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Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Series Launched – Redefining Standards

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Xiaomi is a household name for anyone who has wants a budget smartphone with killer specs. The brand has been found big on value. That was true when they started globalising the brand with the Xiaomi Mi3, and it is still true today. If you want to get the best value out of your money on a smartphone, you can always be sure that Xiaomi has something in their catalogues.

The Redmi sub-brand for example has been the champions in the budget category making very competitive devices for not very much money available. The devices are no slouches though, despite the asking price. They still pack plenty of features that would impress even the toughest crowds. They still pack the latest of hardware from the modern world at least.

Source: Xiaomi

The Redmi Note 9 this year continues with that recipe with an even more powerful offering. The Redmi Note 9 is now offered in two flavours too, a regular one and a Pro version. Of course, it is easy to tell which will be carrying the torch for the Redmi name.

Last year’s Redmi Note 8 Pro came with a MediaTek processor that is admittedly faster than its Qualcomm cousin. This year’s Redmi Note carries a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G System on a Chip (SoC) which is faster than both. The 700 series in Qualcomm’s Snapdragon line-up is actually lined up very closely to the flagship 800 series in their books. That also means the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 this year packs some power. The regular Redmi Note9 comes with a brand-new MediaTek Helio G85, which is no slouch either, to be fair.

Source: Xiaomi

The Redmi Note 9 series also gets bigger displays than its predecessors from last year. The Pro version gets a bump to 6.67-inch and the regular variant get 6.53-inch. Both are DotDisplays with a punch hole for a front-facing camera in the display.

The larger display would be a benefit for the 64-Megapixel quad-camera array at the back. That 64-Megapixel is supported by an 8-Megapixel ultra-wide camera, a 5-Megapixel macro lens, and a 2-Megapixel depth sensor for Bokeh portraits. Up front is a 16-Megapixel shooter.

The regular Note 9 does not get a 64-Megapixel camera. You still get a great 48-Megapixel shooter with 8-Megapixel Ultra-Wide lens, a 2-Megapixel Macro lens, and 2-Megapixel depth sensor. The small dot up front is a 13-Megapixel shooter.

Of course, with bigger displays and bigger bodies the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 and Note 9 Pro need to have bigger batteries. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro gets a super big 5,020mAh battery that should last you well over a day of use. Its 30W fast charging capability should also keep you juiced up and ready to go even before you can get your nose hair trimmed properly. The regular variant of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 also gets a large 5,020mAh battery but fast charging is kept at 18W, still good for a quick 2-hour charge time from zip though.

Source: Xiaomi

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 and Note 9 Pro will be available in three colours each globally. The Note 9 Pro will be available in Interstellar Grey, Tropical Green, and Glacier White. The Redmi flagship will be available also in two storage variants: either a 64GB or 128GB variant, both with 6GB of RAM. The Note 9 will come in either Midnight Grey, Forest Green, or Polar White. It will also be available in two storage variants with differing RAM offerings too; one comes with 3GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, while the other will be coming with 4GB of RAM and 128GB in storage.

The official word for the local availability is to be somewhere in May 2020. That is not long after the global launch. That is also this month. The only thing we do not have is the local pricing. The global pricing for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 though is from US$ 199 (MYR 855*) and US$ 249 (MYR 1,070*) for each respective variant. For the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro you have to fork out about US$ 269 (MYR 1,156*)and US$ 299 (MYR 1,285*) for each respective model.  For more information on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 you can head over Xiaomi’s global blog.

*Approximately based on US$ 1 = MYR 4.30 as of 1st May 2020

Android, Mobile, News

The realme 6i Launches in Malaysia With MYR 699 Starting Price Tag!

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Smartphones have gone quite crazy these days. If you think about it, there are not many smartphones that you can buy at MYR 1,000. Thing is though, there are plenty of people that still does not want to or cannot spend above MYR 1,000 for a new smartphone.

In that space, there are even less players. Most established brands in the smartphone industry has gone above the MYR 1,000 line. That leaves only certain players staying in that market space. One of the most prominent one that kept within that line is Realme.

While the price range does not make it sound like a premium brand, they do make some compelling smartphones. Their realme 6 that just launched about a month ago for example, gives you best in class performance but at the same time has an asking price that is easily reachable for almost anyone who is looking for a smartphone. Today, they introduced another one, the realme 6i.

Source: realme

The first thing they teased, not teased, what was the right word? Rendered. They rendered two colours on offer for the Realme 6i – Green Tea and White Milk. But that is not all they are, they are not just pretty things. They pack some power too.

It is even more powerful than the Realme 6. It packs a MediaTek Helio G80 Octa-core System on a Chip (SoC) that clocks up to 2.0GHz. That is MediaTek’s most powerful SoC to date, and realme 6i is the first device to boast this kind of flagship power from MediaTek. You get up to 4GB of RAM with the SoC too, meaning multitasking should be no issue. You get up to 128GB

Out the back is a 48-Megapixel main camera that is supported by three other lenses, very much like any modern realme. You get an ultra-wide lens, a black and white lens, and a macro lens together with the 48-Megapixel main camera. They did not specify the amount of megapixel the other lenses pack though. Out the front is a 16-Megapixel camera for selfies. There is no telephoto lens here, which is a little out of the ordinary. Thing is, black and white lens does help with detailing on your final photo though. All this power and high-resolution photo are pushed to your eyes through a 6.5-inch Full HD+ display with a small notch on top of the display.

To ensure that you can take photos all day long or even play games all day long or at the very least stay connected to the world for a whole day, the realme 6i packs a large battery. Larger than usual at 5,000 mAh. That is also one of the largest you can find in smartphones in its class. That 5,000 mAh battery can be charged at 18W fast charger. It can also charge your friend’s smartphone if your friends need some extra power. Now you can be your friend’s hero.

Source: realme

The Realme 6i is available in two colour variants, as mentioned earlier. It will be available in Green Tea and White Milk colour variants. The Realme 6i will be available from MYR 699 (3GB + 64GB) and MYR 899 (4GB + 128GB). From the 23rd of April onward, the 3GB RAM and 64GB storage variant of the Realme 6i will be available exclusively on Shopee. If you do get your device on first sale date, you can get your device at MYR 599. The 4GB + 128GB variant will be available two days later on the 25th of April 2020 in all Realme authorised dealers and retailers. For more information, you might want to check out their website.

Android, Mobile, News

Realme 6 Launches in Malaysia for MYR 999– Online as Well, Of Course

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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.

Mobile, News

HMD Global Revives XpressMusic with the New Nokia 5310

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Nokia’s XpressMusic line up was one of the most iconic brands back in the day. It was hard to find a youth without one of the many XpressMusic phones in their hands. It was a must have with some of the most unique features for music lovers.

This year, HMD Global is bringing back the ethos of XpressMusic in the new Nokia 5310. Yes, the company is making it a yearly affair to bring back one of Nokia’s iconic feature phones. The new Nokia 5310 comes with the familiar XpressMusic design with the red bands flanking the sides of the display. It comes in black and white.

The Nokia 5310 isn’t like the other revivals that HMD Global has done though. It only comes with 2.5G connectivity and is powered by a MediaTek MY6260A and has 8MB of RAM and 16MB of internal storage. Yep! It’s a feature phone through and through. It’s got a 2.4-inch TFT screen and is powered by a 1200mAh battery.

That said, the Nokia 5310 keeps the XpressMusic tradition of having dual loud speakers. It also has quick access music buttons on the red strip on the side of the screen.

Pricing & Availability

The Nokia 5310 will be available in selected markets starting March 2020. It will retail for €39.

Android, Mobile, News

OPPO A91 Launches in Malaysia – Back to Basics

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OPPO has been known for its budget friendly, value-for-money devices. Over the years also, they have been known as photography masters with their devices. Okay, they have not been topping the photography benchmarks until now with the OPPO Find X2 Pro. Still, we have always liked and OPPO budget smartphone. We like their entry-level and mid-range offers because they are actually quality products. They are well made, and they work well for what you are paying. They feel optimised.

Smartphones have gotten more expensive these days. This is also consistent with OPPO’s offerings over the years. Occasionally though, there is a device that just goes back to basics. For OPPO, that device is the OPPO A91 that is just launched today.

No, there is no big launch gambit. If you are not updated just yet, Malaysia is now under lock down order from the government. Non-essential services and businesses are supposed to be closed and we are all force to work from home. Thank goodness for the Internet.

Source: OPPO

The OPPO A91 is a basic entry-level device at MYR 999. Despite the price though, it looks like a premium OPPO device. It is finished on both sides with glass, so it will also feel premium. If other smartphones from OPPO is any indication, the OPPO A91 should be a quality hardware too.

There is nothing to shout about when it comes to its processing power, a MediaTek Helio P70 Octa-core System on a Chip (SoC). It is what you commonly find on budget smartphones. It is still an adequately powerful SoC though. You get 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage too, which is quite plenty for the price you pay.

Those things power up the Android 9.1 based ColorOS 6.1 projected to a 6.4-inch display. No, not a 720P HD display. You get a Full HD+ AMOLED display protected underneath a Gorilla Glass 5. You even get an in-display fingerprint sensor. All of this is powered by a 4,025 mAh battery that also comes with VOOC 3.0 charging to fully charge your device from an empty battery to full in an hour.

Source: OPPO

The biggest upsell of the OPPO A91 though is its camera. You do not only get two lenses, not even three. You get four lenses point out the back of the device. It features a 48-Megapixel main shooter that is partnered with an 8-Megapixel ultra-wide angle lens, 2-Megapixel monochrome sensor, and a 2-Megapixel depth sensor. No telephoto lens to be found here. The ultra-wide lens can focus and capture images from a minimum distance of 3cm.

The camera software packs the usual AI beauty mode or AI scenes for an optimised photo. You also get the Night Portrait mode in this device for all your low-light shoots. Video is steadier than ever with the built-in Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS).

The OPPO A91 entry-level smartphone is available now for MYR 999 on OPPO’s official stores on Shopee and Lazada. From now to 26th of March, the OPPO A91 is now on sale for only MYR 899. Of course, terms and conditions apply.

Android, Mobile, News

realme C3 With MediaTek Helio G70 in Malaysia for MYR 499

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realme has made a name for itself when it comes to budget friendly smartphones. While they mostly play at the budget, entry-level smartphone range, it does not mean that their products are in any way bad products though. Their C series has proven to the market that cheap products does not mean cheap quality and cheap experience. They have a proven track record in the segment is what we are trying to say.

Their latest addition to their C family has just landed in Malaysia today. What a follow up though. As expected, it is sold at less than MYR 1,000; way lower. It will set you back MYR 499. Who says you cannot own a smartphone below MYR 500?

Source: realme

 You are not paying for less features too. It is powered by MediaTek’s latest Helio G70 System on a Chip (SoC). While some may perceive MediaTek’s processors to be slower or inferior to the Qualcomm’s that is just not the case. They may not perform as well as the Qualcomm chipsets, but that does not mean that they do not pack a punch.

The MediaTek Helio G70 SoC is effectively an Octa-core processor with two high powered ARM Cortex-A75 cores and six low powered Cortex A-55 cores. It clocks at a maximum of 2.0GHz, which is powerful enough to plenty of today’s flagships, technically. The only thing it might lack at this point is a 5G modem. While that seems like a bad thing, trust me, it is not as bad as you think.

While you do not get 5G, you still get dual 4G LTE connection on the realme C3. Yes, a you get to push in two SIM cards into this device. Then again, dual-SIM standby is quite expected these days. Nothing to shout about then.

Having the MediaTek Helio G70 however, is something that they can shout about a little bit. The realme C3 is currently the only device that packs the MediaTek SoC in Malaysia.

Source: realme

The big power from the MediaTek SoC is matched to three cameras at the back. Yes, it is effectively a triple camera set-up. We did say that it packs quite a lot for MYR 499.

Its main camera is a 12-Megapixel shooter paired to 12-Megapixel telephoto lens with 4x zoom, and a 2-Megapixel macro lens for that extra close, extra detailed photo. At the front is a 5-Megapixel shooter with the expected AI beauty function, HDR, and what not. That front-facing camera is housed in a small notch on top of the 6.5-inch 720p HD+ LCD display.

Small compromise on the display, a Full HD+ display on a small budget smartphone at this price is quite impossible, you know. You still can record at Full HD 1080p on your rear camera though, no problem with that.

Source: realme

No, you do not get in-display fingerprint sensor on this device too. Again, expecting those kinds of things in a smartphone less than MYR 500 is a little unrealistic. Still, it has a fingerprint sensor recess at the back of the device. The back is not really glass but has a nice beaming texture and pattern to it.

What it lacks in those features though, it makes up in battery size. It packs a 5,000mAh battery within its small body. That should be good for a whole day of battery and even more. You can even use this device as your friend’s power banks so they owe you their lives. The Android 10 with realme UI overlay device is charged at a maximum of 10W via a MicroUSB port; a little old school, but hey it works. Also you may reuse all the old MicroUSB cables you might already have.

  • Source: realme
  • Source: realme
  • Source: realme
  • Source: realme
  • Source: realme
  • Source: realme
  • Source: realme

The realme C3 is now available via Shopee for MYR499. If you get the device today itself, you will get a 6-month extended warranty for free. You can get your hands on one to feel and touch from the 7th of March 2020 though if you really want to. If you missed the extended warranty promotion on Shopee, you can also get the same promotion when you get your device in realme stores on the 7th of March 2020. The realme C3 is available in Blazing Red and Frozen Blue colour options.

Android, Mobile, News

Sony Xperia L4 Joins Entry Segment

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The entry segment is a tricky one with companies having to balance performance and a tight budget. Sony did that last year with their Xperia L3. This year, they are introducing a new device, the Sony Xperia L4 into the foray.

The new Sony Xperia L4 seems to have a lot in common with its predecessor. The only difference is the new triple camera array on the back of the smartphone. That right, you read that right. The new triple camera array is the ONLY significant difference in the new phone. Other than that, the phone looks, feels and has the same internals as the L3.

The Xperia L4 comes with the same Mediatek Helios P22 processor we saw in the L3. It has an increased 64GB of internal storage but still comes with 3GB of RAM. It’s also keeping the plastic build of the L3 with updates to support the Xperia L4’s new triple camera. It comes with a larger 6.2-inch HD+ IPS LCD display with a resolution of 720×1680 pixels. It also adopts the new 21:9 standard that Sony is pushing for their smartphones.

The smartphone runs on Android 9 (Pie) and has support for all the run of the mill connectivity options such as Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi a/b/g/b/n and GPS. It’s powered by a 3,580mAh battery which supports fast charging through its USB-C port.

Now on to the biggest difference. The Sony Xperia L4 is the first phone in Sony’s entry segment to have a triple camera array. The main sensor of the L4 is a 1/3.0-inch, 13-megapixel sensor with a 26mm focal length and F2.0 aperture. This is supported by a 1/5.0-inch 5-megapixel sensor with a 17mm focal length and F2.2 aperture; and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. On the front, there’s an 8-megapixel sensor with a 27mm focal length and F2.0 aperture.

There is no word on the pricing just yet. However, it will be available in select markets starting Spring 2020.