DHL Express Malaysia Announces Average 4.9 Percent Price Increase

DHL Express Malaysia today has announced a price increase by an average rate of 4.9%, while surcharge for overweight pieces and non-stackable pallets will be adjusted to RM410 per piece and RM840 per pallet. These adjustments are slated to be made effective by January 2022.

According to the company‘s official statement, the change is part of its annual price adjustments, which takes into account inflation and currency dynamics. It added that this also includes administrative costs related to regulatory and security measures that are regularly updated by national and international authorities in over 220 countries and territories that DHL Express serves.

“The annual price adjustment enables us to further develop our infrastructure while allowing us to apply state-of-the-art technologies and individual delivery processes to ensure best-in-class customer solutions,” said DHL Express Malaysia & Brunei Country Manager Julian Neo. “In response to the increased demand for logistics expertise due to rising item volumes in the e-commerce market, we have invested heavily in the renewal of our aircraft fleet as well as our global hub and gateway network.”

According to a comment to Bernama, Neo detailed that the company will use this opportunity to upgrade its fleet with the latest aircraft and vehicles, as well as expand its hubs and gateways. This would enable it to increase its overall capacity, as demands for the fastest possible cross-border shipping continues to grow.

Fossil Gen 6 Smartwatch Series Now Official; Price Starts From US$299

The Fossil Gen 6 line-up is now official. As you may recall, the listing for the new smartwatch series was accidentally leaked on Amazon two weeks prior, revealing much of its specifications and design. 

As previously reported, the Gen 6 is one of the first wearables to be equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 4100+ chipset. This variant is claimed to offer faster performance in terms of processing speeds and charging, as well as more efficient power consumption when compared to the standard chip. Paired together with the SoC is 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage capacity. Fossil says that the Gen 6 will come with Wear OS 2 upon launch, but noted it would still receive the new Google-Samsung developed Wear OS sometime next year via a firmware update.

The smartwatch is available in two different designs: a standard stainless steel case by Fossil, and the more elegant-looking Michael Kors edition. Both are available in 42mm and 44mm sizes, which also share the same 1.28-inch OLED touch display. On the right-hand side are three buttons, with the middle also functioning as a rotating dial. The new wearable is also rated 3ATM in terms of water resistance.

Found onboard the Fossil Gen 6 are heart rate and SpO2 sensors for health tracking, as well as miscellaneous sensors such as an accelerometer, altimeter, ambient light, compass, gyroscope, and off-body IR. Other than that, it also features a built-in speaker and microphone, Bluetooth 5.0 and WiFi connectivity, as well as GPS and NFC support.

Fossil claims that the new wearable is able to last over 24 hours of usage in a single charge, which could be extended further by enabling the Extended Mode. When activated, the watch will then disable several built-in features in favour for a longer battery life. The Gen 6 also comes with fast charging support, which is said to be capable of topping up 80% charge in just 30 minutes.

The Fossil Gen 6 line-up starts from US$299 (~RM1,242) and is slated to be shipped out sometime by late September. Unfortunately, there’s no word on a local release at this current time.

Fitbit Charge 5 Now Official; Pre-Order Price At RM878

Not long after two significantly major leaks, Fitbit has unveiled its new Charge 5 fitness tracker. And much like what was unofficially revealed prior to this, the wearable will sport a new design, a full colour display, ECG capability, and plenty of other features – greatly exceeding those that are offered by its predecessors.

The new fitness tracker is 10% slimmer than the Charge 4, and comes with a 1.04-inch AMOLED touch screen with Always-On capability and Gorilla Glass 3 protection. On each side of its body are capacitive touchpads for user interaction, and can be used as a shortcut to activate the onboard Atrial Fibirilation (AFib) feature by pressing on both pads for 30 seconds. However, Fitbit noted that this feature would only be enabled some time after launch via an update.

As mentioned earlier, the Charge 5 comes with a variety of health and fitness monitoring capabilities which includes sleep tracking, a heart rate sensor to calculate Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Resting Heart Rate (RHR), a SpO2 sensor for blood oxygen saturation monitoring, an ElectorDermal Activity (EDA) sensor to track stress levels, and an Electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor. The latter may first require an approval from the local ministry of health before it is made available to users once the wearable arrives in Malaysia.

Features-wise, the device will feature plenty of onboard workout trackers, stress relief sessions, and the new Daily Readiness Score app and subscription. Other than that, it also comes with smartphone notification and quick reply functions, GPS (+GLONASS) tracking, compatibility with both Android and iOS platforms, and is water resistant of up to 50 metres of depth. Fitbit claims that the fitness tracker can last up to 7 days of use with the Always-On and SpO2 features deactivated, and would take two hours for a full charge.

The new wearable is offered in Black, Lunar White and Steel Blue, and is also offered with a variety of watch straps that are made of silicone, leather, and nylon. Speaking of straps, included in the box are two different band sizes for small and large wrists.

The Fitbit Charge 5 is priced at RM878, and is slated to ship out by late September 2021. Pre-orders for the new fitness tracker are now open via the brand’s official Malaysian website. Keep in mind that in order to use the new Daily Readiness Score, you are required to have a Fitbit Premium subscription which is available at RM39 per month.

Malaysian Pre-Orders For Samsung Galaxy Watch4 Series Opening Soon; Price Starts From RM 899

Along with the Galaxy Z Fold 3, Samsung Malaysia has also confirmed the local preorder price and date for the new Galaxy Watch4 series. Much like the former, orders for the upcoming smartwatches will be open this Thursday on 19 August until 21 September 2021.

The company revealed that the standard model of the Galaxy Watch4 will be priced at RM 999 for the 44mm variant, and RM 899 for the 40mm. The larger version will be available in Black, Green, and Silver colours, whereas the smaller version arrives in Black, Pink Gold and Silver options.

Meanwhile, the pre-order prices for the more premium Classic models of the Galaxy Watch4 are RM 1,399 for the 46mm size, and RM 1,299 for the smaller 42mm. Both of these are offered in only two colour options: Black and Silver.

Samsung noted that all four Galaxy Watch4 models that will be on preorder are only the Bluetooth versions of the wearable. The company did not mention whether it is planning to bring in the LTE version at a later date, but we can safely assume that the watches sport a slightly higher price tag when it does eventually arrive.

You can pre-order the new wearables via the brand’s official Experience Stores, Online Store, and authorised partners. As a special promotion, Samsung is also giving away e-vouchers for its official Online Store worth up to RM250 to those pre-ordering the new Galaxy Watch4 series while stocks last.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Pre-Order To Begin On 19 August; Price Starts At RM3,999

Alongside the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Watch4 Series, Samsung has also announced the pre-order program for another new device that it has announced last week at the Galaxy Unpacked August event. Just like its higher-end sibling, the Galaxy Z Flip3 will also be available for pre-order in Malaysia starting from this Thursday, 19 August onwards.

True to the information from last weekend, the Z Flip3 will indeed be priced at RM3,999 for the 128GB model while the 256GB variant goes for RM4,199. Regardless of the storage option, the Z Flip3 is certainly much cheaper than the original Z Flip which was released in Malaysia last March for RM5,888.

Meanwhile, pre-order customers will be provided with an e-voucher worth RM 600 that they can spend at Samsung Malaysia’s e-Store. Additionally, they will also receive Samsung Care+ 1-year protection plan for their new Z Flip3 which is in line with the global announcement last week.

That being said, the Samsung Care+ protection that will be provided in Malaysia is full coverage as opposed to certain markets. To last until 21 September, the pre-order program for Z Flip3 will be available through Samsung Malaysia’s e-Store as well as physical Samsung Experience Stores and Authorized Partners all over Malaysia.

Huawei MatePad Pro Available In Malaysia On 18 June; Price Starts From RM3999

Huawei has officially launched the 2021 edition of the MatePad Pro in Malaysia, which is slated to be available for sale next week on 18 June. As noted in our previous report, the new tablet is also one of the first devices from the brand to feature its new HarmonyOS platform.

Just in case you missed it, the MatePad Pro features a 12.6-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 and an aspect ratio of 16:10. Huawei claims that the tablet’s screen has a colour accuracy rating of  ∆E < 0.5, which makes it ideal to function as a secondary monitor for professionals such as designers or photographers. Besides that, the display also features the brand’s ClariVu Display Enhancement technology and Eye Comfort Mode for optimum viewing experience. Audio-wise, the new MatePad Pro features eight Harman Kardon-tuned speakers, and four onboard microphones. 

Under its hood is Huawei’s own Kirin 9000E 5G flagship chipset, which is accompanied by 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of UFS3.1 storage. Users are also able to expand the tablet’s storage up to an additional 256GB by slotting in a proprietary Nano (NM) Card, if they so wish. In terms of battery performance, the 2021 MatePad Pro comes with 10,050 mAh capacity which features wired and wireless fast charging support at 40W and 27W respectively. It also has the ability to reverse charge other compatible devices via wired at 5W and wireless at 10W.

On the back of the tablet is a dual camera setup consisting of a 13MP main sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide, and a 3D TOF (time of flight) sensor for improved autofocusing. Meanwhile, housed in front on the side bezel is an 8MP camera for selfies and video calls.

Other than that, the new MatePad Pro comes with the upgraded Huawei Share feature via HarmonyOS. This enables for seamless multi-screen collaboration capabilities and data transfer with other compatible devices. Further aiding with the user’s productivity on the tablet is the support for the brand’s 2nd generation M-Pencil accessory, which now boasts a low latency of 11.2ms and features 4,096 points of sensitivity. The first party stylus can be attached magnetically on the side of the Pro for both storage and wireless charging, and is also compatible with older MatePad models.

Also introduced during the launch is the new Huawei Smart Magnetic Keyboard, which can be magnetically attached to the 2021 MatePad Pro. Much like the M-Pencil above, attaching the keyboard will also charge its internal battery.

The new Huawei MatePad Pro will retail starting from RM3,999 once it arrives on store shelves next week. In the meantime, pre-orders for the tablet are now available for interested customers starting today until 17 June via the brand’s official web store, Experience Store, as well as its Lazada and Shopee stores.

Honor 50 Series Launches In China; Price Starts From RMB 2399

Honor has officially launched its new Honor 50 series smartphones in China earlier this evening. As previously reported, the latest flagships consist of three variations: the standard model, the Pro, and the entry-level Honor 50 SE. And it appears that most of the information regarding the new series that was leaked last week turned out to be accurate as well.

First we have the Honor 50 Pro, which comes with a 6.72-inch OLED FHD+ curved display with a refresh rate of 120Hz and an under-display fingerprint sensor. Under its hood is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G chipset, paired with up to 12GB of RAM and a storage capacity of 256GB. Powering the phone is a 4,000mAh battery that supports a whopping 100W fast charging capability via USB-C. And as confirmed by the brand prior to this, the phone will feature Android 11 via Honor’s Magic UI 4.2 interface and also Google Mobile Services (GMS).

On the back of the Pro is a Huawei P50-like dual circular glass bumps which houses four different cameras. On the top circle is a sole 108MP main sensor, while below it is an 8MP ultra-wide, a 2MP macro, and 2MP depth sensor. Housed in the pill-shaped cutout on the phone’s display is a dual front-facing camera setup consisting of a 32MP and 12MP sensors.

Next up is the standard Honor 50, which features mostly the same hardware, features, and camera specs as the Pro – with some notable differences, of course. Its screen is smaller, coming at 6.57-inches, and its battery capacity is slightly larger at 4,300mAh. However, the phone only supports 66W fast charging capability via USB-C. Its rear imaging system is exactly the same as the Pro model, you can expect the same performance on the Honor 50. For selfies, however, the standard variant only comes with a single 32MP front-facing camera, housed in a punch-hole cutout on its display.

Last but not least is the Honor 50 SE, which shares an almost similar design language as its siblings. The more noticeable difference aesthetically is the number of cameras on its back, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, and its flat but large 6.78-inch LTPS IPS LCD display with 120Hz refresh rate – making it the largest model among the three. Under the hood, you’ll be able to see some significant differences as well. Unlike the vanilla and Pro model, the Honor 50 SE comes with a MediaTek Dimensity 900 5G chipset, together with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. Powering the phone is a larger 5,000mAh battery, which also supports 66W of fast charging via USB-C.

Photography-wise, on the back of the SE model is a triple camera setup which consists of mostly the same sensors found on its siblings, except for the lack of a 2MP depth sensor. In front is a 16MP selfie camera housed in the display’s punch-hole cutout.

As for pricing, the Honor 50 Pro model will be offered in two configurations, with the 8/256GB version to retail at RMB 3,699 (~RM 2,380) and the 12/256GB at RMB 3,999 (~RM 2,574). Meanwhile, the standard version is offered in a total of three configurations, starting with the 8/128GB at RMB 2,699 (~RM 1,738), 8/256GB at RMB 2,999 (~RM 1,930), and 12/256GB at RMB 3,399 (~RM 2,188). Lastly, the Honor 50 SE is available in two configurations, an 8/128GB version at RMB 2,399 (~RM 1,544), and 8/256GB at RMB 2,699 (~RM 1,738).

Honor has revealed that the new series will indeed be shipped out globally, with Malaysia confirmed to be in the list. However, its expected local availability and pricing has yet to be determined.

Sony WF-1000XM4 Price Leaks Online; Pegged At EUR280

The Sony WF-1000XM4 leaks seem to keep coming. Having seen a promo video for the upcoming TWS buds earlier, we thought that it would have the same asking price as its predecessor. It looks like that may not be the case, as it may actually come with a bigger price tag.

The Walkman Blog reports that the Sony WF-1000XM4 has appeared on Slovakian online store Datart.sk. And it comes with a EUR279.99 (~RM1414) price tag. The listing has since been removed, but it stated that the buds will also come with three foam tip sizes while it was up.

It’s important to note that prices in Euros are usually higher than what they eventually end up being in ringgit. At least when converted directly, and then compared to what they actually are when they arrive. But this is still a higher price than what the WF-1000XM3 launched with. For context, it was revealed alongside a EUR250 price tag. From this, it’s probably safe to assume that, when Sony brings the WF-1000XM4 to our shores, it would be with a bigger price tag than RM949.

Of course, this is a fair amount of speculation on our part considering what we know. It’s probably a good idea to save up anyway if you’re waiting to buy the Sony WF-1000XM4. But of course, there’s hope that the company pulls a fast one to the consumers’ benefit and launch it with a lower price.

Sony Bravia XR TVs Now In Malaysia: Price Starts From RM 5,399

First introduced to the world back in January, Sony has recently announced the arrival of Bravia XR TVs in Malaysia. What’s interesting about the Bravia XR is that it is not a specific series of TV per se but instead, it is a group of TVs across several different panel and backlight methods that feature the company’s new technology called Cognitive Processor XR.

Sony claimed that the technology mimics how humans perceive the world which is by processing information from our eyes and ears at the same time. Cognitive Processor XR apparently divided the screen into hundreds of zones and then cross-analysed elements within the pictures including focal points to provide the best outcome to viewers.

Each Bravia XR TVs have also been pre-installed with Google TV user interface on top of their Android TV operating system. They also come with several platform-specific display presets including Netflix Calibrated Mode and IMAX Enhanced alongside support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos contents.

All Bravia XR TVs are also Carman Ready which means content creators can easily calibrate them with Calman colour calibration software. These TVs also come with HDMI 2.1 as standard which allows gamers to enjoy 4K gaming with frame rates of up to 120fps alongside access to features such as Variable Refresh Rate, Auto Low Latency Mode, and eARC.

In our market, the Bravia XR TVs are available in five models for the time being. Leading the list is the 65-inch variant of the Master Series A90J 4K OLED TV (shown above) which costs RM 17,999 while there is also the 65 and 55-inch version of the A80J 4K OLED TV that cost RM 14,999 and RM 9,199, respectively.

Aside from that, there is also the X90J 4K Full Array LED TV that can be obtained with a 65-inch screen for RM 7,599 or the smaller 55-inch variant that goes for RM 5,399. Sony has also noted that three are more Bravia XR models that are coming to Malaysia at a later date including the 85-inch Master Series Z9J 8K Full Array LED TV, a 77-inch option for A80J, and the 75-inch variant of X90J.

2021 iPad Pro M1 Now Available From Apple Malaysia; Price Maxed Out At RM 10,399

Following the release of iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini in purple colourway earlier this month, Malaysian consumers are now able to purchase yet another new product that was announced during Apple’s Spring Loaded event last month. This time around, it comes in the form of the 2021 iPad Pro tablets.

As you may have heard, one of the biggest attractions of the new iPad Pro is the fact that it is powered by Apple’s own M1 chip and Apple has chosen to utilise the variant with an 8-core GPU for the tablet. The 12.9-inch model is also equipped with the new Liquid Retina XDR display while the 11.9-inch variant still comes with a Liquid Retina display just like its predecessor.

In case you missed it, here is the full price list for the 2021 iPad Pro M1 in Malaysia:

11-inch 2021 iPad Pro M1

128GB: RM 3,499 (Wi-Fi) / RM 4,149 (5G)

256GB: RM 3,949 / RM 4,599

512GB: RM 4,849 / RM 5,499

1TB: RM 6,649 / RM 7,299

2TB: RM 8,449 / RM 9,099

12.9-inch 2021 iPad Pro M1

128GB: RM 4,799 (Wi-Fi) / RM 5,449 (5G)

256GB: RM 5,249 / RM 5,899

512GB: RM 6,149 / RM 6,799

1TB: RM 7,949 / RM 8,599

2TB: RM 9,749 / RM 10,399

Aside from Apple Malaysia’s own online store, you can also order the 2021 iPad Pro M1 through local Apple Authorized Resellers such as Lazada, Machines, and Switch.

All three AAR have noted that the tablet will be making its way to Malaysia within the second half of this month in case you want to check them out in real life first but with the MCO 3.0 now in place, that may not be the best option for the time being.

Redmi K40 Gaming Edition Now Official; Price Starts From RMB 1999

Redmi has officially launched the latest entry to the K40 flagship series in China, which also happens to be the brand’s first ever gaming smartphone. Known specifically as the K40 Gaming Edition, the new smartphone offers top-notch performance, unique features such as pop-up shoulder buttons, accent lighting, and more.

The new Redmi-branded gaming smartphone comes with a large 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2400px, HDR10+ support, 120Hz refresh rate, and 480Hz touch sampling rate. Housed within the punch-hole cutout on the top of the screen is a 16MP selfie camera. One notable feature that fans would highly appreciate is the fact that its body also sports dust and water resistance with a rating of IP53.

Hardware-wise, under the hood of the phone is a MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset – making it the only K40 variant to not feature a flagship Snapdragon processor. Along with it is a RAM configuration that is offered up to 12GB and storage of up to 256GB of UFS 3.1. Ensuring that the internal hardware is kept at optimal temperature is Redmi’s LiquidCool vapor chamber technology which features white graphene to greatly reduce heat dissipation. Keeping the device powered up is a large 5,065mAh battery, which also comes with Xiaomi’s 67W fast charging capability via USB-C. 

Besides that, the gaming smartphone features a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, dual JBL tuned speakers with Dolby Atmos support, and a triple microphone setup for regular and video calls. As mentioned earlier, the K40 Gaming Edition also comes with shoulder triggers that pop-up when the user flips the dedicated slider switches on the top and bottom of its right side. Doing this would also activate the bracket lights around the phone’s rear camera island, which is kind of cool.

Speaking of which, housed within the aforementioned island is a triple camera setup consisting of a 64MP primary sensor with an f/1.65 aperture lens, an 8MP ultra-wide, and a 2MP macro. Other than the bracket lights, the Redmi K40 Gaming Edition features a sleek metallic rear panel with line design elements that is offered in Black, Silver, and White colors.

A more attractive two-toned yellow and black version of the phone also exists, marketed as the Bruce Lee Special Edition. We have no idea how mobile gaming is correlated to the legendary martial artist and actor, but hey… it’s Bruce Lee. And that’s awesome enough.

The Redmi K40 Gaming Edition is slated to be on sale in China starting from 30 April 2021, and are offered in multiple configurations. The base 6GB/128GB model of the handset will retail at RMB 1,999 (~RM 1,265), the 8GB/128GB at RMB 2,199 (~RM 1,390), 8GB/256GB at RMB 2,399 (~RM 1,516), 12GB/128GB at RMB 2,399 (~RM 1,516), and the 12GB/256GB at RMB 2,799 (~RM 1,770). Meanwhile, the Bruce Lee Special Edition is offered with the highest configuration, and is set to retail at RMB 2,799 (~RM 1,770). The expected global availability for Redmi’s first ever gaming smartphone has not been announced at this time.