Category Archives: News

Malaysia Gets to Try WhatsApp Communities First

August 24, 2022 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

A few months back WhatsApp announced that they were launching a new major feature that could make the platform a powerful one for organisations and communities It is also fittingly called Communities. WhatsApp made the announcement back in April 2022 and teased it as a “coming soon” feature. Months later, Communities might finally be a reality. As with any other major features platform providers want to release, they have to go through their testing phase first, WhatsApp included.

While it may seem odd, WhatsApp is one of the most popular, if not the most popular, communication platform in Malaysia. While other countries still rely on the regular messaging app, WhatsApp is a mainstay in Malaysia and is the preferred communication tool of the nation. It is not just personal communication that relies on WhatsApp in Malaysia, companies and organisations rely on WhatsApp Groups to get messages across, essential team communications, and even announcements going.

The reliance and usage patterns for the platform in Malaysia makes it the perfect test bench and sample pool for WhatsApp communities.

Press Note Malaysia gets early access to WhatsApp Communities 2 — Source: WhatsApp

As per the announcement back in April, Communities will be a powerful tool for administrators looking to run multiple groups in their organisations. It allows an admin to include and exclude groups in a single Community group. At that, it also allows admins to start smaller and more controlled conversation groups within the community itself with select members. Communities allows admins to send a community wide announcement if the need arises. At the same time, only the admin has the power to invite members into the community and its groups, also to remove members when they deem necessary.

There are other features that are being added as well with WhatsApp Communities. To be fair, these are improvements done for WhatsApp Groups. Some of the improvements have been introduced before Communities in preparation for the arrival of the new feature too. Reaction, for example, was introduced so users can quickly react to messages via emoji without flooding group chats with new messages and drown the messages out. Group admins can also remove messages from chats for everyone in the group, if they deem it to be problematic. File sharing limit has been pushed to 2GB for more versatile collaboration efforts. Voice calls can now include up to 32 users while you can now mute other people in the call just to ensure that discussions and presentations can go on without distractions. WhatsApp Groups has also increased its member limit from 256 members to up to 512 members. If you wish to leave groups, you can now do it silently, only notifying group admins.

Currently, WhastApp’s Communities is being tested by Gabungan Anak-Anak Palsi Serebum (GAPS) community and Entrepreneurs and Startups in Malaysia communities. It is rolling out to select users in Malaysia currently. It will eventually be available for all WhatsApp users in Malaysia. For the latest updates on WhatsApp and its features you can visit their blog.

Accessories, Business, Computers, Lifestyle, News

LG’s DualUp Monitor Ergo is not Here, But Not for Games

August 24, 2022 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Whenever manufacturers shout about their new monitor products recently, it is always about gaming and their new monitors are made for them. Products made for the creative professionals and productivity are not hard to find. They just rarely get attention these days. Manufacturers tend to quietly add new monitors to their line-up because of that.

LG’s new monitor deserves attention though. Not it is not some breakthrough thoroughbred with some exclusive display tuning that makes it the brightest most clear display on the market. Technically, there is nothing new about the monitor. The display panel is the same type as most displays out in the market currently. There is something different about this monitor though; it is shaped rather differently from other monitors you can find in the market.

No, it is not a round display, nor is it a pentagonal shaped monitor. There are still four sides to make it a rectangle, just not the regular display rectangle. It boasts an aspect ratio of 16:18, which also means that it is a tall display, and it is almost square-ish in shape.

If you think about it, the display size is really a combination of two 16:9 displays stacked on top of each other. This form factor also eliminates the bottom bezel of the top display when you stack it up. The design is not without its reasons though.

The expansive LG DualUp Monitor Ergo display comes with LG’s Nano IPS panel that should offer vibrant colours and excellent contrast ratio. Important when you are going to be using it most of the day for work. The panel boasts dual QHD resolution (2,560 x 2,880) for good measure too. In that sense, movies should look excellent on it, save for the two very large black bars you will get when you watch movies on the display the size of two 21.5-inch displays stacked on top of one another.

The design of the DualUp Monitor Ergo is such to save as much desk real estate as possible. It is also the most ergonomic way of working with two displays, since you do not really have to turn your neck or body around to read through your documents or scroll through emails. At the same time, you get more real estate for your documents, which is always nice. On top of that, to reduce the strain on your neck even more, the LG DualUp Monitor Ergo comes with LG’s Ergo Stand that mounts and clamps directly on the table for not just more desk real estate. It also allows you to swivel and position your display in any configuration you prefer or can think of.

The LG DualUp Monitor Ergo comes with HDMI and DisplayPort inputs. It also packs USB Type-C thunderbolt and display port for an added versatility for the modern thin-and-light laptops. There is also USB 3.0 ports for you to work with. You can even rely on its two 7W built-in speakers with WavesMaxxAudio to enjoy music.

To protect your eyes, the LG DualUp Monitor Ergo comes with built-in ambient LightSensor to automatically adjust the display’s brightness accordingly. Live Color Low Blue Light also ensures that blue light emissions are reduced. To allow for a more flexible working environment, the monitor also packs a Picture-by-Picture mode to divide your area of work on the display real estate.

Source: LG
Source: LG
Source: LG
Source: LG

The LG DualUp Monitor Ergo is now available via LG’ authorized retailers nationwide or their online stores on Shopee and Lazada. It will set you back MYR 2,948, which is still considered rather premium. You are getting LG’s Ergo Stand though, and you are investing in an ergonomic set up for long term use case. For more information on the LG DualUp Monitor Ergo display, you can check out LG’s website.

Computers, Lifestyle, News

Dell Announces the XPS 13 2-in-1 – It is as Flexible as it Gets

August 23, 2022 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Dell’s XPS series of thin-and-light devices are quite legendary in its own market segment. The XPS series is known for their superb build quality with all-metal construction with an ultra-thin design like no other. They are not known to be the lightest devices in the market, but the all-metal body does add to some weight. It is not just premium build though, the XPS series also sets themselves apart to be a sort of benchmark in the world of thin-and-light PCs.

Dell just announced their latest XPS device, the XPS 13 2-in-1. Yes, it bears the same name as the XPS 13 2-in-1 from 2021 as well. It is a follow up model, in all fairness. It is a Microsoft Surface like tablet/PC.

Of course, as an updated model, it bears Intel’s 12^th generation Core processors. You can spec it up with up to a Core i7-1250U that comes with two performance cores and eight efficiency cores totaling up to ten cores within the chip. That processor is also paired with up to 16GB in LPDDR4x (on board) RAM to ensure that multitasking is smooth and snappy. There are no discrete GPU to be found here, just a humble but still powerful Intel Iris Xe Graphics keeping everything that has to do with graphics processing in check.

xs9315t ctb 05050rf115 bl folio pen — Source: Dell

The powerful chipset allows Dell to include a 13-inch 3K display with 3:2 aspect ratio. Of course, because your primary interaction with the device would be through touch, it is a touch sensitive display. The display also pushes DisplayHDR 400 at 500 nits’ peak brightness. It boasts up to 100% sRGB colour gamut coverage and up to 1800:1 contrast ratio. The Gorilla Glass Victus protected display should be more than enough for you to be immersed in your movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video with Dolby Vision support.

To ensure that you have all the storage you need for work and play (not many games, we would assume), you get up to 1TB in SSD storage. To keep you entertained and your movies immersive, you get Waves MaxxAudio Pro and Waves Nx 3D audio tuning on your speakers. Of course, because this is a device for productivity, it packs two microphone arrays to ensure that your voice is crystal clear in video and tele conferences. On top of that, you get a Full HD 1080p front facing camera that is capable of taking 5-Megapixel photos. At the back is a 11-Megapixel camera that is capable of taking up to 4K resolution videos.

When you are in a call, you want a stable and fast network. Intel’s Killer WiFi with WiFi 6E support should ensure that your internet connection is ever stable for those long online conferences. If you prefer to use Wireless headphones, there is Bluetooth 5.2 connection available too.

While it is sort of a tablet, it is still a versatile PC too. It has two Thunderbolt 4 enabled USB Type-C ports that also supports display output and power delivery. Included in the box is a USB Type-C to USB Type-A adapter, if you need to plug your external storage in. There is also a USB Type-C to 3.5mm AUX adapter, if you want to plug your headphones in. Within the device is a large 49.5WHs battery to ensure that you can work from anywhere through the day.

Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
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Source: Dell
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Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell

The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 will be available in Malaysia within the month (August onward). The variant that will be available to Malaysians comes with Intel’s 12^th generation Core i5-1230U, 8GB of RAM, 256GB in SSD and Intel’s Iris Xe Graphics. It will set you back MYR 5,999. For more information on the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, you can check out their website.

Lifestyle, News

Google Finally Looks At Optimising the Play Store for Wear OS

August 22, 2022 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

Google seems to be taking its own OS for wearables seriously – FINALLY. With Samsung on the board with Wear OS, it would seem like Google finally deems it worthy of proper attention. Of course, the upcoming Pixel Watch could also be the impetus behind the company’s sudden commitment to the platform.

Screenshot 2022 08 22 at 19 52 39 Samsung Galaxy Unpacked August 2022 Official Replay — Source: Google at Samsung Unpacked (YouTube)

At the recent Samsung Unpacked event, Google was given a small segment to discuss Wear OS. Google noted that the with the release of the Galaxy Watch 4 and the latest iteration of the OS, the number of users on Wear OS has more than tripled. Of course, to-date, the Samsung Galaxy Watch4 series is one of the only smartwatches with Google’s OS. So, it’s pretty evident that Samsung’s adoption of the platform is doing it some good.

Screenshot 2022 08 22 at 19 52 52 Samsung Galaxy Unpacked August 2022 Official Replay — Source: Google at Samsung Unpacked (YouTube)

However, Google hasn’t done much in the years since it launched Android Wear back in 2014. That’s about to change with Google committing to revamp and optimise the Google Play Store. The revamp will put compatible apps front and center especially if you’re browsing the Google Play Store on your smartwatch. This will undoubtedly change the user experience on compatible devices.

Screenshot 2022 08 22 at 19 52 01 Samsung Galaxy Unpacked August 2022 Official Replay — Source: Google at Samsung Unpacked (YouTube)

In addition to the optimised Play Store, Google is also bringing offline navigation to Wear OS. The new feature of the Google Maps app will allow users to use turn by turn navigation from their smartwatch without being tethered to a smartphone. The current version of Google Maps on Wear OS is pretty much useless without a smartphone. This functionality is slated for “later this year”. It wouldn’t surprise us if Google launches this together with the upcoming Pixel Watch.

Google’s Wear OS 3 is slated to arrive on more devices soon. Currently, Samsung has the Galaxy Watch4 series and the recently announced Galaxy Watch5 series on the market. Mont Blanc and Tag Heuer also have more premium smartwatches running Wear OS 3 available on the market as well.

Android, Mobile, News

Xiaomi 12 Lite Brings a 108-Megapixel Camera to the sub MYR1,000 Price Point

August 19, 2022 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

Xiaomi has been known to shake up the smartphone market every now and again. Just recently, they announced the Xiaomi 12S Ultra which brings a large 1-inch sensor and Leica imaging technology to their flagships. Now, the company is supercharging their Lite series with features that make other mid-range smartphones cry.

The freshly announced Xiaomi 12 Lite completes the current Xiaomi 12 lineup. It brings a more restrained combination of specifications while keeping it more affordable but feature-packed. The 12 Lite is one of the lightest smartphones coming in at only 173g (6.1oz). It’s also one of the sleekest available right now with a 7.29mm thickness. It’s a rather industrial device with an angular body and rounded corners. Of course, like all modern smartphones, the 12 Lite comes with a multicamera setup.

Impressive Camera Performance with a 108-megapixel Sensor and Xiaomi’s Own AI

The Mi 12 Lite comes with a triple camera setup which is accented on the back by metal rings. The main sensor is a 108-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL HM2 sensor. Yep – the same one we’ve seen on flagships like the S21 and Xiaomi 11. Complementing this is an 8-megapixel ultra wide-angle sensor and a 2-megapixel macro camera. Of course, the sensor is not thing doing the work when it comes to the camera. Xiaomi has imbued its MIUI camera with AI and features that up the ante in the midrange. Specifically, the Xiaomi 12 Lite will be shipping with AI-powered eye tracking and even motion capture.

On the front, the smartphone is coming with a 32-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL GD2 sensor with autofocus. That’s right, the front camera of the Xiaomi 12 Lite comes with autofocus – something that is nearly unheard of at its price point and even in its device class. This is supported by Xiaomi’s own algorithm that optimises things like depth estimation and HDR colouration to give vibrant pictures and milky smooth bokeh. Xiaomi has also equipped the 12 Lite with a new Selfie Glow System which helps illuminate subjects in front of the sensor. The system consists of 2 strips of LED lights that are able to flood the subject with light. It also can act as a highlighting light under the right conditions.

Uncompromising Power with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G

The Xiaomi 12 Lite comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G. The octa-core processor packs performance and power savings with its 6nm fabrication. This is complemented with up to 8GB and 256GB of internal storage.

In addition to the power-packed internals, the 12 Lite comes with a 6.55-inch AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. It also has a 20:9 aspect ratio and an FHD+ resolution of 1080×2400 pixels. The display is a TrueColor display which can provide a more true-to-life-reproduction of colours. The phone also comes with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision certifications in addition to its stereo speakers.

All of this runs on a 4,700mAh battery with support for 67W fast charging. Xiaomi is touting that fast charging will allow you to go from 0-50% in 30 minutes. Smart charging provides some protection for overnight charging by charging from 0-80% rapidly and slowly to 100% by the time you unplug in the morning.

Pricing & Availability

The Xiaomi 12 Lite will be available in three colours: Lite Pink, Lite Green and Black. In Malaysia, it will be available with 8GB RAM and 128GB internal memory and 8GB RAM and 256GB internal memory versions. The former will be priced at MYR1,699 while the latter will be priced at MYR1,899.

The 12 Lite will be available for pre-order starting on the 19th of August until the 26th of August 2022. Pre-orders will be entitled to an MYR100 discount. Those done via Xiaomi Stores will get an additional MYR299 of freebies including a Xiaomi Shoulder Bag, Xiaomi Sports Bottle and a Mi Body Composition scale. While those done on Xiaomi’s online stores on Shopee and LAZADA will be entitled to a free Redmi Buds 3 Lite worth MYR99.

Android, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

HONOR Launches Their New HONOR 70, Flagship Performance at MYR 1,999

August 19, 2022 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

In the past few months HONOR has been doing plenty to sort of distance itself from its previous parent company, HUAWEI. There is a good reason for that. It now means that HONOR can work with Google and get Google’s very crucial Play Store on their devices. The direct result is that their devices can really run on Google’s Android too and Qualcomm’s System on a Chip (SoC).

They have just released their latest device in Malaysia, the HONOR 70. They call this their “imaging flagship”. It is not really a flagship on paper. It only packs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 778G+ with 5G capabilities, a mid-range processor. It also does not pack more than 8GB of RAM paired to 256GB of internal storage.

There is a reason why they call it their “imaging flagship” though. It packs a second processing chip. It is a proprietary, independent chip that handles all things imaging. They call it the HONOR Image Engine that also powers the device’s camera AI.

The image processor works with Sony’s IMX800 sensor. This is technically the first device to feature Sony’s latest large format smartphone camera sensor. It measures 1/1.49-inch in size to make it the largest smartphone imaging sensor currently fitted to a consumer grade smartphone. The sensor is a 54-Megapixel sensor, because you do not need anything more than that in a smartphone. At the same time there is a 50-Megapixel Ultra-wide/macro camera that you can work with as well. Video-wise, they also added a feature to simultaneously track and record another subject in your video at 1080p Full HD resolutions.

The display is quite fascinating too, at 1080p Full HD resolution. It refreshes at 120Hz, a flagship level hardware this. It also displays up to 10-bit colours with up to 1920Hz PWM dimming for the best looking and immersive looking display in its class.

The Magic UI 6.1 device also features flagship level battery life. It packs a large 4,800mAh battery that can last you days. If not, you can quickly charge it at 66W speeds.

The HONOR 70 is now available for pre-order at MYR 1,999. You can get your hands on one from HONOR’s authorised retailers, their own e-commerce platform, and their flagship stores on Shopee and Lazada. More information on the HONOR 70 can be found on their website.

Android, Mobile, News

OnePlus 10T ^5G Available for Pre-order in Malaysia

August 18, 2022 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

The OnePlus 10T ^5G is getting closer to being in your hands! The latest offering from OnePlus is now up for pre-order in Malaysia. Pre-orders are available on the official Shopee and LAZADA OnePlus stores as well as through select retailers. We also finally know the official pricing for the new OnePlus handset. It’s going to set you back MYR3,199 (USD$715.04) and will only be available with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage in Jade Green.

OnePlus 10T 5Gs Price Unveiled at RM3199 – Now Available for Pre Order with Exclusive Privileges — Source: OnePlus

Pre-orders will be running from 18th August until the 31th of August 2022. If you do pre-order your OnePlus 10T, you will be able to get your hands on the device on the 28th August 2022 a good four days before the first sales kick off on 1st September 2022. In addition, pre-orders will be entitled to a 1-year screen protection plan worth MYR199, 1 year extended warranty worth MYR99 and 1 year’s accidental damage protection worth MYR299. If you’re one of the first 25 pre-orders on the LAZADA and Shopee store, you will also be receiving mystery boxes with surprises worth up to MYR1,299. In fact, we’ve got it on good authority that there’s a OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite ^5Gin one of those boxes.

The new smartphone comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 complete with a 6.7-inch Fluid AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate. It’s also equipped with a triple camera array featuring a 50-megapixel main camera sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS).

News

U Mobile Reveals New 5G Ready U Postpaid Plans with 1TB of Data

August 18, 2022 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

U Mobile is preparing its network for the forthcoming activation of 5G in Malaysia. In anticipation of the big flipping of the switch, the company is introducing new U Postpaid plans which are 5G ready and bring even more value to customers with larger data pools and the promise of better connectivity.

Photo 1 Launch photo — From Left: Norfazidah Abu Bakar (Chief Corporate Services Officer), Alex Tan Kok Leong (Chief Sales Officer), Navin Manian (Chief Marketing Officer), Tomkinson (Chief Information Officer), Woon Ooi Yuen (Chief Technology Officer) and Michael Tung (Head of Consumer Business) at the launch of the new U Postpaid Plans. (Source: U Mobile)

The telco is one of a handful that makes up the majority share of connectivity providers in Malaysia. However, they are the first in that group aside from YTL Communications’ Yes network to gear up for 5G. The new plans follow the recent sunsetting of 3G undertaken by U mobile. That said, U Mobile is boasting that it has better coverage of 98% of Malaysia. This figure is up from its previously reported 86%.

In addition to better coverage, the telco notes that recent trends show that the average Malaysian consumes 47% more data now with an average of 1.3 hours daily spent on the internet. This insight has led them to introduce what can only be called the most abundant data cap in Malaysia at the moment – 1,000GB or 1TB. The new data cap is a highlight of their new U Postpaid 98 which rounds up the current stable of U Postpaid plans at MYR98. For the lower U Postpaid 68 which costs MYR68, users will have access to 100GB of data a month while the lower U Postpaid 38 has a 30GB data cap at MYR38.

It’s not all about data with U Mobile either, with borders opening up, the telco is also considering the number of subscribers looking to go overseas. As a hallmark of both the U Postpaid 98 and U Postpaid 68, users will now be able to receive calls while roaming for free. This also complements their offering of 15GB of free roaming data in 63 locations around the world. These locations include Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, the USA and South Korea.

U Mobile King Kong Plan Table — U Postpaid Plan Breakdown. (Source: U Mobile)

Users looking to get the U Postpaid 98 Plan can also look forward to sharing the enormous 1TB data cap with up to six U FamilyShare lines. Each line will set you back an additional MYR38 – one of the lowest prices in the current market. All lines under the new U Postpaid plans come with unlimited calls to all networks. It is worth noting that there is a 5GB hotspot or tethering quota applicable across the board.

The U Postpaid 68 and U Postpaid 98 plans also have access to U Mobile’s new device plans: U Paylater and U Savemore. The U Paylater plan offers users the flexibility of a 0% instalment package to own their new devices while the U Savemore plan offers devices at a discounted price with MYR0 upfront payment. You will naturally need to pay for the device during purchase under the U Savemore plan. Both options are available to U Postpaid 98 customers while U Postpaid 68 subscribers can only opt for the U Savemeore plan. The MYR0 upfront payment is also subject to your payment history, it is only available to those with a good record. Of course, users will be tied to a contract to enjoy these benefits.

The new plans join the U Postpaid 38 plan that was launched earlier this year. Users on these plans will be able to enjoy 5G connectivity once it is available as well. The plans are already available commercially. To subscribe, simply go to U Mobile’s website or visit a U Mobile centre.

Computers, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

WhatsApp Has a Native Windows App, Finally

August 17, 2022 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

No, this is not technically breaking news. In some sense, WhatsApp on PCs is not a new thing as well. The app has a Windows app for a while now. It is technically an incarnation of WhatsApp Web, but without reliance on web interfaces, to a certain degree.

The thing is, when you sign into your Desktop version of the app before this, you are not really signed into WhatsApp Desktop. Rather, you are signed into a web-based version of the app. Which also means that the desktop app is a lie. Well, they did not do anything to mask that WhatsApp Desktop is nothing more than web-based interface that opens on a separate window.

The new update to the Windows version of WhatsApp Desktop is a little different though. At first glance, they changed on the visuals a little. There are more green accents on the interface. Thy interface also looks somewhat a lot more streamlined than before, less clunky. You also see a video call and phone button now, which means you can make calls from your PC now, instead of your smartphone. Then you turn to your smartphone and instead of “Google Chrome” or “Microsoft Edge” listed on your linked devices, it is now “Windows”.

This is all a part of WhatsApp making their interface native to Windows. Other than a few visual differences, there are also added a few capabilities to the app.

While you might not notice it too much, WhatsApp being made native to Windows does have a performance boost. It should now load faster, work faster, and is a lot more stable than before. Other than the optimization you get on WhatsApp for Windows, you can also now receive messages and notifications even when your smartphone is offline. It is not completely reliant on your smartphone anymore. Of course, now you can make video calls and phone calls via the app on Windows PC.

WhatsApp for Windows is now live on the Microsoft Store. If you have WhatsApp Desktop already installed on your machine, you simply need to update it via Microsoft Store. The Desktop App is currently limited to Windows. They are working on a working version for Mac currently which also means that it should be available to Mac users soon.

Accessories, Computers, Gaming, Lifestyle, News

Samsung Launches the Odyssey Ark – Let Samsung Take You on a Magical Gaming Journey

August 16, 2022 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

The world of large format gaming displays is not necessarily a crowded space. There is a good reason for that. When you buy a large format display like a TV, you want something that can at least project up to 4K in resolution. Anything lower than 4K with displays less than 40 inches can look rather weird and pixelated (the days of 1080p Full HD TVs are far behind us).

At the same time, while 4K TVs are abundant today, 4K gaming is not something that is easily accessible today. Well, when we say not easily accessible, we are mostly talking about PC gaming more than console gaming. Sure, the PlayStation 5 and latest Xbox Series X can easily play games at 4K resolution and boasts up to 120fps for displays that does 120Hz. But at the same time, not every game can run at that framerate at 4K resolution too.

In the world of PC gaming, 4K gaming is not unheard of, it is just rather rare. The most common high-end gaming set up in the world of PC gaming sports displays that tops out at 1440p at 165Hz these days. That is also because in the world where your display is no more than an arm’s length in front of you, you never really need anything that is more than 30 inches big and more than 1440p to look good. At the same time, the amount of money you want to spend on hardware that can run games at 4K resolution at up to 120fps always is ridiculous.

That does not mean that there is no such market though. For those with enough money to get something like an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 and Intel’s latest 12^th Generation Core i9 processor combinations, Samsung has something that will wet their beaks and make full use of their hardware. They have this, the Odyssey Ark.

The argument behind the Samsung Odyssey Ark is plenty simple. The idea is to make the best gaming display money can buy. They came up with a 55-inch behemoth that is curved at 1000R.

The 55-inch curved display sports Samsung’s highly acclaimed Quantum Matrix technology with Mini LEDs. With up to 14-bit processing, 16,384 black levels, your blacks look deep, and your images looks ultra-realistic. At 55-inch, you are going to be fully immersed in the game world too. At 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio with HDR10+, finding things in the darker areas of your map is a breeze.

It is not just a beautiful looking 4K display too. It is a super-fast display; it is a gaming display after all. It sports up to 165Hz in refresh rate. Its Grey-to-Grey response time is as low as 1ms for the fastest response you can get out of your display. It even supports AMD’s FreeSync Premium Pro for not just a tear free gaming experience, but also a super responsive one.

You might want to forget going for a VESA mount for this monitor. The stand it comes with is plenty enough to handle the weight of a 55-inch gaming monitor. It is also a tiltable base so that you can use it in what Samsung calls the “cockpit mode”. You flip the display vertically and it really wraps around your head.

A display this size also requires big sounds. Because it takes up so much space on your desk, you might want to not get a sound bar, or a speaker set up. This one offers you four speakers with Dolby Atmos certification. They call it the Sound Dome Technology with object tracking capabilities for the most immersive experience available.

Of course, it comes with its own Samsung TV style remote, because it is that big. It also comes with something called an Ark Dial. It is a smart remote thing that allows you quick and easy access over the TVs more prominent and more frequently accessed functions. At the same time, like the latest Samsung TVs, it comes with a One Connect Box for a much easier access to all its four HDMI 2.1 ports, LAN port, and USB ports.

Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung

The Samsung Odyssey is nothing short of breathtaking. It only comes in black, but it also has RGB strips on the top and bottom of the back plate. It does not matter though what colour the display comes in, the 55-inch curved Mini LED panel stands out like a sore thumb anyway. The Odyssey Ark is now available for pre-order in the United States of America (U.S.A.) and select regions. Malaysia? Not yet, but we can expect it to come pretty soon, since the 49-inch ultra-wide behemoth has already landed. In the U.S.A. it will set you back US$ 3,500 though, about MYR 15,631*, or the price of a very high-end, very big TV from the likes of Samsung. More information the Samsung Odyssey Ark can be found on their website.

*Approximately based on conversion rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.47 as of 16/08/2022 on xe.com

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