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.

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 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.

Kingston Announces New NV1 NVMe SSD; Starts From RM269

Kingston officially announced its latest SSD entry today, the NV1. The brand’s latest product is an NVMe Gen 3 SSD, designed and catered towards the entry-level market segment.

Specs-wise, the NV1 features relatively lower sequential read and write speeds at 2100MB/s and 1700MB/s, respectively and made for the PCIe 3.0 interface. In addition, this new M.2 2280 NVMe SSD is available in three storage configuration: 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB. Regardless of capacity, all three SKUs will run at the established speeds out of the box.

As we said, while those speeds aren’t as blindingly fast as other PCIe 3.0 SSDs, Kingston isn’t targeting the NV1 towards consumers that demand high-speed and high-performance. Rather, the brand says that its new SSD would better suited for laptops or small form factor PC; provided that the motherboard of the latter is adequately equipped with the necessary M.2 slot and supports the PCIe 3.0.

At the very least. Likewise, Kingston has hinted at the NV1 being utilized as an external storage unit, provided that one has the appropriate enclosure.

The Kingston NV1 is available starting today in Malaysia, with prices starting at RM269 for 500GB, RM489 for 1TB, and RM 939 for the 2TB version. All three models come with a limited 3-year warranty.

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.

Clubhouse Starts Rough Android Beta Tests

Clubhouse became one of the biggest apps to hit iOS, and many on Android have been clamouring for it. We previously saw a possible release window in May. Now, it looks like a small scale beta testing has begun for the app on Android.

The app’s latest release notes say that the Android beta is being rolled out to a “handful of friendly testers”. This would suggest access to the beta as exclusive as the full Clubhouse app itself.

The release notes also say that the company will be welcoming more Android users “over the coming weeks”. Though this could mean extending beta testing access to more people, or a full on release for Android.

Clubhouse co-founder Paul Davison did say back in March that its Android version will take a couple of months. That and the company plans on dropping the invite-only model. This could coincide with the Android release, or come at a later date.

All in all, it’s good to know that Clubhouse is sort of sharing its progress on the Android app. It should keep desperate people off the many fakes that can be found on the Google Play Store, which could be malware in disguise.

Apple Gives New iPad Pro The M1 Chip; Starts From RM3499

Apple is expected to announce a new iPad Pro during its very recent event. And indeed the company did just that. But the new tablet packs something new, the M1 chip. The very same one that it packed in its latest Macs and Macbooks.

The powerful chip allows the iPad Pro to do things you’d usually only associate with desktop systems. And Apple also claims that it can do all that while still maintaining all-day battery life.

But that’s not all, as the iPad Pro has another trick up its sleeve, or rather in its front-facing camera. Apple says this is its new 12MP wide angle camera. And with it, the feature that the company calls Center Stage.

Together, not only can you fit more things into frame, the camera intelligently detects if you are moving out of frame, and tries to pan towards your direction. Or, if someone else comes into frame, it automatically zooms out to fit everyone.

Other improvements Apple has given to the new iPad Pro include Thunderbolt support for the USB-C port, and even an optional 5G variant. And if you go for the larger 12.9-inch variant, you’ll also get it with a miniaturised Pro Display XDR, called the Liquid Retina XDR.

Both iPad Pro sizes come in five storage configurations, which are 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and a whopping 2TB of storage space. For the 11-inch model, these are priced at RM3499, RM3949, RM4849, RM6649 and RM8449, respectively. If you want the 5G model, it will be a RM650 premium on top.

As for the 12.9-inch model, the prices are RM4799, RM5249, RM6149, RM7949 and RM9749, respectively. The same RM650 premium applies here for the 5G models. While Apple Malaysia has announced the prices of the iPad Pro, the company has not announced its availability date just yet.

Apple TV 4K 2021 Uses An iPhone To Adjust Colour Balance; Starts From RM849

 Alongside the new iPad Pro and AirTag, Apple also announced the new Apple TV 4K at its recent event. This new entry features the A12 Bionic chip that we previously saw powering the iPhone XS and XR back in 2018.

The new Apple TV 4K has an interesting feature, simply called Colour Balance. This makes use of an accompanying iPhone to automatically adjust its own colour output, allowing it to compensate for colour inaccuracies of your TV. In other words, it works sort of like a monitor calibrator, except you do the calibration with an iPhone.

Accompanying the new Apple TV 4K is a new Apple TV Remote. It’s a small remote, with very few buttons. Most of the operation is done via the round clickpad at the centre. You can press down on each direction the old fashioned way. But in certain contexts you can also swipe across it like you would a smart device. And since it supports touch controls, you can also use circular gestures to use it as a jog control.

The Apple TV 4K comes with two storage options, 32GB and 64GB. These are priced at RM849 and RM949, respectively. You can also just get the new remote for RM229. Or, you can get the existing Apple TV HD with the new remote for RM719. That being said, Apple Malaysia has not said when you can actually buy it yet.

OPPO A54 Entry-Level Smartphone Arrives In Malaysia; Price Starts At RM 599

OPPO Malaysia has revealed via its official Facebook page that the OPPO A54 smartphone has arrived and is now available for purchase. Equipped with a MediaTek Helio chipset, the device is the latest entry-level handset from the brand to be available locally.

The A54 features a decently sized 6.51-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 720 x 1600 px and a screen-to-body ratio of 82.6%. Also on the display is a tiny punch-hole cutout which houses a 16MP front-facing camera. As mentioned earlier, powering the phone is a Helio P35 chipset with a RAM capacity of 4GB and storage space of up to 128GB.

As usual for most entry-level offerings, the major highlight of the OPPO A54 is its large battery size which comes in at 5,000mAh. However, it only comes with 18W USB-C fast charging capability, unlike the brand’s mid-level and higher phones that feature OPPO’s SuperVOOC tech.

Imaging-wise, the back of the smartphone is a triple sensor camera setup which comprises of a 13MP main sensor, a 2MP macro, and a 2MP depth sensor. The camera system is capable of recording videos at 1080p at 30fps.

Other than that, it runs on Android 10 via OPPO’s ColorOS 7.2 interface and features a side mounted fingerprint scanner. Surprisingly, the phone does not come with a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The new OPPO A54 entry-level handset is offered in black and blue colour selections and is priced at RM599 for the 4GB + 64GB configuration, while the 4GB + 128GB option comes in at RM699. Those interested can make their purchase via OPPO Malaysia’s official website.