The previously rumoured OPPO R1S has apparently reached Malaysia, only this time it may be going by the name of OPPO R1L. Bearing the same metal frame design as the OPPO R1 but packing in better tech specs and features, the smartphone will be priced at RM1198. Unlike the R1 which packed in a MediaTek processor, the R1L has the tried and tested Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, which provides 4G LTE support. The full tech specs and features for the OPPO R1L include:

• 1.6 GHz quad-core Qualcomm snapdragon 400 processor
• 1GB RAM
• 16GB storage
• 5-inch display (IPS LCD, 720 x 1280 , 294 ppi)
• 13MP rear camera + 5MP front camera
• Supports Wifi, GPS, 3G, 4G LTE
• 142.7 x 70.4 x 7.1mm | 136g
• 2410 mAh battery
• Android 4.3 Jelly Bean

After having revealed their OPPO Find 7 and Find 7a flagship smartphones, OPPO Malaysia has been relatively quiet, perhaps because they've been working on new things. These new devices could include the OPPO N1 mini (which was recently announced in China) and the OPPO R1L. Both smartphones were recently found in SIRIM's database as the OPPO N5116 for the N1 Mini and the OPPO R8006 for the OPPO R1L. Tech specs for the two smartphones are quite similar but the more notable features for the two include 4G LTE connectivity, a feature which wasn't available in OPPO's first wave of smartphones for Malaysia.

It seems the race is on for more affordable 4G LTE devices as Samsung have officially announced the Galaxy Core Lite for just TWD7990 (RM853). Other tech specs for the Galaxy Core Lite include a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, 4.7-inch display with 800 x 480 pixel resolution, 5MP rear camera with LED flash and 2000 mAh battery. Running on Android 4.3 the Galaxy Core Lite is available for Taiwan in June 2014, but there are still no details on Malaysia release dates or pricing. In related news, a number of other below RM1000 4G LTE smartphones are coming to Malaysia including the Huawei Ascend G6 and we should be able to expect the OPPO R1S or the ASUS ZenFone 5 LTE eventually.

While OPPO have already announced their flagship smartphone with the OPPO Find 7, they are currently refreshing their existing range of devices including the recent 4G LTE enabled OPPO R1s. Therefore, a new rumour that OPPO could be working on an OPPO N1 mini and OPPO N2 smartphone does sound rather believable. The rumour indicates that the new OPPO N1 mini will have tech specs which include an Octa-core MT6592 processor or other octa-core processor, 5-inch screen and a version for 3G and 4G connectivity. While the camera details have not been confirmed, we assume that the 13MP camera sensor will be retained along with the N1's rotateable camera hinge. The rumours don't say much else about the OPPO N2 however, just that OPPO are currently working on it. As usual with such rumours, do remember to take this with a pinch of salt and disbelief. No news on Malaysia release dates or pricing but we hope that it will be significantly lower than the currently priced OPPO N1.

Following the OPPO R1s, the Motorola Moto G is also getting a 4G LTE refresh with the official announcement of the Motorola Moto G with 4G LTE. So far, there aren't any plans to name this version any differently than the existing Moto G, but it will come with some additional tech specs and features. The most notable of these is support for 4G LTE along with support for up to 32GB of microSD flash memory. The pricing for the Motorola Moto G with 4G LTE is also different and is set at $219 (RM706). No news on Malaysia release dates or pricing just yet, but we expect this smartphone to appear soon, or at least in the coming weeks. The original Moto G is expected to continue being sold for more or less the same price tag.

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.

One of the main limitations of the OPPO R1 was the fact that it had rather outdated hardware with the most notable missing tech spec being 4G LTE support. OPPO has seen fit to change this by announcing the OPPO R1S. This refreshed smartphone retains the same look and feel as the OPPO R1 but refreshes the tech specs and hardware with a 1.6GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 2GB of RAM and a 13MP rear camera, replacing the Mediatek processor, 1GB of RAM and 8MP rear camera of the OPPO R1. Set for a China release date on 25 April 2014, we expect it to be priced higher than the RM1298 the OPPO R1 is priced at in Malaysia. It also marks the sign of things to come, perhaps with more 4G LTE enabled OPPO devices like the OPPO N1S perhaps. No news on Malaysia release dates or pricing just yet but stay tuned and we'll keep you posted.