Qualcomm is one of the biggest chipmakers when it comes to mobile. The company is responsible for the silicon in a huge number of smartphones on the market including the U.S. variant of the Samsung S21 series and the recently announced Xiaomi Mi11. That isn’t all, the company’s Snapdragon processors also power some of the more accessible and affordable devices such as the Redmi Note 9s and even HMD’s Nokia lineup. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the company and the Snapdragon brand has built up a following in the past years.
If you’re one of them, Qualcomm is opening the doors for you to get more acquainted with their technology. In an announcement on their social media as well as a blog post, the company announced their new Snapdragon Insider program. The program will give exclusive access to some of the inner happenings at Qualcomm and even allow fans access to experts to learn more about the Snapdragon mobile platforms.
Source: Qualcomm
According to Qualcomm, signing-up will give enthusiasts an exclusive chance to celebrate, engage, and experience the latest Snapdragon technology. The community will be among the first to get news and announcements about Snapdragon-enabled devices and will have access to small-group interactions with content creators and Qualcomm experts. These sessions will allow Insiders to learn how to get the most out of their Snapdragon devices as well as help shape the future of Snapdragon.
If you’re interested, you can sign up at Qualcomm’s website. The program is going live in the U.S., India and Germany with plans to roll out in China soon. There’s no news on which other countries will be able to access the Qualcomm Insider program at this point of time.
As a Google user, using Google Chrome in incognito Mode has become something of a habit especially when we don’t want people to trace our browsing behaviour. However, have you ever thought that certain authorities might be able to trace your activities on social media or the internet, even with incognito?
Recently, Google has come under fire for an issue with their Google Chrome incognito mode that consists of misleading and deceitful behavior. A group of users in California voiced out that they realized that Google Chrome’s Incognito mode does not do a good job in preventing and safeguarding the activities of the user. This has created a contradiction of the purpose of incognito mode, which is privacy. Therefore, this group of users from California filed a lawsuit against Google.
Koh, a US District Judge in San Jose who is presiding over the case also questions what data is being collected and why is Google collecting user data and activities in a way that big data companies can sell to advertisers or others.
Google’s lawyer is trying to dismiss the issue by saying that Google did follow the terms and regulations in protecting user’s data. Additionally, the plaintiff said that it is just another tactic for Google to observe and collect user data.
Google claims that it is very hard for a user to prevent Google from collecting their data, and users should assume that their internet and social media activities are often traced by someone else. Even though Google claims that there will be no record of what you are working on while using incognito mode but they will still be able to access your activities. From a different perspective, users might think that Google’s access is a way to protect their users from bugs and other dangers from websites.
As a Google user or online consumer, you have to understand that no matter what, tracing your activities on the internet is not all that difficult. Hence, users must always be aware of the security risks of each channel they are using to prevent leaking personal data.
Samsung with their Galaxy S21 series has sort of won the flagship market in the first quarter of 2021. There is the launch of the Xiaomi Mi 11 that was very recently launched too, which was touted to be better than the South Korean flagship in every way, on paper. They also sell the device with a charger, a bonus.
Xiaomi is not the only one vying for the top spot in the premium flagship space though. There is also OPPO. To attempt to dethrone Samsung, they are launching the OPPO Find X3 series in 2021.
There is not much information at this time regarding the OPPO Find X3 series. The only thing we know for certain is that OPPO is launching their OPPO Find X3 Pro on the 11th March 2021. It is also most likely going to be launched with Android 11.
The OPPO Find X2 series really pushed Samsung in terms of specification. They proved that a high-resolution display with high refresh rates is possible. They also proved that high refresh rates does not mean a terrible battery life with the 2020 flagship.
The replacement, the OPPO Find X3 Pro continues on that recipe with a supposed high-resolution 1440p display with up to 120Hz. That is technically not a huge upgrade over the 2020 flagship that it replaces. We are also expecting it to come with up to 12GB of RAM, again something that we have seen before in the OPPO Find X2 Pro.
What is new with the OPPO Find X3 Pro though is supposedly its heart. When we say heart, we are mostly referring to powerhouse that is the SoC. We are expecting the OPPO Find X3 Pro to come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 flagship class SoC of course.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC is first seen in Malaysia on the Xiaomi Mi 11 flagship smartphone. While you have seen the Xiaomi Mi 11 perform, it does not mean that the OPPO Find X3’s inclusion of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC is any less significant. The OPPO Find X3 Pro could really benefit from the new powerful SoC.
For one, we really like OPPO’s camera application and optimization. We find that they really are among the best in the industry when it comes to camera technology and innovation. We are saying that they really know how to make smartphone cameras work.
With the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC, the OPPO Find X3 Pro might just be one of the best camera smartphones in the Android space. Even with the Xiaomi Mi 11 series, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC has boasted better sensitivity for low-light conditions. OPPO’s Find X2 series was one of the best low-light shooters we have tested in 2020. That also means that added sensor sensitivity in low-light will just make the OPPO Find X3 Pro an even better low-light shooter than before.
With the Snapdragon 888 in the OPPO flagship as well, the camera AI should benefit from Qualcomm’s Hexagon 780 dedicated AI engine embedded within the chipset. That could also mean better colours, better temperature adjustment, cleverer angle detection and recommendation, and an overall improvement in scene detection. It could also mean better depth in your photos. In that sense, what could you have asked for more?
Of course, we loved the OPPO Find X2 series for their gaming capabilities. We have used it as an alternative display in completing most of Death Stranding. We also played other games with it of course. Games like PUBG Mobile, and even Mobile Legends really benefit from a fast display.
The OPPO Find X3 Pro should deliver even more gaming performance with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. Qualcomm’s latest processor is supposedly able to cut down your reaction times in games like Mobile Legends and even PUBG Mobile by 20%. The display is supposed to react to your touch inputs faster than before thanks to the new ultra-fast processor. Of course, even better performance and faster clocks on the SoC does not hurt gaming. They even tout desktop PC level of performances on the SoC.
Of course, all these are still yet to be confirmed. We can only confirm all of the information when the product launches on the 11th of March 2021. Are we excited though? For a smartphone that could give Samsung a run for their money, heck yes.
Shopee, one of Malaysia’s largest e-commerce platforms, is bringing next day delivery to its users. The platform will be offering next day deliveries for Peninsular Malaysia excluding Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terrengganu through its Shopee Xpress service. The offer kicked off on 18 February 2021 as the platform geared up for its upcoming 3.3 sale.
The next-day delivery offer applies to purchases on Shopee Mart with the “Next-Day Delivery” tag. Keep in mind that your order will also need to be placed before 12PM daily to make use of the service. Orders placed after 12PM will be considered orders for the next day and will be delivered the day after. So, if you order at 1 PM on Monday, you’ll be receiving your order on Wednesday. If eligible orders do not make it to their destination by the next day, users will receive a free shipping voucher for their next Shopee Mart purchase.
The new service comes in response to the data reported by iPrice and Parcelhub which showed that Malaysians experienced a 119% increase in delivery times in 2020’s movement control order (MCO). This made Malaysia the country with the longest delivery time for online purchases in the region.
Shopee’s next-day delivery offer is only the tip of the iceberg as the company has been working with partners to facilitate a faster, more convenient delivery process. They have since increased the number of Shopee Xpress drop-off points to more than 300 nationwide with partners such as Parcelhub and Mailboxes Etc (MBE). These new drop-off points are expected to help reduce turnover times. To date, Shopee has successfully reduced delivery times to East Malaysia (Sabah & Sarawak) from 10 days to 4 days.
During their 3.3 sale, customers can get free shipping with a minimum spend of MYR10. Shopee is also offering daily 50% off deals and bargains from as low as MYR0.33. They will also be working with TV3 for a 3.3 Supermarket Show which will air at 9PM on 3rd March 2021.
Xiaomi is no stranger to the smartphone scene. In recent years, the company has clawed its way to become one of the top 3 smartphone brands in the world. The same rings true in Malaysia and Singapore where the company has become one of the top 2 fastest growing smart devices companies. They have attributed their success to their highly innovative R&D process amazing products and what they call “honest prices.” That said, Xiaomi’s biggest boon is the support of their Mi Fans Community. Today, the company announced their latest flagship – the Xiaomi Mi 11, the first device in both Singapore and Malaysia to come with MIUI 12.5 and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor with support for 5G.
Source: Xiaomi
The Mi 11 is being touted by Xiaomi as a ‘Movie Magic’ device as it allows users to enjoy shooting like a director and edit like a pro. The Mi 11 comes with a triple camera sensor setup and a single selfie camera. Its main sensor is a 108-megapixels sensor. The is complemented with a 13-megapixel ultrawide sensor with 123° field of view and the first M series Tele-macro lens. The front 20-megapixel, selfie camera is nestled in a punch hole up front.
The camera setup comes with improved software including an improved night mode which is now available on the ultra-wide and front camera, giving users to the flexibility of shooting at night with different lenses. It is also equipped with AI features such as Magic Zoom, Parallel world, Freeze Frame, and Night Time-lapse, which brings even more variety to the shots that users can take with the smartphone. Apart from that, users can also take advantage of 8 cinematic video filters. The Mi 11 supports recording video in 8K resolution and supports HDR10+. It also has a 30% improvement in capture compared to previous devices.
Source: Xiaomi
Even with all those features, the Mi 11 is thinner and lighter than before. It has a quad-curved edge design on the front and back of the device which make it more ergonomic. This device comes with a WQHD+ resolution AMOLED screen with a refresh rate of 120hz and 480Hz touch sampling.
The Mi 11 has a dual speaker setup calibrated by Harman Kardon for a more premium audio experience. Keeping the device flagship worthy, the Mi 11 comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor complemented by the Adreno 660 GPU promising an immersive, responsive experience. The new flagship is also the first device with MIUI 12.5, Xiaomi’s latest operating system which runs atop Android 11. To make sure that you have enough power to last, the Mi 11is supported by a 4600mAh battery fully equipped with 55W fast charging and 50W wireless charging. It also supports 10W reverse charging. The cherry on the package with the Mi11 in Malaysia and Singapore is the inclusion of a 55W GaN (Gallium Nitride) charger in the box.
Pricing & Availability
Xiaomi Mi11 will be available in three colors: Cloud White, Horizon Blue, and Midnight Gray. It will be priced starting at MYR2,799 (SGD999/USD$) for the 8GB version with 128GB internal storage. Full pricing is listed in the table below.
Storage & Memory
Sale Date
Pricing
128GB + 8GB RAM
TBA
MYR 2,999 (SGD$1099/742.53USD$)
256GB + 8GB RAM
March 13, 2021
MYR 2,799 (SGD$999/693.04USD$)
Source: Xiaomi
Source: Xiaomi
Source: Xiaomi
Source: Xiaomi
Source: Xiaomi
Pre-orders are now open in Malaysia and Singapore. It will be running from 25 February to 10 March 2021 at Authorized Mi Stores and on Lazada, and Shopee. In Singapore, the Mi 11 is also available for pre-order with M1, Singtel, and StarHub.
Pre-orders are will be up for several freebies. The first 100 pre-orders made will stand a chance to win Mi AloT Premium Pack worth up to MYR1,356 (SGD$ 461.90). The subsequent 600 pre-orders in Singapore and 1,500 in Malaysia will be in the running to win a Mi Air Purifier 3C worth MYR 569 (SGD$ 179). To be eligible, customers will need to register their pre-orders at the official Mi11 pre-order website.
First sales will kick off on March 13, 2021 in Malaysia and 20 March 2021 in Singapore.
There has been plenty of rumours pointing toward HUAWEI moving toward their very own developed Harmony OS. They say 2021 is the year they will jump into their own Operating System (OS). According to the launch as well, we can expect to see the first smartphones with Harmony OS by April 2021.
But the launch is not about HUAEI’s upcoming smartphone interface. It is about a certain replacement for the elusive HUAWEI Mate Xs of 2020. Welcome to the HUAWEI Mate X2.
The HUAWEI Mate X2, as you would have guessed, is the HUAWEI Mate Xs. Funnily enough, it does not look anything like a replacement for the HUAWEI Mate Xs. It resembles a certain foldable flagship from its competitor, to be fair.
Source: HUAWEI
That may not necessarily be a bad thing though. That sort of standardises a foldable smartphone format that everyone can agree on. While it does lack a little innovative flair, it also means that we know what to expect from a certain type of devices in the future.
The HUAWEI Mate X2 is now a dual display wielding device instead of a single foldable display beast. It makes a little bit more sense in terms of device handling as well with this type of inside-outside display layout. It also justifies the pricing a little bit better than before. You are now paying for two displays instead of one.
While the HUAWEI Mate X2 looks like a “Me Too” device, HUAWEI has made every inch of improvement they think a foldable smartphone like its type should have. For one, visually, the 6.45-inch display is a proper Full HD display at 2,700 pixels by 1,106 pixels. Inside, you get an 8-incher with 2,480 x 2,200 pixels on board, that’s more than 1440p and almost square.
Source: HUAWEI
But that is not all, the front display is a 90Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling display worthy of any games you throw at it. It is an actual usable display that is not too narrow to enjoy, or too tall to work with. It looks like a proper smartphone display you can enjoy. The internal display is a fast-moving 90Hz refresh rate display too with 180Hz in touch sampling for near instant response times.
The device is not even that thick to begin with. The HUAWEI Mate X2 is only 14.7mm thick at the thickest when it is folded. There also seems to be no gaps when you fold the device, it is a flush device and looks like it will feel like a single device. When you unfold it, it is 8.8mm at its thickest point. We say that because the device is designed as a wedge and to be heavier at the bottom plate of the device. That is also the only way for the device to be completely evenly squared when you fold it.
Powering the device is a HUAWEI Kirin 9000 System on a Chip (SoC). It is also the same one that we can find in a HUAWEI Mate 40 series. Alongside the powerful SoC you also get 8GB of RAM to work with.
Source: HUAWEI
Unlike its rival, the HUAWEI Mate X2 only packs two camera modules, both outside the device. This way, the 8-inch internal display remains undisturbed and full. Out the front display then is a 16-Megapixel selfie camera. But there is also a quad-camera set up at the back that fires at 50-Megapixel, 16-Megapixel, 12-Megapixel, and 8-Megapixel.
The 50-Megapixel main camera is the same ones you will find on the HUAWEI Mate 40 series as well, so you are not getting anything less than the best. You get a single ultra-wide camera with the 16-Megapixel. The two others are zoom lenses at 3x optical zoom factor (12MP) and a 10x optical zoom factor (8MP). As with any modern flagship you can record videos at 4K resolution.
To cap it all off, the EMUI 11 device runs on an internal 4,500 mAh battery. That battery charges at 55W at the maximum. That is good news considering that it also supports 5G and WiFi 6+. Of course, it charges via USB Type-C.
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
The biggest question is now, how expensive it will be. The HUAWEI Mate X2 will be available in China 25th February, 2021 onward and will come with a charger out-of-the-box. The get to choose between 256GB or 512GB variants at CN¥ 17,999 (MYR 11,270*) and CN¥ 18,999 (MYR 11,896*). There is no word yet on when the device will get to Malaysia. We are expecting them to mention the device’s local availability to be mentioned closer to the global launch of the HUAWEI P50 series. Still, keep watch of this space. For more information, you can head to HUAWEI.
*Approximately based on conversion rate of US$ 1.00 = MYR 4.04 on xe.com at 24/02/2021
A month after the introduction of their new flagship series: the Galaxy S21, Samsung is adding new options to their lineup. The Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra are getting an additional 128GB version on top of the 256GB and 512GB version already in the market. The new variants also come with lower prices starting at MYR3,499 (USD$865.67) for the Galaxy S21.
The new variants lower the barrier of ownership for the series. Bringing the S21 to a palatable price. However, keep in mind that the new S21 series doesn’t come with a microSD card slot; this means you’ll be stuck with only 128GB of memory. However, it’s very unlikely that you’ll be needing more. The new variants keep the RAM spec of the base models. The S21 and the S21+ will have 8GB of RAM while the S21 Ultra will have 12GB of RAM.
Purchases of the Galaxy S21 series will come with a few freebies including the Galaxy SmartTag, the Galaxy Fit2, and the Wireless Charger Trio during the introductory period. These freebies come with the purchase of any S21 series variant.
The introduction of the new variants comes after Samsung revised the pricing for their Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy S20 FE smartphones. The smartphones get a pretty significant repricing with the Galaxy Z Flip getting over MYR1,000 in reduction. It is now available at MYR3,999 (USD$989.28) from the original MYR5,888 (USD$1456.58). The Galaxy S20 FE gets an MYR400 reduction for both the 5G and 4G LTE variants. Their prices are now reduced to MYR2,999 and MYR2,299 respectively.
Pricing & Availability
The smartphones are currently available in the market.
Let’s be frank, Samsung’s track record when it comes to device support hasn’t been the best. However, in recent years, the company has shown a vested interest in demonstrating its commitment to providing more secure devices. One of the ways in which they have done this is by decreasing their rollout times for updates across the board.
However, it seems like they are looking to up the ante with new policies. Just recently, in August, the company announced that it would provide three major updates to all its Android-powered devices at the launch of the Note20 series. Today, Samsung announced that, in addition to the three major updates, they would be providing four years of security patches. This promise extends to devices released since 2019 – i.e the Galaxy S10 series onward. The commitment doesn’t only cover flagships though, Samsung is committing to support all their major line ups including the Galaxy S, Galaxy A, Galaxy Note, Galaxy XCover, and Galaxy Tab line ups.
In its announcement, Samsung listed the complete list of Galaxy Devices eligible for this new commitment.
Tab Active Pro, Tab Active3, Tab A 8 (2019), Tab A with S Pen, Tab A 8.4 (2020), Tab A7, Tab S5e, Tab S6, Tab S6 5G, Tab S6 Lite, Tab S7, Tab S7+
That said, Samsung also highlights in the footnotes that the availability of security patches and updates is subject to market and device. This could mean that lower priority regions may still be stuck getting lagging updates if any at all. So far, Samsung has kept to its word in Malaysia and countries like the U.S. and U.K.
Samsung’s move to provide these updates go above the minimum requirement that Google has set for its Andoird OEMs. Let’s be honest, it doesn’t seem like the company has been enforcing the requirement. However, Samsung’s move to champion the updates under their security umbrella brings a little bit more reliability and longevity to the Android Ecosystem.
WhatsApp was in the middle of a media firestorm in early January thanks to the announcement of a controversial change to their Data Sharing Policy. The company, which was acquired by Facebook back in 2014, is requiring users to accept the new terms to continue using the application. The app will now be sharing a slew of data including your phone contact lists, app logs, diagnostic data, and status messages with its parent company. WhatsApp did send a prompt to users to accept the changes to continue using the app, however, it seems like there is a vocal portion of their users who have opted to look at its competitors: Signal and Telegram.
With the deadline for users to accept the new agreement looming, the company has published a new FAQ regarding the issue. The effective date of the new agreement has been extended to May 15, 2021, from the initial February 8, 2021. They have also indicated what would happen if users are still reluctant to accept their new terms – and to be frank, they seem to be coercing users into the new terms.
If you still don’t accept the new policy, you’ll essentially lose access to your messages and data in the app. The new FAQ states that WhatsApp will not delete your account. Instead, it will limit the capabilities of the application. In fact, you’ll be relegated to calls and notifications “for a short time”. The company hasn’t clarified what it means by “a short time” but during this period, users will not be able to access any of their messages.
While this is a less than ideal way of handling their faux pax, the company seems adamant to lose its user base and continue on with its plans to adopt the new changes. We even had Acronis’ Chief Information Security Officer, Kevin Reed weigh in on the issue in our Tech & Tonic Podcast. In the immediate fallout from the abrupt and poorly managed announcement, users have been flocking to other competitors with Telegram and Signal in the forefront.
Spotify took center stage at their StreamOn event and, Boy!… did they have a lot to announce.
The streaming service is gaining even more momentum internationally with a rollout to an additional 80 countries. This comes on the tail of their recent launch in South Korea. The countries joining the Spotify fold include a large number of those in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America including countries such as Bangladesh, Cameroon, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mongolia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka; reaching over a billion potential users. With the new additions, Spotify is now available in over 170 countries putting it on par with competitors like Apple Music and YouTube Premium.
Spotify HiFi: CD Quality, Lossless Streaming
https://youtu.be/W07MvWbuWkI
In addition to this, Spotify also announced “Spotify HiFi”. The new HiFi offering brings CD quality, lossless audio to the music streaming platform. This will make Spotify more appealing to the audiophiles out there as they will be able to get better, more detailed sound via the app. The new service ups the bit rate available on Spotify from the current 320kbps to about 1,400kbps. This means that the more nuanced attributes of songs are able to better come through when streamed. The company did trial the service in the U.S. back in 2017 for a USD$7.50 (MYR30.32) premium on top of its subscription. However, aside from noting that the new Spotify HiFi will be coming to select markets, they have not revealed much.
Artist-Audience Interaction with Spotify Clips
If HiFi streaming wasn’t enough, Spotify also officially announced its Clips feature. The new feature functions in a similar fashion to Instagram Stories or Snaps on Snapchat. They allow artists to interact directly with their audience on Spotify by sharing clips akin to their social media. If this sounds familiar, it’s cause the company was testing the feature out over the past Christmas holidays in the U.S. However, with this announcement, the feature will see a more widespread release. Clips will appear on playlists to allow users to get a glimpse into personal moments from the artists.
Podcasts: Better Discovery, New Experiences
Spotify didn’t leave any stone unturned during its StreamOn event. The app has become one of the largest Podcast distribution platforms since it introduced the feature. Keeping that in mind, the company is looking at making Podcast discoverability easier for creators. In a nutshell, the company is looking to serve podcast episodes to listeners based on their preferences. It will also employ A.I. and machine learning to help users search for podcasts better.
In addition, the company is also working on creating new experiences when it comes to podcasts. Spotify is working with WordPress to create podcasts from written content. Creators will also be able to engage with audiences more directly with interactive Q&As, polls, and even video. The company is also making its Ad Studio available for podcast creators to help monetize their podcasts better.
