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Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) Review: Hitting The Right Notes

Nikhil Shrestha

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April 14, 2023

Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) Review: Hitting The Right Notes

So I’ve been using the new Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) for a little over a week now. And I’ll give it to you straight—this thing is pretty impressive as there’s pretty much everything I look for on a solid 2-in-1 laptop here. Including powerful performance thanks to the latest 13th Gen Intel CPU, a beautiful OLED touchscreen, and decent battery life. All in a package that weighs no more than 1.5 kg! So if you’re in the market for a reliable 2-in-1 laptop, this guy should definitely be on our radar. More on this full review of the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023).

Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) Review: Specifications

Design & Build: Aluminum build, 12.26 x 8.80 x 0.63-inches (W x D x H), 1.50 kg
Color Options: Foggy Silver, Ponder Blue
Display: 14″ glossy OLED panel, 360° touchscreen, 90Hz refresh rate, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, 400 nits brightness, 550 nits (HDR peak brightness)
Other Properties: Pantone validated, SGS Eye Care Display, VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500, TÜV Rheinland certified
Resolution: 2.8K (2880 × 1800) resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio, 242 PPI
Keyboard: Full-size chiclet backlit keyboard, 1.4mm travel, ErgoSense hinge
Trackpad: Glass trackpad (Supports NumberPad 2.0)
Security: Windows Hello-certified IR (infrared) webcam, TPM 2.0
Processor: Intel Core i7-1360P CPU (Raptor Lake), 12C/16T, 5.0 GHz Max Turbo Frequency, 18MB L3 Cache, Intel 7 process, 28W base power (TDP)
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe (Integrated), 96 Execution Units (1.50 GHz)
RAM: 16GB LPDDR5 RAM (non-upgradable)
Storage: 512GB / 1TB SSD (M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0)
Audio: Down-firing stereo speaker system, Smart Amp, Dolby Atmos
Battery: 75 Watt-hours Li-Ion battery
Power Supply: 65W USB Type-C AC Adapter (20V, 3.25A)
Webcam: FHD IR camera, Built-in array microphone (with Cortana voice-recognition support)
Connectivity: WiFi 6E (dual-band), Bluetooth 5.0
I/O Ports: 2x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C (Power Delivery, DisplayPort), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x HDMI 2.1 TMDS, 1x 3.5mm combo audio jack
Price in Nepal: NPR 208,333 (Intel i7-1360P, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD)
What’s Inside The Box: Laptop, 65W power adapter, Asus laptop sleeve, Asus Pen 2.0 (stylus), USB-A to RJ45 adapter, User manual and other documents

Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) Review:

Design and Build

12.26 x 8.80 x 0.63-inches (W x D x H)
1.50 kg, Aluminum build material

Okay, I guess you guys might already know that I’m not a big fan of flashy, over-the-top design choices. And I like to keep things nice and simple.

But there’s just… something about the Zenbook Flip that really resonates with me somehow.

The shiny, angular Asus logo along with a little “Zenbook” branding at the bottom adds some much-needed character to this machine, and I’m quite fond of it. The fact that I don’t have to worry about fingerprint smudges or anything is just the cherry on top too. And since this is a premium “Zenbook” laptop after all, its build quality is also top-notch. Consisting of nothing except an all-metal chassis.

What about durability then? That’s always been something of a concern with 2-in-1 laptops, right? Well, the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) has impressed me on that front as well. It passes the usual military-grade durability tests—sure.

But more importantly, this 360º hinge is incredibly sturdy too. Usually what I’ve seen with such light 2-in-1 laptops is that they end up with really wobbly hinges, which ruins the experience of using a convertible device in the first place. But Asus has managed to avoid all that… rather heroically, might I say.

Tent it, stand it, tablet it, laptop it

As a result, I’ve had no trouble using it in either laptop, tent, stand, or tablet mode. And another neat little thing I noticed here is these four rubber bumpers on the keyboard deck. They might look pointless at first but they are actually quite important to protect the display from pressure every time you close it. Such small attention to detail really ends up making quite a big difference in the long run, huh?

For such a compact 2-in-1 laptop, the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip’s I/O selection deserves an equal amount of praise. You get a couple of Thunderbolt 4-ready USB-C ports on the right, both capable of accepting USB power delivery or connecting 4K (or even 8K) external displays.

Ports

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Then there’s a full-sized HDMI 2.1 and a 3.5mm combo audio jack, while a lone USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port sits on the left. And despite the laptop’s thin profile, I like how Asus hasn’t used a drop-jaw USB port here. I know that’s mostly a necessary design choice on such impossibly slim laptops, but I just… don’t like drop-jaw ports.

Display

14″ glossy 2.8K OLED touchscreen
90Hz refresh rate, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut
400 nits brightness, Corning Gorilla Glass NBT
Supports Asus Pen 2.0 (stylus)

The Zenbook 14 Flip’s display is a stunner too. You’re looking at a 14” 2.8K OLED touchscreen with a 90Hz refresh rate and a tall 16:10 aspect ratio, which is also Pantone-validated for color accuracy. Oh, and this is the only display configuration that Asus has for this laptop by the way; there’s no Full HD option with a higher refresh rate or a sharper 4K config that refreshes at a standard 60Hz.

While that certainly doesn’t sound like much of a choice, I must say that I don’t mind the lack of multiple options here.

That’s because I think 2.8K has the perfect trade-off between sharpness and battery life. Just think about it. Neither does it look pixelated, nor is it too heavy on the battery—it’s a win-win! Anyway, I guess I don’t need to tell you how beautiful this OLED display is.

Display Properties

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From lively colors to punchy contrast and everything in between, I absolutely love this screen. The company’s claim of 100% DCI-P3 color gamut did come a bit short on our testing—at 99%—but that’s nothing.

Weirdly enough, our Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) fell short on brightness measurements too. Asus quotes 400 nits of peak brightness but it maxed out at 361 nits only. I hope this is just some quality control issue on our unit because this is quite unusual. Not a dealbreaker or anything, just unusual. Since it is more than bright enough for comfortable indoor usage.

Display be glossing

Outdoor visibility is a different story though—but not because of those brightness levels I just talked about. Instead, since Asus has used a glossy OLED panel here, it catches surrounding reflections much much easily. On some really sunny days, I’ve even had to shut off the blinds in our office to be able to comfortably look at this thing.

So yeah, if your workplace or wherever you end up setting up your laptop gets a lot of ambient light, then this could be mildly annoying.

Other than this, Asus has done an A1 job with the display here. With incredible color coverage and that Pantone validation, it is perfectly workable for graphic designers, photo editors, or just about anyone that needs a color-accurate screen. And the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) is even loaded with a bunch of different color profiles to match your workflow. Asus is also well ahead of your concerns regarding OLED burn-in, with a couple of preventive features like pixel refresh and pixel shift built-in.

The stylus experience

To make the most out of this touchscreen, you’ll need a stylus too. Thankfully, Asus ships one in the box itself. While I wish it was a garaged stylus instead of something I had to carry around separately, my digital artist friends were quite repulsed at the idea of a flat pen. I guess that makes sense—I can already imagine the discomfort of holding such pens in long drawing sessions. Regardless, this second-gen Asus Pen is fantastic.

Its input latency is quite minimal and it is pressure-sensitive as well. You also get a couple of extra nibs with different hardness levels for a more realistic drawing experience.

And one thing that’s really stuck with me about this stylus is that I can switch to the next page in my Powerpoint presentation directly by clicking the top button. So no more awkwardly trying to reach the laptop to change slides in the middle of the presentation; that’s pretty cool! I know the college me would’ve absolutely worshipped this thing back in the day! But for some reason, this button’s tactile feedback is pretty terrible. And I wish Asus would improve its palm rejection tech with a future update as well.

Keyboard and Trackpad

Full-size backlit chiclet keyboard (1.4mm travel)
Glass trackpad (with NumberPad 2.0)

As for the keyboard, the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) has got the usual key layout that I know and love. With a solid 1.4mm travel distance and soft, bouncy feedback, I’ve had no trouble maintaining my usual typing speed on this thing. Its noise profile is on the quiet side so that’s good too.

Oh, and since this laptop has an ErgoLift hinge that raises the keyboard deck a little, I also find it much more comfortable to type on than other ordinary laptops with a flat base. However, even keyboard backlighting is still something that Asus struggles with. I feel like I’ve been complaining about it in basically every one of our Asus laptop reviews, but here we are. Guess I could cut Asus some slack on budget devices but on a premium “Zenbook” device like this, it’s just embarrassing.

At least this glass trackpad is pretty great. It is smooth and spacious enough for all sorts of gestures, scrolling, or pinch-and-zoom actions. The integrated buttons have solid feedback and Asus has also thrown in its digital Numpad here.

While that’s a great way to bring the Numpad experience on a 14” chassis, the number of times I unknowingly triggered it daily was rather annoying. The one silver lining is that there’s an option in the “MyASUS” app now that lets me disable the digital numpad. And I don’t have to mess around with the trackpad drivers this time.

Audio

Down-firing stereo speakers
Dolby Atmos audio

Asus Zenbook 14 Flip’s audio setup is fantastic though. No, it doesn’t have front-firing stereo speakers or anything but its sound output is far better than most other Windows laptops I’ve tested in this price bracket. With a spacious—almost surrounding—sound profile that lets you enjoy the details in all sorts of music or whatever you’re listening to, the multimedia experience on this laptop is awesome. I didn’t expect it but there’s even a bit of oomph in its bass.

Webcam

FHD IR camera (no privacy shutter)
Built-in array microphone

In the past year or so, we’ve come a long way from the crappy 720p webcams on Windows machines. Who would’ve thought a global pandemic is what it would take for laptop makers to finally ship decent cameras? Anyway, you get a proper FHD camera here that’s great for casual video calls or online classes.

It doesn’t get the subject’s skin tone quite right and exposure handling versus a bright background remains a struggle, but I can look past those things. The onboard array microphones do a good job of picking up the audio, and Asus has also offered a bunch of features to enhance your video call experience.

Like background blur or motion tracking to keep you in the center of the frame even when you’re moving around. But “gaze correction” is one that particularly caught my eye. With this, Asus says it can make you appear as if you’re intently looking at the camera even when you’re not. Just like Nvidia’s “Eye Contact” feature.

Unfortunately, it simply refused to work here—so I’m hoping Asus is working on a fix. And one more thing. Even though there are a bunch of camera optimization features available, I can only use turn on one at a time. That’s oddly limiting. So, say I wanted to blur my background while also applying lighting correction and motion tracking, tough luck.

Performance

Intel Core i7-1360P CPU (28W TDP)
Intel Iris Xe Graphics (Integrated)
16GB LPDDR5 RAM, 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD

Okay, let’s now get into the performance side of things. Our Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) is powered by Intel’s latest 13th Gen Raptor Lake CPUs, and you can choose between Core i5-1340P or Core i7-1360P processors. While the memory options include 8 or 16GB LPDDR5 RAM. But as expected from a compact 2-in-1 device, the RAM is soldered into the motherboard here so make sure you consider that before buying this laptop. The storage is upgradable though and you can get it with either 512GB or 1TB of M.2 NVMe SSD by default.

Let’s talk about the CPU choice

Interestingly, Asus had gone with “H” series processors in last year’s Zenbook 14 Flip, which are relatively more powerful than the “P” series Intel CPUs on this machine. So… is there actually a downgrade in performance here somehow? Well, technically yes. But it’s a meaningful and sensible downgrade when you really think about it.

You see, these two lineups of Intel processors have vastly different power requirements; with the H-suffixed CPUs eating up over 50% power even when operating at base frequencies.

	i7-1355U	i7-1360P	i7-13705H
Cores	10 (2x P, 8x E)	12 (4x P, 8x E)	14 (6x P, 8x E)
Threads	12	16	20
E-cores Max. Freq.	3.70 GHz	3.70 GHz	3.70 GHz
P-cores Max. Freq.	5.0 GHz	5.0 GHz	5.0 GHz
Intel Smart Cache	12MB	18MB	24MB
Graphics	Iris Xe	Iris Xe	Iris Xe
Execution Units	96 (1.30 GHz)	96 (1.50 GHz)	96 (1.50 GHz)
Base Power	15W	28W	45W
Max Turbo Power	55W	64W	115W

Although that’s not an issue for gaming or creator laptops, you’d be basically wasting all that power in a 2-in-1 laptop like this. Which means the battery life is needlessly taking a hit, whereas the cooling system gets worked up for nothing since there isn’t enough thermal headroom in such compact laptops either.

Benchmarks

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So settling with Intel’s “P” series processors that have much more manageable power requirements is 100% the right move in my opinion. If that’s the case, why not just go with “U” series CPUs that are even less power-hungry then? That’s a valid point but for me, those Intel processors are well-suited for budget laptops only.

The right amount of power

As in, they handle everyday tasks like web browsing, working on Office suite of applications, video streaming, and such with no trouble. But when pushing them up a notch just a little bit with creative apps like Photoshop, such low-powered CPUs struggle to keep up with your work. So keeping that in mind, I am definitely thankful for that extra bit of performance leeway here. Even on battery power, the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) shows no signs of struggle on all my usual chores.

Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) – Gaming

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And I really like how cool and quiet this thing stays too. Even at the highest fan profile, the fan noise is barely audible in a typical office setting like ours. Now, since this laptop relies on the integrated Iris Xe graphics for all your GPU needs, don’t expect it to breeze through something like video editing or gaming. It’s good enough to edit short-form 1080p projects or play light games like CS: GO, Asphalt 9, and Fall Guys at 1080p, but that’s about it.

Battery

75 Watt-hour 4-cell Li-Ion battery
65W USB Type-C AC Adapter

Moving on, the battery life on this year’s Zenbook 14 Flip gets a nice upgrade too. Asus has managed to bump the battery from 63Wh to 75Wh here—that too without any significant weight gain so that’s quite impressive.

As a result, I was constantly averaging 6 hours of screen time while using this laptop at 70% brightness with the batter mode set to “Balanced”. That’s pretty great! I also tested it with “Best Performance” mode a few times but found its excessive power draw for a barely-noticeable performance jump to be essentially useless.

Charging this thing is a breeze though. You get a 65W AC adapter in the box, but you can always go for a much cleaner setup since it supports 65W USB-PD charging too. Getting it from 0 to 100% takes almost 3 hours though, so there’s that.

Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) Review: Conclusion

Summing up our Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) review, this is a fantastic 2-in-1 laptop; there’s absolutely zero doubt about that. It manages to impress on all essential fronts like performance, display, design, battery life, and more. While also edging out the competition like Samsung’s Galaxy Book3 Pro 360, MSI Summit Flip 14 Evo, and HP Spectre x360 in terms of price.

So if you’re in the market for a solid, premium convertible laptop without breaking the bank, then the Zenbook 14 Flip OLED is an easy recommendation from me.

Now, this thing isn’t perfect in any way. Obviously. Apart from all the minor complaints I talked about earlier, there are a few other things I wish Asus did differently. Like including a physical camera kill switch, for example. Or not including bloatware apps like McAfee antivirus. But you know what? These are such small, ignorable complaints that they shouldn’t stop you from getting this otherwise awesome 2-in-1 laptop.

Watch our video review of the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023)

Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) Review: Pros and Cons

Pros:

Sturdy, premium build quality
Excellent OLED touchscreen
Nice port selection
Good keyboard, trackpad
Fantastic performance with 13th Gen CPU
Surprisingly nice stereo speakers
Great battery backup

Cons:

Keyboard backlighting could’ve been better
Soldered RAM
No camera privacy shutter
Charging speed is a bit slow

Honor X8a Review: Lost in the competition

GadgetByte

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April 14, 2023

0

Honor X8a Review: Lost in the competition

I’ve had the Honor X8a for a couple of weeks now. And I’ll be discussing my experience with this smartphone in my review. In Nepal, the single 8/128GB model costs Rs. 30,490. And I believe it is a little pricey. Let’s find out why in this review.

Honor X8a Specifications:

Body: 162.9 x 74.5 x 7.48mm; 179 grams
Display: 6.7-inches LTPS LCD, 90Hz refresh rate
Resolution: FHD+ (2388 x 1080 pixels), 20:9
Chipset: MediaTek Helio G88 (12nm Mobile platform)
CPU: Octa-core
– 2x Cortex-A75 (2.0 GHz)
– 6x Cortex-A55 (1.8 GHz)
GPU: Mali-G52 MC2
Memory: 6/8GB RAM, 128GB storage (non-expandable)
Software & UI: Android 12 with Honor’s MagicUI 6.1 on top
Rear Camera: Triple;
– 100MP primary
– 5MP ultrawide
– 2MP macro
Front Camera: 16MP (punch-hole)
Audio: Single speaker
Security: Fingerprint scanner (side-mounted)
Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 5 a/b/g/n/ac (Dual-band), Bluetooth 5.1, GPS / Glonass / Galileo / BDS, USB-C port, 4G LTE (VoLTE)
Battery: 4500mAh, 22.5W wired charging
Colors: Titanium Silver, Cyan Lake, Midnight Black
Price in Nepal: Rs. 30,490 (8/128GB)

Honor X8a Review:

Eye-catching Design

162.9 x 74.5 x 7.48mm; 179 grams
Glass front, Plastic back/frames

Let’s get started with the design. This phone’s design is stunning. Honor does an excellent job with the design of its smartphones. However, we do not receive glass back here, which is OK because most brands give plastic back in this price range.

Design

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I have the Titanium Silver color version, which has a sparkly appearance on the back and showers a rainbow-like effect when light hits it. While it is also available in Cyan Lake and Midnight Black. In terms of in-hand comfort, the smartphone is compact and lightweight.

Honor provided flat borders here, similar to the latest iPhones. The flat edges help to get a comfortable grip. Because of its thin and lightweight design, I had no trouble carrying this phone for a long period of time.

Impressive Display

6.7-inches LTPS LCD
90Hz refresh rate

Honor opted for an LTPS LCD panel with a refresh rate of 90 Hz, just like its predecessor, the X7a. However, Honor upgraded the resolution from the previous generation to FHD+, which I believe is an important upgrade. Given the price point, Honor could have easily picked an AMOLED display.

Display

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The bezels on this phone’s display are its most striking feature. Honor claims that the screen-to-body ratio of this smartphone is 93.6%. I haven’t seen a phone in this pricing range with such thin bezels. Even the chin is even slimmer than its competitors. If Honor had chosen an AMOLED panel, this phone would have the best display in this price range.

Despite being an FHD+ panel, it only has WideVine L3 certification. As a result, you cannot watch 1080p material on an OTT platform like Netflix or Prime Video. Moving on, the screen’s 90Hz refresh rate makes everything feel fluid and smooth. I didn’t face any issues with screen fluidity as I did with the X7a.

Meanwhile, this screen’s color calibration is generally decent, as the colors do not appear dull or muted. It also has adequate brightness. You will also have no problems in direct sunlight.

Helio G88

Octa-core MediaTek Helio G88 SoC (12nm)
6/8GB RAM, 128GB storage (non-expandable)
Magic UI 6.1 based on Android 12
Antutu score: 214,749

This smartphone is powered by a MediaTek Helio G88 chipset, which is adequate for normal usage but not the best in the category. While gaming and multitasking, I noticed some stutters and lags. However, the 8 GB of RAM here allows nearly every app to run in the background, which is impressive.

Moreover, while this chip is not intended for gaming, you may still be able to do casual gaming. In relatively demanding games like PUBG and Apex Legends, you’ll get 30 frames per second with slight frame drops, lags, and stutters. Surprisingly, after 20-30 minutes of gameplay, the smartphone becomes warm. This could be due to the burning weather outside.

UI

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On the software front, this smartphone ships with Android 12-based MagicUI 6.1, which is a bit disappointing since Android 14 is on the way. On the other hand, I am not personally a fan of MagicUI. Honor’s MagicUI, in my opinion, needs to be redesigned to look more modern.

Decent Battery

4500mAh battery
22.5W wired charging

Honor has juiced up this device with a 4500 mAh battery. And I found the battery backup to be decent. In my use case scenario, I was getting around a day and a half of backup in a normal use case. You get a 22.5W charger in the box, which will charge this phone to 50% capacity in 30 minutes. While juicing it up to 100% takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Camera

Triple camera setup at the back
(100MP main, 5MP ultrawide, 2MP macro)
8MP selfie (punch-hole)

Let’s talk about cameras now. There is a 100MP primary, a 5MP ultrawide, and a 2MP macro camera on the back. And for selfies, you get an 8MP camera.

Normal

I took a lot of photos with this phone, and one thing is that there are much better options in this price range. Although it comes with a 100MP sensor, it can’t capture such appealing photos. Honor claimed that this phone can capture DSLR-like photos, but I don’t think it is even close to it.

Normal

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In daytime scenarios, it captures pretty decent photos. Color reproduction is also good enough, but in some cases, it messes up. The details are also good enough, but the overall photo is not as good as it should be in this price bracket.

Portraits

In terms of portraits, it struggles with edge detection and highlights control like its predecessor. But in terms of human skin, it produces better results than the normal mode.

Portraits

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Selfies

Selfies are pretty average. Skin tones and color reproduction are good but not social-media-ready, as we witness on most of the phones in this price category.

Selfies

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Ultrawide

Ultrawide is below average. There are no details, and color reproduction is also poor. This might be due to the inferior chipset used here or the 5MP sensor.

Ultrawide

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Low light

Honor has included a separate night mode this time. When the night mode is turned off, it takes darker and noisier shots and faces difficulties with flare control, whereas putting it on solves these issues. However, low-light performance falls short of what one would expect from a phone in this price bracket.

Low Light

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Videos

As for the videos, the phone only allows you to shoot 1080p/30fps videos from both the front and rear cameras, and they aren’t particularly impressive. There are no EIS or OIS, and thus, videos come out to be shaky. Besides this, you’ll also notice faded colors and a loss of detail.

Audio and Haptics

Single speaker
No 3.5mm jack

Finally, talking about the audio, Honor has provided a single bottom-firing speaker that is below average. I am not impressed with its haptics either. Honor has not used a dedicated haptics motor here, and thus you won’t get precise haptic feedback.

Honor X8a Review: Conclusion

That’s it for my review of the Honor X8a. This phone has a pretty impressive display as well as an average camera and an eye-catching design. But, all things considered, I don’t think this phone is worth buying in this price range. It could have been a better offering if it had been launched in the 20-22k price range. You can find much better options like the Realme 10, Redmi Note 12 (4G), and Poco X5.

Honor X8a Review: Pros and Cons

Pros:

Attractive design
Slim and lightweight design
Good display

Cons:

Below average speaker
No expandable storage option
Does not come with the latest Android version
No 3.5mm jack

Marshall, the popular British audio accessories brand is now in Nepal

Marshall

GadgetByte

-

April 14, 2023

3

Marshall, the popular British brand that designs and manufactures premium musical instruments, has stepped its foot into the Nepali market. So in this article, we will take a closer look at the specifications, features, availability, and official price of all the Marshall Audio Accessories in Nepal.

Marshall: Brand Overview

As mentioned earlier, Marshall is a British brand of musical instruments. The company was founded in 1962 by Jim Marshall, who started producing guitar amplifiers in a small shop in Hanwell, London. Over the years, Marshall has become one of the most iconic and recognizable brands in the music industry, known for its high-quality guitar amplifiers.

In fact, Marshall’s amplifiers are used by many famous musicians, including Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Slash. The has expanded its product line to include a range of lifestyle products, such as Bluetooth speakers, and home audio systems in recent years. And Marshall has now entered the Nepali market with Evo Store as its authorized distributor in Nepal. So let’s go through all the Marshall audio accessories that are available in Nepal, along with their official price.

Marshall Audio Accessories Price in Nepal:

Earphones

Mode

The Marshall Mode is an in-ear wired headphone that connects to your device using a 3.5mm headphone jack. It has a customized 9mm driver that delivers a frequency range of 20Hz to 20KHz, with an impedance of 34 ohms. Additionally, Marshall provides four different sizes of ear tips so that you can find the perfect fit for your ears.

Specifications:

Weight: 17 gm
Driver: 9mm Dynamic driver
IP Rating: No
Controls: Physical buttons
Connectivity: 3.5mm headphone jack
Price in Nepal: NPR 7,900

Mode EQ

The Mode EQ shares similar specs to the Marshall Mode, with a 9mm driver and a frequency range of 20Hz to 20KHz. However, the Mode EQ comes with a distinct feature that sets it apart from the Mode.

It features a unique EQ switch on the remote that allows you to personalize your audio experience even further. You can choose between two sound settings, with the first setting delivering warm, bass-heavy sounds, while the second one emphasizes the mids and highs for a brighter sound.

Meanwhile, check out all the prices and specs of Marshall speakers and accessories

Specifications:

Weight: 20 gm
Driver: 9mm Dynamic driver
IP Rating: No
Controls: Physical buttons
Connectivity: 3.5mm headphone jack
Price in Nepal: NPR 9,900

Minor III

Unlike the entries above, the Minor III is a truly wireless earbud (TWS). It comes with a 12mm dynamic driver, and Bluetooth 5.2 for wireless connectivity. You can use touch gestures to control the music, and they have an auto-pause and play feature that activates when you remove them from your ears.

Additionally, the earbuds have a unique diamond-shaped texture on their stems, while the case has a stylish leather-like finish. The buds are also IPX4 rated, which means they can resist water splashes.

Specifications:

Weight: 4gm (earbuds)
Driver: 12mm Dynamic driver
Battery: 5 hours (earbuds) / 25 hours (case)
Charging time: 1.5 hours (earbuds) / 2 hours (case)
IP Rating: Yes, IPX4
Controls: Touch gestures
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2
Price in Nepal: NPR 17,900

Motif ANC

Marshall Motif ANC is the brand’s first-ever wireless earbuds with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), and have 6mm dynamic drivers for the sound. The earbuds use Bluetooth v5.2 for easy connectivity and have two microphones on each earpiece that works together to enable both noise cancellation and offer clearer calls. The earbuds are designed to withstand water splashes with an IPX5 rating, while the charging case is IPX4 rated. They can last up to 20 hours per charge cycle, with ANC activated, and you can charge it wirelessly too.

Specifications:

Weight: 4.25gm (earbuds)
Driver: 6mm Dynamic driver
Battery: 4.5 hours (earbuds w/ANC) / 20 hours (case w/ANC)
Charging time: 3 hours (earbuds) / 3 hours (case)
IP Rating: Yes, IPX4
Controls: Touch gestures
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2
Price in Nepal: NPR 29,900

Headphones

Major IV

The Marshall Major IV is a wireless on-ear headphone that comes in a classic vinyl-textured finish and brass accents for that retro aesthetic. The headphones feature 40mm dynamic drivers and a battery life of up to 80 hours.

Additionally, the headphones come with a multi-directional control knob on the earcup, which allows you to easily adjust the volume, play, pause, and skip tracks without having to reach for your device.

Other noteworthy features of the Marshall Major IV include fast charging, which provides 15 hours of playtime with just 15 minutes of charging, and a collapsible design for easy portability. Likewise, they are compatible with both Bluetooth and a 3.5mm cable.

Specifications:

Weight: 165gm (earbuds)
Driver: 40mm Dynamic driver
Battery: 80+ hours of listening time
Charging time: 3 hours
IP Rating: No
Controls: Knob
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
Price in Nepal: NPR 19,900

Monitor II ANC

Unlike the Major IV, the Marshall Monitor II ANC is a pair of over-the-ear style headphones that boast a sleek and stylish design with a headband made of vegan leather.

The headphones come equipped with custom-tuned 40mm dynamic drivers for rich sound. And as the name suggests, it features active noise cancellation (ANC), which effectively cancels out external noises.

You can enable/disable it with the ANC button, and the headphones also have a Multi-functional or M-button, which lets you switch between three equalizers presets or access your voice assistant while on the go.

The headphones also feature a control knob on the earcup for adjusting the volume or playing/pausing music. The Monitor II ANC is rated to deliver up to 30 hours of listening time with ANC and up to 40 hours without it.

Specifications:

Weight: 320gm (earbuds)
Driver: 20mm Dynamic driver
Battery: 30 hours (earbuds w/ANC) / 40 hours (case w/ANC)
Charging time: 2 hours
IP Rating: No
Controls: ANC button, M-button, Control knob
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2
Price in Nepal: NPR 39,900

Portable Bluetooth Speakers

Willen

Marshall Willen is the company’s most portable Bluetooth speaker yet. The speaker’s body is made of plastic, with 60% of the material derived from recycled electronics, which makes it an eco-friendly choice.

As for the audio, it is equipped with a 2-inch full-range driver and two passive radiators. And despite its compact size, the speaker boasts a long battery life of up to 15 hours on a single charge. Although it takes three hours to fully charge the battery. Another impressive feature of the speaker is its IP67 rating, which ensures that it is resistant to both dust and water.

Specifications:

Dimensions: 101.6 x 100.5 x 40.4 mm
Driver:
– One 2” 10 W full range
– Two passive radiators
Battery: 15+ hours listening time
Charging time: 3 hours
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.1
IP Rating: Yes, IP67
Colors: Black and Brass, Cream
Price in Nepal: NPR 15,500

Emberton II

Next, we have Marshall Emberton II. It’s a portable speaker that boasts a stylish, durable exterior that is both water and dust-resistant, making it ideal for outdoor use. Likewise, the speaker has a battery life of over 30 hours, which means the speakers can last all day and well into the night without needing a recharge.

It also has a quick charge feature that allows for 4 hours of playback with just 20 minutes of charging. The Emberton II comes equipped with two 2-inch full-range drivers and two passive radiators for clear sound with rich bass tones. Additionally, the speaker has a multi-directional control knob that allows you to adjust the volume, skip tracks, and play/pause music with ease.

Specifications:

Dimensions: 68 x 160 x 76 mm
Drivers:
– Two 2″ 10 W full range
– Two passive radiators
Battery: 30+ hours listening time
Charging time: 3 hours
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.1
IP Rating: Yes, IP67
Colors: Black and Brass, Cream
Price in Nepal: NPR 26,500

Middleton

While Marshall Willen is the company’s smallest Bluetooth speaker, the Middleton is its biggest portable speaker. It weighs about 1.8 kg and is available in classic Marshall Black and Cream color. And as the Willen, it also has an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance.

For audio, it has two 15-watt woofers, two 10-watt tweeters, and a pair of passive radiators that serve to pump music out of the smaller ends of this chunky rectangle. You can also connect multiple Middleton speakers for stereo output. Now, powering the speaker are three battery cells totaling 9,600mAh, and you can use the speaker as a USB-C power bank if needed.

Specifications:

Dimensions: 109 x 230 x 95 mm
Drivers:
– Two 3” 15W woofers
– Two 3/5” 10W tweeters
– Two passive radiators
Battery: 20+ hours listening time
Charging time: 4.5 hours
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.1
IP Rating: Yes, IP67
Colors: Black and Brass, Cream
Price in Nepal: NPR 45,000

Stockwell II

The Stockwell II is another portable speaker offering by Marshall in Nepal. It weighs around 1.4kg and has a classic Marshall look, with a black vinyl exterior, a metal grille, and a gold-colored logo. There’s also a leather carry handle to carry it easily.

In terms of sound quality, the Stockwell II features two 10-watt tweeters and a 20-watt woofer. And it also has a multi-directional sound feature, which ensures that the sound is evenly dispersed in all directions. Other features of the Stockwell II include a multi-host functionality, which allows for two devices to be connected simultaneously, and a quick-charge feature, which provides up to six hours of playback time with just 20 minutes of charging.

Specifications:

Dimensions: 180 x 161 x 70 mm
Drivers:
– One 10W Woofer
– Two 5W Tweeters
Battery: 20+ hours listening time
Charging time: 5 hours
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
IP Rating: Yes, IPX7
Colors: Black and Brass
Price in Nepal: NPR 35,000

Kilburn II

The Kilburn II boasts a design that is similar to the Stockwell II, except it has a flatter rectangular shape instead of an upright design. It also features a convenient carry handle and three knobs on the top for adjusting bass, treble, and volume. The speaker has a 20-watt woofer and two 8-watt tweeters that produce a wide frequency range of 52Hz to 20KHz.

What’s interesting about the Kilburn II is that it supports Bluetooth 5 aptX, which enhances the quality of wireless audio streaming. It also has multi-host and quick charge features like the Stockwell II. Its battery life is quite impressive too, with over 20 hours of listening time.

Specifications:

Dimensions: 243 x 162 x 140 mm
Drivers:
– One 20W Woofer
– Two 8W Tweeters
Battery: 20+ hours listening time
Charging time: 2.5 hours
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 aptX
IP Rating: Yes, IPX2
Colors: Black and Brass
Price in Nepal: NPR 45,000

Tufton

The Tufton is currently the most expensive portable speaker offered by Marshall in Nepal. It boasts a three-way driver system, which includes a 40-watt woofer, two 15-watt full-range drivers, and a rear-firing bass port. All these components work together to produce a rich, high-quality sound. The speaker has a frequency response range of 40Hz to 20kHz.

Furthermore, the speaker has a rugged build with a metal grille, corner caps, and a leather strap that adds to its overall portability. It’s also water-resistant, so you can take it with you wherever you go without worrying about it getting damaged. For connectivity, the Tufton features Bluetooth 5.0. And it can deliver a battery life of over 20 hours.

Specifications:

Dimensions: 229 x 163 x 350 mm
Drivers:
– One 40W Woofer
– Two 15W Amplifiers
– One 10W Tweeters
Battery: 20+ hours listening time
Charging time: 2.5 hours
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
IP Rating: Yes, IPX2
Colors: Black and Brass
Price in Nepal: NPR 65,000

Marshall HomeLine III

Next on the list of Marshall audio accessories prices in Nepal, we have the HomeLine III series of speakers. HomeLine III, as the name suggests, is a third generation of the HomeLine series that consists of three speakers. The speakers were launched not too long ago, in Q4, 2022, and are now available in Nepal as well.

Action III

The HomeLine series speakers share a similar rectangular design, featuring Marshall’s logo on the front, brass multi-directional control knobs, and a classic power switch. These speakers are also eco-friendly as they are made of 70% recycled plastic and vegan materials.

However, they differ in size, with the Action III being the smallest. It comes with a 30W amplifier for the woofer and two 15W amplifiers for the tweeters.

The speakers boast features such as ‘Placement Compensation’, which optimizes the output based on reflective surfaces placed nearby that may affect the sound quality. Additionally, there is a built-in ‘Dynamic Loudness’ feature that adjusts the tonal balance for a more balanced sound quality.

Specifications:

Dimensions: 260 x 170 x 150 mm
Drivers:
– One 30W amplifier for woofer
– Two 15W amplifiers for tweeters
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2
IP Rating: No
Colors: Black
Price in Nepal: NPR 48,000

Stanmore III

The Stanmore III is the second speaker in the HomeLine series, which differs from the Action III in terms of size and driver composition. It comes with one 50W amplifier for the woofer and two 15W amplifiers for the tweeters. Like the other HomeLine speakers, it has three separate knobs on the top to control volume, bass, and treble.

Specifications:

Dimensions: 350 x 203 x 188 mm
Drivers:
– One 50W amplifier for woofer
– Two 15W amplifiers for tweeters
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2
IP Rating: No
Colors: Black
Price in Nepal: NPR 55,000

Woburn III

The Woburn III is the most specced out unit in the HomeLine III series. It stands out from the Action III and Stanmore III with its three-way driver system, which includes one 90W amplifier for the woofer, two 15W amplifiers for the mid-range, and two 15W amplifiers for the tweeters.

Additionally, the Woburn III has an HDMI connectivity option, which is not present in the other two models. However, it shares many other features, such as Dynamic Loudness and Placement Composition. It’s also worth noting that these speakers require a direct power source and do not have a built-in battery.

Specifications:

Dimensions: 400 x 317 x 203 mm
Drivers:
– One 90W amplifier for woofer
– Two 15W amplifiers for mids
– Two 15W amplifiers for tweeters
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2
IP Rating: No
Colors: Black
Price in Nepal: NPR 89,900

Marshall Voice

Marshall Voice lineup also comprises of Bluetooth speakers, but they feature built-in voice assistant support. Currently, the brand has introduced only the Marshall Uxbridge Voice model in Nepal.

Marshall Uxbridge Voice

The Uxbridge Voice brings a perfect blend of classic Marshall design and contemporary technology, delivering powerful sound while retaining its classic look. It comes with a 30W amplifier for both the woofer and tweeter and has an operating frequency range of 54-20,000 Hz.

However, what really sets it apart from other Bluetooth speakers is its built-in voice assistant support. Specifically, the Uxbridge Voice has Amazon Alexa support, making it a smart speaker capable of controlling your home appliances with voice commands. It also supports Apple AirPlay 2, making it the first device in the Marshall lineup to support Apple’s streaming technology. Additionally, it comes with a supporting app that is present on both the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.

Specifications:

Dimensions: 128 x 168 x 123 mm
Drivers: One 30W amplifier for woofer and tweeter
Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.2, Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect
Voice Assistant: Amazon Alexa
IP Rating: No
Colors: Black
Price in Nepal: NPR 34,900

Marshall Audio Accessories Price in Nepal (Summary)

Marshall Accessories	Price in Nepal
Earphones
Mode	Rs. 7,900
Mode EQ	Rs. 9,900
Minor III	Rs. 17,900
Motif ANC	Rs. 29,900
Headphones
Major IV	Rs. 19,900
Monitor II ANC	Rs. 39,900
Portable Bluetooth Speakers
Willen	Rs. 15,500
Emberton II	Rs. 15,500
Middleton	Rs. 45,000
Stockwell II	Rs. 35,000
Kilburn II	Rs. 45,000
Tufton	Rs. 65,000
HomeLine III
Action III	Rs. 48,000
Stanmore III	Rs. 55,000
Woburn III	Rs. 89,900
Voice
Uxbridge Voice	Rs. 34,900

Where to buy Marshall Audio Accessories in Nepal at the official price?

So, where can you buy these accessories? All Marshall Audio Accessories are available in Nepal at the official price in Evostore.

You might also be interested in:

Rapoo Products Price in Nepal

Remax Products Price in Nepal

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ZTE Axon 50 Ultra goes official with two-way satellite messaging

ZTE

GadgetByte

-

April 14, 2023

3

ZTE Axon 50 Ultra goes official with two-way satellite messaging

Chinese tech giant ZTE has unveiled its latest flagship smartphone and successor of the Axon 40 Ultra, the ZTE Axon 50 Ultra along with the Axon Tab. Following in the footsteps of Huawei and Apple, ZTE has included satellite communication in its smartphone. Let’s know more about this flagship ZTE Axon 50 Ultra along with its full specs, expected price, and availability in Nepal.

ZTE Axon 50 Ultra Overview

Design and Display

The Axon 50 Ultra comes with glass front and back with aluminum frames. Up front, we are looking at a 6.67″ FHD+ 10-bit AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate.

Performance

Under the hood, this flagship ZTE smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 which is built on 4nm fabrication technology. This chipset features an octa-core CPU with one Cortex-X2 (@3.0 GHz), three Cortex-A710 (@2.75 GHz), and four Cortex-A510 (@2.0 GHz). For graphics, there is an integrated Adreno 730 GPU.

The chipset is further paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 3.1 onboard storage. However, RAM and storage capacity has not been revealed yet. ZTE has integrated an in-house security chip with hardware-level encryption in this smartphone. Talking about the OS, Axon 50 Ultra comes pre-installed with Android 13-based ZTE’s MyOS.

Cameras

Coming to the camera department, ZTE Axon 50 Ultra comes with a triple rear camera setup led by a 64MP Sony IMX787 sensor. Moreover, a 50MP telephoto sensor with OIS and a 50MP ultrawide camera join the rear camera module. On the front, there is a 16MP camera for selfies under the punch-hole cutout. In terms of videos, rear cameras can shoot up to 8K @ 30fps videos whereas the front camera can shoot up to 1080p @ 30fps videos.

Rest of the specs

This flagship smartphone is fueled by a 5000mAh battery with 80W fast charging support. For wireless connectivity, there is support for dual-band Wi-Fi 6E as well as Bluetooth 5.2 and NFC. When there is no cellular coverage, this smartphone has a two-way satellite messaging feature. It does this by using the BeiDou satellite, which Huawei uses as well for the same purpose.

ZTE Axon 50 Ultra Specifications:

Display: 6.67-inch AMOLED, 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10+
Resolution: Full HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels), 395PPI
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4nm)
Memory: Unspecified LPDDR5X RAM
Storage: Unspecified UFS 3.1
OS: Android 13 with MyOS
Rear Camera: Triple (with LED flash)
– Primary: 64MP Sony IMX787
– Telephoto: 50MP
– Ultrawide: 50MP
Front camera: 16MP (punch-hole)
Security: Fingerprint (in-display)
Battery: 5000mAh, 80W fast charging

ZTE Axon 50 Ultra Price in Nepal and Availability

Although this flagship smartphone has been launched officially in China, pricing has not been revealed yet. We will update the article as soon as this info pops out.

Meanwhile, check our full review of the OnePlus 11R.

Asus ROG Phone 7 Series Announced: Finally Launching in Nepal?

GadgetByte

-

April 14, 2023

2

Asus ROG Phone 7 Series Announced: Finally Launching in Nepal?

After months of leaks and rumors, Asus has finally pulled the curtains off the ROG Phone 7 series. The company’s latest gaming lineup comprises vanilla and Ultimate models. So. let’s get into the specs, features, expected price, and availability of the Asus ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate in Nepal.

Asus ROG Phone 7 Series Overview:

The Ultimate ROG Phone

As you might have already noticed, there is no Pro model on this ROG Phone 7 series—Asus has introduced an Ultimate model instead. So what really makes a ROG gaming phone Ultimate? Well, in this particular case, it’s the new AeroActive portal. Situated at the back of the ROG Phone 7, it automatically opens up when AeroActive Cooler is attached to allow direct airflow from the cooler to the phone’s vapor chamber. This increases the phone’s thermal efficiency by up to 20%.

Also exclusive to the Ultimate model is the ROG Vision. It is a compact matrix color display on the back of the phone. This works as a notification alert, displaying animations for incoming calls, charging, and other system events. Users can also create custom animations of their own based on their preferences.

Elite Gaming

Outside these two features, the ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate are pretty much the same. Both are powered by the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the latest flagship chipset from Qualcomm, with a peak clock frequency of 3.2GHz. The chip is 15% faster and 15% more power-efficient than the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, powering the ROG Phone 6 series. This is paired with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM (8,533Mbps) and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. The latter is twice as fast as last-gen UFS 3.0.

Also read:

ROG GameCool 7

With the new chip alone, the new ROG Phone 7 series boasts 15% higher power efficiency than its predecessor. It is further enhanced by the GameCool 7, which has three main components. The first is the Boron Nitride which avoids CPU throttling during smaller gaming sessions. For moderate sessions, the ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate pack a vapor chamber and graphite sheets.

The vapor chamber is bigger and more efficient thanks to the internal redesign. It drops the traditional pillar structures of the chamber for trident-shaped wick columns to improve efficiency. In addition, it has six channels to prevent water backflow to the chipset.

Even if that’s not enough, you can use the AeroActive Cooler 7, which attaches to the rear panel. The DualCool design allows the cooling of phones’ front and back simultaneously. AeroActive Cooler 7 also has a built-in sub-woofer which enables 2.1 channel sound when connected. It increases the bass volume of the twin-firing speakers by 77%.

Rest of the Specs

Asus ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate sport a 6.78-inch Samsung-made AMOLED panel with a 2448 x 1080 pixel resolution. The screen refreshes at 165Hz and boasts a peak brightness of 1500 nits. It covers 111.23% DCI-P3 space with an average Dela E of less than 1. The screen is HDR10-certified and has Gorilla Glass Victus protection.

Powering the new ROG gaming phones are 600mAh batteries with support for 65W fast charging. A compatible HyperCharge adapter is included in the box. You can charge the phone with either of the two USB-C ports.

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Asus Rog Phone 7 Series Specifications:

Dimensions: 173 x 77x 10.4 mm, 239 g
IP Rating: Yes (IP54)
Display: 6.78-inch AMOLED, 165Hz refresh rate, 1500 nits peak brightness, Gorilla Glass Victus
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4nm)
Memory: up to 16GB LPPDDR5X RAM, up to 512GB UFS 4.0 ROM
OS: Android 13 with ROG UI
Rear Camera: 50MP Sony IMX766, 13MP ultra-wide-angle lens, 5MP macro lens
Front Camera: 32MP
Audio: Front-Facing Stereo speaker, Dirac HD, 3.5mm headphone jack
Security: Fingerprint sensor (In-display), Face Recognition
Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, 2x Type-C ports (1x USB 3.1 Gen 1, 1x USB 2.0)
Sensors: AirTrigger (Ultrasonic), Ambient light, Proximity, E-compass, Gyroscope, Accelerometer
Battery: 6000mAh with 65W wired charging

Asus ROG Phone 7 Series Price and Availability in Nepal

The ROG Phone 7 is now available in India, where the price is Rs. 74,999 and Rs. 99,999 for vanilla and Ultimate model, respectively. Asus might finally launch the ROG Phone in Nepal this year through Nagmani International, the authorized distributor. As such we expect the price of Asus ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Pro in Nepal to be NPR 139,999 and NPR 184,999, respectively.

Asus ROG Phone 7 Series	Price in India (Official)	Price in Nepal (Expected)
ROG Phone 7 (12/256GB)	INR 74,999	Rs. 139,999
ROG Phone 7 Ultimate (16/512GB)	INR 99,999	Rs. 184,999

Meanwhile, you can check our review of iQOO Neo 7.

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G Review: Attractive Package, Slow Performance!

Pratima Adhikari

-

April 12, 2023

0

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G Review: Attractive Package, Slow Performance!

After the tremendous success of its flagship S23 series, Samsung recently launched its two midrange phones for 2023—the Galaxy A34 and the Galaxy A54. And in this review, I am going to talk about my experience with the new Samsung Galaxy A54 5G.

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G Specifications:

Body: 158.2 x 76.7 x 8.2 mm, 202 gm, Glass back/front, Plastic frames, IP67 dust/water resistance
Display: 6.4-inch Super AMOLED panel, 120Hz refresh rate, Gorilla Glass 5
Resolution: Full HD+ (1080×2400 pixels), 390 PPI, 20:9 aspect ratio
Processor: Exynos 1380 (5nm)
CPU: Octa-core
– 4x Cortex-A78 (2.4 GHz)

– 4x Cortex-A55 (2.0 GHz)
GPU: Mali-G68 MP5
Software & UI: One UI 5.1 based on Android 13
Rear Camera: Triple
– 50MP main, OIS
– 12MP ultrawide
– 5MP macro
Front Camera: 32MP (hole-punch cutout)
Audio: Stereo speaker, No headphone jack
Security: In-display fingerprint sensor
Sensors: Accelerometer, Geomagnetic, Gyro, Light, Proximity
Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 6 a/b/g/n/ac/ax (Dual-band), Bluetooth 5.3, GPS / Galileo / Glonass / QZSS, USB Type-C, NFC, 4G LTE (VoLTE), 5G
Battery: 5000mAh with 25W charging
Color Options: Awesome Lime, Awesome Violet, Awesome Graphite
Price in Nepal: Rs. 56,999 (8/128GB) | Rs. 59,999 (8/256GB)

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G Price:

Galaxy A54’s price starts at $450 in the US, Rs. 39,000 in India, and Rs. 56,999 here in Nepal. And if you look at the specs, honestly, it doesn’t bring a whole lot of changes to last year’s Galaxy A53. It looks a bit overpriced too. But the thing with Samsung’s midrange phones is that their prices go down in a month or two, so you can expect the same with the A54 as well.

And if you consider the price drop, the Galaxy A54 has some really good stuff. I feel it makes a lot of sense for someone who doesn’t play a lot of games, is not a power user, and wants a decent overall experience.

Design

158.2 x 76.7 x 8.2 mm, 202 grams
Glass front/back, Plastic frames
IP67 dust/splash resistant

The first thing that you will instantly fall in love with this phone is its design. You get a glass back here, a modern-looking boxy form factor, a minimal camera layout, and plenty of cool color options to choose from.

For me, it is easily the best-looking phone in this price segment. It’s so good that some of my friends even thought that I was carrying the more expensive Galaxy S23!

Not just the looks, the Galaxy A54 also feels quite good to hold in the hands. It has the right amount of heft and this size is just perfect for me to interact with the display. The side buttons are also easily reachable with one hand and there is less muscle exercise while you are typing or using the fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone.

Samsung also continues to include IP67 dust and waterproofing on its midrange phones; something no other brands offer at this price segment. I remember Carl Pei—when he was with OnePlus—said it would cost $15 to include an IP rating on a phone.

So it’s good to see Samsung not skipping IP rating here to reduce the cost. For me, it’s such an underrated feature because I am a little clumsy person. I spill water off my desk every now and then, and I also drive a scooter, so during the rainy season, this IP rating provides me with better peace of mind!

Display

6.4-inches FHD+ OLED panel
120/240Hz refresh/touch sampling rate
Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection

Likewise, I also like Galaxy A54’s display. These days even OnePlus, Xiaomi, and other brands offer quality screens in this segment. But there is just something about a Samsung display that my subconscious mind falls in love with. Maybe it’s the color calibration or the touch feedback. Or maybe it’s because of the UI/UX, I don’t know! But I just like Samsung’s display more.

Compared to its predecessors, this screen is also brighter so it works much better in outdoor conditions. You also get HDR10 support here, but sadly that’s not enabled yet on Netflix, although it’s available on Amazon Prime!

The display is also complemented by a decent stereo speaker setup. It doesn’t get as loud as flagship phones and the bass is missing too, but it will get the job done when casually listening to music or watching YouTube videos.

Another thing I like about this year’s A54 is the vibration feedback. Whether I am typing or clicking these navigation buttons, there’s an almost flagship-like experience. This is all thanks to its X-axis vibration motor, which by the way, is the first in the history of Samsung’s Galaxy A series. The brand also continues to improve the fingerprint reader on its midrange phones over the years. And at this point, it’s as good as it will ever get.

Performance

Octa-core Exynos 1380 (5nm)
8GB LPDDR5 RAM, 128/256GB UFS 3.1 storage
Android 13 with OneUI 5.1 top
4 generations OS, 5 years of security updates

Let’s now talk about the performance of the Galaxy A54. Sadly, this is one area where you are not getting the best value! Samsung is using its in-house Exynos 1380 chipset on this phone, which simply doesn’t perform that well considering the price!

In the past few years, there have already been so many controversies surrounding Samsung and Exynos. Last year’s Exynos 1280 on the Galaxy A53 was a disaster, and Exynos 2200 with AMD graphics on the S22 series failed to live up to its hype as well!

This year, Samsung did redeem itself by using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 on the entire S23 series. But sadly, the company is still promoting the Exynos chips on its midrange lineup. I think this kind of favorism doesn’t help Samsung build a good reputation.

Don’t get me wrong! For normal tasks, the A54 works fine! The 120Hz refresh rate is fairly responsive as well. And I did receive two updates so far that have improved the performance to some extent. But it’s still nowhere near the level of what you expect from a premium midrange smartphone. Even the much cheaper Galaxy A34 which has a MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chipset performs better than the A54—be it in app loading time, multitasking, or general usage.

Gaming

In terms of gaming as well, the Galaxy A54 failed to achieve 60 fps in any of the games I tested, that too at the lowest of graphics settings. It’s already been more than a month since the A54 made its debut, and to see even popular titles like PUBG Mobile not being able to hit more than 30 fps is quite a shame.

Games	Settings	FPS
Genshin Impact	Graphics: Medium Frame Rate: 60fps	25fps
Genshin Impact	Graphics: Medium Frame Rate: 30fps	25fps
PUBG Mobile	Graphics: HD Frame Rate: High	30fps
Asphalt 9	Graphics: High Quality Frame Rate: 30fps	30fps
Injustice 2	Graphics: Default Frame Rate: Default	45fps
Mech Arena	Graphics: Ultra Frame Rate: No Limit	55fps

And not just fps numbers, the Exynos 1380 heats up quite fast too. Samsung hasn’t included any kind of vapor cooling solution here, as they do with the S-series, but the actual reason why Exynos 1380 heats up while gaming is because there are just so many issues with this Exynos chip at the moment—from yield to efficiency and optimization!

Cameras

Triple camera setup at the back
(50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 5MP macro)
32MP selfie camera

Cameras

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Not just performance, I think A54’s overall camera results are also underperforming because of the Exynos 1380’s weak image signal processor. As you can see from these photos, its 50MP primary camera does capture good images with plenty of details, the contrast levels are nice, and the images are also quite sharp thanks to OIS.

Normal Images

Normal

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Ultrawide Images

Ultrawide vs Normal Images

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But once I shift to the ultrawide camera, I can see a noticeable color shift, the dynamic range is compromised, and there isn’t much detail in the shot either.

Vs OnePlus 11R

Portraits

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I realized this more as I started comparing the A54 with the OnePlus 11R. Historically, Samsung always does better against OnePlus when it comes to cameras but this time OnePlus is giving me better optimization most of the time. Just look at these portraits. Samsung is struggling to handle background exposure whereas OnePlus is doing a much better job!

Nighttime Images

Nighttime

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The Galaxy A54 also has a substantial shutter lag while clicking nighttime shots, and it also struggles to lock focus when clicking close-up shots of images like flowers, whereas you get much better output from the OnePlus 11R.

Selfies

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Similarly, the selfies are also processed and it smoothens the skin. I am sure all of this will get improved with future updates, but Exynos is definitely a culprit here!

Videos

Anyway, I found the videography aspect of the A54 to be very good though! Although Samsung has disabled OIS for videos, the overall quality and field of view are quite nice. Plus, it can capture up to 4K 30 fps videos from the primary, ultrawide, as well as selfie camera.

Battery

5000mAh battery with 25W fast charging

Now, getting to the battery side of things, you get a sizable 5000mAh cell here. It’s the same as the S23 Ultra, but their actual endurance is quite different. While the S23 Ultra provided me with 7-8 hours of SOT, I am only getting like 5-5.5 hours on similar usage.

The reason why I am not getting great battery life like the S23 Ultra on my A54 is primarily ‘cuz its display is not LTPO. It can only refresh between 60 and 120Hz, unlike the S23 Ultra which can go from 1 to 120Hz. This means the Galaxy A54’s display is not exactly energy-efficient.

Charging is also pretty standard here. Like most Samsung phones, you don’t get a charger inside the box, so you’ll need to pay additional cash to get a compatible 25W charger, which takes around 1 hour and 20 minutes to fully charge the phone!

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G Review: Conclusion

To conclude, as I said at the beginning of this review, recommending the A54 is a bit more tricky than you think. At the current MSRP, it is of course an overpriced phone. But if its price goes down (which is usually the case), it will make up for a strong midrange offering! Here you are getting a flagship-like design, a solid build quality complemented with IP67 protection. The display is great too, and so is the battery life to some level.

The Exynos 1380 chipset—although not very optimized right now—is still a decent performer for day-to-day tasks. And of course, you get Samsung’s One UI experience with four OS updates and five years of security patches.

The call quality is great with reliable 5G and WiFi reception, and the cameras should also eventually get better with updates. However, the sad reality right now is that it’s just a little pricey for what it actually offers!

Meanwhile, check out our video review of the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G.

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G Review: Pros and Cons

Pros:

Premium-looking design
Beautiful 120Hz AMOLED display
IP67 dust/water resistance
Good haptics
Best-in-class software update

Cons:

Exynos 1380 requires optimization
Ultrawide Camera could be better
A bit pricey

Deal Alert: Asus TUF Gaming F15 (2021) now available for just Rs. 159,999!

GadgetByte

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April 12, 2023

2

Deal Alert: Asus TUF Gaming F15 (2021) now available for just Rs. 159,999!

Nagmani International – the official distributor of Asus products in Nepal, has discounted 2021’s Asus TUF Gaming F15 laptop by a significant amount. Let’s check out the specs, features, official price, and availability of Asus TUF Gaming F15 2021 in Nepal.

Asus TUF Gaming F15 Price in Nepal and Availability

The original price of Asus TUF Gaming F15 in Nepal with 11th gen i7 CPU, RTX 3050 Ti, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD was NPR 183,333. But you can currently get it for just NPR 159,900. Buying this laptop from Nagmani International also gets you 2 years of international warranty, a TUF backpack, and a gaming mouse for free.

Asus TUF Gaming F15	Price in Nepal	Availability
i7-11800H, RTX 3050 Ti, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD	NPR ~~183,333~~ 159,900	Hukut

Asus TUF Gaming F15 Overview:

TUF Gaming F15 looks a lot like the TUF Dash F15 in terms of design and specs. However, the two have different CPU-GPU combinations and other minor differences.

Design and Display

The metallic chassis of the Asus TUF Gaming F15 has hairline brushstrokes. It is available in two color options – Graphite Black and Eclipse Gray. On the bottom, you get a textured honeycomb grip that also acts as a cooling vent.

Inside, you are greeted with a 15.6-inch FHD panel with a 144Hz refresh rate. This anti-glare panel boasts just 62.5% of the sRGB color gamut.

Performance and Memory

On the performance front, the Asus TUF Gaming F15 features Intel’s 11th Gen Tiger Lake-H45 processors. Thus, you can expect greater performance than TUF Dash F15, which is powered by Tiger Lake-H35 CPUs.

The variant that has been launched in Nepal comes with Intel Core i5-11400H. It is a hexa-core CPU with a maximum clock speed of up to 4.5GHz (single-core). This has been paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU with 4GB of DDR6 VRAM. It can draw up to 75W of power with Dynamic Boost. In terms of memory, you get 16GB of DDR4-3200 RAM and 512GB of NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD.

Cooling

The cooling setup on the Asus TUF Gaming F15 consists of 2 fans, 4 heat pipes, and 3 heatsinks. Asus claims 10% better airflow and 11% quieter operation with this setup.

Keyboard, Audio, Webcam

You get an RGB-backlit keyboard with a dedicated number pad here. To compare, the TUF Dash F15 lacks a Numpad. Anyway, the stereo speaker setup here boasts a total output of 4W (2x2W). You also get a built-in array microphone and DTS software. A 720p webcam sticks out of the top bezel—yet another feature missing on the TUF Dash F15.

Rest of the specs

Depending upon the model, you get either a 48WHr battery or a 90WHr battery on the Asus TUF Gaming F15. The two support 180W and 200W fast charging, respectively. As for wireless connectivity, there’s Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.

In terms of ports, this gaming laptop hosts three USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, one Thunderbolt 4, one HDMI 2.0b, and one 3.5mm audio combo jack.

Asus TUF Gaming F15 2021 Specifications:

Design & Build: Metal Cover, 35.9 x 25.6 x 2.28-2.45cm, 2.3kg
Color Option: Graphite Black and Eclipse Gray
Display: 15.6 anti-glare IPS panel, 144Hz refresh rate
Resolution: FHD (1920×1080), 16:9 aspect ratio
Keyboard: Backlit chiclet keys with NumPad
Processor: Intel Core i5-11400H (6C/12T, 4.5GHz) or i7-11800H (8C/16T, 4.6GHz)
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 60W (Up to 75W, 4GB GDDR6 VRAM)
RAM: 16GB DDR4-3200 SDRAM
Storage: 512GB NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD
Audio: 2x2W speaker with DTS:X Ultra
Connectivity: WiFi 6 802.11 ax, Bluetooth 5.1
I/O Ports: 1x Thunderbolt 4 (DisplayPort/Power Delivery), 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x combo audio jack, 1x RJ45, 1x HDMI 2.0b
Extras: Free TUF Gaming Backpack + P304 TUF Gaming M5 V2 mouse, 2 years of warranty

Meanwhile, check out our review of the Asus TUF Gaming F15 (2022)

Samsung Galaxy A34 5G Review: An All-Around Smartphone?

Pratima Adhikari

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April 12, 2023

1

Samsung Galaxy A34 5G Review: An All-Around Smartphone?

In this review, I will be going through my experience using the new Samsung Galaxy A34 5G (Rs. 45,999 for 8/128GB). It is a cheaper version of the more popular Galaxy A54 costing NRs. 10000 less. So, usually what happens with Samsung midrange phones is, they are launched at a slightly inflated price but in a month or two, the price does go down, making it a sensible option for someone looking for a Samsung brand.

With the Galaxy A34, I feel like Samsung has made a lot of ‘right decisions’. But at the same time, some things about it are very strange, considering its premium price. So, should you buy the Galaxy A34? Or should you wait for the price drop? Let’s find out in our review here.

Samsung Galaxy A34 5G Specifications:

Body: 161.3 x 78.1 x 8.2 mm, 199 gm, Plastic back/frames, Glass front, IP67 dust/water resistance
Display: 6.6-inches AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate, Gorilla Glass 5
Resolution: FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels), 390 PPI, 20:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 1080 (6nm mobile platform)
CPU: Octa-core:
– 2x Cortex-A78 (2.6 GHz)

– 6x Cortex-A55 (2.0 GHz)
GPU: Mali-G68 MC4
Memory: 6/8GB LPDDR4X, 128/256GB UFS 2.2 storage
Rear Camera: Triple-camera;
– 48MP primary shooter, OIS
– 8MP ultra-wide lens
– 5MP macro sensor
Front Camera: 13MP
Audio: Stereo speaker, No headphone jack
Security: In-display fingerprint sensor (Optical)
Sensors: Accelerometer, Geomagnetic, Gyro, Light, Proximity
Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 5 a/b/g/n/ac (Dual-band), Bluetooth 5.3, GPS / AGPS / Galileo / Glonass / QZSS, USB Type-C, NFC, 4G LTE (VoLTE), 5G
Battery: 5000mAh with 25W fast charging (no charger inside the box)
Color Options: Light Green, Black, Light Violet, Silver
Price in Nepal: Rs. ~~45,999~~ 42,999 (8/128GB)

Samsung Galaxy A34 5G Review:

Performance

Octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 1080 (6nm)
6/8GB LPDDR5 RAM, 128/256GB UFS 2.2 storage
Android 13 with OneUI 5.1 on top
4 generations OS, 5 years of security updates

The Galaxy A34 comes with a more reliable Dimensity 1080 chip, which is not just better than the Exynos 1280 that the previous gen Galaxy A33 came with, but its performance is even superior to the Exynos 1380 that the more expensive A54 offer. So, without any surprise, the A34 performs well in regular everyday tasks.

Gaming

I also found the overall game stability and fps numbers are maintained well on the A34 compared to the A54. Take games like Genshin Impact for example where playing in Medium settings and 30 fps, the A34 easily attains 30 fps with 96% overall game stability while the A54 could achieve 25 fps on average with comparatively more stuttery gameplay.

Games	Settings	FPS
Games	Settings	Galaxy A34	Galaxy A54
Genshin Impact	Graphics: Medium Frame Rate: 60fps	31fps	25fps
Genshin Impact	Graphics: Medium Frame Rate: 30fps	30fps	25fps
Asphalt 9	Graphics: High Quality Frame Rate: 30fps	30fps	30fps
Injustice 2	Graphics: Default Frame Rate: Default	76fps	45fps
Mech Arena	Graphics: Ultra Frame Rate: No Limit	83fps	55fps

Even in other relatively less demanding games like PUBG, and Asphalt 9, the gaming results on the A34 are better than the A54. Plus, the Dimensity 1080 is even optimized to run a few higher fps games which is not the case with the A54. So, Samsung’s decision to not go with their in-house Exynos chipset here is a good decision.

Design

161.3 x 78.1 x 8.2 mm, 199 gm
Glass front, Plastic back/frames
IP67 dust/splash resistant

Next, I like its design too. And the reason for that is it looks like the more premium S23 series. Someone who cannot afford the more expensive Samsung phones, they are getting a premium-looking device at a much lower price, so it’s a good thing for them.

Apart from that, the build quality of the A34 is good too, even though it is made of plastic. Samsung likes to call the material ‘Glasstic’, but don’t be fooled, it’s plastic that looks like glass, so it’s basically plastic.

I do appreciate that the weight distribution here is even across the chassis. So ergonomically, it feels good on the hands. Other than that, this matte back does not catch smudges or scratches easily, the buttons are placed in a comfortable position, and more importantly, the A34 is one of the cheapest phones to come with IP67 ingress protection, so I wouldn’t complain about a lot regarding the design.

Display

6.6-inches FHD+ AMOLED
120/240Hz refresh/touch sampling rate
Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection

I do not have many complaints about the display, apart from the teardrop notch and the big bezels. Overall, this AMOLED Full HD screen is really nice. It’s bright, the colours and contrast look great, and the viewing angles are wide too.

I did not find any lags or stutters in the UI or anywhere else, so it’s safe to say that Samsung has optimized the display well. Also, this time, Samsung has bumped the refresh rate from 90Hz to 120 Hz on the A34, which is a welcome upgrade.

Samsung also provides an in-display fingerprint sensor on the A34 which I prefer over a side-mounted one. Over the years, Samsung has improved its fingerprint sensors and the one on the A34 is actually fast and pretty reliable.

Cameras

Triple camera setup at the back
(48MP main, 8MP ultrawide, 5MP macro)
13MP selfie camera (Infinity-V notch)

Cameras

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Day and Night photos

The camera is another aspect where Samsung holds its ground, at least when it comes to the primary camera. Its 48MP camera can take nice pictures with a pleasing color tone, and ample dynamic range, and the onboard OIS helps maintain sharpness very well.

Daytime / Nighttime

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The thing is, Samsung balances the colors and shadows really well and shows consistent results for its class whether you are shooting during daytime or nighttime!

The portraits look good too!

Portraits

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Even the portraits are pretty nice. Sometimes they turn out to be a bit warmer than I like, but most times, the results are okay to share on social media and stuff. Likewise, the phone produces vibrant selfies too.

But, a meh 8MP ultrawide with no Autofocus and 4K recording

Ultrawide

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Samsung has topped an average 8MP ultra-wide camera here. You will find the ultra-wide shots miss out on the level of sharpness and there’s a little bit of color shift from the primary images too. Plus, there is also no 4k recording option in the ultra-wide camera.

Videos

But overall the video-graph side of things looks good here. First of all, Samsung is the only brand in this price bracket to offer a 4k 30 fps recording option from the selfie camera. And even from the back, I found it to produce good quality 4K videos with very little cropping. There’s no stabilization, but the overall quality is quite nice.

Best-in-class update

Anyway, adding more on the reliability front is Samsung’s OneUI, which provides a pleasing experience. Apart from 4 years of OS updates and 5 years of security updates that Samsung has promised, you don’t get a lot of bloatware apps here, no annoying Ads and everything from dark mode to system elements is well optimized here. So, it’s safe to say that I am pretty satisfied with the software on this thing.

Battery

5000mAh with 25W fast charging

Battery- wise too, I am really impressed with the A34. That’s because I actually got better endurance on the A34 than on the A54. On normal usage, the phone was able to give me more than 7 hours of screen-on time, and on relatively heavier usage while mixing some gaming and photography, the phone would provide 6 hours of SoT, which is very impressive.

Charging it is not as fast as we get with most Samsung phones. It only supports 25 watts, with which it takes roughly around 1 hour and 25 minutes to fully juice up. Also, you don’t get a charger inside the box which adds to the cost a little bit.

Speaker

The speakers on the Galaxy A34 are not good! The audio coming from it is just not clean, it’s noisy, and at the highest volume, it even distorts a little bit. So, I haven’t exactly enjoyed listening to music or even watching movies on this phone so much.

Haptics

Samsung has cheaped out on the haptics as well. It has this buzzy vibration, which feels very cheap. I just wish Samsung had provided similar haptics as the A54 as it wouldn’t have cost Samsung that much to include one.

Samsung Galaxy A34 5G Review: Conclusion

It’s time for the moment of truth! Should you consider the Galaxy A34 or not? Here’s my answer—if you are looking for an all-rounder midrange phone that provides a bit of everything with only little compromises here and there, the A34 makes sense for you.

I think, at this point, the only thing that’s separating Samsung from other brands is its software commitment and brand value. And if that is important for you, going for the A34 honestly will not disappoint you. But you might be able to get the best value after the price cut and festive deals.

Anyway, look at the competition, if you want the best performance per dollar, the iQOO Neo 7 with Dimensity 8200 will give you the best value. Likewise, the Nothing phone (1) with its distinctive design, good cameras, and equally good display is something that you can consider. Want the best camera? You can go with the Google Pixel 6A which is now available at a discounted rate! So yeah… there are plenty of options to choose from in this price segment, but overall the A34 does so many things right for me to recommend.

Meanwhile, also check out our video review of the Samsung Galaxy A34.

Samsung Galaxy A34 5G Review: Pros and Cons

Pros:

Beautiful AMOLED display
Premium-looking design
Reliable everyday performance
Best-in-class software update policy
Good main and selfie cameras

Cons:

Still has a waterdrop notch
Terrible haptics
Not-so-good speakers
No charger in the box

Nothing Phone (1) Review: Good Phone, Bad Price

Nikhil Shrestha

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April 12, 2023

1

Nothing Phone (1) Review: Good Phone, Bad Price

After a bunch of teasers and after generating an unbelievable level of hype, Nothing finally unveiled its first smartphone, the Phone 1 [stylized: Phone (1)] back in July last year. Our entire team was quite excited about it, of course, and we ordered one right away to prepare this Nothing Phone 1 review. And fast forward to April 2023, the Phone 1 has officially made its way to Nepal as well.

Unfortunately, I must say all this wait wasn’t worth it. Like… at all!

And it’s so not the case of “ढिलो आयो तर कडा आयो” most of us had hoped it would be. At NPR 71,999 for the 8GB RAM and 256GB storage option, the Nothing Phone 1 is wildly overpriced in Nepal compared to markets like India. And even the UK! The phone (1) did receive a notable price drop recently but we still feel like it could’ve been priced a lot better.

So instead of what should have been a fairly easy recommendation, things are much more complicated for the Phone 1 in the Nepali market. Brands like Samsung, Xiaomi, and Realme have some really compelling options competing for a spot in our list of best premium midrange phones in Nepal. And the Nothing Phone 1 really has it tough.

Nothing Phone 1 Review: Specifications

Body: 75.8 x 159.2 x 8.3mm, 193.5gm, Gorilla Glass 5 back, Aluminum frames, IP53 dust/splash resistant
Display: 6.55-inches Flexible OLED panel, 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, Gorilla Glass 5
Other Properties: HDR10+, 700 nits peak brightness, 10-bit color depth
Resolution: FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels), 402 PPI, 20:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ 5G (6nm mobile platform)
CPU: Octa-core:
– 1x Cortex-A78 (2.50 GHz)

– 3x Cortex-A78 (2.20 GHz)

– 4x Cortex-A55 (1.90 GHz)
GPU: Adreno 642L
Memory: 8/12GB LPDDR5 RAM, 128/256GB UFS 3.1 storage (fixed)
Software & UI: Android 12 with Nothing OS on top (upgradeable)
Rear Camera: Dual (with LED flash);
– 50MP, f/1.88 Sony IMX766 primary sensor, OIS + EIS
– 50MP, f/2.2 Samsung JN1 ultrawide sensor, 114° FoV, 4cm macro
Front Camera: 16MP, f/2.45 Sony IMX471 sensor (hole-punch cutout)
Audio: Stereo speaker, 3 high definition mics, No headphone jack
Security: In-display fingerprint sensor (Optical)
Sensors: Accelerometer, Ambient light, Electronic compass, Front RGB, Gyroscope, Proximity, Sensor core
Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 6 a/b/g/n/ac/ax (Dual-band), Bluetooth 5.2, GPS / AGPS / Galileo / Glonass / QZSS, USB Type-C, NFC, 4G LTE (VoLTE), 5G
Battery: 4500mAh with 33W fast charging (power adapter provided not provided)
Color Options: Black, White
What’s Inside The Box: Nothing Phone 1, SIM ejector, USB-C to USB-C cable, User manual and other documents
Price in Nepal: NPR 58,999 (8/128GB) | NPR 61,999 (8/256GB)

Nothing Phone 1 Review:

Anyway, one of the reasons I was hyped about this phone is because of all its promises. The promises I was sure Nothing couldn’t keep, to be honest.

Trying to stand out in the smartphone market is not an easy job these days, especially for a new company. But more importantly, I wanted to see if the Phone 1 is actually a decent midrange device behind all the hype, that “Carl Pei X factor”, and the funky design. And after using the Nothing Phone 1 for quite some time to come up with this review, here’s what I think about it.

Design & Build

75.8 x 159.2 x 8.3mm, 193.5 grams
Glass front/back, Aluminum frames
IP53 dust/splash resistant

Okay, the conversation about the Nothing Phone 1 definitely needs to start with the design. We’ve already seen a handful of phones with a transparent look in the past, but not like this.

Nothing’s approach is technically a semi-transparent design, with all the wires, integrated circuits, and other internal components gracefully hidden behind different layers. While revealing only the bare minimum to maintain a fresh look.

Needless to say, the Nothing Phone 1 is one heck of a head-turner! And one I’m partially personally fond of! In my experience, it has also been something of a conversation starter. Ever since I started using Phone 1, I’ve been stopped by a bunch of people asking me just what kind of phone this is.

And when I’d reply “it’s Nothing”, the pure confusion on their face is still kinda funny to me. It’s a terrible pun, I know, but I can’t help it.

And that confusion would quickly change to amusement when I’d start flexing the LED lights at the back. Once again, notification light is nothing new in the world of smartphones, but not like this. The “Glyph Interface” as Nothing calls it, definitely adds a unique character to the phone.

And I’ll admit that I was also pretty excited to see it in action myself. But sadly, that excitement didn’t last very long. I don’t mean to say it’s useless or anything, but it turned out to be one of those features that you stop caring about after a couple of days.

The Glyph Interface can do a lot of things

From sending notification alerts to setting custom light patterns, there’s a lot it can do. Including getting your crying 2-year-old niece to calm down, apparently!

There’s even this hidden feature that transforms the Glyph Interface into a music visualizer. But even as someone who has a habit of placing the phone face down, the Glyph lights didn’t make much of a difference in how I interact with notifications on the Nothing Phone 1.

The ability to set custom patterns or sounds to certain contact or apps sure sounds interesting at first, but I found having to memorize those customizations a bit tedious. And counter-intuitive too.

Behind all the flashy lights and see-through design is also a well-made smartphone. The Nothing Phone 1 feels solid to hold, but it’s also quite wide for my small hands. Almost as wide as the iPhone 14 Pro Max (review)! Having used the Google Pixel 6a (review) and Samsung Galaxy S23 (review) not too long ago, this is a pretty big leap as far as hands-on comfort is concerned.

And looking at its flat aluminum frames with rounded edges and flush buttons, it’s clear that Nothing was heavily inspired by the latest iPhones when designing the Phone 1 as well. The only piece that’s missing here is the alert slider.

Phone 1 is one well-made phone

At 193 grams, it isn’t “lightweight” by any means but the evenly distributed heft certainly makes it feel so. As for the color options, the Black and White choices almost feel like a personality test to me somehow. Westworld fans know exactly what I’m talking about!

We were originally looking to get the White variant but it ran out of stock immediately after the sale went live. Still and all, I like how the Glyph lights are more distinct here. And so are the fingerprint smudges, unfortunately.

In terms of durability, Nothing has gone with Gorilla Glass 5 both on the front and the back of the Phone 1. It’s not the most robust Gorilla Glass out there, but it isn’t exactly a dealbreaker either. The Phone 1 isn’t fully water-sealed too. IP53 can take care of minor splashes and such—sure—but I’ve had to be extra careful whenever taking the phone out with me in rainy monsoon weather.

Display

6.55-inches FHD+ OLED panel
120/240Hz refresh/touch sampling rate
Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection

On to the display portion of this review, the Nothing Phone 1 sports a regular 6.5” 10-bit OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. Pretty standard stuff. What I’m especially fond of here though, are the uniform bezels on all sides.

And the actual quality of this screen is also quite nice. Some people have faced green tint and dead pixel issues with their Phone 1, but thankfully that’s not been a problem on our unit. It has nice viewing angles whereas colors look punchy and pleasing in the default “Alive” profile as well. But there’s a catch.

One thing I noticed right away when I started using this phone is that its factory color temperature calibration was way off. It is simply way too warm and it looks as if I’ve turned on “Night Light”, even though I haven’t. I’m just glad that there’s a temperature slider in the settings to solve this issue!

Another minor bug I noticed is that the adaptive refresh rate wasn’t working properly here. That means the phone would continuously stay at 120Hz even when it didn’t need to, thus consuming more power.

As it turns out, the “force peak refresh rate” feature under the Developer Options was enabled by default for some reason. Weird. Disabling it did fix the problem, although the display still gets stuck at 120Hz every now and then.

Not the brightest tool in the shed

The Nothing Phone 1 also gets bright enough under direct sunlight, but it’s far from the brightest screen I’ve seen on a midrange phone.

Nothing says this panel can actually hit 1200 nits of peak brightness under certain conditions like HDR playback, but it’s currently maxed out at 700 nits due to multiple reasons including battery consumption and heat.

And I can certainly see why they’d want to do so because the Nothing Phone 1 gets quite warm under direct Sun. Far warmer than the likes of POCO F4, Realme GT Neo 3, and other midrange phones.

Moving on, the media consumption experience is quite nice here thanks to the Widevine L1 certification. It is also HDR10+ certified but there’s no HDR playback on streaming platforms like Netflix for now.

Unbalanced stereo speakers

And as far as the sound quality is concerned, I’m not too impressed with its stereo speakers. Sure it gets loud enough but the imbalance between the top and bottom speaker units sounds a bit icky to me.

Other than that, Phone 1’s optical fingerprint reader works perfectly fine. I do wish it was placed a little higher so that I could reach it more easily, but that’s okay. And I’m also quite fond of its sharp haptic feedback, which makes for a delightful typing experience.

Performance

Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ 5G SoC (6nm)
8/12GB LPDDR5 RAM, 128/256GB UFS 3.1 storage (fixed)
Android 12 with Nothing OS on top
3 generations OS, 4 years of security updates

Okay, let’s now get to the performance side of things. For its first-ever smartphone, Nothing didn’t immediately go for the latest and greatest chipset. Instead, Phone 1 uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 778G+ processor, which is a slightly modified version of the famously reliable Snapdragon 778G midrange chip that we’ve seen on a bunch of phones last year.

Needless to say, its performance has been top-notch!

Nothing especially highlighted the multitasking possibilities of the phone during its keynote speech, and… yeah. I’m happy with how Nothing OS handles memory management! There’s no aggressive RAM management going on in the background, which means I can shuffle between multiple apps without having to worry about reloading any app. Sweet!

And under regular usage, the Nothing Phone 1 doesn’t heat up or even get warm for that matter. But when bringing gaming into the mix, especially ones that are heavy on the GPU, the Phone 1 begins to show its limits.

Coming in hot

For instance, playing Genshin Impact at High settings with 60 fps on, I only got around 35-40 fps on average. That too with frequent frame drops and stutters. And after 20 minutes into the game, the front of the phone got as hot as 45°C!

Other relatively less demanding titles don’t generate as much heat while still delivering stable gameplay. But the temperature readings I’m seeing here are notably higher than other Snapdragon 778G phones I’ve tested so far.

So if gaming is a priority, then I can’t really recommend this phone to you. Not to mention, this isn’t exactly a “value-for-money” device either.

Instead of getting the Phone 1, you can get far more powerful phones like the POCO F4, Redmi K50i (review), or the iQOO Neo 7 (review). And most of them are available at a much cheaper price tag as well! So it’s pretty clear that Nothing is trying to position itself as a premium brand in the smartphone world.

Nothing OS is pretty great

Besides all the fancy lights and quirky features, the Nothing Phone 1’s clean software is also one of its biggest selling points. The near-stock and bloatware-free Nothing OS has been a delight to use so far. I did come across a couple of non-recurring bugs here, but they’re nothing an update or two can’t fix.

Also, most of Nothing’s cosmetic tweaks to Android 12 feel… refreshing instead of unnecessary. Like the oversized internet and Bluetooth tiles on the notification tray and its custom widgets. And the cherry on top is that Nothing has promised 3 generations of OS and 4 years of security updates for the Phone 1. Then again, Nothing took its sweet time to roll out the Android 13 update for this guy.

Cameras

Dual camera setup at the back
(50MP main, 50MP ultrawide)
16MP selfie camera (hole-punch)

Cameras

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What about the cameras then? Before heading into the review, the camera was the area where I was worried the Nothing Phone 1 would disappoint the most. But I must say that the company has laid my doubts to rest quite comfortably.

Normal Images

Its 50MP IMX766 main camera takes great photos in ample lighting conditions. Images have plenty of details, nice colors, highlight control, and dynamic range.

Normal

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The onboard OIS here does a fine job at preserving sharpness on moving subjects too. The photos are somewhat contrast-heavy, which I prefer, but this can result in crushed shadows when there’s not sufficient ambient light.

Ultrawide Images

I like what Nothing has done with the ultrawide camera too. Unlike your typical midrange phone, the wide and ultrawide camera on the Phone 1 delivers fairly consistent images.

Ultrawide

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I won’t say it’s on the same level as the Pixel phones but it’s leagues ahead of what you get from Chinese brands.

Macro

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However, that consistency starts to break down a little once the sun goes down. You can also shoot close-up macro shots from this ultrawide sensor, but the results are nothing extraordinary.

Portrait Images

I’m also really digging its portrait shots. The way it maintains skin tone, background exposure, and edge detection is really impressive.

Portrait

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So if you’re coming from Xiaomi or Realme phones which are notorious for messing up with skin tones, I bet this is going to be a total game-changer!

Lowlight Images

Lowlight photos from the Nothing Phone 1 are quite nice as well. Nothing’s image processing does a good job at preserving details whereas the photos aren’t grainy or anything either. Including those from the ultrawide camera!

Lowlight

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But compared to the daytime shots, the images turn out slightly oversaturated. And also with a noticeably cool hue. With Night Mode on, you do get brighter shots with better details, although it doesn’t do much in terms of fixing the color science.

Lowlight

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But what’s annoying here is that Nothing Phone 1 doesn’t let me manually select Night Mode all the time. If Nothing’s algorithm detects that there’s sufficient ambient light, the Night Mode toggle is simply nowhere to be found.

Lowlight

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Even in situations where turning it on could actually deliver better photos. So to forcibly get Night Mode, I have to point the camera to a darker area, turn it on, and then take the photo I originally wanted. The whole thing is pretty frustrating, to say the least.

Selfie Images

Like the primary images, I found that its selfies are also richer in contrast. So chances are you might end up with a bit gloomy selfies at times.

Selfie

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But overall, I like how the photos retain ample details and skin tone, alongside a balanced subject and background separation.

Videography

The Nothing Phone 1 has impressed me with its video recording abilities too. At least from the rear camera. There’s no 4K 60 fps recording option here, but it shoots steady videos across all resolutions available; from both wide and ultrawide cameras.

I wish Nothing could’ve managed similar color-tuning on videos like the photos though, because you can clearly tell that the videos have higher saturation and contrast levels.

As for the selfie videos, you can only shoot at up to 1080/30 fps here. Like most other midrange phones. The actual quality of the video itself is not too bad, but it can’t handle background exposure very well—especially when you’re shooting against the Sun.

Battery

4500mAh battery with 33W fast charging
15W wireless, 5W reverse wireless charging

Finally, the battery life on the Nothing Phone 1 is just average. On days with heavy gaming and lots of mobile data and GPS usage, it would give up on me before I got home by evening. But under light usage, I did manage to get around 6 hours of screen-on time from this thing.

Unfortunately, Nothing doesn’t provide a compatible charger inside the box. And you’ll have to buy its 45W power adapter separately.

Or according to Nothing, if you have a Quick Charge 4.0 compatible charger, that works too. But interestingly enough, using the Ugreen Diginest 100W power strip that meets all of Nothing’s charging requirements including Quick Charge 4.0 and Power Delivery 3.0, the Phone 1 climbed from 1 to 100% in an hour and 40 minutes. That’s 30 minutes slower than the official claim!

On the other hand, our Acefast A15 65W power brick that only supports QC 3.0 actually managed to fully charge the phone in roughly 70 minutes only!

The ambient temperature was pretty much the same in both test conditions at around 25-26°C. And I also let the phone adequately cool down in both tests before I plugged it in so… I don’t really understand why this is happening. Apart from wired charging, Phone 1 also supports 15W wireless and 5W reverse wireless charging.

Nothing Phone 1 Review: Conclusion

Okay, let’s now wrap up this review of the Nothing Phone 1. It goes without saying that the Nothing Phone 1 easily stands out from the crowd of saturated midrange phones in 2023. That semi-transparent design mixed with the Glyph interface sure does offer a “breath of fresh air” to anyone who’s looking for a phone with a unique character above everything else.

And even if you don’t care about any of those funky design elements, this is still a solid all-rounder phone that deserves your attention.

That’s not to say the Nothing Phone 1 is perfect by any means as we’ve discovered throughout this review. There are quite a few software bugs to iron out here (some have), it has some hardware limitations compared to the competition but more importantly, Nothing is asking for a premium price for this phone.

You can easily find a bunch of midrange devices with better performance at cheaper prices, but I doubt any of them can duplicate this guy’s fresh smartphone experience. Having said that, the aforementioned price discrepancy of the Nothing Phone 1 in Nepal and other markets is unfortunate and embarrassing. Compared to the Indian market, we would’ve found it acceptable if it was 10 – 15% costlier, but no. This is simply ludicrous!

The price isn’t right

Therefore unless you really want that “Glyph Interface” and all the Nothing quirks, the Phone 1 doesn’t make much sense in Nepal from purely a value-for-money perspective. And it’s the classic case of “there are no bad products, only bad prices”. Plus, seeing choices like the Galaxy A54, Xiaomi 13 Lite, and Realme GT Neo 3 (review) at similar or much lower prices, it’s tough to recommend this guy.

So yeah, did Nothing revolutionize the smartphone industry with the Phone 1? I don’t think so. But did it add a little excitement to this space? Absolutely! And I can’t wait to see what Nothing has in store with the Phone (2). Carl Pei directly accused all the smartphone makers of coming up with iterative upgrades instead of substantial innovations, so it’ll be really interesting to see how Nothing will subvert such a trend.

Watch our video review of Nothing Phone 1

Nothing Phone 1 Review: Pros & Cons

Pros:

Unique design
Glyph Interface is pretty cool
120Hz OLED display
Reliable performance overall
Takes nice photos, videos
Decent battery life
Supports wireless charging

Cons:

Terrible value for money here in Nepal
Weak ingress protection
Some software bugs here and there
The display doesn’t get bright enough
Poor stereo speakers
Not the best thermal management system

Update (April 30, 2023): We have updated some portion of this Nothing phone (1) review after it received a price drop recently.

JBL Pulse 5 with 360° light, dual-driver audio launched in Nepal

GadgetByte

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April 11, 2023

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JBL Pulse 5 with 360° light, dual-driver audio launched in Nepal

JBL Pulse 5 has finally made its way to Nepal. It is a newly released portable speaker from the American audio brand, offering 360° audio and a beautiful light show. So, let’s discuss the new JBL Pulse 5 in more detail, including its specifications, official price and availability in Nepal.

JBL Pulse 5 Overview:

Design

The main highlight of JBL’s Pulse series has always been 360° light which syncs to the music it plays. The 360° light, or Light Show as JBL calls it, is even more prominent on the Pulse 5. Compared to the Pulse 4, the LED is bigger and glows through the expanded transparent outer layer. The light even goes around the passive radiator at the bottom.

Furthermore, the lights even have more customizations that can particularly be configured within the JBL connect app. The previous version responded concerning the music played, which they called dynamic lighting seems a little improved in this rendition. Even if you want to deactivate the light (why would you?), there’s indeed a way to shut off the whole light or even part of it.

The speaker has also secured an IP67 water and dust resistance rating, which is an improvement over the IPX7 rating of its predecessor. Additionally, design elements like carrying straps make it easier to carry around.

Audio

OK, the single main feature of any speaker is audio, and JBL Pulse 5 has improved on that front too. This beast comes with a larger passive radiator, so you can expect it to deliver bass. And that’s not all – the inclusion of a dual-driver setup means you get to enjoy crisp mid-low frequency audio with the 30W woofer while the 10W tweeter produces an authentic and pure sound.

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Rest of the specs

Moving on, the Pulse 5 implements Bluetooth 5.3. The speaker produces mono sound, but users can achieve stereo audio by connecting multiple JBL speakers using the PartyBoost feature. This feature really comes in handy when you are having a party and need to pair up two speakers for stereo sound or you want multiple speakers to play in sync.

To power all the new features, Pulse 5 includes a 37Wh battery that can withstand 12 hours of continuous use if played at half of the volume and medium lighting settings. Even with 80% volume and full lighting, it can withstand 6 – 7 hrs of continued usage. With such battery life, you would never have to interrupt in between your beats.

JBL Pulse 5 Specifications

Body (W x D x H): 107 x 216 x 132 mm; 1.5 kg
IP Rating: IP67 dust and water resistance
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3 (A2DP V1.3, AVRCP V1.6)
Transducers: 1x 64mm woofer + 1x 16mm tweeter
Output Power: 30 W RMS (Woofer) | 10 W RMS (Tweeter)
Frequency Response: 58Hz – 20kHz
Signal-to-noise Ratio: >80dB
Battery: 27Wh (3.6V / 7500mAh)
Battery Life: Up to 12 hours
Charging: Type-C port (100% in 4 hours)
Companion app: JBL Portable (Android | iOS)

JBL Pulse 5 Price in Nepal and Availability

The price of JBL Pulse 5 is Rs. 39,000, and it is available through official stores like Evostore and Oliz Store. However, you can get it for as low as Rs. 34,999 as part of Daraz’s New Year sale.

Speaker	Price in Nepal (Official)	Daraz Offer
JBL Pulse 5	Rs. 39,000	Rs. 34,999 (with vouchers)

Meanwhile, check out our JBL Pulse 4 review.