Korean superstar Song Ji-hyo is here for a special occasion – the official launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note8 in Malaysia! Join us for the full coverage of the Samsung Galaxy Note8 launch event with Song Ji-hyo!
Introducing The Samsung Galaxy Note8!
In these two videos, Lim Kian Meng (Head of IT and Mobile Business, Samsung Malaysia) and Julian Thean (Head of Product Marketing, Samsung Malaysia) introduce the new Samsung Galaxy Note8 phablet and its key features.
Enjoy & Do More With The Infinity Display
The Galaxy Note8 has the biggest screen ever on a Note device, yet its narrow body makes it comfortable to hold in one hand. The 6.3-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity Display lets you see more and scroll less.
The new App Pair feature lets you create a custom pair of apps on the Edge Panel and simultaneously launch two apps with ease. You can now watch a video while messaging your friends or dial into a conference call with the number and agenda in front of you.
A New Way To Communicate With The S-Pen
With the Galaxy Note8, the enhanced S Pen unlocks entirely new ways to write, draw, and interact with the phone and communicate with friends.
It has a finer tip, improved pressure sensitivity, and features that enable users to express themselves in ways that no other stylus or smartphone ever has.
You can also share animated texts or drawings across platforms that support animated GIFs.
For overseas travels or when you come across a website in a foreign language, the improved S Pen Translate feature lets you hover over text to quickly translate not only individual words, but entire sentences in up to 71 languages, and instantly convert units and foreign currencies.
Take Better Pictures With Best-in-Class Camera
The Samsung Galaxy Note8 is the first smartphone with two 12 MP rear cameras with Dual Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) on both the wide-angle and telephoto lenses. It also has an industry-leading 8 MP Smart Auto Focus front-facing camera for sharp selfies and video chats.
For more advanced photo-taking, the Galaxy Note8’s Live Focus feature lets you control the depth of field by allowing you to adjust the bokeh effect in preview mode and after you take the photo. In Dual Capture mode, both rear cameras take two pictures simultaneously and allow you to save both images; one close-up shot from the telephoto lens and one wide-angle shot that shows the entire background.
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Song Ji-hyo Loves Her Samsung Galaxy Note8
Song Ji-hyo was one of the Korean celebrities to get an advanced unit of the Samsung Galaxy Note8, and she tells us what she loves most about her Galaxy Note8 phablet.
She even demonstrated how to use her favourite feature in the Galaxy Note8 – Live Message!
Samsung Galaxy Note8 Price & Availability
The Samsung Galaxy Note8 is available in Malaysia starting 21 September 2017, with a recommended retail price of RM 3,999 / ~US$ 949 (inclusive of 6% GST). It is available in three colour options – Midnight Black, Orchid Gray and Maple Gold.
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There are many phablets in the market, but most of them are based on the Android operating system. So when a Windows 10 phablet hit the market recently, everyone took note. The Windows 10 phablet in question is the new Wise Pad W7. You will find it marketed as the Microsoft Wise Pad W7.
People immediately asked us to review it, and as if they were reading our minds, they sent us one! So today, we present to you, our review of the Wise Pad W7 Windows 10 phablet!
Updated @ 2017-06-23 : Updated the links in the review. Added more information on the included software. Reworked the Verdict.
Updated @ 2016-09-04 : Added new information on its manufacturer. Made various improvements and corrections to the review.
5.0 MP sensor (720p video recording) with single LED flash and f/2.4 lens
Connectivity
4G : LTE Cat4 (150 Mbps / 50 Mbps)
WiFi : 810.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth : 4.1 LE
USB : Micro USB 2.0
GPS
Yes, A-GPS
FM Radio
Yes, but lacks antenna (earphones)
Battery
3,200 mAh lithium-ion battery (11,840 mWh)
Dimensions
13 cm wide x 21 cm tall x 5 mm thick
Phablet, Not Tablet
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There was some confusion about whether the Wise Pad W7 is a phablet or a tablet. Partly because the advertisement calls it a “tab“. Let us clarify this once and for all.
The Wise Pad W7 is a phablet, not a tablet. There are tablets of the same size, like the ASUS ZenPad 7.0, but tablets do not have telecommunication capabilities. They cannot make calls like smartphones or phablets can.
The Wise Pad W7, on the other hand, is a 4G LTE phablet. You can make calls on it, like any other smartphone or phablet. It’s called a phablet because it is a smartphone that’s the size of a small tablet.
Designed & Made By Microsoft?
What attracted people the most was the claim that the Wise Pad W7 was designed, made and sold by Microsoft. Perhaps it had to do with the product descriptions in the advertisement :
Microsoft has truly outdone themselves with this creation, introducing innovative features and designs that are sure to impress.
Microsoft has engineered a unique design that showcases the tab’s 7-inch display screen in the slimmest form.
We reached out to Microsoft for clarification. They informed us that the Wise Pad W7 is not an official Microsoft product, but an OEM product running on Windows 10. Of course, Wise Pad may have cooperated with Microsoft, or received their assistance, in developing this phablet.
Our further investigations revealed that the Wise Pad W7 is actually made by Meizu, and marketed in Malaysia by Blue Kor (also known as Meizu Malaysia).
This makes no difference to our review process though. However, we will refer to it as the Wise Pad W7, instead of the Microsoft Wise Pad W7.
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Unboxing The Wise Pad W7 Phablet
The Wise Pad W7 comes in a nice, shrink-wrapped box with the Microsoft logo prominently printed on the upper left corner. Let’s take a look inside!
The Wise Pad W7 is a low-cost phablet, so you only get the bare essentials :
Unfortunately, the Wise Pad W7 does not come with any earphones, even though it has a built-in FM radio. The FM radio requires a pair of earphones to be attached, to serve as its antenna.
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Overview Of The Wise Pad W7
Now that it’s out of the box, let’s take a quick tour of the Wise Pad W7 phablet!
The 7″ IPS display is bright and vivid, but has a low resolution of 540 x 960 pixels. It lacks an oleophobic coating, so it smears very easily. However, it should not matter too much since you will likely install the provided screen protector.
The Wise Pad W7 comes with a 2 MP front camera that is okay for video chats, but takes noisy, low-resolution selfies. You will most likely rely exclusively on the 5 MP main camera at the back, which is supported by an LED flash.
The only physical buttons are located along the right side – a Power button and two Volume buttons. The micro USB 2.0 port is located at the top, together with the earphone port, and a compartment for the microSD and micro SIM cards.
Setting Up The Wise Pad W7
Let’s show you how the Wise Pad W7‘s initial setup process is like.
Unfortunately, the Windows 10 Mobile setup process is rather protracted. Android Marshmallow devices take no more than 5 minutes to boot and setup. The Wise Pad W7, on the other hand, took a whooping 82 seconds to start-up for the first time. Then after selecting the country of choice, it had to reboot, taking up an additional 53 seconds.
That’s not the worst of it though. After we set-up the Wise Pad W7, Windows 10 Mobile took an additional 2.5 minutes to decompress and install its apps. Generally, it will take you about 10-15 minutes to setup the Wise Pad W7.
Windows 10 Mobile
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Another point of confusion for many potential users is the fact that they marketed it as a Windows 10 tablet. It gave the impression that the Wise Pad W7 is a smaller and far more affordable version of the Microsoft Surface Pro 4.
The Wise Pad W7 actually runs on Windows 10 Mobile. This is the mobile version of Windows 10, that is designed to look and feel like Windows 10. However, unlike devices running on actual Windows 10, it is not capable of running Windows desktop applications.
Think of the Wise Pad W7 as a larger version of the Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL smartphones. It will run Windows Mobile or Windows Phone applications, and comes bundled with Office for Windows 10, and Microsoft Edge.
Built-In Microsoft Apps
What’s advantageous is the fact that the Wise Pad W7 comes with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, OneDrive, the Microsoft Edge browser and even Skype pre-installed. That takes care of the productivity requirements for most users.
You can literally start using it to do your work right out of the box. And the tight integration between those Microsoft apps allow you to sync your files and switch between your desktop and the Wise Pad W7 very easily.
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Camera Performance – Photo
The Wise Pad W7 has a 5 MP main camera, with f/2.4 lens and an LED flash. It takes photos with a resolution of 2592 x 1456, with file sizes ranging from 650 KB to 1 MB. Here are some photo samples from the 5MP main camera.
The photos taken appear washed out, unless HDR is enabled. But because the lens is relatively slow, using HDR may result in blurry pictures. The highlights are also easily blown-out when HDR is enabled.
Generally, the pictures are okay for viewing on the Wise Pad W7 itself, or posting on social media. However, the camera’s limitations are very apparent when viewed on a high-resolution computer display.
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Camera Performance – Video
The Wise Pad W7‘s 5 MP camera sensor is capable of recording 1080p videos. However, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 processor powering the Wise Pad W7 is only powerful enough to handle 720p video recording. So you are limited to recording 720p videos. Here is a sample of the 720p video recording by the main camera.
Immediately, we can tell that the camera lacks optical image stabilisation. It supports electronic image stabilisation, but it does not help much in stabilising the image. You can see that the handshake is quite noticeable, even though we recorded this sample using two hands.
What is most distracting though is the camera’s inability to maintain focus. You can see the camera losing focus and seeking very often. The audio quality was also terrible, sounding really muffled and monotonous.
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Memory & Storage Capacity
The Wise Pad W7 comes with 2 GB of memory, and 16 GB of internal flash storage. Unfortunately, we cannot find out how much free memory is available for your apps to use. But we can tell you that out of the 16 GB of internal flash storage, you will have at least 10.75 GB of free storage space.
You can top up the storage capacity with a microSD card (up to 64 GB), which should be plenty enough for most users. The Wise Pad W7 also supports OTG drives, so you can easily transfer data.
Problems With The Display
The automatic brightness feature in the Wise Pad W7 does not seem to be working at all. Even though its light sensor is working (we checked), the Wise Pad W7 maintains the same brightness level whether it’s in the shade or in direct sunlight. Hence, the display was completely useless in bright sunlight. The workaround? Disable the automatic brightness feature and set the brightness manually.
The other issue we noticed was its improperly calibrated digitiser (touch panel). It appears to register our touches a few millimetres lower than expected. Unfortunately, there is no option to recalibrate the digitiser, so if you face this issue, you will need to learn to touch a few millimetres higher on the display.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 is slow, period. It may have four cores, but they are the slower ARM Cortex-A7 cores. It was particularly poor at graphics, due to its slow Adreno 510 graphics processor.
Verdict
The Wise Pad W7 is an interesting phablet. Mainly because it runs on Windows 10 Mobile. This can be a boon or a bane, depending on what you are looking for.
If you are looking for a ton of games and apps, then you are going to be disappointed with the limited choices in the Windows Store. But if you are only interested in using Microsoft applications like Word or Excel, then you will love the tight integration of those Microsoft apps into Windows 10 Mobile.
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The Wise Pad W7 was definitely not designed or manufactured by Microsoft though. The design and build quality is far from what you would expect from Microsoft. It is certainly very cheap, but it is a mixed bag of hits and misses. You will have to compromise with its limitations.
The Wise Pad W7 has a decent polycarbonate chassis with a matte metallic finish, but the display and the camera lens cover lack oleophobic coatings and are very easily smeared. The 7″ display has a lot more screen space than a smartphone, but it is limited by its low resolution of 540 x 960.
What really concerned us the most was the non-functioning auto-brightness feature and improperly-calibrated digitiser. We have no idea how it could have passed quality control checks at the factory. It also has a relatively small 3,200 mAh battery for its size. The much smaller ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom, for example, boasts a 5,000 mAh battery!
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 processor is just fast enough for work applications, but do not expect to play 3D games on the Wise Pad W7. The good news is that it sips power, so the Wise Pad W7 putters on longer than we would expect for its small battery.
Pros & Cons
To summarise, here are the pros and cons of the Wise Pad W7 phablet :
Pros
Cons
Comes with Microsoft Office apps pre-installed and integrated
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25 APRIL 2017 – Save the date! Come May 5th this year, Malaysians will be able to own Huawei’s latest flagship in the long-awaited Greenery and Dazzling Blue. The Huawei P10, co-engineered with Leica, is equipped with cutting edge technological innovations and now the latest on-trend colours, the P10 redefines what it means to be a flagship smartphone.
A photography studio in your pocket, that is just what the Huawei P10 (Amazon | Lazada) brings to the table. Featuring a Leica front camera, which complements the Leica dual rear cameras, the P10 is equipped with the most advanced photography technology to create modern artistic portrait masterpieces in Leica’s signature style. With features like studio-like re-lighting and 3D facial detection technology, the P10 brings the ability to produce beautiful photography in any environment to the masses.
The Greenery and Dazzling Blue Huawei P10
Huawei also sets a new standard in design by incorporating special colours into its latest flagship smartphone. By collaborating with Pantone Color Institute, the world’s pre-eminent thought leader on colour, Huawei presents the P10 in an all exclusive Greenery and Dazzling Blue.
Crowned as the official Pantone Colour of the Year 2017, Greenery delivers a clean and stylish sandblast finish, while the gorgeous Dazzling Blue Huawei P10 breathes character into the device through its Hyper Diamond-Cut finishing to produce a stunning glow effect. A smartphone that gives you world-class innovative technology along with exquisite aesthetics, the Huawei P10 (Amazon | Lazada) is truly a tool for everyone to express themselves in a unique way.
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“2017 is an exciting year for Huawei, and we have kicked off by launching one of the most technologically advanced smartphones to start year off with a bang. Since sales of the Huawei P10 started, we have received numerous request to bring in the P10 in the two unique Pantone colours, Greenery and Dazzling Blue, thus our decision to give our consumers what they want,” said Matthew Ng, Deputy Country Director of Huawei Malaysia. “The P10 is truly a complete device inside and out. From its powerful Kirin 960 processor, EMUI 5.1 interface and Leica cameras to its ultra slim, minimalistic and now expressive colours; the P10 is more than just a smartphone, it is a symbol of polished precision that is designed to be powerful and enjoyable at the same time.”
The Greenery and Dazzling BlueHuawei P10 (Amazon | Lazada) will be available in all Huawei Experience Stores and Display Zones nationwide starting May 5th this year, and will retail for RM2,499 / ~US$549.
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The Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro was the sleeper hit of 2016. It was a large 6″ phablet that saw limited release and lacked a stylus, but proved to be highly popular. Samsung now attempts to replicate that success with the new Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (SM-C900F) phablet. Let’s see how well they did!
The Galaxy C9 Pro vs. Galaxy A9 Pro Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) appears to be a direct evolution of the Galaxy A9 Pro phablet. Here is a specification comparison of those two phablets.
Specifications
Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro
Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro
Model
SM-C900F
SM-A910F
Display
6.0" Super AMOLED
- 1080 x 1920 pixels (369 ppi)
6.0" Super AMOLED
- 1080 x 1920 pixels (367 ppi)
Protection
Gorilla Glass with 2.5D edge
Gorilla Glass 4
Operating System
Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
Platform
Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 (MSM8976)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 (MSM8976)
Processor
4 x ARM Cortex-A72 cores (1.95 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.4 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A72 cores (1.8 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.4 GHz)
4,000 mAh lithium ion battery (non-removable)
- Supports fast charging
5,000 mAh lithium ion battery (non-removable)
- Supports fast charging
USB Port
USB Type C (USB 2.0)
micro USB 2.0
Dimensions
80.7 mm wide
162.9 mm tall
6.9 mm thick
80.9 mm wide
161.7 mm tall
7.9 mm thick
Weight
188 g
210 g
Unboxing The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) comes in the usual white cardboard box that Samsung uses for their mid-range devices. The only difference is the size – it’s quite a bit larger. Let’s take a look inside!
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Inside the box, you will find the following items :
One Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) phablet
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The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro Phablet
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) is a 6″ phablet with Samsung’s signature Super AMOLED display. It is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass (unspecified version) with a 2.5D edge, and a full metal unibody chassis.
The Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) runs on the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 SoC as the Galaxy A9 Pro. But the Cortex-A72 CPU cluster has a small clock speed boost from 1.8 GHz to 1.95 GHz. Samsung also gave the Galaxy C9 Pro 50% more memory and twice the internal storage.
The Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) maintains the standard Samsung button placement of the Power button on the right, and the Volume buttons on the left. The separate SIM and microSD card trays are located on the right side, just under the Power button.
Like many thin devices, the audio port on the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) is located at the bottom, next to the bidirectional Type C USB port. The package includes a micro USB to USB Type C adaptor, so you can reuse your old cables and OTG drives. But note that it is still using USB 2.0 standard, not the latest USB 3.1 standard.
Card Trays & Fingerprint Sensor
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) has dual SIM, dual standby capability. It has a dedicated tray for two nano SIM cards, and a separate tray for the microSD card (up to 256 GB). Both card trays are located on the right side, just under the Power button.
The Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) has an all-aspect fingerprint sensor that is integrated into the Home button. Our tests showed that it requires about 20 finger presses to register a fingerprint. However, it is very fast and accurate in recognising the registered fingerprint.
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Front & Rear Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) boasts a 8 MP front camera that uses Samsung’s own S5K4H5YC BSI sensor. It is capable of recording 1080p videos at 30 fps. Thanks to its f/1.9 lens, it will have great low-light capability equivalent to that of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge (Amazon) smartphone. It will come in handy since the front camera does not have flash support, not even screen flash.
The main camera uses the same 16 MP Samsung S5K3L2 sensor from the Galaxy A9 Pro, paired this time with a dual-tone LED flash. It boasts the same fast f/1.9 lens, which allows for better low-light performance. We will take a look at sample pictures and videos later in the review.
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Setting Up The Galaxy C9 Pro
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, and is very easy to set-up. If you are setting it up as a new device, it should take you only 5 minutes to finish the setup process.
The Ergonomics
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) is a large 6″ phablet that is just over 8 cm wide, so this is definitely a two-handed device. The Super AMOLED display is excellent as always, and the large screen with its full HD resolution is just perfect for watching movies.
The anodised aluminium chassis is smooth to the touch, with a nice satin finish that imparts a nice shine and yet is resistant to fingerprint smears. It actually feels easier to grip than the Galaxy A9 Pro, probably because it’s thinner and lighter.
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Available Memory & Storage
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) comes with a whopping 6 GB of LPDDR3 memory, of which 3.8 GB (63.3%) is available for use. That is more memory than many smartphones actually ship with! Needless to say – you will never run out of memory with the Galaxy C9 Pro.
The Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) also has 64 GB of internal flash storage. Of that, 51.9 GB is available to use, which is just awesome. If that’s not enough, you can top it up with a microSD card (up to 256 GB).
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Camera Performance – Photos
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) uses the same excellent Samsung ISOCELL camera as the Galaxy A9 Pro, just upgraded with a dual-tone LED flash. The full 16 MP resolution is attained with the 4:3 aspect ratio. Each picture has a resolution of 4608 x 3456 and a file size of between 4.5 to 5.5 MB.
Here are 6 high-resolution samples for you to check out. Click on them to load the full-sized photos, which you can also download to examine.
As the pictures show, the Galaxy C9 Pro’s main camera performs best in natural light. It occasionally has white balance problems (see the Dala horse sample) under artificial lighting. The camera isn’t the sharpest we have seen, but the noise level is low, even in low light conditions. With suitable distance, you can even get a pretty nice bokeh (see the flower sample).
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Camera Performance – Video Recording
Despite sporting a 16 MP sensor, the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) is only capable of recording videos of up to 1080p in resolution. This is likely Samsung’s way of differentiating the Galaxy C9 Pro from their more premium models like the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. Let’s take a look at some sample videos.
Test #1 : Piano Recital
The first thing you will notice is how jerky the video appears. It is readily apparent that the Galaxy C9 Pro’s camera lacks both optical image stabilisation (OIS) and electronic image stabilisation (EIS). Noise cancellation was also sub-par. However, it showed pretty good control of the highlights in the background.
Test #2 : Food Trucks
We did this short take of some food trucks to test out the image stabilisation capability. Obviously, the Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) didn’t do well in this test, because it lacks OIS or even EIS capability.
Test #3 : Night Dancing
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) performed well in this test of its low-light capability. Its wide f/1.9 lens had no problem handling the low-light situation. It continued to exhibit good control of the highlights – the much brighter background was not completely washed out, as we have seen in many other smartphones.
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Work Performance – PCMark
We tested the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro’s performance using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.
We then tested the Galaxy C9 Pro’s battery performance using PCMark. It basically ran the PCMark work tests until its battery capacity dropped to 20%.
One of the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro‘s main attraction was its large 5,000 mAh battery. To make the Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) thinner though, Samsung reduced the battery capacity to 4,000 mAh. However, we are glad to note that it only reduced the battery life by 11.5% to 11.5 hours.
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Battery Recharging Performance
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) comes with an adaptive fast charger with a power output of 15 W. Take a look at how fast it recharged the 4,000 mAh battery.
It took the Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) just 74.5 minutes (1 hour 14.5 minutes) to recharge its battery from 19% to 100%. That is 80% faster recharging than the Galaxy A9 Pro, and a battery life : recharging ratio of about 9.4 : 1 – a truly amazing performance.
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Gaming Performance – 3DMark
We tested the Galaxy C9 Pro’s gaming performance using 3DMark, using the Ice Storm Unlimited test.
If you liked the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro, you will love the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada). It is literally an improved Galaxy A9 Pro, with a faster processor and a lot more RAM and storage. Samsung also upgraded the front camera with a 16 MP sensor, and gave the main 16 MP camera a dual-tone LED flash.
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) also features a thinner, curvier design that fits better in the hand. The only downside – it has a 20% smaller battery, with a 11.5% shorter battery life. The good news – it takes just under 1 hour 15 minutes to fully recharge the Galaxy C9 Pro!
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro’s cameras lack stabilisation, so if you are taking videos, it’s best to use a tripod or a gimbal. But both front and back cameras have great resolution and low-light capability, thanks to their wide f/1.9 lenses.
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If you wish to use two SIM cards and a microSD card simultaneously, you will be glad to know that the Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) has dedicated trays for two nano SIM cards and a microSD card.
Arguably, the main attractions are its large beautiful Super AMOLED display, coupled with its performance and large memory and storage capacities. They make the Galaxy C9 Pro a truly excellent entertainment / gaming device. Whether you like to watch movies or play 3D games, the Galaxy C9 Pro is well-suited to the task.
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro (Amazon | Lazada) is a great option for those who want a large phablet, and do not need a stylus. We like it so much, we think it deserves no less than our Reviewer’s Choice Award. Congratulations, Samsung!
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Meizu just revealed their top-of-the-line smartphone – the Meizu Pro 6 Plus (Amazon | Lazada). Our first impression when we first saw it was how similar it was to the Samsung Galaxy S7 (Amazon | Lazada). Check out their presentation and our hands-on preview, and see for yourself just how similar it is to the Samsung flagship smartphone!
The Meizu Pro 6 Plus Key Features
In this video, the Meizu Director for Asia Pacific Region, Mr. Gary Xu, revealed the key features of the Meizu Pro 6 Plus (Amazon | Lazada). He also touched on the Meizu M5 Note (Amazon | Lazada), which they also launched at the same time.
After the launch event, we had some time to try out the Meizu Pro 6 Plus (Amazon | Lazada). Here is our hands-on preview!
Here is a summary of the Pro 6 Plus’ key features :
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Full Metal Unibody – Touted as “Stronger Than Ever”, its metal unibody has a micro-arc design that takes 30 steps and 150 hours of precise craftsmanship.
High Performance – The Meizu Pro 6 Plus boasts the same Samsung Exynos 8890 SoC that powers the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon | Lazada). It also comes with 4 GB of LPDDR4 memory and 64 GB of storage!
Large Beautiful Display – The Meizu Pro 6 Plus boasts the same beautiful Super AMOLED display used by the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon | Lazada). It’s just bigger at 5.7″!
Sony IMX386 Camera – Meizu equipped the Pro 6 Plus with the 12 MP Sony IMX386 sensor, which supports PDAF. It is paired with a f/2.0 lens that supports 4-axis image stabilisation, and a 10-LED circular flash.
USB 3.1 Type C – The Pro 6 Plus not only uses the latest bidirectional USB Type C port, it supports the USB 3.1 standard, allowing for much faster transfers.
24 W Fast Charging – The Pro 6 Plus has a 3,400 mAh battery with 24 W fast charging capability. A 30 minute charge is enough to recharge it to 60%!
The Meizu Pro 6 Plus (Amazon | Lazada) is available right now in three colour options – Gray, Silver and Gold. It is priced at RM 1,999 / ~US$ 439.
The Meizu Pro 6 Plus Specifications
Specifications
Meizu Pro 6 Plus
Display
5.7" Super AMOLED display
- 1440 x 2560 pixels (518 ppi)
Protection
Aircraft-grade aluminium alloy unibody, with 2.5D glass
Operating System
Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Flyme 5
System Platform
Samsung Exynos 8890
Processor
4 x Samsung Mongoose cores (2.0 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.5 GHz)
Graphics Processor
ARM Mali-T880 MP10
Memory
4 GB LPDDR4 SDRAM
Storage
64 GB internal flash storage
Front Camera
5 MP sensor with f/2.0 lens
Main Camera
12 MP Sony IMX386 sensor with f/2.0 lens
- 4-axis OIS, PDAF, laser AF, 10-LED ring flash
Connectivity
4G : LTE Cat8
WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5 GHz)
Bluetooth : v4.2
USB : USB 3.1 Type C
SIM Capability
Dual nano SIM, Dual standby
GPS
GPS / AGPS / GLONASS
Fingerprint Sensor
Yes, built into Home button
Other Sensors
Heart rate, gravity, ambient light, IR proximity, gyroscope
Audio
ESS ES9018K2M decoder + ADI AD45275
Battery
3,400 mAh lithium-ion battery (non-removable)
- supports 24 W fast charging
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Xiaomi broke ground when they launched their first smartphone. They were hardly the first to come up with an Android smartphone, and they won’t be the last company to try and break into that competitive market. But in just 4 years, they became the 4th largest smartphone manufacturer in the world.
How did they achieve this? By making high-end Mi smartphones that are highly affordable. Their mid-range Redmi series are even more affordable. Today, we are going to take a close look at their latest phablet – the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (GearBest | Amazon | Lazada). To be specific – this is the helio X20 version of the Redmi Note 4.
Originally posted @ 2017-02-14
Updated @ 2017-03-26 : Updated various parts of the review, including the specifications of the helio X20 and Snapdragon 625 models.
The helio X20 Model
This is the Chinese model, powered by the 10-core helio X20, instead of the 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625. It also comes with the unique combination of 3 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage.
The Qualcomm models come with 2 GB or 3 GB models with 32 GB of storage, and a rare, high-end 4 GB model with 64 GB of storage. Here is a comparison of both models for your perusal :
Specifications
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (10-Core Version)
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (8-Core Version)
Display
5.5" IPS display (1080 x 1920)
- ~401 ppi pixel density, ~72.7% screen-to-body ratio
- 72% NTSC colour gamut
5.5" IPS display (1080 x 1920)
- ~401 ppi pixel density, ~72.7% screen-to-body ratio
- 72% NTSC colour gamut
Operating System
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
System Platform
MediaTek helio X20 (MT6797M)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (MSM8953)
Processor
2 x ARM Cortex-A72 cores (2.1 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.85 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.4 GHz)
8 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (2.0 GHz)
Graphics Processor
ARM Mali-T880 MP4
Qualcomm Adreno 506
Memory
3 GB LPDDR3 SDRAM
2 GB / 3 GB / 4 GB LPDDR3 SDRAM
Storage
64 GB eMMC 5.1 internal flash storage
microSD card slot (up to 128 GB), shared with SIM2
32 GB / 64 GB eMMC 5.0 internal flash storage
microSD card slot (up to 128 GB), shared with SIM2
Front Camera
5 MP sensor, f/2.0 lens
- supports 1080p video recording
5 MP sensor, f/2.0 lens
- supports 1080p video recording
4,100 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery (non-removable)
4,100 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery (non-removable)
Dimensions
76 mm wide x 151 mm tall x 8.45 mm thick
76 mm wide x 151 mm tall x 8.45 mm thick
Weight
165 g
165 g
Unboxing The Redmi Note 4
Now that you know the difference between this Redmi Note 4 model, and the “regular” Redmi Note 4 models out there, let’s unbox it and see what we find inside!
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Inside the box, you will find the following items :
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The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (helio X20 Model)
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (GearBest | Amazon | Lazada) is a small 5.5″ phablet with an IPS display that has a full HD resolution of 1080 x 1920. That gives it a high pixel density of 401 ppi, the same as that of the ASUS ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL). It also boasts a 72% NTSC colour gamut.
The Redmi Note 4 (GearBest | Amazon | Lazada) has a sleek aluminium chassis with two antenna bands running across the back at the top and bottom. The matte anodised finish is not only hard-wearing but virtually impervious to fingerprint smears. The aluminium chassis also gives the Redmi Note 4 a nice heft. At 165 g, it has a premium feel to it.
The Redmi Note 4 (GearBest | Amazon | Lazada) has a SIM tray on its left side, with the Power and Volume buttons on the right. It maintains the 3.5 mm earphone port at the top, next to an infra-red emitter. Yes, you can use the Redmi Note 4 as a remote control!
Sadly, Xiaomi stuck to the old micro USB 2.0 port, instead of the new bi-directional USB-C port. It’s a minor point though.
Hybrid SIM & Fingerprint Sensor
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (GearBest | Amazon | Lazada) has Dual SIM, Dual Standby capability. However, only the SIM1 supports 4G calls and data, while SIM2 can only support 3G calls. The SIM card tray is located along the left edge, and supports two nano SIM cards.
The second SIM card tray is a hybrid SIM tray, which allows you to install a microSD card instead. In other words, it supports either a second nano SIM card, or a microSD card, but not both at the same time.
The Redmi Note 4 (GearBest | Amazon | Lazada) uses a fingerprint sensor that is located at the back, just under the main camera. This is an all-aspect fingerprint sensor that unlocks the smartphone with just a touch.
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The Redmi Note 4 Cameras
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (GearBest | Amazon | Lazada) has a 5 MP front camera with f/2.0 lens. The lens is fast, but the sensor is a little inadequate in this day and age.
However, the main camera has a 13 MP BSI sensor that supports phase detection auto-focus (PDAF), and is supported by f/2.0 lens and a dual-tone LED flash. It supports 1080p video recording with electronic image stabilisation (EIS). Later in the review, we will show you samples of the photos and videos we took.
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Setting Up The Redmi Note 4
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (GearBest | Amazon | Lazada) runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which should be familiar to many Android users. It is very easy to setup. If you are setting it up as a new device, it should take you only 5 minutes to finish the setup process.
The Ergonomics
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (GearBest | Amazon | Lazada) isn’t a big phablet, so it fits well in our hands. That said, it is still a two-handed device – you need both hands to fully make use of it. The display is nice and sharp – no complaints there.
The anodised aluminium back is smooth to the touch, but watch out because it has less grip than other smartphones. You don’t want it falling because there is no Gorilla Glass protection! But the good news is – the surface is totally impervious to fingerprint smears.
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Available Memory & Storage
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (GearBest | Amazon | Lazada) comes memory options of 2 GB, 3 GB and 4 GB. This model came with 3 GB of memory, of which half is available for use. That’s a decent amount of free memory to run several apps at the same time. 4 GB of RAM is nice to have, but not necessary is most cases.
What is really awesome to have in this Redmi Note 4 model is the 64 GB of internal flash storage. Of that, 55.6 GB is available to use, which is just awesome. If that’s not enough, you can top it up with a microSD card (up to 128 GB).
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Camera Performance – Photos
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (GearBest | Amazon | Lazada) has a very respectable 13 MP main camera. Resolution aside, it has a bright and fast f/2.0 lens, which should help in low-light conditions. The full 13 MP resolution is attained with the 16:9 aspect ratio. Each picture has a resolution of 4208 x 2368 and a file size of between 1.6 to 2.8 MB.
Here are 12 high-resolution samples for you to check out. Click on them to load the full-sized photos, which you can also download to examine.
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Camera Performance – Video Recording
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (GearBest | Amazon | Lazada) is capable of recording 1080p videos, with electronic image stabilisation enabled. It does not have any optical image stabilisation built-in. To test its video recording capabilities, we recorded a public piano performance, and a street market. Check them out!
In the piano scene, the image quality is very good. There is also very good control of the highlights, with minimal blowouts. You can see that in the Padini store, and the bright entrance in the background. However, the audio recording is clear but sadly rendered horribly useless by a complete lack of noise reduction.
The street market shows how Redmi Note 4 (GearBest | Amazon | Lazada) suffers from a lack of image stabilisation. You can get pretty nauseous after a while! So if you are recording videos, try not to do it while you are walking. There is only so much electronic image stabilisation can do.
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Work Performance – PCMark
We tested the Redmi Note 4’s performance using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
ASUS ZenFone 3
honor 5C
OPPO F1s
Work Performance Score
(Average)
5311
6405
5357
3884
Web Browsing
6038
8045
5643
3688
Video Playback
3873
3469
4487
3789
Writing
5862
7316
5944
4141
Photo Editing
5803
8246
5469
3933
It is important that the key advantage of the deca-core MediaTek helio X20 is not performance, but power efficiency. As the results show, it is about 17% slower than the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 that powers the ASUS ZenFone 3, and roughly equivalent to the octa-core Kirin 650 in the honor 5C.
Battery Life – PCMark
We then tested the Redmi Note 4’s battery performance using PCMark. It basically ran the PCMark work tests until its battery capacity dropped to 20%.
The Redmi Note 4 (GearBest | Amazon | Lazada) has a large 4,100 mAh battery, but surprisingly, it only lasted just over 9 hours in this test. This is 2.5 hours less than the ASUS ZenFone 3, which only has a 3,000 mAh battery!
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Battery Recharging Performance
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 comes with a 10 W fast charger. Take a look at how fast it recharges the large 4,100 mAh battery.
It took the Redmi Note 4 (GearBest | Amazon | Lazada) 133.5 minutes (2 hours 13.5 minutes) to recharge its battery from 8% to 100%. This is a battery life : recharging ratio of about 4.5 : 1 – a decidedly lacklustre performance.
The recharging profile shows that the fastest charging up to the 85% charge level, before it tapered off to a slower recharging speed.
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Overall Performance
AnTuTu is a nice benchmark for testing various performance aspects of Android devices.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
ASUS ZenFone 3
honor 5C
OPPO F1s
TOTAL SCORE
85504
62761
53417
41486
3D SCORE
15453
18816
9842
4868
– 3D (Marooned)
9003
10861
5795
3188
– 3D (Garden)
6450
7952
4047
1679
UX SCORE
37378
26794
19297
17640
– UX Data Secure
6761
5077
5577
4885
– UX Data Process
4601
4198
2706
2542
– UX Strategy Games
8668
7503
4109
2829
– UX Image Process
13199
6879
3144
3885
– UX I/O Performance
4149
3137
3761
3499
CPU SCORE
25988
23689
19254
14336
– CPU Mathematics
8896
6950
4198
3142
– CPU Common Use
6835
6311
5947
4805
– CPU Multi-Core
10257
10428
9109
6389
RAM
6685
6797
5024
4643
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (GearBest | Amazon | Lazada) is very fast in 2D graphics, but has rather average performance in the 3D tests. In this benchmark, its CPU performance actually beat that of the ASUS ZenFone 3, which is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 used in the “regular” Redmi Note 4 models.
Gaming Performance – 3DMark
We tested the Redmi Note 4’s gaming performance using 3DMark, using the Ice Storm Unlimited test.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
ASUS ZenFone 3
honor 5C
OPPO F1s
Gaming Score
14608
13956
11560
7666
Graphics
16285
13484
11067
7511
Physics
10737
15903
13698
8265
Graphics Test 1
94.5 fps
80.5 fps
63.4 fps
49.4 fps
Graphics Test 2
56.6 fps
46.1 fps
38.8 fps
24.4 fps
Physics Test
34.1 fps
50.5 fps
43.5 fps
26.2 fps
The ARM Mali-T880 MP4 GPU powering the Redmi Note 4 (GearBest | Amazon | Lazada) was just a tad faster than the average-performing Qualcomm Adreno 506 GPU in the ASUS ZenFone 3. It will handle most 3D games quite well, but don’t expect it to handle the more strenuous 3D game titles.
Our Verdict
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (GearBest | Amazon | Lazada) was everything we expected of it. It offers a ton of remarkable features in a well-built package at a very affordable price point. That has always been Xiaomi’s core strength, and they did not stray far with the Redmi Note 4.
The Redmi Note 4 boasts a 10-core processor with a decent GPU, a large amount of RAM and a very generous amount of internal flash storage. All packed in a sleek anodised aluminium chassis. Even its 13 MP main camera performed better than expected for its price point.
Sure, it is not the best device for 3D gaming, but it was never meant to be one. The Redmi Note series was designed to be a range of affordable phablets, not 3D gaming devices. And Xiaomi sure delivered on their promise with the Redmi Note 4 (GearBest | Amazon | Lazada).
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If there is something we feel we must point out, it is its rather lacklustre battery life. Xiaomi may boast about the large 4,100 mAh battery, but it lasted far less than smartphones with smaller batteries. It also takes longer than expected to recharge the battery.
Again, please note that this is the 10-core helio X20 model, not the 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 model.
Due to its tremendous value for money, we think the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (GearBest | Amazon | Lazada) deserves no less than our Reviewer’s Choice Award. Congratulations, Xiaomi!
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4G : LTE Cat.6
WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 4.2, NFC
4G : LTE Cat.6
WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2, NFC
Fingerprint Sensor
Yes
Yes
USB Port
USB Type C
micro USB 2.0
Battery
3,600 mAh lithium-ion (non-removable)
- supports Fast Charging
3,300 mAh lithium-ion (non-removable)
Wireless Charging Support
No
No
Samsung Pay Support
Yes
Yes
Dimensions
77.6 mm (wide) x 156.8 mm (tall) x 7.9 mm (thick)
74.1 mm (wide) x 151.5 mm (tall) x 7.3 mm (thick)
Weight
186 g
172 g
Launch Price
RM 1,899 / ~US$ 419
RM 1,899 / ~US$ 499
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Unboxing The Samsung Galaxy A7
The 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7 comes in the ubiquitous white Samsung cardboard box. Not as fancy as the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge‘s classy black box, but hey, it’s a completely different segment. Watch us unbox the 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7 in this video, and look at what we found inside!
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The 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7 Quick Tour
Before we go into the details of the 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7, let’s take a quick 2-minute tour of its key features.
The 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7 has a large 5.7″ display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. It also uses a Super AMOLED panel, which gives very rich and vivid colours and true black. Perfect for watching full HD videos.
It is also notable as being the first Samsung Galaxy A series smartphone to boast IP68 dust- and water-resistance. That means it is rated to withstand complete immersion in water up to 1.5 m in depth, for up to 30 minutes.
On the left side of the 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7, you will find two Volume buttons and the SIM1 tray. On the right side are a Power button and curiously, the speaker ports.
The microSD card and SIM2 card tray is located at the top of the 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7, together with a microphone port. It supports microSD cards of up to 256 GB in capacity. The second microphone port is located at the bottom, together with the bidirectional Type C USB port and the 3.5 mm earphone port.
The SIM1 tray is located on the left side, while SIM2 shares the same tray as the microSD card. This is not a hybrid SIM tray so both a microSD card and a second nano SIM card can be used at the same time.
Fast Fingerprint Sensor
The 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7 comes with a fingerprint sensor integrated into the Home button. Our tests showed that it requires about 21 finger presses to register a fingerprint.
However, it is very fast in recognising the fingerprint after it’s registered, and it has 360 degree fingerprint recognition.
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Initial Setup
When you power up the 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7 for the first time, it will take only about 24 seconds to boot up. If you set it up as a fresh device, it should take no more than 5 minutes to complete the initial setup. Check out our quick 3-minute video on the initial setup process.
Ergonomics
The 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7 is a large smartphone. It is actually larger and a bit thicker than the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon), so it is best for those with larger hands. Nevertheless, this is a two-handed device.
Both the front and back are protected by Gorilla Glass 4, with a 2.5D edge cut for the front and a 3D curve for the back. The back glass cover naturally lacks the oleophobic coating of the front, which is great for grip, but makes it an absolute magnet for fingerprint smears.
As usual, the Super AMOLED display is a delight for the eyes. It may not be a QHD display like those on the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon), or the HTC 10 (Amazon).
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Available Memory & Storage
The 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7 comes with 3 GB of LPDDR3 memory, of which half is available for use. This is about par with other smartphones with 3 GB of memory (e.g. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, OPPO F1s), and enough free memory to run several apps at the same time.
The 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7 also comes with 32 GB of internal flash memory. Once you deduct 8.9 GB for the Android 6.0 operating system and apps, you have 23.1 GB of free space to use. This is pretty decent, allowing you to store about 4,000 photos, or record 180 minutes of 1080p video.
Don’t worry about running out of storage space with the Galaxy A7 though. It has a dedicated microSD slot that supports microSD cards of up to 256 GB in capacity.
Front & Rear Cameras
The 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7 boasts a 16 MP front camera that uses Samsung’s own S5K3P8SX BSI sensor. It is capable of recording 1080p videos at 30 fps. Thanks to its f/1.9 lens, it has great low-light capability equivalent to that of the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro (Amazon) and Galaxy S6 edge (Amazon) smartphones. It will come in handy since the front camera does not have flash support, not even screen flash.
The main camera uses the same 16 MP Samsung S5K3P8SX sensor, paired with a single LED flash. It also boasts the same fast f/1.9 lens, which allows for better low-light performance. Let’s take a look at some sample pictures and videos in the next page!
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Camera Performance
The 16 MP Samsung S5K3P8SX BSI sensor has great resolution, which is obvious in the close-up shots of the rubber balls, cauliflower and flowers. However, it has a tendency to blow out the highlights (the bright reflections on the glass elevator) and white balance issues in certain scenes (the Dala horse).
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Video Recording Performance
Despite sporting a 16 MP sensor, the 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7‘s rear camera is limited to recording 1080p videos, even though it is capable of recording 4K videos. This is Samsung’s way of differentiating the Galaxy A7 from their premium models like the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon).
Also disappointing is the lack of optical or electronic image stabilisation. While this is another product differentiation decision, I wished they would at least enable electronic image stabilisation.
To test the 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7‘s video recording capabilities, we recorded both a lion dance, and a street dance at night. Check them out!
First off, you can tell that there is a complete lack of image stabilisation. The videos were rather jerky, even though they were taken with two hands. Using a gimbal like the Osmo Mobile is highly recommended.
The bright background was completely overblown. But as long as it does not affect the main subjects, it actually acts as a kind of bokeh effect. The audio fidelity was also pretty good.
We were more impressed with the night scene. The 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7 did well in the Gangnam Style street dance, even though it was pretty dim. The subjects were reasonably well-exposed, and the noise level was surprisingly low. The bright areas were overblown, as expected, but because they were in the background, it helped to keep focus on the subjects.
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Work Performance : PCMark
We tested the 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7‘s performance using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.
Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
ASUS ZenFone 3
honor 5C
OPPO F1s
Work Performance Score
(Average)
4954
6405
5357
3884
Web Browsing
5143
8045
5643
3688
Video Playback
4515
3469
4487
3789
Writing
4948
7316
5944
4141
Photo Editing
5243
8246
5469
3933
The 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7 is not the fastest smartphone in this comparison, particularly in the Web Browsing and Writing tests. However, it came up tops in the Video Playback test. Overall, it was a decent, if unspectacular performer, in this benchmark.
Battery Life – PCMark
We then tested the 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7‘s battery performance using PCMark. It basically ran the PCMark work tests until its battery capacity dropped to 20%.
The 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7 lasted an astounding 12 hours on the PCMark stress test on its 3,600 mAh battery. The Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro (Amazon) is the only Samsung smartphone to comes close to its battery life, and that’s because it has a 5,000 mAh battery.
In our real world experience, we had no problem using it for a full day with light loads.
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Battery Recharging Performance
The 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7‘s remarkable battery life is thanks to its 3,600 mAh battery, which is about 9% larger than the 2016 model. But does it take much longer to recharge? Let’s find out!
The 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7 supports quick charging, and even comes with a 15 W fast adaptive charger. Our tests showed that the Galaxy A7 will recharge from 18% to 100% in just 100 minutes (1 hours and 40 minutes). This is very good performance, with an incredible battery life : recharging ratio of 7.2 : 1.
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Overall Performance – AnTuTu Benchmark
AnTuTu is a nice benchmark for testing various performance aspects of Android devices.
We tested the 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7‘s gaming performance using 3DMark, using the Ice Storm Unlimited test.
Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
ASUS ZenFone 3
honor 5C
OPPO F1s
Gaming Score
13540
13956
11560
7666
Graphics
13548
13484
11067
7511
Physics
13510
15903
13698
8265
Graphics Test 1
81.1 fps
80.5 fps
63.4 fps
49.4 fps
Graphics Test 2
46.2 fps
46.1 fps
38.8 fps
24.4 fps
Physics Test
42.9 fps
50.5 fps
43.5 fps
26.2 fps
The 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7 did well in this 3D gaming test, virtually matching the performance of the ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon). It was only slightly slower in the Physics test.
Our Verdict & Award
The 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7 is a big upgrade from the 2016 model, offering IP68 dust- and water-resistance, a 20% faster processor, twice as much storage and a new 16 MP front camera. It also boasts the new bidirectional Type C USB port and a bigger fast charging battery.
The dual 16 MP cameras of the 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7 is a unique development. It appears to be Samsung’s first salvo at OPPO and their focus on high-resolution front cameras. In fact, its dual 16 MP cameras appear to be a direct competitor against the OPPO R9s, which was launched at the same time.
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Samsung is also positioning the 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7 as the affordable version of the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon). It packs many of the Galaxy S7 edge‘s key features with some tradeoffs. For example, it has higher-resolution 16 MP cameras but they can only record videos at 1080p, instead of 4K. They also lack both optical and electronic image stabilisation.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon) still boasts the better cameras, a higher resolution QHD display and a wireless charging capability. The 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7, on the other hand, has better battery life, a larger display and separate SIM and microSD slots.
Despite our misgivings about the lack of image stabilisation of its cameras, and the 1080p restriction on video recordings, we are impressed with major upgrades Samsung packed into the 2017 Samsung Galaxy A7. We think it deserves our Reviewer’s Choice Award. Congratulations, Samsung!
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Fresh off their 2017 MWC revelations, Huawei knows we are all eager to know more about the new Huawei P10 Plus, P10 and P10 Lite smartphones. So they flew Justin Zhang, Huawei’s Senior Director of Smartphone Product Line Marketing, all the way from Shanghai to give us a product briefing on the new Huawei P10 Plus, P10 and P10 Lite smartphones
Let’s check out the presentation, specifications, prices and availability! Stay tuned for our hands-on previews of the three Huawei P10 models.
The Huawei P10 Plus, P10 & P10 Lite Product Briefing
Justin Zhang, Huawei’s Senior Director of Smartphone Product Line Marketing in Shanghai, briefed us on the Huawei P10 family’s key features.
Here are some key points :
The Huawei P10 and P10 Plus boast the latest Gorilla Glass 5 protection, and the first under-glass fingerprint sensor.
The Huawei P10 family will feature the unique Hyper Diamond-Cut finish with micro pyramid facets.
The Huawei P10 and P10 Plus will have an improved dual lens camera, with a 12 MP RGB sensor and a higher-resolution 20 MP monochrome sensor.
The Huawei P10 Plus will have a brighter Leica Summilux-H f/1.8 lens, with optical image stabilisation (OIS) capability.[adrotate banner=”4″]
The Huawei P10 retains the original Summarit-H f/2.2 lens.
The Huawei P10 and P10 Plus will have a Leica front camera with f /1.9 lens.
The Huawei P10 and P10 Plus are powered by the Kirin 960, while the Huawei P10 Lite is powered by the Kirin 655 SoC.
The Huawei P10 and P10 Plus come with the Huawei SuperCharge capability, for low-voltage, low temperature fast charging.
The Huawei P10 and P10 Plus boast four LTE antennas (4×4 MIMO) and two WiFi antennas (2×2 MIMO) for better connectivity.
The Huawei P10 Plus, P10 & P10 Lite Specifications
Specifications
Huawei P10 Plus
Huawei P10
Huawei P10 Lite
Display
5.5" WQHD IPS display
- 1440 x 2560 pixels, 534 ppi
5.1" Full HD IPS display
- 1080 x 1920 pixels, 432 ppi
5.2" Full HD IPS display
- 1080 x 1920 pixels, 423 ppi
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Operating System
Android 7.0 Nougat
Android 7.0 Nougat
Android 7.0 Nougat
Platform
HiSilicon Kirin 960
HiSilicon Kirin 960
HiSilicon Kirin 658
Processor
4 x ARM Cortex-A73 (2.36 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (1.8 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A73 (2.36 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (1.8 GHz)
1 x ARM Cortex-A53 (2.36 GHz)
3 x ARM Cortex-A53 (2.12 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (1.7 GHz)
Graphics Processor
ARM Mali-G71 MP8 (1037 MHz)
ARM Mali-G71 MP8 (1037 MHz)
ARM Mali-T830 MP2 (900 MHz)
Memory
6 GB LPDDR4 (1800 MHz)
4 GB LPDDR4 (1800 MHz)
4 GB LPDDR3 (933 MHz)
Storage
128 GB internal flash memory
microSD slot (up to 256 GB, shared with SIM 2)
64 GB internal flash memory
microSD slot (up to 256 GB, shared with SIM 2)
32 GB internal flash memory
microSD slot (up to 128 GB, shared with SIM 2)
Dual lens camera with f/1.8 Leica Summilux lens
- 12 MP RGB sensor + 20 MP monochrome sensor
- supports OIS, comes with dual LED flash
Dual lens camera with f/2.2 Leica Summarit lens
- 12 MP RGB sensor + 20 MP monochrome sensor
- comes with dual LED flash
12 MP camera with f/2.2 lens and LED flash
Fingerprint Sensor
Yes, built into Home button
Yes, built into Home button
Yes, built into the back
Connectivity
Network : 2G / 3G / LTE
WiFi : 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (dual band)
Bluetooth : v4.2, A2DP, LE
USB : USB 2.0 Type C
Network : 2G / 3G / LTE
WiFi : 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (dual band)
Bluetooth : v4.2, A2DP, LE
USB : USB 2.0 Type C
Network : 2G / 3G / LTE
WiFi : 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (dual band)
Bluetooth : v4.2, A2DP, LE
USB : micro USB 2.0
Battery
3,750 mAh lithium-ion battery (non-removable)
3,200 mAh lithium-ion battery (non-removable)
3,000 mAh lithium-ion battery (non-removable)
Dimensions
74.2 mm wide
153.5 mm tall
6.98 mm thick
69.3 mm wide
145.3 mm tall
6.98 mm thick
72.0 mm wide
146.5 mm tall
7.20 mm thick
Weight
165 g
145 g
142 g
Available Colours
Greenery, Dazzling Blue, Dazzling Gold, Graphite Black, Rose Gold, White Ceramic, Mystic Silver, Prestige Gold
Greenery, Dazzling Blue, Dazzling Gold, Graphite Black, Rose Gold, White Ceramic, Mystic Silver, Prestige Gold
Graphite Black, Rose Gold, White Ceramic, Sapphire Blue
Launch Price
RM 3,099 / ~US$ 679
RM 2,499 / ~US$ 549
RM 1,299 / ~US$ 289
Price & Availability
Malaysians can start pre-ordering the Huawei P10 Plus, P10 and P10 Lite smartphones starting 23 March 2017 at the Huawei Experience Store, Lazada and Vmall. Delivery and actual sales will begin on 31 March 2017 for the Huawei P10 and P10 Lite, while the Huawei P10 Plus will be available from 15 April 2017 onwards.
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The Huawei P10 Plus and P10 models will be available in two colour options – Prestige Gold and Graphite Black. The Huawei P10 Lite will be offered in the Sapphire Blue colour. The other colour options for all three models will only be introduced somewhere between the middle of May and June, 2017.
Huawei will also bring in the Huawei Nova Lite in April 2017.
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On 1 March 2017, OPPO Malaysia finally launched the OPPO R9s Plus phablet in Malaysia. Their brand ambassadors and local celebrities, Min Chen and Ayda Jebat, also came to show off the R9s Plus phablet.
The OPPO R9s Plus features the 16MP Sony IMX398 camera with a f/1.7 aperture and Dual PDAF capability. This time though, the camera supports Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) with an anti-shake area that is larger than the ordinary OIS by 40%.
Users can also look forward to the newly launched Qualcomm Snapdragon 653 processor and 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage, coupled with an increased battery capacity of 4000 mAh. Let’s check it out!
The OPPO R9s Plus Presentation
In this video, OPPO Product Manager, Ken Ng, explains the key features of the new OPPO R9s Plus smartphone.
The OPPO R9s Plus brings forward the technology that made its debut in the OPPO R9s, in addition to a myriad of other advancements. The powerful 16MP rear camera comes equipped with an impressive SONY IMX398 sensor – a customized 1/2.8inch sensor that SONY and OPPO developed together.
Also making a comeback in the R9s Plus is the extra-wide f/1.7 super large aperture that captures 40% more light than previous generations. A new addition is the OIS feature of the R9s Plus. Designed to be a notch above ordinary OIS, the anti-shake area is larger by 40%. This means the R9s Plus is able to handle more jitter, in addition to more exposure time, promising users extremely clear and captivating night scenes.
Like its predecessor, the R9s Plus’ camera uses Dual PDAF technology, a next-generation upgrade from standard PDAF solutions. The first generation of PDAF has only “a half” pixel for focusing, but the Dual PDAF increases by 100% the area of the sensor’s pixel array equipped with the special photo diodes necessary for phase-detection autofocus, allowing lightning-fast focusing — even in low light — and producing crystal-clear images.
Powerful performance for the ultimate photography experience
The R9s Plus is powered by a 1.95GHz octa-core Snapdragon 653 processor and comes with 6GB of RAM. It comes packed with 64GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 128GB, allowing users to store an abundant number of meaningful moments captured with the R9s Plus’ impressive rear camera. The R9s Plus also sees an upgrade in terms of battery. It is now backed with a 4,000mAh battery, enabling users to capture clear and crisp photos with no worries!
Bigger is Better
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Another noteworthy upgrade is that the R9s Plus features a 6-inch Full HD panel, as opposed to the R9s’ 5.5inch. It runs on OPPO’s Color OS 3.0, based on Android 6.0.1.. Now, photography lovers can go through their masterpieces comfortably with the sizable screen. Not only that, daily activities that get you through the day such as gaming and watching dramas are definitely more enjoyable with the R9s Plus’1920 x 1080pixel display.
The OPPO R9s Plus Price & Availability
The OPPO R9s Plus is priced at RM 2,498 (including 6% GST) / ~US$ 549, and comes with OPPO CARE which covers accidental damage for 12 months. It is now available at all OPPO online and concept stores, telco and e-commerce partner sites.
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7 December 2016: Lenovo just launched the Yoga Book and their latest series of Phab 2 devices which include the world’s first phablet that supports Google’s Tango technology.
The Yoga Book features the first-in-its-class Halo keyboard, which appears when a user needs to type, and disappears with the touch of a button, allowing the user to use the Real Pen, a dual-use stylus to sketch or take notes. The Phab 2 Pro is an incredible phablet which detects and maps its surroundings, making it possible for cutting-edge AR experiences, whether you’re measuring indoor spaces or raising a digital pet right in your bedroom.
The Lenovo Yoga Book
The Yoga Book re-examines how a tablet should look and act, with never-before-seen features such as an instant Halo Keyboard and a dual-use stylus that can write on both paper and the tablet.
Its thin and light design, 15-hour battery life, and 360-degree watchband hinge gives on-the-go tablet users the freedom to write and draw anywhere, matching the mobility of a smartphone without having to carry a laptop or a detachable. The availability of Wi-Fi (for Windows) or LTE (for Android versions) will ensure connectivity at all times, whether for work or play.
The Halo Keyboard weaves software and hardware into one interface. With the touch of a button, the keyboard appears and disappears allowing the user to switch from typing to sketching with ease. Users can also experience haptic feedback as they are typing and select the option of predictive typing for an improved typing experience that surpasses conventional tablets and matches that of physical keyboards.
Drawing inspiration from the elegance and simplicity of notebooks, the Yoga Book’s Real Pen accessory, which comes bundled with the product, allows users to write and draw with pen and paper while instantly digitising their notes and sketches.
The Lenovo Phab 2 Series
Phab 2 Pro
The Phab 2 Pro is the world’s first phablet powered by Google’s Tango technology – a set of sensors and software that detects and maps its surroundings to enable cutting-edge augmented reality (AR) experiences.
With Tango, the Phab 2 Pro is able to detect physical motion and space. The combined technology of Tango in the device allows for motion tracking, depth perception, and area learning. As a result, it has the power to change how users can interact with their surroundings. The Phab 2 Pro allow users to download various Tango apps to measure their furniture, envision an added sofa in their living room, or watch dinosaurs roam the streets again.
Besides its unique Tango feature, the Phab 2 Pro is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 652 processor, 4G LTE connectivity, and cutting-edge time-stamping and camera and sensor processing capabilities.
The Phab 2 Pro features Dolby Audio Capture 5.1 with Dolby Atmos playback capabilities to help capture life’s moments on video with great quality audio. With Dolby Audio Capture 5.1, you can use crystal-clear 5.1-channel surround sound to record and share the full panorama of your life, adding amazing richness, clarity and depth to your special moments. Making this possible are three microphones, spatial capture with noise reduction, along with a 16MP camera that supports crisp video recording.
Phab 2 Plus
The Phab 2 Plus comes with dual 13MP rear cameras that have instant focus, fast F2.0 lenses and the same professional-grade Fujitsu Milbeaut image signal processor that powers the Leica camera.
Casual photographers can capture amazing pictures with crisp low-light shots, high contrast while retaining lifelike colours, high detail in the shadow areas and a captivating background blur. Meanwhile, the camera software incorporates a manual mode as well as other special effects.
Phab 2
The Phab 2 is an affordable AR smartphone with many of the attractive features found in higher-end models. The Phab 2’s AR mode, for instance, allows you to create more unique photos and videos by superimposing effects such as virtual backgrounds or cartoons onto your pictures – perfect for sharing on social media.
Other highlights include a huge 6.4-inch HD display, complete with a fast-focusing 13MP camera and 32GB on-board storage expandable via a microSD slot.
Pricing & Availability
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The Yoga Book in Windows or Android, which is bundled with the Yoga Book sleeve, Real Pen and Book Pad, will be available from end December onwards at all Lenovo Exclusive Stores. The Yoga Book will be priced from RM 2,599, inclusive of GST (~US$649) for either the Windows or Android version.
The Phab 2 series, bundled with a protective clear case, will be available at selected Lenovo Exclusive Stores and Lenovo Multi Brand Stores from mid-December onwards.
The Phab 2 Pro will be priced from RM1,899, inclusive of GST / ~US$ 475.
The Phab 2 Plus will be priced from RM1,299, inclusive of GST / ~US$ 325.
The Phab 2 will be priced from RM899, inclusive of GST / ~US$ 225.
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The ASUS ZenFone 2 family of smartphones and phablets was notable for its use of Intel Atom processors, as well as their ambidextrous design. While the Intel Atom processors were powerful, they guzzled power and had trouble gaining traction in the smartphone market.
Hence, it comes as no surprise when ASUS revealed in Computex 2016 that the new ZenFone 3 series would be powered by Qualcomm processors instead. That decision probably contributed to Intel’s decision to quit the smartphone market for good.
Here is how the ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) compares against the other two ZenFone 3 models :
Specifications
ZenFone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL)
ZenFone 3 Ultra (ZU680KL)
ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL)
Display
5.7" Super AMOLED
(1920 x 1080 pixels, 386 ppi)
79% screen-to-body ratio
3,000,000 : 1
contrast ratio
ASUS TruVivid technology
Bluelight Filter
6.8" IPS display
full-screen lamination
(1920 x 1080 pixels, 324 ppi)
79% screen-to-body ratio
178˚wide-viewing angle
ASUS TruVivid technology
Bluelight Filter
5.5" Super IPS+ display
(1920 x 1080 pixels, 401 ppi)
500 nits brightness
77.3% screen-to-body ratio
2.1mm slim bezel
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass 4
Corning Gorilla Glass 4
2.5D contoured Corning Gorilla Glass
Operating System
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
ASUS ZenUI 3.0
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
ASUS ZenUI 3.0
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
ASUS ZenUI 3.0
SoC Platform
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
(MSM8996)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 652
(MSM8976)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625
(MSM8953)
Processor
Quad-core Kyro (2.15 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A72 (1.8 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (1.4 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (2.0 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (1.4 GHz)
Graphics Processor
Qualcomm Adreno 530 (624 MHz)
Qualcomm Adreno 510
Qualcomm Adreno 506
Memory
Up to 6 GB
Up to 4 GB LPDDR3
Up to 4 GB LPDDR3
Storage
Up to 128 GB (UFS 2.0) internal flash storage
microSD slot (Supports up to 2 TB)
Up to 128 GB internal flash storage
microSD slot (Supports up to 2 TB)
Up to 64 GB internal flash storage
microSD slot (Supports up to 2 TB)
Front Camera
8 MP, f/2.0 aperture
85˚ wide-viewing angle, Auto Focus
8 MP, f/2.0 aperture
85˚ wide-viewing angle, Auto Focus
8 MP, f/2.0 aperture, Fixed Focus
Rear Camera
23 MP Sony IMX318 sensor
0.03 second TriTech auto-focus
6P Largan f/2.0 aperture lens
4 Stop OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)
3-Axis EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization)
Dual-LED real tone flash
Sapphire lens protection
23 MP Sony IMX318 sensor
0.03 second TriTech auto-focus
6P Largan f/2.0 aperture lens
32 second long exposure
4 Stop OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)
3-Axis EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization)
Dual-LED real tone flash
16 MP Sony IMX298 sensor
0.03 second TriTech auto-focus
6P Largan f/2.0 aperture lens
32 second long exposure
4 Stop OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)
3-Axis EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization)
Dual-LED real tone flash
Sapphire lens protection
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The ASUS ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL) Smartphone
With a 5.5″ display, the ASUS ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL) is the smallest model in the family. However, because all three ZenFone 3 models have the same Full HD resolution of 1080 x 1920, the its display boasts the highest pixel density of 401 ppi. The much larger ZenFone 3 Ultra (ZE680KL), for example, has a pixel density of only 324 ppi.
The ZenFone 3 (Amazon) has a very premium feel, thanks to its use of 2.5D contoured Corning Gorilla Glass that seamlessly fits the metal frame carved out of aerospace-grade aluminium alloy. It has a nice heft at 155 g / 5.5 oz – not too light, and not too heavy.
Unlike the ZenFone 3 Ultra, the ZenFone 3 (Amazon) uses a more conventional design – the Volume buttons are placed on the right side, with the Power button. The SIM card tray is placed on the left side. So this is no longer the ambidextrous design that ASUS ZenFones are known for.
The ZenFone 3 also features an improved 5-magnet speaker with Hi-Res Audio support. Not only does it deliver higher fidelity audio, it is now 20% louder with 42% less distortion.
Hybrid SIM & Fingerprint Sensor
The ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) has Dual SIM, Dual Standby capability, with both SIMs supporting 4G. The SIM card tray is located along the left edge, and supports two nano SIM cards. The second SIM card tray is a hybrid SIM tray, which allows you to install a microSD card instead. In other words, it supports either a second nano SIM card, or a microSD card, but not both at the same time.
Unlike the ZenFone 3 Ultra, the ZenFone 3 (Amazon) uses a fingerprint sensor that is located at the back, just under the main camera. This is an all-aspect fingerprint sensor that unlocks the smartphone in just 0.2 seconds. It can also be programmed to activate specific apps (like the camera) with different fingers.
PixelMaster 3.0 Cameras
The ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) sports a decent 8 MP front camera with f/2.0 lens for selfies. While not as good as the 16 MP front camera of the OPPO F1s “Selfie Expert” smartphone, it has a higher resolution than the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, and is capable of recording 1080p videos. The only downside? It doesn’t support screen flash.
The killer feature of the ZenFone 3 (Amazon) is the much improved PixelMaster 3.0 camera at the back. It features a 16 MP Sony IMX298 sensor with new features like fast hybrid autofocus and 3-axis electronic image stabilization.
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ASUS paired it with f/2.0 Largan lens with 4-axis, 4-stop optical image stabilization, and a second-generation laser auto-focus sensor.
What all that means is you can capture very high resolution photos and videos in poorly-lit conditions. Any blurring that occurs due to hand shakes and wobbles will be greatly reduced or eliminated.
Focusing is also much faster, thanks to the new laser sensor that accurately detects the range of objects in low light at up to 1.5 m away.
In addition to 1080p videos, the PixelMaster 3.0 camera can also shoot 4K videos. To top it off, it encodes the 4K videos using HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) to keep the file size small while maintaining a high level of image quality.
Finally, the ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) does not have any noticeable limit on how long you can record videos, or how large their file sizes are. We have recorded videos of over 120 minutes in length, and over 11 GB in size. Most smartphones have a 4 GB limit, even if they do not have a time limit.
Setting Up The ZenFone 3
The ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, which should be familiar to many Android users. It is very easy to setup. If you are setting it up as a new device, it should take you only 5 minutes to finish the setup process.
If there’s one thing we dislike, it’s the additional apps that the ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) automatically downloads, even if you skip the “free apps” offer at the end of the setup process. Our sample downloaded Need For Speed : No Limit, SimCity, Lazada, Beauty Plus, iReader and Google Slides.
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Ergonomics
When you power it up for the first time, you will be struck by how beautiful its display is. This may not be a QHD display like those on the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon) or the HTC 10 (Amazon), but you won’t be able to tell the difference. The Super IPS+ display also offers a boost in brightness (up to 500 nits), which is especially useful outdoors in bright sunlight.
The smaller form factor means it is an easier fit for most hands. The ZenFone 3 (Amazon) is also much lighter than its big brother, the ZenFone 3 Ultra – so holding it in one hand is not a problem at all. That said, the Gorilla Glass back makes it just as slippery to grip as the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon).
Available Memory & Storage
The ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) comes with either 3 GB or 4 GB of LPDDR3 memory. Our review sample came with 4 GB of memory. Only 3.5 GB was usable, of which 1.1 GB was used by the Android operating system and background apps. This left 2.4 GB of free memory for us to use. That’s more than enough memory to run multiple memory-guzzling apps simultaneously.
The ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) also comes with a generous amount of internal storage – 64 GB. Out of the box, just under 52 GB was available for use. That should be plenty enough for most users, but is expandable via a microSD card (up to 2 TB). It also comes with 100 GB of free Google Drive storage for 2 years.
Camera Performance – Photos
The resolution of the new PixelMaster 3.0 camera is very good. The full 16 MP resolution is attained with the 4:3 aspect ratio. Each picture has a resolution of 4656 x 3492 and a file size of 3.5-5 MB.
Here are six high-resolution samples for you to check out. Click on them to load the full-sized photos, which you can also download to examine.
The Sony Exmor-RS IMX298 is a really good sensor. The colours are vivid but not unnaturally so. However, the highlights are blown out. This was not so much of a problem with the IMX318 sensor used in the ZenFone 3 Ultra.
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Camera Performance – Video Recording
The ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) is capable of recording 1080p and 4K videos, with both 4-axis optical and 3-axis electronic image stabilisation enabled. To test its video recording capabilities, we recorded a street market and a koi pond in daylight, and a night dance as well. They were all recorded in both 1080p and 4K resolutions. Check them out!
The videos show how helpful the advanced optical and electronic image stabilisation is in the ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon). While it may not be quite as smooth as an actual gimbal like the DJI Osmo Mobile, it is a great improvement on what we saw with the previous-generation ASUS smartphones, like the ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser.
The amount of detail captured, especially in the 4K videos, is amazing. However, you can also see how the highlights are blown out. This is especially noticeable in the bright background of the Piano and Night Dance videos.
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Work Performance – PCMark
We tested the ZenFone 3’s performance using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.
ASUS ZenFone 3
ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra
HTC 10
honor 8
Work Performance Score
(Average)
6405
6313
6105
6350
Web Browsing
8045
6257
5782
8073
Video Playback
3469
4287
3321
4396
Writing
7316
7166
7463
6231
Photo Editing
8246
8262
9694
7352
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor powering the ZenFone 3 (Amazon) did very well in this test, besting the ZenFone 3 Ultra (Snapdragon 652), the HTC 10 (Snapdragon 820) and the honor 8 (Kirin 950).
Battery Life – PCMark
We then tested the ZenFone 3’s battery performance using PCMark. It basically ran the PCMark work tests until its battery capacity dropped to 20%.
The ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) only comes with a 3,000 mAh battery, but it lasted almost 12 hours in this test! This is 22 minutes longer than the battery life of its big brother, the ZenFone 3 Ultra, which boasts a 53% larger 4,600 mAh battery. This is excellent battery life.
Battery Recharging Performance
The ASUS ZenFone 3 comes with a 10 W fast charger. Take a look at how fast it recharges the 3,000 mAh battery.
It took us 99 minutes (1 hour 39 minutes) to recharge the ZenFone 3 (Amazon) from 19% to 100%. That’s a battery life : recharging ratio of 7:1 – very impressive!
As the charger does not support any fancy fast charging technologies like Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, the charging profile is a relatively flat curve. It showed slightly faster charging up to the 70% charge level, before tapering off a little.
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Overall Performance
AnTuTu is a nice benchmark for testing various performance aspects of Android devices.
ASUS ZenFone 3
ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra
HTC 10
honor 8
TOTAL SCORE
62761
76096
113813
90737
3D SCORE
13022
18816
50700
17706
– 3D (Marooned)
7906
10861
34778
9829
– 3D (Garden)
5116
7952
15922
7877
UX SCORE
23789
26794
30890
34550
– UX Data Secure
5847
5077
6319
7338
– UX Data Process
3109
4198
3379
5513
– UX Strategy Games
4254
7503
5433
9745
– UX Image Process
7443
6879
9521
5017
– UX I/O Performance
3136
3137
6238
6937
CPU SCORE
20342
23689
21915
32255
– CPU Mathematics
4226
6950
8494
10483
– CPU Common Use
6593
6311
5931
8543
– CPU Multi-Core
9523
10428
7490
13229
RAM
5608
6797
10308
6226
The ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) is not going to win any gaming awards. It was fast in 2D graphics and CPU processing, but performed poorly in the 3D tests. It was far slower than top-of-the-line smartphones like the HTC 10, and even some mid-range smartphones like the Kirin 950-powered honor 8.
Gaming Performance – 3DMark
We tested the ZenFone 3’s gaming performance using 3DMark, using the Ice Storm Unlimited test.
ASUS ZenFone 3
ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra
HTC 10
honor 8
Gaming Score
13956
17719
23171
18659
Graphics
13484
21124
27512
19993
Physics
15903
11328
14925
15127
Graphics Test 1
80.5 fps
115.2 fps
136.6 fps
122.5 fps
Graphics Test 2
46.1 fps
76.3 fps
106.4 fps
67.4 fps
Physics Test
50.5 fps
36.0 fps
47.4 fps
48.0 fps
The Qualcomm Adreno 506 GPU in the ZenFone 3 (Amazon) is no 3D powerhouse and it shows. It was half as fast as the HTC 10 (Adreno 530), 36% slower than the ZenFone 3 Ultra (Adreno 510), and 33% slower than the honor 8 (ARM Mali-T880).
Our Verdict
The ZenFone 3 smartphone family represents a concerted effort by ASUS to break into the premium smartphone market. The ASUS ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL) model itself represents the tip of the spear. After all, it is the most affordable variant in the family.
Now, we must point out that this is not the best smartphone for 3D gaming. The ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) is very fast at 2D games, and work applications, but it falters in 3D gaming performance. But if you do not intend to play 3D games on it, this is a very good smartphone for everything else.
It has a really good front and back cameras. Yes, the highlights are overblown (can ASUS fix this in a firmware update please?), but the optical and electronic image stabilisation has been greatly improved. The resulting pictures and videos are quite amazing. They are sharp, and the colours vivid.
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The ZenFone 3 (Amazon) also supports 4K video recording, in addition to 1080p recording. And some of you might like to know that it can record videos of indefinite length and file size. No more 30 minute limit. No more 4 GB limit. Just awesome for recording events like your child’s football game or a friend’s wedding!
You will also love the long battery life and the short recharge time – something you will appreciate if you are always on-the-go and have little access to a power point. The same goes for its large memory and storage capacity. With 4 GB of memory, and 64 GB of flash storage, you will find it hard to run out of both.
And last but not, the ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) is a work of art. It exudes luxury with the 2.5D curved glass on both sides melding into the solid metal frame. That is a luxury that comes with a price premium – one that many will feel well worth it.
We are so impressed with the ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) that we feel it deserves no less than our Reviewer’s Choice Award. Congratulations, ASUS!
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On 8 November 2016, LEAGOO officially launched the LEAGOO T1 Plus. The T1 Plus is a 5.5″ phablet with a focus on selfies. Its killer feature? A 13 MP front selfie camera with a Sony IMX219 sensor and an LED flash.
Check out the LEAGOO T1 Plus presentation and specifications. We will also share with you our own hands-on preview.
The LEAGOO T1 Plus
In this video, LEAGOO Product Manager, Eric Wong, reveals the key features and specifications of the T1 Plus.
The LEAGOO T1 Plus runs on Android 6.0, and is powered by the MediaTek MT6737 quad-core processor. It comes with 3 GB of LPDDR3 memory and 16 GB of internal flash memory.
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It boasts the 13 MP Sony IMX219 sensor for both the front and rear cameras, both of which have f/2.2 lens. The front camera has a single LED flash, while the rear camera has a dual-tone LED flash.
The 5.5″ display has a relatively low HD resolution of 720 x 1280, but it is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4 with a 2.5D curved edge. It has a unibody chassis carved out of an aviation-grade magnesium-aluminium alloy, allowing it to achieve a slim 7.5 mm profile.
The LEAGOO T1 Plus also comes with a fast fingerprint sensor, and a relatively small 2,660 mAh lithium-ion battery. It will retail for RM 699 / ~US$ 175 in 3 different colour options – Champagne Gold, Rose Gold or Titanium Grey.
Specifications
Here are the rest of its specifications :
Specifications
LEAGOO T1 Plus
Operating System
Android 6.0 with LEAGOO OS 2.0 UI
Display
5.5" HD display (720 x 1280)
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass 4
System Platform
MediaTek MT6737
Processor
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (1.3 GHz)
Graphics Processor
ARM Mali-T720 MP2
Memory
3 GB LPDDR3 (640 MHz)
Storage
16 GB internal flash storage
microSD card (up to 128 GB), shared with SIM2
Front Camera
13 MP Sony IMX219 sensor with f/2.2 lens and single LED flash
Main Camera
13 MP Sony IMX219 sensor with f/2.2 lens and dual-tone LED flash
Dual SIM, Dual Standby
Yes, two micro SIM cards
SIM2 shared with microSD card
Yes, unlocks in 0.19 seconds
360 degree recognition
Battery
2,660 mAh battery (non-removable)
Available Colours
Champagne Gold, Rose Gold, Titanium Grey
Launch Price
RM 699 / ~US$ 175
Our Hands-On Preview
After the launch, we had a few minutes to try out the LEAGOO T1 Plus. Here is our hands-on preview video. Enjoy!
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We have an awesome giveaway for you guys this time. We are going to give away a 4G LTE phablet that runs on Windows 10! We present to you – the Wise Pad W7 phablet giveaway contest!
The Wise Pad W7 is a 7″ phablet that powered by a quad-core Qualcomm processor, and runs on Microsoft Windows 10 Mobile. For more details, please read our full review of the Wise Pad W7.
The Wise Pad W7 Phablet Giveaway Contest Mechanics
To win the Wise Pad W7, all you have to do is look for this contest icon that we have inserted into 5 articles we posted recently.
Once you find one, all you have to do is :
Click on the Wise Pad W7 contest icon, and it will open a contest registration form
Key in your name and email address
Click the Send button
That’s it! That’s all you have to do! Simple, isn’t it?
You only need to submit one entry to be in the running to win the Wise Pad W7. But you can greatly increase your chances by locating more of the same contest icon to submit more entries. Each contest icon will have their own contest registration form.
Bonus : You can also increase your chances by sharing any of our Facebook posts. Each share gives you a bonus entry. However, you must key in your Facebook account in the contest registration form, so we can credit you for the shares.
Where Do I Find The 5 Contest Icons? Updated!
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To make it easy for you to find the 5 contest icons, here are some clues… and their answers!
What Windows 10 phablet are we giving away in this contest? Answer : The Wise Pad W7 phablet.
A truck with Samsung smartphones apparently exploded in Florida. Answer : No, It Didn’t.
The Wise Pad W7 phablet giveaway contest ends at midnight, October 31, 2016 (GMT+8). We will randomly select the winner from the collated results, and announce the results by November 15th.
If you are a winner, you must receive an email requesting your mailing address and contact number. You must reply within 7 days, or we will select another winner.
The Wise Pad W7 phablet giveaway contest is open internationally, but Tech ARP will only pay for basic mail delivery, and will not be responsible for any taxes that may be levied. Winners may opt to pay for expedited or courier delivery services at their own expense.
Contest Results!
We are very excited to announce the Wise Pad W7 Phablet Giveaway Contest results! This time, a total of 110 contestants participated. Thank you for making it such a success!
We have not only selected the winner of the Wise Pad W7, we have also pre-selected a backup winner, in case the first winner does not get back to us on time. Let’s see who won!
The winner must PM or email us with your details within 7 days of this announcement, or the prize will go to the backup winner, and so on.
Full Name
Mobile / Telephone Number
Full Address
If you did not win this time, don’t worry – we have another contest coming right up!
Support Tech ARP!
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
On 3 November 2016, Huawei revealed not just the Huawei Mate 9, but also the bespoke Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design. Before their official launch, we were given exclusive access to the Huawei Mate 9, albeit only for a few short hours. We are now allowed to reveal to you the photos and details in our exclusive Huawei Mate 9 preview.
The Huawei Mate 9 Preview
The Huawei Mate 9 has a 5.9″ IPS display with a full HD resolution of 1080 x 1920. It is powered by the new Kirin 960 octa-core SoC, with 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM. The Kirin 960 offers four 2.4 GHz Cortex-A73 cores and four 1.8 GHz Cortex-A53 cores, together with the powerful Mali-G71 MP8 GPU.
In the photography department, it boasts a second-generation dual-lens Leica-designed camera. This camera now pairs a 20 MP monochrome sensor with a 12 MP colour sensor. They both feature f/2.2 Leica lenses, and support optical image stabilisation (OIS).
How good is the new Leica-designed dual-lens camera? Take a look at this monochrome sample (full-size 20 MP @ 6 MB here). The new Huawei Mate 9 also comes with a 4,000 mAh lithium-polymer battery that supports Super Charge. Super Charge allows for very fast charging, thanks to its 22.5 W charger.
The Huawei Mate 9 will come with 64 GB of internal flash storage, and a microSD card slot that supports up to 256 GB of additional storage. It’s priced at €699 for Europe.
Sadly, that’s all we could take out of the exclusive Huawei Mate 9 preview session. We hope to get more hands-on time with the Mate 9 when it hits the stores (see the launch dates below).
Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design
For those who want something more exclusive, Huawei offers the bespoke Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design variant.
Available only in Black Graphite, the Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design features a 5.5″ curved AMOLED display with a higher resolution of 1440 x 2560. It also comes with a whopping 6 GB of LPDDR4 memory and 256 GB of internal flash storage. However, it does not come with a microSD slot.
The other features of the Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design remain the same with the “standard” Mate 9. It comes with the same processor and dual-lens Leica-designed camera. It will, however, retail for twice the “standard” Mate 9’s price at €1395 in Europe.
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The Huawei Mate 9 Availability New!
Huawei will launch the Mate 9 in these 12 countries first – China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Thailand and the UAE.
Here in Malaysia, our sources say that the Huawei Mate 9 launch will take place either on the 18th (Friday) or the 24th (Thursday) of November.
The Huawei Mate 9 Models vs. Mate 8 Comparison
If you’re wondering how do the two Huawei Mate 9 models compare against the Huawei Mate 8, we prepared this comparison for your convenience.
Specifications
Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design
Huawei Mate 9
Huawei Mate 8
Operating System
Android 7.0 Nougat
Android 7.0 Nougat
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Display
5.5" AMOLED display
- 1440 x 2560 pixels (534 ppi, 73.2% screen to body ratio)
256 GB internal flash storage
NO microSD card slot
64 GB internal flash storage
microSD slot (supports up to 256 GB)
64 GB internal flash storage (NXT-L29)
32 GB internal flash storage (NXT-L09, NXT-L19)
microSD slot (supports up to 256 GB, shared with SIM2)
Front Selfie Camera
8 MP sensor with f/1.9 lens
8 MP sensor with f/1.9 lens
8 MP sensor with f/2.4 lens
Main Camera
Dual-lens camera with f/2.2 Leica lens
- 20 MP monochrome + 12 MP RGB sensors
- 2X hybrid zoom, OIS support
- PDAF and laser autofocus
- dual-tone LED flash
Dual-lens camera with f/2.2 Leica lens
- 20 MP monochrome + 12 MP RGB sensors
- 2X hybrid zoom, OIS support
- PDAF and laser autofocus
- dual-tone LED flash
16 MP sensor with f/2.0 lens
- PDAF autofocus, OIS
- dual-tone LED flash
Connectivity
WiFi : 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
Bluetooth : v4.2, A2DP, EDR, LE
USB : USB 3.0 Type C port
WiFi : 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
Bluetooth : v4.2, A2DP, EDR, LE
USB : USB 2.0 Type C port
WiFi : 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
Bluetooth : v4.2, A2DP, EDR, LE
USB : microUSB port
SIM Support
Single nano SIM
Dual nano SIM, Dual Standby
Single nano SIM (MHA-L09)
Dual nano SIM, Dual Standby (MHA-L29)
Single nano SIM (NXT-L09)
Dual nano SIM, Dual Standby (NXT-L29)
GPS
Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS and BDS
Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS and BDS
Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS and BDS
NFC
Yes
Yes
Yes
Fingerprint Sensor
Yes
Yes
Yes
Battery
4,000 mAh lithium polymer battery (non-removable)
4,000 mAh lithium polymer battery (non-removable)
4,000 mAh lithium polymer battery (non-removable)
Dimensions
75 mm wide
152 mm tall
7.5 mm thick
78.9 mm wide
156.9 mm tall
7.9 mm thick
80.6 mm wide
157.1 mm tall
7.9 mm thick
Weight
169 g
190 g
185 g
Available Colours
Black Graphite
Black Graphite, Space Grey, Moonlight Silver, Champagne Gold, Mocha Brown, Ceramic White
Space Grey, Moonlight Silver, Champagne Gold, Mocha Brown
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It’s official. Samsung has officially announced a global replacement of all Samsung Galaxy Note7 phablets. Check out their press release on the issue :
Samsung is committed to producing the highest quality products and we take every incident report from our valued customers very seriously. In response to recently reported cases of the new Galaxy Note7, we conducted a thorough investigation and found a battery cell issue.
To date (as of September 1) there have been 35 cases that have been reported globally and we are currently conducting a thorough inspection with our suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market. However, because our customers’ safety is an absolute priority at Samsung, we have stopped sales of the Galaxy Note7.
For customers who already have Galaxy Note7 devices, we will voluntarily replace their current device with a new one over the coming weeks.
We acknowledge the inconvenience this may cause in the market but this is to ensure that Samsung continues to deliver the highest quality products to our customers. We are working closely with our partners to ensure the replacement experience is as convenient and efficient as possible.
With Apple set to announce the iPhone 7 just 5 days later, the timing of the Galaxy Note7 recall was tragic. However, it is very heartening to see Samsung take this problem so seriously.
Problems like this will happen to any product. What matters is how the brand addresses the issue, and how quickly they do it. In this case, we think Samsung did the right thing by ceasing the sale of the Galaxy Note7 and now recalling those already sold.
Originally posted @ 2016-09-02
Updated @ 2016-09-04 : Added a new section on when the replacement Note7 phablets are expected. Also added a new tip.
Updated @ 2016-09-11 : Updated the article with new information on the replacement dates and contact numbers, as well as what you can do while waiting for your replacement Note7. Also added a new section on how to identify the new Note7 devices.
Updated @ 2016-09-21 : Added new information on identifying a new Galaxy Note7 using the label, and the green battery icon. Renamed the article to more accurately reflect the changes.
Updated @ 2016-10-10 : Added new information on the suspension of production, and Samsung’s official statement.
Updated @ 2016-10-11 : Added new information on the suspension of the replacement program.
Updated @ 2016-10-12 : Added new information on the cancellation of the Galaxy Note7 and the Note7 replacement program.
Cancellation Of Note7 Production, Sale & Replacement Updated!
After reports of several replacement Note7 phablets caught fire, Samsung has permanently cancelled the production, sale and replacement of the Galaxy Note7 phablet.
Samsung have asked carriers and retailers to cancel the sale of the Galaxy Note7, as well as the existing replacement program. Some carriers, like AT&T and T-Mobile, had earlier announced the suspension of sale and replacement of the Galaxy Note7.
Current users are urged to turn off their original and replacement Galaxy Note7 phablets, and contact the Samsung Careline / Customer Service contact number in their respective countries, for further details :
United States – 1-800-SAMSUNG (if purchased from Samsung.com) United Kingdom – 0330 726 1000 Australia – 1300 362 603
Malaysia – 1800-88-7799
When Will The Replacement Note7 Arrive?
Update : The Note7 replacement program has been cancelled!
Samsung has already announced that the Galaxy Note7 replacement program will begin on September 19-21 for some countries. Customers in those countries should contact the Samsung Careline / Customer Service contact number in their respective countries :
United States – 1-800-SAMSUNG (if purchased from Samsung.com) United Kingdom – 0330 726 1000 Australia – 1300 362 603
Here in Malaysia, Samsung Malaysia just announced that the Galaxy Note7 replacement program will begin on the 29th of September. To enroll in the Galaxy Note7 recall programme, please contact the Samsung Malaysia Careline at 1800-88-7799 for further assistance.
Pre-ordered Galaxy Note7 phablets that have not been delivered will be replaced with new Galaxy Note7 phablets using batteries from a different supplier. This would also mean that if you have been waiting for your pre-ordered Galaxy Note7 to arrive, you will need to wait an additional 2 weeks.
Identification Of New Note7 Phablets
The new Samsung Galaxy Note7 phablets will come with clear identifiers on the box – a small black square on the white barcode label along with a white sticker with a blue letter ‘S’.
You can also verify the IMEI number on an online database that will be established soon, or through the Samsung Careline / Customer Service contact number in your country. The IMEI number of the replacement Galaxy Note7 phablets will be different from those affected by the battery recall.
Finally, Samsung added a green battery icon to help you verify that your new Galaxy Note7 has the new battery. The new green battery icon will be visible on :
the status bar,
the Always On Display screen, and
the Power Off prompt screen (accessed by pressing the Power button for a long time)
While Waiting For Your Note7 Replacement?
Right now, all you can do is hang in there until your replacement Galaxy Note7 arrives. Samsung naturally advises you to turn off the Galaxy Note7 while waiting for the replacement.
In some countries, you will be given a courtesy device to use while waiting for your replacement Galaxy Note7. Call the Samsung Careline / Customer Service contact number in your country to find out if that’s possible.
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If you have to continue using the Galaxy Note7 though, you don’t need to be unduly worried. Samsung estimates that the faulty battery affects “less than 0.1%” of the Galaxy Note7 already in the market. Here are some safe steps you can take until you receive your replacement Galaxy Note7 :
Use only the original charger and Type C USB cable provided with your Galaxy Note7.
If possible, use a computer USB port to recharge the Galaxy Note7. The lower power output should reduce the risk of the battery exploding or catching fire.
Do NOT use the Galaxy Note7 while it is recharging. Place it away from flammable items.
If possible, place the Galaxy Note7 on a fire-resistant or fire-proof surface, before recharging it.
Galaxy Note7 Replacement In Malaysia
Samsung Malaysia is amazingly speedy at following up on the worldwide announcement on the Galaxy Note7 replacement program. They have already issued the official replacement notice, even though not a single Galaxy Note7 sold in Malaysia has been reported to be affected by this issue.
Samsung Malaysia just announced that their Galaxy Note7 replacement program will begin on the 29th of September. To enroll in the Galaxy Note7 replacement programme, please contact the Samsung Malaysia Careline at 1800-88-7799 for further assistance.
Samsung Malaysia expects to resume sale of the improved Galaxy Note7 models in October 2016.
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If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
The ASUS ZenFone 2 family of smartphones and phablets was notable for its use of Intel Atom processors, as well as their ambidextrous design. While the Intel Atom processors were powerful, they guzzled power and had trouble gaining traction in the smartphone market.
Hence, it comes as no surprise when ASUS revealed in Computex 2016 that the new ZenFone 3 series would be powered by Qualcomm processors instead. That decision probably contributed to Intel’s decision to quit the smartphone market for good.
Here is how the ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra compares against the other two ZenFone 3 models :
Specifications
ZenFone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL)
ZenFone 3 Ultra (ZU680KL)
ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL)
Display
5.7" Super AMOLED
(1920 x 1080 pixels, 386 ppi)
79% screen-to-body ratio
3,000,000 : 1
contrast ratio
ASUS TruVivid technology
Bluelight Filter
6.8" IPS display
full-screen lamination
(1920 x 1080 pixels, 324 ppi)
79% screen-to-body ratio
178˚wide-viewing angle
ASUS TruVivid technology
Bluelight Filter
5.5" Super IPS+ display
(1920 x 1080 pixels, 401 ppi)
500 nits brightness
77.3% screen-to-body ratio
2.1mm slim bezel
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass 4
Corning Gorilla Glass 4
2.5D contoured Corning Gorilla Glass
Operating System
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
ASUS ZenUI 3.0
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
ASUS ZenUI 3.0
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
ASUS ZenUI 3.0
SoC Platform
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
(MSM8996)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 652
(MSM8976)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625
(MSM8953)
Processor
Quad-core Kyro (2.15 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A72 (1.8 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (1.4 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (2.0 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (1.4 GHz)
Graphics Processor
Qualcomm Adreno 530 (624 MHz)
Qualcomm Adreno 510
Qualcomm Adreno 506
Memory
Up to 6 GB
Up to 4 GB LPDDR3
Up to 4 GB LPDDR3
Storage
Up to 128 GB (UFS 2.0) internal flash storage
microSD slot (Supports up to 2 TB)
Up to 128 GB internal flash storage
microSD slot (Supports up to 2 TB)
Up to 64 GB internal flash storage
microSD slot (Supports up to 2 TB)
Front Camera
8 MP, f/2.0 aperture
85˚ wide-viewing angle, Auto Focus
8 MP, f/2.0 aperture
85˚ wide-viewing angle, Auto Focus
8 MP, f/2.0 aperture, Fixed Focus
Rear Camera
23 MP Sony IMX318 sensor
0.03 second TriTech auto-focus
6P Largan f/2.0 aperture lens
4 Stop OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)
3-Axis EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization)
Dual-LED real tone flash
Sapphire lens protection
23 MP Sony IMX318 sensor
0.03 second TriTech auto-focus
6P Largan f/2.0 aperture lens
32 second long exposure
4 Stop OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)
3-Axis EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization)
Dual-LED real tone flash
16 MP Sony IMX298 sensor
0.03 second TriTech auto-focus
6P Largan f/2.0 aperture lens
32 second long exposure
4 Stop OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)
3-Axis EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization)
Dual-LED real tone flash
Sapphire lens protection
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 ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra (ZU680KL) Phablet
With a 6.8″ display, the ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra is a large phablet. It is just a little smaller than the ASUS ZenPad 7.0 tablet, albeit thinner at 6.8 mm. The large screen is just perfect for watching movies, because it has a screen resolution of 1080 x 1920. Flip it horizontally for the ultimate full HD movie player on-the-go.
Thanks to its metal chassis carved out of aerospace-grade aluminium alloy, it has a very premium feel. It has a significant heft at 233 g / 8.2 oz though, so calls are best made with a Bluetooth earpiece.
The ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra places the Power button on the right, but retains the centrally-aligned Volume buttons at the back from its predecessor, the ZenFone 2 Laser (ZE601KL). We would still consider it an ambidextrous device.
Incidentally, it boasts two powerful 5-magnet speakers. However, they are both located at the bottom, so you can’t really enjoy stereo sound when you watch movies on the ZenFone 3 Ultra horizontally.
Hybrid SIM & Fingerprint Sensor
The ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra has Dual SIM, Dual Standby capability. The two nano SIM card trays are located along the right edge, just above the Power button. The second SIM card tray is a hybrid SIM tray though. It supports either a second nano SIM card, or a microSD card, but not both at the same time.
The ZenFone 3 Ultra boasts a fast fingerprint sensor, integrated into the Home button. ASUS did not quote a specific detection time, but we can confirm that it is a fast fingerprint sensor. It takes 18 finger presses to train the fingerprint sensor though.
Cameras
The ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra sports a decent 8 MP front camera for selfies. While not as good as the 16 MP front camera of the OPPO F1s “Selfie Expert” smartphone, it has a higher resolution than the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, and is capable of recording 1080p videos. The only downside? It doesn’t even support screen flash.
The killer feature of the ZenFone 3 Ultra is its new PixelMaster 3.0 camera at the back. It features a 23 MP Sony IMX318 sensor, which boasts new features like fast hybrid autofocus and 3-axis electronic image stabilization.
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ASUS paired it with f/2.0 Largan lens with 4-axis, 4-stop optical image stabilization, and a second-generation laser auto-focus sensor.
What all that means is you can capture very high resolution photos and videos in poorly-lit conditions. Any blurring that occurs due to hand shakes and wobbles will be greatly reduced or eliminated.
Focusing is also much faster, thanks to the new laser sensor that accurately detects the range of objects in low light at up to 1.5 m away.
In addition to 1080p videos, the PixelMaster 3.0 camera can also shoot 4K videos. To top it off, it encodes the 4K videos using HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) to keep the file size small while maintaining a high level of image quality.
