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News

Samsung Galaxy S23 rumor roundup

January 31, 2023 Thina Hareesh Leave a comment

The highly anticipated release of Samsung’s latest flagship series, the S23, is just around the corner. In preparation for that, here is a roundup of all the rumors and leaks to give a sneak peek for what is to come.

Familiar options with some design tweaks

samsung galaxy s23 colors.jpg — Fresh new series, fresh new colors. Image source: Android Authority

The S23 series will feature three variants as its predecessor; the standard S23, S23 plus and the premium S23 Ultra. From leaked renders, all three devices look fairly similar to their S22 counterparts, with the S23 Ultra bearing the larger form factor and silhouette of the defunct Note series. On the rear, is the same 3 camera set up for the S23 Plus and S23 with a four-camera set up for the Ultra. A slight change is that the Ultra’s camera set up now sits in individual circular cutouts instead of the raised housing, giving it a cleaner look. There will be new colors available for the series with pink, beige, green and the classic Phantom Black options.

Goodbye Exynos and hello 200MP shooter for the S23 Ultra

Cleaner design for the camera housing and a new 200MP main shooter for the S23 Ultra. Image source: SamMobile.

The big news of course is the end of the Exynos variants, as Samsung has opted for a Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powering the series. There has been talk that a special variant of the chipset will be used, with slightly higher clock speeds for its primary CPU and its Adreno GPU. With the enhancements of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, we can expect all variants to have great performance and improved battery life.

Samsung’s new 200MP ISOCELL HP2 sensor for the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Image source: SamMobile

The camera on the S23 Ultra has received a fantastic upgrade with a new 200MP shooter. The in house developed sensor, dubbed ISOCELL HP2, offers double the resolution of its predecessor and is expected to offer improved dynamic range and color reproduction. It also features Samsung’s new pixel binning technology, Tetra2pixel, which is expected to improve images in low-lit environments. Thanks to this new sensor, we can expect an improved Night Mode images and Portrait video. The Ultra will now be capable of Space Zoom 100X and Moon Shot for improved astrophotography. The other sensors will be expected to remain the same, with a 10MP 3x telephoto lens, 12MP ultrawide sensor and 10MP 10x periscope. Both the S23 and S23 Plus are expected to retain a 50MP main shooter, 12MP ultrawide and 10MP telephoto lens.

Other hardware and software features

All three devices in the series will run Android 13 out of the box with OneUI 5.1, which remains largely unchanged from 5.0. The series will also debut Google’s Fast Pair feature. which allows faster set up of Android-based peripherals. This feature detects and allows quick pairing of headphones and WearOS smartwatches with just a pop-up. Support for trackers and styluses is expected to arrive soon.

All variants will run the Android 13-based OneUI 5.1 out of the box. Image source: Android Authority

The Ultra is expected to ship with a 6.8-inch QHD+ resolution display, 5000mAh battery and the signature S-Pen. The S23 comes in with a 6.1-inch FHD+ display with a lower capacity 3900 mAh battery while the S23 Plus has a 6.6-inch FHD+ display with 4700mAh battery. Charging speeds are similar as well, with 25W wired charging for the S23, 45W wired charging for the S23 Plus and Ultra, with 15W wireless charging across the board. The IP68 rating is retained for all devices and is now protected with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and back.

Google Fast Pair finally has a Samsung debut. Image source: GizmoChina

Another notable hardware upgrade is the use of LPDDR5X RAM, which is expected to be both faster and more energy efficient than the S22 series. Memory and storage configurations still remain the same though, with the S23 available in 8GB/128GB or 8GB/256GB variants and S23 Plus in 8GB/256GB and 8GB/512GB variants. The S23 Ultra offers the choice of 8GB or 12GB of RAM with 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of storage.

Pricing and availability

Overall, the S23 series seems to be an incremental upgrade over the S22 series. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing since the S22 series were among the best Android smartphones of 2022. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset across all variants will be a welcome addition as it has shown to be the more reliable and energy efficient chipset over the Exynos series. While the S23 and S23 Plus have only minor changes, the S23 Ultra received some decent upgrades in the camera department.

Leaks from Verizon for pricing of the Galaxy S23 (DM1), S23 Plus (DM2) and S23 Ultra (DM3).
Image source: GSMArena

As for the pricing, a leak from US-based telco Verizon reported via GSMArena shows that prices for all three variants remain the same as the S22 series. The S23 starts at USD 799.99 for the 8GB/128GB variant, the S23 Plus starts at USD 999.99 for the 8GB/256GB variant and S23 Ultra at USD 1199.99 for the 8GB/256GB variant. Previous leaks however have pointed to price increases in other regions. The most prominent being a price increase of up to €300 in Spain, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium, one of the largest price hikes for Samsung, as reported by Forbes. At the moment, there have been no circulating rumors about pricing in Malaysia or South East Asia for that matter, but it seems we may have to expect a price increase for the series.

The S23 series definitely ticks all the boxes to be the top Android device of 2023, but are there more surprises in store for us? We won’t have to wait for too long, as all the details and presumably pre-orders will be available come Galaxy Unpacked on February 2nd.

Sources: GSMArena, Android Authority, SamMobile, GizmoChina, Forbes

Computers, News

Introducing the Apple M2 Pro and M2 Max in the New Macbook Pro

January 19, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

The Cupertino giant has made an announcement last night. They announced their latest silicon product, the M2 Pro and M2 Max. You can also find them on the MacBook Pro in 14-inch and 16-inch guises. These are the most powerful silicon products that Appel has ever made.

Apple M2 Pro and M2 Max

Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple

Apple’s M2 chip is technically a bigger, badder M1 chip. It is, in physical form, a tad larger than the M1 but with more horsepower than ever before. In its MacBook Air guise, it proved to be a potent chip for anything that is optimised and tuned to run on it.

Just like the M1 Pro and M1 Max, the M2 Pro and M2 Max are even bigger and in turn, even faster than the M2 chip. The M2 Pro adds four more cores to the eight-core set-up of the original M2. It now also has a 19-core GPU and up to 32GB of unified RAM. The M2 Max comes with the same 12-core CPU but carries double the GPU core count at 38 cores. The unified fast memory is also expanded to 96GB for even better and faster productivity. Additionally, both chips features Apple’s new 16-core neural engine and media engine.

Of course, like the M2 chip, the M2 Pro and M2 Max are built on 5nm process technology. That allows Apple to fit more transistors within the chips than before, about 40 billion transistors on the M2 Pro, 20% more than before. The M2 Pro packs twice the memory bandwidth of the regular M2 at 200GB/s. There are more GPU cores on the M2 Pro than the M1 Pro too. All this adds up to a 20% better multithread performance over the older chip and 30% graphics performance bump.

On the M2 Max, there are 10 billion more transistors over the older M1 Max. That is about three folds of the regular M2. Its memory bandwidth is even faster at 400GB/s. At 96GB as well, there is nearly no wait time for large files to open, especially useful if you are working with plenty of video folders and such. Its 38-core GPU with larger L2 cache also allows the M2 Max to process graphic-intensive projects much better and more efficiently.

The New MacBook Pro, Featuring the New M2 Pro and M2 Max

Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple

When we say new, there is technically nothing too new about the new MacBook Pro for 2023. It comes in 14-inch and 16-inch flavours. They look the same as before too. They sort of come in the same Retina display guise with no change in resolution. The weird forehead notch is still there. The display is not even a touch-sensitive one.

Yes, the big difference between the 2022 MacBook Pro and 2023 one is more than skin deep. You have the massive jump in power from the M2 Pro or M2 Max you find within. According to Apple, the massive jump in power also comes with even more efficiency than before too, resulting in a long-lasting battery life; up to 22 hours to be exact.

Obviously, with a massive power bump, comes greater performances and capabilities. Image processing in Photoshop is claimed to be up to 40% faster than before. Thanks to better optimisation in the SoC as well, Adobe’s Photoshop can process images 80% faster than the most powerful Intel-based MacBook Pro (keep in mind, Intel-based MacBook Pros are a thing of the past). With the M2 Max, colour grading with DaVinci resolve is now 30% faster than before allowing for a much faster video workflow.

They also mentioned that they have upgraded the HDMI port on both the Macbook Pro to an ‘advanced’ HDMI port. The HDMI port now can support 8K displays for the first time. Why they could not say that it is an HDMI 2.1 port is beyond us; but hey, you can connect your MacBook Pro 8K displays now. There is also WiFi 6E support now for even better wireless connectivity. You also want to keep in mind that the latest router technology tops out at WiFi 6 too, so there is some future-proofing with the MacBook Pro. You will also find the usual Thunderbolt 4 port that can double as display outputs as well, an SDXC card slot, and the ever popular MagSafe 3 charging port. Of course, the latest MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and M2 Max comes with MacOS Ventura.

Price and Availability

The Apple MacBook Pro is now available for pre-order in the United States (U.S.) and 26 other countries and regions. The first Apple MacBook Pros will ship out 24^th of January 2023 onward. The MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and M2 Max will be available also in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, New Zealand, and Singapore from the 3^rd of February 2023 onward. There are no mentions on when the new MacBook Pro with M2 chips will reach Malaysia just yet. But Apple’s local website has already listed them. The MacBook Pro, as mentioned, comes in 14-inch and 16-inch flavours. The M2 Pro equipped 14-inch MacBook Pro starts at MYR 8,799, while the M2 Max variant comes in at MYR 13,199. The 16-inch variant will set you back MYR 10,799 onward for the M2 Pro while the M2 Max variant will set you back MYR 14,799 onward. For more information on the new Apple MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, you can head over to their website.

Android, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

Now You Can Repair Your Samsung Galaxy S22 Smartphone by Yourself!

January 18, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

The rights to repair bill in the United States (U.S.), believe it or not, is a big deal not just in that side of the world. The bill sort of encourages manufacturers to design products that can be easily repaired and serviced by end-users without going through a service center. It also requires manufacturers make parts of their devices available for end-users to purchase. While the bill is a requirement that has to be fulfilled for products being sold in the U.S. for now, the product design will make their way around the globe eventually.

Samsung has initiated their own self-repair program with a few of their older products like the Samsung Galaxy S20 series, Galaxy S21 series, and the Galaxy Tab S7+ tablet. They have announced that they will be starting to sell the parts to their Galaxy Book Pro 15”, Galaxy Book Pro 360 15”, Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, and Galaxy S22 Ultra. The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 15” and Galaxy Book 360 Pro 15” are not technically available in the region, so that might not excite some of you. The Samsung Galaxy S22 family though, those are available here.

The program was kickstarted in collaboration with iFixit. There is the caveat, at least for Malaysia. The iFixit store currently only caters to the U.S. market. You can technically get them to ship the parts to Malaysia, but that means that you are paying quite exorbitantly for shipping charges on top of the parts. It still might make more sense if you go to a specialised repair shop down the road, at least for now.

Still, the addition of Samsung’s latest Galaxy S22 series and Galaxy Book line-up is good news. It shows that Samsung is serious and committed in supporting their self-repair program. As we mentioned, while the program is not made to cater the South East Asian market just yet, it will eventually make it here and we are excited for it to be available through official channels in the region. If you are interested to get genuine parts for your Samsung devices, you can check out iFixit. There are no guarantees that the warranty will be covered by Samsung Malaysia though.

Lifestyle, News

Touch n’ Go Goes VISA – The First Numberless VISA Card in Malaysia

January 18, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Before we do go on, the VISA card that you will be getting does come with a number, an expiration date, CVV number, and a name attached to it. You will only find your name printed on the card though. The rest, you do want to activate your app and find your 16-digit number, expiration date, and CVV behind a pin-secured page.

Touch n’ Go, as one of Malaysia’s first cashless payment solutions, did not start as an eWallet. They are most known for their prepaid cards used for mobility in Malaysia. Their cards can be used to pass through toll gates, and utilise public transports initially. Today, they took another leap in prepaid cards with VISA in launching the new Touch n’ Go VISA card.

They referred to the Touch n’ Go VISA Card as a prepaid card. In reality, it works more like a debit card than anything else. It still comes with a 16-digit identifier, CVV, an expiration date, and a name attached to it, as we mentioned in the beginning. While it is not going to be the first fuss-free debit card you can find in Malaysia (BigPay anyone?), it is quite unique, coming from Touch n’ go EWallet team.

Just like any Touch n’ Go prepaid cards, the VISA card is not just a plain ol’ card. They launched it as part of their CSR program in support of United Voice. United Voice is Malaysia’s first NGO to be run by persons with learning disabilities. It caters to groups of people diagnosed with down syndrome, autism, ADHD, and cerebral palsy. The design of the new card is designed by Damien Wong, a talent coming from United Voice.

Like any debit card, you can use the Touch n’ Go VISA card anywhere in the country. You can also use it to withdraw cash directly from the ATMs, with a minimal surcharge of course. All of these will directly reflect on your eWallet app in real-time. This way, you can also keep track of your expenses all on your eWallet.

To get your hands on the VISA card, you can directly request for it on your Touch n’ Go eWallet app. On the app, there will be an icon for Visa Card. Once you tap on that, the app will prompt for your personal address for billing purposes and also delivery. There will be a delivery fee of RM 5.00, RM 2.00 will go to United Voice as a donation. For more information n Touch n’ Go’s new VISA card and other updates from Touch n’ Go team, you can head down to their website.

Android, Camera, Mobile, News

Samsung introduces the ISOCELL HP2 – The Little 200MP Sensor for Your Smartphone

January 17, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked 2023 is happening in less than 2 weeks. They are set to launch their latest flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S23 series of smartphones in that event. With the new device, they are also expected to unveil a few new features on the device itself as well. One of them is a new camera sensor module.

Samsung has been leading the charge in the smartphone camera Megapixel war. They introduced their 108-Megapixel sensor a few years ago and Sony has not come up with an answer for that kind of resolution just yet. Sony does have their larger format 1-inch sensors shoehorned into their smartphones though, effectively making them proper compact point-and-shoot camera with smartphone built-in.

While the 108-Megapixel camera still sits on top of its throne, it is getting a little outdated. There are new technologies to be explored, there are cleverer ways to cram more pixels in a sensor; there is always a new horizon to be explored. In that spirit, Samsung introduced the ISOCELL CP2 sensor.

Welcome to the world of super high-resolution photos coming from your smartphone. At 200-Megapixel, even medium format cameras from Hasselblad cannot compete in terms of theoretical detail. All this might come to your next flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (or whatever they want to call it this time).

The 200-Megapixel is packed in a 1/1.3” sized sensor, the same size from the previous 108-Megapixel ISOCELL you can find in your Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra today. That means you get nearly twice the pixel amount in the same amount of space. But it is not just a small sensor with added pixels.

The sensor packs Samsung’s latest advanced pixel-binning technology, Tetra²pixel. The HP2 sensor with the technology now can simulate different pixel sizes for different lighting levels. That means that the camera can basically combine the pixels into larger pixels to make 50-Megapixel or 12.5-Megapixel clusters for low-light conditions. The 50-Megapixel mode will also be used for 8K 30fps videos so that you do not have to crop too much out of the frame.

Getting a focus in low-lit environments is a challenge for most cameras. Because the Samsung camera can see better, auto focus in the environment should be less of a problem. With Super QPD, the 200-Megapixel available become part of the focusing mechanic. The technology allows for the pixels to be divided into four parts to recognise pattern changes to ensure that autofocus is more accurate and much faster than before.

In conditions where there is too much light, yes; you can have too much light, the HP2’s Dual Vertical Transfer Gate (D-VTG) technology can make the images vibrant still. The D-VTG is basically an added voltage transfer gate for the sensor to sort of increase its dynamic capabilities by up to 33%. This allows the sensor to cleverly reduce overexposures of photos while optimising colours. That all means you can take a photo on a bright day without worrying about getting washed out details and colours.

The Samsung ISOCELL HP2 should start making its way into flagships in the coming year. We are expecting the HP2 to make it first into Samsung’s Galaxy S23 series flagships. You can expect the usually suspects like Xiaomi capitalising and shoehorning the high-resolution sensor in their smartphones in year 2023 as well.

Gaming, Lifestyle, News

The Xbox is Going Greener with Some Clever Carbon Awareness in its Next Update

January 12, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Microsoft’s Xbox is not technically officially supported in Malaysia. That also means that it is not technically officially on sale in the region. That does not mean that the Microsoft made console cannot be found in Malaysia. You still can get your hands on one from retailers across the nation. Because it is not officially supported here, you do have to register yourself as an Xbox user from Singapore.

If you do have an Xbox at home, you might be pleased to know that the next update for your gaming console might save you some money from your electricity bill in the coming months. The update is really meant to be Microsoft’s big effort in reducing carbon footprints and emissions across their hardware and even software. It is in-line with their goal of achieving carbon negativity, water positive, and zero-waste company by 2030.

They say that the next update makes the Xbox a little more carbon aware. That means that your console will now only push updates and software updates at optimized times in the day. Optimized as in it only runs at a time when the Xbox can use the least amount of non-renewable energy, or when renewable energy becomes more abundant, whatever that means.

How it does that is quite clever, to be fair. When plugged in and connected to the internet, the Xbox will have access to the regional carbon intensity data. Whether the data includes Malaysia or not has not been revealed. With that data though, the Xbox will schedule its various downloads and updates at specific times where carbon emissions are lowest. Instead of a programmed schedule for your updates (2.00 a.m. – 6.00 a.m. by default), your console only wakes up at specific times where your local energy grid is at its most carbon efficient state and turns back off again after those specified times.

03 Sustainability Slide Shutdown 5ae528d067c8bf54c60a — Source: Xbox

The update will also bring a more energy efficient mode to the Xbox when it is not in use. They dub it the energy saving mode. Instead of the Xbox going to sleep, it goes to Shutdown automatically. They say that other than slower booth times, it will not affect performances, gameplay, or its automatic updates. It just sort of turns off the Xbox until you switch it on, or when it wants to update. They say that Shutdown power mode will reduce the console’s power consumption by over 20 folds compared to the regular Sleep option. Reduced power consumption not only means lower carbon emissions, it also means you pay less for your electricity. Sleep is still an optional power mode for your console, you just need to dig deeper into the settings to make it an available power option by default.

05 Active Hours b7a67f0a3b3eed4d02b8 — Source: Xbox

You still get a lot of control over your Xbox though. If you want your console to just power up and get into your games immediately, you can adjust its ‘Active Hours’. It allows you to still have your console to go into Sleep mode immediately, but only at selected times. Outside of those selected ‘Active Hours’ your Xbox goes into Shutdown mode automatically to draw less than 1W of power.

The carbon awareness update for your Xbox will be available soon. The power saving modes is only available for Xbox Insider members though, oddly enough. Then again, being an Xbox Insider might give you early access to plenty of things too, which could be a big appeal in itself. More information can be found in their news blog.

Accessories, Computers, Lifestyle, News

Samsung Introduces the PM9C1a – The Next Level in SSD Performance

January 12, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

The fastest storage you can get with money today is a Samsung 990 PRO PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD (Solid State Drive). It offers up to nearly 7.5GB/s in read speeds and up to nearly 7GB/s in write speeds. That is faster than what you can get even in your next-generation gaming consoles like the PS5 and the Xbox. The new SSD Samsung introduced is nothing like that.

This is the PM9C1a, a PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD that is made for everyday use. It will not hit speeds like the 990 PRO drive. It reads at a mere 6,000MB/s and writes up to 5,600MB/s. You are still getting read/write speeds beyond what the next-generation gaming consoles can do. That means while the PM9C1a is not made for gaming specifically, the SSD will do just find even with the most demanding AAA games available.

Since it is an everyday high-performance storage, Samsung has to build some reliability and security into the device. The SSD supports Device Identifier Composition Engine (DICE) security standard. It generates cryptographic keys within the SSD. What that does is provide some from of protection from supply chain attacks that targets vulnerabilities from a separate network. The measure also prevents the firmware within the SSD to be tampered, adding some operational reliability.

Of course, because this SSD might find its way to offices around the world, you want the device to be as economical and efficient as possible to keep operational costs low. Samsung fitted the PM9C1a with their 5nm technology controllers and seventh-generation V-NAND memory modules. The result is a 70% increase in power efficiency over the older PM9B1. In that sense, you can run the SSD at a lower power draw but at the same or even better performances over the older storage. In a notebook PC, the SSD even turns itself down and consumers 10% further less power in standby mode.

Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung

Samsung has not announced the exact availability date of the new PM9C1a SSD in the market. We are expecting the SSD to hit the stores sometime in February 2023, at least for the Malaysian market. They have not mentioned a specific price to their latest SSD either. Based on prices of the older generation Samsung PM9B1, you can expect the latest SSD to start at over MYR 200 (256GB). There will be three configurations for the PM9C1a SSD – 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. They will also be available in the most popular M.2 form factors – 22mm x 30mm. 22mm x 42mm, and 22mm x 80mm. For more information regarding Samsung’s latest memory modules, you can head over to their website.

Android, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Coming on the 1^st February at Galaxy Unpacked!

January 11, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

This should come as almost no surprise. It is 2023 and that means that Samsung’s flagship, the Galaxy S22 series is going to be a year old soon. In the world of smartphones, a year-old means that the device is outdated. It is time for an update in the form of the Samsung Galaxy S23. While Apple has not and will not be launching their latest iPhone 14 series flagship smartphone until toward Q3 of 2023, Samsung’s upcoming flagship will compete directly with Apple’s best.

Samsung’s flagship for 2023 has been anticipated since the inception of their Galaxy S22 flagship series. That is also because everyone knows Samsung’s product cycle, like Apple’s. Of course, everyone is expecting a more powerful device than before every year.

Samsung’s latest smartphone is touted to have Qualcomm’s most powerful System on a Chip (SoC) yet. It will come with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. You no longer get Samsung’s very own Exynos option since Samsung has given up on that idea. Still, that does not mean that Samsung might not inject their own flavour on to the high-end SoC. Rumours points to Samsung customizing and overclocking the GPU to make it even more powerful than the regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 you might find elsewhere.

Samsung’s mobile imaging department made some breakthroughs last year. They managed to manufacture a camera sensor that packs 200-Megapixels for smartphones. The sensor is a little larger than the regular mobile camera sensor, but it is still a feat to fit 200 million pixels in a tiny plate. Rumours points to the latest Samsung flagship packing that much pixel in their attached camera, at least for the S23 Ultra variant of the flagship, nearly double what their previous flagships pack.

In terms of design though, you can expect much of the same things from Samsung. You can expect the Samsung Galaxy S23 series to look pretty much like the Galaxy S22 series, just as the Galaxy S21 series. The Galaxy S23 Ultra will most likely share the same look as the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra instead of the S21 Ultra. It might still offer the S Pen attached within the body too.

There are still plenty of unknowns on Samsung’s upcoming 2023 flagships too. All we can do is wait for them to finally take the Galaxy S23 to stage on the 1^st of February 2023. For more information on Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event and their latest flagships, you can refer to their website.

Camera, News

DJI Launches the DJI RS 3 Mini for Mirrorless Cameras

January 11, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Mirrorless camera is currently the way forward in terms of imaging. Canon and Nikon realized this and have made obvious strides and transitions toward mirrorless cameras with their own line-up of high-end mirrorless shooters. Mirrorless cameras are way lighter, more compact, and can offer superior image quality at the same time.

Mirrorless cameras have also revolutionized the video making industry. Because they are more compact, they tend to weigh less and cost less to work with. The rigs that go around the mirrorless cameras can be much smaller and compact to work with. You can bring the camera to where traditional cameras cannot go. It put professional filmmaking technology closer to the ground and made them more accessible than ever.

There is a problem though. Filmmaking technology made accessible today are still geared toward traditional DSLR formats. That means that things like stabilizing gimbals are made to carry heavier rigs. That does not mean that you have to settle though, thanks mostly to DJI.

DJI RS 3 Mini – a Mini Gimbal for Compact Set-Up

Welcome to the DJI RS 3 Mini, a Ronin stabilizing platform that is geared specifically toward mirrorless cameras. It is also the only gimbal made for proper cameras that is designed for single-handed function. Of course, that meant that it has to be light. It weighs less than 1kg at 795g gram specifically, without a camera attached to it.

The RS 3 Mini is at least 40% lighter than the larger format RS 3 platform. Making it much simpler to work with when you need to get a quick shoot going. It is perfect for travelling too, since you can easily pack it into your daily backpack and quickly get it going. Because it is lighter as well, you might be able to shoot for extended periods without feeling too much strain on your arms.

The RS 3 Mini is capable of working with payloads weight up to 2kg. You are looking at something like a Sony α7S III paired to a 24-70mm F.28 G Master lens combination or a Canon EOS R5 with a 24-70mm F2.8 STM lens combo. The gimbal stabilization is still powerful enough to work with fully extended lenses if need be.

Made for Social Media

DJI RS 3 Mini L Shaped Multi Camera Control Cable — Source: DJI

Because social media is largely consumed from a smartphone, you want your camera to shoot vertically in most situations. For that, you also want to be able to vertically mount your camera to the gimbal for the best stabilization for your social media optimized videos. The DJI RS 3 Mini comes with a dual-layered quick-release plate that allows you not to only quickly unhook the camera from the gimbal but also to rotate the camera to the vertical arm for vertical shooting optimized for short form social media contents.

Just as Powerful

DJI RS 3 Mini With DJI Mic 3 of 4 — Source: DJI

The compact body does not mean that you are getting a watered down DJI RS 3 gimbal. You are getting most of the same stabilizing technologies you get from the bigger DJI RS 3 Pro. DJI’s 3^rd generation stabilization algorithm allows users to shoot stabilized videos no matter the shoot condition. Even an amateur film maker can shoot smooth and stable videos like the pros with the DJI RS 3 Mini. For more creative stability, the DJI RS 3 Mini packs a few features of its own more dynamic shots like the 360^o rotating images.

More Shooting Freedom

DJI RS 3 Mini Briefcase Handle — Source: DJI

With Wireless Bluetooth Shutter function, the RS3 Mini can be connected to most modern mirrorless camera format for simple remote activation. You do not need to take your hands off the gimbal when you shoot. You can activate the camera directly from the record/shutter button on the gimbal itself. If you are on a Sony camera, the gimbal can even work the zoom lenses via the front dial. There is also a 1.4-inch touch screen and an M-mode button to switch between the three custom modes on the gimbal. The front rotating dial can also be used as a focus dial. For even more options, you have the Ronin app to work with to easily record timelapse, point tracking, and even panorama videos.

You get up to 10 hours of battery life out of the compact gimbal. 10 hours should also be enough for an entire day’s worth of shooting. If not, you can charge the gimbal within 2.5 hours, at which time you might want to think about taking a break yourself.

Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI

Price and Availability

The DJI RS 3 Mini is now available via DJI’s authorized dealers and their ecommerce platform. There are no colour options for the DJI RS3 Mini, just plain black with some red trims. It will set you back US$ 369 (MYR 1,613*), which is rather affordable as professional gimbals go. The DJI RS 3 Mini comes with DJI Care Refresh that covers all accidental damages with a replacement unit immediately. Of course, you do have to pay a little extra if you want that sort of coverage. More information on the DJI RS 3 Mini can be found on their website.

*Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.37 as of 11/01/2023 on xe.com

Computers, Gaming, News

[CES 2023] New Alienware Hardware & Dell Gaming Laptops Break Covers

January 10, 2023 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

Dell has been pushing the bar recently with its gaming offerings and concepts. Together with the new update to Concept Nyx, the company also announced new additions to its gaming offerings in its Alienware and Dell G portfolio. While some of them come with design updates, the laptops come with the latest 13th generation Intel or AMD Ryzen Zen 4 processor and also the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX40 series Laptop GPUs or AMD’s Radeon 7000M GPUs.

Alienware m18 & m16 Supped Up and Ready To Go!

The new Alienware line up is spearheaded by a refreshed M series which comes with two new additions: the m18 and m16. Both laptops continue to stay focused on delivering the best gaming performance possible. They also come with the Legend 3.0 design language – a refinement on Legend Design which was announced a few years ago.

The biggest difference between this generation and the last generation M-series is the displays. This generation ditches the 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch displays for slightly larger 16- and 18-inch displays. These displays come with a 16:10 aspect ratio and support resolutions of up to 2560×1600 pixels (QHD+) with 240Hz refresh. If you are looking for higher refresh rates, there is an option for an FHD+ panel with a 480Hz refresh rate.

Of course, Alienware’s M-series continues to support customisation via their website and supports a myriad of options when it comes to internals with up to 64GB of dual channel DDR5 4800 MHz RAM and up to 9TB of internal storage with its Quad Storage configurations. Connectivity-wise they support Killer WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. There is even an option for Cherry MX mechanical keys for the laptops as well. AlienFX also makes a comeback with multiple zones customizable from the updated Alienware Command Center.

When it comes to processors, the M-series maxes out with a 24-core Intel Core i9-13900HX. On the graphics end of things, the NVIDIA RTX 4090 Laptop GPU with 150W TGP is top of the line offering. To support the performance that the internals bring, Dell has equipped the Alienware M series with am updated cooling system. The vapour chamber now covers the CPU and GPU increasing the thermal capacity by 35% and there are now seven heat pipes that help with heat disipation. It comes without saying that they’ve also increased the airflow with quad fans with ultrathin fan blades.

The AMD equipped Alienware M-series will make its debut later in the year.

Alienware x16 & x14 Forge the Way for Portability

The Alienware X-series is also getting a bump when it comes to performance. The X16 and X14 succeed the previous models. However, they continue to inherit the sleek aluminium build that was introduced with the X series. Similar to the M series, the X series is replacing its larger x15 and x17 with the x16 while the x14 retains its compact size.

The new Alienware x16 and x14 come with an updated 16:10 aspect ratio and sport displays with up to 2560×1600 pixel (QHD+) with 165Hz refresh rate on the x14 and 240Hz on the x15. Both boast a 3ms response time. The displays also support 100% of the DCI-P3 gamut and NVIDIA’s Advanced Optimus technology.

When it comes to storage, the X series with up to 4TB of internal storage with up to 32GB of RAM. To keep things slim and portable the internal memory modules of the X series as solderd on to the motherboard. So, you won’t be able to add more later on. That said, it also provides a boost in performance. AlienFX is also avaiable and customisable on the Alienware x14 and x16.

Performance wise, the laptops are avaialble in different configurations. The Alienware x16 caps out with Intel Core i9-13900HK while the x14 caps out with the Intel Core i5-13620H. On the graphics end of things, the x16 maxes out with the NVIDIA RTX 4090 laptop GPU with a max TGP of 175W. The x14, on the other hand, caps out with the RTX 4060 with 85W TGP. Both support charging via USB-C.

Similar to the M series, AMD versions will be announced later in the year.

Revamped Dell G15 & G16 Bring Self Expression Front and Center

The Dell gaming laptop line up is getting a major update with the new G15 & G16. Both will sport the updated design which incorporates a more industrial feel, larger air vents and customizable colourways. The latter is more prominently spotlighted in the G15 models which sport retro ’80s pop aesthetics including a funky purple and blue colourway. The Dell G15 and G16 continue to inherit most of the design queues from last years model including the placement of ports and the signature Dell Gaming hinge.

The Dell G15 and G16 will be comeing with a new cooling system. Both will sport a vapour cooling system inspired by the system we’ve seen in Alienware laptops for better cooling. The system now sports four heat pipers with improved fans with ultrathin blades and an improved heat exchange area. Some of the configurations will come with Element 31 thermal interface and vapour cooling as well. These thermal updates will support the cutting-edge performance of the processors. Both models have configurations capping out with the Intel Core i9-13900HX and support up to the NVIDIA RTX 4070 Laptop GPU.

On the display side of things, the Dell G16 comes with options sporting up to 2560×1600 pixels in resolution (QHD+) and up to 240Hz refresh rate. The G15 on the other hand sports options for FHD displays with 1920×1080 pixels with a maximum of 165Hz refresh rate. That said, the G16 only supports a single zone customization when it comes to AlienFX while the G15 supports up to four zones. Both also support WiFi 6 connectivity.

Similar to its Alienware cousins, AMD versions of the Dell G15 and G16 will be released later this year.

Pricing & Availability

The Alienware models will be available later this winter in North America while the Dell Gaming models will be available later in spring.

Model	Pricing	Availability
Alienware m18	High-end configurations starting at USD$2,899, CAD$3,899 Entry model starting at USD$2,099/CAD$2,849	Winter 2023
Alienware m16	High-end configurations starting at USD$2,599, CAD$3,599 Entry model starting at USD$1,899/CAD$2,599	Winter 2023
Alienware x16	High-end configurations starting at USD$3,099, CAD$4,199 Entry model starting at USD$2,149/CAD$2,899	Winter 2023
Alienware x14	Starting at USD$1,799/CAD$2,449	Winter 2023
Dell G15	Starting at USD$849/CAD$1,149	Spring 2023
Dell G16	Starting at USD$1,499/CAD$1,999	Spring 2023

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[CES 2023] New Alienware Hardware & Dell Gaming Laptops Break Covers

Alienware m18 & m16 Supped Up and Ready To Go!

Alienware x16 & x14 Forge the Way for Portability

Revamped Dell G15 & G16 Bring Self Expression Front and Center

Pricing & Availability

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