Well before that, 2014 is a year which Chinese manufacturers entered Malaysian market. Compared to previous years, 2014 is really different. All those Chinese manufacturers have just entered Malaysian market and selling their flagship smartphone at extremely low price. Yes we do have Huawei and Lenovo before those Chinese manufacturers enter Malaysian maket.
Oppo
The first Chinese manufacturer is Oppo, which brought the N1, R1, Find 5 mini and Neo back to February.
After the official arrival of Oppo, the company is so active such as sponsoring a few TV shows and competitions. The latest N3 and R5 have also just arrived Malaysia with the retail price of RM 2,098 and RM 1,598 respectively.
Honor
While on the day when Xiaomi Malaysia is teasing something on the Facebook page. Honor, a sub brand of Huawei has unveiled the Honor 3C in Malaysia.
The Honor 3C was selling like a hotcake because of its low price tag at just RM 499 but with 2 GB RAM. Later on October, the company has also brought in the Honor 6, which is a flagship device from Honor. All these devices are available through online exclusively.
Xiaomi
Next, it is Xiaomi. Xiaomi is the competitor to Honor, not only offering smartphones, but the Mi Power Bank at 10,400 mAh capacity selling for just RM 36.
The Mi 3 was another hot selling model, selling at just RM 769 and it always out of stock in just less than 3 minutes. For now, Xiaomi Malaysia is offering the Redmi Note 4G and 16,000 mAh Mi Power Bank. While the launching date of Mi 4 is still unclear at the moment.
Vivo
Vivo is a Chinese manufacturer that mainly focus us music and camera experience. The company recently has announced the world's thinnest phone at just 4.75 mm.
For now Vivo has offered a few smartphones with promised good music and camera experience. But the price aren't as affordable as what Honor and Xiaomi have offered.
Zopo
Zopo, may sounds like Oppo, but it's completely different company. The company has entered Malaysia back to July with ZP700, ZP780, ZP1000 and ZP998.
Not long ago, the company has also unveiled the ZP999 for Malaysian market. The ZP999 is the flagship smartphone from the company with 4G LTE and octa-core processor.
ZTE
It's been so long to hear any news about ZTE. Well the company has made a return in October.
The company has launched 5 smartphones in Malaysia - Star 1, Blade VEC Pro, Blade V5, Blade L2 and Blade G Lux. These Android powered devices are priced in the range of RM 388 to RM 1,088. At the time of launch, all the devices are running on Android 4.4 KitKat.
Leagoo
There's a Chinese company that keeping low profile ever since they entered Malaysian market. It's Leagoo, what?
The Leagoo Lead 5 is the company highly promoted device. Selling at just RM 399, the Lead 5 packs a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor with 1 GB of RAM. It sports a 5" IPS FWVGA display at just 267 ppi pixel density.
Meizu
Meizu is the last Chinese manufacturer to enter Malaysian market. The company is now selling MX4 with 16 GB and the newly launched 32 GB versions.
As for the rest of the devices like MX4 Pro and M1 Note, both devices will arrive Malaysia next month. The company is now selling the MX4 through Lazada Malaysia.
Bonus: LG
Not only Chinese manufacturers, a Korean company has also made a return to Malaysia this month. And here comes LG, which been quiet for nearly a year.
To celebrate Christmas, the company has launched the G3 and G3 Stylus for RM 1,699 and RM 799 respectively. You can purchase both devices from Brightstar Malaysia. Not to forget, the LG G3 is actually the first device to receive Android 5.0 Lollipop update even before the Nexus devices.
Editor's Choice Awards
Alright, let's kick start the Editor's Choice Awards now. Keep it in mind that this is just our team personal preference.
Best Smartphone of 2014: HTC One (M8)
Although there are a lot of flagship devices out there with even better specs than the HTC One (M8). The reason why we pick the One (M8) as the best smartphone of 2014 is because HTC is always innovation leader. The new One (M8) not only follows the footstep of its predecessor with metal unibody. It also comes with the new Duo Camera, which is a break through in mobile industry. If you have read our review of HTC devices, the Sense UI is praised with fast and responsive experience.
Best Tablet of 2014: Apple iPad Air 2
Although the Apple iPad Air 2 and its predecessor are almost same, but trust me, Apple still produces the best tablet in the world. From the first generation iPad to the new iPad Air 2, non of them can be beaten by its same class competitors. The new iPad Air 2 not only comes with he TouchID, but its performance is even faster now.
Best Buy Smartphone At The Price: OnePlus One
Although the OnePlus One isn't officially available in Malaysia at the moment, but the grey import set has been selling like a hotcake, that's why OnePlus decided to bring the official stock to Malaysia in the coming months. According to OnePlus, the One will soon available in Malaysia and the price tag will stick close to US price tag, which is expected at RM 999 for 16 GB and RM 1,099 for 64 GB. The OnePlus One packs a 5.5" Full HD display, 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, 3 GB of RAM, 13 MP camera with OIS and 5 MP front camera. The One is also running on CyanogenMod 11S, which is based on Android 4.4 KitKat.
Best Smartphone Camera of 2014: Nokia (Microsoft) Lumia 930
And the best smartphone camera for this year is surely the Nokia (now Microsoft) Lumia 930. The Lumia 930 has a 20.7 MP camera with Zeiss Optics and OIS. The Lumia 930 is able to capture decent image with sharp detail, it has completely blew off the Sony Xperia Z3.
Most Innovative Device of 2014: YotaPhone
When comes to innovation, the Russian company YotaPhone has launched a different smartphone. The front has a regular 4.3" 720p HD display while the back of the device has a 4.3" e-ink display. The 4.3" e-ink display basically uses no power at all unless the screen is being refreshed, and it has a better visibility under outdoor sunlight. Meanwhile, the YotaPhone is now priced at RM 999.
Best Smartphone Design of 2014: LG G3
We pick the LG G3 as best smartphone design for this year is because the G3 has an extraordinary design. The G3 has rear keys just like its predecessor but with some improvements. Additionally, the floating arc design with metallic skin just impress us, giving the best ergonomics and handling. The G3 is also one of the smartphones with high screen-to-body ratio, so it doesn't feel big even the screen is 5.5".
That's all to end up 2014. With that GadgetMTech would like to wish everyone Happy New Year!
Post a Comment