Buying a new gadget is always special. Somehow it feels like an achievement. I remember the first time I bought my smartphone a Samsung Galaxy S. That was in the turn of the millennium and it felt like a big achievement. It was a great feeling, a special feeling.
Then you unbox the device, a delicate mix of glass, and plastic, and metal these days. It felt like a trophy at that time. Then you have to set it up, which is a pain in the butt.
Setting up your device for the first time is always quite a painful process. It takes out plenty of your time. You have to transfer as much data as possible from one smartphone to the other. In the old days, some of the most important data on your device is your contacts. You can do that with a simple Google sign in now. But the rest of the device, not so easy.
Since I switch to a smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S, I have never turned back to switch to another manufacturer. Since I have switched to the Note series from the Samsung Galaxy Note2, I have never turned back. Now, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra is here, and we have to get our hands on it.
First Set-Up
We did, and then we have to set it up like any other phone. In that regards, I switched out from a Samsung Galaxy Note9 to this Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra. Thank the heavens, we have the Smart Switch app that simplified data transfer from one phone the other, to a certain degree.
The first set-up of the device is quite painless. Since I am coming from another Samsung device, it is a simple turn on the Smart Switch app on the older device and get them to pair. When I switched out my Samsung Galaxy Note5 to a Samsung Galaxy Note9, I had to do the transfer via a wire. Now, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 does it wirelessly with the Samsung Galaxy Note9; neat.
Smart Switch App
The whole process is quite painless if you do it correctly and should be done within an hour depending on your smartphone. We did something wrong and had to reset twice to get the data transferred correctly. It took us about 40 minutes (when we got it right) for all the necessary data to reach the Galaxy Note20 Ultra.
It was worth it though, once done the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 looks exactly like the Note9 in terms interface. You get the same background you’ve set on your older device and even the same lock screen. Of course, you have to set up your fingerprint sensor and facial recognition again.
Things like your Google Account has already been signed into and you can access almost everything else that is singed in with Google account without having to sign in again. Of course, you have to sign into your Samsung account and Microsoft account again. Facebook is mostly already set up too if you transferred your data with Smart Switch app. Other things like Twitter and Instagram requires you to sign in again though.
If you want to, you can even transfer all the older photos that you took with your older device to the Samsung Galaxy Note20. That is what we did, and everything we had from the old Samsung Galaxy Note9 is now in the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra. We only wish that the app also helps us mimic all the app settings and accounts we had. We were quite annoyed to find that certain apps are not signed in and most of our games progress has been reset.
Naked and Vulnerable
The Samsung Galaxy Note20 review unit that we got does not come with a device case to protect it from the world. When we checked with Samsung’s rep, there is a chance that the retail unit might not come with an included case too. In that case, we do suggest that you procure one the moment you get your Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra unit though. You would want to slap a case on its back because of the huge camera bump.
The device is not particularly thick, which makes the camera bump a little bit of an odd stand out. It is half the thickness of the S Pen and definitely thicker than your 50cent coin. You might need to stack two coins and it will just clear the height of the bump.
It is not a small bump either. It has to fit a large 108-Megapixel sensor along with two supporting sensors at that. Just in case you do not remember, the camera sensors are now larger as well. The term ‘stick out like a sore thumb’ plays very well here.
Still, the bronze that was presented on the Samsung Galaxy Note20 is a unique touch to smartphones. While every other manufacturer is doing all they can to get their device’s backs to look like they came out of the North Pole, Samsung goes back to basic with their flagship productivity machine.
The bronze is not even in a glossy shade for style points. They didn’t really bother with creating fancy effects either. It is just a matte finish that even feels nice in your hands. The only thing about it is that it is quite slippery in your hands. That is why we advise you to buy a case too.
We do really like the matte texture to the back of the device though. While it is nothing new, it is quite refreshing at this time and it does look good to a certain degree. Still you might just cover it up with a case anyway.
Battery Concerns
Out-of-the-box, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 comes with about 50% in battery charge when you turn it on. That should be enough for you to do your set ups or the data transfer. Once set up is done, the battery is still good enough to play around with and to do all extra set ups. While that is good news, it might disguise its actual battery life though.
The Samsung Galaxy Note20 houses the biggest battery of all the Note series that came before. The thing is, we do feel like it has about the same battery life as the Samsung Galaxy Note9 though. It is not great, but it is not bad either. If you constantly keep your device on, the battery does dwindle a little bit. We suspect that the battery life is driven down by the 120Hz refresh rate.
Once you start to charge it though, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 will prompt you if you want to fast charge it if fast charging is available. That is quite clever as well. If you tend to leave your device charging overnight, you might want to consider turning that function off. That is also a very clever way to preserve your battery shelf life.
120Hz Goodness
Once you start working with the smartphone, you first notice how smooth everything is. The Samsung Galaxy Note20 turns on 120Hz refresh rate by default but limits your resolution at Full HD. If you want the full quad HD treatment, sorry. Still, 1080p is still plenty good looking on the AMOLED display, so we left it that way.
The smoothness of the interface is uncanny though, everything flows really nicely with each swipe. Even the Samsung Keyboard is made to take on 120Hz, the suggested words just flow along as you type, which was a nice touch.
Of course, the other benefit to the fast display is gaming. Unfortunately, this aspect will have to wait until we properly review the device though. Why? We have not even launched any of the games we have on the device.
S Pen – Mightier than the Pen
Okay, that was an exaggeration. It is technically a digital pen, and we maintain that the stylus experience still cannot beat an actual Pen experience. But this, in our first tests, does feel quite close to an actual pen.
No, not the actual pen on paper experience. Instead, you still know that you are writing on glass, a smooth surface. We can liken it more to using market pen on whiteboards. That said, this S Pen is unlike any other stylus experience we are used to. This is coming from a Samsung Galaxy Note9 user.
It is faster than before, they say at 9ms. That means that response is near instant with the S Pen. Before we can start though, S Pen has some setting up and tutorial to do when we first take it out of its housing at the bottom left this time (used to be bottom right).
The first set up is to teach us how to use the three gesture controls that is available for the S Pen. If you do everything correctly, you will get that done within 30 seconds and you are good to go. You have to set up your apps with gesture controls first though, if you want to use them. We have not.
Then we fired up the S Notes app that is native to Samsung devices. We started writing and comparing to older Samsung Galaxy Note devices like the Note10 and the Note9. We fell a little in love after that. The experience is much changed and different now. While it is only a small difference between in the speed, the difference can be clearly seen. Especially when you are scribbling quickly, the scribbles on the Samsung Galaxy Note20 appears to really follow the pen without any visible breaks. We suspect that the 120Hz play a small role in this.
First Impressions After 24 Hours
This, in our humble opinions, could be Samsung’s most important and significant Samsung Galaxy Note ever. They are realising it into a highly volatile and uncertain market. No, not because Samsung is doing badly or that the smartphone market is doing badly. Those are provided also because of the bigger global concern that is the COVID-19 pandemic at this time.
For most, it is business as usual like Samsung. The Samsung Galaxy Note20 is sort of a new normal too. It is bigger, faster, and cleverer than before. It is a statement to the world that the digital pen is ready to take on paper and pen for speed and practicality. It is a new way to work on things.
It does not have the same camera prowess that is the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra’s 100x zoom. But it is a productivity beast when it comes to things that matter. You can use it as your alternative work device if you really want to. It refined the Samsung design philosophy a little bit with better ergonomics on the sides. The top and bottom are flat now, which does give it a slightly edgier and fresher look.
It is huge, even compared to the previous Samsung Galaxy Note devices. But it is never uncomfortable to hold (save for that big camera bump, we have nothing to complain about). It is even more powerful too, with bigger stamina tank. But it is not obnoxious in looks. It looks understated and we like that.
All in all, the experience is one that we have quite enjoyed. We have not gone into detail on the missing 3.5mm jack just yet. We have not even explored the Super-Fast Charging capabilities on the Note20 Ultra just yet. We also have not started talking about the big cameras yet.
The Movement Control Order, as we know it in Malaysia, or the sanctioned quarantine at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic (it is not over, by the way) really opened our eyes to plenty of things. It revealed the human ability to adapt to any situation and still survive. It also proved that our technology is ready to handle the situation and give us the kind of flexibility we need in that time of need.
But it also opened a whole other can of worms. Once we started working from home, we realised just how easily we can be productive without being in a professional environment. We also realised that the line between work and leisure is blurred to the point that we cannot see it. In that sense, we tend to be workaholics at home. Time for a change of lifestyle then, a new schedule.
You realised something too. You do not have much entertainment at home. You did not buy a TV because you tend to not be home until quite late in the evening. By that time, you just want to relax, wind down, watch a video or two on your smartphone or notebook, and then sleep. A TV is unnecessary at the time.
Other forms of entertainment get neglected too. Your gaming PC at the corner has collected so much dust that it looks like an ancient relic. You stopped playing that much games because you tend to stay out until its dark and you are sleepy. You want to play games, but you just do not have the energy for it in the past. In the current work-from-home situation though, you realise you have plenty more time to play games. But your Gaming PC is now old and slow. Time to buy a new Gaming PC.
You decide that its best to get a Gaming Notebook because it is the most convenient form of gaming PC to date. You can bring it around when you need to move, you can use it for work, you can watch movies on it, you can play music on it, you can have a LAN party at your friend’s place. It is the most versatile entertainment powerhouse in the world of entertainment powerhouses.
Which one do you go for though? What kind of budget do you stick to? There are so many choices out there at this point? What if you do not have more than MYR 6,000 to spend on one? What is the latest one in the market?
One of the latest gaming notebooks to arrive in Malaysia is the Acer Predator Helios 300. We heard somewhere too that the device was actually planned for an earlier release to no avail. That was due to the COVID-19 pandemics and its disruption toward the logistics industry globally. We do not blame them. It is also priced below MYR 6,000 at MYR 5,199, way below. In short, it sounds like one of the best deals to get if you are in the market for a gaming notebook. Is it though? Let us find out.
Design
The Acer Predator Helios 300 for the 2020 has been updated a little bit from before. The Acer Predator Helios 300 2020 gets pretty much the same GPU set up as before, same RAM size as before, and the same cooling internals. That is where the similarities end though.
The Predator Helios 300 is now packing more power with an Intel Core i7-10750H. With that, it also gets a slightly updated look. Gone is the ‘PREDATOR’ word logo on the cover. You get a much cleaner look on the back of the display now, which is the top clam of the notebook. The mascot logo is still there though, giving you some hints of the power contained within the all-aluminium body.
The power lines that frames the logo is still there too. The powerlines are as iconic as ever, in Predator’s signature blue. Sadly, only the logo in the center of the clam lights up with LED. We feel that the power lines deserve their own LED array to let others know that it means business.
The angled edge still stays, a staple now to Acer’s gaming line-up, including their Nitro series. The angles on the display clam is still a little sharp, but that is not a huge issue, considering that you rarely have contact with that part of the notebook.
The sharp edges that lines the palm rest surface though has been chamfered. They are still a little sharp on the ends, but at the same time the chamfered edges does make it a bit more comfortable for your palms and wrists. That chamfered edge is now chromed all the way too though, to add to some flair to how the device looks on your desk.
Open it up, and you will find, greeting you, is an expansive 15.6-inch IPS panel. With bezels remaining as thin as ever, but not too thin that it becomes awkward for Acer to find creative ways to mount their 720p HD webcam. Of course, we are still hoping that manufacturers include their own window or cap for the webcam just for our safety. At this point of time though, webcam spaces are a premium, so we may not see a webcam window anytime soon.
Look down and you find a full-size keyboard with proper physical number pad section. Instead of a single colour backlit keyboard, it is now a 4-zone RGB keyboard you can control with Predator Sense built into the notebook. There is a dedicated Predator Sense key too on the keyboard for you to access it quickly. I would have preferred a separate dedicated button though this arrangement by Acer makes everything look cleaner and more compact.
If you look closely too, you will see a ‘Turbo’ button on the top left corner of the typing surface. The new slits at the forehead of the keyboard are not speakers, by the way. They are extra cooling vents for the powerful 4th generation 3D Aeroblades. The ‘Turbo’ button is nestled right beside the vents.
This ‘Turbo’ button now lights up when you press it. Instead of just relying on your ears to see if the cooling fans go crazy or not, you can leave your headphones on and check the button instead. Although, the LED is not an expected Predator blue. Instead it is a plain white LED backlight. I would have liked it if it was Predator blue LED backlit. Then again, it could be less visible.
Around the sides, you find all the right interface ports, including a full HDMI out port and a Mini DP port. The charging port though has been moved to the back of the notebook. That also means that there is a big plate now in the middle of the back of the notebook, sacrificing some cooling vent space (hence the extra vents on top of the keyboard). We prefer this set up though, at least the charging cable will not cover anymore ports or vents. The large plate that houses the charging mechanism is quite large and sparse though. We would have liked to see an HDMI port moved there, the Mini DP port should belong there as well, and maybe an extra USB port on the plate.
Other than these things, the changes in design is now more internal. Instead of having an extra HDD slot on top of the 512GB SSD on the device, you now get an extra SSD and HDD slot on top of the 512GB SSD. Because of the new I/O layout too, they have to move the 3D AeroBlade fan a little bit, further apart to the sides. But they have also redesigned the heat pipes and tweaked their routing to make them a bit more efficient and effective, resulting in an improved cooling performance, despite the reduced intake vent surface area.
Hardware
Within the redesigned body, you are getting the same Intel Core i7-10750H as the Acer Nitro 5 we reviewed earlier. You can opt for a cheaper Core i5 edition, but we would suggest that you consider the Acer Nitro 5 then. Still, this one is in a league of its own. It is a Predator, and this one is just MYR 300 more than the top-of-the-line Acer Nitro 5.
For that MYR 300 extra, you are getting a better GPU too. It is just a step up from the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti, but the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is still a much more superior GPU with DLSS 2.0 capabilities and proper ray tracing. In those alone, we do think that the Acer Predator Helios 300 will be a better buy.
If you are in the market for a thin and light though, you might want to look away. It is quite a hefty package, this Helios 300. It weighs 2.5kg and is just about as thick as the Acer Nitro 5 that weighs in at 1.8kg. Remember though that this Helios 300 is mostly constructed with Aluminium.
15.6-inch IPS LED-backlit (1920 x 1080) ComfyView 144Hz
Memory
512GB NVME M.2 SSD 8GB DDR4 RAM
Networking and Connections (I/O)
3 x USB Type-A 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C 1 x Standard HDMI 1.4 1 x Audio combo jack 1 x Network RJ-45 Intel Wi-Fi 6 Gig+ (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.0
Battery
4-cell Li-Polymer
Operating System
Windows 10 Home (64-bit)
Miscellaneous
DTS:X Ultra Audio
Features
As we have mentioned before, most of the changes are in the internals of the Acer Predator Helios 300. The size has not changed, nor the weight. Plenty of the changes seem quite minor at first, but they do add up to an improved product over its previous one though.
For starters, we like how much cleaner the new Helios 300 for 2020 looks compared to the rest of the previous generation Acer predator notebooks. We can expect this kind of design as well moving forward with other Acer Predator products. The chamfered edges are a big plus in our books because it does help with typing comfort a little, despite the still sharp angle at the ends. But there are more to this notebook than just small improvements.
New Body, New Positions
Like the Acer Nitro 5 that we reviewed earlier last month, the Acer Predator Helios 300’s charging port is now at the back. This, in our opinion, is a big ergonomic improvement. Because of the angled design of the charging cable from Acer (slightly wider power brick for the 2020 version), the cable tends to cover either your I/O ports at the side or the exhaust vents.
You either restrict airflow, or block your ports, which gets very annoying in plenty of cases. Acer will not completely overhaul the cables a well, because a straight plug will disrupt your mouse experience, especially when you game. To right handers, it is a simple solution of moving the charging port to the left side of the device. That is discriminating left-handers though. So, the back is the most sensible choice.
The only complain we have, as mentioned is that the back plate that houses the charging internals is a little on the sparse side. We felt that the Mini DP port and HDMI port should be moved to the back alongside a full-sized USB port or USB Type-C port. Yes, go with what Lenovo has done with their Legion line-up, we like that.
4-Zone RGB Keyboard That is Even Better
Typing essays on the previous Acer Predator Helios 300 was not really a chore to begin with. We find that the keyboard on most gaming notebooks have improved tremendously, especially on Acer Predator notebooks. We feel like they have started understanding that gaming notebooks are still productivity machines when you need them to be. Typing experience is still an important part of a notebook PC.
In that sense, the 2019 version of the Helios 300 is a comfortable typewriter. The key travels cannot be compared to any mechanical keyboards, but they are still easy to work with. They give you enough feedback with some very soft tactile feel. We somehow feel also that the keyboard would be the best that they could have made it.
The 2020 variant though has a better keyboard than before somehow. The keys somehow feel a bit more tactile than we are used to with Acer’s island type individual keys. There is no difference between key travels between the 2019 variant and 2020 variant. The softness and mushiness are much reduced, and the typing experience somehow is made much more comfortable. No, you still cannot compare it to a mechanical keyboard, but it is a good keyboard to work with when you are out and about. Not everyone carries their mechanical keyboards in their bags.
You still get highlighted ‘WASD’, arrow, and Predator Sense keys on the Acer Predator Helios 300. Instead of choosing a single backlight colour though, you can go for multiple colours across four zones on the keyboard this time. You simply fire up Predator Sense to change the settings.
The chamfered edge that lines the bottom of the keyboard plate, is a life saver. At least the edges do not cut into your palms or wrists anymore. We think that rounded off edges or chamfered edges on notebooks should be a thing. It is a small difference that really changes your comfort levels with the device.
Predator Sense + 4th Gen 3D AeroBlade = Stone Cold
The subtitle might be a little of an exaggeration. But to be fair, the combination of the two really works. Because you do not have the restriction of space like you get in a Triton notebook, the Helios 300 can work with bigger intake and exhaust fans and vents. That allows even more air to pass through your hot internals and keep them properly cool.
If you’ve read our review of the Acer Nitro 5, you would have noticed that we mentioned that Nitro sense is not quite as powerful as Predator Sense. That is because Nitro Sense does not do overclocks, while Predator Sense does.
Strangely you cannot really tweak the overclocking settings on your own, not that this information is anything new. Acer do not really want you to cook your internals just for the sake of proving a point. This is as much about protecting you as it is protecting the PC and themselves.
Predator Sense clocks up your CPU and GPU to speeds that the manufacturers deem safe and plausible enough for their fans to keep them at their optimum temperature. Of course, this is done when you kick ‘Turbo’ mode on. The fans go at its fastest too, to ensure maximum airflow for the Helios 300. Nope, you cannot turn the fan down.
In default mode though, the fan is relatively quiet and peaceful. It is still powerful enough technically to run Horizon Zero Dawn at ‘ultimate’ settings and not go overboard with the noise. It does get hot though after a while and you still might want to kick ‘turbo’ mode on, just to manage its temperature.
In any sense though, we never got the feeling that the Acer Predator Helios 300 is ever going to overheat, especially when you turn on ‘Turbo’ mode when ou need a little bit of horsepower. We turn on ‘Turbo’ mode even when we are editing our videos. We also think that the full aluminium top of the Helios 300 does help a little bit in heat dissipation.
Performance
You can safely expect this generation of Acer Predator Helios 300 to really perform. Will it be that much more powerful? I doubt, but it will still be powerful. It is still one powerful device with a 10th Generation Intel Core i7-10750H processor that replaces the older 9th Generation six-core processor. But you still get the same NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 on the graphics end, which is still something of a powerhouse.
Gaming
Of course, we have to talk gaming, this is a gaming notebook after all. We tried games like Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, Horizon Zero Dawn, Assassin’s Creed: Origins, and Two Point Hospital on it. They are not the latest or most demanding games in the market, but Ghost Recon: Breakpoint can be quite taxing on even the most modern of hardware.
The latest, in terms of PC release date, among all the games is Horizon Zero Dawn. It is not the most demanding of games, but we were still excited to play it on the powerful Acer Predator Helios 300. For Horizon Zero Dawn though, you do not necessarily need an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, it could be just slightly overpowered even when you go on ultimate settings. Technically you will do fine even with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti to get the game on ultimate settings.
Of course, for titles like Assassin’s Creed: Origins and Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, hardware will be a little taxed. Still, if we leave the game to decide the best settings for the Helios 300, you are sure to be getting smooth gameplay without too big of an issue. Ghost Recon: Breakpoint can be a little buggy on certain hardware though, so we might have to take that with a pinch of salt. Still, the game clocked at least 40fps in most cases only dropping frames in very few occasions.
Assassin’s Creed Origins is quite an old title to be fair. It is still a beautiful game to work with and requires quite a little bit in rendering power thanks to the vast open world that is ancient Egypt. Still, everything went down smoothly at high settings with fps reaching 120 at some points.
The last title we tested the Helios 300 is Two Point Hospital. That is a game that does not require that much at all to be fair, so you can expect it to run as smoothly as possible with near zero hiccups other than the game’s bugs. You can safely leave the settings at the highest for the game and you will still have no trouble running it even without ‘Turbo’ mode on. Of course, thanks to IPS display and 144Hz, Two Point Hospital looks excellent on the Helios 300.
Bye Bye Wave NX, Hello DTS: X Ultra
The previous generation of Acer’s Predator Helios 300 comes packing Acer’s own Wave NX audio technology. They are not bad, per se. They are just not as polished as we would like them to be.
With Wave NX in the previous generation Acer Predator notebooks, you get Virtual 3D audio if you are using your headphones. Regardless of the headphone make and type, Acer’s Wave NX solution, by default, will adjust the audio according to your head’s placement and movement. This is done via the webcam as well. To create an audio room for you.
While it sounds great in concept, and works nicely to a certain degree, it is inconsistent at times. That feature is removed in favour of conventional speakers. Except, the speakers are not that conventional thanks to DTS: X Ultra tuning.
While audio from notebooks generally lack low-frequency punches, the Acer Predator Helios 300 does have a little bit in thumping. It is not as powerful and defined as what you get if you have proper sub-woofers, but it is enough to enjoy your music with. You do want to have the DTS: X audio software turned on though to make full use of the DTS: X Ultra tuned speakers.
The software allows you to choose between a few audio profiles that is designed for specific uses. If you want to, you can tune the audio on your own too and save is a custom profile. Still, the pre set profiles does a stellar job on their own though. Unless you know what you are doing, best to leave the settings alone.
The speakers are quite loud at full chat, which could be a big distraction to other people in the same room as you are. Thank goodness they still have a 3.5mm jack for you to plug your headphones in for a more personalised listening experience. DTS: X will adjust the audio to that too.
Overall, there is technically not much to shout about in the sound department. Audio is crisp, and you can push it to maximum volume without getting your music to tear at the top. While it could use more low-end grunt, it is still respectable considering that the notebook does not pack a sub-woofer.
Battery
While they did quote that the new 10th Generation Intel Core processors are more efficient in power consumption, we did not actually notice that much in terms of power efficiency bump. There are no specific mentions on the battery life you can get out of the 4-cell battery within Acer Predator Helios 300 from Acer themselves. We did however get about 4 hours of battery life on average with the Acer Predator Helios 300.
Our average use on battery does not include gaming. We mostly have our browser on, sometimes you get 20 tabs out of Firefox, some email checking via Thunderbird or the browser itself. Spotify is on most of the time while we are on the go, of course with earphones plugged in. We did watch some YouTube videos on battery as well, that could take a little bit of toll on the battery life. Oh, we also tend to turn our display brightness settings all the way up.
Still, we managed nearly six hours of battery use at one time before it goes flat. In that case, we turned on battery saving mode immediately after we unplugged it from the charger. In that use case, we did not have Spotify on, the browser was closed as well, and we were only using Microsoft Word in full time in the lowest possible display brightness that we can work with.
Display – 144Hz IPS Dream Like Before
The display, as mentioned, is still similarly sized. It is also still a 144Hz display like before, not a 240Hz unfortunately. Acer did claim that the 15.6-inch display is an IPS panel. That also means that you are getting vibrant and accurate colours for your viewing pleasure.
Of course, you have to remember that this is a gaming notebook. It will not be the most accurate display that you will find on a notebook. IPS display still offers a great viewing experience though. It is still good enough for you to work with colours in videos and photos though. Of course, if you want something with better colour accuracy, you might need to get a secondary display to attach to your PC.
Still, the colours are still quite vivid for a gaming notebook. That also means that you might be able to really enjoy movies and other forms of media on this gaming rig. Thanks to the DTS: X audio too, you do not need to plug in your headphones to enjoy movies on your own.
While 144Hz may not be the fastest display that you might be able to get on a notebook PC it is fast enough for most to enjoy. In this case you get to load up games at up to 144fps. If you are thinking of titles like GTA V or DOTA 2, you will get about 120 to 144fps easily with the kind of hardware The Helios 300 has.
Of course, if you are into competitive gaming, you might want something even higher than 144Hz. Thing is, you may not really need that kind of speed on your display. Your eyes might not even be able to tell the difference between a display refreshing at 120hz and 240hz. In that sense, 144Hz is more than enough for most of us. If you go for the modern AAA titles, you might not even hit 120Hz.
As we said earlier too, the bezels have not really changed from the 2019 Helios 300 to the 2020 variant. They did not go the route of completely redesigning a gaming notebook from the 2019 to 2020 models. They technically did not have to since the only big difference between the two generations is the processor. Still, we do think that they should stick to a slightly wider top and bottom bezel area just so that you can fit properly sized keyboards and properly placed webcams.
The webcam is still a 720p HD webcam though. Nothing too wrong with that, technically. Plenty of notebooks still work with 720p webcams. But we are in 2020 now, 720p is so last decade. We think that notebooks should move to a Full HD webcam format now.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 – Seriously, Why Not?
For MYR 5,199, we seriously think that this package is quite hard to beat. Its closest competitor, we think, is the ASUS ROG Strix G15. While that particular device comes with a 1TB SSD and 16GB RAM, you are paying a hefty MYR 6,699 for largely the same internals. That is more than MYR 1,000 compared to what you are paying for the Acer Predator Helios 300. If you do opt to get another 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD to match, you are still paying less for the Acer Predator Helios 300.
You may be getting less too, in terms of outrageous looks on your PC. The whole point of the Predator Helios 300 though is to blend in a little bit. It is to make sure that no one takes a second look at you when you sport the notebook in your favourite cafés. Plus, you can have your lightshow with the 4-zone RGB keyboard that you can set different profiles on anyway.
By default, the PC is relatively quiet anyway, that also means you can use it in the library and the person next to you will not complain about excessive wind noise. It can be within your production room not too far away from your recording mic too and you barely notice its there. It is only when you decide to ‘accidentally’ hit ‘Turbo’ that all hell breaks loose.
It is not a flashy hardware and it is not meant to be. In that sense, we love it. We love how it looks, how unassuming it is. We love that some may not be able to tell it apart from other Predator products. We love how Predator has stuck to one design choice and work with that identity. We love that we can change the RGB to a single colour the whole way (I am not that big of a fan on RGB). We love the price, as it is you are not paying an absurd amount of money for a top performer. We love its value, its versatility, and its practicality. We even love how it sounds (audio, not the cooling fans), though most of the time I use headphones with it.
Yes, there are some things we do not like too much about it, but we are nitpicking. We would like it to be a little lighter, for example. We also would like to start seeing notebooks coming with 1080p webcams. Maybe a 240Hz display would be really nice too, but that will push its price point up by a little bit.
Would we recommend this package? We would, very strongly. At MYR 5,199, nothing can come close to this performer. You really do not want to pass this up. You can even get your hands on it without going out of home within their online store. At this time, you really do not want to be leaving your homes too much. In that case; get this gaming notebook, and lock yourselves in for days with nothing but you and your games.
True Wireless Headphones and earphones are all the rage right now especially since a growing number of smartphones are dropping the 3.5mm jack. Samsung’s first attempt, the IconX, was a pretty respectable attempt at offering a wireless earphone, they improved with the Galaxy Buds. What about the Galaxy Buds Plus? There’s a lot to go into but, in a nutshell, it’s got a lot going for it – with some room for improvement.
The Galaxy Buds Plus is Samsung’s third attempt at creating a compelling offering when it comes to true wireless earphones. While I would love to say that a lot has changed – that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, when it comes to the exterior design, you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between the IconX, the Galaxy Buds and the Galaxy Buds+.
It has a lot going for it when it comes down to performance and some of its design, but before we get into the nitty gritty, let’s talk about the first thing you’d do when you get the Galaxy Buds+ – pair it. Compatibility with the Buds Plus isn’t much of an issue – the Buds+ is compatible with nearly all devices on the market; all you have to do with smartphones is download the app and pair the earphones with the smartphone. That said, I was also using the Buds+ with my laptop and pairing was pretty simple. All you have to do is open your casing and put one of the ear pieces in and add it like you would any other Bluetooth device. Of course, make sure no other known device is nearby or has its Bluetooth on. With Samsung devices, the Buds plus triggered a pairing notification when you open it nearby.
Design
Even though the look and feel of the Buds plus is reminiscent of its forerunners, Samsung has made a few small refinements which make a significant difference in how the Buds+ feels in the ears and the security it provides. The Buds+ feels lighter and puts less pressure in on the ear. I was able to wear them for extended sessions – in fact I was able to get to about 5 to 6 hours without getting fatigued. They fit pretty snugg and I had no fear of the Galaxy Buds+ falling out of my ears. The wings helped provide extra reassurance. Of course, Samsung’s decision to provide extra wings and tips of different sizes in the box helped – I opted for the largest size available for my ears.
The one thing I love abou the Buds+ this year is the slimmer silhouette of the casing. It fits in my pockets and is pretty compact – so, it doesn’t bulge obscenely when I put it in my jean pocket. However, the trade-off is a smaller battery capacity when it comes to the extra charge. But that didn’t affect my experience to much as you’ll see later in the review. The sleek, glossy finish also makes the true wireless earphones look a whole lot more premium.
Performance
Sound Quality
While the size of the ear pieces seems to have gotten a little smaller, the sound quality definitely has not. The Galaxy Buds plus has pretty decent quality out of the box. The overall sound was warm with clear mids and highs and punchy lows. In fact, I would say the Buds+ has a lot more boom than the Buds. It’s not a bad thing – it helps round out the sound pretty well. That said, unless your listening to things like EDM, Pop or some rock; you may not be looking to get too much bass in your sound.
Thankfully, Samsung’s wearables app comes with an equalizer which you can use to fine tune the sound to your liking. I found myself toning down the bass during my time with the Buds+. That said, Samsung’s adapt sound technology also made the experience better. However, if these options are too basic, the Google Play Store and Samsung’s own Galaxy Store have a wide array of apps you can use to tune the audio to your liking.That said, the overall sound quality of the Buds+ is definitely an improvement. In fact, it could be one of the best within its price range. The AKG tuning really makes a difference. The wholesome sound quality gives you a relatively large sound stage and audio clarity.
The mics on the Buds plus are also pretty impressive. The were able to pick up sound and eliminate ambient noise very effectively. In fact, some dedicated hands-free devices paled in comparison. Even ambient sound on the Buds+ is improved as well. The sound that you get through the earphone is less robotic and tinny. Samsung has made it a lot more natural sounding. That said, you still get bionic hearing with the Buds+. With ambient mode active you’ll be able to hear conversations from pretty far away. My only gripe with the Ambient Sound is that there was no intelligent mode for it – you’re triggering it via the Samsung Wearable app or through touch gestures.
The touch gestures on the Buds plus have gotten very limited, in my honest opinion. When I was reviewing the IconX and the Galaxy Buds, the versatility of the touchpad enhanced the experience of using the Buds. However, with the Galaxy Buds+ you’re relegated to using tap gestures with no options for swipe. The Buds+ only recognises single, double and triple taps which made using them a little less intuitive.
Battery Life
The battery on the Galaxy Buds+ is definitely something to sing about. A whopping 11 hours on a single charge! I only managed to drain the Buds+ completely once during my time with them. Even then, I was literally trying to figure out the actual battery life when I was using them. That said, the Buds+ lasted me about 10 hours on a single charge. This is discounting the recharge capacity of the case. I could have easily gotten more than 20 hours with the extra battery capacity in the casing.
With my regular use, I was only charging the Buds+ and its casing once in 4 to 7 days. Typically, I used one side more than the other as it became my go to “hands-free” headset while driving. I was using it about 2 to 3 hours daily for music while working and also travel in the car. That said, the Buds+’s case is constantly charging the earpieces and we couldn’t verify whether battery life is affected by this over time. In general, constant charging can cause the battery to degrade over time.
That said, the Galaxy Buds+ comes with some pretty potent charging technology which makes charging the buds up simple and convenient. If you’re on an Android device which supports it, you can use the reverse wireless charging from your phone if you really need it or, if you’re like me, you’ll find yourself parking your Galaxy Buds+ on a wireless charger just to keep it topped up. If you need a quicker charging solution, you can use the USB-C charger which came with your smartphone to get the charge you need. Using wireless charging, the Galaxy Buds+ was fully charged within about 2 hours while wired charging was about 45 minutes.
A Budding Plus
The Galaxy Buds Plus is a definitely a step up overall from the competition and even compared to its previous iterations. Samsung has spent some time improving on some of the gripes users have highlighted in the past and improved on the must have features. The AKG audio tuning brings a premium touch to the rather affordable true wireless earbuds giving it warm, well rounded sound enhanced by Samsung’s Adaptive Sound and made even more personal with a robust equalizer that comes in the Samsung Wearables app. While the Buds+ does have all this, it is lacking when it comes to intuitive interaction via the touch pad; something we’re pretty sure that Samsung can fix with a small update. That said, it’s a near complete package with commendable sound.
Gaming notebooks seems to be the sort of notebook PCs that everyone is going for these days. There is a good reason for that. Gaming notebooks do not look that much more outrageous these days. They look quite good and svelte in most cases today. They look stealthy, and regular with just a little bit of cues of the power that lies inside.
You combine that polished, stealthy look with the amount of power that these things come with these days, and you are looking at a very compelling package. Oh yes, cool too – temperature wise. There is a small problem, however.
Gaming specific products are not cheap. This is because the powerful hardware that is packed into these portable mean machines are not cheap on their own. So, if you are in the market for a new notebook with gaming capabilities with the latest hardware, best be prepared to spend a little bit more money.
Still, you still can go for entry-level gaming PCs today and you are going to be okay mostly even with AAA titles. Entry-level gaming notebook PCs have come a long way. You are not getting sub-par devices with cheap prices and plenty of compromises. Which also means that entry-level gaming PCs are the gaming notebooks to go these days.
One of the ones you want to look at is the Acer Nitro 5 we have here. The Acer Nitro 5 we have here is the top-specced Acer Nitro 5 you can get your hands on. It packs the latest Intel Core i7 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti. It also comes with 8GB of RAM – like finally. It costs MYR 4,899 – more expensive than the entry level Predator Triton 300. Is it worth the asking price then? Let us find out.
Design
The Acer Nitro 5 has never been a bad looking notebook of a thing. While they are not the most svelte looking stuff, they are not bad lookers. The previous Nitro 5 has a faux carbon fibre treatment on the top of the case, which could be a thing for some people. We also understand that it may not be for everyone.
We do quite like the overall design of the Acer Nitro 5 in general though. They retain mostly the same shape since the first generation of the Nitro 5 a few years ago. You get the angular mouth that is reminiscent of Predator’s famous curves these days. You also get plenty of space for cooling purposes while maintaining a Plain Jane look.
The new one still retains the general shape and thickness of the older one. You lose the carbon fibre design from the old one though. Instead, you get some power lines that folds inward on the top of the clam. It mimics the lines that you get from the Helios line-up of the Predator family. They are, after all, cousins. Instead of the carbon fibre look, this retains the cleaner aluminium look mixed with some brushed steel look. Overall a cleaner look on the top.
But there are some extra flares that you get at the exhaust ports to indicate that this is still a serious piece of kit. It is more serious than ever too with the power it contains. There are some warnings of hot surfaces too, which might be quite necessary for any gaming rigs these days. There is no notable reduction in thickness of the hardware though, which may be a good thing. You still get full sets of I/O ports like HMDI and multiple USB Type-A ports with this standard of thickness. Of course, it is sturdier too.
The DC in port though, or the charging port is now moved to the back of the notebook. We especially love this because it frees up plenty of space on the sides. Most importantly it does not interfere your mouse movement which ever side you prefer it to be. It is ambidextrous now, is what we are saying.
That does create a little bit of a problem with the exhaust port though. There are now two smaller ports at the flanks of the backplate covering the charge mechanism. Acer seems to think that they have solved cooling issues with improved heat transfer pipe placements and bigger heatsink plates on top of the GPU and CPU. We shall find out later.
Open it up and what greets you is a 144Hz Full HD display at 15.6-inch. That seems to be a staple size for gaming notebooks these days. Of course, you want that 144Hz too, to take advantage of the Intel Core i7’s power to push fps to higher than 100. We will talk about the display a little more later.
The keyboard is now a 4-zone RGB instead of a single colour backlit keyboard. Again, I am not actually that big into RGB, so I usually set the backlight to a single colour. I chose white. But for you who are fans, you can customise the colours via Nitro Sense software included in the PC. It is even easily accessible via the Nitro Sense dedicated button on the keyboard. No ‘Turbo’ button on this thing like the Predators. Still, largely similar in layout with the previous notebook PCs.
Hardware
The Acer Nitro 5 you see here is the top-of-the-line model (AN515-55-79CU) that sports a 10th Generation Intel Core i7-10750H high performing CPU. That CPU is backed by an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti GPU and 8GB of RAM. Of course, you can upgrade that to however much you think you need. But let me say that 8GB is quite enough to run most games these days. Of course, a quick upgrade will never hurt. With 512GB of SSD storage, you are looking at MYR 4,899 for this model.
Of course, if you do not think that you need that power, you can opt for an Intel Core i5-10300H variant (AN515-55-52Z1) with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650Ti GPU. You still get the same amount of RAM and SSD storage too. That will set you back MYR 1,100 less than what you are paying for the one we review.
As usual, you only get one extra RAM slot so if you are planning to plug in two 16GB RAM sticks, you would have to pull out the original 8GB RAM. Make sure your RAM is compatible too. Then there is the upgradability on the side of storage. Traditionally you get a single SSD slot and an HDD slot. These days you get SSDs stuck in the notebook. Which means with the traditional set up you only get an HDD expansion slot.
In this though, you get two SSD slots. This is a new standard for notebook PCs too. Which also means that you get an extra SSD slot to upgrade your rig with an SSD and extra HDD for both extra storage and speed.
Specifications
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-55-79CU
As Tested
Processor (clock)
10th Generation Intel Core i7-10750H (2.6GHz)
GPU
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti
Display(s)
15.6-inch IPS LED-backlit (1920 x 1080) ComfyView
Memory
512GB NVME M.2 SSD 8GB DDR4 RAM
Networking and Connections (I/O)
1 x USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A 2x USB 2.0 1 x Standard HDMI 1.4 1 x Audio combo jack 1 x Network RJ-45 Intel Wi-Fi 6 Gig+ (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.0
Battery
3,560mAh 4-cell Li-Polymer
Operating System
Windows 10 Home
Miscellaneous
Audio certified by DTS:X 1.8kg
Features
To be fair, there is not that much that has changed since we saw the slightly older generation of the Acer Nitro 5. The most notable changes are that on paper. It is more powerful with newer generation processors and GPU. But somehow it does carry a slightly higher retail price tag for that. We suspect that the COVID-19 situation might play a small role in its pricing.
That is not to say that this is a gaming notebook PC that does not stand out with its own features. There are somethings that we appreciate in the new Nitro 5. While they are quite minor things that we may have already touched on earlier, they do matter.
Nitro Sense – Not Quite Predator Sense
There was one software that made Predator devices stand out in the last generation. That software is their Predator Sense that allows you to control every part of your rig. You can set the fan to its loudest and fastest settings. This is required mostly when the GPU and CPU is being pushed to their limits in gaming. To get games to play out smoothly and beautifully, these things tend to be pushed to their limits and more.
In the previous generation of the entry-level gaming PC, we did not see much of Nitro Sense. Nitro Sense in the new Nitro 5 takes a larger stage. The dedicated button is easy to reach and recognise. It is placed in the same part of the keyboard as the Predator PCs since 2019. This also means they are using the same sort of keyboard in the Nitro 5, which is also good news.
There is no ‘Turbo’ button that you can expect to find on Predator PCs though. Still, it is not to say that Nitro Sense is useless. It is quite the contrary.
By default, you Acer Nitro 5 is programmed to run as quietly as possible. This would be important in places like meeting rooms maybe. But when you are gaming, you want to unlock the fans a little and from the Nitro Sense app, you can turn on CoolBoost. That function allows the fan to adjust itself according to the GPU and CPU operations and heat dissipation requirements. Of course, when you run the processors harder, the faster the fan spins to dissipate more heat.
Because there is not ‘Turbo’ button, you can only control the ‘boosts’ within Nitro Sense as well. While certain games like Grand Theft Auto V, Two Point Hospital, and Re: Legends may not require plenty of GPU or CPU power, you might need more in games like Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, or Red Dead Redemption 2 to get them to play as smoothly as possible.
Most games though will do well enough with NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1660Ti. Still, it is nice to know you can tap into more power when you want to, especially when you need to render videos and such. Nitro Sense is a big welcome here.
Smooth Operator 4-Zone RGB
I may not be a big fan of RGB. That does not mean that others cannot enjoy RGB. I know plenty of people who loves RGB and cannot get enough of it. For me though, single colour all the way.
For those who enjoy a good RGB, the Acer Nitro 5 now comes with a four-zone RGB backlit keyboard array. I have to say though, it is nice to have the option to show off and turn on your RGB backlight and set the to ‘dynamic’ settings and watch the rainbow colours go. When you do that too, it does not seem like a four-zone RGB.
You cannot map each key to any colours of your choice individually. Not that it mattered that much anyway. But that also means you cannot colour code your WASD keys to their own colours. Still, the WASD keys are made so that the RGB can highlight them a little, which is still something.
Even this is controlled via Acer’s trusty Nitro Sense. This goes back to how useful the Nitro Sense is for Acer’s Nitro 5.
Back-to-Back Power
We had a small issue with the older models of Acer Predator notebook PCs. Their charging port is awkwardly placed in the middle of the right side of the device. This creates a few persistent problems.
If you are placing your power brick out of the way in the back of the notebook PC you are placing the cable in the way of an exhaust port at the side which causes heat to build up a little. Move the cable to push toward the front for better ventilation and you realise the cable covers a USB port and a headphone jack, a USB Type-C port maybe. This is for those L-shaped power cables. If you have it plugged with a regular straight power plug, you are going to be restricting the movement of your Mouse in gaming sessions, not ideal when you are in an online game situation.
So, for the 2020 version of Acer’s Nitro 5, they have moved the power charging port to the back of the device. This is a delight because now the power cables do not have to be in the way. Out-of-the-box though is the L-shaped head which kind of makes sense since Acer do not have to change their whole production supply. While it does create an avenue for bent cables and even blocked exhaust ports, it does tuck the back in a little so that you can push your notebook PC a little further away from you on the desk.
We do find that somehow the back plate that houses the power supply peripherals a little sparse though. Other than they charge port, there is no other useful features at the back of the PC. We would appreciate the HDMI port to be moved to the back. We might also appreciate one Thunderbolt enabled USB Type-C at the back. The LAN port should also be pushed to the back with the HDMI and power ports, in our opinion. Of course, that might happen while sacrificing the convenient I/O on the sides of the device.
Cool Kits
No, not extra accessories. The new Acer Nitro 5 for 2020 comes with a set of newer, more advanced cooling system. Thing is, this is not a large improvement over the previous cooling system. That is also not to say that the cooling system is not great. The cooling system on the Nitro 5 has always been good.
The new Acer Nitro 5 for 2020’s cooling system layout sort of mimics the Predator Helios 300’s cooling layout. With their 3D Aeroblade technology trickled down from the Predator notebooks, the Acer Nitro 5 should not face any issue with cooling really. In our use case, we never had in issue with cooling even when we are playing games like GTA V for an extended period.
While the rear radiators have shrunk in favour of the more ergonomic rear side power input, there are virtually no difference in cooling with the Acer Nitro 5. That is also thanks, mostly, to bigger copper plates, better routing, and wider heat pipes too. Of course, there is the more efficient CPU too.
Performance
With Intel’s 10th Generation Core i7 and NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1660Ti, this gaming Notebook PC should be able to handle nearly any modern games you can throw at it. You technically can play The Shadow of Tomb Raider in lower settings that you would want to and still get decent FPS performance out of it.
Gaming
If you are thinking of playing DOTA 2 on it, you should not be too hesitant. The 144Hz does help with FPS in MOBA type games. Even competitive first person shooters would benefit from the smooth graphics. Of course, do not expect your new Call of Duty: Warzone or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare games to be as smooth at higher graphics settings.
Still, Ghost Recon: Breakpoint and Assassin’s Creed: Origins play smoothly as long as you leave them on their default settings. In that regards alone, this is a worthy choice to get into most games of today. If you are planning to only play things like Two-Point Hospital, or Motorsport Manager, or even Football Manager, you should have nothing to worry about anyway.
Doing the Work Stuff
We are not talking about doing things like word or powerpoint processing. You do not even need this kind of pulling power if you are just looking to work on those. With this thing, you want to do heavier work – video rendering stuff, photo editing, or even low-level animation work.
Sadly, the Acer Nitro 5 does not have a boost button or even a convenient one-touch max-out function. In this case, the fans and processors will spool up when necessary. At a maximum, it will not even touch the Acer Predator models.
Still, it has a decent video processing capability. You have to expect some lags and stutters while scrubbing through 4K videos. Though it is much improved, you might want to spend on more expensive rigs for 4K video processing. This is not to say you cannot, it still works, but you might want something faster.
For Full HD 1080p vidoes though, the process is buttery smooth. Of course, this is also a contribution of the speedy SSD speeds too. You can easily drag your cursor around to any point of the video and start playing it at the program monitor. We use Adobe Premiere Pro, by the way.
To render a 5-minute Full HD 1080p videos, it does not take that long actually. It takes probably about 15 minutes at the maximum. This is also considering that we were scaling down from 4K resolution, which is extra workload for the PC. We unfortunately do not produce enough 4K resolution contents to test out the Acer Nitro 5.
Sound By DTS
Acer Harmony was great, it was not the best though. Sometimes, it is best to leave some things done by experts. That is why The Acer Nitro 5 now comes with some support by DTS with DTS: X. This is probably one the notebook’s biggest improvements.
DTS: X was seen on a few devices before. In effect, DTS makes things sound better. Then again, that is their business.
The Acer Nitro 5’s speakers are not the loudest in the world. They still pack quite a punch though, and they are louder than before. Despite the louder speakers, you are not getting much of difference in terms of sounds profile. Until you open the DTS app that is.
With the DTS app, sound profile changes a little bit. The trebles are more distinctive, the bass more pronounced. That changes a whole lot of experience when it comes to music. When you hear the vocals, then you can start appreciating the new DTS: X speakers. Vocals are still as crisp as before, if not crisper. It does not overpower the other range of frequencies though, rather the DTS app cleverly balances everything out. Everything completements each other, is the best way we can describe it.
The DTS app has several preset settings within the app though. You can go on the default dynamic profile for the app to cleverly detect your medium and adjust itself properly. Either that or you go into specific preset profiles like music or gaming to get the best tuning for each activity.
We appreciate good audio and the Nitro 5 was able to deliver on the speakers. The same can be said when you plug in your headphones too. With DTS:X, you are getting a completely different experience when it comes to headphones too. The only sad part? It does not come with 3D audio or spatial audio like the Acer Predator notebooks. I guess there are still some things that the Acer Nitro 5 cannot do.
Battery
The battery life of any gaming PC is quite appalling. Because of the amount of power you get in a gaming PC, you usually cannot expect more than two hours away from the charger before it needs another charge. The situation has improved though, and the Acer Nitro 5 for 2020 is a testament to that.
The Acer Nitro 5 for 2020 boasts about 8 hours in battery life. In our tests, we never really gotten close to that number. We can safely say that your gaming notebook can go past 4 hours now on battery.
At least for the Acer Nitro 5, we could get battery life at a maximum of 6 hours with balanced settings. We had Spotify on with earphones plugged in, we use Firefox as our internet browser, and we had about 20 tabs open at the same time. Most of the time though we got about 4 hours of battery life. We did try to game on it without plugging it into a power socket and still got an hour of battery life on it though. That was quite impressive for us. Of course, on battery, your gaming is a little compromised because the hardware within the Nitro 5 tends to turn itself down in favour of preserving its battery life.
Display
You are really not getting a bad deal with the new Acer Nitro 5. The one we have here sports a 3ms 144Hz refresh rate display. I cannot tell whether the display panel is a TN panel or IPS, but the colours look good still.
Still, this is a gaming display, which means colours are not its main priority. While the colours still look better than most notebook PCs you can find these days, you are not getting the most colour accurate display in town. Still, that is not what the Acer Nitro 5 is about though.
This is about speed, and competitiveness. The Acer Nitro 5’s 144Hz display helps with MOBA games and FPS games in a competitive environment. Motion blur is less of a thing with 144Hz at least. This also means you get a better competitive advantage when it comes to games like Counter Strike. You see better. In competitive games too, every millisecond count towards getting the first hit or getting hit first. That 3ms response time is crucial for your kills.
We are not competitive gamers though, so that matters less to us. We still appreciate a fast display though. Games generally look better with 144Hz. We could see that in effect with games like GTA V. While 3ms response time does not do much too, we do appreciate having a fast responding display, a near instant display, more like.
That said, it is not a brand-new display unit. It is technically the same display panel that you get in previous generation Acer Predator notebooks like the Triton 300. Which also means you get about the same performance from the display as the older Predator notebook. It may not be a bad thing though.
We still really like that notebook PCs come with minimal bezels. The bezel size has not increased on the Acer Nitro 5 compared to the old one, which is a good thing. It has not shrunk either though. That is not necessarily a bad thing. We still like webcams to be where they are supposed to be, above the display.
The Acer Nitro 5 – Best Value Got Better
Entry-level gaming notebooks are never that great in the earlier days of mainstream gaming notebooks. The thing is, entry level gaming notebooks have come a long way in 2020. With more powerful processors on offer, they can really replace all the gaming needs you have. Of course, if you want the best of the best performance in class, you are still better off with a desktop PC.
There is an appeal to gaming notebook PCs though. They are plenty more portable, and more convenient. You do not need to be sitting where your PC is to start gaming with notebook PCs. You just need to sit anywhere you like, and turn it on, and start playing at any time; your gaming comes with you.
Entry level gaming notebook PCs are exactly just that, but at a much more accessible price point. Thing is, the Acer Nitro 5 gaming notebook that we have is not exactly budget friendly at MYR 4,899. There is a cheaper variant with an Intel Core i5 and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, which is quite a bit less.
At MYR 4,899 though you are not getting something compromised, you are getting something that will work. The Acer Nitro 5 at this spec easily handles plenty of AAA titles, albeit not at the highest settings. You get 144Hz display too, so games with less graphical requirements will perform and look beautiful on the display.
Prices for notebook PCs are not very encouraging at this point due to the whole global pandemic situations though. While the Acer Nitro 5 is a great notebook PC to have, it may not be the best time to get a new gaming notebook PC. Sill, we do think that the MYR 4,899 asking price for the Acer Nitro 5 with Intel’s 10th Generation Core i7 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is worth it. Considering an equivalent Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i will cost nearly MYR 1,000 more than the Acer Nitro 5, yes the Acer Nitro 5 is the entry-level gaming notebook PC for you.
Thin and light is the new normal. We’re seeing more and more laptops try to set themselves apart from the crowd with more powerful insides and features that, at times, don’t really make sense. Then we have one of Acer’s golden boys – the Swift 5 which has refined Acer’s approach to the Swift series and hit a goldilocks intermediate that makes it a serious contender. In fact, it could be one of the best laptops that Acer has made to date under it’s Acer brand. I know – high praise for an introduction – but you’ll see why when we dive into the review.
Design
The Swift 5 is unremarkable when it comes to its overall design; it doesn’t turn into a tablet, it doesn’t have a stylus nor does it have any obvious design queues that make you go “WOW!”. But, that’s what makes the Swift 5 all the more appealing. Its unassuming design is one of the laptop’s strong points. The simplistic approach Acer has used in designing the thin and light laptop allowed the company to focus on what matters – the touch and feel of the laptop.
That said, you can’t say the Swift 5 isn’t a looker. The design has clean lines and doesn’t carry any of those jarring, flashy lines that can be such an eyesore. The sleek, clean approach that Acer has taken allows the laptop to feel and look more premium. We had the Charcoal Blue version in the office for review and it was a real beaut! The deep blue colour gives it a slightly mysterious allure while the gold accent on the hinge looks and feels like it’s a treasured book in a library. In fact, the gold accent actually looks like a book spine. It makes the Swift 5 feel like a really important book that you tuck away so no one can destroy it.
Opening the laptop, it feels like the display melds into the body thanks to the minimal bezel. The backlit keyboard actually looked really good on the deep blue of the laptop. The back light made the keys have a white accent when they were on and it made the laptop feel a little bit more special. The elegant contrast of the colours on the Charcoal blue felt like the final finesse of a painting. It complemented the muted gold of the keyboard and the hinge quite elegantly. I would go so far as to say, Acer should have called this Royal Blue instead.
Hardware
The elegantly unremarkable outsides hides power packed insides – especially by thin and light standards. On the version we had to review, the Swift 5 was packing an Intel Core i7 with Intel IRIS Plus graphics and it had 16GB of RAM to boot. On paper you’d be scratching your head wondering how these specifications justify the title in anyway, but I’ll dive into that in the performance section of the review.
The display on the Swift 5 is a crisp Full HD 1080p IPS panel which is more than sufficient for the 14-inch screen size. Acer did really well holding back on putting a 4K UHD panel in the Swift 5. Any more pixels and you’d be dealing the atrocity of Window’s scaling to make it useable. The touch screen is also a very welcomed touch.
Acer also made the Swift 5 feel a lot more premium with magnesium-aluminium and magnesium-lithium alloys. These materials give the laptop a sturdiness that not many of its direct competitors have. In fact, it was a smart choice cause the alloy actually helps with dissipating heat to keep the laptop performing really well.
Specifications
Acer Swift 5 | SF514-54T-70AA
As tested
Processor (clock)
Intel® Core i7-1065G7 Quad-core 1.3 GHz
GPU
Intel IRIS Plus
Display
14-inch Full HD IPS Touch Screen 1920×1080 pixels
Memory
16GB LPDDR4X SDRAM 512GB SSD
Networking and Connections
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax Bluetooth 5.0 HDMI 1 USB 2.0 1 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A 1 USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C
Battery
4-cell Lithium Ion 12 Hours battery life
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Miscellaneous
Fingerprint Reader Backlit Keyboard Stereo Speakers Microphone DisplayPort over USB-C Thunderbolt 3 USB charging 5 V; 3 A DC-in port 9 or 12 or 20 V; 45 W
Features
As I mentioned in the beginning, thin and light laptops have always been hit an miss when it comes to features. However, Acer has taken a very minimalist approach even with features for the Swift 5. They’ve taken some laser sharp focus on a few features that improve the overall user experience of the laptop and worked on perfecting it. While that means that the laptop isn’t very feature rich – it also means that the features that do come for the ride are there cause they have a major impact overall.
Quick Unlock with Windows Hello
The first feature that made a pretty big difference is the inclusion of a fingerprint reader which works with Windows Hello. The fingerprint reader actually comes in handy particularly when you want to use your laptop in public without typing in your password or if you simply need it to unlock quick. It’s simple swipe of the finger on the sensor and you’re golden.
Throughout the review period, there weren’t many instances when the fingerprint unlock actually failed. If any it was a Windows 10 failure due to some update or it just not detecting the sensor after an update. Thankfully, when this happened, there were options to unlock using the account password or a PIN which was set during Windows’ setup.
Ports, ports and more ports
You’d think me crazy to say that this was one of the BIGGEST assets when it came to features on the Swift 5. But I’m not exaggerating. In a day and age where we have super thin and light laptops, we’ve also lost the convenience of having ports which are even more important – particularly if you’re running between client meetings and dealing with USB drives all day. Instead, we’ve been relegated to being content with having to buy an additional dongle for the connectivity features we need to be productive.
If you’re like me, the lack of a HDMI port would be a deal breaker. If you don’t have an HDMI, it’s very likely you’ll be relegated to the bottom of the consideration pile and guess what? The Swift 5 comes with an HDMI port! It’s something you don’t expect when you’re dealing with a laptop of its build. While wireless projecting and online storage are modern conveniences, there is a comfort in knowing you’re not being held captive by the cloud and have the freedom to connect and project even without WiFi. In addition, it also meant that a larger screen was always an option which is very important for people who are dealing with design and also if you’re like me and have 2 screens to keep up with the number of windows you have while working.
The array of ports supported by the Swift 5 makes is more versatile and better equipped to handle the many different technological environments a working professional is thrust into. You’ll never know when you enter a client’s office and their projector isn’t ready for wireless connection. That said, even with the Thunderbolt support and even the HDMI, you’re left depending on a converter if you encounter the dreaded VGA port – but that’s cause it’s an ancient spirit of evil. Aside from this, the USB-C, USB-A and HDMI ports allow you excellent versatility with the laptop.
Performance
The Swift 5 was a pleasant surprise when it came to performance. It was able to handle a lot of what we threw at it. In fact, it was, at one point, editing 4K UHD videos with overlays on Adobe Premiere Pro without much problem – albeit, it was definitely a little bit on the slower end. However, unless you’re looking for an editing rig on the go, the Swift 5 handles pretty much everything you’d want it to as a laptop on-the-go from emails to processing large excel sheets.
The Intel Core i7 processor in the Swift 5 we reviewed was pretty capable. It could handle running large excel sheets with complicated equations. It was even able to handle simple photo editing and video rendering on the go. Of course, with size, cooling was a big consideration when dealing with large data sets. However, thanks to the design of the laptop and the many vents, it was able to cool itself pretty well. That said, if it overheats, you’d be stuck waiting for it to cool to a usable temperature. But this didn’t happen during our review.
Working on the go is one thing that is really a compromise between size, comfort and power. The Swift 5 was striding the compromise pretty well with its keyboard. Its design allows you type comfortably for long periods of time even if the laptop is literally on your lap in a train. The keys had enough travel to ensure that you are not fatigued and enough feedback to make sure you know you clicked something. It is a fine line that Acer has stridden commendably with this laptop.
Connectivity on the Swift 5 is also commendable. It supports up to WiFi 6 and while WiFi 6 networks are pretty rare, it was really stable when it was able to connect to it. On regular WiFi a/b/g/n/ac networks the connection was pretty stable and didn’t have random disconnects. Even when I was jumping networks the downtime was barely noticeable.
IRIS Plus Indeed
The IRIS Plus integrated graphics of the Intel Core i7 was definitely a boon to the laptop’s performance. Unlike it’s Intel UHD Graphics brethren, it was able to handle a lot more without struggling. I was able to play games such as Cuphead and even a little bit of LA Noire on the laptop without it dying or the graphics being unbearable.
However, the best demonstration of the IRIS Plus graphics definitely came when I decided to edit a 4K UHD video on the laptop. It was able to handle it surprisingly well. In fact, I was expecting the laptop to overheat when I was editing and more so when I was exporting the video. While it did take a while for overlays and complex transitions to render, it was able to do it nonetheless.
Great Quality Sound even without Dolby certification
The sound experience isn’t something many people would be considering when they look at laptops like this one. However, it was something that needed highlighting when it came to the Swift 5. The laptop was able to produce pretty good sound with its stereo speakers. It was pretty surprising to have warm, full sound coming from the laptop when we’re used to thin and lights without Dolby certification sounding tinny with scratchy highs and hollow lows. While it’s not audiophile quality, Acer did a good job ensuring that the sound is a little better than pleasant to the ears with the Swift 5.
Enough Battery to Run A Marathon
Battery life is quickly becoming a pretty important criteria for any laptop and while, to be honest, it really depends on your usage – it doesn’t make it any less important. On average, the Swift 5 lasted about 8 to 10 hours on a single charge. When we really put the laptop through its paces with the 4K video editing it still lasted about 6 hours. With lower workloads like emails, surfing and word processing, we easily got about 10-12 hours as Acer claimed.
However, the best part of the Swift 5 is the laptop’s support of charging via USB-C. This was one feature I was using quite often with a power bank with USB-C power delivery. If your power bank can charge a Nintendo Switch, you can charge the Swift 5. The laptop will charge with anything above 15W. I was using one with 45W power delivery this could result in the laptop getting a little warm at the USB C port but it did give me about 45 minutes of extra power.
Display
Acer showed some restraint in not kitting the Swift 5 with a 4K UHD screen and to be honest, it’s one of the best decisions they’ve made when it comes to the laptop – aside from kitting it out with a good assortment of ports. The 14-inch, Full HD 1080p IPS display is crisp, sharp and has decent colour reproduction. This made it easy to work with design and colour sensitive workloads when on-the-go.
The fact that it covers over 86% of the laptop’s body is another feat. The slim bezels allow you to focus on the screen. It really makes you feel immersed in what your doing in the screen be it work, a Netflix or even a YouTube Video.
So touchy, So nice
The touch capabilities of the screen are a welcomed addition to the already impressive laptop. While you would think that a touch screen on a laptop that doesn’t have a tablet mode is a bit of waste, it really isn’t. To be very honest, I was in that club until I started using the Swift 5. I found myself relying on the touch screen for things like scrolling and scribing. The touchscreen actually allowed me to be more productive and even made things easier by reducing my reliance on the touchpad.
That said, given the size of the screen I found myself increasing the scaling of Windows to the screen to help with the touch feature. If you’re running on the native 100%, you’ll be clicking and selecting too many icons at one go. For me, it was at 125% that I was most comfortable using the touch screen.
The Perfect, Well Thought Out Package for the Modern Worker
The Swift 5 successfully combines the needs of an on-the-go worker with a well thought out package. Acer’s willingness to meet their customers needs while maintaining a relatively affordable price point makes the laptop very appealing. The fact that it brings together a set of features that makes life easier for their consumers with hardware that is both premium and affordable makes it one of the better options in the market.
When it comes to the bottom line, we have to admit, the Swift 5 is one of the most complete packages when it comes to laptops for people on-the-go. That’s why we’re giving Acer’s Swift 5 the recognition as an Editor’s Choice when it comes to laptops.
Samsung A series has gotten awesome over the years. The latest and greatest Galaxy A71 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 processor. The processor is paired with a minimum of 6GB RAM or 8GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage. A new and improved quad system main camera consisting of a 64MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 5MP macro camera and a 5MP depth sensor. For the selfie camera, it gets a 32 MP wide camera. Packing a relatively large-sized 4,500mAh battery that could last you the entire day.
Priced at MYR 1,799 in Malaysia and USD$429.99 in the US. Is the Samsung Galaxy A71 the daily all rounder? Is this the ultimate daily driver for the average joe?
Looking for more details? You can head on over to our in depth review.
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Somebody once told me that a car is technically a weapon. When you think about it, that person makes plenty of sense. It is a giant metal box that weighs more than a tonne. It also travels at speed. Tell me that does not sound like a description of a sort of ballistic weaponry? The moral of the lesson is that we have to be alert and very careful on the road. Other cars can be super hazardous too.
While we try to be as careful as possible when we drive, accidents do tend to happen from time to time. It is quite inevitable really in Malaysia where 93% of the 31 million residents of Malaysia owns a car. That puts the car ownership number in Malaysia somewhere in the 29 million region.
What happens when you get into an accident though? You start playing the blame game. You think it is their fault, and they think it is your fault. There is only one way to settle this. Bring the case to the police station with evidence. What is the evidence? Footage from your ever so popular dash cam.
Every modern car comes with it now. Some even comes pre-installed when you buy the car brand new. What about older cars then. For example; what of an old Toyota Camry from the 2002 era then? You have to buy a separate one.
The question becomes, what do you buy? There is so many options now in the segment. There are even brands like HP in the dash cam segment.
We have a Mio MiVue 792 here. It is an MYR 799 option in the market. Considering that the cheapest dash cam in the market can go for as little as MYR 27.80 on Lazada, the Mio MiVue looks like an overpriced piece of toy.
Thing is, the Mio MiVue is 792 is plenty more than just a toy though. It is a piece of gear with features you might not find in any dash cam. It is also a tool to modernise your car a little bit.
The question remains though, is the Mio Mivue 792 worth the MYR 799 asking price? Or should you just skip it and look at the other options in the market? We find out.
Design
To be fair, this is one of the more bulky dash cameras I have seen in the market. It does mean that you get a significantly large display to monitor your dash cam though. You get a 2.7-inch display to pair to your CMOS sensor that records at 1080p Full HD at a maximum of 60fps.
While it is bulky, it is not to say that it is ugly though. Well, it may look a little out of place if you place it in a car as old as me. Still, it is not technically something you might look at on a daily basis.
When you first open the box up and take out the camera though. It feels premium. The plastic materials on it feels solid and durable. It looked like it could stand a car crash or two. There are plenty of vents everywhere presumably for heat dissipation and what not. Of yes, there is a mic installed on this thing too, so it technically records your conversations.
Its bulk, while gives you a sort of feeling that it is a solid piece of hardware, does have its own drawbacks though. One of its biggest drawbacks is its placement in your vehicle. By design, the dash camera is meant to be hung down from your windshield. Personally I mounted it as high as possible to avoid it coming into my field of view.
The bulk makes it a challenge to put it in places you would normally see a dash camera though. You can hide it behind your rear-view mirror to keep it as obscure as possible but then you would not be able to monitor its recording or its settings menu screen. You cannot navigate it with the buttons on the side because you effectively cannot see it.
While it is designed to be a one-time plug-and-play solution to a certain extent. there are more you can do with the Mio MiVue 792 dash camera. There is plenty within the menu that you can customize. There are more reasons to the bulk of the dash camera too, this thing is packed with features.
Features
We mentioned earlier that this thing packs more than just a camera. They somehow made this a very clever dash camera instead of a plain ol’ one you would be used to. It even has GPS for crying out loud. Sounds like an overkill? Maybe an overkill. We do appreciate some of its features though.
GPS Guardian Angel
Yes, this thing is loaded with a Global Positioning System (GPS) transmitter in its small body. Well, since GPS antennas can be fitted into a smartphone these days, that should not come as a surprise. Thing is, this is not some kind of navigation device though. You do not have a built in map that you can see within the device. The question now is; what is the GPS functionality for then?
Firstly, GPS can do plenty of things in your smartphone. At the most basic, it does not just track your whereabouts. Rather, it tracks your movement. That is one thing that the Mio MiVue 792 does in your car. It detects and tells you your car’s GPS speed; technically more accurate than your speedometer in front of you too.
In some sense, that can be quite a vital information when you present the evidence of an accident in court. It tells you whether or not you have broken any speed limit while a traffic accident is taking place. It also helps in determining whether or not you are traveling at a reasonable speed within the area and context of the location if there are no applied speed limit on that particular road. More information is always better technically.
Beyond that, the built-in GPS also feeds to a built-in map that tells you if there are speed cameras, or traffic light cameras, or anything other traffic cameras on the road. We were quite blown away by that initially. After a while it got very annoying; more on that later though.
Lane Departure and Collision Warning
We would say that if you are driving a car without a lane departure warning system or brake warning system but you want those features, this is some thing you might consider getting. The device itself has those functions pretty much built into the camera. All you have to do is dig into its menu and turn them on.
The whole idea of a lane departure warning is that your vehicle systems, or in this case; the dash camera detects your vehicle veering off your current lane. The device then will alert you when such things happen. This is kind of a warning system to keep you alerted on the road.
While you get that with plenty of modern cars today, you will not get the function with cars older than five years. The car we tested it in was more than 10 years old; perfect. We set it up and went for it.
Setting up the camera is a simple affair really. Just get the sticker off the foot, and stick that to the window at your desired placement, stick your dash camera in, and you are good to go. Of course, at installation the camera would guide you a little bit on how to properly set your camera up; where to point it to and what not.
The lane departure warning system is a great addition to the vehicle for a while. A little while later it got really annoying. Because it is basically just makes noise when you are veering off your lane, even if it is just a little bit. The system makes a noise too every time you cross into another lane, which is every single time you want to make a lane switch. You cannot even control how aggressive or passive you want the system to be. It is just ‘on’ or ‘off’. We turned the function off after 2 days of it making a noise every single time we wanted to change lanes.
Then there is the collision warning system. The collision warning system is also a great new addition to an old vehicle. Unlike the lane departure warning, you can set its aggressiveness. We set it to be really aggressive at first, meaning at any sign that we are a little below two car lengths, the device makes the same warning noise. At its least aggressive level, it tells us that we are too close within one car length distance. You can set it to activate only beyond a certain speed too.
We got a little annoyed after that too because it activates when we are in traffic. Every single time a car pulls in front of us, the Mio MiVue 792 makes noise. Quite understandable though because the MiVue 792 does not feed directly into the vehicle’s systems.
Wireless Monitoring and Video Extraction
The Mio App could not be easier to use. It is also the most convenient way for you to extract your videos out of the MiVue 792. All you need to do is to ensure that the MiVue 792’s WiFi function is turned on to connect to your smartphone. Of course, you need the app that is available for free on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Once in the app, the app will prompt you to connect to the camera via WiFi. Once connected, you can access the camera’s view live on your smartphone or transfer files. To transfer files though, you need to stop the recording on the camera. In that case, we also suggest that you stop the car before downloading any footage from the MiVue 792.
To make things quicker for users, the Mio MiCue 792 actually records videos in 3-minute sections. You can easily scroll through and pick out the incidents quicker that way instead of downloading a whole 30-minute drive sessions. That is not even considering the scrubbing of the video.
We found the app to be really useful when it comes to transferring videos without any other tools. Thing is, we are a little disappointed to find that you cannot change any of the settings of the MiVue 792 from the app itself. While that is not too big of an issue, it can be quite annoying for us when we want to change certain settings. We have to reach out, and go into the settings of the camera from the camera itself. You risk changing the camera angles that you have perfected in the initial set up.
Still, you do not need to use a notebook PC or a card reader to operate this device. That is a big plus in our books. It is so much more convenient and faster too with a smartphone that you already carry with you anyway.
Emergency Video Recording
There is an extra default function of this dashboard camera as well. We were not fast enough to capture its operations, but it exists. While it does record videos normally, there is a special section of folder than the camera uses in its memory card. That is the emergency recording folder. It records a video up to three minutes when it is subjected to a certain amount of vibrations or experiences a major change in G-Force (when you jam your brakes).
In that special folder, you can find whatever video that is recorded during an emergency. That would serve as an evidence to whatever that has made your day worse. While it may not sound like much, it makes these footages much easier to access when you are trying to find footages that could help you.
If your camera could stay powered on when your vehicle turns off too, it could detect movements outside the car and also start emergency recording. This is now turning your car into a scared, paranoid animal that takes an interest in everything that happens around it. It is not a bad thing though, you might need the footage to either save yourselves, or help a stranger in identifying suspect in a theft case. That, or just watch dogs and cats passing by.
Full HD 1080p Evidence
The most important part of a dashboard camera is allowing you to have an evidence of any occurrence around and in front of your car. You want it to be your evidence when a traffic collision happens. It could determine whether or not you are at fault.
Thing is, traffic collisions are not as simple as that. It is nearly never a black and white situation. It could be the driver in front not paying attention, braking too hard which gives you no time to respond. It could also be you not paying too much attention to the car in front of you. It could be a brake check from the driver in front. It could also be you tailgating. Okay, fine these can be quite clear cut sometimes.
There are times though where there is really no telling who is at fault without seeing the full footage. It could be a head on collision on an intersection with no clear lines indicating which way the traffic goes. It could be as simple as looking at what the road conditions are like. In that case, you do need a clear video that can pick out details. You need the resolution. You need Full HD videos.
In that regards, this MiVue does that 1080p video rather well. No, it is not made for action movies, not even for home made videos. We discourage you from sharing your Genting road exploits via the MiVue. Although, they can look rather good.
While there are plenty of dash camera that does Full HD 1080p videos, extracting the videos from this MiVue is simple. You do not even need to pull out the MicroSD card to get the videos out of the device like most dashboard cameras. You just need your smartphone and you are quite set.
The Full HD 1080p video on this is quite standard though. There is not much to shout about. There is not enhancements for its colours, so footage does tend to look a little dull. But that is not the point. The point is in its details. In that regards, the MiVue’s 1080p videos are full of it. The only sensible step up for dash cameras now is 4K videos; maybe when it becomes cheaper.
Worth Every Penny? Or Can You Do with Something Cheaper?
This dash camera costs MYR 790. That is not cheap in today’s standard for dash camera. Especially in the age where you can get everything online from China. You can even get one for less than MYR 150 and it works.
The thing is though, while they are usable. The cheaper options does just that. It just works, and nothing else.
The MiVue does not just work. It adds some new functions to older cars. It adds some smart features to your older car like lane departure warning and collision warning. You still cannot expect your car to brake itself and tell you whether or not there is an object in your blind spot though. But you are not adding extra sensors and computer to your car, you have to remember that.
What you are adding with the MiVue is not just an insurance, really. You are adding a safety feature, which is what every dashboard camera should strive to be. Instead of recording collisions and unwanted events, it should try to give you every bit of help to avoid it. It should warn you when you get too close to the limit, it should tell you when there is danger ahead.
There are still limitations what the camera can do though. You cannot expect it to recognise an animal on the road. You cannot expect it to even detect people on the road, that is still your responsibility. The algorithm embedded inside this little thing could have been cleverer, but that would mean they would need to bulk things up a little and complicates things.
So, is this worth the high asking price? In our humble opinions, it could be. If all the features packed into the MiVue are what you are looking for, then there is no other way to go with it.
If not though, more modern cars are mostly offered with dashboard camera these days. Most modern cars can also be equipped with lane departure warning, collision warning, and even more sensors than you can imagine. In that case, why do you need another dash cam that would annoy you whenever you pull a stop behind a car at the traffic lights, or when you want to change lanes?
By now you are probably quite familiar with the name ‘VivoBook’. That is mostly thanks to the fact that we have been reviewing the namesake or each iteration of the same notebook for quite sometime now. We hope that you have not grown bored of the same notebook though, because we have not. Also, because there is a new one in the block.
It seems like just yesterday that we were reviewing a new ASUS VivoBook S notebook PC. It seems like yesterday too that we gave quite high praises to ASUS’ value offering of a notebook PC. That said, we have always liked the ASUS VivoBook series. They are relatively inexpensive offering of notebook PCs that are always outperforming our expectations. They are also always very well built, for the kind of material they employ on the VivoBook.
Because of the wholesome package that is the ASUS VivoBook, it has become one of our most recommended notebook PCs so far. While it is a serious contender for ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution, the designers have never taken a too serious approach to the notebook too. That is also why the ASUS VivoBook notebooks have always been lookers.
The new one? Well, for one I think it is no different from the old recipe of making an attractive looking PC with great internals. They approached the VivoBook with the same ‘one-size-fits-all’ philosophy as before. Somehow, they have managed to make it even better in certain aspects. How? Let us delve deeper.
Design
Like before, the ASUS VivoBook is built with a mix of plastic and aluminium. We suspect that the outer shells are mostly aluminium and the keyboard tray is also aluminium. The only part that is not made from the lightweight metal is the bezel surrounding the Full HD display.
Unlike the previous ASUS VivoBook S too, the new 2020 variant seems to be a bit more scratch resistant. This is mostly due to the aluminium construction and what we think is an anodized surface instead of a paint coating. Anodizing has been a common practice in getting colours on metallic surfaces, and they last a whole lot longer.
Anodizing also has another benefit, you can get really interesting colours on the surfaces. Which is what ASUS has gone for with the 2020 variant of the ASUS VivoBook S. The one we have here is green in colour. Specifically, Gaia Green. It is a stunning colour, in our humble opinions.
Personally, I have always liked green, Emerald Green or British Racing Green especially. Those are great colours, and I have always dreamt of a Bentley Continental GT in Emerald Green shade or a 1961 Jaguar E-Type in British Racing Green. We are getting a little side-tracked.
The point is, it is a very pretty Green that we are getting on the ASUS VivoBook S15. Finally, someone bothers to go with another green coloured notebook. This makes Red shades look over-rated and overly loud. There isn’t a big difference in the branding layout otherwise.
Open the ASUS VivoBook S15 up and you will be greeted with a very familiar full keyboard layout with backlighting. Oh, let us not forget the accented enter key with a lime outline and wording. We may not completely understand why that is included in the design, but it does help distinguish the keyboard itself from its competitors. The numpad is largely similar on the side with a nice layout too.
The trackpad is a little larger compared to what we could remember, but that is not a bad thing. Unlike the more popular wide pad designs, the new one looks more traditional and with additional height. That allows your two palms to rest on the palm rests on either side of the trackpad properly without accidentally touching the trackpad for extra inputs or accidental clicks.
There is no more fingerprint sensor on the ASUS VivoBook S15 anymore though. We are testing the Intel Core i5 variant of the ASUS VivoBook S15. Usually you would find the fingerprint sensor on the top right corner of the trackpad. Not this time though. Although you still get the same on/off button nestled at the top right corner of the whole keyboard layout.
There is a shiny chromed out chamfers on the side of the keyboard tray. That somehow adds to the premium look when its new. The shiny chromed ring surrounding the keyboard is what made us think that the whole top is aluminium. Thing is though, they will smudge a little from the oils from your skin. While that may not be too big of a deal if you keep it clean with constant care, it will not be the case for most people. Still, we feel that that is a nice touch. At least you know when you need to give your laptop a quick wipe down.
Hardware
As we have mentioned, this ‘go-anywhere-do-anything’ machine is made mostly of aluminium. Which is always a nice touch, in our opinion. It also helps with the overall feel and rigidity of the device, which is always nice.
There is more that just an aluminium body with nothing to show for it inside though. While it is not very heavy, it is still quite a powerful package. As we have mentioned, this is powered by an Intel Core i5, the one we have. We also have NVIDIA’s GeForce MX250 to work with, which is no slouch if you are not after outright gaming performance.
Specifications
ASUS VivoBook S15 S533
As Tested
Processor (clock)
10th Generation Intel Core i5-10210U (1.6GHz ~ up to 4.2GHz)
GPU
NVIDIA GeForce MX250
Display(s)
15.6-inch LED -backlit IPS Full HD (1920 x 1080) NTSC: 45% NanoEdge
1 x USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A 2x USB 2.0 1 x Standard HDMI 1.4 1 x Audio combo jack 1x MicroSD card reader Intel Wi-Fi 6 Gig+ (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.0
Battery
50Wh 3-cell Li-Polymer Fast Charging (60% in 49 minutes)
Operating System
Windows 10 Home
Miscellaneous
Audio certified by Harman Kardon Certification 1.8kg
Features
Do not think for a second that ‘one-size-fits-all’ means that there is nothing that makes this thing special though. There is still a few things that makes this the perfect notebook PC that can do everything you need.
Back to Basics
So instead of the whole ErgoLift technology that ASUS was raving about a year ago, this has a regular hinge that tilts the display as normally as you would expect a normal notebook PC. You still get a similarly styled hinge, it is just that the VivoBook does not stand on the hinge. That also ensures that your keyboard remains at the same height on any surface, at any given time. You are not going to move your display and have your keyboard shift a few mm away from out or what not.
Not to say that the ErgoLift hinge was a bad thing. It really did improve typing positions when you set it on a proper surface to work with. On normal café tables, working on an ErgoLift hinged notebook is a little bit more comfortable than usual. Because your whole set up moves as the display moves though, it is a little inconsistent for my liking.
On the new 2020 line-up of the ASUS VivoBook S, ASUS is saying or listening to the consumers who say; “what was ever wrong with the normal typing position of notebook PCs”? After all, ASUS was one of the only players pushing that that kind of hinge design.
The loss of the supporting body part that extends from the display does create a little bit of an added opportunity in terms of rigidity too. If you turn the laptop around to its bottom, there is an extra rubber nub in the middle of the back part of the notebook PC. While it may not do much, it does add some body rigidity on the ASUS Vivobook S15, especially in the middle of keyboard which is usually where the older ASUS VivoBook S flexes. There is no visible or perceived crease here even when you put a little bigger pressure on the top part of the keyboard. That is really nice.
There is also another plus point with the regular flat-footed approach to the base of the notebook PC. It is much more comfortable using it on your lap. That is exactly the position of this notebook PC as I am typing this review.
The VivoBook S15 (2020) is missing a fingerprint sensor though, which is quite an unpleasant surprise. It was one of the better fingerprint sensors in a position that we thought made a lot of sense. While some may think that having a fingerprint sensor on the trackpad could be a little distracting, we like where it is positioned. It is one of the more intuitive designs and placements we found in the market. We want the fingerprint sensor back – ASUS, take note.
Clickety Clackety
Notebook PCs have improved on their keyboards tremendously over the past few years. The ASUS VivoBook series over the years, in our opinions, has some of the best keyboard feels among ASUS’ other offerings. We feel that they could use a little more travel and softer feedback, but honestly, they are some of the best keyboards we find on an ASUS notebook.
The ASUS VivoBook S15 technically still has the sort of same keyboard as the slightly older VivoBook S of 2019. It feels somewhat similar as well. There seems to be a little more travel this time around, but that could just be me. We still think that it could use with a little more feedback with the keys though, and more travel. But still, travel would be sacrificed in making notebook PCs lighter and thinner.
Still, that comment of ASUS VivoBook series offering the best keyboard experience from ASUS still stands true with the ASUS VivoBook S15. We suspect also that is mostly due to the fact that this product is targeted mostly to students who types long essays. We feel that this could still be perfect for businesspeople too who needs something reliable and affordable to work with.
There is a small complaint on the keyboard though. The backlight still leaks from the sides of the of island keys. That is a very small tolerable issue though. What is slightly a bit more annoying is that the white backlight makes the keys harder to read in bright conditions. Under the light of the display for example, you cannot read the keys. It still helps when you are typing in darker conditions though. This is basically nit-picking already though as that only happens at certain angles.
We find the highlighted ‘enter’ key a little odd as well. We do not really know why it is in a different colour accent compared to all keys. While it helps us find the enter button, it is still rather odd. It could just be a design decision to help you find the enter key in the dark, to differentiate it from the ‘shift’ key maybe.
Harman and Kardon’s Magic Touch
Yes, the previous ASUS VivoBook S was also fitted with audio by Harman Kardon. Yes, the new one is also fitted with audio by Harman Kardon. Is there a difference? Not really. Both sounds great still.
The sound profile, on speakers at least, is similar to the older VivoBook S. With Harman Kardon, audio sounds crisp and clear. Not to forget, it can get quite loud. There is still a lack of bass or low frequency strength from the speakers. Still, that is quite understandable when they have not fitted a subwoofer into the svelte body of the ASUS VivoBook S15. You would need proper headphones for that needed thump from your music.
Still, even if you do not have any good pair of headphones to work with, the audio is plenty usable and enjoyable. That is the case for both movies and music, which is pleasant. Of course, you would want more low frequencies for action movies with plenty of explosions. In terms of music though, if you are not too big into Hip-Hop, you should do more than fine actually. The high frequencies and mid frequencies are great and clear.
Again though, there are still notebook PCs that packs better audio than the ASUS VivoBook S15 (2020). At the same time though audio for notebook PCs have evolved quite a bit and progressed further than anyone would have thought these days. You can hardly fault modern notebook PCs when it comes to audio quality these days – save for weaker low frequencies.
While Harman Kardon is nothing new for the ASUS VivoBook S15, we do think that having that backup from a large audio brand like Harman Kardon is still an exciting feature to have. It means that ASUS can handle what they do best while allowing one of the best in the business to do what they do best.
Plus the Magic of ICESound by ICE Power
Added to the prowess of Harman Kardon’s know how in making great sounding speakers, or tuning them to sound good. But a good speaker is nothing without good software to articulate and equalise sound. Here is where ICE shines.
ICE Power is known to make some professional grade amplifiers and audio equipment. They are one of the world’s best when it comes to studio monitoring and production grade audio solutions. No, that does not mean that ASUS worked with them to fit an amplifier that is made by them within the VivoBook S15. Not quite, those are still a third party developed part and then Harman Kardon would add their clever know how to make the speakers capable.
What ICE Power makes here is quite unique. It is a software based tuning kit that adjusts the frequencies of the media played through the speakers. Yes, in other words, they made a custom equaliser software for ASUS here.
Unlike plenty of other notebook PCs, the equaliser that is given by ICE Power, more known as ICESound that is built into ASUS’ existing Audio Wizard(cheeky) is a lot more comprehensive. You can tune the audio output to however you might like your music to be. You can have different settings for different software too. They are all saved under presets so you can just quickly get a different tuning and EQ in different conditions within a click.
There are preset settings, of course, for those who are not familiar with tuning software or equalisers adjustments. They simply label them as ‘Music’ and ‘Movies’. Both give you different experiences in both instances too.
Even in those settings, you can customise them further if you want your music to sound a certain way, like how professionals work with live audio, you can too with ICE Power, or at least at the default settings, they do the magic work and you just turn it on to work with. I suggest just going with their default setting though.
While to many, this may not sound like a huge difference with no treatments or equalisers; to any trained ear, you can notice differences straight away. Even with Spotify, the sound profile changes dramatically. Vocals sound clearer with that trailing afternote that you always hear when someone talks to you or in live concerts. The instruments sound a little more alive than they really are somehow. All these in just a simple arrangement of different frequencies. It is pleasantly surprising.
Of course, there is still the problem of not enough low-frequency strength from smaller speakers fitted on the ASUS VivoBook S15. Still, for a notebook PC to have audio like this is plenty amazing. If you are a little picky with audio, this could be the notebook that you might want to have.
There is some caveat though. While it does transform your audio experience a little bit, the speakers at times might seem that it hardly copes with the changes in frequencies, especially the higher ones. There are minimal tears in audio if you pay attention. Still, they can be quite negligible in most cases. To be fair, it could be Spotify too.
Performance
Of course, there are some limitations to what the ASUS VivoBook S15 can do. After all, the test device we have here only packs Intel’s Core i5. While it is the 10th Generation processor, it is not the most powerful in its range too. It is made to be power efficient and durable. It is made to be a workhorse instead of a powerful all conquering device with short bursts of power. This is made to last all day and more. This VivoBook S15 is made to stay away from the wall plugs as long as possible.
Still Quite Powerful
That is not to say that the ASUS VivoBook S15 is a weakling though. With the 10th iteration of Intel’s powerpack, it is more powerful than ever. It scrubs through Full HD 1080p videos on Adobe Premier Pro with ease. It renders the video quite fast too. Well, of course, this coming from a modern PC and at 1080p, you can expect as much. The NVIDIA GeForce MX250 does help things trundle along in video editing purposes too, especially when you need to do any extra stabilisation of your footage.
While your gaming rig can render Full HD videos much faster, this is not too far off. We were able to render 2minute Full HD videos in a few minutes. Provided the video does not feature plenty of complex animations, or too many added footages, or generally that much in complexity. It is just a simple cut, join and render from two different Full HD videos.
Where this should shine though is in simple Adobe Illustrator works and even Adobe Photoshop. Thing is, you might be left a little bit wanting from the display a little bit though. You are not getting the most colour accurate display available to you. Still, it is an IPS display; which means you still get best in class viewing angle and colours still look good.
We also appreciate the fact that this comes out-of-the-box with 8GB RAM. We have always said that 8GB should be the minimum RAM size that any notebooks come in. ASUS listened and fitted 8GB into this thing. Of course, you can upgrade it or add another RAM stick on your own if you want to.
Of course, with 512GB of SSD, you are not going to think too much about wanting for more speed out of your storage. 512GB is also plenty to work with when you are just going to work with documents, some light video or image editing, and even looking through endless emails. Trust me, it is enough. If not, you still can add a 2.5-inch HDD if you want to.
Gaming
Obviously the first part of any performance gauge on almost any notebook PC. Well, that is barring the creator grade stuffs. So, gaming.
Before we go on though, we are not going to install or test AAA titles on this notebook PC. Let’s face it, no one will buy this type of PC to run AAA titles in even close to high settings. You might be able to run older AAA titles still though.
We are not very good DOTA 2 players, but we are pretty sure this still can run that. Then again DOTA 2 runs on nearly any machine on the market these days. So DOTA may not be a good marker anymore.
We ran Two Point Hospital and Motorsport Manager on this thing. We relied on Two Point Hospital more than Motorsport Manager to work with though. Motorsport Manager is buggy at best, and does not require super high performance from GPU as well.
In that light, we are delighted to report that this runs Two Point Hospital healthily. As in, we have not complaints on it. We did not fiddle with the settings, for obvious reasons. We are pretty sure we could push the VivoBook S15 to higher settings on Two Point Hospital, but it might make the frames a little choppy, so we did not bother.
No, you will not get anything higher than 60 fps. This display only refreshes at 60hz. Nope, not a competitive esports contender here. Just a regular PC.
Going the Distance – Battery Life
The older VivoBooks have allowed us to work remotely quite efficiently in the past. There is no specific battery life quote from ASUS really for the new ASUS VivoBook S15. The 50Wh battery built into the ASUS VivoBook S15 (2020) though allowed us to stay on the move and work for at least 4 hours. This is considering that we left it at default power mode. You could improve that a little bit by changing your power consumption model like any other Windows notebook.
We got about 6 hours in battery life with no more than 10 tabs open on both Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge, plenty of typing on Microsoft Word (we typed this review entirely on the ASUS VivoBook S15), constantly having audio at various levels of volume with Audio Wizard on full time. Oh yes, we were downloading some things from Steam too. Screen brightness were kept to half though.
Still, we managed to get this review written on the ASUS VivoBook S15 in two full charges. Which is not ideal if we are away from ports for 8 hours or more in a single period. We are not though, so it still works. We are also thinking in terms of the buyers of this notebook PC. It should be more than adequate to work with between charge points if you are a student especially. Unless, of course, your class goes on for more than 5 hours at a time.
Display
We are not going to lie; the display is not the best. This is not some notebook PC that you might want to use to edit photos or images with super accurate colours. Might I suggest you get a secondary monitor that might cost as much?
No, this is not made for super accurate colour reproduction. This is also not made for gaming, so you do not get anything close to 120Hz. It stops at 60Hz, which is quite terrible in today’s gaming standards.
Does it matter though? This is not a PC that is made to be a creator’s tool. It is made to be a reliable workhorse for the likes of students, or some working adults that is looking at a budget. This is made for Word processing, Excel sheet crunching, and PowerPoint creation. This is made to browse through endless research papers and a mindless amount of web pages.
In that sense, the display is great enough for web browsing and reading. It is adequate to work with; you do not need 120Hz or even Pantone validation to process videos or get through an Excel sheet. You only need to protect your eyes. Windows and ASUS has you covered with blue light filter built-in of course.
The ASUS VivoBook S15 S533 (2020) – The Best VivoBook
That should go without saying. Every new device should be the best of its series. But the ASUS VivoBook S15 (2020) managed to do even more than that though. We admit, it lost some great stuff. It lost the highly acclaimed ErgoLift design (somehow, I am personally glad though). Then there is the fact that you do not get the fingerprint sensor with Windows Hello anymore, a mild annoyance. There is also no significant improvements in battery life too.
The ASUS VivoBook S15 (2020) is a mild progression from the older 2019 variant, rather than a revolution. It does everything a little better. Sure, we do not get some things that we have come to expect from the ASUS VivoBook line-up. But a notebook PC at this segment is not made great by those things.
You still get the same sort of great looking design that can stand out anywhere or blend in anywhere. That is up to your colour choices, by the way. It remained at the same great price too at MYR 3,199. That while having slightly better rigidity, which in turn improves durability and overall typing experience (thank you, little nub). The product still feels great but is made better with the slightly more powerful new generation Intel Core i5 processor (the only one we are getting in Malaysia, by the way). Audio by Harman Kardon is still much of the same thing, but the discovery of Audio Wizard by ICE Power made exclusively for ASUS PCs made it slightly better; just the right amount to change the experience.
Everything points to very slight increments in the experience of the ASUS VivoBook S15. All the increments are made at the same price too. Yes, that means that you must give up some good stuff too. But remember, that is not the point. The point of the ASUS VivoBook S15 is to be a great all-rounder. In that, it does well. We would describe it as the perfect all-rounder. It’s 15.6-inch display is large enough, but also light at 1.8kg. It has all the power you need too, and still lasts longer your meetings or classes. Of course, the Harman Kardon and ICE Power combination is a winner in the audio aspect. Music is enjoyable on this, really.
It is like that friend that you hang out with all the time, the one that goes to the ‘mamak’ with you to discuss world issues, and to the bar with you to watch Liverpool winning the 2019/2020 season; the all-around swell and reliable friend. This is that friend. Oh, as a bonus, this ‘friend’ might look better than that friend; whatever you may think, the Gaia Green is gorgeous. Definitely the one I would spend my MYR 3,199 on.
The Samsung Galaxy A(w-Suh-m) series is full of awesome goodies from the front of the Super AMOLED screen all the way to the camera array on the back. The A series has always been about variety; ranging from the Samsung Galaxy A01 all the way up to the Samsung Galaxy A80. We’re taking a look at the Samsung Galaxy A71 – the latest and greatest Galaxy A series phone at the time of writing in Malaysia. Above the Galaxy A71, we are met with Samsung’s next tier consisting of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite and the Galaxy S10 Lite. The Note 10 lite is MYR500 (USD$118) more while right under is the A51 which is MYR500 cheaper than the A71. This beckons the question, how awesome is this phone, really?
Hardware and Performance
Let’s start off with the hardware. Just because it is a mid-tier phone does not mean it does not have the goods. The phone comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 Octa-core processor that handles heavy apps and games like a breeze. This is paired with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM to let you run all the applications you need. Last but not least 128GB of internal storage which seems decent but let’s not forget like most Samsung, it can host a micro SD card to expand its storage. This is bolstered by a pretty respectable camera setup that would suffice for most users.
As the Galaxy A71 is a mid tier phone, I did not have much expectations of the phone. Maybe some freezing and lag after heavy load applications such as games but the use of the Snapdragon 730 really packs a punch for the performance of the phone. It felt as if I was using a phone with a top of the line processor, giving me the ability to jump back and forth between apps without much hiccups.
Call Quality and Connectivity
Phone calls on the A71 works just as well like every other phone on the market. Giving you clear sound quality from its earpiece and speakers while picking up every sound around you from a teeny tiny mic in the phone. These days many youngsters do not call one another anymore unless its an emergency and couples prefer video calls to see each other. With a better selfie camera the receiving end of the video calls of the A71 user gets a much clearer video quality.
However, the antenna on this phone does not pick up signal as good compared to other phones. In an area with expected weak connectivity the phone could barley register any signal leaving you stranded with no connectivity at all. Videos calls would lag as you cannot load what’s coming from the other end and regular phone calls would be half muffled and cut off.
Specifications
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 730
Operating System (OS)
Android 10 One UI 2.0
Display
Super AMOLED+ capacitive touchscreen 16M colours 6.7 inches 87.2% screen to body ratio
The Samsung Galaxy A71 comes with a quad-camera set up that has a 64-megapixel main sensor! This is complemented by three other cameras: a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor, a 5-megapixel macro lens, and lastly a 5-megapixel depth sensor. This setup raises a few questions particularly since Samsung has already stepped up its camera game by having a 48-megapixel sensor in the S10 Lite. This is contrasted to the 12-megapixel main sensor in the S20. Take those and contrast it to the fact that Samsung has equipped the A71 with the 64-megapixel sensor. Now that is Aw-Suh-m approved. Upfront, the Galaxy A71 comes with a single, 32-megapixel camera up similar to many other Samsung phones.
Ultra Wide
Wide
Zoom
Wide
Full Zoom
However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves when it comes to the pixels in the camera. The camera looks like it captures pictures really well at the first glance but after deeper inspection. The only reason the pictures looks good is due to its colour contrast where it makes the colours pop. If you zoom into the pictures the textures seem like it is blended and mixed together. The camera also pics up a lot of noise giving the pictures a very grainy look. This is quite disappointing as there are phone with smaller megapixel sensor which can perform better.
It also has a Live Focus mode where it focuses on the object and blurs out the background. It works well as long as the object in focus is large enough for the software to figure out between the object and background. The objects also have to be 1 to 1.5 meters away from the phone. You can also adjust the intensity of the background blur to give it a more realistic effect. Another cool effect is the super slow-motion option. This is cool, but it is very hard to use as the video clip that is recorded is not fully slow motion but only a few seconds between the clips.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy A71 comes with a Super AMOLED+ display. As with all Super AMOLED+ displays, the picture quality is crisp and sharp. However, my biggest gripe with the display is that the display is way too bright and using it in dark environments can be straining to the eyes even on the lowest brightness settings – and if you’re like me, you tend to be blinded when you’re on the phone in bed or turning it on first thing in the morning.
The screen is 6.7 inches with an 87.2% screen-to-body ratio and 393 pixels per inch. The bezels do not seem to be as thin or sensitive as my hands did not manage to accidentally touch or trigger it while still maintaining the look of having really thin bezels. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. This allowed the phone to hold up pretty well in my pocket which is usually cramped with my keys, keeping me worry free of accidentally scratching the screen. It does come with a thin plastic protector that has been taking all the beating from the keys.
The irregular 20:9 aspect ratio on the Galaxy A71 makes watching videos is a weird mix. Most videos on YouTube are still at the aspect ratio of 16:9, thus users will get big black bars on the top and bottom the videos. Whereas most movies on the other hand would fit perfectly in the display as most cinematic aspect ratio is at 21:9, giving users a really immersive cinematic experience.
Gaming
Gaming experience was smooth and I did not have many hiccups. Together with A71’s large screen estate, the controls do not get in the way which gives you a slight advantage. Software side, it automatically places games into full screen, or it blacks out the notification bar. I’m a little annoyed that I cannot choose if I want the game to take up the entire screen or have the notification bar blacked out as it is automatically decided by the system itself. That said, I, personally, prefer the notification bar blacked out as the camera punch hole doesn’t interrupt the display providing a more immersive experience.
If you are gaming with the phone’s speakers it should not be a problem as it is loud and clear. But during gaming, your hand placement might accidentally block the speaker with your index finger and muffle out the sound. So keep that in mind or use headphones with the 3.5mm jack for the best gaming experience. Yeap, that’s right! The phone comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack. Praise the jack lords! Headphone users rejoice! You can now have the most useful accessory back when you’re gaming! However, the wires can get in the way of holding your phone, it is still in an acceptable position as it does not strain your fingers to game.
Security and Privacy
To keep your phone safe and secure and have the convenience of unlocking the phone easily, there are two biometric ways to unlock the phone. There is face recognition and fingerprint. The face recognition works really well, it unlocks within seconds after waking the phone.
But for the under-display fingerprint sensor, It is not as good as a physical mounted fingerprint sensor. The under display fingerprint sensor does not detect the fingerprints as fast. I found myself having to make multiple tries before it can finally be unlocked which makes you more dependent on facial recognition.
Battery
Waking up in the morning with only 20% battery life would cause one to panic but with the 25W fast charging of the A71, it can charge the phone to full capacity slightly over an hour. The phone packs a pretty big battery with 4,500mAh that is ready to last you the entire day. However, being a mid-tier phone, it does not come with wireless charging capabilities and it charges with USB Type-C 2.0.
It actually surprised me how well the battery sustained throughout the day as I would scroll through social media aimlessly and launch games just to collect daily rewards. Even with all those activities by the end of the day I would still have around 25% to 30% of battery life, where I would just leave it throughout the night and when I wake up, it still has enough battery life to do other activities before really needing to charge it.
Software
The Galaxy A71 runs on Android 10 using Samsung’s OneUI 2.0. With the skin, it has various features that the bare android does not have. Even though OneUI 2.0 is heavily skinned, it brings along with it various conveniences such as our all time favourite dark theme, a more intuitive user interface in the camera app, Knox and even device care. There are also various tiny little details that you can configure on the phone to make it suit to your liking.
It does not seem to have an impact on the phone’s performance. The phone still runs smoothly and launches applications without any issue. With a third party skin the battery usually performs worse but Samsung has optimised OneUI 2.0 so well the battery performance barely takes a hit.
Design
Last but not least, the design of the phone. Almost all of Samsung’s phones look alike this time around with Samsung’s new design language; Now with its now-signature bulky rectangular camera casing that is sticking out of the top right of its back. This has to be the single annoyance of any Samsung device but it has an easy fix that is to put on a case on the phone. Even the polyurethane (PU) case that comes in the box makes the camera bump more seamless and flush with the casing which makes it easier to fit into your pockets without it getting snagged onto anything.
The A71 carries the same basic frame and back casing but it has its own unique flair and design to keep it different from the rest of the Samsung series. There is a slash and two strokes across the phone as its design pattern. The back does refract light to give you the effect of light breaking down, allowing you to see all of the shades of red, green, and blue hues on the back.
The phone is on the larger side but it still fits into your hands comfortably and, if you’re like me, one handed usage shouldn’t be a problem; although, people with smaller hands may have a slight issue. One design decision that I have a gripe with is the placement of the 3.5mm headphone jack. While I’m grateful for its inclusion, the headphone jack is placed on the bottom of the phone where the charging port is also located. You can’t use the earphones while keeping the phone upright. This also applies to using the phone while charging particularly if you’re in a video call. You’ll have to tip in on its head for things to work.
Affordability
Now comes the price, the phone is priced at RM1,799 which I believe is a very reasonable price for a mid range phone but a shocking price for what it is packing. With all three of its Aw-Suh-m-ness, from its Super AMOLED+ screen that gives you clear and vibrant colours, a 64MP main camera that captures every detail to the inch, and battery life that will last you throughout the day leaving you worry free of battery anxiety. All these specs would have easily placed the A71 in a tier above with a hefty price tag. Plus a bonus with Samsung’s OneUI 2.0 software that enables customisation that makes that phone truly personal. All these goodies for only RM1,799?! Not only is it worth every penny, but it’s an absolute steal, especially when it’s a Samsung!
Final Thoughts
Personally, I think it’s a phone that you should definitely get. For its specification and its price tag this is perfect for someone who is constantly on the phone who needs battery power that can survive the endless scrolling or gaming throughout the day. This is a perfect daily driver for you if you . As mentioned above, the Galaxy A71’s specifications and performance definitely matches its price tag, and dare I say it would still be worth even if it was higher. But, if you are someone who prioritizes the camera and picture quality, then the Note10 Lite and S10 Lite would be a better choice for you. It may come with a lower megapixel sensor but the picture processing is so much better with less noise, better colour and texture right off the bat.
About a month ago, we played a demo of a very iconic game. It was a game that everyone is talking about. It is a game remake that was years in making. It is the Final Fantasy VII remake.
We argued that that Final Fantasy VII was probably one of the most iconic titles in modern video games. Of course, we still stand by that. Final Fantasy VII is, in my opinion the best Final Fantasy VII that ever existed. The game also set the tone for other Final Fantasy titles that comes after.
Final Fantasy VII Remake is an attempt to capture the essence that was the original Final Fantasy VII and give it a fresh breath of life. In our opinions, the new Remake title is made for those who have already experienced the original game and loved it. Because of that, we were a little concerned that this would alienate players who did not enjoy the original game, or even had any experience with it.
In this case, there are two questions we would have to answer for the Final Fantasy VII Remake. The first question might be more straightforward to answer; is it a good Remake that captures the magic and essence that was the original game and made it better? The second question is a little more difficult to answer. Is the game a good game on its own? As in, would any gamer enjoy this game without playing the original game first?
Game Design
Final Fantasy is a huge title that spans across decades and even generations. The first Final Fantasy title was introduced in the 1980s. The first few Final Fantasy did not have the polished, ultra-realistic graphics that we have today. They still have strong storytelling elements about them. Still, storytelling is something that can be done across several mediums and as long as there is a good flow, it will work. Up until Final Fantasy X (10) that is.
This was mostly due to the restrictions of the consoles that came with the titles. But that also became sort of the hallmark of the Final Fantasy franchise for a while though. Final Fantasy X became a sort of marker of what Final Fantasy of the future might sound like. Final Fantasy XIII was the big shift from Final Fantasy’s very iconic turn-based combat to real-time action combat with plenty of flash and movements. That evolved into the Final Fantasy that we know today that is the Final Fantasy XV, a Final Fantasy full of dialogues and plenty of action.
I personally have plenty of gripes with the new Final Fantasy XV and plenty of its design and mechanics choices. Its combat animation is way to busy and messy for you to understand properly what is happening in battle situations. This same real-time combat mechanic will make it into Final Fantasy VII Remake, and this becomes a concern to us.
Real-time Combat
On the latest instalment of Final Fantasy, the fifteenth chapter, the combat mechanics was fluid and much better and intuitive than before. It was a mess though with so many things and so many objects involved within battle situations itself. That took plenty of refinement and enjoyment from the brilliant battles themselves. There is too many things happening that your display is filled with what seems to be explosions and blinding lights.
That same battle mechanics is going into the Final Fantasy VII Remake. It is a far cry from the original’s classic turn-based RPG battle mechanic. There are some good similarities between what you get from the Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy XV though.
For one, real-time combat now makes plenty of sense with the amount of processing power PlayStation 4 can handle. Going back to a turn-based combat mechanic would be nostalgic, but it would make it feel like we are taking a step backward with the game. Making it real-time, while makes it feel a bit more modern, also means that you are including newer fans to the series.
We secretly wish that the Remake would have gone back to the simpler, more iconic turn-based combat mechanic though. One thing that is a little bit of a drawback with Final Fantasy VII Remake with new real-time combat mechanics is that you cannot simply do your summons whenever you want. Then again, for bigger boss battles, you can call on to one of your Summons one time in battle and you get very cool animations still. Like Final Fantasy XV, you have limited Summons to collect in the game. Most of them are optional though and you really have to keep a good look around in the game to find them.
Learning the combat mechanics and using each character’s special abilities in combat is simple enough that it becomes second nature once you get used to it. That is mostly thanks to the very comprehensive tutorial and simplicity of the combat controls. In no time you would be switching between characters in different situations to achieve different things in the same combat at different timings. Oh yes, timing your attacks and defense can be very important in battle situations. You really need to learn to not just mash your controller buttons and refine your battles to use more than just the ‘strike’ button.
There are differences between this Remake compared to the Final Fantasy XV battle mechanics. That makes this Final Fantasy VII Remake a better game to play in terms of combat too. Less characters are involved in a fight, which means less mess in the discplay. Visibility of the battlefield is much better too.
Unlike the XV, the VII Remake’s battle happens in mostly restricted environments with clearly defined boundaries and walls within the battlefield. While that may make the battlefield look a little cramped and restricted, never did I feel restricted in the battlefields. In fact, having some sort of boundary within a battlefield helps you navigate and strategise battles better. It helps with some spatial awareness and that also translates to knowing the position of your opponents at different times.
There is less flash on the battlefield as well, which is always good for visibility on your screen. You see your enemies much better even with the darker tones of colours in Midgar and its underbelly. The dark metallic colours of Midgar may hinder some visibility a little bit, but the great contrasts of colours help with visibility and command of the battlefield very nicely.
The World of Final Fantasy VII Remake
The world built for Final Fantasy VII Remake is limited to Midgar so far. Yes, this is not the whole storyline that you see from Final Fantasy VII. Since we cannot actually record the final chapter and sequence of Final Fantasy VII Remake, we will respect Square Enix’s decision and keep that unspoiled for everyone. What we can tell you though is that the Remake’s whole playthrough is just in Midgar.
If you can remember or look back into the Original Final Fantasy, Midgar seems very industrial, because Midgar is meant to be industrial. That, and because the original Final Fantasy VII had its own design limitations. Still, the city of Midgar became iconic because of the design choices of the metallic city itself plagued with a huge wealth gap between people living on the upper tier of the city and the lower levels of the city.
Final Fantasy VII Remake made the Midgar that we knew from the original game come alive though. The colour choices were spot on. But best of all with the design of the game was the similarity between textures of the world around the character and the characters in the game themselves. You get the same texture and detail quality from both objects in the world and the characters. You can really immerse in the characters and live in Midgar with Cloud, Tifa, Barret, and members of Avalanche.
Fixed cameras are also not a thing anymore in Final Fantasy VII Remake, which is a good thing. We can liken that to the likes of the recent remakes of the Resident Evil series. That also means you can really appreciate Midgar and the rest of Final Fantasy VII Remake world from any angle. That freedom of viewing angles also makes it feel like you are seeing and experiencing Midgar for the first time when you play the Remake. There are some quirks and limitations in the game world that makes it very Final Fantasy still though. While it may be a little unintentional to have these limitations, we do like it rather plenty since it really reminds us that we are playing a Final Fantasy game still.
Midgar is prettier and better looking than I could remember in the Remake though. Every panel and texture look right and purposeful. The lights that are bouncing off the panels also reflect very well like they are ray-traced. There are more colours in Midgar’s slums that I could remember too from the original game. Of course, Seventh Heaven is even more detailed than before and looks even better than before.
While Final Fantasy VII Remake looks nothing like the original game, it looks just like the original game too. Everything is made to be bigger, more detailed, overall better looking. But it is still rocognisable Midgar and every design is based on the original game. We could even say that the Final Fantasy VII Remake is a completely new game in its own rights just based on the graphical standards.
Character Building
If you have played the original Final Fantasy VII before, you can probably guess which characters you will play at the beginning of the Remake. You start with the main protagonist of the game, Cloud Strive; a mercenary that is in the midst of blowing up a powerplant with a group called Avalanche. At least that is where you start, at a powerplant. You get to first meet Barrett, or ‘machine gun hand guy’ about 10 minutes in the game play and that is when you are introduced to the character switching game mechanic. You are introduced to three other NPCs within the first part of the game itself. There three characters are important characters in the game’s lore and story line nevertheless.
You later get introduced to Tifa Lockheart and Aerith Gainsborough a little later in the game. You meet Aerith much earlier than Tifa though, for a good solid 5 minutes and then you get to have her in your party way later in the game. Those are the only four playable characters in the Remake and you can only have up to three characters in your party at any given moment. Not like you would be making plenty of decisions over which characters you want to include in your current party though, one or more of the characters will not be available in different parts of the game.
Each of the characters have their own iconic designs that is carried over from the original game though. This being a Final Fantasy game too, you can expect the choice of changing costumes to be non-existent here. That is good too, it allows you to focus on the gameplay and storyline instead of worrying about personalising your character.
Each character has their own strengths and weaknesses, and each can be used in different situations of a battle situation. Of course, because there is almost no freedom to choose which characters come with you in a party, you have no choice but to play around with buffing your characters with different Materias at different conditions to get the most out of battles and each character.
The leveling system in this game is a little different compared to the original game though. You can still equip characters with different weapons that you buy or find through your explorations in the game. Each weapons has their own strengths and weaknesses. You can upgrade them when you earn something called SP (Skill Points). You use these SP to upgrade your weapons to fit more Materias, to up your damage points so that your next battle is slightly easier, and what not. We suggest you stick to some of the original weapons that your characters come with. We find that they are the most powerful even after unlocking and obtaining the last of weapons for each character.
The weapon upgrade screen are done in orbs in what looks like a galaxy. It looks like a galaxy of solar systems. Each planet is an upgrade and each solar system is an upgrade tree that reveals itself with different tiers and levels.
You also earn AP (Ability Points) after each use of Materias. The AP is what levels up the Materias. If That enables you to use higher forms of the magic if available. For example, the Materia that I use most in the game would be the Healing Materia with the basic spell to be Cure, Cura for the next level, Regen after that, and finally Curaga. Each level heals different HP (Hit Points) for each character. The only Materias that do not actively collect APs are the summon Materias.
Speaking of Materias, these things are the most important things for you to collect in the game. You can find two Summon Materias in the open world and the rest of the Summons are gained through battles with a special character you meet quite early in the game. Other Materias are for your spells and elemental buffs and additional abilities.
There is a level cap in the game too. Final Fantasy VII Remake caps your characters at level 50. We assume that this is to ensure that they can build up to the next Final Fantasy VII Remake and make you grind through the game again starting at level 50 (we do not know what they want to call it; Remake II or something). By the end of your first play through though, if you play in normal mode, you should hit level 40 and above. You should hit level 50 in your second play through.
Of course, you would want to play through the second time. You can play it in Hard Mode now only after you finish the game once. In that play through you are facing enemies that are much tougher while reaching and remaining the level cap of the game. It should make for a more challenging play through. There are also some things that you can only get from playing in Hard Mode.
Very much like the original game, each character is very loveable and relatable. From the very cold emotionless Cloud to the loud mouthed, heart on the sleeve Barrett, the characters all feel more human than before. To be fair, plenty of it has to do with the life like character design and brilliant voice acting. The original game did not have voice actors, and that does take away from the experience a little bit.
Of Sounds and Music
If you think about it, audio is a big component in our lives. We are the only creature in the known universe also with the capabilities to create what we call ‘music’. We are very rhythmic creatures in that sense. Which also means audio can determine our comfort levels and even how we react to events.
An explosion, for example, makes big noises that makes us jump a little and uncomfortable. It triggers our fight or flight response to the world. Soothing music played on the Piano helps us calm down a little. Change that up a little in beat, tempo, and tone, you get a completely different feeling from the sounds you pick up. There is a reason why we feel super uncomfortable watching horror films with good audio design. Pull up the Conjuring and mute all sounds, you will find that it is not as frightening as you thought.
Final Fantasy understood that from the very beginning. The Final Fantasy franchise also produces one of the most prominent figures in the game music world, Nobuo Uematsu. He is the original music composer for most of the series including Final Fantasy VII.
In the Remake, every piece that you hear are originally written by the composer, Nobuo Uematsu. That is because they are. They have remastered these too to give them a fresh breath of life for more modern times. They still capture the same essence of the game and still perfectly suit the game.
The voice actors, in the English version at least (we only reviewed the English version, we do not understand Japanese), are great. You probably would have seen reaction videos by Aerith’s voice actor, Brianna White on YouTube by now. Everything is meticulously thought of and carefully worked on. Everything has to sound right; everyone must sound right. Of course, they have to sound unique and identifiable too; from the gruffness of Barret to the softness of Aerith and boldness of Tifa.
The care for details gave us that very needed relatability to the characters. We knew these characters in the original game. In fact, we thought that we knew them well enough from spending more than 50 hours in the original game. The voices though, gives us a slightly new perspective and it feels like we are getting to know the characters again. Still, each character’s voice is very much like how I personally imagined them to be. I am guessing that would be the case for a lot of players who have immersed themselves with the old game.
All About the Story
When you pick up a Final Fantasy title though, it is not too much about the battles that you would be having. It is not even that much about the gameplay sometimes, or the nonsensical conversations that the characters would have in-game. It is mostly about the story telling.
Of course, you do not buy a game just for its story-telling aspect. You buy it because you want to play it; to immerse in it. You want to be a part of that story. If not, why not just watch a movie?
Final Fantasy is one of the first games that puts a lot of emphasis on its story-telling aspect though. It was the daddy of story-telling RPG games. In my opinion, the original Final Fantasy VII told the best story in the Final fantasy franchise.
Some may not agree on that though. To be fair, it is a matter of personal preference anyway. Still, the original Final Fantasy VII was a story that was both triumphant and heart-breaking. A bittersweet story that captured our hearts and minds. Who knew a video game with limitations in graphical abilities could tell a better story than Michael Bay and a dozen of actual actors in front of a camera?
If you have played the original Final Fantasy VII then, you know what you are getting yourselves into with the Remake. Technically, there is almost no difference between this game and the original in terms of storyline. The difference is only in the pace, graphics, battle mechanics, and details. In the same amount of time you finish the Remake’s story, you can finish the original game. That is how much more detailed the Remake is when you consider that Final Fantasy VII Remake only covers the first disc of the original three discs required for Final Fantasy VII. Oh yes, if you lose one disc, you cannot continue the game.
The cutscenes are a little longer than before, everything looks more lifelike and life-sized than before and there are plenty more nooks and crannies to explore within the game. There are new details here and there too that you might not see in the original game. Unlike the original game though, enemies do not come out randomly, since it is a real-time combat situation now. You see your opponents about 10 seconds before you go into the battle most of the time. Unless battles happen after a cutscene.
While there is not much that has been changed from the original story, besides depth that is. One of them is the death of a certain memorable character from the original game. We are not going to reveal who that is. We can tell you that we have not reached the point where a certain character dies in the original game though. That is as far as we can tell you.
So, Play or Not?
If you ask me as a fan of the original Final Fantasy VII, I will say; “yes, please go and treat yourself to the wonderful thing that is the Remake”. It not only brings back memories, but it brought some tears. It brought back plenty of emotions from the first Final Fantasy. Now that we are older too, those emotions come back a little stronger.
The new Remake of the Final Fantasy VII not only captures the best of the original game. Yes, it took some of that original combat mechanics and quirks, but it is still very much a Final Fantasy game that took the world of video games by storm. It took what the original game was and added some modern magic to it. The steampunk themed game and setting never looked better and more real. It felt better and more fast paced than the original game. At the same time the story has never had more depth. You feel even more connected to the characters.
Before I forget too, each action you take and choice you make can make a difference in the story-telling aspect. How good you are in the game’s battles can also determine how your story progresses. While they are not major deviations from the game’s actual path, they could be significant in how your story might end if Square Enix decides to finish the game.
If you ask me as a fan of the series but never enjoyed the greatness that was the Final Fantasy VII, I will still tell you to get the game just for its unique storyline. While all Final Fantasy stories are a little farfetched and borders fantasy and science fiction, Final Fantasy VII’s storyline is one that I find most enjoyable. The story is a mix of despair, triumph, love, and tragedy. There are some very relatable real-world issues that the characters may face too. Things like PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) that you can clearly see in Cloud Strive makes the characters feel plenty more human than a mere video game hero type. The characters deal with poverty and unfavourable living conditions.
If you are completely new to Final Fantasy and have never touched a single Final Fantasy title, this might be the one for you too. Battles are plenty more polished and cleaner than Final Fantasy XV’s. Rather than random mashing of buttons too, there is a little bit of tactics you need to apply within battles.
It is a challenging game, yes. It is very unlike the original game too. Everything feels up to standard compared to modern AAA titles. Everything feels just as polished too. It is, in its own rights, a very good game with a unique and solid storyline, just like any Final Fantasy title should. If you enjoyed the likes of God of War or Horizon Zero Dawn, you would very much like this game.
Finally, is it worth the MYR 179 asking price? I am inclined to say so. If you could get it on discount, I employ you to do so, and good for you. While some look at it as a refresh of an old game, we respectfully disagree. It is based on an old game, yes. The storyline even mimics the old game. We have to say that it is a completely new game though. It is not just a refresh, really. It is a complete 180° makeover, a completely new game, just with the same stories. Nobody likes a retold story; but this one is special, and the way they retold it is fresh, it is just amazing.
