The fastest storage you can get with money today is a Samsung 990 PRO PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD (Solid State Drive). It offers up to nearly 7.5GB/s in read speeds and up to nearly 7GB/s in write speeds. That is faster than what you can get even in your next-generation gaming consoles like the PS5 and the Xbox. The new SSD Samsung introduced is nothing like that.
This is the PM9C1a, a PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD that is made for everyday use. It will not hit speeds like the 990 PRO drive. It reads at a mere 6,000MB/s and writes up to 5,600MB/s. You are still getting read/write speeds beyond what the next-generation gaming consoles can do. That means while the PM9C1a is not made for gaming specifically, the SSD will do just find even with the most demanding AAA games available.
Since it is an everyday high-performance storage, Samsung has to build some reliability and security into the device. The SSD supports Device Identifier Composition Engine (DICE) security standard. It generates cryptographic keys within the SSD. What that does is provide some from of protection from supply chain attacks that targets vulnerabilities from a separate network. The measure also prevents the firmware within the SSD to be tampered, adding some operational reliability.
Of course, because this SSD might find its way to offices around the world, you want the device to be as economical and efficient as possible to keep operational costs low. Samsung fitted the PM9C1a with their 5nm technology controllers and seventh-generation V-NAND memory modules. The result is a 70% increase in power efficiency over the older PM9B1. In that sense, you can run the SSD at a lower power draw but at the same or even better performances over the older storage. In a notebook PC, the SSD even turns itself down and consumers 10% further less power in standby mode.
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Samsung has not announced the exact availability date of the new PM9C1a SSD in the market. We are expecting the SSD to hit the stores sometime in February 2023, at least for the Malaysian market. They have not mentioned a specific price to their latest SSD either. Based on prices of the older generation Samsung PM9B1, you can expect the latest SSD to start at over MYR 200 (256GB). There will be three configurations for the PM9C1a SSD – 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. They will also be available in the most popular M.2 form factors – 22mm x 30mm. 22mm x 42mm, and 22mm x 80mm. For more information regarding Samsung’s latest memory modules, you can head over to their website.
The Xiaomi Mi 10 series was a formidable smartphone device. It showed the world that you do not need to spend a fortune to get a flagship level smartphone that will set your pants on fire. No, the Xiaomi Mi 10 does not really set your pants alight. There is a new one though from Xiaomi and surprise, surprise, they named it the Mi 11. Technically we saw this device before the end of 2020 when Xiaomi launched it in China.
The new Xiaomi Mi 11, like its predecessor is a powerful little beast that packs the most powerful System on a Chip (SoC) that Qualcomm can pack into a modern smartphone. That is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. This is also the first smartphone of 2021 in Malaysia that packs a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC with 5nm build process. Obviously, it is 5G capable too for some futureproofing.
Source: Xiaomi
Helping the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC trundle along and handle whatever Android on MIUI 12.5 can throw at the Xiaomi Mi 11 is 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. 256GB may not sound plenty when you put it up against a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra with 512GB options. Though 256GB is a lot even for 4K video recordings.
Of course, you will not have to worry too much if you have some cloud storage to work with. For that, you will want to have fast internet packed into this device. On top of 5G then, the Xiaomi Mi 11 packs a WiFi 6 antenna to take full advantage of WiFi 6 technology for faster and more stable internet.
All of this helps deliver a smooth and snappy Android 11 experience via the large 6.81-inch AMOLED display that pushes MIUI 12.5 in WQHD+ glory at variable refresh rate at up to 120Hz. Of course, the display contains the usual in-display fingerprint technology. It also packs an in-display heart rate sensor, so you do not need your smartwatch to track your heart rate now. With better display also comes better, more natural feeling haptic feedback engine within the device. The brilliant immersive display is not complete without great audio, so Xiaomi got Harman Kardon working on the speakers to make it even better to enjoy movies or music on the device without a headphone.
Source: Xiaomi
Of course, a brilliant display also needs a brilliant camera. For that you get the very high-resolution 108-Megapixel camera that you saw on the Xiaomi Mi 10 and the Samsung Galaxy S21. Flanking the 108-Megapixel camera is a 13-Megapixel ultrawide angle camera and a 5-Megapixel macro lens. Telelens? Why do you need a telelens when you can just zoom into the 108-Megapixel camera and still get amazing photos out of it?
Of course, you need a big battery to power all these all day long. For that, you get a 4,600mAh battery packed into the Xiaomi Mi 11 smarpthone. The large battery is capable of being charged from empty to full in just 50 minutes via its USB Type-C port with a 55W charger. The 55W GaN charger will be included with the device in-the-box, which is good news. The battery can be charged wirelessly too at 50W, if you can find the right wireless charger for that kind of speeds. It is also capable of sharing its power wirelessly too at 10W if you need it to.
Source: Xiaomi
Source: Xiaomi
Source: Xiaomi
Source: Xiaomi
Source: Xiaomi
The Xiaomi Mi 11 will be available soon globally. There are no specific dates just yet, but we think we might see it launched in Malaysia by the end of February 2021 or early March 2021. The Xiaomi Mi 11 will start at EU€ 749 at launch (Approximately MYR 3,662). There are no mentions yet as well on the local Malaysian pricing of the device just yet. Whatever it is, we are excited about the device. Stay tuned for more updates.
This year marks 10 years of Apple’s iconic iPad. The Apple iPad was introduced back in 2010 as an alternative Apple experience. To most, it is just an enlarged iPhone. The iPad has evolved to plenty more than just a glorified tablet sized iPhone though. It has become an essential productivity, entertainment, and multitasking tool.
The 7th Generation Apple iPad is also made to be more affordable than ever. This year, the 8th Generation Apple iPad is just as affordable and even more powerful than before. The 8th Generation Apple iPad can now be your full-time work and play partner. The new Apple iPad Air is even more powerful, a powerhouse that you can use as an essential production tool.
The New 8th Generation Apple iPad (2020)
Source: Apple
The new iPad now comes packing a powerhouse in the form of the Apple A12 Bionic 6-core System on a Chip (SoC). While that is not a new SoC, it is still a powerful enough SoC to work with even the latest games from Apple’s App Store.
The A12 Bionic SoC though comes with a Neural Engine, which also means that the Apple iPad comes with a dedicated Machine Learning core for the first time. That also means a clever and instant smart photo editor on the new Apple iPad. The A12 Bionic is also capable of clever motion tracking and analysis that you can use in various settings.
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
That is not all power that the new A12 Bionic boasts though. The A12 Bionic is even more efficient that before too. That also means that the Apple iPad can remain as slim and retain its all-day battery life even with its large 10.2-inch Retina display.
iPadOS 14 on The New Apple iPad
With the latest iPadOS on the new Apple iPad, the Apple Pencil is even more powerful and better than before. Hand-written notes can be converted to typed texts in an instant, as long as your handwriting is clear enough to read. This is especially helpful when you are out in the field and have no surfaces to type on.
The All-New Apple iPad Air
Source: Apple
The Apple ipad Air for 2020 is the most powerful Apple iPad ever with Apple’s brand new SoC. Before we get there though, the Apple iPad Air is even more colourful too at the same time. The Apple iPad Air now comes in 5 different colours now. For the first time ever too, the Apple ipad Air is charged via a USB Type-C port instead of an Apple proprietary Lightning port.
It is also compatible with Apple’s Pencil. In fact, you can attach the Apple pencil to the side of the iPad Air magnetically. The size is also perfect for Apple’s existing magic keyboard attachment. Narrower bezel allows the iPad Air to have an expansive 10.9-inch Retina display though.
The retina display is a beautiful display though. It is a full laminated display with True Tone colours and DCI P3 certification. That also means that the display is perfect for those working in the creative industry. Even if you need it for photo editing on the go, the display will take care of you.
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source:: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
The Apple iPad Air for 2020 is also the first Apple device to integrate Apple’s Touch ID with its power button. It also boasts 12-Megapixel main camera out the back and a 7-Megapixel front-facing camera. The main camera is capable of 4K resolution video recording too, just in case you need it. For entertainment purposes, you get stereo speakers that is enabled in landscape mode.
The A14 Bionic Processor
The Apple iPad Air packs Apple’s latest A14 Bionic SoC. It is Apple’s latest, most powerful, and most advanced processor to ever come out of Cupertino. But it is not just Apple’s most advanced SoC to date, it is probably the world’s most advanced mobile processor to date.
The A14 Bionic SoC is the first ever production 5nm consumer grade SoC in the world with 11.8 billion transistors. It is supposed to be more powerful than a modern entry-level notebook. It is 40% more powerful than the A13 Bionic that is currently powering the Apple iPhone XS. It packs 30% more graphical performance compared to the A13 bionic too for what Apple claims to be console level gaming experience. That and 4K video editing capability.
The A14 Bionic SoC also packs a dedicated 16-core neural processor. The more powerful neural processor also allows the new iPad Air to process 11 trillion operations within a second. Thanks to that, machine learning on the iPad Air is even more powerful.
Availability and Pricing
The 8th Generation Apple iPad will be available in the usual Space Grey, Silver, and Gold colour options. There are only two storage variants for the Apple iPad though, 32GB and 128GB variants. The Apple iPad will be available soon in the United States this Friday onward for US$ 329 (WiFi only) and US$ 459 (WiFi + Cellular) onward. There are no official word on Malaysia’s availability though there is already Malaysian pricing. The Apple iPad will be available in Malaysia for MYR 1,449 (WiFi only) and MYR 1,999 (WiFi + Cellular) onward.
The Apple iPad Air, as mentioned comes in 5 different colours. You can choose between Space Grey, Silver, Rose Gold, Green, and Sky Blue Colour options. The Apple iPad Air will be available in the United States market next month onward for US$ 599 (WiFi only) onward and US$ 729 (WiFi + Cellular) onward. There is no official word on Malaysia’s availability. The iPad Air will be available starting from MYR 2,599 (WiFi only) and MYR 3,149 (WiFi + Cellular) onward.
