The smartphone landscape is changing rapidly as smartphones with components that would normally have been installed inside premium priced smartphones are turning up in entry-level to midrange smartphones. The Alcatel OneTouch Idol X+ is one of these smartphones, combining an octa-core or eight-core processor with midrange pricing along with other top-of-the-range features and tech specs. Find out which features may suit you best with our in-depth review of the Alcatel OneTouch Idol X+ smartphone.

Premium looks don't always mean premium performance, especially when the price of the mobile device isn't at a premium. Unfortunately, there aren't that many premium looking Android smartphones out there that both perform well and cost affordable but OPPO hope to change that perception with the OPPO R1, their second smartphone for the Malaysian midrange market. Does it fulfill all of the above? Read our full review about the OPPO R1 to find out.

The upcoming HTC Butterfly 2 recently had it's front panels leaked in a number pictures from China-based Weiphone. Now, they've already leaked a number of other smartphone parts so for the most part, the information seems accurate. The HTC Butterfly 2 will supposedly have impressive tech specs such as a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 5.2-inch 1080p display, UltraPixel camera and BoomSound dual front facing speakers. Taking design cues from the HTC 8XT which is a Windows Phone, the Butterfly 2 looks to disguise it's bottom speaker in the form of a black bar between the Android soft keys with a two-tone colour scheme. So far there looks to be black + white and black + black and black + blue. Other features include a possible IPX7 waterproof certification, but there doesn't seem to be any news on Malaysia release dates or pricing just yet. However, the HTC Butterfly 2 is expected to arrive in January 2014.

While other postpaid plans seem to focus most of their attention on the free calls and free SMS, U Mobile has come up with their new Ultimate Device Plan series featuring a renewed focus on Data. Featuring three plans in the form of Ultimate Device 68, Ultimate Device 98 and Ultimate Device 158 you can now get 3GB of data from as low as RM68. The deal comes with at least four devices including the HTC Butterfly, HTC Desire 600, HTC One and Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 under 24 Month contracts.

HTC Malaysia has just announced that the Butterfly S will arrive in Malaysia in the middle of August 2013. Featuring tech specs which are superior to the flagship smartphone the HTC One , the HTC Butterfly S will be sold at a retail price of RM2399 for the 16GB version. Other tech specs for the HTC Butterfly S include:

• 1.9GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor 
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB storage + microSD 
• 5-inch display (1080p)
• front facing dual BoomSound audio
• Android 4.2 + Sense 5
• 4MP UltraPixel camera + HTC Zoe
• 3200 mAh battery
• supports LTE + NFC + infrared remote control

We've always felt that the HTC Butterfly and by extension the HTC Butterfly S never really got the attention and hype that they deserved. During the HTC Butterfly's time this was because HTC was pinning it's hopes of salvation on the HTC One but now that that time has passed the stigma seems to have overshadowed the HTC Butterfly S. Regardless, some people have gone and proven that the HTC Butterfly S for one is worthy of more than just a second glance as it manages to beat the flagship HTC One in performance benchmarks despite having the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor and chipset. This is probably because the HTC One is clocked at 1.7GHz while the HTC Butterfly S is clocked at 1.9GHz.

HTC recently announced the HTC Butterfly S for Asian markets this July. While the HTC Butterfly did offer good specs in smartphone it didn't get that much hype as it was released almost at the same time as the flagship HTC One. At the time, it was still a rather impressive smartphone. The HTC Butterfly S comes into its own with this by offering some rather high-end specs which include:

• 1.9GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor
• 5-inch display (1080p)
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB Storage + microSD
• BoomSound Stereo speakers
• UltraPixel rear camera (Zoe) + 2.1MP front camera (wide-angle)
• Supports Bluetooth 4.0 + IR remote control
• 3200 mAh battery
• Android 4.2 + Sense 5 UI