ROG or Republic of Gamers has become one of the most popular gaming brands in the world. It has become ASUS’ most valuable brand when it comes to performance laptops and PCs geared for gamers. This year, ASUS breathes new life into its gaming laptop line up with new form factors, better specifications and an all new cooling system.
The new ROG line up will be powered by the latest and greatest 10th generation Intel Core processors paired with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX SUPER. It will feature the one of the industry’s first displays with 300Hz refresh rate and speedy performance thanks to DDR4 RAM. It will also feature ASUS’s new Liquid Metal cooling solution which is touted to reduce temperature by 10°C to 20°C.
ROG Zephyrus Duo 15
Spearheading the new line up is the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15. The new addition to the Zephyrus line up comes with a form factor that ASUS enthusiasts will be pretty familiar with. Adopting the second screen experience pioneered by the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo, the Zephyrus Duo 15 comes with the new ROG ScreenPad Plus.
The new ROG ScreenPad Plus makes the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 a device made for streamers and multitaskers. The new second screen isn’t just there to look at, users will be able to multitask better thanks to the touch screen. However, this 14.1-inch, 4K UHD screen plays second fiddle to the 15.6-inch PANTONE validated display which comes with a refresh rate of up to 300MHz.
The new Zephyrus flagship will be powered by the all new, 10th Generation Intel Comet Lake Core i7 or Core i9 processors. This will be paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX SUPER graphics processor and 16GB of DDR4 RAM.
ROG Zephyrus S Series
Following close behind is the Zephyrus S series which consists of the S17 and S15. The Zepyrus S series comes with a svelte 18.9mm chassis that houses power packed specifications. Both the S17 and S15 come support NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX SUPER graphics cards and Intel’s latest 10 generation processors.
The Zephyrus S series also comes with a display with a refresh rate of up to 300Hz refresh rate. This display is also PANTONE validated for colour accuracy on the S17. The S17 also comes with a full desktop-style keyboard with per-key RGB LED backlight and a NumPad. The extra room also allowed ASUS to include an integrated volume roller. It also comes with the ASUS’s AAS cooling technology which opens a large intake vent on the bottom end when the lid is opened.
The S15 comes with a smaller screen and a reinforced palm rest area. The extra strength provided by the honeycomb structure makes the palm rest flex resistant. The soft touch finish adds a smooth, fingerprint resistant layer.
ROG Zephyrus M15
M is for the masses. The Zephyrus M comes not only with an affordable price but also a range of configurations for any gamer. Starting with the 10th generation Intel Core i7, the Zephyrus M is slated to be the most affordable one of the range. It comes with display options ranging from a Full HD IPS panel with 144Hz to a 4K UHD panel. Customizability doesn’t end there; the Zephyrus M comes with a range of GPUs starting with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti to the RTX 2070.
While affordability is one of the hallmarks of the Zephyrus M, it doesn’t compromise when it comes to quality. The laptop’s slim chassis is made of structurally reinforced magnesium alloy. When it comes to sound, the M comes with an ESS Sabre DAC for crisp audio. It has two easily accessible M.2 slots and supports dual display outputs and Thunderbolt 3.
ROG Strix SCAR Series
Staying faithful to its e-sports roots, the refreshed Strix SCAR series comes with all the bells and whistles that you’d expect. From looks to its it specifications, the Strix SCAR 15 and 17 are made for gamers. It doesn’t shy away from showing its gaming inclination with customizable RGB LED lighting effects. This is, of course, complemented by an illuminated RGB ROG Logo on the lid.
The Strix SCAR series pushes its boundaries with up to an Intel Core i9 processor paired with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER on the Strix SCAR 15 or the RTX 2080 SUPER on the Strix SCAR 17.
ROG Strix G Series
Rounding up the new series of laptops is the ROG Strix G series. ASUS refreshes both the Strix G15 an G17 with better specifications and a new Electro Punk version. This new version comes on top of the Glacier Blue and Original Black versions og the Strix G.
Both models of the Strix G series come with the 10th generation Intel cores and the NVIDIA RTX SUPER Graphics. The G series tops out at the Intel Core i7 and the RTX 2070 SUPER. It also comes with display panels with 144 Hz and 240 Hz refresh rates.
Pricing and Availability
ASUS has not announced any pricing or availability at the time of the announcement. However, stay tuned and we’ll be updating you as we get the information.
The ROG Zephyrus has become ASUS’s go to series when it comes to pushing the boundaries of gaming laptops. Having first pushed the boundaries of portability and svelte design about 2 years ago, the line up is now looking to push boundaries when it comes to functionality. However, it still maintains
The new ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 adopts a form factor ASUS fans will be familiar with. We first saw this form factor when ASUS launched its ZenBook Pro Duo. That said, ASUS has optimised and enhanced the dual screen form factor for the power user and gamer. The new ROG ScreenPad Plus tilts up at a 13° angle when the lid is opened. This serves a two-fold purpose of making the the Zephyrus Duo 15 more ergonomic to use as well as allowing more airflow through the larger opening on both the top and bottom of the laptop thanks to ASUS’s Active Aerodynamic System (AAS).
The AAS system opens a 7 to 10mm vents that extend across the bottom of the laptop. This allows increased airflow to cool the processors and components. This is better fortified by the larger 28.5mm air intake across the top surface of the laptop’s base. This lies hidden behind the ROG ScreenPad Plus. This AAS Plus allows an additional 30% of airflow better cooling the components. This also helps keep the laptop even more silent at only 43dB even in performance mode.
The ROG ScreenPad Plus is a 14.1-inch 4K, UHD screen which spans the top half of the base of the laptop. The touchscreen display allows users to use multiwindows and even monitor things such as chat or even the OBS console while livestreaming. Of course, if you’re using things like Adobe Premiere Pro on the Zephyrus DUO 15, the ScreenPad Plus will be able to show you your timelines.
Users have the choice of speed or resolution when it comes tho the main display of the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15. The main display is either a 300 Hz Full HD IPS LCD display with 3ms response times or a 4K UHD display with a 60 Hz refresh rate. The 15.6-inch display panels are PANTONE validated and have support for NVIDIA G-SYNC. The 4K UHD display covers 100% of the Adobe gamut while the FHD IPS covers 100% of the sRGB gamut.
On the insides, the new Zephyrus Duo 15 comes with either the 10th Generation Intel Core i9-10980HK or i7-10875H processors. This is paired with either a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER or RTX 2080 SUPER graphics cards. This comes with a built-in 16GB of DDR4 RAM with an extra SODIMM RAM slot.
Pricing & Availability
ASUS hasn’t announced any pricing or availability as of yet. However, we’ll keep you updated as soon as we get word.
Official Specifications
Processor
Intel® 10th Gen Comet Lake i9-10980HK Intel® 10th Gen Comet Lake i7-10875H
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C™, DisplayPort 1.4, TBT, PD input 20 V/3A；output 5 V/3A 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (right) 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (Bottom) 1 x HDMI (HDMI 2.0b support) 2 x audio jack: mic-in & headphone, plus mic-in 1 x RJ45 LAN
Battery
90 Wh
Power Supply
240 W power adaptor Supports USB-C™ Power Delivery 3.0 up to 65 W
The ROG Strix SCAR series has been engineered from the ground up as a gaming laptop meant for professional gamers. It has always been about getting the most performance to get the edge over your competition. This time is no different. ASUS is supercharging the ROG Strix SCAR series with a larger, more powerful version of the popular, eSports centric gaming laptop.
The new ROG Strix SCAR 17 brings a larger 17.3-inch Full HD display with up to 3ms response time and 300 Hz refresh rate. The larger screen gives players a better, more immersive experience as they work on taking down the competition. The high refresh rate will enable them to have split second response to score that much needed win.
Of course, the SCAR 17 is no slouch when it comes to the processing power of the laptop. Powered by up to an Intel Core i9-10980HK paired with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, the laptop should be able to handle any game or video processing that users throw at it. It also comes with up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM with 2 M.2 slots for terabytes of memory.
Coming along for the ride is a new, optimised cooling system and also the ROG Keystone II. Developed in collaboration with BMW Designworks, the system allows deep personalisation and also encryption. Users are able to use it as an encryption key for a hidden drive or for launching apps of their choice.
Pricing & Availability
No word on pricing or availability from ASUS just yet. However, stay tuned and we’ll update you when we do.
Official Specifications
Processor
Up to Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK
Operating system
Windows 10 Pro
Graphics
Up to NVIDIA ® GeForce RTX™ 2080 SUPER
Display
Up to 17.3″ FHD (1920 x 1080), IPS FHD 300Hz (3ms)
Memory & storage
Up to 32 GB DDR4 3200 MHz SDRAM 2 x M.2 NVMe® PCIe® 3.0 x4 up to 1 TB SSD with RAID 0 support Up to 3 SSDs
Connectivity
2×2 Intel® WiFi 6 (Gig+) (802.11ax) RangeBoost support Bluetooth® 5.1
Audio
2 x 4.2-watt speakers Smart amplifier
Keyboard
Backlit chiclet keyboard Aura Sync Per-key RGB
Interfaces
Left side I/O 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 1 x Audio combo jack: Mic-in and Headphone out Rear side I/O 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 1 X USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C™ (supports DisplayPort, no PD charging) 1 x LAN RJ45 jack 1 x HDMI (supports HDMI 2.0b), supports HDCP SPEC 2.2
Software
Armoury Crate GameFirst V Sonic Studio GameVisual Aura Creator
Having in-ear type earphones is one of the best ways to block out the outside world with music. It helps you isolate in a noise world. This is especially useful in these trying times when you are stuck at home trying to tolerate your family or roommates. It is also useful in your work-from-home condition when you just need to isolate yourself in a tight space shared with your significant other, or other members of your household. What makes the earphones even better is when you get one with Active Noise Cancelling (ANC). That isolates you even further and immerses you in the music and your workspace even more.
Source: Samsung South Korea
Samsung sort of started this craze of True wireless (TWS) earbuds with their first ever Samsung IconX. That was a small earphone thing that got my attention when it was launched. We said small, compared to what we get today though, the IconX was quite behemoth in size. That is not to take away from what it can do though.
Samsung continued with their fresh line of TWS earphones a year ago when they launched their brand-new Samsung Galaxy Buds. A big bump over the IconX with smaller footprints. I have one with me and I do like it a lot, especially for exercises. It does not hurt that the Galaxy Buds was also made in collaboration with AKG, Samsung’s sub-company.
There was one thing lacking from the Buds though; it did not have ANC. The next iteration of it, the Samsung Galaxy Buds+, was rumoured to have ANC too. It did not come with ANC, and now we are left wanting.
Enter the AKG N400. AKG has been known to make studio quality audio equipment. The part they played in the development of the Samsung Galaxy Buds series is not small either. They are a reputable brand in the world of audiophiles.
The AKG N400 is a little bit of surprise to us. When we saw the Samsung Galaxy Buds, and later the Buds+, we though that this is it; this is AKG’s TWS earphones in your hands. AKG, with the N400 says; “not quite”.
Source: Samsung South Korea
The AKG N400 is actually more expensive than the outgoing Samsung Galaxy Buds+. It is a more premium item though. Why? It has ANC, that is why.
Why did we tout this as the Galaxy Buds+ Plus? Because of this AKG’s similarity to its distant cousin, the Samsung Galaxy Buds+. The buds design is quite similar to the other. Even the case is quite similar with a little more heft here at the bottom. The case also charges the N400 once over giving the AKG TWS earbuds up to 12 hours of battery life without ANC on. With ANC on, it gets 10 hours of battery life in total.
It even has a touch button with IPX7 rating. The similarities also extend to the wingtip design of the buds. The only difference here is that Samsung does not ship their Buds or Buds+ with extra ear wing tips; this does.
Source: Samsung South Korea
For now, the AKG N400 ANC TWS earbuds is available only in South Korea. It is priced at KRW 230,000. That is approximately MYR 812 by today’s conversion rate. That price tag brings it a little closer to the price tag of the Sony WF-1000XM3 ANC TWS earbuds which we dearly love. Would it be as good or better? We will only find out if the AKG N400 makes it to Malaysia.
The COVID-19 situation is not looking great, if we are all being honest. In Malaysia, if you have not known yet, is under a state sanctioned Movement Control Order (MCO). In other words, we are on partial lock down. Only essential services and businesses are allowed to operate. You are not even allowed a stroll in the public park; at least you are discouraged to with summons from the authorities. Even kids are not exempted from this ruling.
Source: Mercedes-AMG F1
In other parts of the world as well, the authorities have started encouraging self-quarantines and social distancing. Our neighbouring country has already started issuing fines for those who are not in accordance to their guideline of social distancing. In other words, everyone is doing their parts in combating this global pandemic. Even F1 teams have committed their resources and expertise in break-neck, cutting edge engineering to combat the disease with something they call Project Pitlane as we have covered yesterday.
There are plenty of tips out there about staying sane and
productive at home. There are also plenty of guides about staying healthy at home
with exercises and what not. One thing that everyone says they have more time for
now that they are at home is gaming. We are gamers here too, and we agree; I sunk
more than 50 hours already in Death Stranding in the first week of our MCO alone,
before realising that I need to be a little bit more productive and active.
Source: Ubisoft
One thing people do not say about gaming though is that it
costs money. You need money to buy these games. Some of these games can get quite
expensive too. Imagine buying all the AAA titles you can find out there today.
That would empty your back account very quickly.
Still, Ubisoft, one of the biggest game developers in the world and running their own UPlay curated game marketplace is doing their part in the battle against COVID-19. One of the things that was encouraged for these few weeks is self-quarantine and staying at home. Ubisoft is all for that and that is why they are giving out free games starting from the 30th of March 2020.
Source: Ubisoft
They start with ‘Rayman Legends’ from the 30th March to the 3rd of April 2020 onward. After that they will line up other games to giveaway at least for a few weeks. That is good news for everyone. All you need to do is sign up for Ubisoft’s UPlay account and download they UPlay app for desktop. For us gamers, that gives us even more reason to stay indoors and even lock our doors to keep playing all the games we have not finished. Now, excuse me while I finish Death Stranding and get to all my other games.
If you have not known yet, I am the resident Formula 1 (F1)
nut in the office. I talk about F1 all the time, maybe to the point of
annoyance. I had the privilege of attending the F1 Singapore GP in 2019 courtesy
of Acronis and loved every second of being there. Sure, to some, F1 is nothing
more than just watching cars going around a piece of specialised and closed road
for an hour and a half.
To me, F1 is more than just that. It is the epitome of competition. It is the pinnacle of automotive racing, a sort of playground for the best of the best in the sport. It is also the pinnacle of modern automotive technology. The F1 world has contributed plenty of its innovation to the road going vehicles that we see today.
Source: Williams Advanced Engineering
There are other things as well. The understanding of Carbon Fibre constructions and driver safety is the reason hospitals have specific cradles for new-born babies that are lightweight, safe, and super comfortable for the younglings. So, F1 tech has reached out to more than just modern automotive industry.
We are all saddened by the news that the Japan Olympics this
year has been postponed to 2021 at the earliest. I was very sad when they
announced that F1 in Australia has to be cancelled, when China voluntarily cancels
their own hosting for this year’s F1 GP, and when F1 also announced that they
are not going to be racing in Bahrain, and Vietnam in 2020. All this, in the
name of combatting COVID-19. One of the McLaren staffs was confirmed as a case in
Australia and that kicked started the whole chains of events until today.
As of yesterday, some good news shone from the world of F1. They are not completely shutting down their factories and labs. Instead they are re-purposing them, at least seven of them in the United Kingdom (UK) are. These seven F1 outfits are all based in the UK as well, which is sort of why they are re-purposing their factories and labs to something they call Project Pitlane and #VentilatorChallengeUK consortium.
#VentilatorChallengeUK Consortium
By now, you would have read plenty about the global pandemic
that is COVID-19. By now, you would also learn to recognise the symptoms of contracting
the virus as well. By now, you would have learnt that patients will have
trouble breathing.
This calls for breathing
aid apparatus for the patients treated for COVID-19. In UK, where cases have
exceeded 22,000 individuals and death tolls hitting the 1,500s, the need of
such devices is becoming a desperation. They need more than 20,000 ventilation
equipment at this point.
The VentilatorChallengeUK consortium is the UK government’s call out to the private sectors to supply the health industry in the region with breathing aid equipment. It is an open tender for companies to design, build, and quickly manufacture a breathing aid apparatus for patients in the UK, for now. To that, the F1 world has answered the call with Project Pitlane.
Project Pitlane
The description from F1’s own website is very brief
actually. It is sort of a call to arms for the F1 teams to contribute in this
global pandemic, or rather to fight this pandemic. The project is basically a
challenge to the F1 teams to reverse engineer, redesign, and produce any
devices or anything that could help in scaling the production of UK’s VentilatorChallengeUK.
It could reach out more than that in a later date though.
To that extent, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, BWT Racing Point
F1 Team, Hass F1 Team, McLaren F1 Team, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, Renault
DP World F1 Team, and ROKiT Williams Racing has answered the call and pledged
to Project Pitlane.
In Italy, Ferrari has done their own part in the battle of COVID-19 too. They have donated EU€ 10 million (MYR 47.4 million) to the cause to buy ventilators and to provide a fleet of cars to transport and distribute food and medical supplies. Imagine a Ferrari F12 ambulance on their patient run, or even a Ferrari F12 fleet sending emergency medical supplies from one hospital to another. That would have been a great sight. Only in Italy though, at this point.
If you understand medical equipment production. Products like the
CPAP that Mercedes-AMG HPP and UCLH has developed or reverse engineered could
take years to develop. They have done in in a matter of days. It is not just a
testament of how much the world has progressed today, it is a testament to what
F1 type production process could do for other industries.
It also is also a prove of how many brilliant people are involved in getting a car circling a piece of specialised road as quickly as possible. Then again, the factory in Brixworth costs Mercedes-Benz quite a lot of money. It has been producing F1 engines since 1983 and has been producing several championship winning power units in various cars over the years.
On this week’s techENT Download, HUAWEI announced their new HUAWEI P40 Series with a huge 50-megapixel camera while Xiaomi took on themselves to steal the spotlight with the Xiaomi Mi 10 series and the Redmi Note 9s. Not being one to be left behind, Realme announced their Realme 6 in Malaysia while Samsung unleashed the Galaxy M31. The Samsung Galaxy S10 Series and the Note 10 series also get some love with new camera upgrades.
In the UK, Dyson has started making 15,000 ventilators to help with situation while Scientists turn to the people to create the largest Crowd Sourced, Distributed Computing network with Folding@Home! Help molecular biologists decipher SARS-CoV-2 structures with Folding@Home. You can lend a hand by downloading the software at https://foldingathome.org/.
Don’t forget to like and subscribe on our YouTube channel (youtube.com/techenttv)! Of course, click on the notification bell button to keep yourselves updated with our latest videos!
The HUAWEI P30 is a year old now, just about. The P series in HUAWEI’s stables has been the Photography smartphone. It was a smartphone that always took smartphone photography to the next level.
The P9 was the first smartphone that launched with two lenses.
The P20 series launched with a revolutionary three-lens camera arrangement. Then
came the P30 series last year that launched with one more lens in the back of
the device. It was also the device that started the maximum zoom distance race.
Of course, we have the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra that zooms up to 100x. Yes,
this was the race started by the HUAWEI P30 series. HUAWEI, in the modern era
of smartphones are definitely the trend-setters for smartphone cameras.
Source: HUAWEI
That is partly why this is an interesting year for HUAWEI
and for us. The question in everybody’s mind was, how is HUAWEI going to innovate
and revolutionise the smartphone camera again. How are they moving the goal
post, the gold standard of smartphone photography? All that is answered with
the HUAWEI P40 series.
As with any other modern HUAWEI devices, the HUAWEI P40 series
packs their very own HISilicon Kirin 990 5G ready System on a Chip (SoC). That processor
is supported by an 8GB of RAM to help things trundle along nicely and you get
to pick up to 512GB in storage. If that is not enough, you can expand it via a
NanoMemory 2 card. Here is the issue though, you can hardly find a NanoMemory
card in Malaysia.
That may be forgivable though. I hardly can think of anyone
needing an extra memory card in their smartphones these days. Even 128GB is also
plenty if you think about it. The main attraction for today though is the camera.
HUAWEI P40 Pro+
Source: HUAWEI
We start with the daddy of the lot, the big hulking thing
that is the HUAWEI P40 Pro+. Technically, it is not that much of a big thing. Its
display measures in a 6.58-inch. It punches a resolution of 1,640 by 1,200.
That is actually just a little more than Full HD. It also comes with something they
call a Quad-Curve Overflow display. That means that at its four sides, the display
curves into the frame. Visually, that gives you an illusion of a bezel-less
display. It might as well be though, because the bezels are so thin, you might not
even see it.
It also refreshes at 90Hz, not 120Hz like other premium
flagships we see out there. HUAWEI says that this is more battery efficient though,
which rings some truth. That should allow the 4,200mAh built-in battery to last
longer than your average workday.
Its IP68 body is a wrap of glass in front and ceramic at the
back. Ceramic is a unique material because it is a highly durable material. At
the same time, it has glass like qualities that makes it shine. Fortunately,
the P40 Pro+ only comes in that type of body. Unfortunately, the P40 Pro+ is
the only one in the series to get ceramic finish.
That ceramic back is house to a five-camera set up you might
find familiar looking in arrangement. They are very different from their
competitor though. The camera module are co-developed with Leica, as usual.
The main camera, the biggest sensor HUAWEI ever developed is
a 50-Megapixel main shooter with HUAWEI’s very famous RYYB sensor. They say
that it is bigger than its competition and its predecessors. As HUAWEI has
proven too, their RYYB sensor is supposed to be able to absorb more natural light,
allowing for better detailed shots and better details in low-light photography.
In another sense, it allows the camera to ‘see’ better.
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
There is a 40-Megapixel ultra-wide angle lens sitting on one
side of the main shooter. They call it a Cine Lens. Then there are two
telephoto lenses you will find on the HUAWEI P40 Pro+. There is a 3x telephoto
lens punching 8-Megapixels, and a 10x telephoto lens at the same pixel count. Both
sensors are RYYB sensors too, mind you. Together with the 50-Megapixel lens, the
HUAWEI P40 Pro+ can zoom up to 100x. Sounds familiar? Yes, somebody has done it
before. So far though, this alongside the Korean contender, are the only devices
to have a zoom factor of 100x. The fifth camera is a 3D ToF camera, to capture
and process 3D environments. There is also an additional colour temperature sensor
though. This is for better colour interpretation and reproduction on your photos.
This also means your photos should look stunning.
Before we forget though, the overflow display has a punch
hole in the top left corner of the OLED display. That houses a 31-Megapixel
camera, a depth sensor, and an Infra-Red sensor combination as its front
camera. That sounds like a recipe for a camera for a mid-range smartphone. The combination
should make a great selfie portrait though.
HUAWEI P40 Pro
Source: HUAWEI
Then there is a littler HUAWEI P40 Pro. When we say smaller,
we have already mentioned that the HUAWEI P40 Pro+ and the HUAWEI P40 Pro share
the same 6.58-inch DCI-P3 certified HDR display with more than Full HD+ resolution.
So in that sense you are getting a device with the same size. You even get the
same 32-Megapixel camera combination out the front.
You also get the same battery size for good measure. Nearly
everything about the device is quite the same as its more premium HUAWEI P40
Pro+ brother. Everything except for its storage option at 256GB, price tag, and
the back.
The back is not ceramic, nothing that premium. It is a glass
back and it comes in five interesting colour options. We especially like the matte
finish variant.
The back also houses an impressive camera set up though. Not
five cameras this time. It is a four-camera set up at the back in what seems to
be identical camera module housing. While it is not a five-camera set-up, it is
still a powerful arrangement with a 5x telephoto lens at the back though.
You still have the same RYYB 50-Megapixel sensor lodged in
the middle of the arrangement. That is also still flanked by a 40-Megapixel
lens. At the other side though is a 12-Megapixel RYYB telephoto camera at 5x
optical zoom. You get a 3D ToF camera to top it all off and a colour temperature
sensor.
HUAWEI P40
Source: HUAWEI
The littlest one in the family. It is not that little as
well. Its display measures in at 6.1-inch and punches Full HD+ resolution. Thing
is, the display can be considered small compared to its competitors too. Even
the OPPO Find X2 has a 6.7-inch display. The punch hole on the display also
houses the same 32-Megapixel camera combination as its more powerful siblings.
The back is also a glass finished glass, like the HUAWEI P40
Pro. Like the HUAWEI P40 Pro too, you can choose between 5 colour finishes. Unlike
the HUAWEI P40 Pro and the P40 Pro+ though, you only get 3,800mAh battery within
the more petite body. Unlike the HUAWEI P40 Pro also, this only sports 128GB in
memory. Still plenty, in our opinion. Unlike the HUAWEI P40 Pro series too,
this does not have the luxury of seeing the Quad-Curve display. It is completely
flat. Which may not actually be a bad thing.
Like its bigger brothers though it still retains its
50-Megapixel camera in the middle. Except, you only get two other cameras flanking
the main sensor. On one side is a 16-Megapixel ultra-wide angle lens. The other
is an 8-Megapixel 3x telephoto camera. While you get less, you still get the colour
temperature sensor though, which also means your photos still comes out as
stunning as it can be. Maybe just as stunning as the more premium variants.
The Vision Photography
All the devices in the range have plenty of things in common
though. They all share the same 8GB RAM size. They share nearly the same design
language and camera module housing. They also share the same software. All of
them are running on HUAWEI’s Android 10 based user interface (UI) that is the
EMUI 10.
The EMUI 10 in the HUAWEI P40 Pro has a few tricks up its
sleeve over the current generation of EMUI 10 though. While it still allows the
HUAWEI P40 series to shoot at 4K 60fps, the software takes advantage of the
3-mic set up of the Huawei P40 Pro and implements what the industry calls zoom
audio. That also means that it amplifies the volume of the object you shoot as
you zoom into the subject.
Source: HUAWEI
There is a new autofocus system on the HUAWEI P40 series too.
While the world is still stuck on Dual Phase Detection autofocus, HUAWEI uses
Octa Phase Detection autofocus on the HUAWEI P40. That also means you get near
instant and accurate autofocusing from the HUAWEI P40. You can now also take 4K
timelapse videos with your zoom lenses on the HUAWEI P40. So instead of
shooting a scenery, you can choose a subject to focus on and shoot.
The HUAWEI camera app also comes with a more powerful AI.
This is also thanks to HUAWEI’s HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G SoC with a large dual Neural
Processing Unit (NPU). The NPU on that processor is the most powerful independent
NPU we have ever seen in a smartphone SoC.
Source: HUAWEI
The camera app has something called Golden Snap. This feature
is pretty useful for not just regular photographers. It is a killer feature for
any photographers. First, there is the ‘best-shot’ recommendation intelligence.
This should not be all that new. The other two functions they teased though are
quite mind-boggling. The first is the AI Remove Passerby; which does exactly that.
It lets you discard any unwanted people in your photo and let the camera just
focus on you and your surroundings. While that sounds like something only
Photoshop can do before this, you are entering a new era of smartphone photography
with this one. The second is AI remove reflection, which is also exactly that.
No, it will not remove you completely if you deliberately take a photo of yourself
in front of a mirror. What it does is remove the reflected images you get when
you take a photo through a glass panel. Again, something that you though only
Photoshop could do. Not anymore.
The Power of EMUI
While this has nothing to do with its software, we have to
say it for the HUAWEI P40 series. The device packs the fastest wireless charging
capability in the current market. It comes with 40W fast charging capabilities.
It does not just stop there though, like the HUAWEI P30 Pro, you can share your
extra power with other wireless charging devices too. Keep in mind that this is
only for the HUAWEI P40 Pro and P40 Pro+ though.
Still, all the HUAWEI P40 devices have something called Celia;
HUAWEI’s very new, very personal, very clever assistant. It is basically HUAWEI’s
version of Google Assistant. Except, HUAWEI can no longer access Google’s framework
and services anymore. Which also means that this is an HMS device with AppGallery.
It is still Android based though, so you still can sideload Android compatible
apps.
Source: HUAWEI
Still they have something new in the AppGallery called MeeTime.
Sounds like FaceTIme? It is better than that. At first glance it looks like a
very regular video chat app. Thing is, it is like Google Hangouts on steroids.
You can use third-party cameras, connect it to the app, and let the app project
from the camera. You can share your screen across the video chat, you can even project
your video call on your TV or other WiFi compatible displays if you like. It is
the perfect video conferencing tool if you ask me.
Someone close to us mentioned before this that HUAWEI’s HMS
lack a cloud photo gallery. With the new HUAWEI P40 arrangement, it seems like
they are going to fix that in a big way. HUAWEI calls it their Cross
Distributed File System. Essentially, it is a file sharing tool between
devices. The thing is, you can activate it, and you can search your photos
across any of your own devices, even if it is not your smartphone or cloud
storage yet. If you are under the same WiFi umbrella, even better. Of course,
there is the great HUAWEI Share function that we all quite love.
HUAWEI’s Professional Studio Light by HUAWEI Camera Kit x Profoto
Alongside the photography kings, HUAWEI collaborated with Profoto
to create something that we saw; and we really want it. It is sort of a multipurpose
portable photography and video artificial light source. Well, it is technically
a very fancy lamp that comes with its own set of filters. You can control it directly
from your HUAWEI smartphone to your liking or to add a light source to make your
photos look better. No idea how much its priced, or when its arriving into the
market. We are excited though.
Price and Availability
The HUAWEI P40 and HUAWEI P40 Pro will be available in selected
global markets, including Europe from the 7th of April 2020 onward. Both
the devices will be available in the same five finishes; ice white, Deep Sea
Blue, and Black regular finishes, and Frost Silver and Blush Gold matte glass
finishes. The HUAWEI P40 Pro+ will be available way later in June 2020 in two
exclusive ceramic finishes; black and white.
Source: HUAWEI
The HUAWEI P40 series starts from EU€ 799 (MYR 3,768) with the
standard HUAWEI P40 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB in storage. The HUAWEI P40 Pro is
stuck in the middle priced at EU€ 999 (MYR 4,712). The series tops off with
the HUAWEI P40 Pro+ at EU€ 1,399 (MYR 6,598). Expensive? Yes, they are.
Remember that this is not representative of the prices of the Malaysian units when
they get here. There is no official word yet on when the device is coming into
Malaysia. If you need any more information on the HUAWEI P40 series you can
find it on HUAWEI’s
website.
In this week’s techENT download, things are a little bleak
with the COVID-19 situation. We had to close our office because the government has
issued a Movement Control Order which limits our travels in and out of the
house. That also means that we have to start working from home full time. As of
yesterday’s announcement, it is going to be the situation until the 14th
of April 2020.
Still, we are optimistic and will still bring you the latest
in tech. In that regards, there are a couple of smartphone launches within
Malaysia itself. The two most interesting ones are the foldable devices coming into
the Malaysian smartphone market fold. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and HUAWEI Mate
Xs is officially available in Malaysia now. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is available
in participating stores at MYR 5,888. The Huawei, on the other hand, is now
available online and you can get your hands on your own unit for MYR 11,111. You
can choose between a delivery or pick up at your favourite HUAWEI store; though
the latter option might be handy way later.
The OPPO Find X2 Pro is finally in Malaysia for MYR 4,599.
The OPPO Find X2 Pro was also one of our most anticipated smartphone to come
into the market. At the same week, HMD Global (Nokia) announced what seems to
be the most affordable 5G ready smartphone in the world with the Nokia 8.3.
They also brought back XpressMusic with their the ‘new’ Nokia 5310.
Beyond that we also saw the Sony PlayStation 5. No, there
are no product renders, or even a reveal of the device. It was just a reveal of
the specifications of the PlayStation 5. It is just slightly less powerful than
the Microsoft Xbox Series X. There is one thing extra on the PlayStation
though, and that is called the ‘Tempest’ 3D audio engine.
The situation for COVID-19 is quite dire. As of today, the
Malaysian Prime Minister has announced that it will go on until 14th
of April 2020. That also means that working from home has extended thanks to
that as well. While to some people, that also means that they get to spend more
time at home working. That also means that they need to bring their work home
from the office. You cannot expect everyone to bring their big tower PCs home.
So the best way to get work done from home is to have your
own PC. If you do get your own PC though, you want it to be powerful. You want
it to be powerful enough to play games with it and to ensure that it runs smoothly.
Of course, you only want the best for yourself. So the choice is a gaming PC.
Building a tower makes sense, plenty of sense, you get to
have a say I how powerful you want your PC to be. Of course, there is the problem
of cost too. So that is up to you. There is another issue however, how do you
bring it around? What if you want to work off site in the future? You cannot
bring your tower set up out.
Source: Acer
So you need a gaming notebook PC instead. Which one? There are
plenty, but Acer just updated their Nitro 5 gaming notebook PC. So, in a sense,
you are getting more power for your money.
The updated Acer Nitro 5’s upgrade does not include an
update on its visuals though. Then again, the Acer Nitro 5 is not half bad
looking. The upgrades are mode than skin deep.
Source: Acer
You get a 9th Generation Intel Core i7 on the Nitro 5. That Core i7 has 8GB of RAM behind it and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660Ti GPU to handle what comes out of the 15.6-inch 120Hz Full HD display. All that makes is quite a powerful notebook PC. It even has a 512GB SSD to make it even faster than your average PC. All this is a step up from the previous Acer Nitro 5 with a 9th Generation Intel Core i5, paired to an NVIDIA GeForce GTX1650 and 4GB of RAM.
Source: Lazada
The new Acer Nitro 5 is now available for MYR 4,499 on Lazada. On Lazada’s 8th Birthday Sale, it will go for MYR 4,184 and you would be getting some extra free gifts with the purchase too. The Lazada 8th Birthday Sale happens on the 27th March 2020. Of course they will deliver it to you.
