HTC has updated its original Butterfly smartphone with the Butterfly S, a high-end contender with a massive 3,200mAh.

Aside from the huge battery and a few other essential upgrades, the Butterfly S looks set to be a great value purchase with a mish-mash of cleverly selected new and old parts. The 1.9GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 (same processor as the LTE Samsung Galaxy S4 and S4 Active) is new and have proven to be exceptionally frugal when it comes to battery consumption. The UltraPixel camera first seen on the HTC One is also new and you also get Android 4.2 with the latest Sense 5 skin on top along with all the features we love like the HTC Zoe and Beats Audio with dual front-facing speakers.

Like the old Butterfly, there’s 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage with 25GB of Dropbox cloud storage thrown in. If that’s not enough, you can expand storage further with MicroSD. Also, the Butterfly S uses the same 5-inch 1080p display as the original Butterfly with a respectable 440ppi pixel density. The design of the Butterfly S has not changed much from the original either safe for the added thickness and weight due to the large battery (10.6mm versus 9.1mm of the old Butterfly with an extra 20 grams)

Speaking of battery, the old Butterfly only had 2,020mAh but even with that it managed to give a respectable 12 hours of battery life. The HTC one with its 2,300mAh consistently averages around 14 to 15 hours of usage which is far better than the 10 to 12 hour battery life of the 2,600mAh octa-core Galaxy S4. However the new 1.9GHz Qualcomm Quad Core processor has a lot to look forward to with its stellar battery life performance in the Galaxy S4 LTE version.

If you don’t mind the plastic build, the HTC Butterfly S is shaping up to be a great all rounder device with amazing battery life. The only downside we can see at the moment is the lack of 4G LTE connectivity. If HTC can price this right when (and if) the Butterfly S comes to Malaysia, then they may very well have another winner in their hands.

Full details on the HTC Butterfly S here.

The barely 2 months old Samsung Galaxy S4 non-LTE version (9500) has gotten a massive price cut of RM349. Launched at RM2,199 with 16GB storage, the Samsung flagship device is now priced as low as RM1,850 outright for official Samsung Malaysia units. The 5.5″ Galaxy Note II is even affordable now at only RM1,680, making it quite an attractive buy.

Retailer IMCC has released its current Samsung Galaxy pricing as follows:

Samsung Galaxy S4 – RM1,850 (Previously RM2,199)
Samsung Galaxy Note II – RM1,680 (Previously RM1,999)
Samsung Galaxy S III – RM1,380 (Previously RM1,699)
Samsung Galaxy Grand – RM1,040 (Previously RM1,299)

For a flagship device to drop this much in such a little time is rather shocking. Another retailer IPMart has also dropped its Galaxy S4 pricing as well to as low as RM1,869.

In the mean time the recently rolled out Galaxy S4 4G LTE version (9505) with 32GB of storage is seen to be slashed as well to RM2,299 from its initial RM2,499 pricing. Thanks @abdulmj for the heads up.

Could this be an indication that more Galaxy models are coming to Malaysia? We won’t be surprise considering the Galaxy Mega, Galaxy S4 Active and Galaxy S4 Zoom are expected to make a local debut soon. Perhaps the rugged Galaxy S4 Active would be priced between the S4 non-LTE and 4G LTE version. With a water resistant credentials and LTE support, that might just demand a slight premium over the standard non-LTE S4.

For those waiting for the Galaxy S4 and without the need of LTE, the RM349 savings definitely certainly worth the wait.

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If you’re looking for something big, the mammoth sized 6.3″ Samsung Galaxy Mega is coming soon with the price tag of RM1,599 as teased by IMCC. So far no exact availability dates were mentioned but it is believe it should be within the next week or two. Announced in April, the Galaxy Mega comes in 2 variants – 6.3″ and 5.8″, and we are getting the biggest and higher spec version which is the 6.3″ model.

Specs wise, the Galaxy Mega runs on a dual-core 1.7GHz Qualcomm processor with 1.5GB of RAM and with either 8GB or 16GB of storage. Like any Galaxy phones, you can expand the storage using microSD. The front 6.3″ display uses a TFT screen that does 1280×720 pixels resolution which gives a pixel density of 233ppi. In the imaging department, the Galaxy Mega comes with a main 8MP shooter and a front facing 1.9MP camera. Despite packing a generous 3,200mAh battery, it manages to maintain a rather slim 8mm profile and weighs 199g.

Overall, the specs are mid-tier compared to the flagship Galaxy S4 but its huge screen makes it more appealing for gaming or those needing a bigger display device but still able to fit into a pocket. To see how the Galaxy Mega compares with the Galaxy S4 and previous models, check out the video comparison here.

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HTC today announced it’s latest entry-level smartphone, the Desire 200 and as you’d expect the specs were chosen to keep costs as low as possible.

The Desire 200 features a 3.5-inch HVGA display (that’s 480×320 pixels, the same screen resolution as the iPhone 3GS producing an eye-aching 163ppi) a single-core processor 1GHz Snapdragon S1 processor, 512MB RAM and 4GB of internal storage expandable with microSD up to 32GB, and a 1,230 mAH Li-on battery. Basically, you can forget about getting Android 4.2 with this device. The budget basement theme continues with no front-facing camera, and a 5MP rear camera.
In essence, the Desire 200 have almost identical innards to the Desire C released about a year ago but with a slightly faster processor (1GHz in the Desire 200 versus 600MHz in the Desire C).

No pricing or availability detail have been announced at the moment but we don’t think many will be holding their breath for this one and if we really have to guess, the Desire 200 should be below the RM700 mark if it is made available here.

Official details on the Desire 200 here.

Huawei has lifted the covers off it’s latest flagship smartphone and at just 6.2mm thin, the Ascend P6 is, as the Chinese manufacturer claims, the world’s thinnest smartphone (in comparison, the iPhone 5 is 7.6mm thick, the Galaxy S4 and Xperia Z is thicker still at 7.9mm each, and the HTC One even thicker at 9.3mm).

The P6 packs a 720p 4.7-inch display, a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 2,000mAh battery, and 8GB of internal storage with microSD expansion. For those of you who are looking for LTE connectivity, Huawei says the LTE version of the P6 will ship later this year.

In the imaging department, the P6 sports an 8MP backside-illuminated sensor mated to a f/2.0 lens. If you’re into macro shots, you’ll be happy to know that the P6 can take close-up pictures from a minimum distance of just 1.5-inches.

At the front, the P6 packs a 5MP camera, and while megapixels don’t really translate to amazing images, it’s worth noting that the P6 has highest MP count for a front camera of any smartphone.

On paper, there’s not much to fault with the Huawei P6. It is, in every aspect, a decent phone wrapped in an extremely thin shell. But is that enough to make you want one over more competent albeit thicker rivals? We’re not too sure.

Head on over to after the jump to check out a couple of videos on the Ascend P6.

The HTC One is a splendid phone and rumours have been circulating that HTC is working on a variant of the One with a smaller display. As HTC’s very own website have inadvertently revealed, those rumours are indeed true.

HTC will be making a variant of the One and it will be called the One Mini with a smaller display. The device is expected to run Android 4.2 and will feature a smaller 4.3in 720p screen versus the 1080p 4.7in unit on the One.

The device is also expected to keep the same design as its larger sibling, including the dual front-facing speakers and perhaps a seamless aluminium body construction though HTC has not confirmed any of this at the moment..

In any case, it’s great to see HTC bringing the top-notch build quality and features on the One into the more affordable price bracket of the mid-range segment giving users a more feature-packed alternative to the Galaxy S4 mini.

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For those wanting to experience 4G LTE on the iPhone 5, Celcom has finally joined the bandwagon as it gets listed under Apple iPhone 5′s 4G LTE supported telco. This follows after Maxis’s commercial availability of 4G LTE on 1800MHz 2 months back. When Celcom announced commercial 4G LTE service, it was initially rolled out with a standalone wireless broadband service without any smart phone services.

A carrier software update is expected for iPhone 5 users on Celcom which allows users to enable LTE under Cellular Data settings. For more information on LTE availability, head over to Celcom’s 4G LTE coverage page.

Thanks @J18Way for the heads up!

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Maxis network had experienced a technical issue yesterday afternoon which affected incoming/outgoing voice calls in the Klang Valley and selected areas. While mobile voice calls we’re affected, Maxis subscribers are still able to use SMS and mobile Internet service during the outage.

As a compensation for inconvenience caused yesterday, Maxis is offering free SMS within Malaysia from 6:00PM this evening (16th June) until 11:59PM tomorrow on 17th June. This is open to all Maxis customers nationwide. Full official statement on the outage below:

We apologise to our customers who have experienced difficulty in making or receiving calls in the Klang Valley and extended surrounding areas. Our engineers responded to a technical incident at 4:50pm on 15/6 and have worked around-the-clock to restore the service. We were able to isolate the fault and the voice service has been restored. Our SMS and internet services were not affected.

In view of the inconvenience caused and whilst we continue to monitor the performance of the network, Maxis will offer all its customers, FREE DOMESTIC SMS service from 6:00pm on 16/6 until 11:59pm on 17/6. Once again, we apologise for the inconvenience caused and thank our customers for their understanding and patience.

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As hinted earlier through SenHeng’s pre-order, the Sony Xperia Tablet Z is officially available today with both WiFi only and 4G enabled options. The 16GB WiFi model is priced at RM1,499 while the 16GB 4G LTE version is an extra RM500 at RM1,999. If you’re looking to buy it on contract, Celcom is offering the 4G LTE model from RM1,438.

The Xperia Tablet Z is currently the thinnest, lightest and the only water resistant 10″ tablet with a thickness of just 6.9mm and weighing just 495grams. In terms of water and dust resistance, the Xperia Tablet Z like the Xperia Z smart phone is rated at IP55/IP57 and it is able to withstand being submerged under water (up to 1 meter) for 30 minutes. You can read our earlier hands-on experience here.

As a special launch promo, Sony is giving additional 1 year warranty worth RM150 for the 16GB WiFi model while the 16GB 4G LTE model comes bundled with a Free Powerbank worth RM329. On top of that, new owners will also stand a chance to win Sony’s Smart Watch worth RM399 during the launch promo period which ends in 30th June.

For more information, head over to Sony’s Xperia Tablet Z product page.

If you’re looking for a thin and water resistant tablet, the Sony Xperia Tablet Z is offered by Celcom from as low as RM1,438. The device is tied with Celcom First Data plans with optional voice in either 12 months or 24 months duration. Outright, the Xperia Tablet Z with 3G/4G LTE support is priced at RM1,999.

Full bundled pricing of the Xperia Tablet Z below:

First Data Lite 1.5GB – (12 months) – RM1,788
First Data Lite 1.5GB – (24 months) – RM1,738

First Data Basic 4.0GB – (12 months) – RM1,688
First Data Basic 4.0GB – (24 months) – RM1,638

First Data Basic 6.0GB – (12 months) – RM1,588
First Data Basic 6.0GB – (24 months) – RM1,438

An upfront payment between RM200-500 is required during sign up which will be rebated back to your monthly bills across 10 months.

Celcom is also doing a special launch promo tomorrow (15th June) where the Xperia Tablet Z could be yours for just RM938 at 5 of their locations in Klang Valley. They are doing a lucky draw give away which includes NFC Bluetooth speakers and Cash Vouchers up to RM500 which is used to discount the Xperia Tablet Z price.

To recap, the Xperia Tablet Z is like the bigger tablet version of the Xperia Z smart phone. It retains the similar omni-balance design and its internals are identical with a quad-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. In terms of camera, it comes with a 8.1MP main shooter and a front facing 2.2MP camera.

Although the device hasa 10.1″ Full HD display (1920×1200) and 6,000mAh capacity battery, the Xperia Tablet Z is only 6.99mm thin and weighs just 495grams. In comparison, the Xperia Z smart phone is thicker at 7.9mm. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out our hands-on experience with the Xperia Tablet Z here.

For more information, head over to Celcom’s Xperia Tablet Z page.