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LG Malaysia could be bringing the LG G3 smartphone into Malaysia by the end of December 2014. The company has started teasing the flagship smartphone on its Facebook page indicating that they may be bringing it in officially. The LG G3 Stylus model could also make it around the same time, as the device was recently spotted in the SIRIM database. LG announced the G3 back in May, but the company did not reveal any plans for a Malaysia release. Interested individuals had to resort to third-party sellers for imported units. The G3 features top-notch tech specs with a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB RAM and 32GB inbuilt storage. The phone comes with one of the best displays in the market with a 5.5-inch quad HD (2560 x 1440 resolution) IPS display which translates into a pixel density of 538ppi. The 13MP camera on the back has Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) with a unique Laser Auto Focus. On the front, there is a f/2.0 2.1MP camera sensor. All these tech specs are powered by the onboard 3000 mAh battery. The LG G3 Stylus on the other hand features a 5.5-inch 960 x 540 resolution display along with a Mediatek processor. Expect details like Malaysia pricing and Malaysia release dates in the next few days.

ASUS has scheduled a press event on 5 January 2015, exactly a day before CES 2015. In the event, called "Experience 2omorrow", the company is expected to release a number of new ZenFone smartphones, including a 5.5-inch model. The entire event will be streamed live on the ASUS website. Most of the ZenFone models to be released next year are said to run on Intel's chipsets, just like current generation devices. There are also rumors that some may be powered by Mediatek processors. ASUS ZenFone smartphones are well-known for their decent specifications at an affordable price tag and the newer models are expected to retail under RM1100. The ZenFone smartphones running Intel chips are said to come with 4G LTE support and will be priced around $300 (RM1050). On the other hand, the Mediatek powered ZenPhones will be cheaper, around $150 (RM525) and will be limited to local Chinese markets. ASUS aims to launch the ZenFone lineup in 20 countries instead of the present 14 by next year. The company also plans to double its total units sold - from 8 million in 2014 to 16 million in 2015. The three main ZenFone models, the ZenFone 4, ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 6 were launched in Malaysia early this year and we expect these new models to come around the same time next year, perhaps in March or April 2015.

The rumoured Huawei Honor 6 Plus was officially announced recently and like it's name suggests, it is a larger phablet than the 5-inch display Huawei Honor 6. Overall design remains the same with rounded metal sides, a wave pattern on the back and rounded corners but with a slightly larger 5.5-inch display, the Honor 6 Plus is definitely the bigger brother of the two. The most notable feature remains the dual camera sensors in the back which can offer 13MP shots with depth of field effects (focus after the picture is taken), faster 0.1 second auto focus and reportedly better low-light performance. Other tech specs include a 1.8GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 925 processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, 8MP front camera and 3600 mAh battery. The microSD slot not only supports up to 128GB of external storage, but it can also act as an extra SIM slot like in the premium version of the Huawei Ascend Mate 7. Like before, an IR blaster on the top lets you turn the smartphone into a universal remote control for your air conditioner or HDTV. The Honor 6 Plus also supports 4G LTE connectivity but the 3G version will be priced at 1999CNY (RM1130) while the 4G LTE version will go for 2499CNY (RM1412). No exact Malaysia release dates just yet but we expect Huawei Malaysia to come out with it's release soon.

The Samsung NX1 smart camera was officially announced for Malaysia at a retail price of RM4699 for the body alone. Featuring a 28MP APS-C BSI CMOS sensor and the latest DRIMe (pronounced dream) V image processor, the NX1 is a mirrorless DSLR with compact size but packs in premium features. These tech specs and features include 15FPS continuous AF shooting, a super fast Auto Focus System III with 205 Phase Detection AF points and a durable dust and water resistant magnesium alloy body. Samsung Malaysia showcased it's various features alongside testimonials from various professional photographers and film makers who included Marcus Reichmann from National Geographic Channel, David Khoo who is a local film producer, Jon Low and Yaman Ibrahim both whom are well-known Malaysian professional photographers. The NX1 enables 4K UHD video recording in HEVC (H.265) format for better clarity and smaller file size but do check out the full features list below:

• 28.2MP APS-C BSI CMOS sensor
• 76.8mm (3-ich) Super AMOLED Tilt display with touch panel (tilting up 90 degrees, down 45 degrees)
• EVF (OLED with Eye contact sensor viewfinder
• ISO Auto, 100 ~ 25600 (1EV or 1/3EV step) (EXT 51200)
• JPEG (3:2) 28M (6480 x 4320) ~ JPEG (1:1) 2M (1408 x 1152) + RAW 28M (6480 x 4320) + 3D Lens JPEG (16:9) 5.9M (3232 x 1824)
• MP4 video recording (HEVC / H.256, AAC) - UHD 3840 x 2160 (30fps only) + 4K (4096 x 2160 (24fps only) + full HD (1920 x 1080, 1280x720, 640 x480)
• NTSC + PAL + DMI video output
• Features Smart Mode, 3D Still image and video capturing, built-in flash, magnesium cover body, external microphone, dust and splash resistance
• Supports 802.11 b/g/n/ac WiFi, NFC, Bluetooth 3.0, SD, SDHC, SDXC, UHS-1, UHS-11 memory cards
• 1860 mAh (BP1900) battery
• 138.5 x 102.3 x 65.8mm | 550g without battery

A new Paris based startup company is reportedly working on a new band which will solve the problem of small screens on wearables. The band called the Cicret Bracelet will incorporate a pico-projector along with a number of proximity sensors inside. The projector will display the screen directly on the user's forearm while the inbuilt sensors will recognize the gestures made by the individual. Although the technology looks promising, the Cicret Bracelet is still only in the development stage. The company is asking for funds to materialize this concept into reality as well as develop and improve its existing CICRET app which is still in beta. If it manages to reach a goal of $373,600 (RM1306030), then CICRET app will be expanded into all platforms. Currently it is only available for Android. If the company reaches the goal of $873,000 (RM3048337), then it will have enough funds to continue the development of its prototype CICRET Bracelet. Tech specs and features of the bracelet include an accelerometer, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LED, microUSB, 16GB/ 32GB internal storage options etc. The bracelet will be available in 10 color options and may also come with a SIM card slot in the future. Cicret plans to sell the bracelet for $375 (RM1309). A working prototype will be released in the coming few weeks.

The Microsoft Lumia 435 recently paid a visit to the FCC in the US. Judging from its name, the phone could be the new entry-level model for Microsoft's smartphone lineup, replacing the Nokia Lumia 530. The website has listed out five different variants of the device which include the RM-1070, RM-1071, RM-1034, RM-1068 and the RM-1032, of which the last two are the dual SIM models. The Lumia 435 features entry-level tech specs which include a Snapdragon 200 processor, 4-inch WVGA screen with 800 x 480 pixel resolution and a 5MP rear facing camera. Both the leaked report as well as the images confirm that there is no front facing camera. Other important tech specs like RAM capacity, internal storage and battery capacity have not yet been revealed. The Lumia 435 measures 118.1mm x 64.7mm, which makes it slightly smaller than the Lumia 520 which measures 119.9mm x 64mm and bigger than the Lumia 530. The phone will reportedly be powered by a BV-5J battery unlike other Lumia devices which could solve the rather low battery life of the Lumia 530. The same battery was imported in India last month, which could suggest that the phone is already being tested in India. Microsoft unveiled the Lumia 535 in Malaysia recently at RM429. For the Lumia 435, we expect the Malaysia pricing to be a little lower than this figure although there are still no details on actual Malaysia release dates just yet.

While the world continues to march on with newer digital devices and smartphones, billions of people still use a pen, pencil and paper to write notes. For these people, there is the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, a stylus driven beast of a smartphone that packs in tons of features and topnotch tech specs in a single 5.5-inch display sized phablet. If you're one of these people or an artist or a doodler or someone who likes powerful smartphones, then you'll definitely want to check out our in-depth review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 below (large portions of this review were written and created using the S pen, heck, this entire paragraph was written by hand despite my horrible handwriting).

Xolo, the budget smartphone manufacturer has announced a new phone in the market called the Xolo Q900s Plus. This new device is the upgraded version of the Xolo Q900s which was launched back in July. The company claims that the Q900s Plus is the lightest Android smartphone available today, but at 100 grams, it has the same weight as the older model. Notable upgraded tech specs include a HD 4.7-inch display instead of qHD resolution and Android 4.4 KitKat OS out of the box instead of Android 4.3. Xolo has listed the device on it'swebsite for $133 (RM465) but has not revealed any details about its availability of any possible Malaysia release date. The full tech specs and features of the device are given below. 

• 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor with Adreno 302 GPU
• 1GB RAM
• 8GB internal memory + expandable storage via MicroSD card
• 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 pixel resolution OGS IPS display with Dragon Trail Glass protection
• 135.8 x 67.2 x 7.2 mm |100 grams
• 8MP rear camera with LED flash + 2MP front camera
• Dual SIM Support, 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi, GPRS/ EDGE, GPS/ A-GPS, Micro-USB
• Android 4.4 KitKat OS
• 1800 mAh battery

Samsung's next iteration of the Galaxy Grand series was spotted on the Chinese TENAA website, revealing important tech specs and details about the device. The current vesion, the Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 was announced back in November 2013 and has been quite popular among mid-range phablet users. So, it is about time we see the next generation of this device. According to the website, the Samsung Galaxy Grand 3 (SM-G7200) will feature a 64-bit 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor which will be mated with 1.5GB RAM and 16GB internal storage, further expandable up to 128GB via MicroSD. Instead of the rumored 5.5-inch screen up front, you get the same 5.25-inch 1280 x 720 pixel resolution display like its current generation. Samsung has managed to reduce the weight on this new device by almost 20 grams as compared to the earlier version, making the Galaxy Grand 3 weigh just 140 grams. It's even slimmer by almost 1 inch at 7.95 inches. There is a 13MP camera at the back and a 5MP camera on the front. The device features Android 4.4.4 KitKat OS. Samsung is yet to officially announce the Galaxy Grand 3, but expect more details like Malaysia pricing and release dates in the coming few weeks.  

Highscreen has announced a new phone in the market called the Highscreen ICE 2 which features dual displays, much like the Yotaphone models. Although the brand is not famous internationally, it is owned by a well-known German company called Vobis Computers and has been operating in Russia for the past 5 years selling products like tablets, notebooks and other accessories. Unlike the Yotaphone 2, the ICE 2 features a tiny secondary display beside the rear camera which can deliver small pieces of information like incoming calls, text messages, notifications, weather updates and the time. Another highlight of the device is the notification light on the home button which can be configured with up to seven different colors for each app notification. Other tech specs include a 1.7 GHz octa-core Mediatek MT6592 processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage with MicroSD expansion, 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 pixel HD display, 13MP Sony rear camera and 2MP front camera. The device runs on Android 4.4 KitKat OS and comes with a 2550 mAh capacity battery onboard. The Highscreen ICE 2 dual screen smartphone will go on sale in Russia for $250 (RM962) in three colors – white, blue and grey. No details about Malaysia release dates or pricing so far.