Tag Archives: Wear OS

Health, Lifestyle, News

OnePlus Hits the Refresh Button Unveils the Nord Buds 3 Pro and Watch 2R

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OnePlus is on a roll! Hot on the heels of the Nord 4 and Pad 2 announcements, the company has unveiled two new wearables that cater to the budget-conscious and style-savvy user: the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro and the OnePlus Watch 2R.

Nord Buds 3 Pro: Premium Sound Without Breaking the Bank

The Nord Buds 3 Pro earbuds ditch the plastic construction often found in mid-range options and instead boast a sleek and stylish design with a premium feel. They come in a variety of colours – think Starry Black and Soft Jade – so you can find a pair that complements your unique style. But the Nord Buds 3 Pro aren’t just about looks; they pack a punch in the audio department too.

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Equipped with a hefty 12.4mm dynamic driver, these buds promise rich and detailed sound, perfect for audiophiles on the go. OnePlus has also thrown in support for Dolby Atmos, which creates a more immersive listening experience, making you feel like you’re right in the middle of your favourite tunes. Let’s face it, even the most stylish buds fall flat if the sound quality is lackluster. Thankfully, the Nord Buds 3 Pro seem to hit the mark here.

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) for a Quiet Escape

One of the standout features of the Nord Buds 3 Pro is the inclusion of Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). This technology actively reduces unwanted background noise, allowing you to focus on your music, podcasts, or audiobooks without distractions. Whether you’re commuting on a noisy bus or trying to drown out the world at the gym, ANC can be a game-changer.

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But here’s the kicker: ANC isn’t always desirable. Sometimes you need to be aware of your surroundings, like when you’re cycling or crossing a busy street. Thankfully, the Nord Buds 3 Pro offer a transparency mode that lets you hear ambient noise, ensuring you stay safe and connected to your environment.

Seamless Connectivity and Long Battery Life

OnePlus knows the importance of seamless connectivity. The Nord Buds 3 Pro boasts support for the latest Bluetooth 5.3 standard, ensuring a stable and reliable connection to your smartphone or tablet. Plus, with a claimed battery life of up to 6 hours for the buds themselves and an additional 30 hours with the charging case, you can listen to your favourite music all day long without worrying about running out of juice.

OnePlus Watch 2R: A Lighter and More Affordable Option

The OnePlus Watch 2R is the successor to the OnePlus Watch 2, but with a twist. It’s designed to be a more affordable and lightweight option while still offering the essential features you need in a smartwatch.

Gone is the bulky stainless steel construction of its predecessor. The Watch 2R embraces a sleek aluminium design, making it lighter and more comfortable to wear all day long. This shift in materials might raise a slight eyebrow in terms of durability, but the retained IP68 water resistance rating assures it can still handle sweat, rain, and accidental splashes.

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Don’t be fooled by the lighter design; the Watch 2R packs a punch under the hood. It features a Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chip paired with 2GB of RAM, ensuring smooth performance for running essential smartwatch functions. The 1.43-inch AMOLED display offers crisp visuals, and with a selection of watch faces to choose from, you can personalize your watch to match your style.

The OnePlus Watch 2R caters to the fitness enthusiast with a variety of built-in workout modes. Whether you’re a runner, cyclist, or swimmer, the watch can track your activity and provide valuable insights into your performance. It also boasts various health monitoring features, including heart rate tracking, blood oxygen monitoring, and sleep tracking, helping you stay on top of your overall well-being.

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The Watch 2R runs on Google’s Wear OS, which offers a familiar and user-friendly experience. With access to Google Assistant and a growing library of apps, you can stay connected, informed, and motivated on the go. Plus, the promised long battery life of up to 12 days in power saver mode ensures you won’t need to constantly scramble for a charger.

Pricing & Availability

The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro will be priced at a starting price of US$79.99 (approx. RM373.21). The OnePlus Watch 2R will be priced at USD$229.99 (approx. RM1,073.12). Both wearables will be available in multiple colour options, allowing you to choose the perfect combination that reflects your personality.

Pre-orders for the Nord Buds 3 Pro and Watch 2R are expected to begin on July 20th, with the first wave of sales starting on August 2nd.

Health, Lifestyle, News

Unpacking the Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Watch7 & the Galaxy Buds3 series

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Samsung has just announced its new flagship wearables – expanding its Galaxy Watch series with the Galaxy Watch Ultra and revamping its Galaxy Buds series with the new Galaxy Buds3 and Galaxy Buds3 Pro. The new wearables are spearheaded by the Galaxy Ring. The new Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra takes the Galaxy Watch to new frontiers with a new, more rugged look with features to match.

It also spearheads the Galaxy AI revolution when it comes to wearables with more intelligent and accurate tracking even in the Galaxy Watch7. The Galaxy Buds3 Series debuts with an all new design focusing on self expression and comfort. With the Galaxy Buds3 Pro, Samsung is bringing an all new way to enjoy your music and at even higher quality.

Health, News

Samsung Galaxy Watch Gets a Boost with the Arrival of Galaxy AI in One UI 6 Watch

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Samsung is bringing its Galaxy AI technology to the Galaxy Watch series, marking a significant step forward in health and wellness features for smartwatch users. This integration, announced on May 28th, 2024, leverages the power of on-device artificial intelligence to provide more comprehensive health insights and personalized motivational coaching.

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Samsung has long been a leader in the wearable technology space, with the Galaxy Watch series consistently pushing the boundaries of what a smartwatch can do. The introduction of Galaxy AI is a renewed commitment to providing users with advanced health and wellness experiences. This technology focuses on utilizing meaningful and actionable insights derived from user data to empower individuals to take control of their health.

The magic behind Galaxy AI lies in its ability to combine powerful on-device AI with the extensive data collected by the Samsung Health app. This comprehensive data set, encompassing sleep patterns, activity levels, and heart rate, allows Galaxy AI to generate a holistic view of a user’s health. By analyzing this data, Galaxy AI can provide users with features like:

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  • Energy Score: This feature offers a summary of a user’s current health condition by analyzing sleep, activity, and heart rate metrics. It provides a clear and user-friendly way to understand one’s overall well-being.
  • Wellness Tips: Galaxy AI takes things a step further by offering personalized wellness tips and motivational nudges. These tips are tailored to a user’s specific health goals and data, making them more relevant and actionable.

Samsung stresses its commitment to user privacy and security with the integration of Galaxy AI. The AI processing occurs entirely on the device itself, ensuring that user data stays private and secure. This focus on user control empowers individuals to feel comfortable utilizing the advanced features offered by Galaxy AI.

Android, News

[MWC 2023] Google Brings New Features to Android

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Google is bringing a few new features to Android and Chromebooks. Most of the new features will be making their way to Android devices starting today. These new features mainly bring more “Material You” to Android and its personalization features. However, there are a few updates in the list that improve productivity and accessibility.

Google Keep Gets A Widget & Wear OS Complication

For those looking to be more productive on their Android devices, Google Keep has got your back. The note-keeping and to-do list app is being improved with a widget that allows you to pin single notes to your home screen. The new widget is fully actionable; allowing you to check things off your checklist or even update notes. It will display reminders, background colours and images in the Keep notes and also syncs seamlessly with Google Keep and your smartwatch.

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Speaking of smartwatches, if you have a Wear OS by Google smartwatch – this includes the new Samsung Galaxy Watch5 series – you’ll be able to use Google Keep on the go. Google is also introducing two new shortcuts for Wear OS that allows you to create notes and to-do lists from your Wear OS watch face.

In addition to this, Google is enabling direct editing and annotating of PDFs with a stylus or by touch in the Google Drive app. You’ll be able to use different strokes, the highlighter or even hide, undo, delete or save a new copy of the annotated document too.

Less Noise on Google Meet, More Seamless Integration with Chromebooks

Google Meet is getting noise cancellation during calls on more Android devices. This means you’ll be able to drown out the noise when you have to take a meeting on the go.

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Being on the go means you’ll need your earbuds or headphones to take the call, thankfully, if you’re using a Chromebook, Google is bringing Fast Pair to Chromebooks. This will simplify connecting your Bluetooth audio devices to the Chromebook essentially making it a single click. What’s more, if you’ve paired the device on your Android smartphone before, it will seamlessly connect to your Chromebook as well.

Express Yourself

Android is getting more ways to express yourself as well. New emoji combinations will be able on Emoji Kitchen. You’ll be able to combine two or more emojis to better express yourself in chats with Gboard. In addition to this, you’ll also be able to customise Google Wallet’s pay animations. Google will be bringing things like playful penguins to Google Wallet.

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Finally, Google Chrome will allow you to increase the size of the content you’re viewing in the browser with a simple slider. The slider will allow you to change things like the text, images, videos and interactive controls by up to 300% while preserving the page layout. You’ll even be able to save your preferences so you don’t have to keep resetting them every time. The feature is currently in Chrome Beta before it officially rolls out in March.

News

Stay on top of the FIFA World Cup with Google Search

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With the FIFA World Cup finally kicking off, Google offers new features in the Search Android app to stay up to date on every kick of the game!

Stay ahead with notifications, statistics and live scores with the Google Search app

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Get notifications from your favorite teams and in-depth stats with Google Search

To get started, search “FIFA World Cup” on the Google Search app to find a list of tournament matches for the day. Tap on the bell icon to bring up a list of the 32 participating teams and select your favorite team to receive notifications. If you’re an avid fan, tap on a match to see in depth statistics and even win probabilities of the competing teams. You can even pin the live scores of ongoing matches to your home screen so you do not miss any goals. Simply tap on the match you want to track and drag it anywhere on your home screen.

Pin live scores to your home screen

Relive all the action with recap videos and YouTube

If you’ve missed any of the action live, you can catch up using Search for daily recap videos from FIFA+ and official broadcasters on YouTube. You can even react to your favorite moments from the tournament using the Remix feature in Shorts. Don’t forget to follow #ShortsFIFAWorldCup and use the hashtag to share your content with World Cup fans.

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Watch highlights and replays of all the matches on YouTube and FIFA+.

Interact with fans around the world with player ratings

Any players in the tournament caught your eye? You can use Search to learn about their stories and accomplishments. You can also rate players on how you think they will perform and see how other World Cup fans rate them too.

If you want a little more action, join other fans around the world in the Mini Cup game! Once a real-live match is live, pick your team and work together with other fans to score the most virtual goals.

Score virtual goals with other fans for your favorite team
Score virtual goals with other fans for your favorite team

While scoring virtual goals may be fun, nothing beats the atmosphere of a live venue. Search has new labels for businesses to help fans find venues that broadcast the World Cup. Simply search for “Where to watch the world cup near me” to find a spot to meet up with other fans to enjoy the games.

Don’t miss another match with Wear OS Countdown

Never miss another World Cup match if you have a Wear OS watch. You can set match viewing plans on your calendar in the Agenda app. You can also ask Google to set reminders for upcoming matches. Wear OS watches can also channel useful information before matches such as team-lineups and player profiles. If your team scores, you can find a fun little animation to celebrate the goal with you!

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Never miss another FIFA World Cup match with Wear OS watches
Health, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

Mobvoi’s Next Flagship Could be a Wear OS 3 Device

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Google, at least as of the last Google I/O they had, has a renewed commitment to their Wear OS platform in partnership with Samsung. In that sense, you can expect Samsung to be one of those watchmakers that would be making flagship watches that Google can be proud of. They are not exclusive Wear OS device makers though. The source code for Wear OS is still an open one and currently Tag Heuer and Fossil are on the Google Wear OS boat.

There are plenty of smartwatch makers out in the market. The problem is, every one of them offers a slightly different take on what smartwatches should look like. They all feature different proprietary interfaces with their own OS. Samsung, one of the most successful makers in the wearable space, was working with their own Tizen OS before making the switch to Google.

Then there is Mobvoi. Mobvoi is not new, really. They have existed for a while, and they have been focused on making wearables. They have also been on the Wear OS bandwagon for a while now. The only issue is that their current flagship, the Ticwatch Pro 3 Ultra is still running on an older Wear OS firmware. Solution? Launch a new watch.

Except, it is not that simple. When you are a smaller company like Mobvoi, things do not usually come easily. They need product testers. Where do they go? They email their customers or known reviewers to be a part of the process. So, they did.

They emailed a Reddit user, which in turn leaked it to Reddit, about them looking for reviewers or testers for their new TicWatch that is apparently coming soon. The leak also suggested that there are a few main features on the new flagship TicWatch. One of it is, obviously, flagship. Together with Flagship, Mobvoi also says that it has improved premium design.

There are a few more things that Mobvoi teased about the new TicWatch too. They highlighted that it would have long duration battery, NFC payment compatible with Google Pay, IP68 waterproofing alongside a GPS tracker, speaker, and microphone, and lastly it will have IHB/ AFiB detection and fatigue assessment. Its compatibility with Google Pay via NFC should be clue enough that the upcoming TicWatch will be a Wear OS device.

Currently, Mobvoi’s latest flagship is the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS. It will set you back MYR 1,399. For that money, you get Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 4100 system on a chip (SoC) for wearables. It also features a large 1.4-inch AMOLED display with up to 45 days battery life. You can expect the next flagship TicWatch to set you back around the same price with even more features than before.

Source: 9to5Google

Accessories, Lifestyle, News

Wear OS Gets A Premium Addition with the Montblanc Summit 3 Smartwatch

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Android Wear’s successor, Wear OS, has been having somewhat of an uphill battle since its launch. Not many of the older Wear OS devices were getting the big Wear OS 3.0 update. In fact, to-date, the only notable smartwatch running Wear OS 3 is Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 series. That changes with the new Montblanc Summit 3 smartwatch.

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Source: Montblanc

Montblanc’s Summit 3 is being pushed as a premium smartwatch with a premium price and also premium build materials. Staying true to the Montblanc image, the smartwatch isn’t coming with a flashy, glammed up design. Instead, Montblanc has opted to stay with a classic watch design complete with a physical crown and two pushers which act as buttons to interact with the Wear OS 3. It’s overall facade is sleek and minimal. The face of the smartwatch is a 1.28-inch, circular AMOLED display with a 416×416 resolution. The screen is protected by a layer of Sapphire Glass. The watch itself is encased in a titanium case with a stainless steel bezel. The Summit 3 comes with a hand polished finish to complete the premium 42mm smartwatch. It comes with a pin buckle strap which is available in black calf leather or rubber.

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When it comes to sensors, the Montblanc Summit 3 is equipped with a heart rate sensor, a barometer, accelerometer, gyroscope and ambient light sensor. Like other Wear OS 3 devices, the Summit 3 is able to track pulse rate, blood oxygenation, steps taken and even sleep. Considering it does come with a blue rubber strap, it looks like you might even be able to track calories and workouts on the smartwatch. NFC is also built-in to the smartwatch. You’ll be able to use GooglePay and other compatible services where they are available.

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The Montblanc Summit 3 runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 4100+ processor with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. It is capable of Bluetooth 5.0 and WiFi connectivity as well. The smartwatch also comes with Google Play Store where users are able to download apps. You will need to connect it via the Montblanc Summit app.

Pricing and Availability

The Montblanc Summit 3 is available for pre-orders worldwide at the Montblanc website. It is available in three colours at launch – Black Titanium, Grey Titanium and Bicolour Titanium. It will be retailing for USD1,290 internationally. Locally, in Malaysia, it costs MYR5,700.

Accessories, Android, Health, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

TAG Heuer Introduces New Generation Connected Calibre E4 Smartwatch Ready for Wear OS 3

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Smartwatch and luxury watch rarely grace the same sentence. They are hardly related or relatable to each other too. A luxury watch enthusiast might not even regard a smartwatch a watch at all. It is more a ‘digital display on your wrist’.

While that is a fair observation, the smartwatch has come a long way since its inception many years ago. A smartwatch today can easily outsell any regular watch you might find in the market. That is not only because of its more accessible than ever pricing. It is choke full of features, making it a better value buy than a regular watch.

Luxury watch on the other hand, has an appeal of its own. Luxury watch pieces are usually highly exclusive pieces made with limited quantity in mind. The build process of the timepiece is also considered when it comes to luxury watches. At the same time, a luxury watch is supposed to last forever, while a smartwatch’s relevance is limited by their software.

What if you can merge the two together though? Impossible? TAG Heuer does not think so with their first Connected Watch launched back in 2015. They have not launched any new versions of their premium smartwatch since then, but then again, there has not been any interesting developments on Google’s Wear OS since then. The TAG Heuer Connected was, in its day, the most expensive Wear OS device money can buy.

Their silence in the smartwatch market does not mean that they are not interested in the smartwatch game anymore though. They confirmed that by releasing this, the new TAG Heuer Connected. They call it the Calibre E4.

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Source: TAG Heuer

The new Connected Calibre E4 comes in two variants this time. Instead of just sticking to a large 45mm diameter body, it now comes in a smaller 42mm case. The 42mm, as per TAG Heuer, is made to be more appealing to the larger market. It is also designed to be a little more elegant with thin bezels and thinner case than the regular 45mm. Smaller also means that it is sportier.

Then there is the 35mm TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4. It is the largest modern Wear OS smartwatch you can find to date. Its impressive size is not just for show though. TAG Heuer ensures that the Connected Calibre E4 can withstand all sorts of scuffs and bumps with ceramic bezel surrounding the Sapphire crystal glass protecting the touch display. You can opt for a titanium case for your TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 too.

Of course, a watch is nothing without its straps and bracelets. The strap is also the only way for your watch to stand out, in a traditional sense anyway. For that, TAG Heuer offers a library of straps and bracelet for you to work with.

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Source: TAG Heuer

For a smartwatch, you can easily stand out just by changing your watch face. The Calibre E4 is a Wear OS device, which also means that you will have access to the large watch face library from the Google Play Store. TAG Heuer also made some new exclusive watch faces for the Connected Calibre E4 though, which will help you stand out among the sea of Google Wear OS devices out there.

Within the svelte cases, both the 42mm and 45mm variants are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 4100+ for wearables. While it is not running on Wear OS 3 on launch, you can upgrade it to Wear OS 3 as soon as the Operating System (OS) is ready. Both smartwatches offer Bluetooth 5.0 and WiFi connectivity for more stable connection with your smartphones.

The difference in size allows the 45mm variant to come with a 430mAh built in battery compared to 330mAh on the 42mm. They also claimed that the 45mm offers a 30% increase in battery life compared to the older Connected. In golf function, the watch will last five hours continuously. The 45mm also offers a larger display experience compared to the 42mm, obviously at 1.39-inch of OLED goodness (454 x 454 pixels) compared to 1.28-inch (416 x 416 pixels).

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    Source: TAG Heuer
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    Source: TAG Heuer
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    Source: TAG Heuer
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    Source: TAG Heuer
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    Source: TAG Heuer

Price and Availability

The TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 is set to start shipping and be available in stores starting March 2022. Price? This is going to hurt your wallet a little bit. If you are looking to find a budget smartwatch, this will not be it, turn away now. It will set you back US$ 1,800 (MYR 7,541*) at launch. For more information on the TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 you can visit their website.

*Based on approximate exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.19 as of 11/02/2022 on xe.com

Health, Lifestyle, News

Dual Screen, Wear OS-powered Mobvoi TicWatch Pro X Arrives in China

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Mobvoi has created a name for itself producing some of the better Wear OS-powered smartwatches out there. It looks like the company isn’t slowing down yet. It’s introduced it’s latest offering the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro X in China. The new smartwatch isn’t revolutionary but it packs specifications and features that many smartwatch users are looking for.

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The TicWatch Pro X is running on the Snapdragon Wear 4100 processor paired with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. The smartwatch will be using Wear OS as its operating system. However, if you’re looking for Wear OS 3, you might have to wait for an update from Mobvoi.

That aside, the TicWatch Pro X seems to share a lot with the TicWatch 3 until you take a closer look. The Pro X may look like a run-of-the-mill smartwatch but it comes with what is essentially two displays. It has an AMOLED screen and also an FSTN display. The FSTN display allows the TicWatch Pro X to have an even longer battery life. The 1.39-inch AMOLED screen serves as the main display where you’ll be able interact with Wear OS and all its features. The FSTN screen will kick in when you’re not actively interacting showing you all the data you want without draining the battery.

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The watch comes with a 595maAh battery. In Smart mode, the watch will be able to run for 4 days on a single charge. However, if you kick it into “durable” mode, the watch will be able to last for a whopping 45-days.

Aside from that, the TicWatch Pro X is able to track over 20 sports routines. This includes yoga, walking, running, mountain climbing, cycling and more. It also comes with IP68 water and dust resistance which means you can take full advantage of its ability to track swimming as well. In addition, the Pro X comes with a heart rate monitor, SpO2 sensor and even reminds you to get moving if you’re too sedentary.

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It comes equipped with Bluetooth connectivity and also supports 4G LTE. It’s equipped with eSIM support, so you will also be able to take calls directly on the watch. The smartwatch also touts VoLTE support.

Pricing & Availability

The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro X is available for pre-order in China on JD.com (Jingdong) for ¥1,999 (MYR1,296.28). After pre-order, it will be priced at ¥2,399 (MYR1,555.32).

There is no word yet if the smartwatch will be available in more markets. However, do keep an eye on Shopee and Lazada.