Kingston A400 240GB SSD : Cheap Entry-Level SSD

For those who are looking to give their aging PCs or laptops a new lease of life, this entry-level SSD by Kingston works without a fuss and cheap too.

Benchmark, SSD speed. Not bad for a USD30 price tag.

Redmi Note 5 Pro/Ai Global Gets MIUI 10 V10.0.2.0.OEIMIFH update

Xiaomi started rolling out the V10.0.2.0.OEIMIFH stable ROM update for Redmi Note 5 Pro/Ai Global. Android security patch level is the same as previous update.

The Whatsapp app icon badge is fixed. I have no idea what's that camera fix is about on the changelog.

Camera

Below are some sample photos I've taken before and after the firmware update. I'll be comparing photos between V10.0.2.0.OEIMIFH and V10.0.1.0.OEIMIFH. I did not test the front facing camera as I rarely use it.

All photos are taken in:

1. Auto mode ( unless stated otherwise )
2. Picture quality is High
3. Contrast, saturation and sharpness is Normal
4. All photos are taken 45 cm away( from the nearest object ); phone is placed on a fixed stand and position.
5. Auto exposure settings is center-weighted.
6. Light intensity near the objects are about 160 lux ( measured with Lux Meter by Doggo apps ). So it's considered below average lighting condition.

V10.0.1.0.OEIMIFH, flash auto, HDR auto.

V10.0.2.0.OEIMIFH, flash auto, HDR auto.

The white balance is adjusted using the white tip on the jewel-shaped puzzle as a reference, giving the image a subtle overall improvement.

Flash auto, HDR auto. ISO 400, shutter speed 1/25.

V10.0.1.0.OEIMIFH, flash auto, HDR On.

V10.0.2.0.OEIMIFH, flash auto, HDR On.

Flash off, HDR On. ISO 400, shutter speed 1/25.

V10.0.1.0.OEIMIFH, portrait mode.

V10.0.2.0.OEIMIFH, portrait mode.

Photos below are taken in darker condition with some light source from another room. Light intensity is about 15 lux. 

V10.0.2.0.OEIMIFH, flash off, HDR off.

Flash off, HDR off.

V10.0.2.0.OEIMIFH, flash off, HDR On.

Flash off, HDR On.

The HDR on RN5 seems to have a big impact in low light conditions, so make sure you turn HDR on when taking photos in those conditions.

Sandisk Ultra Flair USB 3.0 - CZ73 32GB

Needed a few flash drive and got the Sandisk Ultra Flair USB 3.0 flash drive. Wanted a flash drive that is cheap and non-retractable design, so the Sandisk Ultra Flair CZ73 32GB seems to fit my needs.

The Sandisk Ultra Flair is smaller and slimmer than the standard flash drives.

Benchmark

The Sandisk Ultra Flair USB 3.0 was tested twice on a desktop with Windows 10.

Transferring one 1GB file from desktop to the flash drive (write speed).

Transferring 100 files from desktop to the flash drive (write speed).

The flash drive or any other types of storage will decrease in writing speed when there are many files. 

MIUI 10 Global Stable officially released for Redmi Note 5 Ai/Pro

Xiaomi finally released MIUI 10 Stable ROM for the Redmi Note 5 Ai/Pro 4 days ago. The V10.0.1.0.OEIMIFH ROM will be released to some users earlier and others will receive it soon. 

Those who can't wait for it, can download and manually install the ROM using the updater app. Go here to download the file.

Once the file is downloaded, move it to 'downloaded_rom' folder in your phone's internal storage. Goto Settings>About phone>System update. In the updater app, now goto the '3 dots' and press 'Choose update package'. Then navigate to the 'downloaded_rom' folder and select the file miui_HMNote5HMNote5ProGlobal_V10.0.1.0.OEIMIFH_98721c9743_8.1.zip. After installing, the phone will prompt for a reboot. *Warning: This ROM is not suitable for China version of Redmi Note 5 Ai. If you have it, please do not proceed. Check out the link here https://en.miui.com/thread-3831680-1-1.html. It is possible to flash Global ROM if your bootloader is unlocked for now.

Observations

Battery backup seems to have improved compared to my previous firmware version V9.6.3. This observation is based on my usual usage such as browsing, streaming videos, messaging, emails, some photo taking and no gaming.

Fingerprint scanner is working at it's usual speed, no problems there. Device is certified if you check on Google Play store settings. Connecting the phone to various bluetooth devices like speakers, earphones, headphones, mi band 3 works fine. GPS works fine like usual for me, but some people have noticed an improvement. Overall UI experience is smoother and responsive.

Camera

Photos look softer and have less details in them. Looks like there is over-smoothening of the photos this time. This is possibly due to many complaints on the forums that photos were too noisy. Frankly, I'd prefer a photo with more details, and choose to smoothen anything my way.

They got the HDR right on this firmware finally. On the previous versions, all photos with HDR look really dark. Portrait mode on the stock camera seems identical with previous firmwares. Based on the comparison below, edge detection does seem to have improved slightly.

There are no changes to white balance, saturation and brightness in the photos. There is a slight improvement on the stock camera app startup. But I've never felt it being slow on previous firmwares.

Video recording? The new 1080p 60fps option is just horrible. EIS does not work well in this option and video footages all looked darker, compared to the other video modes.

I did not test the selfie camera as I rarely use it. 

V10.0.1.0.OEIMIFH sample photos

Below are some sample photos I've taken before and after the firmware update. I'll be comparing photos between V9.6.3.0.OEIMIFD and V10.0.1.0.OEIMIFH since I'm updating from V9.6.3.0.OEIMIFD.

All photos are taken in:

1. Auto mode ( unless stated otherwise )
2. Picture quality is High
3. Contrast, saturation and sharpness is Normal
4. All photos are taken 37 cm away( from the nearest object ); phone is placed on a fixed stand and position.
5. Auto exposure settings is center-weighted.
6. Light intensity near the objects are about 160 lux ( measured with Lux Meter by Doggo apps ). So it's considered below average lighting condition.

 Top photo is V9.6.3.0.OEIMIFD. Bottom photo is V10.0.1.0.OEIMIFH. Flash auto, HDR off.

Comparison side by side. 100% zoomed in.

Top photo is V9.6.3.0.OEIMIFD. Bottom photo is V10.0.1.0.OEIMIFH. Flash auto, HDR on. Flash did not fire on both versions.

Comparison side by side. 100% zoomed in.

Flash auto, HDR auto.

Top photo is V9.6.3.0.OEIMIFD. Bottom photo is V10.0.1.0.OEIMIFH. Portrait mode.

Top photo is V9.6.3.0.OEIMIFD. Bottom photo is V10.0.1.0.OEIMIFH. Flash auto, HDR auto. Taken in almost total darkness.

V9.6.3.0.OEIMIFD Global Stable released for Redmi Note 5/Pro

Xiaomi just released V9.6.3.0.OEIMIFD Global Stable for the Redmi Note 5/Pro. Those who are updating from much earlier versions will get a bigger file size update like 680MB or 706MB. For users who are not sure which incremental file update to use, just download the full ROM and update your phone. The full ROM can be found here.

Camera

For convenience sake, I'll be comparing photos between V9.5.13.0.OEIMIFA and V9.6.3.0.OEIMIFD since I'm updating from V9.5.13.0.OEIMIFA.

All photos are taken in:

1. Auto mode ( unless stated otherwise )
2. Picture quality is High
3. Contrast, saturation and sharpness is Normal
4. All photos are taken 35 cm away( from the nearest object ); phone is placed on a fixed stand and position.
5. Auto exposure settings is center-weighted.
6. Light intensity near the objects are about 150 lux ( measured with Lux Meter by Doggo apps ). So it's considered below average lighting condition.

HDR off/No flash. Top photo is V9.5.13.0.OEIMIFA, bottom photo is V9.6.3.0.OEIMIFD.

Portrait mode.  Top photo is V9.5.13.0.OEIMIFA, bottom photo is V9.6.3.0.OEIMIFD.

Portrait mode works fine on V9.6.3.0.OEIMIFD.

Changeable lizard on my plant. The only light source is from a very dim overhead light bulb. Portrait mode, handheld, ISO 2000, shutter speed 1/17.

I've taken various shots and all of them are identical in terms of colour tone, white balance, ISO and shutter speed. So there are no difference between these two firmwares. Portrait mode works fine on both versions.

There are no notification bugs and portable WiFi hotspot is working fine.