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Review of realme 7Pro – Why is it a value-buy? (Even Now)

Google “realme 7Pro” and you know that this is not the latest smartphone. It is also not the “coolest” smartphone in the Singapore market (based on my quick search online for review done by Singapore tech writers.) However, I have yet to encounter any negative reviews on this phone and I can see it why. It is cheap and it delivers.

Quick Recap on the key features

In summary, I have narrowed it down to 2 which I think are awesome – 65W Fast Charge and 64MP Quad Camera.

Let us start with its 65W fast charge. Although it is not uncommon to find fast charge feature in the midrange smartphone, the realme 7Pro is one of the handful models offered at that price range that is armed with 65W fast charging capability. Its 65W SuperDart can charge up to 90% of its 4500mA dual cells battery in less than 30 minutes. A big thumbs up.

Yes. Camera (that’s what everyone is looking for in the smartphone). The realme 7Pro is giving you 4 cameras with the primary one sports 64MP Sony IMX 682 sensor which in theory, you can shoot sharper photos with better colour fidelity. The other 3 lens complement the main camera giving more control to user to take a wider variety of shots that a single lens camera cannot.

I have put up some unedited photos taken with the realme 7Pro. Take a look

Landscape shot

More Day Shot

Indoor Shot

Night Shot

More Night Shot

Food Photo

More Food Photo

What I really like?

If I just want a phone for doing the tik-tok stuffs, there are plenty of phones out in the market. However, what i really need is a phone that is versatile for me to get my work done while keeping me entertained at the same time, the realme 7Pro probably is the phone that can do the job without burning a hole in your pocket.

The 2 delicated nano SIM card slots allows me to insert both my private and business lines on a same phone. Yes, there is really no need for company to issue me with another phone especially during this time when we spend most of the time at home. The additional microSD card slot expands the storage capability upto 256GB. This feature gives a lot more flexibility especially when you need to make large file transfer between phone and computer. In that prospective, the “2+1” card slot matters the most and sadly, we cannot find this feature in the premium smartphones (even though you pay a huge premium)

Verdict

Judging from the global chip shortage, mid-range phone price may increase in the later half of the year. The price tag of SGD499 for the Snapdragon 720G-powered realme 7Pro does not sound expensive.

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Review: Trek iSSD, 4-In-1 Portable Data Storage Solution Made By A Singapore Company

These days, we interact so much online. Posting on Instagram and live streaming anytime and anywhere just mean that we need more gadgets on the move. Let run a quick checklist – a power bank (for your smartphone), laptop (obviously, that’s meant to edit stunning photos and video for posting), portable hard disk (what’s more disheartening when you forgot to back up your work?), camera (to capture professional shots for posting) and the list goes on. Well, does it make sense to carry that many devices?

Source: Instagram user @weewu

Trek 2000 (stock quote: 5AB.SI), a Singapore-based company, wants to reduce your load with their Trek iSSD. The Trek iSSD is a portable data backup solution, power bank, SD card reader and a wireless charger.    

Quickly, let us go through the specs.

– The Trek iSSD is available in either 240GB, 480GB or 960GB capacities that pretty much covers the needs of users from day-to-day mainstream consumers segment to hardcore mobile workers.

– It also comes with a SD card slot that enable users to directly backup their photos/video in the card without going through an external computer.   

– The Trek iSSD also double-up as a 3000mAh power bank that supports bi-directional Qi wireless charging.   

– Through its wireless b/g/n connection, users could access their files via their smartphones which means you could use the device virtually anywhere.

– FTP Functions that allow large file transfer via a network connection.

Well.  Enough of the sales pitch! I will just list down in order what I like about the product.

This is what you get in Trek iSSD. Instagram user @weewu
  1. Light and Compact: The Trek iSSD weighs only 221g and measured 11.8cm by 7.0cm. To put it in prospective, the Trek iSSD weighs like a typical 20,000mAh powerbank but it is about the size of a portable hard disk. Considering that the Trek iSSD could do so much more, its noticeably light weight (as well as its compact size) is a big plus point. Kudos to Trek team!   
  • Simple and Seamless SD Card Backup: The One Touch Backup in Trek iSSD is one of the most make sense features that a lot of portable hard disk makers overlooked. More importantly, it is amazingly easy to use. Power on, plug in the SD card, press twice on the power button to start the back up. Once the LED indicator stop blinking, Bang! You have backed up your SD card!

This is extremely useful when you are traveling (not that we can in the COVID-19 situation). I can imagine the time I am running up of capacity in my DSLR. I desperately need one more SD card, but I don’t have an extra one at my disposal. This feature will come in handy to free up the space of the card without going through computer. (I mean as much as we can, we will travel light)

  • Wireless Charging: It is all about decluttering. It is definitely not nice to see many wires lying around. The Trek iSSD also serves as a wireless charging bay. The best part – it supports pass-through meaning you just need one USB cable to charge both Trek iSSD and your mobile phone. In other word, you free up one more power socket.   
  • Mobile (Wireless) Backup: We have so many photos stored in our smartphone these days. However, there is a limit in the smartphone and occasionally, you need to clean up the phone’s memory. The Trek iSSD offers an easy way to back up the photo in your smartphones via a mobile app.  
One Touch Backup. Source: Instagram user @weewu

Well, this is more like an alternative way of backing up your photo on top of what Apple iCloud and Google Drive are offering. I still stick to an old school way of storing digital photo offline at a separately physical drive.  We have heard enough stories of photo leaked online which eventually may be detrimental to some of you especially those who are influencers with large following. Come and think about it. Old school may be better.

  • Wireless Sharing: When I first heard that the Trek iSSD is a file server and could support upto 8 devices simultaneously, I think it is a very cool feature.  I tried to share with another user, it works reasonably well which it is within my expectation; well, I have kept the number of users small. Although speed will be noticeably slower when any new device connected to it, it still delivers. Well, it is not fair to benchmark this to a NAS system. Considering how small the Trek iSSD is, its performance is quite remarkable.
Source: Instagram user @weewu

My Take

It is a very versatile storage companion that serves my day-to-day needs. If you consume a lot of contents, this is a good storage solution. The Trek iSSD comes with 3 choices – 240GB (Black), 480GB(Blue) and 960GB (Red) and are priced at RRP USD $179, USD$349 and USD$499 respectively.

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Samsung Launch Galaxy Z Flip Thom Browne Edition in Singapore this June

The special edition also comes with custom designed Galaxy Buds+ and Galaxy Watch Active2. Source: Samsung Singapore

Samsung Electronics Singapore today announced that the Galaxy Z Flip Thom Browne Edition will arrive in June.

The exclusive Galaxy Z Flip Thom Browne Edition will be available from 13 June on the Samsung Online Store at a recommended retail price of $3,388.

Pre-sales will open from 2 June for UOB Reserve, Privilege Banking, Visa Infinite and Visa Infinite Metal credit card members and Club21 Members.

The Galaxy Z Flip Thom Browne Edition, which features the designer’s signature red, white, and navy brand colours, draped on a pebble grey exterior pulled straight from the runway, will be debuted in a limited edition of 200 sets. To complete the look, the special edition also comes with custom designed Galaxy Buds+ and Galaxy Watch Active2.

This collaboration with the iconic New York fashion brand combines the best of art and technology. As respective leaders in fashion and technology spaces, the limited-edition Galaxy Z Flip makes a bold statement with Thom Browne’s signature aesthetic and Samsung’s state-of-the-art foldable technology.

Key Product Highlights:

The smartphone is the first of its kind to be encased in glass while sporting a matte look that is soft to the touch and effortless to hold. When unfolded, the Galaxy Z Flip Thom Browne Edition reveals even more design details inside, including:

  • Iconic blinds, a reference to the mid-century office aesthetic at the centre of the Thom Browne world, which appear onscreen every time the phone is turned on and off;
  • Pre-set app icons, labelled in classic text, as well as custom wallpaper which create an elemental Thom Browne uniformity;
  • Distinctive sound cues including a typewriter for the keyboard, an analogue ringtone, and a shoe tap on a marble floor, that tie the entire experience together.

The Galaxy Z Flip Thom Browne Edition also comes with Galaxy Z Premier Service. This specialised care offering provides customers with the most premium product experience possible, which includes:

  • 24-hour concierge support via Samsung Members App
  • One-time screen replacement or repair with a deductible of $180 (including GST)
  • Door-to-door pick-up and delivery service for device repair (up to two times only)

Galaxy Z Flip Thom Browne Edition customers can also enjoy additional complimentary customer service benefits, such as 30-day 1-to-1 exchange for functional defects1, data transfer assistance1, diagnostic checks1, one-time 1-to-1 in-box accessories exchange1, and dedicated and priority queue at Samsung Customer Service Centre at VivoCity.

Galaxy Z Flip Screen Protector Application Service

Samsung will also be launching a complimentary screen protector application service for all new and existing Galaxy Z Flip customers. This service is valid within 12 months from date of purchase. Interested customers can pre-book an appointment via the Samsung Members app before heading down to any Samsung Customer Service Centre.

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Huawei set to launch its first ever laptop range and flagship tablet in Singapore on 8 June

Huawei announced that its two mainstream laptops: the HUAWEI MateBook 13 and HUAWEI MateBook D15 as well as its flagship tablet, HUAWEI MatePad Pro will launch in Singapore on 8 June 2020. Pre-orders are available from 30 May to 7 June. These devices focus on mobile productivity, innovative smart design and delivery of a seamless and powerful user experience.

As an important point of entry to the smart ecosystem, the HUAWEI MateBook series and HUAWEI MatePad Pro are designed to synergise with Huawei handsets, wearables and other devices. These products enable the company’s unique Multi-screen Collaboration feature that delivers a seamless multi-device experience to consumers with a simple drag-and-drop file transfer between smartphones, laptops and tablets.

Source: YouTube Tech ARP

Phil Xu, Managing Director of Huawei Consumer Business Group Singapore said, “We are excited to introduce a new range of laptops as well as the latest tablet in Singapore that are the perfect companions for consumers looking for high performance and extreme portability. These devices are stylish, powerful and smart, which makes it perfect for both work and relaxation. As we continue to expand our product offerings in the market, we would like our customers to enjoy a seamless interconnected experience within the product ecosystem including our handsets and wearables.”

Local availability and pricing

The HUAWEI MateBook 13, HUAWEI MateBook D15 and HUAWEI MatePad will be retailing at S$1,598, S$998 and S$898 respectively from 8 June 2020 in all Huawei Concept stores, selected consumer electronic stores and official online stores with Lazada and Shopee.

In addition, customers can look forward to receiving an additional 1 year warranty on top of the standard 1 year, with every purchase of the HUAWEI MateBook 13 or the HUAWEI MateBook D 15, while stocks last.

ProductProcessorStorageColourRetail Price
HUAWEI MateBook 13Intel i5512GB + 16GB RAMSpace GreyS$1,598
HUAWEI MateBook D 15AMD R5256GB + 8GB RAMMystic SilverS$998
HUAWEI MatePad ProOS: EMUI 10.0.1 (Based on Android 10.0)256GB + 8GB RAMMidnight GreyS$898

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Lenovo’s flagship X1 Carbon Gen 8 Arrives in Singapore

Lenovo (stock quote 992.HK) (ADR: LNVGY) announced the pre-order availability of its flagship business laptop, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen on Lenovo® Official Singapore Site.

Source: Lenovo Singapore

Pricing for the much-anticipated ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 starts at SG$3,449, with further upgrades available in processing, memory, storage, and display. Citibank customers can purchase the flagship device on a SG$288 x 12 months installment plan (Note this is not an interest-free promotion). Pre-ordering the new ThinkPad X1 Carbon on the official store will offer customers access to discounts of up to 75% on selected accessories including the X1 Noise Cancellation Headphones, and the best-selling 3-Year Premier Support

“For many years, our X1 Carbon series has represented the apex of Lenovo’s innovation and design thinking. We’ve designed it with our customers in mind, imbuing it with best-in-class security, durability, and productivity features to meet the high demands of modern professionals. The 8th Gen of the X1 Carbon is no different. It’s another proud milestone for our iconic machine and we’re very excited to offer our Singapore customers early access to purchase the flagship device on our E-commerce platform,” said Reno Chow, eCommerce Head, Lenovo Singapore and Malaysia.

Here are the full specifications of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8:

ProcessorUp to 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 with up to 6 cores
Operating SystemWindows 10 Pro
Display14″ 4K (3840 x 2160) IPS with Dolby Vision™ HDR400, 500 nits, 10 bit14″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS PrivacyGuard, 500 nits14″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, low power, 400 nits14″ WQHD (2560 x 1440) IPS, 300 nits14″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS Touch, 300 nits
MemoryUp to 16GB LPDDR3
BatteryUp to 18 hours* 51Wh, includes Rapid Charge *Based on MobileMark 2014, an industry standard PC performance benchmark. Actual results will vary depending on your system’s usage and settings, including power management and screen brightness.
StorageUp to 2TB PCIe SSD
GraphicsIntegrated Intel® UHD Graphics 620
SecurityFast Identity Online (FIDO) authentication capabilitiesMatch-on-chip fingerprint readerdTPM 2.0 chipThinkShutter camera coverOptional: ThinkPad PrivacyGuardOptional: ThinkPad PrivacyAlert*Kensington lock slot *PrivacyAlert requires the IR camera.
AudioDolby Atmos® Speaker System4 x 360-degree far-field microphones
CameraHD 720p with ThinkShutter privacy coverOptional: Hybrid Infrared (IR) & HD with ThinkShutter
Dimensions (W x D x H)323mm x 218mm x 14.9mm / 12.71″ x 8.54″ x 0.59″
WeightStarting at 1.09kg / 2.40lb
ColorBlackBlack with Carbon-Fiber Weave on top cover* *Available only on the 4k HDR400 display.
ConnectivityWiFi 802.11 AXBluetooth® 5.0Optional WWAN: Integrated Global Mobile Broadband 4G LTE-AOptional NFC
Ports2 x USB-C Thunderbolt™ 32 x USB 3.1 (Gen 1)HDMI 1.4Network extension for Ethernet/side mechanical dockingHeadphone / mic comboMicroSD card reader
KeyboardSpill resistantBacklit with white LED lightingNew FN row F9-F11
AC AdapterUp to 65W (supports Rapid Charge)
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Sudio Fem Review – Designed for the “Workout-aholic”

Sudio, as a brand in the true wireless earphones (TWS) segment, is not well known for making audio product that is tough enough for sports but my water test (though it is unintentional) on Sudio Nivå, their first TWS, has totally changed my perception about this brand despite it comes without IP rating. (If you want to read my review on Sudio Nivå, you can read it up here)

Although it took them almost 2 years to get IP rating for their products, it is better late than never. Their latest TWS – Sudio Fem is now IPX5 water resistance which essentially means that it can survive in a wet weather condition.

Source: Instagram user @weewu

Comfort

I am not sure this works for others. The Sudio Fem is bigger than their previous Tolv and Nivå and I find the fit is just nice for my ears. Well, this varies across different people. However, the ear tip of Fem is slightly longer than the Sudio Tolv’s which allows the earbud to go further into the ear. That blocks off some of the surrounding noise.

Even though Sudio Fem does not come with noise cancelling feature, the overall listening experience is not completely disrupted by the surrounding sound. Ok I am not a huge fan of noise cancelling, so I might be bias to a certain extent. Anyway, I will disable any form of noise cancelling feature while I am doing my outdoor runs for safety reasons.

Just like other TWS, the Sudio Fem has packed 5 ear tip sizes.

Sound Quality

The bass is quite impressive given the small size of the product. If you are always on a “Beast Mode” while listening to your Spotify, Sudio Fem is one of the products that can deliver the best listening experience.

Vocal performance is decent. It has the necessary clarity. However, the sound stage is slightly different from the Sudio Tolv. The Tolv has a more natural vocal performance while watching a live concert on YouTube. That adds “life” in the concert music experience. Although the Fem can deliver clarity, I feel I don’t enjoy as much as the Tolv when comes to live concert music.

Other enhancement

Beside IP certification, the Sudio Fem has also equipped with Google Assistance and Siri. This voice assistance will be extremely useful to access your smartphone when you are busy with your outdoor activities.

On top of that, Sudio is offering 18 months international warranty for purchase of Sudio Fem.

Verdicts

Given its sound stage and IPX5 rating, the Sudio Fem is a perfect companion for runners. Personally, I think that it is reasonable for Sudio to price the Fem at SGD 219.

Source: Instagram user @weewu

But… (as you might have expected) If you are getting this with my promocode: theneodimensionFem, you can get a 15% discount on your purchase. On top of that you get a free special edition CNY gift packaging and a crossbody pouch if you made a purchase before 14th Feb.

Since Valentine’s Day is coming, you can buy any 2 Sudio earphones and get a further 10%. That’s 25% discount (15% from code plus the additional 10%)!   

We all know that there is no one product that caters for all. By and large, it pays to get good quality product but Sudio has proven that good quality product may not come at a sky-high price.  

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Realme XT – A Bring-It-Out-For-Holiday Camera Phone

Admit it. We still desire to own an iPhone; we won’t want to be seen carrying a cheap phone while having drink session with friends. However, running the risk of losing their over-priced iPhone during vacation is like “Ouch”. It is no secret that most of us carry more than 1 device– one for “work” and a second one for practical use.

Here, we got our hands on the new realme XT. One of the key highlights of the phone is its quad-camera. Yes you heard it right. This phone is packed with not 2, not 3 but 4 rear camera and that is against the triple camera of the iPhone 11. The 64 MP image sensor by Samsung, which realme claimed that it is the highest resolution image sensor in the smartphone market, could shoot ultra-high-resolution photo that is equivalent to the size of a 3.2m X 2.4m poster print-out.

Source: Instagram user @weewu

Supreme Camera Specs

Wow… The technical specs do look good on paper. But more camera does not mean anything? How about the overall image quality?  We challenged the phone to take night scene of our beautiful Singapore city. The 64MP camera sensor produces reasonable clear, crisp landscape photo even under low light condition. Below is the sample photo of the night scene shot with the 64 MP sensor.

Singapore City

Night shot has always a challenge for camera phone. If we zoomed into the night scene photo, we observe some “noise” on the background. However, the building names are captured reasonably well by 64MP sensor under challenging city lightning.  

We have also tested the night mode. The sensor manages to snap the photo within 3 seconds. The image is quite impressive, and its algorithm manages to brighten the dark parts of the photo. For instance, we captured the red hook of the crane in the photo with the night mode turned on.

Limited Internal Storage

As a relatively new brand, realme XT’s camera performance has surprised us. The 64MP image sensor is very appealing to smartphone users. However, The image size shot at 64MP could be as high as 12MB and that is significantly larger than normal (one 64MP image is about 5 times more than the usual image size).

The 128GB internal storage may not be enough for users who love to take pictures with their smartphones. Fortunately, the realme XT has included external microSD slot that could allow user to store additional 256GB.

Camera is good but what else?

I know this may not be relevant as the customer moves towards wireless earpiece. Who still expect to get complimentary earphone when unboxing a new phone? But still, we may want to bring along our favourite headset when we are out for vacation. The option to connect via the legacy 3.5mm audio jack is still more favourable. Well, you can argue that we could bring an additional 3.5mm-to-Type C adaptor. I am on vacation. I just want to bring the minimal.

It has in-display fingerprint sensor which works reasonably fast and the ColorOS by OPPO gives a very clean Android interface which makes the navigation within the OS very pleasing.

Verdict

This OPPO’s spinoff brand has surprised me. In terms of performance, the phone does deliver what most consumers want but at the fraction of the price of high-end models in the market. Camera performance is very decent for the price point.  

I do carry a handful of phones out for work purposes, but I always have the tendency to use the realme XT for street and food photography. The attractive price tag on realme XT is appealing to frequent travellers who might afraid of losing their “work” phone (yes I am refering to your iPhone) while traveling. The realme XT could save your travel photo in the old school micro-SD card and you don’t need to rely on internet access to backup your photo and this is especially useful when you visit countries where internet accessibility is poor.

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Garmin Singapore Releases New Vívoactive 3 Element

Singapore,  25  June  2019  –  Garmin  Singapore  today  announced  the  vívoactive  3  Element,  a  fuss-free  companion  that  has  the  essentials  that  you  need  to  stay  active  and  achieve  more  fitness  goals  with   over   ten   preloaded  GPS   and  indoor  sports   apps   including   yoga,   running   and   more.     

The vívoactive 3 Element is available in three colors – Grey, Cerise and Azure . Image – Garmin Singapore

The  vívoactive  3  Element  features  an  always-­on  high-­resolution  Garmin  ChromaTM  display  for  great  readability  in  all  lighting  conditions. 

With  thousands  of  different  watch  faces,  widgets,  data  fields  and  apps  available  to  download  for  free  from  the  Garmin  Connect  IQ  app,  users  can  customise  and  personalise  your  vívoactive  3  Element  to  complement  your  mood,  or  style  for  the  day.   

The vívoactive 3 Element is available in three colors – Grey, Cerise and Azure from today at a recommended retail price of SGD 329 at all authorised retailers.