HONOR just launched two new MagicBook X 15 laptop models. Let’s take a closer look and see what they really offer!
HONOR MagicBook X 15 : What You Need To Know!
Together with the HONOR 50 and HONOR 50 Pro smartphones, HONOR also launched two new MagicBook X 15 laptop models.
These basic laptops are part of the HUAWEI 1+8+N strategy, back when HONOR was a HUAWEI subsidiary.
And these two models appear to be a legacy of their HUAWEI heritage. We will show you why we say that…
Legacy Of HUAWEI Ban Persists
Despite being new models, the HONOR MagicBook X 15 are still powered by the 10th Gen Intel Core processors from 2019.
This appears to be a legacy of their HUAWEI heritage – HUAWEI was banned from purchasing new processors from Intel since September 2020.
They had already stocked up many processors in advanced of the ban, but can no longer purchase newer Intel processors.
The new HONOR, which was sold to Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology, is no longer affected by this ban. But it looks like they were not able to source for the latest Intel processors in time.
Performance
There are two HONOR MagicBook X 15 models, based on their processor and storage configurations :
10th Gen Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 512GB storage
10th Gen Intel Core i3, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage
HONOR claims that they come with a Supersized Shark Fin 2.0 Fan with up to 38% higher air intake, for better cooling performance.
They use DDR4 memory and come with a PCIe NVMe SSD, but that’s standard for laptops these days.
Display
The HONOR MagicBook X 15 comes with a large 15.6-inch display, with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.
Thanks to its narrow 5.3 mm bezels on the left and right side, this display offers a 87% screen-to-body ratio.
Battery Life
The 2021 MagicBook X 15 models come with a 42 Wh battery, which HONOR says will deliver just over 7.5 hours of 1080p video playback or just over 7 hours of web browsing.
They will come with a new compact 65 watt fast charger that weighs just 200 grams. It can recharge the battery to 53% in just 30 minutes.
Other Features
Despite its low cost, it boasts an aluminium alloy body, which allows for a thinner profile and a lighter weight at just 1.56 kg.
It also comes with a fingerprint sensor built into the power button, that lets you quickly log into Windows.
Finally, it supports Multi-Screen Collaboration – another legacy of its HUAWEI heritage.
HONOR MagicBook X 15 : Price + Deal
The HONOR MagicBook X 15 is available in Malaysia starting 19 June 2021, at these price points :
HUAWEI Malaysia just announced repair and warranty deals for a limited time! Check out what deals they are offering, and grab them before they expire!
HUAWEI Malaysia : One Price Repair Deals (Limited Time)
For a limited time, HUAWEI Malaysia is offering everyone the opportunity to replace parts of their out-of-warranty devices at special all-in prices, which include both replacement parts and service fees.
The price for LCD screen replacement starts at RM99, while the back cover and mainboard replacements start at RM69 and RM159 respectively.
On top of that, if you are replacing your LCD screen or mainboard, you only need to top-up RM9 to replace the back cover!
These replacement parts will come with a 90-day warranty, starting from the day you collect your repaired device.
All you have to do is visit any HUAWEI Authorised Service Centre between 12 August 2020 until1 October 2020.
HUAWEI Malaysia One Price Repair : Eligible Devices + Availability
The HUAWEI Malaysia One Price Repair deals are only eligible for these devices from 12 August 2020 until1 October 2020.
LCD Screen
Back Cover
Mainboard
Y5 2018
Y6 II
Y7 2016
Y7 2018
MediaPad T1 10.0
MediaPad T3 7
MediaPad M3 lite 8
MediaPad M3
nova lite
nova 2i
nova plus
HONOR 7X
HONOR 7A
HONOR 8
HONOR 8 Pro
HONOR 9 Lite
HONOR 10
P9 Plus
P10
P10 Lite
Mate 10
Y6 II
Y7 2016
Y7 2018
MediaPad T3 7
MediaPad M3 lite 8
HONOR 7A
HONOR 9 Lite
HONOR 10
nova 2i
nova 3e
Mate 9
Mate 10
Mate 10 Pro
P10
P10 Lite
Y6 II
Y7 2016
Y7 2018
MediaPad T3 7
MediaPad M3 lite 8
nova lite
nova 2i
nova 3e
HONOR 7X
HONOR 7A
HONOR 8 Pro
HONOR 9 Lite
HONOR View 10
HONOR 10
P10 Plus
P10
P10 Lite
Mate 9 Pro
Mate 9
Mate 10 Pro
Mate 10
HUAWEI Care Warranty : 10% Discount
On top of the HUAWEI One Price Repair offer above, HUAWEI Malaysia is also offering a 10% discount for HUAWEI Care.
Do note that the 10% discount is only available at these selected Customer Service Centers :
Customer Service Centre Eco City Mall, KL
Customer Service Centre Pavillion, KL
Customer Service Centre Plaza Berjaya, KL
Customer Service Centre Sunway Pyramid, Selangor
Customer Service Centre Klang Parade, Selangor
Customer Service Centre Seremban, Negeri Sembilan
Customer Service Centre Taman Molek, Johor
Customer Service Centre Taman Flora Utama, Batu Pahat
Customer Service Centre Brown Road, Penang
Customer Service Centre Ixora Hotel, Penang
Customer Service Centre De Garden, Ipoh
Customer Service Centre Lorong Haji Ahmad, Kuantan
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HONOR Malaysia just announced their Love Week 2020 campaign, offering discounts and deals for their whole range of smartphones and wearables!
Here is the full list of HONOR devices and their deals and bundles for HONOR Love Week 2020!
HONOR Love Week Deals 2020
The HONOR Love Week campaign kicks off today – 4 February 2020, and ends on 14 February 2020. The idea is to let you buy something nice at a discount for your boyfriend / girlfriend / boytoy / mistress / sugar boy / sugar baby.
HONOR is even offering smartwatch bundles, so you can both have matching watches! Only thing missing – the I’m With Her / Him t-shirts…
They’re also offering select deals on special days :
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HONOR just announced the MagicWatch 2 Flax Brown, which is powered by the Kirin A1 – the world’s first Bluetooth 5.1 mobile SoC!
Here is our quick primer on the new HONOR MagicWatch 2 Flax Brown, including its price and availability!
HONOR MagicWatch 2 Flax Brown
The HONOR MagicWatch 2 Flax Brown is their version of the HUAWEI Watch GT2, and runs on the same Kirin A1 mobile SoC.
Designed for the fitness buffs, it comes with 15 fitness modes for 8 outdoor and 7 indoor sports, like running, hiking, cycling, swimming, free training, etc.
It also comes with improved healthcare tracking capabilities. Its HUAWEI TruSleep 2.0 technology lets it track and diagnose 6 common types of sleep disorders, with over 200 suggestions on improving your sleep habit.
Its HUAWEI TruRelax technology detects your stress levels, and advises you on breathing exercises; while HUAWEI TruSeen keeps an eye on your heart rate 24/7, alerting you when it detects any abnormalities.
With water-resistance of up to 50 meters in depth, the HONOR MagicWatch 2 continues to monitor your heart rate underwater, as well as your SWOLF score, distance, speed and burned calories.
The HONOR MagicWatch 2 lets you make or receive Bluetooth calls on-the-go using earphones or through its built-in microphone and speaker. It also comes with 4 GB of internal storage, of which 2 GB is available for music storage – up to 500 songs can be stored!
HONOR MagicWatch 2 Flax Brown Specifications
Specifications
HONOR MagicWatch 2 Flax Brown
Display
1.39-inch AMOLED display
Display Resolution
454 x 454 pixels (326 ppi)
Build
Body : Metal + PlasticStrap : Fluoroelastomer / Leather
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
The HONOR 9X and HONOR 9X Pro smartphones promise to deliver 48 MP photography on the cheap.
Here is EVERYTHING you need to know about the HONOR 9X and HONOR 9X Pro, and how they compare against the HONOR 8X!
HONOR 9X | HONOR 9X Pro
Released just over a year after the HONOR 8X, the HONOR 9X and HONOR 9X Pro promise a few nice improvements, with a pop-up camera design. Let’s take a closer look!
Pop-Up Camera + Slightly Larger Display
The HONOR 9X and HONOR 9X Pro smartphones join the pop-up camera fad, just to squeeze out the display notch. Together with a slightly larger 6.59-inch display, HONOR eked out a 91% screen-to-body ratio.
The pop-up camera takes about a second to extend and retract, which may be problematic if you need to quickly snap a selfie. It sports the same 16 MP sensor, but with a smaller f/2.2 aperture.
Triple Rear Cameras
The biggest upgrade is, arguably, the 8 MP ultra-wide camera – available only in the HONOR 9X Pro – it offers a more dramatic viewpoint, especially for architectural or scenery shots.
The headline 48 MP main camera – available in both models – looks nice on paper, but defaults to 12 MP for better image quality. Unless you manually switch to the 48 MP mode, the HONOR 8X actually has a higher resolution 20 MP camera.
The last “camera” is a 2 MP depth sensor that captures depth information to help the main camera differentiate the subject from its background, to deliver more accurate software bokeh effects.
Same Platform, In A New Package
Both models run on the Kirin 810, which is the replacement for the Kirin 710 platform used by the HONOR 8X., and the Kirin 710F used in the HONOR 9X Malaysia Edition.
Specifications
Kirin 810
Kirin 710 / Kirin 710F
Process Technology
7 nm
12 nm
Processor
2 x ARM Cortex-A76 (2.27 GHz)
6 x ARM Cortex-A55 (1.55 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A73 (2.2 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (1.7 GHz)
The Kirin 810 offers two faster ARM Cortex-A76 cores with six low-power ARM Cortex-A55 cores, and a faster six-core ARM Mali-G52 MP6 GPU.
In addition, the Kirin 810 is fabricated on the 7 nm process technology, which means it runs cooler and uses less power than the Kirin 710 or Kirin 710F.
Side Fingerprint Sensor
Unlike the HONOR 9X Malaysia Edition, both HONOR 9X and HONOR 9X Global Edition feature a side fingerprint sensor.
Larger Battery + USB Type C Port
Both models come with a slightly larger 4,000 mAh battery – just 250 mAh (6.7%) more than the HONOR 8X.
The big upgrade though comes in the form of the USB 2.0 Type C port. It still charges at 18 watts, but at least it is bidirectional!
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HONOR will be adding SpO2 monitoring and remote music control to the HONOR Band 5!
Here is EVERYTHING you need to know about these two new features for the HONOR Band 5!
HONOR Band 5 To Add SpO2 + Remote Music Control!
Here is the short version of this story :
HONOR will introduce an OTA (Over-The-Air) update on 29 September 2019, which will introduce SpO2 monitoring and remote music control to the HONOR Band 5.
With this update, HONOR is hoping that consumers will consider the Band 5 to be more than just a fitness tracker.
SpO2 Monitoring In The HONOR Band 5
SpO2, which HONOR wrongly calls pulse oxygen saturation, is short for peripheral oxygen saturation.
It is an estimate of how much oxygen there is in your blood, measured using pulse oximetry.
With the 29 September OTA update, you will be able to monitor your SpO2 :
Select the Blood Oxygen Monitoring option
Click to start measuring your SpO2
Now, HONOR is clear to point out that this SpO2 monitoring feature is NOT certified, and is thus “not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease“, and should only be used for “personal reference“.
We would like to highlight this, because HONOR’s normal SpO2 values of 90% to 100% is too loose.
A healthy individual should have a SpO2 value between 96% and 99%.
If your SpO2 value drops below 95%, you should consider medical attention.
You should definitely seek medical attention if SpO2 falls below 90%.
Remote Music Control Using The HONOR Band 5
Finally, the HONOR Band 5 will receive the ability to remotely control music on your smartphone with the 29 September OTA update.
After you turn on the Music Control option in the Huawei Health app, you will be able to use the HONOR Band 5 to view and control your favourite music app!
The new remote music control capability will support a wide range of music apps like Google Play Music, Spotify, YouTube, Shazam, HUAWEI Music. It will work with any Android smartphone, as well as they are running Android 5.0 or above.
How To Get The HONOR Band 5 OTA Update
From 29 September 2019 onwards, you can download and install the OTA update that adds SpO2 monitoring and remote music control using these steps :
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Open the HUAWEI Health app.
Tap on the Check For Updates option.
The HONOR Band 5 will update and restart itself automatically.
The HUAWEI Health app will also update and restart itself.
Once they are both updated, the HUAWEI Health app will be version 10.0.1.011, and your Band 5 will be running firmware version 1.1.0.93.
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After a preview launch in June, the HONOR 20 Pro went on sale in August 2019. But guess what – the HONOR 20 Pro is now available in a new Icelandic Frost colour option!
Now, we were not invited to this very exclusive launch, but from what we heard, the new HONOR 20 Pro Icelandic Frost is so cool, it’s just what we need for this hot, hot world!
Here is EVERYTHING you need to know about the HONOR 20 Pro Icelandic Frost model!
It originally launched in four colour options – Sapphire Blue and Midnight Black in Malaysia, with Phantom Black and Phantom Blue available in other countries.
Until yesterday… when HONOR unveiled to their media friends, the new HONOR 20 Pro Icelandic Frost model!
Memory + Storage
The HONOR 20 Pro Icelandic Frost (Price Check) comes with 8 GB of LPDDR4x memory and 256 GB of internal storage.
Cameras
The HONOR 20 Pro Icelandic Frost (Price Check) comes with a 32 MB front camera, and a quad camera system at the back.
A 48 MP main camera with f/1.4 aperture and OIS capability
An 8 MP telephoto camera with f/2.4 and OIS
A 16 MP super-wide angle camera with f/2.2 aperture
A 2 MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture
The 48 MP main camera on both smartphones use the Sony IMX586 image sensor, and defaults to 12 MP because this allows for better image quality, thanks to the larger “combined” pixel size of 1.6 µm.
Battery
The HONOR 20 Pro Icelandic Frost (Price Check) has a 4,000 mAh battery, and supports 22.5 watt fast charging.
Colour
According to their press release, the Icelandic Frost colour was “inspired by the magnificence of Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon in Iceland – capturing the wonders of the glacier lagoon where icebergs glisten in the sunset, making the smartphone shine like a diamond“.
Well, we did not check it out in person, but we can tell from the photo that HONOR was not lying about how shiny it is!
Look at that mirror finish! So shiny you can use it to reflect the sun’s glare and combat climate change!
Seriously though – it’s so shiny, it doubles as a mirror when you need to apply your make up, or to find out if you have a stalker…
HONOR 20 Pro Icelandic Frost Specifications
Specifications
HONOR 20 Pro
Display
6.26-inch LPTS display
– 1080 x 2340 pixels (412 ppi)
Operating System
Android 9.0 with Magic UI 2.1.0
System Platform
HiSilicon Kirin 980
CPU
2 x ARM Cortex-A76 cores (2.6 GHz)
2 x ARM Cortex-A76 cores (1.92 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A55 cores (1.8 GHz)
NPU
2 x NPU
GPU
ARM Mali-G76
RAM
8 GB LPDDR4x
Storage
256 GB storage
Front Camera
32 MP camera
Rear Cameras
40 MP main camera (f/1.4, OIS) 8 MP telephoto camera (f/2.4, OIS) 16 MP ultra-wide camera (f/2.2) 2 MP macro camera (f/2.4)
Connectivity
Wi-Fi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (dual band)
Bluetooth : BT5.0
USB : USB 3.1 Type C
Fingerprint Sensor
Yes, Rear-Mounted
Other Sensors
Ambient Light, Gyroscope, Compass,
Proximity, Gravity, Hall Sensor,
Infra-red Sensor, Colour Temperature
NFC
Yes
Battery
4,000 mAh
22.5 W wired charging
Dimensions
73.97 mm wide
154.25 mm tall
7.87 mm thick
Weight
174 g
HONOR 20 Pro Icelandic Frost Price + Offer For Malaysia
The HONOR 20 Pro Icelandic Frost has a launch price of RM 2,299 in Malaysia, which is approximately ~US$549 / ~£439 / ~A$809.
It is available from 21 September 2019 at retail stores onwards, with online sales kicking off on 23 September 2019. However, you can pre-order it right now!
Here in Malaysia, HONOR is bundling every purchase with a free HONOR Band 5 smartwatch worth RM 199.
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Rumours have been fast spreading on instant messengers and social media about the HUAWEI Trump ban, leading to a ton of misconceptions, misunderstandings and outright BS.
In this article, we will explain the HUAWEI Trump ban, and what it means to HUAWEI and to you, the customer.
The HUAWEI Trump Ban Timeline Updated!
The US government’s distrust of HUAWEI goes back many years, and only grew as HUAWEI became one of China’s biggest and arguably, most visible global companies with over $100 billion in revenue and over 180,000 employees worldwide.
Circa 2010 : US intelligence officers began claiming that HUAWEI was serving as a proxy for the Chinese government
2011 : The US government squelched HUAWEI’s attempt to acquire 3Leaf Systems, a US company that offers server virtualisation solutions.
2012-10-08 : The US House Intelligence Committee released a report about its investigations into HUAWEI and ZTE, which also questioned their dealings with Iran.
2018-08-13 : US President Trump banned the use of HUAWEI and ZTE products by US government agencies.
2018-12-01 :Meng Wanzhou, HUAWEI’s global chief financial officer and the daughter of its founder, Ren Zhengfei, is arrested by Canadian authorities at the request of the United States.
Photo Credit : Darryl Dyck, The Canadian Press / PA Images
Early 2019 : The Trump government begins earnestly pressuring allies to stop using HUAWEI telecommunications equipment, particularly in building new 5G networks.
2019-05-10 : The US-Chinese trade talks failed, and President Trump immediately raised tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports.
2019-05-15 : President Trump signed an executive order barring US companies from using telecommunications equipment from sources that are “national security threats”. The US Commerce Department also added HUAWEI to the Entity List of US national security threats.
2019-05-16 : ARM issued a memo instructing their employees to suspend business with HUAWEI. Read our full report and analysis.
2019-05-19 : Google announced that it would suspend business with HUAWEI to comply with US law.
2019-05-20 : Intel, Qualcomm, Broadcom, Micron and Western Digital announce that they will stop supplying HUAWEI. German chipmaker Infineon also stopped some shipments.
2019-05-20 : The Bureau of Industry and Security of the US Commerce Department announced a 90-day temporary licence to HUAWEI, partially restoring their access to US technology and suppliers.
2019-05-21 : FedEx in Singapore and Hong Kong withheld two HUAWEI packages for “delivery exception“. Read our full report and analysis.
2019-05-23 : Two packages from Japan bound for HUAWEI in China were diverted to the FedEx HQ in the United Stataes instead. Read our full report and analysis.
2019-05-25 : The SD Association removed HUAWEI as a member, but the NM Card gives an extra workaround. Read our full report.
2019-05-26 : The WiFi Alliance temporarily suspends HUAWEI, but this only affects future Wi-Fi standards. Read our full report and analysis.
2019-05-29 : HUAWEI announced a legal challenge on the constitutionality of the HUAWEI Trump ban, but it will be too late to help them. However, China has a Trump card!
2019-05-29 : Just as quietly as HUAWEI was removed as members of the the WiFi Alliance, the SD Association and the Bluetooth SIG, its membership was restored!
2019-05-29 : Malaysian Prime Minister (and the world’s OLDEST prime minister) Dr. Mahathir Mohammad said that Malaysia has no intention on shunning HUAWEI, and that they will “try to make use of their technology as much as possible“.
2019-05-29 : The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) told its editors to stop using HUAWEI scientists and engineers to review scientific papers for fear of “severe legal implications”.
2019-06-02 : The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) reversed their decision to ban HUAWEI scientists and engineers from reviewing scientific papers! Read our full report and analysis!
2019-06-12 : HUAWEI confirmed that they were postponing the launch of their refreshed MateBook laptop indefinitely, because they are unable to purchase the necessary components from US-based companies like Intel.
China’s Global Times reports that HUAWEI will instead launch a different laptop in July that will run Windows 10 on an ARM-based processor. Read our full report and analysis!
2019-06-14 : HONOR is moving ahead with the sale of the HONOR 20 smartphones, starting 21 June 2019. Read our full report!
At the same time, Broadcom slashed its annual revenue outlook by a whopping $2 billion, as a result of the HUAWEI Trump ban. Broadcom shares fell 6% as a result.
2019-06-17 : Microsoft starts selling HUAWEI MateBook laptops again, after removing them from the Microsoft Store when HUAWEI was added to the Entity List.
In their statement, they stated that “[Microsoft] will continue to respond to the many business, technical and regulatory complexities stemming from the recent addition of Huawei to the US Department of Commerce’s Export Administration Regulations Entity List”
2019-06-23 : HUAWEI calls the repeated delivery mistakes by FedEx “a vendetta“. Read our full report!
2019-06-24 : Despite the HUAWEI Trump ban, HONOR reported that they sold their first batch of HONOR 20 smartphones in 3 hours in Malaysia, with over a million units in China in two weeks. Read our full report!
2019-06-25 : FedEx sued the Trump Administration to block trade restrictions (like the HUAWEI ban) that force it to act as enforcement agents. UPS declined to join the FedEx lawsuit.
2019-06-29 : President Trump stunned everyone by reversing the HUAWEI ban, stating that it was “no great national emergency”; and agreeing not to introduce more tariffs… all without a trade agreement with China. Read our full report and analysis!
2019-07-14 : Reuters reported that the US Commerce Department could start approving licences for US companies to start selling again to HUAWEI in a matter of weeks.
2019-07-22 : Impatient with the US Commerce Department, the CEOs of Google, Cisco, Intel, Broadcom, Micron and Western Digital pressured Donald Trump to force the US Commerce Department to issue licenses allowing them to sell to HUAWEI once again. Read our full report and analysis!
2019-08-19 : The US Commerce Department extended HUAWEI’s temporary general licence by a further 90 days. They also added 46 more HUAWEI affiliates to the Entity List. Read our full report and analysis!
Who Does The HUAWEI Trump Ban Affect?
The HUAWEI Trump ban covers both HUAWEI and its sub-brand, HONOR. As it so happens, HONOR is launching their HONOR 20 smartphone today.
Many pundits wrongly quoted Trump’s executive order as the basis for the Google and other US companies suspending supplies to HUAWEI. That is only partly true.
His executive order does not mention HUAWEI at all. In fact, it actually applies to every company listed in the US Entity List, which is over 270 pages long!
It basically prohibits “any acquisition, importation, transfer, installation, dealing in, or use of any information and communications technology or service (transaction)” by “any person… subject to the jurisdiction of the United States” to “persons owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a foreign adversary“.
It was really the US Commerce Department’s action of adding HUAWEI (and its 68 affiliates) to the Entity List that forced US companies to stop doing business with HUAWEI.
Even without Trump’s executive order, US companies are generally prohibited from doing business with companies listed in the Entity List. They will have to apply for a licence to export products to those entities.
The HUAWEI Trump Ban Effects
Google
Google rescinded HUAWEI’s Android licence, as well as access to Google Play services and the Play Store. But what does that mean?
Current HUAWEI and HONOR devices that run on Android and were launched on, or before 16 May 2019 will continue to have access to Google Play services, and the Google Play Store..
HUAWEI and HONOR devices launched from 17 May 2019 onwards will not have access to Android, Google Play services, or Google Play Store.
HUAWEI and HONOR will continue to receive Android software updates and patches until 19 August 2019.
In other words, if you own a HUAWEI or HONOR smartphone that was launched before 16 May 2019, you have nothing to worry about… at least until August 2019.
ARM
The suspension of business between ARM and HUAWEI has no real effect in the short to medium-term, because HUAWEI can continue to manufacture existing and completed designs.
HUAWEI has long worked on creating their own mobile SoCs, like their flagship-class Kirin 970 and Kirin 980. They have been pretty successful in this regard – all of their top smartphones run on Kirin processors.
They do not have a replacement for the Intel processors that power their MateBook laptops. However, they have apparently prepared for this eventuality by stockpiling 3 months worth of chips.
Memory Suppliers : Micron, Infineon
Fortunately for HUAWEI, most DRAM manufacturers are not US companies, or subject to US law. Whereas Micron (a US company) can no longer supply HUAWEI with memory chips, there are other DRAM companies that can make up the shortfall… including their competitor, Samsung.
Tech Organisations : WiFi, Bluetooth, SD New!
Initially, HUAWEI was quietly but unceremoniously booted from the Wi-Fi Alliance, the Bluetooth SIG and the SD Association. But two weeks later, their memberships were quietly restored. Read our full reports :
If you own a HUAWEI or HONOR smartphone sold on or before 16 May 2019, you have NOTHING to worry about.
Your HUAWEI or HONOR smartphone will continue to work normally
You will continue to have access to Google Play services, and the Google Play Store.
You will continue to receive updates and security patches
If you are planning to purchase a future HUAWEI or HONOR smartphone, you should wait and see.
Despite the ban, HUAWEI still has access to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).
They can still produce smartphones that run on Android, but won’t be able to install Google Play services, the Google Play Store, or apps by US companies like YouTube and Facebook.
HUAWEI has been working on its own mobile operating system, HongMeng OS, which is said to be undergoing trials right now.
Future HUAWEI smartphones may run on HongMeng OS and their own slew of apps, but there will be a dearth of third-party apps, at least initially.
If the ban persists, HUAWEI will likely be forced to ship future smartphones with stock Android and HUAWEI apps to replace Google Play services.
What About New Devices?
The partial licence from the US Commerce Department only permits “service and support” for “existing” devices that were “available to the public on or before May 16, 2019“.
HUAWEI and its affiliates can create and sell new devices. However, they will not be covered by the temporary licence, and therefore…
they cannot have Google Play services or Play Store, or any US apps like YouTube and Instagram, installed
they are not entitled to Android software updates either
That said, US companies or companies that use substantial US technologies can apply to the US Commerce Department for special licences to sell to HUAWEI. As of July 2019, over 50 applications were submitted for consideration.
How Will This Affect HUAWEI’s Business?
This is, no doubt, a really serious problem for HUAWEI. Losing the ability to include Google services will be detrimental to the success of future devices.
The disruption of their supply chain will start to bite if the ban persists beyond three months – that’s when their stockpile runs out. They will also lose the ability to support existing customers with software patches.
However, the issuance of the temporary licence, just days after listing HUAWEI as a foreign adversary and a national security threat, signals that the HUAWEI Trump ban is just another bargaining chip in the US-China trade war.
In all likelihood, Trump is using the HUAWEI ban to force China to accept his terms for a trade deal. He badly needs a face-saving win after numerous failures in recent months.
Why This Is Bad For The Global Economy + Security
President Trump’s persistent pressure on HUAWEI is forcing a decoupling of the Chinese and American economies. This is bad for the global economy, as well as global security.
The intertwining of US and Chinese economies is a form of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) that was once guaranteed by nuclear weapons.
Photo Credit : News.com.au
But with an erratic US President cutting off supply to US products and technology essential for their companies, China will continue to turn inwards to insulate their economy, even adopting a form of economic Juche.
The more their economies decouple, the more the US loses the ability to engage China positively on a variety of geopolitical issues. In fact, it may eventually lead to an outright Cold War between the US and China, if not military confrontation.
Updated @ 2019-06-20 :Added details of the diverting of HUAWEI packages by FedEx (full report).
Updated @ 2019-06-17 :Added details of Microsoft’s decision to resume selling HUAWEI MateBook laptops.
Updated @ 2019-06-14 :Added details of the upcoming HUAWEI laptop that will run Windows 10 on ARM (full report), the upcoming sale of the HONOR 20 smartphone (full report), and the impact on Broadcom.
Updated @ 2019-06-03 :Added IEEE’s reversal of its earlier decision to ban HUAWEI employees from reviewing scientific papers (full report).
Updated @ 2019-05-31 :Added many updates, including what Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir said about maximising the use of HUAWEI technologies.
Updated @ 2019-05-29 :Added details of HUAWEI’s legal motion and Trump card (full report), as well as the restoration of their Bluetooth, WiFi, SD and Android Q rights (full report).
Updated @ 2019-05-26 :Added details of the HUAWEI WiFi Alliance suspension (full report)
Updated @ 2019-05-25 :Added how HUAWEI outsmarted the SD + microSD ban with their NM card (full report)
Updated @ 2019-05-23 :Added details about the HUAWEI ARM business suspension (full report)
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For those who are wondering if the HONOR 20 Pro is ever coming to Malaysia, good news! It will go on sale very soon, with a slew of great offers!
Here is everything you need to know about the HONOR 20 Pro launch price and offers for Malaysia!
HONOR 20 Series Key Features
Both the HONOR 20 Pro and HONOR 20 have the same 6.26-inch LPTS display, and run on the same HUAWEI Kirin 980 mobile SoC.
They too have the same 32 MP front camera, and the same colour options – Sapphire Blue and Midnight Black in Malaysia, with Phantom Black and Phantom Blue available in other countries.
They differ in three main areas, specifically…
Memory + Storage
The HONOR 20 has 6 GB of LPDDR4x memory and 128 GB of internal storage, with while the Pro version comes with 8 GB of LPDDR4x memory and 256 GB of internal storage.
Rear Cameras
Both devices feature a quad camera system at the back. However, there are quite big differences :
The HONOR 20 has a 48MP main camera with f/1.8 aperture, while the Pro version features a wider, brighter f/1.4 aperture and adds OIS capability.
The HONOR 20 has a 2MP depth sensor, instead of the Pro version’s 8MP telephoto camera with f/2.4 and OIS.
They both have the same 16MP super-wide angle camera with f/2.2 aperture.
They both have the same 2MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture.
The 48 MP main camera on both smartphones use the Sony IMX586 image sensor, and defaults to 12 MP because this allows for better image quality, thanks to the larger “combined” pixel size of 1.6 µm.
Battery
The HONOR 20 has a 3,750 mAh battery, while the Pro version has a slightly larger 4,000 mAh battery. They both support 22.5 watt fast charging.
HONOR 20 Series Specifications
Specifications
HONOR 20 Pro
HONOR 20
Display
6.26-inch LPTS display
- 1080 x 2340 pixels (412 ppi)
6.26-inch LPTS display
- 1080 x 2340 pixels (412 ppi)
Operating System
Android 9.0 with Magic UI 2.1.0
Android 9.0 with Magic UI 2.1.0
System Platform
HUAWEI Kirin 980
HUAWEI Kirin 980
Processor
2 x ARM Cortex-A76 (2.6 GHz)
2 x ARM Cortex-A76 (1.92 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A55 (1.8 GHz)
2 x ARM Cortex-A76 (2.6 GHz)
2 x ARM Cortex-A76 (1.92 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A55 (1.8 GHz)
NPU
2 x NPU
2 x NPU
Graphics Processor
ARM Mali-G76
ARM Mali-G76
Memory + Storage
8 GB + 256 GB
6 GB + 128 GB
Dust + Water Resistance
No
No
Front Camera
32 MP AI camera
32 MP AI camera
Rear Camera
Quad Camera System
- 48 MP main camera with f/1.4 lens and OIS
- 16 MP ultra-wide angle camera with f/2.2 lens
- 8 MP telephoto camera with f/2.4 lens and OIS
- 2 MP macro camera with f/2.4 lens
- Laser autofocus
Quad Camera System
- 48 MP main camera with f/1.8 lens
- 16 MP ultra-wide angle camera with f/2.2 lens
- 2 MP macro camera with f/2.4 lens
- 2 MP depth sensor
Connectivity
WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz)
Bluetooth : BT 5.0
USB : USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type C
WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz)
Bluetooth : BT 5.0
USB : USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type C
GPS
GPS : L1 + L5 Dual Band
Galileo : E1 + E5a Dual Band
QZSS : L1 + L5 Dual Band
AGPS, GLONASS ,Beidou
GPS : L1 + L5 Dual Band
Galileo : E1 + E5a Dual Band
QZSS : L1 + L5 Dual Band
AGPS, GLONASS ,Beidou
Battery
4,000 mAh lithium-ion battery (non-removable)
- supports 22.5 W fast charging
3,750 mAh lithium-ion battery (non-removable)
- supports 22.5 W fast charging
Fingerprint Sensor
Yes, Rear-Mounted
Yes, Rear-Mounted
Other Sensors
Ambient Light, Gyroscope, Compass, Proximity, Gravity, Hall Sensor, Infra-red Sensor
Colour Temperature
Ambient Light, Gyroscope, Compass, Proximity, Gravity, Hall Sensor, Laser Sensor
Colour Temperature
NFC
Yes
Yes
Dimensions
73.97 mm wide
154.25 mm tall
7.87 mm thick
73.97 mm wide
154.25 mm tall
7.87 mm thick
Weight
174 grams
174 grams
Colour Options
Sapphire Blue / Midnight Black / Phantom Blue / Phantom Black
Sapphire Blue / Midnight Black / Phantom Blue / Phantom Black
HONOR 20 Pro Price + Offer For Malaysia
The HONOR 20 Pro has a launch price of RM 2,299 in Malaysia, which is approximately ~US$549 / ~£454 / ~A$805.
HONOR will offer it in two colour options – Phantom Black, and Phantom Blue, beginning on 15 August 2019.
Coming in late to the party with the Trump headwind to boot, HONOR is eager to drive sales.
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So here are their launch offers :
If you buy from an HONOR Experience Store, you will receive : – travel luggage – HONOR mini Bluetooth speaker – HONOR tripod selfie stick
If you buy from this Shopee offer or the HONOR Online Store, you will receive : – HONOR Band 3 – HONOR Flypods Lite
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
HONOR Malaysia just announced a new slew of price cuts, after offering a warranty extension for select smartphone models.
Here is everything you need to know about the new HONOR Malaysia price cuts, and warranty extension!
HONOR Malaysia Announces More Price Cuts + Warranty!
These HONOR Malaysia price cuts are probably due to the prolonged Trump ban. But whatever the reasons are, they offer consumers a great deal on these Honor smartphones!
In addition, HONOR Malaysia is also offering a one-year warranty extension for select smartphone models.
For your convenience, we created this table comparing the HONOR Malaysia price cuts and warranty extensions!
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
HONOR just announced details of the EMUI 9.1 and Magic UI updates for their smartphones! Here are the full details!
What’s New In EMUI 9.1 + Magic UI 2.1
Both EMUI 9.1 and Magic UI 2.1 will offer these new features :
New EROFS (Extendable Read-Only file system) super file system to improve the read and write performance of flash memory with a 20% increase of read speed, compared to the EXT4 file system.
GPU Turbo 3.0 that is compatible with 25 of the most popular games currently.
Reduce SoC power consumption by up to 10%.
Illustrated functionality” that provides instructions and descriptions in a more engaging way.
Huawei Share OneHop allows for file transfer between Huawei MateBook, HONOR and Huawei flagship phones with a single tap.
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Both models have the same 6.26-inch LPTS display, and run on the same HUAWEI Kirin 980 mobile SoC.
They too have the same 32 MP front camera, and the same colour options – Sapphire Blue and Midnight Black in Malaysia, with Phantom Black and Phantom Blue available in other countries.
These two models differ in three main areas, specifically… here is a table that compares their key specifications :
Specifications
HONOR 20 Pro
HONOR 20
Display
6.26-inch LPTS display
- 1080 x 2340 pixels (412 ppi)
6.26-inch LPTS display
- 1080 x 2340 pixels (412 ppi)
Operating System
Android 9.0 with Magic UI 2.1.0
Android 9.0 with Magic UI 2.1.0
System Platform
HUAWEI Kirin 980
HUAWEI Kirin 980
Processor
2 x ARM Cortex-A76 (2.6 GHz)
2 x ARM Cortex-A76 (1.92 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A55 (1.8 GHz)
2 x ARM Cortex-A76 (2.6 GHz)
2 x ARM Cortex-A76 (1.92 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A55 (1.8 GHz)
NPU
2 x NPU
2 x NPU
Graphics Processor
ARM Mali-G76
ARM Mali-G76
Memory + Storage
8 GB + 256 GB
6 GB + 128 GB
Dust + Water Resistance
No
No
Front Camera
32 MP AI camera
32 MP AI camera
Rear Camera
Quad Camera System
- 48 MP main camera with f/1.4 lens and OIS
- 16 MP ultra-wide angle camera with f/2.2 lens
- 8 MP telephoto camera with f/2.4 lens and OIS
- 2 MP macro camera with f/2.4 lens
- Laser autofocus
Quad Camera System
- 48 MP main camera with f/1.8 lens
- 16 MP ultra-wide angle camera with f/2.2 lens
- 2 MP macro camera with f/2.4 lens
- 2 MP depth sensor
Connectivity
WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz)
Bluetooth : BT 5.0
USB : USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type C
WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz)
Bluetooth : BT 5.0
USB : USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type C
GPS
GPS : L1 + L5 Dual Band
Galileo : E1 + E5a Dual Band
QZSS : L1 + L5 Dual Band
AGPS, GLONASS ,Beidou
GPS : L1 + L5 Dual Band
Galileo : E1 + E5a Dual Band
QZSS : L1 + L5 Dual Band
AGPS, GLONASS ,Beidou
Battery
4,000 mAh lithium-ion battery (non-removable)
- supports 22.5 W fast charging
3,750 mAh lithium-ion battery (non-removable)
- supports 22.5 W fast charging
Fingerprint Sensor
Yes, Rear-Mounted
Yes, Rear-Mounted
Other Sensors
Ambient Light, Gyroscope, Compass, Proximity, Gravity, Hall Sensor, Infra-red Sensor
Colour Temperature
Ambient Light, Gyroscope, Compass, Proximity, Gravity, Hall Sensor, Laser Sensor
Colour Temperature
NFC
Yes
Yes
Dimensions
73.97 mm wide
154.25 mm tall
7.87 mm thick
73.97 mm wide
154.25 mm tall
7.87 mm thick
Weight
174 grams
174 grams
Colour Options
Sapphire Blue / Midnight Black / Phantom Blue / Phantom Black
Sapphire Blue / Midnight Black / Phantom Blue / Phantom Black
At that time, it was a vapour launch, because none of the phones were made available for sale… thanks to the Trump ban.
On 13 April, HONOR Malaysia Country Manager George Zhao sent us a handwritten note with a special voucher.
Based on the note and voucher, we confirmed with a source that the HONOR 20 would start in their official store and retail stores beginning 21 June 2019!
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
HUAWEI has just been removed as a member of the SD Association, because of the Trump ban. But they got an ace up their sleeves this time – their NM Card format!
Find out how the HUAWEI NM Card format lets them bypass the SD and microSD ban, and what else HUAWEI can do moving forward!
Updated @ 2019-05-31 :The SD Association quietly restored HUAWEI as a member. Seriously.
Originally posted @ 2019-05-25
What SD + microSD Ban?
The HUAWEI Trump ban keeps expanding its reach. Even the international SD Association has been forced to remove HUAWEI as a member.
This prevents HUAWEI and HONOR from making and selling any products that use the SD standards. Effectively, all future HUAWEI and HONOR smartphones can no longer be manufactured with microSD support.
What About Current Smartphones?
Don’t worry! Your HUAWEI and HONOR smartphones will continue to work normally with microSD cards.
These actions by the US Department of Commerce and the SD Association only apply to HUAWEI and HONOR smartphones that have not been released by 15 May 2019 onwards.
HUAWEI now seem absolutely prescient when they released their own NM Card format together with the HUAWEI Mate20 smartphones last year.
The NM Card, or the HUAWEI Nano Memory Card in full, is 45% smaller than the microSD card. Precisely designed to mimic the shape and size of a nano SIM card, it allows for a more compact hybrid SIM tray design.
But more importantly, in the context of the Trump ban, the NM Card is a HUAWEI standard, and not a SD Association standard.
What Are Their Options?
Option A : Switch To NM Card
Thanks to their foresight in creating the NM Card standard, HUAWEI can easily replace microSD card slots with NM Card slots in their future smartphones.
Now, to be certain, the NM Card is neither cheap nor ubiquitous. The only company making and selling them is HUAWEI.
We expect HUAWEI to continue this trend, perhaps introducing NM Card into their higher mid-range devices; while simultaneously cutting prices on NM Cards.
Option B : Skip microSD Card
Switching to NM Card will not work well for their mid-range and entry-level smartphones, because the greatest appeal of microSD cards is their low cost and ubiquity.
If the Trump ban does not get resolved soon, the best option would be to skip the microSD card slot entirely and just increase the internal storage of their mid-range and entry-level smartphones.
We have already seen this trend with some Android smartphones like the OPPO R17 Pro, the Xiaomi Mi A2, and the HONOR 10. Apple iPhones never had the option in the first place, and they are still selling well!
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
HUAWEI today struck back at the Trump ban, by challenging its constitutionality. Meanwhile, China hints at a Trump card, pun intended…
We examine why the HUAWEI legal motion is too late to help them, but China’s Trump card may be what they need to break through the Trump ban.
HUAWEI Challenges Constitutionality Of The Trump Ban
On 29 May 2019, HUAWEI filed a motion for a summary judgment in its challenge that Section 889 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (2019 NDAA) is unconstitutional.
In the complaint, HUAWEI argued that Section 889 of the 2019 NDAA singled out HUAWEI by name, and not only bars U.S. government agencies from buying HUAWEI equipment and services, but also bars them from, contracting with, or awarding grants or loans to third parties who buy HUAWEI equipment or services — even if there is no impact or connection to the U.S. government.
Glen Nager, HUAWEI’s lead counsel for the case, said Section 889 of the 2019 NDAA violates the Bill of Attainder, Due Process, and Vesting Clauses of the United States Constitution. Thus, the case is purely “a matter of law” as there are no facts at issue, thereby justifying the motion for a summary judgement to speed up the process.
In line with a court scheduling order, a hearing on the motion is set for 19 September 2019.
HUAWEI also called on the U.S. government to halt its campaign against HUAWEI, because “it will not deliver cybersecurity“.
Banning Huawei using cybersecurity as an excuse “will do nothing to make networks more secure. They provide a false sense of security, and distract attention from the real challenges we face,” said Song Liuping, Huawei’s chief legal officer.
“Politicians in the U.S. are using the strength of an entire nation to come after a private company,” Song noted. “This is not normal. Almost never seen in history.”
“The U.S. government has provided no evidence to show that Huawei is a security threat. There is no gun, no smoke. Only speculation,” Song added.
Song also addressed the addition of Huawei to the “Entity List” by the U.S. Commerce Department two weeks ago. “This sets a dangerous precedent. Today it’s telecoms and Huawei. Tomorrow it could be your industry, your company, your consumers,” he said.
“The judicial system is the last line of defense for justice. Huawei has confidence in the independence and integrity of the U.S. judicial system. We hope that mistakes in the NDAA can be corrected by the court,” Song added.
With a hearing set for 3.5 months later, this legal challenge is frankly too late to stop the Trump ban from doing serious damage to HUAWEI.
Depending on who you believe, HUAWEI has enough components stockpiled for 3-12 months. It’s quite possible they will run out of components for at least some of their devices before the hearing even takes place!
In the meantime, the HONOR 20 and HONOR 20 Pro smartphones that just launched are stuck in limbo, because the Trump ban prohibits them from integrating Google Play services and the Play Store.
The same issue will plague all HUAWEI and HONOR devices that were originally scheduled to be launched after 15 May 2019.
Even worse, the temporary partial licence the Trump Administration issued to let HUAWEI and HONOR support their customers runs out by 19 August 2019 – a full month before the motion is even heard!
Until the Trump ban is lifted or vacated on constitutional grounds, those HUAWEI and HONOR smartphones have no commercial chance outside of China. They will all have to be postponed until this crisis is over…
What will save HUAWEI is no legal challenge… but a Trump card that the Chinese government has recently hinted at using – rare earths.
Rare earths are CRITICAL to the production of electronics, and that includes everything from smartphones to fighter jets and batteries.
China controls 90% of the world’s rare earth production, and more importantly – 80% of rare earth imports by the US. This is literally the Trump card that could force Trump to back off, and save HUAWEI.
Beijing put Washington on notice about their Trump card when both Chinese President Xi Jinping and his top economic advisor, Vice Premier Liu He, made a well-publicised visit to a rare earth factory in Jiangxi, eastern China.
If that was not obvious enough, the Chinese media (often mouthpieces of the party) made sure everyone knew that rare earths was “an ace in Beijing’s hand“, and “Don’t say you haven’t been warned“.
Even China’s economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission, said in response to a question “Do you suggest that rare earths will become a part of China’s countermeasures against the US’s unwarranted pressure?” :
What I can tell you is that if someone wants to use our rare earths to manufacture products and use them to curb China’s development, then I’m sure the people of Ganzhou and across China will not be happy with that.”
Of course, Beijing might just be hoping that the threat of using their Trump card will be enough, because this nuclear option has its drawbacks.
Then again, Beijing has never dealt with anyone like Donald Trump… For a special person like that, perhaps a Trump card truly is necessary…
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The HONOR 20 Pro and HONOR 20 smartphones have just been launched, both in London and in Kuala Lumpur!
Let’s take a look at these latest HONOR flagship smartphones with 4 rear cameras – their key features, the official launch presentation, and their prices and offers!
What Trump Ban? HONOR 20 Series Launched!
In spite of the ongoing troubles with the Trump Administration, HONOR went ahead and launched their latest HONOR 20 series flagship smartphones!
In their launch presentation, details were short on their response to the Trump ban. They would only say that they are confident of supporting their customers, and that they are here to stay.
Now, the phones on display at the launch had Google Play services and Play Store installed. But as you will see later, they are both not available for sale just yet.
HONOR 20 Series Key Features
Both models have the same 6.26-inch LPTS display, and run on the same HUAWEI Kirin 980 mobile SoC.
They too have the same 32 MP front camera, and the same colour options – Sapphire Blue and Midnight Black in Malaysia, with Phantom Black and Phantom Blue available in other countries.
They differ in three main areas, specifically…
Memory + Storage
The HONOR 20 has 6 GB of LPDDR4x memory and 128 GB of internal storage, with while the Pro version comes with 8 GB of LPDDR4x memory and 256 GB of internal storage.
Rear Cameras
Both devices feature a quad camera system at the back. However, there are quite big differences :
The HONOR 20 has a 48MP main camera with f/1.8 aperture, while Pro version features a wider, brighter f/1.4 aperture and adds OIS capability.
The HONOR 20 has a 2MP depth sensor, instead of the Pro version’s 8MP telephoto camera with f/2.4 and OIS.
They both have the same 16MP super-wide angle camera with f/2.2 aperture.
They both have the same 2MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture.
The 48 MP main camera on both smartphones use the Sony IMX586 image sensor, and defaults to 12 MP because this allows for better image quality, thanks to the larger “combined” pixel size of 1.6 µm.
Battery
The HONOR 20 has a 3,750 mAh battery, while the Pro version has a slightly larger 4,000 mAh battery. They both support 22.5 watt fast charging.
HONOR 20 Series Specifications
Specifications
HONOR 20 Pro
HONOR 20
Display
6.26-inch LPTS display
- 1080 x 2340 pixels (412 ppi)
6.26-inch LPTS display
- 1080 x 2340 pixels (412 ppi)
Operating System
Android 9.0 with Magic UI 2.1.0
Android 9.0 with Magic UI 2.1.0
System Platform
HUAWEI Kirin 980
HUAWEI Kirin 980
Processor
2 x ARM Cortex-A76 (2.6 GHz)
2 x ARM Cortex-A76 (1.92 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A55 (1.8 GHz)
2 x ARM Cortex-A76 (2.6 GHz)
2 x ARM Cortex-A76 (1.92 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A55 (1.8 GHz)
NPU
2 x NPU
2 x NPU
Graphics Processor
ARM Mali-G76
ARM Mali-G76
Memory + Storage
8 GB + 256 GB
6 GB + 128 GB
Dust + Water Resistance
No
No
Front Camera
32 MP AI camera
32 MP AI camera
Rear Camera
Quad Camera System
- 48 MP main camera with f/1.4 lens and OIS
- 16 MP ultra-wide angle camera with f/2.2 lens
- 8 MP telephoto camera with f/2.4 lens and OIS
- 2 MP macro camera with f/2.4 lens
- Laser autofocus
Quad Camera System
- 48 MP main camera with f/1.8 lens
- 16 MP ultra-wide angle camera with f/2.2 lens
- 2 MP macro camera with f/2.4 lens
- 2 MP depth sensor
Connectivity
WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz)
Bluetooth : BT 5.0
USB : USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type C
WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz)
Bluetooth : BT 5.0
USB : USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type C
GPS
GPS : L1 + L5 Dual Band
Galileo : E1 + E5a Dual Band
QZSS : L1 + L5 Dual Band
AGPS, GLONASS ,Beidou
GPS : L1 + L5 Dual Band
Galileo : E1 + E5a Dual Band
QZSS : L1 + L5 Dual Band
AGPS, GLONASS ,Beidou
Battery
4,000 mAh lithium-ion battery (non-removable)
- supports 22.5 W fast charging
3,750 mAh lithium-ion battery (non-removable)
- supports 22.5 W fast charging
Fingerprint Sensor
Yes, Rear-Mounted
Yes, Rear-Mounted
Other Sensors
Ambient Light, Gyroscope, Compass, Proximity, Gravity, Hall Sensor, Infra-red Sensor
Colour Temperature
Ambient Light, Gyroscope, Compass, Proximity, Gravity, Hall Sensor, Laser Sensor
Colour Temperature
NFC
Yes
Yes
Dimensions
73.97 mm wide
154.25 mm tall
7.87 mm thick
73.97 mm wide
154.25 mm tall
7.87 mm thick
Weight
174 grams
174 grams
Colour Options
Sapphire Blue / Midnight Black / Phantom Blue / Phantom Black
Sapphire Blue / Midnight Black / Phantom Blue / Phantom Black
HONOR 20 Series Price + Availability
HONOR is only launching the HONOR 20 here in Malaysia, with the Pro version “coming shortly”. They also announced the prices of the HONOR Flypods Lite and HONOR Soundstone.
Here are the official global and local HONOR 20 series price list, including new HONOR accessories :
At the time they announced the HONOR 20 price list, they did not specify exactly when they would be available, only that they will be available “very soon“, due to the Trump ban…
However, we can now confirm that they will be made available for sale starting 21 June 2019.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
HONOR just launched the HONOR 8C – the entry-level companion to their HONOR 8X smartphone. Here are the official HONOR 8C tech briefing, price and deals!
The HONOR 8C Tech Briefing
Zhao Zhiwei, Head of HONOR Malaysia, shared the HONOR 8C’s key features in this video!
Display
The HONOR 8C comes with a 6.26-inch IPS display with a HD+ resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels. It is a FullView display that offers a 86.6% screen-to-body ratio.
Performance
It runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 mobile SoC, which has eight Kryo 250 cores running at 1.8 Ghz, and an Adreno 506 GPU.
RAM + Storage
The HONOR 8C comes with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal flash storage. It has a microSD card slot that supports up to 256 GB of additional storage.
Cameras
In the front, it has an 8 MP camera with a soft light flash. In the back, its 13 MP PDAF camera has a large f/1.8 aperture, and is paired with a 2 MP depth sensor.
Battery
Powering everything is a large 4,000 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery. HONOR says that it will last up to 2 days.
HONOR 8C Spécifications
Specifications
HONOR 8C
Display
6.26-inch IPS display
-720 x 1520 pixels (269 ppi)
Operating System
Android 8.1 Oreo with EMUI 8.2
System Platform
Qualcomm Snapdragon 632
Processor
8 x Qualcomm Kryo 250 (1.8 GHz)
Graphics Processor
Qualcomm Adreno 506
Memory
3 GB
Storage
32 GB
microSD card (up to 256 GB)
Front Camera
8 MP sensor with soft light flash (3 levels)
Rear Camera
Dual Lens Camera
- 13 MP PDAF camera with f/1.8 aperture
- 2 MP depth sensor
Connectivity
WiFi : 802.11b/g/n (2.4 GHz only)
Bluetooth : BT 4.2
USB : micro USB 2.0
Battery
4,000 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery (non-removable)
Fingerprint Sensor
Yes, Rear-mounted
Other Sensors
Gravity Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Digital Compass
NFC
No
Dimensions
75.94 mm wide
158.72 mm tall
7.98 mm thick
Weight
167.2 grams
Colour Options
Blue / Gold / Black
HONOR 8C Price + Availability
The HONOR 8C is officially priced at RM 599 / ~US$ 147 / ~£111. It will be available for retail sale from 5 April 2019 onwards in three colour options – Blue, Gold and Black.
Lazada Exclusive First Sales
HONOR partnered up with Lazada to offer the Blue and Black models starting 27 March 2019 onwards. In addition, the first 1,000 buyers will receive an exclusive tote bag featuring their catbassador of the British short-hair persuasion!
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
The new HONOR View20 smartphone boasts a 48 MP main camera, paired with a 3D TOF camera. Is the 48 MP camera a game changer? What on earth is a 3D TOF camera?
In our preview, we will take a close look at the HONOR View20, and share with you details on its 48 MP main camera, and the 3D TOF camera!
The New HONOR View20 Smartphone
The HONOR View20 is built around the new Hisilicon Kirin 980 mobile SoC, with two variants – 6 GB RAM with 128 GB storage, or 8 GB RAM with 256 GB storage.
The large storage capacity is important, because the View20 lacks a microSD card slot.
The HONOR team extended their experience with advanced nanolithography coating technologies to develop a new V-shaped colour gradient with a gleaming effect for the View20’s back panel.
They also managed to pack a large 4,000 mAh battery into its svelte form factor, with 22.5 watt fast charging capabilities.
HONOR View20 Price + Availability
The HONOR View20 will be available in four colour options, three of which are shown in this video :
It will be available in two variants, with the following launch prices :
Like the recently-launched HUAWEI nova 4, the HONOR View20 has a 6.4-inch display with a punch hole 25 MP front camera, which allows it deliver a 91.8% screen-to-body ratio.
Flagship Processor + Graphics + AI
The HONOR View20 is powered by the Hisilicon Kirin 980, which is the first 7 nm mobile SoC in the world. It is also the first to come with two NPUs, a Cat.21 modem and support for faster LPDDR4X-2133 memory.
The Kirin 980 also uses a new 2+2+4 cluster architecture, with two ARM Cortex-A76 high-performance cores running at 2.6 GHz, two additional ARM Cortex-A76 cores running at 1.92 GHz and four ARM Cortex-A55 cores running at 1.8 GHz for background or less-intensive workloads.
It also comes with a 24-core ARM Mali-G76 GPU and two NPUs, which should double both its graphics and AI performance.
On top of that, it supports LTE Category 21 download speeds of up to 1.6 Gbps, as well as dual frequency GPS (L5 + L1) for 10X more accurate positioning.
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48 MP + 3D TOF Cameras
While the HUAWEI nova 4 opted to go with a triple camera setup, the HONOR team chose a dual camera module for the View20. It pairs a 48 MP main camera with a 3D TOF camera.
The 48 MP main camera has a large ½-inch Sony IMX586 sensor, with 48 million pixels – each 0.8 micron in size. It is paired with a fast, bright f/1.8 lens, which would give it excellent low-light performance.
The second camera is a ToF (Time of Flight) camera, which does not actually take any photos.
Paired with an LED emitter that sends out pulses of invisible near infra-red light, its sensor captures the reflected light to create a 3D map of objects and their distances.
This 3D TOF camera also allows the View20 to more accurately separate the subject of your photograph from the background, for better retouching of the subject and background blurring.
It can also turn the View20 into a motion-controlled gaming console with compatible games.
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HONOR View20 Specifications
Specifications
HONOR View20
HONOR View10
Display
6.4-inch All-View display
- 1080 x 2310 pixels
5.99" FullView Display
- 1080 x 2160 pixels
- 18:9 aspect ratio, 402 ppi
Operating System
Android 9.0 Pie with Magic UI 2.0.1
Android 8.0
Platform
Hisilicon Kirin 980
HiSilicon Kirin 970
Processor
2 x ARM Cortex-A76 cores (2.6 GHz)
2 x ARM Cortex-A76 cores (1.92 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A55 cores (1.8 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A73 cores (2.4 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.8 GHz)
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At the official launch of the HONOR 10 Lite smartphone, HONOR also launched the HONOR Band 4 and Band 4 Running wearables. Check them out!
HONOR Band 4
The HONOR Band 4comes with multi-sports function. It recognises swim strokes, record swimming speed, distance, calories, and more.
Featuring a full touch screen display with 2.5D edge glass that is resistant to scratches, the Band 4 is designed to cater to your fitness needs, whether it’s outdoor running, indoor running, outdoor walking, outdoor cycling, or swimming.
HONOR Band 4 Running
The HONOR Band 4 Running on the other hand, is designed to be versatile. You can switch between two different wearing modes instantly :
Wrist Mode : Wrap it around your wrist for a trendy look, or Foot Mode : Attach the band body to your shoe buckle to turn your running shoes into a smart workout companion!
The Band 4 Running has a new six-axis sensor and an upgraded running posture monitoring algorithm which raises the accuracy of running distance measured to over 95%.
HONOR Band 4 Price + Availability
The Band 4 comes in Black, while the Band 4 Running comes in Red and Green colour options. They will be available for sale on 9 January 2019 onwards, at the following price points :
HONOR Band 4 : RM 149 / ~US$ 37 / ~£29
HONOR Band 4 Running : RM 79 / ~US$ 19 / ~£15
Here are some direct purchase links for your convenience :
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Today, HONOR officially revealed the HONOR 10 Lite smartphone at a very attractive price point. We will have a review of it shortly, but in the meantime, here are the official HONOR 10 Lite tech briefing, price and offer!
The HONOR 10 Lite Tech Briefing
Zhao Zhiwei, Head of HONOR Malaysia, shares the HONOR 10 Lite’s key features in this video!
HONOR 10 Lite Specification Comparison
Here is a specification comparison of the new HONOR 10 Lite, and its big brother, the HONOR 10.
Specifications
HONOR 10
HONOR 10 Lite
Display
5.84-inch AMOLED display
- 1080 x 2280 pixels (432 ppi)
6.21-inch AMOLED display
- 1080 x 2340 pixels (415 ppi)
- 90+% display-to-body ratio
Operating System
Android 8.1 Oreo with EMUI 8.1
Android 9.0 with EMUI 9.0.1
Platform
Hisilicon Kirin 970
Hisilicon Kirin 710
Processor
4 x ARM Cortex-A73 cores (2.4 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.8 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A73 cores (2.2 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.7 GHz)
Graphics Processor
ARM Mali-G72 MP12
ARM Mali-G51
Memory
4 GB LPDDR4x memory
3 GB LPDDR4x memory
Storage
128 GB
No microSD card slot
32 GB internal flash storage
microSD card slot
Front Camera
24 MP sensor with f/2.0 lens
24 MP sensor with f/2.0 lens
Rear Cameras
Dual Camera System
- 16 MP RGB sensor with f/1.8 lens
- 24 MP monochrome sensor
- single LED flash
Dual Lens Camera
13 MP sensor with f/1.8 lens and single LED flash
- With 2 MP depth sensor
Connectivity
4G : LTE
WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (dual band)
Bluetooth 4.2
USB : USB 2.0 Type C
4G : LTE
WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (dual band)
Bluetooth 5.0
USB : micro USB 2.0
SIM Support
2 x nano SIM cards
Dual SIM, Dual Standby capable
2 x nano SIM cards
Dual SIM, Dual Standby capable
NFC Capability
Yes
No
OTG Capability
Yes
Yes
Fingerprint Sensor
Integrated Into Home Button
Yes, Rear Mounted
Other Sensors
E-Compass, Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor, G Sensor
E-Compass, Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor, G Sensor
Battery
3,400 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery
- supports 22.5 W SuperCharge fast charging
3,400 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery
- supports 10 W fast charging
Dimensions
71.2 mm wide
149.6 mm tall
7.7 mm thick
73.6 mm wide
154.8 mm tall
8.0 mm thick
Weight
155 grams
162 grams
Colour Options
Phantom Blue / Phantom Green / Midnight Black / Glacier Grey
Sky Blue / Blue / Red
HONOR 10 Lite Price + Availability
The HONOR 10 Lite will come in two variants, at the following price points :
The 32 GB model will be available for sale starting 9 January 2019 in two colours – Midnight Black, and Sky Blue.
The 64 GB model, on the other hand, will be available for sale at a later date, in Sapphire Blue and Shiny Red colour options.
One Day HONOR 10 Lite Offer!
On 9 January 2019, Honor Malaysia will offer the 32 GB HONOR 10 Lite at a special price of RM 699 / ~US$ 170 / ~£133.
In addition, if you purchase before 1 PM on 9 January 2019, you will receive the HONOR 10 Lite on the same day! This express delivery offer is limited to the first 500 deliveries in the Klang Valley.
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Yesterday, Shopee honoured its expanding community of sellers at the Shopee Seller Awards 2018. Check it out, and find out who won the Shopee Seller Awards this year!
The Shopee Seller Awards 2018
The star-studded Shopee Seller Awards 2018 was graced by YB Datuk Muez bin Abd Aziz, Deputy Secretary General of Consumerism and Management, Group Chief Corporate Officer, Pos Laju, and celebrities such as Nora Danish and Zoey Rahman. Leading brands such as Nestlé, Honor, and Digi shared the stage with celebrities as Shopee celebrated a landmark year.
Shopee All Stars and Seller of the Year
A total of 14 accolades were given out at Shopee Seller Awards 2018 to honour the best sellers across various store categories. These include Lifestyle, Telecommunication, Fashion, and Electronics, with the most-coveted prizes being the Shopee Sellers of the Year for Shopee Mall and Marketplace. To keep things interesting, users could vote for the People’s Celebrity Award through a poll in the Shopee app.
Nestlé and Mono Digital were the biggest winners on the night, taking home the Shopee Seller of the Year Award for Mall and Marketplace respectively. Additionally, Dato’ Sri Siti Nurhaliza won the People’s Celebrity Award, named by Shopee users for her official store SimplySiti on Shopee Celebrity Squad.
Award
Award Type
Winner
Best in Lifestyle
Shopee Marketplace
Odoso
Best in Lifestyle
Shopee Mall
MR DIY
Best in Fashion
Shopee Marketplace
Grimo
Best in Fashion
Shopee Mall
VOIR
Best in Consumer Goods
Shopee Marketplace
Wako
Best in Consumer Goods
Shopee Mall
Watsons
Best in Electronics
Shopee Marketplace
iBeli
Best in Electronics
Shopee Mall
Honor
Best in Lifestyle
Shopee Marketplace
BHP
Best in Telecommunication
Partners
Digi
Best in Financial Services
Partners
FPX
People’s Celebrity Award
Partners
Dato’ Sri Siti Nurhaliza
Seller of the Year
Shopee Marketplace
Mono Digital
Seller of the Year
Shopee Mall
Nestlé
A Landmark Year For Shopee
Shopee enjoyed robust growth in the third quarter of 2018, with Gross orders and Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) increasing 24.0% and 21.1% respectively from the second quarter.
Shopee also reinforced its position as the online shopping destination of choice in the region, with the number of users growing by around 150% in the past year.
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The past year was an exciting one for Shopee Malaysia, with the following key highlights :
Around 16 million downloads to date;
Around 600 brands and retail partners on Shopee Mall, including leading brands like Watsons, MR DIY and VOIR;
Around 400,000 active sellers;
And around 450 employees to serve our sellers and buyers.
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PUBG Mobile is the hottest mobile games of 2018, and the Honor Play smartphone is specifically designed to bring out the best in PUBG Mobile. Find out why PUBG Mobile is best played on the Honor Play!
Why PUBG Mobile Is Best Played On The Honor Play
Large 6.3-inch FullView Display
The Honor Play (Price Check) smartphone has a large 6.3-inch FullView display with a Full HD+ resolution with an ultra-wide 19.5:9 aspect ratio. It also boasts very thin bezels, with an incredible 89% screen-to-body ratio.
The larger and wider FullView display is designed to give you a more immersive and enjoyable mobile gaming experience. Pity those who still have to struggle with tiny displays!
CRAZY FAST Kirin 970 With AI NPU
The Honor Play is CRAZY FAST. It is powered by theKirin 970, which is a top-of-the-line processor used in flagship smartphones. It easily handles even the most graphics-intensive games, but that’s not all.
It comes with a dedicated AI Neural Processing Unit (NPU) that further boosts its performance, while conserving power for longer gaming sessions. This is why the Honor Play is perfect for playing PUBG Mobile!
Better Gaming On PUBG Mobile With GPU Turbo
One major reason why the Honor Play is such a great gaming smartphone is GPU Turbo. It is a proprietary hardware and software combination that delivers 60% better GPU performance efficiency, with 30% lower power consumption!
Working together with Tencent Games, Honor made sure that GPU Turbo would work perfectly with PUBG Mobile right out of the box! If you love playing PUBG Mobile, the Honor Play is perfect because it guarantees the ultimate gaming experience with longer play times on PUBG Mobile!
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4D AI Gaming Experience
For an even more immersive mobile gaming experience, Honor Play (Price Check) delivers a 4D AI Gaming Experience with Smart Shock and Histen 3D Gaming Audio
Smart Shock is an exclusive Honor Play feature. The Kirin 970‘s AI Neural Processing Unit (NPU) automatically recognises images and sounds of your game in real-time, and vibrates the Honor Play to give you directional cues and a more realistic gaming experience.
It is so advanced, it recognises 30 different scenarios, and 10 different weapons. Now, you get to feel the kickback of your gun, and get alerted to gunfire and approaching enemies. Boost your situational awareness with Smart Shock!
Histen 3D Gaming Audio, on the other hand, envelopes you in an ultra-wide 3D sound space, with three modes – near, front and wide. – to deliver a more cinematic and immersive gaming experience.
Supporting both wired and wireless earphones, Histen 3D Gaming Audio also helps you accurately determine the azimuth of everything you hear – footsteps, shots, explosions. Now you will have an edge over your PUBG Mobile opponents on less capable smartphones!
#PlayMorePayLess
PUBG Mobile will run on every flagship smartphone without a sweat. But why pay more, when you can play more and pay less?
Despite packing flagship-level performance and advanced gaming features, the Honor Play (Price Check) only costs ⅓ as much as any flagship smartphone! Can you beat such incredible value?
Be smart – #PlayMorePayLess with Honor Play!
Where To Buy The Honor Play
The Honor Play is available for purchase at these incredibly low prices :
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honor just launched the honor Play gaming smartphone! Guess how much it costs? You will be very surprised! Here are the honor Play price, availability and promotions!
honor Play Gaming Smartphone Revealed!
In this video, George Zhao Zhi Wei, Head of honor Malaysia, reveals the key features of the honor Play gaming smartphone.
honor also announced their partnership with PUBG Mobile. This allowed the honor Play to support GPU Turbo, and deliver gaming features like AI 4D Smart Shock, and AI 3D Surround Sound in PUBG Mobile. Tencent and honor will continue to deliver even more features in the future.
honor Play Price, Availability + Promotions
In this video, George reveals the honor Play price for Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. He also revealed exclusive honor Play accessories – a screen protector with nano-composite surface, and an anti-skid gaming case.
Here are the honor Play price and availability for various countries :
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China : CNY 1,999 (since June 2018)
Malaysia : RM 1,249 (10 August 2018)
Singapore : SGD 429 (8 August 2018)
Philippines : PHP 15,990 (13 August 2018)
Here in Malaysia, pre-order will start on 7 – 9 August 2018, with the following promotions :
Directly from hihonor : Chance to win a trip to Germany + Free Exclusive PUBG MOBILE voucher + Honor Play Gaming Screen Protector + Honor Play PC Case + RM100 hihonor voucher
From this Shopee microsite : Chance to win a trip to Germany + Free Exclusive PUBG MOBILE voucher + Honor Play Gaming Screen Protector + Honor Play PC Case + RM100 Shopee Coins
From 10 – 12 August 2018, honor will provide the following freebies with the purchase of each honor Play smartphone!
Directly from hihonor : RM100 hihonor voucher + Free Exclusive PUBG MOBILE voucher + Honor Play Screen Protector + Honor Play PC Case
From this Shopee microsite / Lazada / 11street / SenQ : Free Exclusive PUBG MOBILE voucher + Honor Play Screen Protector + Honor Play PC Case
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The Honor 10 smartphone is one of the best smartphones Honor ever made. Here are the top 5 reasons why the Honor 10 is amazing!
Reason #1 : Exquisite Aurora Glass
The first thing that strikes you when you pick up the Honor 10 (US Price Check) for the first time is the spectacular Aurora Glass design. Inspired by aerial net sculptures and first introduced in the Honor 8, the Aurora Glass is painstakingly crafted using 15 layers of membrane and glass in a Class 100 dust-free workshop.
Creating the Aurora Glass is a laborious affair that takes twice as long to fabricate, with a high failure rate. But all that hard work and sacrifice is rewarded with the exquisite Aurora Glass design that is literally out-of-this-world.
Reason #2 : Large True Colour Display
You will be amazed by the Honor 10’s large 5.84″ display, with an incredible 86% screen-to-body ratio. Thanks to its bezel-less design, the Honor 10 (US Price Check) is only about the size of a traditional 5.2″ smartphone. You will love how it fits in your hand and pocket. Now you can have your cake and eat it too – a large display in a small package!
You will also be amazed by the display’s true colour capability. The Honor 10 (US Price Check) has an improved FullView 2.0 display with a wide 96% NTSC colour gamut. Once you see your photos and videos appearing exactly as they would in real life, you can never go back!
Reason #3 : AI Camera
The Honor 10 (US Price Check) has an amazing dual-lens AI camera that combines a 16 MP RGB camera with a 24 MP monochrome camera to capture photos with less noise and greater detail.
The RGB sensor captures the colour data; while the monochrome sensor captures the details, with less noise and greater sharpness. Both cameras then combine their sensor data to create a final image that is sharper and with greater detail than would be possible with a single RGB camera
But its photographic capabilities go beyond its dual-lens setup.
The Honor 10 AI Camera can recognise more than 500 photographic scenarios in real-time, identifying the outlines of objects and separating them from the background using the world’s first Semantic Image Segmentation technology.
Semantic Image Segmentation is game-changing because it allows the Honor 10 to literally take apart the picture, and dynamically enhance each element separately for the best results possible. You can take great photos, but the Honor 10 will make them amazing!
Reason #4 : Flagship CPU With AI Capabilities
The Honor 10 (US Price Check) runs on the most powerful platform from HiSilicon – the Kirin 970. This is a flagship-class platform that is fabricated on the latest and most power-efficient 10 nm process.
The Kirin 970 does not only boast a fast octa-core CPU and a 12-core GPU, it supports the latest LPDDR4X memory, and comes with the best-in-class network capabilities – LTE Cat18 for download speeds of up to 1.2 Gbps, with 4×4 MIMO, 5CC carrier aggregation and 256-QAM.
The HiSilicon Kirin 970 also boasts a dedicated NPU (Neural Processing Unit) that delivers 25X the AI processing performance, at half the size! The Kirin 970 NPU is more than twice as fast as the Apple iPhone 8 Plus, and 21X faster than the Samsung Galaxy S8.
The AI processing capability of the Kirin 970 NPU is important because it allows the Honor 10 AI Camera to quickly identify the scene and apply the appropriate settings for the best picture possible. Take this motion capture demo, for example.
The Kirin 970’s ability to identify and predict the motion in the scene allows it to better capture a sharper image. Without the AI predictive capability, it will be virtually impossible to capture a clear image of an object in motion.
Reason #5 : Unbelievable Price!
Flagship smartphones always feature the best technologies possible. However, they are often priced in the stratosphere for the same reason. The Honor 10 (US Price Check) is one of the few exceptions.
Price at only RM 1,599 / ~US$ 399, the Honor 10 (US Price Check) offers flagship capabilities at a fraction of the cost. Can you find another flagship smartphone with the same features at this price point? No, you cannot!
Honor 10 Price & Availability
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The Honor 10 is available in three colour options – Phantom Blue, Glacier Grey and Midnight Black – at a low, low price of RM 1,599 / £299 / US$ 403! You can get them from :
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honor Malaysia just launched the honor 9 Lite smartphone that features four cameras! Best of all, they’re pricing it at just RM 749 / US$ 189, with a special launch price of RM 699 / US$ 176!
The honor 9 Lite Quad-Camera Smartphone
The honor 9 Lite features a dual-lens 13 MP + 2 MP camera on both the front and rear, allowing users to capture crystal clear and stunning images anytime, anywhere and anyway. It boasts upgraded and customisable beautification features, and hardware-level bokeh effects, which should appeal to for selfie enthusiasts.
Although honor calls it a quad-camera system, it’s really a dual-lens camera on both sides. Each dual-lens camera has a single 13 MP sensor that takes the actual photos, with a secondary 2 MP sensor that serves as a depth sensor.
This combination allows for bokeh effects to be more accurately applied, as well as post-capture focus selection.
Design & Display
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The honor 9 Lite comes with a reflective glass back in the Sapphire Blue and Glacier Grey options, which gives it a premium look and feel.
It also boasts a bezel-less 5.65-inch FullView HD Display screen and mirror-like glass finish with a high screen-to-body ratio, promising to give users a device with a luxe design.
Performance
The honor 9 Lite is powered by the Kirin 659 processor and is equipped with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage (expandable up to 256 GB). It also packs a 3,000 mAh battery which is able to provide users a day’s usage even on heavy use.
Colour Options
The honor 9 Lite will be available in Sapphire Blue and Glacier Gray colour options.
The honor 9 Lite Specifications
Specifications
honor 9 Lite
Display
5.65" Full HD+ IPS display
- 1080 x 2160 pixels (428 ppi)
Operating System
Android 8.0 + EMUI 8.0
System Platform
HiSilicon Kirin 659
Processor
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (2.45 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.7 GHz)
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Right after honor launched the honor 7X FullView Display smartphone, they gave us an in-depth preview of their first AI smartphone – the honor View10 (also known as the honor V10). Check out their 26-minute long presentation, and see for yourself what you can expect from the honor View10 AI smartphone!
Updated @ 2018-01-05 : Added the retail price, and pre-order offer for the honor View10.
Originally posted @ 2017-12-19
The honor View10 AI Smartphone
As honor’s first AI smartphone, the honor View10 boasts a plethora of AI functionality, or so the marketing pitch goes. First and foremost, it is powered by the Kirin 970 SoC – the first to have a dedicated NPU (find out how fast it is!).
The Kirin 970 with its dedicated NPU is what enables its AI functionality, delivering 25X better neural processing performance at 1/50th the power consumption of a traditional CPU. Let’s take a look at its key features.
AI Camera
Photos taken with the honor View10 will be adjusted automatically to create a final output that looks like they were taken professionally. In addition to recognising the subject in focus, it has the ability to intelligently recognise up to 13 different scenes.
AI Motion Detection
The main camera also has the capability to predict motion in order to improve the focusing response. This allows it to better capture moving subjects with less motion blur.
AI Front Camera
The front camera uses the machine learning results from millions of portraits to improve the look of the portraits you take. It also attempts to intelligently adjust the brightness of the front flash to better capture your selfie without overblowing the highlights.
NPU Driven Translation
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The honor View10 comes with NPU driven translation, running on Microsoft Translator, and powered by the Kirin 970 NPU. It allows you to take a picture of foreign words and have it translated into your language of choice.
AI Gaming
The honor View10 will intelligently adjust graphics settings and system resources for better gaming performance.
Sync Play
Using NFC Connect, multiple devices can be linked as mobile speakers, delivering synchronised surround music. Note that these devices must support honor Sync Play.
The honor View10 Specifications
Specifications
honor View10
Display
5.99" FullView Display
- 1080 x 2160 pixels
- 18:9 aspect ratio, 402 ppi
Build
Aluminium body with front glass
Operating System
Android 8.0
Platform
HiSilicon Kirin 970
Processor
4 x ARM Cortex-A73 cores (2.4 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.8 GHz)
Dual-Lens Camera System
- 20 MP main camera with PDAF and f/1.8 lens
- 16 MP sensor with f/1.8 lens
Battery
3,750 mAh LiPo battery (non-removable)
Connectivity
WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (dual-band)
Bluetooth 4.2
USB 2.0 Type C
Size
74.98 mm wide
157.0 mm tall
6.97 mm thick
Weight
172 g
Available Colours
Navy Blue / Midnight Black / Beach Gold / Aurora Blue / Charm Red
The honor View10 Price & Availability
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The honor View10 will be made available in Malaysia on 12 January 2018, with pre-orders beginning on 8 January. It will be offered in only two colours – Aurora Blue and Midnight Black.
Despite its official price of 500 Euros and 450 Pounds in Europe, honor is selling the View10 for only RM 2,099 / ~US$ 509 – about 15% cheaper!
honor has a pre-order offer for the first 1,000 units, that will be sold on Lazada, Vmall, Shoppee and 11Street. These pre-order purchases will come with an honor band A2 and a Final Fantasy redemption card.
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A point cloud depth camera is a combination of a VCSEL laser projector and two stereoscopic RGB LED sensors. The laser projector creates a “cloud” of dots or points, which is picked up by the two sensors. A 3D image is then created from the two separate images.
Backing up the point cloud depth camera is an IR camera that captures the infrared image of your face. This helps the point cloud depth camera avoid being fooled by a fake mask.
The honor Point Cloud Depth Camera Sneak Peek
While revealing details of the upcoming honor View10 AI smartphone, Huawei Malaysia Business Director Zhiwei Zhao gave us a sneak peek of the honor point cloud depth camera that they’re planning to bring to market soon.
3D Face Recognition & Reconstruction
This is nothing new, of course, being a riff on the Apple iPhone X 3D facial recognition technology. But honor promises that their 3D face recognition technology will be more accurate and more secure.
It will be capable of deliverying up to a 300,000 point cloud – 10X more than the iPhone X – albeit taking 10 seconds to do it. For quick identification, it will be able to identify your face and unlock the smartphone in 400 ms. Presumably, that will use far fewer dots – probably 120,000 of them.
The high number of dots allow more than just 3D facial recognition. It will also allow you to reconstruct your face in 3D with sub-millimeter accuracy. Whether this is used to create facially-similar avatars in games, or facial masks like in Mission Impossible, remains to be seen.
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3D Facial Animation
honor proposes that the 3D face map will allow for more realistic 3D facial animation for use in animated emojis. We can also see it being used to create more realistic videos using 3D or cartoon avatars.
3D Small Object Reconstruction
The high point cloud capability will also allow small objects to be measured and reconstructed in 3D. honor claims that the high dot density is sufficient to pick up even the texture of the object.
They also say that they have the ability to remove the background, and the palm (or table) on which the object rests.
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On 12 December 2017, honor Malaysia revealed the honor 7X FullView Display smartphone at a packed klpac auditorium. Join us for the full presentation of the honor 7X’s key features, as well as the official honor theme song by SonaOne!
The honor 7X FullView Display Smartphone
The honor 7X is honor’s first smartphone to feature the honor FullView Display; a 5.93″ edge-to-edge, bezel-less screen design that maximises the screen-to-body ratio. This allows the user to enjoy a much larger display in a compact design that comfortably fits their hand.
The honor 7X display also has a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels, with an 18:9 ratio. The FullView Display is not only the defining feature of the honor 7X, which boasts a dual-lens 16MP + 2MP rear camera design, and an octa-core Kirin 659 processor, wrapped in a premium aluminium body.
Stunning honor FullView Display
The honor 7X is equipped with a 5.93″ FHD+ display with 2160 X 1080 resolution.
The honor 7X has an 18:9 screen that allows a wider view for mobile gamers to see more when in the midst of the action. The wider aspect ratio also allows for a more cinematic experience while watching movies.
You can double your productivity with the One-key Screen Split function. From email and WhatsApp to Netflix and YouTube, multi-tasking has never been faster and easier.
Professional Photography
The dual-lens 16MP + 2MP rear camera focuses on your subjects in as little as 0.18 seconds thanks to Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF) technology.
Software bokeh effect with a large pseudo-aperture range of f/0.95 – f/16 gives you the creative options that used to be available only in DSLRs.
Uncompromised Performance
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The honor 7X is powered by an octa-core Kirin 659 processor and comes with 4GB of RAM and EMUI 5.1.
A microSD card of up to 256 GB can be used to increase data storage so that hundreds of TV episodes can be downloaded and stored to watch offline.
Smart optimisation and file management features prevent the degradation of Android performance over time.
Long Lasting Battery life
Even with the larger FullView Display, a single charge of the 3,340 mAh battery enables the honor 7X to last more than a full day.
Thanks to the power saving technology and the Ultra Power Saving Mode, users can now enjoy a full season of their favorite TV series, or 91 hours of music, on one charge.
The honor 7X Specifications
Specifications
honor 7X
Display
5.93" FullView Display
- 1080 x 2160 pixels (18:9 ratio)
Build
Aluminium body with front glass
Operating System
Android 7.0 with EMUI 5.1
Platform
HiSilicon Kirin 659
Processor
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (2.36 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.7 GHz)
Dual-Lens Camera System
- 16 MP main camera (with PDAF)
- 2 MP depth sensor camera
Connectivity
WiFi : 802.11b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.1
micro USB 2.0
Battery
3,340 mAh lithium ion battery (non-removable)
Size
75.3 mm wide
156.5 mm tall
7.6 mm thick
Weight
165 g
Available Colours
Blue / Black
The Official honor Theme Song – honor Is Mine
Malaysian rapper, graffiti artist, composer and publisher SonaOne wrote and performed the official honor theme song, honor Is Mine, live at klpac. Check it out!
honor 7X Price & Availability
The honor 7X will be available nationwide in Malaysia, starting 22 December 2017, with the colour choices of Blue or Black. It will be sold at the recommended retail price of RM 1,099 / ~US$ 268.
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honor Malaysia today introduced the honor 8 Pro premium smartphone. It features a top-of-the-line processor, a long battery life, a 5.7″ Quad HD display and a dual-lens camera – all packed into a chassis that is just under 7 mm thick!
The honor 8 Pro is Geared for Speed
The honor 8 Pro is powered by the Kirin 960 SoC, that promises significantly better performance than its predecessor, the Kirin 950.
The Kirin 960 has 8 processor cores – 4 x high-performance ARM Cortex-A73 cores clocked at 2.4 GHz and 4 x low-power Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.8 GHz – that improve single-core and multi-core performance by 10% and 18% respectively.
The ARM Mali-G71 GPU includes support for the cutting-edge Vulkan API, boosting graphics performance by up to 400%.
The new EMUI 5.1 system leverages machine learning to learn from your behavior and habits to minimise lag and ensure applications and files load smoothly. For example, if you tend to open an application at a certain time of the day, the honor 8 Pro will be able to anticipate your needs and pre-load the application.
Longer Battery Life
Coupled with advanced power-saving features, the honor 8 Pro’s 4,000 mAh battery provides up to 2 days of regular use, and almost 1.44 days of heavy use. The Smart Power 5.0 technology helps to maximise battery life by automatically identifying and terminating processes with exceptionally high power consumption, as well as minimising power consumed by background applications.
Minimalist Sophistication
Thehonor 8 Pro boasts an ultra-thin 6.97 mm metal body that is available in navy blue or midnight black colours. Its Quad HD display features a high pixel density of 515 ppi, 16.7 million colours and a 94.5% NTSC color gamut.
The honor 8 Pro also comes VR-ready, with a bundled cardboard viewer and pre-installed Jaunt VR app containing a wealth of video content. Users will also be able to dive into the exhilarating world of Galaxy on Fire 3, the first 3D game to run on the Vulkan interface.
Dual 12 MP Cameras
The honor 8 Pro features a 12 MP dual-lens camera. The two lenses work in tandem to always deliver the perfect shot:
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the monochrome lens captures a black-and-white image with incredible depth of detail while the RGB lens ensure faithful and vivid color reproduction
the camera software then combines the two images together.
The camera supports a wide software aperture range (f/0.95–f/16) to delivers DSLR-like depth of field “bokeh” effects for both photo and video shooting. The cameras also support 4K video recording, which are encoded in the efficient H.265 codec, producing files twice as small as its predecessor.
EMUI 5.1 also introduces Highlights, a new feature co-developed with Go Pro that intelligently organises photos by category and automatically generates video stories that are easily customisable – making sharing memories a breeze.
The 2017 Mobile Legends South East Asia Cup
Marking honor 8 Pro’s exclusive partnership for the 2017 Mobile Legends South East Asia Cup in Malaysia, Mandy Dai, Senior Marketing Director from Moonton said, “I am honoured to announce this exclusive partnership with honor Malaysia and have the honor 8 Pro as the official gaming phone for the tournament which will be used by professional e-sport gamers. The honor 8 Pro is a device that offers exceptional speed, graphic and detail, and we believe that gamers will take pleasure through its superior user experience.”
The honor 8 Pro Price & Availability
The honor 8 Pro will be made available in the Malaysia market beginning 11 July at a retail price of RM1,999 / ~US$ 475. vMall, the official licensed e-store for honor and HUAWEI will be the first online platform to offer the honor 8 Pro followed by honor experience stores and display zones beginning 12 July 2017.
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Great news! Honor will begin its rollout of the EMUI 5.0 update for all its Honor 6X (Amazon | Lazada) users in Malaysia starting today. This update coupled with Android Nougat 7.0 aims to bring a new and improved experience to the Honor 6X.
Honor 6X Gets Android 7.0 Nougat Upgrade
Through countless hours devoted into careful research and development, the EMUI 5.0 is created to be a gorgeous and simplistic user interface that is designed to make your life easier. Behind the interface lies an extremely complex system that is created to better the experience every time you pick up the Honor 6X (Amazon | Lazada).
The EMUI 5.0 comes with the Machine Learning Algorithm, which studies your usage habits and optimizes the phone’s processing priorities to suit your style of use, ultimately creating a device that is always trying to stay fast.
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The EMUI 5.0 brings the Honor 6X (Amazon | Lazada) a gorgeous aesthetics upgrade through the Aegean Sea blue theme that breathes life into the machine. With simplicity in mind, the new user interface promises to increase productivity as now you can get access to most of the features with no more than three clicks.
With the widespread use of technology today, the importance of security has been rising. EMUI 5.0 acknowledges the importance of this issue and incorporates safety measures that will reassure users. The new UI comes with an effective virus scan that detects known and unknown virus. For users wary with opening hyperlinks, EMUI 5.0 scans hyperlinks in real time so users will be alerted if any scams and viruses are detected in the scan.
The Honor 6X (Amazon | Lazada) is now truly complete inside and out. Upgrade to the EMUI 5.0 now and unleash the true potential of your device.
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