Apple Reportedly Plans To Launch Updated MacBook Pro Lineup In Early 2023

Apple is expected to launch several new MacBook Pros and other Mac products with updated internals next year, along with a few external monitors in the works. This comes as the company seems to be failing to meet its 2022 deadline of completely transitioning its lineup of products away from Intel to its in-house Apple Silicon.

Reliable Apple leaker, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, claims that Apple will launch updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros early next year, offering the highly-anticipated M2 Pro and M2 Max chipsets. Reports from earlier this month also hint at the updated models getting faster LPDDR5X RAM that would provide more bandwidth and consume less power.

Apple still only sells an Intel-powered high-end version of the Mac mini but that will apparently change soon as the tech giant reportedly plans to replace it with an M2 Pro-powered offering. The Mac Pro is expected to receive its long-delayed Apple Silicon treatment with a high-powered chip that Gurman speculates will be the M2 Ultra.

The report claims that the M2 Ultra is set to be equipped with up to 24 CPU cores, 76 graphics cores, and will be able to be configured with up to a whopping 192GB of memory. A higher-end variant dubbed the M2 Extreme would have offered double the amount of CPU and GPU cores, but Gurman says that this was scrapped because of the cost and complexity of fusing four M2 Max chips together, which would have apparently priced the Mac Pro at a minimum of US$10000 (~RM44220).

In related news, the Cupertino-based company is purportedly working on several new external monitors as an update to the Pro Display XDR. Just like this year’s Studio Display, the new monitors will be powered by Apple Silicon to use fewer resources from the attached machine.

The US$2 trillion (~RM8.84 trillion) firm is predicted to shift its Mac Pro assembly from Texas to Vietnam. It was forced to do the assembly in the US after political pressure from the Trump administration but with the new government, Apple can move its production back to Asia.

NVIDIA Rumoured To Launch GeForce RTX 3090 SUPER In January 2022

Back in September, a leak sprung forth from NVIDIA’s rusty pipes, alleging that the GPU brand was already preparing to launch a “SUPER” class lineup of Ampere-powered GeForce RTX 30 series graphics cards. Recently, a new rumour is hinting that NVIDIA could launch its RTX 3090 SUPER as early as January next year, along with a couple of other cards.

Rumours of NVIDIA’s alleged launch plans first came to light via a Tweet from user hongxing2020 (@hongxing2020), who claims that the RTX 3090 SUPER, which is obviously an updated model of the current RTX 3090, will be the first card of the SUPER lineup to be announced next year. In addition to that, hongxing2020 also claims that NVIDIA will launch two more cards: an RTX 3070 Ti with 16GB GDDR6X memory and a resurrected RTX 2060 from the Turing era, but one with 12GB GDDR6 memory.

Stating the obvious yet again, the RTX 3070 Ti 16GB is clearly expected to be placed above the current RTX 3070 Ti, seeing how it has double the graphics memory. As for the 12GB variant of the RTX 2060: if the tweet rings true, then it serves as a confirmation of a rumour that first made its way online at the start of the year.

Of course, as with all rumours and leaks, we do suggest that you take hongxing2020’s tweet with a liberal sprinkling of salt, especially since it is missing the more important information pertaining to the other SUPER cards, including the RTX 3080 SUPER and RTX 3060 SUPER.

Corsair Struts Its Vengeance DDR5 RAM Ahead Of Intel Alder Lake Launch

As the launch of Intel’s 12th generation Alder Lake CPU lineup edges closer, it’s about that time when the manufacturers of high-end components, chief among them being the memory makers. begin to give fans teasers of their next-generation products. In this case, memory and accessories maker Corsair is wasting no time on the matter and recently posted an image of Vengeance-themed DDR5 RAM.

Posted via Corsair’s official Twitter account, the image gives us a clear look at the memory’s heatsink design. In comparison, it doesn’t stray from the brand’s current design language for its DDR4 RAM, the only difference being that the DDR5 memory modules in the image aren’t fitted with an RGB strip in their spine. That said, it is likely that the company will offer variants of its next-generation memory with the multi-coloured LED aesthetic.

It is also worth noting that Corsair has also begun teasing the imminent arrival of its Dominator DDR5 series RAM on the product’s landing page, albeit simply being an outline of the module. On top of that, the brand has also started supplying engineering samples of DDR5 memory kits to reviewers.

As for their speeds, neither the tweet nor the images shares any details on that, but JEDEC specifications state that the new memory standard’s default speed should start at 4800MHz and run with 1.1V, across the board. Of course, how well Corsair’s new DDR5 RAM will handle overclocking will eventually boil down to several factors, such as whether or not the brand is using binned chips or a PMIC. 

MSI Seemingly Confirms Launch Date of Intel Alder Lake CPU Lineup

During its Architecture Day in August, Intel has promised that its 12th generation Alder Lake CPU lineup will launch this year, but fell short of providing a solid date for the event. Well, thanks to MSI, it appears that the date seems to be set for 4 November.

The alleged confirmation date stems from the Taiwanese PC components and laptop maker’s press release, announcing that it would be providing a free upgrade kit for Intel LGA1700 CPUs, along with their Coreliquid CPU coolers. More specifically, consumers will need to fill up a form in order to receive the upgrades but as of this publication, the button that would usually take them to the necessary portal is greyed out and sporting the words “Coming Soon”.

More to the point, the availability date of 4 November initially drew suspicions from Videocardz, whom after reaching out to what it says were reliable sources, was confident that the date is when Intel plans to launch its Alder Lake-S desktop CPU lineup. Further, that date reportedly coincides with the product’s sales and review embargo.

Intel is expected to launch three SKUs under the Alder Lake-S series, including the Core i9-12900K, Core i7-12700K, and Core i5-12600K. As it stands and given how these things usually go, Intel has yet to officially confirm anything, so take this news with a pinch of salt.

Android 12 Reportedly Scheduled For 4 October Launch

Google is allegedly gearing up to roll out the stable update of its Android 12 OS for mobile devices in October. To be precise, the search engine plans to launch the latest version of its mobile OS by 4 October.

Evidence of the rollout was first reported by XDA writer Mishaal Rahman, who managed to take a screenshot of an internal Google document that tells us when the search engine will cease approving software builds, based on Android 10, 11, and 12. According to the document, the OS is slated to be released via its Android Open Source Project (AOSP). While not mentioned, it is also likely that the final and stable build of Android 12 will rollout for Pixel phones first.

It’s relatively easy to see why Google is choosing to release the stable update for Android 12 on 4 October. As The Verge explains, it may have something to do with Android 10 and 11; both OS’ stable updates were released around the time of the year – 3 September 2019 for Android 10 and 8 September 2020 for Android 11. In the case of Android 12, one reason as to why its official launch date seems to be a month later may also be due to the fact that October is when Google intends to pull the veil back from the Pixel 6.

It would make sense if that were the case, as it would allow Google to kill two birds with one stone. However, it is important to note that, at the time of writing, there is still no set date for the Pixel 6’s launch and while the 4 October launch date seems promising, there is nothing to stop Google from pushing that date back.

Apple’s Next Launch Event To Take Place On 14 September

For the past week or two, there have been rampant rumours claiming that Apple has planned to have a special launch event this month. True enough, the company has just officially announced the date for its next event.

According to the media invite as well as its US website, the event is scheduled to take place at 10:00 AM PDT on 14 September which is equivalent to 1:00 AM Malaysia time on 15 September. This round of Apple’s special event will once again take place virtually as the threat of COVID-19 is still at large throughout the world.

Greg Joswiak, the company’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing tweeted a short clip to mark the occasion. The clip is essentially a demonstration of the AR feature that you can activate through your iPhone and iPad by tapping the glowing Apple logo on the event section of Apple US website.

It is really hard to guess what Apple is trying to hint through the images and AR easter egg that accompanied today’s announcement. However, the “California streaming” tagline does remind us of a very famous song from the 1960s, California Dreamin’ which was made famous by The Mamas and The Papas.

At the moment, among new products that are expected to be revealed at the upcoming event includes iPhone 13 (or iPhone 12s, depending on who you ask), Apple Watch Series 7, and next-generation AirPods. Expect to hear more rumours as they make their way into the Internet, now that there is only one week to go before the event takes place.

Study Finds That Cybercriminals Are Utilising Malaysian Servers To Launch Malware Attacks

Cybercriminals are utilising servers located in Malaysia to launch online threats such as malware, claimed a recent study by Kaspersky Security Network (KSN). The company explained that this is due to most companies being closed as a result of the ongoing pandemic, therefore leaving their systems to fall behind in terms of cybersecurity.

KSN noted that cyberattacks triggered by local servers have ballooned to an alarming rate of 150% uptick with 512,014 incidents in the second quarter of 2021. This is a significant rise over the 204,313 cases that were recorded by Kaspersky during the period of January to March. 

Company general manager for Southeast Asia Yeo Siang Tiong says that Malaysia’s digitalisation drive not only welcomes investments to build more data centers locally, but attracts cybercriminals as well. At the same time, he is advising companies to equip servers and systems with holistic cyber defenses in order to thwart any potential threats.

In the same study, KSN also noted that it has detected over 28 million unique internet-borne cyberthreats in the second quarter of 2021, with over 8 million threats recorded locally. The overall total is said to be a drastic increase over the 10 million attacks that were blocked during the first three months of the year.

Kaspersky says that these infection attempts are often used to penetrate systems, and would usually take place when users visit infected websites. The most worrying variant being file-less malware that plants a malicious code into Windows’ registry or Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) subscription, leaving no object for static analysis on the disk.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 5000 Series CPUs Rumoured For August Launch

After a long period of silence, rumours about AMD’s next-generation Ryzen Threadripper 5000 series CPUs have finally begun appearing once more. The most recent rumour now suggests that the HEDT CPU lineup could launch as early as next month.

According to MoePC, the new AMD Ryzen Threadripper 5000 series CPU goes under the codename “Chagall” and there are several unsubstantiated rumours to it. For a start, the Chinese site claims that the number of cores in each Threadripper 5000 series CPU remain unchanged. Of course, what is known is that the CPU architecture in the new HEDT lineup will be upgraded from Zen 2 to the current 7nm Zen 3 CPU architecture. With that, the top-of-the-line CPU in the series should offer up to 64-cores and 128-threads.

One other rumour is that the Chagall might also feature a slightly larger Inter-Chip Global Memory Interconnect (xGMI), up from 16GT/s to 18GT/s. This is similar to AMD’s EPYC 7003 server CPU series, which goes by the codename “Milan”.

Again, these are merely just rumours and unverified details. Therefore, until an official announcement from AMD is made, we highly recommend that you take this report with a large grain of salt.

New Leak Suggests Nikon Might Launch A US$1000 Retro-Inspired Camera Soon

A recent leak first reported by Nikon Rumors is suggesting that Nikon may be planning to launch a new retro-inspired mirrorless camera soon. Believed to be called the “ZFC”, the new camera is shown to feature a design that is reminiscent of the Nikon FM series that were released during the 1970s and 80s.

But before we move forward, we would like to clarify that the full overhead view of the alleged camera shown above is a visualisation created by Nikon Rumors, using parts from different mockups to fill in the blanks. The actual leaked photos provided to the publication (shown below) only revealed portions of the device – mainly showcasing its viewfinder, upper dials, as well as its shutter and record buttons. So keep in mind that there is a chance the visualisation may end up as inaccurate.

As for its hardware, the site claims that the new ZFC camera will be a Z-mount APS-C camera and would feature similar specifications as the Nikon Z50 from 2019. To recap, the latter is equipped with a 20.9MP sensor, an ISO range of up to 51,200, high autofocus at -4 EV, 11fps of high-speed continuous shooting, and up to 4K UHD video recording with no crop.

Besides that, Nikon is also expected to launch two APS-C prime lenses alongside the ZFC, under a new “SE” line: a 28mm f/2.8 and a 35mm f/1.8. The latter is expected to be shipped together with the camera as a kit lens. Unlike the ZFC, Nikon Rumors noted that the new lenses will retain the familiar Nikkor Z-mount design and would not feature a retro-inspired look.

Nikon is said to announce the camera later this month on 28 June, while its release is expected to happen at the end of July this year. The new Nikon ZFC will reportedly retail at US$999 (~RM4,112), while the pricing for the two lenses remains unknown for the time being.

If this leak is accurate, this would make the unannounced ZFC to be the second retro-inspired digital camera from Nikon. The first being the Nikon Df in 2013, which also featured a “timeless design” based on the brand’s classic FM series. But unlike its alleged mirrorless successor, the camera was much bulkier due to being a DSLR.

New Samsung Galaxy Foldable Phones And Smartwatches Tipped To Launch In August

Samsung might be holding a launch event for four new products in August, according to two industry leaksters. The devices in question are believed to be the brand’s Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3, Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch Active4.

The first to relay this information is none other than Max Weinbach, who tweeted that the event (most likely a Samsung Unpacked or equivalent) will take place on 3 August 2021. The leakster did not name the brand or aforementioned devices specifically, but his vague hints were easily understood by other insiders and those familiar with the industry.

Meanwhile, the second source is YouTuber Jon Prosser, who claims that Samsung will ship the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 on 27 August, while the Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch Active4 may roll out as soon as 11 August. Keep in mind that Weinbach’s tip emphasises on the event date, while Prosser’s focuses on the products’ release schedule. But as usual, there’s still a possibility that neither information is accurate until officially confirmed by Samsung themselves.

In terms of hardware specifications and features, not much is known for all four devices. However, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 could be the more interesting of the bunch, as unofficial sources such as Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) claims that it will be Samsung’s first smartphone to feature its Under-Display Camera (UDC) technology. Allegedly leaked images of the foldable phone reveals a somewhat similar form factor to its predecessors, sans a punch-hole cutout or notch on its inner display which corroborates to the UDC rumour. 

Other than that, earlier leaks featuring the Galaxy Z Flip 3 shows, again, a similar form factor to foldable’s predecessor, but now with  a new tiny display on the exterior shell. Its internal hardware and camera capabilities are still unknown at this time. Oh, and another thing you may have noticed is its name. Chronologically, there was never a Galaxy Z Flip 2 that was released prior to this. But in favour of the foldable series’ numbering system, Samsung is said to have skipped a number for the clamshell smartphone. This isn’t the first time the brand has done this, as it previously allowed its Note series to skip a number and jumped straight to the (now infamous) Galaxy Note 7.

The lack of viable information also applies for the upcoming smartwatches, especially the Galaxy Watch Active4. In the Galaxy Watch4’s case, sources claim that it will be offered in two sizes: 42mm and 46mm, which comes with 240mAh and 350mAh batteries with 5W charging respectively. Aside from the usual features and health tracking capabilities from its predecessor, both versions of the Galaxy Watch4 was initially rumoured to come with blood glucose monitoring. However, a more recent report from a South Korean source suggests that Samsung might not proceed with this addition. As per Samsung and Google’s announcement during the latter’s I/O keynote, it is highly believed that the new Galaxy Watch4 and Active4 will drop the brand’s Tizen OS in favour for the newly introduced version of Wear OS.

With the tipped launch and release date still more than a month away, it’s possible that we might not hear an official word from Samsung anytime soon. On a somewhat related note, earlier rumours hinted that the supposed event was originally to include the unannounced Galaxy S21 FE as well. But that may seem unlikely, as newer reports are claiming that Samsung has delayed the phone’s production – which the brand itself seemingly denied.

Google To Launch AI Tool That Can Help Identify Skin Problems Via Phone Camera

Are you a little worried about a rash on your arm or leg? At its annual developer conference I/O, Google announced that it intends to launch later this year an AI-powered tool that can help identify skin problems just through pictures taken by a smartphone camera.

According to Google, once launched, the tool will require you to take three pictures of the skin, hair or nail issue from different angles. Then you’ll be asked questions about your skin type, duration of the issue (how long you’ve had it), and other symptoms that will help the tool narrow down the possibilities.

The AI model crunches all this information and draws from its database of 288 conditions to provide you a list of possible matching conditions. Every matched condition will come with dermatologist-reviewed information and answers to frequently asked questions, along with similar matching pictures from the web.

However, Google said the tool isn’t meant to provide a formal diagnosis or replace professional medical advice as many conditions require review by doctor, in-person examination, or additional testing like a biopsy. That being said, the tech giant also pointed out that two billion people worldwide suffer from dermatologic (skin) issues while specialists are in short supply.

The company described the tool as the culmination of over three years of machine learning research and product development. It uses many of the same techniques that detect diabetic eye disease or lung cancer in CT scans.

Huawei To Launch New Smartphone OS In June

Huawei said it intends to launch its new Harmony smartphone operating system (OS) on 2 June, Reuters said. The event would obviously be a milestone in the company’s shift away from Google’s Android OS.

That being said, it’s currently unknown if the company intends to release new smartphones at the same time or if it’ll be providing updates for existing phones. The time frame for the rollout is also unclear.

For years, the Chinese firm was reliant on Android to make its smartphones work. But in 2019, former US President Donald Trump enacted sanctions that barred Google from giving technical support to new Huawei phone models and access to Google Mobile Services. That and a litany of other US actions have effectively crippled Huawei’s smartphone business.

The company was formerly the leading and largest smartphone maker in the world, but now has dropped to 6th place with a 4% market share in the first quarter of this year. Its financial results for 2020 showed discouraging figures for every market except China.

Earlier this year, the company acknowledged the damage it suffered from US sanctions while continuing to deny charges made by the US and other governments that it does the bidding of the Chinese government and military. While Trump has left office, the new US president, Joe Biden, has continued to put economic pressure on the company.

In an internal memo obtained by Reuters, Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei told employees to shift their focus to software development in order to counter US sanctions. The company has notably also diversified into the automotive industry.

AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution Gets Launch Date; Arriving 22 June

Besides the Zen 3-powered APUs and new Radeon RX 6000M series GPUs for laptops, one of the more important announcements of AMD’s Computex 2021 keynote was the progress of its FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) upscaling technology. More to the point, the company also provided a key detail many gamers have been looking forward to: a release date for FSR.

As a quick primer, FSR is to AMD what NVIDIA’s DLSS upscaling feature is to its RTX technology. Unlike DLSS, though, FSR doesn’t require the use of proprietary and specifically designed core for the task.

Again, like DLSS, FSR will have four quality presets for gamers: Ultra Quality, Quality, Balance, and Performance. Naturally, Ultra Quality will retain as many pixels at the cost of frames, while running an FSR supported title at the Performance preset will guarantee higher frame rates, albeit at the cost of details.

To our surprise, AMD says that FSR will not only work on its hardware, but also on NVIDIA’s GeForce products. In the case of the keynote, the company showcased the GeForce GTX 1060 running with FSR, with the video demo showing the card supposedly gaining 41% more framerates with the feature enabled.

AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution will be available on 22 June and the feature will be applicable across the board for all Radeon GPUs. To reiterate, the feature will be available on not just AMD’s Radeon RX 6000 series GPUs, but also its last-generation Radeon RX 5000 Series, Radeon RX 500 series, as well as all Ryzen CPUs fitted with Radeon graphics cores.

OnePlus 9 Series To Launch In Malaysia On 17 May

March saw the unveiling of the OnePlus 9 and its Pro variant. Now, it looks like the phones are ready to make an appearance in Malaysia. The company has announced that it will be launching the series on our shores next week.

The announcement came via the official OnePlus Malaysia Facebook page. The launch event will be streamed there on 17 May at noon.

In terms of specs, the company has pretty much revealed everything there is to know about the OnePlus 9 series. Both phones feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, and have rear camera setups co-developed with camera maker Hasselblad. Both come with a 48MP main + 50MP wide angle + 2MP monochrome cameras, with the Pro model getting an extra 8MP telephoto camera.

Other items on the OnePlus 9 spec sheet include a 6.55-inch Full HD+ screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. The Pro model comes with a larger, 6.7-inch QHD+ display, also with a 120Hz refresh rate. Both come with a 4500mAh battery that supports the company’s Warp Charge 65T tech. But for wireless charging, the base model is rated at 15W, with the Pro model going up to 50W.

With all that out of the way, the only thing left to look out for during the local launch of the OnePlus 9 series are their local prices. That, and if both configurations of the Pro model will be making an appearance on our shores.

Sony WF-1000XM4 Earbuds And Charging Case Leaks; May Launch In June

Photos showcasing the various angles of Sony’s supposedly upcoming WF-1000XM4 earbuds as well as its charging case have recently surfaced online. This new insight seemingly corroborates with another leak back in February, where snippets of the device’s packaging was uploaded to Reddit.

Much like the earlier leak, the WF-1000XM4 is shown to feature a more compact and round design – breaking away from the oval form factor of its predecessor. For this set of images shared by The Walkman Blog, this particular model sports what appears to be a dark purple colour scheme, along with bronze or gold accents for the Sony logo and detailing. It’s also worth noting that the earbuds sometimes appear in black in some shots, therefore it could be possible that two or more colour selections may be available upon release. That, or its just the lighting condition when photos of the device were taken.

As mentioned earlier, the website also included photos showcasing the earbuds’ accompanying charging case. This time around, it exhibits a more compact design than its predecessor, which is likely attributed to the WF-1000XM4’s smaller form factor. It also appears that Sony has ditched the two-tone colour scheme ala the XM3’s case, and went with a single unified colour instead. Another noteworthy change is the location of the USB-C port, which is shown to be situated on the back of the charging case – unlike its predecessor, where it’s located at the bottom.

On a related note, Pocket-Lint discovered that the Xperia 1 III’s reverse wireless charging menu features a graphic that showcases the feature working with a charging case that suspiciously looks similar to the one belonging to the WF-1000XM4. This implies that the latter’s case will be equipped with wireless charging, a feature that wasn’t included with Sony’s 2019 model.

Another interesting tidbit worth pointing out are the manufacturing labels on both the earbuds and its charging case. Much like other portable audio products from Sony, it is revealed that the WF-1000XM4 are also manufactured in Malaysia. While that doesn’t necessarily guarantee an early local release, it’s a nice bit of trivia regardless.

Again, not much is known about the specifications of the earbuds, save for some details that were revealed on its leaked packaging back in February. As a quick recap, the leak alleged that the WF-1000XM4 features active noise cancelling (ANC) capabilities and up to six hours of battery life (24 hours via charging case). Interestingly, the bottom of the device’s charging case shows a 5V/140mA charging output rating which suggests a slightly faster charging rate.

Sony has yet to officialise the WF-1000XM4 earbuds and announce its release date. However, according to The Walkman Blog’s findings, the device’s supposed listing on FCC suggests that the brand might launch its new earbuds sometime in June.

ASUS ROG Swift PG32UQX To Launch In May; Will Retail For US$3000

ASUS recently announced that its upcoming ROG Swift PG32UQX gaming monitor will be available for purchase starting from next month. The monitor is technically a follow-up to the PG27UQ, the primary difference between the two is its size and its new panel.

Specs-wise, the PG32UQX is a 32-inch 4K display, but more importantly, it is ASUS’ first gaming monitor to be fitted with a Mini LED IPS panel. On top of that, the display also retains the 144Hz refresh rate and NVIDIA G-SYNC Ultimate anti-screen tearing technology, as well as the Quantum Dot technology that was introduced with the PG27UQ.

There are obviously other aesthetic changes with the PG32UQX. For starters, the display has a higher peak brightness of 1400 nits, along with DisplayHDR 1400 certification. On top of that, it also sports significantly thinner bezels on the sides and top of the panel. As for the stand, the monitor still employs ASUS’ twisted 3-leg stand, complete with an LED projection of the ROG logo.

The ASUS ROG Swift PG32UQX will retail at US$3000 (~RM12308). At the time of writing, ASUS did not specify local availability or pricing.

realme Narzo 30 To Launch In Malaysia On 18 May

realme first announced the Narzo 30 Pro 6G and the Narzo 30A back in February. The latter has also made its way to Malaysia a month later. Now, it looks like the company is finally announcing the base model in the lineup. And it will be launching in Malaysia next week.

For now, realme Malaysia has revealed that the Narzo 30 will come with a MediaTek Helio G95 chipset. This is done via a post on its official Facebook page. Unfortunately, that’s all that the company is willing to reveal for the time being.

From the chipset, it’s probably safe to assume that the Narzo 30 sits in between the Narzo 30A and 30 Pro. But beyond that, other items on its spec sheet is still up in the air.

It’s also worth pointing out that the realme Narzo 30 will be launching in Malaysia before anywhere else. Which is interesting because new phones by the brand usually first launch in its largest market, India. Chances are this is a one-time thing with this model, but that remains to be seen.

As for the launch, realme Malaysia is set to have its launch event streamed on its Facebook page, as it usually does. This will take place on 18 May 2021, at 12PM.

ASUS ZenFone 8 Series Leaks A Week Before Launch

ASUS is due to announce its ZenFone 8 series of phones next week, which involves a Mini variant. But it looks like the phones have been leaked ahead of time. And it gives us a look at what exactly the company plans to launch.

91mobiles has obtained renders and specs from serial leaker Ishan Agarwal on the two devices. The larger of the two will be called the ASUS ZenFone 8 Flip. And as the name suggests, this retains the ability to use the rear cameras as the front facing ones from the previous two generations. This time, the camera setup consists of a 64MP main camera, an 8MP telephoto and a 12MP macro lens.

As for specs, the ASUS ZenFone 8 Flip comes with a 6.67-inch Full HD+ 90Hz display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a 5000mAh battery with support for 30W charging.

Surprisingly, the smaller device is simply known as the base ASUS ZenFone 8. The screen is a little smaller at 5.92 inches, and there’s no mention of a refresh rate, but the resolution is indeed Full HD+. Inside, it has the same Snapdragon 888 chipset and 8GB of RAM, but less storage at 128GB. The battery is also slightly smaller at 4000mAh, but it still supports 30W charging.

It sports two of the three main cameras as the larger device, dropping the 8MP telephoto shooter. And in front, it has a punch hole cutout at the top left corner, but no specs on the camera that sits inside.

The smaller ASUS ZenFone 8 naturally has its spec sheet toned down a little compared to the Flip. But it looks like it’s not sacrifices too much to keep its size smaller. As for the missing details like price and availability, we’ll still have to wait until the official announcement next week.