Tag Archives: ARM Cortex-A55

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Performance Review!

Take a look at the performance of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE, and find out how well the Exynos 1380 performs against the competition!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Powered By Exynos 1380

Like the Samsung Galaxy A54, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE runs on the Samsung Exynos 1380 mobile platform that was officially launched on 23 February 2023.

Fabricated on the latest 4nm process technology, the Exynos 1380 comes with an Arm Mali-G68 MP5 GPU, as well as eight processor cores in a dual-cluster architecture :

  • four Arm Cortex-A78 high-performance cores, and
  • four Arm Cortex-A55 low-power cores.

On paper, this is a powerful mid-range mobile platform, but let’s take a look at how it actually performs!

Read more : Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Review : Entry-Level IP68 Tablet!
Read more : Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Battery + Charging Review!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Work Performance

We first tested the devices using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browsing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.

Work 3.0 Galaxy Tab
S8 Ultra
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy Tab
S9 FE
Galaxy Tab
S7 FE
Mobile Platform SD
8 Gen 1
SD
865+
Exynos
1380
SD
778G
Performance Score 12351 12348 11650 9747
Web Browsing 9696 11864 9028 7355
Video Editing 6194 7664 6193 6028
Writing 14411 12659 15302 10512
Photo Editing 31774 26230 27122 22188
Data Manipulation 10449 9511 9248 8505

The Samsung Exynos 1380 did well in this test, delivering performance close – within 6% – to that of older flagship-class processors like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and the Snapdragon 865+. Interestingly, the Exynos 1380 did better in the Galaxy A54, delivering a score of over 13.5K.

In any case, the Exynos 1380 is fast enough, even if we did not run this test  – Galaxy Tab S9 FE did not feel slow at any app we tried.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Gaming Performance

For gaming, we tested the devices using 3DMark, with these results :

3DMark Galaxy
Tab
S8 Ultra
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy
Tab S7 FE
Galaxy Tab
S9 FE
Mobile Platform SD 8 Gen 1 SD 865+ SD 778G Exynos 1380
Wild Life
Extreme
Unlimited
2221 826
Wild Life Unlimited 9838 2997
Sling Shot Unlimited 10728 8793 6688 6223

Where the Samsung Exynos 1380 really falls is in gaming performance. Even in the easy Sling Shot Unlimited benchmark, it was 7% slower than the mid-range Snapdragon 778G, which is 2.5 years old.

That doesn’t mean the Galaxy Tab S9 FE is useless at games. It runs 2D games and simple 3D games like Roblox perfectly fine. It’s the more strenuous 3D games that it will struggle in.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Overall Performance

We then tested the Galaxy Tab S9 FE using AnTuTu, yielding these results :

AnTuTu Galaxy Tab
S8 Ultra
GGalaxy Tab
S9 FE
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy
Tab S7 FE
Mobile Platform SD 8 Gen 1 Exynos 1380 SD 865+ SD 778G
AnTuTu Score 950630 591126 577726 508008
CPU 213689 193122 161243 157465
GPU 417669 136759 230859 155115
Memory 161903 118456 98269 79972
UX 157369 142789 87355 115456

The AnTuTu benchmark showed that this Fan Edition tablet performs at around the same level as the Snapdragon 865+, which is a flagship-class mobile SoC, albeit from 2020.

As you can see, its CPU is particularly fast, while its GPU is slow. In other words, this entry-level tablet will do great in work applications and simple games, but don’t rely on it for high-end 3D games!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Performance Summary

Built around the Samsung Exynos 1380, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE has a very fast CPU, but a relatively weak GPU.

What that means is that it offers snappy performance for most part – web browsing, work applications, casual gaming, etc. It only has trouble delivering high frame rates for graphics-intensive 3D games, and AI or 3D apps may take longer to process in comparison to flagship tablets.

This should not be a surprise – the Exynos 1380 is a mid-range mobile platform, after all. And it is a fast one for the most important workloads. This makes the Galaxy Tab S9 FE great for people who need an affordable and fast Android tablet for work and study.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Price + Availability

This Fan Edition tablet comes with colour options of Mint, Lavender, Gray and Silver. It comes with two RAM and storage options:

  • 6 GB + 128 GB
  • 8 GB + 256 GB

These are the available models and launch prices:

  • 6 GB + 128 GB : US$449.99 / £549 / A$749 / RM2,099
  • 8 GB + 256 GB : US$519.99 / £619 / A$899 / RM2,399

Here are some online per-order and purchase options:

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Review : Entry-Level IP68 Tablet!

In our in-depth review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE, we will share with you everything you need to know about this affordable Fan Edition tablet.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Smaller Fan Edition Tablet

Samsung is offering two Tab S9 Fan Edition models – the Tab S9 FE with a 10.9-inch display, and the Tab S9 FE+ with a 12.4-inch display.

They both run on the same Samsung Exynos 1380 mobile platform, featuring four high-speed Cortex-A78 cores, and four low-power Cortex-A55 cores, and a Mali-G68 MP5 GPU.

Surprisingly, they both come with an S Pen stylus, like their pricier brethren. Their displays also support a dynamic refresh rate of up to 90 Hz.

The unit we are looking at today is the Galaxy Tab S9 FE, which is currently the smallest and most affordable Fan Edition variant of the Galaxy Tab S9 family of Android tablets.

Recommended : Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Review : A Complete Package!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Price + Availability

This Fan Edition tablet comes with colour options of Mint, Lavender, Gray and Silver. It comes with two RAM and storage options:

  • 6 GB + 128 GB
  • 8 GB + 256 GB

These are the available models and launch prices:

  • 6 GB + 128 GB : US$449.99 / £549 / A$749 / RM2,099
  • 8 GB + 256 GB : US$519.99 / £619 / A$899 / RM2,399

Here are some online per-order and purchase options:

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Specifications

Here are the key specifications for this Fan Edition tablet :

Specifications Galaxy Tab S9 FE (WiFi)
Display 10.9-inch IPS Display
– 1440 x 2304 pixels (249 ppi)
– 60 Hz / 90 Hz refresh rate
Protection Gorilla Glass 5
Water Resistance IP68
Platform Samsung Exynos 1380
CPU 4 x Arm Cortex-A78 cores (2.4 GHz)
4 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
GPU Arm Mali-G68 MP5 (950 MHz)
Memory +
Storage
6 GB + 128 GB
8 GB + 256 GB
External Storage microSD (up to 1TB)
Front Camera 12 MP camera
Main Camera 8 MP camera
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.3
USB : USB 2.0 Type C
S Pen Yes
Samsung DeX Not supported
Audio Dual speakers tuned by AKG
Fingerprint Sensor Integrated Into Power Button
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Hall, Light
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, QZSS
NFC No
Battery 8,000 mAh
Charging 45 watt super fast charging
15 watt reverse fast charging
Dimensions 254.3 mm wide
165.8 mm tall
6.5 mm thick
Weight 523 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Unboxing

Because this is an entry-level tablet, it comes with the bare minimum. Inside the box, you will find these items:

  • Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE smartphone
  • Set of documents – quick start guide in two languages, and a warranty card
  • EP-DN980 (3A PD) USB Type C to Type C cable
  • SIM card extractor pin

Even though the Galaxy Tab S9 FE supports 45 W super-fast charging, it does not come with any charger. Neither does it come with a case, like the more premium Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra.

In case you are thinking of buying a 45 watt super fast charger, please note that the bundled EP-DN980 cable can only support 3A PD charging, which is good enough for 25 watt, but not for 45 watt.

Next Page > Galaxy Tab S9 FE Key Features

 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Key Features

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE is an entry-level model which will not appeal to some. However, it has some surprises, so let’s take a closer look at its key features.

10.9-inch Display

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE is a smaller sized, entry-level model, and comes with a 10.9-inch TFT display. It has a WQXGA resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels, with a wider DCI-P3 colour gamut.

It supports a dynamic refresh rate of up to 90 Hz, which is limited to switching between three refresh rates – 30 Hz, 60 Hz, and 90 Hz.

Mid-Range Performance

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE runs on the Exynos 1380 mobile platform, which comes with an Arm Mali-G68 MP5 GPU, as well as eight processor cores in a dual-cluster architecture :

  • four Arm Cortex-A78 high-performance cores, and
  • four Arm Cortex-A55 low-power cores

The Samsung Exynos 1380 also has an neural processing unit (NPU) with a processing capacity of 4.9 TOPS, as well as an integrated 5G modem that supports download speeds up to 3.79 Gbps, and upload speeds of up to 1.28 Gbps.

RAM + Storage Options

Samsung is offering this tablet with two RAM and storage options :

  • 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage
  • 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage

You don’t have to worry too much about running out of storage, as it comes with a microSD card slot, allowing you to add up to 1 TB of additional storage.

Cameras

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE comes with a 12 MP front camera, and an 8 MP rear camera. Both cameras can record videos at up to 4K resolution (30 fps).

Pretty Tough

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE is protected by a tough aluminium frame all around its edges, and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on its display.

IP68 Water Resistance

Even though this is an entry-level tablet, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE is IP68 rated for dust- and water-resistance!

While Samsung does not recommend it for beach or pool use, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE is rated to withstand submersion in up to 1.5 metres of freshwater for up to 30 minutes.

S Pen Stylus

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE also comes with a stylus, which is also IP68-rated for dust and water resistance.

Large Battery

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE comes with a large 8,000 mAh battery, which supports 45 watt super fast charging. It even supports 15 watt reverse fast charging.

However, it does not come with any bundled charger, and the bundled USB cable can only support 25 watt fast charging.

AKG Tuned Speakers

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE does not come with quad speakers like its more expensive brethren. However, its dual AKG-tuned speakers do a pretty good job.

No Support For Samsung DeX

This may be a deal breaker for power users or travellers – the Galaxy Tab S9 FE does not support Samsung DeX.

For one thing – it only has a USB 2.0 port, so it cannot output video through a USB to HDMI dongle. On top of that, it doesn’t support wireless DeX either.

Next Page > Battery Life + Recharging Performance

 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Battery Life Comparison!

This Fan Edition tablet comes with a large 8,000 mAh battery. To test its battery life, we turned off Automatic Brightness, and set its display brightness to 50%.

Why 50%? That is actually slightly higher than the average indoor brightness level of 40% during the day, and is what we usually use in all our mobile battery life tests.

It is important to fix the brightness level, to make sure the screen brightness does not change as the ambient brightness changes.

We then ran the PCMark Work 3.0 battery life test until its battery capacity dropped to 20% several times, and this was the best result we obtained with the standard, and the adaptive refresh rates :

Not bad! The Galaxy Tab S9 FE lasted almost 10 hours on the Standard refresh rate, and just over 9 hours on the Adaptive refresh rate.

With such results, it makes sense to just leave the Tab S9 FE on its default setting of Adaptive refresh. After all, it only saps its battery life by 8% (46 minutes).

Let’s compare its battery life against the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus and Galaxy S8 Ultra tablets.

Standard Refresh Rate (60 Hz)

This Fan Edition tablet delivered the best battery life with the Standard refresh rate of 60 Hz.

Thanks to its power-efficient Exynos 1380 processor and smaller display, it sips power compared to the other two larger and more powerful tablets.

Work 3.0 Tab S9 FE
(60 Hz)
Tab S7 Plus
(60 Hz)
Tab S8 Ultra
(60 Hz)
Display Size 10.9-inch 12.4-inch 14.6-inch
Battery Capacity 8,000 mAh 10,090 mAh 11,200 mAh
Battery Life 9 hrs
49 mins
7 hrs 55 mins 8 hrs 3 mins
Utilisation
per min.
10.87 mAh 16.99 mAh 18.55 mAh

Adaptive Refresh Rate (90 Hz / 120 Hz)

Switching on the Adaptive refresh rate allowed the display to switch between 30 Hz, 60 Hz and 90 Hz, and only cut down its battery life by 46 minutes (8%).

But as my evaluation shows – the Galaxy Tab S9 FE uses considerably less power than the two larger and more powerful tablets. In fact, it uses just over half as much as the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra!

Work 3.0 Tab S9 FE
(90 Hz)
Tab S7 Plus
(120 Hz)
Tab S8 Ultra
(120 Hz)
Display Size 10.9-inch 12.4-inch 14.6-inch
Battery Capacity 8,000 mAh 10,090 mAh 11,200 mAh
Battery Life 9 hrs
3 mins
6 hrs
11 mins
6 hrs
38 mins
Utilisation
per min.
11.79 mAh 21.76 mAh 22.51 mAh

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Battery Recharging Speed!

This tablet surprisingly supports up to 45 watts of wired fast charging, but unfortunately, does not come with the charger in-the-box. On top of that, its bundled cable only supports 25 watt fast charging.

So we tested it on the standard 15 watt Samsung fast charger, and the optional 25 watt Samsung super fast charger.

Recharging Speed Tab S8 Ultra Tab S7 Plus Tab S9 FE
(25W)
Tab S9 FE
(15W)
Display Size 14.6-inch 12.4-inch 10.9-inch 10.9-inch
Battery Capacity 11,200 mAh 10,090 mAh 8,000 mAh 8,000 mAh
Charger Output 15 watts 15 watts 25 watts 15 watts
Battery Life 86.5 mins 86 mins 90.5 mins 145.5 mins
Recharging Speed
(per minute)
103.6 mAh 93.9 mAh 70.7 mAh 44.0 mAh

Well, isn’t that interesting? Even with a more powerful 25W super fast charger, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE recharges slower than the Tab S7 Plus or the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra using the standard 15W charger!!

The 15W charger took almost 2.5 hours to fully recharge its 8,000 mAh battery from 20% to 100%. Upgrading to the 25W charger cut that down to just 1.5 hours, shaving off almost a full hour.

The good news is that the Galaxy Tab S9 FE sips power, so you won’t need to recharge it quite so often.

Next Page > Work + Gaming Performance

 

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Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Work Performance

We first tested the devices using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browsing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.

Work 3.0 Galaxy Tab
S8 Ultra
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy Tab
S9 FE
Galaxy Tab
S7 FE
Mobile Platform SD
8 Gen 1
SD
865+
Exynos
1380
SD
778G
Performance Score 12351 12348 11650 9747
Web Browsing 9696 11864 9028 7355
Video Editing 6194 7664 6193 6028
Writing 14411 12659 15302 10512
Photo Editing 31774 26230 27122 22188
Data Manipulation 10449 9511 9248 8505

The Samsung Exynos 1380 did well in this test, delivering performance close – within 6% – to that of older flagship-class processors like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and the Snapdragon 865+. Interestingly, the Exynos 1380 did better in the Galaxy A54, delivering a score of over 13.5K.

In any case, the Exynos 1380 is fast enough, even if we did not run this test  – Galaxy Tab S9 FE did not feel slow at any app we tried.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Gaming Performance

For gaming, we tested the devices using 3DMark, with these results :

3DMark Galaxy
Tab
S8 Ultra
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy
Tab S7 FE
Galaxy Tab
S9 FE
Mobile Platform SD 8 Gen 1 SD 865+ SD 778G Exynos 1380
Wild Life
Extreme
Unlimited
2221 826
Wild Life Unlimited 9838 2997
Sling Shot Unlimited 10728 8793 6688 6223

Where the Samsung Exynos 1380 really falls is in gaming performance. Even in the easy Sling Shot Unlimited benchmark, it was 7% slower than the mid-range Snapdragon 778G, which is 2.5 years old.

That doesn’t mean the Galaxy Tab S9 FE is useless at games. It runs 2D games and simple 3D games like Roblox perfectly fine. It’s the more strenuous 3D games that it will struggle in.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Overall Performance

We then tested the Galaxy Tab S9 FE using AnTuTu, yielding these results :

AnTuTu Galaxy Tab
S8 Ultra
GGalaxy Tab
S9 FE
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy
Tab S7 FE
Mobile Platform SD 8 Gen 1 Exynos 1380 SD 865+ SD 778G
AnTuTu Score 950630 591126 577726 508008
CPU 213689 193122 161243 157465
GPU 417669 136759 230859 155115
Memory 161903 118456 98269 79972
UX 157369 142789 87355 115456

The AnTuTu benchmark showed that this Fan Edition tablet performs at around the same level as the Snapdragon 865+, which is a flagship-class mobile SoC, albeit from 2020.

As you can see, its CPU is particularly fast, while its GPU is slow. In other words, this entry-level tablet will do great in work applications and simple games, but don’t rely on it for high-end 3D games!

Next Page > Verdict, Price + Availability

 

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Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Verdict + Award

The Galaxy Tab S9 FE is Samsung’s entry-level Android tablet, built around a mid-range mobile platform, and a 10.9-inch display with a refresh rate that goes up to 90 Hz.

Even though it’s “just” an entry-level tablet, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it is IP68-rated against dust and water. It also comes with an IP68-rated S Pen stylus!

It has decent performance, with a strong focus on work performance. And it offers a long battery life, thanks to its 8,000 mAh battery, and more power-efficient display and processor.

In other words – this Fan Edition tablet is not sexy, but it gets the job done.

If there is a major turn-off for some potential buyers, it will be the lack of Samsung DeX. There is no support for wireless DeX, or video output via its USB port. But of course – this limitation only concerns those who want to use Samsung DeX.

Otherwise, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE is a decent package of features and capabilities in a tough, and water-resistant tablet.

If you are looking for an affordable Android tablet for work or study, you really can’t go wrong with the Galaxy Tab S9 FE.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Price + Availability

This Fan Edition tablet comes with colour options of Mint, Lavender, Gray and Silver. It comes with two RAM and storage options:

  • 6 GB + 128 GB
  • 8 GB + 256 GB

These are the available models and launch prices:

  • 6 GB + 128 GB : US$449.99 / £549 / A$749 / RM2,099
  • 8 GB + 256 GB : US$519.99 / £619 / A$899 / RM2,399

Here are some online per-order and purchase options:

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Specifications

Here are the key specifications for this Fan Edition tablet :

Specifications Galaxy Tab S9 FE (WiFi)
Display 10.9-inch IPS Display
– 1440 x 2304 pixels (249 ppi)
– 60 Hz / 90 Hz refresh rate
Protection Gorilla Glass 5
Water Resistance IP68
Platform Samsung Exynos 1380
CPU 4 x Arm Cortex-A78 cores (2.4 GHz)
4 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
GPU Arm Mali-G68 MP5 (950 MHz)
Memory +
Storage
6 GB + 128 GB
8 GB + 256 GB
External Storage microSD (up to 1TB)
Front Camera 12 MP camera
Main Camera 8 MP camera
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.3
USB : USB 2.0 Type C
S Pen Yes
Samsung DeX Not supported
Audio Dual speakers tuned by AKG
Fingerprint Sensor Integrated Into Power Button
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Hall, Light
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, QZSS
NFC No
Battery 8,000 mAh
Charging 45 watt super fast charging
15 watt reverse fast charging
Dimensions 254.3 mm wide
165.8 mm tall
6.5 mm thick
Weight 523 grams

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Unboxing + First Impressions!

Samsung just sent me the new Galaxy Tab S9 FE – Fan Edition – tablet, and here is my unboxing video, as well as my first impressions!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : What’s In The Box?

Samsung just sent me the new Galaxy Tab S9 FE – Fan Edition – tablet, and here is my unboxing video. Inside the box, you will find these items:

  • Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE smartphone
  • Set of documents – quick start guide in two languages, and a warranty card
  • EP-DN980 (3A PD) USB Type C to Type C cable
  • SIM card extractor pin

Even though the Galaxy Tab S9 FE supports 45 W super-fast charging, it does not come with any charger. Neither does it come with a case, like the more premium Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra.

In case you are thinking of buying a 45 watt super fast charger, please note that the bundled EP-DN980 cable can only support 3A PD charging, which is good enough for 25 watt, but not for 45 watt.

Recommended : Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Review : A Complete Package!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : My First Impressions!

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE (Fan Edition) is a more affordable version of the Galaxy Tab S9 tablet, released earlier this year. And it really gives a lot of bang for your buck!

The Fan Edition looks quite alike the Galaxy Tab S9, with a classy matte metal chassis. Most of the differences are internal or not readily visible. The two key differences are probably how Samsung managed to cut down its cost – its display, and its processor.

The Tab S9 FE comes with a 10.9-inch IPS display, instead of an 11-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. It also supports a maximum refresh rate of 90 Hz, instead of 120 Hz.

The Galaxy Tab S9 FE is also built around the Samsung Exynos 1380, instead of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The Exynos 1380 is a mid-range processor that powers mid-range smartphones like the Galaxy A54, but it still feels speedy.

The Fan Edition has a slightly smaller 8,000 mAh battery, but I have had no problems using it for over 6 hours at a go. I’m currently running performance and battery benchmarks, which I will share shortly.

Samsung does not skimp where it really matters. For example, this tablet comes with a generous 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage, which will be plenty enough for most users. Those who need less storage can opt for the even cheaper 6 GB + 128 GB model.

The Galaxy Tab S9 FE also comes with an S Pen stylus to round out the tablet experience. I’m so glad Samsung did not penny-pinch its fans by making this an “optional purchase”!

On top of that, Samsung also included support for 45 watt super fast charging. Sure, there’s no in-box charger, but you can pretty much use any PD power bank or charger to quickly recharge the Tab S9 FE.

Overall – this Fan Edition tablet has impressed me right out of the box. It’s certainly not the best tablet money can buy, but my first impressions is that it really offers a lot of value for our money!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Specifications

Here are the key specifications for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE tablet :

Specifications Galaxy Tab S9 FE (WiFi)
Display 10.9-inch IPS Display
– 1440 x 2304 pixels (249 ppi)
– 60 Hz / 90 Hz refresh rate
Protection Gorilla Glass 5
Water Resistance IP68
Platform Samsung Exynos 1380
CPU 4 x Arm Cortex-A78 cores (2.4 GHz)
4 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
GPU Arm Mali-G68 MP5 (950 MHz)
Memory +
Storage
6 GB + 128 GB
8 GB + 256 GB
External Storage microSD (up to 1TB)
Front Camera 12 MP camera
Main Camera 8 MP camera
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.3
USB : USB 2.0 Type C
S Pen Yes
Samsung DeX Not supported
Audio Dual speakers tuned by AKG
Fingerprint Sensor Integrated Into Power Button
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Hall, Light
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, QZSS
NFC No
Battery 8,000 mAh
Charging 45 watt super fast charging
15 watt reverse fast charging
Dimensions 254.3 mm wide
165.8 mm tall
6.5 mm thick
Weight 523 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Price + Availability

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE comes with colour options of Mint, Lavender, Gray and Silver. It comes with two RAM and storage options:

  • 6 GB + 128 GB
  • 8 GB + 256 GB

These are the available models and launch prices for the Tab S9 FE tablet:

  • 6 GB + 128 GB : US$449.99 / £549 / A$749 / RM2,099
  • 8 GB + 256 GB : US$519.99 / £619 / A$899 / RM2,399

Here are some online per-order and purchase options for the Tab S9 FE tablet:

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Mobile | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Samsung Galaxy A54 Review : Tech ARP Editor’s Choice!

Read our comprehensive review of the Samsung Galaxy A54 smartphone, and find out why it won our Editor’s Choice Award!

 

Samsung Galaxy A54 : Colour Options

The new Samsung Galaxy A54 smartphone is available in three main colours with a glossy finish :

  • Awesome Graphite
  • Awesome Violet
  • Awesome Lime

Samsung also offers an Awesome White colour option in certain countries.

In the following video, I will show you the three main colour options, and give you a closer look at the Galaxy A54 in the Awesome Graphite, Awesome Violet and Awesome Lime colours. Do let us know which you prefer!

The Samsung Galaxy A54 comes with 8 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of storage, with the option to add a microSD card in the hybrid SIM tray. It is covered by a 2-year warranty, with the following launch prices:

  • 8 GB + 256 GB : RM1,899 / US$449.99 / £499 / A$697 / S$648

Here are online purchase options (we may get commission from your purchase) :

 

Samsung Galaxy A54 : Key Specifications

Here are the key specifications for the Samsung Galaxy A54 smartphone:

Specifications Samsung Galaxy A54
Display 6.4-inch Super AMOLED
– 1080 x 2340 pixels (390 ppi)
– 60 Hz / 120 Hz refresh rate
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 5 (front + back)
Water Resistance IP67
OS One UI 5.1 (Android 13)
Platform Samsung Exynos 1380
CPU 4 x Arm Cortex-A78 cores (2.4 GHz)
4 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
GPU Arm Mali-G68 MP5
Memory 8 GB GB
Storage Options 256 GB
External Storage Hybrid microSD slot (up to 1 TB)
Front Camera 32 MP camera, f/2.2, 80˚ FOV
Main Cameras 50 MP wide angle camera, f/1.8
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
5 MP macro camera, f/2.4
Connectivity Up to 5G Sub6 FDD/TDD
Dual SIM (hybrid) capability
Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6 (dual-band)
Bluetooth : BT 5.3SB : USB 2.0 Type C
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic,  Hall, Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, QZSS
NFC Yes
Battery 5,000 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 25 watt wired charging
Dimensions 76.7 mm wide
158.2 mm tall
8.2 mm thick
Weight 202 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy A54 : What’s Inside The Box?

The Samsung Galaxy A54 smartphone comes in a thin white cardboard box. Once you remove everything, you should find these items inside the box:

  • Samsung Galaxy A54 smartphone
  • One set of documents : Quick Start Guide, warranty card, Samsung Pay leaflet, Regional Lock Guide
  • Type C to Type C USB cable
  • SIM tray pin

That’s it! The package is pretty sparse. There is no USB charger, and no, it doesn’t come with a basic TPU bumper case either.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy A54 Key Features

 

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Samsung Galaxy A54 : Key Features

Now, let us go through its key features, and show you why the Samsung Galaxy A54 is worthy of our Editor’s Choice Award!

Samsung Exynos 1380 5G Mobile Platform

The Samsung Galaxy A54 is built around the Samsung Exynos 1380 mobile SoC, which is fabricated with Samsung’s own 5 nm EUV process technology.

It comes with an Arm Mali-G68 MP5 GPU, and an NPU, as well as eight CPU cores arranged in two performance clusters:

  • 4 x Arm Cortex-A78 cores (2.4 GHz)
  • 4 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)

The Samsung Exynos 1380 has an integrated 5G modem that supports Sub-6GHz and mmWave standards, as well as LTE Cat.18 uploads and downloads for current 4G networks.

It also supports Wi-Fi 802.11ax (2×2 MIMO) with triple-band capability, as well as Bluetooth 5.3. It supports the four main GPS networks – GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galile.

6.4-inch Super AMOLED Display

The Samsung Galaxy A54 boasts a large 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display, with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels.

This display defaults to a 60 Hz refresh rate, but supports a 120 Hz refresh rate that offers smoother graphics at the expense of higher power consumption.

Unlike higher-end smartphones like the new Galaxy S23 Ultra, the display does not dynamically changes its refresh rate. It either runs at 60 Hz or 120 Hz.

32 MP Front Camera

The Samsung Galaxy A54 comes with a high-resolution 32 MP front camera with f/2.2 aperture. Instead of hiding it in a discreet punch hole, it has a stainless steel ring.

This camera defaults to 8 MP by default, combining four pixels into one much larger pixel for better image quality and low-light performance.

This 32 MP camera is capable of recording 1080p video at 30 fps or 60 fps, as well as 4K video at 30 fps.

50 MP Main Camera

The Samsung Galaxy A54 comes with a triple camera system at the back that consists of:

  • a 50 MP main camera, with f/1.8 aperture,
  • a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera, with f/2.2 aperture, and
  • a 5 MP macro camera, with f/2.4 aperture

The 50 MP camera is a “downgrade” in megapixels from the Galaxy A53’s 64 MP camera, but its image quality is better because it is built around the Sony IMX766 image sensor used in phones like the realme 9 Pro+ and Xiaomi 12.

The Sony IMX766 is a larger 1/1.56″ sensor, which offers a 25% larger pixel size of 1.0 µm (compared to 0.8 µm). The larger pixel size is important as it means each pixel can receive 25% more light, delivering better images, especially in low-light conditions.

In fact, that is why the Galaxy A54 defaults to the 12.5 MP resolution, combining four pixels into a much larger 2 µm “bucket” to collect more light. The 64 MP camera in last year’s Galaxy A53 also does the same thing, combining four pixels in one to deliver 16 MP photos.

This 50 MP camera supports PDAF (Phase Detection Autofocus), and its lens has a wide f/1.8 aperture for better light intake. If you like to record videos, you will be glad to know that it features VDIS (Video Digital Image Stabilisation) and improved OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation) offering a wider OIS angle.

Corning Gorilla Glass 5

The Samsung Galaxy A54 is protected in the front and in the back by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. While this was introduced back in July 2016, it still offers considerable protection.

In lab tests, it can survive drops on hard, rough surface from a height of up to 1.2 metres. It also offers 2X better scratch protection compared to its competitors.

IP67 Dust + Water Resistance

The Samsung Galaxy A54 is IP67 rated against the ingress of dust and water. This means it can withstand being immersed in up to 1 metre of water for at least 30 minutes.

Hybrid SIM + micro SD Tray

The Samsung Galaxy A54 comes with a hybrid tray that supports up to two physical SIM cards, or a physical SIM card as well as a single micro SD card of up to 1 TB in capacity

Read more : EU Orders All Brands To Use USB-C, Including Apple!

USB Type C Port

The Samsung Galaxy A54 comes with the bidirectional Type C port, which is now the EU standard.

5,000 mAh Fast-Charging Battery

The Samsung Galaxy A54 comes with a large 5,000 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery, which supports 25 watt fast wired charging. It does not support wireless charging, or reverse charging.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy A54 Battery + Charging

 

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Samsung Galaxy A54 : Battery Life Comparison!

The Samsung Galaxy A54 comes with a 5,000 mAh battery, which is the same size as the Galaxy S23 Ultra and Galaxy S22 Ultra.

To test its battery life, we turned off Automatic Brightness, and set its display brightness to 50%.

Why 50%? That is actually slightly higher than the average indoor brightness level of 40% during the day, and is what we usually use in all our mobile battery life tests.

It is important to fix the brightness level, to make sure the screen brightness does not change as the ambient brightness changes.

We then ran the PCMark Work 3.0 battery life test until its battery capacity dropped to 20% several times, and this was the best result we obtained with 60 Hz and 120 Hz refresh rates :

Not bad at all! The Samsung Galaxy A54 has a battery life of 12.5 hours with Adaptive refresh rate enabled, and almost 14 hours with the Standard refresh rate. That’s equal to the Galaxy S22 Ultra at the Standard refresh rate, and 16.7% better at the Adaptive refresh rate.

But let’s also compare its battery life at 60 Hz and 120 Hz, against the S23 Ultra, S22 Ultra and Z Flip 3 smartphones.

Standard Refresh Rate (60 Hz)

The Samsung Galaxy A54 lasted almost 14 hours with the refresh rate set to 60 Hz. But it isn’t quite as efficient as the new S23 Ultra, or even last year’s  S22 Ultra.

Work 3.0 S23 Ultra
(60 Hz)
S22 Ultra
(60 Hz)
Galaxy A54
(60 Hz)
Z Flip 3
(60 Hz)
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 3,300 mAh
Battery Life 15 hrs 18 mins 14 hrs 15 mins 13 hrs 57 mins 8 hrs 11 mins
Utilisation
per min.
4.36 mAh 4.68 mAh 4.78 mAh 5.38 mAh

Adaptive Refresh Rate (120 Hz)

Will you look at that! The Samsung Galaxy A54 was about 13.6% more efficient than the S22 Ultra with the Adaptive refresh rate enabled, coming within 8% of the power efficiency of the S23 Ultra.

Based on what we see here, I definitely recommend turning on the Adaptive Refresh Rate on the Galaxy A54, unless you absolutely need the extra 1.5 hours of battery life.

Work 3.0 S23 Ultra
(120 Hz)
Galaxy A54
(120 Hz)
S22 Ultra
(120 Hz)
Z Flip 3
(120 Hz)
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 3,300 mAh
Battery Life 13 hrs
0 mins
12 hrs 25 mins 10 hrs
38 mins
6 hrs
44 mins
Utilisation
per min.
5.13 mAh 5.52 mAh 6.27 mAh 6.53 mAh

 

Samsung Galaxy A54 : Battery Recharging Speed!

The Samsung Galaxy A54 supports up to 25 watts of wired fast charging, but unfortunately, does not come with the charger in-the-box.

So we relied on the standard 15 watt Samsung fast charger than shipped with their previous smartphones – something we believe most users will end up doing.

Work 3.0 S22 Ultra S23 Ultra Galaxy A54 Z Flip 3
Battery Capacity 3,300 mAh 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 3,300 mAh
Charger Output 15 watts 15 watts 15 watts 15 watts
Battery Life 64.5 minutes 88.8 minutes 120.7 minutes 88.5 minutes
Recharging Speed
(per minute)
62.0 mAh 45.0 mAh 33.1 mAh 29.8 mAh

The Samsung Galaxy A54 fully recharges from 20% to 100% in just over 2 hours with the standard 15 watt Samsung charger. Oddly enough, this is significantly (36%) slower than the S23 Ultra.

I have no idea whether this was an intentional design decision to reduce the Galaxy A54’s thermal output while charging, or to further differentiate it from the much pricier Galaxy S23 Ultra.

In any case, the Galaxy A54 has a good battery life : recharging ratio of 7:1. As a rule of thumb, for every hour of battery life, you only need to recharge it for 8.5 minutes.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy A54 Performance

 

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Samsung Galaxy A54 : Performance Summary

Built around the Samsung Exynos 1380, the Galaxy A54 smartphone has a very fast CPU, but a relatively weak GPU.

What that means is that it offers snappy performance for most part – web browsing, work applications, casual gaming, etc.

It only has trouble delivering high frame rates for graphics-intensive 3D games, and AI or 3D apps may take longer to process in comparison to flagship devices.

But that’s what you need to keep in mind – the Exynos 1380 is a mid-range mobile platform, not a flagship-class. And it is a fast one.

 

 

Samsung Galaxy A54 : Work Performance

We first tested the Galaxy A54 Ultra using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browsing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.

Work 3.0 S23
Ultra
Galaxy
A54
S22
Ultra
S21
Ultra
Galaxy
A52
Mobile Platform SD 8
Gen 2
Exynos
1380
SD 8
Gen 1
Exynos
2100
SD
750G
Performance Score 16408 13523 12860 12535 7874
Web Browsing 15680 10659 10442 10185 7021
Video Editing 7879 7363 7444 6336 5693
Writing 22257 17485 15471 15247 7454
Photo Editing 35533 28805 30177 37847 15812
Data Manipulation 12171 11443 9691 8310 6424

Will you look at that?! The Samsung Exynos 1380 that powers the Galaxy A54 actually beat Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 which powered the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

It was also just 17.5% slower than the latest flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile SoC that powers the new Galaxy S23 Ultra flagship smartphone!

Very impressive for a mid-range mobile SoC, especially handily beating the Galaxy S22 Ultra and Galaxy S21 Ultra, and coming in 72% faster than the Galaxy A52.

 

Samsung Galaxy A54 : Gaming Performance

For gaming, we tested the Galaxy A54 using 3DMark, with these results :

3DMark S23
Ultra
S22
Ultra
Z Flip
3
Note20
Ultra
Galaxy
A54
Device SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8
Gen 1
SD
888
Exynos
990
Exynos
1380
Sling Shot Unlimited 16344 11094 9248 8026 6195
Wild Life Unlimited 14554 9106 3952 4504 2860
Wild Life
Extreme
Unlimited
3814 2220 1174 1387 799

This is where the Samsung Galaxy A54’s Exynos 1380 falls short – it is just not very good at gaming!

It was 23% to 42% slower than the Exynos 990, and 28% to 32% slower than the Snapdragon 888!

That does not mean it’s bad for gaming. It can certainly handle most games. It just won’t be able to deliver high frame rates in graphically-demanding 3D games like Genshin Impact, Black Desert Mobile, etc.

 

Samsung Galaxy A54 : Overall Performance

We then tested the Galaxy A54 using AnTuTu, yielding these results :

AnTuTu S23
Ultra
S22
Ultra
S21
Ultra
Galaxy
A54
Galaxy
A52
Device SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8
Gen 1
Exynos
2100
Exynos
1380
SD
750G
AnTuTu Score 1212174 889167 624411 522411 341908
CPU 261886 203090 166290 153230 105098
GPU 538823 402617 258995 149596 88068
Memory 236163 146002 120805 86578 60642
UX 175302 137458 78321 133007 88100

According to the AnTuTu benchmark, the Samsung Galaxy A54 is about 53% faster than the Galaxy A52, and only 16% slower than the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

What’s important to note is that the Exynos 1380’s CPU is fast, coming within 8% of the Exynos 2100. However, it has a relatively weak GPU, and slower memory than the flagship-class mobile platforms in this comparison.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy A54 Camera Performance

 

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Samsung Galaxy A54 : Camera Performance

The Samsung Galaxy A54’s 50 MP camera takes 12.5 MP photos by default, with a resolution of 4080 x 3060 pixels. Each JPEG photo using the High Efficiency Image File (HEIF) format, each photo is about 2.5 MB to 5 MB in size.

Without HEIF, the file sizes are much larger, so please remember to turn on the HEIF file format to save space.

  1. Open the Camera app
  2. Go to Settings > Advanced picture options
  3. Turn on High efficiency pictures.

As this photo sample shows, the 50 MP main camera of the Samsung Galaxy A54 offers a nice bokeh, thanks to its wide f/1.8 aperture.

However, that wide aperture presents a problem too – a narrow depth of field, as this sample photo of star anise shows.

If multiple objects are present at different distances from the camera, only some of them will remain in focus, while the others will be out-of-focus.

That makes for nice portraits, but if you do not tap on the area or subject you want to be in focus, the camera may auto-focus on the wrong area or subject, and you will end up with an out-of-focus shot.

As this shot of pineapples show, only a small area of the right edge of the pineapple on the left is in focus. That’s because I intentionally tapped on that part.

Otherwise, the camera would naturally focus on the nearest part of the pineapple (its centre, which is located to the far left of the photo) and this photo would look really out-of-focus.

In most cases, the colour reproduction is pretty accurate, even if it’s indoors.

But in some cases, you can end up with pretty dull-looking photos under artificial light.

You need to be careful with close-up shots though. This isn’t a macro camera, and so it has trouble focusing if the subject is too close.

The problem is – the Samsung camera app does not warn you if the 50 MP camera cannot focus properly on the subject. It may look like it is focused properly in the camera app, but when you open it up later, you will see that it’s completely out-of-focus.

I definitely recommend you tapping on the subject to “force” the camera app to visibly try to focus. If it fails, you know that you are much too close. It’s also a good habit to tap to focus anyway, as this 50 MP camera has a narrow depth-of-field.

There is no need to worry about the “loss” in resolution from 64 MP to 50 MP. In most cases, you probably won’t even realise that the camera defaults to just 12.5 MP!

Even at 12.5 MP, there is more than enough detail in the photos that the Galaxy A54’s 50MP camera delivers, even if you want to zoom in.

But that does not mean that its 50 MP sensor is pure marketing. You can use it to take 50 MP shots, but you will have to live with significantly larger file sizes.

The full 50 MP resolution isn’t needed for 90% of the photos that most people take, but it is useful for long-distance shots. The Samsung Galaxy A54 does not have a telephoto camera, so taking photos in 50 MP effectively gives you a 4X zoom capability.

For example, if you need to take a faraway shot of a bell tower, you can switch to 50 MP before taking the photo. Then you can zoom into the 50 MP photo you took and crop out a much closer looking shot of that bell tower without using software or digital zoom.

 

Samsung Galaxy A54 : Camera Performance Summary

I’m glad Samsung switched from the 64 MP camera to a 50 MP camera in the Galaxy A54. The “loss” in megapixels is more than made up by the larger and better Sony IMX766 image sensor, with 25% larger pixels.

This improved 50 MP main camera performed well in our tests, generally delivering good photos with accurate colours in most cases. It has a good level of detail, even at 12.5 MP.

The biggest problem I have with it is its minimum focus distance. The camera seems to work best with subjects that are at least 50 cm away, or so. If I get too close to the subject, the shot ends up out-of-focus, especially if I tried to let the camera auto-focus by itself.

This is not readily apparent in the camera app, so you need to tap to focus. That triggers the camera to seek a better focus. That’s when you can see whether it can really focus properly. Even then, I sometimes end up with out-of-focus shots, because I was simply too close to the subject.

For most people, this won’t a problem if you are taking the usual photos – people standing at a distance, landscapes and buildings at a distance, etc. Just keep this in mind if you are taking close shots of products or food, etc.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy A54 Summary + Award

 

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Samsung Galaxy A54 : Summary + Award

The Samsung Galaxy A54 is proof that you don’t need to pay top dollar to get a great smartphone. For less than half the cost of a flagship smartphone, it offers most of the features that you need, in a well-protected device.

It comes with a large, excellent Super AMOLED display which supports 120 Hz refresh rate, and is protected on both front and rear by Gorilla Glass 5. It is also IP67-rated against the ingress of dust and water.

Built around the 5 nm Samsung Exynos 1380 mobile platform, the Galaxy A54 offers excellent performance in work apps, offering the equivalent performance as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

However, it falters when it comes to gaming. Its weaker Arm Mali-G68 MP5 GPU just cannot keep up with the better GPUs used in flagship-class smartphones. That doesn’t mean you can’t game on it. You can – it can certainly handle most games. It just won’t do as well as flagship-class smartphones in graphics-intensive games.

When it comes to photography, it comes with high-resolution 32 MP front camera, as well as a new 50 MP Sony IMX766 camera at the back, and an ultra-wide-angle camera, and a macro camera.

The 50 MP main camera is generally excellent, except under certain indoor lighting where the photos appear washed out. It also has trouble focusing at closer distances, which is probably why Samsung added the macro camera, which would normally be a waste of time for most users.

While I miss the telephoto camera which is a fixture in flagship smartphones, the 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera is arguably a better trade-off – most people would prefer to use it for landscape and group shots, rather than take long-distance shots with the telephoto camera.

The Galaxy A54 takes pretty good videos too, but there are some limitations :

  • it can support 30/60 fps @ 1080p, but only 30 fps for 4K video recording,
  • it is limited to 30 fps, regardless of resolution, when using its ultra-wide angle camera.
  • it can only support video image stabilisation at 30 fps, but not 60 fps

If you really love taking videos at 4K especially at 60 fps or higher, then these limitations will be a deal breaker. Video recording is where flagship devices like the Galaxy S23 Ultra shines.

But for many people, the Samsung Galaxy A54 offers an excellent combination of features and capabilities at a far lower cost. On top of that, you get two years of warranty, three years of Android updates, and four years of security updates.

For these reasons, we gladly award the Samsung Galaxy A54 our Editor’s Choice Award! Great work, Samsung!

 

Samsung Galaxy A54 : Price + Availability

The Samsung Galaxy A54 smartphone is available in three main colours with a glossy finish :

  • Awesome Graphite
  • Awesome Violet
  • Awesome Lime

The Samsung Galaxy A54 comes with 8 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of storage, with the option to add a microSD card in the hybrid SIM tray. It is covered by a 2-year warranty, with the following launch prices:

  • 8 GB + 256 GB : RM1,899 / US$449.99 / £499 / A$697 / S$648

Here are online purchase options (we may get commission from your purchase) :

 

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Samsung Galaxy A54 : Three Key Colours Compared!

Samsung just launched the Galaxy A54 smartphone, and here is our comparison of the three key colours!

 

Samsung Galaxy A54 : Quick Overview

The Galaxy A54 is Samsung’s latest mid-range smartphone, built around the Samsung Exynos 1380 mobile platform, which features:

  • four Arm Cortex-A78 high-performance cores,
  • four Arm Cortex-A55 low-power cores, and
  • an Arm Mali-G68 MP5 GPU

It has a large 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display, with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels. This display is capable of supporting a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz for smoother graphics.

Hidden in its display is a punch hole camera, with a 32 MP sensor and an f/2.2 aperture. At the back, it sports a triple camera system, that consists of:

  • a 50 MP main camera, with f/1.8 aperture,
  • a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera, with f/2.2 aperture, and
  • a 5 MP macro camera, with f/2.4 aperture

All that is powered by a large 5,000 mAh battery, which supports up to 25 watt fast charging.

On top of that, Samsung guarantees up to 4 generations of OS upgrades, and 5 years of security updates, as well as 2 years of warranty for the Galaxy A54!

 

Samsung Galaxy A54 : Three Key Colours Compared!

The new Samsung Galaxy A54 smartphone is available in three main colours with a glossy finish :

  • Awesome Graphite
  • Awesome Violet
  • Awesome Lime

Samsung also offers an Awesome White colour option in certain countries.

In the following video, I will show you the three main colour options, and give you a closer look at the Galaxy A54 in the Awesome Graphite, Awesome Violet and Awesome Lime colours. Do let us know which you prefer!

 

Samsung Galaxy A54 : Price + Availability

The Samsung Galaxy A54 comes with 8 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of storage, with the option to add a microSD card in the hybrid SIM tray. It is covered by a 2-year warranty, with the following launch prices:

  • 8 GB + 256 GB : RM1,899 / US$449.99 / £499 / A$697 / S$648

Here are online purchase options (we may get commission from your purchase) :

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

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Galaxy Watch5 vs. Watch5 Pro : Which To Buy?

Samsung is offering three different Galaxy Watch5 + Watch5 Pro models, so which should YOU buy?

 

Galaxy Watch5 vs. Watch5 Pro : How Different Are They?

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Watch5 series on August 10, and they have already made waves as their most durable and feature-packed watches yet!

In this article, I will go through their key features, so you can find out which Galaxy Watch5 model is best for you!

Three Sizes, Two Case Types, One Strap Size

Samsung offers three different Galaxy Watch5 models, each with a different case sizes, but fortunately – the same 20 mm strap size.

The size difference between the three models does not “look” significant, but they feel different and have different capabilities.

I highly recommend that you visit a Samsung Experience Store to try out the fit first, because how it feels and looks on your wrist is important.

Specifications Watch5
40mm
Watch5
44mm
Watch5
Pro
Model SM-R900 SM-R910 SM-R920
Body Size 40 mm 44 mm 45 mm
Body Material Armor Aluminum Titanium
Strap Band Width 20 mm
Dimensions 40.4 x 39.3 mm
9.8 mm thick
44.4 x 43.3 mm
9.8 mm thick
45.4 x 45.4 mm
10.5 mm thick
Weight 28.7 grams 33.5 grams 45.6 grams

All Models : Full Load Of Sensors

First, let me point out that regardless of which Galaxy Watch5 model you choose, you can rest assured that you will have access to the full load of sensors, including:

  • an improved BioActive sensor, with an increased surface area and more direct contact with your wrist.
  • accelerometer, barometer, gyro sensor, light sensor, and geomagnetic sensor

The BioActive Sensor incidentally is a unique Samsung chip that combines 3 sensors – Optical Heart Rate, Electrical Heart (ECG)  and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, to monitor and track heart rate, blood oxygen level, and even your stress level.

All Models : Same Performance + Connectivity

You will also be glad to know that Samsung did not skimp on the performance in any Galaxy Watch5 model.

All three Galaxy Watch5 models come with Samsung Exynos W920 system-on-chip, built on the 5 nm process technology. It features:

  • two Arm Cortex-A55 processor cores running at 1.18 GHz
  • an Arm Mali-G68 graphics processor
  • 1.5 GB RAM
  • 16 GB internal storage, with 7.5 GB of available storage

All three models also support the same connectivity capabilities – dual-band WiFi-N with Bluetooth 5.2, and NFC with support for Samsung Pay.

They also support all of the main location systems – GPS, Glonass, Beidou and Galileo

All Models : Same Durability

Samsung also did not cheap out on durability. All three Galaxy Watch5 models are similarly tough, boasting a rugged military-grade case that is certified to withstand up to 5 bars of water pressure.

All three models are MIL-STD-810H certified, with dust and water resistance of IP68 and 5ATM. That means you can take them diving at up to 50 metres of depth!

On top of that, the Super AMOLED display of all three Galaxy Watch5 models are protected by Sapphire crystal, which is 1.6 times harder than Gorilla Glass with DX+.

44mm Watch5 | Watch5 Pro : Larger Display

The 44 mm Watch5 model, and the Watch5 Pro come with a larger 1.4-inch display, with a resolution of 450 x 450 pixels.

The 40 mm Watch5 model, on the other hand, comes with a smaller 1.2-inch display, with a resolution of 396 x 396 pixels.

I prefer the larger display, but this is really a personal preference. To really appreciate the difference, I recommend you check out the three models at a Samsung Experience Store.

Galaxy Watch5 Pro : Higher Corrosion Resistance

The Samsung Galaxy Watch5 has an Armor Aluminum case, while the Watch5 Pro has a titanium case. They are both tough and have excellent corrosion resistance.

However, titanium is more corrosion-resistant than aluminium, and is best suited for those who intend to put their watch through the toughest environments.

Galaxy Watch5 Pro : Route Workout + Track Back

As part of its health monitoring capabilities, the Samsung Galaxy Watch5 series can track your sleep, and check your body composition.

But fitness enthusiasts will love the additional Route Workout and Track Back features in the Galaxy Watch5 Pro:

  • The all-new Route workout feature lets you import GPX format workout routes from your smartphone to your watch, syncing your route list.
  • Go the distance, then use Track Back to return right back where you started. Staying on track is easy thanks to voice or vibration-guided turn-by-turn navigation for cyclists and hikers.

All Models : Different Battery Lives, Same Fast Charging

More significant is the difference in battery life between the three Galaxy Watch5 models. They all have different battery sizes, with different battery lives:

Specifications Watch5
40mm
Watch5
44mm
Watch5
Pro
Battery Size 284 mAh 410 mAh 590 mAh
Battery Life Up to 40 hours Up to 80 hours
Charging 10 watt Qi wireless charging

I’m not sure how the Watch5 Small is able to match the battery life of the Watch5 Large, since it has a 30.7% smaller battery. But the smaller display would help, and it is possible that Samsung may have down-clocked its processor.

But there is no doubt that if you want the longest possible battery life in your watch, the Watch5 Pro is what you are looking for, with its rated battery life of up to 80 hours – just over 3 days!

All three models support Qi fast wireless charging, which will allow you to quickly recharge them. The Watch5 only needs 30 minutes to recharge from 0% to 45%.

All Models : Different Colour Options

What is also important to note is that all three models come in different colour options, which I summarised in this table:

Colour Options
Watch5 (40mm) Graphite, Silver, Pink Gold
Watch5 (44mm) Graphite, Silver, Sapphire
Watch5 Pro Grey Titanium, Black Titanium

The Galaxy Watch5 Small and Large models offer a conservative Graphite option, with two “fun” colour options.

The Pro version, on the other hand, is limited to a conservative Black Titanium option, and a cool Grey Titanium colour option.

Again, you need to physically examine these colour options, and try them out on your wrist at a Samsung Experience Store, to decide which looks best on your wrist.

 

Galaxy Watch5 vs. Watch5 Pro : Which To Buy?

The Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro is geared towards adventurers and fitness enthusiasts, who will love its Route Workout and Track Back features.

Its titanium case will easily handle years of acid rain to salt water immersion, while its long battery life will be helpful for long outdoor excursions and field trips.

So if you are an outdoorsman, or someone who dives or goes on long treks, there is no doubt – get the Galaxy Watch5 Pro.

Both the Small (40mm) and Large (44mm) versions of the Galaxy Watch5 are targeted at “the rest of us” – people who want a digital exercise or healthcare companion.

It will help us monitor our health vitals, and track our exercises; while looking stylish enough to go clubbing with, or to attend black tie dinner parties.

If you don’t do triathlons like IRONMAN, or go into the wilderness, try on both the Small and Large versions of the Galaxy Watch5, and buy the one that feels and looks best on your wrist!

 

Galaxy Watch5 + Watch5 Pro : Where To Buy?

Here are online purchase options where you can buy the Galaxy Watch5 series (prices accurate as of Oct 14):

Malaysia

Singapore

United States

United Kingdom

Australia

  • Galaxy Watch5 (40mm) : $479
  • Galaxy Watch5 Pro : $697 | $697

 

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Samsung Galaxy A33 : Exclusive Hands-On Preview!

We recently had the opportunity to get some hands-on time with the Samsung Galaxy A33 that was just launched, and here is our hands-on preview!

 

Samsung Galaxy A33 with 48 MP Quad Camera System!

Samsung just launched their Galaxy A33 mid-range smartphone, which boasts a 48 MP quad-camera system!

We had the exclusive opportunity to get some hands-on time with the Galaxy A33 smartphone recently, and here is our hands-on video experience!

6.4-inch Super AMOLED Display

The Samsung Galaxy A33 comes with a large 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display.

It has a Full HD+ resolution, and a dynamic refresh rate of up to 90 Hz!

Performance

The Samsung Galaxy A33 runs on the new Samsung Exynos 1280 mobile platform, which has a dual-tier CPU architecture :

  • four sustained-performance ARM Cortex-A78 cores running at up to 2.4 GHz, and
  • four energy-efficient ARM Cortex-A55 cores running at 2.0 GHz

It also comes with a ARM Mali-G68 GPU running at 1.0 GHz.

Memory + Storage Options

The Samsung Galaxy A33 comes with 8 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of internal flash storage.

The memory capacity can be expanded through the RAM Plus feature, while storage can be expanded through a microSD card (up to 1 TB).

Cameras Galore!

The Samsung Galaxy A33 is targeted at those who love to take photos and videos.

In the front, it has a 13 MP camera, with an f/2.2 aperture, and in the back, it has a quad-camera system that consists of :

  • a 48 MP Dual Pixel camera with f/1.8 aperture
  • an 8 MP ultra-wide angle camera with f/2.2 aperture
  • a 5 MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture, and
  • a 2 MP depth camera with f/2.4 aperture

IP67 Dust + Water-Resistance!

You will also love the fact that the Galaxy A33 is IP67-rated for dust and water-resistance! That means it can withstand immersion in up to 1 metre of fresh water for up to 30 minutes!

Battery + Charging

The Samsung Galaxy A33 comes with a large 5,000 mAh battery, that supports up to 25 watts of fast charging.

The only downside – Samsung is not providing the 25 watt charger in-the-box.

 

Samsung Galaxy A33 Specifications

Specifications Samsung Galaxy A33
Display 6.4-inch Super AMOLED
– 90 Hz dynamic refresh rate
Protection IP67
OS One UI 4.1 (Android 12)
Platform Samsung Exynos 1280
CPU 2 x ARM Cortex-A78 cores (2.4 GHz)
6 x ARM Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
GPU ARM Mali-G68 (1 GHz)
Memory +
Storage
8 GB + 128 GB
External Storage microSDXC
Front Camera 13 MP camera, f/2.2
Main Cameras 48 MP OIS camera, f/1.8
8 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
5 MP macro camera, f/2.4
2 MP depth camera, f/2.4
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth : BT 5.1
USB : USB Type C
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic,
Hall, Light,
Virtual Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Glonass, Galileo
NFC Yes
Battery 5,000 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 25 watt wired charging
Dimensions 74.0 mm wide
159.7 mm tall
8.1 mm thick
Weight 186 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy A33 Colour + Availability!

Here in Malaysia, the Galaxy A33 smartphone is available in four colour options :

  • Awesome Peach
  • Awesome Blue
  • Awesome White
  • Awesome Black

It will be offered in only one variant, at this price point :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB : RM 1,499 (about US$359 / £269 / A$487 / S$487)

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Samsung Galaxy A53 : Exclusive Hands-On Preview!

We recently had the opportunity to get some hands-on time with the Samsung Galaxy A53 that was just launched, and here is our hands-on experience!

 

Samsung Galaxy A53 with 64 MP Quad Camera System!

Samsung just launched their Galaxy A53 mid-range smartphone, which boasts a 64 MP quad-camera system!

We had the exclusive opportunity to get some hands-on time with the Galaxy A53 smartphone recently, and here is our hands-on video experience!

6.5-inch Super AMOLED Display

The Samsung Galaxy A53 comes with a large 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display.

It has a Full HD+ resolution, and a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120 Hz!

Performance

The Samsung Galaxy A53 runs on the new Samsung Exynos 1280 mobile platform, which has a dual-tier CPU architecture :

  • four sustained-performance ARM Cortex-A78 cores running at up to 2.4 GHz, and
  • four energy-efficient ARM Cortex-A55 cores running at 2.0 GHz

It also comes with a ARM Mali-G68 GPU running at 1.0 GHz.

Memory + Storage Options

The Samsung Galaxy A53 comes with 8 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of internal flash storage.

The memory capacity can be expanded through the RAM Plus feature, while storage can be expanded through a microSD card (up to 1 TB).

Cameras Galore!

The Samsung Galaxy A53 is targeted at those who love to take photos and videos.

In the front, it has a 32 MP camera, with an f/2.2 aperture and the ability to combine pixels for better low-light performance.

In the back, it has a quad-camera system that consists of :

  • a 64 MP Dual Pixel camera with f/1.8 aperture
  • a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera with f/2.2 aperture
  • a 5 MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture, and
  • a 5 MP depth camera with f/2.4 aperture

IP67 Dust + Water-Resistance!

You will also love the fact that the Galaxy A53 is IP67-rated for dust and water-resistance! That means it can withstand immersion in up to 1 metre of fresh water for up to 30 minutes!

Battery + Charging

The Samsung Galaxy A53 comes with a large 5,000 mAh battery, that supports up to 25 watts of fast charging.

The only downside – Samsung is not providing the 25 watt charger in-the-box.

 

Samsung Galaxy A53 Specifications

Specifications Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
Display 6.5-inch Super AMOLED
– 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate
Protection IP67
OS One UI 4 (Android 12)
Platform Samsung Exynos 1280
CPU 2 x ARM Cortex-A78 cores (2.4 GHz)
6 x ARM Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
GPU ARM Mali-G68 (1 GHz)
Memory +
Storage
8 GB + 256 GB
External Storage microSDXC
Front Camera 32 MP camera, f/2.2
Main Cameras 64 MP OIS camera, f/1.8
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
5 MP macro camera, f/2.4
5 MP depth camera, f/2.4
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth : BT 5.1
USB : USB Type C
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic,
Hall, Light,
Virtual Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Glonass, Galileo
NFC Yes
Battery 5,000 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 25 watt wired charging
Dimensions 74.8 mm wide
159.6 mm tall
8.1 mm thick
Weight 189 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy A53 Colour + Availability!

Here in Malaysia, the Galaxy A53 smartphone is available in four colour options :

  • Awesome Peach
  • Awesome Blue
  • Awesome White
  • Awesome Black

It will be offered in only one variant, at this price point :

  • 8 GB + 256 GB : RM 1,849 (about US$439 / £336 / A$599 / S$599)

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 : What You Need To Know!

Samsung just introduced the Galaxy Tab A8 – a tablet targeted at families!

Take a look at the new Samsung Galaxy Tab A8, and find out if this is the tablet for you!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 : What You Need To Know!

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 is a thin and lightweight tablet designed for learning and entertainment, with a very attractive price tag.

It has a large 10.5-inch display, with a sleek metal body that is only 6.9 mm thick and weighs just 508 grams.

Powered by an octa-core processor, it comes with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage, which can be expanded through a dedicate microSD card slot.

The large display not only gives you a more immersive viewing experience, its multi-window support allows you to split the screen in half to do two things at the same time!

On top of that, this highly-affordable tablet comes with four speakers that support Dolby Atmos surround sound, for exceptional audio clarity and depth.

Don’t worry about the Galaxy Tab A8 running out of juice. It has a massive 7,040 mAh battery, which supports 15W fast charging!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 : Specifications

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Tab A8
Model SM-X200
Display 10.5-inch TFT Display
– 1200 x 1920 pixels
Protection NA
Water Resistance NA
OS One UI 3 (Android 11)
Platform UNISOC Tiger T618
CPU 2 x Arm Cortex-A75 cores (2.0 GHz)
6 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
GPU Arm Mali-G52 MP2
Memory +
Storage
3 GB + 32 GB
4 GB + 64 GB
External Storage microSD slot (up to 1 TB)
Front Camera 5 MP camera
Main Cameras 8 MP camera
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth : BT 5.0
USB : USB Type C 2.0
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Side-Mounted
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Geomagnetic,
Hall Sensor, Light Sensor
GPS GPS, GLONASS, QZSS
NFC No
Audio Quad speakers with Dolby Atmos
Battery 7,040 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 15 watt fast charging
Dimensions 246.8 mm wide
161.9 mm tall
6.9 mm thick
Weight 508 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 : Price + Availability!

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 is available in three colour options – Gray, Silver and Pink Gold, with two variants globally :

  • 3GB + 32GB
  • 4GB + 64GB

Here in Malaysia, it is only available in 3GB + 32GB variant in either the Gray or Pink Gold colour options, with a recommended retail price (RRP) of RM999 (about US$238 / £178 / A$336 / S$322).

From now until 28 February 2022, every purchase will come with two freebies :

  • one Samsung Clear Edge Cover worth RM99
  • one year Samsung Care+ coverage plan worth RM110

Here are some online purchase options :

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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vivo V23 5G Preview : What You Need To Know!

vivo just launched their V23 5G smartphone, offering dual front cameras with dual LED spotlights for selfie-lovers!

Take a look at the new vivo V23 5G, and find out if this is the selfie pal you have been waiting for!

 

vivo V23 5G : For Selfie + Photography Enthusiasts!

The new vivo V23 5G smartphone is designed for selfie and photography enthusiasts, offering really great front and rear cameras at an affordable price point.

Let’s take a look at its key features, so you can figure out if this is the smartphone you have been waiting for!

6.44-inch Display

The vivo V23 5G smartphone comes with a massive 6.44-inch display, with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, and a 90 Hz refresh rate.

It uses an AMOLED panel, which delivers much better colour gamut and brightness than regular LCD displays.

Flagship-Class Mobile SoC

The MediaTek Dimensity 920 is a new and faster flagship-class mobile SoC, with an integrated 5G modem, and :

  • two high-performance Arm Cortex-A78 cores running at up to 2.5 GHz,
  • six power-efficient Arm Cortex-A55 cores running at up to 2.0 GHz, and
  • an Arm Mali-G68 MC4 GPU to accelerate 2D and 3G graphics
RAM + Storage

The vivo V23 5G comes with two RAM and storage options :

  • 8 GB of RAM + 128 GB of internal storage
  • 12 GB of RAM + 256 GB of internal storages

Dual Selfie Cameras!

When it comes to photography, the vivo V23 5G offers expanded creativity with dual selfie cameras, supported by dual-tone LED spotlights!

For high-resolution portraits, you have an incredibly high-resolution 50 MP front camera, with a large f/2.0 aperture for great low-light performance.

But if you need to fit many people in, you can opt for the 105° super wide-angle 8 MP camera, with an f/2.28 aperture!

The dual-tone LED spotlights help to ensure even and adequate lighting, even in ultra low-light conditions!

64 MP Triple-Camera System

In the back, it has a 64 MP main camera with a wide f/1.89 aperture, together with an 8 MP wide-angle camera, and a 2 MP macro camera for really close-up shots (as close as 4 cm).

The main camera features the Samsung ISOCELL GW1 image sensor, which lets you take really great photos in low-light conditions by combining four pixels into one, through its Tetrapixel technology!

5G Connectivity

While 5G connectivity is still not available in Malaysia, and sparse around the world, the integrated 5G modem means you’re future-proofed.

More importantly though are its other connectivity options. It comes with support for dual-band WiFi-AC, Bluetooth 5.2 and a reversible USB Type C port.

Premium Colour Changing Glass Body!

The vivo V23 5G features a Fluorite AG glass-covered aviation aluminium chassis, with a layer of crystals that changes colour with the light!

The glass-aluminium body not only imparts a premium feel, it offers a sleek profile that is just under 7.6 mm thick, and weighs about 180 grams.

Large Fast Charging Battery

The V23 comes with a large 4,200 mAh battery to give you a full day of usage and then some!

On top of that, it supports 44 watt flash charging, and best of all – vivo included the charger in the box!

 

vivo V23 5G : Specifications

Specifications vivo V23 5G
Display 6.44-inch FHD+ AMOLED Display
– 1080 x 2400 pixels
– 90 Hz refresh rate
OS Funtouch OS 12 (Android 11)
Platform MediaTek Dimensity 920
CPU 2 x Arm Cortex-A78 cores (2.5 GHz )
6 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
GPU Arm Mali-G68 MC4
Memory +
Storage Options
8 GB + 128 GB
12 GB + 256 GB
External Storage NA
Front Cameras 50 MP main camera (f/2.0)
8 MP wide-angle camera (f/2.28)
Dual-tone LED spotlight
Main Cameras 64 MP main camera, f/1.89
8 MP wide-angle camera, f2.2
2 MP macro camera, f/2.4
Single LED flash
Connectivity Network : 5G / 4G / 3G
Wi-Fi : 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB Type C
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, In-Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Ambient Light,
Proximity, E-compass, Gyroscope
GPS GPS, Beidou, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS
NFC Yes
FM Radio No
Battery 4,200 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 44 watt FlashCharge
Dimensions 74.42 mm wide
157.20 mm tall
7.39-55 mm thick
Weight 179-181 grams

 

vivo V23 5G : Colour Options

The vivo V23 5G is available in two colour options – Sunshine Gold on the left, and Stardust Black on the right.

 

vivo V23 5G : Launch Deals!

The vivo V23 5G has a launch price of RM2,099 – approximately US$502 / £367 / A$694 / S$675.

From 14-16 January 2022, every purchase will come with free gifts worth RM688:

  • vivo TWS 2e wireless earphones
  • 1 Year Extended Warranty
  • 1 Year Screen Crack Protection

From 14-16 January 2022, every purchase will come with free gifts worth RM558:

  • Wireless vacuum cleaner
  • 1 Year Extended Warranty
  • 1 Year Screen Crack Protection

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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vivo V23e 5G Preview : What You Need To Know!

The brand-new vivo V23e 5G smartphone is here, offering a magnificent 44MP front camera for selfie-lovers!

Take a look at what else the vivo V23e 5G offers, and find out if this is what you have been waiting for!

 

vivo V23e 5G : For Photography Enthusiasts!

The new vivo V23e 5G smartphone is designed for photography enthusiasts, offering really great front and rear cameras at an affordable price point.

Those are some of the most important characteristics many consumers are looking for in their smartphones during the pandemic.

6.44-inch Display

The vivo V23e 5G smartphone comes with a massive 6.44-inch display, with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels.

It uses an AMOLED panel, which delivers much better colour gamut and brightness than regular LCD displays.

High-Performance Mobile SoC

The MediaTek Dimensity 810 is a new and faster mid-range mobile SoC, with an integrated 5G modem, and :

  • two high-performance Arm Cortex-A76 cores running at up to 2.4 GHz,
  • six power-efficient Arm Cortex-A55 cores, and
  • an Arm Mali-G57 MC2 GPU to accelerate 2D and 3G graphics

It also features a Multi-Turbo software that intelligently optimises network speed, heat dissipation, AI and gaming performance.

RAM + Storage

The vivo V23e 5G comes with 8 GB of LPDDR4x memory, with an additional 4 GB of extended RAM, giving up to 12 GB of RAM – more than enough to handle multiple memory-hungry games and apps at the same time!

There’s also no need to worry about storage – its 128 GB internal storage is plenty enough for a multitude of games and apps. And if you run out, you can top up storage through a microSD card!

44 MP Selfie Camera

When it comes to photography, the vivo V23e 5G offers both great selfie shots from its 44 MP front camera, with a wide f/2.0 aperture for great selfies even in low light conditions.

The front camera automatically focuses on your eye area, to ensure that you are always in focus; with software enhancements to deliver a natural portrait look.

You can also opt for Multi-Style Portrait to create portraits in a variety of distinct styles!

You can also take photos in really dark conditions using its Front Camera AI Extreme Night feature, which uses multi-frame noise reduction to combine multiple shots into one bright and clear shot!

It also supports Steadiface Selfie Video, which ensures that your face remains stable and clear, no matter how you move.

50 MP Triple-Camera System

In the back, it has a 50 MP main camera with a wide f/1.8 aperture, together with an 8 MP wide-angle camera, and a 2 MP macro camera for really close-up shots (as close as 4 cm).

The main camera supports Double Exposure, allowing you to take two different photos and combine them for a unique double-exposed shot!

5G Connectivity

While 5G connectivity is still not available in Malaysia, and sparse around the world, the integrated 5G modem means you’re future-proofed.

More importantly though are its other connectivity options. It comes with support for dual-band WiFi-AC, Bluetooth 5.1 and a reversible USB Type C port.

Sleek + Light

The vivo V23e 5G features a premium glass-covered chassis, with a smooth anti-fingerprint finish.

It has a sleek profile that is just under 7.5 mm thick, and weighs just 172 grams.

Large Fast Charging Battery

To power all that, the V23e comes with a large 4,050 mAh battery, which gives you a full day of usage and then some!

On top of that, it supports 44 watt flash charging – a quick 30 minute flash charge will restore its battery life to 69%! Best of all – vivo included the charger in the box!

 

vivo V23e 5G : Specifications

Specifications vivo V23e 5G
Display 6.44-inch FHD+ AMOLED Display
– 1080 x 2400 pixels
OS Funtouch OS 12 (Android 11)
Platform MediaTek Dimensity 810 (MT6873)
CPU 2 x Arm Cortex-A76 cores (2.4 GHz )
6 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores
GPU Arm Mali-G57 MC2
Memory 8 GB + 4 GB Extended RAM
Storage 128 GB
microSD support
Front Camera 44 MP camera (f/2.0)
Main Cameras 50 MP main camera, f/1.8
8 MP wide-angle camera, f2.2
2 MP macro camera, f/2.4
Connectivity Network : 5G / 4G / 3G
Wi-Fi : 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth : BT 5.1
USB : USB Type C
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, In-Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Ambient Light,
Proximity, E-compass, Gyroscope
GPS GPS, Beidou, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS
NFC No
FM Radio Yes
Battery 4,050 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 44 watt FlashCharge
Dimensions 74.28 mm wide
160.87 mm tall
7.36-41 mm thick
Weight 172 grams

 

vivo V23e 5G : Colour Options

The vivo V23e 5G is available in two colour options – Sunshine Coast on the left, and Cosmic Aurora on the right.

 

vivo V23e 5G : Price, Availability + Deals!

The vivo V23e 5G has a launch price of RM1,599 – approximately US$378 / £286 / A$532 / S$517.

For a limited time, every pre-order will come with free gifts worth RM550

  • Automatic Soap Dispenser Gift Box
  • Viu TV membership (1 month)
  • 1 Year Extended Warranty
  • 1 Year Screen Crack Protection

There is also a V23e 4G version with a launch price of RM1,399 – approximately US$330 / £250 / A$466 / S$453.

For a limited time, every pre-order will come with free gifts worth RM491

  • Backpack
  • Viu TV membership (1 month)
  • 1 Year Extended Warranty
  • 1 Year Screen Crack Protection

Buying either model will also get the opportunity to purchase any vivo TWS 2 wireless earphones at 50% off! There are also daily rewards from now until 17 December 2021!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Mobile | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

vivo Y76 5G Preview : What You Need To Know!

The brand-new vivo Y76 5G is here, promising to offer unparalleled gaming and entertainment at an unbelievable price!

Take a look at what the vivo Y76 5G offers, and find out if this is what you have been waiting for!

 

vivo Y76 5G : Optimised For Gaming + Entertainment!

The new vivo Y76 5G smartphone is designed to deliver excellent gaming and entertainment at a highly affordable price point.

Those are some of the most important characteristics many young adults are looking for in their smartphones during the pandemic.

Hence, vivo partnered with Mobile Legends to create the Y76 5G, a fact which is obvious during their local launch in Malaysia.

6.58-inch Display

The vivo Y76 5G smartphone comes with a massive 6.58-inch display, with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2408 pixels, 96% NSTC colour gamut and 460 nits of brightness.

When used for mobile gaming, the extra-wide display offers you more screen space, more visibility over your opponents.

Designed For Gaming Performance

The MediaTek Dimensity 700 is a fast mid-range mobile SoC, with an integrated 5G modem, and :

  • two high-performance Arm Cortex-A76 cores running at up to 2.2 GHz,
  • six power-efficient Arm Cortex-A55 cores running at 2 GHz, and
  • an Arm Mali-G75 MC2 GPU to accelerate 2D and 3G graphics

It also features a Multi-Turbo software that intelligently optimises network speed, heat dissipation, AI and gaming performance.

Finally, the Dimensity 700 SoC is kept cool by a Five-Dimensional Liquid Cooling System that vivo claims will reduce core temperature by 10 degrees.

RAM + Storage

The vivo Y76 5G comes with 8 GB of LPDDR4x memory, with an additional 4 GB of extended RAM, giving up to 12 GB of RAM – more than enough to handle multiple memory-hungry games and apps at the same time!

There’s also no need to worry about storage – its 128 GB internal storage is plenty enough for a multitude of games and apps. And if you run out, you can top up storage through a microSD card!

Cameras Galore!

When it comes to photography, the vivo Y76 5G focuses on what’s necessary. That means a 16 MP camera in the front, with a wide f/2.0 aperture for great selfies even in low light conditions.

In the back, it has a 50 MP main camera with a wide f/1.8 aperture, paired with a 2 MP depth sensor for software bokeh effects. It also comes with a 2 MP macro camera for really close-up shots (as close 4 cm).

5G Connectivity

While 5G connectivity is still not available in Malaysia, and sparse around the world, the integrated 5G modem means you’re future-proofed.

More importantly though are its other connectivity options. It comes with support for dual-band WiFi-AC, Bluetooth 5.1 and a reversible USB Type C port.

Sleek + Light

To keep price low, the vivo Y76 5G features a plastic chassis. Yet, it maintains a sleek profile at just under 7.8 mm thick, and weighs just 175 grams.

Large Fast Charging Battery

This is a truly important feature – a large 4,100 mAh battery, which lets you game for hours on end.

On top of that, it supports 44 watt flash charging – a quick 32 minute flash charge will restore its battery life to 70%!

Best of all – vivo included the charger in the box!

 

vivo Y76 5G : Specifications

Specifications vivo Y76 5G Smartphone
Model V2124
Display 6.58-inch FHD+ Incell Display
– 1080 x 2408 pixels
– 96% NTSC colour gamut
– 460 nits max. brightness
OS Funtouch OS 12 (Android 11)
Platform MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G
CPU 2 x Arm Cortex-A76 cores (2.2 GHz )
6 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
GPU Arm Mali-G75 MC2
Memory 8 GB + 4 GB Extended RAM
microSD support
Storage 128 GB
Front Camera 16 MP camera (f/2.0)
Main Cameras 50 MP main camera, f/1.8
2 MP macro camera, f/2.4
2 MP depth sensor, f/2.4
Connectivity Network : 5G / 4G / 3G
Wi-Fi : 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth : BT 5.1
USB : USB Type C
Fingerprint Sensor Yes
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Ambient Light,
Proximity, E-compass, Gyroscope
GPS GPS, Beidou, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS
NFC No
FM Radio Yes
Battery 4,100 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 44 watt FlashCharge
Dimensions 75.0 mm wide
163.84 mm tall
7.79 mm thick
Weight 175 grams

 

vivo Y76 5G : Colour Options

The vivo Y76 5G is available in two colour options – Midnight Space on the left, and Cosmic Aurora on the right.

 

vivo Y76 5G : Price, Availability + Deals!

The vivo Y76 5G has a launch price of RM1,299 – approximately US$308 / £231 / A$428 / S$421.

If you pre-order one from now until 26 November 2021, you will receive free gifts worth RM587 :

  • RM50 instant rebate, so it’s only just RM1,249
  • VANZO Fragrance Gift Set worth RM138
  • 1 Year Extended Warranty worth RM199
  • 1 Year Screen Crack Protection worth RM200

After the pre-order period, every purchase will come with free gifts worth RM537 :

  • VANZO Fragrance Gift Set worth RM138
  • 1 Year Extended Warranty worth RM199
  • 1 Year Screen Crack Protection worth RM200

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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vivo X70 Gimbal Smartphones : What You Need To Know!

vivo just introduced the X70 Pro and X70 smartphones featuring ZEISS optics and a unique gimbal camera!

Find out if the new vivo X70 gimbal smartphones are what you have been waiting for!

 

vivo X70 Gimbal Smartphones : What You Need To Know!

vivo just launched their X70 series of professional photography flagship smartphones, with two models – the X70 and the X70 Pro.

Both models come with ZEISS optics for their cameras, and a unique Ultra-Sensing Gimbal Camera, to allow users to capture the best possible photos and videos, even in the most challenging conditions.

Here is what you need to know about the new vivo X70 series smartphones…

Large AMOLED Display

Both the vivo X70 and X70 Pro come with a large 6.56-inch AMOLED display, with a resolution of 1080 x 2376 pixels.

They both support a 120 Hz refresh rate and a 240 Hz response rate, as well as HDR10+ support and Hi-Rest certification.

There is a subtle difference between the two models though – the vivo X70 display has a 2.5D edge, while the Pro version has a 3D curved edge.

Performance

Both models are powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 – a 5G mobile SoC built on the 6 nm process, with eight processor cores that consists of :

  • a high-performance A78 core running at 3 GHz,
  • three sustained-performance cores running at 2.6 GHz, and
  • four high-efficiency A55 cores running at 2 GHz.

In addition to its 8 processor cores, it has a 9-core Arm Mali-G77 MC9 GPU, and a 6-core MediaTek APU 3.0 AI processor.

RAM + Storage

The vivo V70 comes with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, while the Pro version comes with a whopping 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage.

Even though they both come with a lot of memory, they support Extended RAM 2.0 – giving them additional 4 GB of memory on call!

There is no option to upgrade storage through a microSD card, but they both come with more than enough storage for most users, and most importantly – it’s super fast UFS 3.1 flash storage!

Cameras Co-Engineered With ZEISS

Both models have a high-resolution 32 MP front camera, with a triple camera system for the X70 and a quad camera system for the X70 Pro.

Both camera systems were co-engineered with ZEISS and feature lenses with ZEISS T* coating to reduce unwanted light flares, ghosting, stray light and other image artifacts.

The pièce de résistance of both models is the unique Ultra-Sensing Gimbal Camera, which is coupled with the Gimbal Stabilisation 3.0 technology, to let you capture steady images and video even in the most challenging conditions.

They also support VIS 5-Axis Ultra Stable Video technology, which integrates enhanced optical image stabilisation (OIS) with electronic image stabilisation (EIS) to aggressively stabilise the X/Y-axis as well as Z-axis rotation for silky-smooth video.

Rounding that up is a slew of AI-enhanced photography and videography technologies, like Real-Time Extreme Night Vision, Super Night Video, Pure Night View, Pro Cinematic Mode and more.

Battery + Charging

The vivo X70 Pro and X70 come with large batteries – 4,450 mAh and 4,400 mAh capacities respectively, for a long battery life.

On top of that, they both come with a USB charger in-the-box, which supports 44W FlashCharge for extremely fast charging.

 

vivo X70 Gimbal Smartphones : Specifications

To make it easier for you to decide between the two models, we created this table to compare their key specifications :

Specifications X70 Pro X70
Display 6.56-inch AMOLED
– 1080 x 2376 pixels resolution
– 120 Hz refresh rate, 240 Hz response rate
– HDR10+, Hi-Res
Platform MediaTek Dimensity 1200
– 1 x Arm Cortex-A78 core @ 3 GHz
– 3 x Arm Cortex-A78 cores @ 2.6 GHz
– 4 x Arm Cortex-A55 @ 2 GHz
– Arm Mali-G77 MC9 GPU
– 6-core MediaTek APU 3.0
Operating System Funtouch OS 12 (Android 11)
Memory 12 GB LPDDR4X 8 GB LPDDR4X
Extended RAM 4 GB
Storage 256 GB, UFS 3.1 128 GB, UFS 2.1
Front Camera 32 MP, f/2.45
Rear Cameras 50 MP, f/1.75
12 MP, f/1.98
12 MP, f/2.2
8 MP, f/3.4
40 MP, f/1.75
12 MP f/1.89
12 MP, f/2.2
Connectivity WiFi : Up to Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB 2.0 Type C
GPS GPS, Beidou, GLONASS, QZSS, A-GPS
OTG Yes
NFC Yes
Fingerprint Sensor In-Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Colour Temperature,
Ambient Light, Proximity, E-compass, Gyroscope
Linear Motor Yes
IR Emitter Yes
Battery 4450 mAh battery 4400 mAh battery
Charging 44 watt FlashCharge
Dimensions 73.21 mm wide
158.3 mm tall
7.99-8.08 mm thick
75.39 mm wide
160.1 mm tall
7.55 mm thick
Weight 183-184 g 181-182 g

 

vivo X70 Gimbal Smartphones : Price + Pre-Order Deals

The vivo X70 is priced at RM2,499 – approximately US$598 / £437 / A$822 / S$806.

Here are the freebies you will get if you pre-order one from now until 1 October 2021 :

  • Protection Plus : 1 year extended warranty + 1 year screen crack protection
  • Premium Gift Box : Bluetooth speaker + car charger + 1-month Viu subscription

The vivo X70 Pro is priced at RM3,299 – approximately US$789 / £577 / A$1,085 / S$1,064.

Here are the freebies you will get if you pre-order one from now until 1 October 2021 :

  • Protection Plus : 1 year extended warranty + 1 year screen crack protection
  • Premium Gift Box : Bluetooth sound bar + 1-month Viu subscription

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro : What You Need To Know!

HUAWEI just launched the 2021 MatePad Pro, which runs on the new HarmonyOS 2!

Here is what you need to know about the 2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro tablet!

 

2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro : What You Need To Know!

The 2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro looks superficially like the 2020 HUAWEI MatePad Pro, but they are quite different beasts altogether.

It is now much bigger 12.6-inch tablet, built around the Kirin 9000E mobile platform and runs on the brand new HarmonyOS 2 operating system!

Flagship Performance

The 2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro is built around the Kirin 9000E, the world’s first 5nm 5G mobile SoC.

It has a triple-core CPU architecture, with a boosted Cortex-A77 core at 3.13 GHz, three high-speed Cortex-A77 cores at 2.54 GHz, and four low-power Cortex-A55 cores at 2.05 GHz.

It has a 22-core Mali-G78 GPU, and two Neural Processing Units – one Big-Core NPU and one Tiny-Core NPU.

Memory + Storage

The 2021 MatePad Pro comes with 8 GB LPDDR4x memory and 256 GB built-in storage, with the option of adding an NM card for additional storage (up to 256 GB).

Large OLED Display

The 2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro sports a massive 12.6-inch OLED display, with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels.

Thanks to its ultra-narrow 5.6 mm bezels, this FullView Display offers a 90.1% screen-to-body ratio.

On top of that, it has a colour accuracy of ∆E < 0.5, making it a great portable second monitor for professional photographers!

Improved HUAWEI Share Capabilities

The 2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro offers improved HUAWEI Share, offering the next level of device connectivity :

You can not only mirror your HUAWEI smartphone onto your tablet, you can also transfer and share files across multiple devices even laptops, simply by dragging and dropping them!

2nd Generation HUAWEI M-Pencil

HUAWEI is introducing the 2nd generation M-Pencil with the MatePad Pro. This optional stylus has a much lower input lag – as low as 9 ms, with 4,096 levels of pressure and tilt sensitivity.

Designed to give you the natural writing experience, it offers the feel of a real pencil on paper. It also supports HUAWEI FreeScript, which transforms handwritten content into machine-encoded text in real time.

If you need to switch into different modes like Instant Shape or Instant Table, all you need to do is double-tap it!

HUAWEI Smart Magnetic Keyboard

The HUAWEI Smart Magnetic Keyboard is a full-sized keyboard with a key travel of 1.3 mm; and supports Bluetooth and wireless charging.

This magnetically-paired keyboard quickly converts the MatePad Pro into a full-fledged laptop, offering greater working productivity.

Large Battery + Super Fast Charging

The 2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro tablet comes with a large 10,050 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery built-in for a very long battery life.

On top of that, it supports 40 watt SuperCharge, when used with a 40 watt HUAWEI Super Fast Charger.

 

2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro : Specifications

Here is how the 2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro compares to the 2020 MatePad Pro!

Specifications MatePad Pro
2021
MatePad Pro
2020
Display Size 12.6-inch 10.8-inch
Display Panel OLED LCD
Display Resolution 2560 x 1600 pixels
Max. Brightness 400 nits 540 nits
Colour Gamut DCI-P3
Operating System HarmonyOS 2 EMUI 10.1 (Android 10)
System Platform HUAWEI Kirin 9000E HUAWEI Kirin 990
Memory 8 GB 6 GB / 8 GB
Storage 256 GB 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB
External Storage 256 GB NM Card
Front Camera 8 MP selfie camera
Rear Cameras 13 MP main camera
8 MP wide-angle camera
13 MP main camera
Connectivity WiFi-AX
Bluetooth 5.2
USB Type C
WiFi-AC
Bluetooth 5.1
USB Type C
Stylus Optional
M-pencil Gen 2
Optional
M-pencil
Fingerprint Sensor No
NFC Support No
Audio 8 Speakers
HUAWEI Histen 7.0
4 Speakers
HUAWEI Histen 6.0
Battery 10,050 mAh 7,250 mAh
Charging 40 W SuperCharge 20 W fast charging
Dimensions 286.5 mm wide
184.7 mm tall
6.7 mm thick
246 mm wide
159 mm tall
7.99 mm thick
Weight 609 g 492 g

 

2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro : Price + Deal!

The 2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro will be available for sale in Malaysia from 18 June 2021 onwards, in the Matte Grey colour.

It has an official launch price of RM 3,999 (about US$970 / £686 / A$1,253 / S$1,286). Here are online purchase options :

It is available for pre-order from 10 to 17 June 2021, with the following free gifts :

  • 2nd Generation HUAWEI M-Pencil
  • HUAWEI Smart Magnetic Keyboard
  • HUAWEI Classic Backpack
  • 50 GB HUAWEI Cloud Storage (3 months)
  • HUAWEI Video VIP Access (1 month)

 

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vivo V21 5G Exclusive Edition : What You Need To Know!

After introducing the V21 4G smartphone, vivo just launched the V21 5G Exclusive Edition variant!

Here is what you need to know about the new vivo V21 5G Exclusive Edition smartphone!

 

vivo V21 5G Exclusive Edition : OIS Cameras FTW!

The vivo V21 5G Exclusive Edition is the ultimate vivo V21 flagship smartphone.

Built around the MediaTek Dimensity 800U, it offers flagship-class performance, with OIS cameras in both front and rear!

Let’s take a look at its key features!

6.44-inch AMOLED Display

The vivo V21 5G Exclusive Edition comes with a large 6.44-inch AMOLED display, with 500 nits of maximum brightness and a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels.

On top of that, its HDR10-certified display has a higher 90 Hz refresh rate, and is protected by AG Matte Glass.

Performance

The vivo V21 5G Exclusive Edition is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 800U, which is a new mid-range mobile SoC, roughly equivalent to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G.

It has two fast ARM Cortex-A76 cores running at 2.4 GHz for sustained performance, six power-efficient ARM Cortex-A55 cores running at up to 2.0 GHz, and a tri-core ARM Mali-G57 MC3 GPU.

Memory + Storage

The V21 5G Exclusive Edition comes with 8 GB of RAM, but has the ability to expand it with 3 GB of Extended Memory (virtual memory).

It also comes with 256 GB of internal UFS 2.2 storage, which offers 110% faster read speed and 95% faster write speed, compared to the vivo V20.

Its storage can be further expanded using a microSD card – shared with SIM2 in a hybrid SIM tray.

44 MP OIS Selfie Camera

The vivo V21 5G Exclusive Edition comes with a 44 MP selfie camera, with a wide f/2.0 aperture; and support for Super Night Selfie and AI Night Portrait.

This 44 MP selfie camera boasts two world-leading features :

  • its 44 MP selfie camera supports optical image stabilisation (OIS), which allows you to take super-steady photos and videos even while walking!
  • it is the first phone to feature Dual Selfie Spotlight, for radiant selfies even in low light conditions!

Triple Rear Camera System

The vivo V21 5G Exclusive Edition features a triple camera setup, that consists of:

  •  a 64 MP main camera with f/1.79 aperture,
  • an 8 MP wide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture,
  • a 2 MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture, and
  • a single LED flash.

The 64 MP main camera with a 4-axes OIS technology, allowing you to take photos and record videos with incredible stability.

Large Fast-Charging Battery

The vivo V21 5G Exclusive Edition has a large 4,000 mAh battery, which supports 33 watt fast charging. And yes, it comes with the 33 watt FlashCharge 2.0 charger in box!

 

vivo V21 5G Exclusive Edition : Specifications

We created this table to take it easier for you to compare the 4G and 5G variants of the vivo V21!

Specifications vivo V21 5G vivo V21 4G
Display Size 6.44-inch
Display Panel AMOLED
Resolution 1080 x 2400 pixels
Brightness 500 nits
Refresh Rate 90 Hz
Operating System Funtouch OS 11.1 (Android 11)
Platform MediaTek
Dimensity 800U
RAM 8 GB + 3 GB Virtual RAM
Storage 256 GB 128 GB
Front Camera 44 MP OIS (f/2.0)
Rear Cameras 64 MP OIS (f/1.79)
8 MP wide-angle (f/2.2)
2 MP macro (f/2.4)
Network Support 5G 4G
Connectivity Wi-Fi : 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz
Bluetooth : BT 5.1
USB : Type C
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, GLONASS
Battery 4,000 mAh
Charging 33 W fast charging
Dimensions 73.90 mm wide
159.68 mm tall
7.29 mm thick
Weight 176 g – 177 g

 

vivo V21 5G Exclusive Edition : Price + Availability

The new V21 5G Exclusive Edition is available for purchase with immediate effect, with a launch price of RM1,899 (about US$459 / £324 / A$593 / S$606)

Here are online purchase options :

 

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vivo V21 Smartphone : Our Hands-On Preview!

The new vivo V21 boasts a phenomenal 44 MP front camera, and a triple camera system as its killer features!

Take a look at our hands-on preview of vivo V21, and find out if this is the smartphone you have been waiting for!

 

vivo V21 + V21e Smartphones : 44 MP Selfie FTW!

On 28 April 2021, vivo launched their V21 and V21e smartphones, both offering a phenomenal 44 MP front camera as their killer feature!

Let’s start with this official vivo V21 series promotional video, which gives you a quick overview of their key features.

To make it easier for you to differentiate the two models, we created this table comparing their key specifications :

Specifications vivo V21 vivo V21e
Display Size 6.44-inch
Display Panel AMOLED
Resolution 1080 x 2400 pixels
Brightness 500 nits 430 nits
Refresh Rate 90 Hz 60 Hz
Operating System Funtouch OS 11.1 (Android 11)
Platform MediaTek
Dimensity 800U
Qualcomm
Snapdragon 720G
RAM 8 GB
Storage 128 GB
Front Camera 44 MP OIS (f/2.0) 44 MP (f/2.0)
Rear Cameras 64 MP OIS (f/1.79)
8 MP wide-angle (f/2.2)
2 MP macro (f/2.4)
64 MP (f/1.89)
8 MP wide-angle (f/2.2)
2 MP macro (f/2.4)
Connectivity Network : 4G LTE
Wi-Fi : 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz
Bluetooth : BT 5.1
USB : Type C
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, GLONASS
Battery 4,000 mAh
Charging 33 W fast charging
Dimensions 73.90 mm wide
159.68 mm tall
7.29 mm thick
74.37 mm wide
161.24 mm tall
7.38 mm thick
Weight 176 g – 177 g 171 g

 

Unboxing The vivo V21 Smartphone!

The vivo V21 comes in a premium-looking box. Once you unbox it, this is what you will find inside.

  • vivo V21 smartphone
  • vivo V21 clear TPU bumper case
  • Set of vivo V21 documents
  • vivo V3330L0A0-UK charger (supports 33 watt Flash Charge 2.0)
  • USB-A to USB-C data and power cable
  • USB-C to 3.5 mm audio adaptor
  • One pair of wired earphones
  • SIM tray ejection pin

 

vivo V21 Smartphone : Our Hands-On Experience!

vivo sent us a unit of the V21 smartphone to try out, so here is our hands-on experience and its key features!

6.44-inch AMOLED Display

The vivo V21 comes with a large 6.44-inch AMOLED display, which is HDR10 certified.

While this is the same size as the V21e, it comes with a brighter 500 nits panel, which supports a higher 90 Hz refresh rate.

Performance

The vivo V21 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 800U, which is a new mid-range mobile SoC, roughly equivalent to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G.

It has two fast ARM Cortex-A76 cores running at 2.4 GHz for sustained performance, six power-efficient ARM Cortex-A55 cores running at up to 2.0 GHz, and a tri-core ARM Mali-G57 MC3 GPU.

Memory + Storage

The V21 comes with 8 GB of RAM, but has the ability to expand it with 3 GB of Extended Memory (virtual memory).

It also comes with 128 GB of internal UFS 2.2 storage, which offers 110% faster read speed and 95% faster write speed, compared to the vivo V20.

Its storage can be further expanded using a microSD card – shared with SIM2 in a hybrid SIM tray.

44 MP OIS Selfie Camera

The vivo V21 comes with a 44 MP selfie camera, with a wide f/2.0 aperture; and support for Super Night Selfie and AI Night Portrait.

This 44 MP selfie camera boasts two world-leading features :

  • its 44 MP selfie camera supports optical image stabilisation (OIS), which allows you to take super-steady photos and videos even while walking!
  • it is the first phone to feature Dual Selfie Spotlight, for radiant selfies even in low light conditions!

Triple Rear Camera System

The vivo V21 features a triple camera setup, that consists of:

  •  a 64 MP main camera with f/1.79 aperture,
  • an 8 MP wide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture,
  • a 2 MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture, and
  • a single LED flash.

The 64 MP main camera with a 4-axes OIS technology, allowing you to take photos and record videos with incredible stability.

Large Fast-Charging Battery

The vivo V21 has a large 4,000 mAh battery, which supports 33 watt fast charging. And yes, it comes with the 33 watt FlashCharge 2.0 charger in box!

Heck, vivo even threw in a USB-C to 3.5 mm audio adaptor, and a pair of earphones too.

 

vivo V21 + V21e : Price + Availability

Both models are available for purchase with immediate effect, at these launch prices :

  • V21 (8 GB + 128 GB) : RM1,599 (about US$390 / £280 / A$502 / S$518)
  • V21e (8 GB + 128 GB) : RM1,299 (about US$317 / £228 / A$408 / S$421)

Here are online purchase options :

 

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OPPO Reno5 Pro Powered By MediaTek Dimensity 1000 Plus!

The OPPO Reno5 Pro smartphone is basically the Reno5 powered by the new MediaTek Dimension 1000 Plus!

Take a look at what the OPPO Reno5 Pro offers, and find out if it’s worth the price difference!

 

OPPO Reno5 Pro Powered By MediaTek Dimensity 1000 Plus!

OPPO is introducing the Reno5 Pro as a more powerful variant of their Reno5 5G smartphone.

Let’s start with this presentation on the OPPO Reno5 Pro.

AMOLED Display

The OPPO Reno5 Pro comes with a 6.5-inch AMOLED display, with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels.

This display has a high colour gamut of 100% sRGB, with a maximum brightness of 800 nits.

You can toggle between a 60 Hz and 90 Hz refresh rate, and the display has a 180 Hz sampling rate.

Mid-Range Performance

The OPPO Reno5 Pro is powered by the new MediaTek Dimensity 1000 Plus, which has eight CPU cores :

  • 4 x Arm Cortex-A76 core @ 2.6 GHz
  • 4 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores @ 2.0 GHz

They are paired with the Arm Mali-G75 MC5 GPU, with AV1 hardware decoding capability.

Recommended : MediaTek Benchmark Cheating : What Happened So Far

Memory + Storage

The OPPO Reno5 Pro comes with 12 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of storage. The larger storage capacity is important, because it does not support external storage through a microSD card.

Cameras Galore

The OPPO Reno5 Pro has a high-resolution 32 MP front camera, with an f/2.4 aperture. Despite its high resolution, it only supports 1080p video recording, at up to 30 fps.

In the back, it has a quad camera system that consists of :

  • a 64 MP main camera, with f/1.7 aperture
  • an 8 MP ultra-wide camera, with f/2.2 aperture
  • a 2 MP macro camera, with f/2.4 aperture, and
  • a 2 MP depth sensor, with f/2.4 aperture

The 64 MP main camera can record videos at up to 4K @ 30 fps, or 1080p @ 60 fps.

Beyond that, OPPO is trying to promote their new Dual-View capability, which combines videos from both the front and rear cameras.

5G Connectivity

5G connectivity is a key selling point for the OPPO Reno5 Pro, which supports both 5G SA (Standalone) and 5G NSA (Non-Standalone) modes.

However, you are unlikely to be able to actually utilise this capability for quite some time, as the 5G rollout will take years.

Small Fast-Charging Battery

The OPPO Reno5 Pro has a small 2,175 mAh battery, but it supports 65 watt SuperVOOC 2.0 fast charging capability.

And yes, it comes with the charger in-box.

 

OPPO Reno5 Pro : Specifications Compared

Here is our comparison of the key specifications of the Reno5 Pro with its cheaper brother, the Reno5 :

Specifications Reno5 Reno5 Pro
Model CPH2145 CPH2201
Display 6.4-inch AMOLED 6.5-inch AMOLED
Resolution 1080 x 2400 pixels
Pixel Density 410 ppi 402 ppi
Colour Gamut 93% DCI-P3
135% sRGB
97% NTSC
100% sRGB
Display
Brightness
430 nits to 600 nits 500 nits to 800 nits
Display
Features
90 Hz refresh rate
180 Hz sampling rate
Protection None
Operating System ColorOS 11.1 (Android 11)
Platform Qualcomm
Snapdragon 765G
MediaTek
Dimensity 1000+
Memory 8 GB 12 GB
Storage Options 128 GB 256 GB
External Storage None
Front Camera 32 MP (f/2.4)
Rear Cameras 64 MP (f/1.7) main camera
8 MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide camera
2 MP (f/2.4) macro camera
2 MP (f/2.4) depth sensor
Connectivity 5G / 4G / 3G / 2G
Wi-Fi : WiFi-5
Bluetooth : BT 5.1
USB : Type C
5G / 4G / 3G / 2G
Wi-Fi : WiFi-6
Bluetooth : BT 5.1
USB : Type C
GPS Support GPS, Gelileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS
NFC Yes
Fingerprint Sensor In Display
Other Sensors Geomagnetic, Proximity, Optical, Pedometer
Accelerometer, Gravity, Gyroscope
Battery 2,150 mAh 2,175 mAh
Charging 65 watt wired
Width
Height
Thickness
73.4 mm
159.1 mm
7.9 mm
73.2 mm
159.7 mm
7.6 mm
Weight 172 g 173 g

 

OPPO Reno5 Pro : Price + Availability

The OPPO Reno5 Pro is available in the Galactic Silver and Starry Black colour options.

It will be available for purchase starting 27 January 2021, with a recommended retail price of :

  • Malaysia : RM2,599, which is about US$643 / £468 / A$827
  • Singapore : S$899

Here are direct purchase / pre-order options online :

 

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Samsung Exynos 2100 : What You Need To Know!

Samsung just unveiled their Exynos 2100 – the 5G mobile platform which will debut in their new Galaxy S21 smartphones!

Here is what you need to know about the new Samsung Exynos 2100 mobile SoC!

 

Samsung Exynos 2100 : Official Presentation

Let’s start with the official Samsung Exynos 2100 presentation.

This presentation broadcast globally as part of the Exynos On 2021 event, just one day before Samsung unveils the Galaxy S21 smartphones.

 

Samsung Exynos 2100 : What You Need To Know!

The Exynos 2100 is Samsung’s first 5G-integrated flagship mobile platform, fabricated on the latest 5 nm EUV (Extreme Ultra-Violet) process node.

The finer 5 nm process lets it deliver up to 20% lower power consumption, or 10% better performance, than its older 7 nm predecessor.

New Tri-Cluster CPU Architecture

The Samsung Exynos 2100 uses a new tri-cluster CPU architecture, featuring :

  • a new powerful Arm Cortex-X1 core running at up to 2.9 GHz,
  • three sustained performance Arm Cortex-A78 cores running at up to 2.8 GHz, and
  • four power-efficient Arm Cortex-A55 cores running at up to 2.2 GHz

Faster Graphics

The Samsung Exynos 2100 comes with the Arm Mali-G78 GPU, which delivers 40% better performance for gaming, and AR/VR or MR (mixed reality).

Faster AI

It also comes with a new triple-core NPU, which can process up to 26 trillion operations per second (TOPS), with twice the power efficiency of the previous generation.

Faster Memory

The Exynos 2100 supports LPDDR5 memory, with a peak memory speed of 51.2 GB/s.

In addition, Samsung says it has an improved cache and a stronger scheduler for better memory performance and utilisation.

Advanced Image Signal Processor

Its advanced image signal processor (ISP) supports camera resolutions of up to 200 megapixels (MP), and can connect up to six individual sensors.

With a multi-camera and frame processor (MCFP), this ISP can combine feeds from up to four cameras to :

  • improve zoom performance
  • enhance image quality for ultra-wide shots
  • reduce hand shake

With AI acceleration, the ISP can also recognise scenes, faces and objects, automatically adjusting the camera settings for optimal image quality and detail.

Integrated 5G Multi-Mode Modem

The Exynos 2100 has an integrated 5G multi-mode modem that supports :

  • 5G : Sub-6 GHz and millimetre wave spectrums
  • 4G LTE with 1024 QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) support
  • 3G WCDMA
  • 2G GSM / CDMA

This modem can download data at up to 5.1 Gbps (sub-6GHz), and 7.35 Gbps (mmWave) with 5G networks; and up to 3 Gbps in 4G networks with 1024 QAM.

 

Samsung Exynos 2100 : Specifications

Specifications Samsung
Exynos 2100
Fab Process 5 nm EUV
Processor 1 x Arm Cortex-X1 core (2.9 GHz)
3 x Arm Cortex-A78 cores (2.8 GHz)
4 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores (2.2 GHz)
GPU Arm Mali-G78
AI Processor Triple-Core NPU (26 TOPS)
Memory Support LPDDR5 (51.2 GB/s)
Storage Support UFS 3.1 / UFS 2.1
Connectivity 5G (sub-6GHz / mmWave)
4G LTE (1024 QAM)
3G WCDMA
2G GSM / CDMA
Camera Support 200 MP (rear)
Video Encoding 4K @ 120 fps
Video Decoding 8K @ 60 fps

 

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T : New Entry-Level 5G Smartphone!

Xiaomi just introduced a new entry-level 5G smartphone – the Redmi Note 9T!

Take a look at the new Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T, and see if this is what you have been waiting for!

 

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T : New Entry-Level 5G Smartphone!

Xiaomi just introduced a new entry-level 5G smartphone – the Redmi Note 9T! This is the 5G big brother of their Redmi 9T. Confusing naming, indeed!

6.53-inch FHD+ Dot Drop Display

The Redmi Note 9T sports a large 6.53-inch Dot Drop display, with a FHD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels.

It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5, and is TUV Rheinland-certified for low blue light.

MediaTek Dimensity 800U

The Redmi Note 9T is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 800U mobile platform, with 5G and WiFi-AC connectivity.

It has an 8-core processor, with two high-speed ARM Cortex-A76 cores running at 2.4 GHz, and six low-power ARM Cortex-A55 cores running at 2 GHz.

It comes with the ARM Mali-G57 MC3 GPU, and a built-in AI accelerator.

Memory + Storage Options

Xiaomi is offering two memory and storage options – 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, and 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage.

Five Cameras

In the front, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T has an 13 MP selfie camera, with a f/2.3 aperture. At the back, it has a triple-camera system that consists of :

  • a 48 MP main camera, with f/1.79 aperture and 4-in-1 Super Pixel capability
  • a 2 MP macro camera, with f/2.4 aperture, and
  • a 2 MP depth sensor, with f/2.4 aperture

Power + Charging

Powering all that is a large 5,000 mAh battery, which supports 18 watt fast charging. Oddly enough, it comes with a 22.5 watt charger in the box.

 

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T : Specification Comparison

To help you differentiate between the Redmi 9T (4G) and the Redmi Note 9T (5G), here is their specification comparison.

Specifications Redmi 9T Redmi Note 9T
Display Size 6.53-inch IPS
Display Resolution 1080 x 2340 pixels, 395 ppi
Display Brightness 400 nits
Protection Gorilla Glass 3 Gorilla Glass 5
Operating System MIUI 12 (based on Android 10)
Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 MediaTek Dimensity 800U
Memory 4 GB / 6 GB
Storage Options 64 GB / 128 GB
External Storage microSD (Up to 512 GB)
Front Camera 8 MP camera (f/2.05) 13 MP camera (f/2.3)
Rear
Cameras
48 MP wide (f/1.79)
8 MP ultra-wide (f/2.2)
2 MP macro (f/2.4)
2 MP depth sensor (f/2.4)
48 MP wide (f/1.79)
2 MP macro (f/2.4)
2 MP depth sensor (f/2.4)
Connectivity 4G / 3G / 2G
WiFi-AC (2.4 + 5 GHz)
Bluetooth 5.0
USB 2.0 Type C
5G / 4G / 3G / 2G
WiFi-AC (2.4 + 5 GHz)
Bluetooth 5.0
USB 2.0 Type C
GPS Support GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou
NFC No Yes
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Side-Mounted
IR Emitter Yes
Audio FM radio (with earphones)
Dual speakers (Hi-Res Audio certified)
3.5 mm audio jack
Battery 6,000 mAh 5,000 mAh
Charging 18 watt wired
Width
Height
Thickness
77.3 mm
162.3 mm
9.6 mm
77.3 mm
161.2 mm
9.1 mm
Weight 198 g 199 g

 

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T : Price + Availability

The Redmi Note 9T will be available for purchase starting 11 January 2021, in two variants :

  • 4 GB + 64 GB : 229 (approximately RM1133 / US$281 / £207 / A$361 / S$372)
  • 6 GB + 128 GB : 269 (approximately RM1331 / US$330 / £243 / A$424 / S$436)

 

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HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro Black : A Hands-On Experience!

We had the opportunity to try out the HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro, and here is our hands-on experience of the Black model!

 

HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro Black : A Hands-On Experience!

The HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro is the mainstream model in the HUAWEI Mate 40 series. Its Black colour option has a highly-reflective glass surface.

Built around the new Kirin 9000 mobile platform, our review sample comes with 8 GB of LPDDR5 memory and 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage.

The HUAWEI Kirin 9000 is the world’s first 5nm 5G SoC, with :

  • a high-speed Arm Cortex-A77 core running at 3.13 GHz,
  • three sustained-performance Arm Cortex-A77 cores running at 2.54 GHz, and
  • four low-power Arm Cortex-A55 cores running at 2.05 GHz
  • two Big-Core NPUs + 1 Tiny-Core NPU
  • integrated HUAWEI Balong 5000 multi-mode 5G modem

 

Its Horizon Display has 88° curved edges on both sides, which supports virtual controls, even though it comes with physical volume control buttons.

This 6.75-inch OLED display boasts a resolution of 1344 x 2772 pixels, a 90 Hz refresh rate and a 240 Hz touch sampling rate.

The display has a pill-shaped punch hole, which conceals its 13 MP front camera (f/2.4 aperture) and a 3D depth sensor. It doesn’t have an LED flash but uses screen flash instead.

Arranged in its Space Ring design at the back, its Leica triple camera system is made up of :

  • a 50 MP main camera, with f/1.9 aperture,
  • a 20 MP ultra-wide camera, with f/1.8 aperture,
  • a 12 MP periscope camera with 5X optical zoom, and
  • a laser autofocus system.

The HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro comes with an IR emitter at the top, with a pair of microphone and speakers.

A second set of microphone and speaker is located at the bottom, next to the USB Type C port and the hybrid SIM tray.

Its double-sided hybrid SIM tray supports either two nano SIM cards, or a single nano SIM card with a HUAWEI NM card. The HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro also supports an eSIM.

The HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro is powered by a 4,400 mAh battery, and supports both 66 watt wired charging and 50 watt wireless charging.

It comes with a 66 watt HUAWEI SuperCharge adaptor in the box, allowing for super-fast charging.

 

HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro : Specification Comparison

We created this table to make it easier for you to compare the Mate 40 Pro against the Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro+.

Specifications Mate 40 Mate 40 Pro Mate 40 Pro+
Model OCE-AN10 NOH-NX9 NOP0AN00
Display Size 6.5-inch OLED 6.76-inch OLED
Display Resolution 1080 x 2376 pixels 1344 x 2772 pixels
Display Features DCI-P3 colour gamut
90 Hz refresh rate
240 Hz sampling rate
Protection IP53 IP68
Operating System EMUI 11 (based on Android 10)
Platform Kirin 9000E Kirin 9000
Processor 1 x Arm Cortex-A77 (3.13 GHz)
3 x Arm Cortex-A77 (2.54 GHz)
4 x Arm Cortex-A55 (2.05 GHz)
NPU 1 x Big-Core
1 x Tiny-Core
2 x Big-Core
1 x Tiny-Core
GPU Mali-G78 MP22 Mali-G78 MP24
Memory 8 GB LPDDR5 12 GB LPDDR5
Storage Options 128 GB / 256 GB 256 GB
External Storage NM Card (up to 512 GB)
Front Camera 13 MP camera (f/2.4) 13 MP camera (f/2.4)
+ 3D depth sensing camera
Rear Main
Camera
50 MP (f/1.9) 50 MP (f/1.9) 50 MP (f/1.9)
Rear Ultra-Wide
Camera
16 MP (f/2.2) 20 MP (f/1.8) 20 MP (f/2.4)
Rear Periscope
Camera
12 MP, 5X (f/3.4) 8 MP, 10X (f/4.4)
Rear Telephoto
Camera
8 MP, 3X (f/2.4) 12 MP, 3X (f/2.4)
Rear Special
Camera
Laser Autofocus ToF Camera
Connectivity 5G / 4G / 3G / 2G
Wi-Fi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz)
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB 3.1 Gen1Type C
GPS Support GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, NavIC
Fingerprint Sensor In Display
Audio Dual stereo speakers
Battery 4,200 mAh 4,400 mAh
Charging 40 watt wired 66 watt wired
50 watt wireless
Width
Height
Thickness
72.5 mm
158.6 mm
8.8 / 9.2 mm
75.5 mm
162.9 mm
9.1 / 9.5 mm
75.5 mm
162.9 mm
8.8 mm
Weight 184 g / 188 g 212 g 230 g

 

HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro : Price + Availability

The HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro will be available in five colour options (from left to right) – Mystic Silver, White, Black, Green, Yellow.

It has a launch price of €1,199 with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage.

 

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HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro Mystic Silver : Hands-On Preview!

We had the opportunity to try out the HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro, and here is our hands-on experience of the Mystic Silver model!

 

HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro Mystic Silver : A Hands-On Experience!

The HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro is the mainstream model in the HUAWEI Mate 40 series, with Mystic Silver as a signature colour.

Mystic Silver has a matte finish, with a colour gradient that changes hue at different angles.

Built around the new Kirin 9000 mobile platform, our review sample comes with 8 GB of LPDDR5 memory and 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage.

The HUAWEI Kirin 9000 is the world’s first 5nm 5G SoC, with :

  • a high-speed Arm Cortex-A77 core running at 3.13 GHz,
  • three sustained-performance Arm Cortex-A77 cores running at 2.54 GHz, and
  • four low-power Arm Cortex-A55 cores running at 2.05 GHz
  • two Big-Core NPUs + 1 Tiny-Core NPU
  • integrated HUAWEI Balong 5000 multi-mode 5G modem

Its Horizon Display has 88° curved edges on both sides, which supports virtual controls, even though it comes with physical volume control buttons.

This 6.75-inch OLED display boasts a resolution of 1344 x 2772 pixels, a 90 Hz refresh rate and a 240 Hz touch sampling rate.

The display has a pill-shaped punch hole, which conceals its 13 MP front camera (f/2.4 aperture) and a 3D depth sensor. It doesn’t have an LED flash but uses screen flash instead.

Arranged in its Space Ring design at the back, its Leica triple camera system is made up of :

  • a 50 MP main camera, with f/1.9 aperture,
  • a 20 MP ultra-wide camera, with f/1.8 aperture,
  • a 12 MP periscope camera with 5X optical zoom, and
  • a laser autofocus system.

The HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro comes with an IR emitter at the top, with a pair of microphone and speakers.

A second set of microphone and speaker is located at the bottom, next to the USB Type C port and the hybrid SIM tray.

Its double-sided hybrid SIM tray supports either two nano SIM cards, or a single nano SIM card with a HUAWEI NM card. The HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro also supports an eSIM.

The HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro is powered by a 4,400 mAh battery, and supports both 66 watt wired charging and 50 watt wireless charging.

It comes with a 66 watt HUAWEI SuperCharge adaptor in the box, allowing for super-fast charging.

 

HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro : Specification Comparison

We created this table to make it easier for you to compare the Mate 40 Pro against the Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro+.

Specifications Mate 40 Mate 40 Pro Mate 40 Pro+
Model OCE-AN10 NOH-NX9 NOP0AN00
Display Size 6.5-inch OLED 6.76-inch OLED
Display Resolution 1080 x 2376 pixels 1344 x 2772 pixels
Display Features DCI-P3 colour gamut
90 Hz refresh rate
240 Hz sampling rate
Protection IP53 IP68
Operating System EMUI 11 (based on Android 10)
Platform Kirin 9000E Kirin 9000
Processor 1 x Arm Cortex-A77 (3.13 GHz)
3 x Arm Cortex-A77 (2.54 GHz)
4 x Arm Cortex-A55 (2.05 GHz)
NPU 1 x Big-Core
1 x Tiny-Core
2 x Big-Core
1 x Tiny-Core
GPU Mali-G78 MP22 Mali-G78 MP24
Memory 8 GB LPDDR5 12 GB LPDDR5
Storage Options 128 GB / 256 GB 256 GB
External Storage NM Card (up to 512 GB)
Front Camera 13 MP camera (f/2.4) 13 MP camera (f/2.4)
+ 3D depth sensing camera
Rear Main
Camera
50 MP (f/1.9) 50 MP (f/1.9) 50 MP (f/1.9)
Rear Ultra-Wide
Camera
16 MP (f/2.2) 20 MP (f/1.8) 20 MP (f/2.4)
Rear Periscope
Camera
12 MP, 5X (f/3.4) 8 MP, 10X (f/4.4)
Rear Telephoto
Camera
8 MP, 3X (f/2.4) 12 MP, 3X (f/2.4)
Rear Special
Camera
Laser Autofocus ToF Camera
Connectivity 5G / 4G / 3G / 2G
Wi-Fi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz)
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB 3.1 Gen1Type C
GPS Support GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, NavIC
Fingerprint Sensor In Display
Audio Dual stereo speakers
Battery 4,200 mAh 4,400 mAh
Charging 40 watt wired 66 watt wired
50 watt wireless
Width
Height
Thickness
72.5 mm
158.6 mm
8.8 / 9.2 mm
75.5 mm
162.9 mm
9.1 / 9.5 mm
75.5 mm
162.9 mm
8.8 mm
Weight 184 g / 188 g 212 g 230 g

 

HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro : Price + Availability

The HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro will be available in five colour options (from left to right) – Mystic Silver, White, Black, Green, Yellow.

It has a launch price of €1,199 with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage.

 

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Kirin 9000 | Kirin 9000E : World’s First 5nm 5G Mobile SoCs!

The HUAWEI Kirin 9000 and Kirin 9000E lay claim to being the world’s first 5G mobile SoC built on the 5 nm process technology.

Find out what HUAWEI’s latest and possibly last 5G platforms offer, and how they differ!

 

Kirin 9000 | Kirin 9000E : World’s First 5nm 5G Mobile SoCs!

The Kirin 9000 and Kirin 9000E are HUAWEI’s most powerful mobile SoCs (System on a Chip) – the brains of their new Mate 40 Series smartphones.

Fabricated on the latest 5 nm EUV process technology, they pack a whopping 15.3 billion transistors. That’s 30% more transistors than the Apple A14, which HUAWEI makes a point to note.

CPU Performance

They both have eight Arm Cortex cores, with a triple-tier architecture :

  • a boosted Arm Cortex-A77 core running at 3.13 GHz
  • three high-speed Arm Cortex-A77 cores running at 2.54 GHz
  • four low-power Arm Cortex-A55 cores running at 2.05 GHz

HUAWEI claims that they will deliver 10% better performance with 25% better power efficiency than the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+.

GPU Performance

The Kirin 9000 has a 24-core Mali-G78 GPU that is supposedly 52% faster than the Snapdragon 865+, with 50% better power efficiency.

The Kirin 9000E has a 22-core Mali-G78 GPU, which should be slightly less powerful.

NPU Performance

The Kirin 9000 has 2 Big-Core NPUs and 1 Tiny-Core NPU that deliver up to 2.4X better performance with 2.5X better power efficiency than the Snapdragon 865+.

The Kirin 9000E has just 1 Big-Core NPU and 1 Tiny-Core NPU.

Integrated 5G Modem

Both mobile SoCs come with an integrated Balong 5000 multi-mode 5G modem.

HUAWEI claims it offers up to 5X faster upload speeds and 2X faster download speeds than the separate Snapdragon X55 modem that is paired with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+.

ISP Performance

They both also feature ISP 6.0 – their 6th generation image signal processor.

Compared to the Kirin 990, it offers 50% higher bandwidth, 48% better noise reduction capability, and better HDR video processing capability.

 

Kirin 9000 | Kirin 9000E : Specifications Compared

We created this table for an easier comparison of both mobile SoCs :

Specifications Kirin 9000 Kirin 9000E
Fab Process 5 nm EUV
Transistors 15.3 Billion
CPU 1 x Arm Cortex-A77 (3.13 GHz)
3 x Arm Cortex-A77 (2.54 GHz)
4 x Arm Cortex-A55 (2.05 GHz)
NPU 2 x Big-Core
1 x Tiny-Core
1 x Big-Core
1 x Tiny-Core
GPU Mali-G78 MP24 Mali-G78 MP22
Memory
Support
LPDDR5 / LPDDR4X
ISP ISP 6.0
Modem Balong 5000

 

Kirin 9000 | Kirin 9000E : Availability

The Kirin 9000 will debut in the Mate 40 Pro and Mate 40 Pro+ smartphones.

The Kirin 9000E will debut in the Mate 40 smartphone.

 

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HUAWEI Mate40 | Mate40 Pro | Mate40 Pro+ Details!

HUAWEI just introduced the new Mate40 Series flagship smartphones, powered by the world’s first 5 nm mobile processors! Here is what you need to know!

 

HUAWEI Mate40 | Mate40 Pro | Mate40 Pro+

The HUAWEI Mate40 family consists of three flagship models – Mate40, Mate40 Pro and Mate40 Pro+.

Built around the new Kirin 9000 and Kirin 9000E – the world’s first 5 nm mobile platforms, they offer a new level of CPU, GPU and AI performance, with integrated 5G connectivity.

HUAWEI Mate40

The HUAWEI Mate40 is a slightly smaller IP53-rated smartphone, with a 6.5-inch display and a resolution of 1080 x 2376 pixels.

Built around the Kirin 9000E, it comes with 8 GB LPDDR5 memory, 256 GB UFS 3.1 storage, and a 4,200 mAh battery with support for 40 watt wired charging.

It has a 13 MP front camera, and a triple camera system with a 50 MP main camera, 16 MP ultra-wide camera and an 8 MP telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom.

HUAWEI Mate40 Pro

The HUAWEI Mate40 Pro is a slightly larger IP68-rated smartphone, with a 6.76-inch display and a resolution of 1344 x 2772 pixels.

Built around the Kirin 9000, it comes with 8 GB LPDDR5 memory, 256 GB UFS 3.1 storage, and a 4,400 mAh battery with support for 66 watt wired charging and 50 watt wireless charging.

It has a 13 MP front camera with a 3D depth sensor, and a triple camera system with a 50 MP main camera, 20 MP ultra-wide camera, a 12 MP periscope camera with 5X optical zoom, and a laser autofocus system.

HUAWEI Mate40 Pro+

The HUAWEI Mate40 Pro+ is a slightly larger IP68-rated smartphone, with a 6.76-inch display and a resolution of 1344 x 2772 pixels.

Built around the Kirin 9000, it comes with 12 GB LPDDR5 memory, 256 GB UFS 3.1 storage, and a 4,400 mAh battery with support for 66 watt wired charging and 50 watt wireless charging.

It has a 13 MP front camera with a 3D depth sensor, and a quad camera system with a 50 MP main camera, 20 MP ultra-wide camera, 8 MP periscope camera with 10X zoom, a 12 MP telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom, and a ToF camera.

 

HUAWEI Mate40 | Mate40 Pro | Mate40 Pro+ : Specifications

We created this table to make it easier for you to determine how the three models differ :

Specifications Mate 40 Mate 40
Pro
Mate 40
Pro+
Model OCE-AN10 NOH-NX9 NOP0AN00
Display Size 6.5-inch OLED 6.76-inch OLED
Display Resolution 1080 x 2376 pixels 1344 x 2772 pixels
Display Features DCI-P3 colour gamut
90 Hz refresh rate
240 Hz sampling rate
Protection IP53 IP68
Operating System EMUI 11 (based on Android 10)
Platform Kirin 9000E Kirin 9000
Processor 1 x Arm Cortex-A77 (3.13 GHz)
3 x Arm Cortex-A77 (2.54 GHz)
4 x Arm Cortex-A55 (2.05 GHz)
NPU 1 x Big-Core
1 x Tiny-Core
2 x Big-Core
1 x Tiny-Core
GPU Mali-G78 MP22 Mali-G78 MP24
Memory 8 GB LPDDR5 12 GB LPDDR5
Storage Options 128 GB / 256 GB 256 GB
External Storage NM Card (up to 512 GB)
Front Camera 13 MP camera (f/2.4) 13 MP camera (f/2.4)
+ 3D depth sensing camera
Rear Main
Camera
50 MP (f/1.9) 50 MP (f/1.9) 50 MP (f/1.9)
Rear Ultra-Wide
Camera
16 MP (f/2.2) 20 MP (f/1.8) 20 MP (f/2.4)
Rear Periscope
Camera
12 MP, 5X (f/3.4) 8 MP, 10X (f/4.4)
Rear Telephoto
Camera
8 MP, 3X (f/2.4) 12 MP, 3X (f/2.4)
Rear Special
Camera
Laser Autofocus ToF Camera
Connectivity 5G / 4G / 3G / 2G
Wi-Fi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz)
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB 3.1 Gen1Type C
GPS Support GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, NavIC
Fingerprint Sensor In Display
Audio Dual stereo speakers
Battery 4,200 mAh 4,400 mAh
Charging 40 watt wired 66 watt wired
50 watt wireless
Width
Height
Thickness
72.5 mm
158.6 mm
8.8 / 9.2 mm
75.5 mm
162.9 mm
9.1 / 9.5 mm
75.5 mm
162.9 mm
8.8 mm
Weight 184 g / 188 g 212 g 230 g

 

HUAWEI Mate40 | Mate40 Pro | Mate40 Pro+ : Price + Availability

The HUAWEI Mate40 will be available in five colour options (from left to right) – Mystic Silver, White, Black, Green, Yellow.

It has a launch price of €899 with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage.

 

The HUAWEI Mate40 Pro will be available in five colour options (from left to right) – Mystic Silver, White, Black, Green, Yellow.

It has a launch price of €1,199 with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage.

The HUAWEI Mate40 Pro+ will be available in two colour options (from top to bottom) – Ceramic White and Ceramic Black.

It has a launch price of €1,399 with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage.

 

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2020 HUAWEI MatePad : Mid-Range Tablet With 2K Display!

HUAWEI just unveiled the 2020 MatePad – a mid-range variant of their MatePad Pro tablet, with a 2K display.

Here is EVERYTHING you need to know about the 2020 HUAWEI MatePad tablet!

2020 HUAWEI MatePad : Mid-Range Tablet With 2K Display!

The 2020 HUAWEI MatePad is a mid-range 10.4-inch tablet, boasting a 2K display with narrow 7.9 mm bezels.

Built around the 7nm HUAWEI Kirin 810, it features fast CPU and GPU cores, with an NPU based on the new Da Vinci architecture.

It offers an immersive audio experience with four Harman Kardon-tuned speakers, with 4-channel output and HUAWEI Histen 6.0 3D sound effects.

Powering it is a large 7,250 mAh battery, offering up to 12 hours of video playback time, and 7 hours of 3D gaming. Its 10 watt charger takes just under 4 hours to fully recharge its battery.

You can extend its capabilities using the optional M-Pencil with ultra-low latency, as well as the keyboard which doubles as a protective cover.

Like other recent HUAWEI tablets and smartphones, it supports Multi-screen Collaboration, and HUAWEI MeeTime – a native chat app that supports 1080p video calling and remote screen sharing.

 

2020 HUAWEI MatePad : Specifications

Here are the key specifications of the 2020 HUAWEI MatePad tablet :

Specifications 2020 HUAWEI MatePad
Display 10.4-inch IPS Display
1200 x 2000 pixels, 470 nits
Operating System HUAWEI EMUI 10.1
with HUAWEI Mobile Services
System Platform HUAWEI Kirin 810
Processor 2 x ARM Cortex-A76 (2.27 GHz)
6 x ARM Cortex-A55 (1.88 GHz)
GPU ARM Mali-G52
RAM + Storage 3 GB + 32 GB
4 GB + 64 GB
External Storage microSD card (up to 512 GB)
Cameras Front : 8 MP ultra-wide
Rear : 8 MP with flash
Connectivity Wi-Fi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (dual-band)
Bluetooth : BT 5.1
USB : USB 2.0 Type C
Fingerprint Sensor No
Other Sensors Ambient Light
Colour Temperature
Compass
Gravity
Hall Sensor (proximity)
Audio 4 x microphones
4 x Harman Kardon-tuned speakers
4-channel audio output
HUAWEI Histen 6.0 3D sound
Stylus HUAWEI M-Pencil (optional)
Battery 7,250 mAh battery
Charger 10 watt fast charger
Dimensions 245.2 mm wide
154.96 mm tall
7.35 mm thick
Weight 450 g

 

2020 HUAWEI MatePad : Price + Launch Deal!

The 2020 HUAWEI MatePad tablet is available starting 9 September 2020, at this SRP :

  • Malaysia : RM1,399 (around US$336 / £252 / A$456 / S$456)

As a launch promotion, HUAWEI is offering these freebies (worth RM500) :

  • HUAWEI MatePad Keyboard
  • HUAWEI Video for 3 months (The Explorers & Oello Concerts channel)
  • HUAWEI Book (valid till 31st December 2020)
  • HUAWEI Member Center Rewards
  • HUAWEI Cloud Storage 15GB for 12 months

Here are the direct online purchase options :

 

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Samsung Galaxy A31 : 48MP Quad Camera System FTW!

The Samsung Galaxy A31 smartphone is out, offering a large 6.4-inch AMOLED display and 48MP quad camera system at a more affordable price point!

 

Samsung Galaxy A31 : 48MP Quad Camera System FTW!

The new Samsung Galaxy A31 is a mid-range smartphone, which packs a lot of features at a more affordable price point. A great option during these difficult times.

The Samsung Galaxy A31 boasts a large 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display, with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels.

Powered by the MediaTek Helio P65, it comes with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. Powering all that is a massive 5,000 mAh battery.

Its other key selling point are its cameras – it comes with a 20 MP front camera, and a 48 MP quad-camera system at the back.

 

Samsung Galaxy A31 : Specifications

Specifications Samsung Galaxy A31
Display 6.4-inch Super AMOLED
Display Resolution 1080 x 2400 pixels
Operating System Android Q
Platform MediaTek Helio P65
Processor 2 x Cortex-A75 cores (2.0 GHz)
6 x Cortex-A55 cores (1.7 GHz)
GPU Mali-G52 MP2 (820 MHz)
Memory 6 GB
Internal Storage 128 GB
External Storage MicroSD Slot (up to 512 GB)
Front Camera 20 MP, f/2.2
Main Cameras 48 MP main, f/2.0
8 MP ultra-wide, f/2.2
5 MP macro, f/2.4
2 MP depth, f/2.4
Connectivity 4G : LTE Cat13 UL (150 Mbps), Cat7 DL (300 Mbps)
Bluetooth 5.0
WiFi-AC
USB 2.0 Type C
Fingerprint Sensor On Display
Battery 5,000 mAh
Charging 15 W fast charging
Dimensions 73.1 mm wide
159.3 mm tall
8.6 mm thick
Weight 185 g

 

Samsung Galaxy A31 : Price + Availability

The Samsung Galaxy A31 is available in three glossy colour options – Prism Crush Black (left), Prism Crush Blue (middle) and Prism Crush White (right).

Here in Malaysia, it is available starting 6 June 2020, with a RRP of RM 1,099 / ~US$257 / ~£203 / ~A$372 / ~S$358. It will come with FREE Samsung Protection Plus (worth RM 119).

Here are purchase options in other countries :

Singapore : Prism Crush Black | Prism Crush Blue
US :
 Prism Crush White | Prism Crush White
Australia : Prism Crush Black

 

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HUAWEI P40 Pro Plus : Key Features, Price + Availability!

HUAWEI just launched the P40 Pro Plus / P40 Pro+ smartphone, featuring a 50MP Leica penta-camera system!

Here is a quick overview of the new HUAWEI P40 Pro Plus – its key features, price and availability!

 

HUAWEI P40 Pro Plus : A Quick Primer

The HUAWEI P40 Pro Plus is the big brother of the new P40 family of smartphones. It has a 6.58-inch OLED display, with a resolution of 1200 x 2640 pixels, and a 90 Hz refresh rate.

It comes only in 5G variants, powered by the Kirin 990 5G. HUAWEI will offer it with 8 GB of memory, and storage options of 256 GB and 512 GB.

In front, it has a 32 MP camera, with a depth camera. But its marquee feature is its rear Leica penta-camera system, which consists of :

  • a 50 MP main camera with f/1.9 aperture (OIS support),
  • a 40 MP ultra-wide camera with f/1.8 aperture,
  • an 8 MP 10X SuperZoom camera with f/4.4 aperture (OIS support),
  • an 8 MP 3X telephoto camera with f/2.4 aperture (OIS support), and
  • a 3D depth sensor

Powering all that is a large 4,200 mAh battery, which supports 40 watt HUAWEI SuperCharge wired charging.

 

HUAWEI P40 Pro Plus : Specifications

HUAWEI P40 Pro+ (5G)
Display 6.58-inch OLED display
– 1200 x 2640 pixels, 90Hz refresh
Protection IP68
Operating System EMUI 10.1 (based on Android 10)
System Platform HUAWEI Kirin 990 5G
Processor 2 x Cortex-A76 (2.86 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A76 (2.36 GHz)
4 x Cortex-A55 (1.95 GHz)
NPU 2 x Big Core + Tiny Core
Graphics ARM Mali-G76 MP16
Memory + Storage Options 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage
8 GB RAM + 512 GB storage
Storage Expansion Yes, 256 GB NM card slot
Front Camera 32 MP selfie camera (f/2.2 aperture)
Depth camera
Rear Camera Leica Penta Camera System
– 50 MP main camera (f/1.9 with OIS)
– 40 MP ultra-wide camera (f/1.8 aperture)
– 8 MP 10X SuperZoom camera (f/4.4 with OIS)
– 8 MP 3X telephoto camera (f/2.4 with OIS)
– 3D depth sensor
Fingerprint Sensor In-Display Fingerprint Sensor
Other Sensors Gesture, Ambient Light, Proximity, Gyroscope,
Compass, Gravity, Hall, Colour Temperature, Laser
NFC Yes
Battery + Charging 4,200 mAh
– supports 40 W HUAWEI SuperCharge (wired)
Dimensions 72.6 mm wide
158.2 mm tall
9.0 mm thick
Weight 226 g

 

HUAWEI P40 Pro Plus : Price + Availability

The HUAWEI P40 Pro Plus is available in selected markets, with a recommended retail price of €1,399 for the 8GB+512GB variant.

HUAWEI will offer just two colour options – Ceramic Black, and Ceramic White.

 

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HUAWEI P40 Pro : Key Features, Price + Availability!

HUAWEI just launched the P40 Pro smartphone, featuring a 50MP Leica quad camera system!

Here is a quick overview of the new HUAWEI P40 Pro – its key features, price and availability!

 

HUAWEI P40 Pro : A Quick Primer

The HUAWEI P40 Pro is the middle brother of the new P40 family of smartphones. It has a 6.58-inch OLED display, with a resolution of 1200 x 2640 pixels, and a 90 Hz refresh rate.

It comes only in 5G variants, powered by the Kirin 990 5G. HUAWEI will offer it with 8 GB of memory, and storage options of 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB.

In front, it has a 32 MP camera, with a depth camera. But its marquee feature is its rear Leica quad-camera system, which consists of :

  • a 50 MP main camera with f/1.9 aperture (OIS support),
  • a 40 MP ultra-wide camera with f/1.8 aperture,
  • a 12 MP telephoto camera with f/2.4 aperture (OIS support), and
  • a 3D depth sensor

Powering all that is a large 4,200 mAh battery, which supports 40 watt HUAWEI SuperCharge wired charging.

 

HUAWEI P40 Pro : Specifications

HUAWEI P40 Pro (5G)
Display 6.58-inch OLED display
– 1200 x 2640 pixels, 90Hz refresh
Protection IP68
Operating System EMUI 10.1 (based on Android 10)
System Platform HUAWEI Kirin 990 5G
Processor 2 x Cortex-A76 (2.86 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A76 (2.36 GHz)
4 x Cortex-A55 (1.95 GHz)
NPU 2 x Big Core + Tiny Core
Graphics ARM Mali-G76 MP16
Memory + Storage Options 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage
8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage
8 GB RAM + 512 GB storage
Storage Expansion Yes, 256 GB NM card slot
Front Camera 32 MP selfie camera (f/2.2 aperture)
Depth camera
Rear Camera Leica Quad Camera System
– 50 MP main camera (f/1.9 with OIS)
– 40 MP ultra-wide camera (f/1.8 aperture)
– 12 MP telephoto camera (f/2.4 with OIS)
– 3D depth sensor
Fingerprint Sensor In-Display Fingerprint Sensor
Other Sensors Gesture, Ambient Light, Proximity, Gyroscope,
Compass, Gravity, Hall, Colour Temperature, Laser
NFC Yes
Battery + Charging 4,200 mAh
– supports 40 W HUAWEI SuperCharge (wired)
Dimensions 72.6 mm wide
158.2 mm tall
8.95 mm thick
Weight 209 g

 

HUAWEI P40 Pro : Price + Availability

The HUAWEI P40 Pro is available in selected markets, with a recommended retail price of €999 for the 8GB+256GB variant.

HUAWEI will offer five colour options – Black, Deep Sea Blue, Ice White, Silver Frost and Blush Gold.

 

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HUAWEI P40 : Key Features, Price + Availability!

HUAWEI just launched the P40 smartphone, featuring a 50MP Leica triple camera system!

Here is a quick overview of the new HUAWEI P40 – its key features, price and availability!

 

HUAWEI P40 : A Quick Primer

The HUAWEI P40 is the little brother of the new P40 family of smartphones. It has a 6.1-inch OLED display, with a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels.

It comes in 4G and 5G variants, powered by the Kirin 990 and Kirin 990 5G respectively. HUAWEI will offer it with either 6 GB or 8 GB of memory, and either 128 GB or 256 GB of storage.

In front, it has a 32 MP camera, with an IR camera. But its marquee feature is its rear Leica triple-camera system, which consists of :

  • a 50 MP main camera with f/1.9 aperture,
  • a 16 MP ultra-wide camera with f/2.2 aperture, and
  • an 8 MP telephoto camera with f/2.4 aperture (OIS support)

Powering all that is a large 3,800 mAh battery, which supports 22.5 watt HUAWEI SuperCharge wired charging.

 

HUAWEI P40 : Specifications

HUAWEI P40 (5G) HUAWEI P40 (4G)
Model ANA-NX9, ANA-AN00, ANA-TN00 ANA-LX4
Display 6.1-inch OLED display
– 1080 x 2340 pixels
Protection IP53
Operating System EMUI 10.1 (based on Android 10)
System Platform HUAWEI Kirin 990 5G HUAWEI Kirin 990
Processor 2 x Cortex-A76 (2.86 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A76 (2.36 GHz)
4 x Cortex-A55 (1.95 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A76 (2.86 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A76 (2.09 GHz)
4 x Cortex-A55 (1.86 GHz)
NPU 2 x Big Core + Tiny Core Big Core + Tiny Core
Graphics ARM Mali-G76 MP16
Memory + Storage Options 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage
8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage
8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage
Storage Expansion Yes, 256 GB NM card slot
Front Camera 32 MP selfie camera (f/2.0 aperture)
IR camera
Rear Camera Leica Triple Camera System
– 50 MP main camera (f/1.9 aperture)
– 16 MP ultra-wide camera (f/2.2 aperture)
– 8 MP telephoto camera (f/2.4 with OIS)
Fingerprint Sensor In-Display Fingerprint Sensor
Other Sensors Gesture, Ambient Light, Proximity, Gyroscope,
Compass, Gravity, Hall, Colour Temperature, Laser
NFC Yes
Battery + Charging 3,800 mAh
– supports 22.5 W HUAWEI SuperCharge (wired)
Dimensions 71.06 mm wide
148.9 mm tall
8.5 mm thick
Weight 175 g

 

HUAWEI P40 : Price + Availability

The HUAWEI P40 is available in selected markets, with a recommended retail price of €799 for the 8GB+128GB variant.

HUAWEI will offer five colour options – Black, Deep Sea Blue, Ice White, Silver Frost and Blush Gold.

 

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HUAWEI nova 7i : Arriving In Time For Valentine’s Day!

HUAWEI just announced that their nova 7i smartphone will be available for sale in three colours on Valentine’s Day!

Find out what the new HUAWEI nova 7i offers, and its key specifications!

 

HUAWEI nova 7i : A New Star!

Malaysia will be the first country outside of China to receive the HUAWEI nova 7i, and just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Available in three colour options, the Sakura Pink model is especially eye-catching, and will likely sell fast.

Large Full HD+ Display

The HUAWEI nova 7i comes with a large 6.4-inch LTPS IPS display, with a 83.5% screen-to-body ratio. It has a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2310 pixels.

High Performance

The HUAWEI nova 7i is powered by HiSilicon Kirin 810 platform, with four fast Cortex-A76 cores, four low-power Cortex-A55 cores, and the Mali-G52 MP6 GPU.

It comes with 8 GB of LPDDR4x memory, and 128 GB of internal storage. If that’s not enough, you can add a HUAWEI NM card for more storage.

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Cameras Galore!

Its front selfie camera boasts a 16MP HDR sensor, with a large f/2.0 aperture, and has been enhanced with video editing features like stickers, filters and effects.

In the back, it has four cameras – a 48 MP main camera, an 8 MP ultra-wide camera, a 2 MP macro camera and 2 MP depth sensor.

MeeTime Video Calls

The HUAWEI nova 7i is the first to feature a new built-in video call feature called MeeTime. It leverages the nova 7i’s low light selfie camera, with its speaker and microphone, to deliver superior video call capabilities.

Fast Charging Battery

The HUAWEI nova 7i comes with a large 4,200 mAh lithium-polymer battery, with 40W SuperCharge capability which recharges it to 70% in just 30 minutes.

 

HUAWEI nova 7i : Specifications

Specifications HUAWEI nova 7i
Display 6.4-inch Full HD+ IPS display
– 1080 x 2310 pixels (~398 ppi)
– 83.5% screen-to-body ratio
Protection NA
Operating System Android Q with EMUI 10
System Platform HiSilicon Kirin 810
CPU 4 x ARM Cortex-A76 cores @ 2.27 GHz
4 x ARM Cortex-A55 cores @ 1.88 GHz
GPU ARM Mali-G52 MP6
RAM 8 GB LPDDR4x
Storage 128 GB internal storage
NM card slot (up to 256 GB)
Front Camera 16 MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture
Rear Cameras Quad Camera System
– 48 MP main camera with f/1.8 aperture
– 8 MP ultra-wide camera with f/2.4 aperture
– 2 MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture
– 2 MP depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture
Connectivity 4G : LTE
Wi-Fi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth : BT5.0
USB : USB Type C 2.0
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Side-Mounted
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Gyro, Proximity, Compass
Battery 4,200 mAh LiPo battery
– 40W fast charging capability
Dimensions 76.3 mm wide
159.2 mm tall
8.7 mm thick
Weight 183 g
Colour Options Sakura Pink / Crush Green / Midnight Black

 

HUAWEI nova 7i Price + Availability

The HUAWEI nova 7i will be available in three colour options, from center to the sides – Sakura Pink, Crush Green, and Midnight Black.

HUAWEI has not officially revealed the price, but it launched in China as the nova 6 SE at CNY 2,199, which works out to RM 1,296 / S$432 / $317 / £242 / A$473.

So we expect it to cost RM 1,299 when it is officially made available for sale here in Malaysia. We will update this article when we know more.

 

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Samsung Exynos 990 : Everything You Need To Know!

Samsung just unveiled details of the Exynos 990 mobile platform, which boasts the new Arm Mali-G77 GPU and a new dual-core NPU!

Here is EVERYTHING you need to know about the new Samsung Exynos 990 mobile platform!

 

The Samsung Exynos 990 Mobile Platform

The Samsung Exynos 990 builds upon Samsung’s first mobile platform with an integrated 5G modem – the Exynos 980, but focusing on performance instead of 5G connectivity.

It boasts a range of significant improvements – new Samsung Mongoose 5 (Exynos M5) and ARM Cortex-A76 cores, and a new Arm Mali-G77 GPU.

Faster Processor + GPU

According to Samsung, its new custom Mongoose 5 (Exynos M5) cores are 20% faster than the Mongoose 4 (Exynos M4) cores used in the flagship-class Exynos 9825 used in the Galaxy Note 10 smartphones!

Its Arm Mali-G77 GPU uses the new Valhall architecture, and promises to offer a 20% boost in graphics performance or power efficiency.

Faster LPDDR5 Memory

The Exynos 990 will be the first Samsung mobile platform to use the new LPDDR5 memory, which offers a 31% higher clock speed – increased from 2093 MHz to 2750 MHz.

This allows it to deliver up to 5,500 Mbps or 687.5 MB/s in memory bandwidth. It should also allow for lower power consumption.

Faster NPU + DSP

Its AI capabilities also received a big boost with a new dual-core NPU and improved digital signal processor (DSP) that can process over 10 trillion operations (TOPS) per second!

No Built-In Modem

Interestingly, the Samsung Exynos 990 does not appear to have a built-in modem, not even for 3G and 4G connectivity.

Instead, it appears to be designed to be paired with the new Samsung Exynos Modem 5123 multi-mode 5G modem with transfer rates of up to 7.35 Gbps in mmWave, and 5.1 Gbps in sub-6GHz.

Recommended : Samsung Exynos Modem 5123 – What You Need To Know!

120 Hz Display Capability

In addition to 10-bit video and HDR display support, the Exynos 990 comes with a 120 Hz refresh rate driver.

Better Photographic Capabilities

Its advanced image signal processor (ISP) not only supports up to six image sensors, it can process images from three of them concurrently! It supports sensor resolutions of up to 108 MP.

Its Multi-Format Codec supports encoding and decoding of 8K videos at up to 30 fps, or 4K UHD videos at up to 120 frames per second. It also supports HDR10+ with dynamic mapping in videos.

 

Samsung Exynos 990 vs. Exynos 980

Features Samsung Exynos 990 Samsung Exynos 980
Process 7 nm EUV 8 nm FinFET
Design Tri-Cluster (2+2+4) Bi-Cluster (2+6)
Processor 2 x Mongoose 5 cores (2.73 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A76 cores (2.5 GHz)
4 x Cortex-A55 cores (1.9 GHz)
2 x ARM Cortex-A77 cores (2.2 GHz)
6 x ARM Cortex-A55 cores (1.8 GHz)
GPU Arm Mali-G77 MP11 Arm Mali-G76 MP5
NPU Yes, Dual-Core Yes, Integrated
Memory LPDDR5 LPDDR4x
5G Modem Separate Exynos Modem 5123
– 5.1 Gbps DL
Integrated 5G NR Sub-6 GHz
– 2.55 Gbps DL / 1.28 Gbps UL
LTE Modem Separate Exynos Modem 5123
– DL : Cat.20 8CA (1.6 Gbps)
DL : Cat.16 5CA (1 Gbps)
UL : Cat.18 2CA (200 Mbps)
Bluetooth 5.0 5.0
Storage UFS 3.0 / UFS 2.1 UFS 2.1 / eMMC 5.1

 

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