Unleash double fun with vivo as the latest generation of its Y series smartphone, the vivo Y22s, arrives in Malaysia.
The vivo Y22s is available in Malaysia from 26 November 2022
Starting November 26th, Malaysians can get their hands on the new vivo Y22s, retailing at RM999. vivo claims this device as the most advanced iteration yet and boasts powerful specifications for its price range.
Powering the vivo Y22s is the Snapdragon 680 processor, which offers mid-range performance in today’s market. It is supplemented with 8GB RAM with an additional 8GB Extended RAM or virtual RAM partitioned from the storage. But do not worry of space shortage as the device comes with 128GB of storage out of the box.
Powerful specifications at an affordable price
The device comes with a 5000mAh battery, which helps keep the device powered for long periods. With the 18W Fast Charge on board charging times are also quicker. And last but not least, the equipped cameras are a 50MP rear shooter and 2MP front macro shooter.
The vivo Y22s is available in two trendy colors – Summer Cyan and Starlit Blue
The vivo Y22s is shaping up to be an attractive package of good performance at an affordable price. Available in Summer Cyan and Starlit Blue, purchase it in-store at vivo concept stores and authorised dealers. For online purchases, vivo Malaysia’s official e-store and flagship stores on Shopee and Lazada.
The Snapdragon Summit 2022 has unveiled the highly anticipated Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform, promising to revolutionize the flagship smartphone experience.
The new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 unveiled at the Snapdragon Summit 2022
Snapdragon’s highlight event of 2022 held in Hawaii from November 15th to 16th centered around the announcement of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The platform will be adopted by global brands including ASUS, HONOR, iQOO, OnePlus, OPPO, and Redmi to name a few. Expect to see it in commercial devices as early as the end of 2022.
Key Experience Pillars show AI integration systemwide
The new features highlighted by Key Experience Pillars”; Snapdragon Smart, Sight, Elite Gaming, Connect, Sound and Secure
With the latest iteration of the SoC, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 offers better performance with the new Qualcomm® Hexagon™ Processor that has a 3.2GHz Arm-Cortex X3 prime core. The mobile platform offers a host of new features, described as six “Key Experience Pillars” by Qualcomm. The first and most central pillar is Snapdragon Smart, which utilizes AI integration across the system. This integration allows faster natural language processing, multi-language translation and advanced AI camera features.
Expect camera performance improvements with Snapdragon Sight, which uses AI to better recognize facial features, hairs and even the sky to allow professional grade image tuning. The platform will support new image sensors and features from other brands such as Sony’s quad digital overlap HDR technology and Samsung’s ISOCELL HP3, the first 200-megapixel image sensor. It also has an AV1 codec with support for video playback up to 8K HDR at 60 frames per second.
Elite Gaming Performance
Enhanced gaming visuals with Ray Tracing thanks to Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Snapdragon Elite Gaming will be welcome news to gaming fans as the 8 Gen 2 comes with an improved Adreno GPU. The highlight is the mobile platform will have Ray Tracing to further elevate gaming visuals. This will also be the first platform to support Vulkan 1.3 API on top of improved and more efficient performance.
High Speed Connectivity with Wi-Fi 7, improved 5G and dual Bluetooth
Stay connected with low latency WiFI 7, peak 5G speeds and dual Bluetooth.
Connectivity will be improved on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 as described in the Snapdragon Connect Experience pillar. Sporting the new Snapdragon X70 5G Modem-RF System with Qualcomm® 5G AI Processor, expect faster than ever 5G speeds and first-in-market to support 5G+5G/4G Dual-SIM Dual-Active. It also features the Qualcomm® FastConnect™ 7800 connectivity system, for low latency Wi-Fi 7 and dual Bluetooth connectivity.
Soundly secure
Snapdragon has also beefed-up security on its new platform, with Snapdragon Secure. Described as premium level protection, it offers the latest tech available to protect your data and privacy with features such as the Qualcomm® 3D Sonic Sensor a Max fingerprint sensors. Finally, expect better audio performance with Snapdragon Sound. It features spatial audio with dynamic head-tracking for better surround-sound experience and supports 48kHz lossless music. Gamers will benefit from the built-in voice backchannel for clearer in-game voice chat and lowest-ever latency at 48ms.
In short, Snapdragon has brought out all the features of a flagship-level mobile platform with more intricate AI utilization as icing on the cake. For a full list of specifications and features, visit the official Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 webpage.
realme is bringing the realme 10 Pro+ 5G to Malaysian shores starting the 8th of December 2022. The device promises flagship-level features at an affordable price and a new 120Hz curved display.
The 120Hz curved display is a highlight of the realme 10+ Pro 5G
120Hz curved display that’s easy on the eyes
Announced on November 17th, the realme 10 Pro+ 5G embodies the “dare to leap” spirit with its innovative curved display. On top of the 120Hz refresh rate, the curved OLED display is Malaysia’s first to come with the Rheinland Flicker Free Certificate. It is capable of 2,160Hz PWM dimming for industry-leading eye protection. This is almost two times better than the IEEE International Lighting Standard of 1,250Hz.
realme has introduced Hypervision mode to further elevate the visuals on display. It provides video quality enhancement to allow better contrast, colour reproduction and dynamic range. To accentuate the display, the device also has the narrowest bottom bezel of any curved smartphones.
Pre-order the realme 10 Pro+ 5G now to enjoy promotions
In preparation for the upcoming Malaysian launch, pre-orders are now open with special promotions. By pre-ordering at realme Malaysia’s Official Brand Stores and Authorised Dealers, win prizes worth up to RM2,999 with a Scratch and Win card. Every pre-order also includes a realme Band 2 and Extended warranty up to 2 years.
U Mobile celebrates the commercial launch of its 5G network by offering unlimited internet over the weekends.
U Mobile prepaid users can enjoy unlimited usage of 5G network over the weekends
Every Saturday and Sunday, prepaid customers of U Mobile can enjoy unlimited usage with uncapped speeds on both 5G and 4G networks. All customers of the Prepaid U35 plan and newly launched Prepaid U40 plan can enjoy this perk, starting from midnight every Saturday, ending at 11.59pm every Sunday. To enjoy the use of the 5G network, customers need to be using a 5G compatible device and be within 5G network coverage area. All other customers can of course enjoy the 4G network instead. To experience Unlimited 5G Weekends, customers will need to redeem it weekly via the MyUMobile app.
U Mobile has also announced the launch of the new Prepaid U40 plan. Priced at RM40 monthly, the new plan offers unlimited calls and data as well as unlimited hotspot for sharing data across multiple devices. Unlimited hotspot can be purchased as an add-on feature of other prepaid plans such as U25 and U35 for RM 5, lasting 30 days. Prepaid customers who want to experience the 5G network uncapped speeds can also purchase 5G Daily or Weekly Plans starting from just RM3 per day.
For more information on U Mobile Unlimited 5G Weekends and services, visit the official U Mobile website.
iQOO, a sub-brand of Vivo, has officially launched their latest gaming smartphone, iQOO 11 5G in Malaysia.
Vivo’s answer to gaming smartphones, the iQOO 11 5G
The iQOO 11 5G is Vivo’s answer to the expanding gaming smartphone bracket. Symbolized as “I Quest On and On”, Vivo founded iQOO in 2019 to cater to those looking for high performance and gaming experience. iQOO has officially announced that the device will be made available in Malaysia starting December 2nd.
The brand has already garnered a lot of attention in China with its previous line of devices, iQOO 9 series with Snapdragon® 8 mobile platform released in January this year. Since, then it has expanded to other countries including India, Thailand and Indonesia.
Teasers for Malaysia launch
In recent months a series of teasers and leaks were spotted, hinting at iQOO’s arrival in Malaysia. In late October, iQOO official stores were spotted on both Lazada and Shopee.
iQOO is the premium partner of BMW M Motorsport
The biggest teaser was dropped in early November, where posters of the iQOO 11 5G was released in Malaysia with BMW M Motorsport branding. iQOO has been a global partner of BMW M Motorsport since August 2020 for design collaborations and racing sponsorships. A “Guess The Slogan” competition was also held from November 4th to 10th to garner attention, with a chance to win a Razer Kishi. More, recently an approved registration for the iQOO 11 was spotted in SIRIM, confirming the arrival in Malaysia.
Guess the slogan and win with iQOO
iQOO 11 5G Specifications and availability
Although it has been officially announced to launch in Malaysia on December 2nd, no official word on device specifications have been made. Based on announcements in China, their variant of the device comes with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. If it remains the same, it will be the first device in Malaysia to have the new Snapdragon SoC.
Express your interest in the iQOO 11 5G and win prizes
The iQOO 11 5G is not for sale yet but will be available exclusively online. From November 21st to December 2nd, you can express your interest in the device via the following Google Form. By signing up, you will have a chance to experience the device for yourself. You also stand a chance of winning a share of the RM 30 000 prize pool.
Samsung has announced the launch of Samsung OLED, it’s first entry into the world of OLED TV’s now available in Malaysia.
Samsung has unveiled its first line of OLED TV’s for pre-order in Malaysia
Better contrast, upscaling and 120Hz refresh rates with Samsung OLED
Samsung’s Neural Quantum Processor 4K promises deeper blacks, lighter brights and AI uspcaling.
Samsung’s new line of OLED TVs promises to bring stunning picture thanks to the new Neural Quantum Processor 4K. Edward Han, President of Samsung Malaysia Electronics is confident that the new TVs “…will once again raise the bar for cinematic experiences at home.”
Samsung OLED TVs uses multi-model neural networks to optimize screen brightness at pixel level with AI processing. We can expect deeper blacks and brighter lights with this technology. The processor also upscales images on screen to high definition 4K. The TV’s can appeal to gamers too as it offers 4K resolution at 120Hz refresh rates. Each TV comes with four ports with HDMI 2.1 support to connect your consoles and enjoy lag-free gaming.
Immersive soundscape with immersive scenes
Samsung complements the breathtaking visuals of the OLED TVs with Dolby Atmos® technology for a soundscape that travels around the screen, quite literally. Using dedicated multi-channel TV speakers all around the screen, Samsung’s Dolby Atmos technology is powered physically instead of virtually. With four speakers at the upper and lower sides, Samsung recreates positional audio with AI motion tracker technology, Object Tracking Sound (OTS). To enhance the home theatre experience, consumers can purchase wireless Samsung soundbars to leverage Samsung’s exclusive Q-Symphony.
Easy to set up and easy on the eyes
Premium materials and an ultra-slim form factor without losing performance
Samsung OLED TVs come in a form factor that outclasses the competition, without compromising performance or ease of use. Built from premium materials, the TVs feature minimalistic bezels and an ultra-slim body. It also has a slim flat back profile with flush-fit wall-mount solutions as thin as 7.5mm. The TVs come with the all-new Smart Calibration feature to set up your home cinema experience with one button. The feature perfectly calibrates the TV to your surroundings and environment using Samsung’s SmartThings home system for accurate image settings.
Pre-orders Samsung OLED TVs now and receive free Soundbar
Samsung OLED TVs (series S95B) are available for pre-order at RM10,499 for the 55-inch variant and RM14,499 for the 65-inch variant. To celebrate the launch of these TVs, all pre-orders made between 21st November to 4th December will receive a complimentary Samsung Soundbar, HW-Q600B, worth RM 2,599. Pre-orders are available on the Samsung Official Website.
Last week, a few interesting happened in tech. While most has to do with the COVID-19 development and fight, there were a few new interesting products too. For one, the long-awaited HUAWEI P40 series makes Malaysian debut in the week. There are only two variants currently though – the standard HUAWEI P40 and the HUAWEI P40 Pro. The HUAWEI P40 Pro+ is, as touted, coming way later. Prices start from MYR 2,799 and you can already pre-order the devices on HUAWEI’s website and Lazada until the 10th April 2020. Alongside that is the HUAWEI MatePad Pro that was announced a little over a month ago. Malaysia is currently only getting one variant of it though (8GB + 256GB). You can also pre-order them now at MYR 2,399. The flagship smartphone and tablet will start shipping from the 11th of April 2020. Of course, if you pre-order, you get more HUAWEI exclusive stuff from HUAWEI too.
There were some new notebook PCs that is supposed to arrive in the market sometime later this year too. The 10th Generation Intel Core processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX SUPER equipped notebook PCs break cover. So many of them at the same time; there are some from ASUS, from Acer, from Lenovo, and from MSI. The most expensive we have seen so far is the MSI GS66 stealth at up to MYR 16,000.
Back on the topic of COVID-19, the world is focused at, not only in treating the disease, but also coping with the quarantine and helping the front liners. We have the #VentilatorChallengeUK that was answered by many private conglomerates in the region including Formula 1 teams. At the same time, plenty are taking advantage of the situation. So, we all must do our parts and be careful.
If you go out into the smartphone market right now, you would be spoiled for choice. You have not even set a budget. So let us say that you have a budget of MYR 1,000 for a smartphone. That part of the market, while not as filled as the mid-range market from MYR 1,000 – MYR 3,000 market range, is still quite a crowd.
You get plenty of offerings from most of the Chinese brands.
They are not some brands you never heard of too. They are reputable brands that
have been in the market for some time now, with proven products and strategy. You
have brand names like OPPO, who have started making great flagships like their
OPPO Find X2 series. You have Xiaomi who had innovated with their Mi Mix Alpha
wraparound display. You have HONOR and HUAWEI who made headlines with their own
flagships too.
The point is, they make smartphones that sells at below MYR
1,000 as well; and they are not half bad products at that price. You still get
the latest Android, the latest hardware to work with, not the most high-end of
stuff; but you get the picture. It is a tough market to be in.
Source: Realme
That is where the Realme brand shines though. They make
budget friendly devices at great prices. Their latest offering just resonates
that quality of theirs. The Realme 6 that was just launched in Malaysia a few
days ago.
The Reame 6 is not some kind of revolutionary product that
completely changes Realme’s range of smartphones. It is to replace the Realme 5,
yes; but it is more like an evolution that a revolution.
The display, for example is not that big of a step up in terms
of size. At 6.5-inch, it is still the same size with the Realme 5. The notch
that was on the Realme 5 is now a punch-hole on the top-left corner of the
display. The resolution is also bumped up to Full HD+ instead of HD+. You also
get 90Hz refresh rate with the display, and 12Hz sampling rate. Then again,
90Hz is becoming a norm these days.
Source: Realme
The upgrades do not just end there though. It is throughout
the whole device. The device is packing improved power too thanks to the MediaTek
MT6785 Helio G90T Octa-core system on a chip (SoC). They tout it as a gaming
class processor, like almost everything else in the market. It does work well
on games like PUBG Mobile and Mobile Legends though, as demonstrated in a
livestream.
That Octa-core processor unit is helped by 4GB of RAM, which
may not seem like a lot; but 4GB is more than enough most of the time on a
smartphone. You are not getting shorthanded in your storage size though; 128GB
in storage, in fact. You even get a MicroSD slot if you need to expand your
storage size.
Source: Realme
Out the back is still a quad-camera layout; no one is crazy
enough to make an official appearance of a five-camera layout just yet. Instead
of a 12-Megapixel shooter though, you get a bumped up 64-Megapixel main
shooter. That is supported by an 8-Megapixel ultra-wide lens, a 2-Megapixel
Macro lens, and a 2-Megapixel Black and White lens which also acts as a depth
sensor. Out the front is a 16-Megapixel shooter, that is also a bump up from
13-Megapixel of the Realme 5. Of course, with the main shooter you can shoot
videos t up to 4K resolution.
All this power is no use if you cannot bring it out of the house or leave your charger behind. It comes with a 30W fast charging capability on its 4,300 mAh battery. It is charged via a USB Type-C cable too, so there is that. On another plus side, it still has a 3.5mm jack so your old headphones are not obsolete.
Source: Realme
Source: Realme
Source: Realme
Source: Realme
Source: Realme
The Realme 6 will be available 27th March 2020 onward on Realme’s online retail partners for MYR 999. The device will be available in two colours options – Comet White, and Comet Blue. In conjunction with Lazada’s birthday party sale, Realme will bring the price down on the 27th March 2020 to MYR 799, exclusively on Lazada Malaysia from 12.00 a.m. to 2.00 a.m. Of course, more information can be found on their website, or you can head to Lazada Malaysia to check it out.
In this week’s Tech & Tonic Podcast, we have Jason Goh of @Smashpop! Jason Goh is one of the more prolific figures in the digital content creation industry. He has a vast experience in the field and is one of the guys behind Tricycle TV, a social media channel that focuses on reviewing tech in Bahasa Melayu. He is also very active in Social Media with @Smashpop across all platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. He is also on TikTok, but not very active; as he says. All good things must be shared, and that is why Jason also conducts workshops for you to better your Social Media presence and skills.
Last week saw one of the most anticipated smartphones (to us anyway) launch globally and in Malaysia. It is the OPPO Find X2 series, a flagship that is two years in waiting now. We had our hands on the OPPO Find X2 as well as Jason with the OPPO Find X2 Pro. We spoke at length about the device; what we like, what we do not like, and what we found interesting. Still, at MYR 3,999 (starting from), it is not what you would call ‘affordable’. Are the features enough to justify its price tag though?
On the subject of smartphones, we revisit the topic of smartphone cameras vs proper cameras. Fitting topic, since we have another very experienced content creator that focuses plenty of visuals. The OPPO Find X2 series also triggers the topic with its claim on topping the DX0Mark charts (OPPO Find X2 Pro). Of course, we would want to know what his opinion is on this subject. We did an editorial on this subject too.
If you ask us last week about what was the most anticipated smartphone was to us this week, we would all in agreement say the OPPO Find X2. We will tell you why.
The OPPO Find X is now about two years old, if you have not noticed. The OPPO Find X was also OPPO’s first device to hit the MYR 3,000 price range. At the time, it was an expensive device. You get a thoroughbred device for that money though. It was a smartphone that is worthy of its ‘flagship’ moniker in every way. Its clever motorised pop-up mechanism is also one that captures plenty of eyes. Of course, there were some fundamental flaws with the design that is eventually solved in other iterations of similar implementations of the mechanism.
Source: OPPO Malaysia
In short; we liked the OPPO Find X. Its pretty looks, large display, capable camera, and long battery life being the main reasons of it winning our hearts. Still, that was two years ago and there was no follow up model until now.
We have covered the global launch so we will not go on and on about its hardware. We did not see the device in our hands too, blame COVID-19 concerns for that. But still, the device has come to Malaysia just a few days after its global launch. That is a good indication of how much OPPO is betting on the local market at this time.
Source: OPPO Malaysia
To jog your memory a little bit. The OPPO Find X2 and Find X2 Pro, replacing the OPPO Find X, has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC shoehorned into a 6.78-inch 2K AMOLED display body that refreshes at 120Hz and samples touch at 240Hz. Through the fast display you are looking through a 48-Megapixel main shooter. There are some differences in the paired cameras in the array between the two variants. All the powerful hardware is given life by a 4,260mAh battery that SuperVOOC fast charges at 65W. As the live demonstration in Barcelona shows, it charges from flat to full in 38-minutes.
The OPPO Find X2 Pro will be available in Black and Orange colour options. The Black will come with a ceramic finish while the Orange is a vegan leather finish. The OPPO Find X2 on the other hand will receive Black and Ocean colour treatments. The Ocean option would be a glass finish. Both models are 5G ready.
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
The OPPO Find X2 and Find X2 Pro will be available in Malaysia 14th of March 2020 onward for MYR 3,999 and MYR 4,599 respectively. If you want to be some of the first people to own one of these flagship goodness, you might want to get on the pre-order boat. The offer lasts until 13th of March 2020, so you still have time. No official word on their Lamborghini limited edition ones though.
Source: OPPO Malaysia
Source: OPPO Malaysia
Source: OPPO Malaysia
Source: OPPO Malaysia
Source: OPPO Malaysia
Source: OPPO Malaysia
If you do pre-order the OPPO Find X2 series, you get a VOOC Flash charge powerbank and an extended 1-year warranty programme with 3-months screen protection. If you are one of the first 300 customers to pick up their OPPO Find X device on the 14th March 2020, or the OPPO Find X2 Pro on the 21st March 2020, you get a set of OPPO Enco Free TWS earphones. Of course, terms and conditions apply. For more information, do visit their website.
