Realme launched the P1 Speed 5G with Dimensity 7300 Energy in India a few days ago. Now the company has started shipping the headphones it previously announced as well. Let’s delve further into the Realme Techlife Studio H1, including its expected price in Nepal.
Realme Techlife Studio H1 Overview
Design
The Realme Techlife Studio H1 comes with a scalable head beam and a collapsible metal shaft. It has a matte finish on the metal surfaces and is made of skin-friendly material. It is an over-ear audio accessory with a sponge memory cushion for a comfortable wearing experience.
These headphones are available in Crimson Beats, Ivory Beats, and Midnight Magic colours. The Techlife Studio H1 is apparently sweatproof, but Realme does not boast about its IP rating. For power, it relies on a 600mAh battery which offers up to 70 hours of playback. In the meantime, it takes just 90 minutes to fully charge.
Large 40mm dynamic drivers are responsible for the audio delivery. The Realme Techlife Studio H1 is equipped with the coveted high-fidelity LDAC codec. It also boasts double gold label sound quality along with spatial audio effects. These headphones work over Bluetooth v5.4 as well as through a wire. However, they give up on the 360° surround sound when using the latter medium.
The Realme Techlife Studio H1 also offers active noise cancellation of up to 43dB. Furthermore, it has three ANC modes which cut out different levels of ambient sounds. Lastly, the headphone works with latency as low as 80ms.
Realme Techlife Studio H1 Specifications
Design: Over-ear, Collapsible, Scalable head beam, Sweat resistant
Sound Driver: 40mm drivers
Noise Cancellation: Hybrid ANC up to 43dB
Connectivity: Bluetooth v5.4, Wired
Codecs: SBC, AAC, LDAC
Battery: 600 mAh
Playback: Up to 70 hours
Charging: Via USB Type-C, 1.5 hours
Features: Spatial Audio, Low Latency of up to 80ms
Realme Techlife Studio H1 Price in Nepal and Availability
The company launched these headphones on 15 October, however, they only began shipping on 21 October 2024. They are available in India for INR 4,499 with an INR 500 discount applied on top. If the Realme Techlife Studio H1 arrives in Nepal, we expect its price to be NPR 9,499.
This year I did not have Dashain (Rest in Peace, grandmum) and the floods and landslides all across the country killed the mood for travel too. Given that, I had nothing much to do on the holidays. So, I decided to change my collar, hop onto my scooter, and churn some extra income — off I went, to become an InDrive rider…
InDrive For Extra Income Overview
Registering
Enrolling yourself as an “InDrive MOTOR-BIKE Hero” is actually very easy! (I don’t understand what’s up with corporate and their corny job titles, seriously?)
So, InDrive has one single app for all the ride-sharing procedures. You can use it as a passenger as well as a driver. The toggle button is easily visible on the side menu, so that is where you switch into “Driver Mode”. After that, you just fill in all the details they ask for and wait for the verification. You’ll be notified through WhatsApp once they have greenlit you.
Here’s a personal piece of advice: If you have the sorry “payment slip” as proof of your driving eligibility, just upload the front of the paper for both the front and back images of the licence.
Well, here’s a scoop of information, I enrolled on InDrive wayyyyyy before Dashain was on the radar. I believe I am not the only one who did this, i.e. registered themselves into the platform and never took a ride. I had InDrive pinging me every now and then on WhatsApp — reminding me I was eligible InDrive rider, and how I could take rides and make money.
But, I just ignored those messages, went about my daily life, and didn’t think about it whatsoever. Until Dashain came around and I had nothing to do. In my brain, I was thinking, “Well, people surely need to move around for the festivals. The number of riders will probably be thin. I could easily make some extra income with InDrive right now.”
(It was never this jolly)
I was still hesitant about this whole InDrive-ing, but I tossed my uncertainty aside and took my first ride.
The income with InDrive: Cha-Ching
Now let’s talk money!
For the first day i.e. on Nawami, I started at 2 PM and ended the haul at 6 PM. In the four-hour timeframe, I completed eight rides and amassed over 800 rupees, excluding the commissions. I also burned about half a tank of petrol on this day.
The following day I started earlier, went further and pulled off 13 rides and over two grands in income. On this day, I took a break in the middle, also visited a relative, and burned even more fuel which I waited over an hour in line to get.
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Day 1
Day 2
Combined, my income was NPR 3,300 and a little extra in total and I paid InDrive a little over 300 in service payments. In the meantime, I had two rides off the book as well — not by choice.
I likely finished a full petrol tank in two days which is about 5 litres on my scooter. I ride the Yamaha RayZR, arguably the best mileage-giving two-wheeler out there — so that helped. On average, my scooter returns me about 45 kilometres on a litre of petrol. I refuel when the scooter says it’s on the last bar, which rarely converts to over NPR 700 even when filling to the brim.
So, in total, I saved myself about 2,500 with maybe around 12 hours of work. I found it quite lucrative, to be honest.
Findings
InDrive is pretty good for extra income and it becomes second nature pretty fast once you take the first ride. Now I don’t see a reason anymore why I wouldn’t pick a ride request on my way to wherever I am heading. I will absolutely pick a passenger up whenever I can and make some extra money. Who cares if I have to take a bit of a detour?
Also, more often than not, people pay exactly the amount they’ve bid — that too in cash. It sounds quite obvious, but I found it quite surprising because usually tip the rider when I am the passenger. And I pay online. A bit of a reality check for me, I guess. It’s not that you don’t get tipped at all, but it’s definitely not as much as you’d expect.
I did all the rides without a mobile holder mounted onto my scooter. It’s surely a hassle, but completely do-able. I tried taping my phone onto the dashboard with double-sided tape, but that thing came off after, like the third ride. I had to peel it off for the safety of my phone. 10 outta 10, would NOT recommend! 😮💨
It’s not all rainbows
The labour
You save good money from InDrive alright, but there are some catches — of course! The one you can easily figure out is, it’s really physically taxing. By the end of the two-day haul, my tailbone was hurting, and I felt a sharp pain in my left wrist.
The smoke and dust of Kathmandu is equally bad. It got me popping Strepsils because my throat felt a bit rusty. Now that winter is here, I can only imagine how much tougher it will get.
Insurance is a fugazi
The other major thing that did not sit right with me was the lack of insurance. Previously, InDrive was absolutely free and a heaven for riders. However, after officially launching they started charging a total of 10% (8.84% service charge + 13% VAT on the service charge) on every ride.
During the launch, they claimed insurance was on the way, but it’s been this many months and it’s nowhere to be seen. On top of that, the law mandates insurance to be compulsory for a ride-sharing platform. Yet, here we are — a key player in the industry running freely without one.
Triple-loading
In the 21 rides I did in Dashain, I had to triple-load — thrice! It was a mum and her child duo, which is cute… but not when you have been hailed for a ride. There was no extra income for me or anything on that InDrive request with an extra little person. I have already accepted the request and reached the pickup location. Then a mum arrives with her kid. Urm… what?
This might have been an effect of Dashain though. I haven’t had to do anything like that on later rides. *touch wood*
Let’s go offline!
I mentioned taking two rides off the books earlier, remember? That was not by choice. I do not endorse or support offline rides. But I do not have much of a choice when the passenger cancels or requests to be dropped off at a different location after they have already hopped onto my scooter, can I?
In the first instance, the customer cancelled the request because their friend needed to book another ride. It seems to be a common occurrence in InDrivebecause I had a similar request earlier as well.
The other time, the customer actually wanted to go to Bhaktapur but couldn’t find a ride because it was too far away. So, they resorted to setting the destination somewhere in the middle and requested to drop them off at Bhaktapur instead.
Other issues too
So far I have mentioned some major issues, but there are other minor issues too. Like, customers place the locations wrong. I have had to circle around a bit too much to find my passenger. They did tip me because of their goodwill, but InDrive does not care what issues I face. Then there are instances where people ask to be dropped off a bit too far from where they have pinned. No compensation whatsoever. Pathao on the other hand has a dynamic fare system, so it makes sure I get paid in full.
I have had customer blame me for their poor time management even though I arrived at the pickup before the estimated time. Then there is InDrive pretending to have a lot of requests, even though that’s not the case. I can’t tell you how many times I have offered for pickup and the order is suddenly “not active” or “expired”. And on normal days, the competition with other fellow InDrive Motorbike Heroes are bit too intense.
And, and, and, those InDrive couriers are a blatant robbery! Those requests are so dirt-cheap that they don’t make sense to accept unless you already have a passenger to drop somewhere en route. One time I travelled over 7 kilometres to drop a package for NPR 120. Later that day, I made 30% extra income from the two InDrive rides I did, totalling about 5 kilometres.
I covered a similar issue with InDrive previously as well. Do check it out.
InDrive For Extra Income: Conclusion
All in all, going blue-collar and becoming an InDrive rider was an experience, to say the least. There are pros, which are mostly money, and there are cons. I can confidently say that InDrive is a good source of extra income — however, you need to be able to put up with the challenges it presents. Even if you go easy with it, it’ll still provide you with enough amount, such that your vehicle pays for itself. You can make extra income of Rs. 2,000 with InDrive in ONE DAY!
Keeping pace with the tech world’s rhythm, Acer unveiled the Predator Triton Neo 16 with Meteor Lake Intel Core Ultra chips a couple of months ago. In this article, let’s talk about the design, features, specifications, chipset, availability, and price in Nepal of the Acer Predator Triton Neo 16 (2024).
Acer Predator Triton Neo 16 Overview:
Performance and Chipset
The Predator Triton Neo 16 (2024) will sport the new Core Ultra 7 and Core Ultra 9 SoCs. But this change might not be as significant as you might expect. Here’s why.
Acer’s current gaming laptops are powered by Intel Core i7, i9 H series chipsets. And benchmarks from early reviewers as well as Intel don’t show any significant improvement in CPU performance. Moreover, the Arc Graphics which is one of the major highlights of Meteor Lake might not be too relevant as the Neo 16 is a gaming laptop featuring dedicated NVIDIA GPUs.
But the new chips do feature 2 LPE cores which should help preserve battery life during very light tasks. Finally, there’s also a dedicated NPU (Neural Processing Unit) which should accelerate AI-related tasks and help with efficiency.
Moving on, as previously said, the laptop will feature dedicated NVIDIA GPUs up to a 4070 with 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM. This means you get access to features like DLSS 3.5, frame gen, and more.
To keep the system cool, Neo 16 is equipped with a 5th Gen AeroBlade 3D fan, liquid metal on the CPU, and vector heat pipes. Users can control the functionality via the Predator Sense 5.0 utility.
Design and Display
On the design front, the Triton Neo 16 doesn’t have your typical game-ry design. It features a modest Predator Logo on the top of the lid while the rest is a clean slate. The front is minimal too but accompanied with a 3-zone RGB keyboard for aesthetics.
And, as the name suggests, the Triton Neo 16 sports a 16-inch screen. Acer offers 2 display configurations with up to a 3.2K res 165Hz IPS panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio and full DCI-P3 color coverage. There’s also Calman-Verification for true-to-life cinematic colors and support for Advanced Optimus and G-SYNC to prevent screen tearing and stutters.
On the topic of connectivity, there’s an HDMI port, two USB-A ports, Thunderbolt 4 ports, a MicroSD card, and a 3.5mm jack. There’s Acer’s Purified Voice 2.0 which makes use of AI filtering to capture clear vocals without causing echos or distortion. Details about the battery and charging speeds haven’t been disclosed as of yet.
Resolution: 3.2K (3200×2560) resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio
Processor:
Intel Core Ultra 7 chips
Intel Core Ultra 9 chips
Graphics: up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 (8GB GDDR6)
I/O Ports: 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 2x Thunderbolt 4, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x audio jack, 1x MicroSD
Acer Predator Triton Neo 16 (2024) Price in Nepal and Availability
The Triton Neo 16 price in Nepal is set at NPR 230,000 for the Core Ultra 9, RTX 4070 variant. There’s also an RTX 4060 variant that somehow costs more despite being identical in other aspects. We expect it to get a discount and sell around that 2 lakh rupee mark soon.
Although not a big fan of the segment itself, I found myself quite enjoying using the budget Tecno Spark for the last few days. That can possibly be attributed to many factors, but I think it’s the amalgamation that’s most crucial. Hence here in my full review, I will walk you through my experience with the Tecno Spark 30C, its strengths, and drawbacks, and why I think Tecno might have got the formula down for a role budget device with this one!
Budget phones are getting better and better at hiding their class in recent times. I mean a single glance was all you needed to tell apart a sub-100 USD smartphone from one ten times pricier.
Well, I don’t think it’s that simple anymore.
Be it this Tecno Spark that I am reviewing, the Hot 50 from Infinix, or even the Redmi 14C, these budget devices have started pushing the boundaries of what it means to “look” above your weight class. Sure, it can go sideways pretty fast with shimmery gimmicks and reflective backs, but this Orbit Black Spark 30C in my hands has the perfect blend of taste and elegance. It doesn’t give away and that’s what I like the most about its design.
Yes, it looks good with that circular island and silver ring but there’s no obvious glimmer that would dampen the shine. Tecno provides a transparent case in the box with a set of paired earphones too, but the black is just too sexy to cover up. Besides, the Spark is pretty lightweight and has a pre-applied screen guard, so going commando wasn’t really a concern.
To see if I was the only one enchanted, I asked some of my (techy) colleagues and (non-techy) friends, and the consensus was…
Yeah, (it) … looks pretty good!
Display
6.67-inches HD+ IPS LCD, 120Hz
While not as deceiving, the front is relatively modern as well with a punch-hole screen and ok-ish bezel chin combo. The panel is a 720p 120Hz LCD which is surprising given the price. We are used to seeing 90 and 60Hz panels but some of those are Full HD resolutions. I would rather have had a 1080p 90Hz or even a basic 60Hz panel to be honest. I do see the angle Tecno is taking here, and the 120Hz does make the Spark 30C feel a lot quicker than most budget phones but trading in return are those pixels. 1080p has somewhat become the baseline for media today but after using the Spark for a bit, I think 720p is still definitely workable.
Just a quick note if you are considering picking the Spark 30C for its 120Hz display alone..don’t! To no one’s surprise, you can’t lock the phone at that refresh rate and it only goes that far on System UI and navigation. The majority of the time, you are either going to be working with 90 or 60 Hertz depending on the application and optimization.
The colors are a bit cool and visibility under direct sunlight isn’t the best either but I’d give the display good marks for the price. Could have made different choices, but it’s a well-packed offering.
Speaker and Haptics
The dual speakers are not terrible but not as good as I expected. They are fairly clear but don’t go super loud or have much fullness. Perfectly fine for watching YouTube videos, scrolling reels, and playing your favorite tune once in a while but nothing more. The haptics are fine too, buzz buzz sometimes, nothing out of the ordinary.
Performance
Octa-core MediaTek Helio G81 (12nm Mobile Platform)
6/8GB LPDDR4X RAM, 128/256GB eMMC 5.1
On the helm is the Helio G81 chipset from MediaTek which while sounds different is basically the ever-popular Helio G85 but with a slightly weaker GPU. So, performance-wise, you are getting almost the same amount of horsepower as most of the competition.
For day-to-day struggles, the G81 is competent enough to push through most of your needs without too many hitches. There are going to be stutters once in a while, and that 120Hz (or should I say 90Hz) does dip in frames here and there but that’s the budget experience I got used to during my review.
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And for all the gamers out there, yes this budget phone can indeed play some light games here and there. I ran a couple of my regular titles including Subway Surfers, Call of Duty, and Asphalt and they ran as well as I expected. You can go up to ‘High’ framerate in CODM with good stability and response.
Software and UI
Android 14 with HIOS on top
Software is a tricky topic on the Spark 30C. On one hand, the skin is light and clean and I didn’t receive any ads or recommendations which is surprisingly hard to get in this price bracket. On the other hand, Tecno makes no promise on the support side of things, so you are likely not going to get the latest Android updates for long (if at all).
For now, the phone boots on Android 14 with the company’s HiOS skin on top. There are many features like High Boost, Sidebar, …… which was nice to see (at least some of them). And despite Tecno saying “4 years plus lasting frequency” on the box, don’t be fooled, they are not talking about software support there, it’s just arbitrary marketing about some optimizations by the company to ensure fluidity. With that all put out, I think I like the “it’s good now, we’ll worry about the future later” approach more than the “let’s put ads in your face to keep costs down” route.
Camera
Dual camera setup at the back
(50MP primary, 2MP depth)
8MP selfie camera (notch cutout)
The camera setup is nothing steller on the Spark 30C but it does get the job done most of the time. The 50MP primary is all there to talk about since there is no ultrawide, and the depth lens can’t do anything on its own.
Daylight
I like the colors of the shots from the Tecno, the details are fine too, and I think for a budget phone, you are not going to get something entirely different from the competition. I do wish the dynamic range were better even if it’s just a little bit because overly bright or dark environments are just out of the question right now.
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Portraits and Selfies
I think human subjects and portraits are areas that Tecno can still work on to deliver better results. As you can see from the samples I took during my review, the Spark 30C can indeed spew good-looking portraits, but it’s somewhat inconsistent, the skin tones can veer off route, and the edge detection is wonky most of the time. Of course, I wouldn’t expect a budget phone to nail everything, but its competition from Samsung and Redmi take better portraits.
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The selfies are decent too but they are on the poor side for a modern smartphone. Given sufficient lighting, the details come out okay, but the range and the overall look feel compromised. The edge detection isn’t the best either and your face might come off as a slightly pinker hue than normal. Overall, not un-usable but not very confidence inspiring either.
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Nighttime and Video
Since the sensor inside the Spark is small and doesn’t feature any Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), images in low light conditions often turn out soft lacking in detail. Light sources aren’t handled properly hence highlights are overblown and shadows have no details. The ‘Super Night’ mode helps out on some of that, giving images a bit more backbone in terms of sharpness, and preventing overblows. But some might turn out a bit too punchy in terms of vibrancy and the added sharpness might feel a tad too unnatural.
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Night Mode
Night Mode
Night Mode
On the videography side of things, you can surprisingly go up to 2K 30fps from both the front and rear cameras. And to Tecno’s credit, the details are better, and the overall feed looks sharper than most budget smartphones. But don’t expect much in terms of highlight management, good dynamic range, or stability.
Battery and Charging
5,000 mAh
18W fast charging
The battery life of the Spark 30C is also satisfactory. It’s a standard 5,000 mAh that we see in most others but the endurance is slightly lesser likely due to the high refresh rate screen. Regardless I was getting around a day of use before feeling the need to plug it back in. That’s around 6-7 hours of screen time with a usage pattern consisting mostly of the camera, social media, and a few games. The charging is a bit on the slower side at just 18W, but you’ll completely fill up in under 2 hours. Or you can do what I did, and do quick 30-minute refills once in a while which will net you an additional 30% battery on average.
Tecno Spark 30C Review: Conclusion
All in all, I think the Spark 30C is a solid budget phone for under 20,000 rupees in Nepal right now. Its biggest competitors include the Nord N30SE which recently dropped nearly 30% in MSRP, the Redmi 14C with similar specs, and the standard Redmi 13. All of which compromise on one or more aspects of the Spark. The Nord for example has a faster chip but is limited to just 4 gigs of RAM (and 128GB memory), while the Redmis are plagued by ads and bloatware. So, if you are looking to get an all-round budget phone for under 20,000 rupees, the Spark 30C might be worth a second look!
The iPhone 16 or the Galaxy S24 – Which is a better compact and affordable flagship? Let’s talk about that! The iPhone 16 costs 80,000 Rupees right now while S24, being a comparatively older device is currently available for a discounted price.
I have been using the iPhone 16 for about 1 week now and one of my team members has been using the S24 for about 8 months now, so we thought why not compare them and help you make your purchase decision easier? I will choose one definite winner, so watch till the end!
Samsung Galaxy S24 vs iPhone 16: Specs
Feature
Galaxy S24
iPhone 16
Design
Armor Aluminum 2.0, IP68 certification
Aluminum and glass design, IP68 certification
Display
6.2-inch “Infinity-O” Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel
6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, 60Hz refresh rate
Properties
120Hz variable refresh rate, Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Resolution: 2556 x 1179 pixels
Chipset
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4nm) or Exynos 2400 (4nm)
Apple 18 SoC
RAM
8GB LPDDR5
8GB
Storage Options
128GB / 256GB (non-expandable)
Up to 512GB
Rear Camera
50MP, f/1.8 (OIS, Dual Pixel AF)
48MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide camera
Front Camera
12MP, f/2.2
12MP
Security
Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor, Face Unlock
TrueDepth camera for Face ID
Audio
Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital/Plus
Stereo speakers
Connectivity
5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC
Wi-Fi 7, USB Type-C port
Battery
4,000mAh, 25W wired charging
3,561mAh
Wireless Charging
Yes (10W), Reverse wireless charging
Yes
Color Options for Nepal
Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow
Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine
Galaxy S24 vs iPhone 16 Review
Design
Ok let’s start with the design and if I have to be 99.99% honest, I seriously can’t choose between the two. Both of them are quite handy and premium, I love both of them! The S24 has the classic Samsung design language with this traffic light camera module while Apple has reworked on the looks and the colour options a little bit this time. And I have to say, both phones look fantastic! Both phones have a glass design with top-notch protection ( animation- GGV2 on S24 vs Ceramic Sheild), Aluminium frames, and are extremely well built for a compact phone.
Design
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The only little edge the S24 has is that its tad lighter and also has trimmed bezels in comparison to the iPhone 16. To balance that out, we get stronger 3rd gen Ceramic Shield glass protection and a better IP68 rating on the iPhone 16, which can be fully submerged in 6m deep water for 30 minutes while the S24 can only do that till 1.5 meters. And for the first time on a non-pro iPhone, we get this customizable action button, which I find extremely useful. The new camera button, for me, is kind of a gimmick though!
Display
Over on to the front, despite being an Apple user myself, I just can’t defend iPhone 16’s 60 Hz screen in 2024 – that too on a flagship phone! Quality-wise, this screen is top-notch, the colours are great, the contrast is on point, but things like scrolling web pages or opening apps feel a little stuttery on the iPhone 16 especially if you put it against the Galaxy S24.
Display
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iPhone 16 vs S24
iPhone 16 vs S24
iPhone 16 vs S24
The S24 has slightly better peak brightness numbers too. But while using normally in the auto mode, the iPhone 16 goes a little brighter (1450 nits vs 1700 nits on iPhone 16). Again, both devices are sufficiently bright in any condition anyway, so I don’t think it’s necessary to nitpick. However, one thing the iPhone 16 does better is that it can get really dim, as dim as 1 nit while the S24 cannot do that, so if you are a night owl like me, the iPhone 16’s display might be more comfortable for you to scroll social media all night.
Although scrolling means you will notice the 60 Hz screen again..Okay, fine I will not troll iPhone anymore! But I do think it’s fair to give Samsung a point as far as display is concerned because the S24 meets all the criteria of a good flagship display, while the iPhone is still tad behind!
Audio and Haptics
Now, both the iPhone and the S24 feature great speakers, but Apple has done a slightly better job with the mids and highs on the iPhone 16, they sound really crisp. Have a listen for yourself…(audio sample)
In terms of haptics though, I love them both. iPhone 16’s vibration feels slightly tighter but Samsung’s vibration is a bit more impactful. In any case, I have not missed any call or notification on either of these devices and I have loved typing on both, so, it’s a difficult choice.
Battery and Charging
But one thing that’s definitely better on the iPhone 16 is the battery life. Apple has included a slightly bigger battery this time and that coupled with the new 3nm energy-efficient A18 chip, and the 60Hz refresh rate, I was getting significantly better battery life on the iPhone 16 in comparison to the S24.
While the S24 gave me a max of 5.5 hours of screen time, the iPhone 16 would provide almost 7 hours of normal usage which is commendable for a phone of this size. Also, overnight battery drain on iPhone is just 0, like nothing while the s24 still loses about 2% when it’s kept idle overnight.
Charging both these phones is a slow process though. The S24 charges at 25 watts and takes around 1 hour and 20 minutes for a complete refill, while the iPhone 16 charges even slower at 20 watts and takes around 1 hour and 35 minutes to fully juice up. But when it comes to wireless charging, Apple has upgraded to 25 watts this time while the S24 is still stuck at a measly 15 watts. Hopefully, with the new S25 series, we will get to see faster wireless charging too.
Performance
Anyway, this year, the major change Apple has brought to their entire iPhone 16 lineup is in the performance. Instead of going for older tried and tested chips, Apple decided to go for the new A18 chip on the iPhone 16 and let me tell you, this chipset is very powerful. If you look at all the benchmark numbers, the stability scores and everything, the iPhone 16 tops the S24 in almost everything.
Likewise, the iPhone 16 gets less hot than the S24 as well. Over the years, we have seen Samsung trying to push Exynos in their low-end flagships, and they are not bad, but one thing Exynos does not do well is sustained performance. Running something like an Antutu or 3d Mark test for 3 to 5 consecutive times, the S24 starts throttling the performance whereas the iPhone 16 does not do that.
The temperature numbers are also more favorable on the iPhone whether it’s while running complex benchmarks or doing something like recording a 4k video for 30 minutes. Even when it comes to gaming, the stability is better on the iPhone 16 whether it is in mid-tier games like PUBG or high-end ones like Genshin Impact.
Now, you have to know that even the iPhone 16 is not a perfect gaming device because the 60 Hz screen is bottlenecking it to reach higher fps, so gaming at smoother 90 or 120 fps is not a possibility here at all. On the other hand, the S24 does allow high fps gaming but as i said earlier, the sustained performance and stability are not that great.
And if you are a content creator like me who edits their reels on their phones, I am happy to report that the iPhone 16 does a faster job at doing something like rendering a video. Although doing normal things like opening apps, multitasking, etc, both phones are pretty neck and neck.
Software
When it comes to software, both Apple and Samsung are at the top of their game. I am not going to get into the whole iOS vs Android debate, but you do get 7 years of OS updates on the S24 while looking at Apple’s history, you are bound to get 6-7 years updates on iPhones.
And this year, there are a lot of customizability options that Apple has introduced, so it doesn’t feel constricted using an iPhone either. However, one thing that Samsung tops in is in AI features, atleast for now. I mean, Apple did introduce Apple Intelligence way back in June in WWDC and I was kind of hoping that it will be available with the new iPhone 16 series, but no, it will be some time before Apple Intelligence arrives. With Samsung, all their AI features are already here, very functional, circle to search, Voice transcription, everything, so Samsung has a little edge over Apple in this area.
Cameras
Alright, let’s talk about the cameras now and here too, spec-wise, Samsung has a little edge with an extra 3x Telephoto lens which means you will be able to take some stunning portraits with it.
On the other hand, the only significant change that Apple has made this year in the iPhone 16 is that they have added autofocus in the Ultra wide lens to be able to click macro photos. In Samsung’s case, there is no option for macro photos as such.
Anyway, I have clicked a ton of pictures from both these devices and just like every year, the most apparent difference is in the color tone. Samsung prefers bright and vibrant colors while iPhone 16’s images are kind of flat and laid back. Details and dynamic range are pretty comparable on both.
Daytime
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Iphone 16
S24
Iphone 16
S24
Iphone 16
S24
Iphone 16
S24
Now, I am someone who likes punchy colors and pictures that are sort of social media ready, so most of the time I have preferred Samsung’s images. Although, in some pictures, I have loved the contrast that the iPhone 16 produces. And if you like raw, unfiltered images, it’s the iPhone’s output you will like better. You can take some good macro shots with the iPhone 16 which is something the S24 cannot do, although you can use the 3x lens to get a bit closer to subjects.
The portraits from both the phones are nice, I compared the 2x digitally cropped portraits from both and they come out quite good.
Portrait
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IPhone 16
S24
IPhone 16
S24
IPhone 16
S24
IPhone 16
S24
IPhone 16
S24
Again there is the toned down colors vs slightly saturated output from iphone vs Samsung, but both phones do a great job of clicking human subjects. The iPhone 16 has slightly better details when you zoom in though.
Selfies
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Iphone 16
S24
Iphone 16
S24
Iphone 16
S24
Iphone 16
S24
Selfies look a bit more pleasing from Samsung too. Again, there are slightly better details from the iPhone 16, but S24’s images just look livelier.
Night time
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S24
iphone 16
S24
S24
iphone 16
iphone 16
S24
During night time, again, Samsung’s output is nice, bright and sharp. The iPhone 16 just tends to make the images unnecessarily warm which does not look good in most instances. You can choose a different color tone from the photographic styles option, but it actually feels like a filter on top most of the time, so I did not use it altogether.
The only issue with Samsung’s nighttime shots is the terrible glare management and sometimes its night mode tends to process the images a bit more making them unnatural.
Ultrawide
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iPhone 16
S24
iPhone 16
S24
iPhone 16
S24
The ultra-wide images, both during daytime and nighttime have very similar science as that of the primary lens, a little more vibrant from Samsung while we get a sort of a warm and toned down output from the iPhone 16. When you zoom in, it’s the iPhone 16 that has slightly better details and it is also able to maintain exposure a little better than the S24.
When it comes to the videos, without any second opinion, I will give credit to the iPhone 16. The kind of smoothness and details that it can produce is not something Samsung or any other Android brand has been able to match. Plus, there are nifty little things like being able to switch between lenses in 4K 60 fps, S24 can only do it in 4K 30fps! You also get a better cinematic video output, the new Audio mix feature for audio enhancement, etc so overall, the iPhone 16 definitely make it a superior video camera.
About the Extras
Ok.. finally let me talk about a couple of extras and there are a couple of things that I think Apple needs to improve on, like using a faster USB protocol for instance. The Type C port on the iPhone 16 is still USB 2.0 which means transferring data to and from it is comparatively slower.
Second, even though the repairability is now easier on iPhones, Apple still hasn’t dropped the repair costs, it’s still 3-4 times what Samsung charges, so I definitely think Apple needs to work on that. (Back glass 2440 vs 14,900, screen 7170 vs 25,500)
Besides that, both phones use the latest Bluetooth version, while you get Wifi 7 support on the iPhone 16 vs Wifi 6e on the S24. So, if you have a compatible router, you can take advantage of faster Wifi on the iPhone 16.
Galaxy S24 vs iPhone 16 Review: Conclusion
Ok! Conclusion time and going back to my initial question, which is a better compact flagship in 2024 – the S24 or the iPhone 16? Well, for starters, if you are a gamer, none of these devices are suitable for you. The 60 Hz hardware limitation on the iPhone 16 and the S24’s terrible sustained performance makes both of them not ideal for gaming!
Both these devices are more than decent for general usage though especially when it comes to things like media consumption and their size makes it a good fit for someone who wants a more pocketable design.
However, I feel like because the S24 has received a ton of updates and a little bit of discounts right now, it is a more value-for-money option right now.
And even if you want an iPhone, rather than going for the iPhone 16, I would suggest it’s better to save a whole lot of money and get the iPhone 15 instead because all those AI stuff that Apple has promised won’t be here anytime soon, especially here in Asia.
Meanwhile, check out video on Galaxy S24 vs iPhone 16
Sony has introduced the WF-C510 earbuds in India and globally.. These entry-level earbuds serve as a successor to the popular WF-C500 model. In this article, we will discuss everything about the latest Sony WF-C510, including its expected price in Nepal and availability.
Sony WF-C510 Earbuds Overview
Design and Comfort
The WF-C510 features a compact design. They are lighter and smaller than their predecessor. Users can choose from four color options: white, black, blue, and yellow. The earbuds come with physical buttons for easy control, although their size may lead to accidental presses.
Audio Performance
The earbuds are equipped with a 6mm dynamic driver, delivering a frequency response of 20-20,000Hz. They support SBC and AAC codecs over Bluetooth 5.3. The WF-C510 includes a microphone that performs adequately for calls. Passive noise isolation effectively reduces ambient sounds, although there is no active noise cancellation.
Battery Life
The WF-C510 boasts a battery life of 11 hours on a single charge, with an additional 11 hours provided by the case. Users can gain approximately one hour of playback time with a quick five-minute charge.
The earbuds support multipoint connection, allowing users to connect to multiple devices simultaneously. They also feature an IPX4 rating, making them splash-resistant. The Sony Sound Connect app enables users to customize sound settings, including a five-band equalizer and transparency mode for ambient sound control.
Sony WF-C510 Specifications
Driver Size: 6mm dynamic driver
Frequency Response: 20-20,000Hz
Audio Codecs: SBC, AAC
Bluetooth Version: 5.3
Battery Life: 11 hours (earbuds), 11 hours (case)
Quick Charge: 1 hour playback with 5-minute charge
Water Resistance: IPX4 rating (splash-resistant)
Microphone: Built-in for calls
Additional Features:
Multipoint connection
Customizable sound settings via Sony Sound Connect app
Transparency mode for ambient sound control
Color Options: White, black, blue, yellow
Sony WF-C510 Price in Nepal and Availability
Sony WF-C510 is priced at INR 3,990. When makes it here, we expect the Sony WF-C510 price in Nepal to be no less than NPR 6,500.
TWS Earbuds
Price in India (Official)
Price in Nepal (Expected)
Sony WF-C510
INR 3,990
NPR 6,500
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Galaxy S24 FE
Amazfit has introduced its new Up open-ear earbuds in the global market. These latest open earbuds come with many different features such as an AI-powered algorithm that helps reduce background noises. Without further ado, let’s dive in this article to learn everything about the latest Amazfit Up, including its expected price in Nepal and availability.
Amazfit Up Overview
Design and Durability
Each earbud weighs just 5 grams, while they are rated IP54 for protection against dust and water. The clip-on earbuds leave the ear canal open, which should help in comfort and maintaining awareness of surroundings during use.
Audio
The Amazfit Up earbuds come equipped with an AI-powered algorithm that reduces background noise, which Amazfit claims to enhance call clarity in noisy environments. In addition, when paired with an Amazfit smartwatch, users can receive real-time workout updates and turn-by-turn navigation.
The Amazfit Up supports Bluetooth 5.3. In addition, It also supports Bluetooth Multipoint, which enables users to connect the earbuds to two devices at once. Additionally, the earbuds offer 6 hours of battery life on a single charge, with an additional 18 hours provided by the charging case, which takes 2 hours to charge via USB-C.
Amazfit Up Specifications
Weight: 5 grams each
Durability: IP54 dust and water resistance
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, Bluetooth Multipoint (connects to two devices)
Battery Life: 6 hours (earbuds), +18 hours with charging case (USB-C, 2-hour charging time)
The budget segment of the Nepalese smartphone market is pretty competitive these days. We have a new phone popping in almost every two weeks. Today, I have this Redmi 14C which is quite a bold phone in terms of the rear design. As I have been using this phone for a week now, here’s everything you need to know about the Redmi 14C’s design, display, performance, camera, and battery aspects. But before heading toward the Redmi 14C review, let’s scroll through the specs first, shall we?
Budget phones are not necessarily boring these days and the Redmi 14C is a suitable example. The rear panel of this guy looks premium with an Oreo-shaped circular camera module and a vegan leather finish on this Sage Green variant I have. It didn’t fail to impress me but I bet, the Dreamy Purple is even more eye-catching if you are fond of some colors.
Meanwhile, the front side is not that appealing I’d say, as we get a waterdrop notch display with a thicker chin on the bottom. I know this is common across budget phones but recently, Tecno has upped its game by providing a more modern-looking hole-punch cutout display in the same segment.
120Hz Display
6.52” HD+ IPS LCD display
120Hz refresh rate
Okay talking of the display, it is a tall 6.88-inch IPS LCD panel with HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Yep, a fast 120Hz refresh rate on a budget phone, while the base flagship phones from the Cupertino giant are still ridiculously stuck at 60Hz in 2024! Alright, you get two refresh rate options the Redmi 14C which by default, automatically adjusts up to 120Hz. But in my testing, it goes only up to 90Hz on that setting and if you truly want to witness 120Hz, go to the second option and choose the “Up to 120Hz” option.
And I didn’t really expect a buttery smooth scrolling for the price and it results the same. The 120Hz is only visible on the system settings app. And the social media apps can only run on a 60Hz refresh rate! Well, it’s a budget phone so, we can let that slide in, maybe? But at least a 90Hz experience on social media apps would have been wholesome.
Apart from that, the actual display quality is fine for the price. Good enough for reels, Tiktok scrolling and some movies. You don’t get a dual stereo speaker setup here while the mono one on the bottom can suffice your media consumption needs. Meanwhile, the sunlight readability is just on the decent side with 600nits on High Brightness Mode.
Now let’s talk about the performance side. This phone is powered by a Mediatek Helio G81 Ultra chipset on the core. This 12nm fabbed chipset bears the same architecture as the Helio G85 SoC. And the performance is also kinda similar. It can handle your day-to-day tasks like phone calls, texting, social media, and multimedia usage fine for the price! The memory variant starts at 4 gigs but I recommend you to get at least 6GB of RAM as apps in 2024 have gone resource-hungry. Plus, multitasking on a 4GB RAM phone might be a hassle sometimes.
In terms of gaming, you can opt in for some light games like Candy Crush, Subway Surfers, Temple Run, and such. If you are thinking of some BR actions like PUBG, the phone can only do it in a casual way with 30 frames. After all, it’s a budget midrange phone, so, it is expected!
Software and UI
HyperOS
Android 14
As for the software, the phone boots on HyperOS built on top of Android 14. It brings the customizations, the lock screen customization, icons, and such. But not all the features are available here. For instance, there is no 3D lock-screen wallpaper but it’s understandable as even the Redmi Note 13 Pro 4G, which I reviewed a few months ago, didn’t have this feature while the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus and above devices have it. Likewise, the phone does ship with some bloatware and ads! You can uninstall most of the bloats while turning off the app requires you to surf some settings. You have to go through’ Security, Music, and such app’s settings and turn off the receive recommendations option. This should solve the annoying ads.
Camera
Dual (50MP + Auxiliary lens)
13MP selfie camera
Camera
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Rear Camera
Front Camera
Technically, the Redmi 14C houses a dual camera setup but the usable camera is the 50MP main sensor. The auxiliary lens is just there to fill the module space. Upfront, there is a 13MP selfie snapper. I compared its camera with the Galaxy A14 4G and here’s what I have found.
Daylight
Talking of the daylight situations, I’m leaning on Redmi which boasts a more natural look than the Galaxy A06. The latter one subjects to produce more saturated colors which might appease some!
Daylight
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Samsung
Redmi
Samsung
Redmi
Samsung
Redmi
Samsung
Redmi
Samsung
Portraits
Coming to the portraits as well, I found the Redmi 14C to perform a tat bit better than the A06.
Portraits
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Samsung
Redmi
Samsung
Redmi
Samsung
Redmi
Samsung
Selfies
On the selfie side, both phones click decent-looking images with social media-ready images. In some pictures, the Galaxy A06 looks a bit more contrasty.
Selfies
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Samsung
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Samsung
Redmi
Samsung
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Samsung
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Samsung
Videos
And it’s a budget midrange phone, so, 1080p 30fps is all you have to settle for here. No EIS stabilization or anything!
Battery and Charging
5160mAh battery
18W fast charging support (33W charger in the box)
Charging
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As with every other phone in the segment, a 5160mAh battery fuels the Redmi 14C. Which goes for one day and a half on moderate usage. And to top this guy, Redmi generously provides a 33W charger in the box although the phone only supports 18W fast charging. So, if you have a Redmi phone lying around that supports 33W, you can make its full use.
Connectivity
The connectivity part on budget phones is pretty important if you ask me about it, especially for cellular connectivity. Because this segment is widely purchased by the population living on the rural side. Although, there is no issue for Ncell 4G, incase if you didn’t know, NTC’s 4G operates on Band 20 (800MHz) in rural areas which might not be present on some smartphones.
Thankfully, all officially launched Xiaomi/Redmi phones have support for this particular band, including the Redmi 14C. Plus, having Band 20 is also beneficial for city areas providing carrier aggregation and better 4G connectivity for NTC users. So, all-in-all this phone can do VoLTE calls, Carrier Video Calling, and WiFi Calling. Other than that, you get dual-band WiFi 5 support and Bluetooth 5.4 here for fast wireless connectivity.
Redmi 14C Review: Conclusion
Okay, it’s conclusion time folks! To sum up, the Redmi 14C is a very decent offering in the budget midrange segment with a premium-looking design and enough power for your day-to-day usage. The cameras are equally decent too. Likewise, HyperOS is feature-rich albeit the app recommendations and some infused ads can be a turn-off. But you can easily disable those and get a cleaner UI experience. Meanwhile, the battery life is good and the in-box 33W charger is commendable, despite the phone only supporting 18W. Overall, there is nothing much to complain about here, but, if I have to nitpick one, I would have definitely loved a hole-punch cutout display.
Qualcomm’s next-gen flagship is soon to ship inside the Realme GT7 Pro launching in China this week. But before its official release, the Snapdragon 8 Elite has been spotted on the AnTuTu benchmark, where it reportedly outperformed both MediaTek’s and Apple’s processors. So, let’s dive deeper into the rumors, leaked images, and speculations surrounding this news.
Snapdragon 8 Elite setting a new record!
The Snapdragon 8 Elite is creating significant buzz ahead of its official release because of its impressive leaked benchmark scores. A collaboration between OnLeaks and Smartprix has unveiled an image showing AnTuTu scores for two devices: the Realme GT 7 Pro, scoring 3,025,991, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max, scoring 1,651,728. This positions the Snapdragon 8 Elite as the highest-performing Snapdragon chip so far, surpassing both MediaTek’s recently released Dimensity 9400 SoC and Apple’s A18 Pro chip.
To be fair, it’s a frowned upon concept to compare Antutu scores between iOS and Android as they are configured differently but it does give us a rough idea about the overall performance of these devices. Moreover, something like Geekbench 6 is more suitable when talking about SOCs alone as the Antutu score also depends on memory and other aspects of the device.
Just edges ahead the MediaTek
However, the Vivo X200, powered by MediaTek’s upcoming 3nm Dimensity 9400 chipset, achieved a score of 3,007,853 on the same benchmark. So, Realme’s upcoming flagship isn’t the first phone to surpass the 3 million mark on AnTuTu which puts Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite just slightly ahead of its competitors.
Additionally, the Snapdragon 8 Elite might come in two variants: a standard version with two cores clocked at 4.09 GHz and six cores at 2.78 GHz, and an overclocked model with two cores running at 4.32 GHz.
In addition to AnTuTu, early leaks indicate impressive Geekbench performance for the Snapdragon 8 Elite, with the recently spotted OnePlus 13, featuring the same chipset, scoring 3,216 in single-core and 10,051 in multi-core tests on Geekbench 6. That’s more than the latest iPhone and the Dimensity counterpart! Impressive!!
Infinix launched the Hot 50i earlier this month. Now, the company has put up the Hot 50 Pro+ for pre-orders in Kenya. Much of the smartphone’s details are under wraps. Let’s discuss everything we know about the Infinix Hot 50 Pro+, its potential launch, its price in Nepal, and more.
Infinix Hot 50 Pro+ Overview
Design and Display
The company has made the design of this phone the primary focus of the device. It has curved edges and measures 6.8mm thick, which makes it thinner than a pencil. As such, Infinix proudly markets the Hot 50 Pro+ as the “World’s slimmest 3D-curved SlimEdge Design”. Furthermore, it is IP54 dust and water-resistant and apparently comes with TitanWing Architecture providing six-side anti-drop durability.
It has an AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and Corning Gorilla Glass protection on the front. The size and other specs of the display are still unknown, apart from the fact that it works with wet and greasy fingers too. Moving on, the Infinix Hot 50 Pro+ ships in purple, metallic, and black colour options.
Performance
This phone packs the MediaTek Helio G100 processor under the hood, which is one of the best options in the budget category. It is pretty much the same thing as the already popular Helio G99 but with slightly better benchmark scores.
Additionally, the Infinix Hot 50 Pro+ comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage on the board. It is currently unclear whether the phone will be available in other trims or not. Other than that, you can dynamically double the RAM and expand the storage with a MicroSD card. It has a dedicated slot for the latter.
In the tank, it has a 5,000 mAh battery that draws up to 33W of power to juice itself up. Even more, Infinix has equipped the Hot 50 Pro+ with its signature customisable charging speed feature too. The phone has an ultra-crystal graphite cooling system as well, to regulate the temperature.
Much like a lot of other information, the details of the optics system are a mystery. However, one of the promotional videos shows two lenses when highlighting the internals and various features of the phone. Hence, we can deduce that one of the camera cutouts on the Infinix Hot 50 Pro+ is a dud and it has a two-camera system. Moreover, the secondary sensor is likely a placeholder too, as is the case in a lot of affordable smartphones.
The Infinix Hot 50 Pro+ comes with a stereo speaker that has been fine-tuned by the popular audio brand JBL. The phone has an in-display fingerprint sensor for added security. It also has Infinix AI baked into it allowing users to play around with images like erasing unwanted objects in the background, changing the image style, and so on. The company. Lastly, the company claims five years of performance fluency on this phone.
Infinix Hot 50 Pro+ Specifications
Design: Curved edges and frame, 6.8mm thin, IP54-rated
Display: 120Hz AMOLED panel, AOD, Wet and greasy touch support
Chipset: Octa-core MediaTek Helio G100 (6nm)
RAM: 8GB + 8GB extendable
ROM: 128GB + Expandable with MicroSD card
Rear Camera: Dual Camera
Security: In-display fingerprint sensor, Face Unlock
Battery: 5,000 mAh cell with 33W super fast charging
Colour Options: Purple, Metallic, Black
Infinix Hot 50 Pro+ Price in Nepal and Availability
The phone has been available for pre-order in Kenya where customers can put KSH 5,000 as an initial deposit. The authorised retailer of Infinix marks the price of the phone at KSH 25,999.
Regarding its availability in Nepal, there is a chance that it might arrive here. However, we cannot tell with certainty as the Hot 40 Pro did not make its way here. If it does arrive here, we expect the Infinix Hot 50 Pro+ price in Nepal to land around NPR 32,599.
Infinix Hot 50 Pro+
Price in Kenya (Official)
Price in Nepal (Expected)
8GB + 256GB
KSH 25,999
NPR 32,599
Meanwhile, check out our Infinix Note 40 and 40 Pro review video:
![I became an InDrive rider and here’s what I found! [including income 💰]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/InDrive-Extra-Income.jpg "I became an InDrive rider and here’s what I found! [including income 💰]")
