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Google’s long-awaited Pixel Watch is finally here with Wear OS 3

Google

GadgetByte

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October 7, 2022

Google’s long-awaited Pixel Watch is finally here with Wear OS 3

After a long wait, Google has officially unveiled its first smartwatch, the Pixel Watch. The wearable debuted alongside the Pixel 7 smartphone line. Here is all you need to know about the Google Pixel Watch along with its expected price in Nepal.

Google Pixel Watch Overview:

Design, Display

The Pixel Watch has a doomed, circular display inspired by the surface of a water droplet. According to Google, this design makes the bezels disappear (although it has quite chunky bezels) and does not interfere with a sleeve or shirt. The 1.2-inch AMOLED screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and is housed in a stainless steel housing.

The case measures 41mm in length and 12.3mm in thickness. It is also very light, weighing only 32g (without straps), and is water resistant up to 5ATM (50 meters). The wearable is available in three different colors: black, silver, and gold.

Meanwhile, check all the prices and specs of Google smartwatches

Compared to other smartwatches, the straps on the Pixel Watch are held securely in place by a twist-and-lock mechanism. There are different band styles to choose from: the standard Active band, the Stretch and Woven band, and the Metal and Leather bands.

Four-year-old chipset

Google Pixel Watch is powered by a four-year-old Exynos 9110 chipset, which was previously seen in the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3. It is accompanied by a Cortex M33 co-processor, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage.

On the software front, it runs on the company’s own Wear OS 3.5 platform. Here you can swipe in either direction to view Tiles for different activities, swipe up to access notifications, and swipe down to quickly change settings. There are also Pixel Watch-exclusive and customizable watch faces.

Furthermore, as expected from the Wear OS, it provides direct access to a slew of Google apps, including Google Maps, Google Assistant, Google Photos, and others. You also get a new Google Home app that allows you to control your smart home appliances directly from your wrist.

Health and Fitness

Google is leveraging the expertise of Fitbit (which it acquired last year) for health and wellness features. You’ll be able to connect the watch to the Fitbit app and use features like Active Zone Minutes and sleep tracking. The watch tracks your heart rate continuously and has 40 workout modes to choose from. It can also take ECG measurements but does not support blood pressure monitoring as of now.

Google Pixel Watch comes with an SOS feature that alerts trusted contacts when you’re in an emergency or feel unsafe. The watch, however, must have an active data connection for this feature to work. There’s also a Fall Detection feature that detects if you’ve fallen and automatically connects you with emergency services.

Rest of the specs

Moving on, the wearable is said to provide one-day battery life with its 294 mAh battery. For charging, it uses a USB-C port. Likewise, the connectivity option includes Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, NFC, and GPS.

Google Pixel Watch Specifications:

Dimensions: 41 x 41 x 12.3 mm
Weight: 36g (without band)
Display: 1.2-inch AMOLED, Corning Gorilla Glass 5, 320ppi, up to 1000 nits brightness, Ambient light sensor, Always-on display
CPU: Exynos 9110 SoC, Cortex M33 co-processor
RAM: 2GB
Storage: 32GB
Battery: 294mAh, USB-C charging
Connectivity: 4G LTE, UMTS, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz, NFC, GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo
Durability: 5ATM
Software: Wear OS 3.5
Health sensors: Optical heart rate sensor, Multipurpose electrical sensor, Blood oxygen sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Altimeter, Compass
Audio: Built-in speaker
Mobile payments: Google Wallet
Workout detection: Yes

Google Pixel Watch Price in Nepal and Availability

The Pixel Watch will be available in two versions: one with Wi-Fi only and one with Wi-Fi + 4G LTE connectivity. The latter costs USD 399, while the Wi-Fi-only model costs USD 349. If and when the Google Pixel Watch is released in Nepal, we expect the price to start at NPR 55,000.

Google Pixel Watch	Price in the US	Price in Nepal (Expected)
Wi-Fi	USD 349	NPR 55,000
Wi-Fi + 4G LTE	USD 399	NPR 65,000

Meanwhile, check out our review of the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

The new Xiaomi 12T Pro is the company’s first 200MP camera phone

Xiaomi

Nikhil Shrestha

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October 5, 2022

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The new Xiaomi 12T Pro is the company’s first 200MP camera phone

After the China-exclusive Xiaomi 12S series, the company has now globally launched the 12T series of smartphones. The new Xiaomi 12T and 12T Pro are powered by MediaTek and Qualcomm’s flagship chips, respectively, while also bringing “pro-grade cameras”. Let’s check out the official specs, features, availability, and expected price in Nepal for the Xiaomi 12T and 12T Pro.

Xiaomi 12T Pro Overview:

Cameras

The biggest highlight—and probably also the biggest differentiator—of the Xiaomi 12T Pro lies in its camera system. While both the 12T and 12T Pro feature the same 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro shooter, they host a different primary camera. In case of the Xiaomi 12T Pro, it has an optically-stabled Samsung ISOCELL HP1 200MP main sensor.

Using 16-in-1 pixel binning, it takes 12.5MP shots by default. The company has also developed something called “Xiaomi ProCut” that can deliver up to five different images out of a 200MP shot; all without compromising in terms of details. For portraits, it also supports 2x in-sensor zoom which is basically digital zoom, by the way. Other exclusive features on the “Pro” model include “Xiaomi ProFocus”, “Motion tracking focus”, and more. Up front, the Xiaomi 12T and 12T Pro feature the same 20MP selfie camera.

Performance

Besides the main camera, the 12T Pro is powered by a more powerful processor as well. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip inside has been complemented with 8/12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 128/256GB of high-speed UFS 3.1 storage.

The phone still runs on Android 12-based MIUI 13 whereas Xiaomi has also promised 3 generations of OS and 4 years of security updates for the 12T series. On the cooling front, Xiaomi says the 12T Pro uses an improved heat dissipation system with a vapor chamber that’s 65% larger and with 125% higher thermal material coverage compared to last year’s Xiaomi 11T Pro.

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Design and Display

Getting to the design, the Xiaomi 12T Pro is a pretty big phone. It is 75.9mm wide, 8.6mm thick, and weighs about 205 grams. While there is no IP certification of any sort here, the 12T Pro does have quite a premium build quality. It brings a glass-sandwich design with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5 protecting the display. The phone is available in three color options: Blue, Silver, and Black.

Xiaomi 12T Pro - Design

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As for the display, you’re looking at a 6.67″ AMOLED panel with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and up to 480Hz touch sampling rate. Xiaomi calls it a “CrystalRes” display for its sharper 1220p resolution. The 12T Pro’s screen also boasts a few flagship features like Dolby Vision, Adaptive HDR, SGS Low Visual Fatigue certification, and more. And since this is also a 12-bit display, the 12T Pro can produce over 68 billion colors. Xiaomi has even gone with an in-display fingerprint scanner this time.

Others

Moving on, the Xiaomi 12T Pro has a powerful set of stereo speakers tuned by Harman/Kardon that supports Dolby Atmos audio. It is fueled by a large 5000mAh battery with support for 120W fast charging. Xiaomi says it can fuel up the phone in just 19 minutes. And to ensure safety during such fast charging speeds, Xiaomi has used 9 thermal sensors and a total of 42 safety features. And its battery can reportedly survive up to 800 charge cycles without degrading the battery health.

Xiaomi 12T Overview:

On the other hand, the regular Xiaomi 12T shares most of its specs with its “Pro” sibling. Including the design, display (except for the Dolby Vision support), battery, and charging solution. As for the performance, it enjoys MediaTek’s Dimensity 8100-Ultra chip instead of the latest dragon from Qualcomm.

This 5nm chip is still flagship-grade, even though it uses older CPU architectures like Cortex-A78 and Cortex-A55. It is also limited to just 8GB of RAM, while the phone is available with 128 or 256GB of storage. To note, the 8100-Ultra is pretty much the same as the standard Dimensity 8100, but with a few custom tweaks from Xiaomi. Apart from this, the Xiaomi 12T’s biggest difference compared to the 12T Pro is also its primary camera. Compared to the 200MP main shooter on the Pro, this guy uses a Samsung ISOCELL HM6 108MP sensor instead.

Xiaomi 12T and 12T Pro Specifications:

	Xiaomi 12T	Xiaomi 12T Pro
Body	75.9 x 163.1 x 8.6mm, 202 gm	75.9 x 163.1 x 8.6mm, 205 gm
Display	6.67” CrystalRes AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate, 480Hz touch sampling rate, 12-bit colors, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Resolution	2712 x 1220 pixels, 446 PPI, 20:9 aspect ratio
Chipset	MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Ultra 5G (5nm)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 5G (4nm)
Memory	8GB LPDDR5 RAM	8/12GB LPDDR5 RAM
Storage	128/256GB UFS 3.1 storage (non-expandable)
Software	MIUI 13 (based on Android 12)
Rear Camera	108MP main (OIS) 8MP ultra-wide 2MP macro	200MP main (OIS) 8MP ultra-wide 2MP macro
Front Camera	20MP f/2.24 sensor (hole-punch cutout)
Audio	Dual stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos audio
Security	In-display fingerprint scanner
Sensors	360° Ambient light, Accelerometer, Color temperature, E-compass, Flicker, Gyroscope, IR blaster, Proximity
Connectivity	Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 6 (dual-band), Bluetooth, GPS / A-GPS / Galileo / Glonass / BeiDou / NavIC, USB-C, NFC, 4G LTE, 5G
Battery	5000mAh with 120W HyperCharge support
Colors	Silver, Blue, Black

Xiaomi 12T Pro Price in Nepal and Availability

Xiaomi 12T series will be available from October 13 in Europe. It’ll start at EUR 599 for the regular Xiaomi 12T, while the 12T Pro costs EUR 749. As such, we expect the price of the Xiaomi 12T and 12T Pro in Nepal to start at NPR 67,000 and NPR 84,000 respectively, if and when they launch here.

Smartphone Model	Price in Europe	Price in Nepal (Expected)
Xiaomi 12T (8/128GB)	EUR 599	NPR 67,000
Xiaomi 12T Pro (8/128GB)	EUR 749	NPR 84,000

Meanwhile, check out our review of the iPhone 14 Pro Max

Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro goes global with metal body, built-in GPS, NFC

GadgetByte

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October 4, 2022

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Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro goes global with metal body, built-in GPS, NFC

Xiaomi first launched its first Pro smart band in China back in July. After months of waiting, it is finally available in the global market. So, let’s walk through the full specs, features, expected price, and availability of the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro in Nepal.

Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro Overview:

Design

As its name gives it away, Smart Band 7 Pro is the most advanced fitness band from Xiaomi. It is also called the Mi Band 7 Pro in China and other regions.

Nonetheless, the band sports a metallic frame that is available in two colors: Light Gold and Graphite Grey. The rest of the watch is made of plastic. The band is 11mm thick and weighs around 20.5 grams. You can even take it to a swimming pool as it has 5ATM certification.

Xiaomi ships the Band 7 Pro with a TPU wristband. However, you can even buy leather-like silicone straps separately.

Measuring 1.64-inch, Mi Band 7 Pro’s display is larger than that of the regular Mi Band 7 and Redmi Smart Band Pro. It is a 2.5D curved rectangular glass screen with a 70% screen-to-body ratio and 326 PPI pixel density.

Furthermore, Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro supports over a hundred watch faces, automatic brightness adjustment, and an Always on Display mode.

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Fitness / Health Tracking

Like most fitness bands, Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro comes with an optical PPG sensor. This allows the band to support 24-hour heart rate and continuous blood oxygen monitoring. It can even warn users if their SpO2 level drops too low and suggest breathing exercises accordingly.

Furthermore, the watch has 117 sports modes, including 14 professional ones. Mi Band 7 Pro can track your workouts more accurately as it comes with a 5-satellite GPS navigation system.

Smart Functions

You can bind your Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro to newer Android and iOS devices. The fitness band can then alert you of incoming calls and other notifications. In addition, you can even schedule reminders, check weather forecasts, and control music playback and camera.

It even has Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. Sadly, you don’t get the NFC support, which is currently exclusive to the Chinese model.

Xiaomi Mi Band 7 Pro Specifications:

Body: 44.7 x 28.8 x 11 mm, 20.5gm (without strap)
Strap: Removable TPU straps (130~205mm)
Display: 1.64″ AMOLED panel, 2.5D curved
Resolution: 280 x 456 pixels resolution, 326 PPI
Connection: Bluetooth BLE (5.2)
Compatible with: Android 6.0, iOS 12, and above
IP Rating: 5ATM water-resistance
Functions: Alarm, Camera Shutter, DND, Heart Rate Monitor, Notifications, Sleep Tracking, Step Counter, Blood Oxygen, Women’s Health
Sports Modes: 117 (14 professional)
Sensors: 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyro, PPG heart rate, Ambient Light Sensor
Companion App: Mi Fitness app (Android | iOS)
Battery: 235mAh, Up to 12 days (typical)
Charger: Proprietary Magnetic charger (1 hour)

Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro Price in Nepal (Expected)

The price of Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro in Europe starts at EUR 99. We expect the price of Xiaomi Band 7 Pro to be NPR 12,999 if and when it launches in Nepal.

Smart Fitness Band	Price in Europe (Official)	Price in Nepal (Expected)
Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro	EUR 99	NPR 12,999

Meanwhile, check out our full review of the Xiaomi Mi Band 6.

Samsung introduces “world’s first 17″ slidable display for PC”

Samsung

GadgetByte

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October 1, 2022

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Samsung introduces “world’s first 17″ slidable display for PC”

With years of expertise in the display sector under its belt, Samsung has unveiled a slidable screen technology for computers. The new Samsung Slidable PC Display extends from 13″ to 17″ and Samsung is working with Intel to bring out the viability of the display.

Samsung Slidable PC Display Overview:

Intel’s 2022 Innovation Forum brought us a lot from Intel, but Samsung surprised us by demoing its unique PC display at the same event. Samsung calls this screen, which can convert from a 13-inch to a 17-inch display, “the world’s first 17-inch slidable display for PC.” At the event, we saw Samsung Display CEO JS Choi demonstrate the display’s transformation.

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Unlike Samsung’s foldable displays, this slidable display rolls along the rails and can be extended just by pulling it apart. The screen’s sliding mechanism made few audible sounds while maxing out at 17-inch and also while being pushed back into the 13-inch form factor.

“Foldable is gone”

Aside from this, this display also had a visible crease where the sliding mechanism starts. This form factor can unlock many possibilities for computing in terms of the user interface, portability, and more.

To achieve this, Samsung is working with Intel to introduce features and abilities to best utilize this form factor.

Samsung Slidable PC Display Launch And Availability

While Samsung commercially offers folding displays on devices like the Galaxy Z Fold and Flip, we will not be seeing a slidable display on a consumer-grade device any time soon.

The Samsung Display CEO persisted that the company is working closely with Intel in order to figure out ways to add value to the slidable/rollable form factor.

Meanwhile, check out our long-term review of the Galaxy Z Fold 3.

New 5th Gen Amazon Echo Dot models official with Eero mesh networking

Amazon

GadgetByte

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September 30, 2022

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New 5th Gen Amazon Echo Dot models official with Eero mesh networking

Amazon has unveiled three new Echo Dot models including the standard Eco Dot, Echo Dot with Clock, and Echo Dot Kids. Here, we will go through the specs, features, availability, and price of the Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) in Nepal.

Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) Overview:

According to Amazon, the 5th gen Echo Dot is its best-sounding Echo Dot yet. It has an upgraded 44mm driver which boasts clearer vocals and deeper bass. There are four buttons on top including an action button, volume up/down keys and a button to turn off the mic. The power port is located on the back right above the Alexa light ring.

The new Echo Dot also has a built-in temperature sensor that can detect temperature changes and routinely turn on/off compatible home appliances. Likewise, besides the mic-off button, there are multiple layers of privacy control.

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Eero Mesh Networking

The most exciting feature of the Echo Dot (5th Gen) is its mesh networking capability. With a compatible Eero router, now you can turn your Echo Dot into a mesh wireless extender. As per Amazon, each Echo Dot can extend the coverage by 1000 square feet.

Echo Dot with Clock

Moving on, the 5th gen Echo Dot with Clock is basically a standard Echo Dot with a high-density dot matrix display. Primarily used to display time, the display can also show information about the current song, weather, calculations, events, and more.

Echo Dot Kids

The unique design of the Echo Dot Kids is what sets it apart from the standard model. It has two available designs, one features an owl, while the other depicts a dragon. And, Amazon Kids+ subscribers can also enjoy two new Alexa voices for the owl and the dragon. Furthermore, you also get a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+ and a two-year guarantee with it.

Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) Specifications:

Dimensions: 100 x 100 x 89 mm, 304g
Audio: 44mm speaker, Lossless High Definition
Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (Dual-band), Built-in Eero Mesh Networking
Bluetooth: A2DP, AVRCP support
Voice Assistant: Alexa
Colors:
– Echo Dot (Standard): Charcoal, Deep Sea Blue, Glacier White
– Echo Dot with Clock: Cloud Blue, Glacier White
– Echo Dot Kids: Owl, Dragon

Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) Price in Nepal and Availability

The standard Amazon Echo Dot carries a price tag of USD 50 and the Echo Dot with Clock and Echo Dot Kids both cost USD 60. Therefore, the standard Amazon Echo Dot is expected to be priced at around NPR 7,299 in Nepal whereas the two other models are expected to cost around NPR 8,799.

Echo Dot (5th Gen)	Price (Official)	Price in Nepal (Expected)
Standard	USD 50	NPR 7,299
With Clock	USD 60	NPR 8,799
Kids	USD 60	NPR 8,799

Meanwhile, check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 series.

Amazon launches Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen), Alexa Voice Remote Pro

GadgetByte

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September 29, 2022

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Amazon launches Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen), Alexa Voice Remote Pro

The Amazon Fire TV Cube combines features of the Echo Dot and a Fire TV Stick into one. Now, the company is here with the third-gen Fire TV Cube with quite a few changes up its sleeves. So, let’s take a look at the Amazon Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen) along with its specs, features, price, and availability in Nepal.

Amazon Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen) Overview:

Design

Amazon has refreshed the design of the third-gen Fire TV Cube giving it a more premium look. While the Alexa LED status bar and physical control buttons remain on the top, the built-in speaker is now covered by a fabric mesh.

As for the I/O selection, it comes with an ethernet, USB, IR extender, and both HDMI in and HDMI out. With the added HDMI input, you can connect it directly to a cable box. This allows the user to control the box via Alexa as well as the Fire TV Cube Remote.

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Processor

The third-generation Fire TV Cube is fitted with a new 2.2GHz octa-core processor. According to Amazon, this makes it 20% more powerful than its predecessor. Likewise, it should be two times more powerful than the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. With the new processor, the Fire TV will have noticeable improvement in load times and video playback performance.

Rest of the Specs

Moreover, the Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen) is the first streaming device in the market to come with Wi-Fi 6E. It also includes Super Resolution Upscaling which can make high-definition videos look like native 4K videos with enhanced sharpness and details. It also features a 360-degree IR blaster that can control other devices such as your TV, home theater, AC, soundbar, and more.

Alexa Voice Remote Pro

With the third-gen Fire TV Cube, Amazon also unveiled the Alexa Voice Remote Pro. Unfortunately, it is sold separately and not bundled with the cube. The remote has motion-activated backlighting that turns on when the remote is lifted in a low-light environment.

The remote also has two new programmable buttons that can be assigned to apps, channels, and even Alexa commands. Besides this, the Alexa Remote Pro also has a built-in speaker that comes in handy when you misplace it. Simply ask Alexa to find your remote and it will emit a ring to reveal its location.

Amazon Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen) Specifications:

Dimensions: 86 x 86 x 77mm, 509.6g
Video: 4K Upscaling, Dolby Vision, HDR 10+, HLG
Processor: Octa-core
– 4x 2.2 GHz
– 4x 2 GHz
GPU: 800MHz
Memory: 2GB RAM | 16GB internal storage
Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
Voice Support: Far-field, Near-field
Audio: Dolby Atmos, Stereo, 7.1 surround, HDMI audio passthrough
Ports: HDMI In, HDMI Out, IR Extender, Power, USB-A, Ethernet
Alexa Voice Remote: Backlit, voice control, in-built speaker, 2 programmable buttons

Amazon Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen) Price in Nepal and Availability

The Amazon Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen) is available for USD 140 whereas the Alexa Voice Remote Pro costs USD 35. We expect the price of the Amazon Fire TV Cube 2002 to be around NPR 19,999. Likewise, the Alexa Voice Remote Pro could cost around NPR 5,999 in Nepal.

Amazon Product	Official Price (USA)	Price in Nepal (Expected)
Amazon Fire TV Cube 2022	USD 140	NPR 19,999
Alexa Voice Remote Pro	USD 35	NPR 5,999

Meanwhile, check out our picks for the best streaming devices under USD 50.

Vivo X Fold+ released with Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, new red colorway

GadgetByte

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September 27, 2022

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Vivo X Fold+ released with Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, new red colorway

Around 5 months after the launch of the X Fold, Vivo has introduced its upgraded version, the Vivo X Fold+. The new foldable gets a performance upgrade with Qualcomm’s current best SoC and is available in a new red color. In this article, we will look at the key specs, features, expected price, and availability of the Vivo X Fold in Nepal.