Latest News

In conjunction with their first Anniversary Celebrations, Honor Malaysia will be launching their new dual-camera Honor 6 Plus and Honor 4C smartphones for Malaysia on 28 April 2015. While you can still register up until 6pm today for the Anniversary Celebration, only 30 lucky winners will be selected but there are guaranteed door gifts. The new Honor 6 Plus on the other hand offers a unique 13MP dual rear camera setup, 5.5-inch display and 1.8GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 925 processor. Other tech specs include 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, 8MP front camera, 4G LTE connectivity, an IR blaster and a metal frame design much like the Honor 6. The Honor 4C on the other hand is likely to place in between the Honor 3C Lite and the Honor 4X. Featuring a similar tough polycarbonate backside the Honor 4C shrinks the screen down to a 5-inch display but retains a HD 720 x 1280 pixel resolution. It will likely still pack in a 64-bit 1.2GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 620 processor with 2GB RAM and 8GB storage along with a 13MP rear camera and 5MP front camera. The smaller screen will also mean a slightly smaller battery at 2550 mAh. Stay tuned and we may have some hands-on with the new devices just next week. 

Ericsson recently celebrated their 50th Year Anniversary in Malaysia by launching a new office location at The Pinnacle, Sunway. The event was officiated by Yang Berhormat Dato’ Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Minister of Communication and Multimedia. Ericsson was the first to deploy an analogue mobile system network in 1984 here in Malaysia and was also crucial in bringing many other firsts to Malaysia's growing telecommunications industry. Here's what they had to say about it all:

“As the first telecommunications company to establish operations in the country, Ericsson’s continuous success is through collaborations with the government of Malaysia, local companies and the society at large, to empower people, enable businesses and connect societies. We aim to continue our vision of building a Networked Society where every person and industry is empowered to reach its full potential.” Todd Ashton, Head of Ericsson Malaysia and Sri Lanka

“The solutions and services Ericsson provides are able to assist the telecommunication operators in Malaysia to embark on a network transformation journey. We hope that through communication, people and society can be empowered to move forward. Technology has enabled us to stay connected with one another at anytime and anywhere without the concerns of physical boundaries. I am proud to say that Ericsson has played an important role to make this happen.” Yang Berhormat Dato’ Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek

Xiaomi have officially announced their Mi 4i flagship smartphone, looking not unlike their original Mi 4, except that the metal frame has been replaced by an all plastic but definitely more colourful polycarbonate backside. It does update the processor to a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor (that supports 4G LTE) but the most notable feature could be the 3120 mAh battery which uses  4.4V 700Kh/L Polymer Cell technology to squeeze this capability into a smartphone of this size. At 7.8mm thin and 130g, the Mi 4i is quite compact and lightweight still with a 5-inch display featuring a 1920 x 1080 full HD pixel resolution. The Mi 4i packs in 2GB of RAM and 16GB storage along with 13MP rear camera (f/2.0 lens, dual tone flash) and 5MP front camera (f/1.8 lens). Granted, the metal frame may be missed somewhat but these tech specs are all going for just 12999 Indian Rupees (RM746) which is quite respectable indeed. No exact Malaysia release date yet but it is expected to come here to Malaysia sometime in May 2015.

After months of build-up ASUS have launched the ASUS ZenFone 2 for the Southeast Asian region which includes Malaysia, Indonesia, Philipines, Vietnam and Thailand. We managed to catch the festivities early and ASUS made it a really big "Search for Incredible" from start till end. While local pricing and Malaysia release dates are still set for the Malaysia launch on 9 May 2015 they revealed rapidly rising rankings for mobile devices in the region, achieving number 1 or top 3 in the notebook, tablet and smartphone industries. The new ASUS ZenFone 2 in particual offers various new future proofing tech specs and features like a 64-bit Intel Atom processor, 4GB RAM, a 5.5-inch display, 4G LTE connectivity and more. They also revealed that Indonesia will be getting 4 versions from the ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE550ML 2GB RAM to the range-topping ZE551ML with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. Malaysia is likely to see similar variants as well (else there may be a repeat of last year's commotion) but check out the pricing and tech specs for yourself below:

• ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE550ML - 1.8GHz Z3560, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, 5.5-inch 1280 x 720 HD display = IDR2699000 (RM756)
• ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE551ML - 1.8GHz Z3560, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 FHD display = IDR2999000 (RM839)
• ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE551ML - 2.3GHz Z3580, 4GB RAM, 32GB storage, 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 FHD display = IDR3999000 (RM1119)
• ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE551ML - 2.3GHz Z3580, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 FHD display = IDR4499000 (RM1259)

Sony Mobile has finally and officially launched their latest flagship smartphone with the Sony Xperia Z4. While it retains the same 20.7MP rear camera from previous iterations, it follows in the foot steps of theSamsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, sacrificing it's former IP67 rated water proofing for a more fashionable (and thinner) metal frame. The Xperia Z4 is still splash proof though with IP6 certification for dust and IP5 and IP8 for water. This means that you can still drop it into 1.5 meters of water and have it survive. Other tech specs include a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage + up to 128GB microSD support, a 5.2-inch display with 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution, 5.1MP front camera and 2930 mAh battery. It will come with Android 5.0 right out of the box. A more waterproof Cover Window case lets you see notifications underwater while a new cooking mode feature supposedly helps take better foodie shots. No Malaysia release dates or pricing details yet, but it is coming out in Japan first in the near future.

The Huawei P8Max was also officially announced alongside the Huawei P8, featuring a 6.8mm thin full metal unibody frame and larger 6.8-inch display. Granted, at 228g, it is quite heavy for a phablet but it features the same fine chamfered edges as the Huawei P8 and most of the tech specs and features as well. However, it bumps up the processor speed to a 64-bit 2.2GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 935 processor and 64GB storage from the get go. It also features the same 13MP rear camera with 4-colour RGBW sensor, OIS and dedicated Image Signal Processing chip. While the 6.8-inch display remains full HD at 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, Huawei say that it is 95.9% more vivid than theApple iPhone 6 Plus. Battery life is expected to last more than 2 days on a single charge and the P8max also features a unique 7-layer heat dispersion technology using DX19 conductive materials. Check out the full tech specs below:

• 64-bit 2.2GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 935 processor
• 3GB RAM
• 64GB storage
• 6.8-inch display (full HD, 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution)
• 13MP rear camera (OIS, RGBW sensor, DSLR-level Image Signal Processor, F2.0, dual color temperature flash) + 5MP front camera
• supports 4G LTE, GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi b/g/n/ac
• features Smart PA amplifiers with 0.91CC sound chamber
• 4360 mAh battery
• 182.7 x 93 x 6.8mm | 228g
• Android 5.0 Lollipop + EMUI 3.1

Ninebot, an intelligent short-distance transportation company recently announced that they had acquired Segway with $80 million Series A financing from investors that included Xiaomi Technology, Sequoia Capital and Shunwei Foundation. This means that asides from smartphones, power banks, power strips, smart air filters and more, Xiaomi could soon have Segway-like personal transportation devices in their arsenal as well. No news on exact pricing or a specific Malaysia release date, but it should be as affordable as their other device offerings. We look forward to seeing more of such devices coming to Malaysia.

Huawei has officially announced their latest flagship smartphone with the Huawei P8 tonight featuring a 6.4mm thin full-metal unibody frame that looks a bit like the Apple iPhone 6 but innovates with finer chamfered edges and a new 4 colour camera that does not stick out. Powered by the latest 64-bit 2.0GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 930 processor and Android 5.0 with EMUI 3.1 it comes in titanium grey and mystic champagne. The other most stand-out feature is it's 13MP RGBW rear camera which according to them is a world's first and comes with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and a DSLR-level Image Signal Processor. This will help the P8 work better and faster under low-light conditions. A dual tone LED flash evens out the skin tones while an 8MP front camera ensures that the selfie crowd are satisfied. The standard version will be priced at €499 (RM1975) and the premium version with 64GB storage for €599 (RM2371). Check out the full tech specs and features list below:

• 64-bit 2.0GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 930 processor
• 3GB RAM
• 16GB storage
• 5.2-inch display (full HD, 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution)
• 13MP rear camera (OIS, RGBW sensor, DSLR-level Image Signal Processor, F2.0, dual color temperature flash) + 8MP front camera
• supports dual SIM 4G LTE, GPS, Bluetooth 4.1+LE, WiFi b/g/n
• features wind-suppression anti-noise mic, dual antenna design
• 2680 mAh battery
• 144.9 x 72.1 x 6.4mm | 144g
• Android 5.0 Lollipop + EMUI 3.1

Xiaomi marked its fifth year in the business by expanding its reach in India. It rolled-out attractive deals and extended its products to numerous business platforms in the country. Not long after that Xiaomi made news again, this time through a twitter post e-invite with the tagline “i is coming”, hinting at its latest smartphone. While we're not sure how it is named yet the premiere of the latest global Xiaomi Mi 4i will take place in New Delhi on 23 April 2015. According to its official website, the company’s CEO and founder Lei Jun, president and co-founder Bin Lin and vice president of Xiaomi global, Hugo Barra will participate in the premiere. The selection of New Delhi as its premiere site reiterates India’s importance to Xiaomi in its future growth. Registration for the event can be made on its website. No word is out yet on launch dates, including Malaysia release dates and Malaysia pricing but some tech specs have been revealed via GFXbench where the new Mi 4i could come with a 1.6Ghz hexa-core Snapdragon 615 processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, 4.9-inch display with full HD resolution, 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, dual SIM and 4G LTE connectivity with Android 5.0.2 and MIUI 6. 

The Vivo Xshot features extreme Hi-Fi and video capture but Vivo may already be working on a new model with upgraded camera features, including an improved autofocus function to enhance user’s photo capturing experience. This upgrade may also introduce a new phase detection system. Phase detection is primarily used in DSLR cameras and is presently in the Apple iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, LG G3 andSamsung Galaxy S5. Quick autofocus ability gives the phone an edge over other models, especially where capture speed is priority. Initial testing shows that the phone may be 0.09 seconds or 30% faster than the iPhone 6. The existing Xshot features a 13MP camera and the successor phone may even employ an upgraded 20MP camera. Rumour has it that Vivo may roll out its next model as early as May 2015. It remains to be seen if the new phone features the above upgrades, but if it does, it is welcome news. There is no news on Malaysia release dates and Malaysia pricing for the new model yet.