HMD Global has long been one of the only Android smartphone manufacturers to support Google’s Android GO platform. The platform sought to bring better performance to lower end smartphones to improve the overall user experience. Instead of building in most of the apps into what limited space the device has, it optimises based on usage and allows users to stream or download; whichever suited their needs better.
The Nokia 1 was one of the first devices to support the platform. That doesn’t change with the new Nokia 1.3. Coming with the Snapdragon 215 processor, the new affordable smartphone looks to carve a niche in the lower end for itself. The Snapdragon 215 is a quad core processor clocked at 1.3GHz; unlike it performance centric brethren, the 215 does not adopt a bigLITTLE configuration and is made of four Cortex A53 chips. This is supported by 16GB on on board storage and 1GB of RAM.
It comes with a 5.71-inch IPS LCD display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. The screen of the Nokia 1.3 will have a HD+ resolution of 720×1520 pixels with a pixel density of 295 pixels per inch. It will be powered by a 3,000 lithium polymer battery and have HMD’s signature all day battery life.
On the connectivity front, the Nokia 1.3 comes with support for WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.2 LE and GPS. It also is 4G capable.
Camera Experience Powered by Google’s Camera GO
The new Nokia 1.3 is one of the first smartphones to come with Google’s new Camera GO app. The new Camera GO app is made to enable advanced features such as portrait shots on lower-end, sub USD$50 smartphones. The app plays well with Google’s Android GO, in fact, Google says that the app is deeply integrated with the system.
On the Nokia 1.3, the Camera GO app will be working with the single 8-megapixel sensor of the smartphone. It is autofocus capable and has HDR support. On the front, the Nokia 1.3 omes with a single 5-megapixel sensor.
Pricing & Availability
The Nokia 1.3 will be available starting in April 2020. It will be availble in Cyan, Charcoal and Sand colours. It looks to be costing about € 95 (MYR 447.29).
HMD Global has arguably made Nokia phones a mid-range champion. The company brought back the Nokia brand with a bang with their first generation of Nokia Android smartphones, spearheaded by the original Nokia 5 and Nokia 6. Two years later, the company has stuck to its guns and launched the latest iteration of their mid-range champion, the Nokia 5.3
Like it’s predecessors, the Nokia 5.3 comes packs respectable specifications with a design language that has become a signature for Nokia smartphones. The new smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 and will be complemented with 64GB of internal storage. However, users will be able to chose between 3GB, 4GB, or 6GB of RAM. Storage is expandable through the microSD card slot.
The Android 10 touting smartphone will come with a 6.55-inch IPS LCD display with a HD+ resolution of 720×1600 pixels. It has a pixel density of 268 pixels per inch with a 20:9 aspect ratio. The smartphone will be running on the Adreno 610 graphics processing unit.
On the camera front, the Nokia 5.3 comes with a quad camera array. The main camera is 13-megapixel sensor with an aperture of f/1.8 with support for Phase Detection Auto-focus (PDAF). This is complemented with a 5-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, 2-megapixel macro sensor and 2-megapixel depth sensor. It will be able to support Full HD 1080p video recording at 30 fps. On the front, the Nokia 5.3 is equipped with a 8-megapixel sensor with an f/2.0 aperture.
Connectivity wise, the Nokia 5.3 will support WiFi 802.11b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2 LE and GPS. It supports USB Type C but doesn’t seem to support fast charging.
Pricing & Availability
The Nokia 5.3 will be available globally in April. It will come in Cyan, Sand and Charcoal. It looks to be costing about €189 (MYR 891.48).
No, please do not get the title wrong. The HUAWEI Mate Xs still does not have Google Play Store out of the box. Now that we got that out of the way, let us get right to it; HUAWEI’s very anticipated foldable smartphone is available for purchase in Malaysia today onward.
For the price of MYR 11,111, you are getting a piece of engineering
marvel that is the
HUAWEI Mate Xs starting from today. There is a problem, however. We are not
technically allowed out of our homes to buy a smartphone. Even if do get
outside, the shops are not even open. So, what is HUAWEI on about? How are they
selling their new smartphones?
Source: HUAWEI
Online is the word. Of course, selling smartphones online is
nothing new to HUAWEI. They have been doing it for years with their sister
brand HONOR. Of course, they have their own curated web store as well.
Obviously at this state, where no one can be out and about
doing their regular shopping, HUAWEI can only put the HUAWEI Mate Xs on sale on
the web store. So here it is, no launch gambit, no fancy roadshows; just a simple
product put online. A little underwhelming for the Mate Xs? Yes. Necessary? Yes
as well.
The HUAWEI Mate Xs – As Weird as Interstellar
The HUAWEI Mate Xs comes only in one colour option; that is Interstellar
Blue. As you can see in our hands-on video, with poor lighting, the device does
actually look quite good. If you must ask as well (of course, you would) it
really feels like a quality product like no other. The folding mechanism gives
you a load of confidence with the device, it has a solid resistance that gives
you a sense that this thing is meant to be folded in and out for a lifetime. Even
the crease is barely noticeable on the HUAWEI Mate Xs, less pronounced than,
let us say a Samsung Galaxy Fold.
Still, it is quite a different interpretation of what a foldable smartphone should look like. We like that about the HUAWEI Mate Xs. We also like the fact that it has a tonne of power and 5G connectivity thanks to the ultra-powerful HiSilicon Kirin 990 System on a Chip (SoC) with 8G of RAM and 512GB of storage. We like that the EMUI 10 (based on Android 10, by the way) that is on the device is optimised for multiwindow functionality.
We also like the fact that the device only features one display
(8-inch to 6-inch), which is technically cheaper and simpler to maintain. Although,
at this point, it is difficult to say thanks to the more ‘robust’ folding
mechanism. Also, not too sure about the battery life because it only has 4,500
mAh squeezed into its tight body. We are not saying that this is not impressive;
it is an impressive feat still.
As we mentioned before in our launch article as well, you only get a single array of cameras that you use for both main camera shots and selfies. That is, in our books, great as well; less things to worry about and you get a single camera quality instead of two different results on two different fronts. The HUAWEI Mate Xs has a main 40-Megapixel camera, a 16-Megapixel ultra-wide angle lens, an 8-Megapixel telephoto lens, and a Time of Flight sensor for even more stellar portraits and better auto focusing.
So, you can get your hands on the HUAWEI Mate Xs today for
MYR 11,111 from HUAWEI’s
one and only web store. With that purchase you get a free HUAWEI Freebuds 3
worth MYR 679. You also get an Envelope Leather Case for the device worth MYR
299. In the box itself you get a sort of shell to cover the sides of your new
smartphone and a pair of USB Type-C earphones. Oh right, this thing does not
have a 3.5mm headphone jack. You also get HUAWEI’s three months warranty on
your display, just in case. That warranty covers everything from drops to
whatever sort of accidental collisions the device might face within the three
months. It does not cover water damage though, and this is not an IP rated
device, so keep it away from coffee, or even rain.
HUAWEI VIP Home Delivery Service
Beyond that, you get to choose on the method of your receipt
of the device. Yes, you get to choose. You can be optimistic and tell the web
store that you will collect your HUAWEI Mate Xs at your preferred HUAWEI Store.
That is if you can find one that is open, or if you can wait until April for
the device. If not, you can choose for the HUAWEI Mate Xs to be delivered right
to your doorstep. They call it the HUAWEI VIP Home Delivery Service.
You can expect a man in tuxedos to arrive at your doorstep,
mask ready of course (health and safety requirement), and gloves. They would
ring your doorbell, and you answer the door greeted by an English accent and
your smartphone on a silver tray. They will sanitise the device in front of you
as well, just to add to the drama and show. Then you pick it up and feel like
the most important man in the world.
Source: HUAWEI
No, we are kidding. The face mask and sanitation procedures
are true though. Still, I would imagine that if you bought your smartphone you would
not be able to wait for it to get a first glimpse and hands-on with it. I
suggest you go for the delivery service, all you have to do is provide them
with your contact and delivery details anyway.
The HUAWEI Mate Xs is now on sale at HUAWEI’s online
web store. The highly anticipated smartphone will set you back MYR 11,111.
The free gifts mentioned are available for all purchases of the HUAWEI Mate Xs until
further noticed by HUAWEI. More information on their device can be found on HUAWEI’s Website.
Nokia’s brand has a long history in the telecommunications space. After a successful relaunch into the mobile industry a few years ago, HMD Global, is looking to up the ante with their first 5G device – the Nokia 8.3 5G. The company touts the Nokia 8.3 as their future-proof 5G smartphone.
The Nokia 8.3 will come packing the new Snapdragon 765G modular platform which allows for high performance that won’t break the bank. To this end, HMD has taken advantage the chip’s unique offerings to push Nokia devices forward. The new Nokia 8.3 is one of the first smartphones that will be equipped with the new Snapdragon 765G and will be 5G capable. In fact, it will support more bands across the TDD and FDD spectrum than any other devices.
The processor will be paired with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM and either 64GB or 128GB of internal storage. It will also be able to support more memory through the use of microSD cards. It will come with a 6.81-inch IPS LCD display with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080×2400 pixels. It will retain the usual 20:9 aspect ratio with a pixel density of about 386 pixels per inch.
On the camera end, the Nokia 8.3 will be coming with a quad camera setup on the back. We’ve been hearing about it’s “Captain America Shield” design. It looks like that is the case with ZEISS branding in the middle. The Quad camera setup comes with a 64-megapixel main sensor. The sensor is a wide angled sensor with an f/1.89 aperture. The 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor is equipped with an f/2.2 aperture. These sensors are complemented by a 2-megapixel depth sensor and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. All of these are, of course, ZEISS optics. HMD was also touting Log mode video capture on the 8.3 which will be able to bring cinema quality video to the smartphone. On the front, the 8.3 is equipped with a 24-megapixel selfie camera.
HMD Global talked about enhancing the camera experience on the Nokia 8.3 with new features. One of which is the new action cam mode which is similar to the super steady feature we’ve seen in other manufacturers. Of course, being a Nokia device, the smartphone is also capable of recording OZO audio which will support directional sound recording.
The Nokia 8.3 will be powered by a 4,500 mAh lithium polymer battery. HMD is confident the battery and software optimisations will allow the 8.3 to deliver on its “all day battery” promise. It also supports 18W fast charging. The 8.3 will be launching with Android 10 out of the box with the promise of 2 alphabet updates.
Pricing & Availability
The Nokia 8.3 is expected to be available sometime in March or early April in selected markets. It will be available in Polar Night, a deep shade of blue. Prices for the device will start at €599 (MYR 2,822.77).
If you have not known yet, Malaysia is on lock down from the
18th March 2020 all the way to the end of the month on the 31st
March 2020. Well, some may argue that it is not technically a lock down, rather
a restricted movement order. Whatever it is, the government has put their hammer
down and asks everyone that is not essential to the country’s main functions to
stay at home. We have stayed in for two days.
While the news for COVID-19 remains as bleak as ever, there
are still some that aims to cheer the people up. Life goes on as well for everyone,
HUAWEI is soon releasing their foldable Mate Xs still into the market, despite
the lock down. HMD and Xiaomi is still going ahead with their global smartphone
launch; although this has nothing to do with Malaysia’s lock down. Stores are
still operating in full capacity. Except, everyone is online now.
OPPO is one such brand that is still doing business as usual
online. They are soon releasing the OPPO Find X2 Pro 5G on the 21st
of March 2020. They have also just launched their new entry-level smartphone,
the OPPO A91 into the market with the help of Lazada and Shopee; their online
marketplace partners. They are not stopping there though. For the period of the
lock down (19th March 2020 – 31st March 2020) they are giving
out massive discounts in their own web store.
Considering that, it would be quite selfish of us to not
share what they have in store for you. Here are the five things we thought you
might want to buy for the lock down. Keep in mind there are no particular standings
to the listed items.
A little about the history of OPPO. They did not really
start with manufacturing smartphones. They were initially a digital audio
company. They started life as OPPO Electronics making high-end earphones, amps,
and speakers. They were good at that too. They made the iconic OPPO PM-1. (PM
for Planar Magentic) headphones. In MYR, they were worth more than 10,000.
Sadly they went out of production.
Still, the legacy of their audio expertise live on with the OPPO
Enco Free True Wireless earphones. The OPPO Enco Free TWS earphones is worth
MYR 599. With the battery case, it offers up to 25 hours of music playback. The
earphones itself gives you 5 hours of music playback, which also means the little,
compact case gives you five four extra charges.
With Binaural Bluetooth transmission on top of the Bluetooth 5.0, OPPO’s Enco Free ensures that you have a constant and stable feed of music from your connected smartphone. Yes, it does sound good too with a large (for an in-ear earphone) 13.4mm driver stuck within its slim body. The stems are also touch buttons that supports slide gestures or even touch gestures. Plus, the interchangeable silicon tips ensure that you get a good fit and that your Enco Free does not drop off. Of course, it makes a great wireless earpiece too.
In this case, we did not mention a specific model. There is a reason for that. The reason is that it is quite difficult to choose, for us anyway.
The OPPO Find X2 series is a flagship series that is two years
in waiting. The pro version is only coming on the 21st of March
2020. But that does not mean that you should not get the regular OPPO Find X2. The differences, though can be quite an upgrade
in experience, is minute enough that you can consider saving MYR 600 and get
the OPPO Find X2. You only get one different lens, a battery that is 60mAh
smaller, and a smaller memory module.
Both devices are great devices though. Both supports 5G connectivity so you have the option to upgrade to a 5G SIM card once its available. Both pack Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 for good measure. Both are ultra-smooth operators with 6.7-inch AMOLED QHD+ display that refreshes at 120Hz and samples at 240Hz. Both have the same great 48-Megapixel main shooter. What more could you want from a flagship?
It is important to keep yourself active and find ways to exercise at home in the lock down period. These two weeks at home can make a person lazy very fast. There are tonnes of home exercises you can do as well. There are tonnes of them you can find online. That is easy enough then.
What is difficult is keeping your progress in check. You
need a fitness tracker for that one. But what is the use of a fitness tracker
that you only use for two weeks? You should get one that would last you even
longer than two weeks. You should get one that you can take even up the mountains
when you go for a hike. You should get the Coros Pace from OPPO’s web store.
The Coros Pace is hardly a smartwatch. There is no Bluetooth connectivity on it either. It does have GPS/GLONASs though. That means that the watch can trace your steps to form a running or cycling map for you. Like any fitness tracker too, you get an accurate heart rate monitor. It will also go deep into the water with you with 5 ATM water resistance rating. Of course, it tells time. What is amazing about this fitness tracker is that it will last you up to 50 days (in UltraMax GPS mode, up to 30 days in regular use).
Regular fitness trackers are not your thing? No problem, you
go for the WeLoop XH3 smartwatch. One
big plus side; it is cheaper than the Coros Pace, a whole lot cheaper.
Cheap does not mean bad though. The square face displays everything
that you need. It is even a touch screen so interaction with it is simple. Being
a smartwatch, you can connect it to your smartphone and work as your notifier
with vibrations and what not.
Of course, this works as your fitness tracker too. It has a heart rate monitor on its back, it has got all the right motion sensors to keep your movements recorded and decoded correctly, it connects to all the popular fitness apps you can find on your smartphone, and for good measure you can take it swimming too. Beyond all that, it can last you up to 40 days on a single charge. That eliminates the need of plugging it into a charge constantly or every night. A watch should not have to be kept on a charger, it should be worn, and this is designed to be worn
OPPO has a accessories arm called Olike. They make things
like powerbank, TWS earphones, and Bluetooth Headphones and even regular
earphones. They also make cables, good cables.
One thing that all of us in the tech industry can agree on
is that you can never have too many spare cables. There is pain in looking for
the right cables when you need a charge of your powerbank or even your friend’s
powerbank. Even when you want to leech off your friend’s PC for more juice, you
always need a cable.
Having your own cable also means that it is one less thing
to worry about when you need power. Plus, when you take a photo and need to
offload it for post processing on your PC, it is always good to know you have a
cable somewhere in your bag.
Olike cables are reasonably priced and they work well too. We especially like their braided cables because they feel like they can last forever. They support all kinds of fast charging too, so even if you are using a Qualcomm Fast Charge 3.0, or OPPO’s VOOC charging, you are safe with Olike cables.
Codes Codes Codes
Source: OPPO
What was the point of all this again? Oh yes, OPPO is giving
out discounts in their own web store. The discounts are not reflected on the store
though unless you have a discount code. What discount codes?
Code
Voucher Worth (MYR)
Limitations
TechENTIOT50
50
Enco Q1 & Enco Free
TechENTOPPO20
20
Phones below RM600
TechENTOPPO50
50
Phones from RM600 to RM999
TechENTOPPO100
100
Phones from RM1000 to RM1999
TechENTOPPO200
200
Phones RM2000 and above
TechENTxOPPOFindX2
250
FindX2 and Find X2 Pro
We have you covered. Now you can go shop. More information
on products can be found on OPPO’s website.
The iPad Pro turned heads when it was first launched back in June 2017. Many were asking where this large tablet would sit in the continuum of devices that is available to the consumer. However, the iPad Pro became one of the most revered devices for creatives and those looking to be productive on the go.
The 2020 iPad Pro ups the ante with Apple’s new A12Z Bionic chip. The A12Z succeeds the A12X SoC (System on a Chip) which Apple introduced with the previous generation iPad Pro. The new processor comes with 8-cores; 4 of which are optimized for performance while another 4 are optimized for efficiency. Apple touts that this processor makes the new iPad Pro “faster and more powerful than most Windows PC laptops”.
The new iPad Pro is, once again, made for creatives looking to work on the go. Apple’s A12Z Bionic chip makes it possible to edit 4K video and design 3D models on the iPad. According to Apple, the chip also comes with enhanced thermal architecture and fine-tuned performance which allows it to handle larger workloads than previous iPads. The performance of the iPad Pro 2020 is enhanced further with the Neural Engine of the A12Z which allows next generation apps to run.
The display on the iPad Pro 2020 is a near bezelless Liquid Retina display. Both the 11-inch and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro will come with Apple’s most advanced display yet. The new display has support for the DCI-P3 gamut which makes colour reproduction more accurate than ever. This is enhanced with ProMotion technology which automatically adjusts the refresh rate up to 120Hz for smooth scrolling and better responsiveness.
The camera module on the new iPad Pro comes with a dual sensor setup. It is equipped with 12-megapixel, wide angle sensor with an aperture of f/1.8 and a 10- megapixel, ultra-wide sensor with an f/2.4 aperture and 125° field of view. The camera setup supports up to 5x Zoom, Smart HDR, Auto image stabilization and 4K video recording at up to 60 fps.
The biggest change on the new iPad is the inclusion of a LiDAR Scanner module. This module allows the iPad to measure the distance between it and surrounding objects for up to 5 meters. This will work both indoors and outdoors. The LiDAR sensor works in tandem with the cameras and motion sensor to enable a whole new level of AR experiences. Apple has announced that apps developed on its ARKit technology will automatically be able to make use of the sensors when the ARKit updates.
Apple also brings the iPad Pro one step closer as the rival to the Surface Pro from Microsoft with the addition of trackpad support. The support comes with an updated iPadOS and likely will make its way to older iPads. However, the new iPad Pro is the only iPad with a Magic Keyboard. The new Magic Keyboard has a unique floating design which allows the iPad to shine. It also comes with USB-C pass-through for charging. Like the Magic keyboard on the recently announced MacBook Air, the magic Keyboard comes with 1mm travel for a better overall typing experience.
Pricing & Availability
The new iPad Pro will be available in Space Gray and Silver starting today on Apple’s website. It will be available in stores starting next week in 30 countries including the United States.
The 11-inch iPad Pro will be retailing for USD$799 for the WiFi only model and USD$949 for the WiFi and cellular version. These prices are for the 128GB version of the iPad, there are options for 256GB (USD$899 WiFi; USD$1,049 WiFi + Cellular), 512GB (USD$1099 WiFi; USD$1,249 WiFi + Cellular ) and 1TB (USD$1,299 WiFi; USD$1,449 WiFi + Cellular ) of storage.
The 12.9-inch version starts at USD$999 for the WiFi only model and USD$1,149 for the WiFi and cellular model. As with its smaller sibling, the prices mentioned are for its 128GB version. There are also 256GB (USD$999 WiFi; USD$1,249 WiFi + Cellular), 512GB (USD$1,299 WiFi; USD$1,449 WiFi + Cellular) and 1TB (USD$1,499 WiFi; USD$1,649 WiFi + Cellular) versions.
Thin. Light. Long lasting. Those are the words that come to mind when one thinks about the MacBook Air. The laptop was one of the first that arguably changed the face and form factor of modern laptops. Come the new decade, Apple is announcing a long awaited refresh to the popular MacBook Air.
The 2020 edition of the MacBook Air will be equipped with the latest quad-core processors from Intel. However, the 10th Generation Intel Core i7 which sports this configuration will only be available on the highest end MacBook Air. Two other options will be made available, one equipped with a dual core Intel Core i3 and another with the quad core Intel Core i5. Apple claims that the new MacBook Air has double the CPU performance and 80% more graphics performance with the new Intel IRIS Plus Graphics.
One of the pain points of the previous MacBook air was the keyboard which came with Apple’s butterfly switches. That being the case, Apple has turned back to the tried and true scissor switches. Their new Magic Keyboard comes with 1mm of travel for a more comfortable typing experience. The company has made the arrow keys easier to find with their “inverted T” design.
The MacBook Air comes with a 13.3-inch Retina display with over 4 million pixels. The Retina dispaly is an IPS Display with a QHD+ resolution of 2560×1600 pixels. This gives it a pixel density of 227 pixels per inch (ppi). It has a 16:10 aspect ratio and supports True Tone technology for better colour accuracy.
Storage and memory wise, the new MacBook air is equipped with at least 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM which can be upped to 16GB. At the minimum, it comes with 256GB of onboard PCIe SSD memory. This too is upgradable to a maximum of 2TB SSD. Speaking of the storage, Apple’s T2 Security Chip is also on the new MacBook Air. It will scan the software loaded during boot to ensure that nothing has been tampered and also provides on the fly data encryption. However, to simplify the user experience, TouchID has also been incorporated so users can stay secure while keeping things convenient.
The MacBook Air 2020 is also the first of its series to support up to 6K output for external displays. It also has a 3 mic array for clear voice performance over FaceTime and is equipped with the large, Force Touch trackpad. I will also come with Thunderbolt 3 ports for data, charging and video output.
Pricing & Availability
The new laptop is available for order on Apple’s website starting today. It will be available in Space Gray, Gold and Silver. Prices start from USD$999 or, if you are buying under their education programme, it will be USD$899.
In Malaysia, the Core i3 and Core i5 versions have been listed on the Apple online store. However, they are not available for order just yet. The i3 version of the MacBook Air is listed at MYR4,399 while the i5 version is listed at MYR5,599.
OPPO has been known for its budget friendly, value-for-money devices. Over the years also, they have been known as photography masters with their devices. Okay, they have not been topping the photography benchmarks until now with the OPPO Find X2 Pro. Still, we have always liked and OPPO budget smartphone. We like their entry-level and mid-range offers because they are actually quality products. They are well made, and they work well for what you are paying. They feel optimised.
Smartphones have gotten more expensive these days. This is
also consistent with OPPO’s offerings over the years. Occasionally though, there
is a device that just goes back to basics. For OPPO, that device is the OPPO
A91 that is just launched today.
No, there is no big launch gambit. If you are not updated
just yet, Malaysia is now under lock down order from the government. Non-essential
services and businesses are supposed to be closed and we are all force to work
from home. Thank goodness for the Internet.
Source: OPPO
The OPPO A91 is a basic entry-level device at MYR 999. Despite
the price though, it looks like a premium OPPO device. It is finished on both
sides with glass, so it will also feel premium. If other smartphones from OPPO
is any indication, the OPPO A91 should be a quality hardware too.
There is nothing to shout about when it comes to its processing
power, a MediaTek Helio P70 Octa-core System on a Chip (SoC). It is what you
commonly find on budget smartphones. It is still an adequately powerful SoC
though. You get 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage too, which is quite plenty for
the price you pay.
Those things power up the Android 9.1 based ColorOS 6.1
projected to a 6.4-inch display. No, not a 720P HD display. You get a Full HD+
AMOLED display protected underneath a Gorilla Glass 5. You even get an
in-display fingerprint sensor. All of this is powered by a 4,025 mAh battery
that also comes with VOOC 3.0 charging to fully charge your device from an
empty battery to full in an hour.
Source: OPPO
The biggest upsell of the OPPO A91 though is its camera. You
do not only get two lenses, not even three. You get four lenses point out the
back of the device. It features a 48-Megapixel main shooter that is partnered
with an 8-Megapixel ultra-wide angle lens, 2-Megapixel monochrome sensor, and a
2-Megapixel depth sensor. No telephoto lens to be found here. The ultra-wide
lens can focus and capture images from a minimum distance of 3cm.
The camera software packs the usual AI beauty mode or AI scenes
for an optimised photo. You also get the Night Portrait mode in this device for
all your low-light shoots. Video is steadier than ever with the built-in Electronic
Image Stabilisation (EIS).
The OPPO A91 entry-level smartphone is available now for MYR
999 on OPPO’s official stores on Shopee
and Lazada.
From now to 26th of March, the OPPO A91 is now on sale for only MYR
899. Of course, terms and conditions apply.
Malaysia is on lock down order. Well, more like a partial lock down. All the paperwork calls it is a ‘restricted movement’ order. All non-essential services and businesses are order to close, or all its staff are supposed to work from home. This is fine for businesses like ours, with all our contents and services being digital and online. We can easily work from home. But businesses like car service centers, manufacturing of goods, shops, and even restaurants are going to be affected.
Well, in a broader sense, restaurants and food outlets can operate
under the circumstance that it only does takeaway orders. Supermarkets, hospitals
and clinics, broadcasting, police stations, and fire services are still open.
Some of them on a limited capacity too (not hospitals, they are front lining
the COVID-19 situation. To that, thank you to all doctors and nurses who are
working tirelessly).
Instead of the whole mess of a launch gambit and roadshows
all over Malaysia and its countless malls, OPPO is starting their first sale
gambit with nothing but a simple service of delivering the devices right to
your doorstep. Obviously, you would have to buy one of it to get the device
sent to you.
The OPPO Find X2 Pro 5G, to recap, is one of OPPO’s flagships that is launched this year to replace the now two years old OPPO Find X. The OPPO Find X2 Pro 5G, as its name indicates, packs 5G readiness from its Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 System on a Chip (SoC). It is also OPPO’s most powerful device to date with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of on-board storage. Its camera is supposed to be the best camera ever on a smartphone, topping the charts of DX0Mark with its 48-Megapixel main camera flanked by a 48-Megapixel ultra-wide angle lens and a 13-Megapixel lens.
Source: OPPO Malaysia
Unlike the OPPO Find X, the X2 and X2 Pro does not have a motorised
pop-up mechanism. That also means you are not getting a full edge-to-edge display
like the FullView display of the OPPO Find X. Instead, you get something they
call an O1 Ultra Vision display with a 32-Megapixel camera punch hole on the
6.7-inch AMOLED display. It pushes out QHD+ at up to 120Hz. That may take a
toll on its 4,260 mAh battery. With 65W SuperVOOC charging though, there is
nothing to fear, especially in this lockdown anyway.
The OPPO Find X2 Pro 5G is available for pre-order now for
MYR 4,599 until 20rd March 2020. Devices should start shipping to
customers the day after. The device will be available in two finishes – Ceramic
Black and Vegan Leather Orange.
Source: OPPO Malaysia
All pre-order customers are entitled for a free VOOC powerbank,
1-year extended warranty, and 3 months of screen protection. Of course, you must
make full payment before the 18th of April to secure their free
gifts. If you made your full payment before the 23rd of March, you
are also entitled to a free OPPO Enco Free True Wireless Earbuds worth MYR 599
(review coming soon). On top of all the free gifts, OPPO will be offering an MYR
200 voucher to be used in OPPO’s official web store. Of course, you have to
spend more than MYR 200 to use the voucher. Additionally, if you have made your
pre-order and committed the booking fee of MYR 300 at any OPPO’s offline store,
you are entitled to an MYR 300 digital code to make your full payment; in other
words you are getting MYR 300 off your OPPO Find X2 Pro 5G. Of course, terms
and conditions apply. More information on OPPO’s website.
The war between gaming consoles are about to start again. It
is the new generation of consoles that are going to be involved in the fight. Microsoft’s
new Xbox Series X, and Sony’ brand new PlayStation 5 that was just about teased
last night (in Malaysia’s time).
We would elaborate specifically on the Microsoft Xbox Series
X, but they are not actually available officially in Malaysia. So, we would do
a hard pass on that and focus on the Sony PlayStation 5, which will be
available in Malaysia and most parts of the world. We are also PlayStation
users, currently on the PlayStation 4 Pro; needless to say, we are quite
excited about PlayStation 5 (PS5) launching at the end of 2020.
Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment
The announcement last night was called ‘The Road to PS5’. That
is Sony’s way of saying also that this is not technically an unveiling of the new
hardware, rather a glimpse of what we can expect the new hardware to pack. We
have seen renders here and there of the PS5, but there is no definite shape of
it just yet. Sony is doing a good job in keeping mums about it too. All we know
though; we can expect it to look quite different from Xbox’s boxy tower design
language.
Despite not talking about design, we can sort of understand
the challenges when it comes to designing a console. They’ve elaborated on the
main challenge of designing a gaming console with ultra-powerful processors too
– cooling and powering them. If you really think about it, this was also an
issue in the early days of the PS4. This issue is not even native to Sony’s console,
it is a concern for almost any powerful gaming rigs. We will get to cooling and
power supply a little later though.
For now, we get to the meat of this content – the specs of
the PS5. Here it is; It is packing a lot of power from a AMD Ryzen Zen 2 architecture
CPU. That AMD processor will come with 8 cores, 16 threads, and will clock at up
to 3.5GHz. Sony says that the processor will run at about 3.5GHz most of the
time by default. At this point you might start looking up at the Xbox and find
that the Xbox runs faster at 3.8GHz. They are running on the same CPU, so why
is the one on Xbox more powerful? All I can say for now is ‘power supply’ and ‘cooling’.
Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Then there is the GPU, the graphics processor. It clocks at up to 2.23GHz with 36 CUs and is based on AMD’s Radeon RDNA-2 engine. It is supposed to be able to have Ray Tracing Acceleration, and the combination is also supposed to process at 10.3 teraFLOPS. Wait a minute, that is not as powerful as the Xbox with the same RDNA-2 based engine with 52 CUs at 1.825GHz that can do 12 teraFLOPS.
You are absolutely correct in that comparison. From a
hardware standpoint then, the PS5 is quite shorthanded in the fight. They have
the shorter stick compared to the Xbox at this point. We can only speculate as
to why that is, and we are suspecting cooling and power supply to be an issue
too.
On the Sony PS5 you are also getting a larger RAM compared
to before, faster too. It is a 16GB DDR6 RAM that is said to be better
optimised to deliver better game experiences. GDDR6 is of course known for its
speed and the one on the PS5 can go at 448GBps. The PS5 also comes with an
upgraded 825GB drive. It is not a traditional HDD though, it is an SSD this
time that can read at up to 5.5GBps. Also smaller than Xbox’s 1TB SSD.
There is an upside to all these numbers though. For one, it is still a big leap from the PS4; heck even the PS4 Pro. All the hardware means that it can now easily support 120Hz 4K gaming, push itself on 8K TVs (if you can afford one), and they say that it is about 10x faster than the previous generation console. In that, we believe. It is also backward compatible with Sony’s previous PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro; what a delight.
Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment
There is more, if you can believe it. Where they skim down
in graphics and process handling, they put into something called “Tempest”. For
you Mass Effect fans, calm down. It is not the “Tempest” spaceship we see in Mass
Effect 4: Andromeda (not that great of a game, by the way). It is their latest
3D Audio processing chip; their AudioTech.
In its basic form, it is just another processor that is
lodged inside the PS5, making the new upcoming Sony gaming console effectively
a three-processor system. Its core design is very similar to that of a GPU. Within
the presentation though, Sony seems to give a very big emphasis on audio. They
say that while harnessing processing power for graphics is hard, processing an
audio can be quite complex too. That is the reason they are transforming a GPU
to an APU (Audio Processing Unit).
The idea of using “Tempest” is to create a 3D audio experience
on any platform. To be very fair, PlayStation users would be using the console
in almost all kinds of conditions. The most common would be plugging them to a
generic TV and rely on the TV speakers as their means of audio. There are those
who might spend a little bit more and buy headphones for their console. Then
there are those who has a theatre grade system with 3 or more speakers placed
around them. Sony recognises all of that and wants all of us to get the same
treatment and experience.
Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment
We have said before that audio is a very big part of any
gaming, or even movie watching experience. It is not just music. Sound designs
do play a big role in bringing us closer to the whatever intended experience
there may be. Sony knows this too, being one of the big players in high-end
audio. That is why the “Tempest” is born. They utilise something called Head Related
Transfer Function (HRTF) for audio reproduction. You can, of course Google that
term because it is a whole complex audio science in itself. All you need to know
is that the Sony PS5 is going to give you 3D audio wherever you go. We are thinking
of having an editorial specifically on sounds and sound engineering; do comment
and let us know if you are interested.
Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment
The presentation ends there though. There are no new renders on the hardware, nor even the controller. We sort of have an idea of how they might look like, but all of us could be wrong. Still, we are optimistic. The slightly less powerful hardware may make the Sony look a like a worse deal than the Xbox, especially when they are rumoured to be about the same price. Still, in Malaysia we are only going to be able to touch the Sony PS5 when they are launched. So we will see. Both are expected to launch sometime later in the year 2020. You can watch the whole announcement after the break.
