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Last year, Lenovo surprised everyone by releasing an almost exact clone of the Apple iPhone 6. This move was surprising given that the Chinese manufacturer is generally not known for making clones. The device was initially available in China for a very low price as compared to the Apple flagship and now, the sameLenovo S90 aka Lenovo Sisley has come to Malaysia. The device is available through SenQ and other third party sellers. This Android powered iPhone clone will cost only RM939 which is a great price considering the tech specs and the premium design. The Lenovo S90 features a 64-bit quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB of non-expandable storage. The Super AMOLED display up front is of 5-inches which makes it only a bit bigger than the 4.7-inch iPhone 6. However, the phone sports the exact same thickness as the Apple model, which is 6.9mm and weighs even the same 129 grams. At the back, there is a 13MP camera and up front, there is an 8MP shooter. The battery is average and at 2300 mAh, it should be able to provide a day's worth of service. The Lenovo S90 features dual SIM card slots that support 4G LTE here in Malaysia. 

A few days back, a leak said that Huawei's upcoming flagship for 2015, the Huawei P8 could be released in April 2015. Now, a new report from a Chinese website reveals more tech specs and features about the device. The Huawei P8 is said to feature a new material, possibly zirconia ceramics instead of the traditional plastic and metal housing. The device would be further protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on both the front display and the rear panel. Coming to the tech specs, the P8 flagship is expected to feature the company's new octa-core Kirin 930 processor based on a 16nm HiFet manufacturing process. There is no word on the RAM or the internal storage of the upcoming device. As for the display, the phone will most likely sport a 5.2-inch IPS panel with 1920 x 1080p resolution. Like its predecessor, the Huawei P7, this new smartphone will be thin, measuring only about 6mm in thickness. In comparison, the P7 was 6.5mm thick. The report says that Huawei will bring its dual camera setup on its new flagship as well. Considering the thickness, the phone will reportedly feature a rather small 2600 mAh battery. The same source further reveals that the Huawei P8 will retail for around 2999 Yuan (RM1710) in China but there are no exact Malaysia release dates just yet.

While they initially said that there wouldn't be a Swatch smartwatch, it appears that we may soon see one from the watch maker. Recently, Nick Hayek, Swatch CEO said that the company would be launching a Swatch smartwatch in the next three months or so. While no definite tech specs or features were revealed, he went on to say that the Swatch smartwatch would support Android and Windows Phone, have NFC, mobile payments and an Internet connection. Swatch have made similar devices before but never a full-scale smartwatch like the current batch of Android Wear devices. No Malaysia release dates or pricing details were available at the time but if it does come, it should hit Malaysian markets faster than most smarwatches.

Earlier reports may have indicated that Samsung could be reducing the number of devices it has on hand but new rumours indicate that we could soon be seeing some new tablets. This is due to a report saying that the Samsung Galaxy Tab A, Samsung Galaxy Tab E and Samsung Galaxy Tab J trademarks have been applied for at the Korean Intellectual Property Office. No news yet whether these are just codenames or if Samsung will be streamlining their Galaxy Tab product range (Galaxy Tab, Galaxy Tab S, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note Pro) to just these three devices. No tech specs or features were mentioned but as usual, do take this rumour with a good pinch of salt or at least until we know more.

As things gear up for MWC 2015, Gionee has announced that they will come out with an ultra-slim smartphone for the event in March 2015. While they have not announced what the phone will be called or how slim it will be, they have commented on the fact that making a slim smartphone that doesn't perform is not a good thing. This implies that we could see a more powerful Gionee ultra-slim smartphone. While the Gionee Elife S5.1 has held the world's thinnest smartphone title at 5.15mm, that title has since changed hands to the Coolpad Ivvi K1 Mini at 4.7mm. Gionee will likely offer this unnamed smartphone for China and there are currently no details about Malaysia release dates or pricing just yet.

HTC Malaysia is currently offering some promotions on their HTC smartphones and devices for the upcoming Chinese New Year. According to their Facebook page, this means that you could get some extra freebies like flash memory cards or official cases with your next HTC purchase. These HTC devices include the HTC Desire EYE and some other HTC Desire smartphones, the HTC Butterfly 2 and the Nexus 9 and will be valid until 1 March 2015. To get these freebies, check out their site and fill up your particulars with your proof of purchase.

Xiaomi Malaysia have finally brought in the Xiaomi Mi Pad tablet for Chinese New Year 2015 (it was announced in May 2014). Retailing for RM799, this Android-based tablet is powered by an NVIDIA K1 Tegra processor and offers tech specs that include 2GB of RAM, an 8MP rear camera and 7.9-inch display with 2014 x 1536 pixel resolution. Featuring a colourful Apple iPad mini like casing the Mi Pad will be launched for sale on 10 February 2015. However, Xiaomi Malaysia are currently giving away some Mi Pad tablets to fans who share the news from their Facebook page. Check out the full tech specs and features below:

• 2.2GHz NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor (192-core Kepler GPU)
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB / 64GB storage + up to 128GB microSD
• 7.9-inch display (IPS, 2014 x 1536 pixel resolution, 324 ppi)
• 8MP rear camera (Sony sensor, f/2.0) + 5MP front camera (f/2.0)
• Supports 802.11ac WiFi, MIMO antenna, WiFi Direct, BlueTooth 4.0
• 202.1 x 135.4 x 8.5mm | 360g
• 6700 mAh battery

Teardowns are one of most interesting things about a smartphone given that a regular fan gets to know what exactly the company has packed inside its phone. Xiaomi's recently announced Mi Note was subjected to a teardown a few days back and like its exterior; the interior of the phone too is quite solid and organized. Xiaomi has just posted the official teardown of its new smartphone on its forum revealing some of the key internals of the device. Along with the regular disassembly guide, the post also explains the intricate features of the new smartphone. The person who took apart the Xiaomi Mi Note mentions that the phone was pretty easy to dismantle. The back came off easily using suction pads on the four corners and removing the screws too didn't take much time. However, it is said that the screws inside are all of different lengths which can be tricky while putting them in. Using a long screw in the slot for a small screw can damage the liquid crystal display on the phone. Overall, the review is quite detailed and the comments on each image help us understand more about the company's new affordable flagship device.

The Huawei Mate 7 smartphone recently received the "Smartphone Best New Arrival" award from the 11th Hurun Best of the Best Awards 2015. The Awards event presents such awards to deserving luxury brands including cars, watches, jewelers, jets, yachts and others. The Huawei Mate 7 sets itself apart by offering top-of-the-line tech specs and features which include a one-touch fingerprint scanner, 4G LTE, 6-inch full HD display, 7.9mm slim premium metal body and more. The Huawei Mate 7 achieved a Net Promoted Score of 79% making it the best in this category. Here's what Huawei had to say about it:

“Huawei Mate7 has been included in a growing number of high-end luxurious brand lists recently, most recently from Hurun, which is evidence that we have succeeded in creating a smartphone of premium quality that provides a great user experience. Our strategy of focusing on premium mid- to high-end products is clearly working for us. In addition to having sold an impressive more than 2 million Mate7 units since its launch in September last year, we are thrilled to see the Mate7 receive so much global recognition.” Mr. Kevin Ho, President, Huawei Consumer Business Group Handset product line

Recently, a lot of new Chinese manufacturers have amazed the market with high-end smartphones at an amazing price. Unfortunately, most of them are not available in Malaysia to purchase officially just yet. The same is the case with the recently announced flagship model, the Xiaomi Mi Note. However, a few third party resellers are currently offering the device in Malaysia. SatuGadgetDotCom's facebook page reveals that they have a few Xiaomi Mi Note units to sell. The one in stock is the 16GB LTE model which is priced at RM1888 with free shipping. However, there are others selling this new Xiaomi smartphone as well. A quick search revealed that there are at least three different sellers offering the phone at a similar price tag. The lowest price we could find online was RM1799, which is almost RM400 higher than the official retail price tag of the device. However, that's the premium you have to pay for getting the device before it gets announced officially. Do remember that this is the regular Xiaomi Mi Note model and not the Mi Note Pro which comes with the latest Snapdragon 810. The higher-end model is not yet available for purchase even in China. No exact Malaysia release dates or pricing details yet but if you can't wait, do check out the source links for more details.