Huawei Honor 8 Pro

Huawei has combined butter-smooth performance, premium looks and an enjoyable camera to come up with a ‘flagship killer’

It would take quite a phone to offer some competition to the popular ‘flagship killer’ OnePlus 5. But Huawei’s Honor 8 Pro seems to be that quite-a-phone. Huawei has tried to give as much as they could manage within a rather attractive price of ₹29,999 — and really, they’ve succeeded just fine.

The Honor 8 Pro looks great. On the front, curved glass gives way to blue glass bezels that glint beautifully in the light. The navy blue matte-finish back is all smooth metal with two overly thick antenna lines running through. The only other things that break the smoothness are a no-bulge dual camera setup and a fingerprint sensor.

The 8 Pro has a huge 4,000mAh battery so it isn’t on the light side. Added to the smoothness of the metal edges, the phone is a bit slippery. It’s very solidly built, so it doesn’t look like it would suffer any damage from a light drop on a softer surface, but who knows what would happen if it fell on hard concrete, for example. Since the phone is not too broad, you can find and maintain a good grip on it. It’s only if you have extra small hands that you would have to be extra careful. Overall, it’s a great looking phone that looks more expensive than it is.

On the design front, the 8 Pro beats the OnePlus 5 in looks and originality as well as sturdiness, but the OnePlus 5 is biscuit-thin, lighter and easier to hold. It’s a bigger phone than the OnePlus with its 5.7-inch display but somehow doesn’t feel it. The 2560 x 1440 or 2K LCD display is really nice, offering pleasing colours and legibility. It’s rare to get a 2K screen within this price — and One Plus 5 doesn’t have one.

Nothing says OnePlus 5-competitor more than 6 GB of RAM, which is what Huawei has put in the Honor 8 Pro. That’s coupled with Huawei’s own HiSilicon Kirin 960 2.36GH processor and ensures the phone works smooth.

Blazing fast

With some smartphones, you can tell straight off that this is a no-stutter no-lag device and that’s the feeling you get as you first use this phone and feel that buttery fluidity. The 8 Pro matches OnePlus’ 8 GB model for space because it has 128 GB of internal storage and comes with the memory card slot.

I’ve never been overly fond of Huawei’s EMUI interface, but in this version and on this phone, it’s been integrated and optimised to work beautifully. Other than a lot of under-the-hood changes to make it smoother, Huawei says machine learning is being used to adapt to what apps are used and allocate resources accordingly.

EMUI is absolutely stuffed with features so it’s all the more surprising that the phone works as fast as it does. When you look into Settings, you’ll find all sorts of customisations such as enabling an app drawer, which is most welcome, and a floating dock for quick actions. There are also some rather unnatural ones such as using your knuckles to get a screenshot. Huawei could still do something to reduce its preloaded apps.

A fun camera

Huawei has been very early to the game with dual cameras and it’s used them to get one lens to shoot monochrome images, adding depth when combined with the other. Shooting black and whites, specially when you select from the many filters available on board, is one of the most enjoyable aspects of using the Honor 8 Pro’s cameras.

The 12 MP rear camera set with f/2.2 aperture focuses and shoots fast enough and you can adjust the aperture too. The camera app is as feature-filled as the rest of the phone. A quick swipe to the right will pull out a whole bunch of shooting modes, some of them not easily found on other phones. That includes document scanning, a 3D creator, watermark, an interesting night mode, a Pro mode for photos and one for video, time lapse, audio note, light painting, etc. This is a camera you won’t get bored of. It also does 4K video recording. The one thing it lacks, however, is optical image stabilisation. Its low light performance isn’t bad but noise creeps in sometimes. The front camera is pretty good even in indoor light.

The Honor 8 Pro is a surprise competitor to the OnePlus 5. On several counts, it beats it, while the OnePlus 5 has raw speed on its side and an equally good camera. The purer form of Android on the OnePlus 5 may also be a draw for many. But the Honor 8 Pro certainly holds its own and in fact, when asked for recommendations in the 30k category, I will no longer be limited to a choice of one.

Conclusion

The Honor 8 Pro is a solid smartphone with good features. It pretty much has something for everyone – a decent camera for casual photographers, stunning display for video fiends, and ­powerful performance for ­gamers.

PROS: Sleek and stylish design, vivid display, powerful performance.

CONS: Slippery without a casing, battery takes a long time to charge.

Honor 8 Pro

(Huawei)

Android smartphone

NETWORK: 4G

OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 7.0 Nougat

DISPLAY: 5.7in (1440 x 2560 ­pixels)

PROCESSOR: HiSilicon Kirin 960 octa-core processor

CAMERA: 12-megapixels ­monochrome + 12-megapixels RGB (rear); 8-megapixels (front)

MEMORY: 64GB internal storage, 6GB RAM

CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth 4.2, WiFi, GPS, USB Type-C

BATTERY: 4,000mAh

DIMENSIONS (W x D x H): 77.5 x 7 x 157mm

WEIGHT: 184g

RATING: Four stars

Review: Latitude E6230

Travel light with this feature-packed Dell notebook.

ONE thing that users of ­laptops at the workplace can agree on is that ­carrying those heavy devices around can be a real pain, be it for ­meetings and presentations or from office to home.

The introduction of Dell's sleek E6230, the latest in its Latitude E series, reduces the weight of the problem, literally.

Despite being the smallest offering in E series, the compact E6230 delivers a decent punch in terms of build quality and ­performance.

Durable design

The E6230 looks and feels tough, thanks to its tri-metal casing made up of anodised ­aluminium back, magnesium alloy corners, and steel hinges along with a powder-coated base. It isn't going to win the prettiest laptop of the year award but it sure feels solid.

Upon opening the laptop, you will notice its 12.5in screen, which has a 1,366 x 768-pixel resolution. Although it is not the best screen in the market, the display is clear and crisp with its anti-glare coating.

The notebook measures 30.9 x 22.6 x 2.5cm - it felt ­comfortable to use while placed on the lap. Radiation and health-risk ­matters aside, it also didn't get unbearably hot. This is good news for those who need to use the laptop in tight spaces or while commuting.

ACCESSIBLE: The Latitude comes with a number of ports.

It has plenty for ports, ­including a HDMI out, two USB (2.0 and 3.0) ports, a VGA port, a USB/eSATA combo port and audio jack.

Connectivity options for this model include WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, a Gigabit Ethernet port and Bluetooth 4.0.

Our review unit came with an extended battery that protruded from the back, giving it a ­peculiar look.

One thing that users will notice missing is an optical disc drive - those who still want one will have to purchase an external drive.

Under the hood

Our review unit came with an Intel i53320M processor that runs a 32-bit Windows 7 Professional operating system. It also has 4GB of memory and a 500GB hard disk drive.

The device has enough ­horsepower to feel speedy and it takes around 25 seconds to boot up from the time it is switched on. It doesn't just start up fast, it also launches applications smoothly with minimal lag.

Despite using HDD as a means of storage, the device is almost silent in operation even when loading data.

On the software front, the E6230 comes equipped with the usual set of utilities, including a Trend Micro security agent and Dell's Mobile Broadband Manager.

There are a number of ­enterprise management and security features, ­including ­support for Intel's vPro ­technology and fringerprint ­sensor for authentication. There is also Dell's ControlVault, which stores security keys and credentials.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and the E6230 is definitely not just about work. With the integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000, this laptop is able to somewhat handle ­multimedia tasks such as basic photo and video editing. However, the ­system starts to lag when ­performing such tasks heavily.

We didn't get to test any full-fledged graphics intensive games on the device, but the laptop managed to handle online Flash games without any hitches.

It also played games on Google Chrome, such as Need for Speed World without any problems. As this model is going to be targeted for office use, it is ­commendable that it can handle such games smoothly.

There weren't any problems watching high-definition (HD) movies. The frame rate was respectable and the colours were also vivid. There was hardly any noticeable lag when watching 1080p HD movies.

For a laptop that is mainly primed for getting work done, we found the speakers to be acceptable. It was loud enough and the bass was satisfactory.

One area where the E6230 really made us happy is with its keyboard, which is a joy to use.

Typing is a real pleasure - the keys have nice tactile feedback and are well spaced out, which is good news for a model that is built for office use.

The function buttons on the laptop are easy to get a hang of and it also comes with three dedicated buttons for sound control.

A PLEASURE TO USE: The keys have nice tactile feedback and are well spaced out, which is good news for a model that is built for office use.

The keyboard also has a backlit mode with four levels of brightness that helps typing in poorly lit environments.

In terms of battery life, our review unit came with a six-cell extended battery which ­managed to last around four hours of Internet surfing on a single charge.

However, it dropped ­significantly to slightly below two hours when engaging in battery-hungry activities such as watching movies or playing games.

Final analysis

The Latitude E6230 is a ­laptop designed for the mobile workforce and it performs the way you would expect it to.

We have no major gripes with this sleek device, aside from the less than ­spectacular battery life even with a protruding extended battery.

With all that said and done, the Latitude will appeal to those who are always on the go. It's a laptop that gets the job done without trying too hard to be fancy.

Pros: Durable; runs smoothly; ­backlit ­keyboard is comfortable to use.

Cons: Battery life not ­stunning.

Latitude E6230
(Dell)
Laptop
PROCESSOR: Intel Core i53320M processor (2.60Hz)
MEMORY: 4GB RAM
DISPLAY: 12.5in HD (1,366 x 768-pixels) LED-backlit
GRAPHICS: Intel HD Graphics 4000
STORAGE: 500GB HDD
CONNECTIVITY: WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Gigabit Ethernet port, Bluetooth 4.0
PORTS: One USB 2.0 port, one USB/eSATA combo port, one USB 3.0 port, 4-in-1 card reader (MMC, SD, SDHC, SDXC), Smart Card reader, HDMI out, VGA out, docking connector
BATTERY OPTIONS: Lithium-ion cell
OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows 7 Professional 32-bit
OTHER FEATURES: Backlit keyboard, noise reducing array microphones, HD webcam
DIMENSIONS (W x D x H): 30.9 x 22.6 x 2.5cm
WEIGHT: 1.38kg
WEBSITE: www.dell.com/my
PRICE: RM4,550
RATING: 4
Review unit courtesy of Dell Sales Malaysia Sdn Bhd, 1-800-88-0301

QUICK SPECS

Editor's Rating
Users' Rating
Manufacturer	(Dell)
Class	Laptop
Other Features	Backlit keyboard, noise reducing array microphones, HD webcam
Dimensions (WxDxH)	30.9 x 22.6 x 2.5cm
Weight	1.38kg
Price	RM4,550
Processor	Intel Core i53320M processor (2.60Hz)
Memory	4GB RAM
Display	12.5in HD (1,366 x 768-pixels) LED-backlit
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 4000
Storage	500GB HDD
Connectivity	WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Gigabit Ethernet port, Bluetooth 4.0
I/O Ports	One USB 2.0 port, one USB/eSATA combo port, one USB 3.0 port, 4-in-1 card reader (MMC, SD, SDHC, SDXC), Smart Card reader, HDMI out, VGA out, docking connector
Battery	Lithium-ion cell
Operating System	Windows 7 Professional 32-bit
Contact	Review unit courtesy of Dell Sales Malaysia Sdn Bhd, 1-800-88-0301

- Donovan Quek (The Star)

Review: Google Nexus 7

Finally, the Nexus 7 is here in Malaysia, albeit at a higher price that is out of everyone's expectation, but for sub-RM1,000, you can land your hands on a 7” tablet from Google that is manufactured by Asus with pretty good specs – Android Jelly Bean and all the latest offerings from Google, Tegra 3 processor for a snappy performance to make the tablet fast enough for your most demanding games or all your work related apps, 1GB of RAM, a front camera for all your camwhoring and video conferencing needs, and 16GB of internal memory that may seem little but hey, without a rear camera, I'm sure you'll use a lot less space compared to your phone.

I have to admit, this is my first time handling a 7” tablet device and boy do I like it. It's small enough for you to use comfortably – you can hold on to it with one hand and even fit into the big pocket of your pair of cargo pants, heck, it even fits into the rear pocket of Chapree's jeans – and it's not too heavy to handle like a typical 10.1” tablet. I don't know how the 7.9” iPad mini is “better” according to some, while it may be thinner and lighter than the Nexus 7, I don't think it'll fit as nicely, into my palms at least. Of course, I'll need to get my hands on one to be sure but for now, I think I've fallen in love with the Nexus 7.

 

Check out our preview of the tablet and hit the break for more.

Just to touch a little more on the design before moving on, in the Apple iPad mini presentation earlier this week, it was mentioned that the iPad mini is lighter and thinner than the Nexus 7 but I love the design on the Nexus 7. With a rubbery material at the back, it actually feels more rugged and less fragile. Its thickness of 10.45mm is very good to hold on to, plus, you get a good grip which is very important for me – I like to play games and read on the bed next to my sleeping toddler and it's not fun how my phones tend to slip out of my hand and land on him.

 

You've seen an introduction to the Nexus 7, so what's the next best thing to do with this 7” tablet from Google and Asus? Put the Nvidia Tegra 3 processor to a test of course and thanks to the pre-installed TegraZone, you can download the apps that makes the best out of your Nexus 7. Playing games like Dead Trigger and even Bad Piggies is so smooth though, I think I need to work on my skills a little bit when trying to kill zombies using on-screen buttons.

 

Watching HD videos on the Nexus 7 is a bliss as well thanks to the processor and topped up with the HD display and a very good battery life, who needs a big and bulky 10” device when you can get all your entertainment needs in a 7” frame? That said, the speakers could be a little louder for a more immersive effect though of course, if you want to be completely into your game or video, using a headphone would be a better option.

 

In case you did not click into the previous post, here are the benchmark scores.

So to wrap this up, did we like it? Yes of course we did, everything from the design to what's inside of it. Unfortunately though since this is supposed to be an affordable tablet, it lacks in some way like how it doesn't have 3G connectivity (please Google, surprise us that way on your event on the 29^th of this month), no rear camera, though, it isn't that big of a problem for me because I cannot comprehend the idea of taking pictures with a tablet and I have a phone camera for that, and finally it could do with more storage space so you can fully enjoy its capability – install all the apps you can find and load all your favorite HD videos in.

We just got our hands on the 7” Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 at the time of writing and yes, I can conclude that I love what Asus has done with the design to give the Nexus 7 a thinner frame, the rubber material at the back along with a much thinner panel around the display to make it look much, much nicer.

Will I get it? Well, yes, but of course, this will all depend on what Google has up its sleeves for its upcoming event.

The Google Nexus 7 is available immediately at a recommended retail price of RM999, check out our very ownstorekini to get one for yourself today.

We've also updated it to Android 4.1.2 that features some bug fixes as well as the ability to use the device in landscape mode on the home screen. It may not be a major haul over, but it does make the tablet a lot more friendly to use, for me at least. Plus, you can use the device in any orientation you want.

 

- Huei (lowyat.net)