Tag Archives: Qualcomm

Android, Mobile, Reviews

Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite In-Depth Review – Is it a Contender or Lite on Value?

Leave a comment

Samsung has always been a big player in the smartphone market. In fact, they’ve risen to be one of the top players when the world moved into the smartphone era. With the launch of the new S20 line up, the S10 series celebrates one year in the market. However, in a move very unlike Samsung, the company has announced a new addition to their S10 series; a scaled-down version of its flagship S10 – the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite.

I wonder how the new naming scheme will turn out cause it’s getting a little confusing. You’d think that with the launch of the S20 Series, we would see a successor to the S10e Series instead.

Design

The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite comes with the same design frame as the S10 series but with a chunkier camera on the top left corner instead of the cameras going across horizontally. The back of the body is made of plastic but it comes with a really nice colour similar to the other S10s.

In Prism White, it gives out a very colorful gradient of colours when light refracts off it; mimicking the characteristics of the mother of pearl. Also available in the market are two more colours to choose from which are Prism Black and Prism Blue. That said, the black and blue do not seem to have the same refractive patterns in their design. 

The size is about the same as a Galaxy Note 10+ which is a little too big for my liking. This is primarily because it is difficult to reach across the screen with just one hand. Holding it with two hands is just nice as both thumbs can easily reach all essential usage areas.

The phone seems to lack stereo speakers; it has one really loudspeaker at the bottom of the phone. This compromise isn’t too bad, as the speaker is able to get the job done just fine. It is loud and clear but lacks the immersive experience that stereo speakers provide. 

The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite also lacks a 3.5 mm headphone jack. It is too much of a disappointment at this point. Rather, it is very unexpected as the rest of the S10 Series still had the headphone jack. The same goes for the newly launched Galaxy M31 and Galaxy A71. 

Hardware

Specifications

Just like the other S10 Series, the S10 Lite runs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor which is last year’s top of the line processor. Even though it is not using the latest processor, it is not an issue as it still performs relatively well.

The Snapdragon 855 is paired with with 8GB of RAM, which is plentiful. This is complemented by 128GB of internal storage. Of course, just like most of Samsung’s phones it boasts its expandable storage via micro SD card. You can add up to 1TB of additional memory. There are also two other variations holding a smaller 6GB RAM and the same 128GB storage and another with 8GB RAM with a bigger 512GB storage. However, these variants are not officially available in Malaysia.

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
Operating System (OS)Android 10
One UI 2
Display  Super AMOLED+ capacitive touchscreen, 16M colours
6.7 inches
87.8% screen to body ratio
Memory6GB RAM, 128GB Storage ( As Reviewed)
8GB RAM, 128GB Storage
8GB RAM, 512GB Storage
Rear Camera48 MP wide camera, f/2.0, 26mm, PDAF, Super Steady OIS
12 MP ultrawide, f/2.2, 12mm
5 MP macro, f/2.4, 25mm
Front Camera32 MP wide, f/2.2, 25mm
Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE
A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
NFC
USB Type-C (v1.0)
AudioSingle loud speaker
No 3.5 mm jack
Battery4,500 mAh battery
45W fast charging
MiscellaneousFingerprint (under display, optical),
Accelerometer
Gyro Sensory
Proximity Sensor
Compass

Software

One UI is a whole new world yet it retains that familiarity that makes a Samsung device a Samsung device. The interface is easy to use. In fact, you can get used to it within a few hours of using the phone. With the launch of One UI 2, Samsung has really up its optimization for user convenience and improving the user experience.

One of the many conveniences that come with the S10 Lite’s software is its pop up when you kick Bluetooth on. This came in pretty handy when I got into my car.

I personally like to use the personal assistant that pops up as a ball that you can move around. Some find it annoying as it takes up space and disrupts your viewing experience. However, for me it was really convenient. It’s convenience is increased that to the customisations that it allows. The controls range from locking your screen, taking screenshots, volume control, Bixby and even an emergency SOS button.

The Gallery app has a suggestion feature that will suggest optimisations or layouts for pictures that you have taken using the phone. These suggestions include a picture collage or even GIFs by combining pictures that were taken in succession.

Samsung’s optimisations for user convenience don’t just end with home screen and gallery app, it extends even to the camera interface of the device. By default, there are already presets camera modes such as photo, video, panorama, time lapse etc. in the camera mode tray. You get the idea. But, when you open the menu for more camera options, you can actually drag and drop the camera mode that you use most frequently into the camera mode tray.

Performance

The performance of the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite is commendable. There was little to no lags, it was mostly smooth running. Even with two different apps running at the same time in a split-screen view or pop up view, the smartphone still worked smoothly without much issue. 

Benchmarks

Call quality and connectivity

Calls were loud and clear. In fact, it could be a little too loud when the volume is maxed. This is impressive considering the size of the earpiece. However, this could be a boon to older people who are hard of hearing.

When it comes to using the loud speaker during calls, however, it’s another story. The sound quality wasn’t really good. The speaker wasn’t loud enough and the mic could not catch my voice. This was partially due to the distance from the phone. In my particular case, I was driving with music in the background. However, you’d think that it would at least be able to be audible enough.

Gaming

Gaming performance is excellent, when playing games such as PUBG. The gaming experience is immersive and smooth. The large screen lends itself to a much more immersive visual experience; It gives you a good view of your game with enough space to allow the on screen controls to not get in the way of game play. This was particularly pronounced with games such as first-person shooters and racing games. 

That said, the audio experience of the S10 Lite wasn’t as alluring. The sole speaker on the phone tends to be blocked by your palm when gaming in landscape mode. This was particularly annoying as it would rip you out of your game. In my opinion, users will need to invest in a pair of Bluetooth earphones for the best gaming experience on the Galaxy S10 Lite. 

The Galaxy S10 Lite doesn’t really heat up easily. However, after heavy gaming, the device did get noticeably warm. In fact, I could feel the heat and it was getting my hands sweaty, but, then again, I sweat easily anyway. 

Security and Privacy

Samsung’s S10 Lite comes with Knox. If you’ve been using Samsung phones, you should already be familiar with this feature. In fact, any Android user using Android 8.0 (Oreo) devices or later, you’ve had a taste of Samsung’s Knox. In Samsung devices, Knox has two roles; it stores your biometric and Samsung Pay data and it also allows you to safely store away your work in a separate, secured profile. For the S10 Lite, the most basic application for Knox is the many options it has for biometrics to unlock the device.

The fingerprint sensor on the S10 Lite is now under the display. It uses an optical sensor which scans an image of your fingerprint to unlock the phone. The fingerprint sensor works fine but it is not perfect. It took a few tries to read my fingerprint. This flaw was especially pronounced when my palms were sweaty or when there was water on the screen.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite is also able to use face unlock. It seems to work a lot better than the fingerprint sensor. The initial setup requires you to scan your face with and without your spectacles. Holy moly is it a lot faster! The S10 Lite was even able to recognise my face before I could even lift it to the front of my face. 

Battery life

The battery on the Galaxy S10 Lite was pretty good. I still had some charge to spare after about 9 hours of use. The phone was able to last from 100% to 20% in about 9 hours with my usage. However, with just that 20% of juice, I could easily last an additional 6 hours with moderate usage.  Fast charging on the S10 Lite is a lifesaver; the phone could be charged from 5% to about 20% in just 10 minutes.

The S10 Lite has a larger battery capacity of 4,500 mAh which lasted me about two days during my review. However, the phone itself lacks wireless charging capabilities. The lack of which is a little disappointing as some other brands are able to include the feature while keeping their prices even lower.

Display

The Super AMOLED+ screen of the S10 Lite is pretty crisp and clear. In fact, it has one of the best blacks on the market when it comes to devices in the price range. During my review, I was amazed by how the room went pitch black during the loading screen of LEGO Star Wars in the dark. I also like how Samsung tweaked the One UI to have the punch hole disappear into a black bar when apps kick into full screen. This was especially appreciated while gaming. It doesn’t work on all games though, the punch hole was still visible when I was playing PUBG. 

The phone also has really thin bezels. It’s a good thing considering you’re getting more screen real estate. The S10 Lite has a screen to body ration of about 87.8% which essentially means you see more screen on the front of the device. However, the thin bezels can get annoying at times. Since I was not using a case, I was constantly touching the edge of the screen which interrupted my scrolling, video watching, and gaming. It happened way too often that it became really annoying. 

Adaptive brightness adjust the brightness great even in sudden changes and retains the same comfort brightness even in different lighting settings. The most noticeable moment you can experience the change is the change from indoors to outdoors and vice versa. It takes a second to adjust itself but it gets it right every time.

Camera(s)

Finally the time has come for the cameras. The Galaxy S10 Lite has really stepped up its game in the camera specifications of the S10 line-up. Instead of the 12-megapixel main camera that has been on the S10+ and Note 10+ but a higher resolution 48-megapixel camera. Surprisingly, the new Galaxy S20 and S20+ still retained the lower resolution 12-megapixel as the main camera. However, they do come with a 64 megapixel telephoto lens which should perform better when taking zoomed pictures. So, technically the S10 Lite will take better pictures up close. 

The S10 Lite also comes with a triple camera system. The main camera such as mentioned above is a wide angle lens followed by a 12-megapixel ultrawide and lastly a 5-megapixel macro lens. The S10 Lite can record 4K UHD resolution at either 60 frames per second or 30 frames per second. The phone also can record 1080p at 30, 60 or 240 frames per second.

The selfie camera is also a higher resolution sensor compared to the other devices in the S10 series. Instead of the 10-megapixel sensor, the S10 Lite comes with a 32-megapixel sensor. The only drawback it has compared to the other S10 Series is that the S10 Lite only can record at 1080p at 30 frames per second while the other S10+ and Note10+ can record on 4K UHD at 30 frames per second. 

Affordability

Last but not least, the price of the phone makes it the most affordable device in the S10 line up. The retail price of MYR 2,699 is almost half of what the other devices in the S10 series used to be. However, the smartphone retains most of the performance that the S10 series is known for. Well, you do miss out on some goodies such as the headphone jack, stereo speakers, AKG tuned audio, wireless charging, and a more dated USB 2.0 (Type-C) instead of 3.1 Type-C connector. But for what you are paying, I personally think it is really comparable to flagship phones made by some Chinese manufacturers. 

The phone is mostly targeted to young adults who just made it into the working world. Realistically, it is not achievable for someone who is getting an average pay of MYR 2,800 to make a hefty purchase for just a phone which takes up almost their entire paycheck. Even if you do an installment for a year, it is still MYR 225 a month. The monthly seems small but after deducting expenses including the phone monthly installment, you are going to be left with nothing.  

It goes without saying that there are more affordable options out there. For that, the S10 lite is scoring a little lower on the affordability scale.

An Entry Level Flagship that Doesn’t Bring Enough Value to Stand Out

Is this the ultimate “entry-level” flagship smartphone? Yes and No.

Yes; if you are trying to get into the Samsung flagship family. It has all the performance that you need. Gaming smoothly without any issues and a battery that lasts an entire day. A better camera with better software optimizations to give you breathtaking picture quality. It even comes in a similar size to the other Galaxy S Series and a newer aesthetics to the new Galaxy S20 Series line up.

No; if you are considering other manufacturer phones as well. If you are not picky about the brand, paranoid on used phones and do not want to spend a fortune on a new flagship. At a slightly lower priced than the S10 Lite, you can get a used S10+ or Note10+ and get all the luxury goodies such as the wireless charger, stereo speakers and etc that are absent on the S10 Lite. I would call it a Luxury goodie as you do not actually need it, but it is really nice and convenient to have it.

At the end of the day, the most important question is, “Would I get it?”. Frankly, I would not. I find that the phone is too expensive for what it has to offer. Other phone manufacturers are able to provide extremely similar specifications for a lower price. As for the premium features that I will be missing out on, well I can live without it and it is not a huge deal that it would inconvenience my life.

Would I recommend it? Maybe. You should definitely consider it as it still does give great performance with some of Samsung’s optimisations. If you have the dough to get yourself a new phone, then why not? New phones do give you an oddly satisfying box opening experience and giving you peace of mind that the phone has not tampered with.

Android, Mobile, News

OPPO Find X2 Series Global Launch – Replacing An Icon

Leave a comment

OPPO’s Find X was something else from OPPO. It was something quite extraordinary to come out from OPPO’s stables. It was OPPO’s game changer also their first device to hit the premium market segment. It sold for MYR 3,699 when it was launched; more expensive than any OPPO devices that came before it.

It was not like any other OPPO devices that came before as well. Instead of a familiar Apple-esque design they employed with their best-selling models, the OPPO Find X was a device they could proudly call their own. It was a device they could really identify as an OPPO device. It was also OPPO’s first European ready device.

In all fairness it was also the first smartphone in the world that was truly bezel-less. While whatever premium devices came with ‘bezel-less’ devices, you still get the notch to house the camera. OPPO’s implementation made sure that your bezel-less experience is truly bezel-less. How? Quite ingenious, a motorised pop-up mechanism that slides a whole part of the device to reveal a front facing camera.

It did not sell for MYR 3,699 merely for that feature though. It was a world beater with a high-end System on a Chip (SoC). It had other flagship class specs as well, large RAM and storage. It had a larger than life battery too at the time. Even its camera array is flagship class. Was it worth MYR 3,699? It surely looked like it.

Source: OPPO

Now, there is the brand new OPPO Find X2; the evolution of the iconic flagship from 2018. Instead of just a single device though, the Find X2 is a series of devices. They are all 5G ready too. The 5G capabilities are thanks to the most powerful processor available to them in the world today. They are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865.

The OPPO Find X2

There is not that much difference between the two devices that was launched by OPPO today. Even the price (in Euro anyway). The difference in price is only about EU€ 200 (*MYR 946); which is not that much.

Source: OPPO

There are still some differences to justify the higher price point of the OPPO Find X2 Pro though. Starting with the storage, the OPPO Find X2 tops out at 256GB. Mind you, that is not expandable; kind of a bummer, but 256GB is plenty anyway.

One of the cameras, the ultra-wide lens; you only get 12-Megapixel out of it. While that is not bad, it will not be the most powerful sensor you can find on the OPPO Find X2. Then there is the battery which tops out at 4,200mAh for the OPPO Find X2. It still charges as fast as the Find X2 Pro though.

This is where the differences end though.

OPPO Find X2 Pro

We start with the storage at 512GB of storage, double of the OPPO Find X2. The OPPO Find X2 Pro also packs a very slightly bigger battery at 4,260mAh. This is no where near as big as we think it would be. Still, it charges very quickly at 65W (SuperVOOC). It fully charges the device from an empty battery to full within 38 minutes.

Source: OPPO

The biggest difference between the device is within the camera array. The OPPO Find X2 Pro packs a 48-Megapixel ultra-wide sensor instead of 12-megapixel. It is supported by the same 13-Megapixel telephoto lens and 48-Megapixel main shooter as the OPPO Find X2. The difference? 48-Megapixels obviously captures more details in its ultra-wide shots and its macro shots from at least 3cm away from subject. This camera array is the one that puts OPPO at the top steps of DX0Mark.

The Find X2 Series Powerhouse

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 paired to 12GB of RAM is not just keeping the OPPO Find X2’s 5G kicking though. It is also a powerhouse to keep the Android 10 based ColorOS 7.1 running as smoothly as possible. You can see that smooth and snappy performance from the large 6.7-inch display that pushed QHD+ resolution at 120Hz. If you are into gaming, you will benefit from the 240Hz sampling rate; or mor commonly known as touch response these days.

It does not stop there for its display though. The display is in a class of its own with a 100% DCI-P3 certification. This is also the first OPPO device to pack a 10-bit display. That also means that you get one billion colours on the display. The O1 Ultra Vision Vision Engine on the Ultra Vision  display is also the world’s first engine in the world of its kind on a mobile device. The engine is a hardware based upscale mechanism that scales 30fps videos to up to 120fps videos with minimal motion blurring and tearing. With HDR10+, the OPPO Find X2 series’ display is easily the most advanced and most accurate out there in the market. Immersive too with Dolby ATMOS certified dual stereo speakers.

Source: OPPO

 While we have spoken about the camera’s hardware capabilities, there is more to the camera than meets the eye. The 10x hybrid zoom is nothing new technically. What is new though is OPPO’s All Pixel Omni-Directional PDAF that is supposed to increase the Auto-Focus speeds with even better accuracy than regular PDAF systems. The camera also shoots at 12-bit, meaning you get even more details in your shots. Out the front is a 32-Megapixel shooter housed in a small punch-hole on the display.

You get to shoot even better in low-light conditions too with their new Ultra-night mode 3.0 across all lenses. Your main camera though gets Ultra Dark Mode treatment to help the camera see even better in near blackness.

While regular Optical Image Stabiliser functions would be enough for photos, videos require a little bit more than that. That is why OPPO has the Ultra Steady Mode 2.0 that combines OIS and EIS on the OPPO Find X2 series. Plus, the Live HDR mode helps you visual your videos without having to take a picture or video first. It samples HDR on top of your display once you fire up the camera. For videos also the OPPO Find X2 devices are equipped with three mics for even better and more advanced noise cancelling functions. Once you shoot, you can edit all of the footage in SoLoop app included within the device.

  • Source: OPPO
  • Source: OPPO
  • Source: OPPO
  • Source: OPPO
  • Source: OPPO
  • Source: OPPO
  • Source: OPPO

The OPPO Find X2 Pro will be available in Black (ceramic material) and Vegan Leather for EU€ 1199 (*MYR 5,671). The OPPO Find X2 will be available Black (ceramic) and Ocean (glass) for EU€ 999 (*MYR4,725). As expected there is a Lamborghini edition for the OPPo Find X2 series too. Both devices is expected to be available globally in May 2020. Malaysia’s launch is just in a few days away next week though. We should get more information regarding the OPPO Find X2 series’ availability and prices in the coming week. Meanwhile, stay tuned!

*Based on current exchange rate of EU€ 1 = MYR 4.73 as of 6/3/2020

Android, Mobile, News

Realme X50 Pro 5G Announced In India!

Leave a comment

Realme has been announced its very first smartphone that will be using Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 865 in India. It is one of other eleven phones that has been announced by other smartphone manufacturers that will also be running Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 processor. 

Let’s get straight to the specifications, shall we? Let’s start with the display. It has a Super AMOLED display which is 6.44 inches wide. The display also has a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels in a 20:9 screen. This calculates a density of 409ppi, which is not top of the charts but it is already more than enough. 

The display is going to have a protection glass of Corning Gorilla Glass 5. It is also going to come have a 90Hz refresh rate, 180Hz touch-sensing, and also HDR10+ to give you a fantastic gaming and streaming experience.

As for the cameras, it will run as a quad-camera setup. Having a 64-Megapixel as a main camera. Followed by a 12-Megapixel telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom, an ultra-wide with angle of 119° from an 8-megapixel camera, and finally a 2-Megapixel monochrome depth sensor. You will be able to record videos in 4K resolution at 30 fps or 1080p at 60 fps. 

The front is where it gets a little interesting, as the phone will be coming with a punch-hole design dual camera. Yes, there were some rumours before and now we are finally confirming it on the actual phone! The front-facing camera will be a 32-megapixel sensor paired with an 8-Megapixel 105° ultra-wide sensor. The front camera is capable of capturing videos at 1080p at either 30 fps or 120 fps.

Other notable features would be the new dual stereo speakers and the discontinuation of the 3.5mm headphone jack. This is also only Realme’s fourth phone with NFC. Like most smartphones these days it uses a USB Type-C connector to charge its 4,200mAh battery. Unfortunately the Realme X50 Pro does not come with wireless charging capabilities, so you are going to have to still depend on a wire to charge the phone. 

Last but not least, the brains of the phone. As mentioned above the phone will have a Snapdragon 865 chipset, which also means it is 5G ready. There will be three different variants for RAM and two different internal storage variations. It starts with a minimum of 6GB of RAM paired to a 128GB of storage or an 8GB RAM with also 128GB of storage, and lastly, the maximum RAM and storage you can get is 12GBs of RAM paired to 256GB of storage. 

There are two different colours to choose from that is Moss Green and Rust Red. the prices of the phones starts from Rs 37,999 (MYR 2,204) for the 6GB + 128GB, Rs 39,999 (MYR 2,320) for the 8GB + 128GB and Rs 44,999 (MYR 2,610) for the range-topping 12GB + 256GB. 

Android, Mobile, News

Samsung Galaxy S20 Series Hits the Malaysian Market on 6 March 2020

Leave a comment

The Samsung Galaxy S20 series was officially unveiled in San Francisco on 10 March 2020. At the event, Samsung unveiled 3 new devices spearheaded by the Galaxy S20 Ultra which brings a whole lot of new features including an 108-megapixel camera sensor. The camera is Samsung’s first featuring what the company calls Space Zoom. The new hybrid zoom function allows users to take pictures with up to 100x Zoom.

The new smartphones have been on pre-order since its announcement on March 11, 2020. That said, the smartphones are set to make their official debut in Malaysia on 6 March, 2020 at nationwide roadshows. The official roadshows will kick off the official sales of the Samsung Galaxy S20 series in Malaysia. They will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor, Pahang and Sabah from 6 March, 2020 until 8 March, 2020.

The roadshows will have special freebies for early adopters of the Samsung Galaxy S20 series in limited quantities. Firstly, early purchasers who purchase the smartphones at the Roadshows will be entitled to a wireless charger pad and a 128GB microSD card worth a total of MYR378. In addition, those who line up early will have the option to choose between trading in ANY CAMERA for an instant MYR400 rebate on their purchase of the Galaxy S20, S20+ or the Galaxy S20 Ultra; OR a 50-inch Samsung 4K UHD Smart TV worth MYR2,599. The early bird offers are available in limited numbers for each location. Keep in mind that each purchase is entitled to only one of either offer mentioned before.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 will be available in Cloud Pink, Cloud Blue and Cosmic Gray for MYR3,599. It’s larger sibling, the S20+ will be available in Cloud Blue, Cosmic Black and Cosmic Gray for MYR3,999 while the true flagship, S20 Ultra will be available in Cosmic Black and Cosmic Gray for MYR4,999.

Android, Mobile, News

Xiaomi Mi 10 Series Breaking The Norms Of High End Phones

Leave a comment

Just like everyone else at Barcelona, Xiaomi has been busy with their fair share of troubles. From WMC Barcelona being cancelled, Xiaomi’s continued plan of attending MWC from the February 24 to 27 and to Xiaomi’s delayed launch of some global products. So do keep an eye out for product launches from Xiaomi by the end of the week. 

Even with COVID-19 going around in China, Xiaomi has still managed to sell out their latest flagship the Mi 10 and Mi10 Pro during an online flash sale that lasted only 55 seconds. Yes they sold out their latest Mi 10 Series under a minute, isn’t that insane? All of this is thanks to Xiaomi’s large user base and fan base, globally and locally. 

Source: Xiaomi

But luckily the people of China do not need to wait anymore as the phone has gone on sale officially starting from February 24. Besides getting it Xiaomi directly, the phones are also available on China’s biggest ecommerce sites such as JD.com, Suning and Tmall. 

This success of the Mi 10 Series is a slap in the face for the high end phone markets. Especially when Xiaomi is giving better specifications for a lower price. Giving the people a better value for money. There is also the factor that the Mi 10 Series is the only phone right now that is running on Qualcomm’s top of the line Snapdragon 865 processor and knowing people, everybody wants the latest and greatest 

The Mi 10 Series are the two among a dozen other phones that will be also running on the Snapdragon 865 processor which will be released later this year. So for now the Mi 10 Series is the go to phone to beat all other phones in the market. If you would like a further break down of the Mi 10’s specifications do check out our coverage here. 

Android, Mobile, News

LG V60 ThinQ 5G Debuts With Dual Display!

Leave a comment

LG has announced its latest flagship, the V60 ThinQ 5G. Just like any other flagship phones these days, it will come 5G ready with the Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 865 processor. So, what else does this flagship has to offer? 

Let us start with what stands out the most, which personally is the huge 6.8-inch FullVision P-OLED display with a Full HD+ screen resolution of 2460 x 1080 pixels with a 20.5:9 aspect ratio. Wait,  hold up. For a phone with that large of a screen, it has a considerably small pixel count, doesn’t it?

Let’s take the Samsung Galaxy Note10+ for example. It also has a 6.8-inch display but it has a higher resolution of 1440 x 3040 pixels. The Galaxy Note 10+ has a pixel per inch (ppi) density of 498 ppi while the V60 ThinQ only has 395 ppi. This is not exactly great news for a flagship phone.

Source: LG

While it does not have a good ppi count, the LG V60 ThinQ has a little trick up its sleeve. Just like last year’s LG V50 ThinQ and the LG G8X, the V60 also has the same feature where it can come with a dual screen. Just like the latest buzz with the foldable phone, this is technically a foldable phone. Just that it does not have a foldable screen. 

Other than that, the V60 ThinQ will be coming with a triple camera set up consisting of a 64-megapixel main sensor, a 13-megapixel module that has a 117° super-wide-angle lens and a 3D time-of-flight sensor. The main camera supports 8K recording and 4K recording at 60 frames per second with HDR10+. The front of the phone will be getting a single 10-megapixel camera encapsulated in a dewdrop notch design. 

Next, we have the audio side of things. A good part of not following recent trends is that the V60 ThinQ will be coming with a 3.5mm jack! There is also a good part of following a trend is that it will be coming with stereo speakers. Now that is giving people the option of choosing between the best of both worlds. 

Source: LG

The V60 ThinQ comes with 8GB of RAM, a 128GB of storage with an expandable storage via a microSD card. To power this phone and its dual screens, the phone comes with a massive 5,000 mAh battery that promises 590 hours standby time with one charge. The phone can be charged using a Qi wireless charger or by a Type-C USB. 

Other goodies include, a MIL-STD-810G certification and also a IP68 rating which means that the smartphone is dust and water-resistant up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. There will be two colour options that are Classy Blue and Classy White. 

Business, News

Qualcomm Outs Unreleased Phones in Snapdragon Announcement

Leave a comment

It’s not everyday you have confirmation of upcoming from smartphones from a source such as Qualcomm. The company inadvertently announced that a few yet-to-be-announced phones will be running on their Snapdragon 865 platform.

We already know that the Snapdragon 865 would be powering most of the year’s flagships including the recently announced Xperia 1 II, Samsung Galaxy S20 series and the Mi 10 series. However, in their release, the company unveiled a whole lot more including ASUS new flagships: the Zenfone 7 and the ROG Phone III; Lenovo’s Legion Gaming Phone, OPPO’s Find X2, Sharp’s AQUOS R5G, the Redmi K30 Pro, realme X50 Pro and Nubia’s Red Magic 5G.

The company notes that since its announcement of the Snapdragon 865 Mobile platform in December 2019, more than 70 designs have utilised the SD865. Some of which have yet to be released. In addition, the company boasted more 1,750 designs which have been based on the Snapdragon 8-series mobile platforms. Keep in mind, that they are mentioning 8-series and not the 865. This would include the Snapdragon 855. 855+ and its predecessors or possible unannounced successor.

So, we’re waiting with bated breath now as we now know about 16 devices are making its way to market with the Snapdragon 865 and possible 5G connectivity. These devices could possibly include Samsung’s Note20 series and even o

Android, Mobile, News

OPPO Find X2 Specifications Leaked Before Launch!

Leave a comment

After the whole hoo-ha at MWC, OPPO too had delayed their launching of the OPPO Find X2 to a later date. But it did not take them long to set a new date for their launch. The OPPO Find X2 will be launched on March 6 possibly alongside with the OPPO watch. 

But wait! The specifications have been leaked, you say? The OPPO Find X2 has been spotted for sale on SouthEast Asian eCommerce site, Shoppe. The listing of the OPPO Find X2 is listed by OPPO’s official Vietnam Store with a price at 40 million Vietnamese Dong which translates to MYR 7,310 and USD 1,724 which is quite steep, considering. But we will have to wait and see the pricing once it is revealed. 

Other details immediately found on the listing is that it will come with 8GB of RAM paired to 256GB of storage. There will also be two different colour options that are in Vietnamese which we did not understand but with the power of Google Translate, we manage to get something out of it. The two colours are Ocean Blue and Blue Night Sea which we assume is green with a blue hue colour and the second colour would be black with a blue hue to it. 

Source: Brian Shen

Scrolling further down we will find a screen size of 6.5 inches with reports of a possible 120Hz refresh rate with 240Hz sampling rate. Which will be exciting especially for intense games such as PUBG and Mobile Legends. But that’s not all, the Find X2 will feature a 3K display according to a tweet from Brian Shen who is OPPO’s VP and President of Global Marketing. This means that the display would likely have a 3,000 x 2,000 pixel resolution. 

Source: Arun Maini

To capture the moments, the Oppo Find X2 comes with a triple rear camera set up consisting of a 48-Megapixel main camera, an 8-Megapixel and a 13-Megapixel sensor. The rear cameras are said to be using a periscope lens that is able to have a digital zoom of up to 60x. The front of the phone, on the other hand, has a 32-Megapixel camera. There are rumours that the phone would be coming with a 44-Megapixel punch-hole dual front camera instead though. 

To power up all these fancy features of the phone, the battery comes with a 4,065 mAh capacity. 4,065 mAh isn’t exactly large these days but it should still be a decent amount for you to last throughout the day. All this power will be powering the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor that will be 5G ready. Of course, it will be using Type-C connector. It does not seem to have a 3.5mm headphone jack, bummer. We are taking all these things with a pinch of salt though. We can only confirm the final specs of the OPPO Find X2 when it launches on the 6th March, 2020.

Android, Mobile, News

Sony Xperia 10 II Builds on New Mid-range DNA

Leave a comment

The original Sony Xperia 10 launched along side the original Xperia 1 last year at MWC. It was Sony’s latest attempt at creating a mid-range device which would allow new users to jump on board their ecosystem. It’s also the first mid-range smartphone which launched under their new One Sony approach which marries all of Sony’s strengths in one ecosystem. This year, the company is refreshing the Xperia 10 with the Xperia 10 II (pronounced Xperia 10 mark II).

The Xperia 10 II will be equipped with a 21:9 Triluminous display. The OLED panel in the display comes with technology that is found in Sony’s BRAVIA TVs. According to Sony, the 10 II will allow users to enjoy their content with deeper blacks and more vibrant colours thanks to this. The Full HD+ resolution should make the experience of consuming your content on the 10 II one of the most immersive there is on the market.

The Xperia 10 II comes with a triple camera setup. The main camera sensor is a 1/2.8-inch, 12-megapixel Exmor RS sensor with a 26mm focal length, F2.0 aperture and 77° field of view; This is supported by two 1/4-inch, 8-megapixel sensors; one has an F2.4 aperture with 52mm focal length while the other has an F2.2 aperture with 16mm focal length. The former has a 45° field of view while the latter has 120°. On the front, is a similar 8-megapixel sensor with F2.0 aperture and 84° field of view.

The processing power of the smartphone is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 supported by 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Of course, this is expandable by up to 1TB through the microSD card slot. All of this is a powered by 3,600mAh battery capable of fast charging.

The Xperia 10 II will be available in Spring 2020. It will be available in Mint, Black, White and Blue. No pricing details have been revealed by Sony at this time.

Android, Mobile, News

Sony Unveils Xperia 1 II; Made for Creators

Leave a comment

Sony hasn’t really been one of the top contenders in the market when it comes to smartphones. However, the company did turn heads with their Xperia 1; a smartphone which (finally) brought together Sony’s many strengths into a single, sleek, creator-centric device. This year, they are building on the foundation they set last year with the new Xperia 1 II (pronounced Xperia 1 mark II).

The Xperia 1 II brings back a lot of the features that many fell in love with in the original. Of course, the now signature 21:9 aspect ratio and the slender build are still hallmarks of the new Xperia 1 II. Also making an appearance is the OLED screen with true to life colour reproduction. The mark II also comes with front firing speakers and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Yep. That’s right, Sony brought it back!

Powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, the new Xperia 1 II is Sony’s first 5G smartphone. It comes paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB internal memory. The colour accurate 6.5-inch 21:9 CinemaWide display has a resolution 3840×1644 pixels and covers 100% of the DCI-P3 gamut. This is protected with Gorilla Glass 6. The Xperia 1 II is also IP65/68 dust and water resistant.

Capture & Create with the Xperia 1 II Cameras

The Sony Xperia 1 II comes with a triple camera array complemented with a 3D iTOF sensor for depth perception. The triple camera array consists of a 1/17-inch, 12-megapixel Exmor RS sensor with F1.7 aperture, 24mm focal length and 82° field of view; a 1/3.4-inch, 12-megapixel sensor with 70mm focal length, F2.4 aperture and 34° field of view; and a 1/2.55-inch 12-megapixel Exmor RS sensor with 16mm focal length, F2.2 aperture and 124° field of view. The array is the first camera array to carry ZEISS calibrated lenses in Sony’s mobile portfolio. On the front is an 1/4-inch, 8-megapixel sensor with a F2.0 aperture and 84° field of view. Both front and back cameras come with Sony SteadyShot which stabilises with both electronic image stabilisation (EIS) and Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) for the best stabilisation.

All of this is powered by 4,000mAh battery. It has USB Type-C connectivity which allows for USB power delivery fast charging. The Xperia 1 II is also the first smartphone from Sony with Qi Wireless Charging.

No price or official release date has been announced at this time for the new Sony flagship. The phone will be available in Black, Purple and White.

Xperia PRO – for Professionals

Together with their new flagship, Sony announced a new line up of devices meant for industry. The new Xperia PRO line up focuses on bringing productivity and features for professional content creators. To this end, the company has essentially enhanced the mark II with features to cater for better industry usage.

The Xperia PRO comes with an additional mini HDMI port which allows the phone to function as a 4K viewfinder for any DSLR or professional video camera with mini HDMI output. It also has support for 5G standalone on the mmWave band which primes the phone for live streaming on a standalone 5G network.

While these features are impressive, the Xperia PRO loses its wireless charging to make way for it. It will still be powered by a 4,000mAh battery and have support for USB 3.1 version 2.