There is a piece of good news for all Nepalese digital marketers and local businesses that use Meta’s platform to grow their reach. The company has appointed Httpool by Aleph as the authorized sales partner in Nepal. Nepali advertisers and marketing agencies will now have access to better consultation and technical support because of Meta’s local presence.
Meta’s local presence in Nepal
Meta has appointed Httpool by Aleph as its authorized sales partner in Nepal, and it’s not the first time the two companies are working together. Httpool by Aleph has been part of the Meta Authorized Sale Partner (ASP) program, starting in 2018. Brands part of the Meta ASP program get to work with local clients as an extension of the global sales team.
“We are thrilled to bring in Httpool by Aleph as Meta’s Authorized Sales Partner in Nepal and believe that with their robust market insights and expertise, we will offer improved support for local businesses and agencies to further unlock their potential growth,” said Jordi Fornies, Director of Emerging Markets for APAC at Meta.
As of now, Httpool by Aleph has contracts with Meta in regions ranging from Africa and Central East Europe to Asia-Pacific. It is already operating locally in over 30 different countries, like India, Bangladesh, Switzerland, and Ukraine.
How can Nepali advertisers benefit from Meta’s ASP program?
And now, Nepal is part of the growing list. As a national sales partner, Httpool will offer Nepali advertisers and agencies in-country assistance, strategic direction, and expertise across different products and platforms within Meta. It also plans to organize training and workshops to promote new skills to help them make the most of Meta and its products — as it does with other international clients.
“As the Authorized Sales Partner for Nepal, Httpool by Aleph enables in-market support and consulting for advertisers.”
Httpool will set up an office in Kathmandu to oversee all the operations in Nepal. It will serve as the sole direct point of contact for Meta’s services in Nepal. This includes all of Meta’s apps, products, and platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Nepali advertisers and marketing agencies will no longer need to trade in international currency. With Httpool by Alph as the authorized sales partner, all the billing will now be in Nepalese Rupee. Likewise, they can now get technical support and business consultation in local languages.
Meanwhile, check out our unboxing and review of the Redmi Note 12.
Before the Redmi Note 12 series goes global next month, Xiaomi has added another device to the lineup. The newly launched Note 12 Pro Speed Edition is the sixth phone in the lineup. It was announced at an event in China, alongside the much-awaited K60 series and other accessories. So, let’s dive into the details about the Redmi Note 12 Pro Speed Edition, including the official specs, features, expected price, and availability in Nepal.
Redmi Note 12 Pro Speed Edition Overview:
Design and Display
The looks and design of the new Speed Edition are in line with the rest of the Note 12 Pro series. Redmi Note 12 Pro Speed Edition sports flat frames with rounded corners. There are no curves elsewhere, just like on the Note 12 Pro. We get a rectangular camera module at the back, but with a slight difference. The LED flash is round and placed toward the top, in contrast to the bottom left position on the rest of the Note 12 series.
Over on the front, there is a 6.67-inch OLED screen with a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera. It is an FHD+ screen with support for 120Hz refresh rate. As a cost-saving measure, Redmi has placed the fingerprint scanner on the side of the Note 12 Pro Speed Edition, despite the phone having an OLED screen.
Performance and Memory
What really sets the new Speed Edition apart from other Redmi Note 12 series phones is the processor. The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 778G 5G, the same chip found in popular mid-rangers like the Xiaomi 12 Lite and Galaxy A52s . Based on a 6nm process, the Snapdragon 778G brings a three-tier core architecture with 1x Cortex-A78 Prime (@2.4GHz), 3x Cortex-A78 Performance (@2.2GHz), and 4x Cortex-A55 cores (@1.9GHz).
All in all, the phone should perform better than the Dimensity 1080-powered siblings, making it worthy of the Speed Edition moniker. Moving on, the chip is paired with up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage. It is also among the first Redmi phone to ship with MIUI 14 based on Android 13. To recall, all previous Note 12 series phones came pre-installed with Android 12-based MIUI 13.
Over on the photography front, Redmi Note 12 Pro Speed Edition’s triple camera setup is headlined by a 108MP primary sensor. Unlike the Note 12 Pro and Pro+, this one lacks Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). Accompanying it are an 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro sensor. Likewise, you get a 16MP selfie camera housed inside a punch-hole cutout on the front.
Rest of the specs
Finally, Redmi Note 12 Pro Speed Edition packs a 5,000mAh battery and supports 67W charging via the Type-C port. Redmi even includes a compatible charger inside the box. The phone is compatible with 5G, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2 networks.
Security: Fingerprint sensor (side-mounted), Face unlock
Battery: 5000mAh with 67W wired charging
Color Options: Midnight Black, Shimmer Green, Lite Pink
Redmi Note 12 Pro Speed Edition Price in Nepal (Expected)
As of now, Redmi Note 12 Pro Speed Edition is limited to the Chinese market, where it starts at CNY 1,699 and goes all the way up to CNY 1,999. If it launches in Nepal, we expect the price of the Redmi Note 12 Pro Speed Edition in Nepal to start at NPR 42,499.
Redmi Note 12 Pro Speed Edition
Price in China (Official)
Price in Nepal (Expected)
6/128GB
CNY 1,699
NPR 42,499
8/256GB
CNY 1,799
NPR 44,999
12/256GB
CNY 1,999
NPR 49,999
Meanwhile, check out our unboxing and initial review of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+.
Xiaomi has just announced the Redmi Band 2, the successor to the original Redmi Band from 2020, in China. The new model features significant improvements both in design and functionality compared to its predecessor. So let’s look at the specs, features, availability, and expected price of the Redmi Band 2 in Nepal.
Redmi Band 2 Overview:
Design, Display
The Band 2 sports a 1.47-inch TFT display on a rectangular module. Xiaomi says the screen is 76% bigger than its predecessor and is covered with 2.5D tempered glass for protection. Similarly, it has a 172 x 320-pixel resolution, 450 nits of brightness, and a pixel density of 247 PPI.
Since this band lacks a control button, you must rely on gestures to operate it. The wearable is 9.9mm thick and weighs just 14.9 grams. Xiaomi has also provided 5ATM water and dust resistance here.
Moreover, the Band 2 offers six vibrant wristband options made from comfortable, skin-friendly materials. In addition to these stylish choices, you can also choose from over 100 dial options to personalize the look.
The health and fitness features of the Redmi Band 2 includes 30+ sports modes including running, cycling, walking, etc. Likewise, it’s fitted with an optical heart rate sensor for 24-hour heart rate tracking. It also measures SpO2 to detect oxygen levels in your blood.
You can pair the Redmi Band 2 with your smartphone via the Mi Fitness app. And it supports both Android and iOS devices. Furthermore, juicing things up is a 210mAh battery that is claimed to offer up to 14 days of battery life.
Huawei Watch Fit 2 is finally available in Nepal. It first made its debut back in May 2022, alongside Huawei’s premium smartwatch, the Watch GT 3 Pro. The Watch Fit 2 shares many features with the Watch GT 3 Pro—but in a rectangular form factor instead of circular. And in this post, we’ll be discussing all about the Huawei Watch Fit 2, including its specs, features, availability, and official price in Nepal.
Huawei Watch Fit 2 Overview:
Design and Display
One of the main attractions of the Watch Fit 2 is definitely its design. And depending on your fashion choice, you can select from three different finishes of this fitness tracker. The “Active Edition” is the most basic one with a polymer front and back case and a silicone strap. Then you have the “Classic Edition” which brings a more premium leather strap alongside an aluminum front case.
Huawei Watch Fit 2
1 of 3
Active Edition
Classic Edition
Elegant Edition
By the way, this fitness tracker uses a press-to-release “Link” design mechanism which makes swapping between the straps quite easy. Finally, there’s the “Elegant Edition” Huawei Watch Fit 2 that comes with a Milanese strap—although it’s not available in Nepal right now. Besides the build material, this fitness tracker is pretty slim and lightweight too. Measuring 10.8mm thin and as little as 26 grams without the strap. For easier navigation, Huawei has given a solitary button on the right, which can take you to the homescreen or launch an app.
As for the display, the Watch Fit 2 features a 1.74” AMOLED screen, which is 18.6% larger compared to the one on its predecessor, the Huawei Watch Fit. Its bezels are also pretty minimal, resulting in a 72.2% screen-to-body ratio. This screen even supports Always On Display (AOD), whereas you can choose from a bunch of watch faces from the Huawei Health app as well.
The Watch Fit 2 is first and foremost geared toward fitness enthusiasts. As such, it can cover a total of 97 workout modes, including walking, running, cycling, swimming (thanks to the 5ATM rating), treadmill, and more. It even offers fitness animations and voice-guided warm-up stretches for 7 different workouts. It is also capable of monitoring things like running ability index, training load, and more to give you a detailed view of your exercise.
And its built-in GPS means you don’t need to your smartphone to record the workout trails either. The Watch Fit 2 can import and export workout routes too. On the health monitoring side of things, the Huawei Watch Fit 2 supports everything from all-day heart rate, stress, sleep, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), to menstrual cycle tracking. The Watch Fit 2 is also equipped with Huawei’s “Healthy Living” feature that evaluates multiple factors like sleep cycles, steps, water intake, and more to motivate you toward a healthier lifestyle.
Moving on, the Watch Fit 2 supports Bluetooth phone calls as well since it has a built-in microphone and speaker. And in Huawei smartphones running EMUI 10.1 or above, you can even connect with Huawei Voice Assistant for easier workflow.
In terms of software, this fitness tracker runs on Huawei’s own “HarmonyOS 2” platform and is compatible with phones running Android 6.0 or above, or iOS 9.0 or above. When it comes to battery life, Huawei claims that the Watch Fit 2 can go up to 10 days on a full charge under typical usage. Or up to 7 days under relatively heavy usage. You can even get a day’s worth of battery life with just 5 minutes of charge.
Huawei Watch Fit 2 Specifications:
Dimensions: 46 x 33.5 x 10.8 mm
Weight: (without strap)
Active Edition: 26 gm
Classic, Elegant Edition: 30 gm
Strap: Silicone / Leather / Milanese strap
Display: 1.74″ AMOLED panel, Always On Display
Resolution: 336 x 480 pixels resolution, 336 PPI
Control: Touch, swipe, side button
Connection: Bluetooth 5.2 (BLE), 2.4GHz WiFi
Navigation: Built-in GPS with A-GPS, Beidou, Glonass, Galileo, QZSS
Bluetooth Calling: Yes (built-in microphone, speaker)
Battery: Up to 10 days of endurance (typical usage)
Charger: Proprietary Magnetic charger (5V/1A)
Colors:
Active Edition: Midnight Black, Sakura Pink, Isle Blue
Classic Edition: Nebula Gray, Moon White
Elegant Edition: Premium Gold, Silver Frost
Huawei Watch Fit 2 Price in Nepal and Availability
The price of the Huawei Watch Fit 2 in Nepal is NPR 22,490 for the Active Edition and NPR 25,990 for the Classic Edition. You can buy Huawei Watch Fit 2 in Nepal from authorized stores like Hukut.
Huawei launched FreeBuds 4 TWS earbuds at the “Huawei All Scenario Smart Life New Product” launch conference way back in May 2021. It comes as a successor to FreeBuds 3 and a more premium version of the FreeBuds 4i. Now, the Huawei FreeBuds 4 is finally available here in Nepal. Let’s learn more about what the Huawei FreeBuds 4 is packing including its specs, features, availability, and official price in Nepal.
Huawei FreeBuds 4 Overview:
Design
FreeBuds 4 brings a semi-in-ear fit similar to its predecessor. Huawei claims that these buds are much comfier than in-ear style earbuds as the company has collected tens of thousands of 3D human ear models in order to come up with this design. In addition, the headphones are said to fit comfortably in the user’s ear and are not stuffy even when worn for a longer period of time.
They have the same stem-style form factor as their predecessor too. Each earbud weighs 4.1 gm while the charging case weighs 38 gm. Huawei FreeBuds 4 come in three color configurations: Ceramic White, Frost Silver, and Honey Red.
On the audio front, FreeBuds 4 features an improved noise cancellation algorithm that can reduce surrounding noise levels up to 25 dB. For this, Huawei has used “dual-microphone hybrid noise reduction technology” which reduces distracting noise to the greatest possible extent.
Moreover, the headphone is fitted with high sensitivity microphone that supports high-definition vocal recording at a sampling rate of 48kHz.
Connectivity and Controls
In terms of connectivity, these earbuds use Bluetooth 5.2 to pair up with two devices at the same time. Furthermore, FreeBuds 4’s latency can get as low as 90ms, which is more than 50% lower compared to the previous generation (190ms). However, this is limited to Huawei phones running on Hongmeng OS.
Over on the touch controls, a long press on either earbud will enable or disable noise cancellation or reject calls, while a double press will play/pause music, accept calls, or skip the playing track. Similarly, an up/down sliding gesture on either bud lets you adjust volume levels.
Rest of the specs
Aside from that, the FreeBuds 4 is powered by a Huawei Kirin A1 processor. There’s a 30mAh battery in each earbud, while the charging case includes a 410mAh battery. With 15 minutes of quick charge, it can provide up to 2.5 hours of music playback. In addition, they are also IPX4 certified for water and dust resistance.
Huawei FreeBuds 4 Specifications:
Weight: 4.1 gm (each bud), 38 gm (charging case)
Chip: Huawei Kirin A1
Drivers: 14.3 mm moving coil
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2 (multi-device connection)
Audio: Dual-microphone hybrid active noise cancellation
Honor has announced the release of its latest tablet, the Pad V8 Pro, which is set to be the company’s top-of-the-line offering in the tablet market. It’s loaded with beefy hardware under the hood and looks just as good on the outside. More about the Honor Pad V8 Pro including its full specs, features, and expected price in Nepal here.
Honor Pad V8 Pro Overview:
Design, Display
Honor has equipped the Pad V8 pro with a 12.1-inch IPS LCD display that boasts an impressive resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels, 10-bit color depth, and 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut. It is also the first tablet to have a 144Hz refresh rate, making it ideal for fast-paced media consumption and gaming.
Plus, with its IMAX Enhanced certification, users can access content that meets the same high standards as IMAX movies, typically only available on TVs. Likewise, the screen has a peak brightness of 600 nits.
In addition, the Honor Pad V8 Pro takes care of your eyes with its proprietary “natural-light-like eye protection” technology. The tablet has also received TUV Rheinland certification for Hardware Grade Low Blue Light and Flicker-free, making it a safe and comfortable choice for extended use.
Furthermore, the tablet has an equally good exterior design. It features a leather texture finish on the Burning Orange version, while the Clear Sky Blue and Star Gray options have a metallic chassis.
Complementing the display for a complete multimedia experience is a set of eight speakers that support DTS:X surround sound.
Honor has also added support for accessories for the Pad V8 Pro. One is the Magic Pencil 3, which has a pressure sensitivity of 4096 and can be magnetically charged. Another useful accessory is a keyboard with a dedicated trackpad for easy typing on the go.
Performance
In charge of things inside is a MediaTek Dimensity 8100 which is a plenty powerful chipset with four Cortex-A78 (@2.85GHz) and four Cortex-A55 (@2.0GHz). This is paired with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
Sadly Honor still ships the tablet with Android 12-based Magic UI 7.0, despite the fact that Android 13 has been available for quite some time. Anyways, things are powered by a generous 10,050mAh battery that supports up to 35W wired charging.
Others
As for the cameras, the Honor Pad V8 Pro comes with a single 13MP sensor on the back. And a 5MP front-facing camera with fixed focus. The rear camera can record 4K videos while from the front you can record just 1080p videos. Moreover, the wireless connectivity options include WiFi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2.
The Pad V8 Pro starts at CNY 2,599 for 8/128GB and CNY 2,899 for the 8/256GB variant. The top-of-the-line 12/256GB model costs CNY 3,299. The tablet is already available for pre-order, and sales will begin on December 30 in mainland China. We expect the price of Honor Pad V8 Pro to start at NPR 65,000, if and when it launches in Nepal.
Honor Pad V8 Pro
Price in China
Price in Nepal (Expected)
8/128GB
CNY 2,599
NPR 65,000
8/256GB
CNY 2,899
NPR 70,000
12/256GB
CNY 3,299
NPR 80,000
Meanwhile, check out our pick for the best budget and mid-range tablets.
IMS Group, one of the two national distributors of Samsung products in Nepal, has just opened the country’s first experience store. The store, located at Durbar Marg, Kathmandu, will give users the chance to experience the brand’s latest innovation firsthand. So, in this article, we will be discussing the Durbar Marg flagship outlet in Nepal in more detail and the Samsung Experience store in general.
What is a Samsung Experience store exactly?
At its core, Samsung Experience stores are independent retail outlets. However, they are designed in a way to give customers the best taste of the company’s latest innovation. This really sets them apart from other ordinary stores and showrooms. For instance, you can get hands-on experience with Samsung’s latest launches, whether it’s a new Galaxy product or any latest cutting-edge commercial technology.
Even within Samsung, Experience Stores are referred to as “playgrounds” where customers can try out different Samsung products to find the one that best suits them.
A whole new experience
To help customers with their decision-making process, Samsung Experience Stores have certified experts, also called “Galaxy Consultants”. These experts or consultants are there to give you, the customers, helpful insights on the products. They also help you with real-life demonstrations, recommendations tailored to your needs, and financial, as well as technical support.
The Samsung Store at Durbar Marg, Sherpa Mall (Kathmandu) is the company’s first flagship store in the country. IMS Group, one of the official distributors of Galaxy products in Nepal, renovated the existing store in Durbar Marg and upgraded it based on the global design system principles to give Nepal its first Samsung Experience store.
The flagship store at Durbar Marg will provide Samsung fans and customers with an immersive and interactive experience while shopping for their next Galaxy products. They will have the chance to get their hands on the latest Galaxy products, including the upcoming Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4.
IMS Nepal has also expanded the showroom display at the Durbar Marg store to include Samsung TVs and monitors, alongside a dedicated customer inquiry booth where customers can have their queries answered by experts.
Meanwhile, check our long-term review of the Galaxy Z Fold 3
Nubia has just announced the Red Magic 8 Pro series in China, which includes the Red Magic 8 Pro and 8 Pro+. Both devices feature similar specifications, with the main difference being their battery size. In this article, we will provide an overview of the specifications, features, availability, and expected price of the Nubia Red Magic 8 Pro and Red Magic 8 Pro Plus in Nepal.
Nubia Red Magic 8 Pro, 8 Pro Plus Overview:
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
As expected of any flagship gaming phone, both the Nubia Red Magic 8 Pro and Pro+ uses the best chip out there, which in this case, is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The latest chip from Qualcomm is based on a new 4nm node and brings a 1+4+3 core architecture with Cortex-X3 Prime, Cortex-A715, Cortex-A710 performance, and Cortex-A510 efficiency cores. On the graphics side, it has the latest Adreno 740 based on the ARM IMMORTALIS GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing.
So, the new chip alone makes smartphones 37% faster in CPU and 42% better in GPU. Additionally, the use of LPDDR5 (8533Mbps) and UFS 4.0 (3.5GB/s) standards results in 37% faster memory and 100% faster storage.
In-house Red Core R2 game chip
Backing the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is the Red Core R2 independent game chip to enrich the user’s gaming experience. This new chip is tasked with optimizing the shoulder buttons, touch inputs, haptics vibration, and sound effects for an immersive gaming experience.
ICE 11.0 Magic Cooling System
Along with the new game chip, Red Magic 8 Pro/Pro+ will also have Nubia’s latest self-developed ICE 11.0 cooling system. Of all the cooling components on the phone, Nubia is really hyping up the new 3D Ice-level double pump Vapor Chamber with liquid cooling, which the brand believes is the industry’s first. It is also the biggest VC in the Red Magic lineup with a volume of 2068mm3, and it boasts 100% higher thermal conductivity than traditional VCs.
That aside, the ICE 11.0 cooling solution consists of over a dozen other components, including high-speed centrifugal fans, an air duct, a graphene layer, and additional 10 layers of heat-dissipation materials. All of them work in tandem to reduce the surface temperature of the phone by up to 16° Celsius.
Nubia has also re-designed the Red Magic 8 Pro from the ground up. It now flaunts a boxy design with flat edges. There are volume rockers and a power key to the left, while the left side is home to the gaming shoulder buttons and a slider with a red accent. The phone will be available in matte black and transparent color options.
Over on the front, there is a 6.8-inch 120Hz flat AMOLED screen with symmetrical 1.48mm side bezels. This allows the phone to achieve a 93.7% screen-to-body ratio. Other display specs include a 960Hz touch sampling rate, 10-bit color gamut, 1440Hz PWM Dimming, and up to 1300 nits of peak brightness.
Rest of the specs
Gaming phones are not known for their cameras, and the Red Magic 8 Pro series will be no different. Both the 8 Pro and Pro+ features a 50MP ISOCELL GN5 sensor as the primary shooter. This is joined by an 8MP ultra-wide angle lens and a 2MP macro sensor. Meanwhile, there is a 16MP under-display camera for selfies.
Moving on, the smartphones feature a 1115K+1216 ultra-linear stereo speaker setup with Snapdragon sound, 96kHz lossless audio, and 48ms low latency.
Until now, the specifications of both devices have been similar. However, they differ in terms of battery capacity, as the 8 Pro has a 6000mAh battery and supports 80W charging. The Red Magic 8 Pro+, on the other hand, has a smaller 5000mAh battery but supports faster 165W charging.
Red Magic 8 Pro, 8 Pro+ Specifications:
Dimensions: 163.98×76.35×8.9mm
Weight: 228g (8 Pro) / 230g (8 Pro+)
Display: 6.8-inch OLED, 120Hz, up to 960Hz touch sampling rate, 10-bit, 100% DCI-P3, up to 1300 nits brightness, 1440Hz PWM dimming
Resolution: Full HD+ (2480 x 1116 pixels)
SoC: Octa Core Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 4nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 740 GPU
Connectivity: 5G (NSA /SA), Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 ax), Bluetooth 5.3, GPS (L1/L5)+ GLONASS, USB Type-C, NFC
Battery:
8 Pro: 6000mAh battery, 80W fast charging
8 Pro+: 5000mAh battery, 165W fast charging
Nubia Red Magic 8 Pro, 8 Pro Plus Price in Nepal and Availability
The Red Magic 8 Pro is priced at CNY 3,999 for the base 8/128GB variant. Whereas, the 8 Pro+ starts at CNY 5,199 for the 12/256GB model. If and when Nubia Red Magic 8 Pro and Red Magic 8 Pro+ launch in Nepal we expect the price to start at NPR 100,000 and NPR 130,000, respectively.
Smartphone
Configuration
Price in China
Price in Nepal (Expected)
Nubia Red Magic 8 Pro
8/128GB
CNY 3,999
NPR 100,000
8/256GB
CNY 4,399
NPR 110,000
12/256GB
CNY 4,799
NPR 120,000
12/256GB (Transparent Edition)
CNY 4,999
NPR 125,000
Nubia Red Magic 8 Pro+
12/256GB
CNY 5,199
NPR 130,000
16/512GB
CNY 5,799
NPR 145,000
12/256GB (Transparent Edition)
CNY 5,399
NPR 135,000
16/512GB (Transparent Edition)
CNY 5,999
NPR 150,000
16GB, 1TB (Transparent Edition)
CNY 6,999
NPR 173,169
Meanwhile, check out our unboxing and initial impressions of the Redmi Note 12 Pro+.
Despite rumors of the demise of the Fan Edition (FE) series, it looks like the FE is here to stay and better than ever. Fresh rumor has it that Samsung is quietly working on the Galaxy S22 FE. Here we will go through all the leaks and rumors surrounding the Samsung Galaxy S22 FE.
Samsung Galaxy S22 FE Rumors:
Revealing the news that there will be Galaxy S22 FE is a budding leaker @OreXda. In a tweet, the leakster says that we can expect the S22 FE along with the Galaxy Buds 2 Live soon. Another tipster, Dohyun Kim, supports the claim, but he believes there will be no Fan Edition smartphones for the Galaxy S23 series.
In another twist, it was reported a few days back that Samsung may skip the Galaxy A74 next year. And now @RGcloudS, a new leaker, tweeted that the Galaxy S22 FE will be stepping in to take its place.
He also suggests that the smartphone will be powered by the Exynos 2300 SoC and will rock an HM6 108MP sensor. He went on to say that the Galaxy Tab S8 FE will also be powered by the Exynos 2300 chip; even though earlier leaks say it will be powered by MediaTek’s Kompanio 900T SoC.
The Galaxy S22 FE is expected to be unveiled at the Unpacked Event, which might take place on February 1. This year’s Unpacked event may have two parts, with Samsung possibly announcing the Galaxy S22 FE and Galaxy Tab S8 FE in the second.
In terms of pricing, @RGcloudS believes the S22 FE will be priced similarly to the Galaxy A73. The latter was announced earlier this year for $499.
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE.
This is my review of the HP Envy x360 13 (2022) after using it as my daily driver for more than two weeks. So 2-in-1 laptops are useful for many things. It can be a collaborative canvas for creative professionals, a note-taking tool for students (and just about everyone), a cool multimedia device, or you can always use it as a boring old laptop as well. And perhaps the least discussed benefit of such convertible devices is how they prevent accidental breakage thanks to the flexible hinge.
I can’t tell you just how many times I’ve accidentally tried to adjust a laptop to 180° without realizing it can’t do so. Hope that habit doesn’t stick once I get back to my MacBook after this!
But the thing is, good 2-in-1 laptops don’t come cheap. While the ones that are relatively cheaper compromise on some critical aspects to bring down the price. But what if I told you that I’ve found a great 2-in-1 laptop that doesn’t cost you a fortune? What if I told you that you could have the best of both worlds? After using the new HP Envy x360 (2022) for the past couple of weeks, I truly believe this is one of the best 2-in-1 laptops in its price segment right now.
Seriously.
From a premium metallic build quality, a modern 16:10 display, Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, and more, this Envy takes a lot of charm off of HP’s high-end “Spectre” lineup, to be honest. And starting at just USD 699, INR 86,999 in India, or NPR 140,000 here in Nepal, it undercuts the competition like Dell’s XPS 13 (2-in-1) by a significant margin too.
HP Envy x360 13 (2022) Review: Specifications
Design & Build: All-aluminum build material (recycled metal), 11.75 x 8.46 x 0.63-inches (W x D x H), 1.38 kg
Audio: Down-firing stereo speakers, Audio by Bang & Olufsen
Battery: 4-cell 66 Watt-hours Li-Ion battery
Power Supply: 65W HP Smart AC adapter (USB Type-C)
Webcam: HP True Vision 5MP infrared (IR) camera, Dual-array digital microphone (with temporal noise reduction)
Connectivity: WiFi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax), Bluetooth 5.2
I/O Ports: 2x Thunderbolt 4 with USB Type-C (DisplayPort 1.4, Power Delivery 3.0, HP Sleep and Charge support) 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x Micro SD card reader, 1x 3.5mm audio jack
Price in Nepal: Rs. 140,000 (8GB RAM, 512GB SSD)
What’s Inside The Box: Laptop, 65W HP Smart AC adapter (USB Type-C), User manual and other documents
HP Envy x360 13 (2022) Review:
Design and Build
11.75 x 8.46 x 0.63-inches (W x D x H)
1.38 kg, Recycled aluminum build material
Okay, except for a few small things, the Envy x360’s design is absolutely amazing. And it’s got all that you’d want from a portable 13” machine. Everything from the lid, and the keyboard deck, to the base of this laptop is made from aluminum. Actually recycled aluminum to be exact. Besides all the performance and experience upgrades, sustainable manufacturing is another key area that hardware makers should be focusing on, and I’m glad to see HP on this path.
And the use of such recycled materials hasn’t made this laptop any less premium to hold either. I love how the sandblasted finish on both the cover and the keyboard deck feels super nice to lay your hands on, and also how it keeps fingerprint smudges in check. And weighing around 1.3 kg only, the Envy x360 is super comfortable to carry to your college or office as well.
So far so good
I also like how HP’s clean and premium design has been complemented with great durability here. It doesn’t have those military-grade certifications or anything but I can tell you that this laptop is quite sturdy—especially for a 2-in-1 device. There’s minimal flex on the lid or anywhere else, and neither does that 360° hinge show any signs of weakness.
Even the port selection is rather amazing on this thing. You get two Thunderbolt 4 connections on the right, both with up to 40 Gbps data rate, USB Power Delivery, DisplayPort support, and more. HP insisted on using a separate AC power pin on the last-gen Envy x360, and I’m really glad that has changed this time.
Ports
1 of 2
Left
Right
Then you have a couple of USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports on either side, a micro SD card reader, and a 3.5mm audio jack. As you can see, HP has protected the USB-A ports here with a cover… thingy, which helps to maintain the laptop’s thin profile as well. But this also means I have to lift the laptop almost every time I need to plug in anything with a USB-A connection because doing so when you have it on a flat surface is just not as easy.
Display
13.3″ glossy WUXGA IPS touchscreen
60Hz refresh rate, 100% sRGB color gamut
400 nits brightness, Corning Gorilla Glass NBT
Supports HP Rechargeable MPP2.0 Tilt Pen
Moving on, HP lets you pick from three display options for this year’s Envy x360. I’ve been using the base variant with a 13.3” glossy IPS panel, a tall 16:10 aspect ratio, and a 1200p resolution, whereas you can also get it with a sharper 1600p screen. Other than this, there’s an OLED option as well, with an even sharper 2.8K resolution and a low blue light filter.
It goes without saying that the OLED display gives you the best visual experience out of all three choices, but don’t underestimate this IPS panel just yet.
HP promises 100% sRGB color coverage here and we found that to be perfectly accurate. Alongside 77% AdobeRGB and 78% DCI-P3 gamut.
Display Properties
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Color Gamut
Gamma
Brightness
So whether you’re browsing the web, streaming a video, or sketching your next art project, this screen is not going to disappoint. HP says it ships select models of the Envy x360 by color-calibrating the screen right out the gate. But it seems that the base variant doesn’t fall under that list; which is why our unit of the Envy x360 looked a little off by default.
Great display overall
Anyway, this screen gets bright enough for outdoor usage too, hitting 466 nits at 100%—which is actually quite higher than the official claim of 400 nits. I am especially impressed with its incredible 1,530:1 contrast ratio. As someone who prefers to use dark mode all day every day, I really appreciate the deeper blacks that this display manages.
One more thing, I’m also really glad HP decided to skip that “Sure View” privacy filter this time because even when keeping it off, the last-gen Envy x360 suffered from poor viewing angles. For a 2-in-1 laptop that’s meant to be used in all sorts of ways, such limiting viewing angles was pretty counterproductive, and yeah… I couldn’t be happier here.
And as far as the touchscreen experience is concerned, it’s quite nice.
In most markets, HP also ships a compatible stylus for free so that you can get on with your work at once. And it’s great for taking notes or drawing up sketches and stuff. It feels comfortable to hold, the input latency here is minimal, and it just… glides through the display without much resistance. There are even a couple of customizable buttons to further simplify your workflow. It would’ve been nicer if HP had also given different pressure sensitivity levels on this stylus, but for casual users like myself, I can’t say that matters a lot.
Keyboard and Trackpad
Full-size backlit keyboard
Plastic trackpad with Precision drivers
For the most part, the Envy x360’s keyboard is fairly nice too. The keys don’t feel crammed in and they have a nice texture and travel distance for a reassuring typing experience. For me, its feedback itself feels a bit stuffy though, and I’m not a fan of how loud they sound either.
The engraving on the keycaps has gotten better on the 2022 edition of the Envy x360. But I will say that HP could’ve done an even better job with a more contrasting color than sea blue. The Envy x360’s plastic trackpad does its job fine enough. You may notice a bit of resistance—especially when using three or four-finger gestures—but I won’t say it’s a deal-breaker in any way.
Audio
Down-firing stereo speakers
Audio by Bang & Olufsen
Okay, so the audio quality of this laptop actually surprised me. HP has gone with a usual set of down-firing speakers here, tuned by Bang & Olufsen, that sound pretty decent with some tuning and tweaking. Its soundstage also feels wide and with rich details—except in terms of low frequencies—although that’s to be expected.
Webcam
HP True Vision 5MP IR camera
Dual-array digital microphone
The Envy x360 also has a fantastic camera.
In fact, its 5MP infrared webcam is easily the best I’ve seen on a Windows machine in a long, long time. And we have Intel to thank for it. You see, this is an “Intel Evo” laptop, which means it has to meet a bunch of strict standards set by Intel. One of those guidelines under the third-edition states that for a laptop to be “Intel Evo” certified, it must have a 1080p / 30 fps camera or higher.
And believe it or not, this 5MP webcam far exceeds Intel’s requirements to deliver great picture quality with nice details and highlights. The audio pickup from its dual array microphones is pretty awesome. Because of its higher resolution, this camera even enables features like “Auto Frame” which keeps you at the center of the frame all the time. Just like “Center Stage” on Apple’s iPads. There’s even a built-in light adjustment tool to help in low-light conditions and such.
Performance
Intel Core i7-1250U CPU (9W TDP)
Intel Iris Xe Graphics (Integrated)
8GB LPDDR4x RAM, 512GB PCIe 3.0 SSD
On to performance, the 13” HP Envy x360 can be configured with an Intel Core i5-1230U or a Core i7-1250U processor. You don’t get an AMD option for the 13” model and neither is it available with a discrete GPU. Yet.
And their “U” suffix tells us that these Intel chips prioritize power efficiency over pure performance. They’re both 10-core processors with two performance and eight efficiency cores, sure. But with just 9W of base power (that can boost to up to 29W), these CPUs aren’t meant to handle any kind of demanding workloads.
Core i5-1230U
Core i7-1250U
Cores / Threads
10 (2x P, 8x E)
10 (2x P, 8x E)
12 Threads
12 Threads
E-cores Max Frequency
3.30 GHz
3.50 GHz
P-cores Max Frequency
4.40 GHz
4.70 GHz
Intel Smart Cache
12MB
12MB
Graphics
Iris Xe
Iris Xe
Execution Units
80 (850 MHz)
96 (950 MHz)
Base Power
9W
9W
Max Turbo Power
29W
29W
Instead, you can expect snappy everyday performance here. Including web browsing, using Office Suite of applications and stuff; alongside the quietest, coolest thermals and the best battery life. And long story short, I don’t have any major issues with the performance of the Envy x360.
I am using the Core i7 variant which has slightly higher clock speeds and more powerful Iris Xe integrated graphics. But the Core i5 model won’t be drastically underpowered at all. This laptop has passed through my everyday chores which consist of loading up a bunch of Chrome tabs, editing word processor and spreadsheet documents, listening to music on Spotify, and light image editing on Photoshop almost perfectly fine. Almost.
Reliable casual performance
As I said before, the Core i7-1250U is not that powerful of a processor. And when putting it against some relatively resource-heavy apps, I did notice some mild slowdowns. In Adobe Photoshop, for example, applying Content-Aware Fill or using the Object Selection tool takes just a tad bit longer than you’d expect.
Benchmarks
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Cinebench R23
Night Raid 1.1
Time Spy 1.2
PugetBench for Photoshop
PugetBench for Premiere Pro
And since the base configuration of the Envy x360 comes with just 8GB of RAM, I needed to reload a few Chrome tabs every now and then after keeping them idle for a while. Mind you that this is all without Google Chrome’s new “Memory Saver” feature turned on. So yeah, if you’re looking to buy this laptop, I’d highly recommend getting the one with 16GB RAM because, like most 2-in-1 notebooks in 2022, the Envy x360 also has a soldered memory.
HP Envy x360 13 (2022) - Gaming
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Asphalt 9: Legends
CS: GO
Fall Guys
I also tried playing some less demanding and some indie games on this thing and yeah… turns out you can have a decent gaming experience here. As long as you adjust the settings properly. And even with the fan settings maxed out, I could barely hear it spin. The right half of the keyboard deck does get slightly warm too, but it’s not a big deal.
Battery
66 Watt-hour 4-cell battery
65W HP Smart AC adapter (USB Type-C)
As for the battery life, HP has upgraded to a big 66Wh cell this time, which lasted me through around 6 – 7 hours of continuous usage almost every day. That’s actually a bit shorter than Intel Evo’s “at least 9 hours of battery life on FHD displays” claim, but this is an impressive result nonetheless.
And technically, the Envy x360’s 1200p resolution is higher than FHD. So I guess we can cut some slack in that regard as well. For juicing it up, HP gives you a sleek 65W USB Type-C power adapter that takes roughly 90 minutes for a full charge. And of course, if you have a 65W or higher USB Power Delivery (PD) 3.0 compatible charger, you can use that too.
HP Envy x360 13 (2022) Review: Conclusion
Summing up this review, the HP Envy x360 13 (2022) is an awesome 2-in-1 laptop that brings the right balance between portability and versatility. It’s got a premium, reassuring design, great battery endurance, a nice display, decent performance, and a webcam like no other in its category.
All that at a pretty amazing price too; thereby seriously undercutting the most obvious choices in terms of 2-in-1 laptops. Like Dell’s XPS 13 (2-in-1). So if you’re an aspiring digital artist, a school/college student, or just someone searching for a reliable 2-in-1 laptop for their business or office work, I can definitely recommend this to you. HP frequently puts the Envy x360 on sale as well, so if you can nab it at lower prices, even better!
Watch our video review of the HP Envy x360 13 (2022)
Honor has also added support for accessories for the Pad V8 Pro. One is the Magic Pencil 3, which has a pressure sensitivity of 4096 and can be magnetically charged. Another useful accessory is a keyboard with a dedicated trackpad for easy typing on the go.
Over on the front, there is a 6.8-inch 120Hz flat AMOLED screen with symmetrical 1.48mm side bezels. This allows the phone to achieve a 93.7% screen-to-body ratio. Other display specs include a 960Hz touch sampling rate, 10-bit color gamut, 1440Hz PWM Dimming, and up to 1300 nits of peak brightness.
