audio support. Also, subscriptions with 360 Reality Audio availability is a little more premium in pricing compared to the usual subscriptions we are used to.
Active Noise Cancelling
This is something that Sony does better than almost everyone else in the field. Sony’s Active Noise Cancelling technology is considered by many to be one of the best, if not the best, in the market. Their highly acclaimed WF-1000XM3 and WH-1000XM4 are the very products that is hailed as the best in-class currently.
That same know how in Active Noise Cancelling they used on the WF-1000XM3 is present on the WF-SP800N. This could be worth that few extra hundred bucks on top of superior audio quality over other earphones made for an active lifestyle. This is also because ANC can make plenty of difference in your music experience.
Again, we do suggest that you keep ambient noise up anywhere from 50% to 100% when you wear this for a run. You can never be too safe, and you do not want to completely isolate yourself from the world in the case that you are sharing paths with the public. If you are in the gym and are trying to block out the world though, this will do it mighty well. Even if it is just to shut out the gym music, this will do that job well enough that you are in your own world completely. You can even swim with it cranked up in your ear. Other than acting as a water seal, it keeps you entertained and pumped up for your training.
Of course, it does not just do well in the active environment. Thanks to ANC and great audio quality, it is a headphone that you can enjoy in normal commuting conditions too. It is still a perfect earphone to own and use in the train, or even in the bus. It does really block out the world and isolate you out a little bit, which is always nice and somewhat relaxing. Of course, podcasts work great too. On that note, do check out our Tech & Tonic Podcast on Spotify, or Google Podcast, or Apple Podcast.
When you get home, and need some alone time away from everyone at home or everything else that is happening around you, the ANC is good enough that you can isolate yourself virtually. Of course, if there are really loud noise like a wall banging from the construction next door, you are going to hear it a little bit. If you get a good seal from the silicon tips though (choose the correct size for your ears), you might not even hear a glass breaking two feet away from you. It is that isolating.
In that case, you might want to think twice about wearing it in the office sometimes. Sure, the noise cancellation also means that you get to focus better on your own tasks and jobs. It allows better concentration and less distractions while not biothering any of your colleagues. As we have found though, it may not be too advisable to turn your back to the world as you might not be too aware of your surroundings. Your colleague might get annoyed too for not being able to get your attention. Although, you might be able to get more work done. That, or you might just start dancing on your own like a crazy person.
Fit and Comfort
The Sony WF-SP800N some similarities to the WF-1000XM3 in terms of earbud design. For one, they do share the same silicon tip fitting. The only difference between the two earphones is the WF-SP800N having an extra wingtip to ensure that the earphones stay in your ears and not fall out in an intense work out.
Fitting and comfort for everyone is a little different though. In that sense, I would not be able to say that I speak for everyone in this matter too. I had to change the silicon tips to the largest available from Sony to get a good seal in my ear. They provided three different sizes within the packaging, which also means that you get to either pick between a large, medium, or a small ear tip. The wingtips come in two sizes, medium, or small. The one attached to the earbuds out-of-the-box is the medium sized one, which is perfect enough for me. If it gets uncomfortable, you might want to switch to the smaller one.
Yes, there is a case for foam eartips for plenty of earphones. The WF-1000XM3 comes with foam eartips in-the-box as well. Foam eartips can be a little more forgiving to your ears and also means a longer period use case will not be uncomfortable or painful. Foam tips are a little more prone to tearing and may not work too well with water though. In that case, silicon is a little more reliable. Still, if you want to get a better seal, you can opt for aftermarket foam tips.
As we said earlier, it is important to find a good fit and seal for your earphones. It helps with the entire aural experience when your ears are properly sealed. It is especially important for noise cancelling earphones. Without a good seal, noise cancellation might not work as well. Therefore, take your time to choose the right eartips sizes for each of your ear.
Once you get a good fit and seal, the earphone can sit in your ears for hours and hours on end. It is made for a good workout, so if you are using the right sized eartips and wingtips, you are going to be mighty fine on long workout sessions. Even if you are just using it to relax and settle down on your commute home, or even reading a good book, you should be fine.
The only issue is that there is a little bit of heft to it. While in most cases you may not notice it that much, if you come from the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Buds or even the Buds live, you are going to feel it on your ears a little more. It is not a major issue though. It is not like the earphones weigh more than 1kg each to weight down your ears. Each earbud weighs only about 10g anyway.
Thanks to the extra wingtips, the Sony WF-SP800N is extra secure. We took it to the gym, we took it swimming, we took it for evening runs, and we did our circuit training with this too. In those sessions which lasts anywhere between 15 minutes to 45 minutes, the Sony WF-SP800N has never needed any readjustments or a refitting. The whole experience was quite uninterrupted and seamless as long as your smartphone is within stable Bluetooth connection range.
Battery Life
The Sony WF-SP800N quotes about 9 hours of continuous music play time with ANC on. The charging case charges the WF-SP800N once over, which gives the earphones a total listening time of 18 hours. On paper, that is not as good as the WF-1000XM3’s total battery life. The SP800N offers a slightly longer battery life on a single charge though over the WF-1000XM3 – nine hours over eight hours.
In real life, we never could leave music playing for nine hours in our ears. We do not have any long flights lined-up for us too. Well, flights are still limited. We will take their words on the battery life, in this case.
Still, we have only charged the Sony WF-800N with the case once in a week. Of course, exercising is not in our daily activity schedule. We not only use the WF-SP800N as our workout companion of course. You can expect this kind of battery life too even if you head to the gym daily.
Whatever it is though, the battery life is perfect for long flights. If you are heading to Europe, you are going to appreciate the nine hours of battery life, especially when you have two seven-hour stints to complete. No travelling at this time though, so short domestic flights will have to do.
Sony Headphones App
We have said before that we always appreciate an accompanying app when it comes to wireless earphones. That said, Sony has always been shipping their audio devices with their accompanying app, the Sony Headphones and Music apps available on iOS and Android for free. We can happily report that the app is nothing short of amazing.
The app is designed to ensure that experiences with all Sony audio products are at least similar or unified. In that sense, even if you have multiple Sony audio products with you, you only need to work with a single app. Well, two in Sony’s case.
The Sony WF-SP800N works nicely with Sony’s Headphones app. Even if you access it through Sony’s Music app, the app will direct you to the Headphones app anyway, do not waste your time downloading the Music app first. The Headphones app is also one of the most comprehensive earphone controller apps we have ever come across so far though.
Samsung’s Wearables app has gone the route of simplification and minimalization in the past few years. You see less and less on the menu and settings screen. Sony has gone a little more of the opposite recently. On the Sony Headphones app, you still have the usual noise cancelling level and ambient noise balance control.
You now also have a separate section and page just for action detections, and location detection. You can tune and location detection. You can tune your WF-SP800N to different locations now too, you can have slightly different settings for when you are at home or even in the office. It can be as simple as tuning your earphones to tune out noise and sound a certain way at home, or in the office. When you are at the gym, it can automatically turn on ambient noise or turn up the low frequencies to get a better kick for your workout sessions.
But there are more than just ambient noise controls. You might have noticed that we said something about low frequency tuning in the previous paragraph. That is because you can really tune the earphones to your liking. There is a general equaliser control for you to work with, and there are even preset settings you can work with too in that.
Within the app is also Sony’s new clever optimisation algorithm to tailor listening experiences for individuals. Each of us has very slightly different ears and therefore experience headphones differently. That is also why high-end earphone makers scan your ears and create a mould for your ears to tailor their earphones for your ears and for your ears only. Sony does that virtually with their clever software by just taking a picture of your ears, with your smartphone’s selfie camera.
If you have Tidal, the app will have an optimisation option for 360 Reality Audio. You do want to optimise it for the sake of your Sony earphones though, not just the WF-SP800N. As we mentioned, it really transforms your audio experience. You can hear the difference if you pay attention.
The WF-SP800N – The Better Sports Earphone
For the longest time, the most proper TWS earphones that could stand up to sweat and pool water is the Sony’s WF-SP700n. Before that, it was the Samsung IconX, which we thought was a very good idea too. The TWS earphones idea was built for that purpose too, technically. It frees you from tangling wires or being tethered to a smartphone when you jog, when you work out.
It became plenty more than that later on though. We have super high-end TWS earphones made by the likes of Sennheiser, Klipsch, and even Shure now. Sony was the first to break out their high-end TWS earbuds with the WF-1000X though. With the introduction of the WF-1000XM3, TWS earphones does not have to be rubbish sounding even with Active Noise Cancelling. With the WF-1000XM3 too, great sounding earphones do not have to last only three hours before needing a quick recharge.
The culmination of that knowledge and Sony’s industry leading water resistance knowledge birthed the WF-SP800N, a follow up from the WF-SP700n. The new TWS earphone is a step up from the older WF-SP700n in every way, including weight and size. We think that the only drawback, compared to the old hardware, is just its heft. But that is justified by a longer battery life on both its case and the earpieces.
It may not sound as good as the WF-1000XM3. If you compare it to something like a Samsung Galaxy Buds+ though, it sounds quite a little bit better. It lasts quite a little bit longer too, in terms of battery life. It also fits better than the Samsung earbuds, and way more secure than the Sony WF-1000XM3 thanks to the extended wings.
It holds an advantage over the WF-1000XM3 though. It is water resistant rated at IP55. That also means you can use it for all your workout sessions. They say you can even swim in it if you want. Of course, you get to do that at your own risk.
At MYR 849, it is not exactly cheap. As we mentioned, it is just MYR 100 shy of the WF-1000XM3. It is difficult to justify that purchase based on sound quality alone. In fact, if that is all you are looking for, the WF-1000XM3 is a better buy. The WF-SP800N is in a completely different class of product though. It is made for the active people. It is made for those who exercises regularly and has a regularly active lifestyle; it is made to take a beating. But because Sony knows their way around an audio device, the WF-SP800N still sounds good enough for you to be enjoying music in any other situations. It is a perfect earphone to have for any situation, an all-rounder.
This is an excellent all-rounder earphone with Sony’s ANC technology. Some considers Sony’s ANC to be the best in the industry too. The MYR 849 premium price is also justified by that. There are no sports earbuds currently that has ANC currently, if you think about it.
So, for MYR 849, you are getting something that is quite out of this world. For MYR 849, you are getting something unique in the market. For MYR 849 too, you are paying for Sony’s quality, knowhow in audio, and excellent ANC technology, in a body that could handle your active lifestyle and stick to your ears even when it gets tough. What more could you want from a sports earphone?
The Samsung Galaxy S20 was launched earlier this year in March. It was touted as a very capable device with what plenty of fans wanted from a Samsung Galaxy device. In theory, it sounded like the Samsung Galaxy S20 was a capable smartphone with all its bells and whistles. In reality, its price point is a little steep for its price point and that made it a little less desirable.
It has come to this, the new smartphone that will correct all the problems with the ultra-premium S20 line-up. The regular Samsung Galaxy S20 line-up starts at MYR 3,599. The new Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition (FE) will go for MYR 3,399 instead, even cheaper than the regular Samsung Galaxy S20 device.
Source: Samsung
What do you get for MYR 3,399? You get the best parts of the Samsung Galaxy S20 device in a package at a more reachable price point, in short. You get a 32-Megapixel front-facing camera greeting you as you lift the device to face you. This is an even higher resolution than what you are getting from a regular Samsung Galaxy S20.
The display might seem like a little bit of a downgrade at first with no curved edges. It is not technically a downgrade though as you are still working with a Full HD+ 120Hz display for a super smooth experience. It is not like you are getting a much smaller display with the Super AMOLED Infinity-O display measuring at 6.5-inch.
Source: Samsung
Turn it around and you see a sort of matte textured back that makes it stand out in the crowd a little bit. It comes in six funky colours too, to fit your personalities and moods. It comes in Cloud Red, Cloud Orange, Cloud Lavender, Cloud Mint, Cloud Navy, and Cloud White. These colours are completely new to the Samsung Galaxy S line up and is more inline with the Samsung Galaxy Note20 series colours as well, so some premium touch there.
The matte backing surrounds a triple camera module that is the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE’s main shooters. It houses a main 12-Megapixel camera flanked by a 12-Megapixel ultra-wide sensor and an 8-Megapixel telephoto sensor making the photo trinity. You can take advantage of all the cameras at a single touch via Samsung’s Single Take feature in the camera app. The telephoto lens and main shooter combination give the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE the very impressive 30X Space Zoom capabilities too.
Within all the prettiness and IP68 rated body is an immensely powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. No Exynos here, they have listened to the fans. Paired to the chipset is an ample 8GB of RAM too (up to). Thanks to the chipset too, you get 5G connectivity out of the box.
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To top it all off is a big 4,500mAh battery that should keep the device running all day. The large internal battery is also a Super-Fast Charging capable battery as well, so if you do have a charger capable of 25W of output, your device can charge from an empty battery to full in less than one hour and a half. The charger that is included with the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE though is a 15W charger, a regular Fast Charging wall adapter.
Dual SIM model (Hybrid SIM slot) – One Nano SIM and one Nano SIM or one MicroSD slot (up to 1TB)
Battery
4,500mAh (typical)
Charging
Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 USB PD 3.0 (PPS) certified Fast Charging for wired charging (AFC and QC2.0 compatible) *WPC certified Wireless charging *Wireless PowerShare
OS
Android 10
Network
[5G] 5G Non-Standalone (NSA), Sub6 [LTE] Enhanced 4×4 MIMO, Up to 5CA, LTE D/L Cat.19 (1.6Gbps),LTE U/L Cat.18 (211Mbps) [Wi-Fi] Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4G+5GHz, HE80, MIMO, 1024-QAM, Up to 1.2Gbps Download / Up to 1.2Gbps Upload [Bluetooth] Bluetooth® v 5.0, USB type-C, NFC, Location (GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou)
Lock type: pattern, PIN, password, Fingerprint sensor, Face recognition
Audio
[Stereo speakers sound by AKG] Surround sound with Dolby Atmos technology (Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus included.) – [Ultra high quality audio playback] UHQ 32-bit &DSD64/128 support PCM: Up to 32 bits, DSD: DSD64/128 * DSD64 and DSD128 playback can be limited depending on the file format. [Audio playback format] MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, APE, DSF, DFF [Bluetooth] Dual Audio: connect two Bluetooth devices to the Galaxy S20 FE to play audio through the two devices simultaneously. * The two connected devices may exhibit a slight difference in sound output. Scalable Codec: Enhanced Bluetooth connection under ambient radio frequency interference. * Available only for certain accessories made by Samsung. [Recording] Recording quality is improved with the High AOP Mic that minimizes distortion in noisy environments. * AOP: Acoustic Overload Point
Video
[Video playback format] MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM [TV connection] Wireless: Smart View (screen mirroring 1080p at 30 fps) Wired: supports DisplayPort over USB type-C. Supports video out when connecting via HDMI Adapter. (DisplayPort 4K UHD at 60 fps)
Water Resistance
IP68
Price and Availability
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is now available for pre-order from Samsung Experience Stores, Authorised Partners and Samsung Malaysia’s E-Store until the 8th of October 2020. As mentioned, there are six colours available for the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE – Cloud Red, Cloud Orange, Cloud Lavender, Cloud Mint, Cloud Navy, and Cloud White. If you pre-ordered your device, you get a UV Sterilizer Wireless Charger box, Samsung’s One-Time Screen Crack Protection, and a Clear Standing Cover worth MYR 586 in total. You can get your hands on one for MYR 3,399 (US$ 699.99*) onward.
*Official U.S. pricing based on Samsung U.S. website
This year marks 10 years of Apple’s iconic iPad. The Apple iPad was introduced back in 2010 as an alternative Apple experience. To most, it is just an enlarged iPhone. The iPad has evolved to plenty more than just a glorified tablet sized iPhone though. It has become an essential productivity, entertainment, and multitasking tool.
The 7th Generation Apple iPad is also made to be more affordable than ever. This year, the 8th Generation Apple iPad is just as affordable and even more powerful than before. The 8th Generation Apple iPad can now be your full-time work and play partner. The new Apple iPad Air is even more powerful, a powerhouse that you can use as an essential production tool.
The New 8th Generation Apple iPad (2020)
Source: Apple
The new iPad now comes packing a powerhouse in the form of the Apple A12 Bionic 6-core System on a Chip (SoC). While that is not a new SoC, it is still a powerful enough SoC to work with even the latest games from Apple’s App Store.
The A12 Bionic SoC though comes with a Neural Engine, which also means that the Apple iPad comes with a dedicated Machine Learning core for the first time. That also means a clever and instant smart photo editor on the new Apple iPad. The A12 Bionic is also capable of clever motion tracking and analysis that you can use in various settings.
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That is not all power that the new A12 Bionic boasts though. The A12 Bionic is even more efficient that before too. That also means that the Apple iPad can remain as slim and retain its all-day battery life even with its large 10.2-inch Retina display.
iPadOS 14 on The New Apple iPad
With the latest iPadOS on the new Apple iPad, the Apple Pencil is even more powerful and better than before. Hand-written notes can be converted to typed texts in an instant, as long as your handwriting is clear enough to read. This is especially helpful when you are out in the field and have no surfaces to type on.
The All-New Apple iPad Air
Source: Apple
The Apple ipad Air for 2020 is the most powerful Apple iPad ever with Apple’s brand new SoC. Before we get there though, the Apple iPad Air is even more colourful too at the same time. The Apple iPad Air now comes in 5 different colours now. For the first time ever too, the Apple ipad Air is charged via a USB Type-C port instead of an Apple proprietary Lightning port.
It is also compatible with Apple’s Pencil. In fact, you can attach the Apple pencil to the side of the iPad Air magnetically. The size is also perfect for Apple’s existing magic keyboard attachment. Narrower bezel allows the iPad Air to have an expansive 10.9-inch Retina display though.
The retina display is a beautiful display though. It is a full laminated display with True Tone colours and DCI P3 certification. That also means that the display is perfect for those working in the creative industry. Even if you need it for photo editing on the go, the display will take care of you.
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The Apple iPad Air for 2020 is also the first Apple device to integrate Apple’s Touch ID with its power button. It also boasts 12-Megapixel main camera out the back and a 7-Megapixel front-facing camera. The main camera is capable of 4K resolution video recording too, just in case you need it. For entertainment purposes, you get stereo speakers that is enabled in landscape mode.
The A14 Bionic Processor
The Apple iPad Air packs Apple’s latest A14 Bionic SoC. It is Apple’s latest, most powerful, and most advanced processor to ever come out of Cupertino. But it is not just Apple’s most advanced SoC to date, it is probably the world’s most advanced mobile processor to date.
The A14 Bionic SoC is the first ever production 5nm consumer grade SoC in the world with 11.8 billion transistors. It is supposed to be more powerful than a modern entry-level notebook. It is 40% more powerful than the A13 Bionic that is currently powering the Apple iPhone XS. It packs 30% more graphical performance compared to the A13 bionic too for what Apple claims to be console level gaming experience. That and 4K video editing capability.
The A14 Bionic SoC also packs a dedicated 16-core neural processor. The more powerful neural processor also allows the new iPad Air to process 11 trillion operations within a second. Thanks to that, machine learning on the iPad Air is even more powerful.
Availability and Pricing
The 8th Generation Apple iPad will be available in the usual Space Grey, Silver, and Gold colour options. There are only two storage variants for the Apple iPad though, 32GB and 128GB variants. The Apple iPad will be available soon in the United States this Friday onward for US$ 329 (WiFi only) and US$ 459 (WiFi + Cellular) onward. There are no official word on Malaysia’s availability though there is already Malaysian pricing. The Apple iPad will be available in Malaysia for MYR 1,449 (WiFi only) and MYR 1,999 (WiFi + Cellular) onward.
The Apple iPad Air, as mentioned comes in 5 different colours. You can choose between Space Grey, Silver, Rose Gold, Green, and Sky Blue Colour options. The Apple iPad Air will be available in the United States market next month onward for US$ 599 (WiFi only) onward and US$ 729 (WiFi + Cellular) onward. There is no official word on Malaysia’s availability. The iPad Air will be available starting from MYR 2,599 (WiFi only) and MYR 3,149 (WiFi + Cellular) onward.
Apple’s highly anticipated September 2020 event just happened last night. Of course, like everything else these days, it happened virtually. If you watched it, it is still pre-recorded, clearly.
The event did not bring a new iPhone though, to Apple iPhone enthusiast’s dismay. Instead the event brought out two stars of the show. The first is what we all saw coming all along – the Apple Watch Series 6.
Apple Watch Series 6
Source: Apple
The Apple Watch Series 6 is, as we all know, is Apple’s latest and greatest in smartwatch technology. For the first time ever, you do not need an Apple iPhon4 smartphone to use and fully work with the Apple Watch. Actually, more about that later.
The new Apple Watch Series 6 comes in three colours, for now. There is the usual Stainless Steel variant, that was so popular since its introduction. There is now a Red and Blue variant to the Apple Watch Series 6. They are made of aluminium of course.
There is a new health sensor too boot as well with the Apple Watch Series 6. It still has an ECG sensor that was hyped about with the Series 5. Additionally, there is a new blood Oxygen sensor that is more accurate than ever. It only takes 15 seconds for you to see what your blood oxygen level looks like. It is a clever little system that analyses the colour of your blood.
Source: Apple
Even when you sleep, the watch is still active. It tracks your sleep data or whatever data it collects anyway and stores it within the fitness app. No it does not send data and exchange its data with a central server. You can be sure that your sleep and fitness data is private. Even if you do not wear it to sleep, it measures data at intervals and stores them within the app for you to view later anyway.
But it is not just on the surface that the Apple Watch gets an upgrade. Within its svelte body is an S6 processing chip that is based on the powerful A13 Bionic architecture. That also means that the Apple Watch is quite a bit more powerful than ever before.
The new processor allows the Apple Watch Series 6 to pack a brighter display on the device while boasting improved battery life performance. The display is now 2.5x brighter than before too, which means there is no need to squint under bright sunlight.
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The added brightness and outdoor visibility benefit the Always On display function too. The always-on function can now display the alti-meter on full time for you to track your hikes. On top of that, the Apple Watch Series 6 has added fitness functions and cleverer fitness detection. We will talk about that later though.
Apple Watch SE – Still an Apple Watch, but More Affordable
Apple Watch Series 6 too rich for your blood? Do not want a Series 3 either? Then there is the Apple Watch SE.
The Apple Watch SE is everything that the Apple Watch Series 6 is. It is more affordable that the Apple Watch Series 6. That does not mean that you are getting a sub-par product though. You get the same bright display as the Series 6, the same sizes, and the same fittings and finishes. You even get the Apple WatchOS 7 that is supposed to be loaded on the Apple Watch Series 6.
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There are a few differences still though. You do not get the EKG sensor that was introduced on the Apple Watch Series 5. It packs a similar chipset with the Apple Watch Series 5 though. You also do not get the blood oxygen sensor that the Apple Watch Series 6 gets.
Apple Fitness+
In that front, Apple introduced their new Fitness+ service. The Fitness+ app can be accessed via Apple’s Fitness app. It is technically an additional subscription service for Apple Watch users.
The Fitness+ service is a new service that makes use of your Apple Watch with the rest of your Apple devices. You could make do just with an iPhone and the Apple Watch though, with the Apple Fitness+. You do not even need to be at home to take advantage of Fitness+.
As a subscriber to Fitness+, users gets access to various trainers and exercises virtually. You get new workout challenges, schedules, and even types every week too. Every week you also can get access to new trainers. The trainers and workout types are also recommended based on the data collected by your Apple Watch.
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The Apple Fitness+ Fitness app service is available now to any Apple iPhone users. The subscription starts from US$ 9.99 a month. If you go for a yearly subscription, you are paying US$ 79.99 a year.
Apple Watch Family
With the new Apple WatchOS 7, Apple Watch users does not have to have their own iPhone anymore. Before you get overly excited though, it does not mean that the Apple Watch is compatible with Android devices though. It just means that you do not need your own Apple iPhone to work with an Apple Watch.
What that means is that you can now connect a few Apple Watch devices to a single Apple iPhone device. That also means that you can connect your kids’ and parents’ Apple Watch devices to your Fitness app. Through the app you have full control over monitoring the locations and activities of the other Apple Watch users in your family.
Availability and Pricing
The Apple WatchOS 7 will be available for mot Apple Watch devices from the series 3 onward by the 17th September 2020. The Apple Watch Series 6 is available in the United States this Friday onward for US$ 399, no word on availability in Malaysia. Prices will start at MYR 1,749 though for Malaysia. The Apple Watch SE is available this Friday in the United States too this Friday onward for US$ 279. No official word on Malaysia’s availability just yet, but it will be priced at MYR 1,199. The Apple Watch Series 3 is also now priced at MYR 849.
The new Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE will also be available with some new strap selections for the Apple Watch. The most interesting strap option they have with the new Watch, to us, is the Solo Loop Strap. The Solo Loop Strap effectively makes your Apple Watch into a slip-on bracelet type fitness tracker. It is available in 7 different colours and two different material types. If also comes in various strap sizes to properly fit differing strap sizes.
Samsung just launched their Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G device last week globally. It is coming to Malaysia soon too with the global availability. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 is probably the most anticipated and exciting devices to come out in these two years. Naturally, we are quite excited to see and review the device itself.
Before we can review the device though, we brought Jeff Sandhu in to our studio for a podcast. In this podcast we discuss all things foldable. When we say that, we mean smartphones and gadgets that are foldable, including the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2.
Jeff Sandhu was formerly from BFM. His 10 years experience in BFM includes producing his own talkshows featured on the radio channel itself. He joined BFM when the channel was only 2 years old. He recently left BFM to join a Sunway iLabs and Sunway Education Group initiative called 42 Kuala Lumpur. He is currently heading the media team in the initiative. He is an avid tech enthusiast like us though.
In this podcast we explore, with Jeff, some of the upcoming foldable devices. We discussed what we liked about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2, and what we do not like about the Samsung Galaxy Fold.
If you look back into 2019, the Samsung foldable smartphone series was born. It started with the Samsung Galaxy Fold that made it into Malaysia eventually. Then the blue South Korean giant brought the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, a smaller, pocket friendlier foldable smartphone boasting the same mechanism.
Of course, foldable smartphones are going to be a thing. Samsung set the stage for the most anticipated device to come out of 2020 this year too with their recent Unpacked event. Unfortunately, they had to follow up with another Unpacked 2020 event just for the sake of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2.
Weirdly, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 is only the second device in Samsung’s Galaxy Z series. The first Samsung Galaxy foldable was simply known as the Fold. To be fair though, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G is still utilising the same sort of butterfly folding mechanism and is based off the same concept with the Samsung Galaxy Fold, hence Fold2.
If you have missed our international coverage of the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G though, you can head there for more technical information on the highly anticipated device. To recap though, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 is one powerful device with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ System on a Chip (SoC). To really take advantage of all that power, the device comes packing 12GB or RAM and 512GB in memory.
It has 4,500mAh in battery capacity, which should be just about enough for a whole day of use. You have to remember that it has a 7.6-inch tablet sized display inside. The 7.6-inch display can also take full advantage of the powerful SoC and ample RAM size with multiple app windows (up to 3 apps) running at the same time. Close it up though and you get a more compact and sensible 6.2-inch display.
You can use it a variety of positions though with the new Flex mode you first see in the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. With the larger display on the Z Fold2 though, there is plenty more flexibility and possibility in terms of application and usage.
Out the back are three 12-Megapixel sensors to shooting out of Ultra-Wide angle, Wide angle, and Telephoto lenses. There are two more cameras to be found on the device though; two 10-Megapixel cameras placed on top of the two useable displays on the device. In that sense, this is no slouch either in the camera department.
Price and Availability
Now, for the availability. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 is available in Malaysia 25th September 2020 onward, as per the title. It will be priced at MYR 7,999, just a little bit more than the international pricing (United Stated price, to be precise). The second-generation foldable flagship from Samsung comes in either Mystic Black or Mystic Bronze.
Of course, as with any other Samsung product, it is available for pre-order. Pre-order starts from the 11th September 2020 onward. If you can fork out MYR 7,999 in the pre-order period, you get a free Samsung Galaxy Buds Live and a Mont Blanc leather card holder with your purchase. You would want the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live, because there is no 3.5mm AUX jack on the device. For more information on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2, you can check out their website.
In 2008, a certain public figure announces something that would change the world. It changed a landscape of more than one industry. It changed the automotive industry certainly, a billion-dollar industry. But more than that, people seldom realise that they have also changed the tech industry.
That person is Elon Musk and his tenure in Tesla (you would have guessed by now). He and the modern pioneering company took a massive lead in the electric future with a certain Tesla Roadster. When the Model S arrives not very long after that, the automotive industry changed massively. Again, it was not just the automotive industry that changed, the tech industry changed too.
With the advancement of Tesla and its largely connected ecosystem that makes autonomous driving possible, the entire automotive industry starts realising that they are not integrating themselves with enough tech to keep up. Even until today, experts still consider Tesla’s technology and understanding of electric cars, and assimilating tech in cars years ahead of its closest competition.
But that is just what Tesla has been doing with the automotive industry, revolutionising it to the point that buying a car now is like buying a smartphone. Most automotive brands are already selling battery powered vehicles. Every other car manufacturer has some sort of all-electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid vehicle in the works. Every other manufacturer is looking into smart assistance inside and outside the car. All of them are trying to integrate the car controls into a smartphone, something Tesla has been doing out of the box since the Model S.
An All-Electric Future in Malaysia
In Malaysia though you have to take a step back because Tesla is not available her. Big shame really, since Malaysia seems like a prime market with enough expertise and readiness to jump right into an all-electric transportation future. Some of the public transportation you see on the road are technically all-electric already. Sadly, they have their own charging system built into their own hubs kept away from the world.
It may not seem that bleak though with BMW Group moving in the country with an all-electric future in their minds. Prove that they are one of the only people that really strives toward that all-electric future? They have introduced two all-electric vehicles in Malaysia.
The All-Electric MINI
If you have not known yet, MINI is a subsidiary owned by BMW Group. Now that you know, MINI has just introduced a brand-new all-electric car that was launched globally and now in Malaysia. They have launched the All-Electric MINI for the Malaysian market. Technically this is not the very first All-Electric vehicle from MINI, it is their second. In our opinion, it is their best looking to date.
It is the size and proportion of a Mini Cooper, perfect. It has got the funky wheel design from the older All-Electric Countryman, nice. It packs about 184 horses under its meek bonnet, great. It weighs about 1.7 tonnes. Wait a minute, it is heavier than a regular Mini Cooper.
That added weight means a 0-100hm/h time of 7.3-seconds, modest in the automotive world that the MINI lives in. In NEDC tests, the car can go up to 270km as well before needing a full charge from its revolutionary 12-module batteries and efficient electric motors powering the front wheels.
Of course, MINI is not going to compromise on handling and will tune the All-Electric MINI to be like the go-kart that is the regular MINI Cooper. With that you also get four driving modes in the car. If you want to keep your MINI going as long as possible on a single charge though you want to put it on Green+ mode. In that mode, it is possible to drive the car with just a single paddle.
The All-Electric Mini is available in Malaysia is now available in Malaysia in three colour options – White Silver with Energetic Yellow pairing, British Racing Green, and Chilli Red. You can book one online via their website with a booking fee of MYR 1,000 if you really like. Its full price (OTR w/o insurance), after Sales Tax Exemption is MYR 218,380.78, which is quite a lot of money for a small car.
The Car in Your Pocket
Source: BMW
When BMW introduced the 330e and 530e into the market as well, they were one of the first and only cars in the market that we could integrate with our smartphones. You could control its air-conditioning unit to the right temperature just before you went into the car. You can unlock your car at a touch of your smartphones, you could monitor the car’s battery health and charge status from your smartphone. Of course, you could even get an appointment at the service centre set from your smartphones, if you are more comfortable with that.
The in-car infotainment system across any vehicles today received a major overhaul. While it was not something very new, they made connecting your smartphone to the car much simpler and better. Well, back then, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay did not come as standard in any car, but it is now. Better late than never, they say.
More than that though, the in-car infotainment system of the current modern world looks cleaner than before, more streamlined. That helps it to be a bit more intuitive than before, and requires less buttons and input than before, which is great. Cars like the All-Electric MINI packs Apple CarPlay out of the box. The only thing missing now from these cars is the wireless Android Auto or Apple CarPlay ability in that sense.
In certain reports and rumours, we even hear that BMW and even Mercedes-Benz is looking to do away with keys and keyfobs completely. You only need your smartphones to unlock and access your car. In our opinions, that is really cool, but really dangerous as well. Nevertheless, it is a future that we are looking forward to.
Smartphone Technology in Cars, or is it the Other Way Round?
Source: BMW
There is a common ground between an all-electric car and a smartphone other than sharing an infotainment system. Technically they are still two different things anyway. Both these things are reliant on batteries and needs to be constantly charged.
Smartphones usually require us to constantly charge them on a daily basis. Our daily drivers, for example receives a nightly charge most of the time, or is constantly charging in the office, just so that we do not get battery life anxiety. Most electric cars today that is available promises more than 200km from a single charge. If you are driving in town plenty, that is probably two or three days-worth of charge, could be more.
Most of the time, you are going to charge it at home too, if there is an available 3-pin wall outlet. If there is a charging facility, you can leave it charging for about two to four hours for a full charge. For the All-Electric MINI, if you do find a DC charging station, you can charge the car within an hour. If you charging out of a normal outlet at home, you can get it charged in 12 hours, an overnight charge. You are not going to leave the battery flat though in most cases.
Most all-electric vehicles also come with a smart planner to help you plan your drive around these days. The car helps you plan your drive around town and find the best charging spots and how long of a stop you need to get you around your day. It might seem tedious at first, but with more available charging ports, it could just be more convenient for you to drive an electric car. Imagine wireless charging for your car too. It is just like bringing your smartphone and plugging it into the nearest plug source or your power bank or notebooks for an extra charge for the day.
But there are still differences between the two technologies. For one, you can bring your smartphone around and charge it via a power bank, but you cannot charge your car with a power bank. Of course, the other being the price of investment for a smartphone is greatly smaller compared to a vehicle, especially the current generation electric vehicles.
Samsung’s approach to mobile seems to be changing with the company putting more emphasis on their foldable smartphones. The company zoomed in to their new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 during their Unpacked Part 2 event. The new foldable is possibly a start of a new era of flagships from Samsung.
The new Galaxy Z Fold2 builds on the DNA of the original Galaxy Fold which was released last year. It’s also a clear indication that Samsung has been listening to its users as one of the main gripes of the original Fold has been improved. The new Galaxy Z Fold2 comes with a larger 6.2-inch HD+ Super AMOLED Display with a 25:9 aspect ratio. Of course, this isn’t the main screen of the foldable, the main display is a 7.6-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 22.5:18 aspect ratio. The displays have pixel densities of 386ppi and 373ppi respectively.
On the inside, the Galaxy Z Fold2 is running on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ octacore processor with 12GB RAM. This is complemented by either 256GB or 512GB of internal storage with no support for micro SD cards. The 512GB version of the Fold2 will only be available in selected markets. Similar to the original, the Fold2 is powered by a 4,500mAh dual battery. The dual battery architecture basically splits the battery pack into two smaller units which work in tandem to provide the overall battery capacity.
When it comes to cameras, the Galaxy Z Fold2 isn’t as over the top as it’s predecessor; instead it comes with a total of five cameras – three on the back, a single selfie camera inside, and a single selfie camera on the front. The main camera on the back is a triple camera array consisting of a 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, a 12-megapixel wide sensor and a 12-megapixel telephoto sensor. On the selfie front, both the cover and the front facing cameras are a single 10-megapixel sensor.
The Fold2 will be coming with all the usual bells and whistles you’d expect from a Samsung flagship including Samsung Pay compatibility, Fingerprint authentication, stereo speakers and Samsung’s Knox protection.
Pricing & Availability
The Galaxy Z Fold2 will be available in Mystic Black and Mystic Bronze. It will also have customisations for the hideaway hinge in select markets. Users in these markets will be able to select from Metallic Red, Metallic Blue, Metallic Gold and Metallic Silver hinges.
The Galaxy Z Fold2 will cost USD$1,799 (MYR7,458.87). No release date has been announced just yet.
Together with the Fold2, a special Thom Browne edition of the Galaxy Z Fold2 will be available. This special, limited edition will only have 5,000 units made and will be costing USD$3,299(MYR13,679.72).
Official Specifications
Display
Main Screen* – 7.6” QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display (22.5:18) Infinity Flex Display (2208 x 1768), 373ppi
Cover Screen** – 6.2” HD+ Super AMOLED Display (25:9), 2260 x 816, 386ppi
*Main Screen: Screen measured diagonally as a full rectangle without accounting for the rounded corners. Actual viewable area is less due to the rounded corners. **Cover Screen: Screen measured diagonally as a full rectangle without accounting for the rounded corners. Actual viewable area is less due to the rounded corners.
Dimension & Weight
Folded: 68.0 x 159.2 x 16.8mm (Hinge) ~ 13.8mm(Sagging), 282g Unfolded: 128.2 x 159.2 x 6.9mm(Frame) ~ 6.0mm(Screen) , 282g
Cover Camera
10MP Selfie Camera : F2.2, Pixel size: 1.22μm, FOV: 80˚
12MP Ultra Wide Camera : F2.2 ,Pixel size: 1.12μm, FOV : 123˚ 12MP Wide-angle Camera : Super Speed Dual Pixel AF, OIS, F1.8, Pixel size: 1.8μm, FOV: 83˚ 12MP Telephoto Camera : PDAF, F2.4, OIS, Pixel size: 1.0μm, FOV: 45˚ Dual OIS, 0.5x out and 2x in optical zoom, Up to 10x digital zoom, HDR10+ recording, Tracking AF
12GB RAM with 512GB internal storage (UFS3.1)* 12GB RAM with 256GB internal storage (UFS3.1)** *512GB internal storage is only available in select markets including mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Actual storage availability may depend on pre-installed software **Actual storage availability may depend on pre-installed software
Battery
4500mAh (typical) dual battery* *Typical value tested under third-party laboratory condition. Typical value is the estimated average value considering the deviation in battery capacity among the battery samples tested under IEC 61960 standard. Rated (minimum) capacity is 4365mAh. Actual battery life may vary depending on network environment, usage patterns and other factors.
Charging
Fast Charging compatible on wired and wireless* Wireless PowerShare** *Wired charging compatible with QC2.0 and AFC, Wireless charging compatible with WPC and PMA **Wireless PowerShare is limited to Samsung or other brand smartphones with WPC Qi wireless charging, such as Galaxy Z Fold2, Galaxy Note20, Galaxy Note20 Ultra Galaxy S20, S20+, S20 Ultra, Galaxy Z Flip, Galaxy Note10, Note10+, Galaxy S10e, S10, S10+ S9, S9+, S8, S8+, S8 Active, S7, S7 edge, S7 Active, S6, S6 edge, S6 Active, S6 edge+, Note9, Note8, Note FE, Note5, and wearables such as Galaxy Watch Active, Gear Sport, Gear S3, Galaxy Watch, and Galaxy Buds. May not work with certain accessories, covers, or other brand devices. May affect call reception or data services, depending on your network environment.
OS
Android 10
Network
[LTE]*: Enhanced 4X4 MIMO, 7CA, LAA, LTE Cat.20 – Up to 2Gbps Download / Up to 200Mbps Upload [5G]**: Non-Standalone (NSA), Standalone (SA), Sub6 / mmWave *Actual speed may vary depending on market, carrier, and user environment. **Requires optimal 5G connection. Actual speed may vary depending on market, carrier, and user environment.
Connectivity
[Wi-Fi] 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax HE80 MIMO, 1024QAM [Bluetooth]* Bluetooth® v 5.0 (LE up to 2Mbps), USB type-C, NFC, Location (GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou) [Ultra Wide Band] *Galileo and BeiDou coverage may be limited. BeiDou may not be available for certain countries.
SIM Card
One eSIM and one Nano SIM *SIM card sold separately. Availability may vary depending on market and carrier. *eSIM requires a wireless service plan and allows you activate a mobile network plan without the use of a nano SIM. eSIM availability may vary depending on software version, market and carrier. Check with your carrier if your mobile network plan supports eSIM.
Payment(Samsung Pay)
Credit & debit cards: supports MST and/or NFC Membership cards, Gift cards, Transit cards, Reward point service *Available in select countries. Payment solutions and available features may vary depending on market, carrier, and service providers.
Lock type: pattern, PIN, password Biometric lock type: Fingerprint sensor*, Face recognition *Galaxy Z Fold2 has a Capacitive Fingerprint sensor on the side.
Audio
Stereo speakers Surround sound with Dolby Atmos technology (Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus included.) UHQ 32-bit &DSD64/128 support*, PCM: Up to 32 bits, DSD: DSD64/128 Audio playback format : MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, APE, DSF, DFF *DSD64 and DSD128 playback can be limited depending on the file format.
Video
Video playback format: MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM TV connection: Wireless: Smart View (screen mirroring 1080p at 30fps) / Wired: supports DisplayPort over USB type-C. Supports video out when connecting via HDMI Adapter. (DisplayPort 4K UHD at 60 fps)
Security
Knox protection: real-time monitoring and protection. Virus, malware prevention. (Powered by McAfee) Secure Folder: a secure space on the device to keep content such as apps, photos and videos, secured by fingerprint scanning. *Virus and malware prevention solution providers may vary depending on market. Availability may vary by market and carrier.
Colors
[Essential Color] Mystic Black, Mystic Bronze [Customization Hinge Color]* Metallic Silver, Metallic Gold, Metallic Red, Metallic Blue * Hideaway Hinge color customization will be available in 21 markets, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, UAE, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam.
In the Box
Galaxy Z Fold2, Data Cable, Travel Adapter, Ejection Pin, Quick Start Guide, Earphones (USB Type-C) with sound by AKG, Galaxy Z Premier Service Leaflet, Brand Story Leaflet *Actual components, including earphones, may not be available depending on the model you purchase or the market or region you live in. Package and cover color may vary depending on device color.
