The HUAWEI MatePad Pro is awesome. We tried it at its launch and loved it. There was only one problem we have with the tablet. If not for that small problem, it would have been perfect. Still, nothing in this world is perfect.
Let us not dwell on that though, there are new tablets in town from HUAWEI. You Might have guessed them from the title. The HUAWEI MatePad, and the HUAWEI MatePad T is joining the HUAWEI MatePad Pro in Malaysia.
HUAWEI MatePad
The regular HUAWEI MatePad is easily mistaken as the HUAWEI MatePad Pro. They are similar in design and functionality, to be fair. They are similar only in design though. Everything inside is different from one to the other.
Source: HUAWEI
The HUAWEI MatePad packs a HiSilicon Kirin 810 System on a Chip (SoC) with an integrated Da Vinci Artificial Intelligence (AI) NPU. You get slightly less resolution than the HUAWEI MatePad Pro too at 2K resolution. Still, 2K in resolution is still plenty of pixels for 10.4-inch. That display is still paired to a great four-speaker stereo audio system tuned by Harman Kardon.
It is also compatible with HUAWEI’s magnetic keyboard that was designed for the HUAWEI MatePad Pro. You can even use the M-Pencil on this if you want. You charge the M-Pencil with the large 7,250mAh battery pack in the tablet.
Unlike the HUAWEI MatePad Pro though, the MatePad has something called the eBook mode that optimises its display for better reading experience. Of course, it comes with MEETime out of the box too. Yes, it also has HUAWEI’s clever Share capabilities.
The HUAWEI MatePad is available 16th May 2020 onward. There are no colour options for this, so you only get to have it in Midnight Grey. The HUAWEI MatePad will set you back MYR 1,399 when it is available, about MYR 1,000 less than its bigger, higher end brother. You get a Flip cover, a free 3 months Premium subscription to HUAWEI Video, and 15GB of HUAWEI’s Mobile Cloud storage for 12 months. For more information on the HUAWEI MatePad, you can head over to their website and webstore.
HUAWEI MatePad T 8
10-inch tablets are not your thing? We understand that. 10-inch is a little on the hefty side and difficult to enjoy in a lot of conditions. You just need something to carry around and might need to kill time with it.
Source: HUAWEI
The HUAWEI MatePad T 8 would fit in that bill very easily with its 8-inch display. The 8-inch is no slouch still, mind you. There is still an Octa-Core processor within its smaller form factor. Given, it is a MediaTek. The MT8768 platform is MediaTek’s latest tablet platform.
That new tablet processor is also designed to be kind to the battery. Still, it does not hurt to have 5,100mAh battery packed in the 8-incher. All that and you are still only carrying 310g around. It is not lighter than an average smartphone, but it is pretty close to some of the flagships these days.
It is not just a tablet designed for the adults though. It is also designed with kids in mind. You can have a Kids Corner put on the tablet for your kids. That dedicated space is designed as a safe space for children to learn and be entertained. It is also designed so that parents can have better control over their kids’ media consumption of course. You can set time controls, content restrictions, and more.
The HUAWEI MatePad T will also be available the same time as the HUAWEI MatePad on the 16th May 2020. You can get your hands on one for MYR 559. It only comes in one colour though: Deepsea Blue. If you do get your hands on one, you are entitled to a 3 months Premium subscription of HUAWEI’s Video app and 12months of 15GB access to HUAWEI’s Mobile Cloud Storage. For more information on the HUAWEI MatePad T 8, you can head over to their website and webstore.
HUAWEI Sound X
Alongside the HUAWEI MatePad T and HUAWEI MatePad, HUAWEI also launched the HUAWEI Sound X finally in Malaysia. HUAWEI’s Sound X is a result of their collaboration with one of the world’s premium audio solutions manufacturer, Devialet. It has six tweeters and two woofers. The 8 drivers should deliver clean, crisp, and punchy audio from the low frequencies to the high all around. Apparently the woofers can go as low as 40Hz, which is where bass frequencies lie. The HUAWEI Sound X will set you back MYR 1,299 and is also available at the same time as the HUAWEI MatePad and MatePad T.
In the technology world, high-performance means a lot of money. There are times though in the industry where someone comes in and says that the high-price, high-performance moniker is rubbish. In the smartphone industry, there is always that one brand that does that. In today’s world, that is realme.
To prove a point, they just launched their flagship class realme 6 Pro. Not this is not their flagship. They have the X series for that. This is their mid-range tier smartphone technically.
This is not the only realme 6 device on sale today too. They launched the realme 6 smartphone not too long ago with a maximum price tag of MYR 1,199 as of last week. Today is a different story though. They are upping the realme 6 game.
Source: realme
The realme 6 pro, as the title would have furnished you, cost a little more than the top-of-the-range realme 6 at MYR 1,399. There is quite a little bit more that you are paying for too in the realme 6.
For one, you are paying for a more proven, more standard, high performing Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G. This is not a shade toward the MediaTek processors. The Qualcomm processors are just a little more optimised for Android, to be fair. That is also why they tend to cost more, it is the gold standard in the smartphone world.
You are also paying for a very slight bump on the display front. It is larger at 6.6-inch. You still get Full HD+ resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. The realme 6 had 6.5-inch of display. They are also bot IPS panels.
Source: realme
In terms of memory and storage, the realme 6 and realme 6 Pro are tied at 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage ( up to). Both can be upgraded via MicroSD slot that is also a hybrid SIM tray. The MYR 200 does not really go here. Not to the battery too, at 4,300 mAh with 30W flash charging capability.
Nope, not the main camera either. You still get the same 64-Megpixel main shooter supported by a 12-Megapixel telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom, an 8-Megapixel ultra-wide shooter, and a 2-Megapixel 4cm macro sensor. Both will give you 20x hybrid zoom too, if you are wondering.
What you are paying for when it comes to the camera though is the extra camera up front. There is a new 8-Megapixel shooter that is there for wide-angle self-portraits beside the high-resolution 16-Megapixel main front facing camera.
Source: realme
To sum it up, you are paying MYR 200 extra for one extra lens, a slightly bigger display, and a new processor. Is it worth it? Yes, it is. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G may not be a flagship type System on a Chip (SoC). It is nearly as powerful though. In terms of daily experience, it is indistinguishable from a flagship class. The slight bump in display size also means that you will not lose any real display real-estate even with another camera in the punch hole camera. Oh yes, you get another camera to go with your smartphone, that is another thing.
Source: realme
The realme 6 Pro is available on Lazada 12th May 2020 onward for MYR 1,399. For a limited time you are entitled to get the realme 6 Pro with a free realme case that is worth MYR 149. The realme 6 Pro will go to the shops form the 16th May 2020 onward. If you do get your device early, you are entitled for a free extended warranty plan on top of a realme smartphone case for your new realme 6 Pro. The new realme mid-range contender comes in two colour options: Lightning Blue, and Lighting Red. Yes, the lightning is the pattern that is stuck behind the device from the glass effect. Yes, it is intended. More information on the realme 6 Pro on their website.
Xiaomi has just announced the availability of the Redmi Note 9 series and the Mi Note 10 Lite in Malaysia. The new additions join the Redmi Note 9s and the Mi Note 10 and 10 Pro respectively.
The Redmi Note 9 and the Redmi Note 9 Pro join the Redmi Note 9s to complete the Redmi Note 9 family of devices which offer large displays, impressive camera arrays and affordability. Coming in at MYR 649 the Note 9 series is now one of the most complete and compelling midrange power houses in market. For a full run down of the details you head on over to our coverage on the international launch of the Redmi Note 9 series.
Together with the new Note 9 devices, Xiaomi Malaysia also announced the availability of the Mi Note 10 Lite. The Mi Note 10 Lite brings the entry point to Xiaomi’s flagship offering below the MYR 2,000 mark. The new addition comes with a 6.47-inch curved AMOLED display and a large 5,260mAh battery to power it. This is capable of 30W fast charging. It runs on a Snapdragon 730G promising good performance even with heavy tasks. It’s complemented with with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 128GB of internal storage.
On the camera front, the Mi Note 10 Lite comes with a quad camera on the back. It has a 64-megapixel wide angle sensor as it’s main camera. This has a 1/1.73-inch sensor size with a 0.8μm pixel size, an f/1.89 aperture and is capable of autofocus. It’s joined by an 8-megapixel ultra wide angle sensor with a 1/4-inch sensor size and 1.12μm pixel size with an f/2.2 aperture and 120° field of view; a 5-megapixel depth sensor and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. On the front is a 16-megapixel selfie camera with a 1/3.06-inch sensor with 1.0μm pixel size and f/2.48 aperture.
The Mi Note 10 Lite supports 4G LTE connectivity, Bluetooth 5.0, Near Field Communication (NFC) and GPS. It also has an IR blaster and 3.5mm headphone jack. For security, it has AI face unlock and an in screen fingerprint sensor.
Pricing & Availability
Redmi Note 9 Pro
The Redmi 9 Pro will be available starting May 18, 2020. It will have only 1 variant in Malaysia: 6GB + 128GB. This will retail for MYR1,099 and will be available in Interstellar Grey, Tropical Green and Glacier White. It will be available on the Official Mi Store on Lazada and Authorised Mi Stores.
Pre-orders made between 11 May and 17 May 2020 will be entitled to a complimentary 10,000mAh Redmi Power Bank worth MYR59.
Redmi Note 9
The Redmi Note 9 will be available starting May 18, 2020. There will be 2 variants in Malaysia: the 4GB + 128GB version and 3GB + 64GB version. The latter will be available exclusively in the Official Mi Store on Shopee while the 4GB + 128GB version will be available at all Authorised Mi Stores. Both will be available in Midnight Grey, Forest Green And Polar White.
Pre-orders made between 11 and 17 May 2020 at Mi Authorised Stores for the 4GB+128GB version will be entitled to a 10,000mAh Redmi Power Bank worth MYR59. On May 18, 2020 the Remi Note 9 (3GB+64GB) will be available for a special flash sale on Shopee for only MYR599.
Mi Note 10 Lite
The Mi Note 10 Lite will be available for MYR1,599 at all authorise Mi Stores including the Lazada Online Store. It will be available in Glacier White, Midnight Black and Nebula Purple. Only the 8GB+128GB version of the Mi Note Lite will be available in Malaysia.
Xiaomi is having a special launch offer for the Mi Note 10 Lite on the May 12, 2020. Any purchase of the smartphone from the LazMall Official Mi Store will be entitled to a Mi Business Backpack worth MYR99 while purchases made from Mi Authorised Stores will be entitled to a 20,000mAh Redmi Power Bank. These offers are available while stocks last.
Official Specifications
Redmi Note 9 Series
Redmi Note 9
Redmi Note 9S
Redmi Note 9 Pro
Display
6.53” DotDisplay 19.5:9 2340×1080 FHD+ 1500:1 contrast ratio NTSC 84% Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5 TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light Certification
6.67” DotDisplay 20:9 2400×1080 1500:1 contrast ratio NTSC 84% Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5 TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light Certification
MediaTek Helio G85 12nm process technology CPU: 2x A75 2.0GHz, 6x A55 1.8GHz, Octa-core CPU GPU: ARM G52 MC2, up to 1000MHz LPDDR4X + eMMC 5.1
Qualcomm®️ Snapdragon™️ 720G 8nm process technology Kryo™ 465 CPU, Octa-core CPU, up to 2.3 GHz Adreno™ 618 GPU, 750 MHz The 5th gen Qualcomm®️ AI Engine LPDDR4X + UFS 2.1
Rear camera
48MP wide-angle camera 8MP ultra-wide camera，118° FOV 2MP macro camera, AF 2-10cm 2MP depth sensor
48MP wide-angle camera 8MP ultra-wide camera, 118° FOV 5MP macro camera, AF 2-10cm 2MP depth sensor
64MP wide-angle camera 8MP ultra-wide camera, 118° FOV 5MP macro camera, AF 2-10cm 2MP depth sensor
Front camera
13MP in-display front camera
16MP in-display front camera
Connectivity
Multi-functional NFC IR blaster
IR blaster
Multi-functional NFC IR blaster
Unlock
Rear fingerprint sensor
Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
Charging
5020mAh (typ) battery 18W fast charge 22.5W in-box charger
5020mAh (typ) battery 30W fast charge 33W in-box charger
Audio
1216 Linear speaker 3.5mm headphone jack
Motor
Vibration motor
Z-axis linear motor
System
MIUI 11 based on Android 10
Storage variants
3GB+64GB 4GB+128GB
4GB + 64GB 6GB + 128GB
6GB + 128GB
Mi Note 10 Lite
Display
6.47’’ 3D curved AMOLED Dot Drop display 19.5:9 1080 x 2340 FHD+ Color gamut: NTSC DCI-P3 (typ) Contrast ratio: 400,000: 1 (typ) HDR10 TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light Certification
Body
Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5 Glacier White, Midnight Black and Nebula Purple
Dimensions
157.8 x 74.2 x 9.67mm 204g
Performance
Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 730G LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.1 storage
Rear camera
64MP wide-angle camera 8MP ultra wide-angle camera, 120° FOV 5MP depth sensor 2MP macro camera
Front Camera
16MP AI selfie camera
Connectivity
Multi-functional NFC IR blaster
Charging
5,260mAh battery 64 minutes to charge from 0 to 100%2 in-box 30W fast charger
Samsung’s Galaxy A51 was launched in Malaysia back in January, 2020. The midrange offering is now making its way States side for the first time. The Galaxy A series has been available in emerging markets since it’s first iteration, the Galaxy Alpha back in 2014. The series was revitalised and refocused the years following and, last year, the company’s entry level J series was folded into the A series.
The original Samsung Galaxy A51 that was launched in Malaysia came with the Samsung Exynos 9611 paired with 128GB of internal memory and 6GB of RAM. Samsung has announced that a new version with 8GB of RAM will be available starting 8 May, 2020 in Malaysia. The new version will be retailing for MYR1,399.
The Galaxy A51 is also making its debut in the U.S.. The mid-range device has been making its way to carriers in the States for USD$399 (MYR1,720). However, the version that is being made available is powered by the Exynos 9611 with 128GB with 4GB of RAM. The LTE version of the A51 is currently available directly from Samsung (Unlocked), Sprint, Verizon, AT&T and Xfinity. The 5G version of the Galaxy A51 seems to also be making its way to the U.S. pretty soon.
We all know OPPO as the brand that makes really good entry-level and mid-range Android smartphones. While their early days are filled with devices that are outrightly outrageous in design and concept, they started making headlines when they started moving into the iPhone-esque design language later.
To be fair though, we do really like the OPPO Smartphones that came out a little longer than two years ago. I had the privilege of owning an OPPO R9s Plus and loved the device. A poor man’s iPhone, if you might; it has all the things that the fruit brand has at the time, with nearly the same interface (it is still and Android device by the way). The ColorOS at the time was very much driven by what the iOS looks and feels like.
While that is very pretentious of them, we do not think that the similarities are a bad thing. It is lighter than most Android overlays, simple to operate, and smooth. This is not a review of the older OPPO devices though. This is a review of a brand new OPPO flagship. This is a review of the OPPO Find X 2.
The OPPO Find X2 is two years in waiting since its first iteration in the OPPO Find X. It is a successor to what can be described as OPPO’s most premium device of its time. That design language that OPPO took on also spawned other beautiful looking devices like the OPPO Reno range. It inspired other smartphone manufacturers to go on the charge toward a borderless, notch-less displays with pop-up drawer mechanism for the front- facing cameras.
It was also very expensive, the OPPO Find X. In Malaysia, it sold for MYR 3,699 – unheard of from an OPPO device. While spending more than MYR 3,000 on an OPPO, at that time, is quite absurd, the OPPO Find X was no doubt OPPO’s breakthrough device. It brought OPPO into the premium smartphone market game and the discerning European market.
The new OPPO Find X2 though is a little more expensive than what it replaced. It is now MYR 3,999. This is just a standard OPPO Find X2, mind you. The Find X2 Pro variant is MYR 400 more than this regular Plain Jane edition, beyond the MYR 4,000 range. Ridiculous? We think so too, for an OPPO of all things. Is it worth it though? Should you spend MYR 3,999 on an OPPO smartphone? We dive in and find out.
Design
The OPPO Find X at launch was a looker of a device. It was like nothing we have seen before with a swagger of a display that has not notches or disturbances along its smooth, straight bezel. The back is nicely curved in for better ergonomics. The glass that curved though reflected lights differently from every angle. It was available in two unique colours and they were gorgeous. The Lamborghini edition was also stunning. Of course, the special collaboration edition was also staggeringly expensive.
The OPPO Find X2 has none of that drama. The bezel lines are still undisturbed. There is a gaping hole in the display instead. That is also to say that there are no hidden mechanisms to surprise you with a front camera. Less moving parts, less worry; they say. But that also means that it is now an IP68 rated device. You can bring it to the swimming pool, and it will be okay. You can soak it under the rain, and it would not matter.
Its display is bigger, but the device feels no bigger, or heftier than the OPPO Find X. All this though, is not saying that the device is an ugly one. It is not an ugly device. In most consensus, it is a pretty looking device. It curves in all the right places to make it feel less unwieldly that it actually is. They even offered it in the right colours. Its Ocean Blue is stunning to look at. The Black, well, it is black except in more durable ceramic finish.
It does not give a sense that it is a special device though. At the back is a camera module that houses three cameras like nearly any other flagship you find in the shops today. There is nothing that makes this device stand out from the rest of the smartphone market like the original OPPO Find X. It looks plain, it looks regular. Still, good looking, but nothing special or out of the ordinary, a little bit safe.
Unlike some manufacturers that puts the volume and power button on the same side, OPPO still goes for the one button per side layout. There are no recesses on the device to indicate a fingerprint sensor. You can access that fingerprint sensor under the display though. No problem. That also means that they can have clean, smooth surfaces around the device, save for the camera bump.
Like any other manufacturer, OPPO can make the Find X2 even thinner. They did not though, and instead fit more things under the hood for better cooling and what not. Sadly, that did not include a 3.5mm jack. Although, this has been quite expected. At least there is the Stereo speakers on the device which is actually quite powerful. More on that later though.
Hardware
What greets you out of the box is a wrapped smartphone. Of course, it is. If you bought your new smartphone and open it to find an unwrapped smartphone, you should contact your vendor and get it replaced. Anyway, under the plastic wrapping is a 6.7-inch display that is one of the most wonderful displays I have ever come across.
More on that later, though. A powerful display requires great hardware to put it through its paces and take full advantage of it. So, this comes with the most powerful one in Qualcomm’s stables at this time – a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. That ultra-powerful System on a Chip (SoC) is packing some power with 12GB of RAM in tow.
Accelerometer Proximity Fingerprint (in-display) Ambient Light Gyroscope Face Unlock Compass
Miscellaneous
Stereo Speakers Dolby Atmos sound
User Interface – The ColorOS 7.1
The new ColorOS 7.1 is based on Google’s latest Android 10. In our opinions as well, it is the best ColorOS to date. Of course, it should be, since it is the latest. That is not what we are talking about though.
ColorOS has gone through some very drastic transformations over the years. It started out and sort of grew as an alternative to other Chinese Operating System (OS) overlays. It was still an Android, correct. But it had its fair share of quirks. Most of the time, its known for its mimicry of Apple’s user interface.
Even its colours schemes matched the fruity brand from Cupertino most of the time. Its layout is super similar until you get into the settings panel where it is all Android. There were some differences between this device and an Apple device though. You still can use widgets for example.
Now, on ColorOS 7.1, you can choose to have an app drawer. Instead of endlessly scrolling to the sides, now you can endlessly scroll the interface vertically. Technically this started from ColorOS 6.
There are some additional settings you can pull up from a small notch on the left though. That notch is quite finnicky; I occasionally open it when I do not mean to, and when I mean to, it is difficult to open. With a little bit of practice though, you can figure it out.
That little side panel gives you access to your favourite apps though, kind of like Samsung’s quick launch panel. Except, from that panel you can also quickly get a screenshot or record your display. Very useful sometimes when you are trying to explain something to your parents or friends on your smartphone, especially during this whole quarantine period.
Everything else within ColorOS 7.1 resembles a near vanilla Android 10. Save for the fact that you have to dig into the settings to have your app drawer. Despite that, the similarities to a stock Android interface is a good thing.
Being as vanilla as possible also means that OPPO’s ColorOS is light on Android, very light. That also means that it is fast and smooth and reliable. We’ve only noticeable encountered two lags when using the device. Once when we were trying to switch out from PUBG Mobile to Telegram, and another time trying to exit Netflix to reply WhatsApp. Just those two times though. We tried replicating the lags and stutters but cannot seem to do it after.
Still, you do not have to exit your apps to reply WhatsApp though. You can open WhatsApp as a separate floating window when you are watching your movies on Netflix, or entertaining yourself on YouTube, or even while resting in PUBG. When a message comes in on WhatsApp on the OPPO Find X2, you can choose to reply in floating at the notification pop-up. That is something nice.
That is not a feature that is exclusive to OPPO’s ColorOS though. Still, having that on ColorOS 7.1 is a big welcome. You technically do not have to stop what you are doing just to reply a message.
120Hz, 240Hz Experience.
The big part that contributes to how smooth and snappy the device feels in your hands is the display itself. We will dive into the colours and other technical aspects of the display later. But we are talking now about that experience of a hot knife slicing through butter. The 120Hz, while some may call a gimmick, really works wonders on the operations.
Scrolling never felt messy with the display, everything looks so smooth you can catch details on the icons. Because of the 240Hz response rate too, everything feels even more instant and snappy. Everything you touch is registered as is. The display follows your fingers, never a delay like you see on other devices sometimes. If you have a pen, you are going to see every dotted line forming as your stylus tip touches the display. It really feels good.
Launching apps never felt slow with the combination of a powerful SoC, fast responding display, and large RAM. When I picked up the device and first scrolled through the app drawer, I fell in love a little bit with ColorOS suddenly. Keep in mind, while I have high praises of ColorOS in the past, it is never my favourite interface.
Smart Assistant and OPPO App Market
Everyone is preparing for an eventuality of losing Google’s ecosystem support. It cannot be helped with the situation that HUAWEI is facing. That is also why OPPO developed their own Smart Assistant that is kind of based on Google’s Assistant. They also developed their own App Market which houses apps mostly from the Google Play Store anyway.
We feel that the Smart Assistant page is a little bit of a waste though. You access it by scrolling to the left of your home screen. We would appreciate things like news and what not, like Google’s implementation of their own assistant page.
Performance
From the User Interface experience itself, we have to say that this is a performer. It packs the latest, most powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC, performance is an expectation from that name alone. It also packs 12GB of RAM, which means multitasking on this thing should be a breeze.
Benchmarks
The benchmark scores are pretty much expected from a high-end SoC like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. Thing is, we are cannot look into benchmark scores too much. Big numbers may not equal to big performance in some cases. We still ran the benchmarks though and here they are.
Call Quality and Connectivity
Making calls is as easy as any other smartphones you have on you right now. The phone calling interface has not changed for the past 10 years so that should be the easy part. The less easy part is sometimes the phone call itself.
We never had an issue with OPPO devices when we tested all their mid-range or entry-level devices before this. Keep in mind they are all clad in aluminium, which was said to cause a lot of problems for Apple’s iPhones in the early days when they started using the material.
In terms of call experiences then, the OPPO deserves no complains. As expected, the dual mics that are used in the device filters out noise nicely and the caller at the other end of the line never complained that I was drowned out by noise. Volume levels are good too. Probably the earpiece could be a little softer than what I am used to, even when volume is turned all the way up, but I can still pick up voices and words in the conversation just fine.
If you are planning to use this in a conference call, you can. The speakers are actually very loud in those calls. You can fill a medium sized conference room with the volume from the OPPO Find X2. Although the mics might not be able to pick up your voice if you are standing more than 1.5m away from it. Not properly anyway. Loud speakers also means that you miss your calls less.
5G Ready
If you are thinking of purchasing the OPPO Find X2, whichever you choose are 5G compatible. While we do not have 5G just yet, preparations never hurt anyone. In the case that 5G is readily available, all you need to do is get the SIM card and plans from your service provider.
Unlike the other chines brand that has been touting 5G connectivity forever though, there is no switch for 5G here. That also means that if you get a 5G SIM card and push it in, 5G will be on by default. That could also be a worry in the future in terms of data usage patterns and even battery life concerns. So far, we cannot comment much because we have nothing to test it against yet.
O Roaming
If you are a travel bug (I know, we cannot travel at this time, at least we are discouraged to), you may appreciate this feature. It is a feature OPPO introduced last year for their smartphones. It is basically a roaming plan and you can do all your purchases from your smartphone itself. You do not need to head to a kiosk and get a local number and then just dispose it after use.
It is technically a more ecologically conscious way of getting a roaming data plan. That way also you do not need to manage another SIM card. Pulling out the SIM tray can be a pain sometimes.
Thing is, as far as we can see, the plans are still more expensive than getting a local number in some areas. The rates are also all calculated in US$. That also means that your credit card might charge you more than you bargained for.
We cannot deny its potential usefulness though. Having O Roaming or using it can be convenient for you. It is an on-demand service as well anyway, so as long as you need it, you can have a subscription and cancel anytime you do not need it.
Gaming
During the period of quarantine, we play a lot of games. Not that many mobile games though, sadly. However, we still do have some games on the OPPO Find X2. We installed PUBG Mobile, quite a staple to test devices with Battle Royale games like that these days. We loved Brawl Stars too, so of course that gets installed and played. I am also a fan of the Sky Force Reloaded personally.
The thing with modern smartphones with modern, ultra-powerful processing chips is that smooth gaming comes as a pre-requisite suddenly. There is a reason why gaming smartphones has not picked up that much since we first see the BlackShark device and even the ROG Phone. They are all technically the same things with some extra features that may or may not change the way you used your smartphone. All that, while looking tacky and loud.
With the OPPO Find X2’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 then, this device is expected to shred the games and let you play at 120 fps with no issues. Of course, the OPPO flagship does not disappoint. It manages to do all that while looking elegant and subtle. Lesson, you do not need a gaming smartphone.
Talks of gaming smartphones aside though, Brawl Stars is nice and smooth to play with. While you may not be able to tell if you are not paying attention, the game looks like it is somehow running smoother. Thanks to 240Hz response rate too, everything suddenly becomes a little more instant.
That goes for PUBG Mobile and Sky Force Reloaded as well though. On PUBG Mobile, gun shots are supposed to be slightly faster since the display responds faster. At the end of the day, the difference is in milliseconds and is hardly noticeable really. Still, the games look good with great vibrant colours. Brawl Stars looks fun and amazing with its pastel colour choices.
Even Sky Force, a messy game at times run smoothly, smoother than we thought it could run, and looks good. The colours of your plane are vivid, the projectile clearer, and suddenly the plane is more responsive to your touch. Not bad at all. Thing is though, these are very subtle differences that you might be able to overlook on other displays.
All this is thanks to OPPO’s very advanced, very pretty OLED display. We will talk about what makes gaming on the 120Hz panel such a pleasure with O1 Vision Engine in the later part of the review. This also makes us think that display panels now will make the difference between a regular smartphone and a gaming one.
Fingers and Faces
The OPPO Find X2 can easily unlock via your face. Well, as expected from a modern smartphone, facial recognition is quite standard now. 3D facial recognition is also more accurate and secure than ever now. It is also very much like OPPO’s first implementation of facial recognition on their OPPO Find X with 3D sensors and infrared floodlights. As with any other technologies, it is supposedly more accurate now too.
What is impressive to us was that the device was still able to recognise my face in low-light conditions. That, and it was able to unlock at about the same time as when it recognises my face in bright conditions. That is to say that the device does its facial recognition almost the instant you turn on the device. Then again, it recognises my face whichever way I oriented the device to my face anyway. That also means that fingerprint sensor and PIN numbers that I have set on the device are quite underutilised.
The fingerprint sensor is under the display though, which also means that there are no recess or creases to fit a regular fingerprint sensor. Under display fingerprint sensors have come a long way too, there is no reason to doubt its capability and accuracy at this point. They are faster than ever too. If all else fails, you have your PIN numbers to fall back on.
Battery Life
When we first saw how much this flagship is packing, we had major concerns on its 4,200mAh battery. It is not small for a battery, but it is certainly not that big. The Samsung Galaxy S20+ Ultra has a 4,500mAh battery with 5G and 120Hz display in tow. It is expected that 5G usage might drain batteries faster than ever too.
We decided to push the OPPO Find X2 through its paces a little bit with letting the display run on full 120Hz and QHD+ resolution. We let OPPO’s battery optimisation algorithm run on its own though, since it is turned on by default. We used the device as normally as we possibly can too. We ran WhatsApp on it, Telegram, some phone calls, some Netflix, quite a little bit of YouTube, and some camera action in a single day.
The result is a battery life that could last us longer than a day of full use. We had more than 18 hours in battery life on our first day with the OPPO Find X2. We never had any battery anxiety with the device on the first days. Mind you, this was the period before the state-sanction quarantine started; means we were still out and about.
On the worst day, we had to charge the device after 10 hours of use. That was thanks to a few PUBG sessions on long commute and train rides. Even leaving Netflix on for a 30-40 minute journey home from work still gives me a few extra hours with the device away from a charging outlet. I only had to charge the device when I get to bed on a typical day. While that could be anywhere from 11.00 p.m. to 2.00 a.m., having the confidence of leaving it for a charge overnight and get it going a full day is kind of refreshing. It is like experiencing new freedom.
Mind you, we have not even begun with VOOC FlashCharge. They said that it could be charged from zip to full within 40 minutes. We believe that, because our charged within 30 minutes most of the time, and the best part is that there is not much heat in the first place. So, it is safe to handle your device anytime it is charging.
That is not to say that it is flawless though. We would very much appreciate wireless charging. We use wireless chargers in the office now and with the Find X2, it is pretty much useless. While it has a long battery life, we could extend our daily use with wireless charging. We still think that they could fit a bigger battery in the device, the Find X2 Pro makes do with a 4,260mAh by the way; not that much bigger from this regular Find X2.
Display
The office actually agrees that this is probably the most impressive display of 2020. Mind you, we also pitted this against another flagship that launched at the same time, the Samsung Galaxy S20 series. We still think that this display is on another level.
It should be, you can project at QHD+ while pushing 120Hz, it has HDR10 certification, it has a 100% DCI-P3 certification, it is a 10-bit display with 1 billion colours, it is OLED and it is large at 6.7-inch. It is the same display across the series as well if you do not know yet. It is everything that a flagship display should be.
It is not an AMOLED display, simple OLED. But it is more than just another OLED display. It refreshes at 120Hz, and it pushed 10 billion colours into your face, not the usual 16.7 million. It is, in my eyes, the best display you can have on an Android device at this time.
They call the display their O1 Ultra Vision display. With that, comes an engine within the display that accelerates your visuals to match the refresh rate of the display at 120fps. That works for YouTube, Netflix, and even Prime video. That means you get extra smooth footages with very little chop and motion blurring. We were surprised with the result, to be very honest.
When a visual engine accelerates a 30fps video to 60fps, you usually can tell. You can tell by the occasional colour bleeding, or motion blurring of a specific object. On the OPPO’s display, you can hardly tell. We suspect that we can hardly tell also because the display is not large enough for us to scrutinise on a microscopic level.
Colours are very real on the device. You get highly vivid and saturated colours. While that is a mark of OLED displays, this is something else. With 10-bit format, colour gradients blend so well that you see them as a single progression with no separation. With 1 billion colours, colour contrasts are even better than before.
Those features create a whole avenue to watching videos and enjoying Netflix and other video streaming platforms on the OPPO. Yes, we are saying we enjoy using this device as our go to device to stream videos.
You have not even begun to consider the stereo speakers that this thing packs. They are Dolby Atmos certified too, which means you get top notch movie audio out of this. Find a title that could match the certification, you get really good personal immersion. Quite sad that you cannot put your old 3.5mm jacked headphone into the device though. Well, Bluetooth audio it is.
Cameras
They say that the OPPO Find X2 Pro, before the launch of HUAWEI’s P40 series, tops the charts on DX0Mark. That also means that the OPPO Find X2 Pro, at one point, was the best a smartphone camera can get. What about the Find X2?
Technically, you can get the same sort of results. They both run on the same primary hardware and software. The regular Find X2 that you see here packs a 48-Megapixel main shooter supported by two other less powerful lenses. The ultra-wide shooter is a 16-Megapixel sensor while the telephoto lens is a 12-Megapixel shooter capable only of 2x optical zoom. You get up to 5x hybrid zoom with that too.
Does that mean that it is a worse camera than the OPPO Find X2 Pro though? In terms of numbers, it is collectively a worse camera. In practice though, the differences are less than you think. If you are comparing the main camera, nothing separates the two. Both have the same 48-Megapixel cameras and both should get the same results. The resulting photo from the 48-Megapixel camera is crisp, detailed images with very natural colours. The AI know how from OPPO does help in plenty of the scene recognition and settings on the camera. Even in low light, colours are saturated and pretty. My only complain is probably the oversaturation of certain colours like the reds. Still photos look stunning enough on the display of the OPPO at least.
There is a small flaring issue when the OPPO Find X2’s camera is exposed to a naked light source, but most smartphone cameras will have that issue anyway. Under the right conditions, you can get a creative shot. If you like to do night photography though, you might want to consider pointing your device toward a softer light source than what we see in the sample photo. Still, night photography with the 48-Megapixel camera is great thanks to OPPO’s clever night mode enhancement.
With the other two lenses, there are nothing much to shout about really. They are not great, but they are not bad either. They produce pretty standard results in their own class. You will not get a super clear 10x zoom shots from the OPPO Find X2. At 5x though, photos are still clearly usable. The final results of the long shots from the 5x hybrid zoom function is really not bad at all. You still get plenty of details with it, like shooting from a conventional lens.
The ultra-wide angle lens is not the best, but it is still good to work with. You may not get 48-Megapixel in detail from the 16-Megapixel ultra-wide lens, but it is not going to blow any minds. It is still detailed enough to use and appreciate though. Colour profile across the cameras are pretty much the same, which also means that you are still getting very natural looking ultra-wide shots and zoomed in shots.
Gallery
The OPPO Find X2 – The OPPO Flagship to Have
The OPPO Find X2 we have here will set you back MYR 3,999. It is the cheaper of the two flagship devices from OPPO too. The Find X2 Pro will set you back MYR 4,599, MYR 600 more than the OPPO Find X2.
While being the more affordable of the two, you are not getting that much less than the Find X2 Pro. The OPPO Find X2 still packs the same power unit, the same display, the same sort of design language. The only difference is the battery size (60mAh smaller on the Find X2), storage size, (256GB vs 512GB), and the camera sensors you get (48MP + 12MP +16MP vs 48MP + 13MP + 48MP). In a sense, it is not that big of a difference that you can find though. You are essentially getting identical performance numbers and experiencing the same OS and device.
MYR 3,999 though is a lot of money to ask for. The OPPO Find X that was launched last year was just slightly cheaper at MYR 3,699. Still, that was two years ago. For about the same money as the OPPO Find X2 as well, you can get your hands on a Samsung Galaxy S20 and a HUAWEI P40 Pro. Get this though, the OPPO Find X2 is probably a better deal with the 120Hz QHD+ display alone.
As a device, we feel that the OPPO Find X2 is one of the most accomplished and complete devices out there. It is an impressive device, and we can say that we really like the device. It is still difficult to get over the fact that you are spending more than MYR 3,500 on an OPPO device. You are spending a premium amount of money on a smartphone brand that has built itself on value mid-range offerings.
We can overlook that part though, just because we have experienced the device. If you are looking in the price range, we do urge you to take a look and experience this OPPO Find X2 itself. It might change your mind about what OPPO devices can do. In short, this is a device that we do not mind using as a daily driver.
Today is a good day. It is Monday, and some parts of Malaysia is coming back to life. After 48 days of staying indoors, we can also understand the excitement of people getting back out there to the office to living life outside home. It is great. But it is also a good day for OPPO Malaysia because they just launched a brand-new smartphone today. They have launched their budget champion, the OPPO A92 smartphone.
Source: OPPO
The new OPPO A92 is a contender priced at MYR 1,199. It is not OPPO’s lowest priced smartphone in Malaysia by far. It is OPPO’s latest offering for the entry-level mid-range smartphone market. Despite the price, what you get is no slouch.
You still get a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 System on a Chip (SoC) packing eight-cores to the punch. That powerhouse is backed by a large 8GB of RAM for smoother, and better multitasking. You also get 128GB in storage to go with that.
You would want that 128GB of storage also to work with your large 6.5-inch Neo Display displaying at Full HD+ resolution. You can load up movies, load up apps, or even enjoy Netflix and other streaming services and it will look good on the large bezel-less display. There is a small punch hole to accommodate the front-facing camera though.
Source: OPPO
The large Full HD+ display is also useful to see your photos in detail. You would want to because this OPPO A92 has a 48-Megapixel shooter flanked by three other cameras to make it a quad-camera set up effectively. The main camera can shoot in 4K resolution and you even get clever EIS to make sure your videos looks as if you have a gimbal for hands. You get an 8-Megapixel wide-angle camera with that, a 2-Megapixel macro lens, and a 2-Megapixel depth sensor with the OPPO A92. Out front is a 16-Megapixel shooter. Of course, the high-resolution cameras are the also reasons why you want 128GB of memory in the device. If not, there is room for MicroSD expansion.
To keep this Android 10 device running all day and even more, OPPO packs in 5,000mAh in battery capacity. This is in a body that is no larger than its big flagship brother that is the OPPO Find X2 series. Of course, the Android 10 is laced with OPPO’s very own ColorOS 7.1, which we quite like as mentioned in our OPPO Find X2 review. Oh, the battery is also capable of charging at 18W via the USB Type-C port beside the 3.5mm headphone port.
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
For Malaysia, the OPPO A92 is launched in two colours: Twilight Black and Shining White. Pre-orders start today and all the way to the 8th of May 2020. If you do pre-order the device at MYR 1,199 you get an extra 18 months in your warranty coverage and OPPO’s Bluetooth speaker for free. Be the first 1,000 people who pre-ordered your device and you get a new backpack to go along with it. For more information about the OPPO A92 smartphone you can head to their website.
Xiaomi is a household name for anyone who has wants a budget smartphone with killer specs. The brand has been found big on value. That was true when they started globalising the brand with the Xiaomi Mi3, and it is still true today. If you want to get the best value out of your money on a smartphone, you can always be sure that Xiaomi has something in their catalogues.
The Redmi sub-brand for example has been the champions in the budget category making very competitive devices for not very much money available. The devices are no slouches though, despite the asking price. They still pack plenty of features that would impress even the toughest crowds. They still pack the latest of hardware from the modern world at least.
Source: Xiaomi
The Redmi Note 9 this year continues with that recipe with an even more powerful offering. The Redmi Note 9 is now offered in two flavours too, a regular one and a Pro version. Of course, it is easy to tell which will be carrying the torch for the Redmi name.
Last year’s Redmi Note 8 Pro came with a MediaTek processor that is admittedly faster than its Qualcomm cousin. This year’s Redmi Note carries a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G System on a Chip (SoC) which is faster than both. The 700 series in Qualcomm’s Snapdragon line-up is actually lined up very closely to the flagship 800 series in their books. That also means the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 this year packs some power. The regular Redmi Note9 comes with a brand-new MediaTek Helio G85, which is no slouch either, to be fair.
Source: Xiaomi
The Redmi Note 9 series also gets bigger displays than its predecessors from last year. The Pro version gets a bump to 6.67-inch and the regular variant get 6.53-inch. Both are DotDisplays with a punch hole for a front-facing camera in the display.
The larger display would be a benefit for the 64-Megapixel quad-camera array at the back. That 64-Megapixel is supported by an 8-Megapixel ultra-wide camera, a 5-Megapixel macro lens, and a 2-Megapixel depth sensor for Bokeh portraits. Up front is a 16-Megapixel shooter.
The regular Note 9 does not get a 64-Megapixel camera. You still get a great 48-Megapixel shooter with 8-Megapixel Ultra-Wide lens, a 2-Megapixel Macro lens, and 2-Megapixel depth sensor. The small dot up front is a 13-Megapixel shooter.
Of course, with bigger displays and bigger bodies the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 and Note 9 Pro need to have bigger batteries. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro gets a super big 5,020mAh battery that should last you well over a day of use. Its 30W fast charging capability should also keep you juiced up and ready to go even before you can get your nose hair trimmed properly. The regular variant of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 also gets a large 5,020mAh battery but fast charging is kept at 18W, still good for a quick 2-hour charge time from zip though.
Source: Xiaomi
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 and Note 9 Pro will be available in three colours each globally. The Note 9 Pro will be available in Interstellar Grey, Tropical Green, and Glacier White. The Redmi flagship will be available also in two storage variants: either a 64GB or 128GB variant, both with 6GB of RAM. The Note 9 will come in either Midnight Grey, Forest Green, or Polar White. It will also be available in two storage variants with differing RAM offerings too; one comes with 3GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, while the other will be coming with 4GB of RAM and 128GB in storage.
The official word for the local availability is to be somewhere in May 2020. That is not long after the global launch. That is also this month. The only thing we do not have is the local pricing. The global pricing for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 though is from US$ 199 (MYR 855*) and US$ 249 (MYR 1,070*) for each respective variant. For the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro you have to fork out about US$ 269 (MYR 1,156*)and US$ 299 (MYR 1,285*) for each respective model. For more information on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 you can head over Xiaomi’s global blog.
*Approximately based on US$ 1 = MYR 4.30 as of 1st May 2020
The HUAWEI MatePad Pro was launched alongside the very interesting, very elegant HUAWEI Mate XS. It was released in Malaysia at the same time the highly anticipated HUAWEI P40 series was released. At the time, you could get your hands on one, and more. If you pre-ordered the device, you should have your device already at this time and might have loved it. Still, it was a deal that was quite irresistible with so many freebies including the included M-Pencil and magnetic keyboard.
The deal was only for the pre-order period though. Or was it?
HUAWEI has just announced that from tomorrow (29th April 2020) onward, you can get your hands on the HUAWEI MatePad Pro with M-Pencil and Smart Magnetic Keyboard for just MYR 2,898. That is a difference of MYR 299 if you buy all of them separately.
The deal stands only until 7June, but that is more than one month away still, so you still have plenty of time. Of course, the tablet and its two other accessories are not the only thing that is on offer from HUAWEI.
If you already have a HUAWEI device, you can head over to HUAWEI’s AppGallery until midnight tonight to claim an MYR 100 voucher to be spent in HUAWEI’s official online store on the 29th April 2020. There is a minimum expense on the voucher though. You have to spend a minimum of MYR 1,100 in the store. The HUAWEI MatePad Pro easily fulfils that minimum purchase.
All this are in conjunction of HUAWEI’s official online store birthday. In Conjunction to the birthday sales also HUAWEI is putting up the HUAWEI P40 smartphone as a lucky draw price as long as you download or spend on selected games in the AppGallery from now until the 4th June 2020. If you spend on HUAWEI Video platform from tomorrow to 6th May 2020, you are entitled a one month’s free viewing of Qello Concerts, Stingray, and The Explorer Channels on HUAWEI Video.
The realme 6 smartphone was launched in Malaysia a month ago as realme’s most powerful device yet. It packed a MediaTek Helio G90T octa-core System on a Chip (SoC) that could make it fly. Well, not really, the SoC is quite a powerful one though.
At the time of launch, with a price of MYR 999 you can get your hands on one with 4GB of storage with 128GB of storage. For that price, you are already getting a really good deal. You get a powerful SoC paired with enough RAM and plenty of storage. In all fairness too, 4GB of RAM is quite enough for smartphone these days. What if you need more performance though?
That is when more RAM comes into play too. That spawns the realme 6 with 8GB of RAM on tow. Yes, that is double of what you can get your hands on before this. All that for only MYR 200 more than before.
Source: Realme
The question now becomes; should you buy the realme 6 at MYR 1,199? Or should you just stick to the MYR 999 model. There are some reasons why you would want a big 8GB RAM though.
For one, you get to do even more multitasking with the device. Devices with 4GB of RAM sometimes can get choked when you try to open more than 10 tabs on the internet browser. That is just part of it, if you open too many apps at the same time, you might not get your device running too smoothly. You might want to keep all apps closed when you start gaming too.
In the case of smartphones, more and bigger is better. Of course, having 8GB is better than 4GB. Modern smartphones come with bigger RAMs these days too, and app developers will take advantage of that in the future. That means bigger RAMS is also more futureproof.
The realme 6 with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage is available 2nd May 2020 onward on Lazada and realme’s authorised retailers. It is available in two colour variants – Comet White and Comet Blue. As mentioned earlier, it will set you back MYR 1,199. For more information on realme 6 and other realme products, you can head down to their website.
Web conferencing is all the rage these days. With extended quarantine period at this difficult time, everyone is craving for some form of human interaction after days of being alone at home. Thankfully, technology has our backs.
We can do plenty more than just making calls and sending text messages these days. You still can hang out with your friends in private text groups in WhatsApp or even Telegram. But you can do more than just group texts these days with smartphones.
The power of the internet has frown exponentially over the years. As technology progresses, the demand for data increases and that is how we get to the 5G data technology today. The power of high-speed internet also made it possible for us to connect with other people around the globe like never before. Yes, we are talking about video calling.
On Apple’s exclusive FaceTime app, you can do a video call with more than 10 people at one time. Sometimes you do not need to have that many people on one call, but it is nice to know you can. On the world popular Zoom app, you can do it with up to 100 people for free, at a limited time of course. You can even do a video call with four people at a time using WhatsApp.
There is one very popular chat app that we have been using that does not have the video call function just yet though. That app is Telegram.
We like Telegram for several reasons. You do not need to work with elaborate processes to get your messages saved from one device to another. It works on multiple devices at one time too, so you do not have to stick to only one device at a time. But we cannot do video calls with the app, bummer.
If you are a Telegram user, you might not have to be too bummed out for long though. Telegram is looking to be bringing their long awaited and highly requested video calling function in 2020. There are no mentions yet on when we will start seeing the function on our smartphones though, soon we hope.
Still, Telegram is more than just an alternative text messenger app. It has developed and reinvented itself multiple times to be a lot more than just a texting platform. To know more about Telegram and its development, you can check out their blog.
