A few months ago, Lisa Su took the stage to introduce a few new things for AMD. They launched their new line-up of GPUs, the Radeon RX GPUs that is set to rival the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series cards. In that announcement, they have also introduced a new standard for gaming laptops. Where Intel has their Intel EVO platform for their thin-and-light notebooks, AMD has the AMD Advantage.
If you have not known what AMD Advantage is just yet, let us quickly get you acquainted with AMD’s ‘Gold Standard’ in gaming laptops. The AMD Advantage standard is simply AMD’s own standards in gaming laptops. It simply means that the gaming laptop you are going to buy is powered by AMD’s latest Ryzen 5000 series CPU that is also paired with an AMD Radeon RX series GPUs.
‘AMD Advantage’ does have a nice ring to it. There is a problem however, not every manufacturer was ready to jump on board. Plenty of them have stuck to the model of a high-performing AMD processor that is paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series GPU. Until now that is with MSI.
MSI has just launched their new Delta 15, Alpha 15, and Bravo 15 line-up of gaming laptops. You might have guessed it; these are AMD Advantage certified gaming laptops. Yes, they are all AMD.
MSI Delta 15
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
The Delta 15 is the newest addition to MSI’s family of high-performance gaming laptops. It will also be MSI’s highest end AMD Advantage gaming laptops available at this point. You can spec it with up to an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX CPU. Graphics is handled by AMD’s own Radeon RX 6700M, as promised by the AMD Advantage moniker. The 15-inch display pushes Full HD resolution to your eyes at 240Hz refresh rate. This also means that the AMD powered Delta 15 will be the most powerful AMD Advantage 15-inch gaming laptop there is currently.
MSI Alpha 15
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Below the high-end Delta series comes the Alpha 15. Instead of AMD’s all-powerful Ryzen 9 or 7 series CPUs though, the Alpha 15 comes with a humble and powerful AMD Ryzen 5 5600H CPU. While it may not sound like much, the AMD Ryzen 5 still packs a lot of punch. That is especially when it is paired to the AMD Radeon RX 6600M GPU handling graphics out of the 15.6-inch Full HD display that refreshes at 144Hz.
MSI Bravo 15
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
Source: MSI
For the mode budget conscious, you can get your hands on the MSI Bravo 15 series. It is no slouch though. You still can get the power of AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800H CPU. You are not getting the Radeon RX 6000M series graphics prowess though. Instead, graphics is handled by a humble AMD Radeon 5500M GPU instead. You still get Full HD out of the 15.6-inch display as well.
Price and Availability
The new AMD Advantage gaming laptops are already available in Malaysia. You can get your hands on one from their website. The all-new MSI Delta 15 starts at MYR 7,899, the updated Alpha 15 starts at MYR 5,299, while the Bravo 15 starts at MYR 3,949.
The ASUS TUF line-up has its roots in 2010 as one of ASUS’ peripherals arms. Short for The Ultimate Force, they made peripherals for the gaming market. Unlike ROG though, the TUF line-up caters to the budget conscious gamers.
In that sense, some of the TUF are designed with durability and value in mind, and it shows. Beside the ROG name, the TUF branding is one of the most recognizable one in the gaming PC components industry.
The ASUS TUF gaming laptop line-up was made to be the entry-level category from 2016 onward. Of course, entry-level gaming laptops are full of compromises to make them as budget friendly as they can be. They were one of the first gaming laptops with MIL-STD 810 military standards certification, so they haven’t compromised on build quality. The performance was the one that took the hit though.
It is still a TUF gaming laptop, this TUF Dash F15, an entry-level product in other words. But it is not like any TUF gaming laptops that we know from before. It looks more sophisticated; more streamlined, and cleaner. It also packs a lot of power under its hood, or keyboard.
At MYR 5,799 though, it is not cheap. Should you consider an entry-level gaming laptop now if you are going into content creation and if you want to game without breaking the bank? Should you get this laptop for that matter?
Design
The ASUS TUF Dash F15 is not just an ASUS TUF gaming laptop. It is also their thinnest offering to date. While the other 15-incher from ASUS’ TUF line-up offers you about 2.5cm in thickness, the TUF Dash 15 is just below 2cm. The diet also takes off about 300g off the weight, at 2.0kg.
While remaining thinner and lighter than most 15-inch gaming laptops, the TUF Dash F15 still features three full-sized USB 3.0 Type-A ports, a full-sized HDMI 2.0 port, and an RJ45 port to the sides of the notebook. Of course, with any modern laptop, you can expect to see one USB Type-C port alongside a 3.5mm audio jack.
Our test unit comes with the Eclipse Gray matte finish, and we are fans of its looks. The redesigned TUF emblem is a lot flatter than before, elegant almost. Just in case you forgot, there are letterings spelling out TUF on its cover boldly reminding you that it is a TUF device.
The ASUS TUF Dash F15’s more compact body also means limitations in terms of cooling vents. The solution is moving the cooling vents elsewhere which also moves the ports toward users. Because the chassis is smaller too, the keyboard is now a ten-keyless with two very unsightly unused space sandwiching the keyboard. While they have disguised the unused space with some textured designs, we still think that ASUS could have made better use of the wasted spaces.
Most of the TUF Dash F15 is made of plastics. Despite being mostly plastic, the TUF Dash F15 does not feel cheap. The plastic parts, which mostly cover the bottom and the display bezel of the laptop, feels durable, just as an ASUS should.
Other than the subtle branding exercise, there are no creases or bulges that indicates a gaming laptop. The only indicator that this is a gaming laptop is the cut out at the bottom of the display paying homage to ASUS ROG’s original idea. The cover is a flat aluminium slate that hides its power.
Hardware
Underneath the MIL-STD 810 build of the ASUS TUF Dash F15 is a powerhouse of a processor combined with a powerful enough GPU that you can appreciate.
Specifications
TUF Gaming Dash F15 (2021)
As Tested
Processor (clock)
Intel Core i7-11370H (Quad-Core@3.1~4.4GHz)
GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
Display(s)
15.6-inch IPS (1920 x 1080 FHD) 144Hz Anti-glare Narrow Bezel
Memory
512GB NVMe PCIe Gen 3 SSD 16GB DDR4 RAM (8GB x 2)
Networking and Connections (I/O)
1 x USB 3.1 Type-C (Thunderbolt 4) 3 x USB 3.2 Type-A 1 x 3.5mm AUX 1 x HDMI 2.0 1 x RJ45 Ethernet Port WiFi 6 (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.01
Operating System
Windows 10 Home (64-bit)
Miscellaneous
2.00kg DTS audio All-metal body
Features
The ASUS TUF Gaming is not just an entry-level value offering though. It is a thin-and-light gaming laptop. You still want everything that makes the gaming laptop a proper working PC when you need it to be.
Full Ports
There is little sacrifice in terms of I/O ports. You still get three USB Type-A 3.2 ports on both sides. There is a full HDMI 2.0 port, and one thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C port on the left side of the device too for multi-display compatibility. You get a 3.5mm AUX jack too, which is a nice welcome since the ASUS ZenBook devices started omitting AUX ports. As mentioned, you also get a full RJ45 port.
We still feel that some of the ports like the HDMI, the charging, and even one of the USB Type-A ports could be shifted to the back for better ergonomics and cable management. It might sacrifice some needed space for the cooling vents though.
You will not find an SD card reader, which is a bummer for content creators. While card readers are not that expensive these days, it is also always nice to have one already built-in.
Armory Crate
The ASUS TUF Dash F15’s Armoury Crate allows you to choose your power profile. You can tell the device to push maximum power with performance mode. While the power profile is set to ‘balanced’ by default, launching Armory Crate is just a matter of a click of a button and changing profiles is also just a matter of clicking the ROG logo button that sits separately above the keyboard. The Armory Crate button is also grouped with the volume up, down, and mute buttons.
Sadly, the Armory Crate does not allow you to change the back lighting of the keyboard. That is also because the keyboard on the ASUS TUF Dash F15 does not feature RGB. You can customize how your keyboard is being lit though. If you have an ASUS Aura Sync compatible device, you can connect it to the TUF Dash F15 and customize the lighting scheme from Armory Crate.
Sorry, I Don’t Have a Webcam
There is one glaring issue with the ASUS TUF Dash F15. It is one you cannot find. There is no webcam on the TUF Dash F15.
A lot of the included webcam on your laptops are not great though. You get subpar quality cameras that shoots at only 720p for video calls. Most of the time, your smartphone can do a much better camera capturing videos at 720p.
Webcams are easily accessible anyway. That also means that you might be better off with them anyway. You can even turn your smartphones into webcams these days.
Performance
This is a gaming laptop built with performance in mind. It is also made with budget in mind. The terms ‘budget-friendly’ and ‘high-performance’ does not always come together very often. In the case of the ASUS TUF Dash F15 though, you can put the terms together.
Multitasking & Poductivity
You get 16GB RAM out of the box (as tested). That means you have ample of RAM to work with in normal use cases. 16GB is more than enough even for creative suites like Adobe’s Premiere Pro or even Photoshop. You might want to be a little patient with After Effects though.
Still, even if you are on Google Chrome, you can manage up to 20 tabs with no issues. Of course, a clever RAM management plugin should do wonders for Chrome. Ample RAM also means that documents processing and even PowerPoint is a breeze.
On the end of content creation, the ASUS TUF Dash F15 also comes into its own. We relied on Adobe’s suite for most of our audio-visual work. For videos, we work with Adobe’s Premiere Pro. We tasked the laptop to render an H.264 Full HD video from H.265 HEVC 4K sources. It took the ASUS TUF Dash F15 about 5 minutes and 19 seconds to render the video. At H.265 format, the ASUS TUF Dash F15 renders the video at just about half the time. Oddly, the laptop refuses to render 4K videos at both H.264 and H.265 formats.
Silently Working
Keyboards on ASUS’ gaming laptops have come a long way though. In case you forgot that the ASUS TUF Dash F15 is a gaming laptop, the light blue backlighting shows through on the transparent keycaps for the WASD buttons.
It is still a laptop though, so you cannot expect an experience that compares to mechanical keyboards. The key travel is limited, and tactility is not the best. While it does not feel like you are hitting your fingers on a wooden board, the keyboard does not give you the best feedback. It might not feel the best and your typing accuracy might suffer a little bit, but at least you will not be too fatigued when you type out long essays.
Gaming
On the ASUS TUF Dash F15, we tested games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Horizon Zero Dawn, and even Grand Theft Auto V. Horizon Zero Dawn is also made to be optimized for the Sony PlayStation 4 platform first, which would also mean that Horizon Zero Dawn should have no trouble running at higher settings.
We cranked the graphics settings on the eight-year-old Grand Theft Auto to its highest. The game clocked at a maximum of 120fps on Grand Theft Auto V. On average, the fps count hovers around the 100fps mark and above.
While Horizon Zero Dawn is made for the PS4 platform, it is still a graphics heavy game. That also means that it clocks only at about 90fps on average with its graphics settings turned all the way up. Shadow of the Tomb Raider did push the hardware on the TUF Dash F15 a little bit. At some points the game only clocked 28fps. There were some noticeable lags far and few. Still, at default settings (medium-high), the game could run at 40-50fps on average.
While you may not be able to enjoy all the current AAA titles at ultra-quality, they will be easily playable and therefore enjoyed on the ASUS TUF Dash F15. If you wish to, you can even plug it into a monitor or TV to enjoy your games via the HDMI port or even the USB Type-C thunderbolt 4 port.
Throttle, Throttle, Throttle
In our test of the ASUS TUF Dash F15, we did encounter a few odd issues with its fan. The fans on the ASUS TUF Dash F15 throttles as temperature goes up. There is a way to turn the fans all the way up in the BIOS settings if you really want, but by default, the fan responds to temperature.
Temperatures on the rig can get quite high. When you are playing games, you tend to see your CPU hitting its limit at about 99oC to 100oC. The fan ramps up in an attempt to cool the PC in games. In games as well, the fan speed is sustained to keep temperatures manageable. The same cannot be said when you edit videos though.
In our test of the ASUS TUF Dash F15, working with Adobe Premiere Pro was mostly a pleasure with the PC being quiet most of the time while scrubbing through footages. Even at “performance” settings, the device remains relatively quiet. Once you start rendering the video though, fans start to ramp up to their maximum but not at a sustained rate, oddly enough.
Display & Audio
You get a nice 15.6-inch IPS panel for a display. Because there is no webcam to speak of, the bezels are super thin on the top and sides. It is also a Full HD display that refreshes at 144Hz, important when it comes to competitive titles.
Of course, if you are playing titles like Shadow of the Tomb Raider, or even Horizon Zero Dawn, you might not be taking advantage of the 144Hz refresh rate. The speed of the display can be appreciated by competitive titles like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive though. At the same you can still enjoy a goods game of GTA Online with your friends.
On the end of content creation though, you might want to consider a secondary monitor. While the display looks good with highly saturated colours, it is not the most accurate display you might find in the market. It is good enough though if you are not using the ASUS TUF Dash F15 for colour grading work.
Where the display shines beyond games is movies and consuming other medias. Videos look crisp and nice on the display, and you can easily enjoy Netflix and Amazon Prime on the platform. While the colour contrast is not the best, it is still great enough to casually enjoy a good movie with.
On the end of Audio, you get DTS Audio speakers. There are only two speakers that are firing downward and out. The speakers are decent in the mid-range and high-end frequencies with more emphasis on the mid-range. Low-end is a little thin because there is no sub-woofer on the laptop. At least the speakers can be louder than the fan when you game. That also means you might not need your headphones or earphones when you game with the ASUS TUF Dash F15.
The ASUS TUF Dash F15 – A Reasonable Performer
The ASUS TUF Dash F15 is a new sort of notebook in ASUS’ entry-level gaming line-up. It does not feel like they are new to the segment though. The TUF Dash F15 feels like a properly mature attempt at the thin-and-light gaming segment.
The ASUS TUF thin-and-light is brilliant for users who are looking for the form factor but do not want to spend insane amounts of money for it. It is also packed with all the right I/O ports, except for an SD card reader.
It is not the most powerful gaming rig you can find in the market. At MYR 5,799, it is also not the cheapest of its kind out there. For that kind of money, you can get another gaming laptop that features an RGB keyboard instead of a regular backlit one on the TUF Dash F15. The fan profile is a little odd when you start working with it in terms of content creation, which also means you will see some thermal throttling when you start rendering your videos.
If you are in it for the latest games, the ASUS TUF Dash F15 can easily keep up with any title you can throw at it in 2021. Of course, you have to adjust your expectations a little bit in terms of graphics performance. If you are talking about competitive e-sports titles, you are going to be more than happy with it.
Is it worth the MYR 5,799 price tag then? We would say it is. The aluminium finishing on the laptop makes it feel more premium than it is. The laptop is designed tastefully, and the new logo just looks modern and subtle, something we appreciate. In today’s money though, you are getting quite a lot of power. In gaming situations, you are not going to ever feel like you are lacking. In content creation, there are some give and take here, but it works well enough. It is all you could want in a thin and light gaming laptop, just about.
OLED is wonderful. Since its introduction as viable digital panels for TVs, PC monitors, and even smartphones, the technology has been regarded as the best display technology so far. OLED display is all about contrast, brightness, clarity, and colours. It does all that well while consuming less energy than LCD panels. There is little wonder why manufacturers and users love the technology this much.
While it sounds like the perfect display technology, it is far from that. OLED panels tend to have burn-in issues especially when a static image is being displayed for far too long. OLED panels tend to have shorter lifespans too. At the same time, it is an expensive technology.
For ASUS though, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. Thankfully as well, modern technology ahs brought the cost of the OLED technology down significantly. Modern Technology also made the OLED technology even better and more colour accurate than ever before. Modern technology, in a sense, brought the OLED technology to the accessible Asus VivoBook series, and there are new ones to be excited about.
ASUS VivoBook Pro 14X OLED
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Content creators need colour accuracy in their display. Of course, if you have larger budgets to work with, you might be able to afford a dedicated display that is made specifically with colour accuracy in mind. More often than not, independent content creators always work with limited budgets. That also means that they can only afford a single device and would need to spend their money elsewhere. This is where the VivoBook Pro 14X OLED comes in.
The new VivoBook Pro 14X OLED features a brilliant 14-inch 2.8K OLED panel boasting HDR 600. That means that the display boasts 600-nits in maximum brightness, plenty bright for a laptop that will set you back less than MYR 5,000. It is a unique 16:10 aspect ratio 14-incher too. With 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage, you will not find anything more colour accurate in the same price bracket.
A great display like the OLED panel that the VivoBook Pro 14X needs a powerful hardware to back it up. It comes packing Intel’s 11th Generation Core i5 processor and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 GPU. To ensure that you have all the power to get your creatives flowing is an 16GB RAM supporting the powerful CPU and GPU. Of course, if you need to use a secondary display for productivity’s sake, there is a Thunderbolt 4 capable USB Type-C port too.
ASUS VivoBook Pro 15 OLED
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
What if you are not really a content creator, but appreciate a good large display on your laptop anyway? What if you are a student that has not requirement for an ultra-powerful hardware and ultra-premium laptop? You get the Vivobook Pro 15 OLED
It features a stunning 15-inch Full HD OLED panel as its display. It may not be as high-resolution as the Vivobook Pro 14X, but it still got all the right benefits from OLED technology. The immersion you get from the OLED display is made even better with the Vivobook Pro 15’s Harman Kardon audio.
It packs AMD’s latest Ryzen 5000 H-series processor. That processor is supported by a powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 GPU. It also has up to 16GB of RAM to keep everything running nice and smooth with up to 512GB of storage for everything else.
ASUS VivoBook 15 OLED
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Even if you are on a budget tighter than MYR 4,000 though, you still can get access to an OLED display with the VivoBook 15 OLED. It is the same 15-inch Full HD display you get from the Vivobook Pro 15. You also get 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage for the best and accurate colours from your 15-incher. What it lacks in, or at least where it becomes cheaper, is at its performance hardware.
It is powered by AMD’s Ryzen 7 processor or an Intel Core i3 processor. It does not come with a discreet GPU though so you are either stuck with AMD’s own Radeon or Intel’s own Iris Xe graphics. You still get and SSD with the Vivobook 15 OLED. You also get Harman Kardon-certified audio with the new Vivobook 15 OLED.
Price and Availability
The three new ASUS VivoBook OLED series are now available in Malaysia. You can get your hands on one via ASUS’ authorised retailers across the nation, or even online. The ASUS VivoBook Pro 14X will set you back MYR 4,799. The ASUS VivoBook Pro 15 OLED starts at MYR 4,299. The VivoBook 14 OLED though starts at a mere MYR 2,799. More information on the ASUS VivoBook OLED series can be found on ASUS’ website.
The Acer Swift X is an MYR 4,999 thin-and-light laptop that packs a lot of power. It gets a gaming and creator grade AMD Ryzen 7 5800U CPU. On top of that, and 16GB of RAM, is a very potent NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti to boot. All of that seems like a recipe for something special.
We find that the AMD powered Swift notebook PC to be an intriguing one. Acer sells this laptop as the ideal content creation laptop for those are starting up in content creation but needs something easily portable as well.
It is sort of a spiritual successor to the Acer Swift 3X that was launched also a few months ago. The Acer Swift X shares the same build platform as the Acer Swift 3X though, which also means that it shares the same design quirks we pointed out in the Acer Swift 3X. It is a more powerful platform comparatively though.
Is this Swift X with AMD’s powerful Ryzen 7 5800U worth MYR 4,999? With the same quirks, would it be a worthy laptop of the Swift name? Should you get it as a content creator? We find out in our review of the Acer Swift X.
A few months ago, Samsung launched this behemoth of a thing. It was made for gamers, and it was a gaming peripheral that the ultimate gamer would need. If anyone would own one, it is the ultimate statement piece. That was July 2021.
They call it the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 gaming monitor and it looked glorious. While it was more expensive than the older Odyssey G9 that it replaced, the improvements perhaps more than justifies its price tag. Not that you get a bigger display or anything, you just get a much better package than before.
The headline figures say it all. Mini LED, dual QHD 1440p resolution at 49 inches (32:9) with 12-bit colours, HDR2000 at 2000nits and 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, and 240Hz. No matter how you look at it, it just sounds majestic. It also sounds like an awfully expensive television set, not a gaming monitor.
We assure you that we are talking about a gaming monitor though. The 49-inch stretches to an ultrawide aspect ratio of 32:9. It is also compatible with NVIDIA’s G-Sync, and AMD’s FreeSync Premium to take advantage of anything you already have. Unfortunately, your PlayStation and Xbox will not be able to fill up the display, this is a PC only territory. It also has something Samsung calls ‘CoreSync’ lighting. The RGB lighting at the back lights up according to the dominant colour of your display to further transport and immerse you in your games.
Of course, to look the part, it has to work the part. That is why the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9’s 49-inch Mini LED panel’s feed is fed by HDMI 2.1. At 2,048 dimming zones, you are getting a gaming and viewing experience like no other; you might as well live in the game world. It reacts quickly too at 1ms GtG response time. When Samsung says this is the ultimate gaming display, we believe it.
Unfortunately, at the time of launch, Malaysia did not get to see the Odyssey Neo G9. The hope that it would arrive sooner was bleak due to the major stock shortage Samsung faced. Halted and delayed productions of course played a part in the whole thing too.
Now though, you do not need to just dream of the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9, you can officially own it in Malaysia. The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 is now available in Samsung Official Stores and showrooms across the nation. Of course, you can get them from Samsung’s official retailers and resellers as well. How much? It will set you back MYR 9,499. We predicted that this would set you back a little over MYR 1,000 above its official asking price though. in that case, all in all, that is not a bad asking price, if you have the money.
We’ve been hearing and seeing more tech companies making strides to make technology greener and be more environmentally friendly. However, very few have followed through with grassroots efforts and tangible products which help them progress in their goals. At their recent next@acer, Acer announced a new sub-brand that would focus on driving their efforts in becoming a greener company – the Vero. The Acer Vero sub-brand is only one of their efforts in progressing what they call the Earthion (Earth Mission) of bettering the environment and producing technology more responsibly.
Source: Acer
Acer announced its new Aspire Vero in Malaysia today. However, before we talk about the tech, it would be remiss of us to not highlight their efforts in bringing their Earthion closer to fruition in Malaysia. The company has adopted 15 trees in the Taman Tugu – a green lung in the nation’s capital. However, it’s not just about adopting trees, Acer is also bringing their partners and collaborators into the fold. Five of the company’s partners including PIKOM, Team Lugiami, Microsoft and the National Cancer Society of Malaysia have pledged their support for Acer’s Earthion.
Creating the Opportunity to Choose Responsible Technology
The company views the Aspire Vero as a crucial part of achieving its Earthion. The new laptop affords consumers a more responsible choice when it comes to buying laptops. The Aspire Vero incorporates post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics in its chassis and keycaps. In fact, the chassis is 30% PCR plastics while the keycaps are made of 50% PCR plastics. While it would have been nice to see Acer raise the bar higher, limitations on processes and technology when it comes to recycling these plastics force the company to still use virgin plastics for the sake of rigidity and sturdiness. However, Acer’s Aspire Vero accounts for a significant reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions during production. Each unit accounts for a 21% reduction. The packaging of the Acer Aspire Vero keeps in line with the environmentally cautious nature of the lineup being made of up to 85% recycled paper pulp and using soy ink exclusively for printing.
Source: Acer
So, what does an environmentally cautious laptop look like? Acer has intentionally made the Acer Aspire Vero take a very nature-inspired approach to texture and design. It makes the Vero both unique and functional. What’s more, the laptop isn’t sacrificing much when it comes to performance. It comes with a 15.6-inch IPS Display with Full HD resolution. The panel itself is 99% recyclable. It’s powered by Intel’s 11th generation Core processors and has up to 16GB of RAM. It also takes advantage of Intel’s Iris Xe Graphics making it capable of some graphical prowess. It comes with 512GB of storage.
Source: Acer
When it comes to connectivity, the Acer Aspire Vero comes with support for WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1. It also has a full array of ports including an HDMI, two USB 3.2 ports, 1 USB Type-C, an Ethernet port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It also has an HD webcam and a claimed 7-hour battery life.
Pricing & Availability
The Acer Aspire Vero will be available starting 11th November 2021. The i5 version will be priced at MYR3,399 while the i7 version will be priced at MYR4,299.
In conjunction with the launch, early adopters will be entitled to freebies worth up to MYR500 with every purchase. In addition, MYR100 of each unit sold will be chanelled to fund more tree adoptions in Taman Tugu.
Dell’s XPS lineup has been one of the company’s most successful brands in the past years. It’s now synonymous with offerings that are both sleek, hardy and powerful. With a successful laptop lineup that comes with both looks and power, it comes as no surprise that the XPS is also one of Dell’s best desktop experiences.
Source: Dell
The new XPS desktop is packed with powerful insides. The desktop comes with the latest generation Intel Core desktop processors. You’ll be able to get builds with supporting up to the Core i9 processor. On the graphics front, it has builds with both AMD and NVIDIA options. The former with options up to the Radeon 6900XT and the latter with up to GeForce RTX3090. When it comes to RAM and storage the new XPS Desktop has 4 RAM slots with support for 128GB of RAM directly from Dell. You’ll also be able to kit out the desktop with up to 4TB of total storage.
The desktop is fully equipped when it comes to connectivity. It supports gigabit ethernet with Killer E3100G ethernet, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. In addition, it has a full array of ports with 7 USB Type-A ports, 2 USB Type-C ports, 1 display port and a 7.1 channel audio connector.
Redesigned for Upgradability
The New XPS Desktop is designed for upgradability. Dell has doubled down on their tool-less entry into the chassis. The side panel is easily removable which give direct access to the internal components of the desktop. You will also be able to remove and replace components as the need for more power arises.
Dell has also redesigned the chassis as a whole increasing its volume by about 43%. The new chassis is 24L compared to the smaller 19L of the previous version. This allows for better airflow and cooling. Doubling down on delivering better cooling, the new XPS desktop also comes with liquid cooling. Dell has also optimised the cooling with a more efficient cooling fluid and also better thermal technology. The XPS desktop is supposed to run 18% cooler and quieter than previous generations.
Pricing & Availability
The Dell XPS Desktop will be available globally this fall with Windows 11 preloaded. It will be available in Night Sky (Black) and Platinum Silver. Prices start at USD$919 (MYR3,819.61).
Source: Dell
In Malaysia, the Dell XPS Desktop will be available only in Night Sky with prices starting at MYR5,999.
The ASUS Vivobook lineup is one of the most popular lineups the company has under its wings. Only recently, it received an infusion of “Pro” features with the Vivobook Pro series. Now, ASUS is bringing more variety to the lineup with a new tablet form factor.
Source: ASUS
The new ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED is the first Vivobook tablet that comes with a 13.3-inch Full HD OLED display. It comes with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a 1920×1080 pixel resolution. The Vivobook 13 Slate OLED seems to be built with creators and media consumption in mind. The display has a peak brightness of 550 nits and covers 100% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. It also has support for Dolby Vision. Completing its multimedia experience is a quad-speaker setup that is concentrated on the bottom half of the slate with Dolby Atmos certification. The speakers also come with smart amplifier technology that amplifies the audio up to 3 times louder.
New Form Factor with “Unique” Insides
The Vivobook 13 Slate OLED doesn’t come with your regular Intel Core i processors. Instead, ASUS has opted to go with the Intel Pentium Silver N6000. It’s an x86 quad-core processor with no multithreading support. It has a 4MB cache and a maximum speed of 3.3GHz. The processor is supposed to be one of Intel’s more power-efficient SoCs. This should promise better battery life with the OLED display. The processor is complemented with either 4GB or 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage.
Source: ASUS
The Slate OLED comes with a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It also has support for WiFi 6 with ASUS WiFi Master to boot. Also along for the ride is Bluetooth 5.2. Aside from that, the Slate OLED comes with 2 USB Type C ports that support USB 3.2 and power delivery, and a microSD card reader and a 3.5mm combo jack.
Accessoried to be Your Tablet and PC
Coming in at only 785g, the Vivobook 13 Slate OLED is made to be a portable productivity beast. However, unlike other slates on the market, ASUS opted to minimise the amount of moving parts on the Slate OLED. Instead, the Slate’s multimode form factor comes from its accessories. It comes with a cover stand which allows it to stand in both portrait and landscape modes. Together with this, it also has a separate Keyboard cover which comes with a large touchpad.
Source: ASUS
Together with these, the ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED comes with support for the ASUS Pen 2.0. The new ASUS Pen 2.0 is compliant with Windows’ built-in Microsoft Pen Protocol 2.0. This means that it connects seamlessly when attached to the Slate magnetically. It has 4096 points of sensitivity and a 266Hz sampling rate. The most unique thing about the ASUS Pen 2.0 is its interchangeable tips. Instead of just being replaceable for wear and tear reasons, the tips also mimic the textures of 2H, H, HB and 2B pencils. It charges via USB-C. I thas a quick button on top which brings added functionality when paired via Bluetooth.
Pricing & Availability
The ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED will be available starting in December 2021 with prices starting at USD$600 (MYR2,491.88). The Slate will be bundled with a cover stand, keyboard and ASUS Pen 2.0.
Together with the standard version of the ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED, ASUS also announced special editions of the new Vivobook. These special edition Slates will feature custom designs from Steven Harrington and Philip Colbert. They will feature a special cover stand, wallpaper, a special box, a sleeve, a keyboard, a hardcover case and keyboard stickers. The Philip Colbert version will come with an additional pair of limited-edition shoelaces.
Apple’s Silicon M1 chip has proven to be a popular choice for Apple fans. When it was introduced the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro line-up in 2020, the M1 counterpart managed to be cheaper than Apple’s Intel powered MacBook Pro. That could be a good explanation to its popularity. It was a lot more than that though.
The Apple M1 chip has proven itself to be a highly capable processor in both the MacBook and MacBook Pro. This year, Apple launched two more variants of the M1 chip, the M1 Pro and M1 Max. While Apple made the two M1 chips from 2021 sound like completely different processors, they are based on the same architecture and base design. They are still the same M1 chip, just a little oversized, hence more powerful.
2021 sees Apple starting to consider a complete M1 line-up though. They started with the MacBook Pro line-up of course. You will not be able to buy an Intel based MacBook Pro anymore officially starting from now. But the M1 transformation does not stop there. Earlier this year, Apple also introduced the new M1 powered Apple iMac. You still can buy an Intel powered version though, although at a smaller 21.5-inch size.
As of November 2021 though, you can only buy an iMac powered by Apple’s own M1 chip starting at 24-inch. To be fair though, the 21.5-inch Apple iMac is a little outdated for 2021 and beyond. For a little under MYR 5,000, you are getting an older generation Intel processor. Not just one or two generations older though, if you consider the 11th Generation Intel, the 21.5-inch iMac sports a four-generation old Intel processor.
That does no mean that you cannot get an Intel powered Apple iMac though, you still can. Your only choice is the 27-inch iMac that starts at MYR 7,999. You get a 10th generation Intel Core i5 with up to 8GB of memory and 256GB in storage. For graphics you get an AMD Radeon Pro 5300 GPU. You get a brilliant 5K display with that though. Considering that the M1 powered iMac starts at MYR 5,599 though, the 27-inch Intel powered alternative looks expensive.
With the launch of the M1 Max and M1 Pro chips, we are guessing that Apple will also start shifting directions with their high-end computing solutions like the 27-inch iMac. In that case, we might see Apple axing the Intel powered 27-inch Apple iMacs in the coming year. Would you still want an Intel powered iMac though?
We live in a weird time. We live in a time where buying a laptop from a smartphone manufacturer is normal. If you think about it, it was not so long ago too that HUAWEI decided that they want a slice of the mobile computing market.
Meet the HUAWEI MateBook series, premium notebook PCs made with the HUAWEI ecosystem in mind. They were designed to be the perfect companion for HUAWEI’s range of smartphone and tablet products. They were made to be the best type of laptop to work with if you own a HUAWEI device. They were the only products that did not get the axe from American companies in the dram that was the United States trade ban debacle.
Fast forward to 2021, nothing much has changed. There are some changes in the world around HUAWEI though. There is a brand-new Intel processor, an 11th generation wonder of a mobile chip. It also seems like there is going to be a new Microsoft Windows version just around the corner, and the new hardware is primed to take up the new Operating System (OS). HUAWEI needed to get modern to be in the world of workplace laptops. They did with the new HUAWEI MateBook 14s.
The HUAWEI MateBook 14s follows the philosophy of HUAWEI’s premium line-up of laptops. It is an ultra-thin, and ultra-light notebook PC for the working professionals. It is an ultrabook for the road warrior, or the person who has been working from home for the past two years and is continuing to work from home now.
Source: HUAWEI
The new MateBook 14s is powered by Intel’s latest 11th Generation Core processor. You get to spec it up with up to the Core i7-11370H processor. The latest processors are considered to be Intel’s most efficient one yet.
Intel did not certify the HUAWEI MateBook 14s as an Intel EVO laptop, but it has everything that you could want from an Intel EVO platform, if you are looking for that sort of thing. It has Intel’s Iris Xe Graphics to handle a high-resolution display and any of its requirements. It also has up to 16GB of RAM, ample amount for a work laptop. You even get up to 1TB in SSD storage, if you wish for it. With WiFi 6 in tow, you really wonder with the HUAWEI MateBook 14s does not come packing Intel EVO’s sticker.
You get all sorts of I/O with this Matebook 14s as well to make it the perfect work mate. There are two USB type-C ports that supports charging and Thunderbolt 4 capabilities (only Core i7 version, 2nd USB Type-C port). You also get a full HDMI port alongside a USB 3.2 Gen1 type-A port on the HUAWEI MateBook 14s. It is as versatile as it looks. It even has a fingerprint sensor with Windows Hello for protection. Thankfully as well, the webcam has been shifted up to the top of the display instead of being hidden in one of the keycaps.
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
The 14-inch display is a stunning one too at 90Hz. It is a 2.5K display instead of a Full HD unit though. That also means that you get vibrant and beautiful looking images on the laptop. You can easily enjoy movies and YouTube videos in high-resolution goodness on this thing. Its 60Wh battery is also large enough that it should carry your laptop the entire day. If that is not enough the HUAWEI MateBook 14s comes with 90W charging capabilities and a charger to match for a quick plug and dash.
Price and Availability
The HUAWEI MateBook 14s is available for pre-order from the 28th of October 2021 onward. Before the 6th of November 2021, you can pre-order your unit from HUAWEI Store Online, HUAWEI’s official stores on Shopee, and Lazada, or even on HUAWEI’s official app, My HUAWEI App. As per the title, the HUAWEI MateBook 14s starts at MYR 4,999. More information on the HUAWEI MateBook 14s can be found on their website.
