Motorola has launched its latest smartphone, the Motorola Edge (2024), in US. It is the successor to the Edge (2023), which was released in late 2023. In this article, we will discuss the upcoming Motorola Edge 2024, including its expected price in Nepal, specifications, and more.
Motorola Edge (2024) Overview
Display
The Motorola Edge (2024) features a 6.6-inch pOLED display. It has a resolution of 2400 × 1080 pixels and a refresh rate of 144Hz. The display supports 10-bit colors and can reach up to 1300 nits of peak brightness. It is protected by Gorilla Glass 3.
Performance
Powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor, the Edge (2024) has a peak clock speed of 2.4GHz. Moreover, It uses the Adreno 710 GPU. The phone includes 8 GB LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB UFS 2.2 storage. Meanwhile, the Motorola Edge (2024) runs on Android 14.
Camera System
The primary camera on the Motorola Edge (2024) has a 50MP Sony LYT-700C sensor with an f/1.88 aperture and optical image stabilization (OIS). The secondary camera is a 13 MP ultra-wide lens with an f/2.2 aperture, also capable of macro shots. The front camera features a 32 MP sensor with an f/2.4 aperture and Quad Pixel Technology for improved selfies.
The device comes with a 5,000mAh battery. It supports 68W fast wired charging and 15W wireless charging. The Motorola Edge (2024) has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. It supports 5G connectivity (SA/NSA) and supports NFC. It also features stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos and a customizable quick button for shortcuts.
Battery and Charging: 5,000mAh, 68W wired fast charging, 15W wireless charging
Motorola Edge 2024 Price in Nepal and Availability
The official release date is June 20, 2024, and it is priced at USD 549.99. Although the chances of this making its way to Nepal is very slim, if by any means if it arrives here, we expect the Motorola Edge 2024 to cost at least NPR 73,000.
Ulefone offers rugged and durable devices targeted at individuals involved in heavy-duty like construction, mining, wildlife monitoring, electrical maintenance, and so on. Last month they launched a new tablet and now they are here with another such smartphone. This article will delve into the details of the Ulefone Armor 25T Pro including its price in Nepal.
Ulefone Armor 25T Pro Overview
Design and Display
This phone looks like a regular phone for the most part, but it has quite a heft to it. It measures 12.50mm in thickness and weighs 326 grams, both of which are significantly higher than a typical smartphone. The back panel of the Ulefone Armor 25T Pro has a Kevlar-esque texture, adding to its tough looks. It does not just look tough though, it — IS — tough with IP68, IP69K rating under IEC standard 60529, and MIL-STD-810H certification.
This toughness carries on to the front of the phone as well. It is equipped with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus with a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating. The screen on the Olefone Armor 25T Pro isn’t half bad either. It is a 6.78-inch IPS LCD panel with FHD+ resolution and 396 PPI pixel density. Furthermore, the display is capable of a 120Hz refresh rate and a 240Hz touch-sampling rate too.
Performance
The Olefone Armor 25T Pro is a bit soft on the performance side of things. It packs the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset as its primary driver. This is a recently launched processor that sits in the budget space with 5G capabilities. Nevertheless, it has eight cores, clocks in at a maximum of 2.4GHz, and comes in a 6nm fabrication. With this, the phone should handle all the regular tasks without much hiccups. However, more demanding duties might be a “tough” ask from it.
In addition, this smartphone also comes with 6GB memory and 256GB storage combination. The RAM in here is an LPDDR4X while the storage is a UFS 2.1. Moreover, the Ulefone Armor 25T Pro offers upgradability in both departments. The memory can be doubled virtually and the storage can be expanded via a MicroSD card of up to 2TB. Software-wise, this thing boots on the stock Android 14 with no baked-in ads.
As expected from Ulefone, the Armor 25T Pro doesn’t just have cameras, it has an imaging system — complete with a thermal sensor and a night vision camera. Thanks to its high level of endurance, it is capable of underwater photo-and-videography too.
The primary shooter in this thing is a 50MP shooter with a Samsung S5KGN1 CMOS sensor. Similarly, the night vision camera is 64MP in resolution and is coupled with an OV64B1B CMOS sensor.
The sell-out feature of the Olefone Armor 25T Pro is surely its thermal imaging capability. With the ThermoVue sensor, this phone can take thermal images of 160×120 resolution and 25Hz refresh rate. It also gives an insight into the temperature object it’s pointed at with ±3°C accuracy. Meanwhile, it does not miss out on the front camera either. It is a 32MP unit with a Samsung GD1 sensor underneath and doubles down as the face scanner.
Battery and the rest
The battery life of a phone is surely one of the most sought-after features by field workers. Hence, the Olefone Armor 25T Pro packs a large 6,500 mAh battery that can last nearly 500 hours on standby. Additionally, it supports 33W wired as well as 30W wireless charging. Not only that, it can also reverse charge other devices wirelessly.
Other than that, this phone comes with a fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button. In terms of wireless connectivity, it supports dual SIM, 5G connectivity, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth, four-way navigation, as well as NFC. On the other hand, for wired connection, it has a USB 2.0 Type-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Ulefone Armor 25T Pro Specifications
Design: Metallic frame with kevlar textured back, IP68 and IP69K-rated under IEC standard 60529, MIL-STD-810H certified
Dimensions: 177.40 mm x 81.40 mm x 12.50 mm
Weight: 326 grams
Display: 6.78” IPS LCD Panel, 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, 396 PPI pixel density, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus with fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
Resolution: FHD+ (1,080 x 2,460)
Chipset: Octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 6300 (6nm)
RAM: 6GB LPDDR4X + 6GB extendable
ROM: 256GB UFS 2.1 + 2TB expandable with MicroSD card
Battery: 6,500 mAh Lithium-ion Polymer cell with 33W wired and 30W wireless charging, wireless reverse charging
Connectivity: Dual SIM, 5G, Dual-band WiFi, Hotspot, Bluetooth v5.2, USB 2.0 Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack
Colour Options: Frost Black
Ulefone Armor 25T Pro Price in Nepal and Availability
This phone is up for purchase through the company’s official medium at AliExpress. It is priced at USD 499.99, however, it is currently available at a discounted price of USD 272.99. If and when it arrives here, we expect the Ulefone Armor 25T Pro price in Nepal to be NPR 80,499.
Ulefone Smartphone
Price in the USA (Official)
Price in Nepal (Expected)
Armor 25T Pro
USD 499.99 USD 272.99
NPR 80,499
Meanwhile, check out our Moondrop MIAD01 review video:
Ultima Lifestyle is arguably the most popular smartphone accessories brand that originates from our country and barely needs any introduction. The company has now launched the stylish Magnum E400 smartwatch in Nepal. Let’s take a look at all the specs, features, and official price of the Ultima Magnum E400 in this article.
Ultima Magnum E400 Smartwatch Overview
Design and Display
The main highlighting feature of the Ultima Magnum E400 is its design. The Nepali brand is going all in with the “opulence” theme, which simply means “great wealth or luxuriousness”. Given that, it comes with a stainless steel frame. Meanwhile, the strap is also available in two options, the same material as the frame and the good old fluoroelastomer.
As for the display, the Magnum E400 uses a 1.43-inch AMOLED panel with 466 x 466-pixel resolution, 800nits of brightness, and 326PPI. On top of that, the watch is IP68 rated for protection against dust and water.
Talking of the features, it comes with all the standard ones we expect from a smartwatch. As such, the Ultima Magnum offers 200+ watch faces as well as an option to upload one from your gallery. Similarly, you get over 100 sports modes along with all the vitals tracking such as heart rate, blood oxygen, stress monitor, sleep, menstruation, and so on.
Fueling the E400 is a 280mAh Lithium Polymer battery which offers 5-7 days of battery life on normal usage. Plus, you also get wireless charging support to further solidify its luxurious feel. In the meantime, the company is finally introducing its app alongside the watch.
Ultima Magnum E400 Specifications:
Body: Alloy Metal Body, IP68 dust/water resistant
Display: 1.43″ AMOLED, 466 x 466 pixels
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3
Battery: Up to 7 days (typical usage)
Wireless Charging: Yes
Bluetooth Calling: Yes
Sensors: PPG optical sensor
Health Tracking: Heart rate, SpO2, sleep, female health
Sports Modes: 100+ exercise modes
Ultima Magnum E400 Price in Nepal and Availability
The Ultima Magnum E400 price in Nepal is NPR 3999 as part of the launch price offer. Its original price is NPR 5,499. You can purchase the smartwatch from Hukut.
Fantech barely needs any introduction in the gaming community. The brand just introduced two new controllers in Nepal and they are such an eye-catcher. In this article, we will discuss the Fantech EOS Pro WGP15 and NOVA Pro WGP14V2 in further detail while highlighting their price in Nepal.
Fantech Controllers Overview
Fantech EOS Pro WGP15
This controller comes in a curvy body with multiple different colour options. There is also a black (Orion) option, which is the plain one out of all. Other variants are slightly translucent and way more colourful. They have a lot more flair and personality that will surely draw attention. Apart from that, the sticks and D-Pad Fantech on the EOS Pro WGP15 are interchangeable.
Additionally, this controller comes with customisable 4-level vibration as well as mappable rear paddles. It also has a quick-trigger lock that you can flick to increase the rate of trigger pulls. Furthermore, the Fantech EOS Pro WGP15 is equipped with a gyroscope to help in motion detection. Moreover, it is compatible with a wide range of platforms and operates in three different connection modes: Bluetooth v5.0, StrikeSpeed wireless, and wired. Lastly, it also comes with a built-in audio port.
Fantech EOS Pro WGP15 Specifications
Weight: 272 grams
Face Button Type: Membrane
Total Number of Keys: 22
Programmable Buttons: 12 (With Time Delay)
Hall-Effect Sticks: K-Silver JH16
Trigger Lock: Two-step Trigger Locks
Connectivity: Bluetooth v5.0, StrikeSpeed Wireless (2.4GHz), Wired
The Fantech NOVA Pro WGP14V2 comes with most of what the EOS Pro WGP15 has to offer. Design-wise both the controllers look quite similar with equally funky colour options. However, this one comes in an even more translucent finish with a responsive touchpad at the top. This allows added controls through touch and swapping in supported games.
Other than that, this controller still comes with the interchangeable sticks, but not the D-pad. Likewise, the quick-trigger locks, mappable rear paddles, and built-in gyroscope are also there. On the other hand, the customisable 4-level vibration, StrikeSpeed Wireless connectivity, and the built-in audio jack have been compromised on the Fantech NOVA Pro WGP14V2. Meanwhile, the platform compatibility of this thing has been updated.
Battery: 600mAh (10 hours standby), about 2 hours charging time
Colours: Atomic Black, Atomic Pink, Atomic Purple, Epsilon, Polaris, Solaris
Fantech EOS Pro WGP15 and NOVA Pro WGP14V2 Price in Nepal and Availability
Both these controllers are now available in Nepal through all the authorised mediums like Hukut Store, and Daraz. The Fantech EOS Pro WGP15 and NOVA Pro WGP14V2 price in Nepal are NPR 5,499, and NPR 4,999 respectively.
Ludo always has been one of the go-to games for everyone for a very long time. You will find crowds of people twiddling their thumbs, and waiting for their turns, in front of tea shops and retail stores every day. Over the years, we have experienced the transformation of physical cardboard ludo to a more portable and accessible ludo game all in your fingertips. Talking about the plethora of these applications that have made playing games like Ludo, and Chess easier, this is a story about Yarsha Labs, which managed to secure an enormous amount of fame within a short period. Let’s dive in to discuss the Ludo game developed by Yarsha Labs in more detail.
Ludo Game by Yarsha Labs Overview
The only application with 200 million + downloads
Initiated in 2016, Yarsha Lab’s Ludo has become the first Nepali app to hit 200 million+ downloads. Among these, 200 million are on Android alone, while 1 million+ users have downloaded it on the App Store. Meanwhile, Callbreak by Teslatech has remained in the second position with over 100 million downloads on the Play Store alone.
Similarly, Ludo isn’t the only app to put Yarsha lab in this feat, the app developing companies remaining 14 other apps contribute to 120 million downloads. In an interview with Kantipur, the CEO of Yarsha Lab revealed there are more than 6 million daily users around the globe, and the app also experienced more than 500k downloads every day within this time frame.
Where are the users?
There are numerous variations of Ludo or similar board games, but this particular game is more popular in Asian countries. According to Yarsha lab, Ludo has massive users in countries like Nepal, India, Indonesia, Argentina, Brazil, Sri Lanka etc.
Rise to fame
Yarsa had created some popular card-based mobile games, but they were all single-player. To develop multiplayer games, the Yarsa Gaming team proposed creating Ludo as the simplest option. The team quickly designed the dice, and other team members helped with icons, digital graphics, and storyboards. The prototype was prepared within a week, kept very simple, and published within a month. However, for the first 5-6 months, Ludo did not get many downloads, and the team moved on to another game.
During the global COVID-19 pandemic, continuous lockdowns led people to start playing Ludo on their phones. Hollywood celebrities posted photos of themselves playing Ludo on social media. As a result, Yarsa’s Ludo downloads surged.
The downloads for Yarsa’s Ludo app aren’t as high now as during the COVID-19 lockdowns when both downloads and revenue peaked. The income generated during that period continues to sustain the company, with 25 percent of total revenue still coming from the Ludo app. The app’s success is largely due to its simple gameplay and its ‘three plus’ age rating on Google Play, which has helped increase visibility and downloads by making it accessible to a wider audience, including children.
Setting the age rating at three plus allowed the app to be featured under Google’s Play for Families and Made for Kids categories, boosting its ranking and download numbers. Unlike foreign apps with multiple revenue options, Nepali developers primarily earn through in-app and reward-based advertising. Google’s real-time bidding system determines ad placements within milliseconds, earning Yarsa around 20 cents per thousand impressions. In more developed markets like the USA and Europe, the revenue per thousand impressions can be as high as $20.
Ludo Game by Yarsha Labs: Conclusion
Yarsa Labs’ Ludo app reaching 200 million downloads is an inspiring success story for aspiring game developers. This achievement demonstrates that creating a successful game doesn’t require a billion-dollar budget or a focus on AAA titles. Instead, developers can build a thriving empire by making nostalgic and accessible games that resonate with a broad audience.
Meanwhile, watch our review of Poco F6 vs Realme GT 6T
Intel’s Core Ultra was something of big news last year and the Core Ultra powered laptops are slowly taking pace. But wait, Intel had something more interesting under its sleeves, the “Lunar Lake”. Which has finally been announced as the next lineup of laptop chips, arriving this autumn with powerful AI and inbuilt RAM. Without further ado, let’s delve into the news surrounding Intel Lunar Lake in this article.
Intel Lunar Lake Overview
A bigger size and bigger performance
The Intel Lunar Lake is a bigger system-on-chip which is triple the size of its predecessor. With the increase in size, Intel is also claiming a four-times acceleration in AI performance and 14-times faster CPU performance. The Lunar Lake chips also bear a 50% graphical performance boost and up to 60% better battery life.
Intel’s technical marketer Rob Hallock says, “It’s x86 power like you’ve never seen it before.” He also mentions that every part of the Lunar Lake chip has been tweaked to gain such a boost on both performance and battery. Seems like the AI CPU race is going to get tougher for Qualcomm as Hallock is confident enough for the Lunar Lake chip to beat it.
8 cores architecture
Unlike the Meteor Lake processors, the Lunar Lake chips will stick to the old 8-core architectures. So, there won’t be any hyperthreading here. Four “Skymont” energy-efficient cores and four “Lion Cove” power-centric cores and that’s it. The E-cores here are claimed to run as fast as an LP-E core of the Core Ultra processors, at one-third the power. Intel has also included a new thread director that can keep the most workloads on the E-core for efficient operation.
Graphical Performance and NPU
Moving to the graphical section, the Xe2 GPU offers 1.5X the performance of Meteor Lake in 3DMark Time Spy benchmarks. The core count of Xe and other functional units are the same on the Lunar Lake but, Intel claims overall performance and efficiency improvements. Likewise, the GPU offers 67 TOPS of AI performance as well.
Talking of the NPU, the Lunar Lake chip brings a major improvement with 48 TOPS of AI acceleration over the Meteor Lake generation. The latter only brought 11.5 TOPS of AI acceleration failing the need for 40 TOPS requirement for Microsoft’s Copilot Plus PCs. The clock speed on the new processor has been boosted to 1.95GHz from 1.4GHz, contributing to 2x to 4x overall performance.
The Lunar Lake guys feature a peculiar change. There won’t be separate memory sticks or chips but a LPDDR5X RAM will be embedded with the chip. Intel is planning to offer 16 or 32 gigs of memory, preventing the user from adding any more RAM. This move is all for reducing power consumption by up to 40% of moving data through the system as per Intel. So, no more physical RAM for Intel laptops? Well, Intel has a backup for that as well. It will introduce Arrow Lake architecture which will allow physical RAM as well.
Intel Lunar Lake Launch and Availability
Intel Lunar Lake-powered laptops will arrive this fall of 2024 with 80 different designs across 20 hardware partners.
Meanwhile, you can check the Intel Arc Laptop video.
Just like the A14, as discussed in my previous article, ASUS also announced the 2024 edition of TUF Gaming A16, which features similar specifications except with a larger display and a more powerful GPU. In this article, we will discuss more about the latest Asus TUF Gaming A16, including its expected price in Nepal.
Asus TUF Gaming A16 Overview
Display and Design
The TUF Gaming A16 boasts dimensions of 35.4 x 26.99 x 1.79cm and weighs 2.2 kg. The laptop has a 16-inch screen with a 2.5K resolution (2560×1600) and a 165Hz refresh rate. It uses an IPS-level anti-glare panel supporting 100% sRGB color gamut, 400 nits brightness, and a 3 ms response time with overdrive support. Just like the A14, it also includes DDS and G-SYNC technologies.
Processor
Powered by the AMD Ryzen 9 AI HX 370 processor, the TUF Gaming A16 features 12 cores and 24 threads, along with a built-in NPU capable of 50 TOPS of AI performance. However, the A14, the A16 is equipped with up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, with a maximum TGP of 140 W (with Dynamic Boost).
The TUF Gaming A16 supports up to 32 GB of LPDDR5X memory with a speed of 7500 MHz. And, is paired with support for up to 2 TB of M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 SSD storage.
Connectivity
The TUF Gaming A16 supports WiFi 6E and Bluetooth v5.3 for seamless wireless connectivity. It also includes a variety of I/O ports, including USB, HDMI, RJ45 LAN, and an audio jack, for versatile connectivity options.
The TUF Gaming A16 comes with a 90 Wh battery and featuring a 1-zone RGB backlight chiclet keyboard with a full-size arrow key and numpad, the TUF Gaming A16 offers customizable lighting options. Audio technologies include Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio, and Two-Way AI Noise Cancelation.
ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Specifications
Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 AI HX 370 processor (12 cores, 24 threads) with built-in NPU capable of 50 TOPS of AI performance
Graphics: Up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU with Max TGP of 140 W (with Dynamic Boost)
Operating System: Windows 11 Pro
Display: Up to 16″ 2.5K (WQXGA, 2560×1600), 165 Hz, IPS-level, anti-glare, 16:10, sRGB 100%, 400 nits, 3 ms (overdrive support), Supports DDS & G-SYNC
Memory: Up to 32 GB LPDDR5X 7500 MHz (onboard memory)
Audio: Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio, Two-Way AI Noise Cancelation
WiFi/Bluetooth: WiFi 6E, Bluetooth v5.3
I/O Ports: 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (supports DisplayPort/ Power Delivery), 1 x USB4 (supports DisplayPort), 2 x Type-A USB 3.2 Gen2, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x RJ45 LAN (1G), 1 x Audio jack
Battery: 90 Wh
Asus TUF Gaming A16 Price in Nepal and Availability
With its price unrevealed yet, both of these TUF Gaming laptops as mentioned in this article are scheduled for a late 2024 launch. Stay tuned for more tech news!
The Meteor Lake magic has brought on tons of surprises across the laptop space. Not only has it enabled very powerful ultraportables but even larger machines like the Vivobook S16 I am reviewing here have benefitted a lot in terms of efficiency and heat. My Asus S16 OLED (2024) ships with the top-of-the-line Core Ultra 9 185H processor paired with 16GB of soldered memory and a 1TB Gen 4 SSD.
Asus Vivobook S16 OLED (2024) Review: Specifications
Dimensions, Weight: 13.92 x 9.72 x 0.55-inches (W x D x H), 1.5 kg
Asus has revamped the ‘S’ series to look cleaner, and more sophisticated this time around. The new S16 features an all-metal body with a subtle logo on the right and a RGB backlight for the keyboard. Besides the minimal design and overall aesthetic, the thing that really drew me was its dimensions. It’s about as wide and tall as a Macbook Pro 16 but weighs as little as an Air 15. So, what you’re getting with this Vivobook is a very portable 16-inch notebook that’s perfect for everyday carry for work or college. Besides the M2 Macbook Air 15, there aren’t many choices that offer a similar package right now, so the Vivobook S16 might seem very appealing for the right person – especially if you take a look at the display.
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Display
16″ glossy 3.2K OLED display
120Hz refresh rate, 100% DCI P3 color gamut
400 nits brightness, VESA CERTIFIED Display HDR True Black 600, TÜV Rheinland “Low Blue Light” certified
Meet the gorgeous 16″ OLED with punchy colors and superb contrast! The Vivobook doesn’t disappoint when it comes to the viewing experience. Everything from reading text to working on spreadsheets, and indulging in movies feels a joy on this laptop. That’s because it pairs a 16:10 aspect ratio with a crisp 3.2k resolution and a fast 120Hz refresh rate. So, it feels expansive, sharp, and fast to use. An experience fitting for a premium ultrabook. Being an Asus ‘Lumina OLED’, you also get excellent colors at 100% DCI-P3 coverage and Delta E < 1. In our testing, we got around 400 nits of regular brightness while the laptop also supports HDR 600.
Performance
Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU (45W TDP)
Intel Arc graphics (Integrated)
16GB LPDDR5X RAM, 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD
Another strong suit of the Vivobook S16 (2024) is its raw horsepower. The variant that’s launched in Nepal ships with the flagship Core Ultra 9 185H processor. For refreshers, that’s the new Meteor Lake chip based on a chiplet design and more efficient Intel 4 architecture. There isn’t a massive jump when it comes to CPU performance (just the opposite in some cases) but the efficiency and graphic gains are on another level. Running a couple of popular benchmarks, you can see that with the Vivobook S16 (2024), you are getting a plenty powerful machine in a pretty portable package.
CPU/GPU benchmarks
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Geekbench 6 Score (CPU)
Cinebench r24 Score (CPU)
OpenCl Score (GPU)
Timespy Score (GPU)
Night Raid Score (GPU)
Everyday usage feels snappy and responsive and you aren’t really going to push the CPU to its limit by opening a few applications here and there. For most folks, it’s going to be smooth sailing browsing through Word documents and Excel sheets, immersing in movies, and editing thumbnails in Photoshop. You can even dabble in a bit of casual gaming and video editing but keep your expectations in check there as the Vivobook doesn’t have a discrete GPU.
Gaming and Productivity
When it comes to gaming, Forza Horizon 5 is playable on High settings (~40-45 fps) but dialing down the graphics will help you hit the 60 fps mark. Counter-Strike 2 has good average fps and 1% low values while Valorant, like always, runs without a hitch.
Plenty for Casual Gaming
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The laptop stays quiet in day-to-day operations but you’ll hear the fans ramp up when running applications like Premiere or loading a game. You’ll also feel a bit of a warm sensation while the laptop is charging or when under full load (like in a benchmark) but other than that, there’s no issue of overheating. On the inside, the CPU does rise close to the 100 degrees Celsius mark in some cases, but the dual fans and vents do a good job of not letting things get out of control.
Photoshop runs very well without any noticeable lag or stutter while you could do away with editing videos on Premiere as well. Working with a couple of 4k footages, I had no trouble seeking through the timeline with the preview on ‘Full’ but adding a couple of effects, layers, and graphic templates slowed the Vivobook down like expected. Exporting 10 minutes of unedited 4k footage at its native resolution and 25 bitrate took 5 minutes and 30 seconds. That’s all to say that the Vivobook can probably handle your editing needs for the most part if you manage your expectations right.
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Pudgetbench Photoshop Benchmark
Procyon Video Editing Benchmark
In terms of memory, you are getting 16GB of fast RAM (7467 MT/s) and a 1 terabyte Gen 4 SSD with a pretty good read (~5000 MB/s) and write speeds (~3500 MB/s). Being an ultrabook, almost everything is soldered down and there’s almost no room for upgrades.
Battery Life and Ports
I must say that I am pretty on the fence with the battery life here. Asus claims up to 16 hours of continuous playback and I too was expecting a full workday on a single charge. But, on the ‘Balanced’ battery setting and 50% brightness, I was getting around 5.5 hours to 6 hours of screen time on average. That’s not a bad record to set but other Meteor Lake laptops like the Swift Go OLED have managed some extra hours (14″ 90Hz OLED, Core Ultra 7, 65Wh battery).
My typical workday consists of a lot of Edge tabs, some Photoshop in the background, and Spotify. You can expect better battery life if heavier applications like Photoshop are taken out of the equation and you don’t use the display at 120Hz all the time like I did.
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As for the ports, you get two Thunderbolt 4s on the left for charging, display output, and data transfers while the right side houses two USB-3 type A ports, and an HDMI. It’d have been such a blessing to get a full-sized card reader as it’s a 16-inch laptop after all, but you’ll have to make do with a micro SD slot here.
Keyboard and Trackpad
Full-size backlit chiclet keyboard (1.7mm travel)
Large trackpad with Glass-like surface
Moving on, I like the keyboard on the Vivobook S16 OLED (2024). It’s got decent depth, good spacing, and the colored backlight adds a hint of a unique flavor to the ultrabook. The trackpad is also super large, like Macbook-large, and feels smooth for everyday use. There’s plenty of space for swipes and gestures and the responsiveness is decent as well. But like always, I will continue to complain about the diving board mechanism used here and how the (bottom) click responses make the whole experience feel cheap and finicky.
Webcam and Audio
FHD (1080p) camera with privacy shutter
Built-in array microphone
Furthermore, webcams are never the most exciting on a laptop and that’s very true for this Vivobook as well. It houses a 1080p shooter that sits right beside the IR blaster on the relatively thin top bezel. The quality is definitely better than what you get from an HD camera on most Windows laptops both in terms of noise levels and sharpness but in case you’re wondering it’s not on a MacBook’s level yet.
The speakers are loud and will complete your media-watching experience well but since they are down-firing, you’ll need to rest the S16 on a table or a flat surface to get good sound. The highs are bright and you’ll have no trouble making out vocals and dialogues but impactful low frequencies are mostly missing.
Asus Vivobook S16 OLED (2024) Review: Conclusion
To put this short review into a few words: the Asus Vivobook S16 OLED for 2024 is an appealing 16-inch ultrabook for anyone looking for a large-screen portable machine for entertainment, work, and productivity. It is light enough for everyday carry, has an excellent display, a powerful processor, and decent backup with good enough I/O. So, if you were looking for a Macbook Air 15 alternative for around the 2 lakh price point, this Vivobook S16 OLED is worth checking out!
Asus Vivobook S16 OLED (2024) Review: Pros and Cons
So Android 15 — aka Android Vanilla Ice Cream — is here. Sort of. The stable public release of Android 15 will most probably start rolling out from September 2024, but I’ve been testing the beta version of Android 15 on my Pixel 8 for about a week to find out exactly what’s new and what’s improved.
Android 15 release schedule (Image: Google)
I guess it probably goes without saying that Google hasn’t bothered with any major visual changes but you know what? I’ve found 7 amazing features that you’re gonna absolutely love on Android 15. And if you stick around till the end, I’ll share a bunch of bonus features that you’ll love even more! Let’s go.
Android 15 features
1. Private Space
Okay at number 1 is something called “Private Space”. It’s basically this separate, hidden space where you can store all your private, sensitive apps so that they don’t show up in the app drawer. And also the recent menu, notifications, and settings once you lock it up.
What I find especially interesting is that it’s actually a separate user profile on its own. Which means I can use a different Google account for all my apps in the private space and even have two versions of the same app at once.
I really like how it lets me set a separate authentication style — like fingerprint, pin, pattern — to access the private space too. So even though someone may have figured out my phone’s password, I can rest assured that they won’t be able to access my hidden apps at least.
Now I know what you’re thinking. This isn’t a new idea… at all. There are literally dozens of apps on the Play Store that can keep your sensitive apps locked in, while every major smartphone brands like Samsung, OnePlus, and Xiaomi have a similar feature built into their phones as well. Having said that, I definitely appreciate how Google is building such a useful, privacy-focused feature into Android by default.
2. Partial screen recording
On that note, screen recording is getting a lot more private on Android 15 too. You know how when you’re trying to screen record something, you get a notification from some other app? Or you accidentally switch to a different app that you don’t want in the recording? So now you gotta edit those part out or do the whole thing again?
Well, Android 15 has a genius solution for this. Instead of recording the entire screen, you can now choose to record what happens inside one app only.
So when I select screen recording on Android 15, there’s a new option called “a single app”. And once I hit “start recording” and choose the app I want — it doesn’t matter if I jump to another window or get a sudden pop-up from another app — it will only record what happened in the app I selected. That’s it.
3. App pairs
Google is also pushing for easier multitasking on Android 15 with app pairs. And if you’re someone who’s constantly working with two apps in split screen mode, then this is probably the most exciting feature you should look forward to. So instead of separately opening those apps that you use side by side every single time, there’s now an option to save them as a “pair” for much quicker access. Just tap the app pair shortcut and voilà!
Although… like “Private Space”, this one’s nothing new either. I’ve been launching YouTube and Notes with one click on my Samsung phone for as long as I can remember. The way Google has implemented this on Android 15 feels a little undercooked as well since there is no way to switch the app layout like on One UI. Maybe that will change with the final release of Android 15, but let’s see.
4. App archiving
Alright. The next Android 15 feature I wanna talk about is kind of a personal favorite of mine. It’s called “app archiving” and it lets me uninstall an app to save some storage space, while still keeping some of my user data. So… when I reinstall it afterward, it’s like I never got rid of it in the first place. And yeah, it’s exactly like the option to “offload” an app in iOS.
I’m gonna archive Instagram and as you can see, it’s taking up 507MB of storage right now. But once I archive it, that number goes down to just 139MB. And when I need to check my Insta feed later on, I can simply restore the app without ever having to sign in again.
5. Notification cooldown
Moving on, “notification cooldown” is another new feature on Android 15 that I can’t wait for you guys to try out! Especially if you have that one friend who keeps your phone ringing and buzzing with constant notifications in the group chat. Or that one app that spams you with notifications the second you’re connected to the internet.
And you can probably imagine how horrifying this is to someone like me who carries at least a couple of phones at any given time. But thanks to Android 15, I can finally enjoy some peace and quiet by enabling notification cooldown.
Image: Android Authority
What it does is gradually lower the volume of all the successive notifications from the same app, and I can either apply this to every type of notification or just for those noisy group texts.
I wish I had even more precise control on specific apps to put into cooldown but let me once again remind you that I’m running a beta version of Android 15 at the moment. So Google has plenty of time to make some changes for the stable version.
It’s this new Bluetooth LE Audio feature that lets you broadcast audio from your smartphones and laptops to multiple devices at once. Unlike how traditional Bluetooth connection can only stream to one device at a time. Samsung was actually the first to bring Auracast support with One UI 6.1, whereas Google wants you to be able to share your phone’s audio or join others’ broadcasts much more easily on Android 15.
Image: Android Authority
Say I’m somewhere crowded and want to watch the latest episode of One Piece with my buddies. With Android 15, I can start sharing audio from my phone while my friends join in with their wireless earbuds. And the beauty of Auracast is that my friends don’t need to go through the hassle of manually pairing their earbuds to my phone as well.
7. Theft detection lock
Okay. I saved the best Android 15 feature for last because this one can potentially keep your phone’s data safe in case it’s stolen. Google calls it “Theft Detection Lock” and listen to this: it uses data from sensors like accelerometer and gyroscope to figure out if your phone has been snatched away. And with a little help from AI, it will quickly lock the device to prevent thieves from accessing your phone.
Image: Google
That’s not all. There’s also this new feature that will automatically lock the phone if the thief puts your device offline, while Google now lets you remotely lock your phone with the help of your phone number and security question too.
But the best part is that all of these are coming to older phones too, running Android 10 or later. Yay! Except for factory reset protection, which prevents the thief from resetting the stolen phone without your Google account credentials.
That’s gonna be exclusive to Android 15.
Android 15 features: What else?
Alright, so those were the 7 incredible new features I found on Android 15. And as promised, I’ll now go through a bunch of other changes and upgrades you can expect from Google’s next major Android release. It’s gonna be rapid-fire so… brace yourself.
So I know I said there aren’t any major visual changes this time but Google has made a couple of refreshes to the UI here and there.
For example, the volume panel has been completely redesigned with big, bubbly controls that look a lot nicer.
The Bluetooth tile now opens a pop-up menu on a single press instead of just turning on/off.
And if you dig a little deeper inside the settings, you’ll find that Android 15 now has the option to automatically turn on Bluetooth the next day. Just like on iOS.
Google is finally bringing “predictive back” gestures into Android as well, which gives this nice preview of where you’re returning to.
This feature was already there in Android 14 — buried deep inside developer options — but it’s now going to be enabled by default on Android 15.
Android 15 can also stop you from making calls and messages in an unencrypted network to prevent data theft and surveillance.
Then there’s the new “High Quality” mode when using your phone as a USB webcam. Although I should warn you that enabling it could mean the phone gets hotter and loses battery more quickly.
Whereas Android 15 has a ton of under-the-hood optimizations like better standby battery life and a built-in AV1 decoder for an even better user experience.
How to download and install Android 15 beta?
So yeah, with Android 15, it’s clear that Google was mainly focused on productivity, security, and stability side of things more than anything else. And if you can’t wait for the final release, you can actually install the Android 15 beta right away if you have one of these phones.
You can download the Android 15 beta build for these phones from Android Developer’s website. The actual installation method is different for every brand — which you can find from the same link — so I won’t be diving deep into that here. Although I won’t running beta software on your daily driver since… well… it’s beta software. But if you wanna try it out on your secondary phone, why not?
Last year, Asus launched its first-ever handheld gaming device — the ROG Ally. The company has now launched another handheld under the same name. However, it’s not the successor to the original one, more of a refresh. Let’s discuss the new Asus ROG Ally X in further detail including its price in Nepal.
Asus ROG Ally X Overview
Design and Display
The updated edition of the Asus ROG Ally comes with slight changes in design. Its edges have been curved out in comparison to the original one. Similarly, the joystick and controls have been repositioned while the D-pad gets a redesign. Meanwhile, the fingerprint sensor now sits inside a cavity. The colour option has also shifted from a single white option to a single black one. Not only has the exterior of the Asus ROG Ally X been updated, but the internal design has also gone through remodelling.
Firstly, the internal cooling system has been updated with slimmer fans which increases the airflow by 10 percent. Now, the air moves towards the display as well. Other than that, the company also relocated the microSD card slot away from the exhausts. In the meantime, the display on this thing remains unchanged with the 7-inch IPS panel with Gorilla Glass Victus protecting. On top of the glass, it has a DXC coating that reduces reflection and increases the hardness of the glass. Besides, the display stretches FHD in resolution and offers a brightness and refresh rate of 500 nits and 120Hz respectively.
The primary driver on this thing is the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip. It was available as one of the options in the original handheld. However, this was the more powerful of the two, so the Asus ROG Ally X coming with only this one shouldn’t be much of an issue. The processor comes with Zen4 architecture, eight cores, 16 threads, and a 5.10 GHz peak frequency. Additionally, it packs the 12-core Radeon 780M GPU with RDNA 3 architecture.
Moving on, Asus updates the other aspects of the ROG Ally X’s performance. Starting with the memory, it’s now 24GB LPDDR5-7500 RAM coming from 16GB LPDDR5-6500 on the previous iteration. Likewise, the storage department also gets an upgrade doubling in capacity from 512GB. Furthermore, the SSD type has also been updated to M.2 2280 from the rather rare M.2 2242 on the OG Ally. The battery on the latest edition of the handheld has also doubled to 80Wh while the charging speed remains unchanged.
Asus ROG Ally X Specifications
Design: Standard console-like
Dimensions: 280.00 mm x 111.00 mm x 24.70–36.90 mm
Ports: 1x Thunderbolt 4 (supports DisplayPort and PD), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (supports DisplayPort and PD), 1x UHS-II microSD card reader, 1x 3.5mm combo audio jack
Connectivity: Tri-band WiFi 6E (802.11ax) 2×2 + Bluetooth v5.2
Battery: 80Wh 4S1P Li-ion cell with 65W charging
Asus ROG Ally X Price in Nepal and Availability
The company announced the latest handheld on 02 June 2024 and is available for pre-order on its official website. It goes at the price tag of USD 799.99 and comes bundled with 3 months of Xbox Game Pass. If and when it arrives here, we expect the Asus ROG Ally X price in Nepal to be NPR 129,999.
Asus Handheld
Price in the USA (Official)
Price in Nepal (Expected)
ROG Ally X
USD 799.99
NPR 129,999
Meanwhile, check out our AYANEO Pocket Air review video:
Photoshop runs very well without any noticeable lag or stutter while you could do away with editing videos on Premiere as well. Working with a couple of 4k footages, I had no trouble seeking through the timeline with the preview on ‘Full’ but adding a couple of effects, layers, and graphic templates slowed the Vivobook down like expected. Exporting 10 minutes of unedited 4k footage at its native resolution and 25 bitrate took 5 minutes and 30 seconds. That’s all to say that the Vivobook can probably handle your editing needs for the most part if you manage your expectations right.
