Category Archives: Reviews

ASUS TUF Gaming Dash F15 In-Depth Review – Hey, This is Pretty Good!

November 19, 2021 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

The ASUS TUF line-up has its roots in 2010 as one of ASUS’ peripherals arms. Short for The Ultimate Force, they made peripherals for the gaming market. Unlike ROG though, the TUF line-up caters to the budget conscious gamers.

In that sense, some of the TUF are designed with durability and value in mind, and it shows. Beside the ROG name, the TUF branding is one of the most recognizable one in the gaming PC components industry.

The ASUS TUF gaming laptop line-up was made to be the entry-level category from 2016 onward. Of course, entry-level gaming laptops are full of compromises to make them as budget friendly as they can be. They were one of the first gaming laptops with MIL-STD 810 military standards certification, so they haven’t compromised on build quality. The performance was the one that took the hit though.

It is still a TUF gaming laptop, this TUF Dash F15, an entry-level product in other words. But it is not like any TUF gaming laptops that we know from before. It looks more sophisticated; more streamlined, and cleaner. It also packs a lot of power under its hood, or keyboard.

At MYR 5,799 though, it is not cheap. Should you consider an entry-level gaming laptop now if you are going into content creation and if you want to game without breaking the bank? Should you get this laptop for that matter?

Design

The ASUS TUF Dash F15 is not just an ASUS TUF gaming laptop. It is also their thinnest offering to date. While the other 15-incher from ASUS’ TUF line-up offers you about 2.5cm in thickness, the TUF Dash 15 is just below 2cm. The diet also takes off about 300g off the weight, at 2.0kg.

While remaining thinner and lighter than most 15-inch gaming laptops, the TUF Dash F15 still features three full-sized USB 3.0 Type-A ports, a full-sized HDMI 2.0 port, and an RJ45 port to the sides of the notebook. Of course, with any modern laptop, you can expect to see one USB Type-C port alongside a 3.5mm audio jack.

Our test unit comes with the Eclipse Gray matte finish, and we are fans of its looks. The redesigned TUF emblem is a lot flatter than before, elegant almost. Just in case you forgot, there are letterings spelling out TUF on its cover boldly reminding you that it is a TUF device.

The ASUS TUF Dash F15’s more compact body also means limitations in terms of cooling vents. The solution is moving the cooling vents elsewhere which also moves the ports toward users. Because the chassis is smaller too, the keyboard is now a ten-keyless with two very unsightly unused space sandwiching the keyboard. While they have disguised the unused space with some textured designs, we still think that ASUS could have made better use of the wasted spaces.

Most of the TUF Dash F15 is made of plastics. Despite being mostly plastic, the TUF Dash F15 does not feel cheap. The plastic parts, which mostly cover the bottom and the display bezel of the laptop, feels durable, just as an ASUS should.

Other than the subtle branding exercise, there are no creases or bulges that indicates a gaming laptop. The only indicator that this is a gaming laptop is the cut out at the bottom of the display paying homage to ASUS ROG’s original idea. The cover is a flat aluminium slate that hides its power.

Hardware

Underneath the MIL-STD 810 build of the ASUS TUF Dash F15 is a powerhouse of a processor combined with a powerful enough GPU that you can appreciate.

Specifications

TUF Gaming Dash F15 (2021)	As Tested
*Processor (clock)*	Intel Core i7-11370H (Quad-Core@3.1~4.4GHz)
*GPU*	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
*Display(s)*	15.6-inch IPS (1920 x 1080 FHD) 144Hz Anti-glare Narrow Bezel
*Memory*	512GB NVMe PCIe Gen 3 SSD 16GB DDR4 RAM (8GB x 2)
Networking and Connections (I/O)	1 x USB 3.1 Type-C (Thunderbolt 4) 3 x USB 3.2 Type-A 1 x 3.5mm AUX 1 x HDMI 2.0 1 x RJ45 Ethernet Port WiFi 6 (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.01
*Operating System*	Windows 10 Home (64-bit)
*Miscellaneous*	2.00kg DTS audio All-metal body

Features

The ASUS TUF Gaming is not just an entry-level value offering though. It is a thin-and-light gaming laptop. You still want everything that makes the gaming laptop a proper working PC when you need it to be.

Full Ports

There is little sacrifice in terms of I/O ports. You still get three USB Type-A 3.2 ports on both sides. There is a full HDMI 2.0 port, and one thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C port on the left side of the device too for multi-display compatibility. You get a 3.5mm AUX jack too, which is a nice welcome since the ASUS ZenBook devices started omitting AUX ports. As mentioned, you also get a full RJ45 port.

We still feel that some of the ports like the HDMI, the charging, and even one of the USB Type-A ports could be shifted to the back for better ergonomics and cable management. It might sacrifice some needed space for the cooling vents though.

You will not find an SD card reader, which is a bummer for content creators. While card readers are not that expensive these days, it is also always nice to have one already built-in.

Armory Crate

The ASUS TUF Dash F15’s Armoury Crate allows you to choose your power profile. You can tell the device to push maximum power with performance mode. While the power profile is set to ‘balanced’ by default, launching Armory Crate is just a matter of a click of a button and changing profiles is also just a matter of clicking the ROG logo button that sits separately above the keyboard. The Armory Crate button is also grouped with the volume up, down, and mute buttons.

Sadly, the Armory Crate does not allow you to change the back lighting of the keyboard. That is also because the keyboard on the ASUS TUF Dash F15 does not feature RGB. You can customize how your keyboard is being lit though. If you have an ASUS Aura Sync compatible device, you can connect it to the TUF Dash F15 and customize the lighting scheme from Armory Crate.

Sorry, I Don’t Have a Webcam

There is one glaring issue with the ASUS TUF Dash F15. It is one you cannot find. There is no webcam on the TUF Dash F15.

A lot of the included webcam on your laptops are not great though. You get subpar quality cameras that shoots at only 720p for video calls. Most of the time, your smartphone can do a much better camera capturing videos at 720p.

Webcams are easily accessible anyway. That also means that you might be better off with them anyway. You can even turn your smartphones into webcams these days.

Performance

This is a gaming laptop built with performance in mind. It is also made with budget in mind. The terms ‘budget-friendly’ and ‘high-performance’ does not always come together very often. In the case of the ASUS TUF Dash F15 though, you can put the terms together.

Multitasking & Poductivity

You get 16GB RAM out of the box (as tested). That means you have ample of RAM to work with in normal use cases. 16GB is more than enough even for creative suites like Adobe’s Premiere Pro or even Photoshop. You might want to be a little patient with After Effects though.

Still, even if you are on Google Chrome, you can manage up to 20 tabs with no issues. Of course, a clever RAM management plugin should do wonders for Chrome. Ample RAM also means that documents processing and even PowerPoint is a breeze.

On the end of content creation, the ASUS TUF Dash F15 also comes into its own. We relied on Adobe’s suite for most of our audio-visual work. For videos, we work with Adobe’s Premiere Pro. We tasked the laptop to render an H.264 Full HD video from H.265 HEVC 4K sources. It took the ASUS TUF Dash F15 about 5 minutes and 19 seconds to render the video. At H.265 format, the ASUS TUF Dash F15 renders the video at just about half the time. Oddly, the laptop refuses to render 4K videos at both H.264 and H.265 formats.

Silently Working

Keyboards on ASUS’ gaming laptops have come a long way though. In case you forgot that the ASUS TUF Dash F15 is a gaming laptop, the light blue backlighting shows through on the transparent keycaps for the WASD buttons.

It is still a laptop though, so you cannot expect an experience that compares to mechanical keyboards. The key travel is limited, and tactility is not the best. While it does not feel like you are hitting your fingers on a wooden board, the keyboard does not give you the best feedback. It might not feel the best and your typing accuracy might suffer a little bit, but at least you will not be too fatigued when you type out long essays.

Gaming

On the ASUS TUF Dash F15, we tested games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Horizon Zero Dawn, and even Grand Theft Auto V. Horizon Zero Dawn is also made to be optimized for the Sony PlayStation 4 platform first, which would also mean that Horizon Zero Dawn should have no trouble running at higher settings.

We cranked the graphics settings on the eight-year-old Grand Theft Auto to its highest. The game clocked at a maximum of 120fps on Grand Theft Auto V. On average, the fps count hovers around the 100fps mark and above.

While Horizon Zero Dawn is made for the PS4 platform, it is still a graphics heavy game. That also means that it clocks only at about 90fps on average with its graphics settings turned all the way up. Shadow of the Tomb Raider did push the hardware on the TUF Dash F15 a little bit. At some points the game only clocked 28fps. There were some noticeable lags far and few. Still, at default settings (medium-high), the game could run at 40-50fps on average.

While you may not be able to enjoy all the current AAA titles at ultra-quality, they will be easily playable and therefore enjoyed on the ASUS TUF Dash F15. If you wish to, you can even plug it into a monitor or TV to enjoy your games via the HDMI port or even the USB Type-C thunderbolt 4 port.

Throttle, Throttle, Throttle

In our test of the ASUS TUF Dash F15, we did encounter a few odd issues with its fan. The fans on the ASUS TUF Dash F15 throttles as temperature goes up. There is a way to turn the fans all the way up in the BIOS settings if you really want, but by default, the fan responds to temperature.

Temperatures on the rig can get quite high. When you are playing games, you tend to see your CPU hitting its limit at about 99oC to 100oC. The fan ramps up in an attempt to cool the PC in games. In games as well, the fan speed is sustained to keep temperatures manageable. The same cannot be said when you edit videos though.

In our test of the ASUS TUF Dash F15, working with Adobe Premiere Pro was mostly a pleasure with the PC being quiet most of the time while scrubbing through footages. Even at “performance” settings, the device remains relatively quiet. Once you start rendering the video though, fans start to ramp up to their maximum but not at a sustained rate, oddly enough.

Display & Audio

You get a nice 15.6-inch IPS panel for a display. Because there is no webcam to speak of, the bezels are super thin on the top and sides. It is also a Full HD display that refreshes at 144Hz, important when it comes to competitive titles.

Of course, if you are playing titles like Shadow of the Tomb Raider, or even Horizon Zero Dawn, you might not be taking advantage of the 144Hz refresh rate. The speed of the display can be appreciated by competitive titles like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive though. At the same you can still enjoy a goods game of GTA Online with your friends.

On the end of content creation though, you might want to consider a secondary monitor. While the display looks good with highly saturated colours, it is not the most accurate display you might find in the market. It is good enough though if you are not using the ASUS TUF Dash F15 for colour grading work.

Where the display shines beyond games is movies and consuming other medias. Videos look crisp and nice on the display, and you can easily enjoy Netflix and Amazon Prime on the platform. While the colour contrast is not the best, it is still great enough to casually enjoy a good movie with.

On the end of Audio, you get DTS Audio speakers. There are only two speakers that are firing downward and out. The speakers are decent in the mid-range and high-end frequencies with more emphasis on the mid-range. Low-end is a little thin because there is no sub-woofer on the laptop. At least the speakers can be louder than the fan when you game. That also means you might not need your headphones or earphones when you game with the ASUS TUF Dash F15.

The ASUS TUF Dash F15 – A Reasonable Performer

The ASUS TUF Dash F15 is a new sort of notebook in ASUS’ entry-level gaming line-up. It does not feel like they are new to the segment though. The TUF Dash F15 feels like a properly mature attempt at the thin-and-light gaming segment.

The ASUS TUF thin-and-light is brilliant for users who are looking for the form factor but do not want to spend insane amounts of money for it. It is also packed with all the right I/O ports, except for an SD card reader.

It is not the most powerful gaming rig you can find in the market. At MYR 5,799, it is also not the cheapest of its kind out there. For that kind of money, you can get another gaming laptop that features an RGB keyboard instead of a regular backlit one on the TUF Dash F15. The fan profile is a little odd when you start working with it in terms of content creation, which also means you will see some thermal throttling when you start rendering your videos.

If you are in it for the latest games, the ASUS TUF Dash F15 can easily keep up with any title you can throw at it in 2021. Of course, you have to adjust your expectations a little bit in terms of graphics performance. If you are talking about competitive e-sports titles, you are going to be more than happy with it.

Is it worth the MYR 5,799 price tag then? We would say it is. The aluminium finishing on the laptop makes it feel more premium than it is. The laptop is designed tastefully, and the new logo just looks modern and subtle, something we appreciate. In today’s money though, you are getting quite a lot of power. In gaming situations, you are not going to ever feel like you are lacking. In content creation, there are some give and take here, but it works well enough. It is all you could want in a thin and light gaming laptop, just about.

Computers, Reviews, Video, Writer's Choice

[Video] Acer Swift X Review – Sounds Like an Entry-Level Gaming Laptop

Video November 16, 2021 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

The Acer Swift X is an MYR 4,999 thin-and-light laptop that packs a lot of power. It gets a gaming and creator grade AMD Ryzen 7 5800U CPU. On top of that, and 16GB of RAM, is a very potent NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti to boot. All of that seems like a recipe for something special.

We find that the AMD powered Swift notebook PC to be an intriguing one. Acer sells this laptop as the ideal content creation laptop for those are starting up in content creation but needs something easily portable as well.

It is sort of a spiritual successor to the Acer Swift 3X that was launched also a few months ago. The Acer Swift X shares the same build platform as the Acer Swift 3X though, which also means that it shares the same design quirks we pointed out in the Acer Swift 3X. It is a more powerful platform comparatively though.

Is this Swift X with AMD’s powerful Ryzen 7 5800U worth MYR 4,999? With the same quirks, would it be a worthy laptop of the Swift name? Should you get it as a content creator? We find out in our review of the Acer Swift X.

Android, Editor's Choice, Editorial, Mobile, Reviews

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 In-Depth Review: They’re On to Something!

November 11, 2021 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

Foldables – that’s what seems to be driving a new wave that is set to change how our phones look and feel in the near future. Samsung seems to be banking hard on foldable with a shift in their release schedule and strategy. Their once cornerstone Note series has seemingly given way to their new Galaxy Z series while its parts and features make it to other devices.

The Galaxy Z Flip3 is one of the latest devices in the Galaxy Z series and takes a sharp focus on self-expression and style. This is most evident with the announcement of the Galaxy Z Flip3 Bespoke Edition. However, unlike its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Flip3 comes with flagship specifications and features to complement them.

That said, we still have big questions that need to be answered – Is it worth your time and money? Does it belong in your pocket or should you pass and wait for another? Is the Z Flip 3 a worthy successor to the Galaxy Note series?

Design

The focus of the Galaxy Z Flip3 is its style and design – there’s no hiding that. The changes Samsung made from the Galaxy Z Flip and Z Flip 5G clearly show the direction that the smartphone is taking moving forward. To be very frank, it’s a direction that makes sense for the Z Flip lineup. We’ve all seen and experienced the twin technological flagships, in fact, we see that with most other companies in the mobile industry. The change in focus is a refreshing approach to a smartphone and one that seems to benefit the foldable – benefits we explore later in the review.

The first change you’ll notice on the Z Flip3 is that Samsung has done away with the rounded form factor of the original. It no longer tries to mimic a lady’s compact but instead looks more akin to a Galaxy flagship folded over. Its frame acts as a design accent which makes it look sleek, thin and stylish. It also highlights the design accents of the smartphone’s body.

The Galaxy Z Flip3 also makes one literal big change – the cover display. It changes the small, rather useless display of the original for a larger, more functional 1.9-inch display. This display is expertly blended into a large, black accent which also hides the dual camera setup on the new foldable. We will explore the functionality later in the review.

On the back, Samsung is using the same, but improved hinge we first saw in the Flip. It no longer occupies a prominent band on the back when the phone is unfolded. Instead, the hinge disappears seamlessly into the body of the phone when unfolded. The two halves meet in the middle leaving only a slimline where the hinge once was. The two halves are beautifully finished glass/glasstic with a glossy finish. When held the weight of the metal frame, glass panels and internals gives the Flip3 good weight while still remaining relatively light.

Where the design takes a departure from the run of the mill smartphone is when it’s neatly folded in half. The small, square form factor makes the phone easily pocketable. Samsung works to keep some functionality in the smartphone even in this form. That said, the smartphone seems like it’s only touching the tip of the iceberg when it’s in this form and, to be honest, those who are used to carrying a compact – will welcome the design and form factor.

Hardware

The hardware of the Galaxy Z Flip3 is a welcomed upgrade from the original. Instead of being a very public beta test, the new Flip3 feels well thought out and worthy of being a flagship. In fact, the hardware in the smartphone emphasizes the form over specifications approach that Samsung is taking with the line-up.

Specifications

Processor	Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5nm) Octa-Core @ 1×2.84GHz Kryo 680, 3×2.42GHz, 4×1.80GHz
RAM	8GB (As Tested)
Memory	128GB (As Tested) 256GB
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)	Adreno 660
Display	Foldable AMOLED 2X panel 6.7-inch (~426 ppi) 1080×2640 pixels FHD+ resolution 22:9 Aspect Ratio 120Hz Refresh rate
Operating System	Android 11 with One UI 3.1.1
Battery	Non-Removable 3,3000mAh Li-Po Fast Charging (15W) Fast Wireless Charging (10W) Reverse Wireless Charging (4.5W) USB-PD 3.0
Connectivity	Nano SIM 5G/4G LTE/EVDO/HSPA/CDMA/GSM Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6(ax) A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS A2DP Bluetooth 5.1 OTG Support USB 3.1 Type-C
Camera	REAR: Dual Sensor: 12-Megapixel (f/1.8, 1/2.55″, 27mm (wide angle), 1.4µm Dual Pixel Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) 12-Megapixel (f/2.2,123˚ (ultrawide), 1.12µm) HDR10+ LED Flash 4K Video recording (30/60fps) 1080p Video recording (60/240fps) 720p Video recording (960fps) FRONT: 10-Megapixel (f/2.4, 26mm (wide), 1.22µm) 4K video recording (30fps)
Sensor	Accelerometer Proximity Fingerprint (side-mounted) Gyroscope Compass
Miscellaneous	Single SIM/eSIM
Retail Price (Malaysia)	MYR 3,999 (128GB) MYR 4,199 (256GB)
Retail Price (US)	USD$ 999.99 (128GB) USD$ 1,049 (256GB)

User Interface

When it comes to the user interface, the Galaxy Z Flip3 is your run of the mill One UI interface. It does, however, have a big difference – its length. The foldable is slenderer and longer than your regular Samsung candy bar phones. Thus, it comes as no surprise that Samsung’s One UI has been adapted to the unique form factor as well as the many different modes that the unique fold form factor brings along with it.

The 9:22 aspect ratio is a unique form for Android. What Samsung has done is just scaled the UI to facilitate the added height. Unlike a regular smartphone, the grids that Android uses to align the widgets and icons are slightly elongated and rectangular on the Flip3. This gives One UI a more consistent feel even on the foldable. In fact, it behaves pretty much like a standard Android smartphone in this respect.

Where the UI shines on the Galaxy Z Flip3 is when you use apps that are compatible with the multiple angles the phone can fold. This includes the camera app, YouTube and a handful of other apps which have been developed together with Samsung. However, we expect that to change soon with Google releasing Android 12L. The optimised apps immediately scale or rearrange to maximise productivity. For instance, in the YouTube app, when you place the Flip3 at an angle, the video plays on the top half of the phone while chat and/or comments run in the lower half. Similarly, the camera app will optimise to have the viewfinder on the top half while the trigger is on the bottom.

Samsung has also made the front display a lot more actionable with the addition of widgets made specifically for the front display. At the time of review, there weren’t many third-party widgets for this. However, with widgets like calendar, voice recorder, stopwatch and more, you could get essential functionality literally at the touch of the small screen.

Aside from this, some hallmark features of One UI make it to the Z Flip3 including the sidebar and gesture navigation. The sidebar feels a little bit unnatural and awkward on the Flip3 due to the raised bezel that protects the screen. However, it doesn’t take away from the functionality that it brings such as quick access to apps and app pairs. Gesture navigation allows you to have even more screen real estate. It gives back the space which would otherwise be used to house the navigation buttons. However, since the active area for navigation is slightly larger than the sidebar, it actually felt pretty natural and ergonomic.

Performance

The Z Flip3 has graduated to one of Samsung’s main flagships this year. It comes as no surprise that they chose to go with the Snapdragon 888 5G processor, unlike the more experimental Z Flip. The SoC puts an octa-core processor with a capable GPU at the disposal of the Flip3. We all know by now, that it’s not about the hardware but how optimised it is to extract every ounce of performance. It’s also paired with 8GB of RAM and, in our review unit, 128GB of storage.

Multitasking & Productivity

It comes as no surprise to us that Samsung has vastly optimised the experience. Overall, the foldable is even more powerful than the original Flip. It’s able to handle multitasking better. The one thing that we loved in the original Flip was the ability to get things done – whether it be by disconnecting from the world or with the multitasking features of the smartphone.

The Flip3 continues this legacy by adding more features to the cover screen. The new widgets allow us to get more things done without opening the phone. This includes adding appointments to calendars, replying to messages and even taking pictures if the need arises. However, the more capable processor also allowed us to multitask more efficiently with split-screen multitasking. There was little to no slow down when using apps like Microsoft Excel and Samsung Email in split-screen. Even using Google Keep and Chrome in the same multitasking mode was a breeze.

Call Quality & Connectivity

It should come as no surprise that call quality and connectivity on the Flip3 is good. The smartphone comes with pretty much all the connectivity options you could need including the added futureproofing of 5G. Unfortunately, Malaysia hasn’t rolled out 5G, so we couldn’t really put that to the test.

However, aside from 5G, it comes with Bluetooth 5.1, WiFi 6 (AX) and 4G LTE. The connectivity options were robust enough that there were hardly any instances where we were offline. Bluetooth connectivity was stable on the Galaxy Buds Pro and even on the Sony WF-1000MX4. In fact, it seemed to be more stable and reliable than a few of the other review devices we had in-house and even my personal Galaxy Note10+. I could leave the smartphone in my room and walk a good 10 to 20 meters outside to the hall – mind you this also meant that the signal had to pass through a concrete wall. Even walking to the second floor of my house didn’t have the regular signal degradation. That said, once I was outside about 25 meters, connectivity started becoming spotty and weak.

Over WiFi and 4G, the Flip3 performed admirably. It had no issues when it came to connectivity. In fact, similar to the Bluetooth experience, the foldable seemed to have better connectivity than a few other smartphones. It was able to connect to 4G where other devices dropped to 3G. Even speeds over 4G networks was a little faster on the Flip3. When it came to WiFi, the Flip’s WiFi6 support allowed it to have better, faster connectivity.

Gaming

The only area where I would say the Flip3 has a few issues was with gaming – but it’s not for lack of performance capabilities. The elongated, hinged form factor was the main reason we had issues with the smartphone. The atypical aspect ratio meant that games were ill optimised to the screen. This was exacerbated by touch controls which took up more screen real estate than usual. In addition, the fact that you typically play in landscape made me even more aware of the hinge as there was always a lurking fear that being too engrossed in the game would make me accidentally overstrain the hinge – but that’s something that faded away the more I used the smartphone.

Performance-wise, gaming was a breeze on the Flip3. Games like Genshin Impact had little to no issue running on the phone. In fact, even Pokémon UNITE played smoothly on the smartphone. There weren’t many instances where screen tearing occurring and load times in Pokémon UNITE were quicker than the Switch. Touch controls were responsive and the sound experience from the smartphone was surprisingly good. However, with prolonged gaming sessions, the phone does tend to get a little warm.

The only thing we thought could have made the gaming experience more a little better would have been the optimisation of games to make use of the folded form factor. A few emulators were able to do this but mainstream games haven’t yet cooked up the feature. Hopefully, that changes with Android 12L coming soon.

Battery Life

Samsung has steadily been improving on their battery life when it comes to devices in general. That rings true for the Galaxy Flip3. It is one of the smartphones from Samsung with the longest battery life yet. The main contributor to this would be the fact that during my time with it, I hardly found myself opening the smartphone to use the screen. The cover display was where I was interacting most with the smartphone.

However, even with that, the longest active time I got with the smartphone was about 6 hours; This was with a little bit of word processing, social media and some light reading on Google Chrome. When gaming, this was significantly shorter, coming in at only about 3 to 4 hours; at the absolute maximum, it lasted about 5 hours.

Display

The Flip3 comes with a foldable AMOLED 2X display panel with an FHD+ resolution. As mentioned earlier in the review, the display comes with a rather odd 22:9 aspect ratio. That said, the display continues Samsung’s legacy of having pretty decent displays with good colour reproduction. While the Galaxy Z Flip3 does share the tendency of oversaturating reds, using it in natural settings does dial back the saturation. That said if you want more control over the colour reproduction on the phone the advanced mode under the “Vivid” option allows you to get into the nitty-gritty of the colour calibration. The added HDR10+ compatibility gives the screen a better colour range and accuracy with deeper blacks and more vibrant colours with compatible content.

That aside, the display’s odd aspect ratio does mean that you will have to contend with black bars in most cases. Even with the more cinematic 16:10 aspect ratio, the phone will compensate with two black bars flanking on either side of the content. While it’s not as jarring, it can be disruptive when watching older 4:3 format shows.

The display’s 120Hz refresh rate is noticeable when using the phone for games and scrolling through documents. The high refresh rate also lends itself to a more fluid experience with the phone’s UI overall. By default, the screen is set to an adaptive mode where the screen will dynamically adapt to the content on the screen. Samsung’s implementation of this is one of the better ones in the market. You hardly see the stutter when the refresh rate is increased or decreased as it adapts to content.

Cameras

Unlike its other flagships, Samsung has opted to not equip the Galaxy Z Flip3 with triple or quadruple-camera sensors. Instead, the Flip3 comes with 2 sensors and, in all honesty, you’re not really missing out when it comes to camera performance. The company still manages to make the setup one that’s feature-packed and pretty complete. In fact, it might just disprove the convention that more sensors make a better camera experience.

Up in the front, the Galaxy Z Flip3 is equipped with a 10-megapixel sensor. The sensor makes the most sense for the Flip given that I found myself defaulting to the main sensors. The selfie sensor was only my go-to when it came to video calls. This was mostly because of the convenience the folding allowed me when using it. It allowed the phone itself to become like a tripod and freed up my hands to do other things. That said, the images from the selfie camera were still pretty sharp and detailed.

The main camera setup is an unusual combination of two 12-megapixel sensors – a wide sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and an ultrawide one with an f/2.2 aperture. Samsung didn’t even include its variable aperture technology. However, the combination gave relatively good photos. The colours were bright and popped. It wasn’t too overly saturated either. In fact, it felt a little bit more tuned than the S21 and S21 Ultra.

To view this content, you need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
To do so, please follow these instructions.

That aside, the camera combination allowed the Flip to be a little more versatile than other dual-camera smartphones. While the lack of a telephoto meant that there’s no optical zoom, the limited digital zoom allowed for good zoomed-in photos. However, don’t expect the quality to be anything like other smartphones with optical zoom. In fact, pictures beyond 2x or 3x zoom become grainy and unusable. Zoom aside, the phone was still able to adapt with portrait mode and was even able to take close up shots. The versatility proved to be quite useful during our review period, but it still is no replacement for a DSLR.

The main camera paired with the cover screen is also a winning combination. The fact that you’re getting stunning selfies thanks to the main sensors is a win in our books. What’s more, you don’t even need to flip the phone open to use them. However, the size does limit the versatility of the cameras. Although, that’s not really a deal-breaker considering you technically can just flip the phone open to use the cameras fully.

A New way to Think of Flagships – a Trend Setter making way for more possibilities

When it comes down to it, the Galaxy Z Flip3 is an iterative update – a finetuning of a formula that we know Samsung is going to be iterating on. However, the improvements made the phone a lot more useful and utilitarian than its predecessor. In fact, it would be my go-to for a phone if it weren’t for the lack of an S-Pen. Samsung has made the Z Flip3 a contender for phone of the year by focusing on what matters with any smartphone – its user experience.

To date, we haven’t seen any other smartphone which brings the optimisations and thoughtful iteration that the Z Flip3 brings. Each update and upgrade of the design and software was done with purpose and enhances the overall experience of the smartphone. It’s both stunning visually and conveniently utilitarian.

Of course, if Samsung’s focus was simply on style, it’s done quite a bit when it comes down to it. The Z Flip3 is gorgeous. The sleek exterior belies its true capabilities and performance. In fact, it’s impressed us so much we’re giving it an editor’s choice award. The Galaxy Z Flip3 strikes a unique balance between function and form that makes it an undeniable trend setter.

Editorial, Mobile, Reviews

HUAWEI Nova 8 In-Depth Review – Just Shy of a SuperNova

September 29, 2021 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

HUAWEI has now spent more than 3 years outside the Google ecosystem. Since 2019, HUAWEI has launched the HUAWEI Mate 30 series without Google’s Play Store installed. They have also launched the HUAWEI P40 series, Mate 40 series, and P50 series.

Ever since HUAWEI stopped sporting Google’s Play Store too, they have been developing their own App Gallery to fill the gap left by Google’s app marketspace. The App Gallery is not exactly new for HUAWEI devices though, even before 2019. The HUAWEI App Gallery, while has been running alongside the Google Play Store for a while, was not a fully matured platform just yet.

This was 3 years ago. HUAWEI’s App Gallery has grown quite a lot since then. HUAWEI has done everything it can to push and even attract new developers for their platform. They have collaborated with anyone willing to develop on their platform. This means that HUAWEI’s App Gallery is now the third-largest app marketplace in the world.

Does that mean that HUAWEI devices are now worth a look? Should you consider running a HUAWEI secondary driver, or even a primary one? We attempt to answer all of that with the HUAWEI Nova 8.

Design

The HUAWEI Nova 8 is built of similar materials you find on any modern smartphones. You have two pieces of glass that sandwiches an aluminium frame. The top and bottom of the device features a flat taper. The flat sections are flat enough for you to stand your Nova 8 on its own – we tried.

The glass back is nothing special in terms of materials too. The device looks rather pretty though. The Blush Gold on this Nova 8 makes it feel a little more special than it is though.

At the same time, the device is built to a premium standard. The way the metallic side of the device tappers seamlessly to the display helps the illusion of a single solid piece. Even the milled holes on the device looks precise albeit some alignment issues. The only indication that this is still a mid-range device would be its NOVA branding at the glass.

The oval camera housing is a nod to the older HUAWEI devices like the P30 series. While the main camera takes up nearly half the module, it does not look imposing. They arranged the three other smaller lenses in a way that complements main camera.

Hardware

As mentioned, the HUAWEI Nova 8 is a Kirin device. You have HUAWEI’s own Kirin 820E System on a Chip (SoC) powering the HUAWEI Nova 8. It is still a highly respectable ARM Cortex-A76 and Cortex-55 blend in today’s smartphone standard.

Specifications

Processor	HUAWEI Kirin 820E Hexa-Core 7nm 3x Cortex A76 @2.22GHz 3x Cortex A55 @1.84GHz
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)	Mali-G57
RAM	8GB
Memory (as tested)	128GB
Display	OLED 6.57-inch 2,340 x 1,080 pixels ~393ppi 90Hz (up to)
Operating System	EMUI 12 based on Android 11
Battery	Non-Removable Li-Po 3,800mAh HUAWEI SuperCharge 66W
Connectivity	Dual SIM Wi-Fi WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac GPS/A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS A2DP Bluetooth 5.0 LE OTG Support USB Type-C 2.0
Camera (s)	REAR: 64-Megapixel (f/1.9) 8-Megapixel (f/2.4, Ultra-wide) 2-Megapixel (f/2.4, Depth sensor) 2-Megapixel (f/2.4, Macro sensor) 4K video recording (30fps) LED flash FRONT: 32-Megapixel (f/2.0, 26mm) 4K video recording (30fps)
Sensors	Accelerometer Proximity Under-Display Ultrasonic Fingerprint Ambient Light Gyroscope Face Unlock Compass

User Interface – EMUI 12

The HUAWEI Nova 8 does not come with HUAWEI’s Harmony OS 2. Instead, it is the trusty EMUI 12 based on Android. This is also their third iteration of EMUI since losing Google Play Store.

While the iterations of EMUI have not changed a lot in terms of look and feel between the HUAWEI devices, there are differences between 11 and 12. If you look closely, HUAWEI Nova 8’s EMUI 12 does not feature an “Android Version” category anymore in the About Phone submenu. That does not mean that the HUAWEI EMUI 12 is a completely different breed of Operating System (OS) though, they are still Android based, as far as we can tell anyway.

HUAWEI App Gallery

You still do not have access to Google’s curated apps. HUAWEI’s App gallery has grown tremendously though. With HUAWEI’s Petal Search integration, the App Gallery now searches the web for alternatives or APK files of your searched app. Either that, or you access a web version of apps like Google Drive.

You can use apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, and even Instagram. They are not natively supported by HUAWEI App Gallery though. The only good news from that is that because HUAWEI’s EMUI 12 is essentially still Android, APK files works. The bad news is that you cannot transfer WhatsApp data between devices via cloud.

The HUAWEI Nova 8 does not have Google’s Mobile Services Framework, which also means it will not be able to unlock the use of Google’s suite of apps like Google Maps, for example. We tried installing Google Maps as an APK file, but it refuses to launch after.

The good news is that Malaysia is a big supporter of HUAWEI’s App Gallery. That also means that plenty of the local banking and e-wallet apps are available from HUAWEI App Gallery. You even have the MySejahtera COVID tracking app on HUAWEI’s AppGallery.

Always-On Display

Always-on display can find its roots in Samsung’s implementation of Android in TouchWiz. But because it is a function loved by users, Google made always-on display a feature on their own smartphones and eventually the function makes its way into other Android devices.

On the HUAWEI Nova 8, the always-on display is a clever system that keeps your battery life optimised when not in use. That also means that the always-on display is not constantly on. It only turns on when you interact with the device by tapping its display once.

Other than showing just time, we configured the always-on display to show date, battery percentage and other notifications. The time, date, and battery percentage show up nicely. Notifications will show up too, provided you have not seen any of it yet.

The only customisation you get is choosing how your clock looks in the always-on display menu. The always-on also displays a snippet of your notifications, including snippets of your WhatsApp, Telegram, or messages, just before you unlock your device and access the apps.

Separating Notifications and Quick Settings Access

HUAWEI EMUI 12 system, while still an Android overlay, feels a little different. HUAWEI now divides the notification bar into two sections. On the left side is the notification center, where all the latest updates to your apps, missed calls, messages gets displayed. When you swipe down from the right side, you get all your quick settings toggles. You also access the settings menu from here now.

It takes some getting used to, admittedly. Once you get used to it though, you start wondering why other Android devices do not implement similar features. It makes accessing the quick settings menu one gesture quicker.

We do have to say though that the quick settings menu does feel and look very much like what you get on an iOS. While it may not be a carbon copy of one, it still feels very much like it especially with the media player, WiFi, and Bluetooth widgets being standalone toggles.

No App Tray – Business as Usual

HUAWEI’s famous overlay of Android comes with no app tray like all of the EMUI that came before it. All its apps are organised on its home screen. You can hide apps you do not use very often, but you cannot find an app tray to access it later.

You can still add widgets and folders to the homescreens though. With EMUI 12 you simply pinch on the display and a menu will pop out at the bottom for you to add widgets, homepages, and even a folder. You can also group apps together now in enlarged folders for quicker access to the apps you want and to keep things tidy.

Performance

Modern mid-range devices like the HUAWEI Nova 8 are more than capable at running apps as smoothly and as fast as flagship device. Modern hardware has improved so much that performance differences between two classes of device are not quite apparent these days.

Call Quality and Connectivity

We solely relied on Yes 4G for the HUAWEI Nova 8 throughout our tests. On Yes 4G’s network the HUAWEI Nova 8 can make and receive VoLTE calls, which helps with call fidelity and quality of conversations. Of course, your call quality depends on the network strength as well.

There have not been any major dropped calls with the device. Even when the network is a little on the weak side, calls have come through and gone without hiccups until you lose the network completely. Data speeds may vary though in these instances. On the subject of data speeds, that is more a network provider issue than anything else.

Gaming

While the device has less power on paper than a flagship device, it does not necessarily mean it is that much worse. In fact, the HUAWEI Nova 8’s Kirin 820E is capable of running Mobile Legends: Bang Bang at its highest graphics settings without breaking too much of a sweat. The heat build up is never anywhere near uncomfortable in our time of use too.

Of course, a fast display helps very much in terms of immersion and experience in games. The games load smoothly and quickly when on the HUAWEI Nova 8. They even look pretty good thanks to the vivid colours of the OLED panel.

Multitasking and Productivity

Modern smartphones have been optimised to cope with multitasking instances on any given device. We had more than 20 tabs open in the HUAWEI Nova 8’s native browser and still keep do other things on the device without too much of an inconvenient lag.

Opening apps never felt sluggish or slow as well in our tests. At some point we were installing multiple apps from HUAWEI’s App Gallery at the same time, and still scrolling through the App Gallery without any issues. We also left multiple apps running at the same time without having to close any of the apps when we need to jump to another app.

Battery Life

HUAWEI’s legendary battery life status is down to their clever battery management system. The battery management system in the latest EMUI on the HUAWEI Nova 8 is cleverer and more sophisticated than the old system. It does not turn off selective apps anymore, but it still somehow ekes out as much life out of the 3,800 mAh battery as possible.

The HUAWEI Nova 8 on standby can last up to four days on a single charge. On a typical usage, with the device jumping between relying on WiFi and 4G networks, the device still lasts up to two days. A typical use in our case consists of some light WhatsApp texting, watching videos on YouTube (web), playing quick games of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, taking and making a few calls, and taking a few photos as well.

It also comes with a charger in the box. It charges up to 66W with the provided charger and USB Type-C cable. Most of the time, we charge the device when the battery hits 20%. In those cases, we get a full charge in just below two hours.

Display

The HUAWEI Nova 8 features a Full HD+ 6.7-inch OLED panel with up to 90Hz refresh rate. They did not mention its response rate, but do you really care? We do not, in this case at least.

OLED is known for its vivid colours that translates well on the HUAWEI Nova 8. The display is really bright, which also means you get to see some extra details when working with the device. The brightness also helps with visibility when you are outdoors.

While it produces very vivid colours, it does not match the colour standards of the newer flagship devices like the HUAWEI P50 series and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. Unless you use your smartphone to colour grade your videos, edit your photos, or any other work with accurate colour requirements, you hardly notice that much in difference.

90Hz Smoothness

The HUAWEI Nova 8 shows that you do not need a display that refreshes at 120Hz. A display that refreshes at 90Hz is more than enough to make the smartphone feel snappy and smooth. While 90Hz is nothing to shout about, it is a reminder that high refresh rate displays could be overrated.

If you are a casual mobile gamer, you really are not missing out on a lot between 90Hz to 120Hz. You see as much as the next gamer with 120Hz in games like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, or even Garena’s Free Fire. The differences are so marginal that in most cases, you hardly notice it.

Camera

The HUAWEI Nova 8 is a testament to how good the modern smartphone camera technology is. While it may not be representative and does not offer the best that the smartphone camera technology has to offer, it is not that far off.

You get a 64-Megapixel shooter that is capable of shooting RAW photos in Pro mode. In Pro Mode you get more granular controls to your ISO, shutter speed, AutoFocus metering, exposure, and manual focus.

In regular photo mode, the camera only takes 16-Megapixel photos instead of the full 64-Megapixel it is capable of. You only access all 64-Megapixel that your device can offer in Pro mode with RAW settings, or the high-res mode. You lose the AI function in either modes though.

You have more than enough for social media purposes though. At the same time, with AI on, the camera captures great looking photos with a lot of details and amazing looking colours.

We find that the most stunning camera feature from the HUAWEI Nova 8 is the Night Mode. Photos that look dark and grainy in regular mode looks bright and properly detailed. Of course, you can see that the details are softer once you zoom in.

Gallery

To view this content, you need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
To do so, please follow these instructions.

The HUAWEI Nova 8 – Another Great HUAWEI Device, still a HUAWEI Though

The HUAWEI Nova 8 is a pretty device. As expected from a HUAWEI device, the build quality of the device is premium. At MYR 1,899, the HUAWEI Nova 8 is a compelling device too.

There is not much wrong with EMUI 12. It feels smooth, intuitive, and still works like other Android devices with HUAWEI’s usual tweaks. It feels so smooth and snappy on the 6.7-inch 90Hz display it feels like a flagship device.

It is not a 5G ready device. There are devices at lower price points that will sport 5G, which makes the HUAWEI Nova 8 a little of an anomaly in the sea of smartphones in the market. That is a relatively minor issue though.

The big issue is that it does not come with Google’s Play Store. You will not be able to work with Google Apps at all. You can use WhatsApp but you cannot transfer your chats via cloud. You do not get access to Netflix app as well.

At MYR 1,899, the HUAWEI Nova 8 is a worthy contender in the mid-range smartphone segment. Although, you must remember you cannot access and run Google’s suite of apps. Otherwise, you are getting a great mid-range smartphone that is more than capable as your daily driver, play any of your mobile games, and perform like any modern flagships.

Reviews, Video

[Video] Predator Orion 3000 & Predator X34 GS Ultrawide Monitor Review

Video September 13, 2021 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

Petite and powerful; Ultra wide and immersive – these may be the coup de grace when it comes to any gaming setup. We are taking a close look at the Predator Orion 3000 & the Predator X34 GS monitor in our first ever double review to find out if the Intel Core i7 powered desktop and the ultrawide monitor check all the boxes to be the ultimate gaming setup!

You can get the Predator X34GS Monitor and Predator Orion 3000 at the Acer eStore or the official Acer store on Shopee.

Acer e-store link: https://acer.co/3jeqkpO
Acer Official Shopee Store: https://bit.ly/3B47RTd

We have more videos like this on our YouTube channel!

Follow us on all our social media!
www.facebook.com/techenttv
www.twitter.com/techenttv
www.instagram.com/techenttv
www.linkedin.com/company/techenttv

Computers, Reviews

Acer Spin 5 Review: Everything You’re Looking For In a Multi-mode Productivity Laptop

Video August 27, 2021 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

Work from anywhere seems to be the new norm emerging right now with more people opting to work from home or even from cafes. #Acer’s #Spin5 laptop is one of the most adaptable laptops which looks to be able to fill that niche of adapting to any work environment. It comes with enough power to keep you productive on the go with the #IntelEVO platform powered by the #IntelCore i7 processor and a stylus. We gave the Spin5 our review treatment to see whether this laptop is worth your RM5,599.

You can get the Acer Spin 5 now at https://bit.ly/2WfgAD1

Follow us on all our Social Media for our latest updates!
www.youtube.com/techenttv
www.twitter.com/techenttv
www.instagram.com/techenttv
www.linkedin.com/techenttv

Editorial, Gaming, Reviews

[Game Review] techENT Plays Hades on PS4

August 25, 2021 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Hades, if you come from the world of PC games, is technically not a new game. The game was fully released late in 2020. To be specific, Hades came out of early access and was released on PC, Mac, and Nintendo Switch on 17^th September 2020.

So, why are we reviewing a game that is has existed nearly a year in the game market? Hades launched for the PlayStation and Xbox platform on the 13^th of August 2021. That also means that Hades is also technically a brand-new game for users that are exclusively on the PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles.

We are not going to focus on the differences between different available platforms. Instead, we are going to focus on Hades on the PlayStation 4 Pro (PS4) with DualShock 4 controller platform. While the most updated gaming console at this time is the PlayStation 5 (PS5), there is no getting our hands on one at this time. You can expect similar gameplay experience on both consoles though.

Roguelike or Roguelite?

Before anything else, there will be questions on what this is. Supergiant Games sells this game as a roguelike action dungeon crawler. So that must be true, right?

It is a dungeon crawler, an inspiration from dungeons and dragons. You get into different dungeons or ‘encounters’, as they call it, in your playthrough. You might liken it to games like Diablo for example.

In Hades, permadeath is not a thing. Nearly every encounter that you clear in the game will be quite unique, despite seeing the same dungeons. You also need to clear the dungeon before you can progress your playthrough.

Instead of collecting equipment though you are collecting boons or power-ups. You do not get to keep the boons though. You get to choose your weapons as in the beginning, and you retain the weapon of choice throughout a single playthrough.

In our humble opinion, the game is more Roguelite than roguelike. When you die, you respawn at the beginning. You are not technically starting over though since you can level your character up and keep those upgrades. Each death gets you closer to beating the game.

The Story (Some Spoilers Ahead)

While the game has existed for 11 months now, there are still people out there who has not played it. While we want to ensure that we do not spoil too much of the game, the nature of the game makes it a little hard not to. So, if you do not want us to spoil the game for you at all, do go ahead and skip this part.

You are playing Zagreus, son of Hades. As Zagreus, you are trying to escape the underworld domain ruled by ‘your father’, Hades. As per the name of the game itself, the game’s design, storyline, and characters are based on Greek Mythology, specifically the underworld.

At first, it seems like you want to escape Hades’ realm to join the other Gods at Olympus since the conversations you have with each God revolves around you escaping and joining them. After several conversations with the characters at the House of Hades though, you find that Zagreus’ motivation is more tragic than that. Of course, you must die a few times to know more.

The premise of Hades and storyline are simple, there are not much in the way of cut scenes. You can choose to explore the lore of Hades more after every run by having conversations with character within the House of Hades. Every time you die, the story progresses a little bit more and you have a chance to discover a bit more about Zagreus, Hades, and everything else that is happening around you. While dying and losing is never pleasant, it is just the beginning.

Gameplay – Exploring Hades

Hades_20210813191130

To make the game easier to beat, there is something called ‘God Mode’. With God Mode, each death adds a 2% damage resistance. Damage resistance maxes out at 80%. While 40 deaths sound like a lot of death, you might die a lot more before you beat the game. You must have God Mode turned on to get your damage resistance though.

You can turn God Mode on or off at any time during your gameplay. You simply pause the game and turn it on or off. You do not lose any of your damage resistance the next time you turn on God Mode.

There is also Hell Mode, or in simpler terms, Hard Mode. This is the opposite of God Mode. It is an option you select only when you start a new game and there is no turning back. It makes Hades more miserable than it already is. As the game suggests, it is also not for the faint hearted, or new players.

We cannot elaborate on Hell Mode too much because there are a whole set of mechanics that makes the game either more enjoyable or less enjoyable, depending on how you see it. In short, Hell Mode just makes the game a lot harder and complex to begin with. There is now heat levels for example that determines how miserable you will be in your playthrough.

Combat

Hades is a hack and slash game. That also means that 80% of the game is in its gameplay and combat. We have good things to report here.

The combat controls are intuitive, at least for the PS4. You tap or hold and release your Square button for regular attacks. Your Triangle button unleashes special attacks that differs for every weapon. Your Cross button is your dash button to either dodge attacks or be combined with Square button for a combo attack. The Circle button is your ranged attack option, or cast. You have a limited amount of cast attacks though.

You can use a combination of attacks to either create space, set up for a counterattack, or even crowd control. It is a little more action packed than the regular Dungeons and Dragons style games like Diablo, or Baldur’s Gate. It is also not a turn-based RPG game, which means you do have to be a little more active in battles.

While regular encounters can be easy enough to deal with, Boss battles are a little different. You dash a lot to dodge powerful attacks that might kill you in a few hits. Once you catch each boss’ rhythm though, you should be able to effectively strategize and time your attacks.

Items and Inventory

Hades_20210811181229
Hades_20210813191048
Hades_20210811220821

Each weapon you select has their own unique abilities and mechanics. You start with a sword and unlock more weapons as you play more and collect special keys. At random, you get farming bonuses from differing weapons too, it pays to be familiar with each weapon on offer.

There are five main resources you are farming. You are farming gems, darkness, keys, nectars, and coins (Choron’s Obol). Four of those will remain with you even if you die. The only one that does not come with is the coin resource. There are also three additional resources that you can only obtain by beating each of the four main bosses – Titan Blood, Diamond, and Ambrosia, each with their own functions later in the game.

You also want to collect boons, a sort of temporary buff from other Gods and your allies. Certain boons also change the way your weapon behave, or how you attack. You cannot keep boons with you though, you lose it when you die. Boons are also random in nature, as with the dungeons and encounters you will have in the game. You will not know what you are going to get or what choices you have until you beat the encounter and accept the boons. You can combine different boons and upgrade them to give yourself a fighting chance to beat the game.

Dumped into the Deep End Immediately

While the game is relatively simple to understand, it does a bad job in starting you off. You get thrown into the deep end of the pool immediately. You start out as a lost puppy trying to figure out your battle mechanics.

The game throws you into the beginning dungeon with only one way forward. You hit the ground running, and you will be mostly confused in the first 10 minutes of starting Hades, you might die pretty much immediately too. As mentioned, dying is only the beginning.

You are not going to get very far in the beginning. You might need to clear up 45-50 dungeons or encounters to eventually run into Hades’ and beat him, effectively escaping hell. You also realise you might have to die plenty of times before beating the game. The game still does not end there though as you can return to the residence and use different weapons to try to beat the game again, and again, and again.

Dying may not be such a bad thing in the game since you get to learn more about the game’s lore. If you have God Mode on, even better. You get more tanky with each death and playthrough.

Art Style

You might have come across some of the game trailers for the game before you even decided to eventually buy the game. You would come across a traditional anime type animation on the trailers. While that does not reflect the full art style of the game itself, it is close.

Conversations are not animated though. While having conversations with a character, you get various images of the character that sort of reflects their emotions at the time. The conversations come with a text box too, so you technically can comb through the conversation.

Yes, the characters are designed the same way you see in the trailer. While it does look like a traditional anime style that you might be used to, it looks fresh. It feels polished, and it does not feel old or traditional in any way. The game somehow feels a lot more natural on PS4 and Xbox and even the Nintendo Switch. You do get to play the game at higher resolutions (up to 4K) with the PS4/5 and Xbox.

The characters are designed with classic Greek in mind as well. Each character is tied to a sort of colour too that matches their personality and background. For example, Hades and Zagreus themselves are designed with a lot of red tones to kind of represent what we perceive hell to be. Aphrodite is designed with a shade of pink around and on her to reflect her status as the goddess of love, lust and beauty.

The colour schemes extend to your power ups too. Your power ups, or boons, that you might use for various parts of your combats will flash in colours that reflects the God or Goddess that provides you with that particular boon. For example, if you get a boon by Zeus, your attacks will flash in yellow colour and a boon from Ares flashes red.

While most of the character designs are very inspired by anime, the game does look a little different overall. There is still that anime quality in the overall game design, especially with the sort of pastel colours they choose and the way they choose to shade the characters. They choose to use colours that really pops on a good display. That means on a 4K display, the game should really pop.

Sound Design

They actually put a lot of effort in this department for the game. Your purchase of PlayStation version of Hades entitles you to a free digital copy of their soundtrack album. The collection of soundtracks composed by Darren Korb contains 30 original tracks created just for the game. You are reading that right, 30.

Most, if not all of the 30 tracks from the album will be featured in the game in different sequences. Of course, you might not hear some of the songs from the album making it to the game. When you do though, they fit the encounters, which does add to the immersive experience of the game.

The sound design for Hades goes deeper than just the soundtrack though. While you do get text boxes to read through for conversations you might come across or have with other characters, dialogues are voiced by voice actors, and they are done well.

Of course, there is a lot of focus on creating the right sounds for combat. Each boss battle has their own soundtracks that matches the boss fights. Of course, they are intense, and they need to be for the boss battles. Regular encounters and even mini boss battles are accompanied with their own soundtrack too. The intensity of the soundtrack prepares you for each encounter. Of course, your attacks come with their own sound effects too. All these makes Hades feels organic, more alive. Ultimately, the sound effects and soundtracks makes the game more immersive.

Hades – Roguelite Made for the Consoles

You cannot expect Hades to deliver a gaming experience that compares to titles like Red Dead Redemption 2, or even GTA V (Supergiant Games is also part of 2K). That said, you are getting a game that is well designed all-around. While the general animation design can look a little janky when you put it against mentioned titles, those design choices are what made Hades charming. While launched on PC and Mac first, the game feels more native on gaming consoles. You do get to play the game at higher resolutions (up to 4K) with the PS4/5 and Xbox.

It is entirely possible to finish the game within 2 hours. All you need is one perfect run without dying and resetting to the House of Hades. If not, it could be a game that you quickly fire up, do a single run, and turn off when you die in less than 15 minutes. It is a fast-paced game, but we suggest taking your time with the game.

It is a game that rewards players who pay attention to timing, rhythms, and patterns. At the same time, it is an extremely punishing game when you make mistakes. Your mistakes are extra punishing when it comes to bosses.

That is not to say that it is a difficult game. It gets ever so slightly easier too as you progress along. Of course, If you are lucky, you can get away with a weapon that you might not be too familiar with and nearly beat the game with it.

The game is worth MYR 99 on the PlayStation Store. Compared to usual PlayStation titles, MYR 99 is relatively low. You are getting a lot of game for that kind of money though. While encounters can be repetitive, you can replay each dungeon multiple times and still feel that Hades still has more to offer. You can always go back and beat Hades a few times too, if you really need an outlet from a long day.

Computers, Editorial, Lifestyle, Reviews

The HUAWEI MateView In-Depth Review – Brilliant, With Some Caveats

July 30, 2021 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

HUAWEI has been on a roll these few years. They may have been restricted in using Google’s ecosystem to its fullest joy, but they did not show any signs of slowing down. In fact, at least outside of China, Malaysia has been one of the strongest market for HUAWEI, at least according to them.

They have started embarking into building a product ecosystem though. They made audio peripherals, they made home appliances too. They made notebook PCs, and recently Smart TVs. Now, they make PC monitors.

Welcome to the world of 4K+ resolution that is the HUAWEI MateView. This is not the gaming monitor, that would be the MateView GT with only half the resolution of this unit. This is the monitor made for the working class. This is a monitor made and built for an executive.

There is a small fact that this will set you back MYR 2,988 in retail though. It is also a little oddly shaped for a PC monitor at 3:2 display ratio. You also cannot detach the built-in tiltable stand.

Is the HUAWEI MateView the world changing monitor that HUAWEI wants it to be? Should you even care about this product? Better yet, should you spend your hard-earned money for this piece of kit?

Design

There are no colour options on this monitor, just silver. Nothing wrong with the colour though once you lift it out from the box to put it on your desk. To be fair, silver might not work all that well if you desk tip is black in colour. We do think that the matte, muted silver will look better when you pair it with brighter colours. That is just our personal opinions on that matter though, we are not professional interior designer, so you might want to take this comment with a pinch of salt.

The 28.2-inch 4K+ monitor looks impressive all around. The muted silver finish makes the whole package looks ultra-premium and professional at the same time. Its skinny profiled stand and base looks sleek and elegant.

You notice that there are perforated holes on the bottom of the front-facing place of the stand. That is the 5W dual speakers that is directly connected to the monitor. The base of the monitor is an NFC plate for HUAWEI Share, not a wireless charging pad.

The port placements are rather clean too. Since the stand is an integrated part of the monitor, which means that HUAWEI can easily keep the display portion clean and thin by moving plenty of the components to the stand. All the necessary ports are kept to the back and side of the stand. This also means you cannot mount the monitor on a VESA stand or desk mounts.

The tilting hinge is encased in chrome ball joint looking mechanism which actually looks very pretty. It looks at home at any desks that is meant for productivity and play in any home. While the large HUAWEI logo at the back is also chrome in colour, it is somehow done in good taste.

While we do appreciate the cleanliness in design language of the HUAWEI MateView, we would also like some VESA mount compatibility. The single piece design is clever, because it allows HUAWEI to integrate most of its components on its base stand. Thing is, there are modern 4K monitors that fits everything the HUAWEI MateView has on its base stand to the monitor housing itself without adding too much heft to it, and they are all VESA mount compatible. It could add a little bit in thickness for the HUAWEI MateView, sure, but its compatibility with VESA mount also means that users are given an extra layer of flexibility in their set-up.

Hardware

The large silver slab is not just a looker though. As we mentioned, it is supposed to be a premium item to sit on your desk. At the kind of price it commands, it better be.

Specifications

HUAWEI MateView	As Tested
*Display Size*	28.2 inches
*Resolution*	3,840 x 2,560 4K+ UHD (3:2 aspect ratio)
*Panel Type* (Refresh Rate)	IPS (60Hz)
*Colour Accuracy*	ΔE<2 98% DCI-P3 100% sRGB 10-bit (1.07 billion) colours 1200:1 Contrast Ratio 500 nits
*Speaker and Mic*	2x 5W speakers 2x DMIC (far field voice pick up)
*Eye Protection*	TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light Flicker Free certification
*Miscellaneous*	WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 5.1

Features

From the looks of it, the HUAWEI MateView is feature packed. To say that this is merely another PC monitor for your desk could be a little unfair. It is mainly made to be on a desk top and serve as a monitor for your PC, or tablet, or smartphone though.

Your Friendly USB Hub

You get one HDMI 2.0 port, a MiniDP port, and one USB Type-C power input port capable of taking on 135W. The adapter for the monitor is a 135W unit as well, so you can technically use it to charge your smartphones or tablets or laptops if you want. There are two additional USB Type-A ports on the right side of the device alongside a USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm jack above the elliptical power button.

The HUAWEI MateView doubles as a USB hub for your PC. Thanks to its placement too, the ports are a lot easier to access compared to other modern monitors. The USB Type-C port on the side can also charge at up to 65W, which also means your thin and light notebooks and tablets can be kept charged while projecting to the HUAWEI MateView.

Dual 5W speakers with Built-in Dual Mic

The dual 5W speakers is basically just that, regular speakers and sounds pretty much like any generic small form factor wireless speakers. Because there is no subwoofer, low end frequencies tend to be a little weak. There is little space to fit a subwoofer though, so the lack of lower-end frequencies is forgivable.

Where the combination of this speaker and mic shines though is when you use the MateView for the work and social stuff. Audio from the speakers is perfect in video chats or voice chats. At the same the mic performs great too, with users at the other end of the line reporting clear voice quality. The users at the other end of the line did report that my voice gets cut out from time to time though. We suspect internet speed and stability issues, or it could just be HUAWEI’s noise cancelling algorithm messing about.

Navigate with Smart Bar

Instead of physical buttons, the HUAWEI MatePad has a touch sensitive bar to navigate through its settings. The Smart Bar, as they call it, does contribute a little bit to the clean, polished look of the premium HUAWEI MateView. The Smart Bar does allow for some quick and accurate navigation through the OSD unlike physical buttons you can barely see though.

If you leave the HUAWEI MateView unplugged and disconnected from any device at all, the display shows its own interface and home screen. That home screen allows you to go through the monitors settings and also allows you to choose the monitor’s primary input when you need to. You navigate through that with the Smart Bar, or you can plug in a mouse to the USB ports. You either slide it side to side to navigate the interface and tap once to confirm your selection, twice to back out of a settings menu when you need to. This monitor does WiFi and Bluetooth, though we are not fully able to take advantage of the two features at the time of testing because HUAWEI has not made the device available to connect with on the HUAWEI’s AI Life app at the time of testing.

Once plugged in to a display source, the smart bar is still the way to navigate the On-Screen Display (OSD). The smart bar now doubles as a volume control slider though, which is clever. You tap once to get into the regular OSD to change your settings and input. To control the volume of the built-in speakers, you simply slide your finger along the smart bar.

HUAWEI Share

HUAWEI Share is also integrated to the HUAWEI MateView monitor, as we have mentioned. It is placed on the base plate of the monitor. Still, integrating that HUAWEI OneHop Share functionality is clever, except, you need to have a modern HUAWEI device with EMUI 11 or later and NFC capabilities to take advantage of it. We do not have a HUAWEI EMUI 11 or Harmony OS 2 device that supports the OneHop NFC capability.

While we do understand that this is a HUAWEI device, their implementation to exclusively support HUAWEI Share alienates it from other Android smartphone user. It does make a lot of sense if you do have a HUAWEI smartphone to work with. Except, not all HUAWEI smartphones are treated equally here too. All HUAWEI devices that are not updated to EMUI 11 or Harmony OS 2.0 will not get access to the HUAWEI Share feature. In that sense, HUAWEI is not just alienating other Android users, they are alienating their own users who held on to HUAWEI devices that are not even 3 years old.

On top of that, we genuinely think that the base plate would be much better off if HUAWEI decided to use it as a wireless charging plate. It is the most sensible place for a wireless charging station, after all. The HUAWEI Share sensor can be moved to either the side, or top, or even the bottom part of the monitor module, in our humble opinions.

Options

We tested the HUAWEI MateView mostly with a USB Type-C connection. Meaning we took advantage of the Thunderbolt capabilities of the HUAWEI MateView too. We connected our thin and light Lenovo Yoga S730 via USB Type-C and later on an Acer Predator Triton 500, also via USB Type-C. Thankfully, the HUAWEI MateView charges the Lenovo Yoga S703 at 65W too, so that is always a bonus.

We used the HDMI 2.0 port of the HUAWEI MateView too with the Acer Predator Triton 500. The only issue is that the HDMI 2.0 connection only allows for the display to work with 50Hz in refresh rate due to the bandwidth limitation of the HDMI 2.0 itself. We could not get our PlayStation 4 Pro to work with the display though, oddly enough. To get the best experience of the 4K+ at 60Hz, you want to use a MiniDP to DisplayPort (provided) cable or USB Type-C to USB Type-C (provided) cable. Of course, make sure your PC can project via USB Type-C.

We would prefer a standard DisplayPort 1.4 on the monitor though. Finding a MiniDP-to-MiniDP Thunderbolt cable proves to be quite difficult. At the same time, there is space behind the stand to house a standard DisplayPort 1.4, which makes it even stranger for the HUAWEI MateView not to include one.

We did a wireless projection with a HUAWEI MatePad Pro (2020) in both regular and Desktop Mode and got quite odd results. The display was not rationed properly, the image looks a little stretched vertically. While that can be easily rectified by connecting the tablet to the display via USB Type-C, it is kind of annoying and defeats the purpose of having wireless projection on the display.

Performance – Satisfying 4K+, Beautiful Colours

The biggest draw of the HUAWEI MateView is no doubt its 4K+ IPS panel that will be the main point of its interaction with its users. At 28.2-inch, the MateView is not exactly small, but is probably the smallest 4K display of its type. Then again, this is the only 4K display of its type at this time projecting 3,840 x 2,560 (3:2) pixels instead of the usual 3,840 x 2,160 (16:9).

The 4K+ resolution is displayed at ΔE<2, and at DCI-P3 coverage of 98%, or 100% sRGB coverage. These numbers basically mean that the HUAWEI MateView features one of the best colour reproductions on its 28.2-inch panel at this time. It also features HDR 400 with 1,200:1 contrast ratio, if you must know.

Bright, Vibrant Colours

We had to turn down the brightness of the display to 80% from full brightness. At full 500nits, the display is way too bright to be used in a room. If you are using this in a darker situation, you do want to turn it down even further because the HUAWEI MateView can get overly bright. Considering that you might be using the HUAWEI Mateview in a well-lit room or under natural lighting though, 500nits could be useful.

There are also a few presets for the display colour profile that you can choose from. We set ours to DCI-P3 colour profile, just because we think it looks best. Images look vibrant with highly saturated colours on this display. Because it is a 4K display too, pixels on lower resolution images get a little exaggerated when displayed fullscreen. High-resolution photographs look stunning on this though.

In these presets though, you cannot change your other colour and temperature settings. Settings like contrast and gamma is locked off. The only thing you have going for you is the brightness control.

Going to the Movies

Movies and films from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and even Disney+ Hotstar are easy to enjoy on the HUAWEI MateView. Even when you watch Full HD 1080p films on the HUAWEI MateView, while you do notice some graininess a little, it still looks great because colours are vivid. High framerate films like Formula 1: Drive to Survive also highlights the MateView’s brilliant contrasts. The bright colours that are projected on darker backdrops are clear as day and sharp. Even the colourful fast-moving cars look great on the MateView itself.

… Or Edit Your Films

Naturally, a 4K+ resolution display will, inevitably, used for creative work. While it may not be the best or top-of-the-line display in terms of creative work, it has all the right qualities for be one of the better displays for content creators. If you are not into 3D work and high-framerate visuals, this should be good enough. We used the 4K+ monitor as a secondary monitor to basically scrutinise our video work. We record most of our videos in 4K and publish them in 1080p Full HD resolution. The added detail you can see from a 4K resolution display also means that we get to be a little more detailed when it comes to our work too. Of course, colour grading is a breeze with highly accurate colours. But the matte finish of the display, which is not typical for colour accurate displays, helps with video and image editing in a brightly lit room.

… Or Game, Because Why Not?

While not something that the HUAWEI MateView is created for, you can game on it. Yes, the display aspect ratio is a little odd at 3:2. A wider vertical view does mean a little more environmental detail on your display on the top and bottom of the monitor. Thing is, you want more peripheral view instead of more to see from the top and bottom of the display, so it does not make that much of a difference in some sense. Still, you can set games to work on the 4K+ resolution at 60Hz, and that is important.

Games in 4K+ does look impressive with details you have never expected before. Colours still pop in games like GTA V and No Man’s Sky. Shadow of the Tomb Raider looks amazing on 4K+. Here is the thing though, to play your games at 4K+ resolution at 60fps requires you to have substantial power from your gaming rig. Not every game will be able to run at 60Hz or even smoothly on 4K+ resolution and you can see the limitations kicking in when you fire games like GTA V up and set everything to ultra. Strangely enough, No Man’s Sky runs great at Ultra settings with speeds hitting above 50fps at times. Keep in mind that this is on a 10^th Generation Intel Core i7 paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super platform.

The HUAWEI MateView – Impressive, But Maybe Not

Before you get confused with the heading, we do really want to say that we are impressed with the HUAWEI MateView. We like it, even. But there are a few glaring issues we cannot seem to wrap our heads around.

The biggest problem is that it will set you back MYR 2,988. At the time of writing, Samsung’s similar UR55 28-inch 4K monitor technically offers a wider 4K experience (16:9) and an IPS panel as well for MYR 1,399 and it comes with AMD FreeSync. You can even find a 27-inch Dell 4K UHD monitor at MYR 1,589 at this time. A BenQ 27-inch 4K UHD display will also only set you back MYR 2,699, MYR 300 less than the HUAWEI with three built-in speakers and AMD FreeSync technology too. All of them comes with standard DisplayPort as well.

If you are buying for entertainment purposes, what is wrong with a 4K UHD smart TV? While it does have some wireless features, its experience on other devices that does not support its version of HUAWEI Share is not exactly great or seamless. You are still better off with cables in the case of using the display with your smartphone or tablet devices anyway.

We have to admit that we thoroughly enjoyed the HUAWEI MateView. It looks great and as a PC monitor, it works great. Add the mic functionality and speakers that sound better than average speakers from most displays, wireless connectivity capabilities, and its colour accuracy, it is a compelling display to work with. We may not completely understand its incompatibility with systems other than HUAWEI’s own (well, we do, but we think it is a little ridiculous).

In the end, would this be something we would recommend our friends to buy? In short, no. Unfortunately, there are plenty of other far more compelling products at the same price or even less. The HUAWEI MateView, while it isnot a bad product in any way, does not feel and work like a product that commands its price tag.

Gaming, Reviews

[Game Review] techENT Plays Pokémon UNITE

July 26, 2021 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

When we think of Pokémon we’re taken back to a nostalgic role-playing game from the 90s which saw the world fall in love with Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur and Pikachu. However, with the franchise hitting its 25th anniversary, the Pokémon Company seems to be upping the ante with new games and remakes. One of the new games that have hit the scene is co-developed with Tenchent’s TiMi Studios.Pokémon UNITE – the franchise’s first foray into the Multiplayer Online Battle Area (MOBA) genre.

While we’re used to the turn-based battles of a regular Pokémon battle, the MOBA genre brings a totally new dimension to battles. The game is developed in partnership with Tencent’s TiMi studios.

Welcome to Aeos Island!

Anyone who follows Pokémon knows that with the launch of every game, you’ll be taken to a new region. This time, Pokémon UNITE takes players to Aeos Island. This region is rich in an energy called Aeos Energy which seems to make Pokémon more powerful. The Pokémon professor, Professor Phorus, studies this energy and its affect on Pokémon. Together with her research fellow Erbie, they created the UNITE battles.

Pokemon Unite 006 — Source: The Pokémon Company International

When it comes to lore, that’s about it for the game. Once you enter the main game, you’ll hardly interact with Professor Phorus or Erbie beyond the tutorials. However, it doesn’t discount the possibility of new lore being introduced at a later date.

Gameplay Mechanics

If you’ve never played a MOBA before, this game is definitely a really good introduction to the genre. Pokémon UNITE is your typical MOBA with a few tweaks. It shares your typical 5-on-5 battle system where players will be going head to head in teams of 5. It also has quick battles where players can have 2-on-2, 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 battles. The objective of the game is pretty straight forward – score more points than your opponent within the given time. Battles are either 5- or 10-minutes in duration.

Players can choose from a number of Pokémon from four categories: Attacker, Defender, Supporter and All-Rounder. Attackers are Pokémon who are able to do heavy damage at the expense of health; Defenders are usually bulky with less speed but more endurance; Supporters are Pokémon who buff and disable opponents for better chances at winning while All-Rounders are Pokémon who are flexible when it comes to play style. These are pretty much the archetypes you see in other MOBA’s like Mobile Legends or League of Legends.

During the game, players will be playing in an arena with up to 10 goal points split evenly between the two teams. Like other MOBA’s players will need to go into the arena and battle, not only their opponents, but also the wild Pokémon to collect Aeos Energy. Players score points by dunking this energy into the goals. Of course, being a MOBA, you can take down your enemy to steal their Aeos Energy and interupt them from scoring goals. The team with the most points at the end of the round wins. Individual players also receive ratings based on the number of points scored, assists and KOs. These metric determine if you become the MVP.

Fun, Simple & Quick

The Pokémon UNITE gameplay makes for a really fun game which players can jump into for a break. The simplistic, family-friendly MOBA has a learning curve for first timers, however, it isn’t a steep one. That said, in our time with the game, it seems like MOBA veterans are having a harder time acclimatising themselves to the gameplay than new players. It takes time to appreciate the scoring mechanic of the game.

The gameplay also expands into the customization and personalisation of your Pokémon UNITE avatar. Like Pokémon GO, there is a limited amount of customization in the game. Players can, of course, choose between male and female with some customisation to hairstyles and clothes. These customisations are also how Pokémon UNITE intends to make money for Nintendo and Tencent and they aren’t hiding it. In addition to this, Pokémon UNITE also has held items which give buffs to Pokémon in battle. Pokémon are also equippped with Battle items that provide effects which can be activated to turn the tides of a faceoff.

The controls in Pokémon UNITE are easy to learn but can be finnicky. If you, like me, jumps into the game without customising your setup, you might find yourself dying as a result of getting pulled back into battle when you’re trying to runaway with a skill like Volt Switch. The default settings can suck the fun out of the game – if you’re not used to them. However, you can mess with the game settings in the opening screen to fit your gameplay style.

The game’s short duration for battles and quick matchmaking make it ideal for playing in between meetings, classes or even when you just need a quick break. It can be addictive but has the potential to hold gamers in for a long time given the ease of getting a quick battle 5 or 10 minute battle in.

Janky Sound Design

While Pokémon UNITE does well in game design, the sound design of the game has a lot of space for improvement. The soundtracks are lack variety, you are hearing the same music over and over – particularly in the waiting screens. Even the arena soundtracks lack variety. You hear the same sound with little to no variation throughout the battle. Of course, there is some ramp up as time closes in, but that’s about it. Even transitions are abrupt and awkwardly put together.

Sure, you can argue Pokémon isn’t really a franchise known for its sound, but entering the MOBA genre also brings a focus on sound design as it does play into long term replayability. Other games in the genre have pretty good sound design.

Microtransactions, Microtransactions, Microtransactions

The one thing that does spoil the fun of Pokémon UNITE is the microtranscations that are unapologetically shoved in your face. The game comes with five in game currencies: Aeos coins, Aeos Tickets, Aeos Gems, Holowear Tickets and Fashion Tickets. These currencies can be earned from normal gameplay except for Aeos Gems. These Aeos Gems are bought with real world money.

While TiMi and the Pokémon Company claim that these transaction will not take away from gameplay, they allow users to purchase more powerful Pokémon and items which can buff stats. This undoubtedly will affect overall gameplay – particularly when it comes to battle items. Players can acquire these items with Aeos coins, however, they cost anywhere between 1,000 to 5,000 coins which entails a significant amount of in-game grinding. Players can eliminate the grinding and waiting by simply spending real money on gems. They can also cost anywhere between 40-100 gems. What’s more, when you unlock Item Enhancers at Level 9, you can increase the buffs of these items. These item enhancers are also availble for purchase. So, guess who’s going to have the upper hand with more damage and better recovery?

A Good Jumping off Point with the Looming Dread of Microtransactions

Overall, Pokémon UNITE is off to a good start and has potential to become a really big MOBA given that it’s on both the Nintendo Switch and mobile. It’s simple to play with game mechanics that can be addictive even in small doses. However, it risks losing a significant portion of its players as it continues to blatantly shove microtransactions into player’s faces. While the developers can claim that there are no “pay to win” purchases, it can quickly devolve given the nature or held and battle items. We are hopeful to see a new entry in the eSports arena but cautiously optimistic that the game doesn’t just become a microtransaction machine.

Android, Mobile, Reviews

OPPO A74 In-Depth Review: Missing that OPPO Magic

July 19, 2021 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

OPPO has been making waves in the mobile industry with their approach to cameras and their augmentation of their smartphones with their own camera algorithms. They’ve also been one of the best options when it comes to getting affordable smartphones which pack impressive performance.

The recently announced OPPO A74 is their latest iteration of the affordable OPPO A series which has, in our previous experience with it, performed commendably. The A74 (4G) is the lower specc’d version of the new device without 5G connectivity.

Does the smartphone keep OPPO’s legacy in the affordable space? Should you be investing your hard earned money in it? We’ll be breaking the whole experience down in our review.

Design

The OPPO A74 is a sleek, slim device with a pretty finish. It’s actually one of the better-looking smartphones in its category. OPPO has given it sleek curves on the back and a rather shiny finish. While it can be a fingerprint magnet, the finish of the A74 gives the smartphone a rather premium feel and look. In addition to that the curves make the phone a little more ergonomic; making it easier and more comfortable to hold and use.

The design cues of the OPPO A74, however, are very run-of-the-mill when it comes to the company’s design language. We’ve seen the same design cues from nearly all the phones that have been released from OPPO – and OnePlus – in the past few months. The lack of identity when it comes to the outlook of the many smartphone series that OPPO offers is a little bit of a let-down but they generally do make up for it with unique, cutting edge features.

Aside from that, the A74 is also one of the few smartphones that has opted to keep the pinhole design of the display. Thanks to this choice, users are in for a more immersive experience when it comes to the display and multimedia experience of the smartphone. That paired with the rather compact overall size also allows easy everyday usage and even a more comfortable experience when gaming.

Hardware

The hardware of the OPPO A74 isn’t that far off for an entry-level device. However, when it comes to processors, it comes with one that is slightly more powerful than others we’ve seen used in its competition. That said, specifications and the make up of any given smartphone is only one side of the coin, how they affect the overall user experience is another.

We’ve listed the complete specifications below and noted the configuration which we reviewed in the table. That said, we dive in deeper into the user experience in the following sections.

Specifications

Processor	Qualcomm SM6115 Snapdragon 662 (11nm) Octa-Core @ 4×2.0GHz, 4×1.8GHz
RAM	6GB (As Tested) 8GB
Memory	128GB (As Tested) MicroSDXC
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)	Adreno 610
Display	AMOLED panel 6.43-inch (~409 ppi) 1080×2400 pixels FHD+ resolution 20:9 Aspect Ratio
Operating System	Android 11 with Color OS 11.1
Battery	Non-Removable 5,000mAh Li-Po Fast Charging (33W) SuperVOOC 2.0 USB-PD 3.0
Connectivity	Nano SIM Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS A2DP Bluetooth 5.0 (aptX) OTG Support USB 2.0 Type-C
Camera	REAR: Triple Sensor: 48-Megapixel (f/1.7, 1/2.0″, 26mm (wide angle), 0.8µm Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) 2-Megapixel (f/2.4, macro) 2-Megapixel (f/2.4, depth) Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) HDR LED Flash 1080p Video recording (30fps) FRONT: 16-Megapixel (f/2.4, 27mm (wide),1/3.06”, 1.0µm) 1080p video recording (30fps)
Sensor	Accelerometer Proximity Fingerprint (Optical, under display) Gyroscope Face Unlock Compass
Miscellaneous	Dual SIM
Retail Price (Malaysia)	MYR 899
Retail Price (US)	USD$ 399.98

User Interface

OPPO’s ColorOS 11.1 comes baked in the OPPO A74. OPPO has made some good improvements in ColorOS 11.1 which enhance the user experience. The amount of customisability that OPPO brings into the software allows users to have a phone that is uniquely theirs. Things such as the lock screen, fonts and even the home screen is highly customisable and allow users to infuse their own personas into their smartphone.

One of the highlights during our review is OPPO’s implementation of dark mode. Unlike a lot of other smartphones out there, OPPO has included three degrees of intensity for dark mode. This is particularly useful if, like me, your eyes are sensitive to the contrast that dark mode can give – particularly when it comes to viewing white on black. During my time with the A74, I found myself using the phone with dark mode set on medium. This was the setting that allowed my eyes to be comfortable while allowing me to save some battery.

OPPO’s ColorOS also brings an amazing selection of Wallpapers with their Artist+ Wallpaper project. However, how useful this feature is to you will depend on your appreciation of artists and the arts. While it was novel in the beginning, we eventually went back to our normal wallpapers after a few days.

That said, the OPPO A74 does benefit from some of the performance enhancing algorithms built into ColorOS 11. Navigation and swiping through screens were very smooth with little to no jitters even when swiping between open apps. Launching apps feels more prompt and it was a lot more seamless than other smartphones in its category. In addition, having a good selection of customisable quick toggles in the notification shade allowed for quick and easy access all the important settings.

Performance

When it comes to performance, the OPPO A74 isn’t a slouch. It was able to handle day to day tasks pretty easily. However, when it came to more demanding tasks, it did take a beating. The phone’s hardware doesn’t really show many bottle necks – but we expect you might get a better experience with 8GB of RAM.

When it came to using heavier gaming apps, there was a noticeable slow down in the system’s performance. This was also followed by the phone getting a little bit warmer to the touch. We suspect that the many AI algorithms that OPPO employs for its performance enhancement may not be too fond of resources (i.e. RAM) being taken up by other processes. However, while this did occur, it only happened when RAM usage was obscenely high. Beyond that, the phone rarely lagged or heated much.

Call Quality & Connectivity

Call quality on the A74 is commendable. Of course, since the switch to VoLTE, the clarity of voice calls has increased tremendously in general. However, OPPO seems to have enhanced the clarity further. Calls on the phone sounded crisp and clear. However, when it came to speaker phone, the phone left quite a bit to be desired. Even in quieter areas, it was hard to hear the audio coming from the speaker phone. Calls over the ear piece were crisp, voices were clear and there was little disturbance. Users on the other end of the call noted that my voice was loud and clear on their end.

When it comes to connectivity, the OPPO A74 had more stable and stronger connectivity to 4G LTE that some of the other devices we’ve tested. During our testing it continually had either the same or one bar more than some of the other devices we had during the same period. On top of that it was able to keep a stable Bluetooth connection with our wireless headphones.

Gaming

Gaming on the OPPO A74 wasn’t too bad of an experience. It was able to keep up with some PUBG mobile. However, if you’re looking to play Genshin Impact with flawless graphics, you’ll be a little let down. That said, this isn’t unexpected for a phone of this calibre. Aside from some performance compromises, the phone can be a pretty good one for mobile gamers.

The display is large with vibrant colours. OPPO’s decision to have the pin hole front camera really lends to the experience being more immersive. It’s responsive enough even for FPS games. The sound quality on the speakers isn’t too bad too. Of course, don’t go blasting it on 100% or you’ll have tearing and pitching on the speakers. You’ve got a 3.5mm jack so you can be even more immersed when gaming.

Battery Life

The battery on this smartphone is one of the best we’ve seen so far. That is, of course, expected for an OPPO smartphone. The company has been able to squeeze every ounce of battery life of its phones for a while now. On the A74, we were able to get about 2 days of battery life with normal use without much hassle. With heavier use like gaming and multimedia consumption, we got about 18 hours with about 5 to 6 hours of screen on time. On standby, the phone was able to last about a week easily.

Display

The display of the OPPO A74 comes with a Full HD+ resolution and, to be very honest, it’s just the right resolution for its 6.43-inch size. You’re not straining as pixelated artefacts on the screen and the pictures and video displayed are crisp and sharp. The high pixel density also allows for a better, more immersive visual experience on the smartphone.

However, it’s not the best display out there. Even with 430 nits of brightness, the screen could get a tad bit dark when it comes to the outdoors. Under direct sunlight, it was a task to read messages and emails. If you’re looking to get into content, the display may not be the best in the market for it, colour accuracy isn’t the best but passable. You will need to do colour grading when it comes to having quality content.

Cameras

Ironically, the camera on the OPPO A74 felt like the biggest let down. While it’s not bad per se, the experience of the A74 feels like a serious step down from the A9 we reviewed previously. While using the camera has improved, OPPO seems to have sacrificed a lot when it comes to overall picture quality.

It was a little confounding when it came to the camera experience on the OPPO A74. The interface has improved and become more user friendly. Things are easier to access and it’s more feature rich than ever before, but the picture quality – particularly when it came to low light pictures seems to have taken a little bit of a dip between the A9 and A74. This, to be honest, wasn’t what we were expecting given the leaps and bounds that OPPO has progressed when it comes to their camera technology in their own Reno and Find X line up.

To view this content, you need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
To do so, please follow these instructions.

In good, bright lighting, the cameras were able to produce pictures with depth and detail. However, the minute lighting was dim, pictures became noisy and uninspiring. Detail was hardly present. You can see the amount of loss in detail even on the screen of the phone itself by simply pinching and zooming. This was the case with both the selfie and main sensors. Zooming was more of the same, even when using the optical zoom, pictures are noisy and lacked detail.

All in all, when it comes to the camera experience, it feels like OPPO didn’t really put too much effort into differentiating its entry level offering. We’ve seen the result of their efforts in their own Reno and Find X series, and it confounds us as to why some of that effort wasn’t present in the A74. It really feels like they were just ticking boxes in the features department.

A Near Complete Package for the Entry Level Missing that OPPO Magic

Overall, the OPPO A74 is an average package. It has a good display, a commendable processor but it’s let down by what feels like a lack of effort in the camera department. To be very frank, it’s let down by a standard that OPPO, itself, set. If the smartphone had the camera to back it, it would be a contender for one of the most affordable and best optimised phones in the market.

However, with that said, for the budget, it isn’t a bad device. It ticks all the boxes when it comes to features and provides an overall experience that is enjoyable and, most importantly, customisable to the user. It does provide some value for money at its price and is able to keep up with demanding tasks.