Author: chris eilers

Last time we put Meizu M1 Note, Elephone P6000, Ulefone Be Pro, Lenovo K3 Note and ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE500CL in the list of best Chinese smartphones under RM750 available in Malaysia. Today, we’ll continue the list with another 5 devices promising you good price and specs.

1. Lenovo A7000:

Lenovo A7000 Specs:

Let’s have a short look at the Lenovo A7000 Specs. It is the big younger brother of Lenovo A6000 with a larger HD display of 5.5 inches. With upgraded specs and Dolby Atmos Sound buit-in the phone, A7000 can give you feelings like in cinema. In addition, the device is powered by an octa-core MediaTek MT6572M CPU paired with 2GB RAM and 8GB of storage (but can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD). As for camera, A7000 has a combo of an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

Lenovo A7000 Price in Malaysia:

Lenovo A7000 Malaysia has gone on sale on May 20, 2015 for the recommended retail price of RM699. Nonetheless, thanks to Lenovo’s partnership with Lazada Malaysia, Lenovo A7000 is priced at RM625. Click here to check it!

2. Xiaomi Mi4i:

Xiaomi Mi4i Specs:

Xiaomi Mi4i runs on MIUI 6 based on Android 5.0 Lollipop and includes a 2nd generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 1.7GHz octa-core 64-bit processor along with 2GB RAM and 16GB of storage, but there would be no microSD card slot. As for other specs, Xiaomi Mi4i Malaysia has a 3,120mAh battery, a dual SIM supporting 4G LTE and a front 5-inch Full HD IPS screen by JDI with Sunlight Display tech. This technology helps optimize the screen on the pixel level that gives users a better view under the sunlight. Furthermore, the heating issues on Mi4i have also been fixed by a new Xiaomi update known as OTA (Over The Air) system update of MIUI v6.5.50.

XIAOMI Mi4i is available in Malaysia at RM749: http://ow.ly/PpQK7

Xiaomi Mi4i Price in Malaysia:

Mi4i seems less expensive than other Xiaomi smartphones. Mi4i Malaysia is priced at RM749, and it has been having a flash sale from 28 May, 2015. Click HERE to get a Xiaomi Mi4i Dark Grey.

3. Lenovo S60:

Lenovo S60 Specs:

Lenovo S60 was launched in January, 2015 and available on sale from March. It comes with a 5” HD screen that allows for nearly 180-degrees of wide-angle viewing, and boasts a 1.2Ghz 64-bit quad core Snapdragon 410  chipset with a 2,150mAh battery. The S60 has the power to play music & video, run apps & games, and more – all without skipping a beat. On the other hand, it will let you take brilliant 13MP photos and 5MP selfies in a combination with a new simplified interface. Doesn’t it sound good?

Lenovo S60 Price in Malaysia:

The Lenovo S60 promo price is RM750, yet now you can buy it with RM715 here.

4. Xiaomi Redmi 2:

Xiaomi Redmi 2 Specs:

The Redmi 2 was released in January 2015 like Lenovo S60. Compared to the Redmi 1S, you get a better 64-bit Snapdragon 410 clocked at 1.2Ghz. The Basic Version of the Redmi 2 comes with 1GB of LDDR3 RAM and 8GB of internal memory. The Main Camera of the Redmi 2 is 8MP with a 5-element lens, while the Front Camera is a 2MP shooter, which is capable of taking HD videos.

Xiaomi Redmi2 Price in Malaysia:

Now you can purchase a Xiaomi Redmi 2 (1GB RAM and 8GB ROM) with RM449 here.

5. Oukitel U8:

Oukitel U8 Specs:

Oukitel U8 is a 2.5D-curved-glass-over phone with finishes made of aluminum alloy and housing made of plastic. Apart from its interesting design, U8 includes 5.5” 720p IPS screen, a combo of 13 mega-pixel rear camera and 5 mega-pixel front camera, 2GB RAM, Mali-T720 GPU, and 16GB of storage (but able to be expanded up to 128GB via a microSD card). It is powered by Mediatek MT6735 64-bit Quad-core processor, and run by Android 5.1 Lollipop and a 2,850mAh battery. One selling point for Oukitel U8 is its finger scanner placed under the rear camera and in the centric phone’s upper part.

Oukitel U8 Price in Malaysia:

In terms of price, the company has set a good price for U8. It will go on sale for $139.99 (RM502) in the period of presale from 15 to 21 May here. After that, U8 price will increase as what is described in the following picture.

So, those are 5 more Chinese smartphones under RM750 we want to introduce to you if you are looking for some affordable device with good specs. Do you think they are the right choices? 

Recently Sony has announced a new member to join Xperia family. The device is known as Sony Xperia Z4 in its home ground Japan, yet for the rest of the world, this exactly the same smartphone will be called Xperia Z3 Plus. The company also revealed Sony Xperia Z3 Plus launch date to be in June.

The device features 5.2-inch Full HD LCD and looks pretty much similar to the previous Xperia Z3 in terms of design. However, the biggest innovations this time come from the inside. The new smartphone is still waterproof, which is an important selling point of Sony’s current devices. More interestingly, the Sony Xperia Z3+ USB port no longer requires a flap to protect it from water. Sounds totally convenient and high-tech, right?

Note that Xiaomi has released many remarkable phones on the market, so more and more people begin waiting for Xiaomi new device Mi5 with lots of expectation. However, we are afraid that it’s not going to be done in July. If not July, when will this new flagship be launched?

Xiaomi Mi5 Leak

According to prolific Weibo leakstar, Leaksfly, Xiaomi’s next-generation flagship Mi5 will make its first debut on 5 November. Some reliable revelations about Mi5 specs are also spotted. They say that the device will be powered by Snapdragon 820 processor (the one that Qualcomm announced at MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2015), in a combination with 4GB RAM. Additionally, Xiaomi Mi5’s 5.5-inch screen will also come with 2.5D glass and 2K resolution to catch up with the new trend this year. As for camera, there will be a 16MP rear snapper with Optical Image Stabilization support.  There are two versions for users’ choices, 16GB and 64GB of storage. In terms of design, the handset is expected to get a metal body and measure only 5.1mm.

According to some previous reports, Xiaomi would equip Mi5 with fingerprint scanner. The Snapdragon 820 processor will let Xiaomi use Qualcomm’s ultrasonic fingerprint authentication without any button on the phone. It seems like Snapdragon 820 will become an important key feature of Xiaomi Mi5. On the other hand, the chip producer has once confirmed that this chipset would be sampled in the second half of 2015, which somehow explains why Xiaomi chooses November instead of summer to launch Mi5.

To recap, now we know a bit more about Xiaomi Mi5 release date and specs. However, Mi5 price is still a mystery. Hopefully the new Xiaomi Mi5 will go on sale before the end of the year, and perhaps even with its sibling Mi5 Plus coming with 6-inch screen and similar specs as Mi5 with a reasonable Xiaomi Mi5 price in Malaysia.

Lately, Bkav (Bach Khoa Antivirus), one the oldest and most famous Vietnamese technology companies has launched Bphone, a smartphone designed by Bkav and made in Vietnam. In terms of tech, Bkav develops and produces products with main interests in security software, but now they try a new area of business: smartphone. Bkav’s new flagship smartphone is called Bphone and it has been gaining much attention from the very first start. With an livestreamed event on 26 May, 2015, the company introduced Bphone to nearly two thousand people attending the event and a lot of others following on the internet. Let’s take a look at Bkav Bphone specs.

Bkav Bphone Specs:

According to Mr. Nguyen Tu Quang, Bkav’s outspoken founder, the handset is made from 800 different parts, provided by 82 suppliers in the world with Bkav’s own design, which has been patented since 2011. In terms of specs, Bkav Bphone is a device of 7.5mm of thickness with a Sharp 5.0-inch Full HD display, featuring Corning Gorilla Glass and dressing a full aluminum cover. In addition, it is equipped with 3GB RAM LPDDR3 and powered by the Qualcomm CPU Snapdragon 801 quad-core 2.5GHz. At this point, Mr. Thieu Phuong Nam, CEO of Qualcomm Indochina, said that Bkav is the first Southeast Asia’s firm to directly contract with Qualcomm. That means Bkav is able to get the latest Qualcomm CPU as well as use all of Qualcomm patents in their phones.

The other specs include a 3,000mAh battery accompanied by Quick Charge 2.0, a 5MP front shooter and a 13MP f/2.2 rear camera that is covered with sapphire glasses. This cam is also one of Bphone’s key selling points. There are most modern techs supporting them such as Fast Tracking Auto Focus (used for Samsung Galaxy S6 to help capture fast-moving objects) and UbiFocus (allowing users to choose their focus after having already taken picture). Moreover, Bphone snapper can also take slowmotion video with 120 frames/s. As for operating system, Bkav uses their own one called BOS based on Android Lollipop for the Bphone.

Another outstanding feature about Bphone is that there is a built-in Bkav, the company’s flagship antivirus software, to make this device become “the safest of its kind on earth,” according to the CEO.

Bkav Bphone Price in Malaysia:

There are 3 main versions of Bphone with different amount of internal storage.

Bphone Black, 16GB – 9,990,000VND (RM1,677)

Bphone Black/White/Champagne 64GB – 12,960,000VND (RM2,175)

Bphone Gold plated 24K, 128GB – 20,190,000VND (RM3,388)

Note that all Bphone prices are exclusive of taxes and will not be on sale via retail chains but online via a Vietnamese website from June 2, 2015. Anyhow, no words are made for an official international release from Bkav, yet it is said that they are planning to bring this phone to the world. Perhaps a few months later, we can see Bkav Bphone Malaysia version on the market.

In conclusion, we can see that Bphone is kind of an ambitious first phone from Bkav. Basically, it boasts a 5” FHD screen with a slim body, Snapdragon 801 chipset, 3,000mAh battery and a remarkable back camera. Will this Bphone be able to create a hit in smartphone industry with such hefty prices? Let’s wait and see!

Xiaomi’s new product Mi4i also cannot avoid receiving reports from Xiaomi Mi4i users on heating issues. For example, the device gets warmer under strenuous conditions (e.g. running 3D gaming and benchmarking apps). On the other hand, some people think that Snapdragon 615 is the cause because other phones like Yu Yureka, HTC Desire 820, and OPPO R5, powered by Snapdragon 615, overheat to the same extent.

Though Xiaomi used to release an update known as 6.5.4.0 to fix the problem before, it led to some other power button issue. As a result, Xiaomi has to find another way. After analyzing the situations, Xiaomi took some action. Specifically, they has been rolling out a newer OTA (Over The Air) system update of MIUI v6.5.50 for the Mi4i.

Xiaomi update to fix heating issues

“Today we began an over-the-air system update of MIUI v6.5.5.0 (available now with a size of 40MB) for Mi 4i users. This is our first major update for the Mi4i since its launch last month, incorporating feedback from many early Mi4i users with a number of bug fixes and optimizations,” Hugo Barra, Xiaomi’s Vice President of International Operations, posted on May 26 about their Xiaomi update.

With this update, Xiaomi Mi4i’s thermal control algorithms are optimized to regulate the temperature in a better way. In addition, it will adjust frequency, voltage and the number of cores in use, depending on the processor’s temperature, “the new thermal controls adjust frequency, voltage and the number of cores in use depending on the chipset temperature. In all of our internal testing and pre-OTA release in the MIUI Forum and beta testers, we’ve observed that these changes reduce the device overall temperature without impacting performance.” Besides, additional bug fixes and optimizations are also updated at the same time.

It seems like Xiaomi is trying their best to bring good experience to Mi’s product users in general, and Mi4i users in particular. With the new Xiaomi update of MIUI v6.5.5.0, which can be downloaded from the Updater app on Mi4i, hopefully there would be no more heating issues on Xiaomi Mi4i.

Xiaomi Mi4i Specs Quick View:

Although Philips is not considered as a super strong competitor to many remarkable flagships existing in the smartphone market, their product’s quality does gain very good reputation. Recent leaks show that we are going to experience a very new flagship, Philips i999.

Philips i999 Specs: A carefully developed handset

The phone has been certified at TENAA recently and said to pack pretty powerful specs. With a 5.5-inch 2K screen, Philips i999 will become the very first phone in the house to sport that feature. Besides, it uses 3D arc tech to create better curvature, developed on the basis of 2.5D. On the other hand, the device will come with 3GB RAM and 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor. The focus points on this latest smartphone are the currently popular  fingerprint scanner and narrow-bezel design, maybe with metal casing.

In terms of taking photos, Philips i999 camera is also a beast. It has a 8MP front shooter and a 20MP sensor with dual Philips LED flash which is a very famous product of the company. However, despite such high-end Philips i999 specs, the smartphone just runs Android Kitkat 4.4.3 version. This could be a minus for Philips to consumers’ way of thinking.

Philips i999 Specs summary:

Philips i999 Price and Launch Date in Malaysia:

Exciting and potential as it offers, the Philips i999 price and launch date is still a mystery up to now. We are looking forward to the Philips i999 release date in Malaysia and will support the company with this interesting flagship. How much do you think the phone will cost? Will it fit the sub RM1,000 budget phone market? Or will it be overpriced?

To recap, Philips i999 is a new comer equipped with good specs that most other flagships have such as 5.5” 2K screen, 3GB RAM and 20MP Philips LED flash camera. Hope it’s going to get a reasonable price and be released soon this year, so we would have more great choices to consider.

OnePlus is planning something for the very first day of June, June 1, 2015. Since the success of OnePlus One on the smartphone market, they have kept quiet for a long time, so the picture having been revealed lately makes people curious and somehow excited. Whether it will be OnePlus Two, the phone that we have been learning from rumors for months, or it will be a totally different device to come in the third quarter of 2015?

Will it be OnePlus Two?

Looking at the picture, we can see that the OnePlus One phone is being erased and it reads “Time to change”. Some sources even say that the “change” here can be a smartwatch, which was soon rejected, or a possibility that the One price is going to be reduced (the current OnePlus One price in Malaysia is RM1,199 (before GST) for a 64GB version).

If you remember, there was a leaked benchmark of a OnePlus phone with model number A2001. It will sport a Qualcomm octa-core Snapdragon 810 with 3GB RAM. In addition, the company’s CEO also used to mention their new product’s price once. He replied to many suggestions on the possible OnePlus Two price with the number of 2,499.99 Yuan, which means the OnePlus Two price in Malaysia can be about RM1,500.

There’s still time before the news gets confirmed. The new product on June 1 can be OnePlus Two with Snapdragon 810 and 3GB RAM, or something else. Will that new smartphone be able to ‘shake up the tech industry’ one more time? We’ll update you soon!

It seems like Google will still continue the Nexus program this year probably with two Nexus phones but not with any tablets for 2015, according to some reliable news sources. If this comes true, it could be the first time Google has introduced two Nexus devices in one year. Though there is no official confirmation about their full specs, we would like to share with you some tentative ones.

Google Nexus Phones

One of the two phones might be called LG Angler. It will sport a 5.2-inch screen and a 2,700mAh battery. Besides, LG is said to give this handset a Snapdragon 808 which is the same hexa-core chip LG G4 uses. The other could be Huawei Bullhead, as they call this Nexus phone, will be a 5.7-inch screen and powered by a Snapdragon 810 with a battery of 3,500mAh. Look at the current situation in the smartphone market, Huawei may equip their new product with 2K screen.

So, those are the basic details about Google Nexus specs this year for now, but they may change before the real Google Nexus launch. Therefore we should be looking forward to Google’s announcement in the next months, which is likely to happen as the usual Nexus time frame is around October. Hopefully, Huawei Nexus price and LG Nexus price are set at a reasonable one, and we can welcome them as Nexus Malaysia versions soon.

In conclusion, if you are waiting for a new Google Nexus in Malaysia this year, you may feel happy to learn that there would be two phones, instead of one, for your choice. They could be LG Angler coming with 5.2” display and Snapdragon 808, and Huawei Bullhead with 5.7” and Snapdragon 810 as what has been rumoured lately.

Let’s wait and see how these new Nexus members are like!

Google is going to unveil the next Android operating system known as Android M at Google’s annual I/O developer conference happening later this week. At the moment, many people are very curious about what M stands for, but from what Google has done in the past, which was giving a code names such as L for Lollipop and K for KitKat, we guess that M may be the initial letter of another kind of dessert. Nonetheless, which one to be specific?

Some news sources suggest that “M” in “Android M” is for Macadamia Nut Cookie (MNC), which can explain for the name spotted in AOSP code as “mnc-dev”. On the contrary, some think that Google probably would not choose such a lengthy name for the new Android system, at least not for the final version.

Google Android M is Macadamia Nut Cookie?

In fact, Google does have a history of simplifying names for a general release. If you remember, Google internally used LMP as “Lemon Meringue Pie” and KLP as “Key Lime Pie” to refer to their upcoming Android versions, yet in the end, those names did not have any chance to be called by the public. Similarly, if this happens again, Android Macadamia Nut Cookie is not going to be the official name.

No matter what M really means, Google is not announcing the full name of Android M at the Google I/O this week. Instead, Google might keep calling it Android M and share some first details about this new system. So, after Jelly, KitKat and Lollipop, what do you want this time? Marshmallow, Muffin, Macaroon, Milkshake, Mocha, or Mint? Share with us you favorite M!

We still remember in September, 2014 Samsung Galaxy Note 4 was launched and surprised consumers. Now, just some months have passed by and Samsung Galaxy Note 5 rumors have already started spreading away. Though they are rumors, many people get excited due to the expected Galaxy Note 5 release date, specs and price. Let’s see what they say:

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 release date:

From what we know at this stage, the Galaxy Note 5 release date will be in September, 2015. If this comes true, we can wait to see Note 5 in stores someday in October.

Galaxy Note 5 Specs:

According to Samsung, the Galaxy Note 5 will be the first smartphone to feature a 3840 x 2160 pixel Ultra HD together with 4K Super AMOLED display with a size of 5.9 inches. And what’s more? The phablet is expected to boast 4GB RAM, Snapdragon 808 CPU and an S-Pen stylus. Besides, Galaxy Note 5 battery possibly packs at generous capacity of 4,100mAh or maybe even bigger. Also, the Galaxy Note 5 camera will be of the Samsung quality that consumers love: 16MP rear cam with OIS and 8MP front shooter.

“We will strengthen our product competitiveness by reinforcing our premium brand reputation, powerful product line-up, and cutting-edge technology,” an official Samsung spokesperson has stated recently.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Designs:

In terms of looks, design is a key part Samsung’s efforts to improve its smartphone offerings. Public feedback on the previous Galaxy Note 4 shows that people prefer a phone with metal frame to plastic back cover. Nonetheless, much as Samsung want to meet consumers’ demand, when discussed about Galaxy S4 design, one of Samsung’s lead designers said via an official company blog post:

“The designers have been aware of people’s desire for a metal frame. However; a full metal body make the handset ‘too hard and cold’,” and that “The soft cover allows the user to change batteries, which is also a big part of the user experience of the Galaxy Note 4.”

From this statement, we can predict that, the hope for a fully metal handset may not happen for Samsung Galaxy Note 5.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Price:

Samsung Note line has always cost quite a bunch. The Galaxy Note 4 price in Malaysia retails for RM2,499, so from our guess, the Galaxy Note 5 price in Malaysia would probably start at RM2,900 or so.

You can click here to check out Samsung N910 Note 4 LTE 32GB Gold for about RM2,000.

Galaxy flagships have been one of the most successful flagships of all time and has gained more fame and trust through time. Although all the information we know for now is just rumors, we really hope the Galaxy Note 5 will be released. We will keep updating you more whenever there is further news about this smartphone. Stay tuned!

UPDATED NEWS:

HTC One M9 (aka HTC Hima Ace) has different changes in comparisons with its predecessor One M8, especially the camera. One M9 uses 20MP cam instead of 4MP Ultrapixel built in M8. Besides, HTC also equips M9 with many interesting photo apps such as Double Exposure, Prismatic, Shapes,  in order to bring better experience in terms of taking pictures to the phone users.

Now, let’s look at the following pictures taken an edited by HTC One M9 itself:

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HTC Hima Ace or also known as HTC One M9 with an awesome combination of powerful specs and premium design is trying its best to get the title of “best phone of 2015″. Though there has not been any official announcement about the result yet, the HTC One M9 leaking news has been everywhere over the internet recently.

HTC Hima Ace: Beautiful and Powerful

The device owns a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810, latest 4K support, 3GB RAM and Android 5.0 Lollipop. Moreover, HTC Hima Ace will also sport some of the latest and greatest mobile data technology including VoLTE, carrier aggregation and LTE Category 6, which could boost your download speeds up to 300Mbps. In terms of taking photos, HTC Hima Ace camera sure will not let you down thanks to featuring an incredible 20.7MP main camera along with a 4MP front snapper. According to HTC, those cams are designed to capture every single moment with amazing quality. For vivid video that is considered as the latest blockbuster, the camera also shoots movies in 4K Ultra HD resolution.

As for the design, the HTC Hima Ace packs a metal uni-body with very slim bezel. This 5-inch device will look great in your hand and give super feelings of elegance and delicacy.

HTC Hima Ace Specs:

FRONT: 4MPProcessorQualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810, Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & Quad-core 2 GHz Cortex-A57RAM3GBStorage132GBOSAndroid OS, v5.0BatteryNon-removable Li-Po 2,840mAh battery with fast chargingConnectivityWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspotSIMDual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)DesignColor options: Gunmetal Gray, Amber Gold, Silver/Rose gold, Gold/Pink

The HTC Hima Ace release date was not long ago, earlier in March 2015 to be specific. HTC Hima Ace price is 579 pounds (HTC Hima Ace Malaysia price is about RM3,232). However, you can get one with cheaper price like RM2,300 here.

So, this 5-inch FHD, Snapdragon 810, and 3GB RAM handset is considered as an outstanding product from HTC and perhaps even able to take the title “best phone of 2015”. Anyhow, what do you think about it in terms of HTC Hima Ace specs as well as HTC Hima Ace price in Malaysia? Share with us!

We know that Meizu M2 Note is going to be the next new smartphone produced by Meizu and it will not feature fingerprint scanner like some current phones on the market. Lately, another leak about the position of this new Note’s power button and new color has been revealed in a photo. It shows that Meizu may decide to put the power button on one side of the device, together with the volume one. This seems to be a good choice as for such a 5.5” phablet, users will feel more comfortable to press buttons on one side instead of on the top side like Meizu MX4 Pro.

Beautiful Meizu M2 Note Gray

On the other hand, we also see that Meizu M2 Note Gray can be another version. If this turns out to be true, consumers will have a totally new color choice since gray was not added for Meizu M1 Note. Looking at the picture, it is easy to notice that M2 Note is likely to take iPhone 5C-like unibody design. On the contrary, there is also other idea saying that the handset shown in the pic could be just a variant of Meizu M1 Note. Only Meizu can tell what it can be.

Let’s take a quick look at the Meizu M2 Note Specs:

The phone is believed to boast a 5.5-inch 1080p screen, 2GB RAM with 2 versions of 16GB and 32GB of storage. The whole phone will be powered by an octa-core MT6752 64-bit processor with Cat 9 LTE support, and equipped with a combo of a 13MP rear camera with LED flash and a 5MP front-facing shooter. Also, the handset will support 4G LTE connectivity and Android 5.1 Lollipop with Meizu’s Flyme OS on top.

With the new leaked image, Meizu M2 Note Gray can draw more attention from consumers. Anyhow, we still have to wait one more week, specifically till June 2 to see the real handset in the Meizu conference.