A Week+ on Monterey

Originally Published: 16th November 2021 on goodnewsgeorge.com

For over a week, I’ve been using a newly purchased MacBook Air (2020) as my daily driver for work. I bought a new laptop after giving my previous one, an ASUS Zenbook, to my sister since her current/old one was dying.

When I was shopping for a new laptop, I had a few requirements in mind. It had to be powerful enough for my work (because laggy computers are bad), lightweight (I intended to bring it everywhere), have good battery life (nobody likes lugging around chargers or being limited when deciding where to sit), and be something I could, of course, afford.

The MacBook Air ticked all the boxes. And this was before I had any first-hand experience using the machine. Reading up the specs and watching tons of videos about the laptop gave me all the information I needed to make my decision – it wasn’t something I took lightly. I spent a long time ruminating about the purchase because I had the time to do so (I had no opportunity to work outside due to the lockdown).

So what were my qualms about the MacBook Air? Initially, it was the new Apple Silicon. I had been exclusively using Intel processors when it came to laptops and desktops (minus the one time I had a prebuilt desktop with an AMD processor), so I was skeptical about how well an ARM-based processor could run a fully-featured desktop operating system.

Speaking of the operating system, how would I handle the transition? I had been using Windows for the better part of my life and the idea of having to switch to something else seemed daunting. Would I have access to all apps and programs that I needed?

Battery life for laptops is one of my biggest gripes. I’ve been let down way too many times by how poorly Windows laptops perform in this area. Many high-end devices I’ve tried out in the past have let me down. Even when I was still using the Zenbook, which had great battery life in the beginning, I didn’t feel safe leaving home without bringing my charger along.

Google and YouTube were my best friends during this period, and I looked up everything I wanted to know. Nothing swayed my opinion when it came to the laptop’s hardware – all the reviews said that the machine was a beast with killer battery life. As for the software, I wasn’t too concerned – if I could do my work on Linux/Android, I could survive on Mac OS.

With all that in mind, I chose the base model MacBook Air and upgraded the RAM and storage (16GB/512GB). I could have gotten by without the extra storage since I don’t plan to store large files on my laptop and always have thumb drives with me but I felt I could afford the additional peace of mind. As for the RAM upgrade, I’m glad I got it since Activity Monitor tells me I’m constantly using over 12GB (Photoshop, Chrome, and MS Teams are real resource hogs). If you use similar apps often, you’ll probably want the RAM upgrade if you don’t want your SSD being used constantly for memory swaps.

My Thoughts

I’m still getting used to Mac shortcuts. It’s annoying when programs like Chrome have different hotkeys for Windows/Mac, so I spent a lot of time learning new ones to get back up to speed. I’m still clicking a bunch of stuff, but I’ll memorize it all eventually. Also, I’ve been absentmindedly using Mac shortcuts on my Windows desktop.

Mac OS felt familiar to me – it reminded me a lot of Ubuntu which I’ve used in the past. The main difference is me not having to use the terminal (at all, except when trying to get some apps running).

Transitioning to working on Mac OS wasn’t difficult since most of my work is done within Chrome (what can’t be done through your browser these days?). I did download a few additional apps, and even though they weren’t working natively on Apple Silicon, they ran without a hitch (besides the fact they consumed a lot of memory). Hopefully, those issues will be addressed in the future.

There were some things I had to get used to on MacOS – I couldn’t use hotkeys to quickly arrange/tile my windows nor could I launch pinned programs on my dock like you can on Windows. Fortunately, this was rectified by downloading Rectangle and Snap but I was surprised that the operating system didn’t have this built-in, in my opinion, they’re pretty rudimentary features.

Despite my MacBook Air having a 2560 x 1600 display, I couldn’t make full use of that resolution without the use of a third-party app (EasyRes). That felt odd to me. A lot of programs aren’t on the App Store (even popular ones like Discord/Spotify), I had to download them from their websites instead. Not a big deal since I don’t use the Windows App Store either but I had the impression the Mac App Store would be the main way to get popular apps.

Gestures are awesome, I enjoy using Mission Control for working on multiple desktops and switching between apps. The trackpad is intuitive, and I’ll never understand the complaints about Macs not having touchscreens. Having used touchscreen laptops and tablets in the past, I have never yearned for their inclusion in any laptop. External pointing devices get the job done better (and you don’t have to worry about finger stains).

Battery life is amazing – I can get a full day’s use and still have plenty left at the end of the day, so there’s no need for me to carry a charger around. One thing to note, this selling point goes away when you increase the laptop’s brightness. I experienced it the other day – 77% of battery life gone in 4 hours because I set it to the maximum. Since learning that, I’ve kept my MacBook Air at 50% brightness and lasts as long as advertised. At the time of writing, my MacBook Air has a screen on time of 11 hours and I still have 32% of juice left. If you’ve been waiting for tablet-like battery life on a laptop, the wait is over.

Performance is great. I know my workflow doesn’t push the machine to its limits, but you can check out the tests done by other folks to see what it’s capable of. The M1 processor is no slouch when it comes to running heavy-duty applications and multitasking. The fact that the MacBook Air can do everything it does without slowing down or heating up (it doesn’t even have fans!) is a bold statement by Apple. It no longer has to rely on Intel for its high-performance machines, and I’m happy to come along for the ride.

Touch ID is very useful. I like how fast and responsive it is, no complaints there. I wish it was on the iPhone too.

Conclusion

I’m very happy with my MacBook Air purchase. Would I have been satisfied with yet another Windows laptop? Perhaps, since I wouldn’t know what I missed out on. But I’m glad I made the purchase. It would suck having to lug around a power brick in my bag again. The quirks I’ve experienced with Mac OS have been solvable with some extra apps and everything else not mentioned is something I can live with. Will I switch to Mac desktops in the future? Probably not, since gaming on Windows is still king but I’m definitely open to staying on the Mac train when it comes to laptops for productivity.

MacBook Air – the best laptop I’ve ever spent my money on, would totally recommend 10/10.

One Month Update (24 December 2021)

I discovered some additional limitations of the default app switcher (CMD + Tab). You can’t tab through multiple instances of the same app (i.e. multiple Chrome windows). This led me to discover a new shortcut for doing that – CMD + Shift + ` – not great but it gets the job done. Today, I realized you couldn’t tab to minimized windows. The app will switch, but the app you tab to will stay minimized. Looking on the internet, I stumbled upon an app that solves both of those issues, essentially making CMD + Tab function like how Alt + Tab does in Windows. It’s called AltTab and if you’re like me, coming from Windows to MacOS for the first time, I highly recommend it. In addition to making your app switcher function like it does in Windows, it has many other customizable features too, and it does it all for free. This app has changed my life.

Hades: A Deserving Masterpiece

Originally Published: 11th February 2021 on eGG Network

Text Version:

Ascend Out of Darkness

Hades, the action-roleplaying roguelike has been making waves since its debut in early access back in 2018, was nominated for a whole slew of awards when it was officially released in 2020. Knowing this, and having played Supergiant’s previous games, I had very high expectations for Hades going in – and let me tell you, I was not let down.

Right from the get-go, you are treated to a sensory feast – gorgeous artwork with butter-smooth animation, a haunting soundtrack, stellar voice acting, complemented by responsive controls; not surprising if you’ve played other games by Supergiant, but always a treat to experience.

The game is simple – you play Zagreus, the son of Hades (king of the underworld); who has to fight his way out of hell (your mission is to get to the surface, like a reverse Diablo). Along the way you encounter mythical creatures to slay, gods who will grant you boons (new abilities), and mysterious characters who will aid you.

Like other roguelikes in the genre – there’s not much of hand holding, you’re left on your own to figure out what you need to do. Due to the number of choices and decisions you can make in Hades, it might seem overwhelming at first, but Supergiant Games have done a great job drip feeding content as you progress further out of hell.

Die, Rinse Yourself in Blood, and Repeat

If you’re unfamiliar with roguelike games, here’s a what to expect – procedurally generated levels (meaning no two runs will be the same), and lots of dying. You will die a lot in this game, it’s a core mechanic of the genre, so don’t feel discouraged if that happens to you. Don’t be afraid of it, in fact, you should embrace it. Losing all the gold and upgrades you’ve picked up along the way might seem like a punishment, but it’s not – they were meant to be temporary. Dying is the only way you can permanently upgrade certain aspects of your character or your weapons.

The game has a nice balance of things to do in between deaths. Whenever you lose your life, you’ll respawn back in the House of Hades, where you’ll get to partake in base-building, upgrading your character, and story development. There are plenty of activities to carry out around the house with all the resources that have been accrued from your previous life, and it’s a nice break from the intense action which got you killed in the first place. Once you’ve done all that, you’ll have to start the journey again from the beginning. This time around you’ll have a slightly stronger character (if spent points upgrading). Treat each unsuccessful run as a learning experience, and you’ll get better with every try.

Hades does a good job of teaching you the game’s mechanics. If a regular enemy uses a new kind of attack on you, you can expect it to be in the arsenal of an upcoming boss. Pay attention to detail and you’ll be able to prepare yourself for future encounters. Unlike a lot of roguelikes, Hades keeps track of what’s going on via its unlockable codex. There’s no need to refer to a wiki while playing the game but you can if you’re keen on learning things faster.

There are many stories to be unlocked with each playthrough. You learn about the relationships between the characters, the world, your own family, the gods, and everything the game has to offer. Roguelikes aren’t usually story-heavy, but this is what makes Hades stand out from the crowd – a tightly woven storyline that can be unravelled at your own pace.

You can choose to completely ignore the plot (but why would you want to?) if you’re not big on storylines and still enjoy the game – the core gameplay is just that good. But the combination of the two is what makes this game a masterpiece.

Tough as Nails

Although it’s nowhere near Dark Souls‘ level of difficulty, Hades is not a stroll in the park. Life regeneration is scarce in the game, so you’ll need to keep an eye out on your life total. Avoid taking hits when possible, and don’t forget to dodge.

Hades is easy to get into but it’s not something you’ll beat on your first try (unless you happen to be some sort of video game savant). That being said, you’ll need some perseverance to enjoy this game and if you have a bit of patience to stick it out, I can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed in it.

The game also offers a ‘God Mode’ which increases your resistance to damage in the game every time you die. It’s not the recommended way to play the game but it is an option if you’re desperately stuck and would like to proceed to the next level.

It has been some time since something managed to pull me away from my favourite game of all time – Dota 2. The fact that the developers mentioned the Valve title inspired them makes me think that it’s no coincidence. Both games are extremely deep and complex. While they play very differently, the hundreds of unique interactions between all the different powerups Zagreus can obtain reminds me of how all the different skills can work together in Dota 2. Some of the ability effects in the game are even reminiscent of Dota 2 spells – like the Ruptured status curse being similar to Bloodseeker’s Rupture and Winter Harvest akin to Ancient Apparition’s Ice Blast. Trust me when I say Dota 2 fans would have fun playing this game!

The Surface

The first time I booted up Hades, 3 hours flew by without me realizing it. I was blown away and knew that this game was something special.

As a person full-time working adult with many other tasks and hobbies, if a game doesn’t capture my attention within my first session, I’ll usually give up on it. If I can spend my time doing things I like instead (I have hundreds of other games on my backlog and Dota 2, of course), why should I bother? At the time of writing, 15 hours in, I’m nowhere close to beating the game and I’m still looking forward to my next escape.

Hades has rightfully earned of all its accolades. From the beautiful presentation to its expansive storyline and addictive gameplay loop – each time you rise up from the pool of blood in the House of Hades, it’ll leave you telling yourself, “alright, one more time.”

Hades is available now on PC and the Nintendo Switch.

Lenovo Legion Slim 7i Review: Professional-Looking and Powerful

Originally Published: 3rd March 2021 on eGG Network

Text Version:

Disclaimer: We were loaned a review unit, courtesy of Lenovo Malaysia in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are the author’s own and not influenced by Lenovo Malaysia, and/or its affiliates, in any way.

Introduction

While there are many high-performance gaming laptops available on the market out now, most of them are large and bulky and aren’t ideal for usage as a travelling device. However, times are changing – a lot more companies are putting out high-performance gaming machines suitable to bring around with you. Introducing the Legion Slim 7i, Lenovo’s take on a high-performance laptop in a slim, lightweight, form factor.

There are plenty of reviews out there already benchmarking this laptop and pushing it to its limits, so we decided to take a different approach for this piece. Since the selling point of the laptop is its form factor and weight, for over a week, I used the laptop as my work machine on days I was not at my desk.

For reference, my regular laptop is an Intel-powered Ultrabook with no discrete GPU. It’s gone through its fair share of wear and tear over the past three years but still functions great as a work device, I expect the Legion Slim 7i to outclass it in multiple ways.

If Looks Could Kill

Right out of the box, I was impressed by the Lenovo Legion Slim 7i. I had seen it in pictures previously, but this machine looked amazing in person. It has a very unassuming look. Instead of bright lights, sharp edges and loud styling – under its corporate-ish attire, lies a beast of a machine. I’m not a huge fan of the whole ‘gamer aesthetic’ and I’m glad Lenovo went in this direction.

Though the device is slightly heavier than my own laptop that I’m used to bringing around, I only noticed its heft when I was holding the laptop (i.e. taking it out of my backpack). When I was carrying it around my backpack, it didn’t feel that much different. On the other hand, the laptop’s power adapter is one heavy unit. Fortunately, the laptop has a reasonable battery life (at least 4-5 hours running in high-performance mode) based on my usage habits, so I didn’t need to need to lug around that chonky accessory if I wasn’t going to be out for the whole day.

The laptop’s power button also works as a battery indicator for the machine – if you see it flashing, you’ll know it’s time to charge. The glowing symbol on the Legion logo behind the laptop display is also a nice touch, giving a subtle hint of its gaming capabilities.

Power…

The Legion Slim 7i is the portable version of the Legion 7i, a powerful gaming laptop. But by making it slimmer and lighter, a few sacrifices had to be made. On the Legion Slim 7i, you’ll find that it’s missing the ethernet, HDMI and side USB A port. Although I could get by without using them, your experience may differ if they are necessary for your workflow.

The Legion Slim 7i only has 4 USB ports – 2x USB C, 2x USB A. Due to the limitations of the slim chassis, the USB A ports are located on the rear of the laptop, which makes them tedious to reach in a pinch. Fortunately, if you have USB C peripherals, those are located on the right side of the device. While it is troublesome if you are used to frequently changing your USB devices (i.e. switching out thumb drives), it can be solved with the use of an external USB hub (not ideal, but it is a solution – or make sure your devices use USB C).

My workflow relies heavily on internet-based apps, so a lot of it is done via a web browser (Chrome), Notion, and Teams. As predicted, I had no issues here, in fact, I would say that using this as a daily machine has been fantastic.

The laptop performs as well as expected – launching programs feels snappy, quick, and effortless. The ultra-responsive touchpad combined with the large 144hz display (which I love) made working feel almost as good as working from my home desktop. My productivity wasn’t hampered at all when I was out and about with this device. It felt good to know that I had a device that I could reliably work with and had the ability to run resource-hogging games when the occasion called for it.

…Overwhelming

The numpad was a nice addition (I don’t normally use one) – it made entering two-factor authentication codes a breeze, and the keyboard itself is one of the nicest keyboards I’ve ever used on a laptop (high praise from someone who’s very picky when it comes to input devices). In fact, most of this review was written on the Legion Slim 7i’s keyboard itself!

If you use your laptop in dark conditions, the keyboard’s RGB lighting will make sure you don’t get lost. I appreciated the fact that pressing the FN key will light up specific keys on the laptop to inform you of the key combos you can use. Though it was expected to perform well for regular day-to-day tasks, it was nice knowing that the laptop was also capable of playing intensive games at the highest quality settings. I benchmarked and played a few rounds of GTA V on the laptop just to be sure, and was not disappointed. With everything set to High or Very High, I was consistently able to reach over 100 FPS, sometimes jumping up to 120+.

One thing to point out is that the fan noise increased substantially during gaming sessions but it kept the laptop running smoothly, with no hiccups. The case did heat up significantly, but again – it won’t be an issue if you plan to use an external keyboard and mouse or gamepad (which you’ll probably want to when gaming).

The laptop also features unobtrusive Lenovo software and it didn’t come loaded with bloatware (except McAfee antivirus – it’s 2020, who needs anything else besides Windows Defender and good browsing habits?). It also has iCUE if you need to adjust the RGB on the keyboard (I turned the lights off because it’s not for me). A 1TB SSD also meant that I wouldn’t be running out of space any time soon, and 16GB of RAM is plenty for most people. The front-facing camera is passable – it works well enough but can be a bit grainy even in brightly lit conditions. For those who are worried about their privacy, it features a slider to block the lens when not in use.

Speaking of privacy, the laptop features a fingerprint reader for security purposes. With the built-in Windows 10 security options, it was quick and easy to set up a fingerprint password to unlock the device. I set it up to replace the PIN on the login screen without a hitch. No more fumbling for keys when trying to access your laptop quickly.

Bluetooth and wireless connectivity worked great. I had no issues with the speakers or onboard microphone – they were loud and clear. But as usual, you’ll want to use your favourite headphones/mic anyway, especially if you work in public.

Conclusion

Using the Legion Slim 7i for the past week has been a pleasure, and I’ll be sad to part with the machine. That being said, the laptop isn’t perfect – the hard to reach USB A ports in the rear (a problem that will be solved eventually when more devices transition to USB C), the heavy power brick and the less-than-stellar battery life are all points to consider before picking this machine up.

While it is very powerful, the machine does seem a tad overkill if you’re planning to use it as a daily driver for non-GPU-intensive work – there are more affordable laptops out there for that purpose. However, if you’re looking for a machine that’s great for travelling and powerful enough to game with when you need to, the Legion Slim 7i is hard to pass up, especially if you want one of the sleekest-looking machines on the market.

The Legion Slim 7i is going to cost a pretty penny, with a retail price of RM7,599 (but at the time of writing, Lenovo does have some web deals to bring the price down). The laptop comes installed with Windows 10 Home edition, and from now till 31st March, will come preinstalled with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019 (worth RM529). You can purchase it from Lenovo Exclusive Stores nationwide and Lenovo authorised online sellers.

Pros: Amazing performance, great keyboard, trackpad, gorgeous high refresh rate display, sleek design

Cons: Poor placement of USB A ports, lack of HDMI port, heavy power brick, gets hot and noisy under heavy load

Tech Specs

Intel Core i7-10750H Processor ( 2.60GHz 12MB )
Windows 10 Home Single Language 64
8.0GB DDR4-2933 DDR4 Onboard 2933MHz + 8.0GB DDR4-2933 DDR4 SODIMM 2933MHz
1TB SSD,PCIe-NVMe,TLC
15.6″FHD, IPS, AntiGlare, LED Backlight, Narrow, 100%sRGB, Non-Touch, 144Hz 5ms, 9.5mm 1920×1080
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 maxQ 6GB GDDR6 192Bit 6GB GDDR6
230W
One year Carry-in
Not available
720p HD Camera
Fingerprint Reader
6-row RGB Backlight English (US)
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 2x2ax
4 Cell Li-Polymer
Bluetooth Version 5.0 or above
ClickPad

Illegear Arté 14 Review – Not Another Gaming Laptop

Originally Published: 19th July 2021 on eGG Network

Text Version:

Disclaimer: We were loaned a review unit, courtesy of Illegear in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are the author’s own and not influenced by Illegear, and/or its affiliates, in any way.

When Illegear reached out to us to review their latest laptop, I jumped at the chance. It wasn’t a typical gaming laptop that they’ve been producing for years now, instead, they were looking to enter a new space – a laptop for creators. Now that might seem a bit broad since “creators” can apply to so many different kinds of users and based on their description and the Arté 14’s specs, it’s targeted at visual/graphic designers who can make full use of the laptop’s opulent display and portability. The way I interpret the laptop – it’s Illegear’s answer to the MacBook Air.

Since I am not a graphic designer, I’m not the intended audience of the device but I still put it through the paces of my own workflow to see how well it would hold up. After all, I can appreciate a lightweight laptop with a fancy screen and I do create content.

A Workhorse

I’ve been using the Illegear Arté 14 as my daily driver for the past week, and my routine consists of using Chrome for a lot of my tasks – writing in Google Docs, updating spreadsheets, Facebook, emails, and blogging in WordPress. Outside of Chrome, I used Photoshop for some image editing.

In this regard, the device performs admirably. I have no complaints at all. Everything ran smoothly, without a hitch (as I expected it to, thanks to its beefy specs). The laptop boots up in seconds, applications load instantly, and I never encountered any slowdowns or crashes. From the responsive trackpad and keyboard to the brilliant 90Hz display, the Arté 14 was a joy to use.

I also appreciated the laptop’s weight (or lack of – at 1.04kg). Even though I didn’t leave home during the testing period, I shifted it about my house many times, and it never was a hassle to do so. I think this can translate to bringing your laptop around for meetings or appointments outside when the world goes back to normal.

Another thing I like about the Arté 14 is the number of ports available on the laptop. You get: USB 3.1 Type-A (x2), USB 3.1 Type-C, Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C, 2-in-1 audio jack, HDMI 2.0 output and an SD Card reader – it’s not common for super-slim devices like these to have so many ports available, good on Illegear for addressing that need. Personally, I could have done away with the SD Card reader since I don’t use it but I can see how it would be useful for people who want to transfer photos/videos from their cameras.

Speaking of cameras, the webcam on this laptop isn’t great. The quality of the built-in mic is adequate, and the speakers are loud, clear and balanced. I enjoyed listening to music and watching movies on the laptop.

Gaming

Since I’ve never had a chance to play with an Iris Xe-powered laptop before, I decided to install COD: Warzone to see how it would fare. I had the rendering at 1440 x 900 and upscaled to its native resolution (2880 x 1800) and it was barely playable at a very choppy 45 FPS. All the other settings were turned to the lowest or off when possible.

While it was not unplayable, it’s definitely not ideal and it caused the CPU/GPU to heat up to about 90 degrees C while running. A real shame, since we had a gorgeous high resolution and refresh rate display, that couldn’t be used for intensive gaming. Running Warzone also caused the top of the laptop (near the hinges) to heat up terribly, which is definitely not something you want to put your laptop through for extended periods of time.

If you plan on playing smaller 2D indie or old/retro games, you won’t have any problems there, but this is definitely not for you if you’re into hardcore gaming or the latest triple-A titles. I did some digging around and it seems that the GPU might work better with different titles and graphics APIs. Regardless, I would not recommend this laptop if you’re looking for a gaming machine, and since it wasn’t marketed as one, we can let it slide. However, it’s still something to note when considering a purchase.

Battery Life

Based on what I’ve written so far, you must be thinking – this laptop seems perfect for a work machine, what could be wrong? It has great specs, a reasonable price tag, and a lovely form factor.

Well, if there’s one thing I was let down by in this device, it’s the Arté 14’s battery life. Throughout my week of testing, I used the laptop at different brightness levels and performance settings to see how much they would affect my experience.

I used the laptop at max brightness and max performance, 50% brightness and better performance mode, 50% brightness and better battery mode, 50% brightness and best battery life mode, and 10% brightness and best battery life mode. Here’s what I encountered: 5-6 hours of battery life despite the setting I was at.

It seemed like the brightness or performance mode didn’t matter at all – I couldn’t squeeze any extra life out of the battery. On the plus side, this meant I could use the laptop at max brightness and performance with no drawbacks since going down to lower settings didn’t improve the battery life. On the downside, there was no way to extend the battery life. I am not sure if this was a hardware or software issue and I have brought it up with Illegear who responded that they will look into it.

5-6 hours of usage isn’t terrible, but for such a portable device, I wished it could at least last a full day because it brings me to the next issue – its massive power brick. If you aren’t using this laptop as a desktop replacement, you’ll need to lug around this bulky accessory with you since the laptop won’t last a full day of use.

Conclusion

If the laptop had better battery life, it would have made this machine an easy recommendation from me. It does everything that Illegear set out to do with their Creator-focused line in a sleek, attractive, and lightweight package with a reasonable price tag. However, I wish the battery life could have been a tad better, or at least extendable when I set it to battery saving mode. Maybe if the charger wasn’t so cumbersome, I could have overlooked this issue.

That being said, if you’re looking for a portable high-performance laptop (not for gaming) and you don’t mind the 5-6 hour battery life or lugging around a large power brick, the Illegear Arté 14 is right up your alley.

The Illegear Arté 14 is available now on their official website, with prices starting at RM4,599 (before discount). If you purchase one before 31st July, you are entitled to a free Samsung 512GB SSD upgrade, free Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut, and free colour calibration.

Specs

Processor	11th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-11300H Processor (Four Core, Eight Threads, 3.1GHz to 4.4GHz), 8M Cache 11th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-11370H Processor (Four Core, Eight Threads, 3.3GHz to 4.8GHz), 8M Cache
Core Logic	Intel® Tiger Lake H
Display	14″ 90Hz iRIS WQXGA 16:10 Anti-glare IPS sRGB 100% INFINIVISION Display (400 nitts)
RAM	Supports Dual Channel DDR4 Two 260 pins SODIMM sockets, support for DDR4 3200MHz (Real operation frequency depends on processor) Expandable up to 64GB, depends on 8GB/16GB/32GB SODIMM module
Graphics Card	Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics, 400 MHz – 1300 MHz
Storage	Two M.2 2280 SSD, PCIe Gen3 x2 and PCIe Gen4 x4 interface (RAID 0/1 support)
Sound System	Built-in Dual Digital Microphone Built-in High Definition Audio (2 Channels) Two 2 Watt Amplified Speakers THX® Spatial Audio
Keyboard	Ultra-tactile Keyboard with White Backlit (USA International)
Pointing Device	Integrated touchpad with Microsoft PTP multi-gesture and scrolling function Double-tap ON/OFF Feature
I/O Ports	1 Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C port – Support Type-C Fast Charging – Support Power Delivery – Support Data Transfer – Support DisplayPort 1.41 HDMI 2.0 output Port 1 USB 3.1 Gen. 2 Port (Type-C) (Support Display Output) 2 USB 3.1 Gen. 1 Ports (Type-A) 1 2-in-1 Audio Jack 1 DC-in jack
Slots	2-in-1 Card Reader Three M.2 Card Slots – 1st for WLAN Combo M.2 2230 Card with PCIe and USB interface – 2nd for SSD M.2 2280 Card with PCIe Gen3 x2 interface – 3rd for SSD M.2 2280 Card with PCIe Gen4 x4 interface
Communication	Intel®️ Wi-Fi 6 AX201 + Bluetooth v5.1
Other Features	Magnesium Alloy with Protective Coating Large Glass Touchpad Windows Hello Camera (Top Webcam)
Power	Embedded Polymer 53Wh Battery Pack Full Range AC-in 100~240V, 50~60Hz, 90W AC Adapter
Security	Kensington® Lock
OS Support	Windows® 10
Certificate	11th Generation Intel® Core™ i5/i7 Logo Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics Logo
Physical Characteristic	1.04kg with Battery 308.8 (W) x 215 (D) x 13.6~15.6 (H) mm

A Titanic Touchpad: Illegear Selenite X Review

Originally Published: 13th May 2021 on eGG Network

Text Version:

Illegear has been stepping it up with their high-performance laptops recently, and one of their latest machines to join the fray is the Selenite X with GeForce RTX 30 series graphics.

We had the opportunity to play around with the machine for a couple of weeks and boy, it sure delivers – at least on the performance front. In terms of being a portable computer, I would chalk that down to personal preferences because this isn’t for me.

Firstly, the laptop is massive. It has a large footprint thanks to its 17.3″ 165Hz display and isn’t what anyone would call lightweight, at 2.4kg. Throw in the massive power brick (because the battery life on this machine isn’t great – I managed to squeeze slightly over an hour on high-performance mode) and you’ve got a recipe for backache. I tried lugging the laptop around as a daily driver and while I eventually got used to the weight, it made me appreciate the weight of my Ultrabook (ASUS UX430UA) when I switched back.

That being said, the Selenite X delivers on all other fronts. In terms of performance, you won’t be disappointed. The machine can run all games, watch HD films, stream, and anything else you can throw at it. Unsurprising for a laptop of this caliber, but just thought I’d point it out in case you were wondering. The review unit I had was powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, 32 GB of RAM, RTX 3070 and SSD had no issues keeping up for the most part.

Yes, I shall point out one of my main issues with the laptop – the CPU/GPU combo on my review unit does not take full advantage of the 165Hz display. Sure, the display is gorgeous and has no issues pumping out high-resolution visuals, but I had trouble getting games to run at that frame rate. By no means the games are unplayable – I ran a multitude of tests at different settings, with and without overclocking the hardware and I could never get Fortnite or COD: Warzone to run at 165 FPS. I was definitely getting above 100-120 FPS in most situations, and even 140 in certain areas, but I could never get the games to make full use of the display’s capabilities. At this point, it’s probably a CPU restriction because the equipped RTX 3070 is no slouch, but I thought I’d point that out.

In my opinion, if the laptop came with a 120Hz display instead, I probably wouldn’t be too bothered by this point. With that being said, I’m not upset about the laptop’s performance, just that the display might be more suitable when paired with the higher-end configurations (you can purchase the Selenite X with an R9 5900HZ if you top up RM3,800).

With a base price of RM7,299, it’s nowhere near a budget-friendly machine, so what else does the Selenite X bring to the table? For one, the laptop is massive for a good reason – it makes full use of its real estate. Because of its huge footprint, Illegear has managed to fit a keyboard with a numpad and a gigantic touchpad below it. If you ever found yourself complaining about the size of your touchpad, this laptop might be for you.

The touchpad is so big that users have the ability to disable the right half of it (or you can disable the whole thing, but what would be the point?). While I don’t see it making a difference when it comes to gaming (I’d rather plug in an external mouse or use a gamepad), it was great for day-to-day usage. Having a larger touchpad made it easier to use without having to constantly lift and reposition my finger. Dragging things around was so much easier to do.

In the beginning, I found myself constantly making accidental moves on the touchpad because my palms were resting on it (where I imagined the empty portion of the laptop should normally be). Disabling one half of the touchpad somewhat solved the issue, but that meant I would absentmindedly use the disabled section instead, which led me to think that it was not responding, so I left it enabled. After a few days of adjusting, I got used to the positioning of this humongous touchpad.

One thing I applaud about the design of the laptop is its thermals. I didn’t open up the laptop, but I assume the large base allowed them to put larger fans or at least space out the components more for better airflow. There are vents on the side and back of the laptop to let hot air out. Even when overclocked, the laptop did a great job of getting rid of the heat from the device. I had no issues using its keyboard during my gaming sessions, it never got hot enough for me to be uncomfortable or worried, which is a step up from other gaming laptops I’ve reviewed in the past. The fans still go pretty loud but one step at a time, I guess!

The Selenite also features plenty of ports on the side – great if you have a lot of accessories to plug in. Three USB 3.0 ports, an SD card reader and separate headphone/mic ports on the left. This means if you have a dedicated mic cable on your headset you’ll be able to make use of the microphone port, though I suspect most people will have USB mics these days. On the back, you get an ethernet port, a full-sized HDMI port, and a USB C port.

In terms of appearance, the laptop definitely has some sleek and subtle hints to its gamer pedigree but is professional enough to be used in an office setting with no judgement (you’ll probably have to turn off the keyboard RGB). No complaints from me – it’s a decent-looking machine.

To conclude – if you need a high-end desktop replacement that features a super large trackpad, an almost full-sized keyboard, has good thermals, the Selenite X is probably right up your alley. Since there are competing models within the same budget, it’ll be up to you to decide what kind of features you are looking for when shopping for a similarly specced laptop. You can buy one from the official Illegear website, starting at RM7,299.

Tech Specs (Base Model)

17.3” INFINIVISION NARROW BEZEL
165Hz WQHD IPS sRGB 100% (2560×1440) (300 nitts)
10th Gen Intel or AMD Ryzen 5000 Processors
GeForce RTX™ 30 Series Graphics
16GB (2 Slots, Up to 64GB)
500GB NVMe SSD (2 M.2 Slots, Up to 4TB)
Liquid Metal Capable
Anodized Aluminum Back Cover
Tactile Keyboard with Single-zone RGB
Performance Boost with ILLEGEAR G+
HDMI 2.1
Windows Hello Camera
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX
2.42kg | 25mm

Illegear Onyx V Ryzen – A Desktop Replacement For Streaming?

Originally Published: 13th October 2020 on eGG Network

Text Version:

For the longest time, people have been streaming games on their desktop computers. Usually due to how intensive the process is and how expensive it is to build a computer that is capable of doing so. However, as time passed and technology became more powerful, cheaper, and small enough to fit into a small form factor device like a laptop. Enter the Illegear Onyx V – a Ryzen-powered gaming laptop with beefy enough specs to handle everything thrown at it, including streaming.

Here are the specs of the review unit:

AMD Ryzen 5 4600H (3.00 GHz)
16GB DDR4 RAM (3200MHz)
15.6″ 120Hz/144Hz Full HD Anti-glare IPS INFINIVISION Display
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (6GB)
256GB PCIe SSD

At this point in time, we know that the laptop’s specs are good enough to run any game you throw at it, so I won’t spend any time on it and get right to the meat of this article – is this machine good enough for your streaming needs? In short, yes. I installed two popular, intensive games on the laptop, set up a stream and put it to the test.

Streaming Setup:

I didn’t connect the laptop to an external display for streaming – I decided that people would be interested in this device to stream on the go, and since most people won’t be carrying around external monitors, it made the most sense to use this route.
720p stream to Facebook Gaming at 30 FPS (due to me not having a partnered account, it’s the max video quality I can stream at).
The streams I tested were over a 500Mbps WiFi connection. This was done under the impression that not everybody will have access to a LAN port to stream with if they were on the go.
I used the laptop’s built-in webcam, and for audio, I used an external headset/microphone combo (Armaggeddon WASP-7). This isn’t necessary, but I prefer it when my computer’s audio isn’t picked up by a microphone.
I ran both games at the high graphic settings to stress out the laptop because I assume that’s what most people will be doing.
I used an external keyboard and mouse because I’m not a fan of all laptop keyboards (this one is no exception), and I’m terrible at gaming with a trackpad. Most people will probably do the same thing as well.
Dota 2 and Fortnite were my games of choice. Dota 2 because it was a CPU-intensive game, while Fortnite was GPU-intensive, and both games are free-to-play on the PC and still relevant in the streaming scene.

Here are the results:

Dota 2

Under normal conditions, I had Dota 2 running in high settings, at 120 FPS. When I started streaming the game, it dropped to around 60 FPS – still playable, but not optimal. However, during the stream, there were no other issues. The game ran smoothly, and there were no hitches with performance at all.

Fortnite

I decided to limit the frame rate to 60FPS for Fortnite, and during streaming, I didn’t notice it drop, so it looks like 60FPS might be the sweet spot to stream at. Depending on where you’re streaming to, that’s usually the max frame rate you’ll be able to stream at, so it shouldn’t be a problem. The game looked and played great, no performance issues at all either.

Conclusion

I was impressed by the results. Based on my tests, it’s safe to say that the Illegear Onyx V is perfectly capable of being a streaming machine.

However, the machine is not perfect – during heavy load, the fans get extremely loud, to a point where I got worried about the laptop. Fortunately, the CPU/GPU never got too hot when I monitored them, but parts of the laptop were extremely warm to the touch. If you don’t plan on using the onboard keyboard, this heat isn’t going to be a problem (something I’d recommend anyway, as laptop keyboards aren’t the best to use) but I would recommend a keyboard stand of some sort to cool the laptop while it is in use. Most importantly, it didn’t affect gaming performance or cause any crashes.

The laptop works best when it’s connected to a power outlet – not a huge issue, but if you’re planning to game on the go, expect framerates to drop if you don’t lower your settings.

The Onyx V is also noticeably heavy (1.85kg with the battery), but that’s a given seeing how it’s a desktop replacement. But for what it’s worth, it’s much lighter than desktop replacement laptops I’ve used in the past.

My favourite feature of the Onyx V is its 120Hz FHD display – high refresh rate displays aren’t very common on laptops, and the one on this machine was a joy to use. Everything felt buttery smooth – even dragging around windows and scrolling through websites. If you don’t plan to stream with this machine, I would say the gorgeous display would be its next best selling point.

If you’re buying a laptop for regular word processing and email usage – there are more suitable and lightweight machines out there. But if you want a laptop that is capable of gaming and streaming, the Illegear Onyx V is definitely one of the best devices for the job.

The starting price for the Illegear Onyx V is RM3,499 and can be purchased through their official website.

Illegear Bolt Gaming Monitors: Reasonably Priced Performance

Originally Published: 1st November 2021 on eGG Network

Text Version:

Disclaimer: We were loaned review units, courtesy of Illegear in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are the author’s own and not influenced by Illegear, and/or its affiliates, in any way.

If there’s one thing that Malaysians are constantly on the lookout for, it’s a bang for your buck product! And if there’s a gaming hardware company that understands that, it’s none other than Illegear. For years the company has been pushing out powerful gaming products at reasonable price points and their current series of gaming monitors, the Bolt 24 and Bolt 27 are great examples of their philosophy. After spending some time with the Bolt 24 and Bolt 27, here’s what we think about the displays.

Bolt 27

I’ll start with the larger display, the Bolt 27. Its main draw is its attractive price point – at RM1,199, you’ll be hard-pressed to find another curved 27” monitor with all of the same features. Samsung VA panels, 2560 x 1440 QHD resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, HDR, and 4ms response time. Not to mention, the monitor is an attractive looking piece of hardware, especially with the glowing “X” in the back which can spice up your room a little.

We tested the monitor out and it performed as expected – it ran games at 144Hz with no issues, colours were shown correctly and so on. It also has plenty of I/O ports – 2x HDMI 1.4, 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x Headphone. If there’s one thing I could wish for, it would be for us to be able to hold onto the review unit forever!

Jokes aside, the Bolt 27 isn’t perfect – the stand that comes with the monitor has extremely limited adjustability. Besides the angle (tilting up/down) of the display, you won’t be able to move anything else. Fortunately, it comes with optional brackets that allow you to use the monitor with VESA mounts (for your walls or table monitor arms). The monitor also uses a power brick instead of a regular power cable, so it can take up some table space.

However, these drawbacks don’t detract from the overall experience of using the Bolt 27. The stand was extremely easy to put together and we had it up and running in a matter of minutes. It probably took more time to remove the display from the box!

If you’re looking for a high-res, high-refresh-rate, and HDR-capable monitor, you can’t go wrong with the Bolt 27, especially at this price. However, if you don’t need something that large (i.e. limited table space or you don’t have the GPU for such high resolution), the smaller Bolt 24 might be what you need.

Bolt 24

The Bolt 24 can be touted as the little sibling of the 27. While it does cost almost half the price at RM659, some sacrifices had to be made – namely, its smaller size (only 23.6” wide), lower resolution (1920 x 1080 Full HD), and no HDR support. However, depending on your requirements, this might be all that you need. You still get the high refresh rate, funky backlighting and a curved display that uses a Samsung VA panel.

While the monitor does perform well, it does have some caveats – 144Hz refresh rate is only available through DisplayPort, due to the monitor using HDMI 1.4. Unlike the Bolt 27, which has HDMI 2.0 support, you’ll need a DisplayPort capable GPU in order to enable the highest refresh rate, if not you’ll be stuck at 120Hz. Something to take note of if you have limited DisplayPort outputs available. Fortunately, like the Bolt 27, it does come with a DisplayPort cable included. The Bolt 24 has the following I/O ports: 2x HDMI 1.4, 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x Headphone.

The Bolt 24 comes with a very limited mounting stand as well, with the monitor tilt being the only thing that’s adjustable. Fortunately, it also comes with VESA mounting support so you can rectify those issues. One thing I didn’t like about the default stand is that it attaches to the back of the monitor via a single screw. I felt that two should have been the minimum because a single screw for such an important job seems questionable to me.

Lastly, the recessed ports on the Bolt 24 are a double-edged sword – they keep your connectors hidden, but this also means that they are quite troublesome to remove (not an issue for most people but it does slow down the job of a reviewer). It also makes it hard to keep the cables out of sight since they are forced to exit downwards.

All in all, if you’re looking for a curved, high refresh rate 23.6″ monitor at a reasonable price, the Bolt 24 might be right up your alley.

Both of the monitors are available now, on the official Illegear website:

Stay tuned to eGG Network for all the latest news and reviews on tech and gaming products!

Armaggeddon Starship VI Gaming Chair

Originally Published: 9th January 2021 on eGG Network

Text Version:

Disclaimer: We received a review unit, courtesy of Armaggeddon Malaysia in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are the author’s own and not influenced by Armaggeddon Malaysia, and/or its affiliates, in any way.

The gaming chair space is currently flooded with choices, and if you’re looking for one, how do you decide which one is for you? Having experienced a few different chairs around the office, the common consensus we’ve come to is that as long as you feel comfortable when sitting in one for extended periods, that chair is good enough for you. As you would already know by now, everybody has different needs and preferences, and there’s no one-size-fits-all. However, there are chairs that are adjustable enough to suit the needs of a lot of people.

As we discussed with ergonomics experts in the past, the main feature to look out for when buying a chair is how comfortable you feel sitting on it, and how well it can support your body.

Some people are completely fine with their RM100 office chairs, and others can struggle to sit in them for over an hour. The best way to find out if a chair is good for you is to use one for a while but it’s not a feasible option for everybody (lack of showrooms, models, inconvenient locations etc).

That’s when reviews like these come in handy. While we can’t say that the chair is going to be exactly what you’re looking for (we’re not mind-readers!), we can share our experiences with the chair and our body sizes/weights to help you with your purchasing decision.

Episode 0: Assembling the chair

Before we can sit in the chair, there’s something we need to do – put it together. The chair comes delivered in a hefty box that’s filled to the brim with everything you need – a common obstacle you’ll encounter when purchasing a gaming chair. Not that it’s a big deal, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind if you’re not a fan of DIY products.

The instructions were minimal at best and it didn’t take long for me to figure out what to do (important to note as this was my first time putting a gaming chair together, but I’ve had plenty of experience with IKEA products in the past). That being said, they could have done a better job of walking people through the process. The chair can be assembled by a single person, but having an additional pair of hands will greatly speed up the process. My colleague and I took about 1.5 hours to put the chair together.

There were a few times that I had to remove and reinsert the screws because I accidentally put them in at a slight angle, which messed up their ability to catch onto the threads properly. Overall, the process wasn’t extremely difficult for me but I can see how people might struggle to understand the instruction sheet.

The Starship VI

The first thing I observed when I plopped myself onto the chair is that it felt smaller than other chairs I’ve sat on in the past. Based on measurements, the chair isn’t that much different compared to other chairs I’ve tried. I believe this could be due to the angle of the seat’s sides which give less room for you to spread your legs. It was a new sensation for me because I’ve previously felt like other gaming chairs that I’ve sat on were much too big for me – this one felt a little snug in comparison. It was in no way uncomfortable, but something that I immediately noticed.

The bottom cushion is made from an extremely soft foam which makes it comfortable to sit on. For my use cases, the chair was adjustable enough – I could get my armrests at the right height to match my table, and chair tall enough so that my feet were flat on the floor at the same time. One complaint I have about the armrests is that while they are adjustable, they feel very limited when it comes to rotating them. I would have appreciated larger angles and more positions, but having three is better than none at all. The armrests were also pretty wobbly when we pushed them around but this should not be an issue with regular usage.

The chair uses large casters which makes them easy to roll across most surfaces. We used the chair in our carpeted office and it had no problems rolling across the floor. It has 5 casters (standard for most office chairs) which means it stays stable regardless of which direction you lean towards while sitting – but also an important feature if you decide to use the chair as a bed.

Yes, the back of this chair can tilt all the way back, turning into a makeshift bed if you ever need some shut-eye but don’t want to get out of your seat. The lumbar cushion will need to be removed in this case though since it creates an uncomfortable bump when you’re lying flat. Speaking of the lumbar cushion, it is nice, firm, large, with adjustable straps that allow you to determine how high or low you need it to be.

First Voyage

My colleague and I gave the chair a go for a couple of days and here are our thoughts on the chair:

The chair feels very sturdy and solid. I was initially apprehensive because I wasn’t sure of my chair-building skills but as soon as I sat down on it, those worries disappeared. I thought it was a snug fit, and didn’t feel uncomfortable at all when using the chair. The armrests could do with wider angle rotations but they were adequate.
My stats: 175cm, 75kg, size 34 waist.

The chair feels cosy for smaller people. I like how soft and cushiony the seat is, especially near the front edge of the seat. It’s very comfortable. The material of the seat is also cooling, which I appreciate. Overall it feels very solid and firm.
My colleague: 163cm, 52kg, size 30 waist.

Conclusion

True to Armaggeddon’s brand name, you get a pretty good quality product for a reasonable price. Though there’s room for improvement in terms of design and the materials used, it felt as good to sit on as other gaming chairs, despite its lower price tag.

Some quality of life improvements could have been made to make the chair more attractive but as it stands, we’re pretty pleased with Armaggeddon’s first foray into chairs and look forward to seeing future models from them.

At the moment, we haven’t used the chair long enough for a long-term review, but check back in a few years and we’ll try to remember to update this article then!

The Armaggeddon Starship VI is available now for RM999 at their official Shoppee store.

There are cheaper models available, with the main differences being the price, the wheel base, chair-lift piston, back and headrest cushion.

You can also purchase the Nebuka III (RM899) and Shuttle II (RM699).

Armaggeddon Hornet-1 and Hornet-3 Wireless Earbuds Review

Originally Published: 15th March 2021 on eGG Network

Text Version:

Disclaimer: We received review units, courtesy of Armaggeddon Malaysia in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are the author’s own and not influenced by Armaggeddon Malaysia, and/or its affiliates, in any way.

Armaggeddon has decided to enter the wireless headset with two new earbuds in their new Hornet line – the Hornet-1 and Hornet-3. Since I was happy with the WASP-7 when it came to voice communications (it’s my go-to headset whenever I need to take calls or meetings on my phone), I jumped at the opportunity to check out these earbuds. Boy, I was in for a surprise.

Clipping

I’ll say it outright – these earbuds aren’t great if you’re purchasing them to listen to music. While overall they are usable, what bothers me is how music constantly sounds like its clipping. It reminded me of listening to music on an FM radio when you can’t find the exact sweet spot of the perfect frequency – the music can be heard clearly, but there’s that very slight hint of distortion. Tweaking my equalizer settings helped to reduce it but it’s not something I expect most people to do. When your budget earbuds don’t play well with default audio settings, it’s a point of concern.

This is much less prominent on the Hornet-3, which has a heavier low-end that drowns out the clipping but it is very noticeable on the Hornet-1. The audio quality would be acceptable if the earbuds were priced cheaper, but at RM129 (Hornet-1) and RM179 (Hornet-3) – I expected them to sound better than the notable budget-friendly options out there.

This distortion isn’t present when listening to voices, podcasts and in-game chat (but the quality of your teammates’ voices are out of your control) so if music isn’t a priority to you, the Hornet earbuds are adequate.

Communication

Honestly, the microphones on these earbuds performed a lot better than I had expected, but they are nowhere close to the quality of the one on the WASP-7. Though the sound was slightly muffled, Armaggeddon did a good job with the noise suppression/cancellation. My voice sounded clear when I was speaking normally.

Perhaps Armaggeddon could include the detachable mic in future versions of their wireless earbuds?

Comfort/Aesthetics

Both earbuds didn’t come with custom tips for different ear sizes but they could fit snuggly into my ears. The Hornet-1 felt very light but I was never worried about them falling out of my ears when walking around. No complaints regarding their comfortability.

The Hornet-3 looks like a trimmed version of the WASP-7, which I thought looked pretty cool, but the LEDs were too loud for my taste. I prefer the more subtle look of the Hornet-1.

Control

Though buttonless touch controls look fancy and ‘next-gen’, they were a pain point of these earbuds. When you can’t feel if you’ve successfully pressed a button and you can’t see the lights on the earbuds without a mirror or removing them, adjusting the audio was quite a challenge. The lack of tactility and any visual cues led me to rely on my phone to control my music. The only thing I could do reliably was play/pause the audio and turn them on/off. Adjusting the volume was near impossible – the earbuds kept pausing the music instead.

Game Mode

The Hornet-1 and Hornet-3 feature a ‘game mode’ (tap the buds four times to enable/disable it) which is said to improve audio latency. As to why it isn’t the default mode, game mode reduces the functional range of the earbuds and drains the battery quicker. I played around with the modes and personally, I didn’t experience any perceivable differences in latency with it on. I’m sure results will vary for people with other devices (I tested the earbuds with my laptop, a Pocophone F1 and an iPhone 12), but it didn’t make a difference to me, so I left it off.

PC Pairing Woes

Purely anecdotal but I’ve had wildly different results trying to connect the earbuds to different devices while testing them. Connecting them to my phones was effortless, I had no issues. Turn the earbuds on, select them in my phone’s menu and I was all set – straightforward and fast.

When pairing them with my laptop or desktop it was a whole different story. I had to turn the earbuds on and off and attempt to connect them via the Windows 10 Bluetooth menu many times before I could make a successful connection. Once they were connected they functioned expectedly, even when walking in and out of range causing the connection to drop and pick up again. The problem only came during the setup stage. If you have no plans to use them with a computer, this won’t be of any concern.

Battery Life

No complaints here. Both earbuds were good enough to last at least half a day of constant usage before I had to charge them (in their nice and handy cases). The Hornet-1 is said to have 15 hours battery life (5 on the headset and the case able to provide 10 hours) and the Hornet-3, 32 hours (8 + 24). The cases also make use of USB-C which is appreciated in this day and age.

Conclusion

The Hornet-1 and Hornet-3 are a fair debut from Armaggeddon but are a bit tricky for me to recommend. Like their Starship VI gaming chair, these earbuds are considered pricier than what we’ve come to expect but these come with compromises.

If voice communications and battery life is a priority for you, these earbuds will get the job done. With voices, you won’t have to worry about the distortion that’s present when listening to songs. However, if you’re after a good musical experience, there are much more affordable alternatives out there.

With their first product out of the way, I look forward to seeing Armaggeddon improve future iterations of their wireless earbuds.

The Hornet-1 and Hornet-3 wireless earbuds are available now for RM129 and RM179 respectively, on the official Armaggeddon Shopee store. They’re having a promotion on March 16th where you’ll get a power bank as a free gift when purchasing the earbuds.

Armaggeddon Wasp-7 3D Pro Gaming Earphones Review

Originally Published: 6th August 2020 on eGG Network

Text Version:

Disclaimer: We received a review unit and two to give away, courtesy of Armaggeddon Malaysia in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are the author’s own and not influenced by Armaggeddon Malaysia, and/or its affiliates, in any way.

First things first, let’s get any misconceptions out of the way – if you’re looking for earphones to mix and master audio or to listen to high-quality FLAC tunes, these aren’t what you’re looking for. Armaggeddon has created a product that’s targeted at a very specific audience – gamers on a budget who want something better than the default headset that comes with their phones.

It’s not that you can’t listen to music with these WASP-7 – it’s just that when you put them on, you’ll want to hop into a lobby so you can command your teammates to push or gank without dealing with clunky chat wheel UI; not bop out to the latest Taylor Swift release. On that front, Armaggeddon has delivered.

Packaging

Here’s what you get in the box: wired earphones, a detachable microphone, extra tips, and a Y splitter. Nothing fancy, everything you expect comes packaged neatly in the box.

Comfort and Design

While I know it will vary from person to person, the in-ears fit into my ear canals perfectly out of the box. I was able to wear them for a few hours straight with no sign of discomfort. Though there’s no active cancellation, the silicon ear tips did a good job blocking out external noise while it was in use. It also comes with 2 pairs of additional tips in case the default ones are too large or small for you.

The earphones aren’t too flashy, in fact, the most eye-catching part (the golden drivers behind the transparent housing) aren’t visible when they’re plugged into your ears. From the outside, all you see is Armaggeddon’s signature logo and shiny gold inserts peeking through. Subtle, yet recognizable enough for anyone familiar with the brand – something I appreciate since I’m not a fan of over-the-top gamer aesthetics.

Performance

While the WASP-7 features a triple neodymium setup – more than its sibling, the WASP-5 which only has dual neodymium drivers – it doesn’t shine when it comes to music listening. Based on the sound tests I ran, the bass was surprisingly strong, but mids were slightly muddied and highs very muted. Though not a terrible experience, it was only satisfactory. I’ve had better experiences with other similarly priced earphones (wired and wireless) on this front.

However, when it comes to voice communications, the WASP-7 is on a league of its own. Taking cues from more expensive gaming headsets, the WASP-7 has a detachable microphone that plugs into the left earpiece and hangs right next to your mouth, allowing it to pick up your voice loud and clear. I was surprised by how effective the microphone was at picking up my voice during heated gaming sessions.

While I appreciate its sensitivity, it does pick up slightly too much ambient noise when you’re not speaking – try not to use it next to a fan, or make sure you enable noise removal on your communication apps when possible (i.e. Discord Noise Suppression).

The WASP-7 also include a traditional controller on its cable which has a nifty slider that allows you to easily adjust the volume of what you’re listening to instead of buttons that incrementally increase or decrease it. This makes controlling the audio coming through the speakers much faster and efficient. You also get a mute button to toggle the microphone and a button for pause/play operations.

Impressed with the range of sounds that the microphone was able to pick up, I decided to see how it would fare with music – since I noticed it’s something other cheap mics and built-in mics on phones struggled with. While it’s nowhere near the quality of studio-quality condenser mics, it was definitely good enough for home music demos. Again, make sure you’re in a quiet location so it doesn’t pick up too much ambient noise.

If you happen to misplace the detachable microphone or don’t have it with you, you can still use the regular microphone on the control piece. Great for those times when you want a more discreet look, but you’ll have to speak louder due to the mic’s position.

Lastly, if you’re planning to use this with a desktop PC, the WASP-7 also come with a Y splitter so you can plug the device into separate mic and headphone ports. This will also allow you to use it as a dedicated mic or earphone if you want to pair it up with another device. The removable microphone also makes this task a breeze – when you’re not gaming, just remove the microphone and you’ve got yourself a pair of regular earphones.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a very capable microphone + headset combo for mobile gaming, you can’t go wrong with the WASP-7. It checks all the bells and whistles when it comes to performance with voice communications and a reasonable price tag to boot. That being said, if you’re in the market for a headset to mainly listen to music, you’re better off looking elsewhere.

The WASP-7 Pro 3D earphones are available on Armaggedon’s official Shopee store for RM89.90.

Interested in checking out these earphones for free? We’ve got two units of the WASP-7 3D Pro to be given away. Stay tuned to eGG Network’s Facebook and Instagram page for details on how to win them!