Author: chris eilers

Last Friday, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado placed a 12-year old girl at the Boulder Juvenile Center after being accused of two counts of attempted first degree murder.

After a two week of investigation, the police believed that the pre-teen had twice tried to poison her mom because the mother had taken her daughter’s iPhone away as a punishment. The first attempt was that she  put bleach into a smoothie that the mother started drinking. Luckily, the mother noticed of the bleach smell which she could recodnised by poor rinsing mark of the glass by her daughter. When the mother was once again aware of a bleach smell, but this time the smell was a breeze wafting out from a water carafe.

After 2 poisoning attempts, the mother spoke to her daughter who admitted that she was trying to kill her mom because her mother had taken away her iPhone. The mother did feel sick after the first time with the smoothie, the feeling finally passed. No poison was swallowed in the second poisoning attempt as she didn’t drink anything offered to her by her daughter.

Boulder resident Luciana Cordova, who has taken her teenagers’ phones away as a punishment, speak her mind about this issue.”I have two teenagers that, I think as most teenagers this age, are kind of addicted to their phones,” Cordova told a local news team. “I have done it on occasion and luckily they have reacted well about it.”

Xiaomi, a Chinese original equipment manufacturer, is now well-known for producing high-end devices with new technology, cool designs for just half of the price in comparison with other world famous producers, such as Apple, Samsung, HTC,etc. Fans all arounf the world are waiting for the upcoming generation of low-price but high-quality devices from Xiaomi.

Recently, a staff who works for the largest carrier in the world, China Mobile, has just spilled the beans on his Weibo account relating to Xiaomi’s next budget-friendly handset. And not only the specs of this new phone, this man also revealed a picture of the device that he has had for a while.

According to the China Mobile executive, this device will feature a 4.7-inch screen with a resolution of 720 x 1280. The handset will run on a quad-core Lead Core LCI LC1860C CPU (said to be five times faster) with the Mali T628 GPU crunching graphics. 1GB of RAM is inside and there is 8GB of internal storage. Despite having a low-price, a 13M camera is pinned on the nack of the phone and it supporst 4G LTE Cat.4 which allows a maximum download speed of 150Mbps. Previous rumor has it that this model just has a 2MP front-facing camera, microSD slot and Android 4.4.4 pre-installed.

While we are all concerned about the price pricing, we have to turn to another executive. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun recently said that the company would not release a phonewhich costs as low as $64 USD. So we do have the ability to predict how much this model will cost. But that we can’t do now is to guess the exact period for the unveiling of this handset, or the official name of it.

We have seen many leading smartphone manufacturers applying bamboo to their products. Now, Xiaomi has followed this trend to use bamboo for its latest launched device, the Xiaomi Mi Note.

Though having some issue, Xiaomi Mi Note is still one of the most impressive phone in 2015 so far. The company has just made it even more attractive with the bamboo version.

This version was released in China on March 17^th. Surprisingly, this special edition doesn’t cost more than the regular version. It will cost you CNY 2,299, which is equivalent to $370. Of course, with a bamboo cover, the device is 5g lighter. Other than a bamboo cover, the bamboo version remains the same spec as the original one, such as a 5.7-inch, 1080p LCD screen, a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 801 with 3GB of RAM, a 13MP rear camera with OIS, a 4MP front camera running on MIUI 6, Xiaomi’s Android ROM and a 3,000mAh battery.

Xiaomi didn’t mention if it intend to build a bamboo version for Xiaomi Mi Note Pro or not. For now, we even don’t know whether either the Mi Note or the Mi Note Pro will be launched worldwide as well.

One thing for sure that the new Mi Note Bamboo Edition is available for pre-order in the China region now and will be on sale from March 24.

Users in Malaysia have been waiting for the OnePlus One for so long as the device should have been sold here by the end of 2014. After a long irritating wait, OnePlus has apologized to its fans and assured that the Malaysian market had the company’s commitment.

One positive way out of this issue appointing one local partner which will totally help to set up. Now, it appears that Oneplus has just found one, the Brightstar, as Brightstar had just certified the 2014 flagship killer under SIRIM.

Through this official distributing channel, OnePlus can spread its products widely over Malaysian boundary, unless they choose to sell online through selected channels. Detailed information hasn’t been revealed yet, so we don’t know which model will be available in this market, and the price may be rising when it actually goes on sale due to the exchange rate. Just a few days ago, OnePlus published an increase of £30-50 for the European market while the international price for the device is $299 (or RM1,111)  for 16GB and US$349 (or RM1,297) for the 64GB version.

In short, the OnePlus One features a 5.5 inches Full HD 1080p screen display running on a 2.5GHz Quad-Core Snapdragon 801 processor with 3GB of RAM. There is a 13MP Sony IMX214 camera with 6 element f/2.0 lens on the back of the device and on the front is a 5MP camera to deal with selfie-purposed and video calls. While the spec feel similar to OPPO Find 7, the battery is non-removable and a little bit larger in capacity with 3,100mAh. The device is 8.9mm thick and weighs 162g. As for the software, OnePlus promises to introduce Android 5.0 Lollipop by this month which is available for both Cynanogen and Oxygen OS version.

OnePlus One SIRIM Certification

In response to Avengers-themed versions of the new Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, Samsung just mentions that it is still considering choices. The phones will be offered in limited edition alternate and the company will sell matching cases together with the device to boost sales.

This is not the first time this giant Korean corporation, Samsung and Marvel cojoin in a project. Samsung had its products appear in the Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Utron trailer before and announced to work on Samsung S Pen Penvatars – Avengers-themed avatars for the Samsung Galaxy Note line. So, if Samsung is going to make a line of phones based on Marvel’s heroes, it is as plain as day. However, appointing a high-end product like the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge to this circumstance may rebound. This may be the reason why Samsung is still procrastinating to make the final decision.

Check out the Avengers concept below!!

The Captain America concept look the most gorgeous to us. What do you think? Which one do you prefer?

At the Zenfone 2 press conference, the official newsletter from Asus mentioned that Zenfone 2’s camera is the best of all. To test the real ability of this phone’s camera, we have compared it with Samsung Galaxy S6’s 16MP OIS Camera.

The Zenfone 2 has a 13 MP rear camera featuring a 5 element auto focus lens and dual LED flash. The 5MP front camera is ideal for video calls and selfie-purposes with 85-degree wide angle lens. The PixelMaster technology allows you to capture HDR photos that are 400% brighter in low light condition. The camera on the Zenfone 2 is very impressive for a device in its price range.

As for the Samsung Galaxy S6, The Galaxy Note 4 on the other hand sports a 16MP Main Shooter with wider F1.9 lens and OIS (Optical Image Stabilization). Turning to the 5MP front camera, it packs HDR and a low-light aperture for better quality pictures. A wide-selfie mode is included to take shots of a whole crew.

Theoritically, the Samsung Galaxy S6 camera should be better but looking at these pictures bellows, without looking at the zoom-in, we can hardly judge which camera is superior. In the zoom-in, definitely, with 16MP sensor lens, Samsung Galaxy S6 shows pictures with less noise and more clarity.There is a little difference between pictures taken by Zenfone 2 and Galaxy S6 but this diffence depends on the color palette of each phone.

Asus Zenfone 2 vs Samsung Galaxy S6 Camera Comparison

Honestly for a price of $200 for the Zenfone 2, we can’t expect more in Asus Zenfone 2 Camera!! What do you think?

Also Read:

Asus Zenfone 2 Official Launch with all Specs and Prices 

Asus Zenfone 2 vs Asus Zenfone 5

Asus Zenfone 2 vs Xiaomi Mi Note

Asus Zenfone 2 vs Galaxy Note 4

Asus Zenfone 2 Specs Comparison

Copyright infringement has always been a serious issue among software developers around the world. For being the biggest software company, Microsoft is sure to have extensive experience in handling with piracy. However, the company has decided to take a totally unusual approach toward the upcoming released Windows 10 in China by offering free upgrade for pirated Windows users as well.

This interesting information was announced by Terry Myerson, the Executive Vice President of Operating Systems for Microsoft in an interview with Reuters. Having that, Myerson only the upgrade would be provide to well-qualified PC but further clarifications on that matter are not explained.

Of course, without doubt, users with genuine Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 will receive the full update of Windows 10 within the first year of the release. But, we are still wondering whether there is any hidden agenda behind this strategic step of Microsoft.

Another question left is if Microsoft has the same strategy for other market outside China or not. It is interesting to see how the market will change responding to such move: positively or negatively, is Microsoft is willing to play similar game in other countries.

A few days ago, some pictures of the No.1 M2 smartphone were released. It was the third rough device from the smartphone manufacturer No.1 for the last three months. And it is targeted at those users who are looking for a compact phone that can survive any severe environment. At that time, not many details about the device were known, but now, the tech specs as well as pricing of the M2 are let loose.

The No.1 M2 features a 64-bit quad-core processor clocked at 1.3 GHz. While we don’t know the processor make, it could be from Mediatek, probably the MT6732 64-bit SoC. The phone comes with 1GB RAM on board and 8GB of internal storage. This rugged device has a 4.5-inch-screen display with Corning’s Gorilla Glass protection. So, the screen is totally scratchproof.

Other than being scratchproof, the No.1 M2 is waterproof and shockproof as well. In fact, to boast the resistant capacity of the device, two new videos have been released by No.1. The first YouTube video shows the M2 being dropped inside water without any visible damage. The second shows the phone being dropped from the top of the stairs, once again no damages at all. The IP68 certification also gives us an idea about the ruggedness of the phone.

No.1 M2 Waterproof Test:

No.1 M2 Shockproof Test:

As for the camera, the phone is equipped with a 13MP sensor camera at the back with LED flash and enhanced face detection and exposure controls. On the front, you get a 5MP camera, which is ideal for video calls and selfie-purposes. One of the highlights of the device is the new Android 5.0 Lollipop version to be pre-installed on the device once being unboxed. There are hardly any rugged phones out there that runs the new Lollipop OS, so this is definitely its biggest strength. Further, with good-looking appearance and the 14.1mm thinness, this device may be the most charming one among the rugged phones.

Those mentioned above are not the best part of all, according to No.1, the No.1 M2 will be available for sale by April this year for less than $100!

Available for purchase via here (check it out) with DHL shipping available in most countries.

At the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) in Shenzhen-China today, Microsoft announced its new partnership program with Xiaomi, the rising star Chinese smartphone manufacturer.

When Windows 10 is released, the Mi 4 owners can choose to use Windows 10 ROM, replacing the stock Android-based MIUI on their device. In a blog post, Microsoft said:

“Through a new program with Xiaomi, one of the top smartphone distributors in the world, a select group of Xiaomi Mi 4 power users will be invited to help test Windows 10 and contribute to its future release later this year. These power users will have the opportunity to download the Windows 10 Technical Preview – installing it and providing their feedback to Microsoft.”

We have contacted Xiaomi for further information about this partnership but athe answer did not satisfy the press and technicians. Will Xiaomi sell Mi 4 phones with Windows 10 pre-installed? Will it be available on any other Xiaomi devices, such as the Mi Pad or Mi Note? Who would want to replace MIUI with Windows, anyway?

In a canned statement, Xiaomi gave the following response to our questions:

“This is an experimental program entirely led by Microsoft, working directly with select members of our Xiaomi fan community in China. Microsoft will create a custom build of Windows 10 and provide it to select Mi 4 power users who are already familiar with re-flashing their devices with custom ROMs.This is not a commercial partnership announcement and Xiaomi continues to fully embrace the Android ecosystem through our MIUI software platform.”

According to Microsoft’s announcement yesterday, Windows 10 would be launched this summer in 190 countries and 111 languages in a campaign for globalization. It also set strategic partnerships with other Chinese tech giants Lenovo, Tencent, and Qihoo 360 so that they can boost the number of people upgrading their current laptops or PCs to Windows 10.

But the cooperation with Xiaomi is probale the most interesting, as its popular MIUI operating system has been a pillar of its success from the beginning.

2014 is a remarkable year for Chinese OEM Meizu, who traditionally would only launch one flagship per year. However, in fall 2014, we saw 2 flagships from this fast-growing company, the Meizu MX4 and MX4 PRO and again in December, the company announced a new device that guide a new generation of Meizu owners. Conventionally, Meizu’s products are in mid-range price class but their spec can be considered high-end ones. Now, the M1 Note is going to cost you only a half of that price without scarifying much. A full review of this amazing phone will be revealed. This phone is available for around $220, or just half of the Maize MX4.

Meizu M1 Note Specs

With $200, you have a wide range of choices to buy a smartphone. These phones impressive quality as well. So does Meizu M1 Note. Compared to Meizu M1 Note’s biggest opponent, the iOcean Rock M6752, it have a lot in similarity, such as: same chipset for similar price, scarifying battery size for extra RAM and slightly different build. About the spec, this fits what we have expected from an iOcean Rock M6752’s competitor. Check it out:

• 5.5-inch 1080p Sharp IGZO display
• MediaTek MT6752 64-bit 1.7GHz Octa-core
• Mali-760 MP2 GPU
• 2GB of RAM
• 16GB or 32GB internal storage, no microSD card support
• 3,140mAh battery
• Android 4.4.4, Flyme 4.0 skin
• 13MP rear-facing camera, LED flash
• 5MP front-facing camera
• 150.7mm tall x 75.2mm wide x 8.9mm thick
• 145g

Meizu M1 Note Display

The display of Meizu M1 Note is one of the most amazing feature since very few phones carry Sharp’s IGZO displays. This type of display is rarely used in smartphones as manufacturers tends to apply IPS LCD or AMOLED display for their products. IGZO displays use Indium gallium zinc oxide as a semiconductor instead of silicon. These materials is useful in case the manufacturers want to increase the resolution of the display because they can show more information in the same space thanks to their higher electron mobility. These also allow the device save more power since lights are easier to travel through them. IGZO displays can also have much higher response time than LCD displays can.

Meizu’s use of IGZO display is surprising because the company isn’t in the race of resolution of the smartphone industry, and the refresh rate of the display is just as poor as the displays used in the MX4 and MX4 Pro. That obviously means you will see ghosting when moving things around the screen, such as playing games, watching movies, scrolling through the IU, etc. It is not a big deal but it’s disturbing, especially, to anyone who is sensitive to such implicit issues like this. However, on the bright side, the display is pretty bright and visible outdoor. Colors are pithy, contrast is fantastic and the black levels are as good as those found on the MX4 and MX4 Pro, which are among the best in non-LCD display. The viewing angles are exceptional and they are exactly what we could expect from this neat little device. Touch sensitivity is outstanding and can rank among the most responsive mobile displays.

Meizu M1 Note Hardware and Build

Reducing the price to around $220, Meizu had used much cheaper materials in the M1 Note than in the MX4 or MX4 Pro, but that doesn’t mean it feels like a cheap one. Many phones at this price range choose to have shiny plastic back which may have resulted in a loathe-feeling, and Meizu M1 Note is not out of this trend. That’s exactly what we’ve got here as the M1 Note got an ultra-shiny, non-removable back that look exactly like Iphone 5C. Everything it has makes it look like an Iphone, from the colors available to the shape pf overall, from the circular capacitive Home button to even the bottom speaker grille. If you take a closer look or touch it, you will mistake it for an Iphone 10 out of 10 times.

Everything in this phone solid, solid clicks of the volume and home buttons, and overall solid feel of the device. Many phones in this price range feel slightly hollow or overly light but this phone somehow is light and well built. At 8.9mm thin, this isn’t the thinnest phone in the world but it’s not considered thick either. All the edges of the device, including the back corners, are smooth and slick. They bring the device a premium look than it actually is priced at and really good to hold in hand. Some pretty small bezels here between the edge of the phone and the screen help the phone have a slightly smaller frame than many other 5.5-inch-screen phones out there.

On the right side of the device, you’ll find the dual SIM holder, which actually fits two SIM cards inside at a time. On the top is a 3.5mm headset jack. Thankfully, the home button functions as a power button for turning the screen off, and the notification light as well. The left side of the phone holds both volume buttons, which are separated instead of being a unified volume rocker as many other Android phones have, and feel absolutely excellent thanks to the solid click they get when pressed. The bottom of the device holds the microUSB port and the single small speaker. On back you’ll find the camera and dual-tone dual-LED flash, while the front of the device features only a single circular home button.

Meizu M1 Note Performance and Memory

Without knowing about the phone, you would never think that it was in the range of $200. That’s because the Meizu M1 Note doesn’t feel like a phone, especially not in the performance aspect. This phone is every bit as fast, if not faster, as many high-end phones being tested. Apps launch in a wink, multi-tasking is lightning fast, and even though it’s “only” got 2GB of RAM I never once saw an app reload or redraw when moving back and forth between them. Swiping up from either side of the home button pulls out the multi-tasking menu, which disappointedly shows a row of only 4 icons with the app’s name under the icon. We couldn’t identify which apps were running but having the thumbnail appear above the app would have made things considerably easier to identify what’s running rather than trying to remember what the app’s icon looks like.

As for the gaming, I was entirely impressed with the performance of this device. Every single game tried ran like a dream on a full HD 1080p screen. Performance with a resolution like this is usually only reserved for phones doubling the price. Games like Assassin’s Creed Pirates, Temple Run 2 and Into the Dead ran extremely fast, just to name a few ones that were tested. The only exception into was Brothers in Arms 3, which seems to have a problem with MediaTek chips in general as it performed as horrible as on other phones with MediaTek chipsets. There is not much to complain about this phone at this price class.

Meizu M1 Note Battery Life

Some people have doubted the trend of including non-removable batteries in phones. And if you really care about it, you are going to have problem here. Meizu has tried to ease the problem of not being able to carry around a spare battery by including a quite generous 3,140mAh battery, which is the same size found in powerhouse phones like the Galaxy Note 4 and Nexus 6. Having a chipset that’s should theoretically be more energy efficient than those phones too, and the IGZO display cut down on energy usage as well. In fact, we didn’t find the battery to be any better or worse than the aforementioned phones, which means it got a full-day battery life no matter what you do.

Having too much activities on the first day of using the phone, including playing intensive 3D games, stream music, chatting all day on Hangouts, making phone calls, the battery still got 25% battery left at the end of the day, and that trend continued in the following days. Super serious users may have to lessen the brightness or carry an external power supply around with them, but most people wouldn’t have any issues with the battery life here.

Meizu M1 Note Phone Calls and Network

Many users have said that phone quality does not always play well with Chinese phones. We didn’t have as many problems with the Meizu M1 Note as we’ve had with some other Chinese phones I’ve reviewed, the experience was very good. While using the phone the call quality was just fine, and we was impressed with the signal strength of the phone as we could move from areas to areas where telcom network had poor signal without dropping a call.The M1 Note also includes dual-SIM capability for countries that need and support that sort of thing, with strong support for SIM management.

Data was the biggest issue for us as we found we had got disconnected from T-Mobile’s network and having to reset the radio on the device. When we did have a data connection it was a good one though, pulling down great speeds from T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network. We also had trouble with WiFi networks. It did not stay active while the phone was idle, getting us to wait a couple of seconds after turning the screen on until data was active again. This didn’t usually happen but probably no matter what WiFi device the phone connect to, and the problem would likely be fixed in a software update.

Meizu M1 Note Software

The Meizu M1 Note we used for this review was packing Flyme OS V4.2 (pronounced fly-me), which is a little newer version than what was on the Meizu MX4 Pro. In general, as mentioned in the performance, there was not much to criticize here except for the repeated oddness that Chinese manufacturers made to Android.

We just took a quick glance at some of the things that told Meizu apart from other manufacturers. Firstly, the most obvious thing is the home button. Meizu uses only a single home button and nothing else on the front of the device, making this completely unique compared to other Android phones out there. Pressing home is exactly what it should be, while swiping up on the home button acts like pressing the back button. Swiping up from the bezel on either side of the home button opens up multi-tasking, and holding down home while the screen is on shuts the screen off and locks the device.

The notification panel is a bit different from other Android phones in that some of the quick toggles, like WiFi and Bluetooth, actually have an expandable menu to quickly connect to a network or other devices. One disturbing thing is that there’s no quick way to get to phone settings but you can change around the default buttons and choose from 15 in total to display. Another noticeable oddity is the way to control the volume on the phone. The volume rockers adjust media volume at all times no matter what you’re doing, so adjusting the volume is done only by going into settings. This is irritating to say the least and needs to change in the following versions of Flyme OS for sure.

Users will also find that when using a 3rd party keyboard on some apps, like Hangouts, for instance, to fix a word or move the cursor simply doesn’t work. You need to put the keyboard away to move the cursor, and it has something to do with the built-in system keyboard on the phone.One way to completely fix the issue is gaining root access and removing the system keyboard, or you can just use the built-in keyboard if that works well enough for you. This is a bug that is known and will hopefully be fixed in a future update as well.

Sound

The single speaker of Meizu M1 Note is featured to be at the bottom of the device, ensuring that your hand cupped around the bottom echoes the sound better than a speaker on the back. That doesn’t mean this brings better quality sound than most single back speakers you could find on plenty of Android device out there, just better placed. The speaker itself is loud enough to hear. Even when you are in a truck on the highway, a phone call with loudspeaker will also be audible. Listening to other audio such as YouTube videos was simply fine on this speaker, as the clarity and volume are appropriate.

The DAC on the Meizu M1 Note seems to be better than many other phones in the $200 class, but it doesn’t mean to be able to compete with many more expensive phones. Something has to be sacrificed to fit this price level. The audio output is acceptable whereas I found it to be adequate on a less quality sound system. There’s a built-in equalizer but because this is not a very high powered amp inside the phone, adjusting any of the levels in the EQ lowers the volume. There’s also a DAC setting in the music app for certain headphone brands and models, but none of them are sufficient to improve the sound of a truck. This phone certainly wouldn’t be the first choice for those who like listening to music on, but it’s passable with cheaper ear buds or other lower quality sound systems.

Meizu M1 Note Camera

When you think of a $200 phone, you normally think about lower-quality camera, but the Meizu M1 Note is here to change that prejudice completely.13Mp sensors are now common in the wide range of Android phones out there, but there’s a level of quality that comes with a better sensor that you can find here. There’s very little noise even in lower lighting, and the overall color reproduction is absolutely stellar.  Meizu’s filter isn’t too harsh although we find that in some lighting conditions it tends to cause some haloing on certain parts of the image, especially when zooming in. Overall I’d put this right up there with the camera on the Galaxy S4 or Note 3, except for much faster shutter speeds, resulting in significantly high-quality low-light images with less blur.

On the downside, HDR is again nearly useless as it is on all Meizu phones. We don’t know what problem Meizu gets with HDR is but the shutter speed is way too slow in many conditions but the brightest lighting conditions (i.e. direct sunlight). It’s painfully obvious that exposure bracketing is used here, and the camera is very slow to change exposure, leading to longer shutter times and plenty of double imaging in most HDR photos.  On the other hand, there are some really interesting options here including a mode to take shots with all items in focus and refocus after the shots is taken.  There’s also slow motion video and up to 1080p 30FPS too, all of which were in great quality.  Since there’s no OIS (optical image stabilization), video can be a little shaky in some situations, but there’s nothing we haven’t seen before in other Android phones, and certainly have not expected at this price range.  Overall this is by far not the best camera we’ve seen on a average price range phone.

Conclusion

For just under $200 or RM699, we wouldn’t recommend any other phone on the market but this phone, so long as you’re not on T-Mobile or one of their MVNO’s of course. You’re getting a phenomenal build for a reasonable price and a great looking phone od that budget, but it’s definitely going to make some people think you’ve got an iPhone if you’re OK with that sort of thing. The camera is definitely the best in this price range, and the display is on the top line as well. Performance is by far the best in this category and can compete even with phones at doubled price or more.  Meizu’s Flyme OS is unique and has its quirks, but it’s ultra-fast, responsive and can be very pretty too.  The biggest complaint is the sound output, which could be better, especially when used on higher-end sound systems.

Microsoft is getting determined to grow its mobile platform with the latest Windows 10. During its Windows Hardware Engineering Community conference in China, they have announced a new program together with Xiaomi to test their Windows 10 on the Xiaomi Mi 4. This opens up Xiaomi to a new mobile stage and the promising future is open to a selected group of Xiaomi Mi 4 powerful users.

Those who are adequate will be invited to download Windows 10 Technical Preview and they are encouraged to give their feedback to Microsoft for further improvements. The full version will be unveiled later this year and if you have a Mi 4, you could probably check it out yourself. So is Xiaomi going to manufacture a Windows Phone device out of the box in the future? It is too early to tell but there is a possibility so far. It makes sense for Microsoft to cooperate with fast-growing Chinese brands to increase its platform adoption.

In case you’re still wondering, the Mi 4 isn’t coming to Malaysia officially. This is because of the limited 4G radio support (1800MHz only) and they would be focusing on the Mi Note as it’s the new flagship in Q2 2015.

Keep wating till we get next announcement from Microsoft and Xiaomi.

The Asus Zenfone 2 might be the Number 1 phone in Asia that most of you are waiting for.  Now our contact at Asus Malaysia has confirmed the official Date for a regional Launch in South East Asia. Asus also confirmed that the Asus Zenfone 2 Launch will include Malaysia and Indonesia for sure. This confirms earlier news about a Zenfone 2 Malaysia April Launch and also we know that probably India will be in the Launch List as well.

The Asus Zenfone Series has already been doing very well for Asus in 2014 with more then 700.000 units sold. The Asus Zenfone 2 promises to be the next Hotseller for Asus. At the Official Launch Event last week in Taiwan, Asus won many hearts by keeping the prices as low as initially promised at the CES 2015 in January. The Prices in Taiwan are 165USD for the smallest 5″ Version, 220USD for the 5.5″ 2GB RAM Version and 285USD for the Spec Monster 4GB RAM Version. We really hope that Asus will keep this amazing pricing stable in South East Asia. Our contact at Asus said for Malaysia:“we are looking within the range of RM800 – RM1100”. This sure looks very similiar to the original prices in Taiwan.

Lets recap the Specs Quickly. There are 3 Versions of the Zenfone 2. The Premium Edition comes with 4GB RAM and 5.5″ Full HD, Quad-Core 64BIT Intel Atom CPU and Dual SIM Support in addition to 4G Lte. The cheapest Version has a smaller 5″ HD screen, and 2GB of RAM. We have already seen some Antutu Scores of the Zenfone 2 with 2GB RAM and they are very strong! Check also our Zenfone 2 Spec Comparison vs other 2015 Smartphones

For the official Asus Zenfone 2 Release for the Region our contact at Asus said “we will be doing a regional launch happening in Indonesia on 20-22 April”. This confirms earlier information that the Asus Zenfone 2 would launch in SEA and Malaysia in early Q2 in April.

Asus Zenfone 2 initial Hands on 

The official Regional Launch Event for Asus Zenfone 2 will be on 20-22 April 2015. That is overall very good news for Asus fans. For those of you who are still a bit concerned about the official pricing, in general Asus Zenfones are very close to the original pricing in Taiwan. This means you could get the Asus Zenfone 2 with a whopping 4GB RAM as low as 285USD (RM1049-1099) and the 2GB RAM Version for 220USD (RM799) Good days!

Also Read:

Asus Zenfone 2 Official Launch with all Specs and Prices 

Asus Zenfone 2 vs Asus Zenfone 5

Asus Zenfone 2 vs Xiaomi Mi Note

Asus Zenfone 2 vs Galaxy Note 4

Asus Zenfone 2 Specs Comparison