Samsung recently announced their new mid-range heroes: the Galaxy A54 and the Galaxy A34. The two new smartphones continue Samsung’s ethos of bringing flagship features to their affordable midrange lineup. This year, they even get Nightography – Samsung’s take on low-light photography. You can get the full rundown of their features in our coverage of their launch.
Source: Samsung
Now, we have details of the preorder and launch dates of the smartphones in Malaysia. The Galaxy A54 5G and the Galaxy A34 5G will be available for pre-order starting on March 24, 2023, until 6 April 2023. During this period, purchases of the two new Galaxy A devices will get you a pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds Live worth MYR549 for free. This comes in addition to Samsung’s 2-year warranty, 5 years of security updates and 4 years of OS updates.
Starting on the 7th of April 2023, the Galaxy A54 5G and the Galaxy A34 5G will both be available in stores. During its launch period, purchases of the Galaxy A series flagships will get you a free casing from Samsung.
The Galaxy A54 5G will be retailing for MYR1,899 while the Galaxy A34 5G will be retailing for MYR1,599. The A54 5G will be available in Awesome Lime, Awesome Violet, Awesome Graphite and Awesome White. The Galaxy A34 5G, on the other hand, will have the same colours aside from Awesome White which will give way to Awesome Silver.
PUBG Mobile has proven to be some of the most popular mobile game to date in the Southeast Asian region at least. It is not like they have no competition in the region as well. We saw entry from games like Free Fire, and the surge of players moving to Call of Duty Mobile, all employing the Battle Royale genre. To be fair, alongside Fortnite, PUBG Mobile is the pioneer of Battle Royale style game in the mobile gaming space.
There is also a reason to why PUBG Mobile has stayed on top of their game for so long. Within the game, players can explore a plethora of customizations for their characters. The more they play, the more customization option they get for their in-game characters. Tencent has also sort of localized the game to include region special customization option. One such new option is the ‘Nasi Lemak’ kit.
If you are reading this from other parts of the world, ‘Nasi Lemak’ is a local delicacy made from aromatic rice, an egg (either fried or hard-boiled), peanuts and anchovies on the side, and topped with a good amount of spicy ‘Sambal’ sauce served on top of a piece of banana leaf. Over the years, Malaysia’s obsession with this local delicacy has inspired many creations like ‘Nasi Lemak’ ice cream, and ‘Nasi Lemak’ burger. Those are still foods. The one in the game is a little different.
Instead of a free ‘Nasi Lemak’ pack, you get to adorn your character in the Ramadan special skins. They have introduced the Nasi Lemak Suit that comprises of a banana leaf jacket, coconut rice T-shirt, ‘ikan bilis’ (anchovies) necklace, and peanut bracelet. To spice up your character, there is also a ‘Nasi Lemak’ hat that actually looks like a plate of ‘Nasi Lemak’ with fried egg and spiced fried chicken topping on your head. To complete the entire ‘Nasi Lemak’ look, there is a pair of glasses made up of cucumber slices as lenses. No, the banana leaf jacket and coconut rice T-shirt does not add any protection to your character. The cucumber lenses looks cool, but does not offer additional stats to your character too, but it might be useful in the scorching sun of PUBG Mobile’s various maps. The ‘ikan bilis’ necklace and peanut bracelet cannot be eaten too to heal your character, unfortunately. You might get some laughs from your suit too, but that is the point of playing games with your friends. Oh yes, you might stand out a little bit in the game.
Alongside the local delicacy that is ‘Nasi Lemak’, PUBG Mobile is also featuring another local delicacy into the game as a weapon. They call it the ‘Roti John Machete’, a famous omelette sandwich topped with onions, cabbages, ground meat, and various sauces. It resembles a huge sandwich from Subway in the game and it works like a basic machete within the game. No, it is does not work as such in real life too, it is not that sharp. If you are a foreigner visiting Malaysia, you might want to try ‘Roti John’ in your supper adventures in Malaysia.
Players can redeem the Nasi Lemak set for free when they participate in a time-limited in-game event. Look for Nasi Lemak-Tapau All! Event anytime between now all the way to the 29th of March 2023. The event will require you to complete several Ramadan missions to redeem the full set of ‘Nasi Lemak’ gears.
Xiaomi recently announced their new smartphone flagship – the Xiaomi 13 series globally and in Malaysia. At their Malaysian launch, however, Xiaomi also unveiled a new array of AIoT offerings which include a new smartwatch, earbuds, a robot cooker and a fleet of robot vacuums.
Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro
Xiaomi isn’t a stranger when it comes to high-quality wireless audio offerings. The company has debuted more than 5 offerings across its Xiaomi and Redmi product lineups. The new Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro comes to their premium Xiaomi lineup with Sony’s LDAC technology in tow. Using this technology, the Buds 4 Pro is able to bring top-of-the-line Hi-Res Audio with data transfer rates of up to 990kbps at bit depths of up to 32-bit. In addition to this, the buds are also equipped with Ambient Noise Cancelling (ANC) technology to zone out and focus. Together with this, the Buds 4 Pro comes with Xiaomi’s take on 360 Audio – Dimensional audio – which gives you a fully immersive audio experience with object-based positional sound.
The Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro is touted to have up to 9 hours of uninterrupted listening and a total of 38 hours of battery life including the charging case. You don’t even need to plug in to top up the charge thanks to wireless charging support. It also comes with dual-device connectivity which allows you to simultaneously connect to two devices at one go.
The Buds 4 Pro comes with a more premium space capsule design that uses multiple magnets to keep the earbuds in place. You can also get the best fit with Xiaomi’s new “Intelligent Fit Monitoring” feature for maximum comfort. You even get more granular control with Xiaomi’s new Earbuds app which is available on the Google Play Store.
Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro
Together with the Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro, the company also announced the Watch S1 Pro. The new smartwatch is a union of the classic watch design and contemporary smartwatch technology. It comes with a 1.47-inch AMOLED display and a rotatable crown protected by scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass. The design is punctuated by two colourways – a silver finish with brown leather and a carbon black case finish paired with a fluororubber strap. With Xiaomi’s smartwatch OS, you can further customise the watch to suit your style with over 100 watch faces.
Source: Xiaomi Malaysia
The Watch S1 Pro is not just about style, it comes with the ability to track over 100 sports activities. Runners have a special added value with 10 pre-built programs that allow you to build endurance, burn fat and more complete with interval training. Of course, the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro comes with all the features we expect from a smartwatch nowadays including sleep tracking, SPO2 tracking, heart rate tracking and calorie tracking.
With up to 14 days of battery life, it’s also one of the longest-lasting smartwatches on the market. you can even get 2 more days of battery with just 10 minutes of charge.
Cleaning the Smart Way with Xiaomi Robot Vacuums
Xiaomi’s fleet of popular robot vacuums is also making its official Malaysian debut. The fleet consists of four models this round: the E10, S10, S10+, and X10. The robot vacuums come with a unique complement of features to cater to different price points and needs.
Source: Xiaomi Malaysia
All of them come with advanced LDS sensors that allow the vacuums to intelligently map your home and react to obstacles intelligently. Xiaomi Robot Vacuum X10 is can store up to 60 full cleans, features 4,000Pa powerful fan blower suction, and can clean up to 3 hours continuously with its 5,200mAh long-lasting battery. The S10+ features dual-pad pressure mopping for better stain removal, and up to 2 hours; The S10 features Zigzag and Y-shape cleaning routes for maximum cleaning efficiency and a smart water tank to protect floors from water damage; Lastly, the E10 is a versatile floor cleaning tool that cleans in one pass.
Xiaomi Smart Cooking Robot
Looking for a sous chef to help with cooking and meal prep? Well, Xiaomi’s smart cooking robot is here to help. It comes with eight specialized cooking features that allow you to cook a myriad of dishes with a single click of a button on the 8-inch display. Speaking of, it comes preloaded with over 200 chef’s recipes.
Source: Xiaomi Malaysia
It comes with a high-power switched reluctance motor, with a rotation speed that ranges from 40 rpm to 12,000 rpm and 3D induction heating. The combination of these features is complemented by Xiaomi’s CookingIoT algorithm to set and forget as the Robot takes care of everything from grinding to frying and more.
Pricing & Avaliability
The whole stable of AIoT devices is available at Xiaomi stores and even on Shopee and Lazada.
Samsung launched their new Mid-Range smartphone just very recently. They launched the Samsung Galaxy A34 and Galaxy A54 last week. Just a few days later, they launched another smartphone, but only for the Middle-Sea market. It is pretty much a Samsung Galaxy A54 5G but made a little different.
The M54 5G is slightly bigger than the A54 5G. It packs a 6.7-inch display where the A54 settles with a 6.4-inch one. It is also a Super AMOLED display with Full HD+ output still. It also still offers 120Hz. It also comes with Samsung’s own Exynos 1380 octa-core processor with up to 8GB or RAM and 256GB of internal storage. If you feel like the storage is a little small, you can even expand it to up to 1TB via a microSD card.
Like the A54 5G, the Galaxy M54 5G also comes with Samsung’s latest Android 13 based One UI 5.1. It still packs a side-mounted fingerprint reader that doubles as a power button. You still can find the same Gorilla Glass 5 protecting the Super AMOLED up front. This is where the similarities end.
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
First of all, the Galaxy M54 5G does not come with IP67 water and dust resistance rating. You also do not get a 50-Megapixel main camera that the A54 5G has. Instead, you get an extravagant 108-Megapixel main camera supported by an 8-Megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 2-Megapixel macro camera. There is a 32-Megapixel camera out the front still. Instead of a 5,000 mAh battery as well, you get a massive 6,000mAh battery to keep not just the Galaxy M54 5G running all day. You can technically keep any other smartphone you have running all day too with the large battery from the Galaxy M54 5G.
There are no confirmed prices for the Samsung Galaxy M54 5G currently. There are no confirmations as well on its availability in Middle East or any other Asian countries. We are expecting the device to not only be available in Middle East though, we are expecting India to get the same Galaxy M54 5G treatment.
Nothing does it again and launched their own set of wireless earbuds, the Nothing Ear (2). This one picks up from the first, Ear (1) wireless headphones. It is even priced the same as the previous earbuds at MYR 599.
Right out of the gate, you can tell that this will be a better pair of earphones than before. It boasts Hi-Res Audio certification where the previous one did not. It also packs LHDC 5.0 technology for an even better near lossless audio experience with the Ear (2). There is also an app now, the Nothing X app, to even fine tune the earphones to your ears.
You still get an 11.6mm Dynamic driver inside the earphones. It is one of the bigger drivers you can find on a modern earphone. The large driver could mean that you might get punchier audio from the earphones. That driver is also housed in a new dual-chamber design that is meant to improve acoustics and airflow within the earphone’s case.
Source: Nothing
Like the Ear (1), it comes with Noise Cancelling technology. Unlike the Hybrid Noise Cancelling technology you find in the first Nothing Ear, the Ear (2) features a personalized and adaptive Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) technology that offers better noise isolation and cancelling than before cancelling up to 40dB of noise. The mics also pick up ambient noise better than before.
Alongside the new noise cancelling technology, the Nothing Ear (2) also now features Dual Connection for you to easily connect and switch between two devices simultaneously and quickly. Of course, it has the new Fast Pair/Swift Pair technology that most modern wireless earphones offer today. The new mic algorithm with three high-definition mics and Clear Voice Technology is meant to pick up your voice better than before for crystal clear calls.
Where the previous earphones offer up to 24 hours of continuous listening experience with ANC turned on, the Nothing Ear (2) offers up to 22.5 hours with ANC on. With each charge, the Nothing Ear (2) offers 4 hours of listening experience at a time, which is also about an hour less than its predecessor. While that might seem to be a downgrade, you do want to remember that the Nothing Ear (2) is more feature packed than ever, which might be why its batteries lasts a little shorter than before.
You get better hardware installation than before too. Where the previous earphones offer IPX4 water resistance, the new Ear (2) offers IP54 water and dust resistance. The charging case offers IP55 water and dust resistance so you can keep the Ear (2) safe in the case.
Source: Nothing
Source: Nothing
Source: Nothing
Source: Nothing
Source: Nothing
Source: Nothing
Source: Nothing
Source: Nothing
Source: Nothing
Source: Nothing
Source: Nothing
The Nothing Ear (2) is now available from all authorised dealers and resellers in Malaysia. There are no colour options available, just the plain white and transparent option you see. As mentioned, it will set you back MYR 599. More on the Nothing Ear (2) can be found on their website.
Updated 24 March 2023 with pricing and retail availability. Pre-order details are available in the pre-order announcement article.
Samsung’s Galaxy A series has been one of Samsung’s most popular smartphone line up. The Galaxy A series underwent a reinvention in 2018 and began to take shape into the value-for-money offering that it is known to be now. This year, it looks like Samsung is scaling back the lineup – for now – with the omission of the follow-up to the Galaxy A73, the Galaxy A74. The new lineup is now spearheaded by the Galaxy A54 5G and the Galaxy A34 5G which continue to bring flagship user experiences to the midrange.
Source: Samsung
The new Galaxy A54 and Galaxy A34 come with Samsung’s Nightography and Au capabilities that we’ve seen in the Galaxy Z and Galaxy S lineups. Both the Galaxy A54 and Galaxy A34 come with triple camera setups. The A54 comes with a 50-megapixel main sensor with an f/1.8 aperture, phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and optical image stabilization (OIS). The setup is completed with a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and a 5-megapixel macro sensor. On the A34, the main sensor is a 48-megapixel sensor with an f/1.8 aperture, PDAF and OIS. An 8-megapixel, f2.2 ultrawide sensor and 5-megapixel macro sensor complete the setup. On the front, the A54 5G comes with a 32-megapixel, f/2.2 selfie camera while the A34 5G comes with a 13-megapixel, f/2.2 sensor.
Together with optimisations that empower better low-light Nightography photos, these smartphones also come with video digital image stabilization (VDIS) which has delivered better, more stable videos in the flagship Galaxy S series. The camera experiences are also enhanced with the ability to remove unwanted reflections and shadows – a first for the Galaxy A series. Speaking of firsts, the new Galaxy A54 and A34 both come Continuity now. The feature, which has been available on Samsung flagships, allows users to seamlessly move between Samsung mobile devices while keeping their work and data on-screen.
The new Galaxy A series devices also come with long-lasting battery life and better performance thanks to the newer processors. The A34 comes with the MediaTek Dimensity 1080 while the A54 comes with the newly announced Exynos 1380. Both come with Super AMOLED screens with FHD+ resolutions. The A54 comes with a smaller 6.4-inch display while the A34 comes with a larger 6.6-inch display. Both have Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and have 120Hz refresh rates.
Samsung has also guaranteed 4 generations of OS upgrades and 5 years of security updates for the new A34 and A54. The devices also come with a 2-year warranty.
Pricing & Availability
The Galaxy A54 5G will be available in stores starting on 7 April 2023 for MYR1,899. It will be available in Awesome Lime, Awesome Graphite, Awesome Violet and Awesome White.
The Galaxy A34 5G will be available at the same time for MYR1,599. It will be available in Awesome Lime, Awesome Graphite, Awesome Violet and Awesome Silver.
Official Specifications
Galaxy A54 5G
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G in Awesome Lime
Display
6.4-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED Display 120Hz refresh rate Vision booster
Dimensions & Weight
158.2 x 76.7 x 8.2mm, 202g
Camera
12MP Ultra-Wide Camera – F2.2 50MP Main Camera – F1.8 – AF – OIS 5MP Macro Camera – F2.4
32MP Front Camera – F2.2
AP
Octa-core
Memory
8GB Memory + 256GB Storage Expandable storage by up to 1 TB with an optional microSD card
Battery
5,000mAh (typical)
OS
Android 13 One UI 5.1
Security
Samsung Knox
Galaxy A34 5G
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G in Awesome Silver
Display
6.6-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED Display 120Hz refresh rate Vision Booster
Dimensions & Weight
161.3 x 78.1 x 8.2mm, 199g
Camera
8MP Ultra-Wide Camera – F2.2 48MP Main Camera – F1.8, – AF, – OIS 5MP Macro Camera – F2.4
13MP Front Camera -F2.2
AP
Octa-Core
Memory
8GB Memory + 256GB Storage Expandable storage by up to 1 TB with an optional microSD card
Last year WhatsApp tested and later launched their new Communities feature for all WhatsApp users. If you have not found out or familiar with Communities, it is a powerful management tool sitting within WhatsApp to manage all your groups in one place. You can, as admin of multiple groups create a Community, a group of groups for you to manage and access in a single place. You can, as an admin, make a community wide broadcast message, create targeted messages for select groups, and even moderate chats within the group. Of course, WhatsApp will not just stop there.
WhatsApp has added an important privacy control for group admins. Group admins can now decide if a person is worthy of joining the group or not. For Communities users, the admin can choose if a particular individual can join any of the groups within the community or not. Of course, the feature is not just limited to Communities users. They can also still send invite links to people they want in the group. If they do not want a particular person in the group for any longer, they still can kick relevant members out of the groups.
That is not to say that plain members within a community has no added features or benefits for themselves. WhatsApp has added a way to find other members that is in the same groups as you are. It works both ways too, you can find out which members are in the same groups as you are. You can also use the function to find groups through these common contacts, in case you forgot which groups are which. It is important, since the dependency on WhatsApp and Groups within Communities are much bigger than before now.
You might not be seeing the function rolling out to your app today. WhatsApp says that they are rolling the update to users in the coming weeks in stages. If you are interested in getting the best out of your Groups, you want to keep checking your app updates regularly. To know more about the new functions WhatsApp is adding to the app, you can always head out to their blog.
If you’ve been following wearables and health-centric tech, you should know the brand Amazfit. The brand by Zepp Health has built a portfolio of intelligent, wearable tech which includes smart bands and fully featured smartwatches. This time, the company is introducing a new smartwatch that marries form and function, making it one of the most fashionable pieces of tech in their lineup of smartwatches.
The new Amazfit GTR Mini is a slim, chic and compact smartwatch which brings the complete suite of functionality we’re used to seeing on an Amazfit smartwatch. The 9.2mm thin body allows the smartwatch to seamlessly transition between sporty fitness and suave elegance. The circular watch is complemented with a hypoallergenic wrist band and weighs only 24.6g. Together with its minimalist design anbd 2.5D glass display, the GTR Mini is made to be both your go to health monitor and fashion accessory.
It’s minimalist design packs a whole lot of tech and customisations. It comes with over 80 watch faces to make its HD AMOLED display uniquely yours. You’ll also be able to track over 120 sports activities and smart recognition for seven of them. Zepp Health also claims that the smartwatch comes with a whopping 14-days battery life. You’ll also be able to track your hikes more accurately with its 5-satelite positioning system. It’s also got water resistance for up to 5ATM of pressure.
It’s not just about tracking your activities either. The GTR Mini also comes with health tracking features including blood oxygen, heart rate, stress and sleep monitoring. It can even help you keep track of your menstruation for better overall health monitoring. With Zepp Health’s own Zepp OS 2.0, the smartwatch also comes with mini apps which help you achieve your goals and even gamify your health journey.
Pricing & Availability
The Amazfit GTR Mini is now available from retailers for MYR599. If you’re in luck, you can even get it at a discounted MYR579 as part of the launch promotions.
AI (Artificial Intelligence) generated graphics is not a new thing. You have things like OpenArt and Hotpot these days where you can just type in the keywords to the image you want, and let the engine generate art for your use. Even before AI generated graphics though, the implementation of AI within the creative industry is nothing new. NVIDIA has used their own AI engine to write an entire symphony, and even to create 3D environments using their Ray Tracing engines. Adobe too have something they call the Sensei. They the AI tool is implemented across their creative suite to understand and recognise objects better, fill details where needed more naturally, and even edit videos, images, or even texts quickly and efficiently. Now, they have Firefly.
Firefly is not a new separate AI system from Adobe’s Sensei. Firefly is a part of a larger Adobe Sensei generative AI together with technologies like Neural Filters, Content Aware Fill, Attribution AI, and Liquid mode implemented across several Adobe platforms. Unlike those platform specific implementations though, Adobe is looking to put Firefly to work on a number of various platforms across their Creative Cloud, Document Cloud, Experience Cloud, and even their Adobe Express platforms.
So, what is Adobe Firefly? We hear you ask. It is technically Adobe’s take on what a creative generative AI should be. They are not limiting Firefly to just image generation, modification, and correction. It is designed to allow any sort of content creators create even more without needing to spend hundreds of hours to learn a new skill. All they need to do is to adapt Firefly in their workflow and they will get contents that they have never been able to create before, be it images, audio, vectors, texts, videos, and even 3D materials. You can have different contents every time too with Adobe Firefly; the possibilities, according to Adobe, are endless.
What makes Adobe’s Firefly so powerful is the power of the entirety of Adobe’s experience and database behind it. Obviously Adobe’s Stock images and assets is a huge enough library for the AI implementation to dive into. The implementation can also look into using openly licensed assets and public domain contents in generating its contents. The tool, in this case, will prevent any IP infringements and help you avoid plenty of future litigations.
Source: Adobe
As Firefly is launched in its beta state, it will only be available as an image and text generator tool for Adobe Express, Adobe Experience Manager, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator. Adobe plans to bring Firefly into the rest of their platforms where relevant in the coming future. They are also pushing for more open standards in asset verification which will eventually include proper categorization and tagging of AI generated contents. Adobe is also planning to make the Firefly ecosystem a more open one with APIs for its users and customers to integrate the tool with their existing workflows. For more information on Adobe’s latest generative AI, you can visit their website.
We always thought that the mid-range smartphone segment is the most competitive segment in the entire industry. While that much is true, we tend to forget as well that the entry-level smartphone segment is a rather competitive one too. As smartphones’ prices reach a high never seen before, cheaper devices are becoming more popular as viable choices for not just first-time smartphone buyers. They become an even more appealing prospect over flagship and mid-range devices since they are rather inexpensive to own and even replace.
You have plenty of choices in the entry-level space too. You get the usual Xiaomi, OPPO, realme, VIVO, and even Samsung in the space. In some sense, you are spoilt for choice still in the entry-level segment. There is a new kid on the block to add to your list of choices in the segment – FreeYond.
The FreeYond M5
FreeYond kicks off their Malaysian chapter with two smartphone devices. One of it is the FreeYond M5. The new M5, currently, is their most powerful smartphone device to hit the Malaysian shores.
The Android 12 device comes with a Unisoc T606 system on a chip (SoC). The eight-core integrated processor comes with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage to ensure that Android 12 runs as smooth as it can be even with multiple apps open at the same time. You want the large storage too with a 50-Megapixel main camera out the back supported by an 8-Megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 2-Megapixel macro camera. If that is not enough, you get to expand your storage with a microSD card to up to 1TB.
It does not come with 5G connectivity, unfortunately. If you think about it though, 4G LTE connectivity is more than enough at this point of time. You can still thoroughly enjoy Netflix, YouTube, or even Prime Video via the 6.52-inch IPS display offering 720p HD+ resolution. To keep you enjoying your contents the entire day, you have a large 5,000 mAh battery that charges at 18W via USB Type-C.
The FreeYond F9
You need a secondary device, a cheap smartphone to keep your work separate from your life. You need something that does not hurt your pockets too much, yet something reliable. You need the FreeYond F9.
The budget entry-level device still comes with an octa-core processor that clocks at 1.6GHz. That powerful SoC is paired with up to 3GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. You can even expand your storage with up to 1TB MicroSD card if you want.
The Android 12 Go OS is displayed in all its glory via the 6.52-inch iPS display that offers up to 720p HD+ resolution still. The display is also where you see the results of the 13-Megapixel main camera that works together with a 2-Megapixel camera. Above the display, you can find an 8-Megapixel selfie camera. You can even keep all of these things running for longer than a day with a 5,000mAh battery within the compact body of the FreeYond F9.
Price and Availability
The FreeYond M5 will be available in Malaysia July 2023 onward. The FreeYond F9 on the other hand is now available for purchase via Shopee. The FreeYond M5 starts at MYR 699 while the F9 starts at MYR 499.
