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[MWC 2023] Qualcomm enhances IoT with iSIM, partnerships to leverage Snapdragon Spaces and Qualcomm Aware

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Qualcomm continues to drive innovation for IoT at MWC 2023, with a host of announcements for both their hardware and software platforms.

iSIM announced for Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platforms

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A huge step for IoT devices with iSIM available on Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

The highlight of these announcements is the unveiling of Integrated SIM (iSIM) for their flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform. The iSIM is a highly desirable form factor for developers as it allows space saving in design, be it smartphones or even wearables, while also reducing supply chain costs. The iSIM saves space by eliminating the need for a separate component while also requiring significantly less power than eSIMs. Both of these traits are cornerstones for developing IoT devices.

Collaborating with French developer Thales, Qualcomm has also confirmed GSMA’s (Global Association for the Mobile Communications Industry) security certification for what would be the world’s first commercially deployable iSIM. This assures best-in-class security level while also being compliant with the GSMA Remote SIM Provisioning standard that Thales eSIM already offers. This form factor also complements existing SIM and eSIM designs, and research by Kaleido Intelligence suggests the market share to grow to 300 million by 2027.

Snapdragon Spaces to kick start AR experiences with global partners

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7 global operators will leverage Snapdragon Spaces for new and exciting AR experiences.

Qualcomm has also furthered their commitment towards Extended Reality (XR) with plans to leverage Snapdragon Spaces with 7 leading global operators. These include a multi-year collaboration with Japan’s KDDI corporation focused on the expansion of XR use cases and creation of a developer program. The Snapdragon Space XR Developer Platform is a cross-device, open-ecosystem that provides developers with the tools to pioneer Augmented Reality (AR) experiences, with a focus on headworn AR devices. Just recently, Xiaomi has set things in motion with the recently announced Xiaomi Wireless AR Glasses Discovery Edition, powered by the Snapdragon XR2 Platform. Oppo too has confirmed a new mixed reality (MR) device, the first Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 device to be approved as Snapdragon Spaces Ready.

Scaling digital transformation with Qualcomm Aware Platform

Qualcomm has also unveiled their Qualcomm Aware Platform, which aims to provide the resources necessary to simplify and scale digital transformation. These include a combination of industry-leading cloud and edge technologies, API-first architecture and developer-friendly tools.

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Scaling digital transformation through the Qualcomm Aware platform

Qualcomm already offers industry-leading IoT modem chipsets, including the recently announced Qualcomm 216 IoT LTE Modem capable of speeds of up to 10 Mbps at ultra-low power. With the recent acquisitions of Skyhook Wireless, Inc. and the assets of PoLTE Corporation, new proprietary positioning techniques and a now global signal database allows Qualcomm Aware to deliver intelligent and ubiquitous location capabilities in an always-on, low-power manner.

Having the best silicon and global connectivity is not enough to guarantee IoT deployment success, so Qualcomm has worked hard to address a key challenge in this area; ecosystem fragmentation. Qualcomm Aware brings together an ecosystem of hardware and software partners to develop solutions for varied yet specific business needs. This has culminated with Qualcomm Aware Blueprints, which enable enterprises to quickly and efficiently roll-out pre-designed solutions, tailored to requirements.

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A growing list of Qualcomm Aware Supporting Partners

With efficiency in mind, Qualcomm Aware also offers a highly customizable framework and implements standard APIs that interoperate seamlessly with private clouds, industry-specific application platforms, enterprise tools and softwares. These include enterprise resource planning (ERP), supply chain management, inventory management and many more. One of the key integrations will be with Microsoft Dynamics 365, a major cloud-based business application that combines components of both ERP and customer relationship management (CRM) with additional AI tools and productivity applications.

Sources: Qualcomm1,2,3

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Hands-on with the Xiaomi 13 Pro in Ceramic White

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Xiaomi introduces the Xiaomi 13 Pro in Malaysia! The new smartphone comes with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and a camera system developed in collaboration with Leica. Pricing starts at MYR4,599.

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[MWC 2023] Honor Reveals An All-New “Human-centric” Flagship: The Honor Magic5 Series

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Honor took the stage at MWC 2023, to unveil their new flagship series – the Honor Magic5 series which adopts a new “human-centric” approach to its technology. The new approach brings a slew of new features that place their users first and help improve their lives more meaningfully.

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The new Honor Magic5 series brings together specifications and features that strike a unique balance with a price that doesn’t break the bank. The new series consists of two devices (for now): the Honor Magic5 and the Honor Magic5 Pro. It goes without saying that the Magic5 Pro leads the duo as Honor’s true flagship with the best in specifications.

Both the Honor Magic5 and Magic5 Pro come with Honor’s new Super Dynamic Display. The display is an LTPO panel which has been enhanced with software to produce images that are more vivid with deeper contrasts. Honor boasts that this technology produces images that are 500% more vivid. It still has a 120Hz refresh rate with a peak HDR brightness of 1800nits. The display is also a Quad-Curved Floating Screen. What this means – essentially – is that the glass of the screen has been curved on all four sides giving it a feel that it’s floating. The Pro comes with a 6.81-inch display while the vanilla Magic5 comes with a 6.73-inch version of the same.

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The Honor5 series comes with a triple-sensor setup for its main camera. On the Pro, the sensors are a 50-megapixel wide camera with an f/1.6 aperture and 1/1.12-inch sensor size, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera with an f/2.0 aperture, and a 50-megapixel periscope Telephoto sensor with an f/3.0 aperture and 3.5x optical zoom. This setup combined with Honor’s Falcon AI imaging technology enables 100x zoom on the Pro. The regular Magic5, on the other hand, comes with a 54-megapixel sensor with an f/1.9 aperture and 1/1,49 inch sensor size complemented by a 32-megapixel telephoto camera. While comparable, the regular Magic5 will only be able to achieve 50x zoom. On the front, is a 12-megapixel selfie camera.

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On the inside, the Magic5 series comes with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with up to 12GB and up to 512GB of internal storage. Honor is packing the phone with faster LPDDR5X RAM and UFS4.0 storage modules for added performance gains. It’s also coming with an IP68 rating and is powered by a 5,100mAH battery on both variants. Wireless charging is also coming back with the Magic5 series with both supporting 50W wireless Honor Supercharge while, if you plug it in, it can charge using Honor’s SuperCharge at 60W.

Pricing & Availability

The new Honor Magic series will be available in Glacier Blue, Meadow Green, Coral Purple, Orange, and Black. The regular Magic5 comes in at EUR899 (MYR4,254.39) while the Magic5 Pro will be priced from EUR1199 (MYR7,567.038).

Android, Mobile, News

Xiaomi 13 series Comes to Malaysia Complete with the 1-inch Leica Sensor

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Leica is back in the international smartphone arena thanks to its new partnership with Xiaomi. With its initial offering, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra only officially being rolled out in Mainland China, the Xiaomi 13 marks the brand’s return to the ecosystem. The new Xiaomi 13 series crowning feature is the Leica Vario-Summicron 1:19-2.2/14-75 ASPH camera system which comes on the 13 Pro.

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The Xiaomi 13 series comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB internal memory. Of course, the Xiaomi 13 series comes with two entries in Malaysia (for now): the Xiaomi 13 and the Xiaomi 13 Pro. The two entries come with a few differences that distinguish the smartphones from each other. The most significant of which the Leica Vario-Summicron 1:19-2.2/14-75 ASPH camera system.

The Pro comes with a triple camera array for the main camera complete with Leica lenses. The setup consists of the 1-inch, 50.3-megapixel Sony IMX989 with an f/1.8 aperture and 23mm focal length. It equipped with dual pixel phase detection autofocus (PDAF), Laser Autofocus and optical image stabilization (OIS). This is complemented with a 50-megapixel telephoto lens with 3.2x optical zoom and PDAF. Completing the triple sensor setup is a 50-megapixel utlra-wide sensor with autofocus. On the front, the smartphone comes with a 32-megapixel selfie camera.

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The vanilla 13 comes with a triple sensor setup with a main 50-megapixel main sensor with PDAF and OIS complemented with a 10-megapixel telephoto sensor and a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor. On the front is the same 32-megapixel sensor.

Leica isn’t just lending its lenses to Xiaomi for the Xiaomi 13 series, they’re helping with the software. The 13 and 13 Pro both come with the master lens system, a software features which provides better, more granular control to the focal length and depth of field for better portrait photos. In addition to this, the software comes with two distinct photographic styles: Leica Authentic Look and Leica Vibrant Look. These paired with Xiaomi’s own Imaging Engine culminate in Xiaomi’s strongest computational photography flagship.

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Of course, with all these photography features, the two smartphones come with powerful displays with up to 120Hz refresh rate.

Pricing & Availability

The Xiaomi 13 Series will be available in Malaysia starting on March 8th 2023.

The Xiaomi 13 will be available in three colours – Black, White and Flora Green. Only one variant will be available in Malaysia 12GB RAM with 256GB of internal storage. Prices start at MYR3,499.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro will be available in two colours: Ceramic Black and Ceramic White. Two variants of the 13 Pro will be avaiable 12RAM with 256GB of internal storage and a special, limited edition 12GB RAM with 512GB internal storage. The former will be priced from MYR4,699 while the limited edition will be on sale for MYR 4,999.

The Xiaomi 13 series will be available for pre-order starting on February 27, 2023 until March 7, 2023. Packages and pricing are as follows:

ProductPriceE-commercePre-order Deals(Feb 27 – Mar 7)Xiaomi Store Pre-order Deals(Feb 27 – Mar 7)Open sales Deals(Mar 8 onwards)
Xiaomi 13 (12GB+256GB)RM3,499RM699 off e-voucher Lazada | ShopeeFREEXiaomi TV P1 43” (worth RM 1,799)FREERedmi Buds 4 (worth RM 239)
Xiaomi 13 Pro (12GB+256GB)RM 4,599RM799 off e-voucher Lazada | ShopeeFREEFree Xiaomi TV A2 58” (worth RM 2,799)FREERedmi Buds 4 (worth RM 239)
Xiaomi 13 Pro (12GB+512GB)Limited Edition PackageRM 5,999–FREEXiaomi Watch S1 Pro, Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro, Xiaomi 33W PowerBank 10,000mAh Pocket Edition Pro (total worth of RM 7,469)
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OnePlus 11 5G Available in Malaysia from MYR3,299

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OnePlus is turning heads once again with its new flagship OnePlus 11. The OnePlus 11 seems to mark a turning point for the company – one that leads them back to their roots; creating smartphones that show the competition what listening to their user base and optimising features that are requested by them.

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The OnePlus 11 comes with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 which brings performance improvements over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. It’s also adopting a new fabrication process which increases power efficiency. The OnePlus 11 runs cooler than its predecessor with an improved heat dissipation system. The processor is supported by up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage. Like most Android devices nowadays, the smartphone doesn’t support microSD expansion.

On the display front, the OnePlus 11 is equipped with a Fluid AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The 6.7-inch QHD+ screen comes complete with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. The 11 runs on OxygenOS 13 which brings the latest features of Android 14 with OnePlus’ unique spin on it.

OnePlus’ partnership with Hasselblad continues with the OnePlus 11. The smartphone comes with triple sensor setup for the main camera. This setup consists of a 50-megapixel, f/1.8, 24mm (wide) sensor complemented by a 32-megapixel, f/2.0, 48mm (telephoto) sensor and a 48-megapixel, f/2.2 (ultrawide) sesor with a 115˚ field of view. The camera comes with Hasselblad colour calibration and special portrait profiles that have been optimised by Hasselblad. On the front is a 16-megapixel, f/2.5, 25mm (wide) sensor.

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The OnePlus 11 is powered by a 5,000mAh battery. It has compatibility with WiFi 6 and WiFi 7 which will be rolled out through an OTA update. It is also equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, Near Field Communication (NFC) and has support for Qualcomm’s aptX HD audio codec.

Pricing & Availability

The OnePlus 11 will be available in Malaysia in two colours Eternal Green and Titan Black. For now, the Eternal Green will be exculsive to the 16GB + 256GB version which will retail for MYR3.599. The Titan Black version will be retailing for MYR3,299 with the 8GB + 128GB configuration.

Pre-orders kicked off on 16 February 2023 at 10am and will continue until 24 February 2023. During the pre-order period, purchases of the OnePlus 11 will be entitled to a free OnePlus Buds Pro 2, a free OnePlus 11 5G Bumper case in Sandstone, Free 1 year extended warranty, free 1 year screen protection, a Jackson Wang Postcard and a chance to participate in a lucky draw.

The smartphone will be available starting on 25th February. From 25th February 2023 until the 3rd of March, purchases of the OnePlus 11 5G will come with a freeOnePlus 11 5G Bumper case in Sandstone, Free 1 year extended warranty, free 1 year screen protection, a Jackson Wang Postcard and a chance to participate in a lucky draw. Together with this, early adopters will be able to get the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 at an MYR200 purchase with purchase (PWP) discount.

Android, Mobile, News

Pre-orders for Galaxy S23 Series Go Live

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Samsung has only just announced its new flagship series: the Galaxy S23. The new S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra bring the latest and greatest camera-centered experiences to Samsung’s portfolio. Powered by a customised version of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with up to 12GB of RAM on the Galaxy S23 Ultra and up to 8GB on the Galaxy S23 and S23+, the smartphones are touted to bring new experiences and up the Nightography ante.

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With the announcements done and dusted, Samsung is announcing pre-order packages the world over. In Malaysia, pre-orders will be kicking off starting now (2nd February 2023) until 23rd February 2023. Purchases of any of the Galaxy S23 series are entitled to a double storage upgrade for the same price worth up to MYR500. So, if you’re getting the 128GB version of the S23, you’ll be getting the 256GB instead. In addition, you will also get a 30% purchase-with-purchase discount on selected Samsung Accessories, Galaxy Tablets, Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Buds and Samsung Care+. You can also get up to MYR600 rebate on trade-ins of your pre-existing device. (pssst… you’ll be able to stack up more than 1 device)

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Purchases on Samsung Malaysia’s official website will entitle you to an MYR400 e-voucher. However, if you purchase your Galaxy S23 at Samsung Experience Stores or at Samsung Authorised Partners, you will also get free accessories worth up to MYR458.

Pricing Details & Model Availability

Together with the pre-order deals, Samsung Malaysia also announced the models and detailed pricing of the S23 series in Malaysia. Notably absent is the 128GB version of the S23 and the 256GB version of the S23+.

ModelsRRPPre-order Price
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 1TBRM7,199RM6,699
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 512GBRM6,199RM5,699
Samsung Galaxy S23+ 512GBRM5,199RM4,699
Samsung Galaxy S23 256GBRM4,199RM3,899
News

Samsung Galaxy S23 rumor roundup

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The highly anticipated release of Samsung’s latest flagship series, the S23, is just around the corner. In preparation for that, here is a roundup of all the rumors and leaks to give a sneak peek for what is to come.

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Familiar options with some design tweaks

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Fresh new series, fresh new colors. Image source: Android Authority

The S23 series will feature three variants as its predecessor; the standard S23, S23 plus and the premium S23 Ultra. From leaked renders, all three devices look fairly similar to their S22 counterparts, with the S23 Ultra bearing the larger form factor and silhouette of the defunct Note series. On the rear, is the same 3 camera set up for the S23 Plus and S23 with a four-camera set up for the Ultra. A slight change is that the Ultra’s camera set up now sits in individual circular cutouts instead of the raised housing, giving it a cleaner look. There will be new colors available for the series with pink, beige, green and the classic Phantom Black options.

Goodbye Exynos and hello 200MP shooter for the S23 Ultra

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Cleaner design for the camera housing and a new 200MP main shooter for the S23 Ultra. Image source: SamMobile.

The big news of course is the end of the Exynos variants, as Samsung has opted for a Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powering the series. There has been talk that a special variant of the chipset will be used, with slightly higher clock speeds for its primary CPU and its Adreno GPU. With the enhancements of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, we can expect all variants to have great performance and improved battery life.

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Samsung’s new 200MP ISOCELL HP2 sensor for the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Image source: SamMobile

The camera on the S23 Ultra has received a fantastic upgrade with a new 200MP shooter. The in house developed sensor, dubbed ISOCELL HP2, offers double the resolution of its predecessor and is expected to offer improved dynamic range and color reproduction. It also features Samsung’s new pixel binning technology, Tetra2pixel, which is expected to improve images in low-lit environments. Thanks to this new sensor, we can expect an improved Night Mode images and Portrait video. The Ultra will now be capable of Space Zoom 100X and Moon Shot for improved astrophotography. The other sensors will be expected to remain the same, with a 10MP 3x telephoto lens, 12MP ultrawide sensor and 10MP 10x periscope. Both the S23 and S23 Plus are expected to retain a 50MP main shooter, 12MP ultrawide and 10MP telephoto lens.

Other hardware and software features

All three devices in the series will run Android 13 out of the box with OneUI 5.1, which remains largely unchanged from 5.0. The series will also debut Google’s Fast Pair feature. which allows faster set up of Android-based peripherals. This feature detects and allows quick pairing of headphones and WearOS smartwatches with just a pop-up. Support for trackers and styluses is expected to arrive soon.

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All variants will run the Android 13-based OneUI 5.1 out of the box. Image source: Android Authority

The Ultra is expected to ship with a 6.8-inch QHD+ resolution display, 5000mAh battery and the signature S-Pen. The S23 comes in with a 6.1-inch FHD+ display with a lower capacity 3900 mAh battery while the S23 Plus has a 6.6-inch FHD+ display with 4700mAh battery. Charging speeds are similar as well, with 25W wired charging for the S23, 45W wired charging for the S23 Plus and Ultra, with 15W wireless charging across the board. The IP68 rating is retained for all devices and is now protected with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and back.

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Google Fast Pair finally has a Samsung debut. Image source: GizmoChina

Another notable hardware upgrade is the use of LPDDR5X RAM, which is expected to be both faster and more energy efficient than the S22 series. Memory and storage configurations still remain the same though, with the S23 available in 8GB/128GB or 8GB/256GB variants and S23 Plus in 8GB/256GB and 8GB/512GB variants. The S23 Ultra offers the choice of 8GB or 12GB of RAM with 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of storage.

Pricing and availability

Overall, the S23 series seems to be an incremental upgrade over the S22 series. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing since the S22 series were among the best Android smartphones of 2022. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset across all variants will be a welcome addition as it has shown to be the more reliable and energy efficient chipset over the Exynos series. While the S23 and S23 Plus have only minor changes, the S23 Ultra received some decent upgrades in the camera department.

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Leaks from Verizon for pricing of the Galaxy S23 (DM1), S23 Plus (DM2) and S23 Ultra (DM3).
Image source: GSMArena

As for the pricing, a leak from US-based telco Verizon reported via GSMArena shows that prices for all three variants remain the same as the S22 series. The S23 starts at USD 799.99 for the 8GB/128GB variant, the S23 Plus starts at USD 999.99 for the 8GB/256GB variant and S23 Ultra at USD 1199.99 for the 8GB/256GB variant. Previous leaks however have pointed to price increases in other regions. The most prominent being a price increase of up to €300 in Spain, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium, one of the largest price hikes for Samsung, as reported by Forbes. At the moment, there have been no circulating rumors about pricing in Malaysia or South East Asia for that matter, but it seems we may have to expect a price increase for the series.

The S23 series definitely ticks all the boxes to be the top Android device of 2023, but are there more surprises in store for us? We won’t have to wait for too long, as all the details and presumably pre-orders will be available come Galaxy Unpacked on February 2nd.

Sources: GSMArena, Android Authority, SamMobile, GizmoChina, Forbes

Android, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Coming on the 1st February at Galaxy Unpacked!

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This should come as almost no surprise. It is 2023 and that means that Samsung’s flagship, the Galaxy S22 series is going to be a year old soon. In the world of smartphones, a year-old means that the device is outdated. It is time for an update in the form of the Samsung Galaxy S23. While Apple has not and will not be launching their latest iPhone 14 series flagship smartphone until toward Q3 of 2023, Samsung’s upcoming flagship will compete directly with Apple’s best.

Samsung’s flagship for 2023 has been anticipated since the inception of their Galaxy S22 flagship series. That is also because everyone knows Samsung’s product cycle, like Apple’s. Of course, everyone is expecting a more powerful device than before every year.

Samsung’s latest smartphone is touted to have Qualcomm’s most powerful System on a Chip (SoC) yet. It will come with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. You no longer get Samsung’s very own Exynos option since Samsung has given up on that idea. Still, that does not mean that Samsung might not inject their own flavour on to the high-end SoC. Rumours points to Samsung customizing and overclocking the GPU to make it even more powerful than the regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 you might find elsewhere.

Samsung’s mobile imaging department made some breakthroughs last year. They managed to manufacture a camera sensor that packs 200-Megapixels for smartphones. The sensor is a little larger than the regular mobile camera sensor, but it is still a feat to fit 200 million pixels in a tiny plate. Rumours points to the latest Samsung flagship packing that much pixel in their attached camera, at least for the S23 Ultra variant of the flagship, nearly double what their previous flagships pack.

In terms of design though, you can expect much of the same things from Samsung. You can expect the Samsung Galaxy S23 series to look pretty much like the Galaxy S22 series, just as the Galaxy S21 series. The Galaxy S23 Ultra will most likely share the same look as the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra instead of the S21 Ultra. It might still offer the S Pen attached within the body too.

There are still plenty of unknowns on Samsung’s upcoming 2023 flagships too. All we can do is wait for them to finally take the Galaxy S23 to stage on the 1st of February 2023. For more information on Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event and their latest flagships, you can refer to their website.

Android, Mobile, News

Xiaomi 13 series unveiled in China, challenges for top spot

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Xiaomi’s latest flagship devices, the Xiaomi 13 series, have been announced in China and challenges to be a top device in 2023.

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Xiaomi 13 series aims to be at the top of the 2023 smartphone line.
Image source: Weibo Xiaomi via Android Authority

Xiaomi’s announcement revealed two devices, the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro as part of the series. Both devices will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset for top-of-the-line performance. Shared features between the devices include the Android 13-based MIUI4 out of the box, 50W wireless charging, IP68 rating, Dolby Atmos sepakers and WiFi 6E support.

True flagship experience of the Xiaomi 13 Pro

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The Sony IMX989 50MP sensor gives the Xiaomi 13 Pro the edge. Image source: Weibo Xiaomi via Android Authority

The Xiaomi 13 Pro offers the true flagship experience, with a 6.7-inch, 120Hz curved OLED with QHD resolution. The display features an LTPO panel, which allows dynamic adjustment of the screen refresh rate from 1Hz to 120Hz to save battery. There is also support for HDR10+, Dolby Vision and has good visibility with 1900 peak nits of brightness. Rear cameras are a 50MP 1-inch Sony IMX989 main sensor with Leica lenses, 50MP 3x telephoto lens and 50MP ultrawide. The front camera is a 32MP shooter that sits in a punch hole cutout in the front. The battery has 4820 mAh capacity with 120W wired charging, 50W wireless charging and capable of 10W wireless reverse charging. All devices come with ceramic backs colors options of Ceramic Black, Ceramic White, and Wilderness Green.

The Xiaomi 13 concedes in hardware but still packs a punch

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Smaller,, more affordable but no less a flagship. Image source: XiaomiUI

The standard Xiaomi 13 has a smaller 6.39-inch flat OLED panel with FHD resolution with no LTPO panel. Cameras are a slight step down too with a 50MP IMX800 main shooter, a 12MP ultrawide sensor and a 10MP 3x telephoto lens. The battery is understandably lower capacity with 4500 mAh and has 67W wired charging. Overall, the standard variant only falls behind the Pro by display, cameras and to a lesser degree, battery life. It does however offer a smaller form factor with a flat design that some may prefer to the curved design of the Pro, along with a smaller price tag. Color options are Black, White, and Wilderness Green, but with glass backs this time. Both the standard and Pro variants will also be available in a sky-blue color with a leather finish.

Pricing and availability

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Both Xiaomi 13 phones get 3 colours and a fourth leather finish option with sky blue colour.
Image source: Weibo Xiaomi via Android Authority

The standard and Pro variants of Xiaomi 13 is currently available in China only. Both devices come in four memory configurations: 8 GB RAM +128 GB storage, 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage, 12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage and 12 GB RAM + 512 GB storage. Pricing for the Pro variant starts at 3999 yuan (approx. RM2534) and the standard variant at 3999 yuan (approx. RM3168) for the respective 8 GB + 128 GB variant.

Sources: Android Authority, TechNave, XiaomiUI

Android, Mobile, News

Vivo X90 launches in China, glimpses Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

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Vivo has announced through its official Chinese website, its latest X90 series. The highlights include a contender for best camera setup and the first to offer Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in its premium variant.

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The first flagship with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform, vivo X90 Pro+. Image source: Vivo

The X90 Pro+ Plus is the premium option for the series and is the only one to offer the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform. With the flagship mobile platform only recently announced, Vivo has taken the lead in releasing the first device to run it with X90 Pro+ available from December 6th. Apart from the expected performance upgrade, the new platform has AI integration for image enhancements and camera features. Vivo has decided to capitalize on this with an enhanced camera setup.

Vivo’s challenger for best smartphone camera 2023

The main shooter is a 50MP, 1-inch Sony IMX989 sensor and a secondary 50MP IMX758 2x telephoto shooter. There is also a 64MP 3.5x periscope camera and a 48MP ultrawide shooter with 114-degree field-of-view. The four-camera setup is housed in a camera lens-esque bump on the rear, with corner mounted flash. The cameras also have added features such as astrophotgraphy, a freeze motion mode in low light and, HDR video and a lens flare portrait mode.

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Improved four-camera setup with AI enhanced features challenges for the best-in-class. Image source: Vivo

With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 onboard, it will be the first to utilize Qualcomm’s new 3D Sonic Max In-Display Fingerprint Sensor. It will run the Android-13 based Origin OS3. Storage options of 256 GB or 512 GB with UFS 4.0 flash storage for the fastest read and write speeds in the market. The display is a 6.78-inch 120Hz OLED screen with 3,200 x 1,440-pixel resolution and the device comes with IP68 rating. Powering it is a 4700mAh battery with 80W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.

Affordable but no push overs

While the X90 Pro+ promises to give the full flagship experience, the standard and Pro variants have a lot to offer too. Both devices come with the Mediatek Dimensity 9200 processor and a 6.78-inch 120Hz OLED display with lower resolution of 2800 x 1260 pixels. The Pro series steps ahead with the same 50MP one-inch main and 50MP 2x telephoto shooter setup in the Pro+. However, it does not have the periscope camera and has a third 12MP ultrawide shooter. It also offers a larger 4870mAh battery, 50W wireless charging and IP68 rating.

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The standard comes in a unique Ice Blue while the rest are available in Original Black and Huaxia Red.
Image source: Vivo.

The standard option on the other hand has a 4810mAh battery with no wireless charging and an IP64 rating. The camera setup is also a step down with a 50MP IMX866 main, 12MP ultrawide with 108-degree field-of-view and 12MP 2x telephoto shooters.

All three devices come with Origin OS 3 based on Android 13 out of the box, a 32MP selfie camera in punch-hole cutout on the screen and a faux leather back. The vanilla X90 is available in four memory configurations of either 8 GB or 12 GB RAM with 256 GB or 512 GB of storage. The X90 Pro comes in 8 GB RAM with 256 GB storage, 12 GB RAM with 256 GB storage or 12 GB RAM with 512 GB of storage.

Pricing and availability

The X90 series is currently only available to the Chinese market starting 6th December 2022. All devices are available in Original black or Huaxia red color options, with the vanilla variant available in Ice Blue. Based on pricing in the Chinese market, the standard X90 will retail starting at approximately RM2340 (3699 yuan). The X90 Pro will retail approximately from RM3165 (4999 yuan) and X90 Pro+ from RM4115 (6499 yuan). For official updates on price and availability, visit the Vivo Malaysia Official Store and Vivo Malaysia Facebook page.

Sources: Android Authority, ArsTechnica