iQOO’s Z lineup is very popular among budget customers. While the iQOO Z7 is still under wraps, its younger sibling, the iQOO Z7i is now launched in China. It’s the world’s first phone to be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6020 5G chipset. Let’s get into the specs, features, and expected price of the iQOO Z7i in Nepal.
iQOO Z7i Overview:
Design and Display
Talking of the design, iQOO takes some cues from its Vivo siblings. The design here is pretty thin and lightweight with a thickness of 8.15mm and 186g weight. The Ice Panel version sports a reflective back panel while the Moon Shadow goes with a plain black, yet shiny finish. Likewise, the frame has flat edges, providing a boxy form factor to the Z7i. The smartphone has a 6.51-inch IPS LCD panel with a static 60Hz refresh rate. It has an HD+ resolution of 1600 x 720 pixels and supports up to 16.7 million colors with an 88.99% screen-to-body ratio.
Performance
The Z7i packs a MediaTek Dimensity 6020 chipset under the hood, making it the first phone to pack this new SoC. This 5G silicon is based on TSMC’s 7nm fabrication process. It is an octa-core processor with two Cortex-A76 cores at 2.2GHz and six power-efficient cortex A-55 cores running at 2.0GHz. The graphics are handled by a Mali G57 GPU.
Looking at the core architecture, the Arm cores, and GPU are very identical to Dimensity 700 5G chip. So, iQOO might launch the Z7i with a Dimensity 700 processor instead globally, as the previous rumors suggested.
The smartphone is available in three memory configurations: 4/128GB, 6/128GB, and 8/128 GB. And it boots on OriginOS Ocean 13 (Funtouch OS 13) built on top of Android 13.
Camera
Coming to the optics, the iQOO Z7i houses a dual camera setup. The primary camera is an f/2.2 13MP sensor with autofocus, while the secondary lens is a 2MP macro unit. On the front side, you get a 5MP camera for selfies and video calls. Both front and back cameras are capable of recording up to 1080p videos at 30fps.
Fueling the smartphone is a 5000mAh battery. It gets 15W fast charging alongside OTG reverse charging support. Connectivity option on the Z7i include 5G, WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, a USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. For biometrics, the phone houses a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.
iQOO Z7i Specifications:
Body: 164.05 x 75.60 x 8.15mm; 186g
Display: 6.51-inch IPS LCD, 60Hz refresh rate, DC Dimming
Resolution: HD+ (1600 x 900 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: Mediatek Dimensity 6020 5G (7nm)
Memory: Up to 8GB RAM, Up to 128GB storage
OS: Android 13-based OriginOS Ocean 13 (Funtouch OS 13)
Rear Camera: Dual (13MP primary + 2MP macro)
Front Camera: 5MP (teardrop notch)
Security: Fingerprint (side-mounted)
Battery: 5,000mAh with 15W wired charging
Color Options: Moon Shadow, Ice Lake Blue
iQOO Z7i Price in Nepal and Availability
In China, the official price of the Z7i starts at CNY 899. We can expect the iQOO Z7i price in Nepal to be NPR 20,999 if and when it launches here.
First introduced back in the CES, Gigabyte’s Aero 14 OLED (2023) has finally made it to the shelf recently. Boasting minimal aesthetics, the laptop comes with a 13th Gen CPU and RTX 40-series GPU. Here, we will go through the specs, features, availability, and expected price of the Gigabyte Aero 14 OLED (2023) in Nepal.
Gigabyte Aero 14 OLED (2023) Laptop Overview:
Design
The Aero 14 OLED is designed with office or mobile workers in mind. Thus, Gigabyte has made an effort to keep the laptop’s weight and thickness on the lighter side, which in this instance are 1.49kg and 17mm, respectively.
Even the build quality is pretty solid here. The lid is made of aluminum using the CNC (Computerized Numerical Control) technique which is a pre-programmed software for controlling the movement of production equipment. The rear panel also has an ‘AERO’ logo imprinted using nanoimprint Lithography (NIL) that can refract light as per viewing angles.
Gigabyte has included the “Aero” logo even in the glass touchpad, which is also fingerprint and sweat-proof. Moreover, the chassis is said to be of aero-space grade for sturdiness. It also has a nanofilm coating for easy cleaning.
Display
As the name goes, Aero 14 OLED sports a 14″ OLED HDR panel with a 2.8K resolution. Gigabyte says the screen has 5,484,000 independent LED pixels alongside X-Rite color calibration 2.0 for vibrant and punchy colors. The aspect ratio is 16:10 which allows an increment of the viewing area by 12% compared to the 16:9 screen.
Moreover, the display is VESA DisplayHDR 600 TrueBlack certified, which is said to offer distinct blacks and whites with zero halos. On top of that, its TÜV Rheinland Eyesafe 2.0 eye protection certification ensures low blue light and flicker-free technology for the 14-inch OLED screen. Likewise, the display supports a 90Hz refresh rate and 100% DCI-P3 cinema-grade color gamut.
The Aero 14 2023 houses an Intel i7-13700H Raptor Lake CPU under the hood. This 13th Gen silicon has 6 performance cores, accompanied by 8 efficient cores, totaling 14 cores. It can run up to 20 threads with its 24MB cache. Likewise, the chip is stated to provide a 37% improvement over its 12th Gen counterpart.
Running the show for the graphics is an RTX 4050 laptop GPU with 70W of maximum TDP. With this, the laptop should suffice your light to medium creative workloads with ease. The RTX 4050 also enjoys next-gen Ray Tracing and DLSS support for immersive gaming performance.
To keep the thermals in check, there is “GIGABYTE Windforce Infinity cooling” technology which comprises dual 5V 72-blade fans. It’s said to create a low-noise experience of less than 24 dB while doing light tasks.
Moreover, there is AV1 video hardware for royalty-free video coding format. Storage-wise, the laptop supports up to 4TB (PCIe Gen4x4) SSD. Whereas, the memory option includes 16GB DDR5 non-upgradeable RAM.
Connectivity
As for connectivity, the Aero 14 OLED 2023 laptop comes with adequate port options. There are two Thunderbolt 4, one HDMI 2.1, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, and one USB Type-C power input port, alongside a microSD card reader with UHS-II (ultra high-speed bus) support and a 3.5mm headphone jack port.
Moving on, the Aero 14 OLED (2023) gets its juice from a 63Wh Lithium Polymer (Li-Po) battery. It recharges via a 130W adapter. For attending meetings and video calls, Gigabyte has also included an FHD webcam.
Similarly, the laptop houses dual 2W speakers with DTS: X Ultra Audio Technology. Whereas for wireless connectivity, there is triple-band WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 support.
Gigabyte Aero 14 OLED (2023) Specifications:
Body: 311 x 221 x 17mm; 1.49 kg
Display: 14-inch OLED panel, up to 90Hz refresh rate
Resolution: Up to 2.8K (2880×1800 pixels)
CPU: Intel Core i7-13700H
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050
RAM: 16GB DDR5, non-upgradeable
Storage: 1x NVMe PCIe Gen 4.0×4 Slots
Webcam: 1080p
Battery: 63Wh, Lithium Polymer
Adapter: 130W
Ports: 2x USB Type-A, 2x USB Type-C (one with Thunderbolt 4), 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x Mini DP, 1.4 1 x RJ45 , 1x Audio Jack
Gigabyte Aero 14 OLED (2023) Price in Nepal and Availability
The official price of the Aero 14 OLED starts at USD 1,699. We can expect the Gigabyte Aero 14 OLED 2023 price in Nepal to be NPR 265,999 if and when it launches here.
Moto has just launched Moto G73 in India. The new Moto G73 is a mid-range phone with an OLED display, a 5G chipset, and a 50MP camera. Today, we will be discussing the new Motorola Moto G73 in more detail, including its specs, features, expected price, and availability in Nepal.
Moto G73 Overview:
Performance and Memory
Moto G73 is the most premium smartphone among the latest batch of mid-range phones by Motorola. No surprise it has the best chipset as well. While its predecessor came with Helio G99, Motorola has swapped it for Dimensity 930.
As a result, the phone now supports 5G which is also its main selling point. In addition, the new chip brings Cortex-A78 performance cores and a new IMG BMX–8—256 for graphics. The chip is paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The latter can be expanded up to 1TB using an external microSD card.
Design and Display
Motorola has built the Moto G73 around a 120Hz FHD+ screen measuring 6.5 inches in diagonal length. It is an IPS LCD screen which is a bummer since last year’s Moto G72 came with a P-OLED panel. Over on the back, G73 has Motorola’s iconic “bat-wing” logo. The panel is available in Lucent White and Midnight Blue options.
The design of the Moto G73 is very similar to its predecessor, except for color options and the camera island on the back. The island is smaller in comparison and features more rounded corners.
The camera island is smaller because it now houses just two sensors and a LED flash. Motorola G72 doesn’t have a dedicated macro and depth sensor. It has an 8MP ultrawide camera covering for both of them. In addition, the phone has a 50MP primary camera with larger binned pixels and more light sensitivity. On the software side, Motorola has also added the capability to record videos from front and back cameras simultaneously.
Rest of the Specs
The Moto G73 gets its juice from a 5,000mAh cell. It is capable of 30W TurboPower charging and Motorola ships a compatible charger in the box. The phone retains the 3.5mm headphone jack and also has stereo speakers and Dolby Atmos. There is a side-mounted fingerprint scanner for biometrics and the phone also has NFC.
Motorola Moto G73 Specifications:
Body: Plastic Build, 161.42 x 73.84 x 8.29 mm, 181 gm
Front Camera: 16MP, f/2.4 sensor (punch-hole cutout)
Security: Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
Battery: 5,000mAh, 30W charging
Connectivity: Dual-band Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 ac), Bluetooth 5.3, NFC
Color Options: Midnight Blue, Lucent White
Moto G73 Price in Nepal and Availability
The price of the Moto G73 is INR 18,999 and it will soon be available for sale in India. We expect the price of the Moto G73 to be NPR 34,999 if it launches in Nepal.
Fast-charging tech on smartphones has been on the rise for a couple of years now. Realme recently unveiled GT 3 (GT Neo 5 in China) with 240W charging while Redmi entered the fray with a 300W solution of its own. And now, Infinix has debuted its 260W wired and 110W wireless fast charging technology as well, called “All-Round FastCharge”.
Infinix 260W Wired Charging:
According to Infinix, its 260W fast charger can fill up a 4400mAh battery from 0 to 100% in just 8 minutes. The company claims an impressive 98.5% charging efficiency here, while it also says the test battery could retain 90% of its initial capacity after 1,000 charge cycles.
Image: GSMArena
Infinix’s new charging technology combines GaN (Galium Nitride) material and converts the dual 8C battery to a single 12C unit. And it includes a four-way 100W charge pump circuit design that intelligently identifies power requirements and assigns the appropriate number of charge pumps. There is also an integrated AHB (Advanced High-Performance Bus) circuit design with safe charging control.
Custom cable
Moving on, since a compatible cable is also required to achieve such speeds, Infinix has developed its own solution that can carry up to 13A current.
As for the 110W wireless charging solution, Infinix says it can charge a 4400mAh battery in 16 minutes. It features a custom-coil design with fewer but wider coils in the same space, which reduces internal resistance. As a result, this also lowers the phone’s temperature when charging.
Additionally, this wireless charger has improved charging efficiency and increased peak power charging time. And with this charger, users can mount their phones either horizontally or vertically. In addition, it has a fan on the base for better heat control too.
Besides all this, Infinix’s “All-Round FastCharge” standard supports reverse charging, bypass charging, multi-protocol charging, and Power Delivery (PD) 3.0 as well.
Thankfully, all this is not just a proof of concept and will be available in an upcoming “Infinix Note” smartphone later this year as confirmed by the company.
Meanwhile, check out our review of Redmi Note 12 Pro+.
Huawei is reportedly gearing up to launch its next generation of smartwatches, the Watch 4 and Watch 4 Pro. The Watch 4 series recently stopped by WiFi and 3C certifications, revealing some of its specifications. Let’s take a look at the Huawei Watch 4 series, including its rumored specifications, expected price, launch date, and more.
Huawei Watch 4 Series Overview:
Image: WiFi Alliance
On certifications, the Huawei Watch 4 is codenamed “ARC-AL00” while the Watch 4 Pro is codenamed “MDS-AL10” and “MDS-AL00”. Here, “ARC” refers to “Arch” and “MDS” refers to “Medusa” which is the internal codename for Watch 4 and Watch 4 Pro.
Zirconium material
More importantly, Huawei is reportedly using zirconium material for frames in its upcoming smartwatches. Zircon is known for its durable and crack-resistant properties, but this could also mean these smartwatches end up being more expensive than the Huawei Watch 3 series.
Satellite communication
Other than this, the Watch 4 series could also be the first to bring a satellite SMS feature to smartwatches. Just like the Huawei Mate 50 series, Motorola Defy 2, and the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro series of smartphones. Moving on, the 3C certifications for these smartwatches also reveal 4G LTE connectivity and a 5W fast charging speed. Whereas the WiFi certification confirms that the Watch 4 series will include a WiFi 4 module with a single 2.4GHz band.
Image: China Compulsory Certificate (3C)
By the way, 2021’s Huawei Watch 3 series also featured single-band WiFi 4 technology. And in terms of software, it could come with HarmonyOS 3 pre-installed out of the box.
Leaked online ads reveal Huawei could unveil the Watch 4 and Watch 4 Pro on March 23, along with the flagship Huawei P60 series of smartphones and the Mate X3 foldable phone. There is no information on their prices yet.
This is my full review of the new iQOO Neo 7, which is the company’s latest midrange phone. And if we know one thing about iQOO, it’s that the company makes solid gaming phones and this guy is no exception. Even just by looking at some of its specs like the Dimensity 8200 processor and the 3D cooling system, you can tell that the iQOO Neo 7 kills it in the gaming arena.
But as the smartphone industry continues to evolve, gaming phones have bigger shoes to fill as well.
And people have come to expect good—if not as equally good—experience from a gaming phone in other aspects like cameras, display, and battery as well. So I was really curious to find out if the iQOO Neo 7 is also a balanced midrange phone that even someone who is not a gamer should look into. And spoiler alert, except for a few compromises here and there, this is actually a pretty well-rounded phone overall.
iQOO Neo 7 Review: Specifications
Body: 76.9 x 164.8 x 8.6mm, 193 grams, Plastic back/frames, No IP rating
Display: 6.78-inch AMOLED panel, 120Hz refresh rate, Up to 1200Hz touch sampling rate, Schott Xensation glass, SGS Eye Care
Other Properties: 800 nits (HBM), 1300 nits (HDR) brightness, HDR10+
Resolution: Full HD (2400 x 1080 pixels), 388 PPI, 20:9 aspect ratio,
Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 8200 5G (4nm mobile platform)
Battery: 5000mAh with 120W FlashCharge (120W adapter provided)
Color Options: Frost Blue, Interstellar Black
What’s Inside The Box: iQOO Neo 7, USB-C to USB-C cable, 120W power adapter, USB-C to 3.5mm jack adapter, Clear case, SIM ejector tool, User manual and other documents
Price in Nepal: N/A (Starts at INR 29,999 in India for 8/128GB)
iQOO Neo 7 Review:
Before we move forward, let me clear up something real quick. So like how iQOO rebranded the China-exclusive Neo 6 SE as Neo 6 for the global market last year, the iQOO Neo 7 shares the same story. The global variant of this phone—which is the one I have—is powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 8200 chip versus a more powerful Dimensity 9000+ on the Chinese model. Apart from this, there are a few more differences in the display and camera departments as well.
2 years of OS, 3 years of guaranteed security updates
Anyway, let’s now talk about the star of the show, which is the processor itself. The Neo 7’s Dimensity 8200 is a small upgrade over the Dimensity 8100—yes—but still an impressive one. And the most important upgrade of them all has to be its 4nm fabrication process, besides the overclocked CPU and GPU, and everything else.
Dimensity 8100
Dimensity 8200
Process
TSMC 5nm (N5)
TSMC 4nm (N4)
CPU
4x Cortex-A78 (2.85 GHz)
1x Cortex-A78 (3.1 GHz)
4x Cortex-A55 (2.0 GHz)
3x Cortex-A78 (3.0 GHz)
4x Cortex-A55 (2.0 GHz)
GPU
Mali-G610 MC6 (860 MHz)
Mali-G610 MC6 (950 MHz)
I think MediaTek could’ve shaped this chip even prettier by going with the new Armv9 architecture and TSMC’s second-gen 4nm process though. But for what it’s worth, the 8200 is an absolute powerhouse.
Benchmarks
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AnTuTu 9.2.9
Geekbench 5.4.4
CPU Throttling Test (Scores)
CPU Throttling Test (Performance Retained)
GFXBench
3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress
Be it CPU or GPU, this MediaTek chip scores higher in every benchmark out there, against practically every chip you’d find in this price segment. In fact, its performance level is actually similar to the Snapdragon 888, but you know… with much better thermal efficiency.
A proper gaming powerhouse
So this shouldn’t come as a surprise when I say that the iQOO Neo 7 is a total beast in the gaming arena. Even in something as resource-hungry as Genshin Impact, this guy manages around 57 fps on average at High graphics.
I did come across some frame drops here and there and the phone’s temperature does climb above 40ºC after a while, but these are more than playable conditions. Not to mention, it’s quite ahead of other Snapdragon 778G, Snapdragon 870, or Dimensity 1080-powered phones you’d find in this price bracket.
Gaming
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PUBG Mobile
Apex Legends
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Asphalt 9
I also thoroughly enjoyed playing other—not as demanding—titles like PUBG Mobile, Apex Legends (RIP), and Mobile Legends at 60 fps with the best visual quality and comfortable thermals.
High fps gaming
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Injustice 2
Mech Arena
But since the Dimensity 8200 is a fairly new kid on the block, I noticed optimization issues in a few games. Asphalt 9, for instance, can’t hit steady 60 fps and settles to around 55 fps instead. Whereas Injustice is also locked at 60 fps—even though I should’ve been able to play it at 120 fps. The other high-fps game I tried was Mech Arena, which ran at 100 fps average at the highest settings.
Some more gaming features
But a powerful processor and a competent cooling system aren’t the only things that make iQOO Neo 7 such an impressive gaming phone. No, no, no. iQOO has also borrowed a couple of gaming features from its flagship phones to truly make the Neo 7 special. Such as “Motion Control” which lets you run different in-game settings with simple gestures.
And if you play a lot of fps games like PUBG, then I’m sure you’re also gonna love how iQOO lets you set different levels of gyro sensitivity for the best recoil control and fast aiming. 4D Game Vibration is another sweet feature iQOO hopes keeps you immersed by delivering precise haptic feedback that mimics in-game activities in real time. I had no problem with it in iQOO 11, but for some reason, it didn’t work that well here—with the phone often failing to figure out what was happening in the game.
How’s the software side of things?
Besides all its gaming chops, the iQOO Neo 7 is also a dependable performer for your usual, everyday tasks. It did randomly reboot once but since that was only a one-time thing, I won’t say it’s anything serious. The Funtouch OS experience is also pretty decent if you can look past some minor inconsistencies in the UI design.
It can also be somewhat strict with memory management in the background, but you can easily adjust individual apps’ power management settings. The bloatware situation on Vivo’s Funtouch OS 13 hasn’t gotten any better or worse since the last I saw it on iQOO 11, so there’s that. Which reminds me, although iQOO fi…nally committed to three major OS updates and four years of security patches for its flagship phones, the Neo 7 is still a year short on both fronts.
Design and Build
76.9 x 164.8 x 8.6mm, 193 gm
Glass front, Plastic back/frames
No IP rating
So while its performance is undoubtedly spectacular, this design is just okay-ish. The company could’ve improved upon the build quality of Neo 6 while still keeping this lineup’s identity intact, but the Neo 7 is pretty much a copy and paste of what we got last year. I don’t mean to say it looks terrible or anything—in fact, I quite dig its curved back with matte finish—but I can’t say this is the most well-put midrange phone either.
For starters, the Neo 7 has an all-plastic build material which doesn’t feel that nice on my hands; even though iQOO has done an A1 job with the weight distribution. And like basically every other iQOO phone ever, this one lacks an official IP rating as well. At least the SIM tray has been wrapped with a rubber ring so there’s some reassurance I guess.
Display
6.78-inches FHD E4 AMOLED panel
120/360Hz refresh/touch sampling rate
800 nits (HBM), 1300 nits (HDR) brightness
Schott Xensation glass protection
Like the design, its display is effectively the same as its predecessor too. But I must say that isn’t necessarily a bad thing in this case. You’re looking at a slightly bigger 6.78” AMOLED display with all the goodies like a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, a speedy 360Hz touch sampling rate, and more.
I couldn’t find it in any of iQOO’s official resources but I think the company has also used the same E4 luminescent material on the Neo 7 that peaks at 1300 nits in certain HDR playbacks. Or 800 nits under auto brightness mode.
That’s not as bright compared to something like the Redmi Note 12 Pro+—for example—but I can read stuff off of this screen even under direct sunlight just fine. The factory color calibration was a bit on the warm side in our unit but adjusting it is literally as easy as dragging the temperature slider inside the settings.
And iQOO has also got you covered for a rich viewing experience on Netflix and other streaming with HDR10+ certification. But bringing the Note 12 Pro+ into the mix once again—which can even play Dolby Vision-mastered videos by the way—the Neo 7 misses out on some of those fine highlights and color details in certain scenarios. This is really, really not that big a deal but it is what it is.
Audio
Stereo speakers with Hi-Res Audio
No 3.5mm headphone jack
Now, although I can easily look past this pesky little thing, I’m afraid the iQOO Neo 7’s speakers are just… not that nice. The phone thoroughly struggles to maintain proper detail and clarity in either low, mid, or high frequencies and the overall audio also sounds muffled at full volume. That’s not something I expected from a gaming phone. Despite all this, I’ve had no trouble making phone calls on this thing.
Cameras
Triple camera setup at the back
(64MP primary, 2MP depth, 2MP macro)
16MP selfie camera (hole-punch cutout)
Cameras
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Back
Front
Well, that brings us to the cameras then. And right off the bat—yes—iQOO has replaced the 8MP ultrawide sensor in favor of a 2MP depth camera here, which sucks. There’s simply no nice way to put it. I am someone who is into street and landscape photography so the wider field of view of an ultrawide camera is super useful for me.
Daytime Images
But on the bright side, iQOO Neo 7’s 64MP ISOCELL GW3 main sensor actually takes really good photos for its class.
Daytime
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And I think most people are going to like its image processing too. That punchy contrast mixed with playful colors and occasionally nicer exposure looks quite eye-catching, to be honest.
Lowlight Images
Lowlight
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Its lowlight shots are equally good. The onboard OIS makes sure you get sharp and well-detailed photos, while there’s also good contrast level and highlight control overall.
Lowlight vs Night Mode
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Nighttime
Night Mode
Nighttime
Night Mode
Nighttime
Night Mode
Nighttime
Night Mode
Nighttime
Night Mode
iQOO does tend to lift the exposure evenly across the image though, making them look superficial. I thought turning on the night mode would fix this—but apparently not. So hopefully this gets sorted out with a future update.
Portrait, Selfie Images
Anyway, I’m equally fond of how iQOO handles human subjects. Like when it comes to portraits, the phone digitally zooms in on the subject, mimicking a telephoto camera.
Portrait
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And as you can see from these samples, it delivers noticeably more pleasing photos with great background separation.
Selfie
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The subject’s skin tone isn’t the most accurate from either phone, but the Neo 7’s portraits still manage to stand out. It’s all the same with selfies as well.
Videography
Moving on to videos, iQOO lets you record at up to 4K 60 fps. But since OIS doesn’t work here, you’re gonna have to go 4K 30 fps or lower for steadier footages.
And yeah, iQOO has greatly combined optical stabilization with a little bit of cropping-in magic to give you quite stable videos. Even exposure handling is pretty good here but you will notice jitters every now and then. While there’s also a shade of warm color tone in general.
But unlike the main camera, you’re still stuck with 1080p 30 fps videos from the front camera. Its field of view is fine but iQOO could’ve done a better job with facial skin tone, as well as dynamic range and stabilization.
Battery
5000mAh with 120W fast charging
And as for battery, it’s fantastic news. The iQOO Neo 7 has been consistently giving me around 7 to 8 hours of screen time even under a fairly stressful usage pattern consisting of a lot of web browsing, mixed with taking photos and videos, and a couple of gaming sessions sprinkled in every now and then.
Whereas the upgraded 120W fast charging is just another way iQOO impresses with this phone, which gets you a complete refill in just 24 minutes. But you should know that you will need to enable the “fast charging” option in the settings for this.
iQOO Neo 7 Review: Conclusion
That was all for my full review of the iQOO Neo 7. It pretty much goes without saying that this is easily the best gaming phone you could buy in the midrange segment. But… that was obvious just by looking at its spec sheet, right?
I also thought a great gaming experience was all I was gonna get with the iQOO Neo 7 but boy was l wrong!
Instead, what really surprised me here is just how well-balanced it is in other aspects like the battery, display, and cameras too. So if you’re shopping for a reliable phone in general—and not just a gaming phone under INR 30,000—the iQOO Neo 7 is genuinely a good option you can consider.
Having said that, I believe iQOO could’ve made it 10/10 by including an ultrawide sensor and a good set of stereo speakers. And if you look at the competition, we’re going to see some exciting midrange phones in a month or two. Like the Xiaomi 13 Lite, OnePlus Nord 3, and Samsung Galaxy A54.
These phones might not go toe-to-toe with iQOO in terms of performance, but they could still deliver better value overall. Thus making Neo 7’s appeal just a bit weaker. So I really think iQOO should’ve included an ultrawide camera and good speakers on this phone. Whose component cost really shouldn’t have cost iQOO that much! Yeah, that’s definitely a missed opportunity here.
Samsung’s Odyssey series is home to the company’s premium gaming monitors. The lineup gained a new member back in January, the Odyssey Neo G7, which is available for purchase now. As expected, the monitor brings top-shelf specifications including a 43-inch display and 144Hz refresh rate. Let’s dive into the detailed specifics of the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 and its expected price in Nepal.
Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 Monitor Overview:
Display
As aforementioned, the Neo G7 gaming monitor sports a flat 43-inch panel with a 4K resolution (3840 x 2,160 pixels). It’s a Quantum mini-LED display that can refresh at 144Hz and bags the VESA DisplayHDR 600 certification, ensuring vivid and life-like quality, with accurate color and contrast reproduction.
On top of that, the Neo G7 also supports AMD’s FreeSync Premium Pro. This allows the gaming monitor to reduce screen tearing, and stutter, enabling low latency in both SDR and HDR games. Likewise, the tech enables low framerate compensation for syncing the game’s lowest refresh rate to the display’s minimum refresh rate.
Complementing it is the 1ms Moving Picture Response Time (MPRT) which reduces motion blur. The screen also has a matte coating to reduce reflections. Moving on, the display has a 10-bit color depth (1 Billion colors), 400 nits of brightness, and covers a 95% P3 color gamut.
Design
Speaking of the design, the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 has symmetrical bezels all around; except on the bottom side which is a tad bit bigger. Likewise, the stand only supports tilt adjustments. You can also hang it on your wall since it supports a VESA mount.
As a gaming monitor, Samsung has offered a decent amount of port options. The Odyssey Neo 7 monitor consists of two HDMI 2.1 ports, a DisplayPort 1.4 connector, a headphone jack, and two USB 3 Type-A ports.
One of the HDMI ports also supports Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eArc). It enables the monitor to channel the original full-resolution audio signal through an HDMI cable, producing quality audio output. Talking of wireless connectivity, the monitor has Bluetooth 5.2 and WiFi 5; which means there’s no WiFi 6 or 6E support here.
Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 Specifications:
Display Size: 43-inch
Display Panel: Mini LED Panel (Flat)
Resolution: 4K (3840 x 2,160 pixels)
Color Gamut: 95% DCI-P3 color coverage
Contrast Ratio: 1,000,000:1
HDR: Yes, VESA DisplayHDR 600
Refresh rate: 144Hz
Response Rate (MRPT): 1ms
VRR: AMD’s FreeSync Premium Pro
Ports: 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x USB 3 Type-A, 1x headphone jack
Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 Price in Nepal
As for the pricing, the monitor is available for purchase at USD 999.99. In Nepal, we expect the price of the Samsung Odyssey Ne0 G7 to be NPR 159,999, if and when it launches here.
Monitor
Price (Official)
Price in Nepal (Expected)
Samsung Odyssey Neo G7
USD 999.99
NPR 159,999
Meanwhile, check out the video of our ultimate racing setup.
According to NTA’s latest drive test report of Kathmandu which was conducted from February 3 – February 7, 2023 (Magh 20 – Magh 24), Nepal’s all three telecom operators were found to have poor mobile service quality. Let’s know more about the reality of the mobile service standard in Kathmandu.
NTA Drive Test Overview:
What is a drive test?
Before moving forward, let’s first understand what a drive test is. This is a method of testing the quality of mobile networks in an area by mounting testing equipment on a moving vehicle. The vehicle navigates through the area by making repeated voice or data calls. Under this, every service provider’s service in the range is tested at the same time.
The tools are set up in such a way that a suitable network (4G / 3G / 2G) is automatically selected for each service provider based on availability. Here, NTA used the “JDSU E6474A” test tool and the “Gladiator” post-processing tool.
JDSU E6474A (Image: eBay)
In case you didn’t know, Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) oversees all companies in the telecommunication sector in Nepal, including network service providers, phone importers and sellers, and so on.
NTA conducted the drive test in 15 different places in Kathmandu. This includes Gwarko, Koteshwor, Old Sinamangal, Bouddha-Naya Basti, Chabahil, Gaushala, Sifal, Maitidevi, Haadigaun, Kapan, Dhumbarahi, Barphedi, Bhangal, Hathigauda, Budhanilkantha and roads covering those areas.
NTC call response in drive test areas (Image: NTA)
Similarly, it performed 120-second calls inside the same network of service providers for this test. Meaning NTC to NTC, Ncell to Ncell, and Smart to Smart.
What was the end result?
According to NTA’s regulations, the call setup success rate (CSSR)—which is the number of successful calls in 100 calls—should be equal to or more than 99.99%. But the CSSR of NTC, Ncell, and Smart was just 88.78%, 93.69%, and 26.39%, respectively.
Furthermore, NTA says the call setup time (CST)—which is the waiting time until the call is connected—should be less than or equal to 5 seconds. But the CST of NTC, Ncell, and Smart in the aforementioned test areas of Kathmandu turned out to be 6.97, 5.18, and 11.93 seconds, respectively.
Lastly, the call block rate (CBR) should be less than or equal to 2%, according to NTA. This metric determines the rate of calls rejected by the network. And here as well, all three telcos performed poorly. With NTC, Ncell, and Smart scoring 11.21%, 6.3%, and 73.60%, respectively.
The only parameter where every telecom operator showed positive results was in terms of call drop rate (CDR)—i.e. call automatically hung up in the middle of the conversation. According to the report, all three telcos’ CDR was 0%, while NTA has set the acceptable threshold for CDR to ≤2%.
Based on the report, NTA has instructed all the telecom operators to improve the quality of their network to meet the standards set by the Telecommunication Service Quality Regulations 2073. Seeing how even the country’s capital has such poor mobile service quality, you can easily imagine how things are in Nepal’s rural areas where the telecom operators haven’t set up as strong network infrastructure.
OEMs applying unusual designs on their products is not a new thing. Mostly, such new designs are the results of a collab with other companies or popular games. Out of the blue, Samsung has just unveiled a ‘flavorful’ chocolate mint design keyboard-mouse combo in South Korea.
Samsung Wireless Keyboard Mouse Mint Choco:
Design
Unsurprisingly, it’s named Samsung Wireless Keyboard Mouse Mint Choco. This keyboard and mouse combo was initially launched back in 2019, but Samsung has given more of a color refresh this time around.
Codenamed SRP-9500MC, the combo boasts a desert-like design of mint chocolate ice cream. Likewise, the mint green-colored keyboard and mouse have choco chips sprinkled (imprinted) all around for a foody vibe.
The dimension of the keyboard is 436 x 125 x 23 mm and it weighs 462 grams. The keyboard resembles a chiclet design with small and flat rectangular keys.
Likewise, the dimension and weight of the mouse are measured at 108 x 60 x 26 mm and 49 grams respectively. The mouse is suitable for both right and left-handed users due to its ambidextrous design.
Connectivity and Others
Both the mouse and keyboard use 2.4GHz wireless connectivity. The choco mint keyboard follows an interlocking design with a scissor-switch mechanism. Hence, each key has two pieces that connect to each other like scissor blades.
The keyboard sports a complete layout with a function bar, cursor keys, a navigation pad, and a number pad. Similarly, there is a dedicated home button and keyboard shortcuts for quickly navigating the calculator, media, and audio. Samsung has mentioned that the keyboard is low noise and provides a soft touch feel.
Likewise, the mouse has three sensitivity levels (800 / 1200 / 1600 DPI) and a high-performance optical sensor. Samsung has also offered a wear-resistant coating over the keys and chocolate chip printing on both accessories. They get their power from AA and AAA batteries respectively.
Specifications:
Mint Choco Keyboard
Chiclet Design
Scissor-switch Mechanism
2.4GHz Wireless Connectivity
462 grams
Full Layout keys
Wear-resistant coating
Mint Choco Mouse
Three DPI levels (800 / 1200 / 1600 DPI)
Optical Sensor
2.4GHz Wireless Connectivity
AAA Battery
Wear-resistant coating
Samsung Wireless Keyboard Mouse Mint Choco Price
As of now, the availability of the Mint Choco combo is limited to the South Korean region only. And there are no official words about the pricing yet.
Meanwhile, you can check our new ultimate racing setup.
The Mobile Device Management System (MDMS), has long been a topic for discussion in Nepal. As you might know, its goal is to prevent illegal or grey imports of mobile phones into the country. Just like phones, laptops are another difficult market in Nepal with a lack of proper management in place. With the increasing use of laptops, there is a growing need for a Laptop Device Management System (LDMS) in Nepal.
Laptop Device Management System
Before we get started, let me give you a quick rundown of how mobile phone imports are regulated in Nepal. This will give you an idea of what we mean in the case of laptops. And why a Laptop Device Management System (LDMS) is required in Nepal.
You may be surprised, but the smartphone industry is relatively organized, even before the introduction of MDMS. And there are a few reasons for it.
Firstly, every mobile brand designates one (or more) distributors in each country to handle their smartphone distribution process. They are commonly known as “National Distributors” which get the exclusive rights to import the brand’s smartphones in the country.
For instance, Samsung has appointed HIM and IMS, while Gen NXt is in charge of Apple iPhones. Likewise, other brands such as Xiaomi, Realme, and Infinix also have their respective distributors in Nepal.
Once the authorized distributors are in place, brands must follow the NTA’s Type Approval process before selling smartphones in Nepal. The process ensures that the International Mobile Equipment Identities (IMEIs) of all the smartphones being imported are registered in the NTA’s system. And once this is done, the brand can launch the smartphone for a specific marked price, that is consistent across the country.
These steps ensure that the smartphone you purchase is a legal import, and that prices are consistent for both buyers and sellers. Even if a seller attempts to sell a device for more than its retail price, you can check the price on the brand’s official site or on media sites like ours. We regularly update the prices of smartphones from all brands so that the user gets up-to-date information.
The incompetence of system for laptops
But the situation is considerably messier when it comes to the import of laptops in Nepal. The main reason for it is that NTA doesn’t monitor this industry as closely as it does for mobile phones.
Actually, importing a laptop in Nepal is easier than you might think. All you need is an Exim (Export Import) code; which by the way, is required for the import or export of basically every goods in Nepal. Even a packet of salt. Not to mention, it is issued to every trader who wishes to exchange goods to or from the country.
As a result, any retailer, big or small who has Exim code, can easily import laptops in Nepal. And sell them at their desired price without raising any eyebrows. While it encourages a practice of an open market (which is beneficial in a few ways), it also means there are no proper restrictions or regulations on the trade of products by government or outside force.
All of this ends up creating price volatility in the market, resulting in different prices for the same products depending on the seller. It can even discourage laptop makers from entering the market officially since grey sellers can undercut their prices.
This is certainly not a good thing, especially for customers. Because if there’s no official brand presence, there will be no authorized repair centers to turn to. And there is no guarantee that customers will find an original part at the local repair shop.
Refurbished products
Even more of a problem in the Nepali market is that it allows grey sellers to easily import refurbished laptops and resell them as new. Although such laptops will eventually be less expensive than new & authorized ones, there is a significant difference in terms of warranty coverage.
Many of you might not know it, but a laptop purchased from a grey seller only includes warranty coverage for RAM, SSD/HDD, battery, charger, and display. Official distributors, on the other hand, have direct contact with the manufacturer and can also cover damages such as wires, chipsets, CPU/GPU, motherboard, WiFi cards and more.
We have a detailed video on grey, authorized, and refurbished laptop, which you can watch below.
What’s our take?
So what’s the bottom line then? We simply want to emphasize the importance of a regulatory body overseeing Nepal’s laptop market. Kind of like what NTA does with phones. Maybe introducing a Laptop Device Management System (LDMS) could help achieve this goal, which would only allow authorized distributors to import laptops into the country. NTA could make it happen by verifying the agreement between the distributor and laptop makers.
And it also goes without saying that implementing such a system shouldn’t disturb the ethos of the open market either. People importing laptops for their personal use, or someone arriving in Nepal from foreign countries with their personal laptop should be exempted from this system. Then again, if such laptops are being imported in bulk, then they should once again be directed from the official channels. This will help maintain consistent prices across the country, while also guaranteeing authentic products to the buyers. In the end, this system could effectively minimize the prevalence of grey or refurbished laptops in Nepal.
The smartphone has a 6.51-inch IPS LCD panel with a static 60Hz refresh rate. It has an HD+ resolution of 1600 x 720 pixels and supports up to 16.7 million colors with an 88.99% screen-to-body ratio.
